Chapter 31

“Anya… I need your help.” Lilea looked toward the demon energy.

“Hey, I’m not helping you anymore. Spike’s already going to want my dead for what I did!”

“I need you and Willow. I have to teach you both how to stop the Night. If I don’t survive to Gulthias who will save the day, quite literally?”

“I’m a demon, I can’t help you in this. Demons already hate me! They said I’ve softened. They will kill me.”

“Kill a friend of a slayer? Actually of two slayers? They’d never dare!”

“You’ve no idea how nasty…”

“Believe me, I have a pretty good idea, but they won’t dare. And I’ll try to cast some spells for you, as soon I’m be able to again.”

“Still no magic?”

“I used magic too much. Two very big spells in a few minutes… my batteries are still recharging.” She seemed calm and relaxed about this. Actually, she was feeling as though she was dying inside. She had started to do magic when she was so young she could barely remember her life before that, she had to.

“How do you think you’ll be able to fight Gulthias without it?”

Lilea smiled “I’m always a slayer, I will find a way.”

“So I’ll take the amulet from Giles. Can you speak with Willow? It’s really serious”

“I hate you, you know that?” Lilea laughed.

“See you later at Buffy’s at seven.”

*

The demon-girl, the witch and the newest slayer stayed in Willow’s room for at least one hour. No voice from outside, no strange earthquake in the house, no fancy or flashy lights arrive from the inside.

Dawn was trying to hear them but she wasn’t able to catch anything.

“Nothing…” She explained to Xander when she went downstairs. “They’re acting as if there’s no-one in. They didn’t answer when I call them. But the door is closed.”

“What do you guess is happening?”

Buffy joined to them with a cup full of popcorn. “Are they still inside?”

“We don’t know…”

“Lil’s plotting something.” Spike burst out.

“Are you sure?”

“Come on Slayer! She’s keeping secrets from me, and now she’s there with two of the most powerful people in the town.”

“Yeah… but they are girls too… maybe they need to speak about guys…” Xander pointed out.

“Then why leave out Dawn and Buffy? It’s a nonsense. *AND* Lilea isn’t able to think to anyone just now… Anya is with you, and I won’t comment on her lack of taste in that… and I doubt that Red can think about ANY guy.”

“So?”

“So I’m going to take her, tie her up and torture her until she speaks.”

“WHAT?” The three guys shouted at the same time.

Spike just gave them a sarcastic look.

“Lilea is strange. I’m worried she is going to do something dangerous. That’s why she’s acting strange.”

“I didn’t notice she was acting strange.”

“Of course, monkey boy, you don’t even speak to her.”

“And she doesn’t speak to me. I’m not forced to speak to anyone.”

“Sure you aren’t, and you’re an idiot”

“Hey guys! Stop here. Can we stay on topic? The girls are plotting something.”

*

“This is gonna be quite intense, I don’t know if I’m able to do it without… Last time I dealt with so much power I almost made the world end,” Willow muttered

“Try to destroy the Magic box again and I’ll kill you!” Anya exclaimed.

“It’s not a dark energy, the one you, or we, will connect with. It’s the purest and lightest form of energy you’ll find in your life. It’s like the essence of love. It’s not easy to explain, but in the brief moment I connected with it I felt myself so full of love and complete… it’s like being in Heaven… except I was alive.”

“I killed people, I don’t think I could go to Heaven… plus I’m not even a Christian, so…”

“I’m pagan too… but that doesn’t mean anything. If Spike, who killed more people than I want to know about, died today he would go straight to this sort of Heaven, faster than if he’d taken the Hogwarts Express, no stop, straight there. And you know why? Because he’s different now. Because he chose the good side. You know, like ‘Stars War’.”

“But I still have that thing in me. The dark side. And I didn’t pay for what I did.”

“Darker than Spike? And it’s not true you didn’t pay… You do. Your doubts, your fears, your feelings are making you pay, and probably you’ll pay for the rest of your life, because this is the real you. Will, Spike told me how much you helped with magic, that’s what you have to focus on, just the good you can still do, not the evil you did.”

“Nice speech… but boring… can we go now? It’s dinner time. And Xander is waiting me.” Anya interrupted them, without caring about being polite.

“What can we say to the others? They will be curious I’m sure.” Willow asked.

“The best way to lie is to tell the truth. We can say we are try to looking for something to stop the Night but we didn’t find anything. It’s too early for them to know that.”

Chapter 32

Lilea had no idea why she had let herself be convinced again to go in this place again. She hated the Bronze - not really for the club itself, there was cool music and good stuff to drink but because it hurt so much to walk in that alley. But she felt that Spike had been distant since the night they stayed at Buffy’s. He seemed worried, even more guilty than he had been earlier. But he didn’t explain. The truth was that she knew that the time was coming closer. Gulthias could arrive at any moment. And even if Anya was going to help she didn’t want to risk missing the moment Spike and Buffy admitted their feelings.

So she Lilea looked around. There was no magic light except for Spike and some of the Scoobies. She breathed deeply, holding Spike’s arm a little more tightly. She released it as soon as he asked her if she was fine. “Sure I’m… I was stumbling. I’m very fine,” she lied.

Spike was the person who knew her best, and still he didn’t understand her pain when she went in places like this one, or pretended not to.

Usually they paid visits to some demon bars, and it was easier for her. When she went in places like this, she just had to be careful of where she was walking or walls and stuff like that. She never had to worry about demons. Spike never let them touch her, but she can sort of see them so she didn’t have to care about where people danced or walked.

But just now she felt lost. Spike was more distracted than usual, he was already on to his third beer. Part of her was glad about him feeling less tense about her safety, but the other part knew he wasn’t so relaxed about something else. And the strong female light in front of her was the reason she didn’t even need to look for.

The loud music madeit difficult for her to hear, so Lilea had the tendency to isolate herself.

"Hey, folks, sitting here is nice and all, but how about we take advantage of the music and dance? And no, I’m not going to be the Funky Monkey victim again this time!” Xander’s voice, this time a little louder than earlier, broke Lilea’s attention.

All the guys rose from their chairs except the youngest slayer and the vampire. “You’re not joining us? Spike said you were a professional.” Buffy put her hand on Lilea’s shoulder, waiting some seconds for an answer. Obviously she was trying to be kind. She did it more and more often lately, since Navarre’s quite, but even more after what she had discovered that night with Riley. She wasn’t pretending to be sweeter, not at all, the girl was really trying to make the effort, but Lilea knew it was something Buffy wasn’t very comfortable with. At least with her.

“Sorry, I’m not in a very dancing mood today…” she apologized. “But if you two want to, I really don’t mind…”

“I don’t dance.” Spike was very decided.

“It’s a pity, you’re leaving Xander as the only guy with all these girls…” Lilea was smiling, she felt silly that she had been feeling sad that he was too relaxed with her, and now she was trying to persuade him to go.

“I’m not a dancer,” he said firmly.

“You’re just into cheek to cheek dancing, I know.” Then Lilea looked at Buffy’s colors mixing “I mean… I didn’t mean… ” She blushed. “What I’m trying to say is that you two should go and dance. I can stay here for a while.”

“As I said, I don’t dance. I’m going to have a beer.” Lilea heard him stand up.

Buffy bent toward Lilea’s ear “Are you sure?”

She nodded. “Just go, and have fun. I simply will relax and enjoy the music.” She smiled “Don’t worry for me.”

Lilea saw Buffy’s colors go away, and Spike’s go to order his beer.

Sitting there alone, right in the middle of ‘the coolest place in the whole of Sunnydale’ made her feel more lonely. She never had been a ‘party-girl’, usually she just had fun watching people dance and studying them in order to fix details she was going to use in her characters when she was on the stage. But now she couldn’t do that anymore. Another thing she had lost in her life. But she didn’t want to think about that just now. She couldn’t let herself be depressed, she needed Spike in the best of his shape, not a ‘too worried about her to defend himself properly.

Eventually a couple of songs later, she moved her head in order to relax her neck and she saw some color walk between the people she couldn’t see. “Thanks,” she whispered. At least something to keep her mind away, especially from this song.

She took her stick and moved toward the light. She bumped into a lot of people as she walked, but the white stick meant she didn’t have to explain why. She hoped the vampire would be too busy to notice her walking right toward him.

His colors demonstrated how distracted the demon was. All the colors he was showing were screaming to Lilea about hunting. Or at least Lilea hoped it was a “he”.

Lilea unfastened a couple of buttons of her shirt in order to expose more of her neck. Then she crushed against the vampire, pretending being stumbled.

“I… I’m sorry… Did I hurt you? I’m really sorry…” ‘It is a so good thing being an actress sometimes’ “I was looking for the ladies-room and…” She was also able to blush. Her acting teacher would be proud of her. “God, I’m so sorry”.

The unaware vampire’s color became triumphant. Well, he could easily go back to his booty later, and take this girl in a second, and this girl seemed so young and tender. An easy bit. He stared at her breath, a little raced, while she was still against him, he could feel the light pressure of her chest against his one.

“If you need any help, I can escort you.”

Her voice couldn’t be faker when she answered, “Oh, thanks so much, I’m quite new here. You’re so kind…” Lilea wondered if she was pushing the stereotype ‘talking to much silly girl’ too far, but the vampire didn’t seem to question it at all.

She played with her free hand against her neck, brushing it lightly.

The vampire guided her to the back of the club, talking to her and making sure she had no doubt about his kindness.

Lilea could tell from the lower noise level that now they were in a more secluded place. A moment later the vampire stopped walking. She felt him lower his head toward her neck.

She stepped back with the sweetest, fakest smile on her face. “There aren’t any people here… aren’t there?”

“No one, ” he said with a very hungry voice.

“I hoped that… I… wanted … I mean I’m quite shy…” She moved her free hand on his shoulder, while the other one held the stake more firmly, ready to use it.

“Oh., don’t worry, sweety, no one is here…” From the little roar she understood he had just put his game-face on.

Her voice become suddenly more decisive. She lost all the silly sweetness of a couple of moments ago.

“That’s what I wanted to know.” She hit the vampire violently with her elbow at the moment she felt him bent toward her neck.

He moved back, more from the surprise than from the pain. “It seems you wanna to play.”

“Play isn’t the word I’d use. But yeah… this is want I mean. My neck doesn’t need any holes in it from your teeth.”

They were loke two boxers studying each other in the ring. They were moving in a sort of circle.

“What do you think you can do, sweety, against me?” The vampire was almost laughing.

“Test me,” she answered when he tried to grab her. She used her stake as a weapon, but the vampire seemed a little more skilled than the average of demons she had fought. The fight seemed very fast, but this didn’t mean it wasn’t very violent.

She felt silly for not checking the room before starting fighting when she found herself for trapped a couple of times by two big wooden boxes.

“You fight well, sweety, but I do it better.”

“I’m not sure, buddy.” She remebered what Spike kept telling her. ‘Hide your fear. When you start to succumb, vampires can feel that, you can’t let them know.’

She tried to dust him but he intercepted her stick, then she didn’t know how, but she found herself on the floor. Her stick fell noisily at the other side of the room.

The vampire hit her face violently.

“So… now I’m going to have what I came for.” He opened her shirt a little in order to get better access to her neck. He was going to enjoy this drink.

‘It’s so good having a fighting teacher who doesn’t respect the rules’ was Lilea’s thought when she took from her pocket a lighter and moved it close to the vampire’s shirt at exactly in the same time as she felt his teeth against her neck. She could feel them cut her skin, but he never tasted her. The vampire became a ball of fire before he realized what was happening.

She stayed lying on the floor for a little while. This time she went too close. This time she really was scared.

For the Goddess, fighting alone, without Navarre’s help was so different. She hated it. All of it. She wanted so much to end this stupid game. She wasn’t made for fighting. She was an actress, a singer, she was ready for a musical career, not for kicking demon ass! She wanted to be with her Navarre, away from this stupid Hellmouth, without having to think about the Night coming.

And yet she knew she couldn’t do it anymore, all she could do now was fulfill her duty. Protecting the Key, until he could stop the end of the world. She wondered if Spike ever realized how much she envied him. Both of them, the soulful vampire and the other Slayer. And how much she hated them for not being honest with each other.

She warily stood up. She had no clue where her stick was now. She had heard it knock against something and bounce a couple of times, farther off. Last thing she wanted to do now was check the floor inch by inch looking for it. She leaned against the wall, walking toward the music.

She didn’t realise people were looking at her strangely. She had a big mark on her face and she was all messed up, and not having her stick people didn’t realised she couldn’t see, so when she knocked against them, they pushed her away roughly, thinking she was drunk or on drugs.

“Navarre, come back… please come back,” she kept whispering all the time.

*

Buffy was still dancing. From her position she didn’t saw Lilea walk away with the vampire, and she probably wouldn’t have cared much. She knew how the newest slayer fought, and she had Spike as her teacher, probably one of the strongest vampires around. He was one of the few who killed two slayers. She was learning from the best.

The music was good, funny and the Scoobies were trying to dance in the most ridiculous way to dance she had ever seen in her life - no wonder Xander was always hurt, doing those silly movements. But then, before she realized what he was doing, Xander took her arm and made her do a pirouette.

Something took her attention and she moved away from Xander’s grip, turning. A guy pushing away a girl. He wasn’t violent, but it made her angry anyway. The girl kept her head lowered, without really seeing the man. Her dark hair was covering her face.

Buffy stared at her for a second, then she ran across the Bronze.

“Lil… What happened?” Buffy moved Lilea’s hair from the girl’s face, noticing the tiny trace of a blood trickle was rolling down from her mouth and neck.

“I lost my stake…” Her voice trembled badly but the girl was trying to smile anyway. “Can…” she sniffed a little, fighting back the tears, “Can you help me to find it?”

God, this girl seemed so much like Dawn - they were both brunette, they had the same color of eyes, and so often Lilea had the look Dawn had when she needed a hug and she didn’t dare to ask.

Buffy caressed her hair as her hoarse voice replied. “Sure I can. Do you know where you lost it?”

The brunette nodded. “I was fighting there,” she gestured with a hand behind her back. “The vampire said he was escorting me to the ladies-room. I think it’s somewhere near a the second door or something.”

The slayer was staring at the young girl in front of her. She took her hand, moving slowly toward the quieter room. Lilea’s expression was heartbreaking. She had that look again, the one she had when Navarre left. The look of a person who has lost everything. Her injuries reminded Buffy of that time she was hurt by a vampire, not even one stronger or quicker than her. It was the time she forced Spike to tell her about the other slayers he killed. The Death Wish. The thing she was losing, the thing she had almost forget about. But the Death wish was present in Lilea.

Did Lilea think about letting herself get killed?

She had won the fight… she was still alive, but from the hunted expression she had in this moment she probably did.

“We have to clean your face, or Spike will panic if he sees you like this.” Buffy spoke with kindness still caressing Lil’s hairs.

“Is it that bad?” She sniffed again.

“I’ve seen worse, tomorrow your smile will be the same.” She helped the girl to sit on one of the wooded boxes. She caressed the girl’s cheek. “I’ll be back in a second.” She walked quickly toward the ladies room sink, where she moistened a handkerchief under cold water, then walked back to the other girl.

Lilea sat in the same position she had done the night Navarre left, her forehead resting on her knees, which were pulled up against her chest. Her head rose when Buffy returned.

“Lil, tell me what’s wrong.” Buffy was starting to really worry for this girl who was no longer a stranger to her. She could feel the loneliness of this girl, she now knew her painful secret, but always guessed Spike was really helping her. But lately, even the slayer noticed that, Lilea’s espression saddened when she looked toward the vampire. And Buffy thought she knew why. If they really shared that dream, even this girl must have seem herself being killed by her boyfriend. And that wasn’t fair at all.

Buffy cleaned the trace of blood from the corner of the younger girl’s mouth.

The girl breathed deeply. “They thought I could deal… but I can’t. I’m not able…” Her voice cracked in an awful way.

“What are you talking about?” Was fear what Buffy’s saw in the other girl’s eyes?

“I think they thought a witch slayer could be more effective in saving him, but I am not. I can’t even fight with a simple vampire, so how can I save him from that monster?” Strange, she was trying to explain and it all seemed to becoming more complicated.

“What are you talking about? Lil, you’re babbling.”

“I’m not. He’s coming. I know that! And I still haven’t got a clue about how I can to save him.” Lilea’s face had a horrified expression of fear and helplessness.

“Who’s coming, who’s the one you have to save?”

“Promise me that if I will fail you’ll protect him. Please Buffy, promise me.” The plea in her voice was almost unbearable. Lilea seemed even younger when she had this expression. The girl held Buffy’s arm, closing tightly her eyes tightlty as if to shut out some horrible images.

“I will. I promise.” She caressed the girl’s head again.

“Buffy, don’t tell Spike, please... ”

“I won’t.” Buffy’s gaze moved from the girl. The stick was some feet away, she saw it behind one of the boxes, so she picked it up and put in Lilea’s hand. “Lil, Spike knows you keep some secrets from him... and he’s worried.”

“He’s right, I have a couple of secrets, but I’m not going to tell them, until he keeps his ones.”

Buffy’s voice tried, in vain, to seem casual. “He has secrets?”

Lilea studied Buffy’s colors “A couple too. But they are positive secrets, I promise.” Then the younger girl stood up. She took a deep breath “I guess we have to join to the others... God, no wonder they hate me if I keep behaving in this way,” she said, moving toward the music.

“They don’t hate you!”

Lilea grimaced. “Sure, tell your sister! She can kill me with a look!” Then she laughed. “Buffy, she has very shiny colors to me... and I’m sure she doesn’t like me at all.”

“I’m sorry… I’ll speak with her.” This time the other girl laughed loudly, covering the injured corner of her mouth.

“Don’t be. She hates my being with Spike,” she almost laughed again, “but you hate me more.” Then she stepped into the other room. If she just could see that, she wouldn't have missed Buffy blinking twice, too shocked to say anything back.

“Where in hell were you? I was worried!” She smiled instead of answering.

Spike’s tone changed and he moved closer, caressing her face, carefully around the mark. “What’s happened? Where’s Buffy?”

Lilea kissed his cheek, smirking “Thanks for teaching me to cheat. I love playing dirty in a fight.”

Chapter 33

Lilea, Willow and Anya spent the next week - the most of the days and part of the nights - locked in Willow’s room. Sometimes the Scoobies heard them laugh, sometimes yelling something more worrying, but no information left the room about what they were doing inside. Spike was extremely worried even if he covered it with sarcasm.

Tension between the new slayer and the strong wicca vanished completely. They made jokes no one else but Anya laughed at, speaking almost in code. Even Giles started to complain about Lilea being late, leaving training sessions early and working alone at the Magic Box .

The trio left out the room sort of giggling, although if the three girls were tense. Lilea had a strange look on her face, worried and sad, but also nervous and fierce, but no one downstairs cared about that. When they arrived in the dining room, every one was silent. The only sound in the room was from the TV. It was happening again. Monsters were appearing all over the world. People had died. A lot of them.

“Oh my God,” Willow whispered.

Some of the Scoobies turned to them.

Lilea listened to the news, which was reporting how badly the people who died had been injured. But the only sound she could be able to concentrate on were the screams that threatened to drown out the live-reporter voice. Her voice trembled badly. “How many…. How many people died?”

“Thirty-four - seven were kids, one a pregnant woman,” Spike fulfilled her.

“Spike…” Buffy tried to shut him up, but the young girl shook her head.

“No, it’s ok, I needed to know that.” She breathed deeply a couple of times trying vainly to erase those screams from her mind.

Willow moved toward her asking if she was alright, and exchanging meaningful looks with Anya.

Lilea nodded silently. Then after some seconds she whispered “Showtime” before speaking again. “Giles, are you here?”

“Yes”

“I need you to make a call for me. I need to speak with the council. I suppose that Mr. Travers is the person I should speak with.”

“Lil, what do you have in mind? They want you quite dead, remember?” Spike pointed out with a mixture of worry and rage. This sudden decision, or what he thought was sudden, was confusing him as much Lilea’s expression.

“I am ‘bloody’ sure they won’t kill me.” She paused. Fire was in her eyes. Fury? Foreboding? “Buffy, may we use your phone?”

“Sure.” The slayer answered doubtfully.

Giles touched the girl’s shoulder in order to let her know he was there. “Do you want me to call now? Lilea, it’s the middle of the night there,” he almost whispered, as if this was enough to prevent the others hearing.

“Better. They won’t argue much if they are sleepy.” She paused, turning toward the slayer’s color. “After the phone call, Buff, I need to speak with you. Alone. Can I join you on patrol? I promise I won’t need much time.”

Buffy looked at Spike’s expression before answer. He was tense, his jaws contracted. He ever took his eyes off friend.

“Sure… Lil, what’s going on?” she muttered vainly, waiting for her answer.

“And later I’ll met Anya and Willow at the magic shop. We need to take care of *that* thing. Tonight.”

Lilea spoke as if she didn’t hear Buffy’s question, or maybe she really didn’t. She seemed completely focused on a plan. She was the only one who knew about it. Even Willow and Anya seemed a little confused at her requests.

“Lilea. I. Want. To. Know. What’s. Happening.” Spike was obviously trying, quite vainly, to seem calmer then he actually was. Lilea could see his colors spin with darker energy.

“Don’t held your breath, Spike. I’m not gonna to tell you,” eas her curt comment.

Lilea closed her eyes when the vampire strode towards her, grabbed her shoulders and yelled. “What in hell is happening to you?”

Fury and tons of emotions were displayed in the youngest slayer’s eyes. “I’m tired of people getting killed. That’s what is happening here. And I’m tired of waiting for you to stop acting like a jerk and start showing you have balls. You’re brave? Show me that, because you seem to have forgotten that you are,” she answered cryptically and sharply.

“What in hell are you talking about? And exactly when did you become so bitchy? This isn’t like you!”

“I am what I need to be just now. A bitch. There isn’t time to keep the rage down. Right now I need all of mine. We haven’t got time to be polite.” She paused for a second. “Giles - the call.”

Giles stared at Spike for a long moment, then he moved into the kitchen, without adding anything.

The newest slayer seemed to follow the sound of his steps.

The vampire lit a cigarette and breathed its smoke as deeply he could.

“I should go there, take her, chain her somewhere and torture her until she tells me everything she has in her darn stupid head. No jokes this time. She… Bloody women! What’s wrong with them? Mixed signals everywhere! ALWAYS! How can a simply vampire, a male vampire understood what in hell they have in their heads? I should break them and see what’s in inside.”

He took another drag of his cigarette again, aware that all the people in the room were watching him. “I’m going to kill her. No one minds, right?”

He was mad. Hurt. Lilea had suddenly started to change her mood. For a moment she had seemed like Buffy last year during the fight in the building before they demolished it. Or the day in the alley behind the police station. But there was no sexual tension this time, just hate. Or maybe hate wasn’t the right word, but he wasn’t going to stay there waiting for a definition or an explanation for what was happening.

He started to stride across the room with big steps toward the kitchen. He needed to speak with her just now.

Willow almost ran at his side, stopping him. “I have no idea who he is, but Gulthias is here in Sunnydale. Or he was earlier… then he moved.” She explained.

“Alternate dimension, probably,” Anya added.

Spike’s hands flew to Willow’s shoulderss “What?” He held her violently.

“Ouch… Spike…”

He released his grip. “ Sorry, I didn’t realize. Are you ok, Red?.”

Willow nodded.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it! Why didn’t she tell me?” His face lost in a moment all the rage which was replaced by worry.

“Who is he?” Buffy breathed, moving closer to Spike.

“The demon who killed Navarre. I suppose he’s here to finish his duty.”

“Kill Lilea?”

He nodded. “Darn! Stupid, stubborn, proud kid! ”

*

“Lilea, are you sure? They just seemed to be ready to accept you as a slayer.”

“Giles, how many times have I answered? I am pretty darn bloody sure. Is that enough? I have a couple of things to tell to your watcher council. And I don’t wanna be unkind with you so please dial the number of the chief of that thing and give me the phone to me.” Then she realized she was being really very rude, more in the last five minutes than she had been in her whole life. She hated not being polite, but Gulthias was here and she had very few time. And she was going to solve that thing with Buffy tonight because she didn’t know if she would have another night. She needed to do that right now. “Rupert” she whispered “I’m really sorry, I was… am mean to you and the others… But right now I don’t know any other way for this. Please… can you help me?” Lilea held the watcher’s hands. She wished she was able to stare him right in the eyes in order to show him how honest she was.

“I’m still not sure what you’re going to say to the council.” The British man told her, moving toward the phone.

She gave a big smile. “Just trust me. I’m solving troubles. Believe me”

“I want to emphasize that I’m against this. You should speak with the Scoobies and Spike before doing anything. You don’t know them. The council is dangerous.”

She again smiled a bitter grin. “Believe me. I know what I am doing. Even if it doesn’t seem so.”

“Slayers… all stubborn as mules!” He dialed the number breathing deeply. “Quentin? Rupert Giles here. I’m sorry to disturb you so late. But there is someone that needs to speak to you.” He paused. “No, I’m sorry, she said she couldn’t wait for tomorrow…. Yes, the slayer. No, not Buffy, Lilea, the newest one.”

Lilea grinned. “Tell him I’m the one they tried to kill.”

This girl had definitely spent too much time with Spike lately. “Lil, you’re not helping here.” Giles shut her up.

Lilea just smiled. She knew she had a point, their attempt to kill her was something she could use to her benefit.

“No, she didn’t tell me anything at all. She isn’t telling anyone else, either.”

“Giles… I can tell him everything, he doesn’t have to have it second-hand news from you.”

“Quentin… Lilea has a point here… speak with her, please.” The watcher put the phone in the girl’s hand.

“Hello?” She paused. “As Mr. Giles said, Mr. Travers, I’m sorry at having to wake you, but I expect you want to prevent the end of the Day as soon as possible.” She paused, letting her words ink in. “I can stop it, I have the knowledge, I have the power, I have the wherewithal, I know when I have to act. Now I want to offer you my conditions for doing that.” Again she paused. “You better to get paper and a pen. There are a lot. I would prefer you not to forget anything.”

“Lilea what are talking about?” Giles was horrified. She was acting like the most unscrupulous business man in the world. She was trying to save the word by making demands. Even Faith in her darkness moment hadn’t acted like this! “Give me the phone back!”

“Trust me,” she whispered and she started speaking again on the phone.

“First at all, of course, you mustn’t try to kill me again, that’s obvious… then, I think you know that in the last year Buffy has had some financial issues. She had to find a not so good job. She had to leave the college, and so on. Well I don’t want this to happen again. That’s why I want a written contract with you with the following clause: First, Slayers and their friends have to have a medical insurance. If they get a simply cold patrolling they *HAVE* to be cured without needing to pay anything. And, of course, a life insurance. If anything happens to Buffy, Dawn will have not any trouble. I want, no, demand that you pay Buffy’s college fees and Dawn’s too. I want an adequate salary for slayers. Of course Spike told me about Faith incident… She’s not working at moment as slayer so she can dispensed until she start to work for the good guys again. Of course Buffy is going to receive all the overdue payments…. Please Mr. Travers - if you interrupt me I’ll get confused… and this call isn’t going to be end until I remember everything, so you’ll have to ask questions at the end. Where I was… payments… Then I *want* Spike to be paid as a watcher. Even after my… expiration date, if I can call it like that. The other Scoobies will decide ifthey want to be paid or not. Their decision. In order to be clear, Scoobies are Spike, Dawn, Willow, Anya and Xander. At the moment… They can change, last year Tara was one too. Maybe someone will take her place. Spike, as I said, will help even after I’ve gone, I’m pretty sure of that. Oh, I’m pretty sure Mr. Giles will love having a raise, I can’t see his face just now, but it works… Now do you have any questions about my conditions?” Lilea heard Giles’ steps almost running in the other room, she supposed calling the others. “Look, I trust your word, since Giles said you Council people are gentlemen. It’s not what I would call you, but he’s a nice person. So if you have any questions about my conditions this is the moment to ask me… As I said, they need to be covered from any kind of accident. Look in this way. If something will happens to one of them, you don’t want slayer*s* unable to patrol for months because they need to do paid work instead that slaying demons, do you? And Spike? Spike is the most useful ally you can ask for, helped Buffy a lot, and train and watches me now. He deserves to be paid…. Not at all. I refuse to have any other Watcher. The last one who looked after me tried to kill me. I don’t trust your organization *that* much. So, I can assure you I have the solution to this mess of the Nightcoming. Of course, I’m not as silly to share the details with you.” She breathed deeply “I give you thirty seconds in order to decide if you want to accept my offer. Otherwise I really don’t care. I can let you solve the problem all alone.”

She paused in order to listen to his arguing. Her face was still very resolute.

“I can say the Night coming is going to be stopped in sixteen days. Even if you should agree and I don’t keep my word, the world will end in twenty days. So you don’t need that money anyway. I tell you that things will get worse for the next two days, then everything will be calm again. If what needs to be done isn’t done then, since the morning after everything will be doomed. So the ball is in your court now. You can choose now- you have 30 second from this moment.” She started to count mentally. She close her eys tight in order to stop seeing the colors were quickly approaching the kitchen door. Her heart were pumping faster than she remembered in ages. She felt so alive.

“Ten, nine, the offer is closing… seven… you’ll be responsible… five, four, three, two…”

“Stop counting… I can’t do it. We have rules.” The yell from the phone was heard in the room.

“Well then I have to go, you know, I have just twenty day to be alive… I have to make plans. Will you kill yourself or will you let a demon kidnap and kill you? And your family? Have you any kids, Mr Travers? You know? I guess right now I’m a lot luckier than you. At least I can’t see all my word be destroyed.”

“I’m sure you’re deceiving me!” Again the voice could be heard in all the kitchen.

Lilea smirked for a moment. The man on the other side of the phone heard her smile. Her voice turned for a moment into the real Lilea’s “You know? I really love cheating. It makes me feel sexy. But cheating now would be stupid. I’d fool you for what? Having two weeks of what? No one know the end of the world is near. My life wouldn’t change. I still have my demons to slay, in either case. I believe my death isn’t so far anyway, you know, it’s slayer thing.” She stopped, realizing the she had allowed other people to hear her thoughts, so she breathed again deeply and added, “So, you had a lot more than the thirty seconds I promised you. What’s your choice?”

“All right, I agree. You’re worse than Summers.”

Lilea burst out laughing. “I take that as a compliments, Mr. Travers.”

“You didn’t ask for anything for you, did you realize that?”

A smirk appeared “I’ll ask for something at the next apocalypse. They Scoobies said they are quite common around here.” This time was the old English man the one who laughed.

*

The room was still silent and motionless people watched Lilea hang up the phone with a smile. Then the sound of Spike’s big and hurried steps broke the incredulous silence.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Spike was trying to remain as calm as he was able.

“Tell you what?” She smiled candidly. She had to close her eyes as so not to see his color spinning crazily between rage and hurt. “Tell you that we know how to stop the Night? I’m not gonna to tell you, yet. The ritual is almost ended but not completely. But this was the only chance I had to negotiate with the Council.”

“Told me that Gulthias is in Sunnydale.”

Again she had to close her eyes, this time she was the one who didn’t want to be watched. “Technically he’s not. And I know he is not here for me, this time.” He was close. “Spike, I love you, and I love the way you take care of me. But I’m not a child. Sometimes I’m the one who has to stand up and take the decision.” Her voice almost vanished before the end of the statement.

Spike took Lilea’s hand in his, caressing it. “But we’re a team.”

Funny, his voice seemed almost childish, this time. Like a small, lost little kid.

“The ‘bloody’ best team around,” she whispered, leaning against his chest, holding him tightly.

When Lilea stepped back, she saw Buffy’s pain. Darn, the Slayer still didn’t understand the truth. And they had such little time.

Lilea had to do something. She couldn’t let Spike avoid the topic further. She didn’t want Gulthias to spoiler the “news”. She couldn’t let Gulthias be the one who revealed Buffy’s feeling to Spike. She didn’t want Buffy to tell Spike she loved him back when it was too late, as in Lilea’s dream. He had to do that! He had to tell her about his soul! And tonight Lilea decided she was going to “force” the revelation a little bit. Probably this wasn’t the most correct thing she could do. But it was the most right. And then Spike was the one who had taught her to cheat. He would kill her - she smiled – well he’d have to start wait in line for that.

*

“Lil, why did you do that? You must know how powerful the council is, and how dangerous they are…” Buffy spoke for everyone. They were quite astonished. Not one of th Scoobies had actually ever thought about asking the Council for money. Not that it wouldn’t be useful, but this was completely unexpected.

The girl stayed silent for some moment looking for the right words for explain herself.

“When I heard the news, earlier, I decided it was time to act. Sadly we can’t do anything for another sixteen days, but I had to use all the rage I have for something useful. I don’t want you guys to have to worry about money issues when you’ve been saving the world for so long! And I was shocked when Spike told me about Buffy’s troubles last year with money. It’s not fair.”

“But Giles helped and I have a job…”

“Yeah, true… but it’s not right, anyway. You risk your neck every time you leave that door. What if something happened to you? What about Dawn?”

“My father will take care about her..”

“I’m not a child… I can …”

“Not until you finish scool!”

“It’s not fair. You had to work hard in order to help Dawn when she was in hospital. They can pay tons of watchers and not one Slayer and a bunch of friends?Willow was the one who find a cure against the Night… And Anya read the prophecy. She asked around about the Night to demons, not the watchers.”

“You’ve got a point…”

“And how many times has Xander had to ask for a day off work to help? He needs to be covered too.”

“Ok, ok… we understand but why didn't you ask forsomething for yourself too?”

Lilea paused. Then her eyes glowed with a malicious look. “Give me a stage, I’ll have all the money I can ask for. My *wonderful* voice will win me win some Grammies someday…” She smiled. “No, honestly, Willy said if I need money I can sing at his bar. And I have some contacts in Vegas too… and I learned how to cheat at kitten poker.” She paused again, become serious. “I think they will pay me. Anyway, they aren’t stupid, they will understand… and I wasn’t very clear about myself, so maybe they will count me like the other slayers.”

“You’re a strange one…”

She smiled. “Yeah, what’s new?”

“I’ll get paid for what I already do for free? That’s wonderful!”

Chapter 34

Buffy was pretty nervous when she closed the door behind Lilea and herself, half an hour later. Willow and Anya said that they were going to go to the Magic Box in a few minutes, and probably Giles was going to follow them. Probably Dawn too, but she promised she wasn’t going to be back home late. They left the Scoobies discussing how ethical it was to decide to be paid by the Council. Spike, after the phonecall was strangely quit, and the girl that was walking at Buffy’s side just now seemed more tense ever.

Maybe she had to be brave and start to speak? Gosh, what could she say? “You did a great thing earlier. Thanks.” Well, this was a start.

“It had be done. I can’t believe nobody did it before.” She smiled. “So, no thanks needed.”

“You have no idea how much I need money… Counseling on the Hellmouth - no figurative speech here - isn’t so lucrative… and I don’t want to ask my father for anything, even if it’s for Dawn...”

“Yeah, I can understand that.”

Again the silence screamed between them.

And Buffy was the first to speak again. “As soon as I have the money I’ll give Spike back the money he gave us for Dawn’s medical bills.”

Lilea stopped for a moment, watching her in wonder. “You knew about that? Did he tell you? When?”

Buffy shook her head, then remembered and explained. “I overhead Spike and a doctor speaking about it in hospital at the time. I was shocked. I never told him I know, but I really mean to give him his money back. Why do you think he did it, in this way, without letting me know what he did?”

“What do you think?”

Buffy paused for a long moment, pondering her answer. “I really don’t know. I don’t seem to be able to understand him, lately.”

The youngest girl smiled. “He changed, I suppose, but I can’t believe he changed that much.”

Buffy seemed miles away when she added, “Yeah, he changed.”

Lilea breathed deeply. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

Buffy’s “Sure” wasn’t so certain.

“Sorry if I seem a little brutal here, but… gosh, Buff, you know what he feels and you know what *you* feel. Why can’t you two simply speak to each other? A real heart to heart conversation!”

Buffy shrugged “I don’t know what are you’re talking about.”

“Well I suspected you might be in denial, but this is much worse I thougt. You know what is the reason why he came back in Sunnydale.”

“To get Giles and me to help you?” Buffy answered uncertainly

“Yeah, sure!” The youngest commented ironically “Hallo? Vampire! You think he couldn’t find a safe place for us, if he really wanted? He protected crazy Dru for more than a century! You know where we were living before we arrived here? In a very comfortable cave with a demon who taught me how tosurvive without sight. Both of them trained me very hard… for me to be ready.”

“And the point is?”

“The point is we didn’t need be here at all! We are here because of you.” Lilea’s voice seemed exasperated

Buffy froze. Was the young girl jealous of her? Was that why she wanted to speak?

“Well, he knows I can have a sort of power with the Council and the Initiative…”

Lilea snorted. ““Ok, then I’ll try another way. The night we slept at your place, you two slept together, didn’t you?”

“Yeah” ‘Be careful Buffy, check your words.’ “But you have to believe me… nothing happened.”

“Well, something happened, because when I saw Spike later, he was the happiest and the saddest I saw him in ages!” Lilea was trying to calm herself down. All this denial was just making her crazy. And she had to keep her self-control so as not to tell Buffy things that only Spike should do. Like about his soul.

“Believe me, Lil, I will never do anything in order to take him away from you…”

“You can’t ‘take him away’ because he’s not mine. He never was, never will be.” She tried to explain calmly, but Buffy interrupted her, with a desperate, genuinely sorry and guilty intonation in her voice.

“No, that’s not true! He loves…”

“You.” Lilea paused for a second, a huge smile on her face. “He always will.”

Buffy wanted to argue but she couldn’t find the words: Lilea had just lost Navarre. She had Spike now. She couldn’t steal to this girl also the only person she cared for. She had lost so much in the last months. “I don’t love him,” she lied.

Lilea frowned for a moment. Then she smiled, even wider. “Yeah, that’s why your colors become crazy every time Spike just enters in a room, and why you hate me when he touches me, or looks at me. Buffy, you don’t have to lie to me. Not about this. Why aren’t you honest? That’s what I can’t understand. What in hell are you waiting for? Sooner or later it could be too late… and you’ll have him back…” She paused. Her voice changed, coloring with sad pain. “God Buffy have you any idea how much I’m hating you, just now? You and Spike?”

Buffy felt like the lowest person in the world. She had a sister, a wonderful watcher acting as her father, the best friends she could ask for, and the only person she could think about was the blond vampire loved by the girl in front of her. “I tried… I tried so hard in order to forget him! I just can’t avoid…” She paused before revealing too much. Then with a guilty expression she added, “But I’m trying to, Lil. I will forget him.”

“Are you crazy?” Now Lilea was yelling. “You have this wonderful feeling and you want to just forget it? Like an old toy?” She breathed deeply. “Have you any idea what I’d give to have what you have? A wonderful person who loves you so much… Someone alive… well in Spike’s case not dead. God! Buffy, run looking for him and tell him. Tell him everything you feel.”

Buffy looked toward her, as if Lilea could meet her eyes. “I can’t...” Her voice trembled.

“Why not?”

“Because… I’m scared to death,” Buffy whispered after a long pause.

“He would die rather than hurt you again… he’s not bad… he’s… he can be the sweetest guy I’ve met! Goddess forgive me but he can be even sweeter than my Navarre.” She paused, smiling. “Believe me, I swear on my own life. He’s not dangerous.”

“I… sort of know that… I feel he’s not evil anymore. But his power over me is so scary… God I can’t tell you that!

“Please… I wanna just try to help you… both of you.”

“But why!? You love him and I feel so bad for loving him and …” Then she realized what she just said. “I didn’t mean… Oh God…”

Lilea stayed silent for a long, seemingly endless moment. She was smiling, then she moved toward Buffy, and she caressed her face. “You said that. That was hard to say… sorry for being so pushy.” She smiled. “Buffy, look at me… I have to tell you the truth… I love Spike, so much... I can’t even tell you how much. But” She paused in order to emphasize her words. “I’m absolutely not in love with Spike… Not at all! Never. Spike is tor me as Dawn is to you…”

“Dawn is my sister”

“She’s not, but one day you decided that she was. I decided Spike is more than a friend, more than a brother, maybe even more than a lover. I have in only one person all the love you have for Giles and the Scoobies… He’s my Scooby gang all alone.” She smiled again. “I’m not the one you should be worried for.”

Buffy stayed silent for a long moments. So, if Lilea was right, Spike was still in love with her. God this was even scarier.

Fear, panic, hope and relief - that was what Buffy’s colors were showing to Lilea. “What’s that scared you like that?”

“I’m not scared” The last word was barely pronounced, stopped by Lilea’s expression. “Ok.. ok I’m scared, happy now?”

“You know why I’m speaking with you? Because he’s even more scared than you…”

Buffy’s voice trembled. “He can hurt me…”

“He won’t...”

“Not physically… I’m not scared of that at all. But he can touch me inside… I was always an open book for him… I could lie to everybody, even to myself…but he always knew the truth. He saw part of myself no one has any idea I have… Not Angel nor Riley… I know that if I count on him, if I let him come too close… I will never able to survive without him! I can’t let him have this power over me… he…he would break my heart… like everyone I love… I know… I can’t stand it if he leaves like … the others…”

“I can’t promise you he won’t leave… Neither he can… and if someone tells you he can… he’s lying. Let yourself have what you deserve, Buffy. Let Spike love you.”

“But he… you know what he did… how can I trust him?”

“You let him be there for you in the hospital when you needed him, you let him share your bed… you know you can trust him. Ok, you have a point… it’s not easy… but it’s not easy for him either.” She paused for a moment, trying to explain in a better way. “William never had any relationships. When he was human, he kept to feel in love… But girls weren’t very “nice” to him. He was so innocent, a jerk – he still is in love stuff – but awfully innocent, until he met Dru. The person who taught him everything about love, or what he guessed was love, was her. And when I say Everything… I mean that, capital E.” She let Buffy absorb the revelation.

“You mean he was…”

“Not even a kiss… and he will kill me for telling you that!” She laughed “Buffy, he was still able to change so much just for you… he was still so sensitive, even as a souless vampire with a chip… you know what he’s capable to doing… but he can’t do miracles by himself… Dru taught him for a century that if you want to show people how much you love them, you should chain them up and torture them until they won’t love you back…”

“I never thought about that… he chained me once… it didn’t impress me in the way he hoped.” Both of them giggled.

Lilea smiled again “And since I did this…let me be more bitchy and manipulative than ever… Buffy, can you pretend to be mad, very mad?”

“Yeah…”

“Ok then, find him… and ask him why he didn’t tell you… That you found out… that I told you… and you’re so mad he hadn’t the courage to tell you.”

“Found what out?”

“His secret”

“And this is about?”

“Hey, I keep my promises… I’m not telling you… but tell him I told you everything about his ‘trip’. He will be so mad with me, that he will made it slip without any effort from you.”

“You’re evil…” Buffy burst out in a fake scandalized tone.

“I know…I learnt from the best one. I told him I love cheating.” Lilea breathed deeply. “Buff, can you tell me how you’re dressed?” The girl’s voice had just changed. No more joking or helping but distant and whispered.

“Trousers, a shirt and a duster.”

“No, sorry, I meant what colors?”

“Black, I’m dressed all in black.”

“Spike had the deep red shirt on his dark t-shirt, earlier, hadn’t he?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Can I give you a last warning? Be very prudent later, when you both will go in the crypt…. Not Spike’s another one… the enemy will appear during the fight. I’ll care to do my part. But you have to kill him. For me. For you. There will be a sword just behind him, you can kill him. He is only allowed to shoot one poisoned arrow, it’s the rule. And about Spike… Tell him, tell him everything, all the doubts, all the fears. You’ll be stronger sharing them with him. You both can fight harder, you two are fighting the same battle. Buffy… Please take care of him, for me.”

“Lil, now you’re scaring me… what in hell are you talking about?”

“You sound like Spike when you speak in this way… I suppose it’s not a good thing…”

“You’re speaking as if this is a goodbye.”

Lilea moved again toward Buffy, holding her in a hug that made the official slayer feel uncomfortable.

“Lil, is this something to do with the dream we shared? How your dream ended?”

“How did yours end?”

“I dreamed Spike killing you.” Buffy whispered.

Lilea smiled. “Spike won’t kill me. Ever. Trust me, trust him. Always.” She stopped for a moment. Then again, with a joyful voice, added, “But after Spike’ll reveal his secret, tell him I didn’t tell you. I don’t want him to think I betrayed him.”

“Of course I will but, Lil.. what’s…”

“We’re close to the Magic Box, aren’t we?”

“Yes it’s at the end of the block… but…”

“I really need to go inside, then… You know I need to … I need the bathroom,” she lied. “See you later, ok?”

“Lil, we need to talk more…”

“Whatever this is, believe me, it can wait. Speak with him. and pretend to be mad and be convincing. He will speak in a second. He needs so much to tell you his secret; everything will be clearer after. Now I really have to go.”

“You need me to walk you there?”

“Go looking for Spike, I’ll see something shine in the shop. It’s not easy for me to miss it. Run. You haven’t much time.”

And before Buffy could react Lilea moved toward the light colors shining at the corner of the street.

Chapter 35

Buffy started to walk away for several steps. Something was definitely wrong. She felt that. All of Lilea’s speech about being too late with Spike… was he trying to do something stupid? God, this is Spike we’re talking about. He always does something stupid!

But all the secrets Lilea seems tp be keeping from people lately: not telling Spike that the demon was in town, the haste with which she decided she needed speaking with tha Council, her last words that sounded so much like a goodbye. Were Spike and her thinking about leaving? That was the secret?

They were leaving? That’s why Lilea forced her to admit her feeling?

Oh shit…

And Buffy started running. Faster and faster. That idiot! He can’t just leave! Not again! I can’t let him go away again. Not again! NOT NOW! Now without speaking with him.

“Spike!” she yelled, hitting the door of his crypt too hard. The door fell to the floor. “Spike!” Nothing - the place was empty and it sure didn’t seem as if it was about to be left. She could see thet the place still looked ‘lived in’. If they were thinking about leaving they sure hadn’t started to pack yet.

“What in hell! What did you do to my door?”

“I… Sorry… I overreacted.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” He paused. “Lil?”

“At the Magic Box.”

Spike walked toward the sarcophagus, and put on it the paper bag he had in his arms. A couple of cookie boxes fell down unnoticed.

We have to move -- I've found a nest of young vampires in the first crypt. They don't seem to have started hunting yet.

“Oh. I thought we could talk.”

Spike froze. Buffy never asked that of him. EVER. They did talk, but had never had a “can we talk” conversation. “Talk?”

“Yeah, you know that thing you do with your mouth that you’re so good at…”

Spike smirked, his head tilted to one side, she couldn’t give him a line like that and expect him to just let it got.

“We didn’t call it talking, luv.” His voice deep and sexy in a way she wasn’t used to any more. His tongue caressed his own canines, as if he was tempted to bite it to stop himself from making the joke.

Buffy looked into his shining eyes and blushed violently. She knew he was just having fun with her but she couldn’t help to feel butterfly in her stomach.

‘Stop focus on his mouth, you… you’re supposed to be angry with him… not drooling over… about his mouth, focus on chat.’ “I didn’t… I meant… ” She breathed deeply a couple of time before adding “Why didn’t you tell me.” Only a breath.

‘Denial - whatever she meant deny everything!’

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” He strode toward the door. “Hurry up, those vampires aren’t going to wait long before they go hunting.”

Buffy stared after him as he walked out the door, without caring or waiting for her to join him. He was trying to escape from her question.

“Spike!” she yelled behind him.

He walked so quickly that she almost had to run so as not to be left behind. The vampire sure had no idea how much this made Buffy’s anger grow more quickly.

“You stupid vampire! STOP AND SPEAK WITH ME!”

“Yell louder! The vampires inside might not have heard you coming, yet.”

“Why is Lilea the one who told me? Why couldn’t you just tell me that?”

“What in hell could I tell you? ‘Oh, by the way, luv, I went to Africa, got my soul back, just so I could be something you can love?’ Oh please, this is pathetic!”

Buffy froze. She stayed motionless for some time.

“You got your soul back…” she whispered, making a real effort to not look for something to lean against. She needed to think, she needed to breathe.

“Yeah, bloody surprise, isn’t it? That bitch! She was supposed to keep her mouth shut! She’ll pay for this!”

Spike was too angry to notice Buffy’s reaction. He kicked the door open, starting to fight as soon he entered the crypt.

Buffy walked in slowly, her face very pale, still in shock. “You got it back… How?”

“She didn’t tell you the whole thing? Bloody women! Damn her, damn you all!”

One of the vampires rolled on the floor from the knock Spike gave him.

“Are you two here for fighting each other?” he asked, trying to raise himself.

Another one looked toward Buffy. “She’s human, she breathes! And seems tasty”

He tried to attack her and even though she hadn’t exactly recovered from the shock she was able to kick him away.

“Ouch! What in hell are you?”

“Slayer…”

“You’re real? I guessed you were a legend…”

“Too bad for you I’m real… and mad.” She looked at Spike again.

“Why didn't you tell me? You... IDIOT!”

* *

The two witches and the demon girl raised their heads almost at the same time; their faces were triumphant.

“We did it.”

“So, this time is certain, the ritual is done!”

“We’re the best magic team around here, and we can be proud…very proud of ourselves. We saved the world. Well… we will.”

“Lil…” Anya’s voice cracked, her happiness suddenly wiped off from her face.

The youngest girl sighed. “Just in time... what luck!” she said ironically. “Tell Spike... tell him she deserved to know... that whatever is going to happen is worth it. And his being happy will be my happiness.” She stopped. “No, don't tell him. Tell him just that this is my revenge.”

“Are you ready?”

“No.. but we've no time. Come on., that's my wish! And don't blame yourself. I decided.”

Anya voice trembled, then her features morphed into her demon face. “Your wish is granted. Good luck...”

And suddenly in a puff of smoke the youngest slayer vanished from the Magic Box.

Teleportation. She had never tried that. The strange sensation of feeling yourself vanish and reappear, although still incorporeal as she travelled across town.

The dizziness deepening in her stomach was growing, as the fear of what was going to happen, the knowledge that she wasn't going to survive was scaring her again. Ok, this was her mission, her destiny. She knew that. So... what in hell - be brave!!!

*

Lilea landed in the crypt unnoticed, probably still incorporeal. Buffy and Spike were fighting a bunch of vampires, six or seven. Not that they seemed to care about it much.

“Why didn't you tell me!? You... IDIOT!” Buffy yelled at Spike, without stopping punching the others vampires.

“Why should I? Does this change anything?” he answered with an angry voice.

“Yeah! It does! Of course it does!” Buffy seemed ready to lose her temper completely. ‘How can this stupid idiot vampire not understand how important this *thing* is?’

“Yeah, sure, just because I have a soul now I'm suddenly a good man, right?” Spike’s voice was a mixture of rage and pain.

“Yeah... no... I don't know! But I deserve to know!”

“Why?” He dusted a couple of vampires, then he looked at her. She was fighting with no hurry, probably not even focusing on her duty, but she was using this fight to release the rage she was feeling about his revelation. So, after making certain she was pretty much able to keep the situation under control, he leaned against a coffin, staring at her.

“Can you two argue later?” One of the vampires, the tall one, very slim and with dark hair asked with an annoyed tone. “You two are distracting me!”

“And this is a reason to stop? Hello? I have to kill you.” Buffy pointed out.

“Yeah sure... if you're not too busy fighting with your boyfriend,” the dark vampire snorted.

“Hey! He's not my boyfriend, he's a…” She needed some seconds to find the right word. “Jerk!”

She missed the amused smile on the blond vampire’s face “Buffy...”

She glanced at him, he was now simply watching the show of a slayer fighting. “So... are you going to help me or do I have to take care of this alone? I'm so mad with you: I can't believe that you didn't tell me! We slept together and you still didn't find the time to say you gained a soul?”

“You slept with a vampire?” One of the not so dangerous vampires asked with a disgusted expression on his face.

“I said slept, not having sex!” she answered in her defensive tone.

Spike was having real fun. “Actually we had sex too,” he added with a casual tone.

“Yeah, but that was a long time ago. It doesn't count now.”

“Sex with a vampire? What kind of slayer are you?” Again the few vampires she was fighting look scandalized.

“Yeah, and I wasn't even the first...” Again the amused tone in his voice.

If looks could kill Spike would be dead just now.

“Ewwww!” was the unanimous reaction from the wanna-be-dust vampire.

“You...” She turned toward Spike. “I'm going to kill you later.”

“Yeah yeah...”

*

Lilea could hear this love/hate dialogue. Spike trying not to answer the slayer question, typical. She smiled. Avoid the topic if you can't speak about it. Move the attention. Typical of Spike. But his colors were shining in a nice way, becoming more brilliant. Rage and fear were dissolving. He was strangely relaxed. Buffy’s were a mess. No doubt she had found out about his soul, she knew now. Poor sweetie, she was so confused. But even in her threat to kill Spike love was so evident.

Then a strong light appeared not far from her. Dark and obscure. Threatening. All his hate and the scorn he felt toward the lovers was so evident, that for a moment Lilea felt paralyzed. Then she noticed a small, dark light, with no emotion in it. In her dream Gulthias had arrows of the same kind that killed Navarre, so she thought that was probably what she was seeing. She could try to kick the evil demon, but she wasn't corporeal yet. She had only one option. She concentrated hard on her wish: ‘be there to save Spike from the arrow’, so that was what she had to do. She started to run, as fast as she could.

*

Gulthias knew after the last killing of a demon that killing him wasn't going to kill the feeling. So, this time, he was going to change. He was going to shoot the girl. No demon can love for ever. Demons aren't supposed to love humans.

The arrow was shot in Buffy’s direction.

“Demons and humans can't love each other. A Slayer who loves a demon must be killed,” a threatening voice thundered.

Spike, Buffy and also the few vampires they were fighting turned toward it. They saw another demon point a crossbow at Buffy, too late for the Slayer to see the threatening arrow flying toward her. Spike noticed it just a moment earlier than Buffy. He hit her, violently, putting himself between the arrow and the woman he loved. He felt blood run down his neck, then he fell down. But there was no pain, just a weight on his chest pushing him against the ground.

The vampires attacked the Slayer, taking advantage of her being down. She reacted in a flash, dusting them in just a moment; then she turned again toward Spike and Lilea.

Lilea? What was she doing here?

The youngest slayer tried to sit up. “You should have killed me...” She breathed to Gulthias.

“Oh, this will do it very soon...” He laughed.

“You won’t kill them, I won’t let you do that, not again.”

“Silly human girl, you’re dead. You’re nothing.”

Spike moved closer to his friend. He held her firmly when she started to tremble badly from the pain. She raised her hand toward the arrow that was embedded in her shoulder. All around it her skin was changing color. She could see the destructive effect of the poison that the arrow contained flowing into her body, she could see her shoulder becoming dark purple, she could see her veins gradually becoming visible to her eyes. And the pain, a dull ache increasing.

So this was the horrible death of Navarre. That was what her lover had felt just some minutes before dying. That would be her fate now.

“Lil... Lilea... speak to me.”

Buffy ran toward Gulthias even before he had the time to realize the incoming danger. He certainly wasn’t aware of the Slayer’s speed. She hit him, over and over again, barely taking the time to breathe.

She could hear Spike's voice calling their friend and the girl's screams when the vampire extracted the arrow from her shoulder.

Buffy moved fast, even faster than usual. The rage born from seeing Lilea's almost senseless face, and Spike's desperate one made her even stronger.

Buffy took the old sword she had noticed earlier and without listening to what the demon was saying she cut his head.

The demon's head rolled on the floor and his body still seemed to walk some steps before collapsing. Then his body and head started to boil and a smelly smoke raised from it, leaving it melted in a dark puddle, and in few seconds nothing of Gultias was left but a couple of spots on the floor.

Everything moved so fast that she barely had time to notice that she had no idea how Lilea had got there. She ran to her side. Spike was holding his friend as if she was the most precious treasure.

“Lil…”

“Now tell me she doesn’t love you…” the girl whispered with a smile.

“Don’t speak… We need to take you to hospital.” He moved in order to take her into his arms and carry her fast.

She moaned for the pain. “No… They can’t help me, Spike, human haven’t any cure for magical poison. I knew what was going to happen…”

“What did you do?”

“You two… I can’t let her suffer what I went through… You’re what she deserves… She’s what you deserve.” She breathed deeply with pain “You killed him?”

“Yeah,” Buffy whispered. “He’s dead”

“I thought I could see again when he died.” She stopped for a moment trying again to smile. “But this doesn’t matter right now. Does it?”

“Lil…”

“Don’t worry about me, Spike, I’ll… be … fine … there… It’s cold… isn’t it?” She was trembling, her smile vanished into a expression of pain. Her nails scratched against her jeans in a convulsion, when the ache became too much.

Spike glanced at Buffy. His face wet of tears he didn’t even realize were rolling down. He was watching her as if he was asking permission, Buffy gave him a ghostly nod, then he exposed more of Lilea’s wounded shoulder, his face morphed into the vampire mask and without any further hesitations he sank his teeth around the wound, sucking it with all his strength. Spike sank his fangs every time deeper, sucking more keenly every bite, spitting the poisoned blood on the floor. If it had killed Navarre probably it was dangerous for a vampire too.

Lilea gasped and arched her back, her eyes opened wide in pain, surprise and emotion. Even in her state so close to death she was overwhelmed by the unexpected pleasure waves the bites were emanating. God, that was intense! She stretched her hand toward her best friend's face, caressing his cheek, her hand trembled violently but she managed to have the trace of a smile on her mouth.

And Buffy stared at them without moving or speaking, feeling absolutely powerless against this heartbreaking scene. Then a sudden realization came to her. She recognized this as the end of her nightmares. So she had never dreamed about Spike killing Lilea, but trying to saving her life.

Chapter 36

Buffy tiptoed silently out of her room closing the door behind. She walked toward Willow, who was bringing a couple of cups of tea on a tray. “I thought this could be useful.”

Buffy smiled at her. “Yeah… well I need it. Spike finally fell asleep. It’s the first time he’s slept in days.”

“How…?”

“Better.” She smiled again. “Lots better – that’s probably why he was able to sleep.”

“So, she knew. Everything.”

“Yeah, Lilea knew the demon was after Spike and me.”

“And this means…”

Buffy’s smile this time was different.

Willow could see the tears behind her friend’s eyes.

“Funny isn’t it? He has a soul. Again I am in lo… I feel something for a vampire with a soul.”

“Spike has a soul now?”

“Does it change everything? I mean…” She covered her face with her hand for a moment .“I don’t even know what it means!”

“Don’t push it, I mean, take it slowly. Whatever, it will be sorted.”

“Xander will hate me…”

“Actually who cares? He is the one who's still dating Anya… He’s the last one who can talk…”

They were silent for a little while. “Did you sleep, last night?”

Buffy nodded. “I slept a little. I think one hour on the couch downstairs and a couple of hours in Dawn’s bed this morning, after a very late patrol. There isn’t much to patrol. I think the vampires from two nights ago will be the last for a while. No demons around.”

“Are you going to join us downstairs or stay here?”

“I’ll have a shower and then I’m coming. I’m quite starving.”

The phone rang a couple of times before Dawn picked it up. She almost ran to reach Buffy. “It’s the bank… Something happened there.”

“’llo? Buffy Summers… What? How much? Oh God… Yeah I was waiting for some money from England but… I think I need to sit down. I didn’t know it was *that* much. Are you sure there isn’t a mistakes?”

Willow watched her expression change. She carefully set the tray down.

Buffy was pale when she ended the call. She stared at Willow for a moment then hugged her tightly.

“Breath, I can’t Breath!!!” the red witch warned.

“We got the money… The Council paid up.”

“So she set this up too?”

“Yeah…”

* * *

“You’re an asshole.” The vampire almost shout against the girl.

“And you a pigheaded.” She answered back.

“You are…” he stopped for a moment, looking for the right word “evil!”

A big smile appeared on the girl's mouth. “I learned from the best one, luv.”

“You’re so dead!” Spike added shaking slowly his head, pointing at her with a finger.

“I’m not… and you saved my life” Lilea smiled more widely.

“Just because I wanted to kill you with my own hands.” He rushed to add.

“He keeps repeating me all the time… he never did” Buffy commented from her position against the door.

“Oh, slayer shut-up!” He shouted without looking at them.

“Which one?” Lilea asked with a forced innocent voice from her spot under the blanket.

“Not you! You told her! How could you!” Spike wasn’t pretending. He was mad, and hurt. He felt betrayed even if a part of him was relieved, Lilea could see it from his colors, but still he felt so bad for Lilea's choice. As usual when Buffy was in a room his colors were the most complicated ones to understood. Strangely were shining, and no more mess was in them. Her heart was open for him, and this was the highest reward for Lilea. She had won her personal battle.

“I didn’t. You did! You were dying to tell her!” Lilea explained calmly.

“That’s not true! I just confirmed what your big mouth wasn’t able to keep secret.” He spitted with rage.

The young woman made her face rest on her knees. “You’re so funny. ” She smiled again.

“I’m not funny! Take it back!”

“You are and you’re lovely when you’re so mad.” She whispered with a big smile on her lips.

“Buffy, tell her something.” He tried to look for help toward the slayer, his feeling were almost hurt.

“Why? She is already winning this match.” Buffy was making an effort not to laugh. She didn't want Spike to think she was mocking him but he was so sweet. She couldn't help smiling.

“Which side are you on?” He was almost horrified Buffy wasn't defending him, at least this time where a betray was so obvious.

“Actually, hers.” Buffy smiled wider and explained, “she was the one who figured out how to make you confess without any effort.”

“What? I didn’t confess…” He was confused. Both girls could tell that, but actually his confusion made him even cuter.

“You did… at the first try… The only thing Lilea told me was you had a secret… and she told me to tell you she spoke…. Evil, ingenious and smart plan. Did I thank you for that, Lil?”

“You’re a so… bitch.” Spike was half scandalized and half incredulous about Lilea’s idea.

Lilea burst out laughing “Yeah, Spike I love you too.” She yawned and moaned for the effort, the shoulder still was hurting as hell. “Can we stop arguing now? I’m tired and you have something to do.”

“I have nothing to do. I can still argue with Evil slayer*s*.” He emphasized the plural.

Lilea smiled denial mixed with fear of revealing to Buffy his feelings, what sweet jerk. Lilea finger pointed to Buffy, but her head was still watching toward Spike’s colors. “You know why Gulthias showed, don’t you?”

The vampire shrugged, his rage vanished like snow under the sun. “Maybe he was wrong…”

“Can you two guys stop talking in code?” Buffy asked without understanding where the dead snail-like demon fit in the topic. Ok before shooting the arrow she heard him say something but she didn’t focus on it. Everything happened too fast. Later she actually tried to ask Spike how Lilea knew the demon was going to attack them but the vampire didn't answer. She meant to ask to the girl as soon as possible, but she still hadn't had time. And both the sick slayer and the vampire were not paying much attention to her just now.

“You’re a Jerk!” She shouted and for the effort she started coughing. Spike moved closer in a second but she pushed him away. Her face became serious, as never before that day. “He couldn’t be wrong, you know that! You… you’re a coward, I’m going to sleep now. You, both of you, need to talk.”

“Can I understand something too?” Buffy asked again now a little disappointed.

“No,” Spike answered harshly.

“Hey, it’s still my home! And be gentle with the girl… She saved your life! And that remind reminds me. We were too distracted because we were fighting. YOU DIDN’T TELL ME!!!!”

“We wouldn’t need to talk about *this*. I already explained, didn’t I?” The guy paced out of the room as if the slayer was standing next to it.

Buffy breathed deeply trying to recover from the new waves of rages, then run behind him grabbing his arms and closing him and herself in Dawn’s empty room.

“That wasn’t an explanation!” She closed the door, while the vampire moved several steps from it, without facing her. “ Why didn't you tell me?” Then she paused an additional moment, trying to recover from the rage she felt inside for the vampire’s omission. “Why, Spike?” she almost whispered.

He paced, almost furiously toward her and for a moment she thought he was going to kill her. He stopped only one step away from her, his hands moved on the wall at both sides, of Buffy’s head, his face just few inches from hers, but his eyes were no able to look at Buffy’s.

“Spike,” she breathed, without even knowing if he actually heard her. He was motionless and, before he moved, time seemed to have stopped.

“Because of this.” Spike took the step that was keeping separated him from Buffy and his lips touched hers. Just a butterfly kiss.

When he stepped back he still had his eyes closed. His arms now leaned against his body. When he eventually opened them he saw Buffy, her eyes still closed, an inscrutable expression on her face.

Slowly she opened her eyes. Spike could swear he saw tears in them, then Buffy crossed out the distance between them, leaning her head against his chest.

“When you were away… I couldn’t understand why it was so difficult, but I thought I’d find a sort of equilibrium. But when you came back… I realized that my balance was fake. I was trying to have everything under my control, because it was easier - the job, the slayer-thing, even training Dawn with no guys around, no additional friends, just the Scoobies. Something I could call safe. Or maybe sometimes when you’re pretending you’re ok it’s easier.” Her voice was just a whisper.

“Buffy, you don’t have…” Her finger was lightly laid on his mouth with a sort of caress and she stepped back in order to look at him better.

“I wanted to tell you so much… and maybe even insult you, and kick your ass so badly… for leaving in that way, without any words, without the opportunity to explain or talk about what happened between us. But you stayed with me in hospital, and don’t think I don’t remember that you were there. Dawn was dying and I was so grateful to have you right there, without asking for nothing, just giving the force, the power to survive, of not giving up my hope… then you seemed to have vanished again, I knew where you were and I knew I could come to your place and find you… but I didn’t. And I thought you and Lilea were a couple. But, again at your place and then at Giles’, you seemed so close to me. It hurt so much, because when we talked I felt wonderfully… but I still didn’t realize. And yet I didn’t realize until I saw you risking your life against Riley… and you suffer in that way… your head and your arm…”

Spike felt Buffy stiffen and hold herself tighter to him, as she remembered the consequences of Finn’s little show.

“… and then you slept with me, held me… I knew I felt alive again. In a different way. I felt complete… And I understood that…”

“Buffy…” This time he whispered.

“But you pushed me away… every time I tried to make a connection and you let me believe you and Lilea were... a couple…”

“I never said anything like that!” He tried arguing.

“But you were acting as if it was true... how could I know you two weren’t?” Her voice trembled with emotions.

“Maybe by asking?

“Like you asked me?”

“Buffy, I don’t even dare to think about it… How can I hope… not after what I did.” Spike’s voice showed every regret he was feeling, and so his gaze was still hunted by guilty.

“Stop repeating this. We left that behind. I don’t even want to remember that. It wasn’t you, it wasn’t me. It was a mistake. Period. I’m not going to go over it. EVER.” Buffy voice was exasperate again his face and his look hurt her too. She could feel the pain he was feeling, when his eyes moved away from hers.

Buffy stepped, raising herself on her toes. Her hands slowly moved, cupping Spike’s face, forcing him with all the sweetness she was able to stare again into hers eyes, then her lips brushed his mouth. “If you don’t love me, or if you want to leave tell me now, because I couldn’t bear the idea of being so close to you, and losing you again…” She whispered against his lips “I need you to know, Spike, because if I open myself more to you, and you’re not serious in this…” She paused a moment her head leaned again against his one “I’m afraid Spike… because I can’t control myself, my feelings.”

“Oh God.” His husky voice made her shiver, there was so much emotion in it, desperation and hunger for her, and maybe fear, but also hope and over all, she was sure, love.

But he seemed unable to express it with words, so he took Buffy’s head in his hands, holding her firmly, moving it away so that he could stare at her.

No words, just a look.

And then again their mouths found each other in a passionate, sweet, hungry, tender, endless kiss, while his arms closed around Buffy in a strong, warm hug that was full of meaning. Spike’s hands moved under her shirt, taking turns in order to hold her and touch her skin. Then his left hand moved toward Buffy’s lower back curves, pushing her against himself, the other hand moved up along her side, with a sense of possession, brushing slowly touching her around her breast, her neck, her face.

Buffy tensed when Spike’s hand touched her body. She moved away slightly so that he could touch her more easily and let him have better access to her curves. Her hand slipped under his left arm, caressing his back and grabbing his shoulder as if she was never going to let him leave, her other hand moved under his shirt, her nails scratched on his naked skin.

Passion, again, after so long. But this time it was different, it was love. For the first time they shared both at once. One year ago she needed Spike in order not to feel dead inside; now, in this mix of passion and Love (with a capital L) she felt alive. This was so different from anything else she had felt in her life. And part of her head started wondering if just a kiss made her feel as much emotions how making love with Spike could affect her. But this time she didn’t want to rush. Not today.

She moaned with disappointment against his lips when she had to stop the kiss, in order to breathe. Even with her eyes closed she felt him smile.

“As a first kiss that wasn’t bad.” He said in a pretended casual tone, caressing her face.

“First?” She looked at him with wonder.

“It’s the first time you really meant it, luv.” Spike explained with a smirk on his face.

Buffy moved her head a little in order to look straight into his eyes. “I never was able to hide anything from you. How can you do that?”

He didn’t answer quickly, Buffy saw that he was going to tell her something serious, but then he stopped. His eyes shone in the semi-darkness, with a malicious light. “Because I’m brilliant, sexy and intelligent: you can choose the order…”

“I’d say modest above all.” She joked.

“True… Modest! My best quality.”

“Spike?” The vampire looked at her. Her face was suddenly more uncertain; she was chewing her lip. “Dawn will be going to sleep at Janice’s in a couple of hours… so since my bed is taken… and I’m really tired… I suppose you’re tired too…” She blushed furiously “You think we could… I mean just sleep… What I‘m trying to say is that I would love to make love with you… but not now… with Dawn or other people that can enter in the room at any moment, but I prefer not to sleep alone…”

“It’s ok by me. I would be very happy to share the bed with you, even without adding any additional… fun” He said but his eyes were shining.

“Since when were you so patient?”

“Since the moment you were serious with this thing.” Spike realized he said that aloud so he tried to cover his embarrass adding “I’ll probably need a dozen of cold showers during the night, and you too… but I can resist *one* night. I already did once… if you can… can you?”

Chapter 37

Fourteen days later.

“The pentacle is drawn on the ground…” Willow set the chalk on Lilea’s hand.

“Good, We need to make it powerful, so it can open the portal toward the day.”

“Have you any clue how we can do it?” Buffy asked her, while her fingers were absently laying with Spike’s hand.

“As the prophecy said… everyone will help, so you all have stay on the pentagram, Whatever is going to happen inside the circle NEVER break it, until Willow says so. Dawn, Spike, Buffy and I will be inside the circle. I could need Dawn’s energy if I feel a little out with mine.” She looked toward the slayer’s color in order to reassure her. “Don’t worry it won’t hurt and not harm her in any way... she will feel a little tired but nothing more.”

“How do you now that?” The slayer asked, even if she trusted her friend.

Lilea scratched her head embarrassed. “I just know it. In my head everything is pretty clear. It’s like if I've already done it.”

“What about us?” Buffy asked trying to avoid the feeling of fear she had.

“Spike’s soul will bring the day back… and your love, Buffy, will make it possible.”

“Hey, she doesn’t love him!” Xander shouted without thinking.

And at the same moment all the people in the room but Lilea, who still feel a little unwelcome and embarrassed by the guy’s hatred for Spike, said “Shut up, Xander.”

“What about you?” The vampire asked after some silent second.

“I’ll be inside the circle.” She said smiling, avoiding a real answer.

“Doing what?”

“Don’t be suspicious, luv.” Lilea made the word roll on her tongue in the same way Spike was used to. “I have to recorder a CD with some Clem’s friends… I don’t want to do anything dangerous… and I want to meet again Buffy’s principal…” She turned toward the older girl. “I can, can’t I?”

“Of course you can, he seemed quite interested into you.” Buffy answered quite enthusiastically.

“Hey, I don’t want the principal to be around my place! Can you wait until I graduate?” Dawn asked a little disappointed. “My class-mate will kill me, if my brother in law’s sister dates with Wood.”

“Don’t avoid the question. What are you doing inside the circle?” Spike was quite focused on Liliea's tentative of avoiding a simple question.

“Actually I don’t know… I’ll improvise something.” She shrugged.

“Am I the only one who doesn't like the idea of improvising while fighting the apocalypse?” Xander asked rhetorically.

“No you’re not.” Spike voice was glacial.

“I suppose I have just to make the amulet and Spike’s communicate somehow… it’s something about the Nam –I don’t know what languages I’m speaking - thing.”

“When did Clem asked to sing with his friends? And who are his friends?” Spike was again in his big brother mode, but still Lilea’s strange behavior didn’t have a good impression on him, especially alter the latest time she kept something secret.

“Oh please!!! Since you’re with Buffy you’re worse than ever!!!! Even if you’re not with me 24/7 I can keep my self safe, you know that? And then it’s Clem we’re talking about!” Lilea was smiling, even with her eyes. She didn't seemed worried at all.

Xander’s clock sounded breaking the discussion. “Sunset in 5 minutes.”

“Ok, everyone in the right place.” They positioned themselves. “Light the candles. Concentrate about the day… let energy flue inside and outside yourself. You’re are just energy.” Lilea extracted the amulet from her pocket and set it in the middle of the small circle Dawn, Spike, Buffy and herself made.

She moved it toward Spike, her face changed expression. She seemed to loose completely the sense of reality. It was just like the previous time when she “connected” with the day. Everything around didn’t matter. She could see Spike’s color focus on what she guessed was his soul. All the energy around them was growing. She could see Spike’s color interact with Buffy’s, in a strange way, it was as Buffy’s were protecting him, keeping him safe, from danger. But there wasn’t supposed to be any danger for him. His soul should have called the day…

The ceiling seemed to open, Lilea wasn’t sure if other saw it crumble too. Ground started to tremble.

“Hey this wasn’t supposed to be an apocalypse!” Xander shouted.

“Spike are you ok?” Buffy asked with worry.

His face morphed in a painful expression, and then his vampire face came on and off several times. He was fighting against a invisible enemy.

Lilea started to speak aloud again that unknown language, in her prospective the time had different length. Everything was happening in slow-motion for her. She could hear voice, scream and then a voice she remembered from her dream.

“The soul is a key... he has to keep it… help him.. if he loses it everything will be doomed.”

Tara’s voice.

“Oh god….”

Lilea could hear Buffy’s voice yelling Spike’s name in slow-motion.

“You’re so soulful, love! With all your soul” and in that moment Lilea understood.

Soul par soul.

She moved toward his best friends and suddenly the time was normal again.

“I need energy… all you guys can give me!!!” she yelled. She moved her hand on Spike’s chest. A thunder resounded in the room. Earth trembled again. A light enfolded the vampire and the youngest slayer. “Fight Spike, for you soul… I need you to help me too.”

Buffy and Spike’s fingers entwined and they seemed to burn.

Lilea could see the fire from them, was that the spark of life?

Lilea grabbed the amulet from the ground, holding it to her.

Her body started to move toward the ceiling. Her head almost brushed where it was the overhead wall then all the light in the room vanished, she crushed violently against the floor.

The Scoobies felt a wave of energy through their body

“It’s done.” Willow whispered. “The Night is stopped.”

*

Buffy helped Spike to sit down, forcing her shoulder under his arm. “How are you?”

“We were burning…. But it didn’t hurt… it felt nice…” He spoke with a real effort.

“I know… Are you ok?” Buffy was caressing his face, even paler than usual.

“Just a bit confused.” He moved his gaze on the other slayer. “Lil?”

The girl was staring at them without moving her eyes from the couple. Giles moved in order to help her, and she smiled at him before he was close. “I always thought you were a charming man… Mr. Giles but you’re more good looking and younger than I thought… If I could have seen you all this time, I’m pretty sure I would had a crush on you….”

“Lilea what…”

She turned toward Buffy and Spike, the expression on the vampire face let her know he understood, not why but what happened. She bent her head to her side, slowly standing up and walking toward him. “You’re exactly how I thought you were.” She moved her hand slowly toward his scar. “Sorry, luv, I don’t speak Chinese… so that’s her present…”

“On my God, Lilea you can see.” Buffy moved closer to her and Lilea smiled at her too. “How…”

Lilea moved one hand on Spike chest. “I kept it safe… Spike’s soul is still here…”

“Lilea how did you do it?”

“Everything is connected… so we all are… your soul wasn’t different from anyone else's.” She whispered.

“Lil, what did you do…”

“Eyes for eyes…”

Spike closed his eyes. “Soul for soul…”

“Oh my God…” Buffy’s hand clasped on her mouth. “Lil what did you do…”

“You stupid bitch! You’re human, you’re not supposed to be without a soul… you’re not…”

“…Gonna survive.”

Buffy frowned. “Can a human being survive without…”

Buffy met Spike eyes, they were full of tears he was fighting to hold. “No… she can’t.”

Lilea closed her eyes for a moment, she smiled but her lips trembled. “Spike said that when you die you go to a nice place.” She was looking at Buffy, “warm, no pain, you felt complete…” The girl let herself lean against his friend’s body.

“ Why did you do that?” Spike was caressing her hair, holding her tightly.

“A slayer in order to force you to have your soul back, one slayer to keep it safe… You’re gonna to do great things, Spike.” The girl stiffened against his body. Her hand clasped his jacket.

“Lil…”

“Don’t be sad… I can feel it, Spike… the peace…” She was smiling, no pain this time.

“Lilea… Don’t… speak to me… don’t feel it! You can’t… You don’t have to go there! Look at me!”

Lilea turned her head toward Buffy. “Take care of him… for me.”

Buffy’s eyes were covered by a veil of tears, but she nodded. “I… will do it, I promise…”

She smiled again to the vampire who was hugging her tightly. “Goddess, luv, you have an hug that kills girls.” The sound that came out from Spike’s mouth was a mix between a laugh and a sob.

Lilea caressed his face with a moony gaze. “Love you… Spike. I will protect you… the three of you.”

Then she smiled, while her head rested against his chest.

THE END

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