Chapter Summary: Willow followed Dawn from the high school to Wolfram and Hart. She recognized the name of the law firm and immediately rushed to call Angel. Buffy had what she considered a Slayer dream about Angel/Angelus' return to Sunnydale. She was worried, but she tried to assure Spike that he was the one she wanted, not Angel in any form. So now we deal with Willow and Angel on the phone and the day after Buffy's awakening.

Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

An annoyed Angel stomped his way down the stairs to answer the phone at Angel Investigations. It was the middle of the day, and no one was around. He wondered where Wes and Cordy ran off to.

"Angel Investigations. This is Angel." Cordelia made a little spiel up that she expected everyone to use when they answered the phone. Since Cordelia wasn't around, he was saved from her lecture because he chose a more direct and short greeting.

"Angel, this is Willow. We have to talk."

"And why is that?" Angel sighed. He wanted to beat his head against the wall nearby. It figured that the time he was forced to answer the phone, it was someone who reminded him of what he left behind. "You have a problem?"

"I think Dawn has been kidnapped." Willow panted a little. She was still flustered and winded from her drive and run to the Magic Box.

"You think she's been kidnapped?" Angel groaned. What had he done to deserve this? Dealing with these people had to be more penance than his guilty soul required of him. "Why don't you have Buffy look into it, Willow?" He gritted his teeth and attempted to stay calm.

"Buffy hasn't been seen for a few days. Dawn was the only one who knew where Buffy was."

"And you can't talk to Dawn because you think she's been kidnapped?" The conversation had the markings of a wacky round robin, and he wasn't in the mood for games. "Make sense Willow, or I'm hanging up."

"Did you know Wolfram and Hart had a Sunnydale branch?" Willow questioned. She wanted to strangle Angel. Was he really that dense?

Angel's interest perked up at the name of the firm that continued to be a thorn in his side. "I never heard anything about it." He remembered some demons talking about a few places in Sunnydale where various transactions took place with the human world. He had no recollection of anyone mentioning the name Wolfram and Hart to him.

"Well, they do," Willow stated matter-of-factly. "I've seen it."

"An office of theirs would stick out like a sore thumb in Sunnydale." The only part of Sunnydale ritzy enough for the law firm's tastes was nothing but upscale houses and a couple parks. "Their offices are pretty huge."

"Not this one," Willow sounded flustered. Why didn't Angel believe her? Did he think she was making it up? "They have a modest sized office on the Eastern outskirts of town. There was a sign out front, as plain as day, with their name on it."

Angel jotted down a few notes on a pad of paper near the phone. Cordelia liked to be prepared for each phone call. "I can look into the situation to see how much of a threat that branch is to Sunnydale, but I don't understand what this had to do with Dawn and Buffy."

"I think they kidnapped Dawn, and if they have Dawn they might have Buffy too. I saw Dawn running into the building a half hour ago."

Angel worked to comprehend what Willow was telling him. "Was someone dragging her?"

"No. She ran from a car that picked her up from school." Willow was baffled as to why Dawn looked so happy if an evil law firm was involved. "She seemed willing to go in, but then I saw the name of the firm. I drove as fast as I could to get to a phone to call you."

"Maybe they are using a spell to bend her to their will? They're not above using magic to get what they want." Angel ground his teeth together tightly. 'They love to mess with your life.' He both hated, and was delighted, that they found a way to bring Darla back.

"Magic! That's it!" Willow slapped her forehead. "I should have realized that only a heavy barrier or protection spell would have warded off my spell on Susan a couple nights ago."

"Susan? Who is that?" Angel queried.

"She was a woman who posed as a social worker. She came to the house and took Dawn away." Willow was angry with herself. Had she let Dawn be taken away to be hurt? 'Buffy will never forgive me if something happens to Dawn.'

"You said someone picked up Dawn at school. Was it that same woman that took her from the house?" Angel sorted through a file folder marked Wolfram and Hart from the desk. He hoped that a description would help him find out something about who might have taken Dawn.

"No, she wasn't the same one. She drove a really nice blue Mercedes." Willow tried to recall exactly what the woman looked like who picked up Dawn from school and the social worker. "I don't remember what she looked like exactly, but I know they weren't the same woman."

"All right. Here is what I'll do," Angel put the notebook down on the counter, "I can't leave until dusk, and there are a few things that I have to take care of before I can leave." He rubbed his chin. There was no way he was leaving Connor behind. He had to find some way to locate Cordy and Wes. "You are living at Buffy's house, right?"

"Yes, I've been living here since Buffy's dea ... you know." Willow sighed. She forced herself not to regret bringing Buffy back. 'She could have been in a Hell dimension.' She felt that she had a right to do the magic if she was able to. Those who had power to do good should. Why didn't people see that, and why did they keep telling her to use restraint? Restraint was for geeks and wimps. She refused to be either.

"Fine," Angel closed his eyes. He didn't want to think about the time Buffy was gone because of death. He'd seen her be brought back to life after the Master. When they'd seen each other earlier in the year after she returned this time, it wasn't all that pretty of a sight. He wasn't looking forward to running into Buffy in Sunnydale. "I'll meet you at Buffy's house a few hours after dark."

"That sounds good, Angel. Don't take too long." Willow frowned. 'Spike would have found a way to get to Sunnydale, sun or not.' She wondered if Angel didn't care about Buffy as much as he professed he did. "I don't know what they are doing to Dawnie."

Angel hung up without saying goodbye. He refused to let a barely out of her teens woman make him feel guilty. He was a vampire for crying out loud. It wasn't like he could take a drive in the sun. He paused to think of his wayward Childe who always seemed to get wherever he wanted to no matter the time of day. 'He's just crazy.'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dawn sat down in a chair in the lobby of Wolfram and Hart. Her face was buried in her hands, and she was crying when Valerie walked in.

Valerie rushed over to Dawn. "Dawn? What's wrong?" She looked around at her fellow workers in the area. "Did anyone touch her?" She would be ticked off if anyone harmed this young woman. She'd already found a soft place in her heart for Dawn Summers.

"No, they ... no one ... I'm so sorry!" Dawn looked up at Valerie and wept harder. "I didn't catch it. I didn't see. I'm so stupid." She continued her tirade of insults at herself.

"Dawn, what didn't you see or catch?" Valerie wrapped Dawn's hands in her own in comfort. "You have to tell me what's wrong, or I can't help you fix it."

"We can't fix it." Dawn sniffled, but she started to get a better hold of herself. She pointed at her "Willow detector" bracelet. "I wore a long shirt today, and I forgot to check the bracelet when I got out of school. I was in such a hurry to get here to have a chance at seeing Buffy."

Valerie nodded in understanding. "Willow was nearby?"

"Yes," Dawn nodded emphatically. "When I got inside, I dropped my bag. I picked it up, and my sleeve pulled up to reveal a glowing bracelet." Her face looked like she was ready to hyperventilate. "She knows I'm here, and if I know Willow she is going to head straight to Angel about it."

"Angel?" Valerie thought about her dealings with the Aurelius clan. "You mean Angelus, the head of the clan?"

"Not so much the head of anything when he's all soulful," Dawn answered. "He goes by Angel then. If he finds out about Buffy, he is likely to kill Spike and Buffy."

"I see." Valerie stood up. She headed over to the main welcoming desk. "Patch me through to widescan for our operatives in Sunnydale."

"Yes ma'am." The secretary hurried to follow Valerie's orders. Right now Valerie had the biggest clients of Sunnydale, and their bosses were very pleased with her work. She was a woman you didn't want to have on your bad side if you were hoping for a promotion.

"Attention all," Valerie spoke into the handset, "Locate, follow, and report on a Miss Willow Rosenberg. She has red hair, average height for a female, and is around her early twenties. She frequents the Sunnydale College, Magic Box and other magic related areas. Her residence is currently 1620 Revello Drive, also the home of Buffy Summers. Use caution and avoid contact, charms in place. Report in if you have any information, directly to Valerie."

A long series of beeps, long and short, and other signals answered the call one by one to acknowledge the receipt of the information.

"You have my pager and cell phone number, Colleen. Contact me immediately if anyone checks in." Valerie walked back over to Dawn. She crouched down next to her, and she ran her fingers comfortingly through Dawn's long brown hair. "They will find her, and we'll make sure we know if Angel meets with her."

"But what are we going to tell Buffy and Spike?"

"What are you going to tell Spike about?" Spike walked into the room from a back entrance that was protected from the sun. He noted the concerned looks on Dawn and Valerie's faces. "It doesn't seem like happy news."

"It isn't." Valerie stood back up.

Before Valerie was able to say anything, Dawn jumped up off the chair. "Spike!" She ran over into his arms, hugging him tightly. "It's all my fault. I didn't notice that Willow followed me from school. She knows I'm here."

Spike's head shot up to look at Valerie for confirmation. He sighed at the nod of her head. "It's okay, Bit." He ran his hands up and down her back in circular motions. "I'm sure you were just in a hurry to get here for your bit of mojo to see Buffy."

"I was, but now Angel is going to kill her because I wasn't paying attention." Dawn's wet face drenched Spike's shirt where her cheek lay.

"That stupid git is not going to get close enough to kill Buffy." Spike growled. "I will dust him first myself." Childer were not usually able to kill their Sires, but Angel had killed Darla. Spike hated Angel enough to force himself to kill his Sire to save his Childe, if necessary. He looked up at Valerie again. "We have time to prepare. I know my Sire, and he won't leave until the sun goes down."

"That gives us several hours to get things in ..." Valerie was interrupted by a loud beeping at the welcome desk. She quickly strode over to take the call.

Colleen picked up the handset. "Agent Matthews," She said before she handed the device to Valerie.

"Thank you, Colleen." Valerie beeped in her response code then started to speak, "Go ahead, Matthews."

"Target located leaving the Magic Box. I'm being forced to follow at a distance in-between different establishments. Difficult to follow."

"Understood. Do your best." Valerie paused in thought. "This is an important target. Succeed, and I will give put forward my recommendation for further field training. Check in every half hour to 45 minutes." Her voice was very authoritative and precise. She wounded like someone you didn't want to disobey.

"Yes, ma'am." Two long beeps followed by four short signaled the end of the conversation.

Valerie walked back over to a surprised Spike and Dawn. "What? A little incentive goes a long way." She grinned. "If he can handle following Willow, then he will deserve that recommendation."

Spike chuckled. "I like you, pet." He looked down at the mass of Dawn that was still in his arms. "Let get this mojo worked on you, Nibblet. Looks like you might be trying out a longer term stay today."

Valerie motioned for them to both head into her private office. She had her mages waiting to perform the demon defensive spell on Dawn. "This shouldn't take more than an hour or so."

"Sounds good. I think I will take Dawn directly back to our house afterwards." Spike reasoned, "If Red is snooping back around here, she would recognize your car. She doesn't know about mine."

Valerie agreed. "Later on, I will head home with a company car. I'll pick up some of her clothes and personal items and bring them over."

"I'm going to spend the night?" Dawn said with an eager lilt.

"We might have no choice with the poofter sticking his nose where it doesn't belong anymore." Spike looked at Dawn very seriously. "I don't know what it will be like. If Buffy can't handle it, we'll have to think of something else. As much as I love you, Bit, Buffy comes first in my mind."

Dawn nodded her head vigorously. She was almost happy that Angel was coming to town since it meant she'd get to stay with Buffy and Spike all night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy sat up straight on the couch. She sighed. The emotions she felt from her Sire told her that at least part of her dream was coming true. Angel was coming to Sunnydale. She flopped back against the couch with an exasperated sigh. "He better not try to take me away from Spike."

Buffy tore off another piece of paper from the notebook she was writing in. She started to work on a list of things she needed to do before Angel got there. She hurried off a text message to Spike on her cell phone to tell him that she knew Angel was coming.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dawn and Spike exited the Taurus in the garage at their new house. Dawn clutched Spike's hand tightly as they made their way to the house. She wasn't worried about her love for Buffy changing. She was more worried about Buffy's love for her changing.

Spike recognized Dawn's distress. He worked to reassure her of Buffy's desire to see her sister. "Bit, Buffy wants to see you as much as you do her. She was talking about you last night and today."

"I'm just scared." Dawn walked up the porch steps alongside, Spike. "We've grown apart since she came back. What if now that she's turned, she doesn't care at all about me anymore?"

"Dawn," Spike used Dawn's formal name to get her attention. He turned Dawn to face him. "She is still the same Buffy you've always known. I promise you that. She has some things to deal with because of the demon and being torn out of Heaven, but she is still Buffy."

Dawn nodded slowly. She watched Spike key in the entry code. She gulped hard when the key clicked in the lock and the door opened. She stood amazed at how beautiful the house looked on the inside as well as the outside. Her nervousness temporarily faded as she walked in, looking around. "Definitely a step up from the crypt, eh Spike?" She teased.

Before Spike was able to answer Dawn, a somewhat timid voice wafted down the stairs, "Dawnie?"

"Buffy?" Dawn followed the voice to the staircase. Slowly she inched away from Spike to meet Buffy at the bottom of the staircase.

Spike watched both of his girls interact. He hung back far enough to allow the two of them their space, but he was close enough to jump in if necessary.

Buffy reached out to run her fingers through Dawn's hair. With Dawn growing so quickly, Buffy almost needed to stand one step up to look Dawn in the eyes. "How have you been?"

"Scared, but Valerie is taking good care of me." Dawn wanted to hug Buffy so badly. "I'm not scared of you," She added. "It's just Willow and Angel ... I'm scared of losing you again."

Tara moved out of her room into the hallway. She heard Spike and Dawn talking, and then she heard Buffy leave her room to join them. She waited a few minutes before she snuck out herself to see how the meeting was going.

Spike smiled warmly, and he nodded to Tara to let her know that he saw her. Buffy seemed to be handling everything quite well. He sensed that her bloodlust was under control. He was proud of her.

Buffy glanced up at Spike. She silently sought his permission to let the demon out. They'd talked about it earlier in the day before he left to see Dawn. If she did well to start with, she wanted to test out her demon. With Angel on the way, and the likelihood of Dawn spending the night, Buffy wanted to be certain that her sister was safe.

Spike rested his hands firmly on Dawn's shoulders. "Do you trust me, Nibblet?"

"Always, Spike." Dawn glanced from Buffy to Spike and back to Buffy. "You stayed with me when everyone else forgot that both you and I hurt as much as them, if not worse."

Spike nodded his approval to Buffy. He promised Buffy that he'd never let her hurt her friends. That was doubly true for Dawn. If he was right, and Buffy's demon and soul followed the path he expected, Buffy would not have any desire to kill her sister. Buffy loved her family too deeply for that.

Angelus killed all of his family after he was turned, but he hated them to begin with. Drusilla loved her family so much that when Angelus murdered them she went insane. She had been trying to recreate a family ever since then with her dolls and other invisible friends.

William turned his mother, but it wasn't out of malice or destruction. When he was turned he woke up strong and vibrant. His mother was deathly ill, and he wanted his mother to feel good again. He loved her, and he wanted her to be with him always. Anne was too weak to fend of the demon's more savage influences. Instead the demon took control of her instead of the other way around.

Buffy was strong. Spike had faith that her demon would be forced to accept her human family as protected and cherished. A woman who loved so strongly, like Buffy, could make any demon submit to her will. It still amazed him that his own demon was as much in love with Buffy Summers as his inner poet was.

Buffy picked up Dawn's hand. She squeezed it gently. "Do you trust me, Dawnie?"

"With all my heart, Buffy." Dawn forced her voice not to quiver. She knew any sign of fear would give the demon within Buffy more power against her. Dawn wanted Buffy to know that she was willing to do whatever was necessary to stay with her sister. She didn't want to be parted from her again.

Buffy nodded to Spike. She was ready. She drew in an unneeded breath, and she shifted into her demon form.

Dawn gasped. After a few seconds her heart rate evened out. She tilted her head to the side in a very Spike-like fashion. "You're beautiful, Buffy." She wasn't sure what she expected, but it wasn't this. Buffy's ridges seemed smoother and her face softer that other vampires she'd seen. "You're eyes," Her grin widened, "They're silver instead of gold."

"They're silver?" Buffy directed the question to Spike. Without being able to look in a mirror, she just assumed she looked like every other vampire she'd seen.

Spike almost chuckled. If he hadn't known how sensitive Buffy was to everything right now, he probably would have. Her demon wasn't worried about eating Dawn. It was worried about how it looked. "Yes, pet. They are a lovely silver, flecked with your beautiful natural green color."

"Oh great," Buffy huffed. "Even among demons, I'm a freak!"

Dawn rolled her eyes. Buffy still held her hand, but Dawn pulled Buffy to her for a hug. "You aren't a freak. You are unique and beautiful."

Buffy returned the hug wholeheartedly. "Oh Dawnie ... I'm so sorry that I've been mean to you since I got back. It wasn't your fault."

Dawn closed her eyes as happy tears streaked down her face. "I'm sorry I didn't try to understand more why you were so upset. If I'd known you came from Heaven, I would have understood why you were so unhappy. I thought you just didn't love me anymore." Dawn moved back to look into Buffy's vampire face. "I was so happy to see you alive again. I didn't think about where you might have been before."

"I'm sorry too, Buffy." Tara walked down the stairs. "I should have made sure Willow did a dimensional locator spell." Her face darkened, "I thought she had."

Buffy turned to look at Tara. "It's done now, and we can't change the past." She smiled warmly at her friend. "I know how you feel about magic, and I know you wouldn't have done it if you didn't truly believe that I was in Hell."

"Thank you, Buffy. It means a lot to me that you don't hate me." Tara sighed in relief.

Buffy lifted Dawn's wrist to her mouth. "One more test, Dawnie, and then we can leave all this tension behind. Are you ready?"

Dawn nodded. She nibbled on her lower lip. She had a feeling that Buffy was going to bite her, and she was afraid that it would hurt too much.

Buffy kept her eyes locked with Spike's as she brought the wrist to her mouth. She licked and suckled at the vein there to bring it closer to the surface. At the right moment, she sliced her fangs into Dawn's skin and pulled once on her blood.

Dawn stiffened at the point of entry, and then she relaxed. It actually felt pretty good. 'That's strange.'

"Pet?" Spike felt the churning emotions from his Childe. Something was disturbing her in Dawn's blood. "What is it?"

Buffy's fangs retracted back, and she licked the wound closed. "Spike?" She looked up at Spike in confusion. "I know the monks made her from me, but she literally has Slayer blood in her." Her demon wanted to taste more Slayer blood, but it was satiated from the sense of family it felt in Dawn's blood instead.

"That's a twist. Guess you have a bit of the fighter in you, Bit. Always knew you were a spitfire." Spike chuckled. He wrapped one arm around Buffy and another around Dawn. "Let's go sit down, and have us a little chat."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Angel and Cordelia, along with Angel's son Connor, were on their way to Sunnydale a half hour after sunset. He drove the speed limit to avoid any delays by being pulled over. The closer he drove to the town, the more nervous he got.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Angel?" Cordelia cradled Connor in her arms. He was such a good baby. She was constantly amazed that a beautiful and well-mannered child like Connor had Darla and Angel for parents.

"No, I don't think this is a good idea, but I don't have much of a choice." Angel sighed. "Willow has no idea where Buffy is, and if Wolfram and Hart is involved it can't be good. We talked about this already." His patience was worn thin. He'd spent a couple hours just arguing with Wesley and Cordelia about why he should or shouldn't go to Sunnydale.

"Don't bite my head off, Mister "Broodier Than Usual"." Cordelia spent a large amount of time in her bedroom between Angel's announcement about heading to Sunnydale and their actual departure. During that time she was sent a vision by the powers. Wesley heard her scream of pain, but they agreed to keep the contents of her vision from Angel for now. If what she saw was true, it would change everything for everyone.

"Can we just not talk, Cordy?" Angel huffed. He needed more time to think. Something wasn't adding up in his head. He'd been so busy with Connor lately that nothing else penetrated his mind. Now, as he thought harder on the events of the past week, he felt a nagging sensation in his mind that he missed something important.

Cordelia watched Angel out of the corner of her eye. She knew when his thoughts turned in different directions. Something about Angel was easy for her to read, no matter that he kept the same expression on his face. It was like she felt his emotions at times. It always unnerved her.

Angel realized that part of the sensations he'd felt were due to the creation of another Aurelian Childe. He felt it when Dru turned Darla back into a vampire, but this had a slightly different edge to it. He would almost think that Spike created a Childe, but he knew about the government chip that kept him from harming humans. 'And I'd say turning a human into a vampire would be considered harming.' His thoughts continued to wrestle around within his head the whole way to Sunnydale without being able to nail them down.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Valerie scanned through all the information the Los Angeles office sent her on Angel. It seemed that Lindsey McDonald made it his goal to find out everything he could about Angel and attempt to destroy him. From the notations she read by the Senior Partners, Lindsey wasn't very successful overall.

Valerie's eyes bulged at one of the footnotes that led to another report in the file. She quickly flipped through the pages and read from top to bottom. "Oh my gosh." She tossed the other folders onto the coffee table.

"What is it?" Tara leaned close to Valerie to see what she was reading.

Valerie looked up at those gathered in the living room. "I don't see how this information is accurate," She passed the folder over to Spike and Buffy who sat on the opposite couch from her and Tara. "It has to be wrong."

"What has to be wrong?" Dawn's curiosity was piqued. She unrolled her legs out from underneath her. She sat on a chair in-between the two couches. Even though everything was going well with Buffy, Spike still made sure he was between her and Buffy in case he needed to protect Dawn.

Spike darkly laughed. "You're bloody right it has to be wrong. Vampires can't get people pregnant, and we certainly can't have babies!"

Buffy ripped the file from Spike's hands. "Darla? Darla was dust." She read on, "Valerie, I'm seriously worried about the firm you work for when they are able to bring back dusted vampires." She looked up at Valerie with a cold stare.

"Not all branches are like that Buffy." Valerie wanted to remain calm, but she felt the anger pulse from Buffy. "It seems that Lindsey McDonald and a couple associates worked to bring this about. It wasn't sanctioned by the Senior Partners directly."

"They tried to give him a happy, Val!" Buffy jumped up in anger. She growled. "Do you have any idea what happens when he gets a moment of perfect happiness?"

Spike stood up next to Buffy. He nuzzled his lips against his Sire marks on her neck. He whispered soothing words and sounds against her neck to help calm her.

Buffy panted, and her eyes closed. The touch was both arousing and calming. She felt her anger ebb itself away until she was much more calm. "I'm sorry, Val, but you have no idea the Hell I went through the last time his soul went on walkabout." She whimpered.

Spike caressed Buffy's back. "It's all right, pet. The papers say his soul is still in there."

"It's not all right, Spike." Buffy looked up into her Sire's eyes in pain. "Angel has a child, a real flesh and blood child, and that bitch Darla is the child's mother. He had sex with her! The file says that Angel protects and loves that child completely from all reports."

"Is that the problem then?" Spike growled. "You're all jealous that the bleeding poofter had sex with another woman?" He tried to cover up his aching heart with anger. He knew that Angel would ruin everything for him again. Here it was happening, and Angel hadn't even arrived in Sunnydale yet.

"No," Buffy hung her head. She realized her words caused Spike pain. "It is that he took the chance to lose his soul again after all of his lectures to me of how we couldn't be together anymore, blah blah blah. He is such a hypocrite." Tears rolled down her face at the memory of the pain she suffered after Angel left for L.A.

"Pet," Spike tipped Buffy's face up. He kissed each cheek's tears away tenderly. "His brooding self has played the martyr for decades. I don't know what happened with Darla, but the snobbish bitch was still family. She was also Angelus' Sire, and you know now just how strong that bond can be."

Buffy nodded slowly. "If she hadn't dusted herself, I'd go dust her myself now," She spat out in disgust. "Don't think Drusilla would miss my wrath either for turning Darla gain." She hoped Spike could understand why.

"If Drusilla, or anyone, tries to hurt you, I will dust them myself. Now that the chip doesn't work, I can take care of anyone that comes our way, human or demon."

"The chip doesn't work?" Buffy's eyes widened.

'Uh oh,' Spike cringed. He thought Buffy figured that fact out when she saw the rapist. "Did you think Tara picked up that bastard who hurt you and brought him home?"

"No ... I ... I really didn't think about it." Buffy's shoulders sagged. Dealing with the Scoobies would have been hard enough if Spike was still chipped. Now, what was she going to do?

"Do you want the stake now, Slayer?" Spike's tone was cold, and he bit back the pain he felt inside. He begged whatever higher power would listen to him to allow them to stay together.

Dawn jumped off her chair to Spike's defense. "Buffy, please ..."

Buffy held onto Dawn's arm to stop her. "I was just caught off guard." She turned back to look at Spike. "I can trust that you will not harm innocents?" Her eyes searched his gaze. She hoped to find the truth and trust in their depths that she needed.

Spike relaxed some. "Buffy, I promise that I will never do anything that you would have to stake me for. The chip's been gone for a couple days, and I haven't gone all massacre happy. I can control myself. I am not Angelus."

Buffy hugged Spike tightly. She buried her face in Spike's chest. She felt the reassurance of his love flow into her. She felt secure that he meant every word he said.

"Not to interrupt, but what are we going to do about Angel and the child?" Valerie queried. "What if he brings the child with him?"

"If he does, then we'll have ourselves a little family reunion." Spike grinned devilishly. He had no plans to harm the child, but the boy could be an ace in the hole to keep his Sire from staking Buffy. "Even Angelus keeps certain ties to family and blood. Sometimes his idea of taking care of the family is pretty sadistic, but blood means a lot to him."

"You think we can reach that part of him that still recognizes the claim of family to protect me?" Buffy asked.

"Yes, and if we have to, we can use the boy as a little persuasion."

Dawn gasped. "You wouldn't hurt him, would you?"

"No, Bit, but if we can make him realize the correlation between how he feels about his child, and how I feel about mine, maybe we can get through to him."

Valerie's cell phone went off. She pressed the talk button and listened to Agent Matthews report on Angel's arrival. "See if you can hear any of the conversation, but do not give away your presence." She closed the phone to end the call. "I hope you're right, Spike. Angel's here, and he brought the boy with him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

Chapter Summary: Angel is in town with Cordelia and Connor in tow. Wesley stayed behind in Los Angeles. Willow and Angel have a chat when he arrives, and she explains her woes to him. Cordelia has another vision, and she goes out in search of some answers. Buffy's getting a little bit antsy, and they decide to head out on a patrol.

Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

Willow and Amy lounged on the new couch that Amy conjured up after looking through catalogues. The old couch was simply not large enough for both of them to spread out on comfortably, and Willow wanted to be able to kick back and relax with Amy.

Willow was upset about Dawn being kidnapped and nervous about Angel's arrival. So, Amy had offered to perform a quick relaxing spell. Willow accepted, and the result was two very mellow witches. To keep themselves occupied until Angel arrived, they decided to paint their nails. A bottle of Violent Light nail polish for Willow and Pink Paradise for Amy levitated in the air while the brushes hovered over their toes, slowly stroking each nail in turn.

Willow waved her fingers in the air, "How did we ever manage to paint our toes and fingers before this?"

Amy giggled, "Who knows. After your friend arrives can we go back to Rack's? Last night was a blast, but I need a recharge."

Willow's answer was cut off by a loud banging on the door. With a quick wave of her hand, the nail polish vanished and their toes were magically dry. She sighed and straightened up on the couch. She didn't even bother to go to the door. She called out, "Come in, Angel."

"That was a foolish thing to do, Willow." Angel stomped into the living room with a scowl crossing his face. He hated leaving Connor's side, even if Cordy was there to take care of him in the car. He knew no one would protect Connor like he could, but the thoughts of trying to explain to everyone why he had a baby was too much to deal with right now. He didn't want to explain Darla to anyone right now, much less admit what happened to Buffy or her friends.

"I was specific with the invite." Willow huffed at Angel. "Only you would have been able to come in with that offer. I'm not stupid."

Angel ran his hand through his hair, careful not to mess up the gelled mass too much. 'Maybe not, but you can't find one teenager without calling me to Sunnydale to help you out,' He thought to himself. 'It's not like Dawn isn't in danger every other week. Buffy always saves her.' He frowned. "It is better to be safe than sorry, Willow."

Willow rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I know what I'm doing."

'Is dragging me here some form of revenge? Is Willow still that upset over her fish that she would do this to me on purpose? Torment the vampire with what he can never have?' Angel sighed audibly.

"You aren't here to give me a lecture on proper vampire procedures, Angel." Willow started to get angry. Angel had no right to tell her what to do. She was a powerful witch now. She didn't need his guidance.

"Right." Angel clenched his hands into fists at his side. He fought to keep down the anger at the redhead. 'They call me to come here and help out and protect them, then she has a hissy fit when I try to tell her to be careful.' His anger increased the longer he stewed on it.

Amy cleared her throat beside Willow. She wasn't about to get in the middle of a fight, but if this was the Angel that Willow had been waiting for, she wanted to get rid of him so they could head to Rack's.

Angel focused on the other girl on the couch. "Hello ... Who are you again?" He figured that she had to be one of the Scoobies he didn't remember or she wouldn't be in Buffy's house.

Willow answered Angel impatiently, "This is Amy. Do you remember the burning at the stake incident and the turning into a rat problem we had?" At Angel's blank stare she continued, "Never mind it's not important. Amy is an old friend of ours from high school. She is moving into Dawn's room now that Dawnie has moved out."

Angel stared at Willow. She was making absolutely no sense again. "I thought you said Dawn had been kidnapped. Why are you moving people into her room, if she has been abducted?" He paused a moment, "Why are you moving people in here at all without Buffy being here?"

"The state will probably take Dawn away from Buffy for real, anyway." Willow shrugged and looked unconcerned. "The social worker really doesn't like Buffy. It's not like Buffy is ever home anyways." She complained, "No one has heard from her, except Dawn, for the last four days. Not once has she bothered to call and check on me." It didn't matter to Willow that if Buffy was gone she wouldn't know that Tara had left her. She was just upset that Buffy hadn't coddled her. 'It's just like when Oz left all over again.'

"Buffy has been gone for over half the week, and you are just now contacting me? Who has been patrolling for her? She is the Chosen One, the Slayer." Angel was flabbergasted. It wasn't like Buffy to shirk her duties and responsibilities like this, not the Buffy he knew. "She should be here guarding the Hellmouth. What the hell has been going on since she got back?"

Willow was feeling annoyed, and she could feel the relaxing spell starting to wear off. Her eyes started to darken, and she snapped at Angel. "Look I told you on the phone that Buffy had disappeared, and Dawn was the only one who knew where she was. You need to focus Angel."

Angel looked at the redhead and sat down in a chair. 'This could be a long night,' He thought to himself. "Why don't you start from the beginning?"

"Beginning? You've got to be joking." Willow watched Angel for a moment before she realized he was serious. She contemplated incinerating the vampire from the inside out, but she needed him to find Buffy and Dawn. Wolfram and Hart have Dawn, Buffy is nowhere to be seen, I can't find her checkbook to pay the mortgage that the bank keeps calling me for, and Tara left me." She spat out all in one breath.

Angel inwardly rolled his eyes. Did Willow even realize how she sounded to him?

"To top it off Giles is drunk, and Xander is off trying on tuxes for his wedding. I have to help patrol, everything is falling apart, and I'm the only here trying to hold it all together. So whatever the heck is bothering you I'm sorry, but hello, you need to help me deal with this now. I don't have all night to hold your hand." Willow finished her tirade of anger and complaining.

"What exactly do you want me to do about it all? Most of that I can't do a thing about." Angel was beyond annoyed. For being Buffy's best friend, Willow seemed more concerned about her own personal problems than she was for Buffy's welfare. He was very close to slapping Willow for her whining attitude.

Two hours later, an annoyed Cordelia stormed into the house with a crying baby and a small overnight bag. She stomped over to Angel, and she thrust Connor into his father's arms. "You take him. He won't calm down for me anymore. He can tell you're upset even from the car."

Cordelia plopped down in a chair. She waved at the two women. "Hey Willow. Hey Amy. Can we stay here tonight?" She stretched her legs out in front of her. She'd been cramped up in that car for far too long, and her legs hurt. "I have a feeling this isn't going to be resolved any time soon, and I am really tired of sitting in the car, even if it is a nice one." At Willow's nod, Cordy jumped up and grabbed her bag. "Thanks, I am going to take a shower."

Willow just stared as her former high school nemesis dropped off a baby, which calmed immediately, and headed upstairs towards her bathroom. "What the ..."

Angel grimaced, 'I guess I will have to explain now. Couldn't Cordy have waited five more minutes?' He sighed and began the story of Wolfram and Hart's meddling and how it had resulted in his miracle son.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cordelia waited until she got into the bathroom, and she had turned on the shower, before she started shaking. She had fallen asleep in the car with Connor cuddled up to her chest. During her rest she dreamt a truly bizarre dream.

Cordy still tried to make sense of what she had seen. Some of it seemed like flashbacks to her vision from earlier. Others were flashes of things that didn't quite make sense to her. Was it precognition like her visions, or was her mind recreating the worst fears she'd dwelled on during the ride to Sunnydale.

Cordelia had clearly saw Buffy die in a cemetery from what looked like a gunshot wound. Then, she saw Buffy being turned. From the hair color of the head leaning over the dead Slayer, she placed her bets on Spike being Buffy's Sire. The rest was a jumbled array of scenes.

In her dream, Cordy saw Spike and Buffy fighting demons, caring for Dawn and a couple of blond women that she didn't know but were at their side. She saw Buffy fight Angel, who looked a lot like Angelus with all the leather and demon face, and Buffy crying over an unconscious Willow. A vamped Slayer would be dangerous, but the thought of Angelus on the loose made her blood chill.

Were Buffy and Spike going to be their salvation, or did they help create the situation? Was it their fault that Angelus got free? Cordelia knew Wolfram and Hart was involved somehow from Angel's ramblings on the way from Los Angeles. Could it have been they who took his soul? Was it simply a dream she misunderstood or a vision gone wonky.

She decided to try and find out what was going on. She slipped out of the shower and left in running. She hoped the noise would mask her leaving for a while. She quickly dressed into suitable fighting clothes. She went to Buffy's room and slipped down the tree, much like Buffy did hundreds of times. She hoped to find some answers to her questions by wandering into the night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy stared out into the night. She waited until Dawn and Tara had dozed off before coming out to the porch to think. Her thoughts were overwhelming at times. She needed the space, for both her soul and her demon.

Silently, Spike slipped out onto the porch. Buffy smiled at her Sire. Sometimes, he could be so sweet and gentle. "Are you going to sit with me?" She'd seen him be equally as protective, kind, and loving over the last couple days as he was hard and vengeful over what happened to her.

Spike nodded and moved over to the porch swing. He sat down on the furthest side of the swing. He felt Buffy's emotions running high, and he wasn't sure what was wrong. So, he opened up his arms for her to slip into if she wanted to.

Buffy snuggled into Spike's arms and closed her eyes as Spike began to stroke her hair. "What are you thinking luv? I can hear the wheels turning."

Buffy squirmed around until her head rested in the nook of Spike's shoulder. She took an unnecessary breath and sighed. "You haven't even tried to touch me the whole time I've been here, not even when I rose."

Spike stilled. He wasn't able to tell if Buffy was trying to convey his restraint as a good thing or a bad thing. He had to choose his words carefully. "Don't what to push you into anything, pet. I read all those books that Tara picked up, and they all mentioned how it important it is not to push you into something you're not ready for."

"You actually know how to read?" Buffy teased before she became silent for a few minutes.

Buffy's silence unnerved him. So Spike continued to talk to her as he stroked her hair. "Luv, you're so beautiful and strong. I love you very much, and I want to be with you forever." He lifted her chin up to look into her eyes. "I want any joining we have to be something you choose, not something you do because I am your Sire or because you're suddenly a vampire." He cupped her cheek. "I can wait until you're ready to decide if I'm the one you want to be with. Time is on our side now."

Buffy smiled and stretched up to kiss Spike on the cheek. "Thank you." She felt relieved and a strong sense of contentment. Knowing that he was willing to wait for her was a relief. She just needed some more time to get used to everything.

After a while of sitting on the porch and cuddling close to each other, Buffy looked up at Spike. "I think I might be ready to patrol. I'm getting a bit restless about being cooped up. Can you come with me?"

"Sure, luv. A little patrol would go a long way to smoothing your demon's need for violence." Spike held out his hand for Buffy to stand up with. Hands still clasped, they slipped off into the night together.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cordelia walked towards the cemetery she'd seen in her vision. She had a few stakes on her, and she felt fairly prepared if she ran into any vamps. She wasn't hunting for vampires however. She wanted answers, and like everything strange in Sunnydale, the answers would most likely be found in the graveyard.

Walking silently in the shadows, Cordelia observed the night around her. The air felt heavy. It was as if the night knew why she was there and wanted to stop her from finding out its secrets. She quietly moved around the darkened corners and listened. The crypt she saw in her vision was closer to the other side of this cemetery.

Quietly, Cordy listened in on the conversation floating on the air. She rolled her eyes. 'How do they ever manage to sneak up on vampires with the racket they are making?' She ducked behind a crypt to keep from being seen.

Giles and Xander lounged on tombstones discussing the whereabouts of the missing Slayer.

"All I am saying Xander, is that Buffy really should have given us a way to contact her. It was bloody irresponsible of her to run off like that." Giles had been following the same rant for the last two days. He was forced to cancel his flight back to England, and he was ticked off. "I know that being pulled out of Heaven must have been hard on her, but it is time for her to act like an adult. She needs to take responsibility for her self and for Dawn."

Cordelia stifled the gasp that wanted to escape. 'Buffy was resurrected from Heaven? Oh my gosh! No wonder she was so messed up when she came to LA.' Her heart broke to think of how hard it must have been for Buffy to transition from Heaven back to the hell that was Sunnydale.

Giles continued his tirade. "We can't always be here to clean up after her, take care of Dawn and patrol for her any time she decides to take off."

Xander grimaced and attempted to soothe Giles' rant. "Channeling the evil undead G-Man? Buffy is going through a rough time right now. She's easing back into things." He sighed audibly. He still had a hard time dealing with the fact that they had resurrected their friend out of a heavenly dimension. "We ripped her out of Heaven. The important thing is to help her through this transition."

"Didn't you say something like that last week when you thought she had been in Hell?" Giles knew that he was being unreasonable, but he couldn't stop it all from coming out.

"It's still true, no matter if she came from Heaven or Hell. I think coming from Heaven would be a lot worse of an adjustment than a hell dimension."

The conversation quickly spiraled into an argument over what Buffy really needed: time versus responsibility. Each of them had a different opinion, but they both seemed to agree with the fact that they wished they knew where Buffy was.

Cordy shook her head. 'Those idiots tore Buffy out of Heaven, and they expect her to be all happy about it?' It seemed that Xander was okay with allowing Buffy the time away to deal with it. 'What the hell is with Giles though?'

Finally a body rose from the grave and both men went into attack mode. After they dusted the newly risen vampire they moved on to another part of the cemetery.

Cordy quietly snuck past them. She finally reached her destination, the crypt she saw in her vision. She tried to open the door silently, but she winced when it made an annoying creeping noise. 'God this is so like a cheesy movie.'

All light thoughts fled when she saw the inside of the crypt. The burial vault was covered in blood. She covered her mouth and forced herself to walk in further. Tears burned in her eyes. She noticed a trail of blood and some half burned cigarettes on the floor.

Everything looked exactly like her vision. She could almost picture a dying Buffy and a weeping Spike standing over her. She bent down to touch the space on the ground that she imagined they rested against. She'd seen enough to validate her worst fears. She needed to get to Angel to have him verify if this was Buffy's blood or not.

Cordy turned and fled out into the night as quickly as she could. She had to get away from that crypt fast, before she threw up. She fled out past the crypt door, but her progress was stopped abruptly when she ran straight into the arms of a snarling vampire. She screamed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Angel knocked on the bathroom door. The shower had been running for over an hour now. Although vampires were not sensitive to cold and hot, he still wanted to get some lukewarm water for his own shower.

"Come on Cordy, answer the door." Angel knocked again. He heard Willow and Amy leave the Summers' house about a half hour ago. He didn't know where they were headed to, and he really couldn't bring himself to care. Something about Willow seemed darker than before. His demon seemed to lean towards her. That was never a good thing.

Angel pounded on the door. He didn't want to wake up Connor, but he wondered if something was wrong with Cordelia. "Delia ..." He knocked again. "I'm coming in if you don't say something in the next five seconds." He counted to five, and after no answer, he shouldered the door to the bathroom open.

Angel searched the bathroom for any sign of a struggle or trouble. He reached into the empty shower and turned off the water. "Strange." He looked around the room again. After a trek to Buffy's bedroom, and seeing that Cordy's clothes were strewn about, he assumed that she slipped out. "What the heck does she think she's doing?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

Chapter Summary: Angel, Cordelia and Connor arrived in Sunnydale. After a chat with Willow and Amy, Cordelia snuck out of the Summers' house to search for the crypt from her vision. She was caught coming out of the crypt, and those who found her now confront her. Who caught her? Will Angel find out about Buffy? Is there someone lurking around the cemetery who will catch Spike and Buffy out on "patrol"?

Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

"What are you doing here?" The vampire snarled at Cordelia. "Come to make sure your work was complete?" Spike, in full game face, gripped Cordelia's arms tightly.

Cordelia shook in the Master Vampire's arms. Never had she seen such rage up close. She knew this was Spike, and she was afraid that her next breath would be her last.

Buffy caught up to Spike. He'd broke out into a run when he glimpsed a figure near the crypt they'd been in before. She stopped Spike before he sank his fangs into Cordelia's neck. "Spike, she isn't the one."

"Are you sure?" Spike looked over Cordy's turned head at Buffy. "She was snooping around in places that no human in their right mind should, unless they were looking for something in particular."

"Of course I'm sure. The guy told me who his boss was." Buffy reasoned with her Sire. "This is Cordelia. She probably came from L.A. with Angel."

Cordelia felt relief for a moment or two. 'Buffy kept Spike from killing me.' So, if Buffy was a vampire, she reasoned that Buffy was a good one. She tensed up in fear again after the mention of Angel caused Spike to growl deeply once more.

"Peaches doesn't even do his own investigating anymore? He sends out his women?" Spike rolled his eyes and let go of Cordy. "Go tell the prat his interference isn't needed or wanted here in Sunnydale."

"First off, I'm not one of Angel's women." Cordelia scooted back against the crypt door and pushed herself up. "He ... He doesn't even know I'm out here. Angel is at Buffy's house."

Buffy placed a calming hand on Spike's arm. She tried to show Spike her support and assure him that he was the one she wished to stay with. "Why are you out here, Cordelia? You should know better than to travel in the cemetery at night in Sunnydale."

"I needed to find out if something was true, and I could only do that in this cemetery and at this crypt." Cordelia answered honestly. Whatever was going on wasn't as "evil" as she originally interpreted from her vision. Apart from Spike's anger at finding her at the crypt, Spike was back in his human face and calmly waiting for her explanations.

Buffy listened to Cordelia talk. She could smell Angel's scent on Cordy as well as a couple others mingled in. One smell was oddly familiar to her. "What are those smells Spike?" She was still learning what each scent stood for. Her Slayer senses were keen before, but now they were even more attuned to every underlying scent or touch.

Spike leaned in a little closer to Cordelia to get a good grasp of all the scents on her. He loved Buffy's curiosity. If they could get everything squared away with his Sire, he was going to enjoy showing and teaching Buffy everything he could. "I'd say some of it is Peaches' scent. Some of it belongs to the kid of his." He inhaled again. "The rest is a mixture of Willow and Willow's residual spell casting."

"So, Willow is doing enough magic in my house that a smell sticks to people who visit?" Buffy's gaze wandered from Cordelia to Spike.

"The smell would be stronger the longer someone stayed and the more magic was casting within a certain amount of time." Spike pulled a cigarette out of a pack in his duster. He flicked open his lighter and lit the tip of the cigarette. He enjoyed breathing, but he didn't want to smell Angel's scent. The smoke would cover it up well enough for him to bear it. "Why do you think there are ways to trace spells or magic used, pet? Because all magic leaves a trail for a bit. The stronger the magic, the stronger the trail."

Buffy leaned into Spike's side. She rested her head with her cheek down on his shoulder. "I'm so glad you got Dawn out of that house." She sighed. "I would have been so worried about her, if she was still there."

Cordelia listened to the conversation go back and forth between the two blondes. She noticed how easily and comfortably they interacted with each other. 'This is not the same Spike who came to Los Angeles and tortured Angel. Though he still seems to hate Angel.' Many questions ran through her head to ask the pair, but her mind stopped wandering at the mention of Dawn's name. "Dawn is safe?"

"Of course she is. Definitely a hell of a lot safer than she was with Red." Spike huffed. "I took care of the bit for 147 days when Buffy was d ... dead. Why would I let anything happen to her now?"

"Have you seen her in the last 12 hours?" Cordy was more baffled than when she left L.A. What was going on between everyone in Sunnydale? Buffy was hanging out with Spike, Giles was all bad Buffy, and it seemed that no one knew what was going on with the others.

"We left her at our new home less than an hour ago, Cordy." Buffy lifted her head off of Spike's shoulder and sighed. Their house was already starting to feel like a home with Tara and Dawn there with them. She felt like she was a part of a true family again. "I'm afraid that someone jumped to the wrong conclusions when she called you here."

"We were told that Dawn was kidnapped, possibly by a branch of Wolfram and Hart." Cordy watched Spike and Buffy's body language and facial expressions for any signs of insincerity. It hadn't gone unnoticed that most of the time Buffy barely took a breath during the whole time they talked either. "We've had dealings with Wolfram and Hart, and none of them have been good."

"I had a feeling that's what the bloody bitch told the poofter." Spike spat out his words in anger. "She didn't even bother to check the facts before she assumed the worst."

"Spike ..." Buffy cautioned Spike about his temper. She cared deeply for him, whether she wanted to admit it fully or not, but his temper did frighten her. He was a passionate person, and he felt everything deeply including his anger and love. "She's still our friend. Willow is just on the wrong track right now. She could have been genuinely concerned about Dawn."

"From what I overheard of Willow's conversation with Angel, I don't think so." Cordelia interjected her perspective.

"Why should I believe what you say about Willow?" Buffy asked the question in curiosity and not malice. "It's no secret that you two haven't exactly gotten along since the whole kissing thing with Xander."

"Red kissing the Whelp?" Spike raised an intrigued brow. "Never would have figured that one to happen."

"Yeah well it was your fault." Buffy slapped him upside the head. "I never really slapped you for that one either."

"Oi, how was that my fault?" Spike rubbed the back of his head.

"It was your oh so wonderful plan to lock my boyfriend and Willow in the factory," Cordelia grated her teeth together as she spoke. "Oz and I found them snuggling and kissing on the bed you left them on when we went to rescue them."

"Oh." Spike frowned. "I just wanted her to do a spell for me, but the Whelp got in the way. I couldn't leave him on the lab floor. He'd have gone running to you all for sure."

"Spike it doesn't matter. It's over and done with, but I will kick your ass if you kidnap my friends again."

"Yes Mistress Slayer." Spike growled playfully. He wrapped his arms around Buffy's waist and pulled her back against him. "I promised you that I wouldn't harm innocents any longer, didn't I?"

"Yes you did." Buffy closed her eyes to savor the feeling of being in Spike's arms. She opened them again at the sound of Cordelia clearing her throat.

"Not to break up the oh so touching scene, but I believe we were talking about Willow." Cordelia's hands were on her hips. She rested her weight on her right leg.

"Sorry Cordelia," Buffy answered.

"Anyways, Willow seemed to want Angel to solve all her problems for her, including finding your checkbook. She was hardly focused on Dawn at all." Cordelia started to explain the conversation she walked in on again. "Plus from what I saw it looked like she redecorated Dawn's room already. She's probably going to have her friend Amy live there."

"Amy?" Buffy blinked in surprise. "When did she get de-ratted?"

"I don't know, but Amy was there. Her and Willow were looking pretty cozy on what looked like a new couch." Cordelia tilted her head to the side. "It's a nice one. When did you get it?"

"I swear I'll rip her limb from limb if she got rid of, or ruined, any of my family's things." Buffy growled loudly. She heard a yelp of surprise from Cordy, and she realized that she must have shifted faces. "Sorry." She lowered her head to hide her face.

Spike lifted Buffy's face to be level with his. "Never be ashamed of your face, Buffy." He smiled lovingly. "You are beautiful no matter which face is forward."

Cordelia stared at Buffy. Now that the shock was over, she smiled. "Your eyes ... They're pretty. I've never seen silver ones on a vampire before."

"You knew I was a vampire?" Buffy was surprised that Cordelia wasn't freaking out a lot more.

"Yes, it was a part of the vision I had." Cordelia motioned to the closed crypt door. "That was why I was looking for this crypt." She took in a deep breath while a shudder passed down her spine at the memory of her vision. "I saw your death and then your turning."

"I see." Buffy nodded. That explained to her why Cordelia wasn't all wigged out. "The eyes must be a part of the whole Slayer package: soul, silver eyes, no guilties." She shrugged. "More research for Giles to do if I ever get up enough gumption to see him again."

"If you aren't careful, you'll see him tonight." Cordy remembered that she saw Giles and Xander earlier before she found the crypt. "Xander and Giles are doing some sort of patrol in the cemetery. A whole clan could walk up behind them with how loud they were."

Buffy's concern for her friends overrode her various qualms with her Watcher and one of her oldest friends. "Do you think we should follow them? Just in case they get into trouble?"

"I think they'll manage fine without us." Spike wasn't ready for a confrontation with the Scoobies, and he doubted Buffy was either. "We have to suss out what to do about Angelus first."

"Angelus?" Cordelia gasped. "No way. He's definitely soulful right now. He's brooding too much not to be."

"For now, but let's just say I had a little vision of my own." Buffy frowned. "It could have been a Slayer dream. It sure felt like it."

"He's not making with the happies about being back in Sunnydale." Cordelia was afraid to deal with Angelus again. "He wants to avoid you if at all possible. So no bump and grind for him to lose his soul with."

Spike snarled possessively. He bared his teeth at the former cheerleader. "He won't get a chance to get his mangy paws on my Mate. I'll pull his undead heart out with my own hands if he even tries to get that close."

Buffy nuzzled her lips against Spike's neck. She knew what being mated meant, and she was fairly certain that the term slipped out of Spike's mouth because he cared for her as a Mate and not just a Childe. A year or two ago she would have been ticked at such a possessive tone, but right now she felt pretty good about it. "I am yours, beloved Sire." She purred softly and soothingly. She turned Spike's head towards hers to share a brief but heartfelt kiss.

'This night just keeps getting more bizarre,' Cordelia thought.

Buffy looked at Cordelia after she was sure that Spike was calmer. "My dream showed Angelus coming to the foreground when he realized my change. I don't think the soul was gone. It just wasn't in the driver's seat."

"That would be very bad." Cordy contemplated what they could do to avoid a confrontation between Angel and Buffy and Spike. "I can't get him to leave Sunnydale without some explanation as to how and why I know that Dawn is safe or that Wolfram and Hart aren't involved."

"We never said that the law firm wasn't involved." Spike spoke evenly.

"You said Dawn wasn't kidnapped. So, if she wasn't kidnapped, why would they be involved?" Cordelia questioned in confusion.

"Not everything is in black and white." Buffy explained. "Just like not all humans are good, or all demons bad, not all at that law firm have evil purposes."

"My lawyer, Valerie, works for them." Spike further explained. "She helped me get Dawn away from Willow's magic, and she had the firm's mages cast multitudes of protection spells and wards for our home."

Buffy nodded her agreement with what Spike was saying. "Though I don't like what I saw in their files on Angel, Valerie has done nothing but be helpful."

"Somehow I find that hard to believe." Cordelia shook her head back and forth. "If you knew what the firm in L.A. has done to use for the last couple years, you wouldn't believe them to be anything but evil."

"From what we read, a lot of that has to do with Lindsey MacDonald." Buffy sneered. "If I ever get my hands on him for finding a way to bring Darla back, I'll hurt him ... a LOT."

"You know about Darla?"

"And about Angel's child with her. Yes."

"Valerie was quite shocked by that situation herself." Spike rocked Buffy in his arms to comfort her. He was starting to realize that her anger over the situation wasn't that Angel was with someone else. She was mad that Darla returned, no one told her about it, and Angel risked his soul to be with anyone.

"It could all just be an act." Cordelia countered. "Angel is never gonna believe me without some kind of proof."

"We can have you meet with Dawn and Tara." Buffy offered. "Willow tried to brainwash Tara. Her last attack was the reason we took Dawn out of my Mom's house." She had been filled in on everything that happened in the couple days that she was resting before her awakening.

"Valerie can bring them somewhere safe. So, you could talk to her as well." Spike wanted to do whatever it took to get Angel and his group gone. They had a lot of preparation to do for their future meetings with the Scoobies. They couldn't hold off that meeting forever. Every day that passed brought them that much closer to the inevitable encounter.

"I don't know if it will be enough, but it's a start." Cordelia pulled a little notepad out of her back pocket. "What is a number I can get a hold of you guys at?" She looked up at Spike and Buffy. "I have to figure out a way to do this without Angel's knowledge. So, I'll have to call you later with a time."

"Fine." Spike rattled off his and Buffy's cell phone numbers to Cordelia. "We pick the place though. We have to be sure it is warded against any magical attacks or interference."

"You're really serious about the magic, aren't you?" Cordelia asked. She'd noticed that something seemed to be off about Willow, but she assumed it was because Willow had grown up in the last couple years.

"Yes, we are. She's tried to brainwash people and take away their will." Buffy gripped her hands into fists. "She tore me out of Heaven to resurrect me. She uses magic without thought or care to the consequences, and she makes too many mistakes with it."

"Don't let Red know anything or she might try to swipe you too." Spike cautioned. "We can try to bring you protection if you are willing to trust us. I hope you do." He spoke honestly. "I don't want anything to happen to Buffy or the Nibblet. They are my life, and I love them both."

Cordelia nodded. "For some insane reason, I believe you do love them. Beyond that, I can't promise right now." She looked back and forth over the tombstones at the eery night. "I've been gone a long time. I'd better get back. I'll call you as soon as I can."

"Okay, Cordy. Thanks for giving us a chance." Buffy smiled.

Once Cordelia headed West back to the Summers' house, Buffy and Spike headed North for a quick patrol of the area. They hoped to avoid Xander and Giles.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Xander sat flat on the ground. He shook his head once, twice, and then he buried his head in his hands. There was no way he just heard any of that between Cordy, Buffy and Spike. 'She seemed like Buffy, but that's impossible if she's a vampire.'

Xander waited for the trio to part ways before he walked to the crypt. He held his hand on the door. He was afraid to go inside to see any evidence to support what he'd just heard. He opened the door and nearly passed out at the gore apparent from the violence that happened in the tomb. Until he slipped on the bullet on the crypt floor, he was ready to assume that Spike attacked Buffy

'Spike wouldn't use a gun. He can't.' Xander remembered back to a time in his parent's basement when Spike tried to point a gun at him. The chip fired even at that. Xander stood there for a couple hours, cemented to the place where his life had changed again forever. He shifted between tears of pain and disbelief and overwhelming joy that Buffy wasn't "dead" again.

Xander cursed himself for not following Giles out of the cemetery earlier. If he hadn't decided to make one final sweep, he would have never known about his friend's turning. He didn't know how he would survive this happening twice in his life. From what he'd heard, he couldn't even talk to Willow about it. He wasn't blinded by her forays into too many things of a magical nature. He believed that what Buffy and Spike said could very well be true about Willow.

Xander didn't know which way to turn or who to turn to. Life was getting more complicated by the day.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)

Disclaimer: All characters originally created by Joss Wheadon and Mutant Enemy belong to them by all rights. I just sneak them out of the vaults to play with them whenever I can. I do not make any money off of this. I have only the satisfaction that others enjoy the creativity and storylines that I come up with for our heroes, heroines, and villains.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

 

Xander stood in the crypt trying to process everything he heard. The bullet on the floor, and the blood splattered around the crypt, told him a story that he didn't want to accept.

Who would use a gun in a cemetery? A gun wouldn't kill most demons. So a demon must not have been the original target. All of the vampires and demons he read about/encountered used brute strength, cunning or an occasionally flashy but effective sword or hammer. A gun seemed to imply a human assailant seeking out a human victim. Buffy was the Slayer. A human couldn't possibly be responsible for her death or want her dead.

The overheard conversation kept replaying in Xander's mind. Buffy said she had a soul. She had been turned but retained her soul? That couldn't be true! A vampire always equaled evil and must be staked. It was the way it always had been. He staked Jesse when he was turned. Even Angel, the original souled vampire, proved that vampires could never fully be trusted. If vampires could be redeemed, then with the right sire and incentive could Jesse have been redeemed? It was obvious that Spike was Buffy's Sire, and the bleached menace wasn't Xander's idea of the right kind of Sire.

All these thoughts ran through Xander's mind. New ones kept popping up and Xander started to feel overwhelmed. It was giving him a headache. He closed his eyes tightly.

If by some miracle Buffy retained her soul, did that mean she could lose it like Angel did? If she really had a soul, what was she doing with the evil undead? Sure, he had to be her Sire, but why didn't Buffy stake him when she rose? Why hadn't Buffy contacted Xander, or at the very least contacted Angel? Wouldn't Buffy have sought solace with her friends? Didn't she trust them?

With a guttural moan Xander turned and ran out of the crypt, not even bothering to slam the door shut behind him. He ran until he was blinded with tears. He had already pushed himself past the point of shooting chest pains and a lack of breath. The world was spinning, and he was dangerously close to passing out. Finally he collapsed on a park bench, tears streaming down his face.

Xander's world had been turned upside down. If he was to believe what he overheard, then his best friend had spiraled out of control and was manipulating everyone around her. His other best friend, Buffy, was dead. The clear cut lines between good guys and bad guys was blurred. He didn't like this strange new world he was in. He needed answers, and he needed them now.

'Where should I go? Who can I talk to?' Giles was drunk, and he seemed to blame Buffy for disturbing his life. Anya would have answers, but Xander wasn't sure if he really wanted her opinion on the matter before he was absolutely sure of the truth. He loved Anya, but her views on the demon world and her past disturbed him. If he was honest, he would have admitted that he was having as much of a problem with accepting Anya's past as he was his own. He was terrified of turning into his father and of never measuring up to a "real man". He knew they would have to work it out, but he couldn't deal with that tonight.

Running the options over in his grief-stricken mind, Xander dismissed everyone he knew from the equation. Perhaps Cordy misunderstood what was happening at Buffy's house? He should really talk to Willow before he made any decisions on who to trust. After all, he owed his best friend the chance to defend herself. Standing up, he got his bearings and then headed in the general direction of Buffy's house.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Willow leaned back into the couch at Rack's and started at Amy. The magical buzz she got from Rack completely restored her good mood. She could barely remember why she was upset with Buffy. Did it really matter if Buffy came home? Well aside from still not knowing where the Slayer hid the checkbook that is.

Willow barely remembered her own name at this point. The magic coursing through her veins was so intense, so primitive, and so primal. It felt like molten chocolate was caressing every inch of her body. She felt powerful and yummy. Life was excellent, the magic was plentiful, and as soon as she found Tara ... Well Tara would come back to her. She wouldn't have a choice.

In the meantime, Willow looked up at Amy, where had Amy picked up that shirt from? It looked like dark crushed red velvet. Willow ached to reach out and touch the material, as well as the girl who wore it. Biting her lip, Willow tried to figure out if she could get away with having an affair with Amy. After all Tara did break up with her, and while Willow would make sure Tara came back to her, she couldn't be faulted for having a little fun.

Tara would get used to having Amy around. Amy had magicked the rest of her stuff into Dawn's room earlier. So Tara would have to accept Amy in their lives. If she was careful, Tara would never even know what had happened. Besides, Amy was fire and lightning while Tara was soft and cuddly. Who would blame her for being attracted to both of them.

Reaching over, Willow caressed Amy's arm. Amy flinched and started to pull away from the other girl. Then, Willow glanced over at Amy, soft black eyes meeting Amy's green. "Come on Amy," She seductively purred. "Don't you want to feel what I can do to you: all this energy, all this power, all this magic running through us. "Don't you want to feel the power?"

Amy looked unsure until Willow sent a magical pulse of power into the reluctant girl. The magical energy surrounded Amy, erasing the doubts from her mind and bringing her to orgasm. Slowly Willow pushed Amy down on the couch. The power swirled around them. It caressed and melded the two bodies in a lover's dance. Rack sat back and watched the pair with a leer of cynical delight.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Angel paced all around Buffy's house. He couldn't believe how irresponsible everyone seemed to be acting. Willow practically begged him to come to Sunnydale and one he arrives she scampered off to go play with her new friend. Buffy, the Chosen One and the protector of all that is good and pure, seemed to have run off for a vacation. Wasn't being dead for a while enough of a vacation for her already? Finally, the only person who knew where Buffy was had managed to get herself kidnapped.

It was simply amazing that these children hadn't been killed years ago. How did they ever manage to defeat his alter-ego? It astounded him. He remembered that one reason Angelus was defeated all those years ago was because of his Childe, Spike. Angel growled deeply at the thought of his oft time rebellious Childe.

Then there was his trusty seer. Cordelia whined and complained all the way down from Los Angeles, and then she disappeared, leaving him stuck in the house with Connor. Angel loved his son, but how was he supposed to take care of everyone and watch a baby at the same time? Cordy should have known that she was needed to baby-sit while he went out to save the Sunnydale gang ... again.

After twenty minutes of pacing, brooding and the occasional swear word, Angel grabbed Connor and headed out into the night. Perhaps he could find Giles or Xander to watch Connor for him. They had to be good for something because obviously they were lost when it came to dealing with problems or their Slayer.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy and Spike headed home to their new house. Patrol was quiet. All they saw were a few fledges that Giles and Xander had managed to miss and one ugly demon that came to Sunnydale to take on the Slayer. Buffy briefly mused at how all the demons knew what she looked like. She knew that vampires could sense her, but could demons feel her as well? The world wasn't black and white, despite what the Council thought.

Speaking of the Council, she would have to find out if a new Slayer has been called when she died this time. No one said anything to her about a new Slayer being called after the tower incident. Were there three Slayers roaming around, or was her first death the only one that mattered?

Lost in her thoughts, Buffy never noticed when Spike put his arm around her. Instinctively Buffy leaned into him as they passed by the brightly lit Magic Box. Thankfully the sole occupant of the store was on the phone to the Council and not watching as they strolled by.

Spike's vampire hearing picked up on the conversation inside, and he cringed. He was grateful that Buffy was so lost in other thoughts, or she would have heard the conversation as well.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I don't care if Faith is still in jail. We need a Slayer here, and Buffy seemed to think now was a good time for vacation." Giles spoke harshly into the phone. He seemed more upset with the person on the other end of the phone line.

"Of course she'll be back. Her sister is still in Sunnydale." Giles threw his glasses onto the counter near the register. "However, she has been quite unsteady lately after her ..." He caught himself and quickly amended the end of his sentence. "... mother's death."

Giles listened to the other person talking for a brief moment before he interrupted again. "The last time she left, she was gone for three months." He looked at the ticket on the counter. "I am leaving here in three days."

Giles held the phone away from his ear while the person on the other end yelled at him. "Frankly I don't care." He paused to take in a deep breath. "You can choose to arrange Faith's release from jail or not. The choice is up to you. Buffy's been through enough. It's time for Faith to do her REAL job."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Willow and Amy stumbled out of Rack's place. The air surrounding them crackled with energy. They walked along the sidewalk with their arms wrapped around each other.

An elderly man looked up and watched the two women stumble about. 'Damn shame it is how the kids these days act. Two beautiful girls like that strung out on drugs already.' Crossing the street he steered away from them. He shook his head, and he quickly continued home.

Perhaps they were members of the famous PCP gang that frequently rampaged through Sunnydale. They looked like addicts who would kill for their next dose, pimp themselves out for another hit or simply manage to kill themselves because their true pain would not register. Nothing meant anything to him but their next fix and their desire for more.

Unknown to the little man, however, was the realization that it wasn't drugs that caused this dangerous high. It was something even worse, the remnants of Rack's magical enhancements and Willow's blackest mojo were emerging. Amy was hardly an innocent in the whole matter either. She was spiraling out of control herself and would soon surpass her mother in magical abuse and addiction. Seeing the look the man gave them as he passed made Amy briefly wonder if she was losing herself to the power. With a caress of Willow's hand, she quickly forgot her doubts. The Bronze was waiting for them.

Xander halted his progression to Buffy's house when he spotted Willow and Amy. "Willow, wait up!" He broke out into a jog and quickly caught up to the two girls.

Willow turned around. She was quite annoyed at being interrupted on her way to go dancing. Seeing that it was Xander, her face softened, and she reached out to caress his cheek. "Xander, you haven't called or come by for almost a week. Don't you love us anymore?"

Xander blinked and stared at Willow. She seemed off. There was something her that was mesmerizing though. Perhaps it was her eyes or the husky sound of her voice. As she stared at him, he shivered. For the first time in his life, he felt afraid of his best friend.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Angel was on his way to the Magic Box, when a strange scent floating past his nostrils. Clutching Connor, his mind was focused on the scent, Connor began to squirm and then yell. His father, however, didn't notice as the baby began to wail his outrage that his father was holding him too tightly.

The vampire flashed into game face, and his pace picked up from a slight trot to an outright run. He stopped paying attention to the boy in his arms or the area surrounding him. He concentrated on the strangely familiar scent that seemed to hold him in thrall.

As Angel ran further into the cemetery the scent grew stronger. He staked a couple vampires standing outside the door of an open crypt. He snarled and ran into the open door of the crypt through the other vampire's dust. Close his eyes, he breathed in deeply. He remembered this scent. It was the sweet smell of Slayer blood, and he could almost taste it.

A fledgling growled at Angel from his spot on the floor. He looked up at the elder vampire and growled again his warning to back off on his find. The vampire's face was covered in the remains of the blood that hadn't dried yet and what he licked off the cement floor of the crypt.

With one hand wrapped around Connor, Angel swiftly dusted the irreverent fledgling. No matter who found what first, he was the elder. His rights should have been respected.

Memories of his teeth buried in Buffy's neck made him grow hard, and he growled in frustration and anger. Who dared to take the Slayer into this dank hole? He smelled the perfumed scent of blood, sex and death. It permeated the air, even though he knew that this scene was several days old.

Angel felt Angelus clawing at the surface of his brain to be let free. He snarled into Angel's ear, 'Who would dare touch what belongs to us?'

Angel inhaled more deeply. There were faint traces of leather and smoke. 'No, Spike wouldn't be that stupid, would he?'

Angelus roared in anger. 'That Childe has gone too far this time. He must pay.'

Angel snarled and stormed out of the crypt. He slammed the door shut. He knew the Slayer lost too much blood in that place to have walked out of there alive. 'Somehow Spike must have hired a human to help him kill Buffy.'

'You really are an idiot, Angel.' Angelus mentally slapped his souled counterpart. 'You know what happened here. You felt it a couple days ago.'

'No, no, that can't be.' Angel leaned against the side of the crypt. There was no way he was ready to face the possibility that Spike found a way to Sire Buffy.

'Be denial boy all you want, but you know it's true.' Angelus delighted in the thought that Buffy was now a vampire. Now he would have no reason to hate her. He wanted to give the soul a moment of happiness to go bye bye and claim her. His Childe would be no match for him if challenged.

'You aren't going anywhere, monster.' Angel chastised the beast within him. No matter how close to the surface Angelus was, he refused to acknowledge that the two parts of him were really one. He headed out of the cemetery and back to his original destination, the Magic Box.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Willow felt the power still surrounding her. There was nothing that she felt she couldn't do. She could tell that she made Xander uncomfortable. Raising an eyebrow at him, she upgraded her assessment incorrectly to him being aroused. She chuckled in an amused way to herself. She always knew that Xander had a desire for powerful women, demons, and the unattainable.

Willow still remembered Xander's myriad of rejections throughout high school. She lusted over the boy for years, and he had only desired her once someone else laid claim to her heart. He never wanted her, just plain Willow. He had wanted Oz's Willow. Then once they were caught kissing, it was over again. He only wanted what he couldn't have, again.

Just look at Xander's history ... first and always foremost was the unattainable Buffy. Then there was the Queen Bitch of them all, Cordy. After using and using and disregarding her own self, there was the slutty Slayer Faith. Lastly, but not least, he moved on to a former vengeance demon. Sure Anya was easy to obtain in the beginning, but did anyone actually think he could keep a woman like that? It was so obvious that he was perpetually challenged to find what he couldn't have.

Willow couldn't think of a better revenge for his callous treatment of her pre-witchy self. Of course, now that she was in control, he wanted her. She could tell by his obvious discomfort around her. Standing there, shifting from one foot to another while avoiding looking at her. What else could cause his uneasiness. He was so obvious to her.

Willow grinned devilishly and slid up next to Xander. She leaned close and practically purred into his ear, "Now, now Xander. What are you doing running around at this time of night without one of us to protect you? If you're not careful, you could attract another demon. Don't you remember how much of a demon magnet you are? Why even Cordy is part demon now."

"Of course it could be fun." Willow leaned even closer to Xander so that as she whispered to him, her lips would caress his ear. She ran her hands down his front, pausing to cup his covered cock. "I still remember all the naughty things that my vampire double whispered to me." She licked the edge of Xander's ear lobe.

"She told me how the two of you used to paint the town red with blood, and then fucked in it until dawn." Xander shivered, and Willow took that as a good sign. "She told me how she took you and made you beg for mercy before draining your life blood. You begged her to take you, to turn you and to fuck you forever Xander. You begged her for forever with her!"

Willow let go of his cock and stepped back. She sneered at him, "Now you have your little vengeance demon, and you can't even keep her happy." She waved her hand in the air with indifference. "I heard about what the two of you sang during Sweet's visit. So pathetic! You'll never be man enough for any woman." She blew Xander a kiss, turned, and walked away from him.

Xander stood there and gaped in shock while Amy and Willow walked away. What the hell happened to Willow? Cordy, Buffy and Spike were right. How the hell did he not notice that transformation? He staggered down the road on autopilot towards home. There was only one person he could trust. He might not like what she would tell him, but at least Anya was always honest. Right now, she seemed must less scary than the Willow he'd just met.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy sighed in contentment when they reached their house. She hadn't realized how nervous and tense she was until she spotted the familiar and welcomed structure. Home was her safe haven. It was her reclusive place away from a strange and hostile world.

It was strange that even as a vampire, she felt right slaying evil. Buffy briefly thought about using her "death" as a perfect excuse to retire from being the Slayer. She wanted to be able to run away and try her hand at becoming a "normal girl", well as normal as a Slayer turned vampire could be.

Who was she kidding though? She was Buffy the Vampire Slayer who just happened to be a souled vampire with a mystical key for a sister. She was pretty sure that she was falling in love with Spike, a vampire without a soul and her Sire. It was enough to make her head hurt.

Becoming a vampire hadn't seemed to change her very much. If anything it seemed to make Buffy a better Slayer. Tonight, while patrolling, she noticed that her senses were stronger, her actions were quicker, and she practically craved the violence of the fight more than before. She couldn't imagine not slaying.

Buffy led Spike over to the porch swing and sat down with him. She needed to rest and decide what to do about her friends. Now that Cordy knew she was a vampire, she would have to think about how to tell her friends. Everyone was going to find out. It would be better to tell them on her terms then deal with the aftermath of them finding out on their own. Of course that did mean figuring out what to do about Willow. They'd have to block her magic somehow.

Buffy snuggled into Spike's arms and then froze. She hadn't realized that she was this close to Spike on the swing until now. Earlier, she rejoiced in the feel of his arms, but that was when they were out in the cemetery. They were surrounded by people, demons, fledges and eventually Cordy. At home they were alone. Everyone else had fallen asleep a long time ago.

Buffy felt the outline of Spike's body pressed next to her and his cool breath on her neck. She closed her eyes and let out a ragged breath. She fought the urge to flee, and she willed her body to calm down. She was in Spike's arms, and this Spike would never hurt her.

Finally Buffy looked up and met the worried gaze of her Sire. "Spike? I know you said you would be patient with me, but can I kiss you?" She hurried on before he answered, "Nothing else ... Just kiss you?"

Spike nodded his agreement. He couldn't trust his voice not to squeak when he spoke. He vowed not to move or press Buffy for more. He would accept what she was offering, and he wouldn't try to pressure her into anything she wasn't ready for.

Spike's demon raged inside of him. It demanded that he take her, claim her, and mate with her. It was more than dominance. The demon wanted to offer Buffy the comfort that their mated bond would bring.

Spike knew that he could take the pain away with the bonding between their demons, but he knew she wasn't ready for that yet. He would not take the risk of further traumatizing Buffy. He read enough of the stupid books to know that she needed to be in control of things for a while. So, he waited, staring into Buffy's beautiful emerald eyes.

Buffy leaned closer to Spike for a kiss. She hesitated for a moment, and then pressed her lips against his.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(To Be Continued)
 

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