Author's Note: This part is still a little shorter than I'd like...but things are about to get really interesting, and the next chapter will definitely start heating up as far as suspense goes. Oh, yes, and as this is a post-Season 5 fic... no soul for Spike.



Part IX:


Giles looked at the scene before him, almost smiling. Dawn has accepted Xander. Apparently, so has Buffy. He still had questions, but he would prefer to converse with Xander in private. Giles, reflecting on the silent Tara he had brought over, really wasn't certain how she was taking the information… especially in light of everything that had happened in the past few months. At the moment, her thoughts – whatever they were – appeared to be of a serious bent.

Xander, Dawn, Buffy and Willow were still chatting – rather jokingly – with one another. Most likely to offset any nervousness Xander might still be feeling about me, Giles thought. I need to talk to him, but this is neither the right place nor the right time, and that much is my fault, I'm afraid. He didn't wish to worry Buffy, and that is precisely what I did… yet she seems to be taking this far better than I have been.

His thoughts were interrupted by a frantic knocking at the door and shocked looks shared between all members of the group. Anya wouldn't leave the store for anything short of an emergency – if that – and none of them had been expecting guests. Certainly not Xander, if one is to judge by the way he suddenly went on alert. How could I not have noticed his training?

Xander, walking to the door, took the precaution of looking through the peephole before unlocking the deadbolt and ushering in a slightly crispy Spike, muttering words that would have had Ripper whistling in admiration. Rupert, on the other hand, glared at the chipped vampire. There was a young woman in the room, after all. Though she's doubtless heard worse, he thought. Although, given that last comment… I could be mistaken.

"I have been trying to bloody well find the bunch of you for the last hour, and the only one I've come across is Miss Former Vengeance Demon USA… Can you believe she tried to sell me some silly little fertility charm? I'm a vampire, for Hell's sake! Why would I need a fertility charm? What, did she think it would help me get my bite back or something? Make a few companions for the poor little lonely, demon-fighting vampire?" Spike again lapsed into muttered curses, ignoring the confused glances flying around the room.

Staring at the vampire – somewhat convinced that Spike has finally lost it – Xander decided that enough was enough. "Spike! You said you were looking for us. Would you mind telling us why?"

"When did Construction-Boy grow a backbone?"

"Now would be good, Spike." Xander knew he probably should have at least said hello or something. We were almost getting somewhere in this conversation, he thought, but, no, Spike has to come interrupt. He's lucky that I'm not calling him 'Fangless' right now. I hope he's not just looking for some relief from his boredom. Ok, Harris… chill out. Things seemed to be going ok, so I can take a ten minute break for the undead.

"Oh, yeah." The blond vampire paused for a moment, gathering his words. "Anyway, I was sitting in my friendly little crypt, bored out of my mind…"

"Spike."

"Alright, alright. Geez. I didn't want to watch my soaps, so I decided to go wandering – went into the sewer system, walked around a bit. I heard a few interesting things about a relatively new cult on the outskirts of good old Sunnyhell."

"Is there any particular reason why that should be of interest to us, Spike?" Xander turned his head to look at Giles, grateful that the Watcher was no longer completely silent.

"I'm not exactly sure… but some things I've been hearing about this group.. .just don't come off as being on the up and up. Granted, there are weirder things than cults, but I didn't know that the old gods were coming back into style by that much. I've heard the group's buildin' some kind of temple, but never quite got the name of the leader – couldn't get close enough, what with the sunlight and all."

"Spike, where – exactly – is this place?"

"I don't exactly know… I've just heard things, not seen anything."

Giles, though alert to Xander's movements and reactions, hadn't seen what Willow had, the redhead having known him much longer.

Xander's nervous. Something Spike said has made him… well.. wiggy. Why, though? I mean, this is a cult… but there are lots of those. This is a cult in Sunnydale, which is usually of the bad – I'll admit that – but we could probably find a way to deal with them, if it's actually a problem. It could just be Spike being one with the weird.

"Alright, so you can't narrow it down to a specific address. Can you at least show me a general area?

"Yeah, yeah, I can do that."

"Xander?"

"Yeah, Wills?"

"What's going on?"

He looked at her for a second and smiled. "Probably nothing," he said "Something just doesn't feel right." He paused for a moment. "Buff, will you trust me?"

"Of course, Xand-man, but what do you want to do?"

"I want to check this place out… let the Black Ops skills have a little play time."

"And?"

"And… depending on what this cult actually is, we just might need a little help. I don't know yet."



Part X