DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters nor anything else Joss created, just the rampant plot bunnies.

SO FAR: So The First killed the slayers that had been left under protection at the Hyperion. Anya made a reappearance to warn Giles & company, and Buffy and Spike resolved a few issues with some punches and then some kissing…

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I received several messages regarding this story from someone who apparently skimmed the pages and decided it was a Bangel story. It's not and never will be. I get very annoyed when people leave comments that are completely untrue as reviews and even more annoyed that I cannot remove these, as there may be people out there would who have enjoyed this piece of work, and if they had seen these remarks, they may have decided not to read. I do not like Bangel. I accepted it as Joss' vision in the show, but my preference is Spuffy and always has been, ever since I laid eyes on that bleached blonde head. For anyone who read this expecting them to jump into bed straight away, I'm afraid they'll be disappointed, or already have been, as there is a bigger plot monkey at work here! Many thanks to those who left genuine reviews and I'm glad you are enjoying this piece!

With A Few Good Friends

Spike grimaced as he stood on the edge of a building roof, looking down at a fight occurring between two groups of humans. He wasn't sure what they were fighting about, nor did he particularly care – he was just checking to make sure none of the others was amongst their number. He watched for a few moments more and then moved on, stopping every now and then to inspect the road below. The chaos of the city made his demon jump for attention, and he knew it desperately wanted to seize the opportunity and run wild like he had once done – killing with gleeful abandon, painting the cursed town red. But the part of him that retained his humanity quashed the demon's seduction, and his thoughts turned to Buffy. She and Willow had moved Xander to another location, and he had left them in the abandoned office block, making sure that Willow had wards up before he left to scout.

Truth be told, he'd needed the time alone to come to terms with things. Something inside him, aside from the lack of soul, had changed. Not in a bad way; he still felt like the same old Spike. But it felt like something aged and primal had awoken inside him. It was a strange feeling, a little bit tingly if he was honest, but not one he would change now. He believed he was here for something and for once, something other than his deep love for Buffy, was guiding him along the path.

His inner musings were distracted by a familiar itch at the back of his neck. A slayer was close to him and he snarled without thinking, his distraction causing him to vamp out on instinct. He moved swiftly across the rooftop, blending into the shadows of a fire exit, his golden eyes scouting the surrounding area. She was quiet on her approach but no doubt aware of his presence. Silently he moved around the exit, catching sight of her as she landed silently on the gritted surface of the rooftop, a sharp knife glinting in her hand, blood splatters on the worn denim jacket she wore. She looked around, her face concealed by the curtain of dark hair that adorned her head. Spike watched in silence as she looked for him, her hand tightening around her weapon.

'I know you're here, vamp.' She growled, crouching into a defensive position. Spike knew if he engaged her, he would likely kill her, and he knew he could not do that. He had to get off this rooftop, and away from the temptation of another good day. He backed away, intending on moving behind the exit and dropping down to the fire escape at the other side of the building, but the door to the roof banged open and caught him unawares.

'Faith.' A voice rang out and Spike frowned. The signature of the person was not one his recognised, but it radiated with power and the scent was familiar to him. 'Stop.'

The Slayer turned sharply, and Spike saw her face. It was indeed Faith and Spike froze, seeing her eyes, red rimmed and full of rage. She'd picked up an injury to her forehead and crusted blood marred her pretty features.

'Up for a challenge?' She snarled at the newcomer and Spike watched as the figure stepped out from behind the door. He didn't recognise the boy, who looked to be no more than a teenager, but the scent was screaming at him now, telling him he knew this person.

'I'm not going to fight you Faith.' The boy raised his hands, but Spike could see the outline of a tire iron, tucked into his pants under his t-shirt. He knew the boy would not win against a rage-fuelled Slayer, no matter how much power he had in him. Faith had not been one to fight fair before she was infected.

'Pity. I guess you'll just die then.'

Without warning she attacked, and Spike jumped into action, spinning round behind the Slayer and wrapping an arm around her neck. He registered her stabbing the blade into his thigh, but merely grunted and applied pressure to her throat. Within seconds, she stopped struggling and slumped unconscious in her assailant's grip. The boy watched, his hand resting on where the tire iron was concealed, his eyes narrowed at the vampire.

'I could have handled that.' He said, his gaze not wavering as Spike laid the Slayer on the floor, minding her head on the hard ground.

'No you couldn't.' Spike replied, his human features taking over his face once more. 'You're not infected. She is. An opponent with no rational thought is not one you can defeat.'

'I can take care of myself.' The boy replied, his chin jutting high in arrogance and Spike was reminded of Angel. He paused and smiled.

'So you're the brat.' He'd heard about Connor, in bits and pieces, from other and from the First, who had taunted him with his inability to create life. He knew about Holtz's involvement in the whole scheme. 'Been told about you.'

'Who are you?' Conner asked, his head tilting to one side, and he transitioned from his father to his mother in one move. Spike was in awe, he couldn't deny that; to give life to someone was something he had deeply wished for as a human, but as a vampire, he had held no interest in it.

'Bit of a relation. Come with me, I'll take you to the people who are trying to fight this thing. No doubt they could use your help.'

'If you're talking about Angel, I've no interest. He gave me up, gave me a fake life so he wouldn't have to deal with me anymore. But that loving family he gave me became infected and the magic unravelled. I remember everything. I don't want to see him.' Connor looked indignant as Spike laughed.

'Angelus is in charge at the moment, mate, and he isn't the one leading the rescue effort. More like the opposing team. I'm talking about the Slayer and her mates. Providing we can find any of them.'

Connor's face covered a few emotions in a moment and then he looked at Faith. 'She was the only one I could find. I couldn't find Gunn, or Wesley, or Fred. I don't know where Cordelia was put after….after Jasmine.' Spike looked confused as he thought about his words.

'Cordelia is up and walking about. My best guess is she is with Wesley, Fred and Giles. They're who I'm looking for. Gunn is missing. Come on, we'll go back to Buffy and find a way through all of this.' He bent down and picked Faith up, turned to jump from the roof. Connor made no move to follow him. He stopped and turned, raising an eyebrow at the young man. 'You coming or not?'

Connor hesitated for a second. 'I guess.'

Giles poked his head out of the door to Fred's apartment, looking for any signs of activity. When there was none, he shut the door and turned to the small group assembled inside the front room. 'We have to get back to the Hyperion and figure out where the others went. Hopefully Buffy and Willow have returned with Spike. We know that Angel isn't playing on our side now, so it's best to give him a wide berth.'

'Agreed.' Wesley said, his hands nervously fingering the axe he held. Fred stood next to him, a crossbow in her small hands and she nodded in agreement. Cordy had the bag of books and note slung over her shoulders and she too, nodded in agreement. Giles turned back to the door and opened it, waiting for the others to filter through before shutting it behind them. His thoughts briefly flashed to Dawn and he hoped that wherever she was, she was safe. He didn't fancy losing limbs because he'd lost Buffy's sister.

Twenty five minutes later, they were running from a small gang of infected humans. Fred had twisted her ankle and was limping heavily, and Cordelia was bleeding from her arm, a brick having caught her after a man had used it as a missile. The Hyperion was still six blocks away and Giles could not be sure at this point, whether they would make it or not. His lungs were burning and he felt like his legs would give out underneath him.

His heart nearly stopped when a black clad figure landed in front of him, grinning in his feral vampire face. Two or three seconds later, another figure in a loose fitting brown sweater landed next to the vampire and the group of four skidded to a halt before colliding with them. Seconds ticked by with no comment from either side, until the vampire's face melted back to human features and he smiled at Giles.

'Rupert! Just the Watcher I was looking for.'

'Spike!' Giles exclaimed, relief flooding his system. The noise of the infected humans behind them reached his ears. 'We have a small problem.'

'No worries there.' Spike motioned to the younger man beside him, and Giles wondered who he was before the two leapt into action. There were only six in the group, and within moments, they were all unconscious on the ground with minimal injuries. The vampire and his companion turned back to the small group and Spike grinned, hooking his fingers into the belt loops of the trousers that were a little too big for him. 'Where on earth have you lot been?'

Giles stepped forward. 'Hiding for the most part. Researching for the other. We know what needs to be done now. Where is Buffy? And Willow?'

'Oh my god. Connor?' Cordelia ran to the younger man, wrapping him in a hug. He returned it with vigour and smiled as she released him. 'You're okay!' She exclaimed, looking between the teenager and the others in excitement.

Wesley and Fred stared for a moment, and then a fog lifted from them and they finally remembered the young man, concealed from them by magic. The Watcher smiled. 'Connor. I'm glad to see you are okay?' Giles cleared his throat.

'As emotional as this is, myself having no clue who you are,' he motioned to Connor, 'Spike, where are Buffy and Willow?'

'The Hyperion wasn't safe. We were attacked by Angelus and the First posing as Darla. She's corporeal and she took out the Slayers they'd hidden. Buffy went to pieces but we pulled her out of it and moved to the office building three blocks from here.' He pointed in the direction of the building and then shrugged. 'We've still got Harris, sedated. I've just got to…gra something, before we head back there.'

'Grab what?' Fred asked, before the vampire smiled tightly and sauntered into the alleyway behind them. A few moments later he returned with Faith, still unconscious. Giles gasped and ran forward.

'Is she alive?' Wesley asked, his eyebrows conveying his mistrust of the blonde vampire.

'Yeah.' Spike sounded offended. 'I just knocked her out. Don't kill Slayers anymore.' He turned and began to walk away, not asking them to follow. Giles watched for a second before motioning for the others to follow.

The walk to the office block was made in silence, partly for fear of alerting any more infected and partly because of Spike's offended temperament. He'd changed, Giles knew that, but the initial mistrust of the vampire would always linger for him. He would never be happy about the relationship Spike held with his slayer, even with the proof of their destined relationship. Spike was soulless now and whilst Buffy may not care, Giles did and very deeply at that.

Spike drew to a stop in front of an old building block, which looked completely abandoned. A crumbling sign at the front announced it as a bank, but the name was burnt away. Windows to the lobby were smashed and the front doors hung limply from their frames. Giles didn't think it looked very secure, but he wasn't about to piss Spike off. The vampire had his eyes closed, and was deep in thought, and Giles somehow knew he was conversing with the witch inside.

Suddenly, a bubble lifted from the front of the building and the doors were magically fixed. The windows remained smashed, but there were lights glowing from the third floor and a familiar blonde head looking down at them. The vampire opened his eyes and marched inside, the other following with a slight hint of trepidation.

As soon as they had passed through, the bubble shut and the building returned to its dark and empty state. Giles looked back behind him, before he walked through the door at the front of the building, and saw the shimmer of the protective field around the premises. He marvelled at how far Willow had come and then turned his attention back to the group ahead of him. They climbed the stairs to the third floor and were greeted by an open plan office, the sectioning walls and chairs and desks all moved back to create a wide space. Xander lay against the furthest wall, his eyes shut and face slightly bruised. Willow sat in the middle of the room, her hands folded in her lap, legs crossed and face set in determination, eye closed. Buffy had run forward to embrace Spike, stopping short when she saw the unconscious slayer in his arms. Jealousy flashed across her face whilst he laid the brunette gently on the floor.

'Where did you find her?' She asked, concern overwhelming jealousy as she hugged her vampire.

'On a rooftop downtown, about to attack Angel's spawn.'

'Angel's…..whatnow?' Buffy asked, her eyes wide as she stepped back from him.

'Angel's son.' Cordelia supplied, pushing Connor forward. 'Connor.' The young man looked bewildered as the slayer contemplated him. She was shocked, Spike could see that much, and his own jealousy welled up inside him at her continued emotion for the elder vampire.

'Oh.' Buffy said in a small voice, and then shook herself out of it. She turned to Giles. 'So glad you guys are okay.'

Giles nodded, and motioned to Cordelia for the bag she carried. 'We have found some information, as well as receiving a visit from Anya.'

'Anya? She's alive?' Buffy asked. Spike perked up and waited for the watcher to reply.

'Yes. Apparently she's a PA now.' Fred supplied, earning a slight glare from Giles. She backed away into Wesley, who smiled and touched her lower back in support.

'Good for her?' Buffy looked surprised and suddenly wished Xander was awake. Spike's gaze had also fallen to the Scooby on the floor. 'You said you had information.'

'Well yes. We know what we need to defeat the First. But it could be tricky.' Buffy raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. He cleared his throat and looked to Spike. 'We need the Staff of Opis.'

'Right.' Spike drawled. 'So where is it?' He waited for an answer, his eyes flicking between Giles and the others.

'Where is it, Giles?' Buffy asked.

'The Middle East.' Giles said, and Buffy and Spike's eyes both bugged.

'Bloody hell.'

It had been decided that they would get some rest before attempting to find a way halfway round the world. Buffy was snoozing peacefully next to him, but Spike could not sleep. Wesley was on guard, even though Willow's defences were stable, and Spike knew he'd dozed off half an hour previously. Faith was restrained next to Xander, and neither had shown signs of waking. Willow had placed Faith under the same spell as Xander, so there was no chance of her killing anyone in the room.

He hadn't spoken to Buffy about Connor. He could tell she was hurt and knew she was wondering how. He knew she was also probably wondering if it would happen to them one day. The questions that he had none of the answers for. He had changed, he knew that, but he didn't think it would cover fat babies in the future. Sitting up, he looked down on the sleeping slayer and smiled gently. Then his gaze moved to the window and the fire-lit horizon beyond. He got to his feet and walked to the window, looking out over the destroyed city. There would be a long and difficult journey out of this and he wasn't sure how they were going to go about it. He didn't know if he could defeat the First but knew he would die trying – again – all for the love of The Slayer and her sister.

Dawn – oh he wished he knew she were okay. His gut told him so, that she was becoming someone more powerful than he had ever met. But he wanted to talk to her, to know she was okay. There was nothing like tangible, physical proof. Not for him.

Just then he felt a jolt in his heart, and he sunk to his knees, a pain lancing his chest like none he had felt. Not since the return of his soul. But this was different. The pain continued, spreading through his whole body until it receded as quickly as it had appeared and a calm like no other suffused his being. He looked up, seeing a slight tinge of white around his vision. He could see and feel more than before and didn't question it, knowing it was part of his journey.

He looked over at the unconscious forms of Faith and Xander and moved towards them silently. Bending down, he checked Xander over and then Faith, kneeling back on his haunches as if contemplating them. Slowly, his human features melted into his vampire mask and he leant forward.

Buffy opened her eyes, her body noticing she was bereft of Spike's closeness, and she rolled over, seeing the vampire she loved bending over the sleeping form of Xander. Her face scrunched up in confusion, until she saw Spike's golden eyes and ridges, and the blood on his wrist. Without thinking, she jumped to her feet and pulled Spike away, seeing his blood on Xander's lips but no bite marks on the one eyed carpenter.

She spun round to Spike, sprawled on the floor, who merely regarded her and licked his wrist clean, before nodding toward Xander. Buffy turned back, confused by the whole situation, seeing Xander's eyes slowly open. He looked around, groggy as hell and then sat up, clutching his head as the rage disappeared from his mind. He looked up at Buffy, frow furrowed.

'Buffy?'

A/N: That is your lot for the time being as I'm at Download Festival this week, rocking out. Will be taking a notepad if my muse decides to follow me though! Please review, I'd love some feedback on this chapter!