A/N : This isn't exactly a happy chapter, but then I guess that's obvious from the chapter title, so I guess I shouldn't say I hope you 'enjoy' this. Please review and tell me what you think anyway. Thanx for all the reviews so far.

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 11 - Crying

Buffy sat in the kitchen of her house, Dawn to her left and Tara to her right, while Willow made hot drinks for everyone. It had taken the strength and convincing of all three of her friends to get Buffy to leave Spike's side, but it was necessary when Giles arrived. The Watcher brought with him all he needed to give the ex-vampire a basic medical check. Being a Watcher meant the man had some knowledge of basic injuries and illness as well as some demon-related and magical ones. Because of this, the girls had decided he was the best person to call. An ordinary doctor would have required explanations they couldn't give and there was no way of knowing if Spike's illness was natural or supernatural.

"Here" Willow tried to smile as she placed the mug of steaming hot chocolate in front of her friend, unknowingly making Buffy feel worse and causing her to cry even harder. Hot chocolate reminded Buffy of her mother and of Spike, both of whom she had lost, one of which she'd been lucky enough to get back, but who knew how long he was back for? Was fate really so cruel and against her that it would take him away again so soon after his return?

"He's gonna be okay Buffy" Dawn assured her sister, although she didn't know if that were true, "He has to be okay"

"He's a strong man" Tara told them both, "I'm sure he'll be fine"

"Er, Buffy" Giles stammered as he entered the kitchen.

"What is it, Giles?" Buffy asked, immediately jumping from her seat, shaking with fear, nerves and worry.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure" the Watcher admitted, "It seems to be some sort of pneumonia related virus..."

"So it's a human thing" Dawn guessed, "and not a demon-y, magic-y thing"

"It really is very hard to tell" Giles admitted as he cleaned his glasses, "He has all the symptoms, as I say, of a pneumonia virus but given what he has been through, well, it could be something entirely different"

"Just tell me" Buffy choked out, "is he going to die?"

Giles glanced at the shaking girl before him and then at her sister and two friends beyond.

"No, I wouldn't have thought so" he half-lied, truth be told he had no idea if the new young man would see tomorrow or live forever, it was all beyond him, but he just couldn't break Buffy's heart by telling her that.

"I'm gonna go see him" Buffy smiled gratefully at the news she received, and pausing only briefly to hug Giles, she ran for the stairs.

"Truth time" Willow said when she was sure Buffy was out of hearing range, "you really that sure he'll be okay?"

The man shook his head sadly, taking a seat at the counter with Tara and Dawn.

"Honestly" he sighed, "I have no idea at all, but...I just couldn't...I didn't want to..."

"Couldn't bear to break her heart again?" Tara guessed.

"Yes, exactly" Giles admitted, cleaning his glasses yet again.

"So, he could die?" Dawn whimpered as more tears spilled down her cheeks. The three older people in the room knew the answer was yes but how do you tell a fifteen year old that the man she saw as a brother, her saviour, her friend, could possibly be dead this time tomorrow?

The phone rang into life and the three adults were quite literally saved by the bell. Willow moved to answer it and was surprised to hear Xander's voice.

"Hey Will, what's the problem?"

"Xander?" she checked and Giles appeared by her side.

"I called him just before I came here" the man explained, "Thought we might need every able bodied researcher at the ready, but I had to leave a message on the answering machine, I told him to telephone here since this was where I was coming to"

"Oh, right" Willow nodded, before turning her attention back to the phone "Xan, I'm gonna pass you over to Giles"

The Watcher explained everything and asked Xander, and Anya, to come to the Summers house as soon as they could. If they could keep Buffy in the bedroom with Spike, which shouldn't be too hard since it was the only place she wanted to be, the rest of the Scoobies could do some research, maybe even some spells to work out exactly what was going on.

With the plan soon explained to the two Wiccas and a tearful Dawn, the Scoobies, minus Buffy and Spike of course, gathered around the dining room table, ready for the research that they so often partook of, but this was like no other research session they'd ever had before. None had ever been quite so serious, with the possible exception of a few meetings before the gangs final confrontation with Glory when they knew they would not all live to see the battles end.

Spike's new life could be hanging in the balance and it was up to this little group of misfit people to find first what was wrong and second how to cure it - before it was too late.

* * * * *

Pain, heat, nausea, just three of the many things that hit Spike as he came into a more conscious state. He vaguely remembered a dream and then there was definitely a lot of throwing up and, beyond that the entire night was a blur to him. He tried to open his eyes and work out where he was but all his muscles, including those that operated his eyes, seemed to ache and complain at being asked to work.

He was laying on a soft surface, he assumed a bed, most probably the bed he'd been sleeping on before - Buffy's bed, but how he'd got back there from the bathroom he had no idea. He felt something move, near his right hand, around it in fact. It seemed someone was holding his hand, and as he concentrated he could hear a voice too, coming from the person that had a hold of his hand, he had no doubt.

"...and I know you're going to be okay" he heard the voice say, "because I'm not going to let you leave me again, you can't" then there were tears, he heard the sobs and then felt the dampness on his hand, knowing now that the person beside him was his Slayer, Buffy.

He hated to hear her cry, he realised it hurt almost as much to hear it as it had when he'd seen it before. He wanted to comfort her, tell her everything would be okay, but he felt so weak, he couldn't move at all, couldn't even find the energy to speak her name. He hoped his silent begging inside of his head for her to stop crying would be enough and he found it miraculous when her sobs subsided.

"I love you, Spike" he heard her say, "I don't know if you can hear anything I'm saying but I'm going to say it anyway just in case, I love you more than I ever thought I could love anybody and I'm gonna help you to get better, I promise"

That was all Spike ever wanted to hear and he knew that if whatever was happening to him got worse or ended him completely, he could at least die happily this time around. He didn't want to die, not so soon after re-gaining his mortality, but he had at least had the comfort of knowing that if he did, he would have the love of this woman to take with him to the grave and beyond.

To Be Continued...