A/N: Once again, thanks sooo much for the reviews. :)

~

Willow flipped a time-worn page in the book.

Nothing.

Not a darn thing about gross, intestinal-happy demons. She pouted her lip and sat back. She pictured the scenario Buffy and Spike had painted, for the eightieth time.

Spike found two girls in the graveyard, Abby and Emily. Spike brought them home. Abby screamed. Spike looked inside, saw the bodies. He told Abby to invite him in, who did. He searched the house. He examined the bodies. He told Abby he'd be back. He got Buffy. Buffy saw the same things. Buffy heard a scream. Buffy saw Abby on the floor dead, her spine ripped out.

. There had to be a hole. There was always a hole. Willow had an inkling that she was missing something...something obvious. She pictured the scenario again.

Spike found two girls in the graveyard, Abby and Emily. Spike brought them home. Abby screamed. Spike looked inside, saw the bodies. He told Abby to invite him in, who did. He searched the house -

Of course!

"The hole!" Willow exclaimed looking around to the weary faces of the group, "I found the hole!"

"What?" Xander asked, his face a question mark.

"Spike, you, you said there were two girls you found, right? Abby and Emily?"

"Yeah.?"

"Emily! Where did she go?" Spike cocked his head in thought and then shrugged.

"I figured she scurried off as soon as she saw it."

"It couldn't be that simple. It never is." Buffy said, the new discovery perking the Slayer within.

"So Emily is now a suspect." Dawn stated, signing onto the Internet for Willow.

"Hold on," Jesse remarked, "these girls were best friends. Why would someone kill not only their best friend, but also their best friend's family?"

"They probably weren't as good of friends as that Abby girl thought. Will, is there any way you could find out information on this girl? See if there were any...what's the word they use in the movies?" Xander looked to Willow for help.

"Angles?"

"That's it! Yes! See of there were any angles to why Emily would want Abby gone." Xander smiled despite the situation. He was helping. Witness him help.

"Spike!" Willow said sharply, getting his attention.

"Yeah."

"Do you know Emily's last name?"

"No damned clue, pet." He gave her a look of remorse. It wasn't like him to ask people's full names.

"Could you describe her?"

"Bottle blonde, natural brunette, around 5'4, brown eyes. Nothing really particular. She had a one of those moles above her lip, like that Marilyn Monroe chit." Willow was rapidly punching in all of the descriptions Spike supplied her with. No one knew exactly where or how Willow got her information. She always did, though.

"I got two Emilys that match the description of Brunette, 5'4, brown eyes. And one's blonde now and has the mole." Willow clapped her hands together giddily. She felt like Velma.

"Emily Smithison. She's a freshman at Sunnydale. I've never seen her." She mentioned to Xander.

"I have." Jesse said darkly, "If I had known it was her, I could've told you who our bad guy was from the beginning. That girl's psycho." Buffy shook her blonde hair back and raised her eyebrows in expectance.

"She's always walking through the halls, talking to herself. Clutching her books, looking all out scared pissed. From what I heard, she talks to this guy, Dave, who she thinks is her brother. Of course, she doesn't actually have a brother, that I know of. In fact, the only time she seemed okay was when she hung out with this brunette. Really young looking, but popular, especially with the Freshman guys."

"Abby." Buffy said, feeling guilt tug at her. She had become so wrapped up her so-called "feelings" for two men she barely knew that she had nearly forgotten about the poor girl that she found dead.

"Guess so. Anyway, Abby seemed to bring her out of her shell. She was happier, wittier, she talked more. but she always seemed a little off. And not just in an uncomfortable way."

"In a homicidal-maniac sort of way?" Xander jibed, glancing at the absorbent faces of everyone else. Spike shakes his head.

"If she was so evil, why did she let me bring them home? She's got to have heard of me."

"Egotistical much?" Buffy snapped, rolling her eyes at the vampire, "I think we've more than likely got our guy...or girl...or thing." Willow nodded and printed out all of Emily's personal info.

"It wasn't me." Giles felt himself tense up when he heard an unfamiliar, young voice. Everyone followed suit as they turned around to face Emily.

"How did you get in here?" Dawn asked, reaching for a weapon.

"I followed Spike. Don't hurt me. Please. It wasn't me, I didn't kill Abby's family. Or Abby. Please, it was Dave." She wringed her hands and darted her head around, searching desperately for a friendly face. Jesse sneered and let out a gloomy laugh.

"Dave? Your imaginary brother?"

"He's not my brother. And he's definitely not imaginary." Emily said, biting her bottom lip. Willow looked up from the pages she had printed out.

Mother: Deceased. Father: Deceased.

"Your parents died." Willow said, walking closer to Emily.

"He killed them, too. He told me that it was a good idea. That by killing them, he could love me more. That I'd be able to love him more. It was true, I did. For awhile. Then I met Abby and she loved me without asking any questions. It was like she was a real sister. Dave got real mad and he started threatening Abby and her family and I never thought he'd go through with it or I would've stopped hanging out with her, I swear. I loved Abby. Please." Buffy looked up at Giles, who nodded her into his private office.

"I believe her." Buffy finally spoke.

"As do I."

"So, what do we do?"

"We need to find out who Dave is." He stated matter-of-factly.

"Or what Dave is." She replied, leaning on his desk, by the palms of her hands. She looked down at them and felt a question bite the tip of her tongue. It was not the time to ask him, yet, she needed to.

"Giles, what are the Choosers?" She widened her eyes and waited patiently for his reply.

"I beg your pardon?"

"The Choosers. What are they?"

"Well, ah...if memory serves me correctly, they are the ancient "destiny- choosers," more commonly known as Fates. What does that have to do with Dave and Emily?" Buffy nodded, taking this in. Fates. Why would she be getting all déjà vu-ey about the Fates? It seemed appropriate, but nothing fit quite together.

"Nothing. They have nothing to do with Dave and Emily."

"Then I would suggest focusing on the problem at hand." He said, a slight reprimand entering his voice. He did not have the time for silly questions. Buffy took what he said and inwardly agreed. Getting weird feelings about words and people and places were not a reason to stray from her work. She mentally placed her feelings about the Choosers, and not to mention her feelings for Spike and Angel, to the back of her mind.

She would not think about them again.

Ever.

~

tbc...

A/N: Hey, sorry. I know I told you that all would be resolved, but I couldn't do all of that in one update. But at least you know what the first baddie is now. Sorta. I pinky swear that by the same time next week, Dave will be no more and we'll be able to focus on my personal favorite aspect...the build-up of a real B/S relationship.