Part 12:

Joyce Summers had noticed a change in her middle daughter's demeanor-a drastic change. Buffy had been a normal teenager, happy some days, angry the next, and annoyed the day after that. But lately it seemed that she had dug herself into a deep hole and refused to come out. She didn't eat, didn't talk, and she didn't go out anymore. Joyce had even gotten a call from some teachers at school who were concerned about Buffy's home life. She wasn't participating in class any longer, her grades were dropping, and she refused to do homework.

"Joyce?" Caroline asked her co-worker.

"Hmm?" the woman asked looking up from the shipping order she was supposed to be filing.

"You seem a little distracted today Joyce."

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just, Buffy's been really depressed lately, and I can't seem to figure out why."

"She's a teenager, Joyce." Caroline said. "She's probably heart-broken over some 5 minute crush. She'll be fine in a day or so."

"I hope you're right." Joyce said going back to her work. "I really hope you're right."



Spike's head was throbbing. After the fight with his uncle he had fallen asleep on his bedroom floor. He woke up with one hell of a hangover and Giles refused to let him stay home from school. So he lugged himself from class to class, trying desperately not to be sick.

Walking down the hall to one pointless class or another he saw her. Buffy walking down the hall towards him. She looked almost as miserable as he did. Not being able to bear being near her, he veered right into a different hallway. But his choice wasn't a good one because he ran smack into Stacy.

"Oh you." He said looking at the person he had walked into.

"Nice to see you too Spike." Stacy said turning on her charm. "Hey I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go out to the Bronze tonight. There's a group of us going and."

"No thanks," Spike said stepping sideways. "I'm never going out with another girl as long as I live." He walked past her not even caring what she thought.

"That does it." Stacy said in a quiet voice. "That's the last straw. I'm never going to get him until Buffy is out of the picture. And I think I've got just the thing." Stacy continued to her class, planning her activities for the rest of the day.

Part 13:

Stacy and Cordelia were already off campus by the time the last bell rang. Actually they cut out of P.E. early and were already half way across town by the time everyone else was just getting to their lockers.

Cordelia's car turned the corner onto Main Street. "So where exactly are we going?" Cordy asked.

"The Sunnydale Magick Shoppe." Stacy said looking down at the small ad she had clipped from the daily paper. "I got a few things I need to pick up."

"What could you possibly need there? Why not the mall? I hear April Fools is having a big sale." Cordelia said as she pulled into a tight parking place.

"Maybe later." Stacy said as she opened the passenger door and climbed out. "This is important."

The Magick Shoppe wasn't what Stacy had imagined it would be. She was thinking dusty old books and jars full of weird items that couldn't be categorized by a normal person. And she was right, well half right. There were books, endless shelves of books, but they weren't all old and dusty. There were a few of them, but the majority of the books were new. And there were jars of things that Stacy didn't even want to imagine what they were. All in all, it was a pretty modern place with, hardwood floors, and glass cases and a computer on the main counter.

A man in dark pants and a dress shirt was standing behind the counter reading over a paper of some sort. He looked up from the paper, finally noticing the girls standing there.

"Oh hello there." The man said setting the paper down and coming out from behind the counter. "Can I help you girls with something?"

"Yea actually you can." Stacy moved towards the man, leaving Cordelia to explore the shop. "I need a spell to make someone disappear. To make them go away and no one would remember them. Can you help me?"

The shopkeeper looked at the girl stunned. Most teens came into the shop looking for a simple love potion or just some incense. He never expected to hear such a request. "I don't know." He said thoughtfully. "That's some pretty dark magic. If you're not acquainted with the black arts, it could be quite dangerous."

Stacy reached into her pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. "Can you help me?" she said more slowly, waving the cash in front of the man.

The shopkeeper was a greedy man. Sure he cared about the people, but if someone was offering him more money than the supplies were worth, he wasn't going to turn them down. He knew deep down that in the end this would all backfire on him, but he truly didn't care.

"Come with me." He said quietly, waving for Stacy to follow him.

She followed close behind the man as he led her up a pair of stairs and onto a loft. Up there were a few books, these ones dusty and old.

"This is my private collection." The shopkeeper said. "I don't normally allow customers up here, but you have persuaded me." The man made his way over to one of the bookshelves and picked out a rather large book. "Here. I believe this is the book you are looking for."

He led her back down the steps and to the table that sat in the middle of the floor. He began flipping through the yellow, age-stained, pages. "Ah here it is." He said pushing the book towards Stacy. "It's called a Temporal Fold. It creates a doorway into another dimension through which you can enter. But the doorway only lasts a few minutes so you must be quick. Once the door is close only the one who originally opened it can reopen the door."

Stacy looked over the words in front of her. They weren't in English that much was for sure. They didn't resemble any language that Stacy had ever studied before either.

"The spell is pretty simple." He said. "But it requires a great deal of meditation. You must be completely centered to properly perform the spell. You'll be needing quite a few things too."

He made his was to one of the shelves and grabbed a few jars. Then he walked back behind the counter and grabbed a few other items, rang them up with the computer, and stuck them in a bag. He walked back to the table with a questioning look on his face. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you so intent on this spell?"

"Let's just say that I've been wronged and someone has to pay." Stacy said with wickedness to her voice. "What about the rest? A spell to make everyone forget."

"Unfortunately, there is no such spell. Magick is not meant to alter the human mind. But I have all of your supplies ready."

"Yeah, thanks." Stacy said rising from the table and grabbing the book. She walked over to the counter and took the bag. She handed the money to the shopkeeper and walked quickly to the door.

"One last warning." He called after her. "Be careful with the spell, magick doesn't always work the way you want it to."

"Whatever." Stacy replied only loud enough for her to hear. "Cordy let's go." She yelled for her friend.

Cordelia was busy checking out the scented candles when Stacy called to her. She dug her keys out of her purse and made her way to the door.

"You ready?" Cordy asked.

"Yeah, I got what I came for." She held up the bag. "Let's go."

Part 14:

Buffy's life had become a living hell. Nothing seemed to be going right, ever since she broke up with Spike. She had absolutely no appetite, and she couldn't sleep. Seeing him in the halls was murder, especially when he smiled. But that wasn't very often. He seemed to be as depressed as she was.

"Why don't you two just make up?" Willow asked at lunch when she caught Buffy staring at Spike across the cafeteria.

"Here, here." Xander agreed, earning an odd look from the girls. "What? Okay I know I don't exactly like Spike, and I think that he's a little.weird. But I'd rather see the Buffster happy with him than moping around like her puppy just died."

"See even Xander thinks you should get back together." Willow said nudging her best friend.

"I can't though." Buffy said lifting her head from his current position on her folded arms. "I mean if I get back with Spike, assuming that he would still want me after what I did to him, Stacy would have a fit."

"But did breaking up with him really do anything?" Willow asked. "Except make you both miserable."

"Stacy hasn't said a word to me since." Buffy said quietly. "But she hasn't stopped being a complete bitch to me. Not that I expected her to or anything."

"Well then why don't you just."

"I can't Will, okay?" Buffy pushed her chair back from the table and got up, walking away from the table.

"Xander we have to do something." Willow said as she watched Buffy disappear out into the hallway. "We can't let her keep going on like this."



Spike was sitting at his regular lunch table with the few people at Sunnydale High that he associated with. There was Graham and Riley, the two athletes of the group; Oz and Angel, the music junkies; and Dru and Darla, Angel and Riley's girlfriends, respectively, who followed them everywhere. Spike didn't really care for any of them except Dru; she was always nice to him

"So where are we going tonight, Oz?" Angel asked, his arm wrapped around Dru.

"I was thinking the Bronze. It's kind of the only place worth going to in town." Oz was the sarcastic type, who never, NEVER, made an expression.

"Oh man we always go there." Riley whined earning a playful slap from Darla. "What was that for?"

"For being such a baby. At least you can still leave the house." Darla said.

"Parents still got you on lock down?" Graham asked taking the last sip of his soda.

"Yeah." She said leaning back against Riley. "Two more weeks to go."

"Way harsh." Riley said. "You coming with tonight Spike?"

"Are you kidding?" Graham joked. "He's still living in that big hole of despair that he's taken up permanent residence in."

"Bloody hilarious." Spike jabbed back.

"It's true man." Angel said with a smirk. "You've been pretty depressed lately. What's the what?"

"It's just." Spike began.

"Don't say it," Graham pleaded.

"Buffy." Spike concluded. Everyone at the table sighed. They'd spent the past few days having to listen to Spike rant on and on about Buffy Summers.

"Come on, man." Riley said. "She's a freshmen. I mean there are plenty of other fish in the sea."

"Amen to that." Angel added. "Since when does Spike chase after under classmen?"

"He doesn't." Oz confirmed. "At least the Spike I remember didn't. Guess he's gone soft on us."

"No way. I'm still the bad ass I was." Spike said with conviction in his voice.

"So are you coming then?" Riley asked again.

"Yeah, sure. Why not?" Spike said. "What do I have to lose?"



Willow met up with Buffy at her locker. She was pulling out the books for her afternoon classes.

"Buffy listen," Willow began. "Just hear me out. If you're not going to get back together with Spike, then why not look for another guy? Who knows you might find someone nicer than Spike."

"It's not possible." Buffy said grimly.

"What's not possible?" Willow asked confused.

"Finding a guy nicer than Spike. It's not possible. I don't think such a guy exists." Buffy leaned back against the row of lockers and stared off into space. "Spike's the nicest, sweetest, best-looking guy there is and ever will be. I'll never find someone as perfect as him."

Willow sighed and rolled her eyes. "Look Buffy, if someone who didn't know you as well as I do was listening to you right now, they'd have you committed. You're talking in circles; saying you don't want to get back with Spike, but that he's the most perfect guy ever. But since I know you do well," Willow took a breath then continued on, "I know that what you really need is a night on the town with your friends. Not romantic involvement included."

"Will I don't really feel like." Buffy began to protest.

"Look I'm not giving you a choice." Willow said in a slightly irritated tone. "You're coming to the Bronze tonight with me and Xander and that's final. Got it?" Buffy quietly nodded her head in agreement. "Good. I'll meet at your house and walk you there around 8." She didn't even give Buffy enough time to respond before she was gone.

"So how'd it go?" Xander asked when Willow came strolling back into the cafeteria after chasing after Buffy.

"Great. She's coming to the Bronze tonight. Around 8." Willow answered.

"Cool. I'll be there." Xander said. "Think Amy would want to come?"

Amy was Xander's new love interest. She was an old friend of Willow's but they had kind of lost touch over the years. Xander and Amy had been introduced only a few months before, but they seemed to hit it off.

"Sure. Why don't you ask her." Willow said picking up her soda can and downing the rest of it in one gulp.

"I'll do that." Xander said. "And we'll meet you there at 8."

"Sounds like a plan." Willow said.

Part 15:

Buffy really didn't want to go out tonight but she knew if she called Willow to cancel she would get a tongue lashing and still have to go. So, reluctantly, she dressed for the outing.

She wanted to look good, but she just didn't feel it. So she chose a pair of dark blue jeans with patches and a long sleeved shirt. She left her hair down, not having the time or the patience to do anything with it.

She was sitting on her bed staring at the wall when the doorbell rang. "Guess that's Willow." Buffy said climbing off the bed and down the steps. She met Stacy half way down.

"You're little loser friend's here." She said carrying a glass of juice with her.

"Did you let her in?" Buffy asked.

"No." Stacy answered simply. "Why would I?" She walked past Buffy and up into her room.

"Of course." Buffy said quietly in a sarcastic voice. "That would require you to be nice." She opened the door and met Willow's bright gaze.

"Buffy you look great! Are you ready to go?"

"Thanks for lying Will." Buffy replied with a giggle. "Ready as ever." She quickly grabbed her coat off the railing and followed Willow out the door, closing it behind her.

Spike was already at the Bronze. He was seated at a crowded table in the back, pretending to listen to the horrible music.

Really his mind drifted back to the first time he was here with Buffy. That had been a magical night. Everything seemed to be perfect then. Buffy seemed to be enjoying herself and Spike was having the time of his life. So then why did she break it off so soon?

'Bloody women!' Spike thought angrily. 'I'll never understand 'em.'

"Don't you agree Spike?" Drusilla asked him.

"Hmmm?" he asked, not hearing the question.

"You with us here?" Graham asked slapping his friend's shoulder playfully.

"Yeah I'm just a little.distracted." Spike's voice lowered as he saw a blonde head come bobbing into the club. He stood up quickly, hitting the table and causing a few of the drinks to spill over their sides.

His hopes soared as he saw the blonde walking this way. But they plummeted as he saw a black-haired boy meet up with the girl and kiss her. 'Not Buffy.' He thought solemnly. He sat back down and looked around the table at the faces being made by his friends.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"You have got to get over her." Angel sighed heavily. "She's like dictating your life."

"Is not." Spike said. "She has absolutely no control over me."

"Oh face it, man. You're totally whipped." Riley laughed. Everyone else at the table laughed too.

Spike looked around at them laughing at him. 'This couldn't get any worse.' He thought. He stood up from the table, and with one final look, walked away muttering something about ".bloody American." under his breath.



Buffy wasn't sure if she was going to need her jacket when she grabbed it. But she figured it wouldn't hurt to take it. She was thankful she did as a cold wind whipped around her, sending her hair flying around.

"Wow, did it get cold out here fast." Willow said pulling her spring jacket tighter. "Guess I should have listened to my mom and taken a heavier coat."

"Yea. Probably." Buffy replied mindlessly. Her mind had wandered to Spike, as it did so much lately.

She was remembering the last time she was at the Bronze. She had been with Spike and had the time of her life. She thought everything would be perfect. But of course they weren't. Nothing ever went right in Buffy's life. 'I'm doomed to badness.' She thought glumly.

".so they're gonna meet us at the Bronze later." Willow continued.

"They?" Buffy asked not knowing who Willow was talking about.

"Xander and Amy." Willow explained. "Have you been listening to me?"

"Of course, every word." Buffy lied. Willow stopped walking and stared at Buffy. After a moment Buffy confessed, "All right, all right, I wasn't listening. But that doesn't mean I wasn't interested in what you were saying."

"Uh huh." Willow said as she continued walking. The rest of the walk to the Bronze went pretty much in silence until the girls rounded the corner to the club.

"Wow." Buffy said noticing all the people at the door. "This place is packed tonight."

"Yeah I hear there's a new band headlining or something. Might be worth hearing." Willow said.

"Let's hope so for the price of the cover charge." Buffy complained.

The girls made their way through the crowd, pushing past teens and younger kids alike. They finally got to the door, paid their money to the bouncer, and charged inside.

"This place really is packed." Willow said as pack of people flew past her, pushing her to the side. "Geez, rude much?"

"Well why don't you go look for Xander and Amy, or at least try to find us a table, and I'll head over to the bar and grab us a latte." Buffy suggested.

"All right." Willow agreed. "But I'm not promising anything." She quickly disappeared in the crowd.

Buffy turned on her heel and headed towards the bar. There were even more people crowded around the bar. She tried to push through them, but it was no use. "My God what are they giving away tonight?" Buffy asked trying to see around the people.

Buffy waited patiently until a spot at the counter was open. She rushed forward and ran right into Spike who was carrying a root beer float. The drink went flying through the air; it's contents spilling all over Buffy, and the glass shattering on the floor.

"Sorry, luv." Spike said trying to not look Buffy in the eye. "Didn't see you there."

"Whatever." Buffy said trying to sound annoyed, even though she was thankful for any contact with him. She looked down at her clothes, "Oh man look at my shirt."

"You'll be fine, just go home and have your mum wash it." Spike said.

"Ugh." Buffy huffed as she stormed away from Spike. Spike decided he wasn't going to take that attitude from her. So he followed her all the way into the Women's restroom near the back of the club.

"Spike what are you doing in here?" Buffy yelled when Spike burst through the door.

"Listen, pet." Spike said with a wave of anger in his voice that scared Buffy a little. "I'm not the one who ended this relationship, so."

"Relationship?!" Buffy yelled back. "What relationship did we have? We went out once."

"And that one night was great. Or at least I thought it was." Spike recoiled. "But then you come strolling up and just blow me off like it was nothing. I had real feelings for you." Spike cornered Buffy against a wall and brought his face close to hers. "I actually thought I loved you. Thought that maybe, just maybe this was the right girl for me. Guess I was wrong." He stepped back away from her and began pacing. "How could I ever love a self-centered, childish, bitch?!"

"Self-centered?" Buffy asked, the tears spilling out of her eyes, and trailing down her cheeks. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe breaking up with you wasn't my choice? That maybe I didn't want to do it?" she clenched her fists at her sides.

"What do you mean it wasn't your choice?" Spike asked.

"I didn't want it to stop!" Buffy yelled angrily. "If I had any choice at all we would be making out in your car by now, not yelling and screaming at each other in the bathroom of some cheap local club!"

Spike stopped for a minute. "Whose choice was it if it wasn't yours?" he asked in a softer voice.

"It was my sisters." Buffy replied wiping a stray tear off her face.

"The Niblet?"

"No my other sister."

"Other."

"Yea Spike. I have two sisters." Buffy admitted. "Her name's Stacy. She's the one who's been chasing you around school since you moved here."

"The annoying chit who's been following me?" Spike repeated in disbelief.

"Yea her." Buffy said with a sob. "She told me to stay away from you or something bad would happen. And I believed her because I was scared! I was afraid of my own sister!"

"Pet why didn't you tell me?" Spike came towards Buffy and tried to comfort her.

"Don't." she said pushing his arm away and moving towards to door. "I didn't tell you because I thought it would be easier. Thought it would be easier to make a clean break and not have to feel guilty every time I looked at your. But that didn't pan out either."

"This doesn't make sense, Buffy." Spike said.

"No I guess it doesn't. But we just have to leave it at that. Because." Buffy fought back another wave of tears that inevitably came. "Because I can't do this any more!" She ran out the door, leaving Spike standing in the women's restroom to digest everything that had just been said.

Part 16:

Stacy was busy rushing around the house setting up the things for her ritual. Her mother had called a half hour earlier and said that she was going to be home much later than she had planned. Dawn was staying with a friend tonight, so that meant that she and Buffy had the house to themselves for at least three more hours. Buffy should be coming home soon, and the ritual was all ready to begin.

Stacy sat in the middle of the living room. There were candles, near 30 of them, spread around the room to create a crude circle around her. The book that she had bought at the Magick Shoppe sat propped up in front of her and the other supplies scattered throughout the circle.

'Okay,' Stacy thought as she went through a mental checklist of her supplies. 'Candles, check; incantation, check; everything else, check.' No one ever said Stacy was the most thorough person.

She sat there for a minute and prepared herself for the deep trance she had to be in for the spell. She had been practicing her meditation since she got back to from the Magick Shoppe. She had to reach deep within herself, and block out everything else. Stacy had almost become an expert at putting herself into a trance.

She sat there for quite some time before she noticed the change. She seemed lighter, as if someone were lifting her up off the ground. She noticed an burst of energy in the room around her, like there were a million people in the room with her, but she knew there weren't.

She opened her eyes to confirm her theory and saw no one in the room with her. But there in the doorway to the living room it was; a portal.

Buffy had never run faster in her life. As soon as her fight was over with Spike she fled from the Bronze and didn't stop running until she hit Rovello Drive.

Thoughts raced through her mind: 'I can't believe I told him! Stacy's gonna freak! What the hell am I going to do?!'

By the time she was in front of her house, Buffy was tired, scared, and nauseous. She kneeled down on her front lawn and stayed there for a minute, staring up at the sky.

"Why me?!" Buffy yelled to the heavens. Tears began to stream down her face, "I didn't do anything to deserve this!" She dropped her face to her hands and sobbed openly.

Spike was on a mission. Only a minute after Buffy fled the Bronze, Spike was on her heels. He knew exactly where she was going. She was headed home, and Spike intended on beating her there.

He never anticipated her speed. By the time he reached her street she was nowhere in sight.

"Bollocks," he swore and began racing towards her house. He stopped when he go within a few feet of the house and heard crying. He crept alongside a row of bushes and peeked around the side. Buffy was there, kneeling on the grass, crying.

Spike stepped around the side of the bushes, and immediately Buffy's head shot up. It was like she could sense him there. She looked up at him, eyes red from crying.

"Spike." She simply said.

"Luv what's wrong." He said moving towards her.

"Don't." she warned quickly climbing to her feet. "She.she might be watching."

"Who?" Spike asked. "Your sister?" Buffy only nodded in compliance. "What is it with this girl? Look you and I are going to have a talk with her." Spike stalked towards the house before Buffy grabbed his arm.

"No you can't." She said pulling him back. "Please. She'll.I don't know.she's not what you think."

"She's a jealous older sibling." Spike stated. "She's mad because her bratty little sister is getting more attention than her."

"Please, Spike." Buffy sobbed.

"Look, luv." Spike said in a soft voice. "I'm going in there with or without you. I think it's high time you stand up to her. Unless you feel like living the rest of your life in fear." He began walking away from her towards the house, half expecting to feel Buffy grab his arm again. But she didn't. He took a few steps toward the house and stopped, looking back at her. "You coming or not?" he asked.

Buffy looked up at him. 'He's right.' She thought. 'I can't be afraid forever, but.I don't know if I can do this.' Slowly, she picked herself up off the ground and came to stand beside him.

Spike smiled faintly as he felt her hand move to his. He grabbed her hand in his firmly and began to walk. She stayed with him, up the porch steps and to the door. Buffy raised her hand to the doorknob and with a small push, the door swung open.

The house was dark. There were no lights whatsoever, except an odd glowing coming from a door a little ways down the hall. It cast eerie shadows on the far end of the hall, making the house look deserted. Buffy knew that Stacy was home, but it didn't look so.

Buffy took a step into the house, her hand still in Spike's, pulling him along behind her. She was breathing quiet, shallow breaths; afraid that if began breathing too loud it would alert someone to their presence there.

"Stacy?" Buffy asked quietly, praying for no answer. There was none. 'Maybe she went out after all.' Buffy thought happily.

Spike pushed past Buffy when he heard an odd noising coming from ahead of them. She clung to his back with fear.

"Wh-what was that?" she asked him.

"Not sure." Spike said, his voice thick with curiosity. "Stay back." He told Buffy. Spike took a few steps forward and stopped to listen. Everything was quiet. "Hmmm."

"Good 'hmmm' or bad 'hmmm'?" Buffy asked.

"Neither. There's nothing." Spike didn't finish his sentence. He was standing there, staring into the doorway where the glowing light was coming from. Buffy watched him for a moment, then walk up beside him. She stared into the same doorway and couldn't believe her eyes.

There in the doorway was a glowing, shimmering door-like thing. A spectrum of colors swirled through it like a rainbow. The edges rippled and waved like the water of a pond.

"What the?" Spike asked.

"No idea." Buffy answered her eyes never straying from the sight in front of her. "Where did it come fr." Buffy's words were cut off as Spike was hurled into the thing, disappearing from sight.

Stacy had heard voices coming from outside. She pulled herself to her feet and walked towards the front window. There in her own front yard were Buffy and Spike. She was sitting on the ground, crying like a baby, and Spike was coddling her.

"Figures." Stacy huffed. "She acts like a complete baby, and she still gets all the attention. With Spike, with mom. God, what do I have to do?!"

Stacy noticed that Buffy and Spike were approaching the house.

"Show time." She said proudly. She snuck through the living room, careful to avoid touching the doorway, and hid herself inside a closet across from the portal.

The plan was to hide inside the closet and then when Buffy was in front of the portal, she would jump out and push her through. It was perfect, as long as Spike didn't get in the way.

Stacy listened carefully as she heard the front door open and footsteps fall into the hallway. She heard Buffy call her name, but ignored her. They walked closer and Stacy, as quietly as possible, cracked open the closet door so she could see out. She saw Spike step ahead of Buffy.

'What is he doing?' she thought angrily. 'He's screwing this whole thing up!' She waited for a moment to see what Spike would do. He stood there staring at the portal for a moment before Buffy joined him. 'This is it.' Stacy thought happily. 'A few more seconds and I'll be rid of that brat forever.' She waited patiently, nerves screaming at her to go, but her mind was telling to her wait.

"No idea." she heard Buffy answer Spike.

'Now!' her mind screamed at her. Stacy lunged forward to push Buffy through the portal, but her foot caught on an old umbrella sitting at the bottom of the closet and she fell. She put her hands out and hit the first thing she felt. Unfortunately that "thing" was Spike. The force of her fall pushed him off balance and he plummeted into the portal instead of Buffy.

"NOO!" the two sisters screamed in unison.

Stacy quickly climbed to her feet and moved to the side of the portal. "Spike!" she yelled into the thing. Not a sound answered her.

"What did you do?!" Buffy screamed as the whole situation overwhelmed her. She began to break down into tears.

"Don't you dare cry!" Stacy yelled at her. "If it weren't for you none of this would be happening!"

"Me?!" Buffy asked dumbfounded. "What the hell are you talking about? I'm not the one who just shoved Spike into God knows where!"

"It wasn't supposed to be him!" Stacy yelled as she crumpled to the floor. "It was supposed to be you! You were supposed to go through there and never come back."

"What are you talking about?!"

"Oh well..."Stacy rose with a devilish look in her eye. "If I can't have him here with me, you can have him there." She reached out quickly, grabbed her sister by the shoulders and jerked her towards the doorway.

Buffy fought with all she had against her sister's power. She brought her foot behind Stacy's knee and kicked her feet out from under her. Both Stacy and Buffy rolled to the floor just feet in front of the portal. Stacy was on top of Buffy, and getting the upper hand in the fight.

'This is it.' Buffy thought glumly. 'She's finally gonna get her way.' Buffy looked over at the portal with a look of doom. But there she noticed at the bottom of the floor was a hand. 'Spike!' she thought happily. A renewed strength was born in Buffy as she fought to push her sister's bigger body off of hers. She pushed up with all her might and succeeded in sending Stacy stumbling backwards.

"You can't win this one." Stacy said as she sized Buffy up, preparing for her next attack.

Buffy countered her, staying a few feet from her at all times. They circled each other until Stacy's back was to the portal. Buffy watched hopefully as Spike's form began to appear, as though he were climbing out of a hole. His upper body appeared on the floor as he reached for Stacy's leg. Buffy was holding her breath as his fingers tightened around her ankle and yanked. Spike disappeared back into the portal, pulling Stacy along with him.

"NO!" Buffy yelled as she dove towards the portal and tried to grab Spike's hand, but it was gone. "No." she sobbed. Buffy pushed away from the doorway until her back hit the opposite wall. She pulled her knees to her chest, laid her head on them and cried without shame. 'I lost him again.' She thought. 'I loved him. I really did.'

"I loved him." Buffy said out loud, her voice echoing off the walls. "I loved him and I never got to tell him. He'll never know." She laid her head back down on her knees.

"Oh, he knows."

Buffy's head shot up at the sound of the voice. There standing beside her was Spike looking flushed like he had just finished a race.

"Spike!" she shouted. Before he knew what hit him, Spike was holding Buffy as she crushed her lips to his mercilessly. He held her close and deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue past her lips and into her mouth. Their tongues danced, and hands roamed each other's bodies. Finally Spike broke the kiss to breathe.

"Where did you? How did you?" Buffy asked gasping.

"I came out down by the old warehouse. Funny thing to have a portal that only takes you half a mile." Spike chuckled.

"What about.Stacy?"

Spike paused for a moment. "She didn't come out with me, luv. Don't think she made it out."

Buffy stared at him for a moment, letting the full weight of what had just happened hit her. Her sister had tried to get rid of her, she almost lost the man she loved, and her sister was gone for good. She moved into Spike's embrace not saying a word, but just feeling his body beneath hers; hearing the sound of his heart beating. She would have to deal with her mother yet. How on Earth was she going to explain this? 'Oh well.' She sighed. Better to deal with that when it came, but for now she just wanted to be near Spike for as long as possible.

Part 17:

Buffy was in a daze. The police had been at the house for almost two hours, inspecting things and asking too many questions that she couldn't answer. But Spike stayed with her the whole time, and never let her hand stray from his.

When her mom came home, Buffy had explained that by the time she and Spike got home Stacy wasn't here. She searched the whole house, but the eldest Summers girl was no where to be found.

Joyce had had a fit. She turned the house upside down looking for a note of something to that effect, but found none. Finally she called the police, and told them that her daughter was missing. Presumably they told her that they couldn't really do anything until she had been missing for at least 24 hours. But Joyce was a very convincing person, and within half an hour the place was crawling with men in uniforms.

"So you say that you two got home around 9:00 p.m.?" the officer asked Spike and Buffy who were sitting on the steps.

"Yeah." Buffy nodded in compliance.

"If you don't mind me asking what were both of you coming back to the house for?" the officer asked.

"Well.uh." Buffy stumbled looking to Spike for help.

"We had a bit of a fight and she ran off. I chased after her. We met up outside the house and worked out our differences. Then she invited me in for a drink." Spike said gently squeezing Buffy's hand to let her know that he was there for her. "Right?"

"Yeah." Buffy added with a smile. "He's very persuasive."

"That'll be all." The officer said. "Thank you very much."

Buffy crawled off the steps and let go of Spike's hand. She looked back at him and flashed him a smile. She turned and made her way over towards her mother who was standing near the front door talking to one of the officers.

".There's really nothing more we can do." The officer told Joyce glumly. "We'll enter her into our Missing Persons Database, but then all we can do is wait."

"Thank you." Mrs. Summers said with a nod of her head.

"You should get some sleep." The officer added.

"Yes." Joyce said simply. The officer walked out of the house closing the door behind him.

"Mom?" Buffy asked.

Joyce turned to her and immediately the tears began to stream down her face. Buffy moved quickly and wrapped her arms around her mother, attempting to comfort her. "I'm so sorry." Buffy said.

"Oh, Buffy. This wasn't your fault." Joyce said raising her head to look at her daughter. "I've suspected that Stacy was unhappy for a long time. I should have done something about it. Maybe I could have stopped her, helped her."

"Mom, this isn't your fault either. I don't think anyone could have helped Stacy." Buffy comforted her. "She wouldn't let anyone touch her."

"I supposed I should call your Aunt Melinda and go pick up Dawn. This is going to be hard on her." Joyce said walking towards the phone.

"You know what mom?" Buffy interrupted. "Why don't you let me go get her? I mean Spike can drive me. I think it might be better if I explained things to her." She studied her mother's face closely.

"I suppose that would be all right." Joyce said picking up the phone. "I'll call while you tow are driving over."

Buffy gave her mother one last hug and then went over to the stairs where Spike was watching her.

"Spike, I need a favor." Buffy said.

"Anything, luv." He got to his feet and moved closer to her. He wrapped his arms around her and she leaned into his embrace, setting her head on his shoulder.

"I need you to take me over to my aunt's place to get Dawn." Buffy said, inhaling the wonderful smell of Spike. A faint smile spread across her lips.

"Oh God. Never even thought about the Niblet." Spike sounded surprised. Buffy had to giggle at his use of her new nickname. "What's so funny, pet?"

"Just hearing you call her that." Buffy said. "And being here in your arms. It's almost like.this is the way things should be."

Joyce was right Dawn took it pretty hard. Hearing that her sister was gone, presumably run away, was tragic. The only person that could comfort her was Spike.

Buffy sat there in the front seat of the car while Spike was putting Dawn in the backseat. She had fallen asleep from crying so much. Spike laid her down gently on the seat and took his duster off and draped it over her like a blanket. He pushed his seat back and climbed in the driver's seat. Spike started the car and look over at Buffy.

"What?" he asked when he noticed that Buffy was staring at him.

"You're so good with her." Buffy answered looking into the backseat. Dawn had curled herself into a ball underneath his coat. "I've never seen Dawn take to anyone like she took to you."

"She just likes me." Spike said. "I've always had a connection with kids. They just seem to like me."

"Mmm." Buffy leaned in and pulled his face to hers, their lips meeting. Immediately her mouth opened and his tongue worked its way inside, dueling with hers. Finally she broke the kiss to breathe. "I can see why." She giggled.

"Vixen." Spike said sitting back into his seat. He shifted the car into drive and pulled out of the driveway.

~Six Months Later~

Buffy quickly turned the dial on her lockers and pulled the handle up. The door popped open and she threw her books inside. She glanced down at her watch. "Crap, I'm gonna be late." She pulled out her notebook and book, and slammed her locker door, jumping backwards in surprise.

"Mornin, luv." Spike said leaning against the locker next to Buffy's. He was wearing a pair of khakis and a blue sweater.

Since he and Buffy had started dating again, she made him change his wardrobe. She took him to the mall one weekend and got him all new clothes. Granted he whined the whole time, but she made it up to him with a little make out session in one of the dressing rooms.

"Mmm, good morning to you too." Buffy said with a quick peck on his lips.

"So I was thinking we'd go to a movie tonight." Spike said. "Hear there's a new horror flick out about vampires."

"Oh that's what I want to do on my Friday night." Buffy said sarcastically. "Sit in a crowded theater with a bunch of twelve year olds screaming their heads off. Plus those vampires are always so fake looking."

"Oh come on. You forgot one thing." Spike said walking around behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and began kissing her neck. "Theaters are dark. We could be all alone in the back row. And those little twelve year old girls' screams would muffle yours."

Buffy elbowed him playfully. "As if you could do anything to make me scream."

"Is that a challenge?" Spike asked playfully.

"Bring it on." Buffy said just as the bell rang. "Ugh but not right now. I'm late for Chemistry." Buffy turned and took a few steps in the other direction before she stopped and walked back towards Spike. She planted a long kiss on his lips then took off running in the direction of her class. "You've got yourself a date."

"Tonight luv." Spike said aloud. "You'll be screamin' tonight."

~THE END~