Later that night (well, technically, early that morning), Giles took Xander and Willow (as Tara and Anya had gone home) back out into the shop to talk with them.

As soon as they were out of earshot of Buffy (incase she was awake), Giles told them what he had deducted.

"From what Spike repeatedly muttered in there, I think he has his soul back."

"WH- what?" Xander said - he had been about to shout it, but remembered Buffy just in time.

"Yeah. Giles sounds about right Xand. I mean the whole 'stupid bloody poof gave the PTB the idea of giving a vampire a soul' bit wouldn't have come out of him if he didn't have a soul to blame on Angel," Willow said, imitating Spike's accent rather well.

"Yeah, but Spike? A soul? He's evil! I mean, he tells us so often enough!"

"Xand, do you think he wants us to know that he has a soul? He knows that we'll ask how and why he got it," Willow told him in the forever patient way she had whenever Xander was around.

"And anyway Xand, just think about it for a minute. When was the last time he threatened to kill one of us - once the chip was out, and actually meant it?" Willow asked him.

"OK, I guess so. But it's still majorly creepy."

After they took a moment to contemplate to the creepiness factor of the fact that yet another notoriously dangerous Master vampire, William the Bloody, had a soul, they got back to the point.

"OK. Now everyone knows that, Giles, what are we gonna do about his delirium?! I mean, he thinks Buffy's dead! And even worse, he thinks it's all his fault!" Willow asked Giles, looking more than her usual worried self.

Giles shot her a look that seemed just as worried, took off his glasses, and began polishing them. "Honestly Willow, I don't know. I have no idea how to treat a sick vampire - and I have never heard of a vampire suffering from delirium from a fall - although I don't think that I've ever heard of a vampire surviving from a fall such as the one that Spike suffered from tonight either."

Buffy walked out into the shop during Giles' speech, unnoticed by the others, and heard everything he said. And, although her brain was still a little muddled from sleep, she understood how bad it was if *Giles* hadn't heard of it, or knew how to treat it. So, rubbing her eyes and shaking her head, she walked over to her friends - correction, her family, and said....

I'm stuck here. Come up with any ideas, e-mail me at [1]belovedplank@hotmail.com

Ta!

References

1. mailto:belovedplank@hotmail.com