A/N.- This is chapter Sixteen of the ENOUGH series. Thanks to all who have read this story and reviewed.

Disclaimer.- You all should know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in getting this show   on the air.

Feedback.- As you wish.

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Giles.

"So, how's he doing?" Giles asked, the girl on the other side of the phone sighed a bit.

"He's fine, Giles," Buffy answered, "He has his jaw and a few ribs broken, aside from that and the beating he's fine."

"And you're telling me that Spike did it." Giles stated, feeling a bit of anger and anxiety. The thought of Spike being able to hurt a human again was to say the least frightening.

"Yes, before he left." Buffy softly said. Giles noticed something in the words that were being uttered by Buffy. He tried not to think about it, but it seemed that the slayer missed the vampire.

"He left town in that condition?" Giles asked, trying not to give an accusatory tone to his words.

"Yes, Giles," Buffy said, "I couldn't stop him."

Giles doubted about the last statement. She couldn't or she wouldn't?

"What do you mean about that?" He asked. He heard as Buffy sighed.

"We fought, Giles." Buffy said, "And I couldn't defeat him."

Giles heard the phrase and another wave of apprehension washed upon him. He knew that Spike was an excellent fighter, but he always took great pride that Buffy was an even better fighter.

"How come, Buffy?" He finally asked.

"He seemed to have lost the interest in the fight," Buffy said, almost distant, " he fought not to entertain himself, but to win."

The Englishman took the words and understood. Spike had killed two slayers before, and they weren't lightweights. The slayers the vampire had killed were efficient machines, not like Buffy, who more than once allowed her emotions to lead her in the fight. Spike was not like any other vampire.

"Did he hurt you, Buffy?" Giles asked.

"Not physically." She whispered. Giles did not like the way Buffy sounded over the phone. It seemed that she was sad because the vampire had left. Not worried because one of the most savage vampires the world ever knew was once again free to unleash his fury.

"What should we do, Giles?" Buffy asked, "He might be anywhere in the world."

"I don't know, Buffy," He answered, "according to the data the council has on Spike he could disappear into thin air for long extensions of time."

Buffy made a sound that almost seemed like a whimper. Giles chose to ignore it and continued.

"In fact, most of the records we have on him rely solely on sightings of Drusilla, not of him." He adjusted his glasses and walked with the cordless phone in order to reach for his bottle of whiskey.

"Most records are separated by four to six years, that's why he was so feared. In that time he could slaughter and create mayhem undercover."

Buffy was now completely silent. Giles noticed the sagged breaths that were audible through the phone.

"Are you all right, Buffy?" He asked. Buffy puffed in some air and answered quickly.

"I'm fine, Giles, please continue."

Giles nodded silently, not caring that she wasn't there to see him.

"Very well, he had been elusive of us up until that time in Prague..."

"Where Drusilla was injured." Buffy interrupted.

"Yes, and before that, his previous record had been in Spain, in 1991, where he and Drusilla hunted for some time."

Once again, Buffy was silent. Giles decided to confide in her about some loopholes that were evident concerning Spike.

"And yet, there are some things that were never consistent with the view we have of Spike."

Buffy immediately reacted to the news.

"What?" She asked.

Giles cleared his throat, clearly disturbed by the ideas that the loopholes implied.

"The reason why Spike was so difficult to trace was that he wasn't as brutal as he was when he was with Angelus and Darla."

Buffy was once again slightly confused. What was Giles trying to tell her?

"It's not that he wasn't a vampire like the others," Giles said, "but he was never really as notorious as Angelus and Darla were."

"What do you mean 'notorious'?" Buffy asked.

"It seems that when he and Drusilla parted ways from Angelus and Darla he calmed down a bit. No more burnt villages or entire boats filled with dead people."

"They did that?" Buffy wearily asked.

"And worse, Buffy," Giles answered, "that is why I was never really comfortable with Spike in the same room as we were."

"But you were saying that he calmed down." She said.

"It's a theory," he noted, "he still killed and hunted but not as violently as he had done before. Sure, there were the occasional massacres but witnesses always referred to the black death."

"The plague?" Buffy asked.

"Drusilla." Giles answered.

"Oh."

"It was always implied that Spike had been along with Drusilla, seeing that they were together at the time."

"But?" Buffy asked.

"There were times when survivors never referred to Spike." Giles honestly answered.

"You're trying to tell me that Spike was never as bloodthirsty as the other three were?" Buffy asked, completely surprised that Giles had never told her about such incidents.

"Don't get this wrong, Buffy, Spike is a violent killer," Giles noted, trying to regain the conversation, "he was sired in the 1880's for what we know and what he had said, meaning that he has been a vampire for 120 years. Let's think that he only killed one human for day, meaning that in the first year he killed 365 humans. The tenth year he had killed 3,650 humans. By his hundredth year as a vampire, he had killed 36, 500 humans, and that's assuming that he killed only one human by day."

Buffy sighed. She hated when she was reminded of the things that Spike had done in his past.

"And it is highly doubtable that he only killed one human a day, having Angelus, Darla and Drusilla as his guides." Giles finished.

Buffy was certain that it hadn't been only 36,500 humans he had killed, but he had also been killing vampires and demons, thus saving lives that were potentially on danger.

"Let's not talk about his past, Giles." She said, "I know what he did but I also know that he tried to help us, and we spat on his face when he tried. Now he's free of the chip and hasn't killed anyone, not even Xander or me, who hurt him the most."

"I know, Buffy, but..."

"No, Giles, let me finish," Buffy interrupted, "He has tried to be good and we only noticed him as a murderer, when in fact I don't remember who was the last human he killed. Something I can't tell about Darla, Drusilla, Angel or even Faith."

Giles was slowly processing everything, and sadly, it was true.

"So I want your help to find him, and help him get back on the good way."

"You think he might want to be back in the good road?" Giles asked.

"It's what he has been doing for the last year and a half, Giles," Buffy said, "and now when we could be helping him when he doesn't have the chip, he's on the road were he could go back to killing."

"I hope you're right, Buffy." Giles said, rubbing his head, "But it'll be very hard to find him. The world's a very big place."

"Knowing Spike he'll go back to Europe," Buffy said, "and in the set of mind he's on, I can bet that he'll be there by now."

"What state of mind, Buffy?" Giles asked, curiously.

"Um, when the chip came out, it took a piece of his brain with it." Buffy answered.

"You're telling me that not only is the chip out but he's been lobotomized?" Giles almost shouted.

"His mood changed a bit, but he was still him." Buffy stated, noticing the rise on Giles' voice.

"I don't like this, Buffy." Giles said.

"I know, Giles, but if I couldn't stop him, what are the odds of somebody else doing it?" She said.

Giles remained quiet and weighed her words. It was true. Spike had bested the slayer, making him virtually unstoppable in human and vampiric standards. And since he had some bad experiences with magic, he gave up on the idea of trying to stop Spike.

"I don't like the sound of it, but you're right." Giles finally agreed, "If he's so strong then it'd be better if he's on our side."

"Thanks, Giles," Buffy said; "call me if you find out anything?"

"Sure, Buffy, I'm glad you called." Giles answered.

"Ok, love you, bye." Buffy said.

"Love you too, bye." Giles hung up and stood there for a while, completely silent. The news were not good, but since Spike refused to kill Xander, then there was hope. He had secretly feared this day, because they all haunted the vampire and mocked him. Giles was aware of Spike's great pride but he also saw that the vampire was easily hurt. He was grateful that the vampire had not given in and killed Xander and Buffy. It was really a breakthrough if a vampire refused to kill. And with a vampire like Spike, it was even weirder. He didn't work for the council anymore, but he'd find a way to research more about the vampire.

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Three days had gone by and he had found no helpful information in his books. He knew that he'd have to either contact Wesley and ask for his help or he'd have to return to the council. He had also talked to some of his contacts of the demon world, hoping to hear something from the bleached vampire.

This night, however, he was going to meet one of such contacts that claimed to have some information concerning his quarry. Once he arrived on the pub he was surprised by how crowded it was. Certainly, he had tried to avoid such incidents, since he had to be very careful for the pub was run by and frequently attended by demons. He searched over for his contact, a human very much alike to Wily, but found no one. He settled in a nearby table and ordered a glass of scotch. He drank a few and sighed when he noticed that he had been tricked and was now on his own on a pub filled with demons. He quickly exited the place and hurried home. He was certainly feeling relaxed as his home appeared on his sight, but his relaxation faded away when he felt someone behind him. He didn't need to be a watcher or a trained man in order to realize who it was. Without turning around, he greeted his stalker.

"Took you some time, huh Spike?" Giles said.

"Had to take care of some business, Rupes." Spike answered, with a cigarette dangling in his mouth.

"I need to know something." Giles said, as he turned around. There was the vampire, just the same as he had seen him, but there was something definitively different about him. "Have you really decided to not kill anymore?" Giles asked.

"The slayer is quite communicative," Spike said, "and she gives the wrong information."

Giles took a few steps back, and Spike walked towards him.

"It seems then, that we have a misunderstanding." Giles said, hoping to be able to outrun Spike and get inside his home, where he should be safe.

"A slight one," Spike said, "but not in the meaning that I'll return to killing indiscriminately."

Giles then decided to give the vampire the benefit of doubt.

"How come?" Giles asked.

"I'm a vampire," Spike stated, "it's in my nature to be a killer. I just won't kill randomly anymore."

"Then what should stop me from staking you?" Giles asked, in his most threatening tone.

"Mostly? Me." The vampire answered, throwing away his half finished cigarette. Giles was thrown aback by the sudden statement. His bravado faded quickly and a little fear took its place.

"That's why you're here? To kill me?" Giles asked, putting up his brave face again.

"What is it with all of you?" Spike growled, "You thought so low of me that you thought that as soon as I took this thing out I'd kill you all?"

"You did beat Xander." Giles said.

"The idiot had it coming," Spike said, "be thankful that I didn't kill him."

"Very well, if you're not here to kill me," Giles said, "then why are you here?"

"I wasn't looking for you, actually," Spike said, "I was just going around England, walking away from London."

"Not very convincing." Giles said.

"Let me bloody well finish, eh mate?" Spike growled. Giles decided to shut up and nod.

"I was here on my way south, and I heard this bloke talking about an old man interested in vampires." Spike took another cigarette up and placed it on his lips, without lighting it. "An' I thought, an old man thinking about vampires, certainly someone worth talking to, so I followed this bloke, who turned to be not so very human."

He then lighted up his cigarette.

"Turned out to be a snitch, who was going to kill the old man with glasses this night." Spike said, taking a drag. "Trying to find out more about this, I followed some more and then I saw you enter the pub, it didn't take a genius to figure what was going to happen."

Giles was certainly trying to figure out what had happened. Had Spike saved him from an assassination attempt? Had the vampire been helpful without the chip? Without Buffy's influence?

"Stop staring, Rupes." Spike said. Giles snapped out of his stupor and once again tried to figure out Spike's reasons.

"Did you kill the snitch?" Giles asked.

"Do dogs bark?" Spike answered. Giles wasn't very pleased but it seemed that he owed his life to the vampire. And he had his suspicions about his contact not being human at all.

"Then tell me, Spike, what were your real motifs?" Giles asked.

"Information." Spike replied.

"What kind of information?" Giles asked, suspicious of the vampire.

"Some information that you can give me as well." Spike answered.

Giles frowned, was it magic that Spike wanted? Something of the occult? History of the slayers? Or was it something about Buffy?

"Does it concern Buffy?" Giles asked.

"In a way, yes." Spike nodded.

"Well, you certainly have not changed." Giles now growled.

"You soddin' people think that my life is about the slayer," Spike said, very calmly, "but my life really revolves around Dawn. That's why I need this information."

Giles was tired of the talk by now.

"Ok, tell me and let's end this." Giles said.

"First answer me something." Spike said, "Do you love the slayer and Dawn?"

Giles was shocked by the question. How dared Spike to doubt his love for the two girls?

"You know I do." Giles hissed. Spike smirked a bit, not at all like his old smirk.

"Very well," the vampire said, "then tell me all you know about the council."

End of Chapter.