The vampire closed in on her, fangs gleaming, smiling at the ease of it
all. Her back turned, it would be an easy mark. The girl's head lifted,
awareness suddenly filling her. She spun around, her hair flying as she
threw a punch. The vampire countered easily, growling loudly, throwing a
punch of it's own. She blocked, feinted a left jab, then turned a quick
and surprisingly accurate and strong roundhouse. The vampire hit the
ground with a loud "Oof!", in an instant, the girl was on him, a stake
held up. She brought it down, turning it at the last second, and gently
laying the blunt end on his chest over his unbeating heart. Tapped it
three times. "I wiiiii-iiiin!" She sang happily.
Spike snorted at Dawn. "Yeah, yeah. You win, Bit. Now geroff me."
She smiled down at him, but before moving, she frowned. "You didn't let me win did you?"
He rubbed at his jaw. "No."
She smiled. "Good, cuz... then... You'd like... TOP my list."
"List..." He trailed off, eyes getting wide. He glanced over to where Buffy was sitting on a box, eating a chicken salad sandwich. "Don't let her do it, luv. I'm trapped!"
"And!" Dawn said, while Buffy just smiled, munching away. "*You* were a grouch this morning. Did Buffy not kiss you g'night?"
"I was not a grouch, and it's none of your business. I'm not grouchy."
Dawn smiled, while the grin faded off Buffy's face. "Anyway, you bit my head off at breakfast, and THAT was your third strike." She dropped the stake and started tickling him.
He yelped and immediately started squirming. "AAHH! Bit! Stop it! SLAYER!!!"
Buffy, who now looked considerably uncomfortable, waved her sandwich. "Eating. Sorry."
Dawn kept tickling him. "I'll stop when you tell me why you were grouchy."
"DROP THE.... SandwiCH! And HELP ME!!!", he howled around bursts of laughter. "And I'm... NOT... grouchYYY!"
Dawn looked to her sister for confirmation. "Wasn't he all... snippy and short with everyone this morning??"
Buffy gave a small smile. "Um... Everyone's entitled to a bad morning, Dawn." She stood, cocked her head to the side. "I think Giles is calling for me. I'll be right back." Buffy slipped out the door and sighed. This morning had been difficult. Hugely. And Spike HAD been short with everyone, but, she didn't hold it against him. She hadn't slept well either.
In the training room, Dawn just shrugged at her weird sister and kept tickling Spike. "Well?"
"I said I wasn't grouchy!", he laughed. "I'm in a GREAT mood..." He had to pause to convulse in a fit of helpless laughter, the continued, "Not my RIBS, Bit! Stop!!"
She poked her fingers between his ribs. "Liars go to hell."
"I'm a vampire! IT's my destination anyway!!!! And I"m NOT lying... Quit it!"
She, with one final tickle, leaned back, still on his lap. "Fine. Party pooper."
He lay there, panting. Trying to decide whether or not to pounce her. He had been in a bad mood that morning, but it had just been because of Buffy getting him all worked up the night before. He hadn't slept well, and he WAS grouchy. He decided to pounce and flipped the Key, not really sitting on her, but holding her down while his fingers found her ribs. "I seem to remember someone else reaching three strikes, eh, Bit?"
She squirmed, laughing. "No! Not three!"
He nodded, digging his fingers inbetween her ribs. "Oh, but I think it was."
She squealed out a laugh. "Nononono!"
He laughed, all semblance of the bad mood had left him. He continued to playfully tickle the youngest Summers. "Ok, if it wasn't three, then I'm giving you a free strike on me for next time." He released her just as Giles stuck his head in the door.
"What's all the noise? I thought you two were training."
Dawn sat up, both hands wrapped around her ribs. She coughed. "We... uh.. we were." At Giles' stern look, she dropped her head, said guiltily, "Then we weren't."
Giles leaned on the doorjamb. "I figured. Because when would you ever be able to tickle a vampire on patrol?"
Spike chuckled. "You never know around here."
Dawn gave Giles her patented 'kicked puppy' look. "I'm sorry."
Giles chuckled quietly. "It's fine, Dawn. I'm sure he deserved it."
"I did not."
Dawn nodded emphatically. "He did. He lied."
Giles 'tsk'ed at Spike. "Bad vampire. No lying."
Spike gave a pathetic sounding whimper and rolled onto his back like a puppy.
Dawn stuck her tongue out at Spike. "And he KEPT lying. Still is. Lying," she said in disbelief. "To me. His Niblet. His Li'l Bit. His girl." She shook her head at Giles. "Can you believe it?"
Spike gave a guilty look. "Sorry. Ok. Maybe I was in a bad mood this morning, ok?" He looked at Dawn, giving her the upside down kicked puppy look. "But I'm sorry I lied to you, Bit. I didn't want you to worry."
She melted. She always did. She ran a hand through his hair. "Ok." She frowned. "Did- did you and Buffy fight?"
He shook his head. "No. Not a fight. Just bad timing, that's all."
She looked confused. "What do you mean?" She bit her bottom lip, mimicking her older sister unconsciously. "You guys didn't even... touch, at all this morning. I don't... I don't understand."
He swallowed, knowing Buffy would kill him if he said too much, but he had to tell her something, and not lie about it. "Well, we were... uh... making out, and nearly went a bit too far... um... and I got... excited... and we had to stop. Then we had a little chat about your mom, and I went to sleep. That's it."
Dawn swallowed, turning pink. "Oh."
Spike gave her an embarrassed look. "You asked."
"Bu- well, I-" She stopped, took a breath. "But you didn't?"
"No. We didn't. And we won't. Not for quite awhile, yet," he said. "We're... happy with where we are. As long as we can keep from bringing up too many past mistakes, we'll be fine eventually, Bit. You don't have to worry."
She nodded, having completely forgotten about Giles. "I'm glad," she said softly. "That, ya know, you... um... didn't."
The vampire cocked his head, thinking. "You know what, Niblet? So am I. We're not ready yet, no matter what our bodies say."
Giles cleared his throat. "A-hem. There was another reason I came in here, but if you two aren't finished training, I can come back later."
Dawn's head jerked up at Giles' voice. Her face got pink again. "Um..." She stood quickly, looking anywhere but at anyone. "We're.. uh... finished."
Spike stood up and gave Dawn a quick hug, whispering, "Love you, Bit."
Giles smiled.
Her chin tucked to her chest, she mumbled, "Love you, too."
The vampire grinned, then looked to Giles. "So? What did you need, Rupe?"
Giles looked at them, looking like a brother and sister. Spike was really starting to become part of the family. "There's a huge box that I need to get down from a high shelf. I can't hold it, so I thought you might..."
"Say no more, Rupe! Spikey to the rescue," he said playfully, trotting out into the main shop.
Dawn looked at Buffy, leafing through a book, sitting on a table. "Giles was calling, huh?"
Buffy had the grace to make a chagrined face, then said, "What's up?"
Giles followed Spike out the door. The vampire snuck up behind Buffy, gave her a quick hug and kiss on the cheek before going to find a ladder. His bad mood was obviously gone now.
Buffy spun in a circle, even though Spike was already gone. "Ok. Confused."
Dawn shrugged. "I tickled him outta his mood."
Giles chuckled. "Spike's on an emotional rollercoaster lately. It's no surprise that it is as easy to cheer him up as to get him upset."
Buffy and Dawn both looked in opposite directions when Giles said 'upset'. "Yeah," they both mumbled.
Spike came back from the basement, carrying a step ladder. "This was all I could find, Rupert."
Giles nodded. "Yes. I think Xander borrowed the big ladder for something at work."
Spike nodded. "It's old, but I think it'll do. Where's that box?"
Giles pointed up to a large box on top of a shelf. "I have no clue how Anya got it up there, but I need it down now. We didn't put the contents in inventory last month, and the records are off because of it."
Buffy and Dawn sat back, and watched, then Buffy volunteered, "I can probably get it, Giles."
Spike shook his head. "I wanna help Rupert. You get the next one," he said playfully, deliberately sounding like a petulant five year old wanting to impress his dad.
Giles just chuckled.
Buffy smiled, feeling slightly more comfortable. "Geez... ok."
Spike clambered up on the shaky ladder, and maneuvered the box off the top shelf. But the step ladder wasn't strong enough to handle both the weight of the vampire and the box. One leg of the ladder collapsed, sending Spike and the box tumbling to the floor with a crash. No one moved for a moment, almost not believing what had happened. Then all three occupants of the room screamed one word at once, "SPIKE!!!"
Buffy flew forward, Dawn at her heels. She used her slayer strength to pull the chest off of him, seeing him hit his head against the counter as he fell. She slipped one hand under his head, cupped his cheek with the other. "Spike??"
Dawn was crying. "Spike... wake up."
Giles practically ran to the back. "I'll get icepacks and bandages."
Spike didn't move. And he wasn't breathing. Blood seeped from a gash on his head.
Buffy was getting nervous. She couldn't make a mental connection. She wanted to shake him, but restrained herself. "Spike.... damnit, wake up."
Spike was as still as a corpse, and it worried everyone that he wasn't breathing. Spike even breathed in his sleep, so he had to be VERY unconscious not to be breathing. Giles returned and handed bandages to Buffy. "How's he doing?"
She shook her head... "Nothing..." She hoped he wouldn't mind her invasion, and she began to root through his mind. She was calling the whole time she searched, stumbling across his recent memories. She saw... Harmony... lunging at a-a girl... the pain from the chip... Cammo clad men in a white building... the Initiative. There wasn't much more... It was like... a wall. She could feel things behind it, but she couldn't get past it. Oh, God. Please no. She panicked, pulling out of his mind. "Dawn," she bit off sharply, "go back to the house, and lock the door."
Dawn looked at her sister, confused. "What? No! I want to be sure he's all right, and-"
Buffy broke off her sister's tirade. "DAWN! I said GO. Now."
Glaring, confused, and hurt, Dawn did as her sister commanded.
Giles looked at Buffy. "Buffy, what is it? He didn't, lose the soul, did he?"
She looked sadly at Giles. "I don't.. No. He didn't.... but he won't remember it. Any of it. I think.. you should get handcuffs ready. Just in case."
Giles nodded slowly, understanding. "Amnesia. Total, or only partial?", he asked, opening the weapons trunk and taking out lengths of chain and hand cuffs.
"He'll remember everything... till... I'm not quite sure where. He won't remember Riley leaving, or Glory, or..." 'Loving me,' pulsed through her.
"Let's get him in the back room. Tie him up, wait for him to wake up. It's really all we can do." Giles placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know you're scared, Buffy. I am too. He was just beginning to really fit in here. We'll jog his memory. We'll get him back. I promise."
She steeled her resolve, hitched Spike up, pulling him along with her to the backroom. "Go call the others. Let them know. I'll chain him."
Giles nodded, reaching for the phone as Buffy and Spike disappeared into the back room.
She was closing off, closing in, and she knew it. But it was the only way she could handle it. Buffy deposited him in the chair, in the training room, came back out, grabbed the chains, and made short work of making sure he was secure.
Slowly, the vampire began to breathe. Still unconscious, but more like sleeping now. He was on the verge of waking up, moving slightly in the chair.
Buffy closed herself off emotionally, all but breaking their link. She was preparing for whatever was next.
Spike opened his eyes, blinking a couple of times, totally disoriented. "Ohhhh," he moaned, feeling the pain in his head. "Bloody hell.."
She stood quietly, hands clasped behind her back, a good eight feet away from him.
His vision cleared, and he moved to put a hand to his head, only to find that he could barely move it. "What the..." He glanced around. Magic Box, training room.... Slayer. He growled at her. "What's the big idea, Slayer? I didn't do anything."
The hurt slashed through her harder than she thought possible. "Sorry, Spike. You... fell. We didn't know what kind of mood you'd be in when you woke up."
The 'sorry' gave him pause. Since when did the Slayer apologize to HIM? He looked at her, regarding her curiously, saying nothing.
She said with no emotion, "What's the last thing you remember?"
He thought for a moment, considering. There was something weird in his mind, like, a heaviness floating around, it made it hard to concentrate. "Uh.... It's... um..." He broke off, annoyed at himself. "Can't think straight." Stared at her. "Must be that I'm tied to a CHAIR!"
She rolled her eyes, sat on the mats. "Gee, let's do something about that. Like, get over it. Try again. What's the last thing you remember?"
He snorted. Closed his eyes. Images flashed past, things from a long time ago, sending an uncomfortable wave of nausea through him. "Ooh. I don't feel good...." He swallowed. "Uh.. I remember the blonde witch thinking she was a demon. Punching her... Did someone hit me?"
"Why would someone have hit you?"
"Knocked me out."
"You, um... fell. Do you know what the Initiative is?"
A loud growl answered the question.
Buffy held her ground. "Fine. I'll be back." She stood, turned her back, and walked out, closing the door behind her. "Giles?"
Giles looked up from where he was bent over a book, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "I take it he's awake."
She nodded. "He remembers hitting Tara, and the Initiative. I don't... I'm afraid to let him up, and he'll know the chip doesn't work."
Giles looked at her. "He has a lot to catch up on. And remember that he thinks it does work, so don't give him any reason to attack you, and we can make sure he keeps thinking that." He held up the book. "It says here that vampires with amnesia are the same as humans. We have to let him know we care about him, and try to make him understand all that he's forgotten. I'm afraid that he doesn't even remember that Joyce is gone. It's going to be hard, Buffy."
She sighed, taking the emotional blow without blinking. Her face blank, she nodded. "I'm going back in. Can you bring me a mug of blood? With a straw?"
Giles nodded. "I'll be in there in a second."
She went back into the training room. "Hey."
Spike glanced up from where he had been tugging on his restraints. "Slayer." He looked at her, cocking his head first one way, then the other. "When did you get a hair cut? How long was I out!?"
She touched the shorn locks. "About six mo- Nevermind. Um... What's the last thing you remember... us talking about?"
He snorted, then winced at a pain in his head. "We don't talk, Slayer. You hit me."
She licked her lips. "What's the last thing I hit you over?"
He thought. "Uh... Insulting your army cowboy. Yesterday."
Oh, man... "You.. don't remember Glory?"
He thought again. "Um.... OH! Yeah. Wants the Key. And it was over a week ago that you hit me last. Got mixed up."
She swallowed. "What's the key?"
He glanced around, trying to figure out if there was anyone else around. "Dawn."
She sighed. He remembered more than she had thought.
He looked at her. "She's okay, right?"
She thought of her sister, in their locked home. "She'll be fine. How many times have I died?"
He cocked his head, laughed. "Once." He let out a low snarl. "But I'll make it twice if you don't untie me."
She internally winced. "Shut up, Spike."
He snorted. "Figured."
She rolled her eyes. "Untie you so you could get in a good jump, snarl, then... AWwwwww my head!"
He looked at his lap, wondering why it didn't feel right to be yelling at her. "Yeah, yeah. Points for effort, though?"
Another eye roll. "One." She raised her voice. "GILES!"
He came in at the same moment she called, carrying a mug with a straw. "I'm here, Buffy. That stupid microwave was acting up again. Tried to spin so fast that the mug nearly flew out the door." He looked at Spike. "Hello, Spike." Back to Buffy. "How's he doing?"
She shook her head, took the mug from his hands. Held it to Spike's lips. "Hungry?"
He looked at her. "Feeding me, now?" He was confused, since when was she nice? And why did it make him feel so good?
"You gotta eat." She shrugged at him.
He took the straw in his mouth, sucking quietly, his eyes roaming over her face, down her neck, pausing at something he didn't remember, but felt like he should. He released the straw. "Some big nasty take a bite out of you, Slayer?"
Her eyes clouded. "Something like that. Finish eating."
He did as she asked, sucking the last of the blood out of the mug. He sat back slightly, surprised to feel Giles' hand on his shoulder. "If you need anything, one of you call me, okay?" He was addressing Buffy, but his hand was still on Spike's shoulder.
The vampire didn't know what to do. Everyone was being so nice all of the sudden. Weird humans.
She looked at Giles, lost. She didn't know how to tell him... "All right," she told her Watcher, handing him the mug. Giles took the mug and left to do more research on vampire amnesia.
Spike glanced at Buffy, a questioning look in his eyes.
She stepped back, fidgeted a minute. "When.... when you fell... you... um... forgot stuff."
He nodded. "I know. It's like... like there's a fog around a big part of my mind, and I can't get through it." Let out an annoyed growl. "Pissing me off." He tugged on the restraints. "If you let me go, I promise not to leave. It's day, anyway."
She shook her head. "I can't, yet."
He needed to touch her, or her to touch him, and he didn't know why. "Why not? And when can you?"
She moved a little farther from him, sat down on the mats. Looked him in the eye. "Your chip is ineffective."
His eyes got big. "What? Since when, cause I know it bloody went off when I hit the witch." And where was the craving to kill her? Damn, this was turning into a weird day.
She dropped her eyes, said quietly, "Since you got a soul."
He snarled, tugging on the chains. "NO! Who did this! How DARE you people- "
"We didn't! I'm... I'm sorry... I'm not... explaining well."
He froze. There was that 'sorry', again. Tugged a little more, but not as hard. "Try again, then," he said, wondering why it came out so soft.
"Um... first off, it's 2002, for starters. G-Glory... opened a portal... with Dawn's blood... I... jumped in to- um... close it." She stopped. "Oh. You kept telling me you fell in love with me, before that."
He stared at her. "Uh... say again? Slower, and in order. Start with the last thing that I don't remember."
She ducked her head. "You.... fell in love with me."
Opened his mouth to protest, but something stopped him. Emotions, confusing and jumbled, began floating through the fog in his mind. Slayer...Luv...Goldilocks.... Buffy... He closed his eyes, shaking his head, trying to make things clearer. "....how? 2002? I'm... I love you?" It was said as a question, but sounded so right. He moaned, the headache getting worse.
She was flustered. "Yeah... 2002... You... said you did. Anyway, Glory ended up getting Dawn, opening the hell portal."
"You jumped in...." Flash: Tower, Doc... free falling, pain... physical first, then emotional, stronger, uncontrollable. He opened his eyes. "...hurts...", he said quietly.
She nodded. "I- Willow... brought me back."
"Red?"
"Yeah... I wasn't... feeling right, when they did. Couldn't.. feel anything."
He looked at her. He was getting bits and pieces, but it was all so confusing. So much emotion... and guilt. He looked at his lap, feeling a tear slide down his cheek, wanting to wipe it away, but he couldn't move his arms.
She stood, walked to him, tentatively reached out a hand.
He turned his head away, half expecting her to hit him.
She gently wiped at the tear, then sat at his feet. "We.... um... We... screwed. A lot."
An interested, but confused face. "You loved me too?"
She shook her head. "I said we screwed."
"...oh..." 'Should've known. Cecily all over again. I can really pick 'em.'
"And... it... was time for me to... stop escaping." Her head snapped up. "I am NOT like that bitch."
He stared at her. "What? Who?"
She paused. Well, shit. "Nevermind. Any-anyway... I... um... stopped sleeping with you."
He tugged at the restraints again, more to just be doing something than to actually try to escape. The emotions from her breaking up with him shot through him, without the benefit of actual memories to attach them to. It was confusing. "Ok. Then what?"
"You... um... we... you-" She sighed. "You tried to... rape me in my bathroom."
His soul shook, causing his body to repeat the movements. More emotions, but still no real memories. He kept shivering.
She wasn't look him in the eye. "You... ran away... Went to Africa, for basically the whole summer. And got a soul. Tara... died while you were gone. Willow went on a dark magic binge, almost caused an apocalypse. Xander stopped her."
Spike looked up, trying to catch her eyes. Everything she'd told him sounded so right, but he didn't remember it. "And... how long have I been back?"
"Little over three months."
"Nothing's happened since I've been back? Where's everyone? Red, Harris, Anya, Dawn, your mum?"
She winced. "M-mom..." She couldn't start there. "Xander and Anya... aren't dating anymore. Xander left her at the alter. Willow is in intensive therapy, Dawn... she's good. She just had her sweet sixteen."
Spike grinned. "Good for her. Lil' Bit's a good kid."
She smiled half-heartedly. "Yeah. She is. Spike..." She put a hand on his knee. "M-mom... Mom... was sick. And... she had. A brain aneurysm. She... died, a few months before I did."
He stopped breathing. Inhaled slowly after a moment. "...no..." Stopped breathing again. Tears welling up in his eyes.
Buffy looked at him, her own eyes filmed over. "I'm sorry... They said- they said that it... That she didn't feel it."
He continued to not breathe. It was the only way to keep from crying. But he couldn't control everything. His body started shaking and tears ran silently down his cheeks.
Buffy let her own tears fall, and she lifted up on her knees to wipe at his.
His restraints didn't give him much leeway, but he had enough. He drew in a shuddering breath and let it out in a loud sob. Without knowing why, he leaned forward, placing his head on the Slayer's shoulder, crying onto her blouse. "...Joyce...", he said softly through the sobs that were now wracking his body.
She wrapped her arms around him. "She... you wear one of her charms."
He felt it hanging from the chain around his neck. So that's what that was. Without thinking, he nuzzled her a little, trying to make her feel better since he couldn't return the embrace.
She let him, then pulled away slowly. "Do... do you want me to finish?"
He nodded, trying not to hiccup.
"We... talked... a lot, when you got back... we said slow. Very, very slow. One day, you came to your crypt, and I was waiting for you. You had... the hell beat out of you. So, I bandaged you, and stayed the night. We were kissing... in the morning, and Giles came in. He thought you were... hurting me. So, he beat the hell out of you, too. I got him to stop, and started to fix you up again... I was... scared. There was so much blood. So I slipped you some of mine, in a mug."
His eyes got big. "You did that.... for me?"
She sat back down all the way, shrugged. "Yeah. So, a couple days later, and you still weren't... well. But we had a- a link. Our thoughts were connected. Anyway, I did a cloaking spell on a mug of my blood, because you didn't want anymore of it."
"I'm weird like that," he said, attempting a joke. "I get what I've wanted for, what? Six years, and then I don't want it anymore."
She gave a small smile. "Um... we... experimented because... I could... feel you vamp. So, we linked, to see if I could understand vampiric when you were like that..."
"You could." Statement. Not question.
"Yes. And I... um... I claimed you."
He looked at her. Then closed his eyes, feeling around in his mind for the new bond. It was there, but closed from the other end. "Ah. So that's how you heard me compare you to Cecily earlier."
"Um.. yeah. Then... the... next morning, I... you claimed me."
He swallowed. Knowing that it was true. "And then?"
"Y... We... I... told you I loved you." She lifted her eyes to his shyly.
He looked at her. "You do?" He couldn't remember the last time ANYONE had said that to him. And it felt good. Really good. He bit back a purr.
Softly, "Yeah. But... I can't... I won't let you loose till I..."
"Till you what?"
"Till I'm sure... you won't hurt them." Her eyes begged for understanding.
"Your pals."
She nodded.
He fidgeted nervously. "How can I assure you?"
She shrugged. "I have no idea."
He laughed quietly. "Guess I'd better get comfortable, then." He looked at her. "You really think I want to hurt them?"
Buffy looked back at him. "I don't know... Where you... your memories leave off... if the chip had been gone, you'd have killed everyone in front of me, bathed me in their blood, and torn my throat out."
His stomach rolled. "I don't want to. Feel sick..." He closed his eyes, fighting back a wave of nausea, clamping his mouth shut to keep the blood down.
She bit her lip. "That's... your soul, you get sick when you... think about stuff like that."
"Then what do you think would happen if I actually TRIED it?", he said, swallowing hard.
She frowned. "I'm sorry." And she was, genuinely. "Even... last week, you'd have beaten Xander. I mean, you guys get along now... but..."
He made a face. "Get along? With Harris? Euch. How about just letting me have an arm? My nose is itching like crazy."
She gave him a wary glance, then walked behind him, to uncuff one hand.
He immediately reached up and scratched at his nose. "Ahh. That's better." To her surprise, he held his hand behind him again. "You can put it back on now."
She grabbed his wrist to do so, then stopped. "You can keep it out for a while."
He looked at her, surprised at the gesture of trust. Then began to scratch at a couple of other itchy spots, one on his ribs, another on his stomach. "Thanks...", he said quietly.
"Yeah.." She moved to sit in front of him again. "Um.. any questions?"
He started to reach toward her, then pulled back and set his hand in his lap. "You... Me... We're a couple?"
She nodded. "It's understood we're taken."
He grinned. "And you love me? And I love you?" Why was he so damned happy about this?
She tucked her hair behind her ear. "Um.. yes?"
A genuine smile. "No more questions, then."
"Ummm... Ok. All right. Here's the deal."
He watched her, waiting.
She spoke slowly, weighing her words. "I'll... let you loose. But you have to stay in the house. No hunting, no fighting, and if you scare Dawn, I'll make it hurt."
He nodded, and then cocked his head. "Niblet's not scared of me. She likes me."
"She's going to be uneasy a while... I sent her home when you fell. Told her to lock the door."
He watched her as she untied him. "So she doesn't know what's wrong with me, and yet you're taking me to your house?"
Buffy stood, holding the chains. "I'll call, explain." She turned to the door, then stopped. "Spike?"
"Yeah, Sl- luv?"
It was quiet, pleading. "Please don't make me choose between my heart and my calling."
He stood up, walked to her slowly, and tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder. "You have my word, luv. My promise. My bond. All things that I am powerless to break."
She raised her hand to touch his softly, for a second. "Let's go... We need to talk to Giles."
Spike snorted at Dawn. "Yeah, yeah. You win, Bit. Now geroff me."
She smiled down at him, but before moving, she frowned. "You didn't let me win did you?"
He rubbed at his jaw. "No."
She smiled. "Good, cuz... then... You'd like... TOP my list."
"List..." He trailed off, eyes getting wide. He glanced over to where Buffy was sitting on a box, eating a chicken salad sandwich. "Don't let her do it, luv. I'm trapped!"
"And!" Dawn said, while Buffy just smiled, munching away. "*You* were a grouch this morning. Did Buffy not kiss you g'night?"
"I was not a grouch, and it's none of your business. I'm not grouchy."
Dawn smiled, while the grin faded off Buffy's face. "Anyway, you bit my head off at breakfast, and THAT was your third strike." She dropped the stake and started tickling him.
He yelped and immediately started squirming. "AAHH! Bit! Stop it! SLAYER!!!"
Buffy, who now looked considerably uncomfortable, waved her sandwich. "Eating. Sorry."
Dawn kept tickling him. "I'll stop when you tell me why you were grouchy."
"DROP THE.... SandwiCH! And HELP ME!!!", he howled around bursts of laughter. "And I'm... NOT... grouchYYY!"
Dawn looked to her sister for confirmation. "Wasn't he all... snippy and short with everyone this morning??"
Buffy gave a small smile. "Um... Everyone's entitled to a bad morning, Dawn." She stood, cocked her head to the side. "I think Giles is calling for me. I'll be right back." Buffy slipped out the door and sighed. This morning had been difficult. Hugely. And Spike HAD been short with everyone, but, she didn't hold it against him. She hadn't slept well either.
In the training room, Dawn just shrugged at her weird sister and kept tickling Spike. "Well?"
"I said I wasn't grouchy!", he laughed. "I'm in a GREAT mood..." He had to pause to convulse in a fit of helpless laughter, the continued, "Not my RIBS, Bit! Stop!!"
She poked her fingers between his ribs. "Liars go to hell."
"I'm a vampire! IT's my destination anyway!!!! And I"m NOT lying... Quit it!"
She, with one final tickle, leaned back, still on his lap. "Fine. Party pooper."
He lay there, panting. Trying to decide whether or not to pounce her. He had been in a bad mood that morning, but it had just been because of Buffy getting him all worked up the night before. He hadn't slept well, and he WAS grouchy. He decided to pounce and flipped the Key, not really sitting on her, but holding her down while his fingers found her ribs. "I seem to remember someone else reaching three strikes, eh, Bit?"
She squirmed, laughing. "No! Not three!"
He nodded, digging his fingers inbetween her ribs. "Oh, but I think it was."
She squealed out a laugh. "Nononono!"
He laughed, all semblance of the bad mood had left him. He continued to playfully tickle the youngest Summers. "Ok, if it wasn't three, then I'm giving you a free strike on me for next time." He released her just as Giles stuck his head in the door.
"What's all the noise? I thought you two were training."
Dawn sat up, both hands wrapped around her ribs. She coughed. "We... uh.. we were." At Giles' stern look, she dropped her head, said guiltily, "Then we weren't."
Giles leaned on the doorjamb. "I figured. Because when would you ever be able to tickle a vampire on patrol?"
Spike chuckled. "You never know around here."
Dawn gave Giles her patented 'kicked puppy' look. "I'm sorry."
Giles chuckled quietly. "It's fine, Dawn. I'm sure he deserved it."
"I did not."
Dawn nodded emphatically. "He did. He lied."
Giles 'tsk'ed at Spike. "Bad vampire. No lying."
Spike gave a pathetic sounding whimper and rolled onto his back like a puppy.
Dawn stuck her tongue out at Spike. "And he KEPT lying. Still is. Lying," she said in disbelief. "To me. His Niblet. His Li'l Bit. His girl." She shook her head at Giles. "Can you believe it?"
Spike gave a guilty look. "Sorry. Ok. Maybe I was in a bad mood this morning, ok?" He looked at Dawn, giving her the upside down kicked puppy look. "But I'm sorry I lied to you, Bit. I didn't want you to worry."
She melted. She always did. She ran a hand through his hair. "Ok." She frowned. "Did- did you and Buffy fight?"
He shook his head. "No. Not a fight. Just bad timing, that's all."
She looked confused. "What do you mean?" She bit her bottom lip, mimicking her older sister unconsciously. "You guys didn't even... touch, at all this morning. I don't... I don't understand."
He swallowed, knowing Buffy would kill him if he said too much, but he had to tell her something, and not lie about it. "Well, we were... uh... making out, and nearly went a bit too far... um... and I got... excited... and we had to stop. Then we had a little chat about your mom, and I went to sleep. That's it."
Dawn swallowed, turning pink. "Oh."
Spike gave her an embarrassed look. "You asked."
"Bu- well, I-" She stopped, took a breath. "But you didn't?"
"No. We didn't. And we won't. Not for quite awhile, yet," he said. "We're... happy with where we are. As long as we can keep from bringing up too many past mistakes, we'll be fine eventually, Bit. You don't have to worry."
She nodded, having completely forgotten about Giles. "I'm glad," she said softly. "That, ya know, you... um... didn't."
The vampire cocked his head, thinking. "You know what, Niblet? So am I. We're not ready yet, no matter what our bodies say."
Giles cleared his throat. "A-hem. There was another reason I came in here, but if you two aren't finished training, I can come back later."
Dawn's head jerked up at Giles' voice. Her face got pink again. "Um..." She stood quickly, looking anywhere but at anyone. "We're.. uh... finished."
Spike stood up and gave Dawn a quick hug, whispering, "Love you, Bit."
Giles smiled.
Her chin tucked to her chest, she mumbled, "Love you, too."
The vampire grinned, then looked to Giles. "So? What did you need, Rupe?"
Giles looked at them, looking like a brother and sister. Spike was really starting to become part of the family. "There's a huge box that I need to get down from a high shelf. I can't hold it, so I thought you might..."
"Say no more, Rupe! Spikey to the rescue," he said playfully, trotting out into the main shop.
Dawn looked at Buffy, leafing through a book, sitting on a table. "Giles was calling, huh?"
Buffy had the grace to make a chagrined face, then said, "What's up?"
Giles followed Spike out the door. The vampire snuck up behind Buffy, gave her a quick hug and kiss on the cheek before going to find a ladder. His bad mood was obviously gone now.
Buffy spun in a circle, even though Spike was already gone. "Ok. Confused."
Dawn shrugged. "I tickled him outta his mood."
Giles chuckled. "Spike's on an emotional rollercoaster lately. It's no surprise that it is as easy to cheer him up as to get him upset."
Buffy and Dawn both looked in opposite directions when Giles said 'upset'. "Yeah," they both mumbled.
Spike came back from the basement, carrying a step ladder. "This was all I could find, Rupert."
Giles nodded. "Yes. I think Xander borrowed the big ladder for something at work."
Spike nodded. "It's old, but I think it'll do. Where's that box?"
Giles pointed up to a large box on top of a shelf. "I have no clue how Anya got it up there, but I need it down now. We didn't put the contents in inventory last month, and the records are off because of it."
Buffy and Dawn sat back, and watched, then Buffy volunteered, "I can probably get it, Giles."
Spike shook his head. "I wanna help Rupert. You get the next one," he said playfully, deliberately sounding like a petulant five year old wanting to impress his dad.
Giles just chuckled.
Buffy smiled, feeling slightly more comfortable. "Geez... ok."
Spike clambered up on the shaky ladder, and maneuvered the box off the top shelf. But the step ladder wasn't strong enough to handle both the weight of the vampire and the box. One leg of the ladder collapsed, sending Spike and the box tumbling to the floor with a crash. No one moved for a moment, almost not believing what had happened. Then all three occupants of the room screamed one word at once, "SPIKE!!!"
Buffy flew forward, Dawn at her heels. She used her slayer strength to pull the chest off of him, seeing him hit his head against the counter as he fell. She slipped one hand under his head, cupped his cheek with the other. "Spike??"
Dawn was crying. "Spike... wake up."
Giles practically ran to the back. "I'll get icepacks and bandages."
Spike didn't move. And he wasn't breathing. Blood seeped from a gash on his head.
Buffy was getting nervous. She couldn't make a mental connection. She wanted to shake him, but restrained herself. "Spike.... damnit, wake up."
Spike was as still as a corpse, and it worried everyone that he wasn't breathing. Spike even breathed in his sleep, so he had to be VERY unconscious not to be breathing. Giles returned and handed bandages to Buffy. "How's he doing?"
She shook her head... "Nothing..." She hoped he wouldn't mind her invasion, and she began to root through his mind. She was calling the whole time she searched, stumbling across his recent memories. She saw... Harmony... lunging at a-a girl... the pain from the chip... Cammo clad men in a white building... the Initiative. There wasn't much more... It was like... a wall. She could feel things behind it, but she couldn't get past it. Oh, God. Please no. She panicked, pulling out of his mind. "Dawn," she bit off sharply, "go back to the house, and lock the door."
Dawn looked at her sister, confused. "What? No! I want to be sure he's all right, and-"
Buffy broke off her sister's tirade. "DAWN! I said GO. Now."
Glaring, confused, and hurt, Dawn did as her sister commanded.
Giles looked at Buffy. "Buffy, what is it? He didn't, lose the soul, did he?"
She looked sadly at Giles. "I don't.. No. He didn't.... but he won't remember it. Any of it. I think.. you should get handcuffs ready. Just in case."
Giles nodded slowly, understanding. "Amnesia. Total, or only partial?", he asked, opening the weapons trunk and taking out lengths of chain and hand cuffs.
"He'll remember everything... till... I'm not quite sure where. He won't remember Riley leaving, or Glory, or..." 'Loving me,' pulsed through her.
"Let's get him in the back room. Tie him up, wait for him to wake up. It's really all we can do." Giles placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know you're scared, Buffy. I am too. He was just beginning to really fit in here. We'll jog his memory. We'll get him back. I promise."
She steeled her resolve, hitched Spike up, pulling him along with her to the backroom. "Go call the others. Let them know. I'll chain him."
Giles nodded, reaching for the phone as Buffy and Spike disappeared into the back room.
She was closing off, closing in, and she knew it. But it was the only way she could handle it. Buffy deposited him in the chair, in the training room, came back out, grabbed the chains, and made short work of making sure he was secure.
Slowly, the vampire began to breathe. Still unconscious, but more like sleeping now. He was on the verge of waking up, moving slightly in the chair.
Buffy closed herself off emotionally, all but breaking their link. She was preparing for whatever was next.
Spike opened his eyes, blinking a couple of times, totally disoriented. "Ohhhh," he moaned, feeling the pain in his head. "Bloody hell.."
She stood quietly, hands clasped behind her back, a good eight feet away from him.
His vision cleared, and he moved to put a hand to his head, only to find that he could barely move it. "What the..." He glanced around. Magic Box, training room.... Slayer. He growled at her. "What's the big idea, Slayer? I didn't do anything."
The hurt slashed through her harder than she thought possible. "Sorry, Spike. You... fell. We didn't know what kind of mood you'd be in when you woke up."
The 'sorry' gave him pause. Since when did the Slayer apologize to HIM? He looked at her, regarding her curiously, saying nothing.
She said with no emotion, "What's the last thing you remember?"
He thought for a moment, considering. There was something weird in his mind, like, a heaviness floating around, it made it hard to concentrate. "Uh.... It's... um..." He broke off, annoyed at himself. "Can't think straight." Stared at her. "Must be that I'm tied to a CHAIR!"
She rolled her eyes, sat on the mats. "Gee, let's do something about that. Like, get over it. Try again. What's the last thing you remember?"
He snorted. Closed his eyes. Images flashed past, things from a long time ago, sending an uncomfortable wave of nausea through him. "Ooh. I don't feel good...." He swallowed. "Uh.. I remember the blonde witch thinking she was a demon. Punching her... Did someone hit me?"
"Why would someone have hit you?"
"Knocked me out."
"You, um... fell. Do you know what the Initiative is?"
A loud growl answered the question.
Buffy held her ground. "Fine. I'll be back." She stood, turned her back, and walked out, closing the door behind her. "Giles?"
Giles looked up from where he was bent over a book, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "I take it he's awake."
She nodded. "He remembers hitting Tara, and the Initiative. I don't... I'm afraid to let him up, and he'll know the chip doesn't work."
Giles looked at her. "He has a lot to catch up on. And remember that he thinks it does work, so don't give him any reason to attack you, and we can make sure he keeps thinking that." He held up the book. "It says here that vampires with amnesia are the same as humans. We have to let him know we care about him, and try to make him understand all that he's forgotten. I'm afraid that he doesn't even remember that Joyce is gone. It's going to be hard, Buffy."
She sighed, taking the emotional blow without blinking. Her face blank, she nodded. "I'm going back in. Can you bring me a mug of blood? With a straw?"
Giles nodded. "I'll be in there in a second."
She went back into the training room. "Hey."
Spike glanced up from where he had been tugging on his restraints. "Slayer." He looked at her, cocking his head first one way, then the other. "When did you get a hair cut? How long was I out!?"
She touched the shorn locks. "About six mo- Nevermind. Um... What's the last thing you remember... us talking about?"
He snorted, then winced at a pain in his head. "We don't talk, Slayer. You hit me."
She licked her lips. "What's the last thing I hit you over?"
He thought. "Uh... Insulting your army cowboy. Yesterday."
Oh, man... "You.. don't remember Glory?"
He thought again. "Um.... OH! Yeah. Wants the Key. And it was over a week ago that you hit me last. Got mixed up."
She swallowed. "What's the key?"
He glanced around, trying to figure out if there was anyone else around. "Dawn."
She sighed. He remembered more than she had thought.
He looked at her. "She's okay, right?"
She thought of her sister, in their locked home. "She'll be fine. How many times have I died?"
He cocked his head, laughed. "Once." He let out a low snarl. "But I'll make it twice if you don't untie me."
She internally winced. "Shut up, Spike."
He snorted. "Figured."
She rolled her eyes. "Untie you so you could get in a good jump, snarl, then... AWwwwww my head!"
He looked at his lap, wondering why it didn't feel right to be yelling at her. "Yeah, yeah. Points for effort, though?"
Another eye roll. "One." She raised her voice. "GILES!"
He came in at the same moment she called, carrying a mug with a straw. "I'm here, Buffy. That stupid microwave was acting up again. Tried to spin so fast that the mug nearly flew out the door." He looked at Spike. "Hello, Spike." Back to Buffy. "How's he doing?"
She shook her head, took the mug from his hands. Held it to Spike's lips. "Hungry?"
He looked at her. "Feeding me, now?" He was confused, since when was she nice? And why did it make him feel so good?
"You gotta eat." She shrugged at him.
He took the straw in his mouth, sucking quietly, his eyes roaming over her face, down her neck, pausing at something he didn't remember, but felt like he should. He released the straw. "Some big nasty take a bite out of you, Slayer?"
Her eyes clouded. "Something like that. Finish eating."
He did as she asked, sucking the last of the blood out of the mug. He sat back slightly, surprised to feel Giles' hand on his shoulder. "If you need anything, one of you call me, okay?" He was addressing Buffy, but his hand was still on Spike's shoulder.
The vampire didn't know what to do. Everyone was being so nice all of the sudden. Weird humans.
She looked at Giles, lost. She didn't know how to tell him... "All right," she told her Watcher, handing him the mug. Giles took the mug and left to do more research on vampire amnesia.
Spike glanced at Buffy, a questioning look in his eyes.
She stepped back, fidgeted a minute. "When.... when you fell... you... um... forgot stuff."
He nodded. "I know. It's like... like there's a fog around a big part of my mind, and I can't get through it." Let out an annoyed growl. "Pissing me off." He tugged on the restraints. "If you let me go, I promise not to leave. It's day, anyway."
She shook her head. "I can't, yet."
He needed to touch her, or her to touch him, and he didn't know why. "Why not? And when can you?"
She moved a little farther from him, sat down on the mats. Looked him in the eye. "Your chip is ineffective."
His eyes got big. "What? Since when, cause I know it bloody went off when I hit the witch." And where was the craving to kill her? Damn, this was turning into a weird day.
She dropped her eyes, said quietly, "Since you got a soul."
He snarled, tugging on the chains. "NO! Who did this! How DARE you people- "
"We didn't! I'm... I'm sorry... I'm not... explaining well."
He froze. There was that 'sorry', again. Tugged a little more, but not as hard. "Try again, then," he said, wondering why it came out so soft.
"Um... first off, it's 2002, for starters. G-Glory... opened a portal... with Dawn's blood... I... jumped in to- um... close it." She stopped. "Oh. You kept telling me you fell in love with me, before that."
He stared at her. "Uh... say again? Slower, and in order. Start with the last thing that I don't remember."
She ducked her head. "You.... fell in love with me."
Opened his mouth to protest, but something stopped him. Emotions, confusing and jumbled, began floating through the fog in his mind. Slayer...Luv...Goldilocks.... Buffy... He closed his eyes, shaking his head, trying to make things clearer. "....how? 2002? I'm... I love you?" It was said as a question, but sounded so right. He moaned, the headache getting worse.
She was flustered. "Yeah... 2002... You... said you did. Anyway, Glory ended up getting Dawn, opening the hell portal."
"You jumped in...." Flash: Tower, Doc... free falling, pain... physical first, then emotional, stronger, uncontrollable. He opened his eyes. "...hurts...", he said quietly.
She nodded. "I- Willow... brought me back."
"Red?"
"Yeah... I wasn't... feeling right, when they did. Couldn't.. feel anything."
He looked at her. He was getting bits and pieces, but it was all so confusing. So much emotion... and guilt. He looked at his lap, feeling a tear slide down his cheek, wanting to wipe it away, but he couldn't move his arms.
She stood, walked to him, tentatively reached out a hand.
He turned his head away, half expecting her to hit him.
She gently wiped at the tear, then sat at his feet. "We.... um... We... screwed. A lot."
An interested, but confused face. "You loved me too?"
She shook her head. "I said we screwed."
"...oh..." 'Should've known. Cecily all over again. I can really pick 'em.'
"And... it... was time for me to... stop escaping." Her head snapped up. "I am NOT like that bitch."
He stared at her. "What? Who?"
She paused. Well, shit. "Nevermind. Any-anyway... I... um... stopped sleeping with you."
He tugged at the restraints again, more to just be doing something than to actually try to escape. The emotions from her breaking up with him shot through him, without the benefit of actual memories to attach them to. It was confusing. "Ok. Then what?"
"You... um... we... you-" She sighed. "You tried to... rape me in my bathroom."
His soul shook, causing his body to repeat the movements. More emotions, but still no real memories. He kept shivering.
She wasn't look him in the eye. "You... ran away... Went to Africa, for basically the whole summer. And got a soul. Tara... died while you were gone. Willow went on a dark magic binge, almost caused an apocalypse. Xander stopped her."
Spike looked up, trying to catch her eyes. Everything she'd told him sounded so right, but he didn't remember it. "And... how long have I been back?"
"Little over three months."
"Nothing's happened since I've been back? Where's everyone? Red, Harris, Anya, Dawn, your mum?"
She winced. "M-mom..." She couldn't start there. "Xander and Anya... aren't dating anymore. Xander left her at the alter. Willow is in intensive therapy, Dawn... she's good. She just had her sweet sixteen."
Spike grinned. "Good for her. Lil' Bit's a good kid."
She smiled half-heartedly. "Yeah. She is. Spike..." She put a hand on his knee. "M-mom... Mom... was sick. And... she had. A brain aneurysm. She... died, a few months before I did."
He stopped breathing. Inhaled slowly after a moment. "...no..." Stopped breathing again. Tears welling up in his eyes.
Buffy looked at him, her own eyes filmed over. "I'm sorry... They said- they said that it... That she didn't feel it."
He continued to not breathe. It was the only way to keep from crying. But he couldn't control everything. His body started shaking and tears ran silently down his cheeks.
Buffy let her own tears fall, and she lifted up on her knees to wipe at his.
His restraints didn't give him much leeway, but he had enough. He drew in a shuddering breath and let it out in a loud sob. Without knowing why, he leaned forward, placing his head on the Slayer's shoulder, crying onto her blouse. "...Joyce...", he said softly through the sobs that were now wracking his body.
She wrapped her arms around him. "She... you wear one of her charms."
He felt it hanging from the chain around his neck. So that's what that was. Without thinking, he nuzzled her a little, trying to make her feel better since he couldn't return the embrace.
She let him, then pulled away slowly. "Do... do you want me to finish?"
He nodded, trying not to hiccup.
"We... talked... a lot, when you got back... we said slow. Very, very slow. One day, you came to your crypt, and I was waiting for you. You had... the hell beat out of you. So, I bandaged you, and stayed the night. We were kissing... in the morning, and Giles came in. He thought you were... hurting me. So, he beat the hell out of you, too. I got him to stop, and started to fix you up again... I was... scared. There was so much blood. So I slipped you some of mine, in a mug."
His eyes got big. "You did that.... for me?"
She sat back down all the way, shrugged. "Yeah. So, a couple days later, and you still weren't... well. But we had a- a link. Our thoughts were connected. Anyway, I did a cloaking spell on a mug of my blood, because you didn't want anymore of it."
"I'm weird like that," he said, attempting a joke. "I get what I've wanted for, what? Six years, and then I don't want it anymore."
She gave a small smile. "Um... we... experimented because... I could... feel you vamp. So, we linked, to see if I could understand vampiric when you were like that..."
"You could." Statement. Not question.
"Yes. And I... um... I claimed you."
He looked at her. Then closed his eyes, feeling around in his mind for the new bond. It was there, but closed from the other end. "Ah. So that's how you heard me compare you to Cecily earlier."
"Um.. yeah. Then... the... next morning, I... you claimed me."
He swallowed. Knowing that it was true. "And then?"
"Y... We... I... told you I loved you." She lifted her eyes to his shyly.
He looked at her. "You do?" He couldn't remember the last time ANYONE had said that to him. And it felt good. Really good. He bit back a purr.
Softly, "Yeah. But... I can't... I won't let you loose till I..."
"Till you what?"
"Till I'm sure... you won't hurt them." Her eyes begged for understanding.
"Your pals."
She nodded.
He fidgeted nervously. "How can I assure you?"
She shrugged. "I have no idea."
He laughed quietly. "Guess I'd better get comfortable, then." He looked at her. "You really think I want to hurt them?"
Buffy looked back at him. "I don't know... Where you... your memories leave off... if the chip had been gone, you'd have killed everyone in front of me, bathed me in their blood, and torn my throat out."
His stomach rolled. "I don't want to. Feel sick..." He closed his eyes, fighting back a wave of nausea, clamping his mouth shut to keep the blood down.
She bit her lip. "That's... your soul, you get sick when you... think about stuff like that."
"Then what do you think would happen if I actually TRIED it?", he said, swallowing hard.
She frowned. "I'm sorry." And she was, genuinely. "Even... last week, you'd have beaten Xander. I mean, you guys get along now... but..."
He made a face. "Get along? With Harris? Euch. How about just letting me have an arm? My nose is itching like crazy."
She gave him a wary glance, then walked behind him, to uncuff one hand.
He immediately reached up and scratched at his nose. "Ahh. That's better." To her surprise, he held his hand behind him again. "You can put it back on now."
She grabbed his wrist to do so, then stopped. "You can keep it out for a while."
He looked at her, surprised at the gesture of trust. Then began to scratch at a couple of other itchy spots, one on his ribs, another on his stomach. "Thanks...", he said quietly.
"Yeah.." She moved to sit in front of him again. "Um.. any questions?"
He started to reach toward her, then pulled back and set his hand in his lap. "You... Me... We're a couple?"
She nodded. "It's understood we're taken."
He grinned. "And you love me? And I love you?" Why was he so damned happy about this?
She tucked her hair behind her ear. "Um.. yes?"
A genuine smile. "No more questions, then."
"Ummm... Ok. All right. Here's the deal."
He watched her, waiting.
She spoke slowly, weighing her words. "I'll... let you loose. But you have to stay in the house. No hunting, no fighting, and if you scare Dawn, I'll make it hurt."
He nodded, and then cocked his head. "Niblet's not scared of me. She likes me."
"She's going to be uneasy a while... I sent her home when you fell. Told her to lock the door."
He watched her as she untied him. "So she doesn't know what's wrong with me, and yet you're taking me to your house?"
Buffy stood, holding the chains. "I'll call, explain." She turned to the door, then stopped. "Spike?"
"Yeah, Sl- luv?"
It was quiet, pleading. "Please don't make me choose between my heart and my calling."
He stood up, walked to her slowly, and tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder. "You have my word, luv. My promise. My bond. All things that I am powerless to break."
She raised her hand to touch his softly, for a second. "Let's go... We need to talk to Giles."