She was so cold.

So very cold.

Lips like ice touched her brow.

"Awaken..." he said, softly, caressing her with his voice. "My own..."

"Sicko." she choked out, and opened her eyes. The demon in Lumhe seized his features for a second, but he beat it back down.

"That's not polite."

"Yeah, well, neither is chaining people up." Buffy spat. He frowned at her, and she rolled her eyes. It wasn't supposed to be like this, he thought. She was supposed to be enthralled with his mystic dark-ness, or fearful, or desperate. He would've settled for uncertainty at this point. But the bruised blonde whirlwind in front of him just seemed peeved, like he'd interrupted a pedicure or something.

"You've been chosen for a great honor."

"I've heard that line before." And died for it twice, her mind finished. The all-purpose chosen one, for your mystic needs. Whitens tile, in a pinch. "Why don't you be a good little villain and explain everything while I figure out how to pick the lock ?"

"You watch too many movies." he said, unintentionally letting the 'Lestat' accent slip out of his voice. "You know that ?"

"Well excuse me, so do you, no-pulse." she glanced expressively out into the distance. "You have been chosen for a great honor..." she drawled. He bared impressive fangs at her, and she shut up; but the furious look in her eyes would've scorched asbestos.

"Shut up, slayer." he gestured around the 'ceremonial chamber' and the various half-assed urn and magical object set-ups. "This... is your destiny. To be the implement by which day is brought into night. To be the sacrifice which will cease the agony of the light."

"Oh, goodie." Ignoring her, Lumhe began pacing the floor.

"My kind dwells in darkness... thrives on it. To feed in the day is our great dream... and you, well, more specifically... your blood... will make this possible."

"Give it a rest. We know about the stupid spell. It's only for a single day. You're a nitwit if you think that's gonna make some huge difference."

"A single day, certainly, wouldn't be enough." he agreed, and his tone sent a chill through her.

He didn't do all this for a single day.

"Different spell ?" she finally managed to get out.

"No." he said casually. He lifted a lock of her hair and smelled it, while she winced. His eyes leveled with hers. "Different ingredients."

"I'll bloody fucking KILL HIM !" Spike lunged at the door... or attempted to lunge at the door, and had to settle for an extremely angry shuffle. "I'll bloody cut all their bloody heads off a bloody fucking inch at a bloody time !" Giles and Xander each put a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"It's not... it won't do any good to be this way." Giles said finally. "We can plan, and hope, but it's best not to lose our-"

"Let the bloody hell go of me I'll bloody fucking kill 'em ! I'll rip 'em open and spit on their bloody insides- let me GO !" He threw them off, winced at the fresh pain from the chip, and collapsed in a heap against the doorframe. "I bloody well will." he finished lamely, and turned great miserable eyes on the two men. "I will."

"Hey... not doubting the whole 'rip 'em open' vengeance thing... but you're looking more like a gyro than a hero, if you know what I'm saying. With your..." Xander cringed internally, "...finger bones like that, you shouldn't be ripping much more than kleenex for a while."

"Bloody fucking kill 'em." he whispered. "I can't believe they have her."

"We don't even know that for sure..." Giles remarked, knowing it wasn't true. "She could be... in one of those places that, uh, young ladies go, or on patrol, or... or, kidnapped." He sighed. "Money on kidnapped."

"Hey, guys ?" Willow stepped into the training room. "Big info. The warehouses we were looking at ? One just got vacant about two months ago- but according to security reports, there's been night-time activity in the lower levels. Nothing solid, but..."

"It's a start."

"How did you... ?" Giles said, taking off his glasses. The redhead shrugged, and smiled shyly.

"Floaty-magic me's been getting all the face time lately. Hacker-me wanted to get useful."

"Axes ?"

"Check."

"Dusty sparkly-powder stuff ?"

"Xander ! That's not what it's called."

"Excuse me, oh 'queen of herb lore'. But do we have any ?"

"Check."

"Stakes ?"

"Been whittling 'em myself. Check."

"Crossbow."

"Check. Xander said I could have the crossbow, because I'm not good at hitting things."

"Uh... that sounds fine, Anya. Anything else ?"

"Knives... for you. To float, I mean."

"Thanks, sweetie."

"Giles, this stuff works on... those giant boogers, too, right ?"

"Yes. Spike killed one with his Bowie knife, so an axe should be more than adequate..."

"That's what I like to hear."

"However, none of us are Spike. Normally, I'd say 'hurrah', but..."

"You would not say 'hurrah'."

"Excuse me ?"

"You, saying 'hurrah' ? No way. Something more subdued, like 'excellent'. In a calm voice."

"Xander ?"

"Yeah ?"

"Stow it."

"You all hear that ?!"

"Dawnie... are you gonna be okay, here ?" The dark-haired girl flipped a strand of hair over her shoulder.

"I'll be fine." she said softly. Willow smoothed a hand over her forehead. Yeah, your previously dead sister just got kidnapped again. Fine. Right.

"I know." she said. "I'm scared, too. We just got her back, huh ?" she joked feebly. "So we're gonna go take care of this. I need you to stay here, and take care of Spike." the younger girl's eyes lit up with warmth at the mention of his name.

"I will." Willow nodded, gave her a final pat on the arm, and turned to leave the training room. As she did, her glance fell on Spike, sleeping again, still turning various, sickening shades of purple. I hope... I hope we can do this without him. I never thought that we'd need him like this. But we do. Oh, we do.

"Yeah. Oh, and, Dawn ?"

"Hm ?"

"If he wakes up... don't- tell Spike where we've gone."

"Got it." Satisfied, Willow rejoined the others on the shop floor.

"Dawnster's all set up ?" Xander asked over his shoulder, stuffing the last weapons into a duffel. She nodded. "Okay, team... Operation Nab The Cheese is underway."

"Uh... 'Nab the Cheese' ?"

"Well, Buffy's the Big Cheese, and we're... uh, running out of cool operation names, so let's just get in the car, alright ?"

"Before we..." Giles cleared his throat, and reached to clean his spectacles. Am I that predictable ? he found himself wondering. "Before we all charge off, let me remind you... that what we are facing is what... did that to Spike. Am I being clear enough ?" Willow and Tara fidgeted with their bags.

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

"The wards will be up on everyone... it's not a perfect system, but it should keep everybody out of major trouble for... as long as we need."

They filed out, and locked the heavy door behind them. It jingled, twice.

"Good luck." Dawn said, softly.

"Spike... Spike, can you sit up ?" The vampire's baby blue eyes flitted open. He sighed.

"Bleedin'... I'm not that bad off, Niblet." he sat up, a little too fast, and sucked back a growl of pain. She was watching him with those great brown eyes. Those eyes, that in a strange way, reminded him of her sister. She held out a mug. "What's this ?..." he sniffed at it. "Buffy been teaching you to nuke this ? Mug of ninety-eight point five, am I correct ?" She nodded.

"Yeah... it's icky, so just take it already."

"Right." He took the mug from her, letting it warm his hands. He glanced around the training room, and the blankets he'd been lying on, and noticed... the utter lack of sound from the front of the store. "Dawn..." he said, edgy.

"What ?"

"Where are they ?"

"Where are who ?"

"Don't." He frowned at her, and she could feel the internal Dawn lie-defense system breaking down. If Buffy ever perfects that frown, she realized, I'm toast.

"They're... out. They said to take care of you."

"So they've gone out after her."

"Yeah. Hey, don't !" he was standing up, and reaching for his shoes. Dawn grabbed them out of his reach. He faced her, angrily.

"Dawn-"

"You haven't even touched your dinner." she said firmly.

"If that's what's botherin' you..." he lifted it to his lips and downed it in an instant. "There." And in the second after he smirked at her, his face went soft, and then fearful. Dawn watched him, leaning slightly on the side of her feet, like she did when she was nervous. "Dawnie..." he said, and sank to the floor. There was a fierce warmth in his arms, spreading through him, devouring him. Buffy's face flashed in his mind. God, no, it can't end like this... not knowing...

"Your hands..." Dawn said, apparently not terribly fazed. He thought, distantly, that maybe she knew something he didn't, but for now he just gazed stupidly at his, raw, red.... healing... knuckles.

"Bugger me." he managed to get out, before he blacked out completely.