"Something has happened to Buffy," Angel burst into the room.

"What are you talking about?" Xander asked as he swiveled around to face the bigger vampire.

"What's going on?"

"Did he say something about Buffy?"

"I think he said something happened to her."

"How would he know anything about Buffy?"

"Hush a mo' and let the great forehead speak," Spike barked to the rest of the curious Scooby gang murmuring in the background. "What's happened?"

Angel, whose face had been pinched with concern when he burst through the door suddenly, looked guilty and reluctant to share.

"Spit it out poofter," Spike snarled.

Slowly Angel shared what he knew, "something has happened to Buffy. I do not know what exactly but I can't feel her anymore so something bad must have happened."

"That is just crazy," Dawn scoffed. "It is still daylight here. Which means Buffy is on the grounds and hasn't left for slaying or training yet."

"What do you mean you 'can't feel her'?" Willow asked cautiously.

Spike's face was thunderous, "you had enough presence of mind to claim her but you couldn't stop yourself from almost killing her?"

"You claimed my Slayer, my daughter?" Giles was livid, sounding almost Ripperesqe.

Angel squirmed at the watcher's tone. "Only a partial claim," he defended his actions.

"Does he really think that makes it better?" Dawn asked incredulously.

"It was not a conscious decision at the time," he once again tried to defend himself. "It did allow me to help keep her safe though."

Spike scoffed, "from minor vamps maybe. It didn't help her against the First and its crazy Bringers."

"Maybe it would be prudent to have Dawn check on Buffy," Robin tried to bring a little reason to the group. "This way we will know for sure that she is ok."

Dawn quietly excused herself while Spike continued to glare at his grandsire.

For a while nobody dared to speak, but eventually Faith reached her breaking point and blurted, "How could you not know about his 'partial claim'? I mean you and B were pretty hot and heavy there for a while and I don't see you as the type to deny yourself such a rare delicacy."

Spike turned his glare on her, "Buffy didn't want it, and I wanted Buffy. No way was I doing anything to jeopardize my getting what I wanted by being greedy." His face pulled into a self-deprecating smirk, "may be love's bitch and I ain't a fuckin' idiot."

:)

Dawn rushed down the hallway to the stairs leading to Buffy's room. She was halfway up said stairs when she, almost literally, ran into Clay coming down. "Hey," she chirped out somewhat breathlessly.

"Hey," he grunted back but didn't stop moving.

Dawn stared after him for a moment then, figuring she's get more from Buffy, continued up the stairs. She was unprepared for what she found when she reached Buffy's open bedroom door. Her sister was sitting in the middle of her bed, wrapped in her sheet, with her knees pulled to her chest, arms resting on her knees, face buried in her arms. The part that shocked Dawn the most was that her sister was crying. Only a couple months ago crying had been the norm, but Buffy had given up her tears and thrown herself into training the new young Slayers that seemed to keep popping up. What was especially strange about these tears was that Clay had to of just been there. Dawn thought that he and Buffy had really hit it off and could not fathom what had happened that would have her sister in tears. Dawn walked farther into the room and looked down as her foot kicked something semi-solid. It was a pair of jeans. That is when her sisters state of dress, or undress to be more accurate, hit her. Buffy was wrapped in a bed sheet and her clothes were scattered across the bedroom floor. "Oh my god," she could not stop the whispered words from escaping and Buffy's head shot up to stare at her.

"What are you doing here Dawn?" Buffy tried to suppress her sobs.

"I was just coming to check on you," Dawn said. Without waiting to second guess herself she continued, "I saw Clay on the stairs. Are you okay?"

Buffy shook her head, "not really." She continued with a mirthless smirk, "Surprise, surprise Buffy messed up again."

Dawn eased onto the bed with her sister. "What do you mean?" looking into her siblings face she added, "I mean, I can tell you slept with him, but you are both consenting adults… unless you didn't consent." Dawn looked horrified, "OMG, Buffy did he rape you?" Dawn babbled on, "I didn't get that kind of feeling from him, either when we met or just now on the stairs but who can really tell with someone who is more than human."

Buffy shook her head again, "no Dawn, he didn't rape me; not how you mean anyway." She put her face back into her hands, so her voice was muffled, "why can't I have a nice normal relationship? Why does everyone I'm attracted to come with fangs and a penchant for biting?"

"He bit you then?" Dawn guessed. "That's not so bad. Unless, does that mean you are going to change into a werewolf?" Buffy mumbled a no so Dawn continued, "So, that's good. It could be worse, right?" Buffy looked up at Dawn with a slight glare. "It's worse? How?"

Buffy contemplated not telling her sister about Clay's attempt to claim her but looking into Dawn's eyes she saw real concern and figured it wouldn't hurt to tell someone. "He tried to claim me." Her words opened newly shut floodgates and once again Buffy found herself crying uncontrollably.

Dawn had gotten really good at dealing with her sister's tears but that did not mean it was ever easy to watch her cry. "Buffy, I'm sorry, I know that must be hard for you but I've got some good news." Buffy looked at her skeptically. "Well I was talking to Willow and Xander and Giles and Andrew when Angel burst into the room with Xander yelling about how you were in danger and how he couldn't feel you anymore." Buffy raised an eyebrow. "With some slight coercion he finally admitted to partially claiming you when he almost killed you when you were trying to save his life after the whole Faith's poisoned arrow thing."

"How is that good news!" Buffy interrupted.

"I'm getting to that," Dawn explained. "Apparently Clay trying to claim you broke Angel's partial claim. That is why he couldn't feel you anymore and why he was so certain that something had happened to you. So see it is good news, you are no longer claimed by your stupid brooding ex."

:)

"I want to tell Buffy I'm back," Spike declared.

"I thought we agreed we would wait and see how Buffy was doing first?" Giles began. "This may not be the best time for such news."

"The longer we keep it from her the worse off we all will be." He hesitated before continuing, "Plus it feels wrong not going to her, like it's natural to be at her side, like breathing. I think I am meant to be at the side of the slayer. There is a reason I was brought back and I am sure it isn't to hang around in the background waiting." Spikes words, while full of passion and honesty, didn't seem to do much to sway his audience to his view point.

"NO!" Angel was adamant.

"I need to see her, talk to her. Even if I am only temporarily back there are things that need to be cleared up, explained. Things I think we both need to say." Spike shrugs, "and who knows maybe that is why I am here."

"Maybe you could write her a letter," Willow suggested cheerily. "You could tell her all the things you couldn't or didn't before." Looking at the others for support she continued, "we could say it just appeared."

Xander stared at her in shock, or maybe horror. "If Tara ever shows up I'll tell her to write you a letter Willow."

Willow frowned, "I'm trying to think of solutions Xand."

"I know and I'm sorry." Xander ran his hand over his face. "Besides the letter would be entirely one sided and wouldn't give Buffy the chance to say the things she needs to say."

Cordelia interrupted, "are you all just conveniently forgetting about the prophecy I just spouted? If it is talking about bringing him back and him helping stop the end of the world then don't you think he might be hanging around for a while? And if he's going to be hanging around we aren't going to be able to hide him from Buffy for long, especially with all this talk of biting."

"Cordelia is right." Giles began polishing his glasses. "It seems that a trip to Kansas is required."

Double update.

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