"Find Your Way Home"
A Sequel to "Even Standing"
Part 6c/8 - "Open Your Eyes"

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters here, save for the Scepter of Zeus and the Archon of Zerod... please don't sue me, I don't intend to earn money from this unless I'm offered a contract by the Buffy people... then I can toss this disclaimer out the window anyway.
Rating (Series): PG-13 (a little language and violence... its like ES, not too heavy on either, but enough to warrant a rating)
Spoilers: Same as ES... continuity flies right off the handle.
Author's Notes/Summary - The plan was anything but successful. The dig site was disrupted, but the Scepter had already been transported out. Now begins the 'race' to research how and where the Old Ones can use it to accomplish their mission. Possible character growth, not willing to say who. And, amidst it all, Buffy and Xander finally address what's going on between them.
Note #2 - This is my awkward attempt at imitating the style of "The Longest Day" from Dawson's Creek. It also pays homage to "The Zeppo" in that the character growth will go unnoticed, for the most part. ES lives on in the sequel. Hopefully this is turning out enjoyable for you all. Feedback is the lifeblood of fic writers, and suggestions are our meat and potatoes. So, by all means, fill my plate up. I accept blood as well, but that goes to the pale guy living in my attic. I prefer plant matter, myself. :)

Perspective #3 - Spike

*FADE TO: Giles apartment. It's just getting dark outside. Giles, Buffy, Riley, and Xander are at various spots around the room, bandaged and bruised.*

Spike looked into Giles' living room, taking in the scene. There was a whole lot of nothing going on, they weren't even talking. He quickly observed the look shared by Buffy and Xander. Rolling his eyes, he straightened up, before reaching for the door. He missed Buffy saying something, and tension filling the room even more than before. Spike strode through the front door. He didn't look happy. Actually, he resembled Swiss cheese. At least his jacket did, anyway. There were holes all over the place. He saw a flash in Xander's eyes, which he recognized as a sign that he was about to strike. Xander sprung up off the couch and began clapping wildly, "All hail, Spike, the Inhuman Shield!"
Riley, sorry state he was in and all, stood up and started clapping, too, "Here, here!" Even Giles and Buffy started a small clap.
Spike glared, "Oh, sod off!" He took his ruined jacket off and threw it in front of Xander, "You're all buying me a new coat."
Riley laughed, "Anything, for our protector!" Spike looked ready to explode.
"Funny, real funny." He sniped, before looking at Xander, "Harris, I want to go home."
"Then go, Spike. Why do you need me?"
Spike assumed a 'don't you remember?' stance, "Forgetting the little fact that my keys went boom-boom in the bland lands of Kansas?"
Xander groaned, "Fine... I should probably get some sleep anyway... big day ahead of me tomorrow." They both prepared to go, Spike making it all the way out the front door. Spike growled, quickly realizing something was holding Xander up, before turning around and staring impatiently through the door, "Can we *go*?"
Xander smirked, "Yes, junior." Spike just glared and headed off through the courtyard, "He just gets sooo impatient..." Spike growled audibly, "Now you get back here, young man... don't make me take away your TV privileges..." Giles shut the door quickly after that, paying them no more attention.
Spike whirled around to face Xander, "Could you bleeding embarrass me just a *little* bit more, Harris? I've already been reduced to dirt in the eyes of those blokes... Need I become *trampled* dirt as well?"
Xander cracked a weak smile, before cautiously laying a hand on Spike's shoulder, "Relax, my vampire friend... you're not dirt in our eyes. We're not going to jump at the chance to stake you..." He looked at him pointedly, "Unless provoked. This is just our way of showing you we like you. Y'know, like the old schoolyard ritual of punching a girl you like in the arm... reverse psychology and all."
Spike smirked, "Mmm... little school girl... been a few years since I had one of them..."
"Spike." Xander glared.
He just continued smiling, "Right, to the Wanker-mobile."
Xander rolled his eyes, "You are *so* lucky I find you tolerable companionship... or I might just have to find another roomie."
"Oh heavens me, whatever will I do not living with *you.*"
"Spike!"
Spike shrugged, "Fine, whatever. Let's get home."

*CUT TO: Xander & Spike's apartment. It's dark, but only for a moment when a hand reaches in and flips on the lights. It's quickly revealed that it's Xander's hand, with Spike following behind.*

Spike walked into the room, quickly shedding his 'swiss' jacket, and tossing himself onto the couch. It took him mere moments to notice something different about the place. "Harris! Where'd these bloody window blinds come from?"
Xander smiled a little as he grabbed a soda from the fridge, "Heh, I thought you'd notice... I had them 'professionally installed' while we were out tonight." He sat down and popped the top of his soda, "I figured it was time we moves away from the 'towel drapes' decor we had... and besides, I was tired of you bitching every time one would slip. 'That nearly took my bloody arm off!'"
Spike sneered at him, "Funny, very funny. So I take it petty cash is still overflowing?"
Xander raised an eyebrow, "Why do you want to know for?"
Spike shook his head, "Nothing, nothing. I just thought I'd remind you that you can't go having things 'professionally installed' forever."
"I know, Spike... I just thought I'd live it up for a bit." He stood up, putting his half-full pop can on the coffee table, "I'm heading to bed." As soon as the bedroom door was closed, Spike was on his feet, and heading for the apartment door.

*CUT TO: Late late late night. Spike is sitting in Xander's car, smoking a cigarette. Voices on the radio are barely audible, as some sort of scene is playing out.*

"Kryten personal blackbox recording. Time: unknown. Location: unknown. Cause of accident: unknown. Should someone find this recording, perhaps it will shed light as to what happened here." The radio voice said. Spike laughed, almost dropping his cigarette. He took another, long drag before tipping the ashes out the window.
He listened to the program a short while longer, until he noticed the sky getting lighter. He jumped up, knocking his head on the roof, before turning off the radio and tossing the cigarette out the window. He cursed as he pulled out the keys, getting out of the car and heading indoors.

*CUT TO: Spike, cleaning up in the kitchen. A knock at the door makes him stop.*

He padded over to the door, and put on his best smirk, before flinging the door open and snarking, "Forget something, Harris?"
"No... but then again, I'm not Harris." A pretty young redhead drawled.
Spike's mouth fell open for several moments, until he regained his composure, "Uh... how may I help you... young lady?"
She smiled, "The name is Gen. With a G."
"Well, Gen with a G... to what do I owe the pleasure?" He smirked back at her. He inhaled her scent. Definitely not of the human variety. His grin grew wider, as he wrapped his mind around the prospect of feeding on her.
She sauntered into the room, letting Spike's eyes trail after her, "I have a proposition for you, William."
Spike gulped, "You know of me?"
She smiled, "I'm a bit of an expert, actually." Spike shook the surprised out of his head and snuck up behind her. Before his craving left him, he made a lunge for her neck. He was doubly surprised as a jolt of pain course through his skull. He collapsed to the ground.
She turned around, smiling wickedly, "Tsk tsk, William." She held out her hand, in the palm of which contained a small yellow pill.
Spike observed it, and rolled his eyes, "Look, I might have headaches from this bloody chip... but little, yellow, and different are not the three descriptive words for what I need right now." She pushed it towards him nonetheless, "Look, I don't want any bloody Nuprin, alright? Sod off."
His response was greeted by a sultry voice, "This isn't aspirin, sugar. Take this little pill, and that chip inside your head will dissolve like Alka-Seltzer in water."
"You're putting me on, right?"
"Not at all. We know the struggle you've been through. The once-feared demon, reduced to a lackey for the Slayer. You do realize they'll kill you at the drop of a hat, don't you? You're as expendable to them as toilet paper."
Spike glared, "We?"
"That's not important. What *is* important, is your freedom." She held the pill up to him again, "This will give it to you."
She grabbed his hand and thrust the pill into it. He looked at it for a moment, then responded, "I'll have to think about it."
She looked surprised, but nodded, "You'll be hearing from us." Without another word, she left the apartment, closing the door behind her.
He snapped away from the pill just too late, running up to the door, "Bloody... I was going to ask why I couldn't bite you." He sighed, and resumed looking at the small yellow pill.

*CUT TO: The hallway leading to Xander's apartment. Still relatively early in the morning. Buffy is about to round the corner, she narrowly avoids colliding with a redhead. The young woman looked determined to get out of the building quickly.*

Buffy made her way up to the apartment door, and took a deep breath. Before she could lose her nerve, she banged on the door loudly.
Seconds later, the door flew open, and a strangely upset Spike looked out at her, "Whatcha want, Slayer?"
Buffy was shocked into speechlessness. She hadn't prepared for the idea of running into anyone but Xander, "Umm... I'm... here to see Xander."
"Mr. Bloody Morning Determination? He's out at the moment. Job interview he said. Don't know when he'll be back."
"Job interview?" Buffy was confused. Then it hit her, '...big day ahead of me tomorrow...'
"Yeah... didn't say where, though." Spike walked back into the apartment, almost aimlessly, leaving the door wide open. Buffy, for what reason she wasn't sure, followed him in. Spike had sensed her presence, and asked out of the blue, "Would you kill me, Slayer?"
Buffy looked shocked at first, but picked right up again, "You mean now, or if you got on my bad side again?"
Spike ignored her attempted joke, and returned to his subject, "If I were to go bad again... y'know, 'big bad' bad... would you kill me?"
Buffy actually had to stop and think about it, which made Spike blink a few times rapidly. Finally, Buffy answered, "If you threatened my life or the life of my friends, yes."
He nodded, "Alright... what about now? While I'm not a big bad. Am I kill fodder?"
"Spike, what is this about?"
Spike shook his head, "Nevermind, Slayer. If you want to talk to Xander, you'll have to do it at the Watcher's shop tonight."
She nodded sadly, then did a double take, "Spike, did you just call Xander by his first name?"
He glared at her, "Not one word to anybody."
Buffy tried not to laugh as she walked out. In the corner of her eye, she caught him looking at something in his hand. She ignored it and continued her exit.

*CUT TO: Exterior of Willy's Bar. Xander leaves, heading in one direction, while Spike walks up from the other. He enters the bar.*

The towel-wearing man in a Swiss cheese-looking leather duster came in, and immediately declared, "Pour me a pint, will you, Willy?" He sounded stressed.
"Oh, it's *you*." Willy growled.
Spike glared, "Don't take that tone with me."
Willy was amused with the psuedo-power he held over Spike now. The vampire wasn't nearly as dangerous as he used to be, "Or you'll *what* Spike? Paw at me like a kitten?"
Spike got a deadly serious look on his face, "Right now, I'd bare the Excedrin headache it would take to kill you. You got me, *Willy*?" Willy paled immediately, and nearly *ran* towards the tap to pour him a half/half beer/blood. Spike smirked, "That's a boy." He noted aside, "I've still got it." He quickly sighed and sagged his shoulders.

*TIME LAPSE: Spike, with several empty beer mugs on the bar in front of him, along with a few shot glasses. He looks sufficiently sloshed.*

The bar doors kicked open, and a spiffy looking Xander wandered in. "Willy, Willy, Willy. If I were you, I'd be suing God for granting me a bad hair *lifetime.*"
As soon as his presence was made known, Spike frantically started reaching for money in his pockets. He didn't want Xander to know he was wasting his money in a bar. As Xander went into the back to get ready, Spike threw his payment down on the bar, and made a hasty exit through the front doors. Xander came out just as he left, none the wiser.

CUT TO: Buffy, walking towards Willy's bar. She's occupied in her thoughts as she walked.*

She was jarred out of her thoughts as someone slammed into her. She was about to curse at them, when they spoke with slurred speech, "Hey-lo... Shlayer."
It was Spike. A drunken Spike. She didn't quite know how to respond to him, "Uh... Hi, Spike. Tough day? Er, night?"
Spike grinned stupidly, "That's what I like about you, Shlayer... you've got a sense of humor... that, and legs that won't quit." He saw Buffy was within an inch of hitting him, "Hold up, hold up... don't hit the messenger. I'm not the first person to say it, y'know."
"Spike... what is up with you today?"
He shrugged exaggeratedly, "Dunno... just got me a present."
She was getting severely confused, "Well... uh, just get home safely... and stuff. Wouldn't want you to stumble over a white-picket fence or anything."
Spike grinned, again stupidly, throwing his hands over his heart, "Oh Shlayer! How touching! I think you just made my day!"
She looked at him, stifling her urge to laugh, and nodded, "Good to know, Spike."
"Gunnite!" He yelled back as he took off down the street.
"Uh, yeah, good night to you too, Spike."

*CUT TO: The Bronze. Spike is wandering around outside, before he decided to finally enter. He was in a partying mood.*

Spike proceeded to melt into the crowd and start dancing with the teenagers. He was especially happy when "Too Cool For School" started pounding out of the speakers. He grinned, "My kind of mushic!" He didn't even realize his speech was still quite slurred.
He had been there for an undeterminable amount of time (he *was* drunk, after all), when he noticed Buffy sitting alone at the usual table. He casually made his way over, continuing to sway with the music as he did so. Before he could get all the way there, Buffy was joined by Willow, Tara, and even Giles. They appeared to be having a discussion. He didn't even realize he'd stopped moving completely when they all arrived. Disgruntled teenagers started banging into him as the music shifted in mosh pit fare. He was knocked to and fro by flailing arms and banging heads.
He stumbled his way out of the crowd, into the small coffee area where the tables were. He resumed his seemingly endless trek towards the Scooby gang, but once again he was beaten to them by an out-of-breath Xander. The normal discussion seemed to rapidly turn into a heated argument. In the middle of it, he finally arrived, but was not noticed.
"...I can't believe you'd go get a job there and not tell us first!" Willow declared. She wasn't really angry, just curious as to his motives.
"Well, I hadn't planned on it... my car battery died, then I got bit by this angry angry dog... and I just sort of ended up at Willy's."
Buffy seemed overly angry. She was trying to blow the situation farther out of proportion than it needed to be, "Sort of? Xander, you're working for one of the sleaziest people in town..."
He glared, "Oh, and your job is *soo* filled with classy clients, huh?"
"I..."
Spike decided to step into action, before he saw the situation get uglier. They still hadn't noticed his presence, until he stepped forward and mumbled, "You better bloody appreciate this." He grabbed the back of both Buffy and Xander's heads, sending a ripsaw of pain through his head, and forced them towards each other in a 'kiss friendly' position. They both protested adamantly, until their lips were finally crushed together roughly, silencing them both.

End Part 6c

(Next time... The wrap up... maybe. Does this *need* a wrap up?)