Vampyr Moon ~ that was very much a blush comment *blushes* thank you.

Kristy Marie ~ Xanderness…hmmm…mebbe.

Thank you to all who reviewed…this next chapter has taken forever and I'm having trouble connecting the whole situation up (General Hammond's certainly being to lenient with all this sharing). Anyway, I'm gonna try my damndest to fit everyone in where they are needed and sort the whole situation. This may turn out to be a little bigger than I intended but oh well. Enjoy.

Chapter 9

Spike was lurking around the graveyard. It was something he did every night, slaying any demons or vampires that crossed his path. He lit up a cigarette and leaned back against a crypt using feigned breaths to inhale and exhale the smoke. He flicked ash off the end and repeated the process. The scoobies were doing their best to adjust to life on the hellmouth without a slayer. They also patrolled every night, splitting up and using tactics rather than strength to defeat their foes, woe betide them if something bigger crawled into town. There were several reasons why the vampire chose not to patrol with them, one being that every demon he slayed turned his thoughts to her, how she might have worked with him, the comments that she might have made. Once he had made that kill his thoughts always turned to the one person who should really be doing this job. The second reason had just stepped out of the bushes ahead of him. For a second he blinked at the thing.

"Bloody hell, where'd you come from?" He dropped his gaze away from the cheap replica that smirked up at him from beneath wide green eyes and a perky smile.

"Spike." The Buffy-bot chirped still grinning inanely. Anger bubbled underneath the surface and he struggled to keep his vampiric features under check. His fist clenched and the cigarette buckled under the twisting of his fingers, he tossed it to the floor and ground it out with the heel of his boot. "My sister and I…" it never finished the perky, full-of-joy sentence. Spike growled in anger, the statement was almost a violation and before he knew it the thing was on the ground sparking from behind the eyes where his fist had compacted.

"Not your sister." He snarled in a wavering voice and he had to remind himself that it wasn't Buffy that he had hit. Xander and Giles stumbled into the clearing having tracked the robot, it was a fast runner and the Watcher was slightly out of breath. Spike avoided making eye contact with them as he shoved past and mumbled an apology. He hoped that they hadn't seen the angry prickles of tears that had begun to well behind his eyes. "Anybody'd think I was turnin' into the poof." He muttered. Usually after a patrol Spike went straight back to his crypt to drink or to one of the seedy bars that dotted the small town. Tonight however, that stupid robot had come along and upset everything and he wanted to be close to Buffy. After her death and even after Willow and Tara had moved out taking the 'Bit with them not one member of the gang had wanted to get rid of the house. It had always been a central part of life with the slayer, meetings fights, and hours of planning but also of life with Buffy Summers. The many vid-fests, summer barbeques and the jokes shared. All of these Spike had tried to stay aloof from or could not attend due to his acute sensitivity to sunlight. However much he tried though he had, on the odd occasion, been dragged into the fray. He felt those shameful tears again and blinked them back with a self-conscious jerk of his chin.

He knew that nobody was in, Giles – who generally stayed here now, was out slaying, yet he still looked around to make sure he hadn't been spotted. After a second he chuckled to himself and headed upstairs, he pushed open the door to Buffy's room. He hadn't been in for a long time and was surprised to see that it was mostly still in tact. Some of the things had been put into cardboard boxes, but it looked as if the task had been abandoned half way through. He walked over to the dressing table and picked through the necklaces, burning himself on a gold cross.

"Bloody hell slayer!" he cursed and looked over at the empty space next to him and abruptly back again. He stood in silence for a moment noting sadly how her smell was beginning to fade. He jumped when the phone rang from her bedside table. He picked his way across the debris and picked it up. "'lo…" he asked the mouthpiece, biting off the phrase 'Summer's residence'. He was met with a stream of words from the other end, he frowned at the plastic object for a second before questioning carefully, "Willow?"

Tara teased the phone from her girlfriend's hands gently whilst Janet manoeuvred her over to a bed and attempted to calm her down. The moment the line had connected she had gone hysterical and frankly Tara couldn't blame her. Spike's voice was full of the familiar and it made her yearn for the old days back in Sunnydale when things had been, if not simpler at least friendly. The vampire repeated the greeting obviously confused at the silence.

"Spike." She said, letting him know that there was somebody there.

"Tara. 'S Red alright?" he sounded genuinely concerned and she felt like crying. With a hitching breath she told him everything that had happened constantly aware of the ominous and disapproving presence of Colonel O'Neill behind her.

Dawn looked at the stranger with desperation and repeated her description of the object she had travelled through. The man's face never moved from an expression of worry, he pinched the bridge of his nose - an action she associated with Giles.

"The Stargate?" He asked still looking thoughtful.

"How did you…? Where am I?"

"Um…my name's Daniel Jackson, for lack of a better term, you're in heaven." He took off his glasses and moved his hand onto his hip before starting to pace.

"I'm dead?" Her voice was starting to tremble at the thought of it.

"I don't think so, this is the plane of existence were the essence of a body comes but…um…you didn't arrive by conventional methods."

"You don't think so." She exploded suddenly very afraid that she would never make it back to her friends and family. Was this what it felt like for the people who were meant to be here? An idea sparked in the back of Dawn's mind and brought tears to her large brown eyes as a desperate panic wove itself into her.

"Do…can…" A sob came unhindered to her and she grasped to bring control round again. Daniel put a hand on her shoulder and she felt strangely calm in the stranger's arms. "Is Buffy…Buffy Summers…is she here?"    

Ciao my friends

Coffee Bean

xXx