Revenge For Love - (8) Family & Friends - Part 1

Tasha

Chapter Summary: Spike headed back to the mansion. Buffy and Giles headed to Giles' house where Willow and Xander are waiting for them. They are planning to meet again in 2 days. In three days time they expect to plant their trap for Angelus. Will Buffy be able to see Xander and Willow without wanting to eat them? Will they accept her as she is now?

**WARNING: There is some blood sharing between Spike/Dalton in this chapter as well as Buffy/Dalton. There is no m/m sex or sexual touching, but vampires do react erotically to being bitten.**

Disclaimer and Distribution notes are listed on the Index page of this story.

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

Dalton was waiting for Spike's return to the mansion. Spike felt the younger vampire while Spike was still in the passage. Letting his senses reach out to sense anyone else, he found out that Dalton was alone. 'At least we were able to get away with the meeting without Angelus finding out we were gone.' He stepped into his bedroom.

"Good evening, Master." Dalton walked over to Spike. He stepped up to Spike, tilted his neck and offered himself up for his Master's test to confirm his loyalty.

Spike tilted his head to the side in wonderment. "You offer this willingly, Dalton?"

"Yes, Master." This was an old custom that few Master Vampires insisted upon anymore. By tasting the blood of their minions, Childer, or other vampires they could sense if another had bitten them or if their loyalties had switched. Dalton knew that his loyalties were secure, and he wished to offer up that proof to his Master.

Spike grinned. "I trust you, Dalton." He grew more proud of his new family member with this offering. "Do I have any reason not to trust you?" He asked calmly.

"No, Master." Dalton remained in his position in front of Spike. "What you are doing is dangerous, Master." He turned only his eyes to look at Spike. "I wish no doubts in your mind at all in case anything happens in the future. You know the kinds of games that Angelus will play."

Spike nodded. He pulled Dalton into his arms. His face shifted, and the demon sprang forth. Each time he shared in Dalton's blood it brought them closer. He promised himself to find a way for Buffy to partake of Dalton's blood again to reaffirm the connection within their family.

Dalton prepared himself for the bite. Vampires enjoyed the painful pleasures that most humans did not. It did sting or burn when first bitten though. His body tensed at the first stretching and snapping of his skin under his Master's teeth. He visibly relaxed a moment later at the first pull of his blood into Spike's mouth. He brought his hands up to Spike's arms and held on.

Spike growled deeply. 'His blood is richer than I expected. It must be an after effect of him drinking from Buffy and I.' He thought to himself on the second and third pulls. His grip tightened on Dalton's arms. He felt himself harden in response to the lingering taste of his Mate in Dalton's blood. He refused to give in to his demon's desire to take Dalton to bed. He had always remained faithful, and he would always be faithful to his Mate.

Dalton felt Spike's hardness press against his own clothed erection. At the fourth pull from his neck, Dalton panted. His legs trembled. Any moment, and he knew that he would careen over the edge into orgasm. "Master, please. I'm going to ..."

Spike knew what Dalton needed to do. The younger vampire showed restraint already by not cumming. Spike lifted his wrist to Dalton's mouth. He growled his approval.

Dalton's demon eagerly surfaced. His fangs latched onto Spike's wrist and drank deeply of his Master's precious fluid. He felt the bond of family increase and strengthen. When at least his orgasm hit him, Dalton slumped against Spike. His fangs retracted, but his hand held Spike's wrist loosely to his lips. "Thank ... Thank you, Master."

Spike licked the twin puncture wounds lightly with his tongue. "You are welcome, faithful Dalton." He grinned a toothy blood-stained grin at the younger vampire. "You deserve to be rewarded for your loyalty. Your blood is pure, my son." He sat down on the edge of the bed trying to collect himself. He hadn't allowed himself the pleasure of an orgasm. He felt the need for sexual satisfaction crying out to him, but he refused to vanquish his sexual purity by giving in to the lust of the moment.

"Master, are you all right?" Dalton looked at Spike with worry. He noticed the visible shakiness traveling Spike's limbs.

Spike buried his demon back into the recesses of his mind and his human guise moved to the forefront. "I'll be fine, Dalton." He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Though he didn't need to breathe, the slow inhaling and exhaling always helped to calm him down. "It is harder to feel this way without Buffy here to satisfy me."

Dalton wasn't insulted in the least. He watched Spike be faithful to Drusilla the whole time he'd known the Master Vampire in Sunnydale. Even when Drusilla's attentions had faltered and other vampires tempted Spike, he never found another until he gave up on Drusilla entirely. Perhaps one day his Master and Mistress would welcome him into their bed, but he was content to be allowed to watch occasionally and serve instead. They had already given him so much by welcoming him into their family. "Where is Mistress Buffy?"

"I sent her home with the, Watcher." Spike answered. His raging hard on subsided to a more controllable level. He was finally calming down enough to speak coherently again.

"I take it things went well then?"

"As well as good be expected from a man who spent his whole life listening to Council trash." Spike sneered in disgust. "He won't hurt, Buffy. Of that I'm certain."

"He did show great concern for her when I first met him." Dalton nodded in agreement. "He was most distressed about her vampiric status, but I could see the love shining in his eyes through the pain."

Spike looked up at Dalton. Having been on the outside of society as a mortal, they both understood each other quite well. They were better at reading people's emotions and moves than others because their observation skills were more honed. If he could just teach Dalton to fight better, he would make an excellent second in command. He wasn't prone to rash decisions and hasty plans. That would help Dalton survive longer if he could defend himself. "The Watcher is going to need help in dealing with Buffy though. He has no idea who he truly has on his hands."

"She is quite remarkable, Master." Dalton beamed in pride. He had been brought into a powerful family. His demon knew it and reveled in being a part of something strong.

"That she is." Spike moved down to the full crate of blood bags at the end of the bed. "I need you to head to the Watcher's house with this crate. I can feel her need for blood increasing." He picked up the crate and handed it to Dalton. "Head through the sewers. You can avoid any chance of meeting up with Angelus that way."

"Yes, Master." Dalton hefted the crate in his arms. "Any other instructions, Master?"

"Yes." Spike rattled off the directions to Giles' house via the tunnels. "I also want you to sneak back into the factory to my old room. You know the one I speak of?"

Dalton nodded. "I don't know how much is left, Master. The fire department didn't arrive until the factory was gutted completely."

"What I need you to find was in a protective box. It would have survived even if the whole place burnt to the ground." Spike explained what the box looked like. After he described it his head shot up in alarm. "Hurry ... get this blood to Buffy immediately." He ushered Dalton to the passage door. "Have her reaffirm her familial link to you."

Dalton pushed the door open further with his foot. "Yes, Master. I will return as quickly as I can."

Spike ran his fingers through his hair. 'I hope he isn't too late.' He could feel the confusion and bloodlust growing in his Childe. 'Hold on, luv. He just doesn't understand.' He pushed the thoughts through as quickly as he could. He was afraid to linger on their connection long, but he had to help her.

Spike felt proud that Buffy was defending him, but he didn't want her to regret her actions later. 'You are strong. Force it back. Let the fool go this time.' He waited a little bit longer to be sure Buffy let the boy go before he closed the telepathic link again.

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

Before Giles unlocked the door to his home, the door flew open. Willow stood on the other side of the door. "Giles, we were getting so worried."

Giles walked into the house. "We ran into a little trouble with Angelus, and we had to wait until he left."

"Angelus?!?" Xander shrieked. "See, I told you it was a trap." He finally noticed that Buffy was standing at the door on the outside. "Um ... I mean ..." He shuffled his weight from one foot to another. "Hey, Buffy."

Buffy frowned at Xander. 'I don't know if I can do this.' She thought to herself. 'They are going to hate me.' She tried to step into the house only to be stopped by the invitation barrier. Her eyes went wide in the realization that she needed an invite into homes. 'Oh God, I really am a vampire.'

Willow tensed on the inside of the house. She looked up at Giles and then back over to Buffy. "Um, Giles?" She pointed to Buffy who was still standing on the outside of the door.

"Oh yes. I forgot about that." Giles looked over at Buffy with sympathy. "Please come in, Buffy."

Buffy stepped over the threshold. 'I can do this. I can do this.' She fought back the tears that threatened to spill while she repeated the mantra in her head. Whoever said that vampires couldn't feel was off their rocker. This wasn't the soul that made her feel. It came from deep within her being. She'd seen the evidence of emotions from Spike an Dalton as well.

Willow backed away from the door to stand next to Xander in the middle of the living room. Everyone stared at each other in silence until Giles cleared his throat. "With you being able to touch the cross, it slipped my mind that you would need an invitation, Buffy."

"It's all right, Giles." Buffy tried to shrug off the trepidation she was feeling. "Guess it comes with the territory of being undead, eh?" She half chuckled.

Willow took one step closer to Buffy. "I'm so sorry this happened, Buffy." She offered up an apology. "We shouldn't have let you leave alone."

"Will, Angelus would have just killed you if you went with me." Buffy explained. "He wasn't exactly in a head game mood when I saw him. He was out for blood."

"And apparently the Buffsters blood was just too much of a temptation, Buff?" Xander teased. He was scared out of his wits, but in usual Xander fashion he tried to be the class clown to avoid facing the reality of the situation. "A regular Buffy buffet."

"You could say that." Buffy blushed. "Not exactly glad that I was flashing a 24 hour all you can eat sign on my neck that night." She laughed. "Too bad he didn't finish his meal. Mom always said clean up your plate or you're in trouble."

Willow gasped in shock. "Buffy!" She rushed to hug her friend. She was terrified that if Angelus had taken everything her friend would be dead. That thought overrode her fears of Buffy being a vampire. In every way this sounded like her friend, Buffy. She hugged her tightly. "Don't say that. You would be dead."

"Hate to break it to you, Will, but she is dead." Xander cringed at his friend hugging the Vampiress. His fear of vampires rose another notch. He had seen what becoming a vampire could do to a friend. Jesse was an entirely different person after being turned. He reached down to the table to get the stake they set there in case it was needed.

"It's okay, Will." Buffy rubbed Willow's back as the young redhead started to cry. "He will pay for messing with me, and hey not all that evil. I'm still Buffy in here. Just a few more perks and my soul."

"Like a soul helped dead boy any." Xander interjected. His prejudices and fears were getting the better of him.

"That's enough." Giles stepped into the argument. "She hasn't been cursed with her soul. She kept her soul even after turning."

"You sure about that G-man?"

Giles ignored Xander's destruction of his name. He looked up at Buffy. He only paused a moment at the look of concern in her eyes that he would denounce her. "Yes, I'm positive." He pulled the cross from his pocket and tossed it to Buffy.

Buffy caught the cross mid-air. Willow shrieked and Xander gaped. One arm remained wrapped around Willow while she twirled the cross with the other.

"Is she supposed to be able to do that?" Willow looked on in wonder. "Angel didn't like crosses even with a soul."

"There is a lot we don't know about Buffy yet, but we are going to work through it all." Giles narrowed his gaze on Xander. "Without the snide remarks." His doubts were burying themselves further into the back of his mind, and his fatherly instincts presented themselves more strongly. He needed to support Buffy, and he would not allow the annoying brunette child to hurt her. "She's going through enough right now without your comments."

Buffy smiled gratefully to Giles. She handed the cross back to him. "I'm sure you have a few tests that you'd like to run, but I really do need to rest."

Willow moved away from Buffy. She sat down on a couch in the living room. "What are you going to tell your Mother?"

"Everything Wills." Buffy answered. "And no one can know that I'm alive. Every one needs to proceed as if I'm dead ... completely dead." She added when Xander's mouth opened as if to make a comment about her life and death status. "We're even going to plan my funeral." She explained the idea that Spike, Giles and she came up with.

"That is way creepy, Buffy." Willow shivered. "Staging your own funeral?"

"So long as Deadboy ends up forever dusty dead, I don't care." Xander added in his two cents worth. "Deadboy, Jr. can go right along with him to dusty land."

Buffy stood up and growled. "You will not touch Spike, Xander." Her eyes turned from their normal green to her vampiric violet.

Giles watched the change come over Buffy. He was both fearful for Buffy and Xander. He knew that if Buffy did something to Xander, she'd regret it later. He fought with himself to allow Buffy to teach Xander a little lesson or to pull her back completely.

Buffy's demon had been under a reasonable amount of control until now. She fought down the lure of their beating hearts and pulsing blood in their veins when she was calmer. Now that she was getting upset, it was harder to control her more primal urges. She needed to feed. Their blood called to her, but she felt a stronger need to drain the one who threatened her Sire and Mate.

"Easy, Buff." Xander started backing away from Buffy. "He is just a soulless vampire." He frantically grabbed for a nearby cross. He rolled his eyes at the futility of that and backed up further. "So he's your Sire. So what? He destroyed you."

Buffy's ridges formed on her forehead as the demon became more in control of her body. Her human side was appalled at Xander as much as her Slayer demon. This was her Mate that he was talking about. Didn't the fact that she still had her soul, and Spike knew she would, make a difference to her "friend"? "You know nothing of what you are talking about, Xander."

Willow, fearful for Xander's safety, boldly moved in front of Xander. She placed herself as a barrier between her two friends. She was afraid of Buffy, but she couldn't let Xander be hurt either. She held a stake in her shaking hand.

Buffy continued her advance across the room to Willow and Xander. She stopped a moment when Willow put herself between Buffy and her goal. "Spike is my Mate, Xander." She snarled. "If you touch him, I will kill you, friend or not." Everything in her tone showed that she was not giving an empty threat. She meant every word.

Giles stood up next to Willow. "Buffy, Xander didn't know about the claim." He tried to reach out his hands to his demon-faced Slayer to at least slow her down long enough to talk to her.

"Xander doesn't care about that, do you Xan-Man?" Buffy mocked Xander's nickname. "You still hate Spike enough to kill him, don't you?"

"Of course I do. He deserves to die." Xander spat out. He was livid. His supposed best friend just threatened to kill him. "Buffy would never hurt me. You aren't her. You're just a demon in her body."

"Xander! Buffy!" Willow shrieked when an angry Slayer/Vampire pulled her away from Xander.

Giles hit the back of the couch before he hit the floor after Buffy pushed him away from Xander as well. He watched in fear while Buffy grabbed Xander by the arms and buried her fangs into his neck.

Buffy felt the words of her Sire come to her. She felt him trying to send comfort and calming to her. She pulled her fangs out of Xander's neck after two good gulps of his blood. It wasn't enough to even weaken him much, but it was enough to scare him. She threw Xander down to the floor and stepped back from him. Her own body trembled a little from rage, bloodlust and worry before she pushed it back down again.

Xander looked up at Buffy terrified. She bit him. Why wasn't he dead? Isn't that what vampires did? They bit you and then you're dead? He tried to speak, but nothing came out of his mouth.

Buffy curled her tongue out over her lips to lick all traces of Xander's blood off them. She was making sure to give Xander the right impression of how much trouble he had been in. "Hmmm, not too bad. Tasty from the source."

Buffy took a moment to look at Willow and then Giles. She took two more steps back towards the door to show that she wasn't going after them. She spoke directly to Xander. "That evil soulless Spike just saved your life, Xander."

Giles stood up with the assistance of the back of the couch. "What do you mean, Buffy?" He was half appalled that Buffy attacked Xander and half intrigued that Buffy hadn't killed him. He tossed a hand towel to Xander to push against his wound.

"Spike felt me, all of me, want revenge on Xander. He must have felt the bloodlust caused by the need to protect my Mate and the timing of my previous feeding." Buffy explained. She sat down in a chair near the door. "He stopped me."

Willow's voice was shaky as she spoke. "Stopped you? He isn't even here."

Giles started to explain. "It would seem that Spike and Buffy share a telepathic connection due to the fact that they have claimed each other as Mates. Telepathy is rare, but they are very strongly bonded."

"Mates?" Willow questioned. "Is that like being married?"

"In human terms yes." Buffy answered Willow's question. She stressed the word human. "It is a much stronger bond than mortals can have. You feel everything about your Mate. It's a comforting feeling." She spoke with a bit of awe. "It is binding until one of us is dust, and nothing is going to dust him that doesn't dust me first." She directed her gaze to Xander with the last sentence she uttered.

"Oh." Willow helped Xander stand back up. "I think I read something in Giles' books about vampire's mates. They will defend their mate no matter what, right?"

Giles nodded. He continued to clean the glasses that fell to the floor when Buffy pushed him away. "Yes. It seems to mean that each Mate has accepted the other with all that they are. Not even another vampire can destroy a true bond without the death of one of the mates."

"Is it a true bond?" Willow questioned. "It seems strange that a slayer would accept a vampire for her mate."

"I don't see how they could speak telepathically without it being a true bond." Giles rubbed the lenses of his glasses with a cloth. "I have to research it further. From what I gathered from Buffy and Spike earlier it is not a common occurrence amongst vampires."

Buffy pointed a finger at Xander's shaking form. He wasn't weak from blood loss, but he was scared beyond any fear he'd ever known. "Which means you are lucky you are alive Xander Harris." Her ridges had receded back to a smooth brow, but her eyes were still a deep violet color.

"Yes, quite." Giles put his glasses back on. "Spike held you back?" He directed his question directly at Buffy. If Spike helped to stop Buffy from draining Xander his respect for the vampire would grow.

"Yes. I think he's sending ..." Buffy stopped mid sentence. She jumped to her feet and opened the door. "Dalton!"

The three other occupants of the home turned their sights to the bookish vampire holding a crate of something at Giles' door.

"Mistress." Dalton breathed a sigh of relief. When he neared the home he heard the rapid beating hearts and smelled the fear that radiated from inside. He was worried that something happened before he could get there. Seeing the three humans alive he relaxed some. "Master sent me with the blood."

"I am so glad to see you." Buffy hugged Dalton. She picked up the scent of her Mate on Dalton's neck. She growled low, sniffed the new marks, and turned her violet eyes to seek out Dalton's.

Dalton hastened to explain before his Mistress tore him apart. He knew that being apart from her Sire would be hard enough even without being mated. Even though he hated his Sire he felt the pull to him when he left him early on. "It was an offering of loyalty, Mistress. A familial reaffirmation, nothing more." He reassured Buffy.

Buffy took the crate from Dalton. She set it on the ground inside the house since Dalton could not enter the home. "Excuse me a moment." She tossed over her shoulder while she pushed Dalton out of the door into the dark recess of some shadows.

"Mistress?" Dalton gulped. "Master wishes you to reaffirm your claim and assure yourself of my loyalty." He spoke quickly in the hopes of avoiding incurring her anger.

Buffy nodded her head in understanding. Nothing was being hidden from her then. Spike knew she'd be able to smell his scent on Dalton. Although she realized that her Mate would not betray her, for those brief moments her own insecurities surfaced in doubt. She plunged her fangs into Dalton's neck right over Spike's marks and drank.

Dalton shivered with the connection to his Mistress. She quickly offered him her wrist and he drank. He restrained his desires in this time. He wasn't sure how much control his Mistress would have after whatever happened in the house with her friends. So, he kept his lust reined in trying to complete the ritual as quickly as possible.

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

Inside the house, Willow and Xander looked at Giles in confusion. "What was that about, Giles?" Willow asked.

"I'm not sure, but she is safe with him. He seems to have some loyalty towards Spike." Giles answered. He crept over to the window to see if he could see anything. He was surprised when just a couple minutes later Buffy seemed to emerge from the shadows to walk back into the house. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes." Buffy simply said before she sat back down in the chair. Dawn was approaching, and it pulled at her consciousness. She hoped Dalton made it back safely to the mansion. He had about a half hour to an hour left. She yawned.

Xander headed for the door. He gave Buffy as wide of a berth as he could. "I think I'm going to head home. I've had enough excitement for one night."

Buffy looked up at Xander. "Remember what I said, Xander." Her green eye color returned to complete her fully human face. "Stay away from Spike."

"I don't like it, Buffy." Xander started angrily then sighed. "But I don't see what choice I have." He finished resignedly. "All bets are off if he tries to kill any of us. I won't care what you say about how "good" he is then."

Buffy watched Xander leave. She heaved a sigh to Giles. "Is this new for him, or was I too blind to realize it before?"

"He's been this way since Jesse, Buffy." Willow answered instead of Buffy. "He never liked Angel, and he's been saying I told you so all around ever since your birthday."

"Angel." Buffy sighed. The pangs of losing her first young love hurt her. She was happier with Spike, but Angel was still her first love. She was furious at Angelus for destroying Angel, but something in the back of her mind told her that Angelus and Angel weren't really all that different. She felt her human and demon sides. Angelus had to always be in Angel no matter how much he denied it. "Xander hates me, doesn't he?"

"No, Buffy." Willow sat down in front of Buffy. "He just doesn't understand what is happening. You always killed vampires. Remember last year when we experienced our worst nightmares?"

Buffy nodded. Ever since she was activated as the Slayer her worst fear was in becoming a vampire. The irony of it all wasn't lost on her. "I know, but this is different. I'm not just a regular vampire."

When Xander left, Giles headed to the kitchen with the crate of blood bags. He put most of them in the fruit drawer of his refrigerator. He placed two of them in the microwave to heat up. He heated them up a little at a time, not quite sure what temperature to make the blood. He poured one of the bags into a large mug. He stepped back into the living room in the middle of Buffy and Willow's conversation. He handed the mug to Buffy.

Buffy smiled gratefully at Giles. She brought the mug to her lips and sipped the thick red liquid. She made an ick face at first. "Spike was right, it does taste much better from him."

"Did I not warm it enough?" Giles asked.

"No, it's nice and warm. It just taste different without being filtered through, and combined with, Sire's blood." Buffy explained. "Sire's blood is the purest thing for a Childe. Of course Slayer blood is the richest thing for vampires. So my Slayer/Childe blood still has a one up of goodness for him." She chuckled.

"Interesting." Giles took the empty mug back into the kitchen to fill it up with the second blood bag. He watched Buffy empty the second mug.

"I'm good now. Thank you, Giles." Buffy looked at Willow. She was afraid that she would see disgust on the face of her best friend. Originally she hadn't given any thought about how or when she would feed. Now she felt a bit self-conscious about eating in front of her friends.

Willow sensed Buffy's worry. "It's okay, Buffy. You aren't killing anyone."

Buffy relaxed with her friend's acceptance of her dietary needs. "Thanks, Wills."

"Xander might come around, Buffy. You scared him pretty good." Willow rubbed Buffy's knee in comfort.

"I know I did, but I tried to warn him." Buffy sighed. "After he made the first comment, he should have realized that he needed to shut up. He always has to keep beating his point home."

"I know. He's always been like that." Willow agreed. "You have to do what you need to, but could you please try not to eat Xander?" She giggled nervously.

"I'll try, Willow, but if he comes near Spike to hurt him …" Buffy let the thought hang there in the open.

"Hopefully it won't come to that."

Giles yawned. "Willow, it would be best to let Buffy rest now."

Willow nodded. "Okay, Giles. I'll be back over tonight, okay?"

Buffy smiled. "That would be nice, Willow. I really am tired."

"I'll let myself out." Willow grabbed her coat and headed out of the house.

Buffy stood up and stretched. "Spike said that I would be able to resist the call of the dawn more later, but right now I can't think about anything other than collapsing into a bed."

"You may have my bed upstairs." Giles motioned to the stairs. "There is a quilt in the closet that you can toss over the window up there. We don't know how well you can handle sunlight yet."

"Why do I sense that you are going to want to test that out at some point?" Buffy teased.

"You know me too well?" Giles teased. He pulled a blanket out of a linen closet. He tossed it over the couch. "I'm going to curl up here with that notebook for a little bit before I go to bed."

"Don't push yourself too much. We have to tell my mother about this today." Buffy rested one hand on the railing up the stairs. "I have a feeling that is going to take all the strength that both of us have combined."

"Somehow I think you're right." Giles laid out on the couch. He removed his glasses and set them on the coffee table. "Good night, Buffy."

"Good night, Giles." Buffy started up the stairs. She stopped on the third one. "Giles?"

"Yes, Buffy?" Giles peeked over the back of the couch.

"Thank you for giving me a chance."

"I love you like a daughter, Buffy." Giles sighed. "No matter what the Council says, I couldn't do anything but give you a chance."

"I love you too, Giles." Buffy smiled. She walked the rest of the way upstairs, prepared her room for darkness, and slipped between the blankets of Giles' bed. She missed her Sire and her Mate. She softly cried herself to sleep with the loss of his comfort and security.

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

Dalton returned to the mansion in plenty of time to avoid the sunrise. He deposited the box on Spike's dresser.

"Any problems?" Spike queried.

"No, Master." Dalton rubbed his neck. The bites from Spike and Buffy both tingled in the presence of either of them. "She did not kill anyone, and I was able to locate the box fairly quickly."

"Good. Go rest, Dalton." Spike stretched out on his bed. "You look tired."

"My nerves are getting the better of me, Master. My apologies." Dalton walked over to the door to head into the hallway.

"We're all pretty tense right now, Dalton." Spike called out to the door. "It will get better soon."

"I hope so, Master. I hope so." Dalton left the room and closed the door behind him.

'Me too.' Spike sighed. 'Me too.' He tried to force himself to sleep without his Mate. Instead of the peaceful dreams he experienced for the last couple days, he was plagued with nightmares of Angelus killing his beautiful Buffy. It was a long day for the bleached vampire as he lived out his own worst fears in his dreams.

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

Revenge For Love - (9) Family & Friends - Part 2

Tasha

Chapter Summary: Xander got a taste of just how fangy Buffy is now when he opened his mouth with one too many remarks against Spike. Willow seems a bit skittish, but supportive. Giles is in research mode. Joyce has a lot of questions, and I'm sure she is going to be demanding some answers from Giles and Buffy. What will happen when Joyce shows up at Giles' door? Will Spike and Buffy be able to stay away from each other when they sleep? Have the pixies been talking to Dru again yet?

A HUGE Thank You to Tam for beta'ing this chapter for me. My brain has been pretty scrambled with everything going on lately. She helped to make sure that this chapter made the sense that I wanted it to. Thanks Tam!

Disclaimer and Distribution notes are listed on the Index page of this story.

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

Joyce Summers woke to the first rays of the sun streaming through Buffy's open window. She had spent the whole night in Buffy's bed fighting through one horrible nightmare after another. In so many of them, she watched her little girl fall at the hands of the disfigured creatures that Buffy wrote about in her diary.

Joyce sat up in the bed, rubbing the remnants of sleep from her eyes. Each nightmare slipped back into her conscious memory. Some images seemed more like real memories than nightmares. The more she thought about it, the more various events made more sense to her. 'I've seen these vampires before.'

"How could I have been so blind?" Joyce muttered out loud. "That is what those people were at Parent/Teacher night." She snorted. "Gang members on PCP. How could I have been so gullible?"

Something Buffy had said to her a long time ago came back to slap her in the face. "Sometimes people only see what they want to see because they aren't ready for the truth." At the time, Joyce believed that Buffy was being sarcastic. Apparently not.

Joyce had done exactly that. Instead of listening to her daughter's early Slayer ramblings, she had brushed it off as Buffy being a rebellious teenager. She'd thought Buffy was using imaginary creatures to excuse her destructive behavior.

For the last two years, Joyce had chastised Buffy for being lazy or irresponsible when she was in fact doing the exact opposite. Her daughter had been forced to grow up and fight a darkness that Joyce could not imagine having to deal with as a child. She had so many questions and no clear idea who to get the answers from. What was the name of her Watcher? Wasn't it something Giles?

"Wait a minute." Joyce stood up, left Buffy's room and headed downstairs. "He's the school librarian." She dug through various bills, papers, and other notes on her desk. When she located the Sunnydale High staff directory, she thumbed through the various sections until she found what she was looking for. "Rupert Giles."

Joyce picked up the phone and started to dial information then hung up. "Maybe I should call Willow's house first? The girls should both be there this early on a Saturday." She thought about some of the entries in Buffy's diary. "Never mind. She probably isn't even there."

With a sigh Joyce picked up the phone again to call information. She hastily wrote down the phone number and address she was given. She marched back up the stairs for a quick shower and a change of clothes. She wanted some answers to her questions, and she promised herself to give this Mr. Giles a piece of her mind, face-to-face. How dare a grown man hide something like this from her about her own daughter?

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

Spike and Buffy slept simultaneously in different locations. Buffy curled up in Giles' bed alone. Likewise Spike lay in his bed at the mansion by himself. Though apart, both seemed to travel to the same plane in their dreams.

Spike stood behind Buffy who was sitting on a wooden board. The board was attached to a large tree branch by two long ropes to complete the old-fashioned swing. He rested his hands comfortably on her shoulders while he looked out over their surroundings. It seemed so peaceful here.

Buffy's feet dangled close to the ground. If she tilted her foot she could reach the ground on her tiptoes. Off in the distance the sun lay heavy on the horizon. She felt no need to run for cover. Her skin didn't even tingle in concern or worry. "Spike?" She couldn't feel the approaching sun, but she could feel Spike's presence.

"Yes, Kitten?" Spike looked down at the golden aura that surrounded Buffy in the sunlight.

"How are we in the sun?" Buffy knew this all had to be a dream, but everything felt so real. She was drawn to Spike's essence as if he were physically standing behind her.

"Hell if I know." Spike admired the beauty of the sunlight rolling over the hills. Without his vampiric sense of time he hadn't realized that the sun was actually rising. "It must be a dream, but you shouldn't be here."

Buffy toed off the ground to twist the swing around to face in the opposite direction. "And why shouldn't I be here?" She grabbed the lapels of Spike's duster to hold herself stationary. "Should I be hurt that you don't think you should be dreaming about me?"

"No, you silly chit." Spike tweaked the end of Buffy's nose. "I can feel you here." He placed his hand over his heart. "And here." He tapped his right temple with a fingertip.

"So?" Buffy replied with a hint of agitation in her voice. If she wasn't so new to being a vampire, she never would have fallen asleep without Spike. She refused to be upset at the opportunity to feel him in her dreams. "I need to feel you here with me. Why don't you want me here?"

It nearly broke Spike's heart to see the pain and doubt in his Mate's eyes. "Luv, I want you here." He inhaled a deep unnecessary breath. "But if we are still connected enough to share a dream, it could create enough of a draw to alert Angelus and Dru."

Buffy relaxed a little bit. She wrapped her arm around Spike's waist. "Please don't make me leave so soon." She softly played up to his more emotional side in the hopes that she could get him to forget the logic. This was a dream. No one should be able to ruin it for them.

"You are safe for now." A tall dark-haired man stepped beyond the copse of trees into the open. "No one can feel the pull of your presence outside of this place."

"Who ..." Buffy's question was halted by the emergence of a younger looking female who exuded a sense of power well beyond her appearance of age.

"Spirits from another realm guard this place. You are not tied to your former reality here," she explained to Buffy and Spike.

The man walked alongside the woman. Their hands were clasped together. Spike's nostrils flared at the power of their scent and essence. These two were claimed by each other. The warning marks and signatures were obvious.

Buffy picked up on the claim. She tilted her head to the side in curiosity. They had to be vampires. Even though she couldn't remember seeing them before, she felt like she knew at least the woman. "Why are other vampires in our dreams Spike? I hope this isn't one of your kinky fantasies because I have to say that I don't think I'm ready for a group thing yet."

Before Spike answered, the other vampire laughed wholeheartedly. "She is just as feisty as you my darling."

The woman hid her chuckle behind a hand covering her mouth. She found the blond woman's antics adorable. There had been so much to learn after she was turned. This blond seemed to take it more in stride than she had. "I have a feeling that she will learn much faster than I did, beloved." She settled her gaze on Buffy. "She has many who will protect her. They might just make it."

"As amusing as this repartee is turning out to be ... Who the bloody Hell are you?" A draw of kinship filtered around him, but something was unusual about these two.

Buffy slipped off the swing. She cautiously moved a little closer to the woman. Something about her called out to her. It told Buffy she was family, almost like ... sister! "Were you a Slayer?"

Spike's head snapped up to meet the two unknown vampire's gazes. "Slayer?" He growled low. He stood next to Buffy ready to make a hasty retreat if necessary. Were his vampire senses so off that he couldn't tell a Slayer from a vampire anymore? Turned Slayers still killed vampires. He couldn't take the chance that this woman would try to kill Buffy.

"You're partially right," The young woman replied. The man gripped his Mate's hand tighter. "We are sisters in more ways than one now."

The elder vampire faced Spike directly. "I'm surprised that you haven't figured out our identities already, William." He grinned in delight at Spike's discomfort. He always enjoyed a good tease, especially at someone else's expense.

"Don't tease him too much dear." The female waggled a finger of caution at her Mate. "So much has happened in such a short time. All he cares about is the safety of his Childe and Mate. Surely you remember that feeling."

Spike moved beyond the point of being irritated while they talked about him as if he wasn't standing right there. "If someone doesn't start making sense soon, there are plenty of trees around here to turn you to dust with," He snarled.

"You should learn some patience young man. Rushing about recklessly has always been your weakness." The male poked a finger into Spike's chest. "We've waited almost 400 years for your arrival. You can wait ten minutes for our explanations."

"400 ... Bloody Hell!" Spike exclaimed.

"Oh my! OH MY!" Buffy trembled in Spike's arms. "Antoinette?"

Antoinette nodded. "Yes Buffy. I am Antoinette." She smiled warmly at the man next to her. "This is my ever annoying but beloved Sire and Mate, Charmand."

"But you're dead?" Buffy was highly confused. "I mean really dead as in dusty dead." Every time she thought her day couldn't get any stranger, it did. "Yet you're here together?"

Charmand curled his arm around Antoinette's waist. "We are here as proof that the 'Powers That Be' sometimes get things right. It's not a common occurrence on their part."

Antoinette playfully slapped Charmand's shoulder. "We have a mission, and it doesn't include bashing deities. Not today at least." She chuckled. "Save that for the next time we see them."

"Why are the bloody Powers That Be sending you to us?" Spike questioned with a roll of his eyes.

"For one thing, you needed to know that you are not alone," Charmand started off talking and Antoinette finished. "We can honestly say that we know what you feel, at least some of it."

Buffy tugged on Spike's arm. 'Maybe they can tell us why I can touch crosses.'

"Your soul is stronger than your vampire side." Antoinette answered Buffy's thoughts out loud. "That is a good sign."

"Oi, stay out of our heads," Spike protested. "We have enough trouble keeping thoughts straight between the two of us without another two more sets waltzing around in there."

"Sorry, it's a habit you pick up after nearly 400 years of being together." Antoinette motioned to the air around him. "Here, nothing is hidden." She settled her gaze on Buffy. 'We are not hidden from you either.' She thought to her sister Slayer.

Buffy jumped at the female voice in her head. "Okay, that was way weird." She swatted at the air in front of her as if she was trying to swat at a fly to shoo it away.

Charmand laughed. "She is delightful." His eyes twinkled in joy when he looked over at Spike again. "You are going to have your hands full for eternity with that one, you know that right? You are bound for eternity."

"Kind of had that figured out since we claimed each other, you git." Spike sat down on the swing. He pulled Buffy into his lap, rocking back and forth slowly.

"May I slap the Whelp, love?" Charmand rolled his eyes at the sky. "You all really hate me, don't you?"

Antoinette patted Charmand's arm. "He's young, dear. He doesn't know any better."

"I am NOT a child!" Spike protested.

Buffy laughed at the petulant tone in Spike's voice. "Don't have a tantrum now, Sire."

Spike pinched Buffy's waist. "Watch it, Childe. I'll turn you over my knee," he teased.

Antoinette leaned into Charmand. She laid her head down on his shoulder. "I wonder if they realize just how much they care for each other, yet," she whispered softly.

Charmand caressed his fingers down Antoinette's arm lightly. He cleared his throat. As much as he wanted to let them have their fun, he knew their time here was limited. "You are bound to her more than in the normal plane, William."

Buffy stopped squirming on Spike's lap. Both of them focused their attention on Charmand and Antoinette.

"Have you claimed each other several times already?" Charmand asked the question with a raised brow. Somehow he couldn't fathom these two as being celibate.

"Um ..." Buffy blushed. She tucked her head into Spike's shoulder.

"Yeah, mate. We did." Spike answered for the two of them. "Haven't kept track, but she's fed from me several times too. Except for the last feeding, she's drank all her blood from me."

"So you consumed the blood, and then she drank from you?" Charmand questioned. That was strange behavior for a vampire, even a more human one. Such filtration was a gift to the Childe, beyond a normal bond.

"Yeah, that's what I did." Spike narrowed his gaze on the other Master Vampire. "I want her to be as strong as possible."

"Interesting." Antoinette added. She noticed the confused look on Buffy's face and attempted to explain why that was unusual. "Sire's blood is the most potent for his Childe. His strength flows through the blood as well as his control."

Buffy nodded as she listened. She'd noticed the flow of Spike's power each time she drank from him. She felt stronger each time she ate and more aware of everything around her.

"By giving you so much of his blood, he is creating an equal." Antoinette further explained. "Most Sires don't want someone to be as strong as them. Even a strong Childe would not be given what you have. In a vampire sense, it shows that you are treasured above all. It shows that he considers you his match and not some automaton to simply do his bidding."

"I knew it was a gift, but I had no idea how much of a gift." Buffy cupped Spike's face with her hand. "You see me as your equal?"

"Of course, luv." Spike kissed Buffy's palm. "Even when we were enemies, I admired and respected the way you fought. Your passion and fire thrilled me with every battle. I always saw you as my equal."

"Yet you decided to keep me your equal even after death? You could have had me at your mercy to do your every bidding." Buffy's voice was full of emotion.

"I would never want you to be anything but what you are, Buffy." Spike nuzzled his face into Buffy's neck. He licked the twin scars of his mark, purring. "Anything else would demean who you are, and I love you just as you are ... sassiness and all."

"Love?" Buffy's head jerked to the side to look at Spike. "Do you mean that?" She was surprised at the admission, but she also knew that he was telling the truth.

"I've never been good at telling love from crushes, but if what I feel for you isn't love, then I don't ever want to be in love," Spike answered honestly. Somehow it seemed easier to articulate the words here in this realm. He didn't even feel too poncy for saying it either. "All I want is you, Mate."

"Oh Spike," Buffy sighed. "Everything inside of me tells me that I love you too." She snuggled in his arms and purred. "It's why it kills me a little bit every minute we are apart."

"It won't be for too much longer, pet. I have some plans in motion to get me back to you sooner."

"You are going to have to use it a lot sooner than you think, William." Charmand interrupted the touching scene between the two vampires. "Angelus doesn't know about Buffy, but his jealousy is going to force your hand."

Spike thought about the amulet in the box back at the mansion. "It will work?"

Charmand nodded. "It will, but not quite how you think it will." He started to say more, but Antoinette hushed him.

"He has to find out on his own, Charmand."

"Sometimes working for the Powers is frustrating. You never know when enough is too much," Charmand sighed. "I can tell you that you will not be separated even if one of you perishes. I believe your bookish friend mentioned a light that surrounds you when you exchange the claim?"

"Yes, Dalton said something about that." Buffy traced circles on Spike's chest while she listened.

"Your soul is very strong, Buffy, and it carries itself throughout all that you do and share," Antoinette explained. "You share everything with William, even that."

"You aren't saying that I am bloody well gaining a soul, are you?" Spike grumbled. "I am not going to become like that brooding ..."

"It doesn't work like that, William," Charmand interrupted. "Angelus buried his humanity a long time ago. He destroyed his soul completely. The curse was the only thing to bring even a sliver of it back."

"So how is this any different? I haven't exactly been a good boy for the last hundred years," Spike answered sarcastically. "My soul isn't all pristine and shiny."

"You still gave yourself limits. I'm not saying that it isn't quite a bit tarnished, but you never destroyed your humanity." Charmand stepped forward to place a hand on Spike's shoulder in camaraderie. He knew what it was like to feel the battle for dominance between the human and demon sides. "You fought to keep your emotions out of the foreground, but you never pushed them completely away. Your passion, tenacity, and love are as much a part of you as your demon."

"You did care for Drusilla for almost a hundred years, Spike," Buffy added. "You loved her enough to stay by her side even when Angelus left you both. Most would have just left her to die."

"It wouldn't have been right to do," Spike muttered.

"That kind of thinking is exactly why your soul was never completely gone." Antoinette smiled warmly at the confused vampire. "The connection to Buffy, and the sharing of her blood, binds you both more with each claim. Her soul calls out to yours just as much as her demon does. You'll notice the effects more as time goes by, but I'm sure you've already felt less of a need to kill innocents."

"If you can call the Watcher and the Whelp innocent, yeah," Spike huffed. "But I had just fed before that. Besides, didn't want Buffy to feel bad about killing her friend."

"Fresh kills can never be replaced by bagged blood. You know that, William." Charmand, who had lived as a vampire for over 150 years, knew the draw for the hunt. "You have controlled your demon well before. This is just a little bit of help to make it easier on you to do so."

Spike nodded. "At least I get credit for controlling it a lot even before the bitty soul."

"Those who would belittle your humanity do not know what they are talking about."

"Hear that, pet?" Spike smiled at Buffy. "How do you think the Watcher would feel about hearing that?"

Buffy giggled. "What about ..." Her voice dropped off into thin air and her body disappeared from Spike's lap.

"Buffy!" Spike screamed as he scrambled off of the swing to find his Mate. "Where is she?"

"Something must have pulled her attention back to her natural reality." Charmand looked to Antoinette for her thoughts.

Antoinette nodded. "Something must have awakened her. She should be all right."

"Should be?" Spike was mad. "That had better be definitely."

"It all depends on where she fell asleep at. If the place she was at is safe, then she is safe," Charmand explained.

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

Joyce Summers banged on the door to Rupert Giles' home. She had tried knocking more lightly a couple times already. The longer it took for the man to answer the door, the more upset she became.

A disheveled Giles opened the door to the frantic looking woman. "Mrs. Summers?" He asked groggily. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Joyce pushed past Giles into his home. She was mad enough that manners and proper etiquette didn't matter to her anymore. She had ended up calling Willow's house before she left, and Willow's mother hadn't seen Buffy in the last few days.

"Do come in." Giles rolled his eyes. He shut the door and faced Joyce head on.

"I want to know where my daughter is," Joyce spoke bluntly and straight to the point. "I know she's not at Willows, and I want to see her. Now!"

Giles eyes automatically looked towards the stairs that led up to his bedroom. A quick look to his watch told him that it was only 4 hours since they both went to bed. She wasn't going to be ready to wake up yet. "She is safe, Mrs. Summers."

"I didn't ask if she was safe, Mr. Giles," Joyce fumed. "And frankly I don't trust that you are telling me the truth after all the lies you've fed me."

"Lies?" Giles was flustered. "I've never lied to you, Mrs. Summers."

"Not telling someone something they should know is still a lie by omission. I know that she's some sort of vampire slayer." Joyce thrust Buffy's diary into Giles' hands. "I also know that you send her out to kill these creatures every night knowing that they could kill my little girl."

"Mrs. Summers, please sit down. Let's talk about this as civilized adults."

"I don't want to sit down." Joyce stomped her foot much like a two year old would in a temper fit. "I want some answers."

"Buffy is sleeping, and we need to be quiet. She's had a rough time of it lately." Giles tried to calm Joyce down. "I'll fix us some tea."

"I know all about that Angel fellow. A lot more than I ever wanted to know about him too." Joyce cringed. Buffy's diary went into a lot of details about her relationship with Angel and the night she slept with him. "Buffy is here, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is, but as I said before she is sleeping." Giles filled the teakettle with water and put it on the back burner of the stove.

"I want to see her now." Joyce walked towards the stairs.

Giles ran in front of Joyce. "You shouldn't go up there. She needs her rest."

"What are you trying to hide, Mr. Giles?" Joyce tried to twist away from Giles. "She's my daughter. You can't keep me from her!"

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

"Yeah, she should be safe." Spike ran his fingers through his hair nervously. "She's with her Watcher."

Antoinette gasped. "Are you sure that he won't try to stake her?" Louis had been very understanding of her and Charmand, but Charmand had also saved his life. Would Buffy's Watcher be the same way?

"He might stake me, but he wouldn't do anything to harm Buffy," Spike reassured the ex-slayer. "He loves her like a daughter, it seems."

"Good." Antoinette relaxed a little again. "We don't have much time left. You have the amulet, correct?"

"Yes. The Watcher has Louis' book. He's researching it further."

"The Council can't be told about any of this, William," Charmand was adamant in his command. "They will seek you both out and destroy you at all costs. If the two of you are lost, who knows when the next opportunity will occur. It took nearly 400 years from the last time."

"For what to occur?" Spike questioned.

"Too many factors have to be right for a Slayer to be turned and mated, William," Charmand sighed. "We are a rare breed of vampire, and it takes a very special Slayer to see that."

"Buffy didn't have much of a choice in this one. Something in me just couldn't let her die like that."

"She did accept you when she awoke, though." Charmand insisted. "Most Slayers would just stake their Sire. She is special. Like my Antoinette, your Buffy's Slayer demon realized that the two of you belonged together. That couldn't have happened if Buffy hadn't felt some sort of attraction to you before her death."

"I've smelled her arousal whenever we fought, but I always thought it was just a Slayer thing," Spike snorted with delight. "You know the thrill of the fight and all."

"It was more than that," Antoinette interjected. "Fighting does turn Slayers on, but not to the levels that it did when you two were fighting each other. That was far from normal."

"How do you know that?"

"Because of how you are with each other now." Antoinette twisted her hands together. "If you had only fought at regular levels, you wouldn't be so drawn to each other now."

The sun started to sink to the horizon. Charmand's shadow draped over Spike's body. "I don't know when or if we will see each other again, but know that you aren't alone."

Charmand hurried his words along. He felt the pull of the Powers calling them back. "The flux of power is changing, William. Follow your heart, and you will be steered in the right direction."

"The father shall perish, and the mother will become the child," Antoinette spoke softly but loud enough to be heard. "The circle will be banished, and the coven brought forward. A friend will become the enemy, and an enemy will be the protector." She cupped Spikes cheek with her hand and leaned down to place a soft kiss on his forehead. "Be careful, fair warrior, and take care of my sister."

"The path is not easy, but you are going to be given a chance that we did not have." Charmand looked at Antoinette sadly. "Don't let anyone take it away from you. You both belong in the light, together."

As the mystical sun set Spike vanished from his dream and into wakefulness, and he wasn't alone.

"Dru?" He looked up into the eyes of his former love. "What the hell are you doing here?"

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

"You can't keep me from her!" The shouting grew louder the longer Buffy laid there. She growled and jumped out of bed. Not only was she still very tired, but also she'd just been ripped from Spike's arms to the sound of bickering downstairs.

A very cranky and sleepy Buffy threw on the nearest piece of clothing she could find which happened to be one of Giles button down dress shirts. She hastily buttoned the shirt and stomped down the stairs not even realizing that she was in full game face. "What the hell is going on down here? Can't a girl get any sleep even when she's dead?"

Joyce Summers looked up at what sounded like her daughter. She stared, open-mouthed, at a face that both did and did not look like Buffy. "Buffy? Your face?" she stuttered.

"Giles?" Buffy's gaze flitted between Giles and her mother.

"You're ... you're ... oh no!" With those last words Joyce Summers passed out right into Giles' arms.

"Mommy!"

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

Drusilla tweaked the end of Spike's nose. "Time for my little doggie to wake up." She danced her fingers down Spike's chest.

Spike sat up abruptly. He grabbed Dru's hand and growled. "Not yours to play with anymore, Dru."

Dru gazed into the fiery gaze of Spike's now golden eyes. "You really are lost to Mummy, aren't you?"

Spike shook off his demon face. "I don't know what you mean, pet. I just don't like you touching me smelling like the poofter." He tried to brush off his disgust at her touching him.

"You are going to come and play with all the other kiddies today, Spike." Dru pulled a t-shirt over Spike's head. Spike laid stiff legged while Dru pulled up a pair of black jeans and fastened them. "You've been alone in here too long. Time to be a nice boy." She tucked her arm under Spike's knees, lifting him out of the bed.

"Dru, I don't want to go anywhere. I want to stay in my room," Spike argued with the woman he once felt was his destiny. He was silently grateful that Dru refused to let him mate with her several decades ago. What he had now was so much better than anything he could ever had with Dru.

Dru ordered one of the newest minions around when she carried Spike into the main area of the mansion. "Go get the chair and bring it to me." She twirled around a couple times with Spike in her arms. "Daddy won't listen to me, but maybe you will. I miss you, Spike. I don't want to lose my happy family."

Spike forced himself not to get sick from the spinning. He was still a bit disorientated from being pulled from the other realm. He clutched Drusilla tightly out of necessity, not want.

Angelus watched Spike and Dru from a shadowed corner. It angered him to see Dru giving any attention to his wayward Childe. 'She's only supposed to be thinking about me. I'm all the family she needs.' His frown twisted into a vicious sneer. 'I think it is time for dear Willie to meet his maker permanently.'

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

(To Be Continued)

Chapter Summary: Buffy and Spike have met Charmand and Antoinette in a dream like realm. They answered some of their questions, and Antoinette left Spike with a little prophetic message to think about. Now we have to deal with Dru, Angelus, and Joyce. All have their own reactions to what is going on around them. Some for the reactions are good, and some could mean death for one of our lovers. How will they make it through another day without each other? Will the amulet help Spike's plan? What did Charmand mean about it not working quite as Spike expected it to?

**WARNING: This chapter is angsty. A character death is implied, but I hope you realize before the end of the chapter that it is just a set up. I would never truly kill off one of our Spuffy lovers. I warn you on the angst because one of our lovers is not going to realize that the other is not dead. So they will react traumatically to it. Everything will be taken care of in Chapter 11 though, and happiness will return.**

(All disclaimers are noted in the first chapter of this story.)

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

"Dru, put me down," Spike growled loudly.

Several of the minions in the main room stopped what they were doing to watch the two vampires. They hadn't heard the strong commanding voice from the blonde vampire since before the vampiress' healing ritual. It shocked them to hear it again. Some of the minions who remained loyal to Spike were encouraged by the outburst. They were tired of Angelus' orders and treatment. They longed for Master Spike to exert his dominance again.

Dru pouted at Spike. "My boy doesn't want to play with his Dark Princess?"

Spike rolled his eyes. "I'm not your boy anymore, Dru." He motioned his hand towards the now nearby wheelchair. "Angelus is your boy, pet. Your precious Daddy."

"Daddy is my man," Drusilla cooed. "Spike is my boy." She rocked Spike back and forth in her arms like a baby.

Spike pushed hard against Drusilla's chest. "I'm not your sodding child in any sense of the word." He twisted hard enough after the shove to fall out of Dru's arms and hit the floor.

Drusilla and the entire room stared at Spike's prone figure. "I chose my William to be one of us," she spoke with a whimpering voice because of Spike's denial.

Every fiber of his being, demon and human, wanted Spike to stand up and slap Drusilla. Thankfully Dalton saved him from making that mistake. Although it made him look weaker to the other vampires, he needed to keep his recovery a secret.

Dalton snaked his hands into Spike's armpits. He pulled up while Spike used his hands on the chair's arms to drag himself up into the chair.

Angelus' low laugh echoed through the opposite side of the main area. 'He is so pitiful. Even that Dalton freak has more power than Spike right now,' he thought to himself. An idea started to form in his head for a way to rid him of Spike without having to stake him. 'That would be pure sadistic poetry for him to take care of it for me.'

Spike growled. He glanced across the room and narrowed his gaze on the gloating Irish vampire's form. His eyes flashed amber, fangs dropped, and hands clutched the arms of the wheelchair brutally.

Dalton maneuvered each of Spike's feet into place on the footrests as if the vampire was unable to do it himself. He stood up in front of Spike when he was done.

"Thank you, Dalton." Though everyone else heard a strained offer of thanks from an agitated vampire, Dalton knew his Master was genuinely appreciative for his actions.

"You're welcome, Master." Dalton bowed then walked away. He sat down in a nearby chair in case he was needed again. Things were getting tenser every day in the mansion.

Spike refused to acknowledge Drusilla's presence directly. When he spoke again it was as if he was addressing thin air. "You only wanted a little live dolly to tease your precious Daddy with. That's why you drained me but begged him to turn me. You didn't want any kind of bond between us."

Dru scooted over next to Spike's chair. She dropped to her knees and cupped his cheeks with her hands. "No, my William." She shook her head back and forth. "I've always wanted my effulgent one." She tried to placate him.

Angelus growled low. 'Drusilla should not be touching the boy.' He started to move towards them both, but Spike's next actions halted him.

Spike threw Dru's hands off of his face. He grabbed the rims of the wheels and turned himself away from Dru. He started to wheel towards the corridor to his room.

Dru whimpered. Returning to his side, she whispered into Spike's ears. "My poor Spike." She swayed back and forth before whispering again. "The pixies tell me how bad you have been. I won't be able to save you from Daddy if you aren't nice to your princess."

Spike's eyes remained golden when he snarled at Dru. "I'll be just fine. You are the one that will need saving." He closed his eyes for a few moments. When they opened again they were back to the radiant blue of his human visage.

Drusilla looked at Spike with surprise. There was no love for her in his eyes anymore. All she saw was hate and anger. Her lower lip trembled.

Spike pulled Dru's head down to whisper in her ear low enough that only the two of them were able to hear what he said. "There will come a time for you to choose, Dru. I will never love you like I did before, but I might be able to save you." He let go of her head and straightened himself upright in the chair. "You'd do well to remember that. The rules have changed."

Dru watched Spike wheel himself away from her. She ran in the opposite direction to the bedroom she shared with Angelus. Angelus followed Drusilla out of the room.

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

Buffy held her mother's head in her lap when Joyce Summers came to. "Buffy?" Joyce asked.

"I'm here, Mommy." Buffy hadn't given any thought as to who would be at Giles house earlier. Neither had she realized that her irritation brought her demon face forward. The last thing she wanted to do was scare her mother.

"Buffy?" Joyce forced herself to sit up a little bit. She rubbed her temples. She definitely felt a headache coming on. "Your face, earlier. Did I imagine it?"

Buffy sighed and looked up at Giles for help. "Mom, Giles told me that you read my diary?"

Joyce nodded. "I didn't mean to, but you've been so down lately. You actually left your diary out, and I know that isn't like you." She tried to explain in a way that wouldn't make Buffy mad. "So, I read it. It scared me."

"With all that's happened now, we were going to have to tell you. I wish you didn't found out that way." Buffy sighed. She hated that her mother read her diary, but they had more important things to worry about right now.

"There is no easy way to tell you that your daughter is a Slayer, but perhaps we could have made the knowledge easier to bear." Giles stepped in. He handed Joyce a hot mug of tea. He sat down in a chair across from the couch that Buffy and Joyce sat in. "We could have answered your questions along the way."

Joyce looked back and forth between Giles and Buffy. "What do you mean with all that's happened?" Her hands trembled around the mug when she took a sip of the soothing liquid. "What could be worse then finding out your daughter is sent out every night to kill things that can kill her in return?"

Buffy bit her lower lip nervously. "Mom, I'm not just the Slayer anymore." She covered one of her mom's hands with hers. "If you read my diary, then you know that vampires don't always kill people. They sometimes turn them."

Joyce nodded. She didn't like where this conversation was heading. "Oh Buffy. Your face." She started to cry. "Your dead, and you're going to eat me."

Giles took the mug from Joyce. He set it on the table before it was spilled all over both females. "She isn't like a normal vampire, Joyce. She has her soul. She won't kill anyone."

"Well at least not anyone that doesn't deserve it." Buffy hugged her mother to try and reassure her. "I'm still the same old Buffy. I just have a few more perks." She tried to lighten the mood with a bouncy comeback.

Joyce looked over at Giles in confusion. "But that sounds impossible. First I find out she is a slayer, and now you tell me she is a vampire but I shouldn't be worried?"

"I know it doesn't make sense, Mrs. Summers." Giles removed his glass and began a severe polishing of the lenses. "This is difficult for me to grasp, and I've been dealing with the demonology side of things for many years."

"I'm special, Mommy." Buffy tried to explain everything more simply. "Not many like me even in the family of Slayers." She shrugged. "Had to be the oddball I guess."

It took the next 4 hours to get Joyce to comprehend just what Buffy was before and what she was now. They brought out texts and diaries of past Watchers to help explain things to the grief stricken mother. Things got even harder when they told her that she needed to plan out Buffy's funeral.

"No, you can't make me do that." Joyce argued vehemently.

"Angelus has to believe that I'm dead." Buffy reiterated. "It is the only way that we can guarantee he'll show up without thinking we are trying to trap him. We need the advantage that him thinking I'm dead will give us."

"Joyce," Giles had been told about 15 minutes into the first conversation to call her Joyce. "I know this is all overwhelming and difficult, but Angelus needs to be stopped. He's already tortured each of us in different ways. His announcement to you about Buffy's sexual activity was minimal compared to the deaths he's overseen."

Buffy rubbed Giles' arm in comfort. "I'm so sorry, Giles."

Giles nodded. "I know, Buffy. It wasn't something you could have prevented."

"Yes, I could have." Buffy sighed. "If I had been able to kill him after the Judge, he wouldn't have gotten to Miss Calendar."

"It was too much to ask of you at the time, Buffy." Giles had fought with himself ever since Jenny's death to not blame Buffy. A part of him still wanted to berate his Slayer for not doing her duty. The fatherly side of him knew that he could never expect a daughter to be ready to kill the man she loved at the drop of a hat. "Yes, it was your job, but I can't imagine having to be the one to kill the one I loved."

"I won't fail you this time Giles." Buffy clutched Giles' arm tighter. "He will be dust."

"I know he will." Giles turned back to Joyce. "We have the opportunity to spring this trap on Angelus. We won't get another one."

Joyce, who had listened to each of them talk about the past, sighed resignedly. "All right. What do I need to do?"

In the middle of the funeral plans, Willow showed up at Giles' apartment. Giles directed Willow to research Spike's human name for any connections to the Council. He was still disturbed by a sense of familiarity to the Jamison name. He made dinner for Joyce, Willow and himself. Buffy went upstairs to catch a couple more hours of sleep.

"Why wouldn't Xander come, Willow?" Giles directed the conversation to Willow while they ate.

"He said that he wasn't going to help Buffy figure out how her and Spike were supposed to be together." Willow was upset with Xander. She didn't understand all of this either, but she knew they needed to support Buffy more now than ever. She hadn't faulted Buffy for going all fangy on Xander once Giles told them about the bond. She'd want to go all fangy too if Xander tried to say mean things about Oz or want to kill him.

"I hope he doesn't do something foolish. That boy is a naïve child when he doesn't get his way." Giles cut another piece of potato before he dipped it into a cream like gravy to eat it.

"He said something about taking care of things the way it should be, but he was just babbling then." Willow reassured everyone at the table. "You know how he gets when he's upset. Nothing makes sense."

"We should be careful what we say around him now, just in case," Giles said and Joyce nodded. "We have to do everything we can to protect Buffy. If the Council were to find out about this, there is no telling what they would do. I'm sure they would try to kill her at the very least."

"The very least?" Joyce gulped. "Isn't death the worst?"

"Not necessarily, Joyce," Giles sighed. "If they see Buffy as only a creature, they could capture her to study her. There is no telling what kinds of tests they would do."

"How could they do something so inhumane?" Willow was freaked out about hearing this.

"They wouldn't see it as inhumane if they didn't feel she was human." Giles responded in explanation.

"Oh, I see." Joyce's hand shook as the next forkful made its way to her mouth.

"We'll do everything we can to stop that from happening, Joyce. I love Buffy like my own daughter."

Joyce nodded.

The three inside had now knowledge of the dark-haired teenager that stood near Giles' window outside. At first he thought that he'd join them at the house to see if he could talk some sense into them. That woman he saw the night before could not be Buffy. He would prove to them all that it wasn't. The Council. Giles said something about the Council would be able to take care of it. 'Hmmm, just have to find a way to get a hold of them.' He snuck away and headed towards home to think on it further.

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

Angelus wiped Drusilla's blood from his lips as he walked over to Spike and Dalton in the main room of the mansion. "You're nothing but a waste of space, Willie." He'd spent the last couple hours trying to take Dru's mind off of Spike. No matter what he tried, Dru kept going on and on about the rules, pixies, and balls of sunshine. It had frustrated him beyond irritation.

Spike gritted his teeth. He wanted to stand up and beat his Sire senseless. "I would get better if you or Dru would remember to feed me properly."

Angelus laughed. He leered over him with a hand on each arm of the chair. "Listen to how pathetic you sound." He got right next to Spike's ear. "Needing to be fed like a little puppy." If he couldn't get Dru to stop talking about her William, he would take William out of the equation.

Spike moved back as far as he could in the chair. He was only half acting while he cowered away in fear from the elder vampire. Angelus had a look in his eyes that meant death and destruction. After the way Drusilla left earlier, he had a feeling that Angelus wasn't all that happy with him.

"Well let me tell you something ... pet." Angelus used one of Spike's nicknames for others in a derogatory manner. "I've managed to pound Dru's obsession for you out of her system every night with my cock buried inside of her." He grinned maliciously. "After this evening's session you aren't even a passing thought."

"But she loves me. She said she wanted to keep me earlier." Spike played off that his earlier tirade was just playing with Dru to try and make her seek him out more. He fought to maintain his pathetic façade that his world revolved around Drusilla.

"You mean your little show of dominance earlier?" Angelus guffawed. "That didn't even bother her in the slightest. She forgot you the moment I walked into the room and buried my fangs in her pretty neck."

Spike simpered a little for effect. He beat his fists weakly on top of Angelus' hands in defiance.

"My wicked girl only loves her Daddy. You were a convenience until my return, nothing more." Angelus hammered each word home with a mocking pat on Spike's shoulder.

"You're lying! As soon as I get out of this chair, I'm going to kick your ass back into soulland."

"I'm not lying, and you know it. You knew it earlier when you gave that weak attempt to make her think you didn't want her."

"She has to love me. I can't live without her." Spike pouted. "I was only trying to get her back."

"Then perhaps it is time I ended your pathetic life permanently." Angelus pulled back slightly to show Spike with his eyes that he was serious. "There is only room for one wolf in this henhouse and that's me."

Spike blinked. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying you either remove yourself from our lives ..." Angelus bit Spike's ear before he whispered the last words to him. "... Or I'll remove you myself." He stood up. "Think about that one, Willie. You have one day. Make it count. I'm off to hunt."

Spike gulped. With each step Angelus took away from him, he would swear that his heart beat in his chest in fear. Things had to be taken care of and fast. "Dalton, take me back to my room."

Dalton pushed the wheelchair down the corridor to Spike's room. He carried the chair up the steps, and then continued the rest of the way towards the room.

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

Joyce left Willow, Giles and Buffy at Giles' apartment that evening after Buffy woke up. She headed straight for the funeral home to make the necessary arrangements. Even knowing that her daughter was still alive, it was creeping her out to be planning Buffy's funeral.

The undertaker looked at Joyce strange when she requested the empty coffin and the sunset service. She explained that she wished the body to be in its natural state, and she gave instructions for where the casket was to be delivered to and when.

After that was finished, Joyce headed back to Revello drive as quickly as she could. It was already dark out, and she knew about the many reasons she should be afraid to be out alone in the dark in Sunnydale. She locked the door behind her and readied herself for bed. The next two days were going to be trying on her every patience and nerve. She had to make everyone believe that Buffy was dead.

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

"Well that just can't be right." Giles read the web site page and Watcher records three more times. "That is absolutely absurd!" Willow had called him over a few minutes ago to see what information she found on William Jamison from her last few hours of research.

"What is, Giles?" Buffy stood up from the couch to stand behind Giles. She read over his shoulder. First she snorted, the chuckled, and then an all out guffaw filled the Watcher's apartment. "Oh my! The irony of that is priceless."

Giles wore a mask of expressions mingled from surprise, intrigue, anger, and unbelief. "There's no bloody way that is right."

"But it is bloody hilarious." Buffy mocked Giles' tone and accent. "I think it is perfect."

"There must be another William Andrew Henry Jamison from that time period." Giles closed the book. "Get on that monstrosity of a machine and find another one."

Buffy and Willow exchanged amused glances. Willow started clicking through more databases. "Sure, Giles. If you say so, but I doubt it." She wanted to laugh right along with Buffy, but the prospect of Giles and Spike ... it was just too funny for reality.

"No one is leaving this apartment until we prove that to be a lie. I don't care if we are here until dawn." Giles was flustered. He huffed over to one of the chairs at the kitchen table and plopped down. He tried to concentrate on Louis' diary entries and other books, but his mind kept coming back to Willow's revelation. 'I don't care what it says, I'm not calling him Uncle Spike.'

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

"We don't have much time, Dalton." Spike quickly jumped up from the wheelchair once they were secure in his room. "Angelus is going to stake me himself if I can't make him believe that I'm dead in the next day."

"How are we going to make him believe that?"

"The box I asked you to bring me contains an amulet that I can use to mask my presence and my every vampiric essence from everyone." Spike rummaged through the box. He held up a wooden amulet, edged in gold, and covered in various symbols.

"No one will be able to sense you?" Dalton queried.

"I could stand right next to the poofter and he wouldn't want to believe his eyes because he wouldn't feel me." Spike rubbed the dust off the front of the amulet. "The diaries mentioned how this was created by the monks to help Charmand mask his presence when the Council was near. They weren't able to trace a vampiric signature because there wasn't one to find when he wore this."

"I thought that the vampire was dusted. Wouldn't this amulet have dusted with him?" Dalton was slightly confused. He didn't want to doubt his Master's abilities, but there were big problems if he was wrong about this.

"He left it with the Watcher that day because they weren't worried about the Council finding them. The wankers had long given up their chase of him and the Slayer," Spike explained. "The amulet was with the book when I took it. Though Charmand said it wouldn't work like I thought it does." He pondered that thought for a moment. "I can only hope that he means it works better, not worse. He would have warned me if it wouldn't cover my essence."

"Charmand? You spoke to this vampire?"

"Dream state, very strange." Spike spouted off a quick explanation. "We don't have much time to plan. Bring me one of the new fledglings and ..."

Spike's sentence was cut off with the door being pushed open and one of the newest fledglings stepping into the room with some bagged blood. The fledgling screeched to see the Master Vampire standing and not in his wheelchair. The fledgling tried to run away, but Spike and Dalton grabbed him and tossed him back into the room.

"Well I guess you won't have to go get me one after all. We just had him hand delivered." Spike gagged the fledgling and tied him to his wheelchair. He buried his fangs into the fledgling's neck, and he drank enough blood to throw the new vampire into unconsciousness. When he was positive that the vampire was out for the count, he untied him.

"He'll do nicely. Need dust you see. Sorry mate, noting personal." He tapped the unconscious vampire's shoulder. "Now here is what you need to do now, Dalton. Timing is critical."

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

Angelus grumbled as he returned to the mansion just before sunrise after a boring and uneventful hunt. Drusilla hadn't joined him, and there was nothing worth even an ounce of his effort to kill that night. All of the precious Scoobies seemed to be in hiding.

The only bright spot of the night was the news that the Slayer would be buried after a sunset funeral, two nights from now. He had connections at the funeral homes in Sunnydale. He was positive that all of the Slayer's family and friends would be there to attend, and he was going to make sure that this was one funeral that no one would forget. He had plans to rid Sunnydale of every last one of them, and he now had the perfect place to kill them all in one grand gesture.

Dalton rushed across the main hall. His eyes were wide with fear. He raced over to Angelus and fell at his feet in a position of mercy. "Master Angelus, please come quick."

Angelus kicked Dalton over with the tip of his boot. "What are you sniveling on about, bookworm?"

"Master Spike, Sir. He's acting strange. He's going to ..."

"Spike is always strange. Nothing new there." Angelus shared a laugh with several nearby minions over his little joke.

"This is worse than normal, Master. He's threatening to kill himself with the next sunrise." Dalton looked up at the dark haired vampire. He had to play his part well or Angelus would never fall for this. His eyes echoed a genuine fear and submission to beg from Angelus. "The drapes are open, and he's just sitting there. He bit me when I tried to move him." He held up his arm where several bite marks dotted up and down it.

The other vampires watched Angelus to see what his reaction to this news would be. Spike was Angelus' Childe. By all vampiric rituals Angelus should try to stop his Childe from doing something foolish.

Angelus was in no rush to save the bleached thorn in his side. He knew that he'd have to at least make a show of trying to save Spike, or he would lose face amongst the clan. With a sigh he stood up. "Best go see if we can talk to him then."

Dalton stared at Angelus. He was surprised that the Master Vampire was acquiescing so easily to the request. 'He's not actually going to try and save him, is he?'

In answer to Dalton's thoughts, Angelus purposely tripped over something on the floor. He laughed from his face down position. "Must have nibbled on someone tonight who had a bit more than human food in their system."

'Oh so that is how he's going to play it.' Dalton was half relieved and half peeved that Angelus wasn't even going to try and save Spike.

Angelus finally made it to the stairs just as the sun was cresting over the horizon. Screams of pain and agony caressed his ears. He picked up the pace of his walk. There was no way that he'd make it to the room before Spike was dust. That suited him just fine. He could say that he made the effort, but he was just too late to save him. The screams ceased right about the time he made it to Spike's room.

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

In two separate parts of Sunnydale the wailing screams of a woman were heard. One belonged to the vampiress Drusilla, and the other belonged to the vampiress/slayer named Buffy. Both cried out for the same thing, the loss of one man and one vampire named William "Spike" Jamison.

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

Angelus stood in the doorway to Spike's room. He was careful to avoid the sun's damaging rays. Inside the room the draperies were open just enough to bathe the wheelchair in front of the window in sunlight. Even from this distance, Angelus noticed the pile of dust on the chair and the scent of singed flesh and hair in the air.

"Couldn't even go out facing your fate, could you boy?" Angelus laughed. The wheelchair was facing away from the window as if the former occupant didn't want to see the sun hit him in those final moments. "A coward to the end." He rejoiced in the demise of his Childe.

Nothing in the room or anywhere near felt like the essence of his wayward son. The bond between a Sire and Childe felt severed. Drusilla's screams, which echoed throughout the mansion, were further proof that Spike was no more. He turned away from the room, his gleeful laughter following him down the hallway to the main area. He had a woman to see to. He would pound any thoughts of Spike out of her head as he fucked her into oblivion. Today was a day to celebrate. Spike was dead.

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

Dalton stared into the room in pain. Even the faking of his Master's death disturbed him. If he was alive his racing heart might have given away the game to Angelus. He was once again grateful that he was a vampire. He trotted around the light path to close the drapes.

Dalton walked over to the passage to say goodbye and close the door. He was surprised to see that Spike was already gone. 'I wonder what happened.'

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

Everything had been quiet while they continued with the research. Willow had actually fallen asleep two hours before at the table. Buffy's screams snapped her from her sleep in a heartbeat.

"SIRE!" Buffy sobbed openly, clutching her legs to her chest. Willow and Giles moved to Buffy's side. "He's gone, Giles."

Buffy pushed at anyone that tried to get near to her. "Oh God, Spike's gone." She buried her face in her knees and cried out with her heart and soul for the one she could no longer feel the presence of.

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

(To Be Continued)

Revenge For Love - (11) Reacquainting With Love
By Tasha

Chapter Summary: Dru tried to get Spike to think she still wanted him. Angelus, jealous of Dru's attentions on Spike, threatened Spike with a dusting if Spike didn't do it himself first. Spike and Dalton set up a fledgling to take the dusting for him, and Spike prepared the amulet to cover his essence. As Charmand suggested, the amulet worked but not quite how Spike thought it would. Buffy believes that Spike is dead as well. Not even their telepathic link was strong enough at the distance they were apart from each other. Now we see the repercussions off all of this. What happened with the amulet? Will Spike make it to Giles' place in time to stop Buffy from doing something very foolish?

**WARNING: Just a little reminder that this story is rated NC-17 overall, and it contains many graphic sexual situations throughout. This chapter has biting and sexual moments in it. I don't always warn with each separate chapter, but since there hadn't been any sex for a few chapters I'm sending out this little reminder to you readers.**

(All disclaimers are noted in the first chapter of this story.)

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

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

Spike's voice drifted off in the echoes of the hidden passage near his room. The moment the amulet lay draped around his neck and onto his chest, he panicked. Emptiness filled him where previous vampiric bands had been. Even his link with Buffy was close to non-existent. What he did feel from Buffy was pain, despair, and grief so strong that he nearly cried.

'Buffy,' Spike tried to reach out with their telepathic link. 'Buffy, luv. I'm all right!' There was no response back to him. The emotions he felt from Buffy were becoming unbearable, and he screamed at being unable to soothe her. This wasn't right. He should still be able to contact her. 'Damn it. This must have been what Charmand meant.'

As soon as he was sure Angelus was out of the room, Spike bolted down the passage. There was no time to wait for Dalton to check on him. He needed to get to his Mate before she tried something foolish. He knew what he would do if he lost Buffy. He hoped the Watcher or her friends were around her to try and stop Buffy from doing the same thing he would.

Spike dashed from the gardens of the mansion to the nearest sewer entrance without a care about sunlight exposure. He figured he wouldn't be in the direct sunlight long enough to burn. The sewers were the quickest way to the Watcher's house, and he needed to get there fast.

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

"Buffy, we mustn't jump to conclusions." Giles tried in vain to wrap his arms around Buffy to comfort her. "Spike said he had some plans to work on. Maybe this is a part of it?" He wanted to be hopeful for Buffy's sake, but he was concerned himself at her loss.

"You don't understand, Giles." Buffy lifted her head from her arms. Tears trailed down both sides of her cheek. "There's nothing. I've tried to send a thought to him, and I've tried to feel him. Reaching out does nothing. I'm just ... empty."

Buffy rubbed the bite marks on her neck. "You weren't supposed to leave me." She spoke out loud as if Spike were there to hear her. She rubbed the marks harder, but she still felt no response or tingling.

Giles stood up. "I'm going to make some tea and heat up some blood for you, Buffy." He was out of his element to counsel Buffy in this situation. A Watcher wasn't trained to care for a Childe when they lost their Sire. Neither did he know what to do with one Mate when the other perished.

Willow, after being pushed away again by Buffy, followed Giles into the kitchen. "What are we going to do, Giles?" She never remembered Buffy being this torn up about anything before. "She wasn't even this bad when Angel went all Angelus on us. Do you think Spike's really gone?"

"For all our sakes, I hope not. Buffy needs him." Giles readied the teakettle with fresh water. He prepared a tray with three cups, a little bowl of sugar, and a tiny pitcher of creamer. "I'm hoping that he's using some sort of cloaking spell, but that shouldn't have affected their telepathy. At least it didn't affect them the other night."

Buffy ignored the conversation in the kitchen. She didn't care why Spike was gone. She focused on the pain and emptiness where his presence used to reside. It was only a few days ago that she would have happily dusted the bleached Master Vampire herself. In the last few days a connection had burrowed so deep into her mind, body and soul that without their connection she was crumbling.

What was it that Charmand and Antoinette said about being bound for eternity, even beyond a second death because of the joining of their souls? Did that mean if she dusted they would be together again? What if she was wrong and Spike wasn't in Heaven? 'Then I'll fight my way down to tear Hell apart to find him.' She looked up at Giles' door. 'Just a few quick steps away to find out for sure.'

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

Spike kicked through bits of paper, wood and metal debris that tried to get in his way on his run through the tunnels. 'I have to reach her,' was the mantra he continuously repeated in his head while he ran. A greater sense of despair and desolation hit him from Buffy as he drew nearer to Giles' house.

Spike estimated he was still a couple blocks away. He tried to reach Buffy telepathically, but he still hit the proverbial brick wall during the attempt. "Remind me to punch that git for being the king of understatement," he growled loudly. 'Nice warning there, mate,' he directed his thoughts towards an absent Charmand.

With one block to go, Spike received clearer thoughts and emotions from Buffy even though he wasn't able to send thoughts himself. He was in such a desperate dash to reach Buffy that the thought didn't cross his mind to remove the amulet. 'Don't you dare do it, Slayer!' He practically screamed his thoughts in an attempt to reach his Mate any way possible.

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

For a brief moment Buffy stopped her creep towards the door. She thought she felt Spike for just a second before he was gone again. She closed her eyes. 'Don't bloody torment me,' she mentally cursed the powers. 'A little fraction of feeling isn't going to stop me.'

Willow looked out into the living room from the kitchen. She watched Buffy stand up and stare at the door. She tugged on Giles' sleeve. "Giles, I think that Buffy is ..." Before Willow could finish her statement, the door was already flung open, and Buffy ran outside.

"BUFFY!" Giles and Willow both yelled in unison. In their haste it actually took them longer to reach the outside because they were tripping over each other and everything in their path.

Buffy stood out in the direct sunlight outside of Giles' home. Her arms were spread open wide in offering, just waiting for the burning to begin. By the time Giles and Willow joined her outside, Buffy was weeping.

Willow stuttered in confusion, "I thought ... Shouldn't she be burning?"

Buffy cried harder. She looked up at the sky with pain in her eyes. "I don't care if my soul is purer than the demon, Antoinette. Let me die!"

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

"NO!" Spike yelled out. His voice reverberated off the sewer tunnel's walls with a matching strength to the voice that first called out. He jumped up the last few rungs of the ladder to the street and shouldered the manhole cover off. He left the hole open while he ran across the street, into the courtyard of Giles' place.

A flash of black and white blurred past Giles, who was standing at Buffy's side, and tumbled with Buffy back into Giles' house. "Spike?" He turned his head to look into the house where the snarling black and white blur covered Buffy with is body.

"Don't you ever ..." Spike kissed Buffy all over her face. "Ever ..." He shook her by the shoulders. "Do that again!" His demon growled loudly in anger while his inner humanity wept.

"Spike?" Buffy looked up at her Mate. She still couldn't feel his presence, but she felt the tingling sensation of her Sire and Mate wherever they touched. "Oh God, Spike! I thought you were dead."

Spike snarled. He hated to see his Mate in tears. Knowing that he was the cause of those tears grated at him even further.

Willow and Giles slowly walked back into his house. Many questions swirled around in Giles' head as to why Buffy hadn't dusted. She was out in the sunlight long enough to start to burn at the very least.

Spike growled possessively at Buffy. "What the bloody hell were you trying to do, Childe?" He gripped her upper arms so tightly that if she were human he would have broken her arm.

Being a vampire increased Buffy's threshold for pain. It also made her body less susceptible to injury. As a Slayer her bones were stronger than a human's. Her combined Slayer and vampire constitution gave further extensions to her thresholds. "I couldn't bear the loss of your presence. If you were gone, I was ready to join you. I can't live without you anymore, Spike."

Spike sat up halfway. He pulled Buffy up with him. "I felt your strong emotions, but you weren't hearing my thoughts." He rocked the two of them back and forth in a soothing motion. "I tried to reach you, pet." Buffy's words warmed his undead heart. Her devotion told him that he was cherished, and she claimed that she couldn't live without him. That told him she was no longer thinking of herself as being "dead".

Buffy looked up into the eyes of her Sire. Matching tracks of tears fell down their faces. She felt the warm tingling sensation burn hotter the longer they touched each other. If she wasn't seeing him with her own eyes, Buffy would swear that Spike was still gone. His presence was still missing in her spirit. "I see you Sire, but I don't feel you." Her voice choked on the words.

"I'm real, pet. I'll make sure you feel me." Spike, who had remained in his vampire face since leaving the mansion, yanked Buffy's neck to his lips and plunged his fangs into her skin. "Mine," he roared through a mouthful of her wonderful Slayer/Childe blood.

After re-entering the house, Willow tried to avoid the couple. Willow was pretty scared, but she realized that Spike and Buffy needed some "alone" time. She resolved herself to give them that privacy until a yelp of pain snapped her full attention back to Buffy. The sight of Spike roaring with Buffy's blood on his lips chilled her to the core.

Giles bolted to the kitchen table to retrieve a stake. Before Spike bit Buffy, he found himself a curious observer of how the two interacted. The moment he felt any real danger, his papa bear side made an appearance. Half a second before he brought his hand down to turn Spike into dust, a lustful moan from Buffy stopped him.

Buffy's body tensed from the fierceness of Spike's bite. With his fangs embedded in her throat, their connection was renewed and strengthened. Although she couldn't feel his actual Sire presence, she felt the mental mating ties between them snap back into place. "Oh my! Yours!" She moaned in pleasure after her initial yelp of pain. She clamped her mouth onto Spike's neck. Her fangs slipped into her previous marks, and she happily drank from him. "My Sire. My Mate. Mine!"

"Yours." Spike's voice answered Buffy's proclamation. A sense of relief washed over him. Mentally he could sense his Mate's telepathic link with him once more. It unnerved him that it was still a weaker link than what they previously shared. 'It must be an effect of the amulet. I'll be bloody glad when I can take it off again.'

Both fully "vamped", Spike and Buffy clawed at each other's clothes in earnest. Each swipe rewarded one or both of them with a better view of their Mate's body. No thought was given to the two humans standing stock still in Giles' house. All that mattered for the mates now was to renew and reacquaint themselves with each other.

Willow found it hard to decide if she should be appalled or aroused at the sight before her. Her best friend was tearing into Spike like a wanton and feral beast. She might have thought Spike was making Buffy do things against her will if she hadn't seen the look in Buffy's eyes that radiated the desire and need she had for everything she and Spike were doing to each other.

Giles pulled at the collar of his shirt. He gulped hard. With a come hither motion of his hand, Giles gestured for Willow to follow him back out the door. Once outside he locked the door. "Why don't we go get some breakfast in town? I think it would be better if we weren't there to witness what they're doing."

"That's ... That's a good idea, Giles." Willow stared at the closed door for a minute. "Will they be all right in there? It looked like they were going to tear each other to pieces."

"As awkward as it may seem, it appears that Buffy and Spike were renewing their claim in a bestial way." Giles led Willow out of the courtyard. He decided against driving in favor of walking to allow them more time to clear their heads. "Their demons and human selves all need the reassurance of their mate being alive and cared for."

"That is a pretty scary way to say I love you," Willow countered with a shiver.

"There are many aspects of their relationship we may never understand, Willow, and there are many different types of love." Giles tried to explain the situation quickly and simply. He had no desire for anyone to overhear any critical points of the conversation. He wasn't convinced about the Council's lack of knowledge about Buffy. He feared Travers sent operatives to watch them. So he kept his voice low for Willow's hearing only. "Demons react to each other on a more primal level. Although I have witnessed tender forms of affection between them, their other sides will also demand their own forms of expression and affirmation."

"I think I understand better Giles, but it still frightens me to see them act like that." Willow sighed softly. "I almost forget Buffy's new state until something like this shocks the realization back in."

Giles nodded. "We need to give her all of the support possible." They arrived outside of a small diner. "Hardly anything is happening in a "normal" way for Spike and Buffy either. We're all muddling through this, but we'll survive better if we stick together." He despised the thought of his Slayer being turned, but he wasn't foolish enough anymore to assume this was the end of his charge. He was willing to stand up to Angelus, the Council, or anyone else that came after Buffy.

Willow weaved around several tables to locate an empty two-seater in the corner. "I'm scared, but I won't desert Buffy. If only we could get Xander to understand."

"Xander has shown a lot of prejudice when it comes to those he deems as evil." Giles knew Spike wasn't completely good, but he had to respect the fact that Spike was willing to risk his entire existence and way of life to protect Buffy. Spike also seemed willing to fight whatever was necessary to keep her safe and loved.

Willow nodded. "He never liked Angel, but part of that was from his crush on Buffy." She'd been so mad at Xander for the last couple years because of his crush on Buffy. She'd loved him for a long time before she met Oz, and it had hurt to watch her best friend chase after her other best friend especially when she knew that Buffy didn't love Xander like that.

"He has taken great pleasure in repeatedly saying I told you so, as of late." Giles groaned in frustration. He had more reason to be upset with Buffy about Angelus than Xander, but he also wasn't going to blame her for everything either. Part of the blame lay at Jenny's feet for not telling them about what she knew and for staying late at the school alone when she should have been safe at home. He missed her terribly, but there was nothing he could do to bring her back. He needed to move on as best he could.

Willow noted the furrowing of Giles' brow. She squeezed his hand in support. "Once Xander gets a hold of something, he doesn't let go." Willow rolled her eyes. "He's all on the bandwagon to stake Spike, but I doubt that Buffy lets him anywhere near Spike. Her fangy display the other day proved that."

Giles nodded in agreement. "Yes, you are right. We need to watch Xander carefully." He sighed. "I am afraid that I don't trust the boy not to overreact emotionally when it comes to Buffy."

Conversation stopped when the waitress walked over to take their order. The two sat in relative silence contemplating the state of their lives while they waited for their order and then ate it.

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

Back at Giles' house Spike and Buffy were lost in their own world where only the two of them existed. Bits and pieces of their clothing were strewn throughout the living room, furniture was knocked over, and the two of them were practically fucking their way around the room.

Spike hovered over Buffy's body, buried to the hilt within her warm channel. He snarled and bit her shoulders and breasts while he pounded into her pussy savagely. The force of his thrusts slid them both along the carpet. She would have been pushed away from him if he hadn't grabbed a hold of her shoulders or waist to remain intimately connected.

Buffy was not idle in her actions either. Her claws, fully extended in her demon's façade, dug into Spike's back. Thin lines of red blood dripped over his shoulder blades, the scent of his blood driving the pair to further heights.

"Never leaving you." Spike grunted, punctuating each word with a separate plunging of his cock in and out of her body. He grabbed Buffy's shoulders, pulled back and flipped her over to her hands and knees without losing the warm sheath around his cock.

Buffy gasped in pleasure and shock at the change of position. She braced her hands against the floor. Her claws dug into the carpet and wood beneath it. She used any leverage she could get to push herself back when Spike pushed his cock forward. "I'll kill anyone that even thinks of touching you." She tightened her inner muscles to strangle his cock within her as she spoke.

Spike's head snapped backwards, and he howled. His body shook in ecstasy. His orgasm was ripped from his body with the tightening of her pussy around his cock. He curled his hands on her shoulders; claw marks being embedded in her front and back. He yanked her body up against his and buried his fangs into her neck.

"SPIKE!" Buffy yelled out in orgasmic joy. Her body rushed over the edge the moment his fangs entered her neck. The rush of Spike's cool seed within her womb did nothing to chill her, but it satisfied her body's need for his essence in any way that she could find it. Her muscles pulsed and rippled around his cock, milking each strong jet of thick cream deep within her canal.

Spike rocked his hips forward and back in shorter strokes that were no less forceful than his previous fucking. Even as his body emptied itself within her, his hunger for her remained. His passion for Buffy would never die, and he pounded against her womb harder with the round thick head of his cock.

"Yes, Spike. Yesssss!" Buffy's words slurred off when the colorful light display began behind her eyes. She bucked back against Spike, sending him to the floor. Quickly she turned around, straddled Spike on the ground, and impaled herself on his still stiff member with a bounce.

"BUFFY!" Spike bellowed. His voice echoed off every wall, bouncing back to them. His cock plunged so deep within Buffy's depths that he felt his throbbing head force its way past her cervix and deep into her womb. His eyes nearly crossed at the different feeling of this most secret place of his lover.

Buffy fell over on top of Spike. The brief shot of searing pain that radiated from her lower regions was nothing compared to the fullness and completion she felt with where her lover was now buried. She bounced a little to keep him deep within her as the force of that first thrust sent her into another orgasm.

Spike rolled Buffy beneath him. He lifted her hips up into the air. With a feral growl he pounded into his climaxing Mate. Every thrust relit the fire within Buffy's body and continued her orgasmic crest to near unconsciousness.

Anyone else would literally be crushed from the pressure and force of their lovemaking. No matter the intensity of this sex between them, it was lovemaking to their demons. It was a passion beyond the normal mortal feelings between humans. This connected them on an even deeper level. Spike's essence and blood filled his Mate while he consumed Buffy's blood and essence.

The lovers were lost to the outside world. Only one thing existed for either of them, that was each other. Unfortunately the outside world still existed, and it was about to intrude on their private world.

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

Willow and Giles walked leisurely back to his house. They hadn't been sure how long the lover's needed to be with each other before it was safe to go back home. Neither one wanted to walk into the middle of anything resembling what they left them doing. So, they casually talked about school, and other mundane things, until they heard a shrieking scream coming from the direction of Giles' house. Both of them took off in a dead run.

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

Inside Giles home an enraged vampire crouched over his wounded Mate. "Buffy!" He fought every urge to destroy the boy that did this.

Buffy lay on the floor naked and bleeding around the wooden stake embedded in her unmoving left lung. Only inches from her heart, she tried to remain still while the tears ran down her cheeks. "Oh God, Spike. It hurts." Her claws dug into her own hands in clenched fists.

At first Spike had been too stunned to even move. One minute they were pounding each other into the floor, changing dominant positions frequently, and the next he was yanked off his Mate. When he shook his lustful head to clear it and react, a stake was swishing through the air to his heart. Mere moments before the tip of the stake would have pierced his heart, he found himself with an armful of Buffy sporting a stake embedded in her lung with her back against him.

"Make it stop, Sire. Please, make it stop." Buffy cried out at the pain. She didn't know if it would kill her or not, crosses and sunlight had no effect, but it hurt like hell.

Cold brown eyes stared at the couple on the floor. His back rested against the wall opposite Buffy and Spike. He felt sick to his stomach to see the blood oozing out of the woman he'd had a crush on for almost 2 years already, but another twisted part of his mind told him that it was just what she deserved. 'The bitch wanted to play with evil. She'll end up dust right alongside him.' He stretched his arm out behind him to gather another stake into his hand. Slowly he took two steps forward prepared to stake the vampire caring for his Childe and Mate.

Willow and Giles burst through the door. "XANDER!" Willow yelled. All she saw was Spike leaning over someone with his back to Xander. Xander held a stake in his hand, and it was only a couple strokes from plunging into Spike's back.

"COWARD!" Spike roared, turned around, kicked Xander in the gut and forced him into the wall. He grabbed Xander's wrist. He pressed it tighter in his hand until the pain forced Xander to drop the stake. "How could you?" He brought his knee up to disable the boy.

Xander saw stars when the force of the kick knocked the breath out of him. The stars were joined with a searing white light when his balls were wounded by Spike's knee. He crumbled towards the ground in a heap of quivering pain.

Spike dropped the whimpering Whelp to the floor. He turned to a shocked Giles and Willow. "Do something with him," he ordered. If Spike had his way, he would drain the boy right then and there. His Mate was in danger though, and that was the only thing that saved Xander's life.

Giles stepped up to the couch. As he neared the end of it he inhaled sharply. The sight of Buffy lying in her own blood was enough to nearly stop his own heart from beating. He ripped Xander up off the floor, back into the wall. A very Ripper like voice emanated from Giles' lips. "If she dies, you die." He tossed Xander into a nearby armchair then headed to the bathroom for his first aid kit.

Willow's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets at the sound of Giles' voice. The entire atmosphere of the room was dark and foreboding. She had never felt so much negative energy in all of her life. It literally changed the room temperature with the chill. She walked over to Xander trying not to look at Buffy's pain stricken form.

Spike caressed Buffy's cheek. Buffy's teary eyes never faltered from her lover's gaze even when her body shook in pain. He knew the stake was near her heart, and he was afraid to remove it. One wrong twist of his wrist, and he would lose her. As much as Buffy wished to die when she thought she'd lost him, he would greet the sun himself if he lost her.

Giles returned to the living room with a metal box and a plastic shower curtain. He draped the curtain over the couch. "Spike, do you think you can get her up here without jarring the stake?"

Spike nodded. Nothing could express the gratitude he felt towards Giles for trying to help him instead of blaming him. He felt quite proud of the Watcher's display in front of the boy. He half expected the Watcher to finish what the boy had started.

Giles secured a fluffier pillow under the top of the shower curtain on the couch. He placed another pillow down a bit further in the approximate position of where Buffy's chest would be. He had no desire to see her dust, and they had to keep her upper torso as flat as possible.

Spike looked down at his beloved Buffy. "We have to try and get that out, pet."

Buffy nodded. She was in too much pain to speak to him verbally. 'Do what you have to do, Spike. Just don't leave me.'

"I'm not going anywhere, pet." Spike spoke out loud for the sake of the others in the room. He figured they would realize that he was speaking to Buffy. "On the count of three, luv." He slipped one arm underneath her legs and another at her shoulders. "One . Two . Three." He lifted Buffy up as softly as he could.

The few steps to get around the end of the couch and lay her down on it seemed like a mile to Buffy. She cringed and whimpered out pitiful little cries with each movement of her muscles against the embedded stake. Tears rolled down her cheeks. No amount of vampire or Slayer stamina seemed to be able to compete with the pain of the wood in her chest.

Giles examined the wound with a clinical eye. He tried to push his paternal emotions to the back of his mind but failed. Xander moaned behind them. Giles tossed a capped bottle to Willow. "Blow some of this dust into his face. If he wakes up again, do it again."

Willow caught the bottle. She walked over to her oldest friend with trepidation. She knew Xander hated vampires, but his actions were vindictive beyond anything she realized he was capable of. These were not the actions of her Snoopy dance loving best friend. She uncorked the bottle, pinched a little bit of the dust into her palm and blew it at Xander. About ten seconds later, Xander slumped forwards, asleep.

Giles never wavered his attention from Buffy's wound. He pressed as softly as he could around the wound. "It appears to be a clean piercing."

"Clean piercing?" Spike growled. "That is a stake that was shoved into Buffy's body, not some belly ring."

"I know that Spike," Giles yelled. He looked at Spike. "I was trying to ascertain whether or not the wood splintered when it went in, Spike."

"Oh." Spike hung his head a little bit. "Sorry."

'He's just trying to help, Spike.' Buffy gazed lovingly at her Mate.

"I know, pet." Spike sighed. "I don't know who to trust right now. Your best friend just tried to kill you."

Buffy started to shake her head, but the pain it caused stopped her. "You," Buffy barely made out the word verbally. 'He was trying to kill you.'

Spike's shoulders slumped.

"What did she say?" Giles inquired. He was unwrapping several layers of gauze and cotton from the first aid kit.

"She said he was trying to kill me." Spike waited for the burst of angry words to spew from Giles' mouth.

"I see." Giles picked up a scalpel. The Slayer/Vampire healing was sealing the wound around the stake too quickly. They were going to need to cut around the stake to remove it. "She couldn't allow that to happen to you."

The matter-of-fact tone with which the words were spoken surprised Spike. "You aren't going to blame me for this?"

"I believe the blame rests at Xander's feet. He should have realized Buffy would defend you, especially after her display the other night."

Spike stared open-mouthed at Giles. A moment of awkwardness passed between then. Giles cleared his throat to break the silence. "I need you to hold Buffy down. We don't want her to jar the stake into her further if she moves while I work."

"That won't be necessary." A decidedly female voice spoke from behind the men. An ethereal glow surrounded the ex-Slayer who stepped closer to the couch.

"Antoinette?" Spike stood up abruptly. "Why the bloody hell didn't you two tell me that I'd lose touch with her completely?"

"We warned you, William," Antoinette spoke patiently.

"Not bloody well enough. She tried to take a dance in the sun." Spike pointed at Buffy. "And now one of her little friends decided to take a piece of her when she defended me."

"I know, William." Antoinette patted Spike's shoulder. "I'm here to help." She walked over to Giles.

"I . I don't . understand." Giles stuttered. Spike called the woman Antoinette. Surely this wasn't the Slayer from Louis' Watcher diaries. "You're ."

"Yes, Rupert." Antoinette knelt next to the couch. She pressed the palm of her hand against Buffy's brow. "You were brave, little sister." She consoled the injured Vampiress. "The powers wish to reward your love." She had to admire the small woman on the couch. She had such a fire and passion to her. "You risked your own life to protect your Mate. You were willing to crumble to ash to join him when you thought he was gone. These are signs of the devotion and depth of your love."

Willow, Spike, and Giles watched the glowing woman tend to Buffy. They stared amazed when a glowing hand grasped the stake. The stake disappeared in her hand as if it was never there.

Buffy gasped. The pressure of the stake was gone. The searing pain that tore through her only minutes before disappeared. She inhaled and exhaled several times, testing the use of her unnecessary lungs.

Antoinette rubbed her hand over Buffy's gaping wound. The wound quickly sealed itself. New skin grew over the reddened skin to replace it. When she was done, she stood up to face Spike again. "This is a one time visit to this plane, William." She cupped Spike's chin in her hand. "A friend's heart has turned black. The circle knows of Buffy's existence. They will try to come after her, but do not fear the coven. They will protect you both."

Spike nodded. 'Why can't the bloody powers stop speaking in riddles?'

Buffy, who was rapidly regaining her sense of strength in the absence of the pain, turned her head towards Spike. 'What would be the fun in them just telling us outright?' She teased with a laugh.

Antoinette reached out one hand to clasp Willow's hand. Her other hand surrounded Giles' hand. "You both know what is truly right and wrong. Do not close your minds to what you do not understand. All is as it should be." With those last words she disappeared into the other realm once more.

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

(To Be Continued)

Next