Here it is, the chapter you've all been waiting for! (Ahem) Here comes Buffy…

PART 4

"The master shows his displeasure, all bow before the almighty," screeched Albert, clinging to the wall as the library shook from its foundations up.

"Would somebody shut that wanker up," shouted Wesley, dodging once again as yet another bookcase toppled over.

"Happy to oblige," Gunn told him as he knocked Albert over the head.

"Was that really necessary?" Fred scolded, bracing herself in the doorway as the tremors got more violent.

"Oh yes, yes it was," Wesley said fervently.

"What the bloody hell is going on here?" roared Spike.

"Your guess is as good as ours," Angel replied, shouting over the din.

"Do you think Albert may have been right?" asked Fred.

"I doubt it," supplied Wesley as he struggled to keep on his feet. "If Aelemus already had this much power in our realm, he would have no need to manifest himself in his 'true form', would he?"

"Here's hoping," muttered Spike, looking at Albert's unconscious form suspiciously.

"The tremors seem to be abating," Wesley said hopefully. A few moments later, the ground stood still once more. "There, that's more like it," brushing himself off, Wesley looked around at the others. "I'm not sure what caused that, but it seemed to originate from below."

"It could have just been an earthquake," suggested Gunn. As one, they all turned to look at him. "Okay, forget I said that…"

"Bugger this for a game of soldiers," grumbled Spike. "I'm off to have a look." Slipping down through the floor, Spike disappeared from sight.

We're going to have to do something about that," muttered Angel, as he watched Spike drop through the floorboards. "It's unnatural."

By the time Spike made it to the lobby, the place was at def con 3. "Oh god, oh god, don't let her in here," whimpered the receptionist, cowering behind the lobby desk.

"Don't let who in, luv?" asked Spike as he spied the mass of armed security guards gathered by the front entrance.

Wordless she pointed at the glass doors, and Spike stepped through the nervous guards to have a better look. There, outside, floating about three feet from the ground, was Willow.

"Oh well, that's just bleeding perfect, isn't it," muttered Spike cynically. "I wondered who called her, then."

Right on cue, a breathless Anya ran into the lobby. "Are they here yet?" she asked. "That was them, wasn't it?"

"Its Willow, if that's what you're asking," Spike replied with a sigh, eying the witch hovering outside the door.

"Only Willow, but where are the others? Giles said they'd all come," Anya complained as she screeched to a halt beside him.

"She's on the move," roared one of the security guards. "Get ready to fire on my mark!"

"What?" spluttered Spike. "Don't fire, you twits. She's one of us!"

"Umm, Spike," muttered Anya. "These guys mightn't consider that such a good recommendation…"

The lobby fell silent as the doors began to glow and a black eyed Willow floated through the window pane.

"Doesn't anyone around here know how to use a doorknob anymore" asked a voice from behind. Spike turned around and spotted Angel shaking his head in exasperation as he strode up to join them.

"Hi guys," said Willow breathlessly as she dropped to the ground. "Sorry about the dramatic entrance, its just that…"

"Here it comes," muttered Spike as he watched her eyes widen with surprise.

"Spike! You're alive!" she squealed. Spike braced himself for the inevitable as she ran forward. "Did they bring you back too? That's great, Buffy is going to be so… oh… I see…" Willow halted mid-step as she gave Spike a closer look. "Oh dear, that must be a real bummer," she said sympathetically.

"You win some, you lose some," replied Spike with a shrug. "So, what brings you to Los Angelus, Red."

"Oh, you know, the usual," said Willow with a shrug. "Bright lights, big city, impending apocalypse. Just your normal Scooby holiday."

"Figures," muttered Spike.

"Enough chitchat," Interrupted Anya, stomping her foot. "Where's Giles?"

"Ooh, yes, stand back everybody," Willow directed. "The rest of this translocation spell is a bit tricky."

"Translocation spell?" asked Angel. "I didn't know that such a spell existed."

"It didn't," Anya explained. "It's a little something that Willow cobbled together a couple of years back when she flipped out."

"Hey! Standing right here, you know," Willow reminded her.

"Well, its true!" Anya said defensively.

"Anya, forgive and forget, remember?" mumbled Spike, nudging her in the arm.

"Speak for yourself," sniffed Anya. "She didn't throw you across a room."

"Oh no, she's at it again," moaned the receptionist. "Could someone stop her doing that?"

Spike and Anya watched Willow as her eyes darkened once more. "Assume crash positions," Spike announced, taking a step back.

Willows feet left the ground as the air around her began to hum. "Si hoc legere scis nimium eruditionis habes…" The rest of the spell was drowned out as the air surrounding her began to swirl and hiss, spinning around Willow in a vortex of power.

"Bloody hell," hissed Spike in awe as the walls began to vibrate around them.

"Guess that clears up the mystery surrounding the earthquake then," shouted Angel above the din.

"Oh my, is that Willow?"

Spike spun around on his heels and came nose to nose with Fred, who was trying valiantly to remain upright amidst the force eight gale that was now whistling through the lobby.

"In the flesh," Spike shouted. "Now get down, I've a funny feeling this is going to get a lot worse before it gets better." His words proved to be prophetic and they all watched in disbelief as the marble reception desk ripped loose from its moorings in the floor and flew through the air, punching a hole through the ceiling as it continued its path upward.

"Are you sure she said translocation spell?" shouted Angel, hunkering over Anya. " I mean, could we have heard her incorrectly? Maybe she said 'tornado spell',"

"Its Willow," Spike shouted back. "Same difference."

Angel nodded resignedly; he'd had some experience with Willow's magic before.

"Hit the dirt, the windows are about to go!" came an order from the direction of the guards. Sure enough, the windows blew inwards as Willow's spell sucked in all the air from the room into the gathering storm around her.

"Is it my imagination, or did I just see a little lightening bolt hit the wall?" asked Fred as she crouched behind Angel and Anya on the floor, dusting the glass off her clothing.

"No, that was real," Anya assured her, popping her head up for a second. "Side effect of messing around with that whole space time continuum thingy."

"Oh, right, that makes everything okay then," grumbled Angel, unconsciously echoing Spike's words from the day before. "How much longer is this going to go on for?"

"Depends on how many she's translocating," Anya replied.

"I think I can answer that one," said Spike, pointing at the shadowy forms that were beginning to appear in the vortex. "I count five."

Slowly, the storm began to ease, and the air cleared to reveal their new visitors. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the whole gang," Spike said to himself as he hung back uneasily while everyone ran to greet each other."

"Spike…"

He lifted his head reluctantly to greet her, inwardly steeling himself for what was to come. She didn't disappoint him. Wincing inwardly, he watched her face flit from one emotion to another. First came surprise, followed briefly by joy, then came uncertainty, with worry following swiftly on its heels. Then, last, but not least, the most familiar expression of all - anger.

"Spike…" Like a flash, she had bridged the distance, her fist already flying as she reached him.

"Umm, slayer…"

Too late, her fist had already passed through his face and Buffy stumbled forward, unable to stop her momentum. The look of shock on her face was heartbreaking and Spike cringed as he watched the pain flash in her eyes.

"Oh God," she moaned, backing away in disbelief.

"Its all right, luv. I'm just a ghost," He said, trying to sound as reassuring as he could. "It could be worse, I could have been the 'first' coming back for a return visit or something."

"Ooh, I never thought of that," exclaimed Anya. "How come I never thought of that?"

"Anya," Xander said warningly, wrapping his arms around her as he watched the scene unfold in front of them.

"You're a ghost?" whispered Buffy, the shock still evident in her voice as she began to circle him.

"Afraid so, luv," he said softly, standing his ground as she reached out her hand and waved it through his chest.

The entire lobby fell silent as the Slayer came to halt and stared wordlessly at him. "You didn't believe me," she eventually said, breaking the silence.

This was the moment he had dreaded for the last month. The moment when she confirmed what he'd suspected all along, that she didn't love him. He resisted the urge to close his eyes against the blow as he watched her take another deep breath.

"I tell you that I love you, and you tell me that I don't?" she asked.

"What?" squealed Dawn. "You never told me that!"

"Dawn," whispered Willow, leaping from Kennedy's side to put a hand on her arm. Dawn subsided reluctantly.

Spike shrugged in answer, what was there left to say?

"Well, don't you have anything to say for yourself," Buffy demanded. "Aren't you going to tell me why you called me a liar?"

"I just didn't want you to feel obliged," he mumbled, staring at his feet uncomfortably.

"Why don't you repeat that, Spike. Except, this time, try saying it while looking me in the eye."

Anger sparked in Spikes eyes as his head shot up. "What is this Buffy, some new form of torture? Are you trying to make me admit that I believed you? The world isn't coming to an end here, Slayer, and you don't have to offer false platitudes to a dead man. Just leave it."

"Platitudes?" Buffy said disbelievingly. "You think I was offering you platitudes, since when do I sugar-coat anything for you, Spike?

"Oh come off it!" snorted Spike. "If you were so in love with me, why were you off snogging Angel the moment my back was turned?"

Willow squeezed Dawn's arm reflexively as she noticed her taking a step forward.

"I've already explained that," she said angrily, blithely ignoring the look on Angel's face. "It was a 'hello' kiss, pure and simple."

"Oh sure," Spike said snidely. "And what exactly were you trying to say hello to? His tonsils?"

"We've already been through this," Buffy said heatedly, lifting herself onto her toes so as to look him directly in the eye. "It still doesn't change the fact that I love you, you stupid…you stupid vampire!"

"That's the best insult you could come up with! What's the matter, luv, has the well suddenly run dry?" Spike paused. "Wait a minute… did you just say that you love me?"

"Hello? Earth calling Spike, what did you think I've been trying to tell you for the last ten minutes?"

He had imagined all the scenarios… except this one. He hadn't dared, even for a second, to imagine that she really did love him. Quite frankly, he didn't know how to handle it – so he didn't; he disappeared through the floor instead.

"Now that is beginning to become really irritating," Angel muttered angrily, eying the gob-smacked expression on Buffy's face.

"Well I, for one, am glad that the little melodrama is over," drawled Kennedy.

"Kennedy," Willow whispered softly.

"Hmm?"

"Shut up."

TBC…

FOOTNOTE: 'Si hoc legere scis nimium eruditionis habes' roughly translates as 'if you can read this, you're overeducated!'… Well… I thought it was funny…