Desecration
~~~~
There was a light knock on Dawn's door. Dawn ignored the sound, and stacked three small books into a box marked "DAWN" in big green letters. She lifted up a framed picture of Buffy and herself playing on the beach about 10 years before.
"Dawn?" It was Xander.
Dawn didn't respond. Instead, she tossed the picture she'd lifted and put it in the box on top of the books.
"Dawn?" Xander opened Dawn's door and let himself into her room.
Dawn turned away in a pout. "I don't want to talk right now."
Xander glanced to the floor but looked back up at Dawn, staring straight into the back of her dark hair. "We have to talk about this eventually, Dawn."
Dawn didn't answer. Xander could hear her sniffle a little bit.
"Dawn, you're packing boxes. You're packing boxes because you're going to pick up and leave. You're going to a foster home 43 miles away from here."
Dawn took a deep breath. "I know that." She turned around and walked towards Xander, giving him a big hug. Sniffling and crying, Dawn mumbled the words "Goodbye. I've been saying that a lot lately."
~~~~
Angel shook his head, trying to resist from crying so much he couldn't talk. "I can't do that. I just can't make Buffy one of one of us."
Spike was still crying. "I haven't stopped. Crying, I mean. I haven't cried in over 80 years. And now I haven't stopped in over 24 hours."
Giles couldn't take it anymore. He interrupted, "Buffy is not going to be a vampire."
"No. I I can't let her go." Angel jumped back in. "Buffy dying? It's just — just something I can't deal with. Spike" Angel stopped for a minute, but had already figured it out. "Spike's right." He glared at Spike. Didn't want to work with him. Second last thing in the world Angel wanted now — but it would prevent the last
"We've got to fuckin' hurry." Spike added, picking up the little book again.
Anya was still fixed on what Spike had said earlier. "I still don't get it. What's coming back?"
Spike didn't want to explain, but tossed the book to Angel. "Read up, pretty boy. Let me put as simple as I can, so maybe you won't ask again." Spike was frustrated, but couldn't let it back. Kill. No. Can't let it back in.
Spike shook his head to the left and back to the right. "I'm evil. That much I'm pretty sure you've already figured out. Thing it — it was fixing itself. Slowly, but it was Buffy was. She was physically sharing her soul with me. Buffy offered her soul to me, whether she and I knew it or not."
Giles took off his glasses and glanced towards Anya. "Wanna admit it or not — what he's saying makes sense. Spike risked his life as much as the rest of us. Can't do that without a soul and he doesn't have one of his own."
"This won't get you down her pants, you know." Angel snorted.
Spike glanced back directly at Angel and almost laughed. "I know that. It's always been you to her, Angel. But would you mind telling me where the fuck you've been whenever Slayer needed someone? Gone. Off in L.A. I've always been here. But still, it's you she loves. What about Riley? Yeah, what about that other guy? Oh, that's right, he was gettin' it on with a vampire ho or two."
Angel couldn't help but smile the tiniest bit, even if only to cover the tears. "Always me, huh?"
Giles was starting to agree, but didn't want to show it too much. "You know, Angel with Buffy back as a" He skipped a word because he couldn't bare to say it, "You two would have a chance."
Angel stopped the tears a smiled for a moment. "Come on, Spike, We're got a body to dig up. I'm not ready to let her go."
~~~~
Willow tried to focus on the road. She squinted her eyes in attempt to see the cold, dark, rainy street through her teary eyes.
She flipped on the radio and flipped through the different stations. When she heard sad songs on about every station, she slammed the radio off button.
"Bitch." She muttered, not sure if she was talking to the radio, Glory, or maybe even Buffy.
Willow kept driving into the cold night, trying as hard as she could to see the road.
~~~~
"The second we turn Buffy, I'm going to go back completely." Spike concluded after reading the little book on turning someone who was already dead. "Buffy won't have a soul. We have to knock her out and get her Will. I can't. If Buffy shares her soul with me — her soul's not totally gone yet. It will be once we turn her. Someone mind telling me what we're fuckin' gonna do?"
"We've got to find out if Willow can do this before we bring Buff back." Angel added, "And you have to chain yourself to the wall -"
"No fucking way." Spike insisted.
Angel ignored the comment, and went on with his plan. "You'll chain yourself to a wall in your crypt. We'll turn her there. You'll stay there until Willow casts her spell."
Spike pouted a little, but didn't protest again. "Did Will come back with you?"
Angel's eyes drifted to the ground. "No. I didn't take the news too well and left on my own. She'll be back."
At that very word, the backroom door opened and it was Willow.
"Angel!" She was surprised.
"Yeah, Will, we need your help." Spike went straight to the point. "You have power. We need it to save Buffy."
"Save Buffy? I can't -" Willow started.
"We don't need you to bring her back." Angel explained. "We've got that covered." He stopped for a minute and stared into Willow's wondering eyes. "We found a way to turn her. You have to return her soul to her the same way the gypsies did to me."
Willow looked confused for a second, and then concerned the next. "I'd like to but I'm not sure if I can."
Angel got a worried look on his face. "You can. You have to able to."
"I might be able to. There's a way, obviously someone did it for you, Tara might know something." Willow suggested.
Spike shook his head. "We can't live on a maybe, Will. If you can't do it, we'll find someone who can. Someone more powerful than you." He teased on those last words, hoping to spark something. "I'm sure there's gypsies around willing to cast a little spell if I threaten them enough."
"I can do it." Willow insisted, suddenly confident.
Spike's face softened from the mocking look he'd been giving Willow. "I want one too."