Part 23, by Demon
A few evenings later, Willow called to tell them that she and Tara had everything ready for the
spell. Everyone got together over at Willow's. Almost everyone. Xander and Anya were there, and
of course Spike and Dawn had rushed over there. Willow asked Dawn if Giles was on his way. Dawn
said only that they didn't know where he was and they hadn't been able to find him to tell him
but they had left him a note. Willow decided to go ahead without him.
Dawn was worried. She wasn't sure wether to be more worried about Buffy coming back as some kind
of zombie or not coming back at all. She hoped that Buffy hadn't been a dream last night, and
that Buffy reassuring her that things would be ok was real. But she was still scared.
They were all sitting on the floor in a circle, while Willow chanted and tossed herbs and other
magic items into the center of the circle. Everyone was supposed to concentrate on some good
memory of Buffy. Dawn had trouble focusing. She worried if it matter if the memory was real or
not since most of hers weren't. Just to be safe, she didn't let herself use any of her best
memories, since those were too long ago to be real. Spike had trouble focusing. Most of his
memories of Buffy, she was insulting him, hitting him, or threatening him. Tara and Anya were
worried about the fact that they didn't really know Buffy really well and they hoped that
wouldn't wreck the spell. Xander was worried because they were doing the spell without Giles
there. Willow was completely confident that soon Buffy would be back.
A ghostlike form appeared in the center of the circle. It looked like, Buffy, but was
transparent, barely visible. It kneeled in turn in front of each person in the circle. First
Tara, then Anya, Xander, and Willow. It didn't speak outloud, but each person could hear her ask
about their memory, and each thought it, and she appeared to hear them and respond. The figure
came and kneeled in front of Spike. *Hi Spike. I sure hope you managed to come up with something
that didn't involve me insulting, hitting, or threatening you.* He was worried that she was
upset that he was there, but he saw that she was smiling. He thought to her, *You stood up for
me when we fled town and the others wanted you to leave me behind.* She gave him a funny look.
*You didn't pick to remember me kissing you?* He looked back a bit sheepishly, *I didn't want to
remind you of the stupid robot. Oh damn! I just did!* The ghostly Buffy laughed. She reached a
hand out to touch Spike's cheek. She wasn't solid and it felt like a warm breeze brushing his
face. Finally, she moved on to Dawn. *Buffy, I was afraid to pick a memory. Most of mine aren't
real. All I could think of was that you actually liked that silly picture frame I gave you for
your birthday.* Ghost-buffy smiled. *That's perfect Dawn.* Then Buffy stood up and disappeared.
They were all stunned. It had been amazing talking to Buffy, but she was gone again. They heared
a noise coming from the bedroom, and Buffy, a solid looking Buffy, walked out to join them in
the living room.
Part 24, by William the Bloody
Buffy saw her friends and sister, and ran out to greet them! She thanked them for bringing her
back, and they were all hugging as if they'd never thought they'd see each other again, which of
course they hadn't. Spike had seperated himself from the group and was standing in the shadows
of the hallway watching the happy reunion.
He felt out of place. Even though her ghost form hadn't seemed upset at him being there, he knew
he couldn't expect her to feel the same way about seeing him again as she did about Dawn and
Willow and Xander and the others. So he stayed away, trying not to interfere with her happiness
at being back with her friends.
Buffy looked around the room as she pulled her sister over to her. "Dawn, where's Spike? He was
here during the spell." Dawn gestured subtly over towards the hall. "I think he's afraid that
you don't want to see him." Buffy squeezed Dawn's hand. "I'll be right back, ok?" Buffy walked
back into the hallway and found Spike leaning against the wall staring at the floor. He looked
up when he heard her approach him and she looked into his eyes. "You did a good job taking care
of Dawn. I wish I could have gotten to her in time to take better care of you. I was almost too
late." She reached out and very gently touched his chest where the stake wound was barely
starting to heal. "You know what happened?" he asked. "Yeah, I do. I hope you can understand
that he was only doing what he thought was best. When I see him, I'll make sure I let him know
that him staking you was out of line. Killing you is my job!" She turned and headed back towards
the rest of the group.
He was stunned and hurt, because he hadn't expected her to be thrilled to see him, but he at
least didn't think she still wanted to kill him. She stopped when she realized he wasn't
following her. She turned back and reached a hand out to him. "Aren't you coming?". She smiled
at him and he understood that she'd been teasing him. He stepped forward and she took his hand
and started to pull him along with her. He pulled her back to him. "Buffy. I hate to ask this,
but Dawn and I were both worried about you not coming back right. We thought you might come back
as a zombie Buffy. Uh... you're not an unnaturaly happy, love everybody, zombie Buffy? Are you?"
She smilead at him again. "No, I'm not a zombie! Being dead just made me appreciate what I had,
or could have had while I was alive." She kept ahold of his hand and pulled him back with her as
she rejoined the rest of her friends.
Part 25, by Snakes
It was late when the gang finally left Willow's apartment to head home. Buffy and Dawn needed to
stop off at Giles' apartment to pick up a few things. They wanted to stay in their own house,
but almost everything had been moved out. They'd pick up Dawn's sleeping bag and a bunch of
blankets and pillows, and they would worry about starting to get the house back in order after
they'd gotten some sleep. Spike walked along with Buffy and Dawn, as he needed to get his few
belongings back also.
As they left Giles' apartment, and Buffy and Dawn turned to head toward the house, Spike stopped
walking and sighed. "I guess this is goodnight, since my crypt's off in the other direction."
The sisters turned to look at each other. They didn't need any words between them to understand
the identical expressions they saw on each other's face. Buffy turned to Spike. "You're not
going back to your crypt." He looked confused. "Well, where am I supposed to go? I do need a
place to stay."
"Spike, legally, you're Dawn's guardian. And officially, I'm dead. You'll be staying at our
house, taking care of your responsibilities."
"You want me to stay with you? Until you can clear up the whole being dead thing and have
custody of Dawn back?" He was hesitant to read too much into Buffy's words.
Buffy looked over at him. "You'll have to stay longer than that. I can't get all fangy when
Social Services starts threatening me with taking Dawn away. Not that I haven't wanted to growl
at them…" She got a bit of a wistful look on her face at the thought of growling at the Social
Services people. "That seemed pretty effective when you used it before. I'm trusting you'll help
me… help us keep Dawn."
He was a happy vampire as he turned to follow the sisters back to their house. Even though Buffy
was back, he was still part of the family.
A few evenings later, Willow called to tell them that she and Tara had everything ready for the
spell. Everyone got together over at Willow's. Almost everyone. Xander and Anya were there, and
of course Spike and Dawn had rushed over there. Willow asked Dawn if Giles was on his way. Dawn
said only that they didn't know where he was and they hadn't been able to find him to tell him
but they had left him a note. Willow decided to go ahead without him.
Dawn was worried. She wasn't sure wether to be more worried about Buffy coming back as some kind
of zombie or not coming back at all. She hoped that Buffy hadn't been a dream last night, and
that Buffy reassuring her that things would be ok was real. But she was still scared.
They were all sitting on the floor in a circle, while Willow chanted and tossed herbs and other
magic items into the center of the circle. Everyone was supposed to concentrate on some good
memory of Buffy. Dawn had trouble focusing. She worried if it matter if the memory was real or
not since most of hers weren't. Just to be safe, she didn't let herself use any of her best
memories, since those were too long ago to be real. Spike had trouble focusing. Most of his
memories of Buffy, she was insulting him, hitting him, or threatening him. Tara and Anya were
worried about the fact that they didn't really know Buffy really well and they hoped that
wouldn't wreck the spell. Xander was worried because they were doing the spell without Giles
there. Willow was completely confident that soon Buffy would be back.
A ghostlike form appeared in the center of the circle. It looked like, Buffy, but was
transparent, barely visible. It kneeled in turn in front of each person in the circle. First
Tara, then Anya, Xander, and Willow. It didn't speak outloud, but each person could hear her ask
about their memory, and each thought it, and she appeared to hear them and respond. The figure
came and kneeled in front of Spike. *Hi Spike. I sure hope you managed to come up with something
that didn't involve me insulting, hitting, or threatening you.* He was worried that she was
upset that he was there, but he saw that she was smiling. He thought to her, *You stood up for
me when we fled town and the others wanted you to leave me behind.* She gave him a funny look.
*You didn't pick to remember me kissing you?* He looked back a bit sheepishly, *I didn't want to
remind you of the stupid robot. Oh damn! I just did!* The ghostly Buffy laughed. She reached a
hand out to touch Spike's cheek. She wasn't solid and it felt like a warm breeze brushing his
face. Finally, she moved on to Dawn. *Buffy, I was afraid to pick a memory. Most of mine aren't
real. All I could think of was that you actually liked that silly picture frame I gave you for
your birthday.* Ghost-buffy smiled. *That's perfect Dawn.* Then Buffy stood up and disappeared.
They were all stunned. It had been amazing talking to Buffy, but she was gone again. They heared
a noise coming from the bedroom, and Buffy, a solid looking Buffy, walked out to join them in
the living room.
Part 24, by William the Bloody
Buffy saw her friends and sister, and ran out to greet them! She thanked them for bringing her
back, and they were all hugging as if they'd never thought they'd see each other again, which of
course they hadn't. Spike had seperated himself from the group and was standing in the shadows
of the hallway watching the happy reunion.
He felt out of place. Even though her ghost form hadn't seemed upset at him being there, he knew
he couldn't expect her to feel the same way about seeing him again as she did about Dawn and
Willow and Xander and the others. So he stayed away, trying not to interfere with her happiness
at being back with her friends.
Buffy looked around the room as she pulled her sister over to her. "Dawn, where's Spike? He was
here during the spell." Dawn gestured subtly over towards the hall. "I think he's afraid that
you don't want to see him." Buffy squeezed Dawn's hand. "I'll be right back, ok?" Buffy walked
back into the hallway and found Spike leaning against the wall staring at the floor. He looked
up when he heard her approach him and she looked into his eyes. "You did a good job taking care
of Dawn. I wish I could have gotten to her in time to take better care of you. I was almost too
late." She reached out and very gently touched his chest where the stake wound was barely
starting to heal. "You know what happened?" he asked. "Yeah, I do. I hope you can understand
that he was only doing what he thought was best. When I see him, I'll make sure I let him know
that him staking you was out of line. Killing you is my job!" She turned and headed back towards
the rest of the group.
He was stunned and hurt, because he hadn't expected her to be thrilled to see him, but he at
least didn't think she still wanted to kill him. She stopped when she realized he wasn't
following her. She turned back and reached a hand out to him. "Aren't you coming?". She smiled
at him and he understood that she'd been teasing him. He stepped forward and she took his hand
and started to pull him along with her. He pulled her back to him. "Buffy. I hate to ask this,
but Dawn and I were both worried about you not coming back right. We thought you might come back
as a zombie Buffy. Uh... you're not an unnaturaly happy, love everybody, zombie Buffy? Are you?"
She smilead at him again. "No, I'm not a zombie! Being dead just made me appreciate what I had,
or could have had while I was alive." She kept ahold of his hand and pulled him back with her as
she rejoined the rest of her friends.
Part 25, by Snakes
It was late when the gang finally left Willow's apartment to head home. Buffy and Dawn needed to
stop off at Giles' apartment to pick up a few things. They wanted to stay in their own house,
but almost everything had been moved out. They'd pick up Dawn's sleeping bag and a bunch of
blankets and pillows, and they would worry about starting to get the house back in order after
they'd gotten some sleep. Spike walked along with Buffy and Dawn, as he needed to get his few
belongings back also.
As they left Giles' apartment, and Buffy and Dawn turned to head toward the house, Spike stopped
walking and sighed. "I guess this is goodnight, since my crypt's off in the other direction."
The sisters turned to look at each other. They didn't need any words between them to understand
the identical expressions they saw on each other's face. Buffy turned to Spike. "You're not
going back to your crypt." He looked confused. "Well, where am I supposed to go? I do need a
place to stay."
"Spike, legally, you're Dawn's guardian. And officially, I'm dead. You'll be staying at our
house, taking care of your responsibilities."
"You want me to stay with you? Until you can clear up the whole being dead thing and have
custody of Dawn back?" He was hesitant to read too much into Buffy's words.
Buffy looked over at him. "You'll have to stay longer than that. I can't get all fangy when
Social Services starts threatening me with taking Dawn away. Not that I haven't wanted to growl
at them…" She got a bit of a wistful look on her face at the thought of growling at the Social
Services people. "That seemed pretty effective when you used it before. I'm trusting you'll help
me… help us keep Dawn."
He was a happy vampire as he turned to follow the sisters back to their house. Even though Buffy
was back, he was still part of the family.