Title: Everything is Under Control
Author: Hils
Email: ImmortalBeloved2000@yahoo.co.uk
Summary: Wrecked ends slightly differently, leaving Warren with a new ally and Buffy with a new enemy, one that is especially close to home.
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Takes place towards the end of Wrecked and goes into its own world after that
Author's Notes: Italics are used to denote Willow's telepathy and thoughts
Dedications: To Isabelle for giving me 'the talk'

"I won't be long." Buffy promised as she shrugged into her jacket. "I'll do a quick sweep of the cemeteries, pop in and see Spike and then I'll come home."

"Maybe you could bring Spike back with you." Dawn suggested hopefully. "I haven't seen him for weeks."

Inwardly Buffy winced. She knew her sister liked Spike, that they'd developed a close friendship while she'd been gone, but with everything that was going on between them at the moment she wasn't sure having him in the house would be such a good idea. They needed to talk, and in front of her sister wasn't the best place. Still, she was making headway with Dawn and she didn't want to ruin that be stopping her from seeing him. She smiled.

"Sure, I'll ask him."

At the end of the day she could always lie and say Spike was busy if she had to. Her words seemed to satisfy Dawn anyway.

"Ok, I'll see you soon. Dawn don't give Tara any trouble."

The two girls on the couch grinned. "Sure, we'll try not to burn the house down or anything."

With a wry smile Buffy headed out to patrol, leaving the sound of giggling behind her.

Glancing up at the monitor, Andrew sighed with boredom. Spike was still there, alone, doing absolutely nothing. This was not how he'd imagined a life of crime. He was supposed to be off on some sort of daring adventure, not sat here watching a motionless vampire. Warren hadn't even let Jonathan sit in the van with him and keep him company; he was guarding the lair in case someone stumbled across them.

Pulling his Gameboy out of his pocket he fired up Super Mario Brothers and began to play. At least this was semi-interesting.

Having done a quick sweep of the cemetery Buffy made her way towards Spike's crypt. She almost wished something would leap out and attack her. It wasn't that she didn't want to see Spike, she knew they needed to talk. But for the first time she intended to be totally honest with him about her feelings, and that scared her.

Looking up she saw that she was almost there. Spike's crypt was looming ever closer, shining in the moonlight like some sort of scared place. Up until recently that's what it had been to her, a place where she could escape from herself, a place where she didn't have to pretend, a place where she was loved.

Drawing herself out of her thoughts she realised she was standing outside his door. He could probably sense her which in a way was good, it meant he wouldn't be surprised when she walked in. Taking a deep breath she placed her hand on the door. She couldn't put this off any longer. Closing her eyes she pushed.

Once she was inside she opened her eyes. The crypt was in darkness, no candles and the television was off.

"Spike?" She called hesitantly. "Are you-"

Before she could even complete the sentence she was tackled to the ground. Glancing up she caught a glimpse of Spike's bleached hair as he straddled her and for a moment she thought he had something intimate in mind. Then the punches began to rain down on her.

The first caught her by surprise and she was unable to block it, she felt her lip split under the impact and tasted blood in her mouth. The Slayer in her then took over and she bucked up, managing to kick him off her. She quickly jumped to her feet.

"What the hell are you doing?" She demanded, wiping her lip. Spike merely lunged at her again; knocking her through the door so that the both landed sprawled outside. Buffy was the first to her feet, with Spike mere seconds behind her. As the moonlight shone down on them she got a good look at him for the first time and what she saw chilled her. There was no emotion in Spike's eyes, or on his face. He looked totally blank, vacant. She realised that something was seriously wrong.

"Spike? What happened?"

He merely growled and prepared to attack once more. Buffy changed her pose to a defensive one. It was clear that Spike wasn't himself and that he wasn't going to stop trying to attack her. She'd have to restrain him somehow.

Waiting until he lunged at her again she dealt him a powerful kick to the chest. He flew backwards, his head connecting sharply with the wall of the crypt. When he hit the ground he didn't get up again.

Buffy hurried over and rolled him onto his back. The blow to the head had been enough to knock him out but she had no idea how long he was going to remain that way. She was fairly sure that when he woke up he would try and resume his attack. Hurrying into the crypt she ran to Spike's weapon chest. Opening it up she found some sturdy looking rope and hoped it would be enough to hold him. She returned to Spike's side and quickly bound his wrists and ankles before hoisting him onto her shoulder. Maybe Tara could help work out what was wrong with him.

Tara and Dawn jumped up from their seats as soon as they saw Buffy stumble through the door with a body over her shoulder.

"What happened?" Dawn asked fearfully as Tara ran over to help Buffy lower Spike to the couch.

"I'll explain in a minute.

Buffy quickly dumped Spike on the couch and examined this ropes which were holding him. They seemed tight enough and she didn't think he'd be able to free himself from them easily.

When she was done Buffy sighed and flopped down in a nearby chair, keeping an eye on Spike in case he showed any signs of waking.

"I don't know what happened." She finally told Tara and Dawn. "I went round to Spike's and he just went crazy and attacked me. I had to knock him out just to make him stop."

The two girls stared at her in dumb horror, finally moving their eyes to Spike.

"You mean his chip doesn't work anymore?" Dawn asked in a small voice, sounding both scared and disappointed at the same time. "Is he evil again?"

Buffy shook her head, although the look on her face did nothing to reassure Dawn. "I think there's something wrong with him. When he attacked me, it was like he wasn't there, not really. He didn't say anything, that's just not Spike. And his eyes, they were so blank."

Cautiously Tara moved over to the couch and crouched down at Spike's side. After looking at him intently for a moment she closed her eyes and rested her hand on his forehead.

"I don't sense any magic." She said. "But I do sense anguish and fear. Whatever made Spike attack you, I don't think it was voluntary."

As she withdrew her hand she was startled to see that Spike's eyes were open. Jumping to her feet she saw that he didn't even seem to be aware of her. He was just staring blankly ahead. Dawn peered over her shoulder and shuddered when she saw him.

"Is there anything we can do?"

"I could try a spell and see if I can work out what's wrong." Tara suggested. "But I'll need to go and get some supplies."

"We've still got all Willow's things here." Buffy said, trying her hardest not to look at Spike. "Will that be enough?"

A frown creased Tara's brow at the thought of Willow but she pushed it to one side, instead focusing on the task at hand. She had to help Spike. With a nod she made her way upstairs to grab what she needed.

Dawn took a seat by Spike's side, trying to ignore the tears that were threatening to fall. She couldn't bear to see him like this, so lifeless. He was like a zombie, the animation and spark that radiated from him was gone, leaving little more than an empty shell lying on their couch. Reaching out a trembling hand she gently stroked his hair, hoping it may do something to soothe him inside, even if his body wasn't reacting. She wondered if there was any part of Spike still inside him, trapped maybe, and unable to tell them that he needed help. She imagined that must be scary. Or maybe Spike was gone? Had his essence been taken from him and sent somewhere else, leaving his empty body behind.

"Come back to us." She sniffed, the tears now starting to flow. "Please."

Buffy quickly moved over to her sister as soon as she heard her crying. She'd known Dawn would be upset, having seen for herself and heard from the others how close she had gotten to Spike over the past few months. However as soon as she got close to the couch Spike began to snarl and pull on his restraints. Both girls jumped back, Dawn instinctively hiding behind her sister.

"Wow, what made him freak out like that?" She asked, trying to hide how nervous he was making her.

"It's me." Buffy said softly, her own tears now threatening to fall as she realised that somehow she was at least partly responsible for what was happening, even if she didn't understand what it was yet. "I'm doing this to him."

Before Dawn could ask her what she meant they were joined by Tara, her arms full of magical supplies.

"What happened?" She asked, seeing Spike now trying to get free.

Buffy backed slowly away until she was out of Spike's peripheral vision. He immediately stilled and his eyes fixed blankly ahead once more. She couldn't believe this was happening again. She'd had sex with Spike and now he'd turned evil. Why did this keep happening to her?

"Buffy?" Tara asked, cutting into her thoughts. "Are you ok?"

She nodded, going back into Slayer mode. "I don't know what's wrong with him, but it seems to just be me that makes him go all crazy. I'll stay out of the way while you do the spell."

Without question Tara began to arrange the ingredients for the spell while Buffy and Dawn looked on. It didn't take long for her to prepare and once she was ready she knelt in front of Spike and began to chant softly. After a few seconds a pale yellow mist rose from the pentagram Tara had arranged on the floor and settled over Spike's head for a moment before evaporating.

"What does that mean?" Dawn asked as Tara climbed to her feet.

"It's not a spell." Tara replied. "This mist would have turned red if it was. I think maybe there's something wrong with his chip, it would explain why he can hurt Buffy now."

With numb shock Buffy realised she was going to have to tell them the truth. If there was any chance of working out what had happened to Spike they had to know why his attack on her hadn't activated the chip. In a way she was almost relieved, maybe there was something wrong with Spike's chip and he'd lied to her about it working. Even if he'd been telling the truth, at least she'd have a definite answer about what she was.

She took a deep breath. "Guys, I have to tell you something."

Warren's hands idly stroked Willow's hair as he watched her sleep. He had no idea what he'd done to deserve her, but he must have pleased someone somewhere. Not only was he on his way to being the most powerful guy in Sunnydale, he was going to do it with the perfect girl at his side. And it wasn't a robot or someone who wanted him to be something he wasn't. Willow was here because she wanted him, just the way he was.

"Are you watching me?" Willow smiled sleepily, gazing up at him through half closed lids.

"Just enjoying the view." He replied with a grin, lying back down next to her.

She smiled and then sat up. "We should go and check on the Spike situation. No offence, but I doubt we could trust Andrew to organise his own action figure collection, never mind anything as big as this."

Warren grinned again as he pulled his clothes on. "You're probably right. But I can't ditch them now, they know too much."

Willow waved a hand dismissivley. "A little spell can fix that. They won't remember ever being involved with this."

A wicked smile spread across Warren's features "Have I told you how amazing you are?"

"Not recently." She replied with another smile, wrapping her arms around his neck as he leaned in and kissed her. Finally she pulled back. "Come on, we'd better go."

The two of them stood hand in hand and made their way out into the main room.

"Jonathan?" Warren called, not seeing anyone around. "Jonathan, where are you?"

A quick search of the area told them that he was gone.

"I can't believe he took off after I told him to keep watch. When I find him I might actually take you up on that offer of a spell."

The two of them made their way out to the van and Warren threw the door open.

"Andrew, where did Jonathan...." He stopped, realising that he was in fact talking to empty space. "What the hell is going on?"

"Are you sure you're not over reacting?" Andrew protested as Jonathan dragged him down the street by one arm.

"I know what I heard." Jonathan replied. "I was about to go and wake them up when I heard them talking. Willow told Warren that we were useless and offered to do a spell to wipe our memories. He didn't exactly agree but he didn't say no either. Now we can either stay with Warren and wait for him and his new girlfriend to wipe our memories or something worse, or we can get out of here and stop the craziness before it gets out of hand."

Andrew paused for a minute, running through the choices in his head. He was kind of enjoying being a super-villain, even if Warren did yell at him a lot. At least he was making a name for himself, he was sick of being a nobody and living in his brother's shadow. On the other hand if the other choice was being brainwashed or killed he know what he had to do. "So where are we going?"

"To the one person who can help us get out of this mess."

"I don't believe I'm seeing this." Warren yelled as he stared at the monitor which was connected to Spike's camera. On screen he could see Tara and Dawn hovering close to Spike, with Buffy in the background trying to stay out of sight. He turned to Willow. "We need to do something. Now. They're not stupid. They're going to figure out what we've done to Spike sooner or later. We need to get him back."

Willow kept her eyes fixed on the screen, on Tara. Amazingly she found that her heart was cold at the sight of her former lover. She began to wonder if they had ever really been in love. Surely if their love was true then Tara would have accepted the choices Willow had been making with her life. Or at least done something other than leave. All that had done was push her into Warren's arms, and right now she was happy there.

"We'll get him back." She told Warren calmly. "I have a plan."

Willow and Warren's image reflected in a small pool of water as the two representatives for the Higher Powers gazed down at the scene which was unfolding before them

"Something must be done. The balance is being disrupted." The male told the female.

"This is not our decision to be made." She replied. "We cannot take action until we are requested to do so."

Both of them gazed upwards, as though they were expecting to hear something. When nothing came they fixed their eyes back on the pool and watched the saga continue.

Tara and Dawn listened, stunned as Buffy told them everything. About how empty she'd been feeling since being brought back and how the revelation that Spike could hurt her had just confirmed her own fears. That there was something wrong with her. The only detail she left out was the night of passion she'd shared with Spike. Not only was it something she didn't want Dawn to hear, but she figured it wasn't really relevant to why Spike could hurt her. By the end of her story both she and Dawn were crying and Tara was doing her best to comfort them both.

"I'll look into the spell we did." She reassured Buffy. "There might be a reason Spike's chip isn't going off."

Buffy shook her head, the tears still running freely. "But I doesn't explain how I feel inside. It's like a part of me is missing."

"Buffy?"

All three heads snapped around as Buffy heard the voice calling her name. It was Spike.

"How did I get here?" He asked, keeping his eyes fixed on her.

Cautiously Buffy moved towards him, wary of further attack from him. But attacking her no longer seemed to be on Spike's mind. He lay on the couch watching her until she was stood beside him.

"What's the last thing you remember?" She asked.

His brow furrowed as though he was trying to recall something which had happened to him years ago. "I was in my crypt....I don't know after that. What happened to me?"

"Do you remember trying to attack me?"

Spike shook his head. "Buffy, what's going on?"

"We don't know. We're trying to work it out. Something weird is going on here."

"Do you think you could untie me?"

Buffy paused, unsure. She wanted to believe that he was alright now, that whatever had made him attack her earlier was just a temporary thing. But she couldn't be certain, and she didn't want to take the chance while Dawn and Tara were in the house.

"I'm sorry, Spike." She said gently. "But we need to figure out what happened to you before we let you go."

Turning, she pulled Tara into the kitchen to discuss what they were going to o next, preferring it if Spike didn't hear that they were trying to figure out what do to with him. Dawn continued to sit at Spike's side, looking at him with both fascination and concern.

"Are you in pain?" She finally asked. "I think Buffy had to beat you up pretty bad to get you here."

Spike looked down at his wrists. "These ropes are rubbing, other than that I'm ok."

Examining his wrists Dawn noticed that they were a bright red in comparison with the rest of his pale skin. She winced in sympathy, hating the fact that he was suffering like this.

"Is there anything I can do?" She asked tentatively.

He looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "I don't suppose you could loosen these ropes a little could you. You don't have to untie me or anything, I know Buffy doesn't want that. It's just I don't know how long I'm going to be trussed up like this for and it's pretty damned uncomfortable."

The rational part of Dawn's mind told her that she should go and ask Buffy first, but the rest of her knew that her sister would only say no. She felt that she owed Spike something after the number of times he'd helped her in the past, besides, it wasn't like he wanted her to let him go, he just wanted to be a bit more comfortable.

Reaching over she began to work at the knot binding Spike's wrist. Buffy had bound it tightly but after a couple of minutes she managed to work it loose. Smiling with satisfaction she sat back.

"Thanks." Spike grinned and with that he flexed his hands with all his strength, the loosened rope now giving him the scope he needed to move. Dawn could only watch with horror as the rope snapped as though it was made of little less than string. With his hands now free he made quick work of the rope holding his feet and bolted out of the door before Dawn even had the chance to call out to Buffy.

"What happened?" Her sister asked, running into the living room when she heard the door slam. Dawn was merely staring at the empty couch where Spike had been a moment ago.

"Dawn, what happened?" Buffy repeated. But her sister merely shook her head.

"I'm sorry." She finally whispered.

Buffy knew that she wasn't going to get a sensical answer from her, but it was obvious that Spike has escaped and that Dawn had somehow helped, probably without even realising it. Apparently Spike wasn't as back to normal as he had let them believe.

"I should go out and look for him." She said, heading towards the door. "We still don't know what's wrong with him and he seems to be dangerous."

"Are you gonna stake him?" Dawn asked tearfully, finally making eye contact with her sister.

"I don't know." Buffy admitted. "I don't want to, but he might not leave me with any choice."

Dawn nodded grimly as Buffy opened the door and turned to leave.

"What the-?" Buffy suddenly exclaimed, stepping back from the door. "What are you doing here?"

"Buffy, there's something you need to know." Jonathan stammered nervously, shifting from one foot to the other and praying that Buffy wouldn't pummel him before he finished explaining. "It's about Spike."

He didn't have time to utter another word. Buffy reached out, grabbed him and Andrew and dragged them both inside, slamming the door behind her.

"Piece of cake." Willow smiled, sitting back as Spike entered the door to their lair, ready and awaiting his next instruction.

Warren grinned and pulled her into a fiery kiss. He loved the way her mind worked, getting Spike to pretend to be cured into order to get him back had been a stroke of genius. His eyes moved over to the vampire who was still stood in the middle of the room.

"You know, having a vampire we can control is good and everything, but it leaves us a bit stuck if there's something we want him to do during the day.

Willow frowned for a moment. "So what do you want to do, wire up a human the same way?"

The look in Warren's eyes gave her the answer. "Can it be done. I mean, without them having a chip in their head?"

Warren shrugged. "I've been working on one or two things. But if that doesn't work, you must know a spell that'll do the job."

Willow thought for a moment. "There's one I could do. But I'll need to have the person here to do it. Did you have someone in mind?"

Her eyes suddenly widened. "Oh! Buffy!"

Warren nodded, his eyes glittering evilly. "Think about it, it's perfect. It'll get her out of our hair for good without having to kill her or do anything like that."

Willow had to admit that it was a good idea. But she'd known Buffy long enough to know that it was going to take something big to get her where they wanted her, and they'd have to be prepared to fight her. She wouldn't go down easily.

"I know just how to get her here too." Warren said, almost as though he was reading her mind. He gestured to Spike, who had now assumed his regular, blank look.

"You think she'll come after him?" Willow asked, slightly surprised. "I know Spike's been helping her out for a while now, but he's still a vampire. I'm pretty sure that all that's on her mind at the moment is killing him, especially after he tried to attack her."

Warren shook his head. "I think you're wrong. We've been watching her for weeks now, where she goes, who she talks to. We've been trying to look for a weak spot, and the one thing we noticed is that she seems to spend almost all of her time with Spike here. Sometimes they patrol together, sometimes they just talk. But she clearly enjoys his company, I think she cares about him."

Willow was now staring at Spike as thought she was seeing him for the first time. Warren's story certainly seemed to make sense. Ever since Buffy had been brought back she had been spending a lot of time out, sometimes not coming back until dawn. She claimed she'd been patrolling but now it seemed that she'd been with Spike. This was unbelievable. After everything she'd done for Buffy, her best friend was seeking comfort with a soulless demon. Well that was fine, if Buffy wanted to choose a monster over her real friends then it was going to be her downfall.

"Let's do it."

Buffy, Tara and Dawn stared in mute horror as Jonathan told them everything that had happened since he and Andrew had teamed up, right up to what they had done to Spike. When they reached the part about Willow and Warren sleeping together, Buffy squeezed Tara's hand gently, trying her best to offer some comfort.

"I'm going after them." Buffy announced, once they had all gotten over the shock of what they were hearing. "Willow isn't like this, maybe I can talk some sense into her. I want you all to stay here, try and call Xander and Anya too. I don't want Warren going after anyone else I care about."

If Tara or Dawn had noticed Buffy's indirect admission of caring about Spike they didn't mention it.

"What if Willow tries to attack you with magic?" Dawn asked, still remembering how scared she'd been the night of the car accident. "She's really powerful, she might hurt you."

"I don't think it will come to that." Buffy replied, clinging to the hope that she'd still be able to reach her friend.

"And if they use Spike against you?" Tara asked. "You might have to fight him."

"You can't stake him!" Dawn cried before Buffy could even answer. "You know it's not his fault that he's acting like this."

Buffy nodded. "It's alright Dawn, I'm not going to kill him. Don't worry, I'll think of something when I get there."

She glared at Andrew and Jonathan. "You two stay here. I want to talk to you again when I get back."

Andrew pouted and folded his arms like a sulking child would. Jonathan merely hung his head in shame and nodded.

"Be careful." Dawn said as Buffy made her way to the door. Before her sister could answer the phone rang and Buffy moved to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Slayer. We've got your vampire and if you want to see him back in one piece you'll do exactly as I tell you."

Buffy sighed. "Actually Warren, I was just on my way to see you and Willow. What exactly do you want?"

There was a stunned silence for a second while Warren digested the fact that Buffy not only knew who he was and that Willow was with him, but where he was too. He could guess who he had to thank for that.

"Just come to us and come alone. Try anything funny like bringing weapons or any of your friends and the vampire dies."

Buffy pulled the phone away from her ear as Warren slammed his receiver down.

"Seems like they're expecting me." She told the others as she headed back for the door.

"Buffy! You can't go now!" Dawn cried. "If they know you're coming they'll be all prepared."

"Dawn's right." Tara agreed. "If they know you're coming you could be walking into anything. At least let us come with you and help."

Buffy shook her head. "If I take anyone with me they're going to kill Spike. Besides, if I go alone I stand a better chance of talking some sense into Willow. A big group will only intimidate them."

Jumping up from her seat Dawn threw herself at her sister, wrapping her arms around her waist.

"Please don't leave me." She sniffled. "I can't lose you again."

With a tender smile Buffy stroked her sister's hair, finally dropping a kiss on the top of her head.

"It'll be alright, I promise. Just stay here with Tara and I'll be back soon."

Finally Dawn let go and stepped back, doing her best to keep a brave face. Satisfied that everything was ready Buffy turned and headed out into the night

"Well, she's on her way." Warren announced as Willow prepared the ingredients she'd need for the spell. "Are you nervous?"

Willow's head shot up. "What's there to be nervous about? Buffy may be the Slayer but aside from extra strength she's just a regular girl. With my magic she won't stand a chance."

Warren smiled. "This is going to be our crowning moment. Once we have control over the Slayer we can do anything we want."

With a coy smile Willow finished off her preparations and moved over to Warren. "We're almost there."

He grinned and pulled her into his arms, bending down and kissing her. "I couldn't have done this without you."

Willow smiled and stroked his cheek. "Same here. We make a great team."

They jumped apart as the door banged open.

"I'm sorry." Buffy said, marching in. "Was I interrupting something?"

Warren glared at Buffy while Willow stood where she was. "I can't believe you came. For Spike."

"I came to talk some sense into you. Will, you're acting crazy, this isn't you." Willow's eyes flashed black. "You're wrong. For the first time I'm actually able to be myself. This is who I am Buffy, you've always known it. But you ignored the witchcraft stuff as long as it made things a little easier for you. But when I started doing things that I enjoyed you threw me out."

Buffy couldn't believe she was hearing this. "That's not true and you know it. I never interfered with your use of magic. But you almost got Dawn killed. That's why I threw you out. And this thing with Spike, what's it supposed to achieve? Are you trying to convince me that you're not out of control."

Willow sneered and moved over to the table where the spell ingredients were laid out. "Maybe it started out that way. When I first left I was desperate to prove to you that I was sorry, but then it hit me. Why should I care what you think? We've been through a lot together and I've seen you make mistake after mistake, but I was always there for you. Now, when I stumble you drop me like a hot coal. I'm tired of living under your self-righteous judgements. I don't need you or your approval. As for Spike, I did warn him that he'd regret turning you against me."

"You're sick! This dark magic is...is...infecting you, can't you see that. Buffy exclaimed with desperation. "Why won't you listen to me....or Tara."

Willow's eyes blazed. "Don't you ever mention her to me. You don't know anything about us."

Sensing a weak spot Buffy calmly continued. "Actually I do. She told me all about it. How she felt your magic was getting out of control and that you couldn't even go a day without casting a spell. You know, I came here to talk some sense into you, but if you want even listen to the woman you love then I don't see how I can expect you to listen to me."

"Shut UP!" Willow screamed. "Tara is just a stupid little girl who is jealous because I've got more power than her. Ever since I did the resurrection spell she's been hiding in my shadow. She could never do the things I can."

Buffy couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, because that spell was such a success. Not only did you tear me out of heaven where I was happy, but you brought me back wrong. I don't know what I am, but Spike's chip doesn't work on me. You messed up big time, Will."

For the first time Willow faltered. "What?"

"You heard me."

After a momentary look of guilt and shame a look of pure rage washed over Willow's features. Rage for her life twisting out of control, rage for pressures placed on her from people too afraid to let her truly use the full potential of her power, and finally rage, for the failure that was hers but what she was unwilling to accept.

"Fine, if you were so happy in heaven then you won't mind going back there."

The crackle of magic filled the room as Willow's eyes turned black. Raising her hands she pointed them at Buffy. She began to chant, her voice low and dangerous.

Buffy tensed as the crackling energy gathered around Willow and she slowly began to back away, feeling the intensity of it all even from where she stood. Somehow she knew that her strength wouldn't be enough to save her from a magical attack of this proportion.

As the energy continued to build, Willow's body slowly rose from the floor until she was floating about a foot from the ground. However, before Buffy could move two bolts of energy shot out of Willow's hands and struck her hard in the chest. She collapsed; writhing in pain as the powerful magic invaded every cell in her body, tearing her up from the inside. Warren's eyes widened as he watched his powerful lover continue to torture the Slayer in ways he couldn't have imagined. With a final burst of power Willow sent an extra strong surge into Buffy. The force propelled the Slayer across the room where she hit the wall hard and slumped to the floor. She didn't get up again.

Seconds later Willow dropped back to the ground, also slumping to the floor. Warren quickly ran over to her and helped her to sit up.

"You killed her." Warren breathed in awe, staring at Buffy's body.

Panting Willow raised her head and shrugged "She pissed me off."

Warren was still staring at Buffy. "Wow. You really killed her."

"Yeah. Good job too. That spell took a lot out of me. I'll need to rest up before I can do any more casting." For the first time Warren noticed that Willow looked wearier than he had ever seen before. Here eyes seemed sunken and her skin was pale and coated with a nauseous sheen of sweat.

He helped Willow to her feet and wrapped his arms around her, half supporting her as she sagged against him, the surge of adrenaline she'd been feeling, gone.

"You want to rest? That's too bad." He smiled, tucking a lock of hair behind her ears.

Willow smiled tiredly back at him. "Just give me a minute, ok."

Warren nodded. "How about this? I'll dump the body in the river and then you and me can ditch this town. We'll go somewhere bigger, more exciting."

"That sounds good. What are we going to do with Spike?"

Warren shrugged; he's forgotten about the vampire, who was still stood in the corner where they'd left him. "We'll take him with us. He might come in handy. If not, we can stake him. It's not like anyone will miss him anyway."

Helping Willow over to a chair he turned to pick up Buffy's body and yelped. She was gone.

"Looking for me?"

Warren yelped again as he saw Buffy slowly climb to her feet. She looked as bad as Willow did, drained, weak and bruised. A small trail of blood ran from her nose and her movements were sluggish at best. For a moment Warren thought she was going to collapse just from the effort of standing, but the next thing he knew Buffy had limped over to him, grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. Startled, Willow climbed to her feet and watched as Buffy spun Warren around so that they were both facing her.

"But I killed you." Willow exclaimed in disbelief.

"Guess you screwed that one up as well. Now, we're going to have a little talk and you're going to listen."

Willow smiled. "You don't learn do you."

Raising her hands again she pointed at Buffy and Warren "Separate."

Nothing.

Willow frowned. "Separate."

Still nothing.

"Looks like the batteries are dead." Buffy said with a wry smile. "As I was saying. I want you to fix Spike. Undo whatever you did to him and leave him just the way he was. If you try anything funny then I'm going to introduce Warren here to some new levels of pain."

For the first time in a long while Willow actually looked scared. Not only were her powers gone but her only companion was in danger and she couldn't save him. She wished that she could say she didn't care what happened to Warren but the truth of it was she didn't want to be alone.

"Alright." She said softly. Using the final ounce of her reserves she managed to project one small command into Spike's mind

Spike, come and lie on the table

Buffy watched as Spike obeyed the unheard commands, and kept a careful eye on Willow in case she had something else in mind. Somehow she didn't think she'd be that stupid.

As Willow attached several wires to Spike's head Buffy couldn't help but shudder. This must have been awful for him. She almost hoped that when this was over that he'd have no memory of it.

Willow typed a long series of letters and numbers into the computer and finally stepped back.

"Done."

Keeping hold of Warren Buffy moved over to the table and looked down. Spike had his eyes closed and it looked as though he was sleeping.

"Spike?" She asked uncertainly.

His eyes opened and he looked up at her. Although he didn't say anything there was definite recognition there. At least now that Willow's power was zapped she could be certain that Spike really was himself.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

Spike's eyes flitted nervously around the room until they landed on Willow. He frowned, as though he was listening carefully for something. With a sigh of relief when he didn't hear Willow's voice in his head he looked back at Buffy and nodded. Releasing Warren she pushed him over to Willow and helped Spike to sit up.

"I want you two to get out of my town. I never want to see you again; I never want to hear from you again. And if you touch me or my friends I will kill you.

Unable to accept the lifeline they were being offered Willow stopped. "Why should I leave? Sunnydale is my home too."

"Not anymore. You crossed a line Will. You tossed in your white hat. You leave now, because of who you were. You stay, and I'll slay you for who you are."

Tears brimmed at the Wiccan's eyes as it finally sank in as to what she had become. However, she offered no further resistance, merely taking Warren's arm and turning to leave.

"Not so fast."

Willow and Warren looked up to find the doorway blocked by a woman dressed in a gown which appeared to be made of shimmering gold, her skin glowed and she had a mass of black hair piled on top of her head.

"I have been summoned for you Willow Rosenberg. You and your consort."

"M-me?" Warren stammered.

"You have disrupted the balance of power by using your gifts for the purpose of self-gratification. Now you must pay the price for your selfishness."

Willow and Warren both blanched at the women's words.

"Your gifts will be taken from you." She continued. "And you will be both sent into a dimension where you will no longer pose a threat to yourself or to others. The people in this world have suffered enough."

The two of them turned to see Buffy and Spike frozen in place, the Slayer with her arm still wrapped around the vampire's shoulder from helping him to sit up. It was obvious they could neither see nor hear what was happening.

Before they could protest the woman waved a hand in front of them and in a cloud of smoke they were sucked into their new world. As soon as they were gone Buffy and Spike began to move once more.

"Who are you?" Buffy asked, her eyes falling on the woman in the doorway.

"I was sent to re-balance the scales. Willow Rosenberg and her friend are no longer a threat to you."

"What did you do to them?" Buffy demanded.

"They are quite safe. They have been banished to a world where they cannot harm anyone. They will be happy together once they adjust to their lack of power. Now my work is done here. Farewell Buffy Summers."

With that she faded away until Buffy and Spike were left alone.

"Come on." Buffy said, keeping her arms around Spike as she helped him to his feet, her concern for him overriding her own pain. "Let's get out of here."

When they reached the house Buffy waved off the stream of questions from everyone about what had happened and took Spike upstairs to what had been Willow's room. He hadn't said a word since Willow had undone her spell on him and she figured he must be exhausted.

Once he was settled in bed she left him to sleep she went downstairs to explain to the others what had happened.

When she reached the part about Willow and Warren being banished Tara began to cry softly, she had honestly hoped that Willow would come around. Dawn wrapped her arms around her and held her as she cried.

Finally she finished her story and turned to Jonathan and Andrew.

"I'll give you the same deal I gave Willow and Warren. Get out of my town and stay away from me and my friends."

"I'm really sorr-" Jonathan began.

"Don't!" Buffy snapped. "It's too late for that. Try saying sorry to Spike. It was his life that you guys decided to play God with. Now get out."

Not needing to be told twice the two of them left.

"Are you ok?" Dawn asked with concern.

Buffy nodded. "Well, I'm rating pretty high on the ouch factor and I'll probably want to sleep for a week after this. But I'm still pretty much in once piece so I think I'll be ok. I guess Willow's magic wasn't as powerful as she thought."

Still nestled in Dawn's arms Tara wondered if she should tell them about the protection spell she'd cast over Buffy just after she'd left. Finally she decided against it. They didn't need to know. All that mattered was that it had worked.

"I think I'm going to take a shower and then head off to bed. Tara, you're welcome to stay if you like."

The witch nodded as did Dawn; indicating she'd make sure Tara was alright. Xander and Anya said their goodbyes and headed back to their apartment now the danger was over.

Leaving Dawn and Tara alone Buffy headed upstairs, stopping outside Spike's room. She knew she should probably just leave him to rest, but on the other hand she wanted to make sure he was alright. Finally she knocked softly and pushed the door open.

"Spike? Are you awake?"

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she finally made out his form lying on the bed, his eyes staring up at the ceiling. Slowly she moved over to him and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Have you slept at all?" She asked gently, knowing that after everything that had happened to him this couldn't be easy.

After a moments pause he turned his head so that his eyes met hers.

"No." He replied quietly.

"Do you want me to fix you some hot chocolate?" She asked. "It might help you sleep."

"No." He replied in the same quiet voice, fixing his eyes back on the ceiling.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" She tried again, desperate to get him talking. She hated seeing him withdrawn like this.

"There's nothing to talk about." He replied.

Buffy sighed. "Spike, I know it must have been hard for you but-"

"No, you don't know!" Spike snapped. "You have no idea what it's like to be trapped inside your own body, to have no control over what you're doing. I could see myself attacking you and there was nothing I could do to stop it. There is no way you could understand what that feels like."

Buffy was silent for a moment. "You're right. I don't know what it feels like to lose control of yourself like that. But I do know what it's like to lose control of your life. Ever since I was called as the Slayer I've never really been able to make my own decisions about my life. I always have to do my duty, even if it's not what I want to do. Even when I died it still didn't end. I had to come back and listen to everyone tell me how I should be living my life. Well, everyone except you. You're the only one who accepted me the way I was and wasn't always telling me what I should and shouldn't do. I know it's not the same as what happened to you, but believe me I have an idea of what it feels like."

Spike turned his head to look at her once more. "Well, I guess we're both messed up then."

A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "I guess so. You feel ready to get some sleep now?"

This time Spike couldn't help but grin. "It depends if you had anything else in mind. This is a pretty big bed after all."

Ordinarily Buffy would have pounded him for saying something like that, but at the moment she was so relieved to have him back to normal that she just smiled. "You wish."

"I do actually." Spike replied with a smirk. "I don't suppose you'd stay with me until I fall asleep. I've had a rough couple of days after all."

With a sigh she toed of her shoes and lay on top of the covers beside him. "I'm only doing this because of what you've been through."

"You tell yourself that if it helps." Spike replied sleepily, moving over so that he was snuggled next to her.

As much as she hated to admit it, Buffy found just lying there with him quite a comforting feeling, her aches and pains seeming a lot less now that he had his arms around her. She was reminded of the way she'd felt when she'd been holding Dawn that morning.

"Spike?" She whispered, hoping he wasn't asleep yet.

"Mmm?"

"I'm glad you're alright. I missed you."

"Missed you too. Love you."

As she felt him drift off to sleep Buffy lay there holding him in her arms, trying to take in these new feelings she was having. She didn't love Spike, not yet anyway. But for the first time she felt as though she could. It would take time, and it probably wouldn't be easy but there was a space in her heart just waiting for him to fill. And she knew that he would. Leaning over she pressed a gentle kiss on his forehead, smiling as he let out a small contented sigh. With that she drifted off to sleep, knowing that at last she was ready to start living.

The End