Warnings and disclaimers in Chapter 1. Enjoy!

Xander looked on worriedly as Joyce paced back and forth at the boundary line. "Are you sure?" she asked for what felt like the millionth time that night. He solemnly shook his head.

"Its okay mom," Dawn said from his side. "We'll figure something out. We always do." Joyce spared her a glance before resuming her pacing.

"It will be okay Joyce," Tara said softly, reaching out for her hand when she came within range. Joyce took it, squeezing tightly and giving the light witch a quick smile. A smile that disappeared when they heard the sounds of a struggle drawing nearer. Xander loaded the gun he was still holding while Joyce pulled Dawn behind her. A second later Faith, Daniel, and Spike could be seen half carrying, half dragging something.

"I am so sorry," Faith was apologizing to Joyce as if she personally was responsible. "I don't know how this happened." Joyce could only watch as they slowly made their way closer, until an invisible force suddenly kept the vampire out.

"Buffy?" Joyce cried, reaching out to her daughter, but Xander and Dawn pulled her back in. The vampire was groggy, but still managed to leap towards her mother, fangs out, until the barrier pushed her back. "Oh God." Joyce lifted her hands to her mouth in denial. She looked to Tara. Tara looked at her questioningly. Joyce nodded.

"Buffy Summers. I give you permission to enter our compound." The vampire reached out tentatively, but when she didn't feel the barrier she lunged once more. Except this time Faith and Daniel were ready to intercept her. She still fought continuously as they dragged her toward the house, but it was apparent she was still suffering the effects of the sedatives. Faith, Spike, and Daniel were easily able to contain her.

As they neared the house Dawn ran ahead to make sure all the kids were upstairs. A shaken Anya had offered to stay with the kids, to make sure they didn't see anything they weren't supposed to see. Willow helped her get them into bed, not sure if her presence would be harmful or not. Dawn took a quick look around the living room before nodding to her mother. The group was once again stopped by an invisible barrier.

"Buffy Summers," Joyce said, her voice wavering. "I give you permission to enter my home." The vampire snarled but could do little as she was manhandled through the door and straight downstairs. Faith, Daniel, and Spike never gave her any chances to escape, their grips were firm and steady until she was thrown unceremoniously into the cell, the door sliding closed behind her.

"Oh God," Faith slumped into Daniel once the door was shut. Buffy was slowly examining the cell, but it was obvious to everyone the sedative was really starting to effect her now, her movements getting slower and slower until she finally fell onto the floor, her vampire visage fading with unconsciousness.

"How did this happen?" Joyce asked, watching her daughter closely. They shook their heads.

"We just found her like this," Daniel explained. "We have no idea what happened."

"Dru," Spike spoke up from the far side of the cage. "I've been feeling her gearing up for something the last few days, but I didn't realize it was this."

"She must have followed them on their quest," Tara said before paling. "What about Giles?"

"Probably dead," Spike told them. "Hopefully by Dru and not…"

"Buffy," Joyce finished, closing her eyes at the thought that she could attack him. But now she could attack all of them, and would if given the slightest chance. "We need to tell his family."

"I'll go," Dawn said as she bolted from the room. A few minutes later she returned leading Albert, Veronica, and Kate.

"I tried calling on his mobile," Veronica admitted, taking her first good look at Buffy, "but there was no service."

"He's probably dead," Spike told them again. Silence suffocated the scene as everyone tried to comprehend what happened. After a few hours Buffy woke up. They watched silently as she tried to escape the cell until she finally gave up and sat in the corner, staring at the group.

"What are we going to do?" Dawn asked, her voice breaking as the sun started streaming through the windows.

"I don't know," Joyce admitted as she pulled the curtains to keep the sun out.

"Why are we even having a discussion?" Willow asked hotly. She joined the group sometime during the night and now was keeping vigil with them. "We know the restoration spell. We have all the stuff we need in our house. We can put her soul back where it belongs before the sunsets."

"Are you daft?" Spike asked incredulously. "It's called a curse for a reason."

"But only because Angelus did all those bad things before he was cursed," Willow argued. "Buffy hasn't had enough time to do anything."

"She either killed her Watcher or watched him die unable to stop it," Spike told them honestly. "And she'll have to live with that for as long as she lives."

"But she'll live," Dawn argued. "She'll be with her family and we can help her through this."

"No you can't," Spike argued. "You don't turn a Slayer. Nobody is safe while she is alive."

"What do you mean?" Veronica asked. He turned to the Watchers.

"You've never wondered why Slayers have never been turned?" he asked them. They looked at each other.

"I'll admit it was always one of our greatest fears," Albert admitted. "But thankfully it has never happened." Spike scoffed.

"That you know of," Spike added.

"What?" Albert asked in shock. "How can a Slayer turn and the Council not know about it?" Spike sighed.

"You have records of remote locations where a Slayer was sent and then suddenly the whole area dies?" Spike asked. Albert nodded.

"A few records," he admitted. "We assumed there was an unknown apocalyptic force the Slayer died overcoming." Spike shook his head.

"It was Master vamps turning the Slayer," he told them. "They thought if they turned the Slayer she wouldn't kill them."

"Did it work?" Willow asked.

"Not the way they hoped," he told them. "They were able to turn her, but they weren't able to control her in any way. The Slayer became a vampire, but she never stopped being the Slayer. Only now she had even more strength and the loss of her soul meant she had no moral compass whatsoever. She killed the vampires then attacked their prey. Killing indiscriminately from both sides."

"Why didn't her Watcher report this?" Albert asked, outraged at the lack of protocol.

"When you become a vampire the first thing you destroy is anything that tied you to your mortal life. Family, friends, even random acquaintances are your first kills. Her Watcher would be at the top of that list. Hell, her Watcher would be the entire list the way you try to keep them isolated." He sighed. "A Slayer would go after her Watcher first. They would never have time to send a report before they were killed."

"How did they stop her?" Willow asked, glancing at her newly turned friend.

"Demons and humans working together eventually staked her," he told them solemnly, "but she took the entire region with her. Others vamps have done the same thing, with similar results. Nowadays its vampire lore, and a warning, to never turn a Slayer. There's no way to control her."

"What do you mean control her?" Xander asked.

"Vampires have a very simple social structure," Spike explained. "It's all based on power. You either have it or you submit to it. A newly turned minion should be a slobbering mess, but as soon as they turned the Slayer she ruled the coven." He turned to look at Buffy. "I can feel the power coming off her in waves. If I wasn't a Master Vampire, I would be begging at her feet."

"Like you don't beg at her feet anyway," Xander scoffed. Spike snarled at him.

"What do you mean you would be if you weren't a Master Vampire?" Kate asked, trying to understand vampire society. Spike softened as he turned to her.

"We have a very medieval society," Spike explained. "There are basically three levels: Master, Childe, and Minion. Most vamps are created as minions. They can advance, but it takes years to get enough power." She nodded. "It takes around fifty years to advance to Childe, another hundred to become a Master."

"You said most vamps start as minions?" Kate inquired.

"Most but not all," Spike told her. "A Master can sire a vampire at Childe level, but it's rare. Siring a Childe is very intense and time consuming. The bond is much deeper, more like family. You care about them, much more than you ever care about minions."

"They become your family," Veronica interjected. Spike nodded.

"For better or for worse," he admitted quietly. He looked back toward Buffy, who was staring at him intently. "Family bonds are exceptionally rare in vampire society. And creating a Childe is different than adopting one into the pack. That's why the Whirlwind was so unique."

"And why certain parties want to resurrect it," Albert muttered darkly.

"Why exactly?" Tara asked.

"Vampires are social animals," Albert explained to her when Spike stayed silent, "especially when they are young. But as they grow older, they start separating from the group and start forming their own nests."

"That's when they advance to Childe," Spike added. Albert looked intrigued.

"The Whirlwind wasn't like that. They were deadly, as expected from a group of vampires, but what made them exceptionally vicious was the fact they were able to plan and think, rather than just react. When they unexpectedly split it was a great relief amongst the Watchers. We never figured out what made that group so special."

"That's because there were two Masters and two Childes," Spike told them. "Darla was a Master when she first saw Angelus. She had just broken away from The Master and wanted a companion who was more an equal. She sired him as a Childe and set off to start her undead life with him. He was already a Master vampire when he saw Drusilla and decided he had to have her. Darla wasn't happy, but Angelus was always the alpha between them. He sired her as a Childe, thinking it would just be like when he was sired, but he was still too young to really understand the depth of the Childe bond. When she saw me twenty years later and wanted her own plaything, Angelus was against it but he was compelled by the bond to keep her happy. And when she wanted a Childe instead of a minion, but couldn't do it herself, that same bond compelled Angelus to finish it for her. After that, he realized he didn't know everything and forbade any of us from turning anyone. As the alpha Master, we were unable to go against his words. It wasn't until Angel got his shiny new soul and became completely worthless that we were able to break away from him. That's when I became a Master. That was when I was able to sire my first minion."

"So what's the difference between the groups?" Daniel asked, intrigued at this rare look into their society. "I mean, I can sense the different power levels, but I have never noticed a difference in behavior."

"That's because most vamps are minions," Spike told them. "Whoever has the most power will become their de facto leader, but they'll still be dumb as doorknobs. When a vamp moves to a Childe level, they start to plan more effectively. They'll be more organized, more structured, more efficient. When a vamp becomes a Master that is when they usually start trying to destroy the world." He looked toward Buffy. "She is already a Master, despite being only a few weeks old. If you don't stake her now she will kill all of you. And she won't stop here."

"Or we give her back her soul," Willow stated adamantly, glaring at Spike. "We have everything we need."

"It's a moot point," Albert interjected. "It won't work." Their argument stopped as they turned to look at the older Watcher. "As soon as I heard about the curse," he explained, "I directed a group of Watchers to investigate. Eventually they captured several vampires and attempted to curse them. None worked."

"Well it wouldn't work for them," Spike told the older man. "It's designed specifically for Angelus. It will only work on members of the Aurelius line."

"That was what we surmised," Albert agreed. "Fortunately, or unfortunately in this case, that line is nearly extinct. Only three members are known to exist." Albert let his eyes fall on Spike. Spike sighed.

"Your information is out of date," he told him. "Our line has grown."

"Darla," Xander stated. Spike nodded.

"Wolfram and Hart brought her back to life, and Dru turned her back before Buffy was taken by The Ring." He turned back to the others. "She's still too young to make vamps, probly won't be able to for a few dozen decades."

"Wait a minute," Kate interrupted. "I thought any vampire could make another vampire." Spike laughed.

"Not quite luv," he laughed. "Though I guess technically its true, any vamp can bite someone then let them drink their blood, it takes years to get enough control to turn them. And then they have to break from their own Sire, or be given direct orders, to create their own minions. It takes time and practice. Darla is too young to do any of that quite yet. She'll be at a minion level for the next forty years or so. Probably longer even. She was never that powerful even as a Master Vampire."

"But Drusilla can turn people," Tara said quietly. Spike sighed heavily. "I mean, she turned you, and she turned Darla. Did she turn Buffy too?"

"Yes," he admitted reluctantly.

"Then the curse will work," Willow exclaimed. Albert held up a cautioning hand.

"Are you sure?" he asked warningly. "The vampires we tried to curse died a painful and horrible death. It is not a death I would wish on my granddaughter, even on a demon wearing her face."

"I'm sure," he told them reluctantly. "I can feel our kindred bond."

"So the curse will work?" Joyce asked, glancing between the vampire and the man. They both nodded. She turned to the witches. "Willow. Go get whatever you need." Willow grinned as she ran out of the basement to get her supplies.

"I'm beggin you to reconsider," Spike pleaded. "You don't know what it's like being a vampire. It will kill Buffy."

"She's already dead," Joyce said for the first time that night.

"Then let her rest in peace," Spike begged. "She doesn't want to live like this. No Slayer does."

She took a deep breath before putting her hands on Spike's shoulders. "Buffy is a good person. We'll get her through this latest change and she will still be a good person. But if it is too much for you I understand. I understand if you need to leave."

"I won't abandon her," Spike shook his head furiously, "but I hope you understand what you are doing to her. She won't be the same."

"I know," she admitted when Willow ran back down the stairs, her arms bursting with magical supplies. Tara immediately went to her girlfriend and they quickly started setting up for the spell.

"We're ready," Willow told the group a few hours later. Joyce nodded as the witches took their places. Everyone focused on the vampire, who was watching the witches intently. Nobody noticed someone rushing through the door.

"Willow! No!"