Ally had underestimated how broken those words had left her sister. She'd been shocked herself, thinking there was something wrong with them, not human, simply wrong. She should have taken care of how she told Buffy, said something else, said they were simply different from how they were before.

Maybe then, Buffy wouldn't have turned into that. A cold blooded killer.

Well, she was going to set it straight.

"We are still human and still Slayers. We don't kill innocents. We kill evil things. And we kill them with a reason." Ally growled at the blonde still beneath her, tears running down her temples and into her hairline. "So you're gonna stop this at once, 'cause if you don't, I'm gonna tie you in the basement every time I leave the house until you've regained some of your common sense. Oh, and give Giles a call, if I feel like I need some backup in dealing with you."

At the mention of her Watcher, Buffy's eyes widened, no threat worse than disappointing him anymore. Her lips trembled, yet she kept them shut, blinking back the tears and trying to breath through the sobs shaking her chest.

"We're going home right now. In case you've forgotten, we've got a baby sister that is spending an awful lot of time without you, because we thought you were patrolling." Ally removed herself from on top of Buffy and made the blonde stand with one forceful tug on her arm, dragging her behind her out of the building, Spike following them both in silence.

His face was emotionless, impassive, not giving away any of his thoughts. He fell into step beside his girl once they were outside, not even glancing at the senior Slayer still in Ally's hold.

Things were going to be tough for some time, but it needed to be done.

When the trio reached the Summers house, Ally stopped before getting to the pathway to the front door, making Buffy turn toward her and grabbing her shoulders.

"Now, I won't tell Dawn or Will about any of this, but if I find out you've done it again, hell's going to break loose. Am I clear?" She waited for Buffy to answer, watching as the blonde's eyes narrowed, jaw clenched and her face hardened, yet she nodded once before turning toward the house. "Right. Let's go inside."

Finally releasing her hold on her sister, Ally spun to look at her vampire as the other Slayer walked away from them, up the steps and inside the darkened house. Dawn should be in bed by then.

"Thanks for showing me. Who knows how long this would've gone on if we hadn't been there." The tension and strength that had surrounded Ally during the fight and the whole walk back vanished, leaving a tired and wretched girl, the weight of her family's safety on her shoulders. She stepped closer to Spike and rested her head on his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his waist, underneath the coat. "What am I going to do with her?"

"I say tie her in the basement, but you don't like that, do you, love?" One of his hands cupped the back of her head, the other going around her back, his lips hovering over her ear. "Go get some sleep, Ally Cat. You're gonna need it."

"Just hold me a bit longer." She mumbled, shifting between his arms, letting her forehead fall against his neck and closing her eyes.

In response, he held her a bit tighter, relishing in the warmth of her body, so unlike his.

Meanwhile, Ally's mind was anything but calm, anything but warm. She was terrified. What was she going to do with Buffy? It was obvious that the blonde needed time and someone to take care of her, to show her that they weren't wrong. But how could Ally do that, when she herself wasn't sure of what was happening to her? She didn't feel wrong, but she knew there was something wrong with her. It wasn't because of the chip. It wasn't because she'd come back different. It was because of where she'd been.

She'd been in Hell. If Buffy, who could get as far as to find demons to have sex with them and kill them before it was over, had gone to Heaven, what had Ally done to deserve Hell? Why hadn't she gone to Heaven with Buffy? They'd died the same way, they'd come back the same way. Yet their destinations couldn't have been more contrary.

Why? Why didn't she deserve Heaven?

"There something wrong with me, Spike." She whispered, finally admitting her fears.

"Don't start with that bullshit. You told Buffy yourself, you are human, still a Slayer, still good." He countered with a warning tone to his voice. He wasn't about to let her get lost in those dark thoughts as her sister had.

"Then why did I go to Hell?" Her voice was so weak, so broken, it made him realize she was young, so young. He'd never thought that of her. She'd always had a confidence and courage and wisdom that drew him in, making him feel as if she was much older, much more experienced. Right then, he was reminded of just how young she was, little over nineteen. Barely out of her teenage years.

"Might have been random. Like taking the wrong way out of the highway. Could have ended anywhere, love."

"Buffy went to Heaven. I don't think it was random." She hid her face against his skin, her voice hardly loud enough for his vampire ears. "Apparently she was told that 'death was her gift'. I had no gift. I had Hell. Why? Aren't I good enough, Spike?" At noticing the tremble in her words, the vulnerable side of her, his own voice gained strength.

"No. You hear me? No. You're an angel, love. Way better than that Slayer sister of yours. You even defended a demon. Can't get much more goody-good than that." He gave her a light squeeze, his lips brushing against her ear, speaking even lower. "A bloody saint, you are. You don't judge anyone, no matter what species they are, no matter their past, no matter how fucked up they are. You give everyone a chance. Don't think there's many people better than you, if there's any. Haven't met them, at least."

"You're sweet." She mumbled once again, her face relaxing a bit after his speech.

"Am not." He complained. She knew he was pouting even without opening her eyes.

"Are too. My vampire. My sweet sweet vampire." She smiled lightly, enjoying their moment, one she was sure would be over soon.

"Yours, huh?" She could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Mine." She confirmed, purring as she shifted once again. She was feeling sleepy and so comfortable in his arms that she could stay there forever.

He chuckled, not making any noise, yet his chest shook lightly. "You're falling asleep, love."

"You're comfy."

"Want me to take you to bed?"

"Please..."

Softly, carefully, he lifted her in his arms, letting her head loll to his shoulder, her arms wrapping around his neck. He walked silently to the room, finding the Little Bit fast asleep, only lingering enough to take the boots of Ally's feet and tucking her in her bed. She was already asleep, not even noticing how he didn't leave right away, but glanced from the Nibblet to Ally a couple times, taking in how similar they looked in their sleep.

He would have sworn they were really blood sisters.


Once back from walking Dawn to high school, Ally prepared herself to face her other sister. Buffy was washing the dishes, her back to Ally when she felt her presence. She pretended not to, though, thinking it would buy her time.

No dice.

"Buff." To her surprise, Ally's voice was much softer than she expected. "We've got to talk."

The blonde heard the kitchen stool being moved, the brunette sitting as Buffy turned off the tap and turned around. She looked like she hadn't slept at all, dark rings under her eyes and pale skin as she still hadn't put on any make up for the day. She hadn't even dressed up yet, the black tank top and sweatpants she usually wore to bed still hanging from her tiny frame.

When the blonde finally looked at her, letting her know she was listening, Ally decided to go on. "We have to find out why the chip doesn't work. If only so that you see there's nothing wrong with us."

"I already asked Tara to run some tests. She should have them ready soon." Buffy muttered, letting her eyes drop to the surface of the island and leaning back against the kitchen counter.

"Good." Ally paused, breathing deeply and glancing from Buffy to the window. "And I know there's nothing wrong with you, Buff. You're not what you might think you are. You are not evil. I know that. I know you. Whatever it is that makes you feel like you had to do that... we'll work it out, alright? Just... don't keep it to yourself. I'm here. You can count on me."

The blonde stared at her for a few seconds, processing her words, making sure she was being sincere. Then, the senior Slayer nodded once and left, leaving Ally in the kitchen, feeling like she had failed Buffy by not noticing her inner turmoil sooner.