"Is there something you want to tell me?"

Spike looked up from his place in the lounge to see an annoyed Buffy glaring at him, arms folded and eyes demanding. He had made his way to the Summers' household in the early hours of the morning and was greeted by a tired Slayer, who brought him back to her bed and promptly fell asleep on him. Now he was sitting with Dawn going through some texts, though that had come to a grinding halt as the younger sister looked between them worriedly.

"What would that be, love?" He asked innocently. Buffy's eyes twitched angrily as she glanced at her sister.

"Dawn, would you give us a few minutes, please?" Her sister nodded, licking her lips as she stood up and gathered her books before dashing upstairs. Buffy resumed glaring at him and he stared right back. "Well?" He sighed shortly.

"Not exactly sure what you want me to say here, Buffy." He stood up as he spoke

"How about telling me what the hell you were thinking last night?" She spat venomously. He chuckled wryly.

"Let me guess; Alucard told you."

"Oh yeah." She replied with dry sarcastic anger. He looked down, his tongue pressing against his lips in a sardonic smile.

"Figures." He drawled.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" She demanded furiously, her voice rising in volume with each syllable. "Going after Warren like that was crazy!"

"As opposed to what?" He shot back. "Letting him send out his lackeys to slaughter another hundred humans. Stopped that, by the way. You're welcome." He finished. Buffy gestured wildly with her hands.

"You should've told me!"

"And based on your reaction now, good thing I didn't." Spike countered coolly. He was surprised she did not punch him out for that one. She looked like she really wanted to by the way her fist was constantly flexing.

"Don't you dare pull that on me!" She snapped, pointing a finger at him heatedly. "What the hell were you doing?!"

"Making sure Warren knew that one: shooting Alucard was just about the dumbest thing he could've done. And two: that killing humans in some twisted game of one-upmanship was the second most stupid thing he could've done." He threw his hand out to the side. "I don't think he'd have taken a phone call or constructive criticism so we went for the blunt approach."

"And what about now? When he gets it into his head that his only way to get even is to kill someone else?"

"I don't think that's a problem since Mina shot him twice and broke his hand." Spike mused.

"That's not the point!" Buffy shouted.

"Then what is the point?!" Spike shouted back as he threw his hands up, starting to get angry at her anger now.

"You should've told me!" She repeated furiously as she stalked the three steps towards him. At that he lost his patience.

"Yeah but last night wasn't about you!" She stopped, looking at him with wide and angry eyes as he went on. "It was about Mina and it was about me and her sending Warren a message! That didn't involve you, Buffy!" Buffy looked away for a moment, taking a deep breath. There was a few moments silence as she clenched her jaw and Spike tensed, waiting for her response. He believed this was when she told him to get out and not come back. But….

"Maybe you could've told me so that we wouldn't be having this conversation because of how fucking terrified I felt the moment Alucard told me what you two were doing last night!" She finished with shout. He frowned and shook his head.

"What? Why would you be…?"

"Have you forgotten what I said to you before you went to meet Mina? That when Mina told me Alucard had been shot I was scared you had been too?" She tilted her head. "Did you forget that?" He sighed and she licked her lips. "I can deal with what you were doing, I can handle that. What I can't handle is that you could've been hurt and I'd have had no idea!" Spike sighed gently.

"Buffy…"

"No! No, let me hear it, Spike!" she demanded. "Let me hear it! How it's nothing to do with me when you lied to me last night and went on a two man crusade with Mina against Warren without telling anyone and it could've gotten you killed!" She shook her head harshly. "You have no idea how I felt five minutes ago when Alucard called and told me what you two had been doing! None at all."

"So tell me." He challenged her quietly. She watched him for a long moment, obviously trying to come up with the words before she took a deep breath.

"First, I denied it. I said there's no way you would've lied to me about that. But when Alucard told me Mina had explained the whole thing I was furious, for split-second I was so furious at you." Buffy bit her lip, shaking her head as her chin trembled slightly. "But then I was terrified. I was terrified that you'd come home and let me take you to bed without telling me that you were hurt. I was terrified at thought that I could've woken up this morning to you bleeding from some point on your body and you hadn't told me. I was terrified that instead of you, it could've been Mina coming to the door to tell me you'd…" She looked down, closing her eyes and fighting back the tears.

Spike shut his own eyes for a moment, realising how his actions had deeply hurt her. Not because of what he had done necessarily, but that he done so without her knowledge. And that was worse because she would not have known until was too late if it had gone wrong. And that thought frightened her more than anything else. He imagined if it had been Dawn she would have reacted much the same. He also tried and failed to ignore the rush of joy at the fact she referred to the house as home for him as well.

In the background he heard the phone start to ring but chose to ignore it in favour of approaching Buffy. He put his hands on her shoulders and rubbed her arms gently. She made no move to push him away, which he took as a good sign.

"I'm sorry." He said softly. She took a couple of deep breaths, keeping her gaze away from his.

"You lied to me." Buffy repeated quietly yet pointedly. He nodded.

"I did because what would you have done if I'd told you?" She looked up at him with frown, not sure what he was getting at.

"I would've gone with you." She answered honestly. He nodded, knowing that was exactly what she would have done.

"Right and going with me and Mina to torture Warren wasn't where you needed to be, and that's exactly what we did by the way," he added before she could interrupt. "You needed to be here with Dawn. After what she saw yesterday, she needed her big sister." Buffy narrowed her eyes at him.

"That wasn't your call to make." She retorted angrily. He nodded slowly as he slid his hands down her arms and took her hands in his. She tilted her head questioningly, awaiting his response and he licked his lips under her still fierce gaze.

"No, but I made it anyway because this is where you were needed." He raised his eyes to hers and she frowned. "Dawn needed her sister and if you weren't here and going after Warren, she would've likely had a really bad night and would've been more upset when you got back." Buffy sighed seeing his point, even if she did not like it. "It was the best decision, but I'm sorry I made it for you." Buffy nodded, biting the inside of her mouth for a moment.

She was still angry, yes. But in hindsight she saw what he was saying and why he had made the choice to not tell her what he was doing. There were times she needed to be the Slayer, going out at night and killing the creatures in the dark. And there were times she needed to be Buffy, the older sister and head of the household who looked after her sister. And Spike had realised that, even when she had not.

He had not made the decision for her because he felt the need to control her life, but only because he knew where she was needed better than she did.

Spike waited patiently as she raised her gaze to his, and he noticed the fire had diminished. Her hands trailed up his arm to play the collar of his shirt for a moment, and then she jerked him towards her. He groaned into her mouth as she took his lips in a demanding kiss, her mouth moving firmly against his as he gave himself over to her control. Buffy continued to kiss him fiercely for a few moments, before breaking away with a wet smack. She was breathing hard, her eyes closed as her tongue darted over her lips before her eyes opened.

He was taken aback by the raw emotion in her gaze for a moment.

"What was that for?" He asked, ironically breathless. She smirked.

"Because I really needed it." Buffy replied. He laughed quietly as she stroked his chest through his shirt. She let out a breath, her brow furrowed. "I understand why you did what you did. I don't like it, but I understand." He smiled with as he trailed his fingers up her arm. "Just one thing," he arched a brow at her words and she raised her finger pointedly, "next time you have an idea like that, tell me first!" she demanded. He nodded.

"I promise." She nodded with finality.

"Good." There was a pause. "You're still an idiot." He chuckled quietly as Tara peaked her head in from the kitchen.

"Are you guys okay?" She ventured. After a moments quiet, Buffy nudged Spike who nodded with a smirk. Tara smiled before continuing. "That was Giles, he said he had something for us." Buffy frowned. She had not been expecting Giles to contact her, at least not as soon as this. If she was honest, she had not been expecting any kind of contact.

She wondered what he had to say. It had been a few days since she had told him that he, Willow and Xander would be sitting this battle out, and only Willow had made an attempt to communicate with them. A voicemail for Tara with a tearful, perhaps heartfelt apology for her actions. Xander was off somewhere seething in jealously no doubt. He would be of little use in the fight if he could not get over her relationship with Spike. Giles had been quiet, not making an attempt to reach out to her.

Until now. She was curious as to why he was reaching out now.

"In regards to what? The First?" She inquired.

"Yeah." Tara waited as Spike and Buffy glanced at each other. They had an unspoken conversation before Buffy turned back to Tara and nodded to her.

"Okay, call him back and tell him we'll be at the shop in ten minutes." Tara ducked her head in acknowledgement before disappearing back into the kitchen. "And call Alucard and tell him to meet us there with Mina!" She called after her.

"Got it!" Tara called back as Buffy went to the stairs.

"Dawn!" There was a flurry of movement and then her sister appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Yeah?"

"We going to the Shop to see Giles, grab what you need." Dawn nodded and dashed back to her room to get the books they had borrowed. Spike and Buffy glanced at each other again, once again falling into a silent conversation about what they could expect from Giles tonight.

Roughly ten minutes later they were pulling up outside the shop. Buffy glanced out the window to see Mina and Alucard standing in the shadows as everyone clambered out the car, Spike hidden under a blanket as he dashed through the shop door. Dawn and Tara followed him, the witch carrying her grimoire under her arm just in case it was needed. Meanwhile, Buffy was approaching Mina and Alucard.

She noticed two things when she neared them. First, Mina had her hair up in a long ponytail and she was wearing long white scarf, draped across her shoulders and tied around her neck. It was one of those fashionable scarfs, not one to keep your neck warm. Second, Alucard had recovered. His brand new eye looked unblemished as did the skin around it. Buffy made the connection immediately. Mina had let Alucard drink her blood to heal.

A thought for later.

"You're looking better." She pointed out to Alucard. He smirked, glancing at Mina who had a sly smile on her face.

"Much better." He looked towards the shop door, his expression turning serious. "Did the Watcher happen to mention what it was he had found?" Buffy shook her head.

"Not over the phone. Though only Giles is in there. Willow and Xander aren't here today, it's only Giles." She shook her head with a sigh. "Apparently, Xander is too disgusted to be here if Spike's around."

"How mature." Alucard drawled. "Well, shall we find out what he has to say?" She nodded.

"Let's, but can I just have a moment with Mina, please?" Alucard sent a fleeting look at his mate with an arched brow before moving past Buffy.

"Of course." Both of Slayers watched him as he headed into the shop, greeting Tara who was at the door with a smile and some quiet words before they stepped into the building. Mina turned back to Buffy and found herself pinned with a dangerous glare.

Immediately the tension in the air became electric. The two Slayers gazed at each other, one angry and the other defiant. Mina could see the fury in Buffy's gaze and she knew straight away why it was directed at her. She and Alucard had predicted the younger Slayer would confront her about her actions the night before, mainly because of how they involved Spike. Mina fought back the grin that threatened to mar her lips.

Buffy's anger spoke volumes about how much Spike had come to mean to her.

"Let me guess," Mina said evenly, "this is about last night." Buffy tilted her head as she pursed her lips.

"Got it in one." The Eternal Slayer chuckled dryly, sighing shortly before glancing up at the sky in slight annoyance. Best to get it over with sooner rather than later with the First hanging over them.

"Okay, get it out of your system…" she began. She got no further as Buffy's fist cracked against her cheek. Mina grunted and winced, feeling her lip split and blood trickled down her chin. She sniffed, turning her head back to Buffy, who rolled her neck.

"You have no idea how long I've been holding that back." Buffy hissed. "I spent most of the conversation with Spike restraining myself from punching him. I figured if anyone deserved it, it was you." Mina licked the blood from her lip as she spoke.

"Do you feel better now?" She asked dryly.

"Not really." Buffy responded. "I don't expect an apology for your actions, Mina. I know you're not sorry about what you did exactly." She grimaced angrily. "But don't you ever get Spike to lie to me again." She commanded. "I know that the only reasons he did were Dawn and because you told him to." Mina smirked.

"It wasn't anything to do with you last night, Buffy." She pointed out, defiantly.

"Maybe not, but Spike was involved….and you could've gotten him hurt or worse." She rolled her neck again, trying to push the anger back. Once again, Mina held back a smile at the obviousness of Buffy's feelings. "I don't care about Warren, he had it coming. What I care about is being left out of the loop." She crossed her arms. "So, like I said to Spike, the next time you plan to do something like that, you tell me first."

"It was none of your business, Buffy." Mina responded.

"It was a vendetta we don't need." Buffy answered firmly. "You, of all people, should know we don't have time for vendettas when the world is at stake." Mina raised her head. Buffy had a point there. Her actions could have threatened everything, though she could not bring herself to care. Warren got what he deserved. Still…Buffy was right.

Vendettas were always a needless complication when the First Evil was involved.

"You're right." Mina answered finally. "I won't apologise for my actions last night," she held up her hand as Buffy went to respond, "but for it's worth, I am sorry for making Spike lie to you. That was uncalled for." Buffy's eyes narrowed momentarily before she caught the sincerity in Mina's gaze and her expression softened.

"Apology accepted." She replied finally. Mina nodded.

"Are we okay?" The Eternal Slayer asked. Buffy gave a nod of her own.

"Yeah, we are." She turned and headed into the shop. Mina watched her go, touching her aching jaw for a moment before following her.

The two Slayers stepped into the room, Mina closing the door behind her, and looked around. Dawn and Tara were sat at the table and Spike was lounging casually in a chair, looking somehow bored and attentive. Alucard stood in the corner, his hands clasped in front of him as he waited patiently for them to begin.

Giles stood in front of the counter, holding what appeared to be a clipboard in his hands. He glanced up at his former Slayer and gave a nod and small smile in greeting. Buffy returned the nod as Mina moved to Alucard's side. He noticed as she wiggled her jaw and gave an amused half-smile. She nudged him pointedly as he glanced away, innocently.

"Giles, you said you had something?" Buffy began as she headed over to where Tara, Spike and Dawn were sat. Her Watcher nodded slowly, gathering his thoughts.

"Yes, I understand that you've been having some difficulty with finding a way to seal the Hellmouth." He began. Buffy nodded before glancing at Alucard.

"Trying to find a way to seal the Hellmouth without endangering everyone who lives in this town, perhaps is more accurate." Alucard clarified. "From what I understand, the sealing of a Hellmouth can only occur from inside it, and more often than not it caused widespread destruction." Giles frowned.

"You have never sealed a Hellmouth?" Alucard shook his head.

"The only one I have sealed is when I was turned into a vampire, and I have no idea how that occurred." He answered. At Giles's look of incredulity, Mina picked it up from there.

"Even after all these years, our direct experience with a fully active Hellmouth is limited. We usually deal with those guarding an inactive one." She stated. "An active Hellmouth is extremely rare." Giles nodded, seeing her explanation for what it was. He cleared his throat as everyone waited expectantly.

"Well, I have doing my own research into the matter." He began, Buffy shifted to Spike's side and slid an arm around his shoulders. He glanced at her and she gave him a subtle squeeze before they turned back to Giles. He cast his eyes over them once before continuing. "Like you said, resources have been limited. So I called in a favour from Roger Wyndam-Pryce to have anything he had on the Hellmouth." Buffy's eyes widened.

"This isn't one of those favours that will come back to haunt us, is it?" She demanded. Giles shook his head.

"No, Roger is one of your more vocal supporters." He answered, sincerely. Roger, whilst a traditionalist in some ways, was always an advocate of making sure the job was done. As long as the result was a positive for all, the means did not matter. "Still, the research he had on the matter was most enlightening," he sighed, "it is an account of the sealing of a Hellmouth...from the outside." Buffy's eyes widened as she shot a look over at Alucard and Mina, who met her gaze for a moment before exchanging a look of their own.

"Such an account must be ancient." Alucard mused.

"I'm surprised one still exists," Spike added in agreement. "Never heard of anything involving an outside force being able to close a bloody Hellmouth since I became a vampire." He turned his eyes to Buffy. "Always thought it was impossible."

"Apparently not." Giles sighed. "Even with our combined knowledge, translating the account has been difficult. The language is one we are not overly familiar with, and Roger had to rely on an outside source for help. Still we translated enough to discern what happened at the time this was written." He sighed. Buffy tilted her head as Tara pulled out a notepad to jot down what was said as everyone else listened carefully.

"It didn't end well, did it?" Buffy ventured. Giles shook his head grimly.

"According to the text, the Watcher's Council was consulted on an active Hellmouth many centuries ago." He began. He licked his lips. "In addition to the Slayer who was active at the time, they also sent a powerful witch to help seal with mouth itself." Giles sighed heavily. "After the Slayer sacrificed herself to eliminate the guards, the Witch cast a powerful spell to seal the Hellmouth." He looked at the text in his hand and went on, "according to the report, there was a blinding flash of white light and then the witch dropped to the floor dead, but the Hellmouth was sealed and was never opened again." Giles adjusted his glasses as he looked around the room. "The report doesn't give any information regarding the magic the witch used…"

"Divine magic." Everyone looked at Alucard, who had a grave expression. He closed his eyes, shaking his head in annoyance. "After all these centuries, the answer was so simple." Mina frowned.

"What answer?" She inquired. They all observed the First Vampire as he opened his eyes.

"The witch used divine magic to close the Hellmouth once it had been opened. It would explain why the Hellmouth that turned me into a vampire was also sealed after I absorbed its power." He sighed angrily. "As I siphoned the energy from it, it in turn drained mine as well. And in absorbing my divine nature, what made me an Archangel, it ended up sealing itself…."

"Because by its very nature…the Hellmouth is an existing sin. And only something from heaven could cleanse it." Tara finished quietly. He nodded to her as Dawn shook her head in confusion.

"But why did the witch die after she cast the spell?" she inquired.

"Because divine magic is too powerful to be properly controlled, no matter how skilled the practitioner." Alucard finished. A severe silence followed his words. "There are no records of any witch or warlock every wielding holy magic, because the exertion kills them after the first spell."

"Then it's not an option." Buffy stated fiercely.

"It's the only option." Alucard replied calmly. Buffy shook her head.

"No, not if it kills the person using it." She shot back. "We'll find another way."

"There's no time for that anymore, love." She glanced at Spike, who met her gaze unflinchingly despite the fire housed within it. "Warren won't wait long to try something else, and next time we may not be able to stop him." She bit the inside of her mouth as everyone sat in silence, knowing Spike was right.

"It's okay, Buffy." Everyone looked at Tara, who gave them a brave smile. "I can perform the spell, I'm sure I can find something in my grimoire that we can use." Dawn shook her head, her hand clasping Tara's wrist.

As this went on, Alucard and Mina exchanged a look. It was fleeting, lasting barely a few seconds but something past between. An exchange and an agreement.

"Tara, no!" Tara gave her an affectionate looked, her fingers curling around Dawn's.

"Sweetie, if I can keep you all safe, it's a small…"

"No, Tara." All eyes turned to Alucard. "I will do it." Tara's eyes widened at those words, Dawn swallowing in disbelief as both gazed at him. Spike's eyes flicked between the two immortal lovers, not quite sure he heard it correctly. Seeing the resolution in Alucard's face, Buffy licked her lips.

"Alucard…"

"It will need to be me." He continued as if she had not spoken. "I have the experience with and the knowledge of divine magic to utilise it, regardless of the consequences." Mina closed her eyes and heaved a sigh as she bit her lip. "Besides…it's my duty." Everyone in the room so the resolution in his eyes.

He was not going to be talked out of this. He had made up his mind. Buffy could see it, and she also knew that she had worn the same expression on her face when she had sacrificed herself to save the world. Alucard knew what he was doing.

What surprised her was Mina's lack of argument to his declaration. She expected fury, perhaps even tears, but instead there was silent acceptance as Mina gazed at her mate. The expression on her face was one of such powerful loving that Buffy felt her heart stop. His selflessness was why she loved him so much.

"Are you sure, Alucard?" Buffy inquired once more, offering his chance to back out. This was not done out of hope that he would, but out of respect. So he knew that he did not have to. He said nothing, only nodded. "Okay, I'll leave it to you." She broke away from Spike and glanced around the room, before turning to her Watcher. "Giles, I need you to do something for me."

"Of course, Buffy." He answered. She gave him a smile, glad that he was willing to help.

"Give us two days," he frowned at her words, but said nothing. "If you don't hear from us by noon the day after tomorrow, you call Angel. You tell him what's going on and then you, Willow, Xander and Anya get out of Sunnydale."

"Buffy…" Giles began.

"Please, Giles." She cut him off. "There needs to be a second front, and if we can't stop the First, Angel is the only one who can." He lowered his head, wanting to argue but knowing it was pointless. He raised his head and nodded.

"As you wish." Before he departed, knowing he was no longer need, he approached her and enveloped her in a hug. Buffy smiled, snuggling into his shoulder before pulling back. "You've always made me proud, Buffy Summers." He offered her with a sincere smile. She stepped away, favouring him with a happy expression and Giles took his leave.

Buffy took a deep breath before turning to the remaining group, her friends. As she looked over them, she smiled as she saw the loyalty and determination in their eyes.

"I'm not going to give a speech on how much you guys mean to me. I'm pretty sure you already know." They all listened intently as she went. "All I'm going to say is we have one day to ourselves before this begins. Use it." She insisted, looking around meaningfully. "Take this day for yourselves and no-one else. Do whatever you want, whatever you feel you need to do." Her smile faltered but her expression and her posture remained strong and firm.

She looked around again, taking everyone in fully. She saw what made them who they were and why they had come to means so much to her.

Dawn: her sister. Young, innocent but filled with a strength and maturity far beyond her age.

Tara: quiet, reserved and a loyal loving friend, with an iron will behind her gentle exterior

Alucard: powerful and ruthless, but one of the wisest and most selfless beings she had come to know

Mina: her Slayer sister. Her mentor who had taught her so much and showed her that she could be more than she was. That she was already more.

And Spike: the vampire who loved her enough to defy his nature and become more of man than she had known before. And who would stand at her back right until the end.

Her friends. Her family.

"This day may your last one, make it count. Make sure you have no regrets. Live this day the best you can. Because tomorrow night," her expression hardened, "we got to war."


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