"Well  this is cosy.  What the hell is going on in this universe?
Dawn, what do you mean by calling Willow mom?"

The pretty teenager looked at the strange woman who looked so much
like her sister, her dead sister.  "Look, I don't know who you are,
or where  you came from, but my sister is dead.  I saw her die to
save my life, and she left Spike and Willow to take care of me.
They're doing a great job, now butt out!  `cause You have no right to
question me.  If anything it's my right to question you.  Like what
are you doing in my house?  And are you another robot, or just a
demon dressed up to look like my sister?"  Dawn burrowed under
Spike's arm and glared at the slayer from the protective comfort of
his embrace.

Willlow looked at the tiny blonde and saw the sorrow and fear on her
face.  "Well Buffy, are you ready to let me prove that you aren't a
robot?"

The slayer looked at her best friend and saw both compassion and
resolve on her face.  "Oooh, resolve face.  Yeah, I guess I'm ready
to let you prick me."

"Come with me then."  With a nod to Spike and a smile for Dawn, she
led the way to the kitchen.

Spike quickly handed Dawn over to Giles and followed the pair.  The
vampire looked at his lover as she removed a knife from the knife
block on the counter.  "Luv, there is an easier way, you know."

"What do you mean Spike?"

"I can belt her.  If she doesn't fall down she's probably a `bot.  If
I fall down, she's human."  He tapped his head.  "Remember my useful
human detector."

The redhead looked slightly apprehensive, then a look of resignation
crossed her face.  She'd known this would happen sooner or later and
now, everyone would know.  She could hear the screams of rage and
protest.  "Spike I'm afraid that won't work quite as well as you
think it will."

"I don't see anything different happening, Red.  I hit her, if she's
human I end up with a bleedin' headache.  If she isn't then I take
her apart to see what she is."

"Uh, Spike, I kind of did something that, well, I don't know quite
how to explain just what I did."  She cast a helpless look up at her
lover.

The icy blue  eyes warmed and his tone was both warm and
commanding.  "Girl.  Tell me exactly what you've done."

Jade eyes dropped respectfully.  "Sir, I removed your chip.  I felt
it was prudent to do so for the protection of the key.  But sir, I
failed to inform you.  So if you hit Buffy and she's human, it
wouldn't matter."

Spike stared down at the woman before him.  Finally in a soft voice
he said, "We'll deal with this digression later, girl.  For now we
have to figure out how to prove one way or the other what this Buffy
is."

His eyes promised Willow that there would be a punishment for her
misbehaviour, she quaked slightly knowing that she would be
uncomfortable sitting for a few days over this.  "It's easy enough to
do, Spike.  All I have to do is to cut her hand slightly.  It'll
prove one way or the other whether she's human or a robot.  But
before I do that I need to examine the back of her neck and the small
of her back.  That could solve the problem by itself."

"Alright Red, you do what you need to do.  She'll just have to put up
with my being here, `cause I'm not leaving you alone with her."

The little witch nodded her head in acquiescence, then turned to the
blonde.  "Please turn around and hold your hair up off your neck?"
She carefully probed at the slayer's neck with her fingers and her
sharp eyes.

"Now raise your shirt and let me see the small of your back."  Buffy
carefully lifted her shirt, trying to keep Spike from seeing
anything.  Again, Willow probed her with eyes and fingers.  Finally
she spoke, "Okay, now one little prick and I will  be through."

Spike smirked, "Well nothing new in that is there, Slayer?"

She held one of Buffy's hands in her own.  Taking a knife, she
carefully pricked Buffy's thumb with the tip of the knife in her
steady hand.  Blood welled red under the blade.  She looked at her
lover, then at Buffy.  She dipped the tip of her finger into the
small pool of blood and offered it to the vampire.

He gently took her hand in his, then licked the blood from the finger
she extended to him.  "There is no doubt about it.  That's slayer
blood.  The power sings in it.  I don't know who she is, but she is
DEFINITELY a slayer."
 

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