Part 22:

A/N: To avoid confusion --> "[ ]" = anything that is written as a note. Also, the updates might be more sporadic because we're nearing the end :'(. So the things that happen are much more important and need extra thinking time involved.

~

< 34...11...23 > Dawn groaned in frustration when her locker refused to budge, < 34...11...23... Damn! > Dawn meekly pounded the metal door with her fist. Still nothing.

"Open up!" She yelled, grabbing the handle and yanking it with all of her strength. Dawn hissed in pain as the top half of her index finger nail ripped off and began to bleed, "Shit."

Dawn pulled her finger to her mouth and applied pressure with her lips as she hauled herself into the bathroom. She turned on the faucet and yanked a paper towel down, wet it, and wrapped the damp, brown paper around her finger.

Dawn stopped in her tracks when she heard a light whimper come from the second stall. She turned off the water and stood in silence, just to be sure her mind wasn't playing tricks on her.

She heard it again.

Dawn briskly walked over to the front of the stall and knocked.

"Hey, you okay in there?" The whimper evolved into a sob.

"Briney?" A voice choked out. A familiar voice...

"Cordy? I mean, Cordelia? Are you okay?" The stall opened and Cordelia came out. Dawn gasped as she took in Cordelia's face, which had a large gash across her forehead.

"Cordy..." Dawn said softly, instinctive pity taking over, "What happened?"

"I don't even know. My parents were fighting this morning so I came to school early and I saw this guy. I've seen him around before, at the Bronze and stuff. I always thought he was sorta cute, so I started talking to him. He was really charming, at first and then he...he attacked me. It was so sudden, he-he looked like one of those gang members that that freak Buffy- I mean, that that * girl * Buffy is involved in and I screamed and he asked me what I knew about the Slayer and I got really, really scared and he threatened me and told me to tell "the Slayer and her lackies" that he was here. Then he left. And I don't know what it meant and I'm so afraid...I just...God, do you think I'm insane?" Cordelia looked up at Dawn, trying to gauge her reaction.

"No. Of course not. What did he look like?" Cordelia shook her head.

"I'm so confused right now..." Dawn rubbed her back.

"It's okay. Come on. Mr. Giles should have some disinfectant and bandages to take care of that." Dawn stood up and offered her hand to Cordelia who took it.

The two of them walked in silence for a few moments when Cordelia stopped.

"Briney- I mean, Dawn, right?" Dawn smiled and nodded, "Right. Um, * Dawn. * Those guys that kidnapped me a few months ago and that Buffy was...involved in. They aren't a gang, are they?"

Dawn grimaced and closed her eyes.

"I wish they were. But, no. No, they aren't." Cordelia nodded and stared straight ahead. Dawn sighed.

"Let's go."

~

"Holy canoli! So this is what an empty classroom looks like!" Xander exclaimed with feigned awe to Buffy and Willow, who both snickered.

"I must say, we are uncharacteristically early today." Willow agreed, smiling, "A whole 3 minutes."

"Someone should call Guinness." Buffy added, taking her seat.

"Ya know what I wanna do? I wanna set the world record for...insert witty and thought provoking idea here." Xander finished lamely, unable to think of anything. Buffy laughed and patted his arm.

"They can't all be gems, Xand."

Willow's smile faded as Cordelia walked into the room, a large piece of gauze on her forehead.

"God, what happened to you?" Buffy asked, noticing Cordelia's wound as well.

"I got attacked this morning, by a vampire." Cordelia mumbled, "Bri-I mean, Dawn cleaned it up for me." Buffy bit her lip and raised her eyebrow.

"Oh." Cordelia nodded and took her seat in front of Willow, who turned around and gave a 'panic look' to Buffy and pointed at the brunette in front of her. Buffy mouthed a 'What?' and Willow widened her eyes and scribbled a note and passed it to Buffy quickly.

[ Buffy!! She got really hurt by a vamp THIS MORNING!! ] Buffy pulled in her eyebrows.

[ So? ] She passed the note back to Willow, who read it and sighed, furiously scribbling.

[ Do I need to spell it out for you? Mr. Vampy-Vamp is probably STILL IN THE BUILDING! ] Buffy smiled and shook her head as she wrote back,

[Breathe, Wills. If it couldn't kill CORDELIA it probably couldn't navigate it's way through the school without having an allergic reaction to sunlight. And if not, it probably got out through the sewers. Remember when Spike mentioned that way back when? ]

Willow read Buffy's message and got a sheepish look on her face before folding it back up and mouthing 'Sorry.' Buffy smiled and turned back to the class, which had since started.

< Pay attention mode: Activate. >

But Buffy couldn't stop herself from glancing at Cordelia, who looked like she was on the verge of tears.

Buffy pushed her pity away.

This was * still * Cordelia they were talking about.

~

"Yeah, she was really beat up. Emotionally, mainly. It's like the velvet curtain in front of her eyes was lifted up and suddenly she saw the world for what it really was." Dawn said during one of her impromptu meetings with Spike on the stairs leading to the basement.

"Huh. Weird."

"Not really. She ended up helping Angel a lot in L.A., or so I've heard." Dawn said, ignoring the scowl that crossed Spike's face at the mention of Angel, "But I'm more interested in what that vamp had to say, according to her. There's been a lot of weird stuff happening lately, Spike." Spike nodded in agreement.

"The Choosers said the first piece of the puzzle has been set in place. Then the 'Keeper of the Earthly Secrets,'" Spike rolled his eyes, still not buying the pompous name, "said that everything is twisted between time and dreams or some corny cliché-ish phrase like that."

"What do you think that meant?" Dawn asked, curious.

"Dunno. He explained it all cryptic like. Normally, I'd go to Giles, but I can't bloody well do that this time, can I?"

"I guess not. You'd have to explain everything to him. Speaking of which..." Dawn started.

"No, Dawn." Spike answered succinctly.

"You haven't even heard the question yet!"

"You were gonna ask if we could tell Buffy everything. And the answer is still no."

"But she trusts us now."

"Exactly, and now is not the bloody time to break it!" Spike reasoned.

"Okay, so first we couldn't tell her because she didn't trust us enough, and * now * we can't tell her because she trusts us too much." Spike bit his lip and nodded reluctantly. Dawn sighed.

"I don't think I ever realized just how big of a coward you really are." With that, Dawn clomped up the stairs and slammed the door behind her. Spike leaned back against the railing and lit a cigarette.

He really was a coward.

~

"Human Sexuality and You? Giles, Giles, Giles...What naughty books you keep in stock." Xander commented as he grabbed the book from off the shelf and flipped it open, glancing down at the diagram on page 34, "Hello!" He immediately clamped it shut again. "That was disturbing. Giles is a sick, sick man."

Xander looked up as he ran smack into Spike.

"Hey. Did you check out those books back there? Sex books. Not in a good, Hustler sort of way either." Spike raised one eyebrow at him, "Ah. I get it. We're back to crazed, 'Do I even bloody know you?' guy again, eh?" Spike smirked.

"I need your help." He said, softly, pulling Xander behind another bookshelf.

"Umm...what can I do you for? Or do for you? That sounds less gigolo- ish..." Xander sputtered nervously, trying to ignore the shooting pain going up and down his arm from Spike's tight grip.

"I heard a few things, goin' around. There's this girl, Cordelia. You know her?"

"I know her." Xander said, rolling his eyes.

"Good. You're gonna talk to her, find out everything you can about her attack, alright? Then, you're gonna report it to Buffy, no matter what you hear."

"I would anyway- OW!" Spike dug his fingers into Xander's arm.

"That's not all you're gonna do for me, boy. You are gonna find out about somethin' called The..." He thought for a moment, trying to recall the word that he had overheard, "Choosers." He decided.

"The what now?" Spike clenched his jaw.

"I don't bloody know! That's why I'm sending you. You're gonna meet with them for me, you understand? You're gonna find out every bloody bit of information about me that you can."

"About you? Why?" Spike twisted Xander's skin.

"Don't ask questions. Just do it."

"Dude, you're startin' to scare me a little bit." Spike smiled.

"Good. It's the only way you'll get this job done. Now, MOVE!" Spike barked, sending him away.

Xander ran out of the library, his head reeling with questions. Spike was acting very weird, but it was still Spike. And as much as he hated the fact that Spike and Buffy were in a romantic relationship with one another, Spike was on their side.

< So he must know what he's talking about. >

With that, Xander trotted down the hallway, in search of Cordelia.

~

As soon her last class ended, Cordelia ran out of the room, to get away from her so-called 'posse.' She needed to think, she needed to breathe.

Everything was going in circles, nothing made sense. Vampires, Demons, Slayers?! A day ago she was a stuck-up, selfish future prom queen. Today, she was a stuck-up, selfish future prom queen who hated herself and the world.

< Why is this affecting me like this? I knew it, I knew it. I've known for years...God, it's so damn obvious. >

In a strange instant, she knew why it moved her to the point of anxiety.

Briney. Or Dawn, or whatever 60s lovechild name she was going by now. Her best friend was involved in this huge deal and she knew nothing about it. Her best friend was putting her life on the line to fight the forces of * evil, * while she was obsessed with getting the right shade of lip gloss.

"Pathetic." Cordy whispered, feeling a new batch of tears coming on, "I'm pathetic. No wonder she didn't want anything to do with me."

It would've been so much easier to deal if it had just been that quartet of dorks- Jesse, Xander, Willow, and that god-awful Buffy, but it wasn't just them.

It was Briney. Her * best * friend. The only one who ever seemed to give a damn about her, in a real sense. Not just to help boost her popularity. She felt a tear slink down her cheek. And then another, and another. Soon, Cordelia buried her head in her hands as she sobbed, wishing that she could just disappear.

"Cordelia." She shot her head up at the sound of a masculine voice, one that belonged to none other than Xander Harris.

"What the hell do you want?" She hissed out, regaining her posture.

"You can drop the Queen Bitch act now. I know where you're coming from." He said, sitting down next to her.

"Harris, you don't know * anything * about what I'm going through right now."

"Let me see...you were horrified to realize that all the monsters under your bed and in your closet are real, feel like everything in your life is meaningless cuz while you were off complaining about a "one-of-a-kind" Todd Oldham dress, your former friend was off helping to save the world and you feel awful about it. Now, you don't know what you're gonna do with yourself, because you feel obligated to help in some way but yet you're too afraid to actually do anything and aren't even sure that you * can * help, physically. I can relate to the last part in ways you could never imagine. But that's not important now. Cordelia, I need your cooperation." Cordy looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Okay." Xander blinked back his surprised.

"Okay? Okay! Um, this morning, you were attacked this morning, by a vampire. Could you tell me what you remember about it?" Cordelia's eyes glazed over and she blinked her gaze downward.

"I-"

Xander touched her arm, but she pushed it away.

"I'll tell you what I remember..."

~

Buffy wrapped her arms around Spike's back and brought him in for a warm hug, as she sneaked up on him at their usual Bronze table.

"Hi, honey." She mumbled into his shirt, but then lifted her head and crinkled her nose. Spike twisted his neck and smiled.

"What?"

"I just called you 'honey.' It sounded really weird." Spike laughed and spun around in his seat.

"I guess I'm not a 'honey' type." He replied, using his fingers to trace tiny designs up and down her arms.

"But it's not fair!" Buffy pouted, "You get to call me 'pet,' 'luv,' and I think one time you even called me 'kitten' and it sounds so adorable! I call you 'honey' and it sounds like I'm a reject from Pleasantville." Spike sent out a laugh and cupped her face in his hands.

"But a cute one." Buffy swatted his hands away and sat down next to him. She looked down at her hands and then up at him, to see him staring intently at her.

"What?" She asked nervously.

"You're so beautiful." Spike replied, reaching over to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, his hand softly grazing her cheek while he did. Buffy licked her lips with the tip of her tongue and smiled.

"Thank you." Spike felt the room go hazy. He leaned across the space between himself and Buffy, kissing her. Buffy ran her nails through his short blonde hair and leaned into him, savoring the feeling of his lips upon hers. He broke the kiss, but kept his eyes closed and his forehead rested against hers.

"Buffy, I love you. God, I love you so much." He said, his voice breathy. Buffy reached her hand up and caressed his cheek.

"I love you, too." She said. Buffy brushed her lips against his and then sat back, keeping his hand in hers. Spike smiled tentatively and sat back, running his thumb over her fingers in a rhythmic pattern.

It was finally paradise.

~

"THAT SON-OF-A-BITCH!" Xander stormed into the library, throwing off a pile of books.

"Xander!" Willow scolded as she leapt down to begin to clean up the mess he just made.

"Good heavens, what is the matter?" Giles and Jenny rushed out from his office, a look of question playing in their eyes. Dawn and Jesse also exchanged bewildered looks. No one seemed to acknowledge Cordelia until she cleared her throat.

"I told him what happened to me. With the vampire. He got really, really upset, for some reason."

"What happened?" Dawn hopped off the counter and stood next to Xander.

"Well, a vampire attacked her." Dawn cast him an incredulous look, "Which you all knew. I'm gonna give you the list of attributes that she gave me and you all fill in the blank, okay?"

"We're waiting with bated breath." Jesse deadpanned.

"Her attacker had a British accent, wore leather, used the word 'bloody' a lot, and had platinum blonde hair." Dawn's insides turned to putty.

"You're lying. You have to be." She whispered, not meeting Xander's gaze.

"I wish I was." Xander replied. Cordelia blinked.

"Am I missing something?"

"Spike would never do that!" Dawn argued, "He has a soul."

"Well, looks like it took a little vacation. Speaking of which, where's Buffy?"

Willow laughed humorlessly.

"On a date with Spike." As if on cue, Buffy walked in, a huge smile plastered on her face.

"Who's on a date with Spike?" She joked, before noticing the somber looks on her friends faces, "What's up?" Jenny, the only one who appeared to still possess her mobility, walked over and led Buffy to a study table.

"Buffy, sweetie. There's been an...something's happened." Buffy's face paled.

"Oh my God. Is my mom okay?"

"Your mom is fine. It's about Spike. Sweetie, he's the one who attacked Cordelia." Everyone held their breath, waiting for Buffy's reaction.

Buffy burst out laughing.

"Okay..." Cordelia muttered, "Maybe she's delusional or something." Buffy took a moment out of her laughing fit to glare at Cordelia.

"I'm not delusional. It's just, it's a big misunderstanding. Shape-shifter demons, hello! Spike said that there was a shape-shifter demon posing as him." Giles and Jenny exchanged glances.

"Buffy." Giles said, softly, "I've worked with shape-shifters before, or at least, I've studied them. Closely."

"Soo...?"

"The truth is, Buffy...the truth is that they cannot harm anyone unless they are in their true form. Cordelia would've seen a, a, a, a large mass attack her rather than Spike, had it been a shape-shifter demon." Buffy's breath caught in her throat as she digested what Giles had to say.

"Well, there must be some other explanation." Buffy said, searching her friend's faces for some kind of comfort. When she found none, she froze, her face contorting into an odd shape. Unshed tears glazed over her eyes and her hand found its way to her mouth. Suddenly, she felt a familiar sensation rise in her stomach.

She ran out of the library.

Xander started to chase after her, but was stopped by Jesse who just shook his head and led Xander back to his seat.

"Just let her go, man. She needs some time."

~

Buffy retched one last time and held her head between her legs.

"Oh, God..." She whimpered out, a few tears racing down her cheeks, "God..."

"Hello, kitten." A sneering voice came from above her. Buffy sniffed and looked up in the icy eyes of Spike.

"Spike. What...?" She tried to form a question, but nothing came out.

"Sorry to disappoint you, luv. Can't believe you actually bought the whole 'soul equals good vampire' rubbish." He kicked her in the head, laughing. Buffy fell, clutching her hands tightly to her hair, unbelieving.

"You-you told me you loved me." Spike smiled viciously.

"Yeah. It was really bloody sweet...watchin' you think I was serious. God, I don't mean to change the subject, but could I get a camera or something? The look on your face right now is priceless!" Spike picked Buffy up by her neck, "Or maybe I could just rip it off and keep it as a conversation piece. Decisions, Decisions." He threw her down and kicked her in the stomach.

"To think how long I bloody waited to let you know who I really am...amazing really; patience isn't my strong suit, luv. But yet, that look...the look on your face right now...makes it all worth it!"

"It was all a lie..." Buffy muttered, still not comprehending everything. Spike sighed in frustration and clomped his foot down hard on her hand, making her scream out loud. He smirked.

"Ever heard of Drusilla? No, I guess not. Well, she's the only woman I could ever love. And there's no way some air-headed, vapid, blonde, Californian cheerleader type is ever, * ever * gonna change that." Buffy fought back the tears as hard as she could.

"Oh. You're not gonna cry now are you? Go cry to bloody Angel, don't cry here, alright darlin'?" He slid a cigarette out of its case and flicked his lighter on. He leaned down and lit the fag, breathing in the smoke. Buffy wiped her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair.

"This isn't over." She threatened, picking herself up.

"Bloody right it isn't. I think the next few weeks are gonna be *very* interesting for you, luv." With that, he sauntered off, laughing into the night.

Buffy clenched her jaw. < Not gonna cry, not gonna cry...God, you're so pathetic... >

"Buffy!"

Buffy groaned inwardly at the British inflected voice, not sure if she could handle another session of insults from the man she thought she loved.

However, the voice came from a different direction.

Spike appeared next to her and pecked her cheek.

"Hey, pet. You left your purse at the Bronze!" Buffy lost all of her senses as Spike handed the bag to her. "What's wrong?"

Buffy moved her gaze forward, where she could still make out the silhouette of the first Spike. She snapped her neck back and forth between the two figures.

"What's goin' on, luv?" Spike dipped his neck, trying to make eye contact with the slayer. Buffy blinked.

"That's what I'd like to know." She glared at Spike and grabbed his hand, dragging him to her house, ready to interrogate.

She needed some answers.

~

tbc...

~

Back in the library, the group sat in silence, pondering their individual thoughts, when Xander finally spoke again.

"So, yeah...Spike, if that's even his name, also wanted me to find out some information about "The Choosers."" He explained sourly, making air quotes. "Whoever they are."

Dawn snapped her head up at that, but remained silent. < Now is definitely not that time to drop that bombshell, Summers.>

"The Choosers? Funny, he asked me to get a spell for him months ago. I had hoped he would forget about it...The Choosers aren't always the most, er, amenable bunch." Giles replied, cleaning his glasses.

"So we are saying 'No' to finding out any information about The Choosers." Willow declared, her resolve face on.

"Maybe we should, though. Go see them, I mean." Xander mused aloud, hoisting himself up next to Jesse.

"Um, are you nuts?" Jesse asked incredulously, "It's probably just a trap."

"Yeah. A trap." Dawn agreed eagerly.

"But he wanted me to ask about * him. * Not about Buffy, about him, which means that there's probably some information there!" Xander said excitedly, the makings of a plan brewing inside his usually dormant mind. "I'll go, he told me to."

"Xander!" Willow eeped, "This isn't the time to follow the potentially evil vampire's orders!"

"Potentially? Do you not see the huge gash on my head?" Cordelia replied, annoyed.

"Okay, so the less-than-potentially evil vampire. Even worse!" Willow pointed out.

"C'mon, guys!" Xander whined, "What's the worse that could happen?"

"Um, you could *die.*" Cordelia said slowly, hoping to penetrate into Xander's thick skull. However, he ignored that and rushed over to Giles.

"Ya gotta back me here, G-man. It could give us some serious insight."

"I could always just consult my books..." Giles lamely argued.

"But I could get real live information, not something outta a dusty book that hasn't been updated since, like, the 9th century."

Giles sighed, vigorously rubbing his glasses. Xander cleared his throat.

"And, really, Giles? Going might mean risking my life, but not going might mean risking * all * our lives." Cordelia snorted.

"Corny much?"

"It's the truth, though." Xander said softly, moving away from Giles, waiting to hear his reply. Giles groaned.

"I may regret this..." Xander visibly perked.

"Seriously? I get to go?" Giles nodded gravely. Xander hopped down and burst into the Mission: Impossible theme, dancing around the room.

"Does he always act like this?" Cordelia asked Dawn.

"Well, he's never gotten a chance to do something so integral. So, naturally, he's excited." Dawn explained, trying to ignore the dread that was pinching at her skin.

"I'm kinda curious to what he's gonna find out, though. Aren't you?" Cordelia asked.

Dawn gulped and nodded.

She was not liking the way this was turning out.

~

"Ow! Buffy! Leggo of my arm!" Spike howled as the slayer threw him down onto her bed.

"Explain everything." She said in an icy voice.

"Is this one of those hormonal things?" Spike asked, only half-serious, "Cuz I haven't the bloodiest clue what you're talking about, pet."

Buffy grit her teeth and narrowed her eyes.

"Why are there two Spikes?"

"I beg your pardon?" Spike replied, truly befuddled by Buffy's confusing line of questioning, "Pet, there's only one of me here..."

"I know that!" Buffy snapped, "But there's another one, wandering about, talking like you...only evil."

Spike drew his eyebrows in.

"Huh?"

~

Giles pulled out The Book from inside of his desk and slammed it down.

"I wrote the spell inside the margins." Giles explained as he flipped the pages in search of The Chooser's page. Xander nodded and looked over Giles' shoulder, when he found it. Xander studied the picture.

"Freaky lookin' dudes." He remarked. "They look...nice, though."

"Nice? Far from it." Giles replied with a shudder, "Though I suppose some of them are good. Such as the Keeper of the Earthly Secrets. According to my research, he is fairly trustworthy. Temperamental, yes, but trustworthy."

"Speakin' Greek, my man." Giles looked up sheepishly.

"Sorry."

"No problemo. Let's just get this party started, alright?" Giles nodded.

"All you must do is read this spell and then hope for the best."

Xander looked down at Giles' nearly illegible chicken scratch.

"If you say so."

He read.

"O Great Choosers of Destiny

Bring Me Forth To Thine Wonder

I Request A Gathering"

"WHOA!!" Xander was pulled through a hollow tunnel, pressure pounding on his bones. After what seemed like an eternity, he crashed down onto a hard floor.

He gasped when he looked up.

Eight towering men stood above him, adorned in large black capes, standing upon cliffs, with staffs between crevices.

"Whoa." Xander reiterated. The tallest Chooser glared down at him, in his usual way.

"You are treading on dangerous ground, Human."

"Umm..." Xander started, but couldn't find the right words.

"You have no comprehension of what you are dealing with, the forces that are in place."

"I just want to know what's going on with Spike." If Xander hadn't known better, he would have said a small smile played upon the lips of the Chooser.

"It is the first piece of the puzzle. And congratulations, Human. You are the second."

~

"Two Spikes. One of them is you, obviously, and I want to know who the other one is. You're gonna tell me. And don't you dare try to bullshit your way out of this, Spike cuz I swear to God-"

"Buffy!" Spike yelled, trying to get her attention, "I promise, luv, I'm just as clueless as you are!"

"Yeah, well, this sort of thing doesn't just * happen, * Spike! There has to be a reason. And please, * please * if you have any little, possible idea as to what might have caused this, you have to tell me." Buffy kneeled next to Spike, her eyes wide and vulnerable. Spike's eyes glazed over and he blinked, a pained expression coming over his face.

"No, pet." Spike whispered, not meeting her gaze, "I have no idea what would cause this." Buffy nodded and stood up, steely resolve within her eyes.

"You better be telling me the truth, or so help you." She replied softly, moving out of her room. Spike, recognizing the dangerous undertones in her voice, sprang to his feet.

"Buffy! Wait!" Buffy stopped and turned around. "There...There might be something that could have caused it." Buffy sighed and walked back into the room and folded her arms. Spike looked at her with mournful eyes and shook his head.

"You might wanna sit down for this one, pet."

~

"Hold up." Xander said, raising his hand, "I never signed up for * that * gig, alright?"

"It is not your choice."

"Okay, well, let's just say that, for pretend," Xander offered, still shaky, "I agree to be the second 'puzzle piece.' What exactly would that entail?"

"I am the Keeper of the Earthly Secrets. It is not my place to reveal all outcomes of time and dreams." The Chooser said gravely.

"O-kaay. Whatever. Is it dangerous?" Xander gulped, "Would it hurt?" The Keeper of the Earthly Secrets looked up to the sky.

"You will be sent on a quest under false pretences. There, you will undergo pain, more pain than you could ever possibly imagine."

"Not likin' this..." Xander muttered.

"But time will be an ally. The vampire, Spike. One of them will be an ally, though you will not be aware of it. The other will meet you on the quest. The Slayer will meet you on the quest. The Witch will meet you on the quest. The Key will meet you on the quest. The Watcher will meet you on the quest. The Power will meet you on the quest. The Truth will meet you on the quest."

"Okay, so not followin' ya. " Xander said, shaking his head resignedly. The Chooser continued.

"Some will be allies, others will not be. Understand that it is against their will. They are not your friends, but rather the Fighters."

"The who?" Xander asked. The Keeper of the Earthly Secrets ignored him once again.

"You must keep the vampires alive." The Chooser hissed, "No matter what anyone else tells you. That is of dire importance."

"Aren't they dead, though?" Xander asked.

"Do not contradict me, Human." The Keeper of the Earthly Secrets said in a dark tone, "Do as I say."

"But they are dead, right?"

"Yes!" The Chooser snapped, "But you must keep them in the current state they are in. * Both * of them. Not just the obvious choice. This may place you in an unsatisfactory position with the Slayer. You must not give in. It could upset the fabric of time."

"Look, I don't mean to repeat myself, but HOLD UP!!!!" Xander screamed, "What do you mean "one of them" or, or "both of them!" Since when are there two Spikes?"

"That is all, Human."

With that, Xander blinked and found himself back in the library.

~

Buffy sat on her bed, next to Spike, not saying a word.

She couldn't move.

She couldn't more, she couldn't think, she couldn't breathe...she felt like the floor had been taken out from underneath her and replaced by the physical form of surreality.

Buffy closed her eyes and felt a flash...

| Spike stood before her, eyes yellow, face contorted. She reached for her stake, ready to kill him.

"So, I guess this is it, eh?" He said, his voice low.

"Looks like." Buffy's heart pounded in her chest. She didn't want to do this. It was Spike. Her Spike. < No! Bad Buffy! Not "your" Spike. He's evil. Bad and evil. Spike who tried to rape you, ring a bell?> She clutched the weapon. Then, he lunged at her. |

Buffy snapped her eyes open and brought her green eyes to Spike's blue ones...which were currently pleading silently.

"Say something." He whispered.

"You lied to me." She replied, voice matching his.

"Only cuz I had to-" Buffy cut him off by raising her hand, signaling that she wasn't finished.

"I'm not finished. You. Lied. To. Me." Buffy stood up and began frantically pacing around the room, blood vessels pounding aimlessly through her brain, "You lied to me not once, not twice, b-but so many times that there's no way I could ever rack my brain and figure it out!"

"Buffy, please-"

"No! You do not get to talk." Buffy hissed violently, "You're a liar. And you said you loved me and God, I fucking believed it..."

"I wasn't lying about that, pet!" Spike grabbed her arm, but Buffy brushed him off forcefully.

"Get out." She whispered.

"Buffy..."Spike pleaded.

"I said * get * * out. *" Buffy's eyes rimmed with tears, as Spike sullenly stood up and stopped at the door.

"Buffy...before I go."

"What? What do you want?" Buffy said, the hurt in her voice cracking through painfully as she cried out. Spike closed his eyes, willing the tears building up in his eyes to go away.

"Buffy, ya know that sister I mentioned? Your li'l sis?"

"Yeah..." Spike clenched his jaw and swallowed.

"It's Dawn."

With that, Spike walked out of the room.

~

tbc...

Part 24:

~

"SPIKE!!" Buffy burst out of her house, chasing after the bleached retreating figure. "Spike, wait!"

Spike turned around.

"Thought that might get your attention." He said with a sad smile, with only a hint of his usual wit and fire. Buffy glared in return.

"What the *hell* do you mean Dawn's my sister? She can't be my sister!"

"Well, technically she's not, see, she was the Key and these monks added her into your life by creating false memories. You had to protect her, especially after your mum died. Then you died for her, Dawn, I mean. Willow brought you back though." Buffy just blinked.

Spike sighed.

"Alright, um...let me try that again. Dawn is your sister. She's from your future, too. I was sent on a, well, at the risk of sounding corny, a mission. However, when I was sent on said mission-"

"By the Choosers. Who you told me meant nothing to you." Buffy interjected sourly.

"Er, yeah. Right. Anyway, they told me that Dawn would cease to exist. Course, I had come to love the li'l nibblet, so I couldn't bear that thought. So, I threatened them and did some negotiating and presto! Ambrine "Dawn" Jones." Buffy stared at him for a moment and then looked to the ground.

"That was nice of you. To save my sister. * If * this is all true, that is." Spike shot her a hurt glance, "Oh, don't give me that 'kicked-puppy' look! You were lying to me."

"I had to. For your safety." Buffy rolled her eyes. Spike glowered.

"Are you telling me that you would have believed me for one second if I told you everything I did in there right from the get-go?" He hissed incredulously. Buffy cocked an eyebrow.

"We'll never know now."

"I had to gain your trust before I could tell you anything!" Spike argued.

"I don't really give a damn, Spike! Right now all I'm concerned with is finding Giles and Dawn and figuring out what the hell is going on."

"I already explained that to you!" Spike yelled.

"And you've proved yourself sooo trustworthy."

"BLOODY HELL!" Spike screamed, stomping his foot onto the ground, anger getting the best of him, "This wasn't supposed to work this way!" Buffy snapped around and walked straight over to him, staring coldly into his blue eyes.

"How was it supposed to work, huh? That you'd tell me everything, I'd digest it, and then fling my arms around you, proclaiming that you're some sort of a goddamn saint? You. Lied. To. Me."

"Think we covered that one, luv." Spike bit back. Buffy bit the inside of her lip, trying to stop herself from boiling over.

"You *lied* to me. And now you're acting like I should be okay with it."

"You have to be okay with it!"

"Fuck you! I don't have to be okay with anything! You lied to me."

"God, are you a bleedin' parrot or something? I know that I lied to you, you know that I lied to you, could you please try to use a new bloody line of attack on me?!?" Spike roared, rounding her up against the house, keeping a tight hold on her wrists.

"You want a new line of attack, Spike? Fine. You'll get one. You are a murderer."

"Believe me, pet. That is hardly new." He drawled. Buffy clenched her jaw.

"I hate you." She seethed. Spike's eyes flashed.

"Gotta say, pet. You're really bordering on my patience level right now. 'I hate you!' 'You're a murderer!' Maybe so. But you are a self-righteous, stubborn, bit-"

Buffy cut Spike off, grabbing his neck and roughly capturing his lips in hers. Spike groaned into the kiss and backed her up against the wall. They broke apart for a split-second, allowing Buffy to breathe, but she grabbed him again, this time wrapping her right leg around his torso. Spike's eyes practically rolled back into their sockets when she rubbed against a now stimulated region. Buffy and Spike's lips, teeth, and tongues battled endlessly for dominance.

"Spike..."Buffy moaned as he moved his mouth down to her neck. She gasped when she felt his hardness underneath her. He moved in for another searing kiss.

"Want you..." He said breathily. Buffy nodded through his next kiss and wrapped both legs around him. Spike pushed her against the wall, his hand moving up underneath her shirt.

"Love you..." He whispered, moving his lips down to her collarbone. In a flash of a second, however, he was on the ground, an incredibly pissed off Buffy standing above him, looking absolutely disgusted with herself.

"Get away from me." She hissed, wiping her mouth with her hand, just as she did after their first night together ever. < Funny. Looks like she's not the only one who's getting déjà vu. > Spike kicked up his legs, lifting himself to a standing position. He glared at Buffy and then turned around and walked away. Buffy blinked back a fresh set of tears and went inside her house to get her coat, shaking like a leaf all the while. Suddenly, a flash came to her.

| You're bent. Yeah. Made you scream though, didn't it? |

Buffy gargled salt water and spit it out into the bathroom sink. She wasn't even sure how she had made it up there. She felt her throat dehydrate as lightening shots of flashes came into her mind...

| What's Saturday? I kill you... |

| You belong in the darkness... |

| He called you 'Slutty the Vampire Slayer'...|

Buffy clutched the sink.

| I'll let Drusilla kill you... |

| I hate you... |

| No! Stop! Please! No... |

She looked over at the bathtub. < Oh, God... >

| You really gonna put your kid sis in danger just to spite me?... |

| I hate you... |

| Your neck will be my chalice... |

She felt something move up her stomach.

| I hate you... |

| How could you do that? You hate me that much? |

| Every Slayer has a death wish. Even you. |

| I hate you... |

She hugged her arms around her torso.

| I know you wanna dance, Slayer. |

| It doesn't tip the scale! |

| Say it's true...It would never be you, Spike. |

She fell to her knees

| You're beneath me. |

| You're all I bloody think about...dream about... |

| I hate you. |

She flung the toilet seat up.

| No!! NO!! Please, God, no, stop! |

She vomited. Again. She leaned back against the cold porcelain of the toilet, wiping her mouth. Her head was spinning, her emotions a rush. Madness and mourning ringed her eyes. Spike. Spike. Spike. Spike. Spike. He was everywhere. Spike. Spike. Spike.

"Lying son-of-a-bitch..." Buffy whispered half-heartedly. She could see it now. Both of them were to blame for the fucked-up nature of their relationship. Granted, she couldn't remember most of it...but it was in no way one sided.

| Ask me again why I could never love you. |

With that, Buffy fell to the ground, screeching and sobbing in agony.

~

tbc...

Add. A/N: Ugh. I hated writing that. But it's necessary. And before you reach for your rotten tomatoes and various other trash-like items, that's about the peak of the angst for our beloved couple. Everything is gonna get a helluva lot lighter from this point on.

Part 25:

~

Spike whistled to himself as he walked through the town.

< Unlife can't get much sweeter than this. >

Unless the Slayer was dead.

But that would come later.

< But sooner would be better. > A tiny voice in his brain urged. He swallowed heavily. He wouldn't have to bide his time much longer, but, damn, was he getting sick of it.

"Feel like bloody Angelus." He whispered. He stopped when he heard a rustle in the bush next to him. He raised an eyebrow and smirked. It was either one of two things...

a) violence

b) dinner

< Or perhaps a bit of both...> He thought and he yanked the intruder out of the plant and took in her identity. She looked familiar...

"Tell me it isn't true." She said, her voice low and urgent. Spike let out a huge smirk. Now he remembered. She was one of the Slayer's mates. < Cute little brunette thing...maybe I'll turn her... >

"What can I say, baby? I've always been bad." He whispered.

"No. No, you're not." She pleaded, her eyes filled with tears. Spike shook his head.

"When are you white-hats gonna learn, huh? Vampire equals evil. I'm a vampire. You do the bloody math." He lit a cigarette...this little chit was beginning to piss him off already.

"You brought me here, though! You wanted to save Buffy!" Dawn screamed, hoping to break through to him somehow...to bring back the Spike she knew and loved. When she said that, though, Spike got a strange look on his face...his eyes widened and a smile creeped across his lips.

"I brought you here, eh? You mean to this area, to this state...?" Spike's eyes gleamed maliciously.

"You know what I'm talking about." Dawn hissed.

"Refresh my memory. The Choosers...what do they have to do with this?" Dawn gave him an incredulous look.

"They're the ones who put this whole thing into motion, duh."

"Put what into motion?!?!" Spike screamed, grabbing Dawn's shoulders roughly and throwing her to the ground. In the split second that Dawn shielded her face, however, something had pushed Spike away and began to pummel him, profusely.

Buffy thrashed and bashed his head into the ground, kneeing him in the stomach as she straddled him. Spike tried to kick her off him, but soon found that there was no stopping the woman. He moved and grabbed at her wrists, but she just twisted his She was like a crazed woman with an almost demonic mantra of 'Kill, kill, kill...' dancing in her eyes. In one last final blow, she stepped on his groin, to which he groaned in agony. Buffy stood up and glared down at him. He held his stomach, but glared up with hate.

She was a good fighter.

He stood up briskly and went to punch the Slayer, but she caught his fist mid-swing. Her eyes darkened and she dipped her voice dangerously.

"Stay the hell away from my sister."

~

"So he just told you then?" Dawn asked, still in shock as Buffy aimlessly tidied up her newfound baby sister's room. She had just recounted everything to Dawn, but still barely believed it herself...it was like something out of a daydream. A horrifyingly traumatic daydream, but a daydream none the less.

"Yeah...I sort of freaked."

"Naturally." Dawn replied. Buffy looked down and gave a sad smile.

"Probably more than I should have. I didn't even let him explain anything...not that I wouldn't have been any less angry at him, but still..." Dawn bit her lip and finally asked the question that had been biting at her side since Buffy had saved her from Evil!Spike.

"Are you mad at me?" Buffy snapped her gaze over to Dawn.

"I don't...I don't know. I feel a little drained. It's like, all this anger was pouring out toward Spike because I feel he's more responsible for everything, but at the same time..." Buffy rounded on her sister, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Cuz you wouldn't have believed me. Or Spike. And because, we got to the point where you would've believed us, Spi- * we * thought that you would get angry with us and ditch us and it would all be for nothing." Buffy nodded gravely.

"Guess I proved that theory right." Dawn shook her head vigorously.

"No! You're proving it wrong right now! You're being amazingly calm." Buffy gave a short laugh.

"That's because I'd probably pass out if I wasn't."

"Oh."

They sat in silence...Buffy rubbing her neck and Dawn twiddling her thumbs. Buffy took a deep intake of breath.

"So, um, in this other reality place..." Dawn looked up expectantly. Buffy bit the bullet, "What happened?"

Dawn smiled and patted her bed.

"Sit down, this might take awhile."

~

"Interesting...interesting..." Giles repeated for the eightieth time since Xander had told the group about his, as Jesse had wryly described it, 'adventures in Chooserland.'

"Yes, Rupert. We get it. It's interesting. Es muy intersante." Jenny replied, rubbing her temples, "Could you please tell us what you think?"

"Yeah, cuz I'd like to know." Xander said. Cordelia rolled her eyes.

"Duh! He's gonna get sent on some mission, these freaky Fighter people are gonna meet him there, end of story. Then there's the two Spike thing, but I don't even get what the big deal with that is to begin with. So he's boinking that Buffy girl; who cares? Lots of girls date bad boys."

"Can we gag her?" Xander asked, pointing at Cordelia. She pinched him and glared.

"I'm serious." She whined.

"Yes and that's what's so scary."

"Not about the boinking part! That was..."

"What?" Xander asked, "An attempt at inappropriate dark humor? Cuz let me tell ya, honey, you shouldn't quit your day job."

"It's probably less verbatim than that." Willow cut the bickering teens off, "The whole mission thing, I mean."

"Yes, quite. The, uh, The Choosers never give a straight answer even when it is seemingly." Giles explained as he wiped his glasses clean. Jenny laid a reassuring hand on his arm and he continued, "You see, The Choosers have been around, er, well, nearly as long as the earth. Some longer. Some come from the time when, uh, when demons ruled the earth. They always wished that they could bring it back, to that time...however, the more, uh, human ones, the eight which you encountered, wish nothing more than happiness for humans. That is where the Keeper of the Earthly Secrets comes into play. He was from the time of demons, yet..."

"Yet what?" Jesse asked.

"Yet he sided with the humans." Giles began to pace around the room, everything coming to him in a moment's notice, "And ever since the moment he chose his side, there has been a great conflict of power between the two. If ever the demonic Choosers would regain power, all hell would break loose. According to prophecies, it would happen unless a Slayer could help fight it. But, dammit!" Giles pounded a desk with his fist as a thought suddenly came to him.

"What?" Xander asked breathlessly, caught up in the explanation.

"Whatever is happening, that's not it. It has to be something else."

"Why?" Willow asked.

"Well, you see, the only way that the demonic Choosers could ever even possibly gain power would be through a break in the link of time. Something, anything coming forward or going backward. And that notion is preposterous. Besides that, there's also the fact that the prophecies are so contradictory that no one even takes them seriously anymore, but...I really thought I had something for a moment there."

"But it's good that that's not happening." Jesse stated, hoping no one else would notice Giles' disappointed face.

"Well, yes. It would be worse than anything possibly imaginable. The order of the world would be completely reversed. Which is why the break is needed, you see."

Everyone nodded in understanding, glad to put that idea far from their minds. Jesse cleared his throat.

"This is kinda off topic, but has anyone seen my girlfriend?"

~

Buffy laughed and clapped her hands together.

"That is soo priceless! 'Second best.' Ha! That's so cool. I really like this version of Angel better." Dawn smiled.

"Well, then you moved away and showed that you weren't really chained up. You fought Faith and then you and Angel ran out, with all this new information on the mayor."

"Cool! Then what happened? With the mayor, I mean? Skip over boring stuff." Dawn continued.

"Well, just a note, Angel broke up with you before prom and you were completely devastated."

"Asshole! Right before prom? That's cruel." Dawn gave her a look.

"Do you wanna tell it?" Buffy put up her hands in a truce and mimed zipping her lips. Dawn laughed and shook her head.

"So anyway, you found out that he, the mayor, wanted to become a pure demon and that he was going to do it on graduation. You told me and mom not to come because of it...which frankly, I was just glad to have an excuse not to come to a stuffy graduation ceremony. You ended up throwing various bombs and fire-starter-thingys in the mayor's direction when this happened, he looked like a huge-ass snake, by the way, and he blew up along with the school."

"Harsh." Buffy interjected, "So, then what happened? Did Angel stick around?"

"No...he moved to L.A. Which he has to do now." Buffy tilted her head and gave Dawn a quizzical look, "That's what The Choosers told Spike. It's for your safety." Buffy frowned slightly, mentally making a note to think about that fact later...but her curiosity to find out more about her life took over everything.

"Go on. What happened next?"

"Well, now we go to Buffy: The College Years..."

~

Angel opened his refrigerator door and pulled out a bag of blood. He sunk his teeth into the plastic and took a few sips before he sighed and threw it back into the refrigerator. He wasn't hungry.

CRASH!

Angel jumped into a fighting stance, searching his eyes around the apartment. He hissed when he saw Spike standing before him.

"What the hell do you want?" He asked, ready to attack the second Spike pissed him off.

"I need your help." The vampire replied, his voice hard.

"Why would I ever help you, you mother fucker?" Angel asked, grabbing Spike by his collar, "You screwed everything up for me." Spike laughed, but then coughed, his bruises suddenly pounding his nerve endings.

"You didn't hear? I'm the real Spike; the other one's an imposter." Angel put him down, cautiously.

"What?"

"Yeah, son-of-a-bitch wants to kill Buffy. He tried to convince him that he has a soul and all that rubbish. Then he started to bloody date her. From what I've heard he's been trying to kill her since he bloody well got here." Angel's nostrils flared. Spike shook his head, doing his best to play the concerned vampire.

"So you're the real good guy?" Angel asked.

"Yeah. I mean, who're you gonna trust? The souled vampire who's fucking the Slayer or the souled vampire who just wants to save the world." Spike felt sick as he pretended to have a soul, but reminded himself that he was doing it for Drusilla.

Angel paused, "What do you want me to do?"

Spike just smiled.

~

"She-she died?" Buffy asked Dawn, tears in both of their eyes.

"Yeah." Dawn whispered, "A brain aneurysm. Apparently, it was a side effect from the surgery."

"So then it was all for nothing!! There was no point to it at all!" Buffy fought back tears as she paced around the room.

"It gave us more time." Pause. "Most likely."

"Most likely." Buffy repeated with a tiny, sarcastic laugh. Dawn stood up next to Buffy and touched her arm.

"Do you want me to go on?" Buffy looked over at her.

"Just give me the nutshell version."

"Nutshell version? Okay, Glory tortured Spike for information, he didn't give any, you respected him then, Glory sucked out Tara's brains, showed Glory who I was, we ran off, Glory was Ben and Ben was Glory, you called Ben, Ben morphed into Glory and took me away, apparently you went into a state of shock, you got better, everyone planned to save me by stalling Glory, Doc pushed Spike away, he cut me, you died to save my life, everyone was devastated, Willow brought you back, everyone was thrilled, you were in heaven, you felt like you were hell while you were here, you went to Spike for comfort, you ended up sleeping with him, you broke up with him when Riley came back married, Xander left Anya at the altar, Anya became a vengeance demon again, Spike slept with Anya, Spike tried to rape you, Willow tried to end the world, Xander stopped her, Spike went to Africa to get a soul, he came back, pretended to be evil so you would kill him, you almost staked him, he lunged at you but ended up crying in your arms, he told you everything, you welcomed him into the Scoobs, you fell in love with him, you were too proud to tell him, you finally did, you guys dated for three months, you were killed again, and here we are."

Buffy blinked.

"I think the detailed version * might * be needed..."

~

Hours later, Buffy and Dawn still sat on the bed, reflecting on everything Dawn had said.

"Spike really does love me." Buffy finally said.

"More than anything. Especially now that he has a soul." Dawn tilted her head to look at Buffy, "He never wanted to hurt you."

"I know. I mean, * now * I know." Buffy sighed, "We both really screwed this one up." Dawn gave her a confused look, "Me and Spike, I mean." Dawn nodded.

"I guess. I mean, you can always un-screw it." Buffy shook her head.

"I don't know if I'm ready to. I mean...I love him, but sometimes it's not enough."

"It's always been enough." Dawn said. Buffy locked her eyes with her sister's.

"Maybe. Someday." Dawn laughed a sad little laugh.

"Someday might not be good enough. I mean, if what The Choosers said about the apocalypse it true, then..." Buffy sighed.

"Yeah, I know. I know! God, I just...I just love him so much and I just want everything to be okay, but at the same time I don't know what's true and what's not. And what if he hates me, now?" Buffy looked up at Dawn with unshed tears. One slinked down cautiously and Dawn caught it with her finger.

"Buffy, you've beaten Spike up, you've used him, you've done awful, horrible things to him."

"Guilt trip much?" Buffy asked, wiping under her eyes.

"He never once stopped loving you." Buffy shot her gaze up and smiled gently.

"That's comforting. For now." Buffy ran her fingers down the length of Dawn's hair and kissed her temple. Dawn suddenly wrapped her arms around Buffy and hugged her tightly.

"It's so good to have you back, Buffy." Dawn whispered. Buffy smiled into her sister's hair and closed her eyes.

It was as if Dawn had just become a part of her.

~

Spike leaned against a tombstone, glaring up at the slowly fading stars. He couldn't help but hate them as they gleamed cheerfully, mocking him. He took a deep unnecessary breath. < God, I bloody hate this.>

He allowed himself to think for a moment about her, about what she was doing. The most likely scenario is that she was cursing his name to all of her mates and they (Xander, in particular) would come for his head in a matter of seconds.

Spike rolled his tongue over his lips and watched as the first signs of light streamed in.

He wondered, for just a split second, what the sunrise looked like. It had been 130+ years since he had seen it...

Spike shook his head. He was being absurd. So Buffy was mad at him- it certainly wasn't the first time.

Yet it felt like it was.

The sun was becoming dangerously visible...he needed to move. He was almost frozen, though, watching the taboo scene. However, he shook himself out of his stupor and ducked into the street. He opened a sewer gate and hopped down.

A new day dawned.

~

Buffy walked through the school hallways, doing her best to avoid Xander and Willow. Everything had happened so quickly and she just wasn't ready to talk to them...yet. She didn't want to talk to anyone.

This, however, was not meant to be.

A cold hand yanked her into the basement and backed her up against the wall.

"We have to talk." Spike stated urgently, using his arms as a makeshift cage to keep her from leaving. Buffy folded her arms and quirked her eyebrows.

"About what?" She asked more harshly than she meant. Spike gave her an incredulous look.

"Buffy, I love you. God help me, but I do. You're everything to me and the last thing I'd ever want is to hurt you. And if I had known that you would reacted this way, I'd have told you about everything from the get go." Buffy looked down, trying her hardest to avoid his stormy gaze.

"I know." She finally whispered. Spike drew in his eyebrows.

"Then what's the problem?" Buffy swallowed and rolled her neck back, leaning the top of her head against the wall.

"I don't know. I just...I need some time to digest everything." Spike nodded. "And I don't just mean, like, a week. I need longer than that. There's a lot I don't understand. I think that we should just try to slow down a little...I do want to be with you, but right now...I'm confused."

Spike clenched his jaw and faked a smile.

"Right then." He finally said. He breathed in shakily and turned to leave, but Buffy caught him. She leaned up and kissed his cheek. Spike closed his eyes and leaned into her lips, but she pulled away.

"I do love you." She assured him, "But for now..."

"I love you, too." Spike whispered urgently, "And I understand. I don't like it, but I understand it."

Buffy gave him a sad smile and a tiny wave.

Spike watched helplessly as Buffy went up the stairs, shut the door, and left.

~

tbc...

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