"So, what has three horns, five eyes and a tail?" Dawn danced around her friends and family, grinning.

"Anya, on a bad morning." Perked up Xander. He yelped as his wife hit him on the arm. "I was just playing along."

"It was mean." Anya pouted. "You've always made fun of me, you take advantage of my inhumanly understanding."

"I do not."

"Uh-oh, children." Cordelia looked back from her position beside Angel and smiled. "Maybe the two of you should go home and talk. Us grown-ups need to do some fighting."

"No!" Everyone turned to look at Spike who was shaking and fiddling with his silver Zippo. His eyes darted around from side to side and he was breathing…a habit he had abandoned years ago. "Everyone stays."

"Spike?" Angel walked towards his old friend. "What the hell is going on?"

"Going on?" Spike chuckled nervously. "Nothing, peaches, absolutely nothing."

"There is something going on." Giles glared at the blonde vampire. "You organized this patrol, the information…it was yours."

"Spike…" Dawn looked worried as she walked towards him. "Why are we here?"

"You're here because someone wanted all of you in one spot…wanted you where they could see you."

The group, although taken aback by the confession, pushed Spike further.

"Who, Spike? Who wanted us here?" Wesley let his hand grasp Fred's.

"The same person who sent me the ring. The same person who wanted me stronger than before."

"It doesn't make sense…" Gunn looked at Faith and Oz.

"Doesn't it." A single voice rang out around group, as if coming from all angles. "Come on Gunn, put your street senses to work. Connect the dots."

Everyone turned, trying to find the owner of the voice. A swish of metal being drawn from metal sounded and they all looked to a small alleyway.

"From the light will come God's greatest accomplishment…the redeemed soul. From the darkness will come Satan's most loved child…the fallen warrior. That's how it goes…right Giles?"

"Show yourself." Giles walked to the front of the group. "Whoever you are, you obviously want something with us. Show yourself and maybe we'll be accommodating to your needs."

The voice laughed and a cloaked figure came into the light. "Accommodating? You always did have a stiff vocabulary. Full of mysteries."

The figure laid down the sword and crossbow it held. It stood up straight and pulled off its cloak, revealing the small blonde woman beneath.

"Tonight, there are no more mysteries. No more hiding…no more running. What once was lost is found."

"Buffy?" Giles couldn't believe his eyes. The little girl he had thought dead for five years, now stood in front of him. No, that wasn't right. She wasn't a little girl anymore…maybe not even human. Giles backed up a step as his eyes went to hers. Swirling orbs of ebony stared back at him.

"What's wrong, Giles?" Buffy stepped towards her old watcher, a smirk on her face. "Did you look for the little innocent girl you met seven years ago? Did you find what you were looking for? Do I disappoint you?"

"Whoever you are, you aren't Buffy." Giles voice was shaking as he tired to push the group behind him away from Buffy as she walked towards them. "You're evil."

"Not everything is as black and white as your little fantasy world, old man." Buffy stopped and looked at Spike. "Take William, here. He didn't have a soul when he started to fight along side you. Angel, who did have a soul, lost his and killed the ones you love for fun. Where do you draw the line between good and evil there?"

"Different circumstances."

"Ah, now you're getting it." Buffy smiled and took an amulet out of her pocket. "Look familiar?"

"That's the jewel that I used to defeat the first." Spike looked at Buffy. "Why do you have it?"

"I have my reasons." Buffy threw it to Spike. "Who gave it to you?"

"Angel."

"Where did Angel get it?"

"Old friend."

"Now that is the worst lie I've ever heard." Buffy looked at Angel. "I guess you didn't tell then you went to the evil law firm, the same one you had spent years of your life trying to destroy, for help."

"You can't be Buffy." Angel looked pained as he walked towards her. "The Buffy we know would never say these things."

"The Buffy you know died a long time ago." She frowned at him. "Can't you accept that I've changed? They accepted you and you accepted Spike? Why should I be so different?"

"She's right." Dawn smiled grimly. "Buffy, is right."

Buffy smiled warmly at her little sister and walked towards her. "I'm sorry I wasn't there when mom passed away."

"So am I." Dawn looked deep into Buffy's clouded eye and smiled, as if she had found something. "But now you're back…that's all that matters."

"Buffy…?" The two sisters looked up as willow walked forward. She stopped hesitantly in front of her old friend. "I want to believe, but…"

"I know." Buffy sighed. It would be easier if I could explain everything now, but I can't. It's going to take time." She turned to the rest of the group. "It's true, I'm not the same girl you all knew five years ago…but I can show you who I am today. I need trust and time."

"Then, it's yours." Xander grinned and ignored Anya's speechless face. "Five years is way too long with out you Buff. It's good to have you back."

"…And this is where we work." Dawn led Buffy into the lobby of the Hyperion. The rest of the group slowly filtered in. Buffy figured they still didn't know what to make of her.

"So, Buffy." Giles leaned against the front counter. She smiled at the fact that he was trying, she knew how hard it must have been when she left. "How long do you plan to be in LA?"

"Not really sure." Buffy sent a silent thank you to Dawn as she stood next to her. "Hopefully for a while. It all really depends on how things go."

Giles sighed and took that as a sign that the ball was in their court. "You had said something earlier about the prophecy. How much do you know about it?"

"As far as I can tell? All of it." Buffy hopped up on the counter and let her legs hang. "Before I came here, I went to see a man named Quoi San. He's an old master, I think you might know him."

"In fact I do." Giles smiled. "He was once a great watcher…in fact, I believe you know him, Oz."

The werewolf smiled. "Yeah, he helped me with my…problem." He glanced at Buffy. "I know I'm not usually one to speak up…but, what's up with the eyes."

Buffy blinked as she looked around the room. She knew everyone had wanted to ask about her appearance since they had first seen her. She took a deep breath and looked back at Oz.

"Got in the way of a spell a couple of years ago. Nasty asshole changed some things."

"Changed?" Buffy sighed as Angel spoke up. She knew he was going to be a problem. Sure, she was still mad about him moving on, but she understood. She had made the choice not too come back he couldn't have waited forever.

"Let's just leave it at that for now." Buffy looked down at her hands. "It's a long story."

"Now's as good as time as ever." Spike smirked at Buffy. She glared at him and looked around the room. Out of the faces – the ones she knew and the ones she didn't – they all wanted an explanation.

"Almost two years ago…to the day…I was in the jungle. I was looking for a tribe called the Leokoens. They had a shaman who I needed help from. They're based out of a huge network of tree houses. Its like a whole village built in the trees. Pretty cool." Buffy smiled, remembering. "His name was Chicoklen, a cocky bastard if I ever met one. He knew what I had come for, but was determined to make me fight for it. I did. I wanted to prove I wouldn't give up. To prove him wrong.

"Almost six months after I got there, the village was attacked by an ancient clan of demons. These demons had been hunting the Leokoens for centuries. The attacks were vicious and brutal. I did my best to help, but when push came to shove…I was useless.

"You have to understand. The Leokoens are a warrior tribe. Anything you've seen…strength, power…skill, they can out match it by a 100. We thought, after four weeks of battle, that the demons were gone…but we were wrong. I saw Chicoklen get scared…it's a scary thing on its own…seeing someone so powerful, someone you believe in so much…cower in fright. He knew that they wouldn't be able to survive another battle…so he…" A tear slid down her face and she sighed.

"Chicoklen gave up his life to save the others. He explained that he could transfer his life energy, his skill, his strength, and his power into someone else. It was a dangerous process and it would scar the receiving person pretty bad."

"Buffy…" Dawn looked at her sister in horror. "He chose you?"

"Yeah." Buffy smiled. "He said I deserved it. He said that with his power and the power of the people before him…I would be unstoppable. He was right."

Everyone unconsciously stepped away from Buffy as she raised her head. Her eyes swirled with anger and darkness. Her body was tense as if anticipating a fight. She looked evil.

"I wiped out the demons in less than an hour. I returned to the village to help them recover…along with his strength, came his abilities. He was a shaman. I helped to heal the tribe and they helped me to heal.

"For a year, I was…wild. I couldn't distinguish between real and unreal. The tribe had to lock me away during the bad times. I will never be able to thank them for their help. They could have turned their back on me, but they didn't. After all, I became one of them."

"You mean…" Started Giles.

"All of the Leokoens are tinted black. Their blood is ebony, their eyes are pools of darkness and their hair is streaked. During storms, their powers are the strongest. I remember, almost four months after The Change, a huge thunderstorm hit the jungle." Buffy's eyes softened. "The most beautiful sight in the whole world was watching my people sparking and laughing in the rain and the winds."

"Your people?" Spike looked sceptical. "Why aren't you being all jungle warrior now? Shouldn't you be with your tribe."

"Trained someone new." Buffy smiled. "I left the tribe a year and a half after I got there. It was time to move on."

"So that what, covers three and a half years?" Spike stood up. "Great story Betty, looking forward to hearing the rest." Without another word he strode out of the room, leaving silence in his wake.

"Well…it's been a long night." Cordelia smiled at Buffy. "It really is good to see you…do you have anywhere to stay?"

"Yeah." Buffy smiled at how much being a mother had changed Cordy. "I should go…" At Dawn's look of disappointment, she smiled again. "I'll come by tomorrow. Goodnight." She quickly walked out of the room, glad to be in fresh air.

Buffy sniffed the air and found a familiar scent. She grinned and ran off towards the docks. It only took a couple of minutes to find him.

"What's got your knickers in a twist now?"

Spike smirked at Buffy's use of words. He lit a cigarette and turned to face her. When he had first seen her tonight, the black tint to her skin and hair had scared him. Her jet black eyes had crushed him. One of the things he had most loved about her was her glimmering green orbs.