Chapter Four

Disclaimer: As if the fact needs to be drilled in that head of yours once more, but I do not own any part of Joss Whedon's Buffyverse. (It's called Joss Whedon's for a reason, meaning it belongs to Joss Whedon...)

After a long and torturous hour and the failed phone call to Buffy from the payphone, Xander left the hospital. It had just gotten too depressing for him to ever be there. It pained him to see his once brave and strong Anya in the weak unconscious state she was in.

Xander waved his hand out to catch a taxi. The hospital had somehow agreed to pay for him to get a ride home. But he would not be going home. He had to see Buffy. Buffy would make things better. Or, at least, make him feel better.

Xander's mind was filling with thoughts as he tried to grasp what was going on. Only two days ago things had been perfect, except for the fact that Anya was still furious with him. But Tara was still alive in those days, Buffy and him were in good terms, and Willow could not have been happier.

But now...Xander shook his head. It was too mind-boggling to even think about. Everything was different.

As soon as the carpenter approached the Slayer's house, he rushed out of the taxi and ran up to the door only to find it locked. Unusual, he thought to himself. He gasped, knowing instantly that something was wrong with the picture.

"Buffy!" he called through the closed and locked door. "Come on, Buff, let me in!" he begged before rushing to the back door. His face grew pale as he realized what he was looking at. "NO!" he yelled to himself as he quickly ran to the back door, pushing all of his weight to get it open. "Get away from her!" he yelled at Spike as he burst through the door.

"Why should I?" the bleach blonde vampire asked as he clung tighter to the Slayer's petite body. His sharp fangs were only a few precious inches away from her neck and from the way he was holding her within his arms it would be nearly impossible for Buffy to escape.

The Slayer had realized that and so did Xander. "Drop her!" he commanded.

"Xander, save yourself," Buffy commanded as she felt Spike getting closer to her.

"I'm not going to loose you too!" Xander argued back as he reached for a cross from on top of the microwave. "Now you're going to let her go," he commanded sternly as he focused on Spike.

Spike laughed. "You're all talk," he pointed out before he began sinking his teeth into Buffy's nice and exposed neck. The Slayer made a few pained noises as the vampire began drinking her blood happily.

"Not anymore," Xander said as he firmly applied the cross to Spike's neck. "You let her go and I'll drop the cross."

Spike growled, but did as he was told and dropped Buffy to the ground before spinning around and kicking the cross out of Xander's hand. Xander responded by grabbing it and holding it up to Spike's face. Deciding that he did not have the time for this, Spike groaned and left the room. "I'll be back, Slayer," he warned before he left the house.

"And we'll be ready!" Xander hollered back. "Stakes, crosses, the whole enchilada!" He sighed before rushing to Buffy's side. "You ok?" he asked.

Buffy nodded as she stood up slowly, one hand on her neck where Spike had bitten her. "I'm fine," she said softly.

"Here," Xander said as he handed Buffy one of the hand towels from the counter. "Buffy, what happened here?" he asked.

"Spike," Buffy began as she held the towel up to her neck. "He got his chip out, apparently," she continued. "I'm not exactly sure, but it involved a demon in Africa, I think. I haven't heard anything about Willow. All I know is that she has Giles with her. Presumably he's alive because Dawn said she overheard Willow saying how she needed his help with something."

"Where is Dawn?" Xander asked curiously.

"I told her to get out the second Spike vamped out," Buffy said. "I think she went to Janice's." She sighed heavily. "How's Anya?"

Xander let out a breath painfully as he tried to figure out the best way he could say it. He still could not believe it was entirely real himself.

"Oh god," Buffy began as she saw the few tears beginning to form in Xander's eyes. "Were we too late?"

Xander shook his head as Buffy let out a small sigh of relief. "She's in a coma," Xander whispered. "It's unlikely she'll ever wake up."

"Oh god," Buffy repeated as she moved closer to Xander, hugging him tightly as if there were no tomorrow as she felt his warm tears falling onto her shoulder. "Xander, I am so sorry," she whispered.

"Pardon me?" Giles asked as he looked over in shock at the dark Wiccan holding him hostage. "Did you just say you wanted to raise the dead? Tara's death was natural and there is nothing you can do about it!" he argued.

"Says you and Osirus," Evil Willow muttered under her breath as she poured more oils into the circle of powders on the floor. "But I know this can be done and I am not going to allow some old hypocrite to stop me from doing this!" she yelled, turning her head back to Giles.

"It won't work," Giles warned.

"You know I've had it with you," Willow yelled sternly as she quickly sewed Giles's mouth shut, much in the same style she had done with Warren earlier. "You can't tell me what to do. All you can do now is be a good little Watcher and watch. I'm bringing her back and there is nothing you can do to stop me!"

Spike smiled wickedly as he entered Willy's Place. The music was loud heavy metal and Spike smiled, instantly walking up to the bar and taking a seat.

"I don't know anything!" Willy said innocently as he stuck both hands in the air.

"Aren't you the Slayer's lap dog?" one of the demons asked as a second beer was placed in front of him.

Spike turned his platinum head slowly, glancing a peek at the living thing that had dared to call him that. With one wicked smile, he looked at the blue skinned creature before snapping its neck and killing it. "Does it look like I'm the Slayer's lapdog?" he asked innocently as he had snapped the attention of every fearful creature in the building.

"N-n-n-no," Willy croaked fearfully before he evacuated to the safety within the putrid sewers.

"Didn't think so," Spike commented as he turned to face the bar, grabbing himself a bottle of whiskey and popping it open. He sighed heavily as he took a long overdue sip of the bottle. He had not had any since that night with Anya and now he smiled as he drank it down merrily. "So, now that that's all taken care of, who's going to be my butt monkey?"

"Your what?" one of the female vampires asked as she raised a thin eyebrow at him.

"Assistant, so to speak," Spike continued.

"And why exactly would anyone be willing to do that?"

Spike smiled. "We're going to run a Hellmouth the way it was meant to be run. Right after sex though 'cause Slayer's bloodÉwow"

The female vampire sighed as she looked around the dark bar, considering the offer. It was not as if she had anything better to do. "Alright, I'm in."

"Perfect."

Long minutes turning to hours had past since Evil Willow had done her spell. She walked back and forth in the abandoned chemistry lab furiously. "What's taking her so long?" she muttered. "I did everything exactly how the spell said it had to be done."

Giles began making movements, hinting at Evil Willow that he would have liked to say something.

"Sorry, you're still a pest, so I still can't let you talk," Evil Willow said with a shrug.

At that moment, strong energy sent the two of them flying up against the wall. Bright, radiant white light filled the entire room as the green figure entered the room then transforming to look like Willow's deceased lover.

As soon as the brightness had faded, Evil Willow smiled and felt happy for the first time since Tara had died. "I did it!" she said happily.

The figure smiled wickedly before walking over to Willow. "Hey baby, I'm here," it said. "It'll all be ok."