I couldn't do that! I could just post a so short chapter like the N. 8, I really felt bad about that... So here, with this chapter the first part of the story end. Enjoy!

Chapter 9

Spike threw his cigarette down when the door opened. He checked it was the person he was waiting for before stepping forward in order to be seen. He nodded to her with a tiny gesture of his head.

The girl in front of him was clearly embarrassed.

"Hi…" She smiled, looking toward the door.

"How are you?"

Anya had the strange feeling he really cared about the answer, as if he really wanted to know. "Better than last time." She smiled at him again.

"Good. I'm glad of it." He paused, breathing deeply. "Anya, I need you help." He said, without any pause.

"I don't know if I can."

"I need to contact Giles. It's very important." His tone seemed damn serious, and so did the determined light he had in his eyes.

"Oh, is that all? Easy." She shrugged.

"I knew I could count on you." Now he seemed relieved as if she had just saved his life. His eyes were shining now with a grateful light, something she couldn't remember having seen from him before. Something had changed in him.

"He's living at Sunnydale Motel at the moment."

"Is he here again?" She nodded.

"He came back after Tara's death."

"Oh God. Is she… when?" His expression changed again, as if in a moment he remembered all the times he had met the dead wicca.

"The day after you left."

"How… is Willow?"

"She's healing. She went all crazy and tried to destroy the world, but you know Xander saved all of us." Spike could hear pride in her voice.

"You're again… you two solved your problem, didn't you?" He asked with a half smile.

"We're not a couple officially, we're trying and we have a lot of sex."

He smiled. "Has he started to respect you?"

She smiled but didn't answer. "He's still very mad at you," she said with a sad thoughtful voice.

"I know."

"Not for US… for Buffy…"

"He's right to be mad, and I really can't blame him for that," he almost whispered.

"I'm sorry." She answered in the same way.

"Yeah, well. That's not why I need to speak with Giles." Spike tried to avoid the topic. He always did that, when he was uncomfortable.

"Really?"

"The girl who gave you the message. She is the reason. I need his help. She needs him." Again that firm gaze. Was he really so worried for his odd friend?

"Oh, ok I'll tell him. She's strange, she stared at me as if she could see me."

"She probably can, you're a former demon, so she can probably see you quite well."

"Not former." Anya's voice was a mixture of pride and regret.

"You're a vengeance demon again?" She nodded. "Oh, congrats, you, lucky girl!!!" Anya smiled, he was the only one who had congratulated her for no longer being human, without remarking on how silly her life as a human had been.

"I'm not the only one here who's changed, am I?"

"How… yeah… Well. It's done. It's not something I like to talk about."

Anya stared at him for some time. He wanted her to keep it secret? Even with Giles? Could she deal with that? He helped, when Xander dumped her he was there for her. Ok, they both went too far that evening, but he was so caring and sensitive and understanding. Definitely she could help him, she owed him that, at least.

"Tell him I'll wait for him tonight, when the shop will close, at my place. Tell him it's about the slayer."

"I'll bring him myself, I promise Spike, by the way the shop closed months ago."

"Oh."

"Willow destroyed it. But it will open in a week"

"It must have been a great show, I'm sorry I missed it."

Anya smiled at him again. "I have to get back inside."

He nodded.

"I'll tell Giles."

"Don't tell ANYONE but him I'm back. I'll leave soon probably."

"I like knowing you're back." She looked at him for a second, then she gave him a big hug, quite unexpected. He embraced her back for a moment, then she ran away.

"I'll tell him," she whispered again before vanishing through the door.

---OOO---

Spike started to worry now. It had been hours now since Lilea had given Anya the message.

The door opened slowly after just one knock.

"Where the bloody hell have you been?" The vampire yelled even before turning toward the person walking in.

"Sorry?"

Spike looked toward the crypt entrance. "Oh, it's you…"

The watcher looked at the blond vampire in front of him, without speaking, simply staring at him and strangely this seemed to affect the guy. "Anya said you were back."

Spike seemed nervous. It was the first time Rupert could remember the vampire having a problem speaking with him. The guy was avoiding his gaze, looking at him for a brief moment and then staring at the door.

"Yeah, well just for few days."

Was he pretending to be casual in his answer? "She said that too."

Then the blond guy stared at the watcher's eyes, asking, "And you're going to stay?"

"I don't know. I haven't decided yet." The older Englishman answered, trying to figure out what the vampire had into in his mind.

"Buffy must be very happy about your return." Was emotion what the blond vampire was trying to hide?

"I guess she was, she is."

SILENCE

Spike poured a big glass of scotch.

"Do you want some?"

Giles shook his head, while the vampire sipped his glass slowly.

The vampire downed his drink. "It's about the slayer."

Again SILENCE.

"Spike," Giles' voice seemed quite pestered. "Why do you need to speak with me?"

The vampire ended his drink in only one sip. "It's about the slayer." He repeated.

"Try and make Buffy's life harder and I'll dust you myself." The Watcher's voice was decided and firm. But Spike couldn't understand if Giles knew what he had done.

"I know you'd try," Spike smirked.

"So, what do you want?"

Spike emptied the bottle into his glass.

"When Buffy died the first time another slayer was activate. What happened last year?"

"You mean after Buffy's…" Giles avoided the word. He took his glasses off and started to clean them. "This time it didn't happen."

"You would know?"

"Well I guess the Council would tell us. Spike, what's the point?"

"I think you're wrong. There is another Chosen One."

"Impossible, there are two already and Dawn is a sort of slayer, too."

"You're not listening to me. I'm saying THERE IS another one…. Bloody hell, woman, where in hell were you!" He said both statements as if they were just one, without stopping himself.

"You already asked it to me." The watcher turned toward the door.

"Shut up , watcher!"

"I was exploring the town. You didn't say how much time you needed."

"You didn't tell anyone else I was back, did you?"

"I promised! Of course I didn't tell anyone." Lilea was a little vexed. "I AM trustworthy."

"She's right, you have to be more respectful," Giles added, with an ironic tone. It was quite fun to see this girl with the vampire. He knew she wasn't a vampire because he had seen her walking in the sunlight. She seemed fragile and resolute at the same time.

"I said shut your mouth, watcher."

She made her way toward the stairs. "By the way," she added, descending them, "next time I could do that, I'll tell everybody your secrets." There was laughter in her voice.

The vampire stared after her as vanished downstairs and kept staring at the hole in the floor she vanished into, silently, listening to the sound of her cane on the stairs.

The watcher waited a few moments, then again he started to fret. "Spike come on… what's the point?"

"The point is that I know we have another slayer, and vampires aren't the thing she has to worry about the most."

Giles adjusted his glasses. "I'm having trouble understanding what you are talking about."

"I want to let you know that I think this girl is the new slayer and both the Initiative and the Council are trying to kill her. So you have to protect her. It's YOUR duty, not mine. I kill slayers."

"This is the most idiotic thing I have ever heard."

"You fool! LILEA!!!!!" he cried. "Come here, we have to show something to this stupid watcher."

"What's wrong?" The vampire aura was shining with dangerous colors.

"Just defend yourself."

The girl held her cane tightly. "Spike you're scaring me."

He moved toward her and she stepped back.

He punched without much violence, he didn't even feel any pain in his head.

"Spike, stop it!" the Watcher warned, but the blond vampire didn't seem to have any intention of stopping himself. He wanted to hit her harder.

"Spike, I'm not going to be shown like a circus freak!" He gave a kick, which she parried. He did it again and again.

"Spike stop it!" Lilea knew he didn't' really mean to hurt her because his chip still didn't activate, but what probably he didn't realize was it was how deeply this was hurting her. And her anger was growing.

Her eyes filled with tears of rage. He tried to hit her again and, this time, she reacted. A couple of movements and he was on the ground, scrubbing the corner of his mouth with his fist. It was bleeding.

"You see, Watcher, she's as strong as Buffy. You have to help her."

"She's undoubtedly strong, but this doesn't mean…"

"Idiot! Let them kill her then! I won't let her die without a fight. I'll train her, I already did.. I'll watch her back. That bloody Council. I just wish I massacred everyone in that useless circle. And if anything is going to happen to her I'll do it, even with this bloody chip in my head. They want to kill their own slayer, and then they say vampires are the animals. At least we're not supposed to have souls, what's their excuse? "

"It's impossible." The watcher's mind answered that they had already tried to do something similar to Faith, but they had some reason for doing that, not a good reason, but there was thought behind it.

"If you don't want to help her go away right now. And forget everything, We leave town tonight." Spike's eyes were flaming.

"You think fighting well is enough to make her a slayer? "

Spike opened his mouth but he didn't say anything, He simply turned and walked down the stairs.

He watched her. She was packing.

"What in hell are you doing?"

"Moving"

He was downstairs with a jump. "Why?"

"Why?! You tested me!! What's next? Kill and dissect me in order to see how I work?"

"I had to prove to him you're the slayer." Lilea refused to look toward him. His face was stunned. He was trying to understand what she was doing. Perhaps if she would look at him now, his colors would tell her exactly this.

"I'm what? I'm nothing. I'm no one. No, I'm the one who's leaving."

"Please, don't." This time he just whispered with a husky voice.

"I hate being tested. Spike, I can't bear it anymore. It's… I simply can't."

"I was trying to save your life."

"Have you any idea what being examined means for me? Goddess, every time I hear that word I see my baby on that table and…" Her voice trembled badly "I have to go now." Her voice was barely audible.

Lilea could see Spike a few inches from her. She felt his hand on her shoulder. She moved slowly towards him.

"Luv, I'm sorry. I don't say that often, but I am now. Really I am." She nodded "I'll never do that again if you don't want to." He paused, then he leaned his head against hers, until their noses caressed each other. "I didn't mean to hurt you. Will you stay?"

Lilea nodded again. "I need fresh air," she breathed.

He escorted her above.

Giles stared when they appeared again upstairs. The vampire and the petite brunette were standing with their arms around each other. The girl had her head leant against him. Spike kept her cane in his hand, she leaned almost completely against him and that allowed her to walk without needing it.

"We never saw each other tonight, Watcher. We didn't talk, you don't know I'm back. And I'm not, because we'll leave - you told me not to make Buffy's life harder, remember?"

"I can keep it secret."

Spike opened the door and Navarre was there.

"Where you have been, puppy?" He barked repeatedly. "Navarre?"

The wolf walked away a little, then started to bark again, then he moved further still.

Spike felt Lilea tense against him.

"Something is happening, isn't it?" She took her cane from Spike's hands. "I'm right behind you, Navarre, run."

The girl left Spike. He started to chase after her. They didn't care about Giles. The watcher closed the crypt door and walked behind them.

"Oh no!" Lilea ran as fast she could, following carefully every change of direction of her animal's color.

To Be Continued