"Get away from me!"

    Spike sat up from his cot in the basement with a start, "That was Red."

    Immediately, Spike started racing up the basement stairs. He always liked the witch. Of course if he didn't have a soul he wouldn't rush to her rescue. He'd just saunter up and watch. Hell, a few years aback he had tried to kill her himself. Multiple times. Yeah so he was going to turn her while he did, so what? Now here he was prancing up the stairs like a magnificent poof to save someone who was perfectly capable of skinning someone alive with her thoughts.

    "Damn Nineteenth century chivalry.", Spike thought to himself. His face vamped, as he slammed through the door at the top of the stairs ready for anything. Well, almost anything, "The hell?"

    There was Willow hands blazing with magick shouting in fear and rage at the First, who had the gall to take on the form of Tara and torment her. Spike growled in rage. He had always liked Tara too. She never treated him like a freak.

    "W-Willow, sweetie it's me. What's wrong?", The First asked her doing Tara dead on.

    "Thespia protect from this evil. Bathe me in light, protect from this thing of darkness and night!", Willow said hysterically.

    "Willow…. please baby, stop. I love you.", The First pleaded teary.

    Spike's demon flared up inside. This thing was hurting Red's heart. He had known that pain all too well. From Cecily, Drusilla, and Buffy. Spike had had enough. In his rage, Spike charged the First. He had also forgotten that the First was non-corporeal, yet for some odd reason he managed to tackle it out the door and into the backyard.

       "S-Spike?", the actual Tara asked as he carried her into the muddy backyard.

     "You monster! How could you hurt her like that?", Spike said hitting her with all his might.

    Three things shocked Tara afterwards. For one she figured his chip should have gone off. Secondly, the blow hadn't hurt as she had thought it would with Spike being super strong. She was most surprised by the fact that she hit him back almost on instinct. Spike roared in anger and hammered back. Tara went sprawling and slipped in the mud as she tried to get back up. She looked up in fright as Willow threw Spike an axe and he twirled it, cockily waggling his eyebrows. She was terrified as the axe started to come down.

    "Caw! Caw!", the crow that had spoke to her cried as it flew into Spike's face and started pecking wildly. Spike stopped in mid swing and tried to swat away the offending bird. Tara surveyed the situation and swept Spike's feet out from underneath of him. She was a nice person by nature but she was being pushed too far right now. She attacked him on her knees, just as he recovered on his own knees. They looked hands and gritted fang and tooth in frustration as neither seemed to be able to get the best of the other. They both stopped though when Buffy pressed twin crossbows to each of their temples.

    "Okay now. Kids, you need to come out of the rain.", Buffy snidely remarked.

    "B-Buffy.", Tara said with a stutter

    "Kill it love. It was in there tormenting her like it has all of us!", Spike bellowed

    "Spike, calm down. It isn't the First, otherwise you couldn't touch it.", Buffy explained not wavering, "On the other hand it could be any one of shape shifting demons that live on the Hellmouth. Of course you could be going psycho again too since the First has been pushing your buttons. I'm not taking chances. Giles, get the rope."

    Minutes later, Spike and Tara were both tied to chairs in the kitchen with a houseful of Potential Slayers, the current Slayer, a seriously powerful witch, a distinguished British fellow who had once been a Watcher, and the Slayer's non-existent younger sister who was actually at heart a primal universal energy source (but really lets not go into that cause it just leads to more and more questions). Everyone was seriously wondering just what the hell was going on at the moment. No one knew, but they were going to find out. Giles and Willow were preparing a truth spell. Tara looked over at Spike sheepishly.

    "So now I know how you felt when they used to tie you to chairs a few years ago.", Tara said shyly to the bleach blonde vampire.

    "Sucks huh?", Spike replied looking her over. If this wasn't Tara then someone was doing their homework. He looked over at her and leaned in as far as he could and whispered, "Glinda, it really you?"

    Tara blushed at his nickname for her after she had watched the Wizard of Oz with him at Giles' once when he was tied up, "Spike, please don't call me that."

    Spike smirked wolfishly, "Sod the truth spell, it is you. Sorry for, uh, hitting you out there."

    Tara looked at him oddly. Spike just…. apologized. That was so alien. Then Tara started looking at him closer. She began to concentrate and studied his aura. The last time she had done so, it had been pure black signifying the evil of the demon within him. Now, it still had that black but there were only spots of it. It was mostly white. Realization hit Tara.

    "You have a s-soul.", Tara stammered.

    Spike sighed, "Yeah. From all accounts I got it 'round the time you… well, died."

    Tara frowned at the word. Her crow told her that she had died. She still had problems believing it. But everyone was reacting to her so strangely that it must be true. Willow's reaction cut her deepest of all.

    "Spike, ", Tara said barely above a whisper, "how did I die?"

    Spike sighed and looked at her for a long time, "I wasn't actually around when you did. I left the night before after…an argument with Buffy. One of the Trio, Warren came up and shot at Buffy. Nailed her too. Almost killed her. One of the shots he fired missed. Went through the window upstairs and hit you right through the heart. You died near instantly from what I hear. After that, Red….well, she stopped Warren from hurting anyone else."

    "Okay I think we're ready.", Willow said warily eyeing the tied up Tara.

    Willow and Giles sat the materials on the kitchen floor and began making various symbols with liquids from flasks.

    "I am not mopping that up.", Buffy noted mentally as Willow began chanting as some pink energies swirled up and coated the Spike and Tara.

    "If the spell worked correctly, then the energy around them should turn white when they tell the truth and black when they lie.", Willow explained.

    "Wow. Better than a lie detector test.", Dawn quipped sleepily.

    "Okay,", Buffy started, "Spike, are you yourself right now?"

    "Yes Slayer, now if you'd untie me I'd be insanely grateful.", Spike replied as he shined white.

    "Kennedy, untie him.", Buffy ordered.

    "Darn. I was hoping he was evil and I could stake him.", Kennedy said maliciously to the vampire. How Buffy could trust him she didn't know.

    "Killed a lot worse than you, bint.", Spike growled in warning.

    Willow looked apprehensively at Tara.

    "Are you a demon?", Willow asked

    "No. Willow, it's me Tara. I'm back.", Tara said as she shone bright white.

    "Tara?", Willow said in a nearly hushed voice.

    "Yeah baby. It's me.", Tara smiled. Willow scrambled over and untied her as quickly as she could. Kennedy scowled and clenched her fist.

    "Don't look so eager Will.", Kennedy practically spat. Willow looked to her and then Tara again.

    "Tara….this is Kennedy….my girlfriend.", Willow said looking down. Tara couldn't have been hit harder with a Mack truck.

    "Oh.", was all she could muster.

    Giles saw the situation and the wily Brit was determined to salvage it.

    "Tara, erm, it's fantastic that you're back, but I must ask you how it is that you are….well…."

    "Alive and kicking?", Spike finished

    "Er yes.", Giles replied.    

    "Well, I'm not sure. Probably has something to do with the crow sitting out on the porch banister.", Tara explained.

    "A crow?", Giles replied surprised. He knew how she had returned.