CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
Preparations
The next few days were mostly full of preparations as February 2nd drew closer.
Zachary and Dawn began training immediately with Giles at the Magic Box. She was better at sparring than Zachary because she'd seen her sister kill demons for years. It came to her almost naturally. Meanwhile, Zachary excelled at the crossbow. He was both surprised and pleased, figuring his little brother wasn't the only one who'd gotten their dad's athletic ability after all. Too bad he couldn't have his dad come and sit on the sidelines to watch him fight demons.
After a couple of days of working out with Giles only, Buffy and Spike joined the teens in their training exercises. They practiced the crossbow as a group, shooting at targets at the opposite end of the room while moving around. Then they practiced sparring, Buffy with Dawn and Spike with Zachary.
When Zachary heard that he would be sparring alone with Spike, he was quite afraid. Sparring with a real vampire was not something you took lightly, after all. He told Giles that he preferred to train just with him, but Giles was insistent.
"Spike's strength and speed are beyond mine," Giles said. "And he can teach you things that I cannot."
Zachary grimaced, but didn't say anything. He wasn't the type to question authority. He went into the training room as if he were going to his execution. The closing of the door behind him echoed endlessly, like a cell door in some old prison movie that they play late at night just before the infomercials.
"So, you ready, kid?" Spike asked.
Zachary muttered a nervous, "Uh huh."
Spike removed his duster and said, "OK, go!" He didn't give the kid a chance to prep because the Fire demons weren't going to give him a chance to prep.
Zachary flinched when he saw Spike coming at him. He forgot everything that Giles had taught him about stance and posture. Instead he put his hands up in front of his face, palms out, and shut his eyes.
Spike stopped immediately. "Is that how the old Watcher taught you to fight?" the vampire asked. "Eyes shut and a stupid git expression on your face?"
Zachary opened his eyes. "Uh, no."
"Didn't think so. Pull that kind of stuff and you'll be dead right quick. And I for one don't fancy going to anymore funerals for a while. Now, did the Watcher teach you anything about attitude?"
"No. He taught me basic kick boxing and wrestling moves."
"OK. Those are all well and good, but you need to know more than just the moves. You gotta show your opponent attitude, convince 'em you're gonna win. And you gotta do that even if you know the odds are against you."
"You mean you want me to act tough?"
"Right. Think you can do that?"
"Um . . ."
"'Um?' Is that your answer? You're already approaching this all wrong, Mate. Gotta act like you're the Big Bad. Convince 'em you're fighting cos you like it. Cos you enjoy the kill."
"You mean, be like you."
"Well . . . yeah."
Zachary groaned inwardly. The last thing he wanted was to be like Spike.
"Now," Spike said, "let's see how you stand when you face your opponent."
The boy moved himself into one of the poses that Giles had taught him. Then he tried to squeeze the muscles of his face into what he thought was a fierce expression. Unfortunately, it looked more like shocked agony.
"Well . . . at least you're showing some teeth," Spike said, sighing. "There's a mirror over there on the wall, go and look into it."
Zachary did as he was told. What he saw was a young man with glasses, round cheeks, and full lips. It wasn't the face of a demon hunter.
"OK," Spike said. "Give me an angry expression. Pretend you're in a play or something."
Zachary saw only his own face in the mirror, even though Spike was standing right behind him. Not having to look at Spike made things a little easier. He brought his eyebrows together and pursed his lips together tightly.
"Not bad," Spike said. "Wrinkle up the forehead a little more. And give me a sneer with that mouth. Show me some of your teeth again. . . . Good. Good. Now hold that expression. Pay attention to how it feels. Hold it as turn around and look at me."
Slowly the boy turned, holding his face muscles in place.
"Very good! Now, show me some of those stances that the Watcher gave you. Do 'em nice and slow and hold that expression."
It took so much concentration to hold his face in place, that all of Zachary's movements were very wooden. Still, it was a definite improvement.
"Good," Spike said. "Now, pretend that I'm a Fire demon and I'm coming toward you. I'm gonna get right up into your face. Don't let me scare you." Spike stepped up close to Zachary, giving him a sneer. But Zachary didn't budge. "Good, now stare me down. Don't let me intimidate you, Mate. That's right. Fire demons are on the wimpy side when they're not shooting fireballs. So you'll find that if you just stand your ground with them you'll be fine. Next we're going to practice having me come at you." Spike picked up an unloaded crossbow and handed it to his student. "Your job is gonna be to shoot me before I reach you. Course, I'm not giving you any arrows cos I don't want to end up as a big pile of dust. But I'll still hear you snap the bow because vampires have special hearing. We also have more speed than Fire demons. So if you can react to me well under pressure, you can handle a Fire demon."
Spike took a few slow practice runs at Zachary. Then he sped things up and added some growling. The boy was reacting well, his reflexes were strong and his aim was too. So, Spike decided to test him. He came at him at a good clip, changing into game face on his way across the floor.
Zachary reacted by screaming and throwing his crossbow up in the air.
Immediately, Giles came running. "What happened?" he said, sticking his head in the door.
"Just startled the lad," Spike explained calmly, still in game face. "He didn't expect me to change faces on him."
Giles hesitated. Zachary was breathing hard and his eyes were wild, but he looked unhurt. This was one of the things that Spike could teach the boy that he couldn't. "Very well, then. Carry on," Giles said and then departed.
Fearful young eyes turned back to Spike. He was in a mad house, he knew that now.
"I know this look is shocking to you," Spike said, waving toward his game face. "But believe me, I'm a lot better looking than a Fire demon. They're all lizard-like with orange and gray scales."
"Orange?"
"Yeah. I think that's cos they live in dark places. The orange allows them to recognize each other quickly. Too bad Giles only had a black and white photo to show you. Anyway. Now we're gonna practice my running at you thing with me looking like a demon. You've got to do what you have to, no matter what kind of face is coming at you. Get that?"
"Uh . . ." was all that Zachary could manage.
Spike took that as a yes. "Good. Pick up your crossbow and let's start off more slowly again."
They went on until Zachary could aim and shoot his crossbow even with Spike coming at him at almost full vamp speed, changing faces as he went. Then they worked on some hand to hand wrestling, first with Spike in human face and then with him in vamp face. It was late by the time the young man went home and he was exhausted. But he felt that he had truly learned something.
They worked for another day or so before they finally had Giles sit in.
"Isn't he great?" Spike said, patting Zachary on the back a little too hard. The vampire glowed like a proud papa.
"Excellent!" Giles said. "We'll cut down on the sparring a bit now and concentrate once again on the crossbow."
From then on, they sparred for brief sessions in the same room at the same time when Buffy and Dawn worked out. Somehow, during their sparring lessons, Zachary had picked up Spike's tendency to growl. Dawn noticed it one day and made a point of telling him how cute she thought it was.
Zachary looked stricken. Cute? He'd been trying to look macho.
From the other end of the room, Spike heard their conversation. He saw the crestfallen look on his protégé's face and went over to talk to him. "Don't worry, Mate," the vampire said. "Cute doesn't mean the same thing to women that it does to us. To them, cute is a compliment. It's got nothing to do with virility and everything to do with attraction. Besides Dawn wouldn't be attracted to a wuss. Summers women like a little monster in their men."
"Really?" Zachary asked.
"Yeah. Yours is just . . . a little less obvious than mine is all."
- - - - - - - - - -
Anya became a vengeance demon again the day after Xander moved out. She granted Tara's vengeance wish against Doc immediately after. She even gave Tara the words to use in the wish so it wouldn't turn on her or Buffy later.
"The words you use in a wish are very important," Anya told Tara. "A lot of people use bad wording and so mess up their wishes. But with this . . ." she handed Tara a 5 by 10 inch file card written in her precise hand, "no one will be able to undo Buffy's resurrection spell. It doesn't matter if Willow does it, or Doc, or someone else. But it still allows her to die by causes that are natural to her state of immortality."
"It reads like a legal document," Tara observed.
"Well, in a way it is. It's your agreement with me and the professional organization of vengeance demons. It's a binding contract. And it took me two hours to work it up so there wouldn't be any loopholes. This wish should be absolutely air tight. That's the kind of service you should get when you deal with a seasoned professional."
"Oh," Tara said, trying not to smile. "Thank you for being thorough . . . and professional."
"I promised Xander. No more Erics. So that means no more loopholes and watching out for the rights of all parties involved."
Xander wasn't happy about having to continue sleeping on Buffy's couch. But it didn't take him long to see that Anya was still very much the girl he'd fallen in love with. Except that she seemed happier. When they had Scoobie meetings, she spoke up with more authority and was given more respect. He had to admit, at least to himself, that the experience seemed to be good for her. She felt honored when Buffy passed the Diamond of Gunab to her. She saw it as an important token of respect because the diamond was so crucial to their plans. She especially loved the meetings with her prospective demon coven. Giles took her to practice sessions with them in the mining tunnels of Ohanzee. The Shadows esteemed Anya, both for her age as a demon and for her part in the Imbolc drama.
The only negative for both Xander and Anya was the short amount of time they got to spend alone. Anya was still afraid that D'Hoffryn might be watching her. So the two lovers snuck off to the cellar of the Magic Box occasionally. Xander would arrive through the tunnels to reduce suspicion. It was cramped and crowded. But they'd made love there before so it felt familiar to them. Xander still considered it better than Spike's crypt.
- - - - - - - - - -
Meanwhile, Tara watched over Willow and delivered messages back and forth. If she'd been alive, she would have been exhausted. But she didn't need sleep in the conventional sense. For her, resting in one place while invisible in a sort of a meditative state served much the same purpose. Especially when she held physical form for a long time.
During her undercover work, she found herself thinking well of Ledic more and more. He spoke his mind truthfully and had a great love for his people.
"As soon as the Slayer starts to defeat Doc and Rack," Ledic said, "Some of my people will see how foolish this alliance has been. I will try to lead as many as I can away from the battle."
"I'm sure that would be fine with Buffy," Tara said. "It means less people for her to fight. Ledic, what if your people find out that you've been working with us? They might execute you as a traitor."
"Then I will die a hero's death. For the freedom of my people."
At that point they were in an underground maze of tunnels in a partially flooded turnoff. Ledic was carrying a flashlight with him because it was too dark even for him to see. As he said these last words, he tilted up his snout so that his yellow eyes were thrown into shadow and his orange and gray throat was highlighted.
Tara considered him for a moment. "You're a good man, Ledic."
"Man?"
"I mean demon," she said with a smile.
"And you . . . You are not like any ghost I have ever seen. Fire demons live a long time. I have seen ghosts. Some are merely reflections of the past that can neither hear nor see. Some are driven to repeat things or perhaps they search. Very few move and act as you do."
"I guess that's because I'm not an ordinary ghost. I was brought back by magic by my lover, the woman that Rack and Doc are holding."
"Ah." Ledic understood. "She is your mate." There had been something about the tireless way that Tara served this cause that spoke more of love than of duty. It made sense that the red haired witch was her mate.
"Willow gave me full use of free will when she called me back. I can be visible like this, invisible, or in a completely solid form."
"Solid? You mean . . . as you were?"
"Yes."
"That is not like an ordinary ghost."
"No. But then I was brought back by magic. I'm not complaining. I would have chosen to come back. Because I knew Willow would need me."
"My mate is dead. She died shortly before Doc came to my home looking for recruits for his army. He only wanted single males. Which is strange by our standards because female Fire demons fight with males. It is the same with the Shadows. That is yet another reason why we understand each other. They are also long lived like us, and have few offspring. My mate and I had none. So I was free to come here and do what I could to discourage this alliance. I knew it would be bad for my people. Fire demons stand alone and live alone. That is our way."
"I think it's close to dawn now," Tara said. "I want to get back to Willow. There's usually no one around her at this hour."
"Yes. It is the time when the creatures of the night grow tired and the creatures of the day are not yet up."
"I like to take on solid form then so I can give Willow some physical closeness and comfort. I believe it will help her come back to herself when we drain off Rack's power and I smash the crystals around her."
"You're going now to your mate?"
"Yes."
"Then I will come and watch for you. It will give you more time. And I have no need to sleep now."
Tara thanked Ledic graciously. And from then on he watched for her whenever she was able to steal a few minutes with Willow.
The hard part for Tara came when Doc finally decided that Willow was enough under his control to end Buffy's resurrection spell. He gathered the needed items around her and led her through it three days before Imbolc. Of course by then, Anya had granted Tara's wish to foil the spell. But not knowing that, Doc went on.
Willow's movements during the counter-spell were wooden and her voice was low. Tara had the impression that Willow was holding back somewhat. She moved at Doc's commands slowly and hesitated several times. Was there some place inside Willow's mind that was still fighting back? Whatever it was, Doc didn't seem to care. A few stray thoughts were of no interest to him. It was the completed action that was important.
At the conclusion of the spell, Doc had Willow light a number of magical items in a silver container. A thin ribbon of smoke rose from the tiny fire and gave birth to a magical cloud of dark gray that was not visible to mortal eyes, but could be seen by Tara quite clearly. It grew and grew, until it reached an ominous size that completely filled Willow's enclosure. Doc sensed the cloud as it grew in potency and was finally released, up and out of the warehouse. But he couldn't follow it to its destination as Tara could. She flew after the cloud and followed it to the Magic Box training room where Buffy and the rest of her crossbow entourage were practicing late that afternoon.
The dark gray cloud approached Buffy unseen by the physical beings in the room. It tried to surround her. But a green light moved out from her body and diffused the cloud, causing a brief shower of sparks as it did so. Unlike the cloud, the sparks were visible to mortal eyes. Buffy instinctively pointed her crossbow at the sparks. But of course they weren't something she could shoot. Dawn cried out and Zachary moved to her side protectively. Spike moved to Buffy's side. He reached out and tried to touch the sparks, but his hands passed through them. Xander stood at the ready with his crossbow, turning around and around, ready to shoot any intruders. Giles lowered his crossbow. He had a pretty good idea what was going on. As soon as Tara saw the reactions of the others, she started to change into solid form.
"What is it?" Giles asked Tara.
"Doc just tried to undo Buffy's resurrection spell. But Anya's wish stopped it. As soon as it came in contact with Buffy, it just disappeared in a harmless glitter show."
"What happened?" Anya said, rushing in. "I felt a power surge in here."
"Doc tried to undo Buffy's resurrection," Tara said.
"And it failed . . . obviously," Anya said. "It's nice to know I still have it."
Spike dropped his crossbow to his side and wrapped his free arm around Buffy's waist, pulling her close against him.
"Yes, it failed," Giles said. "The question is, will Doc realize it?"
"I'll go back and see," Tara said. "But I think Anya's wish destroyed the counter-spell. I don't see any remainder of it left."
"You can see traces of magic?" Giles asked.
"Yes."
Giles was impressed. "Good. So, we can hope that he will assume the counter spell worked. Still, he'll probably send someone out to check, just in case."
"If he does," Tara said, "It will be Amy. She knows all of us and I get the impression that Doc and Rack trust her."
"You will warn us when she's coming," Giles said.
"Of course. I'll give you a whole play-by-play on her."
"She may already be on her way. So, we've got to prepare at once. Buffy, you should stay out of sight until we're sure Doc is convinced."
"No problem. I can just hang out at Spike's crypt. She won't think to look there."
"Well, I did sort of promise it . . ." Spike said, referring to his offer to Xander and Anya.
"Oh, right," Buffy said, turning to Xander. "Well, I could go out for a while and give you guys some time . . ."
"No!" Xander said, a little too loudly. "What I mean is . . . if one or more of us goes there, we might be followed."
"Good point," Giles said.
"So, we'll leave right away then," Spike said.
"No," Giles said. "There is no 'we' on this. Buffy goes alone. Willow knows of your relationship, which means Doc knows as well. Therefore, it will be your job to act as chief mourner. If you're missing from the scene it will look suspicious."
Spike growled under his breath, but he didn't argue. He knew the Watcher was right.
"Buffy, I think you should go right away just in case."
"And I'd better get back to the warehouse," Tara said.
"Wait," Giles said. "Before you go, I need to know what kind of counter- spell they did. That way I can infer how she was supposed to have disappeared."
"Of course," Tara said. She outlined the particulars to him and then dissolved away.
"I'm off too," Buffy said, grabbing her jacket. "If I'm spending the night, I've gotta stop off at the supermarket and pick up some food." She gave Spike a fleeting kiss. "I suppose I shouldn't patrol either."
"No," Giles agreed. "Stay close to home . . . so to speak."
"Sounds like a barrel of laughs. Me and a bag of chips." She poked Spike in the stomach. "That TV of yours better work."
"It worked fine the day we went there to clean up the place."
"You mean when *I* cleaned up the place, don't you? God, I miss William!"
Spike pulled Buffy in roughly and kissed her more thoroughly. "No you don't," he said in a low voice.
"Mmm. Maybe not," Buffy admitted. She kissed him again and said, "Hold that thought. . . . Bye all!" And with that headed out the back way into the alley. Spike look after her, wishing he could go too.
"All right," Giles said. "Anya, you carry on here as usual. The rest of us should get back to Buffy's in case Amy comes checking."
"So," Xander said, clapping Spike on the back. "I guess you're part of the bachelor brigade tonight.
"Looks like," Spike said joylessly.
"What say we buy some more bruskies on the way home and plan a nice long evening in front of the telly tipping 'em back?"
"You two have got to stay sober," Giles cautioned. "We have some playacting to do for Amy. After that, you can get as sloshed as you like."
"Sounds like a plan," Xander said, leading the way out.
Spike groaned and then followed.
Giles hesitated to shake his head and clean his glasses. Spending the night with those Xander and Spike was not going to be fun.
- - - - - - - - - -
It wasn't long before Amy started on her way uptown to Buffy's house, of course not knowing that she was being trailed by a ghost. When she was about four blocks away, Tara zapped to Buffy's kitchen where everyone but Anya and Buffy were gathered.
"She's coming!" Tara announced excitedly.
"Amy?" Giles asked.
"Yes."
"Then what say we enact that little play we decided on?" Giles said.
"I'm ready," Dawn said. "You Spike?"
"Ready, Bit."
Dawn slipped her fingers around Zachary's hand. "How about you, Zack?"
"I'm ready," Zachary said, adjusting his glasses. "If I can't do some playacting for a witch, how am I ever going to face down a load of Fire demons?"
"Well put," Giles said. "Tara, will you let us know where our audience will be stationed?"
"Will do," Tara said. And she faded out.
As it turned out, Amy settled herself behind the tree in the front yard where Spike and Buffy had confronted each other so many countless times over the last few years. From her point of view it looked like there was an argument going on in the house. The livingroom drapes were drawn back and the lights were on inside. So she could see clearly everything that went on against the gathering gloom of early evening.
To Amy, Dawn seemed very upset. She was pacing back and forth furiously in the livingroom. Her young boyfriend was trying to calm her down. Xander looked confused. Giles was talking, obviously trying to placate Dawn. Spike came in from the kitchen also looking very upset. He tried to talk to Dawn too, but she walked away from him. Spike followed and tried to put his arms around her, but she shoved him aside and walked out of the house and onto the front porch.
Dawn went to the railing on the side closest to the tree where she knew Amy was hiding. She was breathing rapidly, trying to distress herself further. She wondered if she might even want to faint, but decided against it because the idea seemed too cheesy.
Zachary came out of the house and put his arms around Dawn. But she didn't seem to notice him. Spike came out next.
"Bit . . ." Spike said, "you know I wouldn't let anything happen to Buffy. There was just nothing I could do. We were watching television and then all of a sudden she started clutching at the air. Before I could even think, she'd become a withered corpse. Then she poofed into dust and even that disappeared."
"You were supposed to protect her!" Dawn accused, her eyes angry slits.
"I did. I would have . . . you know I would have. There just wasn't anything I could do."
Giles came out of the house, still looking to placate Dawn. "It was either someone undoing Buffy's resurrection spell, or it was caused somehow by the fact that the spell that brought her back was interrupted."
"I can't believe I lost her again." Dawn said, her voice cracking. She was remembering how it had been when Buffy was away. How desperately lonely she had been, even with Tara and Willow living in the house with her. She recalled how frightened she'd been for a while after Buffy got back, terrified that something might happen to take her away again. If Willow had actually undone Buffy's resurrection, even under Doc's control, would she have hated her? She hated Doc, that much was for sure. And she hated Amy for helping him.
"I'm sorry," Giles said. "We're all sorry. But to be fair, it wasn't Spike's fault."
"Yes it was!" Dawn said. Her eyes were flashing as she turned around and walked right up into Spike's face. She was talking to him, but her words were really meant for Amy. "I hate you!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "I've never hated anyone more! I wish you were dead! You should go away and never come back here!" And with that she ran stomping into the house and up the stairs to her room.
Giles was taken back by the intensity of Dawn's words. They were so full of real hate and grief. He knew he had the next lines, but he couldn't quite find his voice.
Spike had an expression of incredible pain and loss on his face. Dawn's anguish was his. He was remembering how he'd felt when Buffy had died. How his world had come crashing down with her broken body. He'd had nothing to live for then except for Dawn. He remembered the guilt he'd felt at not protecting her as he'd promised. The endless nights when he'd dreamt of successfully saving Buffy from her fate. The hurt he'd felt when the Scoobies had used his help after she was gone, but still kept him out of their inner circle. And here were Doc and Amy trying to do it all over again.
Xander came cautiously out of the house.
"I think we should just leave her alone for a while," Giles said finally in a soft voice. "I'll do some investigating, but I really doubt if we can get Buffy back."
Spike turned around and covered his face with his left hand. Real tears were coming to his eyes. His muscles tightened as he struggled with his own rage.
"I think I'd better get home," Zachary said.
"I'll walk you," Xander offered. "I could use the air."
Zachary nodded slightly. They had agreed that Xander would walk the teen home just in case Amy tried to follow him. They figured Xander could handle a question and answer session from her better than Zachary could on his own.
After the two young men were well off down the block, Giles said to Spike, "Dawn will get through this. She's just lost her sister again and . . ."
"I lost Buffy too, you know," Spike said spinning around, his eyes glistening in the porch light. "She's everything to me. Even more now than before. I would have done anything if I could have stopped what happened." He stalked to the spot at the porch railing where Dawn had been standing. His emotions were building up and up and so was the tone in his voice. "I almost went mad when I lost Buffy the last time. Did you know that? Did you and your little Scoobies even care? You all acted like you had lost something and you didn't even begin to understand what I had lost. The only thing that kept me sane back then was Dawn. And if she turns away from me . . ."
With a sob, Spike grabbed the porch railing and ripped it clean away. Then he threw it at the tree where Amy was hiding, where it shattered into 147 days worth of pieces.
Giles's expression was one of honest shock and horror. They had planned for Spike to have a break-down but no one had mentioned anything about doing something like this. He was afraid of what the vampire might do next.
Spike breathed heavily. When his voice came again it shook as if he were having trouble controlling it. "Don't you believe me . . . Giles, that I would do anything . . . for Buffy and Dawn? . . . Give my life? . . . Go to Hell and back?" His voice got softer. "I love them." Tears slid down his face.
Giles knew Spike's tears were real and that his words were somehow more than playacting. "Yes, I know, Spike," Giles said gently. He suddenly understood a lot more about Buffy and Spike's relationship. How strong it was and how it included Dawn. He felt a little ashamed of himself for not having realized sooner. "I know you love them."
Silence fell between the two men for a moment. Then Giles spoke again. "Now, I think we'd better go inside. For Dawn's sake we should try to be calm."
Spike nodded, spent. He let Giles wave him inside. Giles followed and shut the door after them.
Without looking back, Spike walked directly into the kitchen, where he knew Amy couldn't see them. He leaned the lower part of his body against the sink and gripped one of the handles on the cabinets above. He hadn't meant to give so much of his feelings away. He was embarrassed. But mostly, he was just tired. If Buffy had been there somewhere hiding away in the house, it would have seemed less real and more like playacting. This was too real. When Giles walked into the kitchen Spike still couldn't speak.
"Well . . ." Giles said, "I'm pretty sure you sold Amy."
Tara materialized just next to Giles. "Amy's running down the block away from here," Tara said. "You really scared her!"
"Scared me a bit too," Giles confessed.
Spike nodded, avoiding Giles's eyes.
"Of course," Giles said, "though Amy may be convinced, Doc may not be. We'll have to wait till morning. If Doc doesn't send Amy or someone else by the time Dawn goes to school and Xander goes off to work, he probably won't. Then, Spike, you can go and bring Buffy home. Now, I think one of us should go upstairs and explain to Dawn what just happened outside. She may be concerned."
"I'll go," Spike said.
"Fine," Giles said. He thought it was good for them to have some bonding time. They'd both touched emotions that were obviously still raw.
"I'd better get on Amy's tail," Tara said.
"Quite," Giles agreed.
When Spike went up to Dawn's room, he found her standing and waiting at the door.
"What happened?" she asked, her eyes wide with fear. She had visions of a full blown fight going on outside, possibly with Doc or Amy. "I heard this big crashing explosion."
"It's all right, Bit," Spike said. "I just got carried away with my playacting. Your big Sis is gonna be cross with me when she sees what I did."
"You do know that I didn't mean anything I said, right? I meant it for Amy and Doc."
"Oh, of course," Spike said, waving her words away. "Just remembering what it was like when your big Sis was gone, is all. Got carried away."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I kinda tapped into that too."
"But she's not gone," Spike said, putting his arm around her. "She's just waiting in my crypt eating chips. Gotta remember that."
"Yeah. Watching that old clunker of a TV you got there."
"I should have her back here for you by the time you get home from school tomorrow afternoon."
Dawn let her head fall on his shoulder. "The sooner the better."
- - - - - - - - - -
As it turned out, Doc believed the story that Amy brought him. So Buffy was able to come home the next day, much to the relief of her family, extended and otherwise.
Doc had seen Spike's devotion to the Slayer the year before and he knew her disappearance would devastate him. He pictured the scene in his mind as Amy described it. It seemed very likely that madness would follow, just as the vampire had said. The thought made Doc smile.
He was also glad to hear how distraught the Key girl was. It served her right for standing in the way of Glory's plans. Doc assumed the Watcher would try to bring their precious Buffy back. But of course they wouldn't be able to. He'd chosen that particular counter-spell for a reason. Once her body was turned to dust and her molecules scattered, she would be virtually impossible to reassemble. At last the first part of his revenge was complete.
Doc figured that the Slayer's friends would be so busy trying to get her back that they would either forget about the warehouse doings, or feel too weakened to move against him. So he could continue on with the rest of his plans unmolested.
At least, that's what he thought.
Preparations
The next few days were mostly full of preparations as February 2nd drew closer.
Zachary and Dawn began training immediately with Giles at the Magic Box. She was better at sparring than Zachary because she'd seen her sister kill demons for years. It came to her almost naturally. Meanwhile, Zachary excelled at the crossbow. He was both surprised and pleased, figuring his little brother wasn't the only one who'd gotten their dad's athletic ability after all. Too bad he couldn't have his dad come and sit on the sidelines to watch him fight demons.
After a couple of days of working out with Giles only, Buffy and Spike joined the teens in their training exercises. They practiced the crossbow as a group, shooting at targets at the opposite end of the room while moving around. Then they practiced sparring, Buffy with Dawn and Spike with Zachary.
When Zachary heard that he would be sparring alone with Spike, he was quite afraid. Sparring with a real vampire was not something you took lightly, after all. He told Giles that he preferred to train just with him, but Giles was insistent.
"Spike's strength and speed are beyond mine," Giles said. "And he can teach you things that I cannot."
Zachary grimaced, but didn't say anything. He wasn't the type to question authority. He went into the training room as if he were going to his execution. The closing of the door behind him echoed endlessly, like a cell door in some old prison movie that they play late at night just before the infomercials.
"So, you ready, kid?" Spike asked.
Zachary muttered a nervous, "Uh huh."
Spike removed his duster and said, "OK, go!" He didn't give the kid a chance to prep because the Fire demons weren't going to give him a chance to prep.
Zachary flinched when he saw Spike coming at him. He forgot everything that Giles had taught him about stance and posture. Instead he put his hands up in front of his face, palms out, and shut his eyes.
Spike stopped immediately. "Is that how the old Watcher taught you to fight?" the vampire asked. "Eyes shut and a stupid git expression on your face?"
Zachary opened his eyes. "Uh, no."
"Didn't think so. Pull that kind of stuff and you'll be dead right quick. And I for one don't fancy going to anymore funerals for a while. Now, did the Watcher teach you anything about attitude?"
"No. He taught me basic kick boxing and wrestling moves."
"OK. Those are all well and good, but you need to know more than just the moves. You gotta show your opponent attitude, convince 'em you're gonna win. And you gotta do that even if you know the odds are against you."
"You mean you want me to act tough?"
"Right. Think you can do that?"
"Um . . ."
"'Um?' Is that your answer? You're already approaching this all wrong, Mate. Gotta act like you're the Big Bad. Convince 'em you're fighting cos you like it. Cos you enjoy the kill."
"You mean, be like you."
"Well . . . yeah."
Zachary groaned inwardly. The last thing he wanted was to be like Spike.
"Now," Spike said, "let's see how you stand when you face your opponent."
The boy moved himself into one of the poses that Giles had taught him. Then he tried to squeeze the muscles of his face into what he thought was a fierce expression. Unfortunately, it looked more like shocked agony.
"Well . . . at least you're showing some teeth," Spike said, sighing. "There's a mirror over there on the wall, go and look into it."
Zachary did as he was told. What he saw was a young man with glasses, round cheeks, and full lips. It wasn't the face of a demon hunter.
"OK," Spike said. "Give me an angry expression. Pretend you're in a play or something."
Zachary saw only his own face in the mirror, even though Spike was standing right behind him. Not having to look at Spike made things a little easier. He brought his eyebrows together and pursed his lips together tightly.
"Not bad," Spike said. "Wrinkle up the forehead a little more. And give me a sneer with that mouth. Show me some of your teeth again. . . . Good. Good. Now hold that expression. Pay attention to how it feels. Hold it as turn around and look at me."
Slowly the boy turned, holding his face muscles in place.
"Very good! Now, show me some of those stances that the Watcher gave you. Do 'em nice and slow and hold that expression."
It took so much concentration to hold his face in place, that all of Zachary's movements were very wooden. Still, it was a definite improvement.
"Good," Spike said. "Now, pretend that I'm a Fire demon and I'm coming toward you. I'm gonna get right up into your face. Don't let me scare you." Spike stepped up close to Zachary, giving him a sneer. But Zachary didn't budge. "Good, now stare me down. Don't let me intimidate you, Mate. That's right. Fire demons are on the wimpy side when they're not shooting fireballs. So you'll find that if you just stand your ground with them you'll be fine. Next we're going to practice having me come at you." Spike picked up an unloaded crossbow and handed it to his student. "Your job is gonna be to shoot me before I reach you. Course, I'm not giving you any arrows cos I don't want to end up as a big pile of dust. But I'll still hear you snap the bow because vampires have special hearing. We also have more speed than Fire demons. So if you can react to me well under pressure, you can handle a Fire demon."
Spike took a few slow practice runs at Zachary. Then he sped things up and added some growling. The boy was reacting well, his reflexes were strong and his aim was too. So, Spike decided to test him. He came at him at a good clip, changing into game face on his way across the floor.
Zachary reacted by screaming and throwing his crossbow up in the air.
Immediately, Giles came running. "What happened?" he said, sticking his head in the door.
"Just startled the lad," Spike explained calmly, still in game face. "He didn't expect me to change faces on him."
Giles hesitated. Zachary was breathing hard and his eyes were wild, but he looked unhurt. This was one of the things that Spike could teach the boy that he couldn't. "Very well, then. Carry on," Giles said and then departed.
Fearful young eyes turned back to Spike. He was in a mad house, he knew that now.
"I know this look is shocking to you," Spike said, waving toward his game face. "But believe me, I'm a lot better looking than a Fire demon. They're all lizard-like with orange and gray scales."
"Orange?"
"Yeah. I think that's cos they live in dark places. The orange allows them to recognize each other quickly. Too bad Giles only had a black and white photo to show you. Anyway. Now we're gonna practice my running at you thing with me looking like a demon. You've got to do what you have to, no matter what kind of face is coming at you. Get that?"
"Uh . . ." was all that Zachary could manage.
Spike took that as a yes. "Good. Pick up your crossbow and let's start off more slowly again."
They went on until Zachary could aim and shoot his crossbow even with Spike coming at him at almost full vamp speed, changing faces as he went. Then they worked on some hand to hand wrestling, first with Spike in human face and then with him in vamp face. It was late by the time the young man went home and he was exhausted. But he felt that he had truly learned something.
They worked for another day or so before they finally had Giles sit in.
"Isn't he great?" Spike said, patting Zachary on the back a little too hard. The vampire glowed like a proud papa.
"Excellent!" Giles said. "We'll cut down on the sparring a bit now and concentrate once again on the crossbow."
From then on, they sparred for brief sessions in the same room at the same time when Buffy and Dawn worked out. Somehow, during their sparring lessons, Zachary had picked up Spike's tendency to growl. Dawn noticed it one day and made a point of telling him how cute she thought it was.
Zachary looked stricken. Cute? He'd been trying to look macho.
From the other end of the room, Spike heard their conversation. He saw the crestfallen look on his protégé's face and went over to talk to him. "Don't worry, Mate," the vampire said. "Cute doesn't mean the same thing to women that it does to us. To them, cute is a compliment. It's got nothing to do with virility and everything to do with attraction. Besides Dawn wouldn't be attracted to a wuss. Summers women like a little monster in their men."
"Really?" Zachary asked.
"Yeah. Yours is just . . . a little less obvious than mine is all."
- - - - - - - - - -
Anya became a vengeance demon again the day after Xander moved out. She granted Tara's vengeance wish against Doc immediately after. She even gave Tara the words to use in the wish so it wouldn't turn on her or Buffy later.
"The words you use in a wish are very important," Anya told Tara. "A lot of people use bad wording and so mess up their wishes. But with this . . ." she handed Tara a 5 by 10 inch file card written in her precise hand, "no one will be able to undo Buffy's resurrection spell. It doesn't matter if Willow does it, or Doc, or someone else. But it still allows her to die by causes that are natural to her state of immortality."
"It reads like a legal document," Tara observed.
"Well, in a way it is. It's your agreement with me and the professional organization of vengeance demons. It's a binding contract. And it took me two hours to work it up so there wouldn't be any loopholes. This wish should be absolutely air tight. That's the kind of service you should get when you deal with a seasoned professional."
"Oh," Tara said, trying not to smile. "Thank you for being thorough . . . and professional."
"I promised Xander. No more Erics. So that means no more loopholes and watching out for the rights of all parties involved."
Xander wasn't happy about having to continue sleeping on Buffy's couch. But it didn't take him long to see that Anya was still very much the girl he'd fallen in love with. Except that she seemed happier. When they had Scoobie meetings, she spoke up with more authority and was given more respect. He had to admit, at least to himself, that the experience seemed to be good for her. She felt honored when Buffy passed the Diamond of Gunab to her. She saw it as an important token of respect because the diamond was so crucial to their plans. She especially loved the meetings with her prospective demon coven. Giles took her to practice sessions with them in the mining tunnels of Ohanzee. The Shadows esteemed Anya, both for her age as a demon and for her part in the Imbolc drama.
The only negative for both Xander and Anya was the short amount of time they got to spend alone. Anya was still afraid that D'Hoffryn might be watching her. So the two lovers snuck off to the cellar of the Magic Box occasionally. Xander would arrive through the tunnels to reduce suspicion. It was cramped and crowded. But they'd made love there before so it felt familiar to them. Xander still considered it better than Spike's crypt.
- - - - - - - - - -
Meanwhile, Tara watched over Willow and delivered messages back and forth. If she'd been alive, she would have been exhausted. But she didn't need sleep in the conventional sense. For her, resting in one place while invisible in a sort of a meditative state served much the same purpose. Especially when she held physical form for a long time.
During her undercover work, she found herself thinking well of Ledic more and more. He spoke his mind truthfully and had a great love for his people.
"As soon as the Slayer starts to defeat Doc and Rack," Ledic said, "Some of my people will see how foolish this alliance has been. I will try to lead as many as I can away from the battle."
"I'm sure that would be fine with Buffy," Tara said. "It means less people for her to fight. Ledic, what if your people find out that you've been working with us? They might execute you as a traitor."
"Then I will die a hero's death. For the freedom of my people."
At that point they were in an underground maze of tunnels in a partially flooded turnoff. Ledic was carrying a flashlight with him because it was too dark even for him to see. As he said these last words, he tilted up his snout so that his yellow eyes were thrown into shadow and his orange and gray throat was highlighted.
Tara considered him for a moment. "You're a good man, Ledic."
"Man?"
"I mean demon," she said with a smile.
"And you . . . You are not like any ghost I have ever seen. Fire demons live a long time. I have seen ghosts. Some are merely reflections of the past that can neither hear nor see. Some are driven to repeat things or perhaps they search. Very few move and act as you do."
"I guess that's because I'm not an ordinary ghost. I was brought back by magic by my lover, the woman that Rack and Doc are holding."
"Ah." Ledic understood. "She is your mate." There had been something about the tireless way that Tara served this cause that spoke more of love than of duty. It made sense that the red haired witch was her mate.
"Willow gave me full use of free will when she called me back. I can be visible like this, invisible, or in a completely solid form."
"Solid? You mean . . . as you were?"
"Yes."
"That is not like an ordinary ghost."
"No. But then I was brought back by magic. I'm not complaining. I would have chosen to come back. Because I knew Willow would need me."
"My mate is dead. She died shortly before Doc came to my home looking for recruits for his army. He only wanted single males. Which is strange by our standards because female Fire demons fight with males. It is the same with the Shadows. That is yet another reason why we understand each other. They are also long lived like us, and have few offspring. My mate and I had none. So I was free to come here and do what I could to discourage this alliance. I knew it would be bad for my people. Fire demons stand alone and live alone. That is our way."
"I think it's close to dawn now," Tara said. "I want to get back to Willow. There's usually no one around her at this hour."
"Yes. It is the time when the creatures of the night grow tired and the creatures of the day are not yet up."
"I like to take on solid form then so I can give Willow some physical closeness and comfort. I believe it will help her come back to herself when we drain off Rack's power and I smash the crystals around her."
"You're going now to your mate?"
"Yes."
"Then I will come and watch for you. It will give you more time. And I have no need to sleep now."
Tara thanked Ledic graciously. And from then on he watched for her whenever she was able to steal a few minutes with Willow.
The hard part for Tara came when Doc finally decided that Willow was enough under his control to end Buffy's resurrection spell. He gathered the needed items around her and led her through it three days before Imbolc. Of course by then, Anya had granted Tara's wish to foil the spell. But not knowing that, Doc went on.
Willow's movements during the counter-spell were wooden and her voice was low. Tara had the impression that Willow was holding back somewhat. She moved at Doc's commands slowly and hesitated several times. Was there some place inside Willow's mind that was still fighting back? Whatever it was, Doc didn't seem to care. A few stray thoughts were of no interest to him. It was the completed action that was important.
At the conclusion of the spell, Doc had Willow light a number of magical items in a silver container. A thin ribbon of smoke rose from the tiny fire and gave birth to a magical cloud of dark gray that was not visible to mortal eyes, but could be seen by Tara quite clearly. It grew and grew, until it reached an ominous size that completely filled Willow's enclosure. Doc sensed the cloud as it grew in potency and was finally released, up and out of the warehouse. But he couldn't follow it to its destination as Tara could. She flew after the cloud and followed it to the Magic Box training room where Buffy and the rest of her crossbow entourage were practicing late that afternoon.
The dark gray cloud approached Buffy unseen by the physical beings in the room. It tried to surround her. But a green light moved out from her body and diffused the cloud, causing a brief shower of sparks as it did so. Unlike the cloud, the sparks were visible to mortal eyes. Buffy instinctively pointed her crossbow at the sparks. But of course they weren't something she could shoot. Dawn cried out and Zachary moved to her side protectively. Spike moved to Buffy's side. He reached out and tried to touch the sparks, but his hands passed through them. Xander stood at the ready with his crossbow, turning around and around, ready to shoot any intruders. Giles lowered his crossbow. He had a pretty good idea what was going on. As soon as Tara saw the reactions of the others, she started to change into solid form.
"What is it?" Giles asked Tara.
"Doc just tried to undo Buffy's resurrection spell. But Anya's wish stopped it. As soon as it came in contact with Buffy, it just disappeared in a harmless glitter show."
"What happened?" Anya said, rushing in. "I felt a power surge in here."
"Doc tried to undo Buffy's resurrection," Tara said.
"And it failed . . . obviously," Anya said. "It's nice to know I still have it."
Spike dropped his crossbow to his side and wrapped his free arm around Buffy's waist, pulling her close against him.
"Yes, it failed," Giles said. "The question is, will Doc realize it?"
"I'll go back and see," Tara said. "But I think Anya's wish destroyed the counter-spell. I don't see any remainder of it left."
"You can see traces of magic?" Giles asked.
"Yes."
Giles was impressed. "Good. So, we can hope that he will assume the counter spell worked. Still, he'll probably send someone out to check, just in case."
"If he does," Tara said, "It will be Amy. She knows all of us and I get the impression that Doc and Rack trust her."
"You will warn us when she's coming," Giles said.
"Of course. I'll give you a whole play-by-play on her."
"She may already be on her way. So, we've got to prepare at once. Buffy, you should stay out of sight until we're sure Doc is convinced."
"No problem. I can just hang out at Spike's crypt. She won't think to look there."
"Well, I did sort of promise it . . ." Spike said, referring to his offer to Xander and Anya.
"Oh, right," Buffy said, turning to Xander. "Well, I could go out for a while and give you guys some time . . ."
"No!" Xander said, a little too loudly. "What I mean is . . . if one or more of us goes there, we might be followed."
"Good point," Giles said.
"So, we'll leave right away then," Spike said.
"No," Giles said. "There is no 'we' on this. Buffy goes alone. Willow knows of your relationship, which means Doc knows as well. Therefore, it will be your job to act as chief mourner. If you're missing from the scene it will look suspicious."
Spike growled under his breath, but he didn't argue. He knew the Watcher was right.
"Buffy, I think you should go right away just in case."
"And I'd better get back to the warehouse," Tara said.
"Wait," Giles said. "Before you go, I need to know what kind of counter- spell they did. That way I can infer how she was supposed to have disappeared."
"Of course," Tara said. She outlined the particulars to him and then dissolved away.
"I'm off too," Buffy said, grabbing her jacket. "If I'm spending the night, I've gotta stop off at the supermarket and pick up some food." She gave Spike a fleeting kiss. "I suppose I shouldn't patrol either."
"No," Giles agreed. "Stay close to home . . . so to speak."
"Sounds like a barrel of laughs. Me and a bag of chips." She poked Spike in the stomach. "That TV of yours better work."
"It worked fine the day we went there to clean up the place."
"You mean when *I* cleaned up the place, don't you? God, I miss William!"
Spike pulled Buffy in roughly and kissed her more thoroughly. "No you don't," he said in a low voice.
"Mmm. Maybe not," Buffy admitted. She kissed him again and said, "Hold that thought. . . . Bye all!" And with that headed out the back way into the alley. Spike look after her, wishing he could go too.
"All right," Giles said. "Anya, you carry on here as usual. The rest of us should get back to Buffy's in case Amy comes checking."
"So," Xander said, clapping Spike on the back. "I guess you're part of the bachelor brigade tonight.
"Looks like," Spike said joylessly.
"What say we buy some more bruskies on the way home and plan a nice long evening in front of the telly tipping 'em back?"
"You two have got to stay sober," Giles cautioned. "We have some playacting to do for Amy. After that, you can get as sloshed as you like."
"Sounds like a plan," Xander said, leading the way out.
Spike groaned and then followed.
Giles hesitated to shake his head and clean his glasses. Spending the night with those Xander and Spike was not going to be fun.
- - - - - - - - - -
It wasn't long before Amy started on her way uptown to Buffy's house, of course not knowing that she was being trailed by a ghost. When she was about four blocks away, Tara zapped to Buffy's kitchen where everyone but Anya and Buffy were gathered.
"She's coming!" Tara announced excitedly.
"Amy?" Giles asked.
"Yes."
"Then what say we enact that little play we decided on?" Giles said.
"I'm ready," Dawn said. "You Spike?"
"Ready, Bit."
Dawn slipped her fingers around Zachary's hand. "How about you, Zack?"
"I'm ready," Zachary said, adjusting his glasses. "If I can't do some playacting for a witch, how am I ever going to face down a load of Fire demons?"
"Well put," Giles said. "Tara, will you let us know where our audience will be stationed?"
"Will do," Tara said. And she faded out.
As it turned out, Amy settled herself behind the tree in the front yard where Spike and Buffy had confronted each other so many countless times over the last few years. From her point of view it looked like there was an argument going on in the house. The livingroom drapes were drawn back and the lights were on inside. So she could see clearly everything that went on against the gathering gloom of early evening.
To Amy, Dawn seemed very upset. She was pacing back and forth furiously in the livingroom. Her young boyfriend was trying to calm her down. Xander looked confused. Giles was talking, obviously trying to placate Dawn. Spike came in from the kitchen also looking very upset. He tried to talk to Dawn too, but she walked away from him. Spike followed and tried to put his arms around her, but she shoved him aside and walked out of the house and onto the front porch.
Dawn went to the railing on the side closest to the tree where she knew Amy was hiding. She was breathing rapidly, trying to distress herself further. She wondered if she might even want to faint, but decided against it because the idea seemed too cheesy.
Zachary came out of the house and put his arms around Dawn. But she didn't seem to notice him. Spike came out next.
"Bit . . ." Spike said, "you know I wouldn't let anything happen to Buffy. There was just nothing I could do. We were watching television and then all of a sudden she started clutching at the air. Before I could even think, she'd become a withered corpse. Then she poofed into dust and even that disappeared."
"You were supposed to protect her!" Dawn accused, her eyes angry slits.
"I did. I would have . . . you know I would have. There just wasn't anything I could do."
Giles came out of the house, still looking to placate Dawn. "It was either someone undoing Buffy's resurrection spell, or it was caused somehow by the fact that the spell that brought her back was interrupted."
"I can't believe I lost her again." Dawn said, her voice cracking. She was remembering how it had been when Buffy was away. How desperately lonely she had been, even with Tara and Willow living in the house with her. She recalled how frightened she'd been for a while after Buffy got back, terrified that something might happen to take her away again. If Willow had actually undone Buffy's resurrection, even under Doc's control, would she have hated her? She hated Doc, that much was for sure. And she hated Amy for helping him.
"I'm sorry," Giles said. "We're all sorry. But to be fair, it wasn't Spike's fault."
"Yes it was!" Dawn said. Her eyes were flashing as she turned around and walked right up into Spike's face. She was talking to him, but her words were really meant for Amy. "I hate you!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "I've never hated anyone more! I wish you were dead! You should go away and never come back here!" And with that she ran stomping into the house and up the stairs to her room.
Giles was taken back by the intensity of Dawn's words. They were so full of real hate and grief. He knew he had the next lines, but he couldn't quite find his voice.
Spike had an expression of incredible pain and loss on his face. Dawn's anguish was his. He was remembering how he'd felt when Buffy had died. How his world had come crashing down with her broken body. He'd had nothing to live for then except for Dawn. He remembered the guilt he'd felt at not protecting her as he'd promised. The endless nights when he'd dreamt of successfully saving Buffy from her fate. The hurt he'd felt when the Scoobies had used his help after she was gone, but still kept him out of their inner circle. And here were Doc and Amy trying to do it all over again.
Xander came cautiously out of the house.
"I think we should just leave her alone for a while," Giles said finally in a soft voice. "I'll do some investigating, but I really doubt if we can get Buffy back."
Spike turned around and covered his face with his left hand. Real tears were coming to his eyes. His muscles tightened as he struggled with his own rage.
"I think I'd better get home," Zachary said.
"I'll walk you," Xander offered. "I could use the air."
Zachary nodded slightly. They had agreed that Xander would walk the teen home just in case Amy tried to follow him. They figured Xander could handle a question and answer session from her better than Zachary could on his own.
After the two young men were well off down the block, Giles said to Spike, "Dawn will get through this. She's just lost her sister again and . . ."
"I lost Buffy too, you know," Spike said spinning around, his eyes glistening in the porch light. "She's everything to me. Even more now than before. I would have done anything if I could have stopped what happened." He stalked to the spot at the porch railing where Dawn had been standing. His emotions were building up and up and so was the tone in his voice. "I almost went mad when I lost Buffy the last time. Did you know that? Did you and your little Scoobies even care? You all acted like you had lost something and you didn't even begin to understand what I had lost. The only thing that kept me sane back then was Dawn. And if she turns away from me . . ."
With a sob, Spike grabbed the porch railing and ripped it clean away. Then he threw it at the tree where Amy was hiding, where it shattered into 147 days worth of pieces.
Giles's expression was one of honest shock and horror. They had planned for Spike to have a break-down but no one had mentioned anything about doing something like this. He was afraid of what the vampire might do next.
Spike breathed heavily. When his voice came again it shook as if he were having trouble controlling it. "Don't you believe me . . . Giles, that I would do anything . . . for Buffy and Dawn? . . . Give my life? . . . Go to Hell and back?" His voice got softer. "I love them." Tears slid down his face.
Giles knew Spike's tears were real and that his words were somehow more than playacting. "Yes, I know, Spike," Giles said gently. He suddenly understood a lot more about Buffy and Spike's relationship. How strong it was and how it included Dawn. He felt a little ashamed of himself for not having realized sooner. "I know you love them."
Silence fell between the two men for a moment. Then Giles spoke again. "Now, I think we'd better go inside. For Dawn's sake we should try to be calm."
Spike nodded, spent. He let Giles wave him inside. Giles followed and shut the door after them.
Without looking back, Spike walked directly into the kitchen, where he knew Amy couldn't see them. He leaned the lower part of his body against the sink and gripped one of the handles on the cabinets above. He hadn't meant to give so much of his feelings away. He was embarrassed. But mostly, he was just tired. If Buffy had been there somewhere hiding away in the house, it would have seemed less real and more like playacting. This was too real. When Giles walked into the kitchen Spike still couldn't speak.
"Well . . ." Giles said, "I'm pretty sure you sold Amy."
Tara materialized just next to Giles. "Amy's running down the block away from here," Tara said. "You really scared her!"
"Scared me a bit too," Giles confessed.
Spike nodded, avoiding Giles's eyes.
"Of course," Giles said, "though Amy may be convinced, Doc may not be. We'll have to wait till morning. If Doc doesn't send Amy or someone else by the time Dawn goes to school and Xander goes off to work, he probably won't. Then, Spike, you can go and bring Buffy home. Now, I think one of us should go upstairs and explain to Dawn what just happened outside. She may be concerned."
"I'll go," Spike said.
"Fine," Giles said. He thought it was good for them to have some bonding time. They'd both touched emotions that were obviously still raw.
"I'd better get on Amy's tail," Tara said.
"Quite," Giles agreed.
When Spike went up to Dawn's room, he found her standing and waiting at the door.
"What happened?" she asked, her eyes wide with fear. She had visions of a full blown fight going on outside, possibly with Doc or Amy. "I heard this big crashing explosion."
"It's all right, Bit," Spike said. "I just got carried away with my playacting. Your big Sis is gonna be cross with me when she sees what I did."
"You do know that I didn't mean anything I said, right? I meant it for Amy and Doc."
"Oh, of course," Spike said, waving her words away. "Just remembering what it was like when your big Sis was gone, is all. Got carried away."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I kinda tapped into that too."
"But she's not gone," Spike said, putting his arm around her. "She's just waiting in my crypt eating chips. Gotta remember that."
"Yeah. Watching that old clunker of a TV you got there."
"I should have her back here for you by the time you get home from school tomorrow afternoon."
Dawn let her head fall on his shoulder. "The sooner the better."
- - - - - - - - - -
As it turned out, Doc believed the story that Amy brought him. So Buffy was able to come home the next day, much to the relief of her family, extended and otherwise.
Doc had seen Spike's devotion to the Slayer the year before and he knew her disappearance would devastate him. He pictured the scene in his mind as Amy described it. It seemed very likely that madness would follow, just as the vampire had said. The thought made Doc smile.
He was also glad to hear how distraught the Key girl was. It served her right for standing in the way of Glory's plans. Doc assumed the Watcher would try to bring their precious Buffy back. But of course they wouldn't be able to. He'd chosen that particular counter-spell for a reason. Once her body was turned to dust and her molecules scattered, she would be virtually impossible to reassemble. At last the first part of his revenge was complete.
Doc figured that the Slayer's friends would be so busy trying to get her back that they would either forget about the warehouse doings, or feel too weakened to move against him. So he could continue on with the rest of his plans unmolested.
At least, that's what he thought.