If
Only I Knew Now
Chapter
2: A Stranger Among Us
Part 1
"Buffy?"
woman that had just walked through the door.
"Hey, Will," Buffy greeted her with a smile.
"What's wrong? You look
like you just saw a ghost. You didn't, did you? Because I
really
don't think I can take any more slaying tonight."
"Buffy, I…"
a loss. "I-is this the bot? Did you get another one
made?"
"Bot? That
stupid robot version of me?" Buffy asked in disgust. "You
made another one?" She turned, glaring at the vampire
before her.
Spike simply stood, staring at the slayer, appearing to not
even hear
the questions being thrown to him.
was looking at Buffy, as if she were the most beautiful
sight he'd
ever seen. She remembered seeing him look at the slayer like
that
once before, when she had raised the girl from the dead, in
a
previous existence.
"Spike?"
She called out, trying to get his attention. Seeing that it
was no use, she turned back to Buffy. "I-I don't know
where you came
from, but…" The redhead stepped forward and made an
attempt to lift
up the lower part of Buffy's shirt, checking for the circuit
panel,
but the slayer quickly stepped away.
"Hey! Watch it Miss-grabby-hands," Buffy shouted
with a little
chuckle. "What's gotten into you, Will? I mean, I know
I'm a hottie
and all, but I don't think that
off as she saw the look on
girlfriend. Pain, heartache and loss were etching into her
features,
and Buffy suddenly felt very confused. "Did you and
Tara have an
arguement, or…"
say, when she suddenly heard footfalls coming down the
stairs.
"Hey!" Faith called as she headed down.
"Didn't hear any more
fighting, so I figured it was safe to…" The words died
on her lips as
Faith found herself standing face
to face with Buffy.
"What the hell is she doing here?" Both slayers
asked at once. Both
the blonde and brunette turned and gave
The witch opened and shut her mouth several times, trying to
move
past the shock of seeing Buffy and regain her thought
process. Spike
remained standing still and silent, staring at Buffy.
"I, um, I'm sure there is a very simple explanation for
all of this,"
she told them both hesitantly.
"Did you know that she was out of jail?" Buffy
asked, her voice
slightly accusing.
"Well, yeah, I did know that, Buffy,"
of, uh, the one that got her out."
"You what?"
"It's, um, complicated,"
were here right now."
"
supposedly dead slayer before her.
"I have no idea,"
to the blond vampire. "Spike? Spike!" Finally, he turned and looked
at her, his eyes dazed and clouded. "Any
ideas here?" The vampire
simply turned back toward the blonde woman, staring again.
"What the hell is wrong with him?" Buffy asked in
irritation,
gesturing toward Spike but not taking her eyes off of the
other
slayer.
Suddenly, Spike took a step toward her. "Buffy,
I…" He began,
searching for the words he needed to say. Reaching out, he
took a
hold of the slayer's hand gently. Faith glanced toward
utter confusion, seeing the extremely pained look on the
girl's
face. "I don't know how, but I…There's so much
that…" Seeing the
slayer brought back a million emotions and thoughts, all of
which
seemed completely foreign and wrong to the vampire now. To
say that
he felt confused would be more than a slight understatement,
but one
thing he knew for sure, he no
longer loved this girl before him.
Buffy yanked her hand away quickly, glaring at him in
disgust, also
oblivious to the horror and pain radiating from the redhead
nearby.
"What are you doing?" She spat at him, before
turning back to
"You aren't the only one, B," Faith argued,
stepped in front of the
now shaking witch. "Don't get on her case. This isn't
her fault."
"What? What isn't her fault?" Buffy yelled,
desperately trying to
understand what was happening.
"I-I'm not exactly sure of where you came from, or-or
what you are,
but…"
downward, not looking at anything but the floor.
"
any sense. What is wrong?"
and three people walking in, talking loudly.
"And I was like, `look Jessica, you may have the latest
pair of
Kenneth Cole shoes, but when it comes time to run from a
vampire, in
those heels, you're going to be completely screwed,' a-and
then of
course she looked at me like I had ten heads," Dawn
told Anya, who
nodded with a smile.
"
group already assembled in the living room. "We're back!
Brought you
one fifteen year old girl, complete with two finished
homework
assignments, and some question about an essay on a country
I've never
heard of, and whoa," Xander stopped, finally looking up
as he walked
into the room, and staring at what Anya and Dawn were
already
seeing. "Buffy?" He whispered.
Dawn took a few steps toward Buffy, who was looking both
angry and
confused. "Buffy?" She mumbled, reaching a hand
out and touching her
sister's hair.
"You're looking at me like you haven't seen me in
years," Buffy told
the younger girl with a chuckle.
"A year," Dawn mumbled, still staring at her
sister.
"What is going on with all of you?" Buffy asked.
"And will SOMEONE
tell me exactly what Faith is doing here, and why Spike is
acting so
extra creepy?"
"It's really you?" Dawn asked, tears filling her
eyes. She turned
toward
"No!"
I mean, just because before I…no." By the end of the
statement, the
last bit of wind had left her sails, and
Spike, who was now standing on the far side of the room,
keeping a
sideways glance on Buffy.
"Buffy!" Dawn yelled, lunging at her sister,
enveloping her in a
tight hug. Buffy jumped in surprise, recovering quickly and
hugging
her sister back.
"What is…" Before she
could say more, she felt Xander behind her,
wrapping his arms around her as well.
"Wow. Really feeling the love here, a-and that's all
great, but
seriously, guys, WHAT is going on?"
Finally Xander and Dawn pulled away, and everyone looked
toward
"Is she a demon?" Anya whispered a little too
loudly.
"I am NOT a demon!" Buffy shouted incredulously.
"I'm me! Buffy!"
"Yes, but Buffy's dead, so then are you zombie Buffy, or ghost
Buffy,
or…" Anya began to question.
"I'm not dead! I'm just Buffy-Buffy!" The slayer
shouted.
"Could it be The First?" Xander asked
"The First?"
Buffy growled. "That thing that tried to get Angel to
kill himself? Why would you think…"
"No,"
since Buffy is all huggable and...What, um, what do you
remember?"
remember?"
Buffy gave her a skeptical look. "Defeating Glory,
obviously," the
slayer responded, glancing around the room, "And, hey,
who moved the
furniture around?"
"Defeating Glory?" Xander questioned. "You
remember defeating her?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, it was only, like, a few days
ago," she
answered, rolling her eyes. "Are you
guys under some kind of spell or
something?"
"You remember defeating Glory," Xander asked again, "and
not dying?"
"Dying?" Buffy scoffed. "Why would I remember
dying? I didn't…"
"You did," Anya offered with a bright smile that
was supposed to be
reassuring. "Everyone was very sad and distraught. It
was really
depressing."
"Guys, I think I would remember if I had…"
"Buffy, you did," Dawn told her. "Over a year ago."
"A year?" The slayer asked. "I don't understand. Just the
other day I
was…"
"Dead in the ground," Faith supplied, earning
glares from several
people.
"You're trying to tell me that I've been dead? I don't
remember
dying. I don't remember rising from the dead."
"What exactly do you remember?" Xander asked.
"I remember defeating Glory. We took a few days to
clean up the
demony mess she made, and then partied at the Bronze.
Tonight, I went
out on patrol, came home, and you all went `One Flew Over
the
Cuckoo's Nest' on me."
"I think we'd better call Giles," Xander said,
heading toward the
kitchen phone, followed by Buffy, Dawn and Anya. Once they
had all
left the room, Faith turned to
"You okay?" She asked the stunned and dejected
looking redhead.
loved. "Spike, I think…" She didn't get any
further, as her eyes
followed his quickly moving form out of the house, the door
slamming
behind him.
"He's just surprised, and confused," Faith
reassured her.
"Somehow, that doesn't make me feel better,"
the two headed toward the kitchen.
Part 2
"So you live here now?"
"Yep."
"And Faith lives here."
"Yep."
"And she's not evil?"
"Nope."
"And Xander and Anya got married?"
"Yep?"
"Wow. I can't believe they got through the wedding without any
demonish catastrophes."
and smiled slightly.
"And
"Yeah,"
callous way that she had asked that last question.
"
"It's okay,"
dealing with it all."
"Ok, well, the part I'm still having trouble with is
the whole you
traveled back in time, to NOT resurrect me, and save the
world from
the First, and now somehow I'm still here."
mean, not that I'm not ecstatically happy that you're here,
`cause
big gaping amounts of happy here, but still…"
"I understand," Buffy told her with a reassuring,
warm smile. "I
can't believe what you've been through, Will. I mean,
everything
you've done, and taking care of Dawn, and just I don't know
what to
say."
"I just did what I had to do,"
wasn't one hundred percent unselfish. I mean, there was
"You lost in the end, anyway. So you still ended up
alone." Buffy
looked guilty-stricken.
should tell Buffy about her and Spike. He hadn't returned
home that
evening, and she had yet to hear from him, which had the
witch more
than a little worried. Fortunately, she had the daunting
task of
filling Buffy in on the last year, more or less, though now
her eye
lids were growing increasingly heavy as exhaustion began to
set in.
"Actually, I haven't really been completely
alone,"
her. "Spike and I…He's sort of…well…been there for me.
At first, it
was just a friendship kind of thing, but eventually, it grew
into,
well, something more."
Buffy's eyes widened in shock. "You? You and Spike? Wow. I…I
don't
know what to say. Spike? Really? Spike?"
happened. But, I love him Buffy, and he loves me. We…I
needed him, a-
and I think that he needed me and…and it just…it just
works."
"Wow," Buffy replied after a long pause. "I
don't really know what
to say."
"Well, you don't have to say anything,"
hurriedly. "Really. I just…you
know…I just wanted you to know. No
secrets, right?'
Buffy nodded. "It might take a little getting used
to," she admitted.
"That's okay,"
slayers reaction. "It took me a while, too."
"You're tired," Buffy said, seeing the redhead
yawn for the tenth
time in five minutes. "I'll let you get some
rest." She stood up
from the bed she was perched on and headed toward the door
of
"Same one,"
shutting the door behind her.
clothes or pull up the blankets, and closed her eyes, only
to have
them open again a moment later hearing a knock at the door.
Calling out an invitation, she was surprised to see Spike
walk in,
and she sat up, suddenly more alert. A million questions
swirled in
her head, but none seemed to make it to her lips as he
walked in and
sat on the end of the bed, where Buffy had been a few
moments
earlier. They both sat for several minutes, just looking at
one
another, before she could finally stand the silence no
longer.
"Where have you been?" She asked,
nothing but curiosity in her
voice.
"Around," he answered vaguely.
She raised her eyebrows at the lack of information. "I
was getting
worried."
"Shouldn't have," he said a bit gruffly. "Just needed to think for a
while."
"And, uh, come to any interesting conclusions?" She asked. The
vampire simply shook his head, leaving them once again to
sit in the
awkward silence, before he finally spoke.
"I talked to Giles," he told her, surprising the
redhead a bit. "He
said you were filling Buffy in on what's been
happening."
nodded. "Did you tell her about…"
"Us?"
She asked, the word whispered hoarsely. Spike nodded
slightly. "Well, at first I thought it would be better
to wait
until…"
"Good," he interrupted, surprising her a little bit more, a bolt of
pain slicing through her. "I mean, yeah, we should wait
until…" The
words faded away and
have it in her to explain that she had told Buffy.
"I'm going to stay with the watcher for a while,"
Spike told her,
waiting for her to look up at him again, but
look down at her hands in her lap and nod. "Figured that would be
for the best."
looked up. "Are we still, I mean, are you..."
"I'm still yours,
tears finally spilled forth as he pulled her closer and
kissed her
forehead gently, before standing up and silently walking
out.
Neither noticed the blonde slayer listening across the hall.
Part 3
"So the question really is, how did I get here,"
Buffy stated,
looking around the shop.
"We're looking into it,"
tired as she looked, and was appreciative of the fact that
everyone
seemed to accept that her puffy red eyes were due to a late
night of
researching and talking with Buffy. She was also glad of the
fact
that Spike had not joined them at the Magic Box.
think that she could handle watching him watch Buffy just
then.
"Maybe the higher-ups just decided that I was needed
down here,"
Buffy suggested.
"Already got a slayer," Faith stated in a scornful
voice. "Doin just
fine without you."
"Oh, right," Buffy shot back. "And I remember just how
great a
slayer you were before…"
"Guys!"
the one word.
"Is it possible that The First brought her back?"
Xander
questioned. "Like when it brought Angel back from
hell."
First brought Angel back to destroy Buffy, so I doubt that
it would
want to suddenly ressurect her. We should have more
information once
Giles gets here. He was going to call a few contacts to see
if they
had heard any-"
the door. Everyone turned and looked up, seeing the older
Englishman walking in.
Giles scanned the room and stopped his steps as his eyes
fell on the
petite blonde slayer standing near the register. The watcher
let
out a gasp.
"Buffy," he whispered. A moment later, she found
herself enveloped
in the strong arms of the man she considered a father, a
deep sense
of protection and safety overwhelming her.
"My god, it's really you," he whispered, refusing
to let go just yet.
"In the flesh," she mumbled back.
Finally, Giles pulled away, still holding onto her
shoulders, as if
he was afraid that letting go completely would cause the
girl to
disappear.
"You look wonderful," he told her.
"Yeah, I guess I'm looking pretty good for a gal that
was dead just
a day ago," she quipped, feeling slightly uncomfortable
at the way
everyone was watching her. "So, um…any idea what's
going on?"
Giles shook his head, finally stepping away completely.
"Nothing
yet," he told her. "But I have several people
looking into it.
Something should turn up soon, I hope."
Buffy let out a deep sigh. "Until
then?" She had never been known
for her patience. The slayer much more preferred to be
pointed in
the direction of something to kill. Sitting and waiting had
never
exactly been her forte.
"Well, um…Dawnie needs to be picked up from
school," Willow offered,
sitting down with a book that she already knew would hold no
answers. Faith was about to stand up and head out. She was,
after
all, the one that looked after Dawn the most as of late, but
the
brunette stopped when she saw Buffy head toward the door.
"Great!" The blonde said cheerily,
glad to have something to do.
Before anyone could say anything more, she was out the door.
"So, what do you think?"
"I have absolutely no idea," he admitted.
"I've spoken to several
people at the council, but as I suspected, they are less
than
forthcoming with information. They claim to not know why she
is
here, but I'm not entirely sure just how much we can trust
them
right now."
"Well, I gotta get back to the site," Xander
announced, kissing Anya
and heading out the door. His wife grabbed a box from the
checkout
counter and moved toward the stock room, while Faith picked
up an
ax, twirling it in her hand as she walked toward the
training room.
"Up for a little sparring?"
She asked Giles. The watcher smiled.
He knew the brunette needed to work off a little steam.
"I'll be right in," he told her, watching as she
disappeared through
the doorway. Once they were alone, the older man turned his
attention toward the distracted redhead at the table.
"Are you
alright, Willow?"
"Hmmm? What?" She looked
up, startled by his voice. "Oh, I'm fine,"
she stated, her tone of voice begging to differ.
"Spike is at my flat," he told her, his voice
slightly hushed. He
noted the way her eyes widened at his name and the pained
expression
that spread across her face.
lip and looking down miserably.
Giles let out a deep sigh and moved to sit next to the
girl. "
Spike," he told her. "But I've seen the way that
he treats you, the
way he looks at you. He loves you,
doubt. The recent appearance of Buffy…I'm sure that it's
thrown him
for a bit of a loop, but have a
little faith in him. When he loves,
I believe it's complete and absolute."
Buffy," she whispered. "I mean, he really loved
her. You don't
remember, I know, a-and maybe he doesn't either. But he
loved her
so much. Giles, he got a soul for her."
The watcher's eyes widened at that new information.
"That may be,
believe that, and you should too. Whatever that Spike in
your other
past was like…whomever he loved, it is of no consequence
now. He
loves you. Believe in that."
his waiting slayer.
"Giles,"
that even though things were different, they still kept
turning out
the same.
but she saw the kindness in his eyes, along with the joy of
having
Buffy back again, and couldn't bear to dampen that.
"Thank you,"
she said finally, with a weak smile, which he returned with
a warm
one of his own.
~*~
"Buffy!"
Dawn called out as she skipped down the steps of the
school. "You're picking me up?"
"Of course, silly," Buffy responded with a smile.
"Don't I alwa-"
The words died on her lips, as Buffy remembered that she
couldn't
have really been the one to always pick Dawn up. For a
moment, the
slayer felt the same as she had when she had discovered that
Dawn
had not always been her sister. Her memories had been
altered, and
then she realized, this must have been how Dawn felt,
knowing that
her existence, at least part of it, had never really
happened. It
left her feeling slightly lost and weak, not knowing what was
reality and what was the false memories.
"Well, I'm here now," Buffy said, forcing a smile.
"Good," Dawn responded, hugging her sister
tightly. "I mean, not
that I mind when Faith picks me up, but then the whole way
home
usually ends up being some lesson about how I'm more
powerful than
the most bad ass bad guy, a-and how the stake is my weapon,
and more
mighty than anything they might throw at ya."
"Really?" Buffy asked.
What exactly had Faith been teaching her?
She was more powerful than any demon? Lessons like that were
sure
to get her killed in no time at all. After all, hadn't it
been that
exact line of thinking that had led Faith down the dark path
that
she had chosen to begin with? "What, uh…what other
stuff has Faith
been teaching you?"
"Oh, you know," Dawn said with a slight smirk. "How to skin a man
alive, and the many different torture techniques to get a captive to
talk."
"What?" Buffy gasped.
"Buff, I'm kidding," Dawn laughed, seeing her
sister glare at
her. "Faith really isn't that bad, once you get to know
her. I
mean, at first, I pretty much didn't want to have anything
to do you
with her, you know? It was like, I was worried that it would
be like
trying to replace you with her, but then I realized…Getting
to know
her was like getting to know a part of you that I had never
met,
both of you being slayers and all. She knew stories about
when you
used to patrol together and, just, stuff that no one else
knew."
"Yeah? Did she happen to mention the time she killed a
man?" Buffy
asked snidely.
"I know she's done some stuff wrong, Buffy. We all
have," Dawn
defended.
"We didn't all kill a guy and then turn toward the enemy
for help,"
Buffy told her. "She's dangerous."
"No, she's not. She's changed, Buffy. If you get to
know her,
you'll see that she really has," Dawn told her.
"She's trying so
hard, and once you get in a little deeper, she kinda reminds
me a
lot of you."
"I am NOTHING like Faith!" Buffy yelled in
outrage. Dawn rolled her
eyes and gave her a knowing look. "I'm not!" The
blonde insisted.
The younger girl decided to drop the issue for the time
being, happy
to just enjoy being with her sister again, and not wanting
to spoil
the time she had with her by arguing.
"So how's
really. How's she holding up?"
"She's okay," Dawn told her. "She's slowly
moving past
and everything that happened last year. It wasn't easy for
her, and
most of us, we didn't really help too much. But Spike, he
really
pulled her through it, you know?"
"Spike?" Buffy asked,
sounding surprised. "She mentioned something
about that."
"Well, yeah. I mean, he was there for her, you know? More than the
rest of us, anyway. I didn't notice it at first, but now, when I
watch him, watching her, I don't know how I could have
missed it
before."
"Missed what?" Buffy questioned.
"The way he loves her," Dawn explained with a
broad smile. "He'd
die for her."
"Wow," Buffy said quietly, her eyes narrow and
calculating.
"Yeah.
I mean, if it wasn't for Spike, I really don't know if
would have come through it all. He was the one that stopped
her
from going all dark-magic-wicca-girl. If he hadn't been
there, I
don't really know if she would have made it."
Buffy nodded, her mind reeling at the newfound information,
and they
continued to head home in silence.
Part 4
"Now remember, tomorrow's test will be open book, but
that doesn't
mean that you shouldn't study," the professor called
out, as the
auditorium of students packed up their books at the end of
class.
the straps over her shoulder. Stepping out into the hallway,
the
redhead paused as several students pushed past her. She
heard a
friend saying goodbye as she passed, but didn't seem to
notice.
He wasn't there. Spike always came by to walk her home from
her night
class. Each and every time, she had stepped out of the room,
and
into his overprotective arms. As she scanned the emptying
hallway,
hadn't come. He had forgotten about her.
With a dejected sigh, the redhead closed her eyes, willing
the tears
away, and trudged down the hall and out of the building,
steeling
herself. She would go home, to Buffy's home. Suddenly, it
didn't
feel so much like her home anymore. It was full of people
and full of
life, but the one person that she longed to see wouldn't be
there.
Spike wouldn't be there, and she didn't know how she would
be able to
stand another night without him.
~*~
"So, Dawn tells me that you've been teaching her about
slaying,
training her," Buffy said casually, as she and Faith
meandered
through the cemetery.
"Yeah, well, you know, girl's
gotta learn somewhere. We don't teach
her, she'll learn all about demon fighting from the bad
crowd," Faith
told her with a smirk.
"Last time I checked, you were the bad crowd,"
Buffy stated dryly, a
slight smile on her face.
"Yeah, well, things change. I've changed," Faith
replied.
"So everyone keeps telling me."
"Then I guess it must be true."
"You shouldn't be telling her those things
though," Buffy stated,
looking toward the brunette slayer. "She isn't invincible,
Faith. I
mean, WE aren't even invincible, and she isn't a
slayer."
"Never told her she was invincible," Faith argued.
"Just teaching
the girl how to fight back, you know? I mean, she's going to
school
on the Hellmouth, B. What else is she supposed to do?"
"How about study, and do her homework, and sneak out to
kiss boys,
and lie about going to fraternity parties, like normal
girls," Buffy
stated, her anger rising.
"She isn't a normal girl!" Faith retorted.
"Come on, Buffy. She lives
with two slayers, a witch and…"
"And what?"
Buffy was hoping Faith would confirm what she had
suspected about a certain vampire, but Faith seemed to catch
herself
in time.
"And it's inevitable that she's going to have to
fight," Faith
replied. "She should know how to protect herself."
"I'm all for Dawn being able to protect herself," Buffy told her. "I
gave her a cell phone, so that if anything happens, she
can…"
"A cell phone?
Come on!" Faith yelled. "A vamp'll have her neck torn
out before she dials your number. She needs to know how to
really
protect herself."
"You aren't telling her how to protect herself,
Faith," Buffy
argued. "You're telling her how to hunt and how to
kill. You're
telling her how to do what we do every night, and you know
what?
She's NOT a slayer."
"Xander and
patrol with you," the brunette pointed out.
The blonde let out deep sigh. "I want something better
for her," she
told her. "I don't want her living in the dark, like we
do. It's too
dangerous."
"Well, that might not be your decision," Faith
told her. "You live
in Sunnydale, and Dawn is well aware of things that go bump
in the
night, and you might wanna play the protective big sister,
but if you
don't prepare her to fight and defend herself, you're
handing her an
early death sentence."
"Don't tell me how to look after my own sister,"
Buffy ground out,
having heard more than enough. "I'll do what I think is
right. I'm
her sister. I'm her flesh and blood. Not you."
"Yeah, well I'm the one who's been looking after her
the last year,
not you," Faith shot back. "Do you know what
classes she's taking
this year? Who her teachers are? What the name of the boy
she has a
crush on is? Yeah, didn't think so."
Buffy visibly flinched at the words. Of course she didn't
know. She
had no way of knowing. The entire last year of her life was
gone, and
Faith's words hit closer to home than Buffy liked. There
really was
so much about Dawn that she didn't know, and it angered her
to no end
that the dark haired slayer could know more about her sister
than she
did. Looking down for a moment, her hands fisted at her
sides,
Buffy's eyes flashed red, though neither girl noticed.
"I want you gone," Buffy told her. "I want
you gone, out of the
house, tonight." Faith's eyes widened at the growled
words, and she
opened her mouth, ready to protest, but then shut it again,
thinking
better of it, and simply nodded. Turning and walking in the
opposite
direction, Faith went in search of something to slay, hoping
for a
violent kill before she headed home to collect her things.
Part 5
course, she was normally accompanied by a blond vampire, but
the
powerful witch knew that she was more than able to take care
of
herself, should the need to arise. Things had been quiet,
lately
though, and she didn't suspect that she would run into any
trouble.
Passing one of the older mausoleums, the redhead paused, feeling
something strange hit her as she passed. There seemed to be
a faint,
magical energy coming from inside the building. Cautiously
approaching, the witch slowly opened the door and peeked
inside,
surprised to see nothing but empty darkness. Closing the
door, she
walked away with a shrug, still feeling the tingling
sensation of
unseen magic. She would have to mention that to Giles later.
~*~
Several feet below ground, the man
paused in his chanting, glancing
up toward the dirt above. He felt her presence as she
entered the
mausoleum, and then watched until she was gone. Once he was
sure that
the redhead had left, the Witch Doctor continued with his
chanting,
holding up the blond doll and smearing a bit of the
blood-red potion
across the lips with a deep chuckle.
The fun was only beginning.
~*~
Spike stalked through the cemetery, looking for something
evil to
kill. His head ached with confusion, and though he knew he
should be
out looking for
The vampire had no idea what to say to the girl he loved.
Buffy had
suddenly appeared, just when his unlife seemed to be going
so
perfectly, and the sight of her had caught him completely
off guard.
He suspected that
Buffy, but he was sure that she understood his confusion,
and that
she knew how much he loved her. He had to get past his mixed
feelings for the slayer before he could confront his witch,
and
thought that working out a bit of his frustration on a demon
first,
was the safest bet.
"Spike!"
Letting out a sigh and rolling his shoulders, Spike turned
around, taking one last drag from the cigarette he was
smoking,
before tossing it to the ground. Looked
like he wouldn't be getting
that kill in after all.
"Slayer," he greeted the blonde as she quickly
walked toward him.
"What are you doing out here?" Buffy asked.
"It's the cemetery. I'm a vampire. What do you think
I'm doin?" He
asked in slight annoyance. Of course, it wasn't her fault
that he was
having the sudden conflicting emotions, but that never
stopped Spike
from taking his frustration out on anyone before.
"You know, I just wanted to say thank you," she
said, surprising him
with her words.
"For what, exactly?"
He asked cautiously.
"Well, I mean, I know it was a while ago for you, a-and
a lot has
happened, but for me, well, the whole thing with Glory, it
sorta just
happened, and I…well, I remember what you said to me, about
loving
me, and about me treating you as more than just a demon,
a-and about
you keeping the promise to watch after Dawn. You did, and…and
I just
wanted to say thank you."
"Yeah, well, let it never be said that I'm not a demon
of my word,"
he stated dismissively. "Think nothing of it."
"No, Spike, really," Buffy went on, taking a few
steps closer, so
that she was almost touching him, and speaking in a low,
almost husky
voice. "I really mean it. Thank you. And…and I know I
never treated
you the way I should have. I should have been…better."
Spike shook his head, taking a step back. "Water under
the bridge,"
he told her, his voice sounding uneasy. "A lot has
changed since
then."
"Has it?" She asked, taking another step forward,
causing Spike to
take several more backwards, until he came up against a
tree. Buffy
moved forward, nearly chest to chest with the vampire again,
and
reached down to take his hand in hers. "How much,
exactly, has
changed, I wonder."
Yanking his hand away, Spike responded harshly. "Yeah,
it has. Things
are different now."
"But you still love me, don't you?" The slayer
questioned, running
her fingers over his leather clad arm, batting her eyelashes
at
him. "I bet I know how to really make you feel like a
man," she
whispered in a low, sensual tone.
"Hey, now," Spike replied, grabbing her by the
shoulders and trying
to shove the girl away. "Buffy, you should know that…I
don't feel
the way I once did for you. There's…"
"Shhh," Buffy interrupted, placing a finger over
his lips. "You
don't need to say a thing."
"Actually, I think that…" He was growing angry,
his words once again
cut off.
This time Buffy leaned up on her toes and brushed her lips
against
his, catching the vampire completely off guard. Spike gasped,
opening his mouth slightly, allowing her the chance to slip
her
tongue between his lips. He never heard the other soft gasp
behind
him, though Buffy did, as
out before her. Walking through the dark cemetery, she had
just come
upon Spike and Buffy, engaged in what appeared to be a
passionate lip
lock. The redhead gasped, her hand flying up to cover her
mouth, as
the tears that had been threatening to fall all evening
finally did.
Buffy smirked against Spike's mouth as she felt his hands
tighten on
her shoulders, trying to push her away, and she quickly
reached out,
tangling one hand in his hair, while the other went around
to squeeze
his ass. She opened one eye, glancing over to see
bag to the ground before the redhead turned and ran away. A
moment
later, Spike was finally able to push the slayer off of him.
"Buffy, stop!"
He yelled, holding her at bay. "Listen to me. I can't
do this with you. I might have wanted you at one point, but
there's
someone else now. I love her. I'm sorry." Spike didn't
notice as a
red light flickered in the slayer's eyes, and Buffy suddenly
stumbled
backwards, grabbing her head.
"Huh? What? Spike?" She
looked up at him in confusion.
"Look, I'm sorry," he told her gruffly. "I
know this is all confusing
for you, but we can't do this."
"This? Uh, right…no this.
What, um…what exactly are you doing here?"
She asked. The last thing Buffy remembered was walking with
Faith,
arguing about Dawn. She hadn't even been entirely aware of
what they
had fought about, and then suddenly, here she was, standing
in front
of a slightly disheveled looking Spike, who was making
little to no
sense.
The blond vampire gave her a confused look. "You feelin alright?" He
asked.
"Yeah, just, you know…a little disoriented, and
slightly
embarrassed," she told him with a bashful chuckle.
Spike nodded, assuming that she was embarrassed about
kissing
him. "Let's just forget it happened," he
suggested.
"Right.
Good," Buffy agreed. "Already completely
forgotten." At that,
she turned and headed off, stake in hand, her legs slightly
unsteady. Spike moved to go in the other direction, pausing
as he
caught a certain scent, and walked a few feet back from
where they
had been standing. Looking down, he was surprised to see a
familiar
looking bag on the ground. Reaching down, he lifted it up
and looked
inside, his suspicions proven true. It was
dropped at the realization, and he knew. She must have seen
them
kissing. Turning toward the direction of their home, Spike
ran
through the darkness, desperate to find the redhead as soon
as
possible and try to explain what she had seen.
Part 6
Buffy walked through the back door, flipping the light
switch in the
kitchen, and jumping slightly as she found a distraught
looking
face, Buffy quickly moved to sit next to her, surprised as
the
redhead flinched and moved away.
"
"How could you?"
shoulders remained hunched forward and she looked utterly
defeated.
"What? What did I do?" Buffy asked urgently, not
understanding the
question.
"I saw you!"
cemetery!"
"Saw us? Will, I don't know what you think you saw,
but…"
"I saw you kissing, Buffy,"
accusingly. "Don't try to deny it. I know what I saw.
How could you?
After I told you about he and…How
could you?" Her voice cracked and a
sob escaped as she shook with anger and pain. Looking down
for a
moment, she didn't see as a sudden red light flashed in Buffy's
eyes
and her posture stiffened.
"What did you expect, Willow?" The slayer asked in
a cold, harsh
tone, startling the witch.
her friend incredulously. "You know, you came back here
and you took
over some of my duties, but I don't really think I expected
that to
include fucking the undead."
believe that she was saying these things to her.
"Buffy, how can you…"
"Come on, Willow!" Buffy interrupted. "How
could you really think
that Spike would actually need or want you, once I was back?
I'm the
one he really loves. You were just a cheap substitute."
nearly drawing blood.
"Buffy, how can you say this to me?" She
whispered.
"I appreciate all your help, Wills, really," Buffy
stated, her voice
condescending and thick with sarcasm. "But I'm back
now, and you
really aren't needed anymore."
"What?"
happened in the last day. "Buffy…"
"I think it would be best for everyone, if you just
left, now," Buffy
told her. Not having the will left to fight,
up and pushing the chair back, before heading out the door.
Across town, the Witch Doctor smiled as he once again wiped
the red
potion from the voodoo doll's lips, a cruel grin upon his
own.
~*~
Spike practically ran through the front door, and headed up
the
stairs toward
vampire called out for the redhead as he headed back into
the hall.
He was surprised when Faith stopped him at the top of the
stairs.
"What the hell did you do with Buffy?" Faith
questioned angrily, her
grip on his arm tight.
Spike glared at the slayer. He didn't have time for this.
"Really don't want to talk about it with you,
slayer," he growled,
yanking his arm free. "Where's
"Well, lucky for me I don't care what you want."
Spike gave her an
incredulous glare.
"Look, Spike, I care about that girl.
about her. And believe me, that is
something I never thought I would
say, but it's true. And, despite everything, I think you're
actually
good for each other. Or, well, I did until I heard her and
Buffy
arguing down stairs."
"She was talking to Buffy?" He asked urgently,
moving to head back
down the stairs before Faith caught his arm once again.
"Spike, what the hell happened?" She asked, her
tone making it clear
that he'd better answer her.
Spike let out a deep sigh, once again yanking his arm free.
"I was
walking through the cemetery, ran into Buffy. She kissed me.
It's
complicated. I think that
"She was kissing you? Why would Buffy…"
"I have no bloody clue," he told her honestly. "Wasn't my idea."
Faith arched an eyebrow, clearly questioning that last
statement. "You need to find
"She's not here?" He asked in surprise.
Faith shook her head. "She and Buffy got into a big
argument. B said
some pretty harsh things, told
us both out tonight." Spike's arched an eyebrow at
that. "Something's
up with her. I mean, Buffy kicking me out, not a huge shock,
but the
things she was saying to
You need to find
lips were attached to Buffy's."
"You need to keep your nose out of other people's
business, slayer. I
can handle this on my own."
"Right. I can see what a great
job you're doing of that right now.
If you aren't careful, you're gonna blow this, buddy!"
"Faith," he growled.
"You guys have made it through so much crap,"
Faith point out. "And
now what? Buffy comes back and you're going to just forget all about
"No! Why would you think that? I love her. I'm just
confused."
"Buffy isn't the end all be
all of existence, Spike."
"Don't you think I know that?" He shouted.
"Yeah, I do," she replied, surprising him.
"But
her, it's always been about Buffy. Always."
"I love
"Don't tell me, stud. Tell the girl."
Part 7
Pulling the front door open,
Xander was more than a little surprised
to see a crying
friend into the apartment and shut the door, leading her
into the
living room, where Anya was sitting with Dawn, playing a
board game.
"
the redhead's hand as she walked toward the couch in a daze.
"
Anya stood up next to Xander, whispering to him.
"What's wrong with
her?" She asked in concern. "She looks
broken." Xander shrugged.
"Wills, what happened?" He asked, kneeling down in
front of his best
friend as she sat.
young man, startling him with their vacant stare. She opened
her
mouth, as if to speak, but then closed it again a moment
later,
saying nothing.
"
the girl like this since
eyes grew more despondent.
"Dawnie," she whispered. "I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" Dawn questioned, feeling panic building.
"Sorry for what?"
"I'm not going to be around anymore," the redhead
mumbled. "I have
to go away."
"Go away? Willow, honey, what are you talking
about?" Xander
questioned, holding her free hand tightly.
"Buffy," the redhead mumbled, a sob escaping her
lips. "She's back,
and I have to go away."
"No you don't," Dawn told her urgently. "You
don't have to go just
because Buffy's back. She wouldn't want you to just…"
"She told me, a-and I can't stay there anymore,"
Xander looked toward Anya with a questioning glance.
making any sense. Buffy would never just tell
"I saw them, and she's back, and I have to go,"
the redhead continued
to mumbled.
"
watery at the broken, vacant sound of her friend's voice.
"Who did
you see?"
"Buffy and Spike,"
particular. "He loves her."
"
love with you. He's so sweet with you,
it's enough to make us sick,"
Anya told her, trying to reassure the distraught girl.
shook her head.
"She's right, Will," Xander added. "The guy's
crazy about you."
"You don't understand!"
weren't there before! You didn't see! He loved her so
much…a-and now
that she's back…It's all the same! It never changes! He
loves her!"
Before anyone could say anything more, the redhead broke
down
sobbing, falling back onto the couch.
"Dawn, why don't you take
The younger girl nodded, helping
bedroom, grabbing a box of tissues along the way.
Once the door was closed, Xander and Anya turned and looked
at one
another.
"I don't know what the hell is going on," Xander
told her
angrily, "but I will find out."
Grabbing his coat and marching toward the door, he was just
about to
grab the knob when the door flew open, startling him and
nearly
knocking him off his feet. He and Anya both looked up to see
Faith
come storming into the apartment.
"Ever hear of knocking?" He asked in annoyance,
eyeing the large bag
that Faith was carrying.
"Not now, Xander," Faith practically growled.
"Is
"What's all this?" Xander questioned, gesturing
toward the bag she
had slung over her shoulder.
Faith rolled her eyes. "I'm not moving in," she
told him.
"Well that's a relief," Anya told her. "This
apartment is already
getting pretty darn crowded and…"
"Is
"Yeah, she is," Xander told her. "What the
hell is going on?"
"Not sure. Something's wrong with Buffy."
"Yeah, I was starting to get that impression.
about seeing Buffy and Spike kissing."
"She's resting now," Dawn stated, walking out from
the
bedroom. "She's exhausted, so I think she'll sleep for
a little
while. What happened?" She turned toward Faith. "
told her to leave?"
"Yeah, big sis isn't exactly acting like herself,"
Faith told her
gravely.
"You think this might have something to do with her
sudden
reappearance?" Xander asked. "Like, maybe it isn't
really Buffy at
all?"
"It is Buffy!" Dawn insisted. "I would know
if it wasn't really her.
I would…I would know."
"Course you would," Faith appeased. "It's
just…she isn't acting like
herself. Kissing Spike and then…the things she said to
wouldn't say those things."
"So she kissed Spike and then got into a fight with
asked, trying to sum up exactly what had been happened.
"Yep, all after she tossed me out," Faith replied
with a nod.
"What? Why?" Dawn questioned, becoming
increasingly upset.
"We had a disagreement about taking you on patrol and
training you,"
Faith told her. "Buffy doesn't want me teaching you how
to fight."
"Why not? I'm not a kid anymore," Dawn argued
indignantly. "I mean,
hello! I'm the same age that she was when she started
slaying."
"Yeah, but Dawn, you aren't a slayer," Xander
reminded her.
"Neither were you," she shot back.
"Right, and we've all had this conversation
already," Faith cut
in. "The point is, Buffy doesn't want me training you
anymore."
"Well, tough!" Dawn responded. "I want you to
teach me. If I'm going
to get attacked, I'd like to be able to defend myself."
"Right, well B thinks a cell phone'll do the job,"
Faith told her,
scoffing.
"Yeah, well…actually, I like the phone. Let's not
discount the phone.
It has 72 different rings, and this little animated…okay, so
not the
point. The point is…"
"The point is that Buffy isn't acting like herself, and
we don't know
why," Xander summed up.
"Right, so the question is, what do we do about
it?" Anya asked.
Part 8
"Girl troubles?"
The bartender gave Spike a sympathetic look as he
poured him another drink. The vampire glanced up, scowling.
"What's it to you, mate?"
The bartender shrugged, holding his hands up in mock
surrender. "Hey, now. Just askin. You looked pretty down, and
generally, a guy comes in alone, lookin the way you do, it's girl
troubles. Some pretty little thing won't give you the time
of day?
That it?
Doesn't think you're good lookin enough?"
"Hey!" Spike shouted indignantly. "I am
plenty good lookin! Ain't
nothin like that." Thinking back on the past evening,
the vampire
snorted. "Too many girls is
more like it."
"Ah," the bartender nodded. "Can't choose
between `em, that it? I'll
tell ya man, they're all alike. They'll take ya for all ya
got and
then dump ya in a heart beat for the next available..."
"Nah, ain't like that," Spike interrupted with a
wave of his hand,
taking a gulp of his drink. "Not with
Red anyway. Loyal to the end,
that one is, and perfect to a fault. Hell, even her faults
are
perfect! I messed up big this time." The bartender
leaned an elbow
against the dark oak counter, listening to the blond.
"What the hell
was I thinking? Gods, that girl…You know, she's the smartest
little
thing I've ever met. So bright and clever, and she always
finds a
way to make me smile, even when I'm feelin lower `en the
dirt I
crawled outta."
"So what's the problem, then?"
"The problem? The problem is
that I had to go and get all caught up
in the slayer comin back."
"Did you just say the slayer?" The bartender asked
in a hushed
voice, glancing around at the demon patrons, a few of which
had
perked up at hearing the name. "Faith?"
He wasn't exactly fond of
the brunette. She'd come in causing a commotion, looking for
information, on more than one occassion in the last year.
"Not that one," Spike replied with a scornful
chuckle. "The other
one. Always screws everything up. Just when everything seems to be
goin so well, she shows up, and then suddenly she's all over
me,
askin if I still loved her. You know, before she left, I
would have
done anything to prove my love. But now…"
"Now, what?"
"
laughed bitterly. "Knew I'd do somethin
to screw it up sooner or
later."
"So you love the girl?" The bartender questioned.
Spike looked up at him, thinking about the question for a
moment
before smiling slightly. "Yeah, I do."
"Then it seems to me you should be tellin her how you
feel,
instead'a sittin in here, serenadin the whiskey."
The blond shook his head. "Tried.
Can't find her. Looked just about
everywhere I could think of. Sides, pretty sure she won't be
ready
to listen just yet. She got hurt real bad tonight. Slayer
didn't
help."
"Did you say the Slayer? You talking
about the blonde one?" Spike
turned around, finding a large blue demon standing behind
him.
"Maybe.
What's it to you? Didn't you ever learn it ain't polite to
listen in to another demon's conversation.
Get you nice and dead if
you aren't careful."
"I wouldn't be slinging threats if I were you,"
the blue demon shot
back.
"Hey, guys, not in here," the bartender entreated.
"Take it outside,
huh?"
"The Slayer's back?" The demon questioned,
ignoring the man behind
the bar. Spike just shot him a glare, not answering.
"Well ain't
that just perfect timing?"
"Why's that?" Spike asked, suddenly feeling
curious.
"New Dominion coming and all," the demon told him.
"Just seems funny
that the slayer should suddenly return now, don't you
think?"
"New Dominion?" Spike
questioned. "What's that?"
The demon glanced around, as if suddenly nervous that
someone else
might be listening in. "Death," he answered with a
hushed whisper.
Spike's eyes narrowed, not sure he liked the sound of that.
The demon turned and walked away as Spike looked back at the
man
cowering behind the bar. "You heard about any new big
bad in town?"
The bartender shook his head. "No,
honest. There have been some
whispering about some new master heading this way, but
nothin
concrete. Seems to be on the real down low, you know what
I'm sayin?
If anyone knows anything, they ain't talkin."
"Well, we'll have to see what we can do to change
that," Spike
mused. He turned back around, ready to further question the
blue
demon, but found that it was no longer in the bar. Standing
up,
Spike let out a sigh, just before lighting a cigarette and
walking
out. The bartender opened his mouth, about to call out about
the
unpaid bar tab, but then looked down, thinking better of it.
~*~
"Buffy?"
Dawn called out as she tentatively walked into the
house. "Buffy?"
"Hey," Buffy answered, as her sister walked into
the living
room. "Thought you were spending the
evening at Xander's."
"Yeah, thought you were going to patrol," Dawn answered, eying
her
sister carefully.
"I did. Just got home," Buffy told her. She picked
up the remote
control and turned off the television, tucking her legs
below her on
the couch. "What's up?"
"What did you say to
"
Something nagged at the back of her mind, but the slayer
wasn't
quite able to grasp what it was. Something just felt…not
right.
"She said that the two of you got into an
argument," the younger
girl stated, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms
as she
stared at her sister suspiciously.
"Dawn, I haven't seen
told her.
"
at least not about stuff like that. She was really upset, Buffy."
"Upset? Where is she?" The slayer sat up a little
straighter, not
liking the uneasy feeling flowing through her. Something was
definitely not right.
Not bothering to answer her sister's question, Dawn
continued to
talk. "She also said something about you and Spike in
the cemetery.
Any idea what that might have been about?"
"I ran into Spike,
patrolling. We talked, but…actually it was weird,
I got all confused, and…"
"Confused?" Dawn's cool gaze turned worried at her
sister's words.
"It was strange. It was like, one minute I was walking
along, and
then I sort of zoned out or something, and next thing I
know, he's
standing there, telling me to forget what happened."
"Forget what happened? What exact were you supposed to
forget?"
"That's just it. I really didn't know what he was
talking about."
"Something strange is going on," Dawn stated,
looking around
nervously. "I think you need to talk to
"Why? What exactly did
with worry.
"She said that she saw you and Spike kissing, and then
you told her
to move out of the house."
"What? I didn't…I wouldn't…Kissing Spike?!"
"I know. That's what we all said, but Buffy…she was so
sure that…A-
and then Faith…"
"What about Faith?" Buffy's voice took on a little
bit of anger at
the sound of the other girl's name.
"She said that you told her to move out too."
"What? I did NOT tell anyone to…Or…or…oh god, I think I
did. But I
don't really remember…I wouldn't have. I mean, Faith, I
don't like
the idea of her training with you, but I wasn't going to
tell her to…
Oh god."
Blurry memories began to assault the slayer's mind as she
sat back on the couch, holding her head. "What's
happening to me?"
"Buffy?" Dawn slowly
walked toward her sister, unsure of what was
wrong, but feeling increasingly worried. "What is
it?"
"I can't really remember…It's almost like…I have these
vague
memories of saying and doing things I didn't do."
"Buffy, I think maybe we should go talk to the others.
Xander and
Faith were going to see Giles at the shop. Maybe he'll know
what's
going on." Buffy just shook her head, staring off in a
daze,
wondering at exactly what horrible things she had said and
done that
night, and hoping that whatever damage had been done would
be
repairable.
Part 9
"Something is wrong with her, Giles," Faith
explained. "First with
me, and then with
"Is this true,
redhead who sat in the corner of the room. She hadn't wanted
to
come along, hadn't wanted to talk about this just ett, but
her
friends had left her with little choice, and in the end,
something needed to be said and done.
"She…she wasn't really acting like herself," she
mumbled
uncertainly, "a-and there was the whole thing with
Spike."
"Thing with Spike?" Giles
questioned.
"Wills thinks she saw Spike and Buffy kissing in the
cemetery,"
Xander explained.
"Well…I'm…uh…I'm sure there must be some sort of
explanation for
that," Giles stammered, removing his glasses and
cleaning them
thoroughly as
"I know what I saw Giles, and even if Buffy isn't…you
know, herself?
Spike is, and he was…." The witch's voice trailed off
as she looked
down sadly, Anya sitting down next to her and rubbing her
back,
looking slightly unsure of how to comfort the girl.
"Oh! I know this one!" Anya said suddenly. "
to do a My-Will-Be-Done spell?" Everyone gave the
former demon very
confused looks. "Well, last time Buffy and Spike were
found
kissing, it was because of
"Actually, I think the last time, was when it was the
Buffy-bot,"
Xander interjected. "But the bot is long gone, unless
you think
there's a new one."
"It wasn't a bot. It was Buffy,"
do a spell. Even if I did, do you really think that my will
would be
to have Buffy and Spike kissing?"
"Well, no," Anya agreed, "but maybe it's an
anti-My-Will-Be-Done
spell. You know, does the opposite, and we just need an
anti-anti-My-
Will..."
"Stop!"
and the last time wasn't with the bot. Not
technically."
"What do you mean?" Xander questioned.
"Buffy and Spike were kinda...uh...together, before.
The...um...the
other before,"
in her lap.
Xander's eyes widened. "Buffy was with Spike? Of her own choice? Why
would she do that?"
"Hey! Hello! I'm with Spike by MY own choice,"
out. "It's hard to explain. She sorta used him, and
he...he loved
her. He really did."
"Ok, well that was then," Xander surmised,
"and this is now, and
Spike is butt-crazy in love with you
should just find Spike. He might know what's going on with
Buffy."
"Right," Giles agreed. "I think it would be
in our best interested
to speak with Spike as soon as possible. We should probably
spread
out and try to find him before…"
The older man was interrupted as the door flew open and the
blond in
question stormed into the room.
"Watcher, gotta talk to you
about…" Spike paused, seeing the rest of
the group standing around the small living room, his eyes
resting on
the distraught redhead who refused to look up. "
whispered, taking a step closer to her.
"Well that was easy," Xander noted, seeing the
vampire that they
were about to search for.
"Yes, well, Spike," Giles called out, catching the
vampires
attention, "we need to ask you a few question."
"Oh! Right. Listen, found out
from a few demons around town, there's
some sort of Witch Doctor voodoo guy hanging out in the
cemetery.
Might be your man, causing all the trouble.
There was also some
demon tonight, making some noise about a New Dominion comin.
Heard
anything about it?"
"No, I can't say as I have. Actually, Spike, we wanted
to ask you
about Buffy.
"Kissin, yeah I know," Spike interrupted, watching
head shot up, her eyes wide and pain filled. "I know
what you saw,
but there's a perfectly good explanation for it," he
told her
sincerely.
"Oh, good!"
Xander stated. "See, Wills, I told you there was an
explanation. Spike and Buffy would never…"
"Buffy and I did kiss," Spike interrupted again,
his voice low and
sad.
"What? That is not the explanation I had in mind,"
Xander told him.
"Or, well, she kissed me. It meant nothin, pet,
honest," Spike
stated, walking up to
kissed me, and I pushed her away, explained that my heart
belonged
to another."
"Didn't look that way to me," she told him,
feeling anger and hurt
bubbling up inside of her.
"I swear it,
"Ask me what?" Everyone turned around, surprised
to see Buffy and
Dawn walking in.
"Tell them! Tell them that you kissed me and that I
stopped it. Tell
them!" Spike insisted.
Buffy looked down nervously. "I think…I can't remember,
but I think
he's telling the truth."
"Can't remember?" Xander questioned. "Buff, I
would think that
kissing Spike would not be a thing to be easily
forgotten." He
paused, looking toward the blond vampire before adding,
"No matter
how badly one might want to."
"Hey!" Spike shouted indignantly.
"I…I don't know how to explain…Giles, something's
happening. I have
all these flashes of things I don't remember doing. Arguing
with
Faith, kissing Spike, yelling at
of that, but at the same time…"
"Something is making you say and do things?" Giles
questioned.
"Sounds like we need to make a little visit to the
Witch Doctor,"
Xander quipped.
"Why would some guy come to town and start manipulating
me?" Buffy
questioned.
"Maybe he's the reason for your sudden
reappearance," Giles
suggested.
"Why would he want to bring me back, though? Wouldn't
that just be
trouble for him?" Buffy asked.
"Come on," Anya interjected. "Using the
slayer as your own personal
toy, all her strengths included? What evil creature wouldn't
want to
do that if they could?"
"She has a point," Xander replied. "A slayer
makes a pretty powerful
weapon."
"Then it's time to go and take this guy out,"
Buffy stated decidedly.
Part 10
"
acknowledge him as they marched through the cemetery. The
redhead
had done a simple locator spell to find the Witch Doctor,
and now
she, Spike, Faith and Buffy were on their way to take him
out.
"Spike, now might not be the best time to…" Buffy
began.
"Slayer, you've done enough. Stay out of it,
alright?" He growled.
"You know, I didn't mean to…I don't even remember…The
last thing
that…"
"Oh, you wanted to," Spike shot back, unable to
help himself. "You
only wish that…"
"Guys! Stop!"
mausoleum, realizing it was the same one that she had come
upon
before. "Wait, I was here earlier a-and there was
nothing inside."
"Probably down below," Spike explained. "Like
my old crypt, most of
them have caves below." Everyone simply nodded.
"Let's get this over with," Buffy mumbled,
reaching for the
door. "I'm really tired of having this guy playing with
my mind."
"Someone should be getting some use out of it, don't
you think?"
Spike replied with a grin. Faith elbowed him in the side
with a
snicker, lifting up her crossbow and waiting for Buffy to
open the
door. The blonde slayer began to turn the knob, her eyes
suddenly
flashing red, before she stopped and spun around to face the
rest of
the group again.
"Buffy?"
"It's a door knob," Spike groused. "You turn and
push. Really not
all that hard." With a huff, the vampire lunged forward, throwing
the door open and charging into the empty mausoleum, Faith
following
behind him.
Buffy, who stepped into the door frame, leaning her body
against one
side and holding her hand against the other, effectively
blocking
the witch's entrance.
"Buffy, we need to…"
forward, gripping the redhead's shoulders tightly and
shoving her
back a few feet. "Buffy, what are you…Hey! Buffy, stop!"
"You've gotten a little too powerful, Willow," Buffy stated,
her
voice low and void of any emotion. "Time someone
brought you down a
peg or two."
"Buffy, look, I know you're not feeling like yourself,
but…" Again
witch sprawling to the ground, holding her burning cheek and
feeling
a small amount of blood trickle from her torn lip.
Struggling to
stand up in a slight daze, the redhead looked up at the
blonde
towering over her, a mixture of anger and fear overwhelming
her.
~*~
"See anything?" Faith asked.
"No, but then the fact that it's completely dark might
have
something to do with that," Spike replied.
"Thought vamps were supposed to be able to see through
the dark."
"Better. We can see better in the dark. Can't see right through it.
Not superman you know."
"Superman could see through objects, not through the
dark," Faith
reminded him, "and why am I debating this with
you?"
They had jumped down through the trap door in the middle of
the
floor, and were now wandering through the very large, very
dark cave
below.
"You feel that?" Faith questioned.
"What's that?" He asked distractedly.
"I don't know…a presence…magical…You feel it?"
"Yeah, I feel somethin.
witch and the blonde slayer had not followed them down, and
dread
suddenly hit him. Something was not right.
"Hey! Watch the hands, Fang!" Faith shouted
suddenly.
"What are you goin on about?" Spike questioned,
looking back in the
direction that her voice had come from.
"You, gettin all grabby all of the sudden.
Is this what you were
doing with Buffy?" Faith struggled to move as the hand
that had
trailed down her arm was now firmly grasping her wrist in a
painful
grip.
"I'm not touchin ya, Slayer. No where near you,"
he told her,
squinting into the darkness.
"Well, then who the hell is holding my hand." A
second later they
heard the hiss of a match being lit, just before the cave
was bathed
in a dim light. Turning her head, Faith could now see the
person
holding her, her wrist gripped firmly in one hand and a
large
lantern held in the other.
"Get your filthy hands off of me!" She screamed.
Spike was in front
of them a moment later. Raising his arm up, he threw his
first
punch, intent on knocking the man away from the slayer, but
found
his fist slamming against some sort of invisible barrier,
throwing
him back several feet, into a crumbling stone wall.
"Not a smart move, vampire," the Witch Doctor told
him. "I got a few
tricks up me sleeve. Don't fight this."
"Sorry, buddy, fighting is just what we do," Faith
responded, before
spinning suddenly, twisting his arm around. Reaching to grab
the
other arm, he held it up before she could grab it, and
second later,
she found herself flying backwards into Spike, who was
struggling to
stand.
"This is definitely not good," she muttered,
pulling herself up from
the dirt floor and looking around for her weapon.
Part 11
"Buffy, we are not doing this,"
as she stood over the blonde. The slayer had attacked her,
and
had fought back, instincts taking over, blasting Buffy with
her magic
and knocking her to the ground. Seeing the slayer struggling
to
stand, wiping at the blood on her lip,
she had battled Buffy before. Then,
a bit blacker, and Buffy had been fighting to save the
world. This
time, it was Buffy that seemed to be the danger, indirectly
or not.
wanted to, but still, she couldn't stand the thought of
hurting her
friend.
"Aw, come on, Willow," Buffy taunted, circling the
redhead slowly, a
predator stalking her prey. "It's so much fun. You know
you love
this, you and me, sparring, dark verses light…Last time, I guess we
were both on opposite teams. Course, you seem to know a lot about
switching teams, don't ya, Wills?"
"Stop it!"
side. "Buffy, you don't know what you're saying."
The slayer crouched down, suddenly, before jumping up and
spinning,
intent on kicking the redhead.
erecting a barrier around herself. Buffy hit the barrier and
fell
back, glaring daggers at the witch.
"Your magic won't save you,
always be stronger," Buffy growled.
"Buffy, listen to yourself!"
you! Something is controlling you, making you say and do
things. You
have to fight it."
"Fight it?" The slayer replied with a chuckle.
"Like you fought it,
Will? Yeah, I remember. Not EVERYONE forgot what you really
are. Some
remember. You gave into the darkness, you let it consume
you, and you
nearly destroyed the world. You need to pay for that,
not be allowed to exist with power that strong. It will
consume you,
one way or another. In the end, you'll just destroy
yourself."
"It's not true!" Without thinking,
of magic, knocking the slayer down once more. Her pale hand
immediately went up to her mouth as she gasped in horror at
her own
actions.
Buffy simply chuckled cruelly. "You see? It's happening
already,"
she taunted, standing up again. Somewhere deep inside,
Buffy's voice
screamed in the darkness for release. She could hear what
she was
saying, but had no power to stop it, no way to control her
own
actions.
"Confuto!"
the air tighten around her, and the slayer found herself completely
unable to move.
"What the…"
"I'm sorry, Buffy,"
blonde who was still struggling against the invisible bonds.
"It's
for your own good."
At that, the redhead moved past Buffy, intent on finding
Spike and
Faith, and destroying the Witch Doctor once and for all.
Just as she
passed through the doorway, she heard Buffy's voice behind
her.
"Do you really think that he'll ever love you as much
as he loved
me?" The voice was quiet and cold,
and it stopped
She didn't turn around, just listened as the slayer spoke.
"He got a
soul for me,
humanity, because he knew I deserved that and more. What do
you
deserve? What has he given you?"
expressionless.
"Everything," came her
whispered response, before she ran into the
mausoleum.
~*~
"Spike!"
invisible barrier as Faith was thrown back from the Mage.
"Witch," he growled, his eyes glowing as he looked
up at her.
glanced over at a small, bubbling caldron, and she saw a
voodoo doll
with blonde hair hung near by.
Raising her hand up and toward the doll, she called out,
"eximo!" The
doll fell to the ground as the rope around it snapped.
The Witch Doctor raised his arm, beginning to call something
out, but
"This ends now," she told him.
"You think this is the end?" He questioned with a
laugh. "This is
only the beginning, little girl. The New Dominion is coming,
and as
it rises, so will you fall."
Before
understand, before disappearing with a loud bang and a cloud
of smoke.
Coughing and clearing the air around her, Faith slowly stood
up. "Gees, showy much?" She commented, rolling her
eyes. "I've seen
better effects at the circus."
he was standing,
tightly. "Thanks, love," he whispered, before
leaning in and kissing
her. The redhead smiled back, looking slightly unsure and
leaned into
him a little.
"Thank you," she whispered back, her voice barely
audible.
"What do we do with this?" Faith asked, lifting up
the doll from the
floor.
"Oh! Buffy!"
Spike. Quickly calling out a reversal spell, she released
the
slightly dazed looking slayer. "Are you okay,
Buffy?"
"Yeah…I…Are you okay?" She asked, vaguely
remembering what had
happened between her and Willow.
"Yeah, Witch Doctor all gone,"
"
broke out into a wild dance, her arms and legs flailing
around wildly.
"Buffy?"
"I…I can't stop…" Buffy shouted.
Hearing Faith chuckling behind her, she turned around to see
the
brunette playing with the doll, making it dance around and
not
seeming to notice the blonde slayer before her.
"What?" Faith questioned, looking up suddenly at
the feel of
stare. Glancing past her, she saw Buffy's wild dancing and
suddenly
halted her moves with the doll. "Sorry," she
mumbled meekly.
Part 12
peaked her head around.
"Can I come in?" She asked softly.
walked in, her eyes widening at the sight before her. The
redhead
had most of her things packed, and was going through the
closet,
putting a few items into boxes.
"What are you doing? You aren't really leaving, are
you? `Cause, you
know, we had talked, and you said that you understood that
those
things that I said…they weren't true. I talked to Faith, and
she's
staying, after a whole lot of butt kissing. Will, you know I
don't
want you to go."
"I know, Buffy,"
wasn't you talking. I do, but I still think I should go. You
just
got back…even if you can't remember being gone, and I think
Dawn
could use a little more one on one time with her sister,
plus you
and Faith, you need to do that slayer bonding thing.
Besides, I
think it's time that I got a place of my own, started moving
on a
little, you know?"
Buffy nodded sadly. "Yeah, I know. So…You
and Spike? Gonna move in
together?"
things to work through, but yeah. I just can't seem to get
to sleep
without him in my bed."
Buffy grinned at her friend. "I remember how you were
with
Same way.
So I guess… Spike, it's pretty serious, huh?"
"Yeah, it is,"
I mean, I know he loves me. I just…"
"Will, those things I said, please, don't
believe them. They weren't
true. It was just…they were trying to find your
weaknesses."
"Well, they did a pretty good job of that," the
redhead told her
with a wry smile.
"So that Witch Doctor guy, he's gone for good?"
"I think so,"
definitely not in this dimension."
"And the doll?"
"Taken care of. Voodoo curse thing all gone, doll destroyed,"
Willow
told her with a grin.
"Good. I kinda like having only me up here," Buffy
said, gesturing
toward her forehead. "And random fits of dance...Not my
thing. Do
you think he's the reason I came back?"
"Not sure,"
New Dominion thing, really."
"What do we know about it?"
"Not much yet. Giles is looking into it, but so far,
nothing...'cept
it's apparently a bad thing."
"Well, if it isn't one big bad trying to kill us, it's
another,"
Buffy told her with a smile, walking toward the door.
"Yep.
Business as usual,"
eventually they would get the hint and leave the hellmouth
alone."
"Guess most demons just aren't that bright," Buffy
agreed, before
heading out the door, leaving
her things.