Chapter 2: The Wicked Game

It's funny how your life can change in a single second from a piece a mail. Buffy thought the small box would enclose something like a sample of soap or perfume; she never expected to be haunting by a bit of her past.

Part of Buffy felt an overwhelming sadness of what the amulet represent, losing someone she loved. And yet, another part of Buffy felt sick to her stomach with fear. She was scared because of the mystery of how the amulet came to be given back to her.

It took a few minutes before Buffy could even take her eyes off the shiny piece of jewelry that lay sparkling in the box. When Buffy looked up and around at her apartment she started to feel that she was being watched again. The air in the apartment seemed unsettling too, like a cool breeze came through an opened window.

Buffy's eyes went back to the amulet sitting in the box. She lifted her hand slowly and touched the glassy part slightly. When she came in contact with the amulet Buffy felt a shock run up her finger tips that made her hand pull away and drop the amulet onto the ground.

Buffy gasped when she saw the amulet come in contact with her carpet. She waited for something to happen, like a magically Jeannie to appear or the amulet to start to smoke, but nothing happened.

Buffy bent down and picked the amulet up and this time it felt normal.

"Buffy?" Dawn's voice came from her bedroom.

Buffy stuffed the amulet into the desk draw nearby when Dawn started to walk out of her room.

"Yeah?" Buffy asked, trying to sound casual.

"So what was in the package?" Dawn asked.

"Oh…nothing just …just a commercial soap sample." Buffy waved the subject off.

"Oh…well...see! You were all jumpy for nothing." Dawn smiled.

"Yeah…" Buffy looked away and towards the ground. Buffy knew her sister sometimes has the magical ability of seeing right though her lies so Buffy didn't risk looking Dawn in the eye.

"Well now that the drama is all over, lets eat!" Dawn grinned and started to put her shoes on.

"Uh…I don't know." Buffy said, "I'm kind of tired."

"Its five o'clock in the afternoon." Dawn gave Buffy a strange look.

"Yeah well…laundry makes me sleepy I guess." Buffy gave an innocence shrug and smile.

"You're acting stranger than usual." Dawn mumbled and stared at Buffy.

"Dawn, I'm fine…really." Buffy said, "Why don't you go out with that girl next door that you seem to hanging out with so much….what's her name?

"Lisa…" Dawn answered.

"Yeah, Lisa…what don't you two go out to eat?" Buffy suggested."You're trying to send me out of the house by myself and into the city?" Dawn sounded shocked, "Wow you must be really out of it…." Dawn grabbed her coat and headed towards the door, "Better take advantage of the situation before you change your mind. Bye." Dawn mumbled as she left.

"Bye." Buffy mumbled and turned around towards the draw she had the amulet hidden in. Buffy opened the draw and looked at the amulet sitting perfectly still the way she left it. She couldn't believe it was no doing anything, the last time she saw this thing it was creating a hole in the earth were Sunnydale once stood.

Buffy picked it up and headed towards the phone and started to dial. While she waited for someone to answer she kept examining the amulet in her hand.

"Hello?" a voice came on the other end.

"Hello? Giles…it's me, look I need you to come over here quick…" Buffy said.

A soft knock came from outside Buffy's door. She answered it and saw Giles standing in the hallway.

"Thanks for coming." Buffy stepped away and let Giles enter.

"Well…thanks for informing me about this." Giles said as he came in.

"Why wouldn't I tell you?" Buffy asked him, thinking his question was stupid. She always knew strange stuff equals 'Call Giles'.

"I don't know…things like this I thought you would like to keep to yourself…being private and all…" Giles explained. He was beating around the bush, not wanting to mention a certain blonde vampire.

"True…" Buffy said and looked down in her hand at the amulet she held. Giles followed her gaze and then saw for the first time the amulet.

'So it's true…' he thought to himself. He kept staring down at the amulet and his hand started to come up as if he was going to snatch it out of her hand, but he asked first if he may hold it. "May I?"

Buffy looked up at Giles and then handed the amulet carefully over to him.

"I really didn't know what to do…it scared me a little to see that…that thing." Buffy said while Giles kept his eyes locked on the amulet. He kept turning it around in his hand, looking at all angles of the shiny amulet.

Giles looked up at Buffy; "I'm wondering how anyone could find this or want to go find it…" he looked back down at the amulet.

"Yeah, I know." Buffy nodded in agreement and looked at the amulet and crossed her arms across her stomach. "Plus, how would they know…you know, about me and the ties to that thing and being in the past apocalypse."

"Good question…" Giles nodded, "I'm surprised they didn't send this to Angel instead of you...I mean, he was the one who gave it to you."

"Yeah I know…that's another puzzle." Buffy sighed.

Giles took off his glasses and started to walk around Buffy's apartment. While watching Giles pace Buffy noted that he looked tired, probably from the work with establishing the new council.

"Look, I know you're busy with the council and finding slayers, I'll understand if you—" Buffy started but Giles cut in.

"No…no…I want to help." Giles stopped walking and turned to Buffy, "But the problem is, I don't know how to." Giles walked up to Buffy and handed the amulet back over to her.

"We'll go into research mode tomorrow then?" Buffy asked.

"Yes…I guess we can do that…maybe we can have Dawn and Andrew—" Giles started but Buffy cut in.

"No." Buffy firmly said, "I...can-can we just keep this between us for now?"

Giles stared at Buffy for a moment, wondering why she wanted to keep this a secret. However he didn't ask why and just nodded, "Sure…"

"Thanks…" Buffy said softly.

Giles moved to the door in to leave.

"How is Andrew?" Buffy changed the subject, breaking the tension that she felt.

Giles turned to her and rolled his eyes, "He's on my bloody nerves."

Buffy laughed, "Serves you right for telling him he can be train to be a Watcher."

"Yes…well I guess I was drunk at the time I said that." Giles mumbled and started out the door, "Goodnight."

"Night." Buffy said and closed the door.

Later that night Buffy placed the amulet in her jewelry box for safe keeping. Around two in the morning, while Dawn was asleep and the apartment was all quiet, Buffy started tossing and turning; she couldn't relax. Memories kept passing without out stop in her mind.

'I can feel it, Buffy…my soul…it's really there…' Spike's words played in her mind.

Then, out of no where, another unsettling breeze came by. It passed Buffy's face in her bed. The feeling made Buffy sit up straight in bed.

"Who's there?" She asked as she sat up. Buffy looked around the room and found nothing but darkness.

But in fact there was something there. The leathered duster and bleached hair Spike stood at the foot of her bed, unrecognized by Buffy's point of view.

"It's just me luv." Spike said answering her question.

After a moments pause of looking around and not seeing Spike right in front of her Buffy laid back down slowly, still fully alert if there was something going to pop out.

Spike sighed, "….but you can't see me."

Spikes was frustrated at the Powers That Be wicked game they were playing on him, he could see and hear Buffy but Buffy couldn't neither see nor hear him.

'Afterlife's a bitch' he thought to himself.

TBC...