Confusion

By: Lynn

Summary: See Chapter 1

Rating: PG-13

A/N: Oh, wow. I have no excuse for the long, LONG delay. I am so sorry. And I promise I will be better about updating from now on. Anyway, enjoy!

Gr'ynk, the most powerful of all Lyek demons, will lead an army of evil across the land. Only one in all the world could stop him…he who defies his nature. The Vampire that sides with the forces of good, the childe of the ensouled one. He alone can kill Gr'ynk and stop the end of days.

            Victoria smiled as she read the passage again and again, proving to herself that she had actually, finally found what she was looking for. But that didn't mean her work was over. Just because she found a mention of Spike didn't answer why or how he was sent back in time. It was time to go back to the time travel books. She had to find what caused Spike to come back in time – and, of course, how to fix it.

                                                            *                      *                      *

           

            Buffy danced around the kitchen, singing while she cooked eggs. Still in a good mood from the previous night, she expertly ignored the fact that it had been SPIKE. Well…not really, but in her mind it had been. She didn't want to think about what that meant; she just wanted to enjoy the memories. 

            And what memories they were…wow, if William was that good, how good is Spike after 100 years of practice…NO, Buffy!  Bad, BAD Buffy!

            "Buffy."

            The Slayer jumped, hand going to her chest in an effort to calm down. Blushing deeply, she turned to look at William.  He looked more embarrassed than she was. He didn't even meet her eyes.

            "Um.  H-how are you this morning?"  William's voice was a good octave higher than normal.  Buffy smiled.

            "Good.  And you?" 

            William just laughed. 

            "I bet." The two stepped closer, almost as if a magnet was pulling them together. Buffy's eyes were glued to his lips, and she could hear his breath catch in his throat. In a second, they were in each other's arms, kissing passionately.

            "Mmm…Spike." William immediately stopped moving in her arms. She froze, too, inwardly cringing at her mistake. Buffy looked up into his pain-filled eyes.

            "I'm…very sorry, William. I didn't mean that."

            "Yes, you did, Miss Summers." Buffy cringed at the sound of the proper name. "And I'm the one who is sorry."

            He released his grip on her arms, sighing and looking down at his feet. "Please let us try and forget last night."  He turned, heading toward the stairs.

            "William!"

            Turning back to her with a sad smile on his face, William's eyes were bright with pain and tears. 

            "I'm going upstairs to freshen up. We must aid Mr. Giles with research today. Hopefully, we will find a way to send me home, and bring Spike back."  William turned back around and stepped on the first step of the staircase.  He paused, his head still down, his back to Buffy, and his voice so quiet she had to strain to hear him.

            "Spike is a lucky man, Miss Summers."

            With that, he bounded up the steps, leaving Buffy to slide to the floor with a burning ache in her heart. She hurt for William and what she did to him, but she also hurt for the man William would become. She missed him. She loved him. She could admit that now.

                                                            *                      *                      *

            "Harder, Victoria!  Do you think a vampire would stop for a puny hit like that!" Victoria, making a very unladylike grunt, lunged out at Spike, trying desperately to punch him. He nimbly danced out of the way, a smile on his face.

            "You really enjoy fighting, don't you?"  Breathless, she could only follow as the two danced around the makeshift gym in the Carlisle home.

            "I'm a vampire, luv. We live for it."

            "Well, I'm not going to live if we don't take a break." Spike lowered his arms from their defensive posture, dropping to the floor. Victoria sat, as well, panting for air. Giving her a few minutes to relax, Spike finally asked what had been weighing on his mind for the last day.

            "Did you find anything at the library, pet?"

            Victoria gasped, reaching out to grab Spike's hand and pulled him to a standing position as she stood up, as well. Dragging him over to her bag, she pulled out several pieces of paper, all filled with notes.

            "It all comes down to this one prophecy: apparently, you are the only person in the world who can kill the demon Gr'ynk.  I do not know how yet, but I believe he is the one responsible for you being here instead of in your own time."

            "Well, even if you don't know how he did it, could you find a way to reverse it?"

            "Not for sure without knowing the specifics of the spell he used to send you here. I have already begun looking into that."

            "Good, luv. Keep up the good work." Victoria blushed at the praise.

            Spike looked at her for a few seconds, until his trademark smirk flitted across his features.

            "Well…" Spike dragged out the word, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Now that we have the plan worked out, I have another idea." Victoria looked at him, confusion marring her face. Spike just smirked in response.

            "Yes. I call it 'Operation Edward.'"

            "Oh! No, Spike, I-" Spike raised his hand to silence her.

            "Victoria, I may be a vampire, but I know a little something about love and wooing." Spike paused, frowning. "Well I know what NOT to do. So you can do the opposite and win Edward's heart."

            "And I'd be more than willing to help." Spike and Victoria turned toward Lady Carlisle. Once again, she had been watching them train. Spike slowly turned back to Victoria, an evil grin growing on his face. Victoria, looking back and forth between mother and son, shook her head wildly in protest, her eyes bulging in fear.

            "C'mon, pet." Spike grabbed her arm and dragged her to his mother's lounge, where the three began to discuss the plan.

                                                            *                      *                      *

            The Magic Box was quiet. The last customer had left hours ago. The only sounds were the rustling of pages turning and Giles' occasional mutterings. Even Xander managed to refrain from making too many "helpful" comments.

            The Scooby Gang and William sat around the circular table, tightly packed together. It was torture for William, as he sat next to Buffy and could feel every movement she made.

            What a remarkable girl – so much more alive than my Cecily.  He felt a twinge of guilt that that was the first time he thought of his ladylove, but then realized that he couldn't help it. One minute in Buffy's presence was enough for William to admit that he couldn't be in love with Cecily. The burning in his heart, the deep need to put her needs and wants first – only Buffy could inspire that in him. But she loves Spike… Tears sprung into his eyes again, like they had so many times today already. Pushing them back, like any good Victorian, Spike inwardly set his resolve. He would not let this get to him. He would help them find a way to bring Spike back – because that's what Buffy wanted. He pointedly ignored the thought, deep in his heart, that what he wanted was to never go home. He wanted to stay in this world with its strange machines and its television, with it people who dressed and said and acted like they wanted not like what society wanted. He wanted to stay with the people that cared so much about others that they spent hours researching something, instead of only caring about themselves. He wanted to stay in a world that had Buffy in it.

            "Ah-HA!" Giles' cry caused them all to jump in their chairs and Xander to wake up. Giles stood, hunched over the book and walking over to cross-reference it against another one still on the shelf. Nodding to himself, he walked back over to the table to look at the others, who were all impatiently waiting for him to explain his discovery.

            "I've found the spell that I believe was used to switch William and Spike to the other's time."
            "Well, Giles, we kinda figured that one." Giles looked at Dawn, a look of exasperated frustration in his eyes.

            "Yes, well. It's called Drangar's Paradox. It basically takes two mentalities of the same person and switches them."

            "What makes it paradox-y"

            "To break the spell, the victim has to kill the caster."
            William's face went white and his stomach dropped. "I-I have to kill someone?"

            "I'm not sure. I don't believe so. The victim the Rite refers to, I think, is the one that the caster wanted away from him. Now, given the different lives you and Spike lead, I think it's definitely more likely that the caster wanted Spike out of the picture now, then you out of the picture then."

            It was Buffy's turn to have her face turn white. "Does…does that mean Spike will never come back? I mean, how can he kill someone when he's over 100 years away?" William felt guilty for the soar of joy that went through his heart, especially when he saw the stricken look on his love's face.

            Giles' face fell a little bit. He sat down, taking his glasses off to clean them. "I believe so." He sighed and looked up at William. "I think it's time that we face the fact that you're here to stay." He then looked at Buffy, meeting her eyes. "That Spike isn't coming back."

            Buffy's face became an almost impossible shade of white. Excusing herself, she practically raced to the bathroom. Locking the door, she sank to the ground. Her heart hurt so much. Why did he have to be gone now that she could admit her love for him? The shock and pain filled her, and the tears came.