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Chapter 1: Visions of badness

Buffy awoke with a start, her chest heaving for panicked breaths of air. This was the third time this week that she has had this dream, and she choked out a strangled sob in frustration.

Why wouldn’t the dream go away? It couldn’t possibly be a Slayer dream… it just *couldn’t* be. She hoped that it was just some crazy nightmare. But the insistent nagging voice in the back of her head told her otherwise. Something bad was going to happen, that much she knew for a fact. She has been feeling restless lately, on the edge of her seat, as if waiting for the other shoe to drop.

She glanced over her shoulder at Spike sleeping peacefully in her bed. He was so cute when he slept. He looked completely innocent and almost childlike.

Buffy swallowed hard as the intense images from her nightmare flashed before her eyes once again. There was no wishing it away…she was going to have to talk to Giles about it.

* * *

Later that day Dawn entered the Magic Box with a cheery grin and sat down at the round table. The shop was empty of customers and Spike was managing the shop while Anya and Xander were on their’ honey moon in Hawaii. Xander and Anya’s wedding was a small affair. The couple had decided that having Xander’s dysfunctional family and Anya’s demon palls together in one area was a recipe for *another* apocalypse, so they decided to elope. Anya had reluctantly let Spike take over the shop while she was gone, with the parting words: “I’ll be calling every minute I’m not having sex to make sure you’re not stealing anything.”

Spike wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that he hadn’t received a call… a week after they had left. He grimaced at the thought.

Spike closed the cash register and walked over to the table to join Dawn.

“Heya Nibblet. How was school?” Spike ruffled her hair affectionately and she gave him a mock glare as she straightened it again.

“It was school. You know, mindless automaton teachers.” Dawn grumbled.

“So what’s with the big grin? Gotta hot date?” Spike gave her a sideways glance of suspicion.

“Maybe.” Dawn replied as cryptically as an excited teenager could: with a giggle and a blush.

Spike’s fists clenched.

“Bloody hell, who is he? I want to meet the wanker before you go out, and if he lays a hand on you…”

“Spike calm down!” Dawn gave him a patented teenage look of annoyance. “You almost vamped out.”

“Sorry pigeon. Just a little protective of my baby, ya know.” Spike grinned as he sat down in the chair next to hers.

“I am *NOT* a baby. And besides, you know him.” Dawn gave him a sly look, “In fact, you hooked us up.”

“WHAT?!” Spike shot out of his chair. The look of realization on his face made Dawn giggle. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” Spike whined.

“Nope. We exchanged phone numbers just before he left.”

Spike growled protectively.

“Oh come on. It’s not that bad.” Dawn said.

Spike glowered at her.

“I thought you liked him!” Dawn whined.

“Not after the stunt you two pulled!” Spike pointed accusingly at her. "Peaches is still bitching about his ruined leather coat!"

“Oh come on, you know it was funny.” Dawn gave him a measuring look, “Besides, you’re the one that insisted I get to know him.”

“I just wanted you to be nice to him.” Spike said and then quickly amended after Dawn’s look, “Not *that* nice!”

“Well I like him, and he likes me.” Dawn said, putting her hands on her hips. The front doorbell jingled, announcing a customer.

“Fine!” Spike relented, knowing he wouldn’t get past Dawn’s resolve face. “Just don’t let father and son infect you with their’ hair gel!” Spike muttered as he turned to help the customer.

Dawn rolled her eyes, dug out her schoolbooks and sighed as she settled in to do her homework. In typical teenage fashion, the cover of her notebook had Connor’s name encircled with a heart.

“Can I help yo- what the hell are you doing here?” Spike glared at Jonathan.

Jonathan stood as close to the door as possible if he needed to make an escape. He stood directly in a patch of sunlight from the window, believing that it would protect him from the Vampire. Little did he know Spike had on the Amulet of Bytanor.

“I need to talk to Buffy,” Jonathan said, but when Spike gave him death look, he amended “I mean, the Slayer.”

“You’re not welcome here. Go. Away.” Spike said, through clenched teeth as he took slow steps toward Jonathan. The boy was two seconds away from bolting.

“Spike wait.” Dawn said, getting up from her seat and placing herself between Spike and Jonathan.

“’Bit…” Spike warned her, but she put up a hand to silence him.

“What do you want?” Dawn asked Jonathan with raised eyebrows.

“I was kinda hoping to talk to Bu- uh, the Slayer.” Jonathan fidgeted.

“Well she’s not here. Tell us what you want.” Dawn said with her hands on her hips, taking control of the situation. Spike grinned to himself. Bitty Buffy was showing up more often these days.

“Well uh…can we sit down? Having him stand over me is making me nervous.” Jonathan told her, nodding his head toward Spike.

“Yeah, that’s why he’s doing it. Come on, sit down.” Dawn directed him to the round table. Jonathan sat gingerly with Dawn and Spike. Spike was giving him the ultimate death glare, but Dawn was just looking at him with curiosity.

“Okay, here’s the thing…” Jonathan took a deep breath to calm his nerves. “I want to help.”

Dawn and Spike looked surprised.

“Hu?” Dawn squinted at him, confused.

“T-things got totally out of control with Warren and Andrew…a-and I never meant f-for it to get so bad. I wanted t-to-to stop… but Doc would have k-killed me. I owe Buffy…uh, the Slayer a-a lot, and I want to help out. I-I owe it to all of you.”

“Oh.” Dawn said, dumbfounded. There was a long uncomfortable silence while Dawn tried to figure out how to deal with this turn of events, “Uh…well I’ll have to talk to Buffy about this…”

“What is he doing here?” Buffy said as the doorbell announced her presence in the Magic Box.

“Buffy, there you are.” Dawn stood when her sister entered. “He wants to join the team.”

Jonathan fidgeted nervously around the Slayer.

“Hu?” Buffy scrunched up her nose in confusion. Spike chuckled at how alike his girls were.

“That’s about the same page we’re on, love.” Spike told her as Buffy joined them at the table.

“I can help, I-I swear. I know a lot about magic,” Jonathan said, but after their distrusting looks he added, “Or, you know, I could learn how to f-fight.”

“You, fight?” Spike barely managed to say before he started roaring with laughter.

“Actually he was a pretty good fighter when he had us under that spell to make us think he was cool.” Dawn recalled then frowned. “But technically, I didn’t exist then.” She added under her breath.

“You had to do a spell to make people think you were cool?” Spike’s laughter upgraded to howling.

“Oh and what, you don’t use a leather coat and cigarettes to make yourself look like ‘the big bad’?” Buffy asked him with raised eyebrows. Spike’s laughter ceased immediately.

“Hey! I’m still the Big Bad!” Spike pouted, making him look far from intimidating.

“Whatever Mr. Poetry.” Dawn snorted. Spike opened his mouth to retort, but Buffy cut him off.

“Alright guys, that’s enough.” Buffy said, holding up her hand. Buffy turned back to Jonathan. “You can help,” She told him. Spike started to protest, but she held up her hand to cut him off. “We need someone to help us with research and other stuff. Giles will be leaving soon….and with Xander and Anya on their’ honey moon, we’re gonna need all the help we can get.”

“Pet, we don’t know if we can trust him.” Spike warned her.

“Yes we do,” Buffy gave Jonathan a measuring look, “If he double-crosses us, I give you permission to eat him.” Buffy said to Spike, looking directly into Jonathan’s widening eyes.

A muscle clenched in Spike’s jaw, but he kept up the façade that Buffy was imposing. He vamped for a moment and gave Jonathan a toothy grin.

“Yeah, I might start feelin’ a bit peckish if you do. I am off my leash, you know.”

Jonathan gulped, mentally kicking himself for listening to his conscious.

* * *

Later in the training room of the Magic Box…

“Duck and sweep numb-nuts!” Spike instructed as he demonstrated for the fifteenth time. Both were armed with long staffs, but Jonathan was looking rather ridiculous trying to use his.

“I-I’m sorry, this is really hard.” Jonathan bent over and panted from over exhaustion. They were trying to teach Jonathan some self-defense moves…trying being the operative word.

“It’s supposed to be hard. That’s why you need to learn it, unless you want to be some vamp’s dinner.” Spike tossed his long staff off to the side. Jonathan did the same and sat down on the couch.

“Is it my turn yet?” Dawn asked as she entered the training room.

“You want to show whelp jr. how it’s done, ‘Bit?” Spike grinned proudly at her.

“I’m ready to kick your ass.” Dawn grinned back.

“Big Sis been teaching you banter, luv?” Spike asked with raised eyebrows and a chuckle.

“Nah, not yet. Besides, I figured you’d be a better source anyway,” Dawn grinned as she took her position on the floor across from Spike. “Or rather, worse.”

“Touché.” He grinned and did a quick sweep kick without warning, starting the battle. With the reflexes worthy of a Slayer, Dawn jumped over his sweep kick and followed up with a roundhouse kick to his nose. He narrowly dodged the kick with a duck and a weave, getting a punch in on her exposed ribs. She took the punch and retaliated with a punch to his jaw, an elbow to the stomach and a knee to the chops when he bent over in reflex. He recovered, boxed her ears and then swept her legs out from underneath her. She fell on her ass ungracefully, but she did a backward summersault out of the way. She glanced to her side and cart wheeled over to Jonathan’s discarded long-staff, and twirled it around in her hands as she returned to the center floor.

Spike followed in suit, grabbing his discarded staff, and the two fought with the staffs in a dizzying frenzy of loud clanks and twirl-y maneuvers that made Jonathan’s jaw drop.

Spike was most definitely holding back his strength so that he wouldn’t hurt Dawn, but he had long ago instructed her not to hold back hers in fear of hurting him when they practiced. So she was giving him her all, and he must admit, she was leaving a good couple of bruises on him.

In the end Spike won the match; Dawn got clumsy because she over exerted herself.

“I warned you about that ‘Bit. You gotta know your limits; when to forfeit and run,” He told her, and then added ruefully, “Or you’ll end up dead.”

Dawn nodded soberly. There was a moment of silence that made Jonathan uncomfortable.

“Alright, your break is over. Get up here boy, and do it right this time.” Spike said gruffly, pointing to Jonathan. Dawn passed Jonathan the staff as he took his place in the center of the floor again in a fighting stance.

No one seemed to notice Buffy watching from the training room door with a somber look on her face.

* * *

“Heelloo? Anyone here?” Willow called out as she and Tara entered the Magic shop through the front door. Willow glanced over at Tara curiously when they saw that the shop was empty.

“Buffy? Spike?” Willow called out a bit louder. A few seconds later Buffy emerged from the training room door.

“Hey Wills, Tara.” Buffy greeted them with a half smile.

“There you are. What’s going on?” Willow asked, referring to the loud snaps and thuds emanating from the training room.

“Oh, God! You’ll never guess who just joined our team.” Buffy started to giggle.

The doorbell jingled again and Giles walked in. Buffy immediately sobered upon seeing him.

“Giles, hi.” She gave him a tense smile.

“Good afternoon girls.” Giles smiled to the three of them, and then furrowed his brows at the loud fighting noises coming from the training room.

“I-Is Spike training Dawn again?” He asked, adjusting his glasses.

“Well, yes and no…I think you guys are going to want to sit down…” Buffy told them as she led them to the round table.

* * *

A short while later….

“Are you sure this is wise, Buffy?” Giles furrowed his brows at her.

“No,” She replied honestly. “But we don’t have many options here Giles. I don’t trust him, but I don’t think he will double cross us. Spike will be teaching him to fight, but he’ll mainly be here for research.”

“Well, if you think it best.” Giles relented.

“Its all we have.” Buffy said and then leaned in closer to Giles. “Giles…I need to talk t-“ Just then Dawn, Jonathan and Spike came out of the training room loudly, cutting her off.

“Is that all you’ve got, nibblet?” Spike was teasingly holding the water bottle above Dawn’s head as they walked into the main room, and Dawn was jumping after it, but she was too short to reach it. After three attempts she glared at Spike and quickly punched him in the stomach, causing him to double over in reflex. She plucked the water bottle out of his hand triumphantly and took a large drink.

“Nope.” She grinned slyly at him.

“Bloody hell.” Spike complained as he rubbed his sore stomach and took a seat next to Buffy. Dawn took a seat on Buffy’s opposite side.

Jonathan stood back to the fringes of the group, unsure of his welcome. Giles turned in his chair and craned his neck to see the nervous young man standing, unsure of his place. Giles stood, took off his glasses and faced the young man, practically walking circles around him.

“So…you say you wish to….help us?” Giles asked Jonathan, meeting his eyes squarely.

“Uh…” Jonathan swallowed hard, “…Yeah?”

“And why is that?” Giles grilled him, his demeanor very Ripper-like. Jonathan looked to Buffy and the rest, pleading with his eyes for them to call off the middle-aged ex-librarian. Buffy just crossed her arms and watched in amusement.

“I owe you….all…” Jonathan took a deep breath to calm his nerves, “T-things got out of c-control…A-and I didn’t want that…t-t-to happen…and I’m sorry. But I want to make up f-for it.”

There was a long silence in the room, and Jonathan swore he felt like each of them were digging into his subconscious and dissecting his every thought, weighing his worth.

“Well alright then.” Giles said simply. “Buffy, what do you say you take him out on patrol?” Giles tapped his wristwatch at her with raised eyebrows.

“Yeah, yeah, I can take a hint. Come on boys, patrol time.” Buffy said to Spike and Jonathan, completely forgetting about the conversation she wanted to have with Giles.

“Can I come?” Dawn asked eagerly.

“Not this run, ‘Bit. We’re gonna teach whelp Jr. the ropes. Next time.” Spike promised. Dawn looked crestfallen, but agreed.

“We’ll take her home then. Have a fun patrol.” Willow told them with a wave good-bye.

“P-patrol?” Jonathan asked, looking a bit shell-shocked.

“This should be entertaining.” Spike smirked as he and Buffy headed out the front door with Jonathan reluctantly tailing behind.

“Indeed.” Giles quietly agreed after the door shut behind them.

* * *

Sunnydale Memorial Cemetery…

“Damn it, duck!” Spike shouted to Jonathan, and the boy ducked out of the way just as a vamp tried to attack him from behind. Spike sighed impatiently and got back to beating the crap out of his vamp. A quick glance in Buffy’s direction told him she was doing just fine with the three vamps she was fighting.

“If you don’t watch your back you’re gonna get it torn off!” Spike growled at the boy as he bashed in his fledgling’s face.

Jonathan was struggling with a fledgling vampire; his punches looked more like a frenzy of girly slaps, and he had dropped his stake somewhere during the ‘fight’.

“I’m trying!” Jonathan shouted back in frustration and then took a right hook to the jaw from the vampire.

“Bloody hell. It’s like tryin’ to train a toddler.” Spike gritted his teeth angrily and quickly plunged his stake into his vampire’s back. He casually strolled over to Jonathan, who was trying his best to remain conscious while fend off the fledgling, but the vampire was getting the better of him. Spike walked up behind the Vampire and tapped him on the shoulder, directing his attention to the stake-wielding vamp behind him.

“’Allo mate.” Spike said cheerfully as the vamp turned to face him. Before the fledgling could react, Spike plunged his stake into the Vamp’s heart and it turned to dust, revealing a very bewildered looking Jonathan.

“H-how did you do that?” Jonathan stammered.

“S’easy.” Spike shrugged. “You just have to not be a pansy.” He intoned, turning his back to Jonathan and strolled closer to where Buffy was fighting the two remaining vampires, leaving Jonathan to follow.

Jonathan furrowed his brows in confusion as Spike casually leaned against a tombstone, lit a cigarette and watched Buffy fight with a content look on his face.

“Aren’t you gonna help her?” Jonathan asked.

“She’s the Slayer whelp,” Spike looked at the boy as if he were as intelligent as a rock. “She can handle it. Watch ‘er move…. pay attention.” Spike gestured to Buffy’s direction with his cigarette and continued watching her. “Maybe you’ll learn somethin’ useful.” He added under his breath.

Jonathan observed the Slayer battling two vampires at the same time with such fluid grace, poise and strength Jonathan’s jaw hit the ground in amazement. When the Slayer pulled a move that looked like it damn near defied the laws of gravity, Spike chuckled wistfully.

“Ya know, I’ve always loved watchin’ her fight…” Spike said reminiscently, and much to Jonathan’s shock and confusion, he began to describe her fighting as if it were poetry.

Why a Vampire like Spike knew anything about poetry, Jonathan couldn’t figure out, but he wasn’t about to ask him any time soon.

Neither human, Slayer nor Vampire noticed a darkened figure watching their every move from afar.

* * *

“Giles, we staked eight tonight.” Buffy announced as the three of them entered the shop. Giles abruptly sat up and put his glasses back on his face.

“Ah, yes…ah, good.” Giles stammered as he straightened his mussed up hair as discretely as possible.

“Giles….did you fall asleep on your books?” Buffy questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“Well…I uh…” Giles seemed awfully embarrassed, “So…how did patrol go? Well I take it, since he is still alive.” Giles gestured to an exhausted looking Jonathan.

“It was alright, and don’t change the subject.” Buffy prodded with a grin, “Your own books put you to sleep, didn’t they?”

“I was tired,” Giles said as he pored himself a cup of tea, “It is three in the morning, after all. I still haven’t adjusted to this bloody time zone.”

“Three in the morning?!” Jonathan gasped and checked the clock on the wall.

Buffy only shrugged. “That’s still early for us.”

“My mom is going to kill me…I have to go home.” Jonathan said.

“Before you go, Jonathan…we are going to need some information from you.” Giles said, taking out a small leather bound journal and a pencil.

“W-what kind of information?” Jonathan stammered.

“Telephone number, home address, that sort of thing, so that we may contact you if we need you.” Giles told the boy.

“Oh.” Jonathan exhaled the breath he didn’t know he was holding and told Giles what he wanted to know.

“We hold Scooby meetings here every day at 8 pm, after the store closes. Spike will be training you earlier in the day at whatever time works best for the two of you. We expect you to show at both events. Call here at the Magic box,” Giles handed him a card with the phone number, “If you are unable to make it. If no one is here the answering machine will record your message. Do you have any questions?”

“Uh, yeah…can I get a ride home?”

* * *

Sunnydale, the Summer’s home…

Buffy and Spike stumbled in the front door of Buffy’s house after a second patrol, hands everywhere and nowhere at once. They stumbled impatiently up the stairs, some part of their brains remembering to keep quiet as they passed Dawns room. As soon as the door closed and they were in the seclusion of her room, clothes flew in various directions. When Spike pulled her against his lean form, moans filled the air at the feel of cool sliding across hot.

He crushed his mouth against hers in a kiss full of his desire for her, a desire that seemed to only grow with each passing day. Buffy returned his ardor, her own passion for him consuming her. Warm hands slid over hard muscle as he backed him towards the bed. In a tumble of limbs, they fell back, her legs spreading to accommodate him easily.

He pulled his mouth away from hers and began kissing a fiery trail down her neck. Her fingers laced through his hair, pressing his mouth more firmly against her flesh, and small whimpering noises fell from her lips when his tongue circled her nipple. His fingers danced over her, sending electric currents over her skin, straight to the very center of her. His shaft pressed intimately against her thigh, his own growls joining her whimpers.
"Please, Spike. I need you." she gasped, yanking on his hair to draw his mouth back up to hers. With the grace of a panther, he skimmed back up her body, plunging deep into her heat. Satisfied groans filled the air as he moved with in her. Hips moved together in a frenzy of motion, as mouths came together to take possession. Faster and faster they moved, both hovering over the edge of bliss. Spike's amulet rested between them, the pulsating color unnoticed by the enraptured pair. Closer and closer they flew, and darker and darker the amulet turned, until, when they both screamed in climax, the sounds lost in each others mouths, the amulet had changed from iridescent white, to a shimmering light blue.

* * *

Buffy awoke feeling as if her heart was being torn out of her chest. She took several deep breaths to try to get her self under control.

The same dream again. She couldn’t possibly ignore it anymore. She had to tell Spike about it, at least. It was tearing her up inside keeping this to herself. She would tell Giles later.

Buffy turned in her bed to wake Spike, but suddenly became alarmed when she found Spike’s side empty.

“Spike?” Buffy said aloud fearfully.

She got out of bed, slipped on her bathrobe and headed downstairs to search for him. The kitchen, living room and dining room were all empty. Buffy felt an icy chill creep up her spine.

“Okay, don’t panic.” Buffy told her self, and did a mental recount of last night’s events, trying to remember if Spike said anything about leaving early in the morning. She couldn’t remember anything, but she didn’t want to jump to conclusions. Maybe he just went to work…Anya sometimes asked him to go to the Magic Box early to take inventory… so maybe he was there.

“Work…” Buffy suddenly remembered and she glanced up at the clock on the VCR. “shit!” She swore as she ran upstairs to get ready to go to her own job. She was late. She would just have to check in with Spike later.

* * *

“Bye Chelle.” Buffy called to her co-worker as she closed her cash register and grabbed her things. Her snobby co-worker flashed her a fake smile and resumed her task. Buffy sighed and walked out of “the Boardwalk” boutique, the expensive clothing store that Buffy had been hired at.

When she had arrived at work today, her snobby ‘friend’ Chelle had slammed her with so much work Buffy hadn’t even gotten a break. So Buffy just decided she would stop by the Magic Box after work.

When Buffy rounded the corner of the Magic Box and saw the ‘closed’ sign in the door, the hair on the back of her neck rose up. She saw Jonathan sitting on the street corner in front of the shop, looking bored.

“Jonathan? Why is the shop closed?” She asked him as she walked up to him. Jonathan looked up at her and stood.

“Buffy, Hi! Um, I don’t know…I’ve been waiting for Spike for an hour.”

“Spike’s not here?” Buffy frowned.

“Uh…no. The shop was closed when I got here.” Jonathan said.

“Oh god.” Buffy paled. “I have to go see Giles.” Buffy turned and practically ran down the street to Giles’ hotel.

“Buffy, wait!” Jonathan called after her. He sighed as he watched her disappear around the corner. “Great. What am I supposed to do now?”

He glanced down the street the direction Buffy left, and then glanced down the opposite direction. He sighed and sat back down on the sidewalk in front of the Magic Box.

* * *

“GILES!!” Buffy practically bashed his door down, knocking on it. She paused to listen for him, but heard nothing. “GILES!!!” She yelled again, and this time heard him crashing around inside. The door flung open and Giles looked very disheveled and distressed.

“What? What is it? What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” Giles asked quickly.

“No, It’s not me, it’s Spike. He’s missing.” Buffy said as she entered his flat.

“Oh. Is that all,” Giles sighed a huge breath of relief, but then his head shot up, realizing what Buffy had just said. “Missing? What do you mean?”

“I mean he’s gone! He wasn’t in bed when I woke up, and the Magic Box has been closed all day!” Buffy panicked.

Giles paced for a moment, obviously trying to think. “Right then, let’s not over react… I’m sure we’ll find him.” Giles stopped pacing when he noticed the grave look on Buffy’s face. “What? What is it?”

“Giles…I’ve been having a nightmare…for the past week.” Buffy meekly met his eyes.

“Oh dear lord…Buffy…” He stepped closer to her and put his hands on her shoulders. “You should have come to me.”

“I tried to tell you the other day…” tears started to flood her eyes, “And I’ve been trying to write it off as just a nightmare…not…not..” Buffy was unable to complete her sentence as the tears turned to sobs.

“A portent?” Giles finished for her. She nodded as she wiped the tears from her face. Giles handed her a box of Kleenex from a table and she took them gratefully.

“Come, we must get to the shop immediately. We need to look for any clues as to what happened.” Giles said as he helped her stand. “You can tell me the details of the dream on the way.”

* * *

Giles and Buffy had found Jonathan still waiting outside the shop and quickly put him to work. They directed Jonathan to call in Willow, Tara and Dawn, while Buffy and Giles searched the shop for clues…and found nothing.

The girls entered the shop and found Giles embracing the Slayer as she sobbed on his shoulder.

“Oh my God, Buffy!” Dawn immediately ran to her sister. “What happened?”

Buffy was too worked up to reply.

“Spike is missing…and Buffy has been having Slayer dreams about it for the past week.” Giles told the girls.

“What?” Dawn’s voice came out as barely a squeak. Buffy lifted her head off of her Watcher’s shoulder.

“I didn’t think they were…I mean… I tried to ignore them, but they just kept coming and…” Buffy’s lower lip trembled, “Now he’s gone!” She wailed as she buried her face in Giles’ shoulder again.

Dawn took a couple steps back as if it would relieve her of the icy chill that had washed over her.

“He-He may not be dead…I mean, dust. W-we can do a-a location spell.” Tara offered.

“Yeah! Good idea honey!” Willow said, but then frowned, “No, bad idea. We need two witches for that… and this witch is currently out of commission.” Willow said, pointing to herself.

“I’ll do it.” Dawn said.

“NO.” Buffy lifted her head off of Giles’ shoulder immediately. “Dawnie… no!”

“Buffy, I have to.” Dawn said.

“NO!” She shot out of her chair and stood before her sister defiantly.

“Uh, guys?” Jonathan said from the fringes of the group.

“I can do it.” Dawn said confidently to her sister.

“Guys?” Jonathan tried to get their attention again.

“I won’t let you.” Buffy said stubbornly.

“HEY!” Jonathan shouted, finally getting their attention.

“WHAT?” Buffy glared at him.

“Uh, I can do it.” Jonathan volunteered.

* * *

The group was setting up the necessary items for the spell when the bell above the front door jingled, announcing a customer. Dawn went to greet the man as the others hurried about their tasks.

“I’m sorry, but the Magic Box is closed today.” She told him.

“I’m not here as a customer. I’m here as a representative of the Council.” The stuffy Englishman said. At that, every head in the room raised to look at the man. Giles walked closer to the man.

“What do you want?” Giles asked, his voice cold.

“I came to inform you that there was an incident.” The Watcher walked to the center of the room, where all the Scoobies had gathered. “I believe you know of a Vampire called ‘William the Bloody’?” The man asked.

Buffy’s breath caught in her throat, but she kept her emotions like steel around this man representing the Council of Watchers.

“Yes,” Giles said through slightly clenched teeth. “What of him?”

“I came to inform you that shortly after 5 AM we caught the former ‘William the Bloody’ attacking a live human being, and staked him immediately.” The man said formally, as if he was reading a memo.

“I don’t believe you.” Buffy glared at the man. The man gave her a whisper of an annoyed smile, and took something out of his pocket.

“Believe what you may, Ms. Summers. All I can say is, William the Bloody *was* hunting last night… so we dispatched him. And I believe you’ll recognize this.” The man dangled the Amulet of Bytanor in front of her.

Buffy felt like the world was sinking beneath her feet. She suddenly felt nauseous. “Oh God.” Buffy ran out of the main room and into the bathroom.

Giles turned his Ripper glare upon the young man. “You come to us with no more evidence than Spike’s amulet, and you expect us to believe you?”

The man smirked deviously. “No, I don’t. That’s why I brought these as well.” He said, pulling out a manila envelope out of the inside pocket of his jacket and tossed them on the round table, as well as the amulet and a small box. “Have a pleasant day.” The man smirked at Giles and then left the shop. Giles walked over to the manila envelope and opened it, pulling the photographs out. The first was of Spike. He was looking around as if searching for something. The next was of Spike coming at a human girl. The third was of a struggle between Spike and several Watchers. The fourth and final one was of dust falling to the ground where Spike had been in the previous picture. Giles put down the photographs, picked up the small box and opened it.

Inside were the ashes of a vampire.

* * *

TBC.....

Next Chapter: All that's Left

Chapter 2: All that's left

*AUTHOR'S NOTE*
Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. I had a two week vacation, and then immediately after my Uncle died. It
was hard to write Buffy's greiving scenes because it hit so close to home personally. But to make up for the lateness of this
chapter, it's pretty long. So I hope you like it!

_____________________________________________________________________

“Buffy, are you alright?” Giles asked from outside the bathroom door. The sounds of vomiting and sobs in between were his answers. “Do you need anything?” He asked pensively.

“Spike.” Came Buffy’s muffled reply, followed by more sobbing.

“Yes, of course,” Giles sighed heavily for his heart-broken slayer. “I understand what you’re going through Buffy…” Giles said, drudging up his painful memories of Jenny. “And I’m sorry…for what it’s worth.”

For a long while all Giles could hear inside the bathroom were muffled sobs and sniffles. Feeling completely useless, Giles sighed.

“I’ll be just outside…if you need anything.” He said sadly as he moved away from the door.

* * *

“I mean, yeah, sure they could have been manipulated…even staged.” Willow said, examining the photographs.

“Can you tell for certain?” Giles asked.

“Well, for the manipulating part, yeah… as for the staging part…” Willow shook her head regretfully. “Not even magic could detect that.”

“Let’s start with that then.” Giles gave her a weak smile. Willow nodded and started about her task.

Giles stood and walked over to the corner with the mountain of pillows, where he found Dawn curled upon herself, silently sobbing.

“Dawn,” Giles crouched down next to her. “How are you doing?”

“Bloody awful.” She said between sobs. Giles smiled painfully at her choice of words. “How is Buffy?” Dawn asked.

“Not any better than you, I’m afraid. She’s taking it awfully hard…” Giles sighed. “Dawn…it’s going to be very difficult for the two of you for awhile. It will hurt…” Giles said truthfully, “and sometimes it feels like it will never go away…but over time, it will get better.”

Dawn nodded sadly. “I just…” She chocked on another sob, “I just can’t believe he’s gone.” She said as more tears streamed down her face.

“As strange as it is to say it…I believe I’ll miss him as well,” Giles took off his glasses and wiped them. “I’ll always respect the way he treated the two of you.”

“Giles,” Dawn looked up at him with a questioning look, “Do you think he’s in…hell?”

“I…I don’t know Dawn. None of us really know where we go when we die…”

“But he was a demon.” More tears streamed down her face, “Isn’t that, like a one way ticket?”

“I suppose so.” Giles said with difficulty. Suddenly he gave her a scathing look, “You’re not thinking of resurrecting him, are you?”

“No. He wouldn’t want that.” Dawn said sadly. “After Buffy returned…he was angry.”

“Angry?” Giles furrowed his brows.

“He knew that Willow had to use Black Magic to bring her back…he didn’t like that at all… because…” Dawn trailed off.

“Because there was a great chance of something going wrong.” Giles finished for her, nodding in agreement. “That’s sage advice.” Giles nudged her arm warningly. Dawn nodded in understanding.

More tears flooded her eyes. “Giles, what are we going to do?”

He let her lean against his shoulder and did all he could do:

“There, there.” He patted her back as he let her cry.

* * *

Hours later Buffy exited the bathroom and walked into the main room of the shop. It gave Dawn a chill to realize that she looked very much like she had the night after she was resurrected.

Her eyes were empty, and she looked pale. She walked up to the round table where Willow and Tara were seated and picked up the photographs to look at them. Her eyes were cold and her movements were automatic. In short, she was like a zombie.

“Buffy?” Willow asked tentatively.

Buffy raised her empty eyes and looked at Willow…looking, but not really seeing. Without a word, Buffy picked up the Amulet of Bytanor and the small box of ashes, and walked out the front door of the shop into the cloudy afternoon. They watched her leave in silence, no one knowing what to do.

“Goddess, what a mess.” Willow blinked back her tears and leaned into her girlfriend’s shoulder.

“I’ll go after her…just in case.” Giles volunteered and followed after Buffy.

* * *

Giles found Buffy outside Spike’s crypt, watching the sunset standing next to a nearby tree.

“Buffy?” Giles called to her. He knew she could feel his presence long before he approached her, despite her sorrow.

“This is all that’s left…” Buffy said to him without turning to face him. She held in her hands the little box of ashes. “It just doesn’t seem right…there should be something more to him than this. There should be a body to burry…a place for people to visit and place flowers on his grave…” Buffy said fighting back tears that threatened to spill any moment, “He should have a headstone.”

“We can get all of those things Buffy.” Giles told her and then frowned, “Except for the body, that is.”

“He was more than this…” Buffy said, looking down at the ashes. “He loved us Giles…He really loved us…” the tears finally slid down her cheeks, “This wasn’t supposed to happen…I always thought I would die before he did…and he’d take care of Dawn. He’d raise her…and keep his promise to protect her.” She clutched the box of ashes to her chest and broke down in crying.

Giles embraced her in a fatherly hug. He wanted so desperately to say something, but he knew nothing could be said.

Sometimes the pain is just too difficult to bear.

* * *

Willow set down the photographs and magnifying glass with a miserable sigh.

“Nothing?” Tara asked her.

Willow shook her head. “They haven’t been tampered with, not so far as I can tell anyway.”

“So then he’s r-really…?” Tara asked sadly. At Willow’s nod, tears formed in Tara’s eyes. “Oh Goddess…I was really hoping…I-I mean… he was a friend… you know?”

“I know honey…I know.” Willow said with tears in her eyes, still looking down at the photographs.

“Where do you t-think he went?” Tara asked, and from Willow’s confused look she continued, “ I-I mean, a-after he died…He was a vampire. Doesn’t that mean h-he went to hell?”

“I don’t know…where ever he went…I hope it’s a nice place.” Willow smiled sadly.

* * *

Spike found he was in darkness…he was badly disoriented. He didn’t know which way was up, or if there even *was* an ‘up’. Things felt like they were moving in slow motion, his brain unable to process the information he was receiving…which thankfully at the moment, wasn’t much.

He heard a loud clanking noise, like metal on metal, and the sound of hinges squeaking. It took a great deal of effort to open his heavy eyelids, and even then, the images he got were blurry. He could tell by the clamminess of cold stone on his skin he was laying on the floor. There was a dim light source a few feet away, making it even more difficult to focus on things.

“Ah, Mr. Spike. I see you are awake now.” A British accent from across the way forced his brain to try and process more. Blurry objects now became fuzzy, and fuzzy objects focused into normal vision. He was in a small dark room, with a cot at one end, a sink attached to the wall and an extremely heavy steel door with no handle from the inside. Spike sat up with great difficulty and propped himself up against the wall as he tried to get his bearings.

“It will take you awhile to recover from the effect of the drugs, but I gather you have enough presence of mind to answer a few questions.” The British voice said. Spike followed the sound of the voice to the darkened corner near the steel door and sure enough there was the outline of a man standing there.

“Where th’ ‘ell am I?” Spike asked, the effect of the drugs slurring his words.

The British man chuckled and stepped out of the shadows. He was wearing a tweed suit and very much resembled a shorter and plumper Giles. Spike internally groaned.

“You are now a prisoner of the Council of Watchers, in London England.” The man said coldly, “You are in hell, Mr. Spike.”

“It’s *just* Spike… you wanker.” Spike spit out with difficulty. The drugs were making it hard to talk. “’C’mere so I can rip your intestines… through your nose.”

“Yes, charming…” The man practically hissed, “I can tell that our visits together will be…interesting, to say the least.” He replied, clearly thinking the opposite.

“Who the hell are you?” Spike demanded, feeling a flash of anger. “And why am I here?”

“As for why you are here…” The man strolled closer to Spike casually, “We decided it was no longer prudent for you to remain in Sunnydale near the Slayer. She has developed an unhealthy attachment to you, making her judgments questionable. We thought it best to…” the man grinned sardonically, “Remove you.”

Spike bristled at the man’s tone of voice. It was foreboding and seemed to conceal much malice.

“We?” Spike narrowed his eyes at the man, “The Council?”

The man smirked at him and nodded. Spike knew he was pretty well fucked.

“So who the hell are you then?” Spike asked, his drug addled brain trying to decipher a way to escape.

“My name…” The man said with an air of arrogance, “Is Quentin Travers.”

* * *

The Summer’s home, two weeks later…

“She won’t come down?” Giles asked Dawn as she came down the stairs and into the living room where he had been waiting.

Dawn shook her head sadly. “No… She’s just sitting up there staring at the box with that blank look on her face.”

Giles rubbed his face with his hand wearily, at a loss of what to do. “She’s taking this incredibly hard.”

“We all are.” Dawn whispered with her head down. Giles stepped closer to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

“I think…the best way you can honor his memory…is to continue on. He wanted you to live, Dawn. So I suggest you honor his wishes.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean a certain young man that has been calling to offer his condolences, that you keep refusing to speak to.”

“Oh…” Dawn fidgeted. “That.”

“I understand how difficult things have been…but your grades have been falling…and at times you seem to withdraw into yourself.” Giles spoke like a concerned father. “He wouldn’t want you to carry on like this.”

Dawn snorted. “Yeah, tell that to Buffy.”

Giles winced slightly. “Well I would… if she would only speak to me.” He said, trying to mask the hurt in his voice, but Dawn caught it.

“It’s not personal Giles. She just shut down, that’s all. She really loved him…and then suddenly he’s gone. She had warnings, and now she feels guilty for not saying anything. Plus it doesn’t help that she keeps throwing up everything she eats.”

“It’s gotten that bad?” Giles felt a pang of ache go through him.

“She lost about ten pounds…as if she wasn’t skinny enough in the first place.” Dawn muttered.

“I don’t think she’s doing it on purpose Dawn. She’s just in mourning…” Giles explained, but was cut off by a sharp knock on the front door. Giles went to the door and peaked out the window. With a heavy sigh he opened the door.

“Jonathan.” Giles greeted, moving aside for the young man to enter.

“Hey.” Jonathan nodded his head in greeting to the Watcher. “Hi Dawn. Ready to go patrolling?” He asked the two of them.

“Yes, just let me gather the weapons.” Giles told him as he walked to the weapons chest and brought out a dark gym bag sitting next to it.

“I’ll go tell Willow and Tara we’re leaving.” Dawn said as she ran up the stairs.

Jonathan had become a more pronounced member of the gang. Spike had taught him well during the few training sessions they had together, but after Spike disappeared, Giles had continued to train Jonathan and Dawn (although she needed it less), and slowly Jonathan became a more confident fighter. Jonathan had actually started to enjoy the patrols that he and the Scooby gang had taken up in Buffy and Spike’s absence.

Dawn came trotting down the stairs, and Giles had finished packing the weapons bag, so the unlikely trio headed out to the cemeteries of Sunnydale.

* * *

London, England, Watcher Headquarters…

“I told you… to piss off.” Spike managed to spit out. The bastards from the Council of wankers had been keeping him on a tight schedule:

Starve him of blood for three days, beat the crap out of him, ask him questions, beat him up more when he refused to answer, leave him some blood when he was dangerously close to passing out from exhaustion and hunger, then repeat the whole process over again. The blood was always drugged to take away his strength, and he was reminded of Buffy’s birthday when they had taken her strength from her. The wankers were probably using the same drug on him.

“Really now Mr. Spike, no need to be rude.” The Watcher that was grilling him replied sarcastically. Each day they gave him a new torturer, but every so often Quentin Travers himself would ask the questions while a younger and stronger Watcher would beat the crap out of him.

“What was your human name, first and last?” The man asked Spike, undaunted by his swearing.

“Go to hell.”

The watcher delivered a swift uppercut to Spike’s jaw. Spike simply spit the blood out of his mouth and turned a defiant and mockingly cheeky grin to the Watcher. A grin that clearly said: ‘Eat shit’.

The Watcher glared at him and continued to ask him questions. After a time Spike started to answer them…but with more creative answers.

“Who was your Sire?” The Watcher asked.

“Scooby Doo.”

The Watcher gritted his teeth in annoyance, his patience clearly running out.

“Who were your human parents?”

“Miss Piggy and Daffy Duck.”

Clearly seething in anger, the Watcher promptly signaled for two large muscular Watchers to beat Spike. When they were through the Watcher that had been questioning him took up his pencil and pad of paper again.

“Who was your Sire?”

“Your Mum” Spike replied defiantly, which prompted another beating.

* * *

Sunnydale, Summer’s residence, six weeks after Spike’s disappearance…


“Giles, I’m scared. She throws up all the time. She’s been doing better about leaving her room, but she always seems to get sick at really odd times. Plus she keeps complaining about headaches.” Dawn told him fearfully. “It was like this with mom…” She said, tears coming to her eyes.

“Oh Dawn, no. I’m sure it’s not that.” Giles put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “I’ll tell you what, we’ll set up a doctor’s appointment for her, alright? Then you’ll see, nothing is wrong.”

Just then the front door opened and Xander and Anya entered the house, well tanned and wearing Hawaiian shirts.

“ALOHA!” Xander called out cheerfully as he closed the door behind them.

“Xander, Anya! You’re back!” Dawn ran and hugged them.

“Hey Dawnie! Look! I got you a lei. Now you can honestly say you’ve been ‘leid.” Xander quipped as he placed the necklace of pink and white flowers around her shoulders.

“Ha, ha.” Dawn rolled her eyes at his lame joke. Xander spotted Giles and walked up to him, giving him a manly handshake.

“G-man! Don’t go getting jealous, I got you a lei also!” Xander said, and before Giles could stop him he placed the wreath of flowers about his shoulders.

“Ah, yes, thank you, Xander. And stop calling me that.” Giles said as he squinted dubiously at the pink flowers about his neck.

“So where are the two lovely Wiccas?” Xander said, holding up his arm still filled with several leis. “I wanna ‘lei them too!” Xander grinned.

“He just likes to use that word a lot.” Anya explained, slightly annoyed with him.

“They went out to a movie. They should be back any minute. So how was your two month long honeymoon in Hawaii?” Dawn prodded jealously.

“It was great! We had lots of sex on each of the islands. Oh, and sex on the beach? The alcoholic beverage is great, but the actual thing is not as romantic as it sounds…you get sand in the most uncomfortable --mphmph!“

“ANYA!” Xander quickly clamped his hand over her mouth before she could finish, but unfortunately Giles and Dawn were grimacing anyway, having heard enough to do the damage.

“So…uh…how’s Buffy?” Xander asked fidgeting.

Xander and Anya had received a call from Giles shortly after they had found out about Spike’s dusting. The honeymooning couple had offered to cut their vacation short, but Giles insisted that they stayed and enjoyed their time. Xander had hung up the phone with a sobering thought; ‘You never know when you will loose the one you love’. So he and Anya stayed.


“A little better, though she is still awfully sick. In fact, we were just discussing scheduling her a doctor’s appointment just as you arrived.” Giles told them.

“Doctor? She’s that bad?” Xander asked.

“She’s become awfully skinny…although I don’t think she knows she’s doing it to herself…she just seems to be in some kind of a daze most of the time.”

“Man…” Xander said, shaking his head, “This is worse than with Angel…isn’t it?”

A grim silence fell upon them all when they realized the depth of the problem.

“I wish mom was here. I don’t know what to do.” Dawn cried helplessly.

No one knew what to say to that, so an awkward silence fell upon the room.

Just then Willow and Tara walked through the front door, back from their movie date.

“You’re home!” Willow immediately hugged him and Anya.

“Yeppers, and I come bearing gifts.” Xander placed a lei around both girl’s shoulders, only resisting using the ‘lei’ joke because of Anya’s murderous glare.

They all went into the living room and discussed what had been happening in Sunnydale while the honeymooners were away, and soon they had gotten so loud that Buffy came downstairs and watched her friends in secret from the staircase.

For the first time in a very long time, Buffy felt like an outsider. She had once been the pack leader, the reason why the Scoobies were in existence… but now she felt so detached from everything. She felt exactly like she had when she was torn from heaven …but this time Spike wasn’t here to catch her when she fell.

Buffy quietly crept back upstairs so that her friends wouldn’t know she had ever been there. She closed her bedroom door behind her as she entered the darkened room, and opened the third drawer on her dresser.

There in the drawer sat all of Spike’s clothes, most of them black jeans and t-shirts, but a few dark blue and green colored t-shirts that she had practically forced him to buy and wear. Then of course there were his deep red silk button-down shirts that he always seemed to be wearing over the black t-shirts. Next to the silk red shirts, was a dark-blue one. She smiled painfully as she remembered their’ last shopping trip together.


Two months earlier…

“Oh come on Spike.” Buffy held out the dark blue silk button-down shirt at him. “Please?”

“No way.” Spike muttered as he pushed aside hangers full of clothing, all of which Spike seemed to be scowling at. They were at the mall, in a store called the Bon March¢e, a fashionably high priced clothing store.

“Why not? It’s the perfect color for you.” Buffy turned the shirt over in her hands, examining it to see if Spike could see something wrong with it that she didn’t.

“Because.” Was Spike’s terse reply as he continued searching the clothes racks.

“That is *so* not a reason.” Buffy continued to follow him with the shirt.

Spike stopped and sighed as he took the garment in his hands, holding it up to her as if the reason were obvious. “It’s blue.”

“So?”

“If you haven’t noticed, the only colors I wear are black and red.” Spike shoved the blue silk shirt on a nearby rack, and turned to search another rack. Buffy grabbed the blue shirt again and followed him insistently. She caught up to him as he was perusing the table of black jeans.

“Oh just try it on. Please? It matches you’re eyes.” Buffy said as she placed her hand on his chest and slid it down his torso, lingering dangerously close to his crotch. “I bet it’ll look sexy.” She smirked at the surprised, although delighted look in his eyes.

“Oh yeah?” Spike bit his lip as her hand moved slowly downward. A mischievous smile splayed across her face.

“Yeah.” She said huskily as she stepped closer to him. Suddenly Spike looked up.

“’Evinin ma’am.” Spike nodded his head to an 80 year-old woman just two racks away. The woman gave the pair a sour look and then stalked off, looking completely scandalized.

They both couldn’t help but laugh.

“So…” Buffy had turned bright red, “Go try this on.” She said, shoving the silk blue shirt into his hands.

“Pet, I love you…but no way in hell.” Spike said as he held out the garment to her again. Buffy got that impish look in her eyes again.

“Tell you what….how about I help you put this on?”

Spike half purred, half growled in excitement. “Ms. Summers, I do believe that hanging around with evil Vampires has rubbed off on you. First scandalizing old ladies, and now this?”

“What can I say, I’m evil.”

Spike snorted. “What, you’ve been borrowing Harmony’s ‘Evil for Dummies’ book then?”

“Shut up.” She slapped him in the chest, but couldn’t keep from laughing at the thought.

“That bint’s so stupid, I bet she’s still looking in every book store she comes across for it…” Spike snorted.

* * *

Several States away…

“Damn it Jerry! We must have been to a hundred book stores!” Harmony’s whiny cheerleader voice rang out throughout the lair.

“Uh, most beautiful one, we haven’t checked the Barnes and Noble on 3rd street.” The minion named Jerry said. Harmony got a furious look on her face and the three minions that accompanied her looked terrified of their Sire.

“Damn it, that’s not the point!” Harmony stomped her foot in frustration like a little brat. “You know what… I’m beginning to think…” Harmony trailed off, pondering.

“That it doesn’t exist?” Jerry finished for her boldly.

“No you big idiot!” Harmony smacked him upside the head, “That it’s just out of print! It must be a very popular book.” She said with an airy smile of intelligence, with her hands on her hips.

* * *

Back in Sunnydale, Buffy and Spike’s shopping trip…

“I wouldn’t doubt it.” Buffy agreed loftily. “Now come on. Quit trying to change the subject.” She said holding up the blue shirt.

Spike rummaged through the clothes rack and pulled out a small pink shirt with a red heart in the center, with silver sparkle letters saying “Sweetheart” across it. “You think Nibblet would wear something like this?” He asked her absently.

“Spike…”

“Is this her size? I think I’ll get it for her.”

“Ugh! Come on you big baby!” Buffy grabbed his arm and drug him into the changing rooms with the shirt.

“Buffy, love…” Spike protested, but she shoved him into an empty changing room and locked the door behind them. He stopped protesting when she pulled him to her, kissed him savagely and started undressing him.

Thirty minutes later, a very disheveled Spike stumbled up to the cash register and paid for the blue silk shirt. He had decided that he liked shopping with Buffy.

Present day, Buffy’s room…

Tears were sliding down Buffy’s face as she ran her hand over the smooth blue silk shirt. She sighed and closed the drawer, walking back to her bed. She pulled out of her pocket Spike’s Amulet of Bytanor and sat on the bed with it. Sometimes it made her feel better to hold it when she missed him. She sat there gazing at the moonstone, and suddenly it struck her. She held the stone up to the light to see if it was just a shadow, but it wasn’t.

She got up and walked downstairs. Her friends were still talking about Xander and Anya’s honeymoon when she got to the bottom of the stairs.

“Buffy!” Dawn smiled, truly happy to see her sister.

“What would turn the amulet blue?” Buffy said, holding up the amulet. Dawn frowned.

“Blue, you say?” Giles got up and took the amulet from her to examine it.

“It was white before, remember? It’s blue now. Why would it turn blue?”

“I’m not sure…girls?” Giles turned to Willow and Tara.

“I-I don’t know. That’s odd.” Willow shrugged.

“C-can I see that?” Tara asked and Giles handed it to her. She turned it over in her hands and held the stone up to the light. “It’s definitely changed. I don’t recall reading anything about the stone changing color though.”

“I assume you read about it in the Vampyres book?” Giles asked her as she handed it back.

“Yeah…it was all we could find. There was a small passage about it.” Willow shrugged.

“We should research this.” Giles said.

“Wow, it sure is good to be home.” Xander sighed.

“Yes well, I get to say the same every time I get a concussion. Consider yourself lucky.” Giles muttered. “I’ll go call Jonathan and ask him to bring the book.”

“That little pipsqueak is watching my shop?!” Anya nearly fainted. “What if he steals something?!”

“Xander…Anya… your back. How long…?” Buffy asked, confused.

“Oh, no worries Buffster, we just got back today.” Xander rushed to reassure her.

“Oh. Good.” Buffy said in a dazed kind of voice.

“Ah! Look, I brought you a lei.” Xander said as he placed a purple lei around her neck.

“Oh…thanks…pretty.” Buffy said, fingering the flowers.

“HELLO?! What about my shop?!” Anya said. “I can’t believe you guys would leave all my money in the hands of that little nerd! What if he breaks something? What if he sells something for half price?”

“Wow, now I can honestly say I’ve seen someone have a ‘tizzy’.” Dawn muttered.

* * *

Twenty minutes later…

“Ah, good, Jonathan, come in.” Giles said as he opened the door for the younger man.

“Hey guys…hey…Buffy.” Jonathan said, surprised to see her.

“What have you been stealing?!” Anya demanded immediately.

“Hu?” Jonathan stopped dead in his tracks.

“Anya…” Giles started to say.

“No! I want to know! Ever since Spike went ‘poof’ you all have been letting my shop get run by whoever! Who knows what the little pipsqueak has stolen!” Anya pointed at him accusingly.

“ANYA! That’s enough!” Giles raised his voice. “We’ve done the best we can considering the circumstances. Have some respect! If not for Spike, than for Buffy!” Giles gestured to Buffy, but she was no longer there. “Buffy?”

“Great! Now look what you did! That was the first time she’s been out of her room willingly! You can be such a thoughtless bitch sometimes!” Dawn cried angrily at Anya and ran out of the room.

Anya honestly looked stricken.

* * *

Over Seas, The Watcher’s Head Quarters…

“I died…So many years ago…” Spike sang sluggishly.

“He’s completely unresponsive now, sir. He just keeps singing that song.” A male watcher told Quentin Trevers, gesturing to Spike. The two Watchers were in a small room connected to Spike’s prison cell by a thick pane of one-way mirror.

“But you can make me feel…like it isn’t so.”

“Just that one part. He keeps repeating it. I wonder what it means.” They younger Watcher pondered out loud.

Quentin snorted. “It probably has something to do with the Slayer. Either that or he’s going crazy. Check into it.” he said and left the room like he had more important things to do.

“Y-yes sir.” The Watcher said, turning to look in at Spike again. The drugged Vampire was sitting on the cold cement floor, staring at the opposite wall, still singing that one verse softly.

The Watcher was betting that the Vampire was going crazy.

* * *

Back in Sunnydale…

“Buffy?” Dawn knocked on Buffy’s door.

“Come in Dawn.” Buffy’s muffled voice came from behind the closed door. Dawn opened the door and closed it quietly behind her.

“Are you okay?” Dawn asked as she sat down next to Buffy on her bed.

“Yeah.”

“Liar. It’s okay if your not, you know… I’m not.” Dawn offered Buffy a sad smile. Buffy nodded in understanding.

“I just wasn’t ready for Anya I guess.” Buffy said, grimacing.

“Yeah… I kinda blew up on her down there…” Dawn admitted. There was an awkward silence between the sisters.

“So…” Dawn said.

“It hurts.” Buffy said, tears in her eyes.

“Oh Buffy, I know…” Dawn started to say.

“No, I mean, *it hurts*!” Buffy said again. Dawn finally noticed Buffy was clutching her abdomen. She winced in pain again.

“Buffy? Are you okay?”

“OW!! …no!” Buffy clutched her abdomen harder.

“What is it? What should I do?” Dawn asked.

“Ahh! I don’t know…Aaah God!” Buffy started crying in pain.

“Oh God…GILES!!” Dawn screamed.

* * *

Sunnydale General Hospital…

“Dawn Summers?”

Dawn immediately jumped out of her chair and ran to meet the doctor. “How is she?”

Giles, Willow, Tara, Xander, Anya and Jonathan also walked over.

“She’s fine. We still don’t know what is wrong with her, but I needed to ask you some questions.” The doctor said, taking out a clipboard. He walked with Dawn to some nearby chairs and motioned for her to sit.

“Has your sister been experiencing any health problems lately?” The doctor asked.

“Uh, yeah, she’s had headaches, and she throws up a lot…”

The doctor wrote down her answer.

“Has your sister been depressed lately?” He asked.

“Well, yeah. Her boyfriend died not too long ago…She’s been real upset.” Dawn said, frowning.

“How long ago was that?”

“About a month and a half.” Dawn wiped a stray tear from her eye.

“Oh…I’m sorry… were you two close?” The doctor set down his chart.

“Yeah… he was my best friend. He was like a father to me.” Dawn said, stifling back a sob. “Is my sister going to be okay?”

“I don’t know yet. I have to run some tests first, but it’s probably just stress. I’ll check back, okay?” The doctor said. Dawn nodded and the doctor stood and left.

Not long after Anya shuffled over to Dawn and sat in the chair next to her.

“Um, hi.” Anya said nervously. Dawn just gave her a look. “Okay, I’m not that good with this apologizing stuff…but I’m sorry. I just freaked out because I haven’t made any money for so long, and it’s been over 24 hours since I had sex. I didn’t mean to upset Buffy, or make her sick…plus hey, I miss him too you know.”

“You do?” Dawn gave her a disbelieving look.

“Yeah. He understood what it’s like.” Anya said sadly.

“What what is like?”

“Being an outsider. Being a demon in Buffy’s little group. You guys might not realize it, but you treat us different. And he understood.” Anya started to get a little teary eyed, and at great length said: “You know… I think I finally get this death thing now.”

Anya stood and ran to the women’s bathroom, crying.

* * *
Meanwhile in L.A., The lobby of the Hyperion Hotel, Angel Investigations…

“Cordelia, what’s this?” Angel asked, holding up a letter from the phone company that was stuck under a stack of bills.

Cordelia took a glance at the paper.

“Uh, a phone bill?”

“An overdue long distance phone bill.” Angel handed it to her. “To Sunnydale. For an hour and a half.” Angel complained.

“Well yeah! You’re the one that stuck me with calling Buffy to explain to her everything!” Cordelia threw her hands up in the air in frustration. “What, did you think that was gonna be a ten minute phone call?” Cordelia held her hand up to her ear as if holding a phone to it. “Hi Buffy!” Cordelia mocked, “Guess what? I just had a vision. Angel has a son, and they are coming to visit so they can kill something. Nice chatting with you, bye!”

Angel gave her a withering glance. “Cordelia…”

“If you think I’m gonna pay for that phone call, you can just think again bust-eeeeeerrr!!” Cordelia pressed her hand to her head as a vision unfolded before her eyes, taking her off guard.

The scene flashed rapidly and Cordelia was starting to feel nauseous from the spinning. Briefly she saw men dressed in suits sitting around a long dark wood table in a dark stuffy room. Then it closed in on an older stuffy looking man, one that Cordelia didn’t recognize.

“We must deal with this immediately.” The man’s voice echoed Cordelia’s head. “We must remove the Vampire from the Slayer before this gets out of hand. It may already be too late. The prophecy could already be in affect.”

The scene flashed again, to a different man in the room, sitting at the head of the table shrouded in shadows.

“If we are to move on this, we must deal with it delicately. The Slayer… Must not know we are involved,” The man said. Cordelia recognized the voice, but she just couldn’t place it. “It could mean a war.”

The vision subsided as quickly as it came, leaving Cordelia with a feeling of impending doom.

“Oh God… Angel...”

“It’s okay Cordy, just tell me what you saw.” Angel said, holding her by the shoulders.

“A bunch of old stuffy men sitting at a table. I don’t know who they were, it was too dark to see. They were discussing Buffy and ‘the Vampire’, talking about removing him from her. He said that if the Slayer were to find out they were involved, it could mean a war. God Angel, whatever they’re planning, it’s not good, I can feel it in my bones.” Cordelia shivered and rubbed her arms as if to comfort her self.

“They didn’t say who ‘the Vampire’ was?”

“No, they just referred to him as ‘the Vampire’.” Cordelia shook her head.

“Well…it could be Spike.” Angel suggested. “Hey, now that I think of it, he hasn’t called me in a long time to make fun of me…he usually likes to do that at least once a week.”

“Or it could be about you.” Cordelia looked at him worriedly.

“I doubt it. I’m not really a part of Buffy’s life any more.” Angel shrugged.

“Angel, they said something about a prophecy. You’re the only vamp around that I know with a prophecy.”

Angel glanced at her apprehensively, but sighed in agreement.

“Well, I’ll be on the look out for stuffy old men tracking me down.” He gave her a small smile. “Now about this phone bill.” He picked it up off the floor where she had dropped it, and held it up to her again.

“Ugh! You are such a tight end!” Cordelia threw up her hands in frustration.

* * *

Back in Sunnydale, the General Hospital…

“Ms. Summers?” A Nurse called Dawn over as she walked through the double doors into the waiting room. “You can go see your sister now. The rest of you will have to wait until later.”

“I want Giles to come with me.” Dawn told the Nurse. Giles stood next to Dawn.

“Are you family, sir?”

“Er..well...” Giles fidgeted.

“He’s her Mentor…he’s like a father to her.” Dawn said.

“Well okay, but the rest of you are going to have to wait.” The nurse said and led them back to Buffy’s room. She was hooked up to IV drip bags, but lying on the hospital bed unmoving.

“Buffy?” Dawn called out quietly. Buffy opened her eyes and looked at Dawn and Giles.

“Hey guys.” Buffy smiled at them as they entered the room and sat next to her bed. “Can I leave now?”

“I think they need to run some tests first Buffy.” Giles said.

“But I haven’t studied yet.” Buffy mock pouted. “Besides, if they take anymore blood from me I’m gonna stake first, ask questions later.”

“Well it’s good to know your feeling better.” Giles chuckled.

“Yup, I’m 100% Buffy again. So can I go now?”

“No, I’m afraid not.” Giles smiled.

“Stupid doctors.” Buffy muttered.

“Well this stupid doctor has your test results Ms. Summers.” A female doctor pulled aside the cloth partition and stood beside Buffy’s bed, smiling good-naturedly.

“Dawn, you know better than to call the nice doctors names.” Buffy mock scolded.

“I’m letting you get away with that one only because your Hospital girl.” Dawn glared at her.

“I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you both to step outside. Ms. Summer’s test results are private.” The doctor told Dawn and Giles.

“No, it’s okay. They can stay.” Buffy said.

“Are you sure Ms. Summers?” The doctor gave her a look.

“Yes.” Buffy said.

“Alright.” The doctor gave Buffy a small grin, “Ms. Summers, your pregnant.”

* * *

TBC...

Next chapter: Expecting the Unexpected

*AUTHOR'S NOTE* Yeah, I know that this chapter was a bit depressing, but it won't always be. The next chapter will get a bit cheerier, I swear. So yeah...I'm leaving you with *another* cliffhanger... well at least you know Spike is still alive...er...undead. Right?

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