"So you're really Buffy's sister?" Xander said for the third time. The chances against were enormous, yet here she was.

"Yes, I am." Shalimar said. She looked over at Buffy. "Is he always like this?" Buffy shrugged.

"He's had this crush on me since I arrived in Sunnydale." She said. "Angel got me before he had a chance though. I guess he sees you as a second chance."

"No, never. I've given up on Summers girls completely." Xander said. "So, what're you doin' Friday night?" Everyone laughed at the comment. Buffy looked around at her ever-growing family. Cane, Giles, Adam and her mom were in the corner, discussing the various events occurring both on the Hellmouth and new mutant scenes. Brannon and Xander were taking turns flirting with the various females, and receiving jealous growls from Oz and Angel when it came to Willow and Buffy, while the others simply laughed at their antics.

"So much for giving up." Emma said. Xander shrugged.

"Her last name isn't 'Summers'." He said simply.

"Yeah, but she'll probably give you as much problems." Brannon said. Shalimar shot a look at him.

"Can I help it if attitude is genetic, sparky?" She said, bringing a groan from Brannon.

"Help me, someone, they really are sisters." He moaned in mock pain. Everyone laughed at the act.

"Stop. Sides ache." Willow managed to gasp. Buffy grinned. Everything was back to normal.

Spike poked his head through the floor. Finally, the Gem of Amara was his, and soon Fluffy would follow suit.

He looked through the treasures looking for something that might be it. He picked up an amulet from around the neck of the corpse and placed it over his head. He was sorely disappointed when he found he couldn't pick up a cross nearby. He tried to think but couldn't get past Harmony chattering in the background. Finally he'd had enough.

He broke a sharp piece of rock off and turned around. "Would you SHUT UP?" He roared, ramming it through her chest. To both of their surprise, she didn't dust.

"I can't believe you just did that!" She wailed. Spike looked at her as she babbled away. It wasn't possible that this bloody chit had found the gem.

He grabbed a thick cloth and picked up the cross, then held it on Harmony's head.

"What are you doing?" She cried. Spike threw the cross away. No burn, no smoke, nothing.

"It's the ring." He said, grabbing her hand. There was a struggle until Harmony finally pulled away.

"You want this stupid ring?" She said pulling it off and throwing it at him. "Is that all you care about?" Spike said nothing as he walked out. The Gem of Amara was his. And the Slayer was next.

"Relax." Cane said.

"I'm trying." Oz told him. He sat in the lotus position on the floor, trying to focus on getting inside himself. It was the only way he was going to be able to gain control.

Angel and Shalimar sat to one side. "Think he can do it?" Shalimar asked. Angel said nothing. The feral grinned. Having a pulse hadn't changed him much. She leaned back against the chair, thinking about how her life had changed. The other member's of Mutant X had returned to Sanctuary. She had opted to stay and help Buffy watch the Hellmouth. Her sister was up to something, Shalimar could tell. After the Gentleman, she had been working more closely with the Initiative, preparing for…something. She was also spending time with the comatose Slayer, Faith. She looked over at Angel, wondering if her sister's mate had any idea what she was up to.

Suddenly, there was a bolt of shock running down the link she shared with Buffy. "Something's up." She muttered, concentrating on the feeling. What happened next really blew her away.

"Spike." She could hear Buffy's voice but couldn't see her, only the peroxide blonde man in front of her. When she couldn't mover her head to look around she realized she was looking through her sister's eyes. "How?"

"Well, you know me pet. I'm just full of surprises." Shalimar's sight cleared and she was back in the manor.

"The hell?" She muttered.

"Shalimar, what's up?" Angel asked.

"A blonde." She said. "Some guy named Spike."

"Spike?" Angel leapt to his feet. "Where are they?" Shalimar got up.

"The university." She said. "What's up?"

"Let's move." Angel said. The two ran out the door. Cane and Oz watched as they left.

"Spike in broad daylight?" Oz muttered. "Not good."

Buffy rolled as Spike brought his foot down. This was not good. Spike was in daylight, and nothing she did seemed to work. At least, in Slayer terms. She'd done everything she could think of, staked him several times, and he refused to dust.

"You ready to give up yet, pet?" He asked. "Make it easier on yourself. You can't stop me, and I'll be real good to you."

"What, is that a promise of a quick death?" She asked. She could feel Shalimar coming closer, and Angel was with her. The three of them could take him; she just needed to hold him a little longer.

"I never said I was gonna kill ya, luv." He said, his British accent starting to grate on her nerves. "I got plenty of plans for you and this power boost. We're gonna have lots of fun, and an eternity to have it in." Buffy gave him a look of disgust and horror.

"You want to…did you hit your head or something?" She asked him. "'Cause I think you knocked your few brain cells loose." She dropped low. "Even if you turned me, I'd never do anything for you. And I would never live as vampire."

"You say that now." Spike said, closing in. "Maybe you just need to know what its really like." Buffy thought back to the time where the nightmares of Sunnydale had become a reality, when she had, temporarily, been a vampire. She thought of the near uncontrollable thirst, about thinking how easy it would be to rip her friends throats out.

"Thanks, but I'll pass." She said.

"You say that like you have a choice." Spike said. "I know how you fight, luv. I know every move your going to make, and you can't do a thing about it." A feral grin slid over Buffy's face.

"You don't have a clue." She said. Her eyes flashed the yellow cat's eyes and she leapt forward, literally, covering the space between them in a few seconds. Both feet connected with Spike's chest, sending him to the ground. He got to his feet, only to meet Buffy's fist. "Do yourself a favour. Stay down." Spike rolled away from her and got to his feet. "Okay, all that peroxide really has killed your brain." She charged forward again, throwing a furious combination of punches and kicks. Spike struck back, catching her on the shoulder. She spun away and glared at him.

"Still think I don't have a clue?" He asked snidely. Buffy ran towards him, but instead of leaping or staying on the ground, she ran up the nearby wall, angling herself toward Spike. "What the bloody…?" Buffy foot crashed against his jaw once more, and Spike could have sworn he felt a tooth jiggle loose.

"Still think you do?" She shot back. Spike clambered to his feet.

"I knew there was something special about you, pet." He said with a grin. "But you still can't stop me. You can't even stake me. What will you do?"

"SPIKE!" A familiar voice roared. It couldn't be, Spike thought as he turned towards the voice.

"Bloody hell." He breathed as Angel ran towards him, another blonde chit close behind. He felt something hit him in the back sending him sprawling. Angel ran over to Buffy.

"Are you alright?" He murmured.

"I'm fine." She said. "I'm okay." She leaned against Angel, just breathing in his scent. "How'd you know?"

"Shalimar felt something was wrong." He said. Buffy smiled at her sister.

"Gotta love that twin link." She muttered. Shalimar grinned, then looked over at Spike, slowly getting to his feet. Angel had explained who he was, and what he was.

"Any idea how he's out and about?" She asked. A storm of static came over her communicator.

"Shalimar, its Xander." The com suddenly came to life. "Don't ask it's too long a story to tell right now. Just listen. Spike's got a new piece of jewellery; that ring on his finger. Chances are, that's how he's out in broad daylight. Take it off and he should start to burn." Shalimar looked at the ring in question. How the hell had Xander known about it? How had he gotten onto the comlink? And why had he sounded so distant? Answers later.

"The ring." She said. Spike's head came up. "Go for the ring."

"What?" Buffy saw the ring. It was new, but that didn't mean anything. "Shalimar, how…"

"Don't ask, Buffy." Shalimar said. "I don't even understand it properly. All I know is that Xander somehow got through on the comlink and pointed out the ring as a possible cause."

"Xander?" Angel muttered. Buffy looked over at Spike.

"How the bloody hell…?"

"I don't know how he did it, but by Spike's reaction, it's right on the money." Buffy said. "Let's do it." The three nodded, gathering together. Three sets of eyes went yellow cats eyes.

"What the hell?" Spike couldn't understand. Not only was the Grand Poof out in sunlight, but also his eyes did the same trick the Slayer's did, and so did that other chit's for that matter. "What the bloody hell is this?"

"Watch your mouth, Spike." Angel said, charging forward. Buffy and Shalimar ran to the sides, circling around Spike. "There are ladies present." The former vampire turned feral lashed out, catching his grand Child (or former, as the case may be) in the face with a vicious right. "I thought I taught you some manners." Spike pulled back. The Poof had a heartbeat!

"What happened to you?" He asked, trying to keep back of his opponents reach. "Your alive!"

"Who said good things never happen?" Buffy said from his right. She tackled him to the ground. She held him there, pulling the ringed finger out for all to see. Angel grabbed his other arm as Shalimar moved in.

"You do this, you'll kill us all." Spike told the. Buffy looked up at Shalimar and grinned.

"Let's test that theory." Shalimar said as she ripped the ring off his finger. Buffy and Angel let go as the vampire began smoking.

"Bloody hell!" He yelled jumping down the hole he had crawled out of.

"Jerk." Buffy muttered. "He needs to get his head read, or a cat scan, or…"

"Buffy?" Angel couldn't explain it, but he knew this had been more than the usual 'out to kill the Slayer' for Spike. "Buffy, what is it?"

"It doesn't matter, now." Buffy muttered, cuddling up to him. "He's gone."

"But he'll be back." Angel said again. Spike had obviously done or said something that had shaken her. "What was he after?"

"Me." Buffy said after a long silence. Shalimar looked at her. A low growl escaped Angel's throat. "He'd seen the power boost and decided he wanted to turn me."

"I'll kill him!" Angel growled. "I'm going to rip his heart out and hold it in the sunlight. I'll…"

"Easy, Angel." Buffy said. "You're starting to sound like Angelus. Like I said, he's gone, and he'll think twice about trying that again now he knows there's three of us." Shalimar looked at the hole the blonde had leapt down.

"He'd better stay down there if he knows what's good for him." She muttered. "If I see him again, I swear, I'll dust his ass before he can blink." Buffy smiled.

"I almost hope he tries again." She said. "Just to see his face." Shalimar smiled while Angel held his mate close. I knew he was a bad idea, he thought. He'd better hope I don't run into him. "Anyway, we have other things to worry about. Xander." Angel nodded. The Scoobies resident goof ball had hacked into Adam's com system and given them a working strategy like it happened every day. That wasn't normal. So how'd he do it?