I don't own BtVs, Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy do.
A Year Later
It was hard to believe it, thought Spike. It had been almost an entire year since he left Sunnyhell. He was ready to go back now. He'd had lots of fun, he and Kat had left New Orleans and traveled to New York, and he'd shown her around, but now he was ready to go and face the Scoobies.
He was in L.A. right now, doing everything in his power to avoid the poof. Kat had come with him. He'd asked her to, he liked her. They were best friends. Now they were three days away from going back to the gang.
Of course, they wouldn't be expecting the changes in him. No one would. This will be bloody interesting, he thought as he stepped into the sunlight and on to the street. ---------------------------------------- Buffy was at home alone watching T.V. I'm so pathetic, she thought. She could've been out with her friends, but no, she had to say she was tired.
She was doing better, she got a new job as a self-defense teacher. Dawn was doing good in school, and Willow and Tara were back together. The Nerds were in jail and not getting out.
Xander and Anya. Oy. Xander had decided that he wasn't ready and had run away a few days before the wedding. Anya hadn't been seen since. Xander had come back a few weeks after he left, but never said anything about the incident.
And Spike. He wasn't back. Buffy missed him so badly it hurt. She knew, instinctively, that the past year would've been a hell of a lot easier if he had stayed. She had needed-and still needed-backup on patrol. The vamp population was increasing rapidly without him helping to keep it under control. And of course, there was the small fact that Buffy felt something for him.
She hadn't realized it until a few months after he left. She felt something strong for Spike, soul or no soul. She wanted him back, only now it was too late. ---------------------------------------------- Spike crashed into the 'Welcome to Sunnydale' sign. He grinned at the crunching noise and Kat rolled her eyes at his satisfied expression.
"Home sweet home", said Spike.
They reached the crypt and Clem gladly gave it up. It was too easily accessed by demons for his taste.
"So what are you going to do first?", asked Kat. "Promised the Bit I'd see her. She's first. I guess I'll meet her at school", said Spike. "But for now, sleep is good". ------------------------------------------- The next day Dawn was with her friends. She was going to walk home, she was used to it by now. She unconsciously played with the key. She did that a lot. It was a habit she'd picked up.
Janice gaped and whispered excitedly, "You guys, don't move too fast, but check out the total hottie on the sidewalk!". The girls turned around and each agreed with Janice.
Kristin, who Dawn couldn't stand, said, "Mmm. Looks cute. Wonder what he's doing here. Maybe I'll go find out".
Dawn was standing with her back to the sidewalk, so she was the last to turn around, and when she did she gasped.
Spike. In sunlight. Wearing a grey long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans.
Spike looked up at her and smiled. Dawn ran down the stairs of the school and into his open arms. "Spike! You're back!", she said happily. Then she whispered, "Wait! Why aren't you all dusty?". He whispered, "Long story, Bit. Tell you later, in private. Here come your pals".
Indeed the girls had followed Dawn down. "Dawn, aren't you going to introduce us?", asked Kristin sweetly. "Um, yeah, you guys, this is Spike, he's a friend of my sister's. He's been gone for awhile, that's why I was so surprised to see him. Spike, these are my friends, Janice, Ashley, and-"
"Kristin", she interrupted. "Nice to meet you", she drawled. Spike was uncomfortable and said, "Uh, yeah, same here. Dawn, you about ready to go?". She nodded and waved goodbye to her friends.
"I don't like that Kristin girl", said Spike. "Me neither. So what's up? Why are you back? How come you're in the sun and not dust?", asked Dawn.
He led her to the crypt and after they got inside, hugged her for a long time. "I missed you a lot, Bit". Then he said, "As for what happened, I saved a witch from some demon, and she gave me a second Ring of Amara. Apparently it's even stronger than the first one. Been this way for a couple months. But Bit, ", he hesitated, "The chip-it's gone now. But I haven't fed".
Dawn looked at him and said, "I trust you". He smiled, relieved, and continued. And I finally found something to put in my chest. You still got the key?". She nodded. "Never took it off". He smiled. He took out the chest and she opened it.
He took out a picture. Dawn looked at it and saw Spike grinning at a girl with long brown hair and green eyes. She was drenched and glaring at him. She looked to Spike for an explanation, hoping that this wasn't some new love of his. Buffy wouldn't be able to take it.
Spike said, "This is one of my best friends. Met her in New Orleans. She knows about vampires, she's a psychic. Her name is Kat. We're like family. She came back here with me, she's renting an apartment. I'm going to split it with her". He looked at Dawn for approval. Dawn smiled and said, "I'm glad you made a new friend".
He grinned back and gently placed the picture inside the chest and took the diary out. "Got some catching up to do", he explained. She nodded. "Hey, Bit. I'm planning to make an entrance tomorrow. Ya mind not telling anyone that I'm back yet? Oh, and did anything interesting happen while I was gone?". Dawn filled him in.
"Damn. Never thought I'd see the day where I felt sorry for the Whelp. I'll come by the Magic Box with Kat tomorrow. I think we'll patrol tonight. I f I run into Buffy, I'll just deal with it. Need my spot o' violence, after all". Dawn left, extremely happy. Now, if only tomorrow would come. ------------------------------------------- The night saw two black leather clad figures strolling through the graveyard. "Now, remind me again why I listened to you and bought this coat?", asked Kat. Spike grinned and said, "If you want to be seen with a Big Bad around Sunnyhell, leather is a must".
Kat smirked and said innocently, "Big Bad? Where? All I see is a love- whipped, big fluffy haired, softy of a vampire". Spike growled playfully and said, "Oi, wench! Mind what you say! And my hair is NOT fluffy!"
Kat laughed and said, "I apologize, oh mighty William the Bloody. Please don't gum me to death, Grandpa". That did it. Spike chased her around until Kat tripped and let out a whimper.
Spike was by her side in an instant. "Kat? You alright?". She tried standing up, but to no avail. "I think it's a sprain. A bad sprain, but I'll be alright in a few days". He helped her up and slung his arm around her.
"See", she said, still smiling. "A big softy". Spike growled at her again and said, "I might just decide to drop you if you keep that up". She smiled and said, "No you wouldn't". He huffed and kept going. ------------------------------------------- Buffy walked through the cemetery. Okay, so it was his cemetery. She sighed. Who was she kidding? She patrolled here almost every night, after she was done with the usual places.
She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a flash of bleach blonde. Could he really be back? She hid behind the tree and watched. It was him. He was back. But he wasn't alone.
She watched as he walked and laughed with his arm around some girl. A very pretty girl. A vamp jumped in, a fledgling. Spike got his game face on and dusted it. The girl didn't even blink as he came back and put his arm around her once more. They walked on.
Buffy looked on. Spike found someone else? He didn't love her anymore? The thought consumed her brain. She had thought that his love would be something that never changed. Suddenly patrolling didn't seem like such a good idea anymore.
She quickly did a 180 and walked swiftly away. ------------------------------------------ The next day was a Saturday, so that morning the Scoobies hung out at the Magic Box, which Anya had apparently left to Tara.
The door of the Magic Box swung open suddenly, and in strolled...
Anya. (Thought it was gonna be Spike, didn't ya?). Xander's face went pale and he gulped. Everyone else just stayed in place.
She looked a little different, she'd cut her hair and she was wearing designer clothes. She also had her pendant on. Buffy saw this and jumped up. "You're a vengeance demon again". It was a statement, not a question.
She spoke for the first time and said, "Yes, I am. Don't worry about it, Buffy. I don't kill people. And all my punishments are all temporary". She turned to Tara and let out a ghost of a smile. "Tara, I'm glad you took good care of the shop. Thanks". She seemed a lot more subdued, not the greedy capitalist they had all known.
"So what's up Anya? Why are you back?", asked Dawn, who honestly liked the demon and respected her. Anya smiled wearily and said, "Prophecy. Thought that you should know".
Buffy groaned. "I hate prophecies. What's it say?". Anya reached in her bag and brought out a dusty and ancient looking scroll. "This is the Scroll of the End of Days". She started to read.
"The Chosen shall die her second death and live for the third time. All will not be complete in her. She will seek the Dark, in the wrong way, and it shall leave, only to return when it sees fit, with a weakness lost and two strengths gained. One of the strengths had been lost and found again, the other is new. The Second Strength teaches the Dark. They shall be inseparable, and the Chosen shall be misguided. The Chosen and the Dark shall have a second confrontation, the same issue as before. The consequences may be dire if the Chosen cannot accept the Dark. If all goes well, there will be a reunion. The Chosen and the Dark will not be pleased, but the Second Strength shall help them overcome. She shall guide them both. But then the Second Strength will receive either gift or a curse, depending on whether or not she chooses to accept it. The creature will rise from the Mouth of Hell, and all will need to resolve their issues and beat the enemy, who they have faced before, but it will not be quite the same". She finished.
Everyone stared. "Well", Buffy said, "At least I'm not gonna die". That broke the tension a little, until a girl came walking into the Magic Box.
Dawn recognized her as the girl from the photograph, Spike's friend. Buffy recognized her as the girl Spike was with last night. Ugh. What is that skanky bitch doing here?. Then she instantly reprimanded herself. She didn't even know the girl. But that didn't mean she had to like her.
Kat calmly walked to the shelf with a shimmery green pendant on it. She picked it up and also added a couple of candles. She knew that they were staring at her, but hey, the store was open, so she was in the clear.
The girl must be Dawn. She wasn't glaring, at least. Guess she recognized her. The vengeance demon...Anya? She and the guy-Xander-were looking at her curiously. The two Wiccans were wrapped up in each other. But the Slayer...damn, what got her so riled up? She was practically shooting daggers into her back.
Buffy thought angrily, She's probably picking up the candles for Spike...ugh, I don't even want to think about this!.
Kat smirked as she added some incense to her pile of things. She had picked up on that thought. While Spike was incredibly hot, and undeniably appealing, she had already found the love of her life. She sobered at that thought, then berated herself for thinking of him. She shook her head and walked over to the group.
She turned to Tara with a smile on her face and asked politely, "Excuse me miss, but would you happen to know where the raven feathers would be?". Tara pointed to the shelf in the back.
She picked up a feather and Tara got up to ring up the items, then Anya asked her suddenly, "What are you doing with an Amulet of Kytayn?".
Kat finished paying for her things and turned around. "I'm a psychic, Anya. Oh and Buffy, not sure what I did to deserve the wrath of the Slayer, but just so you know, I'm not evil. See you guys tonight". She strode out the door.
Everyone stared at the door. "Anya", asked Buffy, "What is that Amulet for? And please say it doesn't bring forth the end of the world or something". Actually, that wouldn't be so bad, cause then I'd have an excuse to kill her.
"No". Anya was in awe. "The Amulet of Kytayn is a seeing tool for psychics. It helps them boost their powers and clarify their visions, but only very powerful ones can even activate it". "Um, I know who she is", confessed Dawn. "What?", asked Buffy. "Yeah", Dawn said sheepishly. "She's a friend of Spike's. He told me about her...yesterday". "What?", said Xander. "Fang Face is back? And he hasn't come around yet?".
Dawn looked at him and said, "Chill out, Xander. Spike is my friend, so don't insult him, please?". Xander scowled, but he didn't say anything. Buffy looked at her sister. Spike had seen Dawn-probably found her-and he hadn't gone to see her?
She sighed and said, "Dawn, we'll deal with this later. We have the prophecy to worry about now". They spent the rest of the afternoon trying to figure it out. Buffy, however, had no desire to fill in the blanks about the 'Dark'. It was Spike, of course.
And speak of the devil. Spike strode in, the girl in tow. "Hello, all. Except for the Whelp, of course, nice to see you again".
Willow and Tara got up and gave him hugs. Willow liked Spike, she thought he'd changed a lot. And Tara liked him too. He was easy to talk to and he was always honest.
Anya gave him a hug too. Dawn waved at him, and even Xander had a hint of a smile. Buffy didn't do anything.
She didn't feel like friendly conversation at the moment, so she said icily, "What are you doing back?". He looked hurt for a split second, then masked it under an expression of indifference. "Well, this is the closest thing I have to a home, whether you like it or not. Plus, I promised the Bit I'd be back. So here I am".
"With a new slut too. What a surprise", she spat. He was in front of her face before she could blink. "I took a lot of crap from you last year Slayer. Not anymore. Talk about Kat like that again and I don't know whether I'll be able to control myself. Things have changed".
Kat laid a hand on his arm and said, "Relax. You didn't come here for a fight, and I really don't want to have to hold you guys apart like children".
Xander had thought for a moment and said, "Like you can even back up your threat, Captain Peroxide. You're neutered, remembered?".
Spike smirked at this and said, "Not quite. Chip's out. You see, I'm on a different leash now".
Before anyone could react, he held up his hand.
"The Second Ring of Amara. More powerful than the first, which Peaches smashed. Impervious to sunlight, crosses, etcetera, etcetera, but if I bite someone it can sense it and it stops working. Bloody thing has a mind of its own, and it's fused to my being. Meaning, it won't come off until I'm dust. But it isn't opposed to violence. Meaning, I can hit you when you annoy me, Whelp. Which is basically all the time, but I won't start 'cause knowing that I could beat you into a bloody pulp is good enough for me".
Now everyone stood, shocked. Buffy said coldly, "So remind me what would stop me from staking you right now? You can still cut someone and drink from them". Spike looked at her, but before he could say anything Anya spoke up.
"Grasping for straws much, Buffy? He hasn't killed or ingested human blood for a long time, like since he got the chip. I can't smell it. I smell the demon blood, of course, which means that he's kept on killing demons. There is no ill-will radiating from him, except a little to Xander, which I can definitely understand, and that was always there. So calm down".
Spike smiled at Anya and said thanks. Then he looked at Buffy and said, "I think being able to walk in sunlight and not being able to be staked is a hell of a lot more appealing than killing people. What, you think I did it to impress you or something? Sorry, not playing that game anymore".
Buffy was hurt by that, but she refused to let on that she was wounded. And part of her knew that she deserved it.
Before they could start arguing, Kat said, "Spike, we've gotta get to the apartment interview".
Spike grabbed her wrist and looked at her watch. "Bloody hell! We've gotta go. Nibblet, I'll stop by tomorrow, around 8, what say you?". She nodded.
He continued. "Oh, and Kat says you've got a new prophecy. I'll give Tara my new address if we get the apartment, in case you need help, before you say anything Whelp, we are not together, she is my best friend, Bit will explain it, see you later". He was out the door in a flash.
Kat waited a moment and said, "I know what the prophecy means, but I can only tell you bits and pieces. Would you like me to patrol with you tomorrow? We can talk". Buffy nodded, albeit reluctantly.
A muffled yell of "Kat! Get the bleedin' hell out here!", was heard. She laughed and said, "The first vamp I've ever met who was concerned about punctuality. See you tomorrow". She walked off.
A Year Later
It was hard to believe it, thought Spike. It had been almost an entire year since he left Sunnyhell. He was ready to go back now. He'd had lots of fun, he and Kat had left New Orleans and traveled to New York, and he'd shown her around, but now he was ready to go and face the Scoobies.
He was in L.A. right now, doing everything in his power to avoid the poof. Kat had come with him. He'd asked her to, he liked her. They were best friends. Now they were three days away from going back to the gang.
Of course, they wouldn't be expecting the changes in him. No one would. This will be bloody interesting, he thought as he stepped into the sunlight and on to the street. ---------------------------------------- Buffy was at home alone watching T.V. I'm so pathetic, she thought. She could've been out with her friends, but no, she had to say she was tired.
She was doing better, she got a new job as a self-defense teacher. Dawn was doing good in school, and Willow and Tara were back together. The Nerds were in jail and not getting out.
Xander and Anya. Oy. Xander had decided that he wasn't ready and had run away a few days before the wedding. Anya hadn't been seen since. Xander had come back a few weeks after he left, but never said anything about the incident.
And Spike. He wasn't back. Buffy missed him so badly it hurt. She knew, instinctively, that the past year would've been a hell of a lot easier if he had stayed. She had needed-and still needed-backup on patrol. The vamp population was increasing rapidly without him helping to keep it under control. And of course, there was the small fact that Buffy felt something for him.
She hadn't realized it until a few months after he left. She felt something strong for Spike, soul or no soul. She wanted him back, only now it was too late. ---------------------------------------------- Spike crashed into the 'Welcome to Sunnydale' sign. He grinned at the crunching noise and Kat rolled her eyes at his satisfied expression.
"Home sweet home", said Spike.
They reached the crypt and Clem gladly gave it up. It was too easily accessed by demons for his taste.
"So what are you going to do first?", asked Kat. "Promised the Bit I'd see her. She's first. I guess I'll meet her at school", said Spike. "But for now, sleep is good". ------------------------------------------- The next day Dawn was with her friends. She was going to walk home, she was used to it by now. She unconsciously played with the key. She did that a lot. It was a habit she'd picked up.
Janice gaped and whispered excitedly, "You guys, don't move too fast, but check out the total hottie on the sidewalk!". The girls turned around and each agreed with Janice.
Kristin, who Dawn couldn't stand, said, "Mmm. Looks cute. Wonder what he's doing here. Maybe I'll go find out".
Dawn was standing with her back to the sidewalk, so she was the last to turn around, and when she did she gasped.
Spike. In sunlight. Wearing a grey long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans.
Spike looked up at her and smiled. Dawn ran down the stairs of the school and into his open arms. "Spike! You're back!", she said happily. Then she whispered, "Wait! Why aren't you all dusty?". He whispered, "Long story, Bit. Tell you later, in private. Here come your pals".
Indeed the girls had followed Dawn down. "Dawn, aren't you going to introduce us?", asked Kristin sweetly. "Um, yeah, you guys, this is Spike, he's a friend of my sister's. He's been gone for awhile, that's why I was so surprised to see him. Spike, these are my friends, Janice, Ashley, and-"
"Kristin", she interrupted. "Nice to meet you", she drawled. Spike was uncomfortable and said, "Uh, yeah, same here. Dawn, you about ready to go?". She nodded and waved goodbye to her friends.
"I don't like that Kristin girl", said Spike. "Me neither. So what's up? Why are you back? How come you're in the sun and not dust?", asked Dawn.
He led her to the crypt and after they got inside, hugged her for a long time. "I missed you a lot, Bit". Then he said, "As for what happened, I saved a witch from some demon, and she gave me a second Ring of Amara. Apparently it's even stronger than the first one. Been this way for a couple months. But Bit, ", he hesitated, "The chip-it's gone now. But I haven't fed".
Dawn looked at him and said, "I trust you". He smiled, relieved, and continued. And I finally found something to put in my chest. You still got the key?". She nodded. "Never took it off". He smiled. He took out the chest and she opened it.
He took out a picture. Dawn looked at it and saw Spike grinning at a girl with long brown hair and green eyes. She was drenched and glaring at him. She looked to Spike for an explanation, hoping that this wasn't some new love of his. Buffy wouldn't be able to take it.
Spike said, "This is one of my best friends. Met her in New Orleans. She knows about vampires, she's a psychic. Her name is Kat. We're like family. She came back here with me, she's renting an apartment. I'm going to split it with her". He looked at Dawn for approval. Dawn smiled and said, "I'm glad you made a new friend".
He grinned back and gently placed the picture inside the chest and took the diary out. "Got some catching up to do", he explained. She nodded. "Hey, Bit. I'm planning to make an entrance tomorrow. Ya mind not telling anyone that I'm back yet? Oh, and did anything interesting happen while I was gone?". Dawn filled him in.
"Damn. Never thought I'd see the day where I felt sorry for the Whelp. I'll come by the Magic Box with Kat tomorrow. I think we'll patrol tonight. I f I run into Buffy, I'll just deal with it. Need my spot o' violence, after all". Dawn left, extremely happy. Now, if only tomorrow would come. ------------------------------------------- The night saw two black leather clad figures strolling through the graveyard. "Now, remind me again why I listened to you and bought this coat?", asked Kat. Spike grinned and said, "If you want to be seen with a Big Bad around Sunnyhell, leather is a must".
Kat smirked and said innocently, "Big Bad? Where? All I see is a love- whipped, big fluffy haired, softy of a vampire". Spike growled playfully and said, "Oi, wench! Mind what you say! And my hair is NOT fluffy!"
Kat laughed and said, "I apologize, oh mighty William the Bloody. Please don't gum me to death, Grandpa". That did it. Spike chased her around until Kat tripped and let out a whimper.
Spike was by her side in an instant. "Kat? You alright?". She tried standing up, but to no avail. "I think it's a sprain. A bad sprain, but I'll be alright in a few days". He helped her up and slung his arm around her.
"See", she said, still smiling. "A big softy". Spike growled at her again and said, "I might just decide to drop you if you keep that up". She smiled and said, "No you wouldn't". He huffed and kept going. ------------------------------------------- Buffy walked through the cemetery. Okay, so it was his cemetery. She sighed. Who was she kidding? She patrolled here almost every night, after she was done with the usual places.
She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a flash of bleach blonde. Could he really be back? She hid behind the tree and watched. It was him. He was back. But he wasn't alone.
She watched as he walked and laughed with his arm around some girl. A very pretty girl. A vamp jumped in, a fledgling. Spike got his game face on and dusted it. The girl didn't even blink as he came back and put his arm around her once more. They walked on.
Buffy looked on. Spike found someone else? He didn't love her anymore? The thought consumed her brain. She had thought that his love would be something that never changed. Suddenly patrolling didn't seem like such a good idea anymore.
She quickly did a 180 and walked swiftly away. ------------------------------------------ The next day was a Saturday, so that morning the Scoobies hung out at the Magic Box, which Anya had apparently left to Tara.
The door of the Magic Box swung open suddenly, and in strolled...
Anya. (Thought it was gonna be Spike, didn't ya?). Xander's face went pale and he gulped. Everyone else just stayed in place.
She looked a little different, she'd cut her hair and she was wearing designer clothes. She also had her pendant on. Buffy saw this and jumped up. "You're a vengeance demon again". It was a statement, not a question.
She spoke for the first time and said, "Yes, I am. Don't worry about it, Buffy. I don't kill people. And all my punishments are all temporary". She turned to Tara and let out a ghost of a smile. "Tara, I'm glad you took good care of the shop. Thanks". She seemed a lot more subdued, not the greedy capitalist they had all known.
"So what's up Anya? Why are you back?", asked Dawn, who honestly liked the demon and respected her. Anya smiled wearily and said, "Prophecy. Thought that you should know".
Buffy groaned. "I hate prophecies. What's it say?". Anya reached in her bag and brought out a dusty and ancient looking scroll. "This is the Scroll of the End of Days". She started to read.
"The Chosen shall die her second death and live for the third time. All will not be complete in her. She will seek the Dark, in the wrong way, and it shall leave, only to return when it sees fit, with a weakness lost and two strengths gained. One of the strengths had been lost and found again, the other is new. The Second Strength teaches the Dark. They shall be inseparable, and the Chosen shall be misguided. The Chosen and the Dark shall have a second confrontation, the same issue as before. The consequences may be dire if the Chosen cannot accept the Dark. If all goes well, there will be a reunion. The Chosen and the Dark will not be pleased, but the Second Strength shall help them overcome. She shall guide them both. But then the Second Strength will receive either gift or a curse, depending on whether or not she chooses to accept it. The creature will rise from the Mouth of Hell, and all will need to resolve their issues and beat the enemy, who they have faced before, but it will not be quite the same". She finished.
Everyone stared. "Well", Buffy said, "At least I'm not gonna die". That broke the tension a little, until a girl came walking into the Magic Box.
Dawn recognized her as the girl from the photograph, Spike's friend. Buffy recognized her as the girl Spike was with last night. Ugh. What is that skanky bitch doing here?. Then she instantly reprimanded herself. She didn't even know the girl. But that didn't mean she had to like her.
Kat calmly walked to the shelf with a shimmery green pendant on it. She picked it up and also added a couple of candles. She knew that they were staring at her, but hey, the store was open, so she was in the clear.
The girl must be Dawn. She wasn't glaring, at least. Guess she recognized her. The vengeance demon...Anya? She and the guy-Xander-were looking at her curiously. The two Wiccans were wrapped up in each other. But the Slayer...damn, what got her so riled up? She was practically shooting daggers into her back.
Buffy thought angrily, She's probably picking up the candles for Spike...ugh, I don't even want to think about this!.
Kat smirked as she added some incense to her pile of things. She had picked up on that thought. While Spike was incredibly hot, and undeniably appealing, she had already found the love of her life. She sobered at that thought, then berated herself for thinking of him. She shook her head and walked over to the group.
She turned to Tara with a smile on her face and asked politely, "Excuse me miss, but would you happen to know where the raven feathers would be?". Tara pointed to the shelf in the back.
She picked up a feather and Tara got up to ring up the items, then Anya asked her suddenly, "What are you doing with an Amulet of Kytayn?".
Kat finished paying for her things and turned around. "I'm a psychic, Anya. Oh and Buffy, not sure what I did to deserve the wrath of the Slayer, but just so you know, I'm not evil. See you guys tonight". She strode out the door.
Everyone stared at the door. "Anya", asked Buffy, "What is that Amulet for? And please say it doesn't bring forth the end of the world or something". Actually, that wouldn't be so bad, cause then I'd have an excuse to kill her.
"No". Anya was in awe. "The Amulet of Kytayn is a seeing tool for psychics. It helps them boost their powers and clarify their visions, but only very powerful ones can even activate it". "Um, I know who she is", confessed Dawn. "What?", asked Buffy. "Yeah", Dawn said sheepishly. "She's a friend of Spike's. He told me about her...yesterday". "What?", said Xander. "Fang Face is back? And he hasn't come around yet?".
Dawn looked at him and said, "Chill out, Xander. Spike is my friend, so don't insult him, please?". Xander scowled, but he didn't say anything. Buffy looked at her sister. Spike had seen Dawn-probably found her-and he hadn't gone to see her?
She sighed and said, "Dawn, we'll deal with this later. We have the prophecy to worry about now". They spent the rest of the afternoon trying to figure it out. Buffy, however, had no desire to fill in the blanks about the 'Dark'. It was Spike, of course.
And speak of the devil. Spike strode in, the girl in tow. "Hello, all. Except for the Whelp, of course, nice to see you again".
Willow and Tara got up and gave him hugs. Willow liked Spike, she thought he'd changed a lot. And Tara liked him too. He was easy to talk to and he was always honest.
Anya gave him a hug too. Dawn waved at him, and even Xander had a hint of a smile. Buffy didn't do anything.
She didn't feel like friendly conversation at the moment, so she said icily, "What are you doing back?". He looked hurt for a split second, then masked it under an expression of indifference. "Well, this is the closest thing I have to a home, whether you like it or not. Plus, I promised the Bit I'd be back. So here I am".
"With a new slut too. What a surprise", she spat. He was in front of her face before she could blink. "I took a lot of crap from you last year Slayer. Not anymore. Talk about Kat like that again and I don't know whether I'll be able to control myself. Things have changed".
Kat laid a hand on his arm and said, "Relax. You didn't come here for a fight, and I really don't want to have to hold you guys apart like children".
Xander had thought for a moment and said, "Like you can even back up your threat, Captain Peroxide. You're neutered, remembered?".
Spike smirked at this and said, "Not quite. Chip's out. You see, I'm on a different leash now".
Before anyone could react, he held up his hand.
"The Second Ring of Amara. More powerful than the first, which Peaches smashed. Impervious to sunlight, crosses, etcetera, etcetera, but if I bite someone it can sense it and it stops working. Bloody thing has a mind of its own, and it's fused to my being. Meaning, it won't come off until I'm dust. But it isn't opposed to violence. Meaning, I can hit you when you annoy me, Whelp. Which is basically all the time, but I won't start 'cause knowing that I could beat you into a bloody pulp is good enough for me".
Now everyone stood, shocked. Buffy said coldly, "So remind me what would stop me from staking you right now? You can still cut someone and drink from them". Spike looked at her, but before he could say anything Anya spoke up.
"Grasping for straws much, Buffy? He hasn't killed or ingested human blood for a long time, like since he got the chip. I can't smell it. I smell the demon blood, of course, which means that he's kept on killing demons. There is no ill-will radiating from him, except a little to Xander, which I can definitely understand, and that was always there. So calm down".
Spike smiled at Anya and said thanks. Then he looked at Buffy and said, "I think being able to walk in sunlight and not being able to be staked is a hell of a lot more appealing than killing people. What, you think I did it to impress you or something? Sorry, not playing that game anymore".
Buffy was hurt by that, but she refused to let on that she was wounded. And part of her knew that she deserved it.
Before they could start arguing, Kat said, "Spike, we've gotta get to the apartment interview".
Spike grabbed her wrist and looked at her watch. "Bloody hell! We've gotta go. Nibblet, I'll stop by tomorrow, around 8, what say you?". She nodded.
He continued. "Oh, and Kat says you've got a new prophecy. I'll give Tara my new address if we get the apartment, in case you need help, before you say anything Whelp, we are not together, she is my best friend, Bit will explain it, see you later". He was out the door in a flash.
Kat waited a moment and said, "I know what the prophecy means, but I can only tell you bits and pieces. Would you like me to patrol with you tomorrow? We can talk". Buffy nodded, albeit reluctantly.
A muffled yell of "Kat! Get the bleedin' hell out here!", was heard. She laughed and said, "The first vamp I've ever met who was concerned about punctuality. See you tomorrow". She walked off.