A/N: This is Part Twelve 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.

Still have an enormous writer's block in my head. There are certain ideas I have that could disappoint some of you when the time comes for me to write them. Should I give you a fair warning or do you want the surprise?

Let me know about it.

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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There's No Place Like Home

"What?!" Dawn asked. She wasn't sure she had heard correctly.

"If I so much see, smell or feel the slayer near, I will rip her fucking head off. Is it clear, Dawn?" Spike said. He was feeling very uncomfortable next to the girl. He was feeling things he had sworn not to feel ever again. He had forgotten everything about her, and now, after two minutes of seeing her again he was falling into his old persona.

"But you have to talk to all of us," Dawn said, "and ripping my sister's head off is not part of the deal!"

"That's the way it'll be, Dawn." Spike said, "If you indeed wish to talk with me, take the slayer out of the city. Out of the bloody state or country, I don't care. Just get her off my sight."

"She won't abide to it." Dawn said, crossing her arms in front of her. Spike closed in on Dawn and stared at her. Hard.

"Listen, girl, I'm trying really hard to contain myself here." Spike said, and a tiny flicker of yellow sparkled in his eyes, "I remember how important you were to me. Don't make me forget it again."

Dawn took a step back but Tara stood her ground.

"You ask for an almost impossible task, Spike." Tara said, "Buffy won't like your conditions."

"Like I said. Take it or leave it." Spike said, "I suggest you take it. If I arrive in Sunnydale and the slayer's around, I will kill her."

Tara shook her head and sighed.

"Are you that lost, Spike?" Tara asked. Spike then stared at her.

"No, Tara. Since Dawn is so keen here about keeping promises, then that's what I will do."

With that, Spike turned around and exited the place. It was a weird sight because neither Dawn nor Tara had ever seen Spike in the sunlight. They kept looking at him until he disappeared around a corner. Dawn sighed and turned to look at Tara.

"What should we do?" She asked.

"First of all, we have to find a very good reason to explain what we have just done." Tara replied.

"Do you think we'll convince him of not killing Buffy?" Dawn asked.

"Don't know, Dawnie." Tara said, "And what did he mean with the keeping promises?"

"He promised Buffy he'd kill her if he ever saw her again."

"Oh, boy. That's bad."

"Yup. I'm beginning to think that he's far beyond our reach."

"But how to stop him, then?"

"My sister managed to stop him once, before."

"With the ring on his hand?"

"Yeah, but he wasn't on this mood."

"Is he that good of a fighter?"

"Don't know. I guess the odds are on us since we have two slayers on our side."

"Will it suffice?"

"I hope so. I think that we're going to have to stop Angel from going to Sunnydale."

"No reason to add more gasoline to this mix?"

"Precisely."

"Let's go back and tell the news."

Dawn sighed one more time. It seemed that there were only bad news on her life.

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Spike walked a bit too hurriedly. He was being bombarded by images and sounds of his past. He felt sick and he had to stop and kneel down. He feared that this would happen every time he met with someone from his past. And yet, it hadn't been like that with soldier boy or with Angelus. He had only felt rage and hate with those two.

He knew how to deal with rage and hate, but what happened when people he cared about confronted him?

Such was the case with Tara and Dawn. He had loved Dawn and cared about Tara. They were always civil and decent with him now that he remembered. He had tried not to hurt them because they had not hurt him. He now only feared one thing. To lose control.

For the time being, the best choice was that the slayer should remove herself from his path. If she didn't, then things would get ugly.

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"I believe he's dealing." Tara said.

"What?" Dawn asked. They were now nearing the house on Revello drive and they had been planning about what to tell the scoobies.

"Yes, he's dealing." Tara repeated, "He's reacting to the things that have been happening to him."

"Huh?"

"He dealt with each of us when he left, remember?"  Tara asked. Dawn nodded. "He treated us the way we treated him, hence the violence with Xander and Buffy and his calmness with us."

"I see your point, but he was really rude with us back there." Dawn said.

"Yes, Dawn, but he has been lately confronted by people he hates." Tara stated.

"Riley and Angel." Dawn said.

"Exactly."

"Then how will he react with Buffy?"

"I don't know. I bet he doesn't knows as well."

"It didn't seem like that to me."

"I could be wrong, of course."

"Being wrong now means being dead."

"It's an idea, Dawn. It could explain his behavior."

"I hope so. I don't think I want him back this way."

"How come?"

"He's not what he used to be."

"I know."

They fell into silence and they kept that way until they arrived home. They were weary of the situation that awaited them but they had to tell the story. As soon as they walked through the door, a very frantic slayer appeared.

"There you are!" Buffy said, "Why didn't you answer your cell phone?!"

"Uhm, let me explain." Dawn said, "I had my reasons."

"We are now in a siege, Dawn, you can't disappear like that!" Buffy nearly screamed.

"Slayer, calm down." Dawn said, remaining calm, "I had my reasons, besides, Tara was with me."

"I know, but you could have at least called!"

"Shut up and listen, please."

Buffy sighed.

"Ok, what is it?"

"Don't be mad but we went looking for Spike."

"What?!!" Buffy screamed this time. Her eyes went wide open and her breath got caught in her throat.

"I needed to talk to him." Dawn said, shrugging. Buffy couldn't believe what she was hearing. Suddenly, everybody in the house gathered around them, having heard Buffy's scream.

"What happened?" Giles asked.

"Dawn did another stupid thing!" Buffy said.

"Hey!" Dawn objected.

"How could you call then what you did?!"

"Tara was with me!"

"Should I ground Tara as well?!"

"Could you at least listen to me before you scream?!"

"Ladies," Giles said, rubbing his head, "could we at least listen to what happened?"

"Uhm, I guess I should explain." Tara said, raising her hand, "We went looking for Spike."

A general 'What?!' echoed through the house.

"We thought it'd be better than just waiting for him to come and kill us." Tara said. Willow walked to her and grabbed her hand.

"Are you all right?" Willow asked, "The both of you?"

Both Tara and Dawn nodded, and another general sigh was heard.

"Since you are alive and untouched, could you tell us what happened?" Giles asked.

"We found him right outside of L.A.," Dawn said, "and we did talk with him."

"And?"

"He agreed to talk to us."

"Talk? About?"

"Giving him a chance to explain."

"He agreed to that?"

"Yes, uhm, under certain conditions."

"Conditions? Now we're accommodating ourselves to his needs?" Xander barked.

"Would you rather prefer him barging into the house and killing you this time?" Dawn said. Xander shut up and traced the scar that he had on his face.

"Fine, what did Spike had to say then?" Xander asked.

Dawn looked at Tara and then at her shoes.

"Dawn?" Buffy asked.

"He will talk to us only if you're gone." Dawn said, looking at Buffy.

"What?" Buffy asked.

"His demands are for you to be out of the city when he comes, or else he'll kill you as soon as he sees you." Tara said. Everyone stood silent and didn't know what to say. A choice had to be made then.

"So, in other words, we have to choose Spike over Buffy?" Willow asked.

"No." Tara said, gripping Willow's hand harder, "We have to get Buffy out of town so that Spike won't kill her. The same goes for Jean."

"I won't run." Buffy said, her voice a bit higher than usual.

"G-man?" Xander asked, "What should we do?"

Giles took off his glasses and stared ahead. He was confused.

"I honestly don't know." Giles said, "I'm not certain about the idea."

"I say we stay and fight." Jean said, "How hard could it be to beat him between two slayers?"

"At this point, I have no idea." Giles said, "Spike now is the unknown quantity."

"We won't be chased off." Jean stated, "I haven't met this Spike and I already don't like him."

"Jean's right." Xander said, "He's hurting people we know!"

"It's like this," Dawn said, "either we stay and fight, or we buy time and try to reason with him."

"I vote for fighting." Xander said.

"You won't be of much use, Xander." Willow said, "All you could do is try to jam a stake into him. With the ring in his hand, you won't be able to do anything."

"Sure know how to bruise my ego." Xander replied.

"It's called being realistic." Giles said, "Out of us, only Jean and Buffy stand a chance. I don't think even magic could harm him now, which rules out Tara and Anya."

"It all comes down to fight or flight, then?" Buffy asked.

"It's your call, Buffy." Giles said, "You know we will support you on any decision you take."

"Jean?" Buffy asked.

"You know I'd rather fight than run." Jean said, "But you know this Spike more than I do, so it's up to you."

Buffy analyzed the situation. Her mind ran through it over and over again. After some agonizing seconds, she made her choice.

"Let's call Angel."

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He decided to wait for the night. They would surely need some time to figure out what to do. He now really didn't want to face the slayer. In the fragile state his mind was, he'd surely react by killing everyone and everything around. It's not that it mattered who he killed, but the fact that he had fought so hard to control his impulses and he didn't want it to be shattered by the damned slayer.

Her sister had already scrambled his head.

And yet there he was, some feet away from the house that held so many memories for him. Memories of pain and death.

Memories of fear.

The house held in it all the things that had destroyed Spike's life and the reasons for his actual personality.

Spike shook his head and willed all the stupid thoughts out of his head, only one remaining still.

There was no place like home.

End of Chapter.