Giles and Willow were in the living room surrounded by books, they had Dawn and some of the potentials researching as well.

"Ooh, ooh…found something!" Willow looked up at her with a slightly bewildered face when Dawn mumbled, "I am way to excited about this, aren't I?"

"Yes, well…what did you find?" Giles asked, marking the page he was on with a sheet of paper before placing the book he was skimming down on the coffee table.

"It's a ritual of some kind. It hasn't been successfully completed according to the Samarian chronicles. Nedda had been called on for decades and decades being dutiful to her caller on all accounts and blah, blah, blah…successfully completing her tasks and then going back to her place until called upon again."

Giles got up from his seat to look over Dawn's shoulder, now genuinely interested in what she was saying, "please, continue," he asked.

"Okay…so Nedda's been doing her thing for hundreds of years when sometime during World War II she gets called on and tries to take over her caller. She figured out how to gain control of the body by using the blood of the undead to dehumanize the body enough that she could take control and live in it, becoming this sort of human eternal life form."

"What happened?" Xander asked, looking up to her in interest.

"Hiroshima, it looks like. Thwarted her plans and ruined the ceremony…Uh…there's some other stuff in here but it's in a different language and I don't really understand it."

"May I?" Giles asked, before taking the book from Dawn's hand and skimming through it for himself. "Yes…of course. That makes perfect sense!"

"Uh…Giles…want to help out the people who this isn't making perfect sense to?" Willow asked, looking around to be sure she wasn't the only one who didn't get where he was going with this.

"Well…it's rather complicated it seems, however, with the blood of a vampire Nedda can hone her energy source into the caller's body somehow- thereby forcing the soul of that's person out of it's own body and forcing it into the world she came from. Sort of like trading places if you will."

"Can you read the other stuff?" Dawn asked.

"No, I'll need to investigate a little further. Meanwhile…Willow, will you start looking up any blood rituals you can find that use or involve the blood of a vampire?"

Willow nodded and headed for a different pile of sources that listed spells and rituals.

"Xander, please call on Buffy and Spike. I would like them to come look at this."

"Okay, fine…I'll get the blond freak out of the slayers bedroom, but if I hear anything funny when I walk up the stairs I am sooooo sending Willow to handle this one."

Xander headed up the stairs towards Buffy's room.

**********

Spike was with Buffy in her room as she began to pack a duffle bag of weapons. "Not sure what to bring…what kills a Nedda? Or is it just Nedda? Not sure how that works," she asked, as she fumbled through her weapons chest picking up items and throwing them back in. She picked up a long samurai sword and looked at it a moment as if actually considering it, before putting it back in the chest.

"Well love, I suggest you bring something sharp and something pointy…that usually works best, besides…don't forget she's got vampires on her team too."

"Check..I've got sharp, pointy, and woody." She said, as she pulled out a short sword, her cross bow, and handed a couple of stakes over to Spike before grabbing some for herself. She walked over to the closet pulling out a sweater for herself. "You ready? Good, lets go."

"Hold on there. Don't you want to make a plan or something first. We don't even know how to kill this thing pet. I realize you're angry with Red and the Watcher, but you still might need their help in this one. No sense in being rash."

"I have a plan," she said, sounding as sure of herself as ever, "we go in, we kill evil demon lady, we win- that's the plan. You in this or what?"

"I've got your back slayer, you know that- however there is a little issue of it being daylight out. You know I'm the very first to say…let's do it," he smirked at that line, "but let's wait and see what they come up with first."

Buffy huffed a moment before sitting back down on the bed. "Your right Spike. I'm just really… angry." She unzipped the sweater she ha just put on and placed it by her side. "After that stunt that Giles pulled with Wood…the whole…being in your mind thing- I feel betrayed. Then the whole Nicky thing…it's a lot to try to deal."

"I know pet, but we'll do it…together."

At that they turned to hear Xander screaming in the hallway… "I'm coming, towards your bedroom…coming to get you Buffy…so if you're doing anything…gross and disgusting with bleach bottle blond boy, now would be the time to stop.

Buffy and Spike looked at each other a moment, rolling their eyes simultaneously. "Come in Xander," Buffy yelled to him as he walked in the room hesitantly.

"Giles has got some news for you. You should come down stairs."

**********

Giles went over what little information he had with Buffy and Spike before going back to his books.

Buffy decided to get some alone time with Nicky and asked Spike to work with some of the potentials in the basement on their form. He walked over to her and whispered in her ear, "I'd rather be working on your form, but if you insist…"

Buffy blushed before pushing him off of her and sternly pointing towards the basement. "Alright love, I've got it," he answered, grateful for the playfulness that had been revived in their relationship.

Nicky was outside again in the back yard. Buffy walked out and motioned for her to sit beside her on her bench.

"Anything else I should know before doing this?"

Nicky looked at her confused for a moment, not knowing how to answer. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"Well," Buffy started, "It seems to me that you left out some information when we first met. I understand why you did…I think, but I just want to make sure we've got the full story before going out to do battle for you."

(TBC)

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Thanks again for the reviews. A new chapter coming soon and the end is near. Next update will be on "Revelations," but I will not leave you hanging..I promise! As always, please let me know what you think.

-Erica