Anya called Willow and briefly warned her to put up some extra wards. I didn't want to simply go home and wait for word from Ethan so Anya and I questioned a few more likely informants and searched some abandoned warehouses. We came across a couple of newly risen vampires that didn't know anything about either Drusilla or Finn. I found Anya's ability to twist off a vampire's head was impressive, and I suspect she was showing off a little. I have to admit to doing a little of that myself; it had been a long time since I'd done any fieldwork with a partner. I don't think either of us would wish to make a habit of patrolling but it was nice to know we could hold our own if need be.

Later we found a nest of Shizue demons that were keeping the rodent population down. They claimed they had never heard of Drusilla or Riley and if they did they were more afraid of the vampire than the two of us. "I honestly couldn't bring myself to put any real pressure on them. I felt as if I was being mean to a litter of puppies," I complained when we left them.

"Well, you know what they say, you are what you eat." Anya threaded her arm through mine to distract me from my disgust at my lack of detective skills. "Come on, Giles, let's go home. We need to let the others know what we've learned. We do know a lot more than before, you know."

"I suppose we do."

"You just hate relying on your former orgasm friend for help."

"Anya!" I don't think I've put so much exasperation into that name in years. Then I looked into her eyes; the demon was doing it deliberately. Phrasing the truth in a way that would annoy me just to shake me out of a funk.

"It's not like you'll be twiddling your thumbs. We need to look though all those dusty books you and Wes have collected. See if we can find the spell Drusilla wants to use. It might give us a time frame. You know; 'dark of the moon' or whatever."

"Perhaps we can use this to our advantage. There might be a way to alter the spell." It was possible that we could not only rescue Buffy but Spike as well before this was done.

"I think you meant to say 'Anya, you're right' and yes, I am."

I couldn't hold back a smile.

When we arrived at the door of the agency, I suddenly felt awkward. We were going into the same house but whenever we decided to make our way to bed, it wouldn't be to the same one. I dreaded the even that small separation.

When Anya reached the porch and I was one step below I called her name. She turned to face me and we kissed. It was an end of a first date sort of kiss: a goodbye that was really hello. In fact, a soft 'hello' was Anya's only reaction. I didn't need a cold shower before bed, but I did find myself humming a love song that hadn't been written yet as I washed up.

I said a cheerful good morning to Dawn and received a grumble in reply then I very deliberately said, "Hello, Anya." I expected one of her bright smiles. I did get a smile but it was the same dazed one had worn the night before.

"Did you make any progress, Dad?" I hadn't noticed Spike standing by the fridge and I nearly jumped out of my skin when he spoke. "On the case, I mean."

Anya said, "I'm glad our personal life amuses you so much, Spike."

"Just poking fun, pet; it's good to see you so cheery."

"Oh good," Anya said, "Wes and Willow are up."

I greeted the last two members of the household to wake up as they walked into the room.

As Willow was about to take a sip of her coffee Anya said, "Good, we can tell everyone at once what your friend Ethan had to say."

"Ethan? Ethan- who turned me into a cleavage-y ghost, Ethan! Since when are we trusting the guy that turned you into a demon not to mention the police car sex thing with Buffy's mom and the-" The more Willow thought about it the more upset she got.

Spike complained, "That sound a lot like a remix of the old Scooby Gang standard Since When Do We Trust Spike. Wait, did you say this Ethan took advantage of Joyce?"

"Perhaps you're not aware of Ethan in this dimension, Giles?" Wesley said trying to smooth things over.

I'd had enough. "If Ethan is being truthful, and in this case I believe he is, Buffy is in grave danger. Drusilla has turned Riley Finn and they have her captive." Something clicked into place in my brain, something that I'd been trying to fit together since I'd fallen down this rabbit hole. I stopped thinking in terms of 'my Anya' vs. 'this Anya' and 'my Buffy' vs. 'this one.' I finally understood how Buffy could accept Dawn as a part of her so readily. This was home now and even the people I hadn't met were mine. "I'm getting damn tired of losing her and I'll take the help of the devil himself if I have to."

"You're joking, right? Not about the devil- do that myself. I mean about Dru's newest pet. I know she's off her head but making Captain Cardboard a vamp?" Spike said, looking thoroughly shaken at the thought.

I said, "Ethan thinks he may be able to find Buffy. I don't want to raise false hopes but there's also a slim chance that we can use Drusilla's plan against her and recorporealize Spike too."

"Giles, I think you'd better start at the beginning," Spike said.

When I had finished recounting all the information Ethan had given us I explained the theory that we could take the scroll and alter it to bring Spike back without anyone having to be drained.

"That's a bloody stupid idea!"

There was a chorus of 'what?' all around; mine was the loudest. We were trying to help the ungrateful idiot.

"You lot need to go into this thing with one goal in mind: the Slayer. Dru may be one fry short of a Happy Meal but she's deadly. As much as I hate to say it, the idea of Finn as GI Jugular is making the skin I don't have crawl."

"Ethan has a score to settle. I doubt we need to worry about Riley," I said, confident that it was true.

"Still, mucking about trying to get some crumbling scroll is bound to get somebody killed. I have enough blood on my hands as it is."