Many thanks and merci beaucoup's to Golden Angl99 and Jane who review. I'm glad that it keeps you guessing. I even took some time from practising piano to put this up.

As we were walking back to my mom's house I just kept feeling wonderment. Everything thing around me felt new, my sense were on over charge. Spike and I were walking hand in hand in comfortable silence, which was definitely a new experience and a nice one at that. It was also in total contrast to our surroundings, we were in the middle of a war zone. There were just some tanks and some army guys missing and we could be in Sarajevo, with nicer climate. Everywhere around us you could see portents of the upcoming battle, houses were burned to the ground, cars had been abandoned in the middle of the street and there was an eerie silence over the town. We saw a couple of vamps that seemed more intent on leaving town than threatening us. There was no sound of fighting, no demon hordes rampaging. Sunnydale was holding its breath.

I told Spike about the war zone, it was giving me the creeps.

It reminds me a bit of London during WWII, everybody's life was put on hold. The day to day activities had to go on, you had to eat but it all took a new meaning. Each mundane thing the people did was a small personal victory over the enemy, they had survived yet another day.

I didn't get often the chance to see a little part of Spike's history, I felt honoured that he was chairing some of it with me. I could relate to what he was talking about, we were all survivors in our little group. Everyday that went by that someone we know didn't die seems like a small miracle to me.

I was unintentionally slowing down as we came to Revello Drive. I stopped, looking at the house. I still thought of it as my mom's house, though it probably was Dawn's house now.

- You don't have to do this Buffy, you don't really have to face them.

- You're sweet Spike but you know I have to do it. They'll need what I have to give them.

- I know, it's my job to try and save you pain and all that jazz, I had to say it. It's in the contract.

I had to smile. And as Frank n Furter would have said, Spike's really good for relieving my tension.

- Peaches is already here. He's waiting on the other side of the street.

- Good. Hey, you never told me why you called him that by the way.

- An old lady who he had seduced into giving him is fortune used to call him that because she said that his butt reminded her of a plump ripe peach. It just stuck in my mind. Plus he was majorly pissed that she had said this in public. The old lady was quite a number. When she saw that we were ripping him off she started some rumours about his sexual preferences. That did it for him. She had pushed him too far.

- I knew it had to be something like that. Let's go meet him, it's time to get this party started.

Angel was waiting out of sight of the others, on the porch of the house on the other side of the street. He wasn't happy to see Spike and me together, he was trying to put up a good front.

- I don't think they know I'm here, he said.

- You're not dust, ergo they don't know you're here, I explained. We've kicked some really tougher butts than yours these days, Peaches. If they had sensed you they would have sent a team. I don't know what status you have with them, you don't have the excuse of my having driven you out of your mind or having been tortured by the First, like Spike.

I could see him getting flustered. He thought he had it worst. I hadn't told him about that part of our relationship.

- I was tortured by the First, remember Xmas snow?

- No you weren't. You were teased. Nothing compares to the full front attack that we were given this year, you'll see. You see dead people and they twist your mind. They always speak a warped truth. You have to be ready for it and not let it bother you much.

- That Xmas I saw some people I had killed in the past. I saw Jenny Calendar. When I was with Giles she would be all over him, running her finger through his hair, laying her head on his shoulder, it was horrible.

- Not to be blunt mate but you had your part of guilt in the equation. Now it's personal. You saw someone that you killed? Dawn saw her mother, the same thing for Woods. Faith saw the Mayor, her father figure. It took the place of a SIT for a couple of days, we never even saw her alive. The First has been building steam since you met and has found new way of torturing us.

- And you Spike, who did It send to you? Did you see your mother too? Or some faceless victims that you don't even have the heart to remember?

- Slayer, we forgot to check if Angel was his old rotten self or the First in his guise. I could always check by putting my fist trough his head. If I go through without splattering the sidewalk then we'll know that the bitchiness comes from the source of all evil. Oh, wait either way that would be the same result.

- I could fell the tension running through Spike's body. I tried to calm him as I lay a soothing hand on his arm.

- Could we stop this pissing contest? What Spike saw is none of your business. We have work to do and all this shit isn't helping us. We have to work together.

There was an awkward silence while Angel took a deep unnecessary breath.

- Yes, I saw my mother. I had forgotten that I had killed her after I had turned her. The First played with that and my newfound soul. It made me into a sleeper agent, to be woken when It would be needing me. It was playing me like a puppet: I broke my strings though, all thanks to the Principal. It went way to far when It used Buffy's image to try and break me. The real Buffy tried for two years to push me off and I didn't let go, did It think It could do the same with me? I won't let anyone hurt Buffy and this counts as a hell of a hurt.

I had never heard him talk about what had happened before I came and rescued him. I understood know why he didn't believe that I was real when I came to get him.

- The worst part is that It always seemed to know the truth you had deep inside your heart, so deep that you don't even want to think about it. It always tells a corrupted truth. He missed on one thing though.

Spike was now looking directly at me, squeezing my hand.

- You came and rescued me.

- Always, I promised him.

Angel was looking annoyed.

- Understand this Angel, You have to have your mind set on not letting the First get to you. Spike withstood hours of tortures in the hands of the Harbingers and the Tarak An. You must also survive at all cost; we need all the people in that house alive, understand? So whatever you still have against Spike is irrelevant, we have to be a united front, got that?

- Yeah, okay.

I raised my eyebrows in doubt. Angel looked embarrassed.

- Yes mam!

- Now, are we ready for the first part of our big showdown?

Spike answered me.

- Buffy, we just have to talk to them, we're not here to fight.

- Believe me, this won't be a smooth ride, this is like facing your parents after a worldwide openhouse. Let's do this than. Angel, give me your cell phone.