A/N: To avoid confusion -- "[ ]" = anything that is written as a note. Also, the updates might be more sporadic because we're nearing the end :'(. So the things that happen are much more important and need extra thinking time involved.

~

34...11...23 Dawn groaned in frustration when her locker refused to budge, 34...11...23... Damn! Dawn meekly pounded the metal door with her fist. Still nothing.

"Open up!" She yelled, grabbing the handle and yanking it with all of her strength. Dawn hissed in pain as the top half of her index finger nail ripped off and began to bleed, "Shit."

Dawn pulled her finger to her mouth and applied pressure with her lips as she hauled herself into the bathroom. She turned on the faucet and yanked a paper towel down, wet it, and wrapped the damp, brown paper around her finger.

Dawn stopped in her tracks when she heard a light whimper come from the second stall. She turned off the water and stood in silence, just to be sure her mind wasn't playing tricks on her.

She heard it again.

Dawn briskly walked over to the front of the stall and knocked.

"Hey, you okay in there?" The whimper evolved into a sob.

"Briney?" A voice choked out. A familiar voice...

"Cordy? I mean, Cordelia? Are you okay?" The stall opened and Cordelia came out. Dawn gasped as she took in Cordelia's face, which had a large gash across her forehead.

"Cordy..." Dawn said softly, instinctive pity taking over, "What happened?"

"I don't even know. My parents were fighting this morning so I came to school early and I saw this guy. I've seen him around before, at the Bronze and stuff. I always thought he was sorta cute, so I started talking to him. He was really charming, at first and then he...he attacked me. It was so sudden, he-he looked like one of those gang members that that freak Buffy- I mean, that that * girl * Buffy is involved in and I screamed and he asked me what I knew about the Slayer and I got really, really scared and he threatened me and told me to tell "the Slayer and her lackies" that he was here. Then he left. And I don't know what it meant and I'm so afraid...I just...God, do you think I'm insane?" Cordelia looked up at Dawn, trying to gauge her reaction.

"No. Of course not. What did he look like?" Cordelia shook her head.

"I'm so confused right now..." Dawn rubbed her back.

"It's okay. Come on. Mr. Giles should have some disinfectant and bandages to take care of that." Dawn stood up and offered her hand to Cordelia who took it.

The two of them walked in silence for a few moments when Cordelia stopped.

"Briney- I mean, Dawn, right?" Dawn smiled and nodded, "Right. Um, * Dawn. * Those guys that kidnapped me a few months ago and that Buffy was...involved in. They aren't a gang, are they?"

Dawn grimaced and closed her eyes.

"I wish they were. But, no. No, they aren't." Cordelia nodded and stared straight ahead. Dawn sighed.

"Let's go."

~

"Holy canoli! So this is what an empty classroom looks like!" Xander exclaimed with feigned awe to Buffy and Willow, who both snickered.

"I must say, we are uncharacteristically early today." Willow agreed, smiling, "A whole 3 minutes."

"Someone should call Guinness." Buffy added, taking her seat.

"Ya know what I wanna do? I wanna set the world record for...insert witty and thought provoking idea here." Xander finished lamely, unable to think of anything. Buffy laughed and patted his arm.

"They can't all be gems, Xand."

Willow's smile faded as Cordelia walked into the room, a large piece of gauze on her forehead.

"God, what happened to you?" Buffy asked, noticing Cordelia's wound as well.

"I got attacked this morning, by a vampire." Cordelia mumbled, "Bri-I mean, Dawn cleaned it up for me." Buffy bit her lip and raised her eyebrow.

"Oh." Cordelia nodded and took her seat in front of Willow, who turned around and gave a 'panic look' to Buffy and pointed at the brunette in front of her. Buffy mouthed a 'What?' and Willow widened her eyes and scribbled a note and passed it to Buffy quickly.

[ Buffy!! She got really hurt by a vamp THIS MORNING!! ] Buffy pulled in her eyebrows.

[ So? ] She passed the note back to Willow, who read it and sighed, furiously scribbling.

[ Do I need to spell it out for you? Mr. Vampy-Vamp is probably STILL IN THE BUILDING! ] Buffy smiled and shook her head as she wrote back,

[Breathe, Wills. If it couldn't kill CORDELIA it probably couldn't navigate it's way through the school without having an allergic reaction to sunlight. And if not, it probably got out through the sewers. Remember when Spike mentioned that way back when? ]

Willow read Buffy's message and got a sheepish look on her face before folding it back up and mouthing 'Sorry.' Buffy smiled and turned back to the class, which had since started.

Pay attention mode: Activate.

But Buffy couldn't stop herself from glancing at Cordelia, who looked like she was on the verge of tears.

Buffy pushed her pity away.

This was * still * Cordelia they were talking about.

~

"Yeah, she was really beat up. Emotionally, mainly. It's like the velvet curtain in front of her eyes was lifted up and suddenly she saw the world for what it really was." Dawn said during one of her impromptu meetings with Spike on the stairs leading to the basement.

"Huh. Weird."

"Not really. She ended up helping Angel a lot in L.A., or so I've heard." Dawn said, ignoring the scowl that crossed Spike's face at the mention of Angel, "But I'm more interested in what that vamp had to say, according to her. There's been a lot of weird stuff happening lately, Spike." Spike nodded in agreement.

"The Choosers said the first piece of the puzzle has been set in place. Then the 'Keeper of the Earthly Secrets,'" Spike rolled his eyes, still not buying the pompous name, "said that everything is twisted between time and dreams or some corny cliché-ish phrase like that."

"What do you think that meant?" Dawn asked, curious.

"Dunno. He explained it all cryptic like. Normally, I'd go to Giles, but I can't bloody well do that this time, can I?"

"I guess not. You'd have to explain everything to him. Speaking of which..." Dawn started.

"No, Dawn." Spike answered succinctly.

"You haven't even heard the question yet!"

"You were gonna ask if we could tell Buffy everything. And the answer is still no."

"But she trusts us now."

"Exactly, and now is not the bloody time to break it!" Spike reasoned.

"Okay, so first we couldn't tell her because she didn't trust us enough, and * now * we can't tell her because she trusts us too much." Spike bit his lip and nodded reluctantly. Dawn sighed.

"I don't think I ever realized just how big of a coward you really are." With that, Dawn clomped up the stairs and slammed the door behind her. Spike leaned back against the railing and lit a cigarette.

He really was a coward.

~

"Human Sexuality and You? Giles, Giles, Giles...What naughty books you keep in stock." Xander commented as he grabbed the book from off the shelf and flipped it open, glancing down at the diagram on page 34, "Hello!" He immediately clamped it shut again. "That was disturbing. Giles is a sick, sick man."

Xander looked up as he ran smack into Spike.

"Hey. Did you check out those books back there? Sex books. Not in a good, Hustler sort of way either." Spike raised one eyebrow at him, "Ah. I get it. We're back to crazed, 'Do I even bloody know you?' guy again, eh?" Spike smirked.

"I need your help." He said, softly, pulling Xander behind another bookshelf.

"Umm...what can I do you for? Or do for you? That sounds less gigolo- ish..." Xander sputtered nervously, trying to ignore the shooting pain going up and down his arm from Spike's tight grip.

"I heard a few things, goin' around. There's this girl, Cordelia. You know her?"

"I know her." Xander said, rolling his eyes.

"Good. You're gonna talk to her, find out everything you can about her attack, alright? Then, you're gonna report it to Buffy, no matter what you hear."

"I would anyway- OW!" Spike dug his fingers into Xander's arm.

"That's not all you're gonna do for me, boy. You are gonna find out about somethin' called The..." He thought for a moment, trying to recall the word that he had overheard, "Choosers." He decided.

"The what now?" Spike clenched his jaw.

"I don't bloody know! That's why I'm sending you. You're gonna meet with them for me, you understand? You're gonna find out every bloody bit of information about me that you can."

"About you? Why?" Spike twisted Xander's skin.

"Don't ask questions. Just do it."

"Dude, you're startin' to scare me a little bit." Spike smiled.

"Good. It's the only way you'll get this job done. Now, MOVE!" Spike barked, sending him away.

Xander ran out of the library, his head reeling with questions. Spike was acting very weird, but it was still Spike. And as much as he hated the fact that Spike and Buffy were in a romantic relationship with one another, Spike was on their side.

So he must know what he's talking about.

With that, Xander trotted down the hallway, in search of Cordelia.

~

As soon her last class ended, Cordelia ran out of the room, to get away from her so-called 'posse.' She needed to think, she needed to breathe.

Everything was going in circles, nothing made sense. Vampires, Demons, Slayers?! A day ago she was a stuck-up, selfish future prom queen. Today, she was a stuck-up, selfish future prom queen who hated herself and the world.

Why is this affecting me like this? I knew it, I knew it. I've known for years...God, it's so damn obvious.

In a strange instant, she knew why it moved her to the point of anxiety.

Briney. Or Dawn, or whatever 60s lovechild name she was going by now. Her best friend was involved in this huge deal and she knew nothing about it. Her best friend was putting her life on the line to fight the forces of * evil, * while she was obsessed with getting the right shade of lip gloss.

"Pathetic." Cordy whispered, feeling a new batch of tears coming on, "I'm pathetic. No wonder she didn't want anything to do with me."

It would've been so much easier to deal if it had just been that quartet of dorks- Jesse, Xander, Willow, and that god-awful Buffy, but it wasn't just them.

It was Briney. Her * best * friend. The only one who ever seemed to give a damn about her, in a real sense. Not just to help boost her popularity. She felt a tear slink down her cheek. And then another, and another. Soon, Cordelia buried her head in her hands as she sobbed, wishing that she could just disappear.

"Cordelia." She shot her head up at the sound of a masculine voice, one that belonged to none other than Xander Harris.

"What the hell do you want?" She hissed out, regaining her posture.

"You can drop the Queen Bitch act now. I know where you're coming from." He said, sitting down next to her.

"Harris, you don't know * anything * about what I'm going through right now."

"Let me see...you were horrified to realize that all the monsters under your bed and in your closet are real, feel like everything in your life is meaningless cuz while you were off complaining about a "one-of-a-kind" Todd Oldham dress, your former friend was off helping to save the world and you feel awful about it. Now, you don't know what you're gonna do with yourself, because you feel obligated to help in some way but yet you're too afraid to actually do anything and aren't even sure that you * can * help, physically. I can relate to the last part in ways you could never imagine. But that's not important now. Cordelia, I need your cooperation." Cordy looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Okay." Xander blinked back his surprised.

"Okay? Okay! Um, this morning, you were attacked this morning, by a vampire. Could you tell me what you remember about it?" Cordelia's eyes glazed over and she blinked her gaze downward.

"I-"

Xander touched her arm, but she pushed it away.

"I'll tell you what I remember..."

~

Buffy wrapped her arms around Spike's back and brought him in for a warm hug, as she sneaked up on him at their usual Bronze table.

"Hi, honey." She mumbled into his shirt, but then lifted her head and crinkled her nose. Spike twisted his neck and smiled.

"What?"

"I just called you 'honey.' It sounded really weird." Spike laughed and spun around in his seat.

"I guess I'm not a 'honey' type." He replied, using his fingers to trace tiny designs up and down her arms.

"But it's not fair!" Buffy pouted, "You get to call me 'pet,' 'luv,' and I think one time you even called me 'kitten' and it sounds so adorable! I call you 'honey' and it sounds like I'm a reject from Pleasantville." Spike sent out a laugh and cupped her face in his hands.

"But a cute one." Buffy swatted his hands away and sat down next to him. She looked down at her hands and then up at him, to see him staring intently at her.

"What?" She asked nervously.

"You're so beautiful." Spike replied, reaching over to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, his hand softly grazing her cheek while he did. Buffy licked her lips with the tip of her tongue and smiled.

"Thank you." Spike felt the room go hazy. He leaned across the space between himself and Buffy, kissing her. Buffy ran her nails through his short blonde hair and leaned into him, savoring the feeling of his lips upon hers. He broke the kiss, but kept his eyes closed and his forehead rested against hers.

"Buffy, I love you. God, I love you so much." He said, his voice breathy. Buffy reached her hand up and caressed his cheek.

"I love you, too." She said. Buffy brushed her lips against his and then sat back, keeping his hand in hers. Spike smiled tentatively and sat back, running his thumb over her fingers in a rhythmic pattern.

It was finally paradise.

~

"THAT SON-OF-A-BITCH!" Xander stormed into the library, throwing off a pile of books.

"Xander!" Willow scolded as she leapt down to begin to clean up the mess he just made.

"Good heavens, what is the matter?" Giles and Jenny rushed out from his office, a look of question playing in their eyes. Dawn and Jesse also exchanged bewildered looks. No one seemed to acknowledge Cordelia until she cleared her throat.

"I told him what happened to me. With the vampire. He got really, really upset, for some reason."

"What happened?" Dawn hopped off the counter and stood next to Xander.

"Well, a vampire attacked her." Dawn cast him an incredulous look, "Which you all knew. I'm gonna give you the list of attributes that she gave me and you all fill in the blank, okay?"

"We're waiting with bated breath." Jesse deadpanned.

"Her attacker had a British accent, wore leather, used the word 'bloody' a lot, and had platinum blonde hair." Dawn's insides turned to putty.

"You're lying. You have to be." She whispered, not meeting Xander's gaze.

"I wish I was." Xander replied. Cordelia blinked.

"Am I missing something?"

"Spike would never do that!" Dawn argued, "He has a soul."

"Well, looks like it took a little vacation. Speaking of which, where's Buffy?"

Willow laughed humorlessly.

"On a date with Spike." As if on cue, Buffy walked in, a huge smile plastered on her face.

"Who's on a date with Spike?" She joked, before noticing the somber looks on her friends faces, "What's up?" Jenny, the only one who appeared to still possess her mobility, walked over and led Buffy to a study table.

"Buffy, sweetie. There's been an...something's happened." Buffy's face paled.

"Oh my God. Is my mom okay?"

"Your mom is fine. It's about Spike. Sweetie, he's the one who attacked Cordelia." Everyone held their breath, waiting for Buffy's reaction.

Buffy burst out laughing.

"Okay..." Cordelia muttered, "Maybe she's delusional or something." Buffy took a moment out of her laughing fit to glare at Cordelia.

"I'm not delusional. It's just, it's a big misunderstanding. Shape-shifter demons, hello! Spike said that there was a shape-shifter demon posing as him." Giles and Jenny exchanged glances.

"Buffy." Giles said, softly, "I've worked with shape-shifters before, or at least, I've studied them. Closely."

"Soo...?"

"The truth is, Buffy...the truth is that they cannot harm anyone unless they are in their true form. Cordelia would've seen a, a, a, a large mass attack her rather than Spike, had it been a shape-shifter demon." Buffy's breath caught in her throat as she digested what Giles had to say.

"Well, there must be some other explanation." Buffy said, searching her friend's faces for some kind of comfort. When she found none, she froze, her face contorting into an odd shape. Unshed tears glazed over her eyes and her hand found its way to her mouth. Suddenly, she felt a familiar sensation rise in her stomach.

She ran out of the library.

Xander started to chase after her, but was stopped by Jesse who just shook his head and led Xander back to his seat.

"Just let her go, man. She needs some time."

~

Buffy retched one last time and held her head between her legs.

"Oh, God..." She whimpered out, a few tears racing down her cheeks, "God..."

"Hello, kitten." A sneering voice came from above her. Buffy sniffed and looked up in the icy eyes of Spike.

"Spike. What...?" She tried to form a question, but nothing came out.

"Sorry to disappoint you, luv. Can't believe you actually bought the whole 'soul equals good vampire' rubbish." He kicked her in the head, laughing. Buffy fell, clutching her hands tightly to her hair, unbelieving.

"You-you told me you loved me." Spike smiled viciously.

"Yeah. It was really bloody sweet...watchin' you think I was serious. God, I don't mean to change the subject, but could I get a camera or something? The look on your face right now is priceless!" Spike picked Buffy up by her neck, "Or maybe I could just rip it off and keep it as a conversation piece. Decisions, Decisions." He threw her down and kicked her in the stomach.

"To think how long I bloody waited to let you know who I really am...amazing really; patience isn't my strong suit, luv. But yet, that look...the look on your face right now...makes it all worth it!"

"It was all a lie..." Buffy muttered, still not comprehending everything. Spike sighed in frustration and clomped his foot down hard on her hand, making her scream out loud. He smirked.

"Ever heard of Drusilla? No, I guess not. Well, she's the only woman I could ever love. And there's no way some air-headed, vapid, blonde, Californian cheerleader type is ever, * ever * gonna change that." Buffy fought back the tears as hard as she could.

"Oh. You're not gonna cry now are you? Go cry to bloody Angel, don't cry here, alright darlin'?" He slid a cigarette out of its case and flicked his lighter on. He leaned down and lit the fag, breathing in the smoke. Buffy wiped her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair.

"This isn't over." She threatened, picking herself up.

"Bloody right it isn't. I think the next few weeks are gonna be *very* interesting for you, luv." With that, he sauntered off, laughing into the night.

Buffy clenched her jaw. Not gonna cry, not gonna cry...God, you're so pathetic...

"Buffy!"

Buffy groaned inwardly at the British inflected voice, not sure if she could handle another session of insults from the man she thought she loved.

However, the voice came from a different direction.

Spike appeared next to her and pecked her cheek.

"Hey, pet. You left your purse at the Bronze!" Buffy lost all of her senses as Spike handed the bag to her. "What's wrong?"

Buffy moved her gaze forward, where she could still make out the silhouette of the first Spike. She snapped her neck back and forth between the two figures.

"What's goin' on, luv?" Spike dipped his neck, trying to make eye contact with the slayer. Buffy blinked.

"That's what I'd like to know." She glared at Spike and grabbed his hand, dragging him to her house, ready to interrogate.

She needed some answers.

~

tbc...