Twisted Between Time and Dreams



Author: Evil Rabbit



Summary: AU. After Buffy and Spike are together in the 7th Season (*crosses fingers*) Buffy is killed (for the third time) and Dawn and Spike are told that they have to go back in time in order to save her destiny. (Don't worry, it has a twist)



Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue. Oh and I know that Dawn's opening line is from the comic Zits (my friend told me) but I didn't know that when I wrote it so I'm keeping it in.



Spoilers: None really.its AU but everything in 1-6 is fair game.



Shipper(s): B/S, W/O, X/C



On the exterior, Sunnydale was everything a small, Suburban California town should be. With white picket fences surrounding brick houses and Jim's Hardware Store just off 7th street. It had The Bronze, where the teens liked to go and The Espresso Pump, an artsy hangout for the adults. There were sidewalks everywhere so that one could walk to anywhere in the town they wanted to go, whether it be the grocery store or a friends house.



Of course there was that pesky fact that buildings were blown up quite often (Like that tale of the old high school in '99) and that the obituaries were the largest section of the Sunnydale Times. But that was no matter, at least to most of the folks in Sunnydale. They brushed it aside, chalking it up to bad luck. How uncommon was it, really, for your neck to fall on an open staple-remover or a barbeque fork? There were no "demons" or "monsters" in Sunnydale, just an everlasting case of fatal klutziness.



Unfortunately for Buffy Summers, she was not one of these people. She knew the truth better than anyone. She lived right in the center of Sunnydale's dark side. Hell, she was Sunnydale's dark side. Every night she would fight the forces of darkness...of evil, which reigned over the town permanently. Tonight, however, was an exception to the rule.



Buffy smiled at her reflection as she put on a simple black tank-top. Perfect, she thought. She took her now long, golden hair and tied it up with an elastic hair band. After pulling a few face framing tendrils down she knew she was ready.



"Dawn?" Buffy called, "Dawn sweetie, I'm going out. You can take care of yourself, right?"



"I'm not so sure Buffy. What if I can't get the refrigerator door open? What if the toaster breaks down? Or what if the faucets stop working? I may have to resort to drinking my own urine." Came the sarcastic reply.



"Lovely imagery." Buffy said scrunching her nose slightly as she emerged from upstairs. She looked down at her 16-year-old sister who was lounging on the couch.



"What do you think?" Buffy asked hesitantly regarding her outfit.



" Hmm.I like the belt and the shirt, but strappy stilettos with department store jeans? Come on, Buffy, you can't be serious." Buffy pouted slightly.



"I thought it would be a nice mix of comfy and elegant."



"Well, I think it clashes." Dawn said shrugging. Buffy groaned and trudged back upstairs. Dawn smiled to herself. She was *good *.





A half hour later, Buffy came down once again wearing the same outfit, only with leather boots in tow.



"Satisfied O Fashion Guru?" Buffy said flopping down on the couch next to Dawn.



"It'll do." Dawn replied smiling. She cleared her throat and spoke again, "So, big date with the Souled One?"



"Yup. It's our third month anniversary." Buffy said unable to hide her loving grin.



"Spike knows this?"



"Of course he does, Dawn, it's our third month anniversary. It's a big deal." Buffy reasoned, "anyway, we're just going to the Bronze and then heading back to his apartment to..uh..play Parcheesi."



"Oh, really? That game has always fascinated me! Tell me, how do you play that again?" The doorbell rang just then and Buffy visibly sighed in relief. She glared at Dawn who was still smiling innocently and went to get the door.



"Hey you." Spike smiled at Buffy, who was looking up at him adoringly.



"Hey yourself." She pulled him to her and kissed him. He was such a good kisser. Passionate and soft with just the right amount of lust and need. You know you're in love when your inner monologue begins to sound like a really bad Harlequin, Buffy silently joked. She broke the kiss and smiled against his mouth. He entered the home and raised his hand in a greeting to Dawn.



"Hey short stack, how's it goin'?"



"Hi Spike." Dawn smiled, but not as much as she used to. She loved Spike, not the way Buffy did of course, but she still couldn't forgive him for leaving her, without saying goodbye. He had promised he would never leave her...but he did. It took Buffy only a short six months to forgive him for that AND for his attempted rape. It did help, however, that he was now the proud owner of a shiny new soul. But Dawn still couldn't bring herself to forgive him fully. Not yet anyway.



Buffy watched as Dawn and Spike conversed, slightly awkwardly but still cheerfully on the couch. The couch. The same couch that Buffy helped move into the house 7 years ago. The same couch that she would think or dream or cry about Angel on. The same couch she sat on before she sacrificed Angel. The same couch Faith had sat on too many times. The same couch The First Slayer tried to kill her and her friends on. The same couch her mother died on.

"So, Dawn, we're going now...I'll be home late, so go to bed on your own and, uh, that's it. So, see ya." Buffy dragged Spike out of the house and slammed the door shut. Dawn looked at the closed door a little miffed.



"Bye."





"You were pretty quick to get out of there, weren't you, luv?" Spike said looking back at the Summer's residence.



"Yeah, well, I just wanted to go on my date." She said wrapping her arms around him.



"You have a date? With who? Anybody I know?" Spike responded grinning.



"Your wit has been lacking lately, Mr. Goody-Goody."



"Watch it."



Buffy looked down and sighed.



"I don't know. I just really wanted to get out of there. Its not like it's exactly a happy memory vessel or anything. Sometimes, it's too much. I mean, so much has happened there. Innumerable demons, everything with Angel, Faith, Riley, You, my mom..." Buffy looked up at Spike who hugged her in response. Buffy pulled back and swallowed.



"I'm thinking about moving." Spike's eyes widened.



"M-moving? Where to?"



"Not sure. Just across town, most likely. Its not like there's many job openings for "Vampire Slayer" anywhere else. I just...I just think it would be best if Dawn and I left. There are good memories there too, and that's what I always used to say...the good would outweigh the bad. But lately, it's become downright uncomfortable living there. Even unbearable. I can't go into any room without remembering something terrible that happened there. My mom died in the living room, Dawn was possessed in her room more times then necessary, my room is still haunted with Angel memories, you tried to rape me in the bathroom." She felt Spike tense up and she turned towards him and looked in his eyes, "Which I forgive you for. Completely and totally. But it still hurts to go in there."



"Don't I know it. I won't go within a bloody 3 foot radius of the place. But, Buffy, pet, you think that once you move these memories will just disappear?" Buffy sighed once again and closed her eyes.



"No. No, I'm plagued with them forever." Her voice had a poignant, melancholy tone to it...as if she was searching for something but she didn't know what it was. It made Spike's heart break.



"Enough of this...let's go to The Bronze. You know I heard they reinstituted the flowering onion..."



Buffy rolled over in Spike's bed, blissfully. Her third month anniversary date had gone just as perfectly as she planned. Spike had a way of making her forget her problems or bad, interrupting thoughts...but in a healthy way, unlike when he was without soul. He always knew how to make her happy, which was not something she ever expected * him * to be able to do. She smiled to herself and looked over at Spike who was sleeping soundly. She nuzzled up to him and kissed his cheekbone. His eyes fluttered open and he gazed down at her contentedly.



"Hey there, you still up?" He asked, his voice still heavy from the hour of sleep he was just awoken from.



"Yeah." Buffy looked away for a moment and then looked back at him. Her Spike. The man she was in love with. She coughed into her hand and closed her eyes.



"Spike?"



"Hmm?" He was starting to doze again.



"Spike...I love you." Spike's eyes flew open. He stared at her in wonder. Had he really heard that or was it his mind playing tricks on him again?



"Say that again?" Buffy smiled and kissed him.



"I love you." With that a huge, jubilant smile went across Spike's features. He sat up and started laughing. He just kept laughing and laughing. She loved him. She had said it. It was really real. Joyous laughter just kept flowing from him, regardless of the fact that he probably looked and sounded like an idiot. But, then again, he was an idiot. He went halfway around the world to get a soul, voluntarily, so that a vampire slayer could love him. Every demon or vampire in the entire world considered him an idiot. It didn't matter to him though. He was love's bitch and he knew it. He glanced at Buffy and fell on top of her. He kissed her gently and gazed into her eyes.



"Ditto."



Then the two of them didn't talk again for a long, long time.





"But he does love her. I mean, he feels that he can't live in a world without her...that's love." Willow moped to Xander and Buffy the next night at The Bronze.



"It's not, though. If Romeo had been able to live without Juliet, they would've been together forever, happily married. He never really loved her. He was obsessed with her." Buffy reasoned.



"And Buffy is of course the expert on that topic, considering her most recent boy toy's past." Xander contributed. The two women stared at him, incredulously.



"What?" He asked.



"Open mouth, insert foot." Buffy remarked, smiling. She had gotten used to Xander's wry comments on her relationship with Spike...but she still called him on it.



"It still doesn't make sense though. Besides, Claire Danes is way too good for Leonardo DiCaprio." Willow rationalized.



"Well, I'm not arguing with that one," Buffy replied, "but enough about Shakespeare...how've you been lately?" Willow put on a smile and nodded.



"I've been okay. Better than okay, actually. I mean, sometimes when I'm at the mall or something, I'll see a cute sweater and say, "Ooh, Tara would've loved that!" and then I realize that I used the past tense which reminds me that she's gone which reminds me of Warren which reminds me of the fact that I killed him and almost killed Giles and hurt Dawn and hurt you and tried to end the world. Then I have to go away and eat a lotta ice cream."



"Ice cream is very much of the good." Xander said.



"I think a doctor should patent it as a legal drug...it does wonders when you're sad or lonely or PMSing." Buffy added.



"This is go great," Willow commented, "the three of us hanging out together again...like old times." Xander and Buffy smiled at each other and than at Willow. Xander picked up his beer and dramatically cleared his throat.



"I believe that this calls for a toast! To good friends and old times."



"To old times." Willow said.



"To old times." Buffy repeated, with a hint of sorrow plaguing her voice. She missed the old times. When it was herself, Wills, Xander, Cordelia, Oz, Angel, and Giles. The original Scooby Gang. Of course, she loved Spike more than anything, but she sometimes wished...



"Its getting pretty late there Buffster...maybe you should head home to Dawn?" Xander mentioned.



"Yes, mom." Buffy retorted, but then she sighed looking at her watch, "You're actually right. It's almost 12. If I don't get home soon, Dawn * will * get worried. I'll see you guys tomorrow, hopefully." She hugged Willow and then Xander. She looked at them once again and walked off. Xander watched as she walked away and felt a sadness overtake him that he couldn't explain. It was a lot like when he heard a train whistle in the distance late in the night. There was something sad and lonesome about that sound...just like there was something sad and lonesome about Buffy's goodbye.



The streets of Sunnydale were quiet as Buffy walked along the sidewalks. Too quiet, she thought, her slayer senses coming to a full alert. She took out a stake and held it against her, stopping abruptly. Her breathing got heavy and she slowly turned her body around, taking in her surroundings. Her heart rate elevated and she closed her eyes. When she opened them, she found herself face to face with an ugly, green Lork demon.



"I have to get home, so let's get this over with, okay?" Buffy said as she dropped her stake and got in her fighting stance. The demon lurched towards her and Buffy flipped him on his backside just as he cut into her stomach with a razor sharp claw.



"That hurt a little." Buffy whimpered. The demon flew back to its feet and went in towards Buffy's head.



"Not enough though." Buffy exclaimed as she hit him with a smooth roundhouse. She sent a flock of lightening quick punches his way, looking constantly around for something sharp that she could do him in with. The demon grabbed Buffy by the shirt tail and threw her out onto the street. She recovered quickly, grabbing her stake, aiming towards his heart. He might not've been a vampire, but she was pretty sure a stake to the heart would kill anyone. Next thing she knew, however, she was in a headlock...with cold hands around her neck. She gasped and looked up to see a vampire. Not a special one, just an ordinary one. She twisted and turned, but for some reason, she felt powerless in his arms.



"That's no ordinary cut ya got there, sweetie. It's a Lork demon cut. It paralyzes." The vampire laughed sadistically, "I can't wait to tell my friends. I killed not just a slayer...but * the * slayer. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is dead at my hands."



Buffy could hardly comprehend what was going on. She couldn't die. She had to get home to Dawn. She had to take care of Dawn. Plus, Spike couldn't survive without her. He needed her. Willow had been through too much pain. She...she couldn't lose Buffy. I'm not ready to die; again, Buffy called out in vain, Please, I don't have a death wish. I want to live. Next thing she knew however, she was floating up. Up towards a huge white light. She felt herself soar higher and higher. She was free...but all she could think about was Dawn.

The Next Night

Spike smirked as he watched one his old "Passion" reruns, which he had on tape. That bloody Charity was really daffy sometimes. Of course, she was a zombie in this episode, so that might've had something to do with it. Shaking his head, he flipped off his VCR and turned on Nick at Nite, hoping to catch some Cheers reruns. Unfortunately, it was a Brady Bunch marathon.



"Will do, I suppose. I can laugh at Mike Brady's hair." He murmured to himself. Suddenly, the show stopped just at the crucial point in which Marcia was going to tell on Greg for...gasp! * Almost * smoking a cigarette.



"This is Sunnydale Breaking News. The time is 9 p.m. and the temperature is 78 degrees with clear skies. Our latest story is of a young, 22-year- old woman found yesterday around 12 midnight, near the nightclub known as "The Bronze". She suffered from fatal neck injuries and was rushed to the emergency room immediately. Sadly, though, she was dead before they got her there. Oddly enough, when the SD Hospital coroner did a medial examination on the body 3 hours ago, she found that the body was completely "drained" of all blood.."



Spike could hardly believe the density of the people in Sunnydale. The proof was looking them straight in the eye and yet they failed to see the truth behind everything.



"..girl's sister was informed moments ago, as she was her only known living survivor. A foster home will be found for the young 16-year-old as quickly as possible. We now return you to Nick at Nite's Brady- Licious Groove- Worthy Marathon."



Spike stared at the wall. Only known living survivor. 16-year-old sister. 22-year old victim. He knew. It was Buffy. Absently, he grabbed his duster and headed out the door. He had to go to the Magic Box.



When Spike arrived at the shop, he was not surprised to find that all of the lights were on, despite the 8 o' clock closing time on Sundays. He entered, half-unaware of what he was doing and looked around to see the sullen, defeated faces of the rest of the Scoobs. Willow looked up into his eyes and it was confirmed. Buffy was gone. Spike sat in a chair and felt all of his insides tighten with a sob he didn't want to let fall. He was numbly aware of his head going into his hands and he would vaguely recall later crying out loudly and painfully. But what he would remember sharply was the feeling that he got. It was worse then the way the memories or the guilt of his past made him feel. He had a sense of emptiness. Of not wanting to go forward. Of being physically unable to go forward. After what seemed like days, Spike pulled himself together and stared emptily at Willow, Xander, and Anya. He choked back the oncoming cry he felt slinking up like bile and sighed heavily.



"Anyone call Giles yet?" He asked.



"I'm going to. I don't think Willow or Xander can handle making the call..." Anya said softly. Spike nodded and looked at Willow. Normally, his new soul would've had him feel for her, her having lost so many people. But he felt nothing. Nothing but a sharp, scorching pain within him. It was worse then before, because this time he had nothing. Dawn hated him and she would be sent to live with her father once the Social Services realized he was still alive. He only had his memories. Nothing more, nothing less. It hit him then. The Choosers. The ones Lurky had worked for. They could explain...explain why his only solace and only joy was taken away from him two days after she had professed her love for him. Two days after everything was so perfect. He jumped up and began to search for The Book. The simplest title, which held all of the ancient summoning or portaling spells. Xander, gradually aware of Spike's actions, walked over to the distraught vampire.



"Look, I hope you're not thinking of bringing Buffy back again...because it won't work. The urn is gone. Besides, she would just be angry with us again. She's happy now."



"Exactly how bloody daft do you think I am, Harris? I'm not looking for a spell to bring her back from the dead, I'm looking for a spell which will explain why she's dead in the first place." Spike replied in a tight voice. Xander nodded and patted him on the back.



"Look, I know we've never really gotten along and I know I've always believed that you were an evil, remorseless thing, but you did love Buffy. At least in these past three months. I still hate you, but I have at least a sliver more respect for you now, after you treated her so well." Xander said, his attempt at bonding going down the tubes.



"I just need to find a book called The Book. It's written in ancient Sumerian, but it should have an English translation under it. I helped Giles order the English version before he went back to Bath. Help me find it, alright?" Spike said, ignoring Xander's botched compliment. Xander nodded and began scouring the shelves.



"Locate Book." Anya's voice rang out, and suddenly, from behind a pile of wood that was still unfixed from the incident the past year, a shiny green book flew through the air.



"Thanks, luv. You're getting pretty good at that one." Spike said, his voice still lacking in emotion.



"Well, you know. I try." Anya said, trying to be cheerful, but failing miserably.



Spike took the book out of the air and paged through until he found a picture of five tall men in long black cloaks standing on a tall mountain, with every nightmare creature underneath them in an intricate labyrinth of death and destruction. The men, however, were standing tall, looking powerful and mighty...and good. Underneath the picture, an inscription read: "The Choosers: Ancient Destiny-Keepers, The Choosers control every action made by man or demon, being sure that each one has a reason for existing." Spike looked to the side and was surprised at how short the summoning spell was.



"O Great Choosers of Destiny Bring Me Forth To Thine Wonder I Request A Gathering" Spike read and in a flash, he felt himself being pulled through a tunnel. When he landed on the ground, he was bathed in sunlight.



"BLOODY HELL!" He yelled, grabbing his duster to throw over himself.



"Be unafraid, vampire," A deep voice said calmly, "You will not be harmed by the rays." Spike threw his head up to face the voice. There, before him, were the men in the pictures...tall and draped in black. He felt slightly calmer when he realized he wasn't exploding but was still in agony. The sunlight was scorching into him, making him feel like he should be exploding.



"Could you work your hocus-pocus and turn it down a few notches? I can hardly think in this pain."



"It is done." The sun began to set instantly and was soon at a dim light. Spike picked himself up and opened his mouth to speak to the Choosers.



"You seek answers." The tallest one said.



"Well...yeah." Spike replied rather dumbly.



"It is part of your destiny that you came to us."



"Funny how that works." Spike muttered.



"You wish to know about the death of a loved one."



"Yeah, look, Miss Cleo...I don't have time for this bullshit. I just want to know why the hell you took Buffy away from me again."



"All is not as it seems, vampire."



"The name's Spike if you don't mind."



"Your slayer is not gone. She lives."



"Yeah, yeah in "eternal paradise"...I know."



"You don't know." The Head Chooser glared at Spike, "You couldn't possibly. She lives on in another time and place. Her past. She is alive there."



"Not followin' ya here, Black Robe."



" Time is not of matter. You cannot feel time or touch time, so therefore you cannot harness it. She lives in the past, which is the present and the future at once."



"I'm not bloody Giles here, man. I can't decrypt things like that." The Chooser breathed in heavily. Vampires were far more impenetrable than he remembered.



"Everything happens for a reason. Buffy's entire life happened for a reason, though it may not be the reason she thought it was. She lived to bring the two of you together. So that she may die when she confesses her love for you, so that you may feel angered enough to summon us, so that we may tell you what is to come in your unlife and how you may bring her to her true destiny!!!"

" Alright, alright," Spike said, backing up slightly, "you've got my attention. What do you mean I have to bring her to her "true destiny"?"



"We will send you seven years into her past, where you will help the girl relive her life. The other one, the other souled vampire? You must be sure that they do not become involved with one another. That is of greatest importance. He must move to the City of Angels before the 6th day of the 6th month. Then, before the girl turns seventeen...she will meet her greatest adversary. I cannot reveal who or what this is. I am The Keeper of The Earthly Secrets, the greatest of the choosers. It is my duty and my responsibility not to disclose all matters of time and dreams."

"What will become of Dawn?" Spike asked, his brain working hard to process everything that had just been given to him.

"The sister will be no more. She is not needed in the true reality. Now go forth, vampire."



"Wait just a minute there. I love Buffy and I want to do this, but only on one condition." The Keeper of The Earthly Secrets stared at the vampire incredulously.



"You're giving me a condition?"



"You bet your ass I am. Dawn will come with me. Give her a new identity, do whatever the hell you please, but she has to come with me. Or else you've got no deal." All five of The Choosers stared, stunned, at Spike who glared at them defiantly. One of the shorter ones cleared his throat.



" I suppose I could pull some strings...give her a name, insert her into a family...I've always been partial to the name Ambrine. There's a family around that time...the Jones', they always wanted a girl...and I always liked them. I could just make them believe that she was a part of their family and then it would be easy. No one would ever have to know. Not even the Powers." The greatest Chooser sighed.



"Technically, its not part of her destiny, but we are the ones who decide all of those things. So now it is. Of course, I may have to add a more detailed fate along with it, if she's going to exist for more than a few hours now."



"Will she still have all of her memories?" Spike asked.



"Um, yes. Yes she will." The shorter chooser reiterated.



"Good doing business with you gentlemen. Now, about this going back in time thing..."



Dawn gloomily walked into Buffy's room. Touching the little knick- knacks and picture frames that surrounded a large white bed, she smiled softly at all of the memories that each thing filled. Everything there was filled with Buffy. Dawn felt tears come to her eyes as she lied down on Buffy's bed and squeezed her stuffed pig, which Buffy had fondly called Mr. Gordo. It was cruel. The way they had given Buffy back for two years, just to take her away yet again. She hated the world for putting her through such constant torture. Her reverie was broken when the door was quietly opened and Spike walked in. She smiled weakly at him.



"I guess third time's the charm, huh?" she sniffed. Spike sat down on the bed and put his arm around her. He hugged her gently and let her cry on his shoulder. When she finished, he looked into her eyes.



"Bit, there's something I gotta tell you."







"Let me get this straight, we read this gibberish and then we're back in 1997?" Dawn asked in awe after Spike explained what The Choosers had said.



"In a nutshell, yeah."



"But, I won't be Buffy's sister?" Dawn asked quietly.



"Er, no. You'll be Ambrine Jones."



"Ambrine?" Dawn asked dubiously.



"I know, but the short guy liked the name, so...Look, if I could make it so you were Buffy's li'l sis, I would. If I don't take ya now, you won't exist as soon as I do this spell. You'd be wiped off the face of the Earth. Every memory, every record, every documentation of you would be destroyed. Except for me. I'd remember you and I couldn't live knowing that you weren't."



"Weren't what?" Spike sighed and ran his fingers through her hair.



"Living."



Spike and Dawn sat around a large, bad-smelling candle in the Summer's living room, the lights dimmed to a soft glow.



"Essence of Slug?" Spike asked disbelievingly.



"It was the only candle Buffy had."



"That girl was very strange." He said shaking his head.



"I'm glad that we'll have more opportunity to delve into that strangeness." Dawn said softly.

Spike locked eyes with her and nodded his agreement. He clapped his hands and opened the auburn colored book that the choosers had given him.



"Right then. Now we have to read this and then we'll be in the future."



"That easy?"



"Apparently." Spike said, wondering himself what the catch was. He cleared his throat and took Dawn's hand.



"Are you ready?" Dawn gulped and nodded.



"Alright, read this with me." The two of them looked down at the words on the old paper and began to read them aloud in unison.



" Ancient mysteries



Combine your power



Take us back to the place



Take us to where we're needed



O Mother of Earth



Hear our cry



Take us to the place that was foreseen



Hear us



Hear us



Take us



Take us"



When they finished the chant, the vampire and the girl looked around anxiously. Nothing happened.



"I guess that was a bust, huh?" Dawn said. As soon as she did, however, a black hole burst into the room, circling around. Lightening was all around them and Spike covered Dawn with his body.



"I think the catch is that we have to walk through that thing!" He yelled over the wind, which had also appeared in the Summers' living room.



"Ya think?" Dawn replied sarcastically.

"You still want to do this?" He asked, concerned.



"Of course, I do. Let's go." Spike nodded curtly and took her hand. Closing their eyes, he and Dawn walked into the hole and were immediately engulfed into blackness.

Chapter 1 ~ Ambrine and the Weird Bleached Haired Kid

Spike sat up, his head throbbing in pain. He took his cool hand and placed pressure on his temples until his vision slowly came back to him. He slowly stood up and tried to take in his surroundings. He was...he wasn't sure where he was. He blinked rapidly and looked around more carefully. He was inside the sewers...where in the sewers, he had no idea, but he knew the smell distinctly. He began to search for Dawn, and when she was nowhere in sight, he felt a panic that made him feel as if his heart had started up again unannounced. Suddenly, a door from within the gutter burst open when Luke, a supposed-to-be-dusted henchman of his great-great-granddaddy's, came through carrying a young teenager. Spike jumped to attention and broke a stake off a breakable wooden coffin. Luke hissed and got into fighting stance. He stared doubtfully as he looked Spike up and down.

"Spike?" He asked, his voice full of confusion and venom.

"Put down the boy, Luke." Spike growled, his game face crossing his features. He never did like that vampire very much. Luke dropped the adolescent and went to fight. Spike quickly and easily staked him, after only a punch or two. After Luke was gone, Spike rushed over to the teenager.

"How much blood did he take?"

"She was just talkin' to me...and then she said she wanted to show me something...it was scary..." Spike groaned as the kid rambled on and reached down for his pulse. It was weaker than normal, but still strong enough.

"We have to get you to Giles. He'll know a quick cure." Spike said, gathering the boy up in his arms. He pulled a wad of tissues out of his pocket and held it against the teen's neck wound. "Hold this here and apply as much pressure as you can."

The boy nodded, his face still etched with fear. Spike looked up and out of the corner of his eye, clearly saw a blonde figure rush to where Luke had been standing. A figure Spike found all too familiar. Spike looked both ways and then took off towards Sunnydale High School.

"What's your name, kid?" Spike asked, needing to know for Giles.

"Jesse. Jesse McNally." He said. Spike nodded and began asking him more questions, as he ran towards the library, in order to keep him conscious.

"Where do you go to school, Jesse?"

"Sunnydale High School."

"What year are you?"

"Sophomore."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No, I'm an only child..." He said, his voice starting to falter. Spike stopped and lightly slapped his face.

"Hey-hey! I need you to stay awake. Ya got a girlfriend?"

"Not right now."

"Like anyone?"

"Cordelia Chase. She's really hot." Jesse smiled at the thought of Cordelia.

"What's your best friend's name?"

"Xander Harris." Spike stopped running at that. Those Choosers really know what they're doing, Spike thought, shaking his head. He then resumed his jog.



Spike burst through the library doors, and sat Jesse down on one of the tables.

"Giles! GILES!!" Spike flipped around when he heard a door from behind him slam open and had to stifle a laugh as a seven year younger Rupert Giles, clad in round glasses and a tweed suit, emerged.

"What's wrong? What's the matter?" He stopped to take in Spike and scrunched his nose "And who the hell are you?"

"No time to explain, Watcher. Look, this kid got a real nice bite taken outta him. I found him with one of the Master's lackeys. Kid was rambling on about some girl vampire that took him...I don't think they got much, but they got enough. Can ya help him?"

Giles bent down to examine Jesse's wound and recoiled when he recognized the bite marks.

"Darla. The Master's most prized childe."

"Look, I don't mean to intrude on this, uh, secret code thing you guys have got goin' on here, but what the hell just happened to me?" Jesse asked, the situation becoming clear to him abruptly.

"Jesse, you were attacked and bitten by a vampire." Spike said, his voice calm and reasonable.

"V-v-v-v-vampire??" Jesse's voice held a stutter that he had never experienced ever before in his life.

"Um...man with the interesting hair color choice..." Giles began...

"The name's Spike."

"Yes, you. Look in my study for some gauze and tape and then bring me out some?"

Spike sauntered into Giles' office and began what looked like futile search. Between Council papers, prophecies, and * very * important library information, the first aid kits were no where to be found.

"They're on my desk underneath the Shalaki Prophecies!" Giles yelled.

Sure enough, right under the ancient Egyptian prophecies was the white gauze and the tape. Spike grabbed them in a rush and brought them out to Giles, who quickly patched up Jesse, physically anyway.

"So, you're saying, that chick I thought I scored with really vanted to suck my blood?" Jesse asked, placing on a mocking Transylvania accent.

"In a manner of sense, yes." Giles said, unsure of how to explain everything, "Vampires have lived in Sunnydale for centuries. P-possibly millenniums. Basically, the...the reasoning for this has to do with the aptly named hellmouth on which-"

Unexpectedly, however, the doors to the library burst in once again.

"Mr. Giles! Mr. Giles, we have a very serious problem on our hands."

Spike felt frozen in time as he looked up to see who the intruder was. Right in front of him, alive and healthy as she was the last time he had seen her, was a sixteen year old Buffy Anne Summers.

"Ah, yes, Buffy...I was expecting that you'd come here." Buffy brushed past him and went straight to Jesse.

"Oh my gosh, Jesse, are you alright?" She said, indicating his bite.

"Oh, yeah. Hey, apparently a * vampire * did this to me." Buffy closed her eyes and silently screamed. She opened her eyes and inhaled, looking over at Willow.

"There seems to be a lot of that going around tonight. Mr. Giles, Willow was also bit, by a seriously pissed off blonde vampiress. She said that her precious Luke was "no more" and that the Master would not be happy with the recent turn of events. "

"Here." Spike said, reaching for Willow. "I'll patch that up."

"Thank you." Willow said, meekly. Buffy stared at him in confusion for a moment but then thought it unimportant. She had much bigger questions on her mind then who the cute stranger with the really nice abs was.

"Mr. Giles, who was that girl? The blonde? And who is The Master? None of this is making sense."

"I think I speak for all of us non-Slayer types when I say a big hearty 'Yeah-HUH' to that preposition. I mean, what is going on, Mr. G.?"

Xander asked, his eyes pleading for a rational answer. Giles sighed.

"This world is older than any of you know. Contrary to popular mythology, it did not begin as a paradise. For untold eons demons walked the Earth. They made it their home, their... their Hell. But in time they lost their purchase on this reality. The way was made for mortal animals, for, for man. All that remains of the old ones are vestiges, certain magicks, certain creatures..."

"And vampires." Buffy chimed in.

"Okay, this is where I have a problem. See, because we're talking about vampires. We're having a * talk * with vampires in it." Xander just shook his head and looked up at anyone for some consolation. He looked at Giles. At Jesse. At Willow. At Buffy. At the kid with the bleached hair...

"Is that what we saw?" Willow asked, her voice filled with worry. Spike patted her on the back and nodded.

"No. No, th-those weren't vampires, those were just guys in thundering need of a facial. Or maybe they had rabies. It could have been rabies. A-and that guy turning to dust? Just a trick of light." Buffy said, her words not fooling anyone, not even the very-willing-to- be-fooled- at-the-moment Xander. "That's exactly what I said the first time I saw a vampire. Well, after I was done with the screaming part."

"Oh, I, I need to sit down." Willow said, grabbing onto the desk.

"You are sitting down." Spike said, making Buffy jump back in surprise. She hated when people beat her to a remark.

"Oh. Good for me." Willow commented mock cheerfully.

"But what is Buffy? I mean, how does she come into this?" Jesse asked.

"Buffy is the Slayer."

"And that would be a what?" Xander quipped.

"For as long as there have been vampires, there's been the Slayer. One girl in all the world, a Chosen One." Giles began, but was cut off abruptly by Buffy who smirked.

"He loves doing this part."

"Alright. The Slayer hunts vampires, Buffy is a Slayer, don't tell anyone. Well, I think that's all the vampire information you need." Giles said, somewhat miffed at Buffy's deliberate attempt at making fun of him.

"So vampires are those demon things you talked about earlier?" Xander asked, curiosity beginning to replace his initial shock.

"Does anybody mind if I pass out?" Willow asked, holding her head in her hand.

"Breathe." Spike said, as he rubbed her back.

"Breathe." She repeated.

"The books tell the last demon to leave this reality fed off a human, mixed their blood. He was a human form possessed, infected by the demon's soul. He bit another, and another, and so they walk the Earth, feeding... Killing some, mixing their blood with others to make more of their kind. Waiting for the animals to die out, and the old ones to return." Giles said, explaining. Off of Xander's confused look, Spike cleared his throat.

"Basically, what Giles here is trying to say, is that a vampire is a human that's possessed by a demon."

"Like The Exorcist?" Jesse asked.

"Sort of like The Exorcist, only less ostentatious. Plus, vampires make more of them by drinking someone's blood and then having the almost dead person drink their blood...not Ouija boards."

"Eww...I will never look at Count Chocula the same way ever again." Willow remarked. Buffy smirked and then directed her attention back to Spike.

"Don't tell me * you're * a watcher?"

"Are you kidding me? Me, work for those arrogant, holier-than-thou, stick- up-their-ass bastards? No offense," Spike said as a side note to Giles.

"None taken. In fact, everything you just said is one hundred percent correct..." Giles commented, more to himself than anyone else.

"Right, so, anyway, I'm a freelance do-gooder." Spike said, smiling a little too happily at being able to talk to Buffy once again. Buffy didn't seem to notice though.

"I'm Buffy." She said, holding out her hand.

"Spike." He said taking it. She looked down at their hands and then backed away in suspicion. Spike shut his eyes. He forgot that he shouldn't have physical contact with her until she knew everything.

"You're a vampire." She stated icily, reaching in her pant leg for a stake.

"Yeah, I know." Spike said, as Buffy noticed he looked down in what looked like shame, "I promise you I'm good though. You just have to trust me."

"Oh, well...Why should I?" Buffy asked, silently reaming herself for warming up to him again just due to the sincere tone in his voice.

"He saved my life." Jesse said, perking up slightly.

"You did?" Buffy asked, amazed.

"Yeah, well...bloke was in trouble, I couldn't just leave him there."

"He fought the vampire that was taking me, too, with one of those L.A. self- defense things." Jesse added. Willow looked impressed, but Xander looked slightly miffed.

"I would've fought the vampire if I had been there..." He started to say to himself quietly.

Buffy looked Spike up and down. Finally, she sighed and waved her hand.

"Fine, Mr. Goody-Goody, you can stay. But on a trial basis only. If you step one toe outta line, I will kill you." Buffy said looking him straight in the eye. To this, Spike just smirked. She really was the same person...even down to the pet names and death threats. He lifted two fingers in a scouts honor and smiled again at her. Then suddenly, Dawn's face came to his mind. Shit! Spike thought, as he looked everywhere for an excuse to get out. He needed to find that girl.

"Look, Slayer, I don't mean to skip out on this happy little meeting, but duty calls. I'll start sniffing around for more on The Master, alright?"

He threw her one last smile and patted Willow on the back again before sauntering out the door. Buffy looked at Willow, slightly taken aback, and then shook her head, determined to get the faces of both creepy yet mysteriously handsome men she had met that night out of her mind.

Giles stared at each person in wonder until he just shook his head. Perhaps in his old age things flew over his head quite more easily than they used to.

"So, Giles, what's the plan on fighting this blonde chick and The Master?" Buffy asked, directing her attention, once again, to her duty. Maybe being in Sunnydale wasn't going to be all that bad. But she had a sinking feeling that her newfound life might include the thing she was trying to escape from. Being the slayer.

Dawn rolled over in her bed, feeling rested. She stared up at her ceiling and her walls, which were covered head to toe with posters and pictures of her friends...who were people she had never seen before in her life. She shot up in bed and reached for the picture. She was in the middle of the shot, surrounded by all different kids...one of them being a vampire who had tried to attack her two years ago. Harmony something-or-other. She also recognized Cordelia Chase, one of Buffy's sort of friends...who now lived with Angel in Los Angeles. She laughed to herself at the irony of it all and looked down at her pajamas. She noticed that she was still wearing a necklace...which normally said Dawn, but now said Ambrine. Ambrine? It had worked. Dawn hopped out of her new bed and ran over to her closet. She threw on a shirt and some pants before heading out. She needed to find Spike.

"Ambrine! Hey!" Dawn looked up and saw Cordelia walking towards her, apparently coming home from being at the Bronze. "What's up? I thought you were sick today."

"Was. Past tense." Dawn said, hoping she sounded like she knew what she was doing.

"Cool. Oh! I have sooo much to tell you. You know that new girl, Buffy?"

Dawn felt her breath catch. Buffy was alive. Again.

"Yeah...look, I have to get going...I left a sweater in the library at school."

"But, it's like after midnight." Cordelia said looking at her watch in confusion.

"It's a really important sweater. Bye!" Dawn said, running off.

"The people in this town have some serious social problems." Cordelia muttered to herself before continuing on home.

"DAWN!" Dawn immediately came to attention when she heard her real name being called out. Spike ran over to her, his featured creased with worry.

"Dawn...are you alright?" He asked, examining her well being.

"I'm fine, Spike. What about you? Everything going alright?"

"Oh, yeah, those Choosers have a real knack for setting things in motion. I saved this kid, Jesse, who is actually Xander's best friend. So, I'm in with the group." Spike explained, still in slight disbelief.

"I know what you mean. You remember Cordelia?"

"Vaguely. Why?"

"I'm, like, * her * best friend. It's really weird. I remember Buffy talking about what a bitch she is...or was, anyway. I guess it's just to help me become connected to Buffy somehow. Have you seen her yet?" Dawn said, barely stopping to breathe.

"Buffy? Yeah...she figured out that I was a vamp right away, reached for her stake 'n all. Jesse, though, convinced her that I might be good. I'm gonna explain the whole soul thing."

"Are you gonna tell her about The Choosers?" Dawn asked inquisitively.

"Mmm...no, no, I don't think so. Maybe eventually, but not now. Not for a long time. It would scare the livin' piss outta her, nibblet, if she was told she already did this. That we're from her future. She wouldn't believe us anyway. 'Sides, she hardly trusts me now as is, so I'm gonna keep on the down low, basically just try to get on her good side. Capishe?" Dawn nodded, solemnly.

"Where are you going?" Dawn asked as Spike began to walk away.

"To find my grandsire." Spike said, rolling his eyes with disdain. This was not a meeting he was looking forward to. Dawn patted him on the back and laughed to herself as he groaned in anticipation of seeing Angel again. This should be neat, he thought.

Meanwhile, in the sewers, the blonde vampire, Darla moved forward into the bleak night. Everything had been changed. The tides had turned, the humans now had a distinct advantage, with two fighters in town. And with Luke gone...Darla stifled a sob. It was queer, the way she felt so saddened. The last time she had felt this way was when Angelus had left her...Darla snapped out of her trance and looked down at her prey.

"Move!" She barked.

She drug her down, through the catacombs and the sewage, down to The Master's lair...which was held in the ruins of an old church. The Master looked up, still slightly weak from his rising. He stared in a mix of gratitude and disgust at the still alive girl which Darla had brought up in replacement for the one Luke had lost. His black eyes grazed Darla's face, her mouth still stained with both the first and the second boy's blood. He felt a soft growl rise in the back of his throat.

"Is this for me?"

"An offering, Master. He's a good one! His blood is pure!" Darla pleaded, hoping he would dismiss the bite.

"You've tasted it." The Master hissed, as Darla looked down in what seemed like shame.

"I'm your... faithful dog. You bring me scraps." The Master said, weakness filling his spiteful voice.

"I, I didn't mean it..."

"I have waited. For three score years I have waited. While you come and go I am stuck here, here in this house of... worship! My ascension is almost at hand. Pray that when it comes... I'm in a better mood." He took Darla brutally by the throat, feeling all the anger that encompassed his evil heart.

"Master, forgive me! We had more offerings, but there was trouble. William has returned, and has seemed to take the same path as our dear Angelus...but there was another problem...this girl..."

"William? With a soul? Impossible. The prophecies say..."

"Not all prophecies are correct! But, I personally feel that the girl is a more urgent matter, we, or at least Luke and I, before his passing, believed that she is...The Slayer."

"Uh, this may be the dumb question, but shouldn't we call the police?" Willow asked, back in the library, looking around hoping to get some support on her idea.

"And they'd believe us, of course." Giles replied drolly.

"Well, we don't have to say vampires. We, we could just say that there's a, a bad man?" Willow said, not even convincing herself.

"They couldn't handle it even of they did show up. They'd only come with guns." Buffy explained.

"You have no idea where they took, you, Jesse?"

"I was too busy being unconscious for the most part to notice where I was." He said in response.

"Did you see where they took Willow?" Giles asked Buffy.

"I looked around, but soon's they got clear of the graveyard, they could have just, voom!" She swept her hand in front of her face dramatically.

"They can fly?" Xander asked, ready to believe anything.

"They can drive."

"Oh."

"I don't remember hearing a car." Willow said, her mouth pouting in confusion.

"Let's take an enormous intuitive leap, shall we, and say they went underground..." Giles remarked, beginning to feel exasperated.

"Vampires really jam on sewer systems. You can get anywhere in the entire town without catching any rays. But I didn't see any access around there." Buffy clarified.

"Well, there's an electrical tunnel that runs under the whole town." Jesse added helpfully.

"If we had a diagnostic of the tunnel system it might indicate a, a meeting place, it would, uh... I suppose we could go to the building commission." Giles brain-stormed, his mind doing cartwheels.

"We * so * don't have time." Buffy said.

"Uh, guys? There may be another way." Everyone looked up at the voice that had addressed them. Xander stared, stunned, for a moment, but then raised an incredulous eyebrow.

"Ambrine?"



"The SLAYER?" The Master's voice rose to an almost panic level, "Can you be certain?"

"She fought some of the greatest vampires we had and killed them. She fought Luke and lived."

"Luke? You say he was brought back to earth, by this girl?"

"It saddens me greatly to say this, Master, but it was our dear William who fought him and was finally his conqueror. The girl did not * yet * have the skill...though I'm afraid I sense a great potential within her."

The Master rose from his seat and began to pace back and forth throughout the ruins. He glanced back at Darla, with whom his pride had been slowly restored.

"Have you fought this Slayer, yet?"

"I have not, Master, but I swear her death will be on my hands."

"She mustn't interfere with the Harvest!" The Master snapped, feeling angry. He stared at the girl that Darla had brought and a smile crossed his pallid visage.

"Patch this girl up. I believe the Slayer will come to us. We'll have something she wants..."

"I merely thought you a meal, girl. Congratulations," Darla said her voice low, as she slapped some crudely cut gauze on her neck," You've just been upgraded. To bait."

Cordelia's eyes widened as she became aware of where she was. Then she followed this by screaming as loudly as she could.

"You guys need the tunnel plans, right?" Dawn asked, despite the looks she was getting.

"How long have you been standing there?" Buffy asked, feeling a panic begin to slide up.

"Long enough. But don't worry," she said, off of Giles and Buffy's distraught faces, "I already knew about vampires. My sister...she fought them."

"What do you propose, Ambrine, is it?" Giles asked, uncertain.

"Yeah, but call me Dawn."

"How do you get 'Dawn' from 'Ambrine'?" Buffy asked, the surprise wearing down a little.

"Long story." She said, grinning, "Anyway, Willow, you can hack in the city files can't you?"

"Well, yeah...how'd you know that?" Willow asked, surprised at everything that one of * Cordelia's * friends knew.

"Lucky guess. So if you could get into those files, I'm sure they have the full plans for the sewage systems in there, and it would take, like, five minutes tops, right?"

"Actually, yes! You're absolutely right. Hold on." Willow ran swiftly over to the computer and quickly typed in a few key numbers and letters before smiling proudly.

"Done." Everyone stared hesitantly at her before rushing over to the computer.

"There it is." Buffy stated in awe.

"That runs under the graveyard." Willow said, pointed to a particular line.

"I don't see any access." Xander commented, slightly frustrated.

"There's nothing here, this is useless!" Buffy fell back in one of the library chairs. Dawn gave her a sympathetic look and patted her hand.

"I think you're being a bit hard on yourself." Giles reasoned.

"You're the one that told me that I wasn't prepared enough. Understatement! I thought I was on top of everything, and then that monster, Luke, came out of nowhere..."

A thought suddenly came to her. He was behind her, and he attacked her. He knocked her down, picked up Jesse and then...

"What?" Jesse asked for the group.

"He didn't come out of nowhere. He came from behind me. I was facing the entrance, he came from behind me, and he didn't follow me out. The access to the tunnels is in the mausoleum! Luke must have doubled back with Jesse after I got out! God! I am so mentally challenged!" Buffy hit her forehead lightly with a book as a penance for her own stupidity.

"So, what's the plan? We saddle up, right?" Xander asked, over- enthusiastically.

"There's no 'we', okay? I'm the Slayer, and you're not." Buffy said, her resolve face on.

"I knew you'd throw that back in our faces." Jesse jibed.

"You guys, this is deeply dangerous." Buffy said. Dawn started giggling. They all stared at her.

"Sorry, but "deeply dangerous"? You can't be serious."

"Cue the crickets." Jesse said, giving her the famous arched eyebrow.

"Never mind," Dawn said, her voice an octave higher than normal, "just forget I'm here."

"I'm inadequate. That's fine. I'm less than a man." Xander said, pointedly ignoring Dawn's outburst.

"Buffy, I'm not anxious to go into a dark place full of monsters. But I do want to help. I need to." Willow agreed.

"Well, then help me. I've been researching this Harvest affair. It seems to be some sort of preordained massacre. Rivers of blood, Hell on Earth, quite charmless. I'm a bit fuzzy, however, on the details. It may be that you can wrest some information from that dread machine." Giles said, pointing at the computer in repugnance.

"Again with the crickets." Jesse said, deadpan.

"That * was * a bit, um, British, wasn't it?" Giles said, peering around.

"Welcome to the New World." Buffy joked, smiling.

"I want you to go on the 'Net." Giles explained to Willow.

"Oh, sure, I can do that." Willow said as she hopped back into the seat and began to type at a lightening speed rate.

"Knock, knock." Spike said into the open apartment door. Angel, who was staring off into space on his bed, looked up, startled. His eyes narrowed when he recognized his visitor.

"What are you doing here, Spike?" He asked maliciously.

"Well, gosh there Peaches, I thought we'd have a nice cuppa, catch up on the old times..." Seeing that Angel was far from amused, Spike sighed, "Alright, I just thought you'd want to know that you're not the only, how did you put it? * Noble * vampire around these parts. Ol' Spikey's got himself a nice, ickle soul as well."

This caught Angel's attention. He stood up and looked Spike up and down for some sort of disingenuousness. When he couldn't find any, he pulled out a stake and cleared his throat.

"Come in."

"Thanks ever so." Spike said deadpan. He sat down on Angel's bed and stretched out, "Do you have any idea how tired I am? I haven't gotten a decent night's sleep since..." Spike was beginning to say since Buffy died, but remembering that where he was now Buffy was still alive and well, he just let himself trail off, hoping Angel wouldn't notice.

"I know. How long have you had it?" Angel asked, the tone of his voice the friendliest that Spike had ever heard it when he was talking to him.

"About a year now."

"So you still get the nightmares." Angel stated, rather than asked. Spike stared in wonder at his grand-sire, actually grasping the fact that he might truly be able to understand him. True, he hadn't had them since Buffy had started sharing his bed, but before then, they had been awful, at times unbearable...

"Yeah." Spike said, his voice still coarse. He looked up at Angel and then had his first true and real connection with the older vampire.

"Why did you come to Sunnydale?" Angel inquired.

"To help the Slayer...Buffy." He said, gazing downwards, waiting for his reaction. Angel felt his insides freeze. Buffy. * His * Buffy. Spike was here for the exact same thing that he was.

"Me too." Angel simply said.

"Well, as much as I want to stay and chat, I have to run. I promised Buffy I'd check on the stats of The Master. Can you believe that bugger is in town? Honestly...So, I'll catch ya around, I suppose."

"Goodbye."

"Adios, Nancy-boy." Spike said with a wave of his hand as he sauntered out of Angel's apartment. He had more pressing matters to deal with.

Buffy walked through the night air and came across the mausoleum. She pushed it, with her regular strength and soon realized it wasn't enough. She backed away and went for it with all of her slayer strengths combined. Still nothing.

"Damn." She breathed out.

"Need some help, luv?" Buffy flipped around to find her face to face with the smiling-bleached-hair-vampire guy from earlier in the library.

"You wouldn't by any chance have a spare key to this, would you?" Buffy half-joked.

"Well, you know I was considering it as a real estate investment, but turns out none of my décor went with it." Spike said, mock sadly with a shrug, only to find that Buffy's response was a blank stare, "Joking, pet."

"Oh. Well, you are a vampire. I couldn't be sure." She paused before turning to him again, "If you really * are * a blood-sucker, why are you helping me?"

"In a nutshell I have a soul. Most vampires do not have a soul, but I do. So therefore, I'm good." Buffy nodded, taking this in. She exhaled and turned toward him.

"So, wanna help me out with this, Superman?" She asked, regarding the crypt door.

"Will do."

Together, the two of them lifted their legs and kicked the door open. Satisfied, Buffy smirked.

"Wait for me here, I need to do this alone. I should be out as soon as I kick this Darla girl's ass." She turned around and began to walk into the sepulcher.

"Buffy." Slowly, Buffy turned around and faced him. Spike swallowed, his eyes conveying much more then he knew he could say.

"Be careful." He said, another one of his smiles playing softly on his lips. This time, Buffy returned the smile and nodded, entering the tomb. Spike closed the door behind her and rested his head against it, feeling a dull ache of the pain from both times that he lost her in the past.

Buffy entered the inside of the sewers slowly and quietly, her slayer senses heightened to a maximum. She felt the presence of evil grow stronger with every step she took.

"Ooh, I should've just waited with Spike..." She said, starting to regret her decision to go forward, alone, no less.

"You're probably right." Buffy took in a sharp breath and flipped around, stake in hand. Angel back up, his hands in front of him in a truce. Buffy exhaled and folded her arms in exasperation.

"Okay. Look, if you're gonna be popping up with this Cryptic Wise Man act on a regular basis, can you at least tell me your name?"

"Angel." He said shortly.

"Angel. It's a pretty name." Buffy whispered sincerely.

Silently, without giving the stranger another thought, she turned around towards the entrance.

"Don't... go down there." Angel said suddenly urgent.

"Deal with my going." Buffy said as she flipped back around to face him once again.

"You shouldn't be putting yourself at risk. Tonight is the Harvest. Unless you can prevent it, the Master walks." He explained desperately.

"Well, if this Harvest thing is such a suckfest, why don't * you * stop it?" Buffy asked in all genuineness.

"'Cause I'm afraid." Angel replied simply.

Buffy looked at Angel as though she was trying to figure out a puzzle of some sort. Unsatisfied with what she found, Buffy shrugged and turned away again.

"They'll be expecting you." Angel said, as he started to walk away in defeat.

"Look there's people down there...innocent people...I almost lost two friends tonight. Or at least potential friends. I don't want to lose more." Buffy said, hoping her doggedness would affect Angel. He sighed and looked up.

"When you hit the tunnels head east towards the school. That's where you're likely to find them."

"You gonna wish me luck?" Buffy asked, only semi-serious.

Angel said nothing. They looked at each other for another moment, before Buffy exhaled deeply and ran off into the tunnels. Angel's eyes filled with sadness as he watched her go.

"Good luck!" Angel whispered.

Buffy slinked down the sewers and heard a distant chatter in the background. Hello, Master, Buffy thought. She suddenly, however, became aware of another presence near her. A human presence.

"Buffy!" Buffy jumped back, startled when she saw Dawn's face.

"Dawn? Dawn, what are you doing here? This is a totally unsafe place for you to be!" Buffy said, surprised at the amount of protectiveness she was feeling towards this girl she had just met.

"Don't worry about it...my sister taught me all of the basics in fighting and a lot of other neat tricks." Dawn whispered as she and Buffy crouched down, " I just figured you might need some backup. From what Willow found out about this place it seems pretty intense."

"That's one way to describe it." Buffy said with an eye roll, "you sure you can handle this?"

"Yes."

Dawn and Buffy locked eyes. Buffy felt a certain charge go through her. Not the kind that went through her the first time she saw Spike, but more like a kindred. She saw a sort of hope in this Dawn girl, almost as if she would be her anchor. Her best friend. Buffy smiled at her and Dawn returned the gesture.

"Let's get goin'." Buffy said, her voice lower than a whisper as she and Dawn headed towards the battle she knew was before her.

TBC...

Dawn grabbed a metal candleholder and slammed it into Darla.

"Oh, poor little girl. You forget that metal can't hurt me." Darla cooed and ran her hand over Dawn's face.

"But there is something that I know will." Buffy stated ominously. She pulled open a curtain and loud beams of light poured in, covering everyone in the capacity.

"SUNRISE!" Buffy exclaimed, triumph seething through her vocal cords. Darla cowered and screamed in agony. Buffy and Dawn exchanged amused glances before Buffy grabbed Darla by the neck and slammed her up against the church wall.

"It's in about nine hours, moron!" With a quick swoosh! She darted a stake into Darla's heart. Darla looked down in shock and up at Buffy.

"Little Bitc-" Darla disintegrated into ashes, just as Luke had.

"Nice diversion." Dawn said, smirking at the lamp outside of the stained glass window.

"Thanks. Duck." Buffy said calmly. A mace flew over their crouched heads. The Master, his yellow eyes gleaming with fury, sauntered slowly over to the girls. He knelt down beside Darla's ashes.

"You have ruined everything. The Vessel is inactivated." His voice was rough and coarse, back stiff. He stood up and faced Buffy.

"You will regret this night." He whispered.

"Ya know what you'll regret?" The Master, Dawn, and Buffy looked up in shock to see Spike taking a drag on a cigarette.

"William?" The Master coiled his lip in disgust. The last thing he wanted to see was that damned traitor.

"Hey pops, how's it goin'? So, where was I? Oh yeah, you didn't answer my question. Do you know what you will regret in about, oh." Spike looked down at an imaginary watch, " 45 seconds?" The Master sighed in exasperation, moving his feet into a defensive position.

"I'll bite."

"No pun intended." Dawn snickered to Buffy.

"What will I regret in 34 seconds?" He placed his pale body into full fighting stance.

"Yapping bullshit when you should have been paying attention to what was going on behind you." With that said, Spike flicked a fiery cigarette ash onto The Master's coat, which dissolved into flames. Piercing screams filled the church, as The Master was slowly incinerated. Spike shook his head in disgust. He flashed his eyes up to Buffy and Dawn.

"Bloke didn't even notice me pouring gasoline all over his bloody jacket." Buffy smiled and rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

"Welcome to the home team, Spike." She said, reaching her hand out again. Spike's eyes softened as he gently clasped her delicate, yet dangerous fingers. After giving them a gentle squeeze and deliberately staring a second longer into her eyes, Spike turned around and sauntered off into the night. Exhaling a breath she didn't know she was holding, Buffy turned to Dawn.

"So, ya wanna call it a night?" Dawn looked onto Spike's retreating back and then gave Buffy a knowing smile.

"Uh-huh." Buffy widened her eyes in false shock.

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all."

"You gave me a look!"

"What look?"

"The look you just gave me."

"Could you describe the look?" Dawn asked innocently, smiling sweetly at Buffy.

"Help." A light, coarse voice called out. Buffy and Dawn halted in their tracks. Buffy raced over to a knocked over chair and lifted it up to reveal Cordelia.

"Cordy!" Dawn yelled, kneeling down by her side. How strange, Dawn thought, realizing she had genuine concern for Cordelia...so much concern that it was as if they were friends.

"What happened?" Buffy asked, her investigative voice coming on.

"This girl bit me! Then she patched me up, and told me I was bait, and then and then she-she broke my arm!" Cordelia wailed clutching the said arm.

"Did you lose a lot of blood?" Buffy asked, helping Cordelia to her feet.

"How should I know, freak? It's not like she used a measuring cup."

"So I'll take that as a no." Buffy retorted, sighing. Even when she was helping this girl, she was a total bitch. Dawn stopped Buffy.

"I'll get her home. I know where she lives." Oddly enough, Dawn added silently.

"Can you handle yourself?" Buffy asked.

"I should be okay. There probably won't be too much vamp action, anyway. They'll all be mourning the death of their dearly beloved Master." Dawn grabbed a hold of Cordelia's good arm and lead her away. Buffy clutched Dawn's open shoulder.

"Just...be careful, okay?"

"I always am." Dawn replied softly. She then gently led Cordelia away.

"I take it it's over?" Buffy jumped slightly, but exhaled in relief to come face to face with Giles, who was followed shortly by Willow, Xander, and Jesse.

"Did we win?" Willow asked, with a tone of excitement entering her voice.

"Well, we averted the apocalypse. I give us points for that." Buffy said.

"We?" Xander asked, inevitable jealousy entering his voice.

"Me, Dawn, and Spike. He was telling the truth, " Buffy directed to Giles, "He really is good. He dusted The Master."

"That's wonderful. We can always use a good fighter." Giles smiled, excited at the prospect of a good vampire. Imagine the research I could do, Giles thought, getting giddy at the idea. Xander, however, raised his shoulders in a sulk.

"Well, great for Spike. Let's throw him a damned party, why don't we." Xander muttered. Jesse stepped forward and stared down in disbelief at the piles of ashes that surrounded them.

"Well, one thing's for sure." He stated monotonously. "Nothing is ever going to be the same again."

Spike leaned up against the side of the church, listening in on the conversation. He took a shaky drag on his cigarette. Nothing would ever be the same, the boy said.

"You have no bloody idea." Spike muttered softly to himself. Throwing the fag onto the ground, Spike walked off, ready to face another night in his new reality.

Morning rose slowly over Sunnydale and Dawn groaned irately into her pillow. It was way, way too early. Yet she could not get the incessant ringing noise coming from her nightstand to go away. Yawning and grumbling expletives, she rose from her pink comforted bed. She blinked twice when she saw an attractive, completely unfamiliar middle-aged woman standing at the foot of her bed.

"Oh, sweetie, good, you're up. Are you feeling any better?" Dawn's built in memory system (Oh, how the fates love that one, she thought, only half- annoyed) kicked in and she recognized the woman as Gladys Jones, her sort of mother.

"Uh, yeah. Sure, I feel a lot better." Dawn replied easily, smiling somewhat forcedly.

"That's great. Now up and at 'em, tigress. You have school." Gladys leaned down and kissed her daughter on top of the head. She didn't entirely believe Ambrine when she had said that she was feeling better, as she was giving off an "aura" (as her Bohemian sister Cheryl would say) of confusion. But Briney did have to go to school...

"Okay..." Dawn placed on small foot on the ground followed by the next. Gathering all of her strength, she sprung up. Feeling more awake now that she was standing, Dawn took in her surroundings with a sort of fascination. Her room was colored frosted pink, from her carpet to the tips of her ceilings.

"It's like I've wandered into some sort of Barbie Freakworld." She muttered, picking up small knick-knacks of ponies, horses, and several unicorns, one of which was labeled "To Briney from Harm. So glad I found someone to share my obsession with!"

"Oh, dear god." She said out loud, quickly retracting from the statuettes as though they were covered in Fyral demon snot. To her left she saw pictures, all of which (to quote Cher Horowitz) seemed to come right out of a Noxzema commercial. Shaking her whole body, she exited her room, saying one word, which summed up all of her feelings at the moment...

"Wiggy."

Exiting the stench-filled sewer, Spike sauntered into Willy's. It had been awhile since he had really sauntered, in a "Check-Out-The-Big-Bad" sort saunter, anyway, but he knew that if he was going to get anything out of that damned weasel, he'd have to. Falling gracefully into one of the barstools, he grinned evilly (or at least he hoped he did). A few of the other demons glanced at him, but no one said anything. Spike felt a muscle in his abdomen relax; they weren't suspicious. Willy scurried out in front of him and stared straight up at Spike.

"What can I get ya?" He asked, his voice grating Spike's demon ever so slightly.

"Apartment listings where a fella wouldn't be disturbed by, say, pesky things such as rowdy kids, barking dogs...sunlight." He cocked his eyebrow knowingly at Willy, who reiterated the gesture.

"Just one minute. The name's Willy, by the way." The weasel reached his slimy hand out and smiled that weasel smile of his. Spike coolly regarded him the way he would in any situation, good or evil.

"Spike." Willy's eyes widened, part in fear, part in admiration. Spike? William-the- Bloody-Spike? It couldn't be.

"My God...my God. I've wanted to meet you for so long. You're so...so...wow, I feel like I'm meeting Britney Spears." Spike's eyes flashed indignantly and he snarled his lip unconsciously. Who did this pansy think he was?

"But a much more dangerous and testosterone-filled Britney Spears. I mean, not really Britney Spears...it's an analogy." Willy prattled. He had never been so excited, or petrified, in his entire life. Rolling his blue eyes, Spike held out his hand for the listing.

"Oh, right. Here ya are." Willy slapped the newspaper clipping into his hand. In return, Spike slipped the weasel a fiver.

"Good doin' business with ya, mate." With that, Spike went through the back door of the bar and shot into the sewer.

"Admit it, you want him." Buffy smirked to Willow.

"No, I don't!" Willow squealed, her face turning an unconvincing red. Jesse rolled his eyes.

"Yes, you do. You've wanted him ever since you two dated."

"You and Xander dated?" Buffy asked curiously, feeling the snap of a pop rock inside of her mouth. I wonder if that whole "Eat pop rocks and drink water at the same time and your stomach will explode" urban legend is true, Buffy thought absentmindedly before directing her attention back to Willow.

"Yeah, but then he stole my Barbie." Willow replied in all seriousness. Buffy scrunched her nose in confusion at Jesse.

"They were five." He explained. Buffy nodded her head and turned back to her pop rocks. She felt another one snap in her mouth. Jesse glared distastefully at her snacks.

"How can you eat those? They're disgusting."

"I think they're yummy." Buffy said, unashamedly. She offered the bag to Willow who turned it down with a shake of her red hair. Shrugging, Buffy threw another one into her mouth. The three of them turned into the double doors that led into the library and made their way in. Buffy surveyed the room and saw Giles, Dawn, Xander, and surprisingly, Spike.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him, "I thought you were all with the sunlight allergy."

"Came through the sewers, pet." He smirked. Buffy felt her slayer mode turn onto the minimum setting.

"There's sewer access in the school?"

"Yeah, but ya can't cut it off." He said, flipping the pages of a book. Buffy crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows.

"And why not?" Spike gave her an "Are-you-kidding-me?" look before sighing and hopping off the desk.

"A. The school needs it in order for the toilets to not get bloody clogged up with nasties only Patrick, the night janitor, is trained to deal with, B. You might need it in the future, in order to get outta here undetected, and C. I need it for everyday use." Buffy rounded her mouth in a perfect little 'o' shape and bunched her eyebrows together before shrugging and walking over to Giles.

"So, what's the scoop? Any news I should be aware of?"

"Well, there is the-the, um, rather odd * lack * of news. There's nothing, not even an attack from a vampire or, or a commonplace demon. Nothing."

"Except for the whole averted apocalypse thing last night. But hey, that was no big, right?" Buffy replied sarcastically. Giles looked at her from over the top of him glasses.

"I meant besides that. Under ordinary circumstances in which an apocalypse was being diverted, life outside of the primary, uh, source would have gone on quite normally." Giles explained, sitting down on a chair next to Dawn.

"So, is this kind of like a calm before the storm sort of thing?" Dawn asked, "Like its building up to something really, really big?"

"That is what I believe it to be, though of course my theories are hardly infallible." Giles said, looking downwards.

"Don't sell yourself so short, mate." Spike remarked. Giles looked up quizzically at the vampire.

"And you say this because you are so well-versed in the successes and failures of my past conjectures?" Spike bit back a "Of course I am ya stupid sod" and mentally reminded himself of where he was.

"You just seem like a kind of guy who would make sure he knew what he was doin' before jumping to a conclusion, is all." Spike replied, continuing his searching of the book.

"Hey did anyone else have extremely horrifying nightmares last night?" Xander quipped ironically cheerfully. Buffy smiled warmly at him.

"They'll go away. And if it helps any, vampires can't enter your house unless you invite them in."

"Good." Xander replied, the single word replacing the witty retort that had been sitting on the edge of his tongue. He looked down at his hands, ashamed of how incredibly scared he was. He was supposed to be a man.

Meanwhile, Buffy reached to a top shelf and grabbed an incredibly large, and incredibly heavy, even for a slayer, book called The Book. "Original title." Buffy murmured, rolling her eyes. She blew away some dust and opened The Book to its table of contents. She scanned down Giles' nearly illegible English translations, which were written directly underneath the weird language Buffy didn't know. Her eyes fluttered across a section which Giles had written simply "Choosers." "Whoa, déjà vu." Buffy whispered. She quickly skimmed the book until she found the page, which Giles had written, yet again, simply "Choosers." Beside the ancient language there was a picture of five tall men in long black cloaks standing on a tall mountain, with every nightmare creature underneath them in an intricate labyrinth of death and destruction. The men, however, were standing tall, looking powerful and mighty...and good. Buffy's heart pounded with an odd recognition of the words. She just couldn't place them...

"Find anything interesting there, luv?" Buffy almost let out a scream, but held it in. She turned around and shrugged at Spike, who leaned down and took the book from her hands. Buffy noticed something go through the vampire's eyes as he saw what page she had been looking at. A wave of emotion, it seemed. She recognized some, like shock, fear, surprise...but the rest she didn't. They seemed to come from a part of him that she didn't know, or understand, yet. Blinking abruptly, he snapped the book shut and smiled wanly at her.

"Like you understood a word of that." He remarked, hoping that the crack that was threatening in his throat didn't surface.

"Maybe I did." She replied, tossing her blonde hair behind her shoulders.

"What language was it in?"

"Shut up." Buffy pouted as she lifted herself off the floor. Spike gazed softly at her, the love of his life. Of course, she didn't know that. Hell, he didn't know if she ever would. But it didn't matter. Buffy was alive. Bit was alive. It didn't matter if she ever reciprocated his feelings or not as long as he knew that she and Dawn were okay. Course, he wouldn't complain if she * did * happen to fall madly in love with him again and fall blissfully into his arms and tell him that she loved him and that Angel was a stupid pounce and...

"Spike!" Buffy yelled, for the third time. Spike snapped out of his reverie.

"What?" He asked, trying his hardest to play it cool.

"Giles is like yelling and what not for us to get down there. He probably thinks we're..." Buffy cut herself off there, feeling a deep scarlet blush ride up her neck. There was way too much potential for innuendo there. And she did not want to give this guy the wrong impression. Cuz she wasn't attracted to him. Or Angel. Neither of them. She had no feelings for either of them what so ever. In fact she had no feelings at all. No feelings. She was a rock. They should call me Buffy the Rockwoman, she thought.

Licking his lips and narrowing his eyes seductively, Spike dipped his head so that his lips were right by Buffy's ear.

"Well, let's go make sure he knows we weren't up here doing whatever it was that you were implying." He whispered and Buffy felt a shiver go down her arms. His voice was like velvet and gravel. British velvet and gravel. And definitely not of the stuffy kind. Buffy almost sighed out loud like a post- coital schoolgirl before realizing what she was doing. This is not how Buffy the Rockwoman should be acting or reacting! She scolded herself. She crossed her arms and smiled naively (or at least she hoped she did) at Spike.

"Great!" She replied extra-perkily, "Let's head down."

Stifling a laugh as Buffy practically skipped down the stairs leading to the main study area of the library, Spike followed.

Oh, yeah. She wants me.

"Come on, Abby, don't be so chicken." Emily Smithison groaned to her best friend.

"Hey, I just saw The Exorcist. Taking a nighttime stroll through the graveyard isn't exactly my cup of tea." Abby grumbled, stuffing her hands inside her pockets.

"Deal with it. I'm the one who told you a million times you couldn't handle that movie." Emily said, walking around without a problem.

"Em, come on, let's go." Abby glanced around nervously. She had heard things about Sunnydale at night.

"Stop being such a baby and move. We'll be out of here in no time."

Suddenly, there was a snap of a branch. Then another.

"Stop being a bitch, Em." Abby whispered loudly, fearing clutching her heart. Emily looked over at her, a tinge of fear within her as well.

"I thought that was you." The girls slowly moved towards each other and huddled against one another.

"Omigod, omigod, omigod." Abby went into a panicked mantra and Emily stared straight ahead as the man neared them. He was wearing almost all black and a trench coat swayed behind him. His starkly white-blonde hair contrasted with the night's sky and almost shimmered in the moonlight. Realizing that this was more than likely going to be the end of her life, Emily wished that she could think of another word instead of "shimmered" for the man's hair. She wished she could see her brother.

"What are you girls doing out here so late?" He asked, a distinct British accent drowning its inflection.

"We were just..." Emily tried to get out, her face as pale as his hair.

"Come on, get up. I'll get you home. It's not safe."

The two girls stayed where they were and stared up warily at the stranger.

"Bloody hell, look at it this way. If you give me the benefit of the doubt, you'll get home fine. If you still think I'm bad or whatever, you have about an equal chance of getting killed then if you stay out here, except that you don't because I'm not going to touch you." Looking at one another, the girls slowly stood up and walked in silence with the tall man, not speaking except to tell him where to turn in order to get them home safely.

"This is our house." Abby said, pointing towards a modest brick Cape Cod, "Well, mine, really. Em's just sleeping over tonight." Spike nodded curtly and walked the girls to the door.

"Thank you." Emily and Abby said in quiet unison.

"Just don't pull anything like that again. Most of the stuff you hear about that cemetery is true." He finished with an edge of doom, refusing to elaborate. He had a feeling that he wouldn't have to.

The girls opened the door and within three milliseconds, Abby let out a piercing scream. Spike banged his head against the barrier, in order to get a better look. His eyes widened with morbid shock when he saw what Abby and Emily had. It had come.

Dun dun dun...tbc...

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