A/N1: Spike and Buffy did have a romantic relationship but not of the season six variety. More of a comforting each other over the loss of Dawn but it ended in a mutual decision. He does have the soul but his reasoning behind getting it will obviously be different. That will come out a little later.
A/N2: I hope the stuff in this chapter on Dawn provides a better explanation on what happened to her and Buffy's deteriorating relationship with the Scoobies. I'm trying to stick close to cannon at least on Willow's problems with magic and Tara's leaving. Tara is not dead and Willow did not go to magic rehab.
CHAPTER THREE – Calling the Cavalry In More Ways Than One
Buffy climbed the stairs to the master bedroom feeling more exhausted than she had in years. She walked across the room threw her bag on the bed and flung herself down next to it. After taking a deep breath she began to dig through the bag and pulled out a cell phone. Flipping it open she scrolled through her address book looking for a particular entry. Duncan MacLeod. Punching send she listened to phone ring. Once. Twice. Three times.
"MacLeod."
"Duncan, it's Bella. I need your help."
"It's polite to say hello and at least ask how I'm doing before you want a favor."
"Duncan, you know I wouldn't skip the pleasantries if it wasn't important."
"I know. But I can't help but give my favorite girl a hard time. What do you need?"
"I need a vacation to Tahiti but I'll settle for you in Sunnydale. Do you remember the First Evil? Tried to kill Angel a few years ago. It's back and trying to destroy the slayer line. Can you come?"
"You know I'll be there. Do you mind a few tag-a-longs?"
"Depends on who they are?"
"Methos and maybe Amanda."
"Sounds good. As long as Amanda's speaking to me? After Prague I thought she might still be angry."
"Well you're the one who brought two vampires back to the hotel. I can't imagine why she might have taken issue with that."
"Hey they didn't eat her and Drusilla even helped her find the artifact she was looking for."
"True. True. We can probably be there by early morning."
"Excellent. I'm staying at Angel's mansion on Crawford Street."
Duncan could hear the strain in her voice and softly asked, "Are you okay?"
Her voice quavered, "Physically, yes. Emotionally, it's moment by moment. I…I left the Scoobies. I'm not really sure what happened. The past weeks have been strained between us…"
"Do you want to tell me about it?"
"God, I need to tell someone. It's just…so hard to put into words….Giles, he and another man, Wood, tried to kill Spike. That…I don't want to go into. But there's something else. I've been having dreams – about Dawn. Duncan they don't make since. I'm dreaming the events surrounding her death but not the way I know they happened. In my dreams I see Giles and Xander holding Dawn down while Willow covers her mouth with a cloth. She struggles against them…fighting with everything she has…and then she's just lying there so still…But that's not what happened. She committed suicide. Yes, they helped her but she chose it. But the dreams seem so real. There so similar to the prophetic dreams I have as a slayer. The more I have the dream the more real it seems and the less real my actual memories feel. Since they started I've been on edge around the Scoobies – I don't trust them. Tonight was the final straw. They wanted to vote Faith in as the leader. Said they didn't trust my judgment. I just couldn't stay. Not after what happened with Spike and the dreams."
By the time she finished speaking her words came out as sobs. Duncan didn't need to see her to know her tear streaked face was pale and she was shaking.
"Duncan, I'm not sure but I think they may have done some type of spell on me to make me forget what happened to her. My dreams are trying to force the truth out."
"What makes you think that?"
"Willow, she did one on Tara, trying to keep her from leaving. Tara said some things then that make me think she knew what happened to Dawn. At the time I wrote it off as anger towards Willow. Tara kept saying she was using too much magic…I thought she was using too much magic for ordinary things. But, what if it wasn't just ordinary things. What if they changed my memories of what happened to Dawn?"
Worriedly, he said, "I don't know. Is there anyway you can see if some type of memory spell was cast on you?"
"Yes, but I'll need help with the casting. You or Amanda could probably do it. Duncan, thank you so much for listening…I really just needed to talk this out. I haven't had a chance to even process this."
"Not even with Spike?"
"No. Not with Giles trying to kill him and then going toe to toe with First and its minions. There just hasn't been time."
"I'd better get off the phone so I can arrange transportation to get to you as soon as possible."
"Duncan, Thank you for coming. I've missed you. Hurry."
"I've missed you too love. I promise once we take care of this I'll take you somewhere beautiful to relax."
"Promise."
"Promise."
As Buffy clicked off the phone she heard a soft noise from downstairs. She stretched out her senses – Vampire – and a familiar one at that – Spike.
As she crossed out of the bedroom and down the stairs she called out his name. "Spike! I'm coming down."
"What the hell happened love? I went to the house and they gave me some crap about you needing a break."
A sad look crossed her face as she walked down the stairs toward him. Spike could see her faced was streaked with tears and hear a quiver in her voice. He walked across the room toward her with his duster trailing behind him and gently took her in his arms. She started sobbing again as he held her whispering soothing words in her ear.
As he held her crying form she haltingly told him about the dreams she'd been having and the spell she thought they'd done.
The longer Buffy spoke the angrier Spike became. He'd always had trouble believing his niblet would commit suicide but because Buffy had believed it and shown him the letter she'd left he'd accepted the story. Now, however, his doubts came back full force.
"Shh. Shh, love as soon as Duncan gets here we'll do the spell. Then we'll know the truth and so help me if they killed the bit there is no place on this Earth they can hide from me and soul or no soul they'll pay for what they did."
Spike then gently led Buffy up the stairs and back to the bedroom. Sitting her on the bed and kneeling in front of her he tried to think of the right words to comfort her and ease some of her pain.
"Listen to me. I don't exactly have a reputation for being a thinker. I follow my blood which doesn't exactly rush in the direction of my brain so I make a lot of mistakes. A lot of wrong bloody calls. A hundred plus years and there's only one thing I've ever been sure of. You. I'm not asking you for anything. When I say I love you, it's not because I want you, or because I can't have you. It has nothing to do with me. I love what you are, what you do, how you try. I've seen your kindness and your strength. I've seen the best and the worst of you and I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are. You are a hell of a woman. We will get through this. It's what we do and no matter what happens I'll be standing beside you helping you fight your battles."
By this time Buffy's sobs had lessened and he laid her back on the bed and pulled back the covers. Spike spooned behind her and held her as she finally fell asleep. Only after her breathing had fallen into a steady rhythm did he follow her into sleep.