A/N: This is Part Five of the CLOSURE series. This is a sequel of the ENOUGH series, so please read that one first or this won't make any sense. Sorry if anyone thought that last chapter was too violent, I tried to tone down what I really wanted to do to that infernal character of Riley Finn.

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

Feedback: As you wish.

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The Call

Buffy was resting peacefully on her couch. Jean was lying on the floor next to the couch. Both slayers were exhausted after averting a certain catastrophe in Sunnydale. Dawn was watching TV and everything seemed to be working out ok in their lives. Money was not a problem, since Jean was also receiving a salary and she was helping with the house expenses. She had managed to be the most normal slayer ever, having a teacher and a watcher to help her.

Buffy, on her part, was also beginning to enjoy life. She had money, friends, and her sister trusted her. The only downside to her life was that Dawn refused to say her name. But she knew that it wouldn't last forever.

The scoobies came barging through the front door, carrying the dinner for the evening. A bunch of pizzas and a lot of drinks. The essential party after saving the world was needed.

After an hour or so, everyone was relaxing and they were remembering the way they had avoided yet another apocalypse. They had even assigned a wall in the house to carve how many apocalypses they had managed to stop.

The count was now in twelve. Slowly, Sunnydale was becoming a safe place. Having two slayers in the hellmouth helped a lot. The vampire population was almost reduced to zero and demons usually avoided setting foot on the place. Giles had been coming back to Sunnydale and it seemed that his wife liked the place. They had gotten married a year ago and he was happy. They even thought about buying a small loft in Sunnydale in order to be able to come and go. Maybe they'd spend six months in England and six months in America.

Willow and Tara were having the time of their lives as well. Both of them had good jobs and were thinking about adopting a child in their near future.

Anya and Xander were dating again and were taking things slowly. Both of them had grown up and were dealing with their feelings in a mature way.

Life was good for them.

It never lasted like that for long.

When everybody was getting ready to leave, the phone rang. Willow was nearest to the phone so she picked it up

"Hello?"

"Hi, uhm, is Buffy there?" A female's voice was heard on the other side.

"Yeah, who's calling?" Willow asked. She felt as if she had heard that voice before.

"It's Sam Finn." The woman said. Willow's eyes opened wide. What did she want this time?

"Oh, Sam," she said, "wait up."

Willow covered the mouthpiece and called Buffy.

"What is it, Will?" Buffy shouted from the living room.

"Phone," Willow said, "it's Sam."

"Sam?" Buffy said, as she got up and was walking into the kitchen.

"Yeah, as in Sam Finn." Willow said. Buffy made a face. She sighed and took the phone.

"Hello?" She said.

"Buffy?" Sam asked,

"Yeah, Sam?"

"Yes, Buffy, hi, how are you?"

"I can't complain, life's good," Buffy said, she had no idea why Sam was calling after all those years, "what's up, Sam?"

"Uhm, I don't know how to say this." Sam said, she sighed and decided to be straight about it, "Buffy, Riley's been hurt."

Buffy scrunched her face a bit.

"Is he ok?" She asked, she didn't know why was Sam calling her for that.

"He'll live." Sam said. Her voice was almost a whisper.

"That bad, huh?" Buffy asked, as she noticed the tone of Sam's voice.

"It's pretty bad," Sam said, "he almost didn't make it."

"Where are you? Can I help?" Buffy asked.

"No, Buffy, thanks, we're in Spain." Sam answered. Buffy once again was confused. Why was Sam calling?

"Uhm, so, what can I do for you?" Buffy asked. Sam sighed once again into the phone and took her time.

"I want to ask you something," Sam said, "but it's a delicate matter."

"Go ahead, shoot." Buffy said. She was growing suspicious about the subject.

"I should tell you that Riley was hurt by a vampire." Sam said.

"A vampire? How many of them?" Buffy asked. She knew about the training Riley had and the fact that he always worked within a team.

"One."

"One what? One hundred?" Buffy joked, trying to ease the tension felt.

"No, Buffy, one vampire hurt him and decimated our unit." Sam said. Buffy then was shocked. How come one vampire had managed to defeat a team specialized in hunting and killing demons?

"Wow, how come?" Buffy asked.

"That's why I called," Sam said, "I thought you could tell me."

Buffy was not a stupid girl. She was feeling a bit of uneasiness in her stomach.

"Tell me Buffy," Sam said, "what happened to William the Bloody?"

Suspecting a thing was a different matter from having it confirmed. Buffy felt her stomach turn around and she didn't know what to answer.

"William the Bloody? Spike?" Buffy stammered, "What has he got to do with this?"

"He's the one who hurt Riley." Sam said.

"Oh, God, are you ok?" Buffy asked, gripping the phone tight.

"Yes, that's another thing I've got to ask you later," Sam said, "but tell me something, I thought that William was chipped and couldn't hurt humans."

"Uhm, yeah, well, he doesn't have the chip anymore." Buffy said.

"I kind of figured that out two days ago, Buffy," Sam stated, "what I want to know is how did he manage to get the chip out?"

"I don't know, Sam," Buffy said, "three years ago he got it out, but I never knew how."

"You knew and you let him walk away?" Sam almost sounded angry.

"It's not like I didn't try, Sam," Buffy said, "I assume that you saw how well he fights."

"Well, no point in discussing that, but there are things that I can't understand." Sam said.

"What things?" Buffy said.

"I had not met William the Bloody before, but he, uhm," Sam stuttered a bit, "he saved my daughter."

"What?" Buffy asked. She didn't know what Spike would do after leaving town, but she never thought that saving little girls would be on his mind.

"Yes, he saved my daughter from a vampire in Barcelona." Sam said, "And I want to know why?"

"He kind of helped me when he lived here." Buffy said.

"Oh, but why would he help me?" Sam asked, "Isn't he a brutal vampire who killed without remorse?"

"He has another side that isn't very common to see." Buffy admitted.

"I saw both sides of him, then." Sam said.

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked.

"He first saved my daughter," Sam began, "and later that same night Riley and I went out hunting for vampires. We found William on the outsides of the city. And yet another thing I want to ask."

Buffy was dreading the questions that Sam was asking.

"What is it?"

"When did William get the ring of Amarra?"

"What?!" Buffy asked, "He has the ring of Amarra?!"

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On the living room, everybody had been listening to the conversation, and when the phrase "ring of Amarra" was heard, all of them turned to look at each other. Giles and Anya gave each other knowing looks and decided it was time to tell everyone the last remaining secret they had kept for the vampire.

"Uhm, I believe I have something to tell to you all." Giles said, and he hoped that Julia, his wife, was there with him, "Spike has the ring of Amarra."

"That's why Buffy screamed right now?" Jean asked, "And wasn't the ring destroyed?"

"It was," Giles said, "but when Spike blackmailed the Council he also received the ring."

"Giles, destroyed, remember?" Xander said.

"Yes, Xander, I remember," Giles said, as he turned to look at Xander, "but there are magics that can restore those kind of artifacts."

"And you knew that Spike had the ring all this time?" Dawn asked, "Any other secrets you've been keeping?"

"No, Dawn, that was only thing I kept for myself these years." Giles answered, and he seemed to be a bit embarrassed.

"I understand," Dawn said, "I would've kept the secret myself."

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"You didn't know?" Sam asked.

"Of course I didn't!" Buffy said.

"He does have it," Sam said, "and he practically ripped us apart."

"What did he do?" Buffy asked.

"All the men in my unit are alive," Sam said, "one or two are missing a limb but they're alive."

"What?" Buffy did not believe what she was hearing.

"But then, he said and did things that were not consistent that night." Sam said.

"Things?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah, saving my daughter, sparing my life, he even said that my daughter needed at least one parent." Sam sighed.

"What do you mean?" Buffy inquired.

"He was going to kill Riley, Buffy." Sam said, "I'd never seen a vampire as brutal as William is."

"He was known for that." Buffy almost whispered.

"But then again, why would he save my daughter and treat me nicely?" Sam asked.

"Spike has never been normal in any standard, Sam," Buffy said, "not in human or vampiric."

"I figured that out." Sam said.

"Wait," Buffy said, "Why didn't Riley call? Is he that bad?"

"He's alive, Buffy," Sam managed to say, "William hurt him pretty bad."

Buffy sighed and was about to say something when Sam interrupted.

"Besides, I don't think he'd be able to call."

"What? Why?" Buffy asked. She then heard that Sam was crying softly.

"Uhm, because," Sam sniffed loudly, "William cut off both of Riley's hands."

Buffy dropped the phone and stared ahead. Had she heard correctly? Had Spike mutilated Riley? She knew that they hated each other but that was way beyond what she had thought.

One thought formed in her mind and she looked at her friends in the living room. More intently, she stared at Jean. Two slayers.

She did have a shot.

She was going to get Spike.

End of Chapter