Title: Until... - Chapter 12 of How Many Days
Disclaimer: Joss doesn't play with his toys anymore. Someone has to, dammit!
Rating: R
Pairing: Buffy/Spike, Dawn/Other, Willow/Giles, Willow/Other
Summary: Post-Season 7. This is a sequel to 'Don't Stop the Dance'
Distribution: Anywhere you like, just let me know.
Feedback: is welcome. [xionin@beautiful-freak.com]
Thank you: Maribel and Pam: the most amazing betas in any universe.
Lyrics: "Until" by Sting
Author's Note: Ok, so here is the latest chapter in the saga. I must confess, I am not entirely happy with it. Still, you've waited long enough and I need for this story to progress. Chapter 12 sets the stage for chapter 13: Lazarus Heart. I appreciate all of your patience with this story. Things will move along at a much faster clip from here on out. You have my word.

Love you!
~Xio

Until....
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One day you'll meet a stranger
And all the noise is silenced in the room
You'll feel that you're close to some mystery
In the moonlight and everything shatters
You feel as if you've known her all your life
The world's oldest lesson in history...- Sting
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"Willow." Angel smiles anxiously as the small woman makes her way through the vast landscape that is the lobby of Wolfram and Hart's Los Angeles office. "You got here fast." He takes her bags from her and gestures for her to follow.

"I don't know how much time we have." They walk to the elevators and entered; the doors closing silently behind them.

"You really think...that, uh..." Angel trails off, obviously uncomfortable. Willow turns her gaze upon him.

"It is Spike, Angel. However you may feel about him? He is coming back."

"Coming back...from...where, exactly?" The doors open on the 23rd floor and they step off. Angel walks down the hall towards the guest suites. Willow follows closely behind.

"From...wherever it is that he's been held. In limbo, I suppose."

"Looked more like Hell to me." Angel mutters.

"What?" Willow touches his shoulder and he stops momentarily.

"Nothing."

Angel opens the door to a well-appointed suite, large enough for an entire family and fit for a CEO.

"Wow. You've moved on up to the East side." Willow is briefly distracted by the glamour of her new surroundings.

"Uh, yeah, well...it kind of comes with the territory." The dark-haired vampire crosses into the bedroom and deposits her bags on the floor. Returning to the sitting room, he finds her looking out over the city through the glass. He walks up besides her.

"Whoa! What are you doing?" Willow pushes him back a few steps. "And why are you not all flamey?" She looks him over, thoroughly perplexed at his lack of combustion.

"Oh, the glass. It's...treated. Blocks out those nasty UV rays." Willow turns back to the window, inspecting it more closely.

"Wow." She whispers. "Hunh. So..." She turns to him, arms folded. "How is the territory these days?" Angel leans onto the back of a chair, his arms crossed, and stares past her, out across the landscape.

"I...I can't complain." Willow sits on the arm of the adjacent chair. "We've been able to do a lot of good here."

"You have?"

"Don't sound so surprised. I'm still me."

"Hunh." Willow turns to the view.

"What?" Angel turns to study her profile.

"Oh...nothing. I just wonder."

"You wonder..." Angel waits for a few moments, but it is clear that Willow's mind is elsewhere. He clears his throat and she rouses herself. She turns to him apologetically.

"Nothing. Sorry." She smiles a small smile. "I think I'd better go see the amulet." Angel frowns, but rises to lead the way.

"Sure."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Does Willow really think she can...figure out what's going on with Spike? Or, um, Spike's...apparition?" Fred looks over the scant selection of documents concerning the amulet. All that Wesley had been able to find were some scribblings about the crystal's first discovery, some 220 years ago. Unfortunately, what he found was of little use to them.

"Well, she is rather...powerful now." Wesley hovers over the closed box containing the amulet, peering at the intricate carvings that cover it. "Giles has been quite impressed with her abilities. He says that she has come a long way since those first days after - well - after Sunnydale."

"Yeah, she's got a lot of juice. That's for sure. If you doubt it, take a look at the bill for replacing all of those windows back at the Hyperion." Gunn settles himself in one of the leather chairs that adorns Angel's spacious office as the group prepares to meet with the powerful witch. "That's some power, alright."

Fred smirks as Wesley nods in agreement.

"Yes, well, she's learned a great deal of control, from what I understand." Wesley turns to face his colleagues. "I, for one, am...anticipating a demonstration. I don't ever recall such a transformation on record at the old Council." He trails off, lost in thought.

"Yeah, I can also imagine what Wolfram and Hart would do with someone like her under their control." Gunn half-mutters.

"What?" Fred steps closer to him. "Did..." She glances at Wesley and then back to her ex. "Did you find anything out in your last, um, trip up to the White Room? Something about Willow?"

"Huh? No." Gunn frowns, his eyes darting back and forth between the two of them. "I was just saying. Top dogs might get wind of her being here, especially if she's making big with the mojo. Might turn a few heads."

"Ah." Wesley exhales loudly. "Quite. We'll, uh...we'll have to be en guarde while she's here." The three friends exchange understanding glances.

"Maybe, uh...maybe I should avoid the big cat until Willow goes back to England?"

"Might be a good idea, Charles." Fred gives his shoulder a squeeze in reassurance.

"What might be a good idea?" Angel strolls in with Willow. Three pairs of eyes land on her simultaneously and Willow sees the same thought floating between them like a ghostly string.

Protect.

She smiles.

"Hello Willow." Wesley ignores Angel's question. "It's wonderful to see you again." He walks over and shakes her hand warmly. "I'm sorry it isn't under less, uh, stressful circumstances."

"Me too." Willow smiles as Fred comes over to hug her. "Seems like we always meet this way. Wayward evil," she glances at Angel who looks away uncomfortably. "-impossible spells and now...this." She gestures towards the box centered on Angel's desk. Willow walks towards the object which, once in her sight, seems to mesmerize her.

She glides towards it, drawn by its magic.

"Wow." She whispers.

"What wow?" Gunn moves beside her.

"That's...a lot of power. It's practically oozing with it." Willow holds her hand out in front of her as if feeling the air around the item, though she is still some few feet away.

"'Oozing'?" Angel flanks her other side as the others move behind her, staring at the item as if to see what it is that she is seeing.

"Yeah. It's actually leaking magic. But..." Her brow crinkles.

"But?" Wesley studies her profile.

"There's...something's not quite right. Something's...off." She moves closer and they follow as if on strings. She stops and turns to Angel. "Maybe, you should hang back a bit?" She looks to the rest of the assemblage. "All of you." She offers a small smile. "Just to be on the safe side?"

The others exchange glances and then back off as a group. Willow crosses the distance to the box and feels around it once more.

"It's warm." She announces. Fred turns to Wesley and mouths the words 'I told you so' to which, inwardly, he rolls his eyes. Outwardly, he offers a conciliatory smile. She turns back to Willow, satisfied. "There's a life force here."

"A life...force? As in something alive?" Angel steps closer, concerned.

"Yesssss." Willow replies breathily. "It's...it's definitely alive." Angel keeps moving towards her until they are parallel to one another. He unconsciously reaches out his hand, mimicking her pose in an attempt to feel whatever she's feeling. Once he catches himself, he withdraws his hand.

"Do you think...I mean, is it really...Spike?" His voice is hushed and slightly fearful.

"Yes." She answers without hesitation. Stepping closer to the box, she reaches for it.

"Do you think that's wise?" Wesley pipes up, just as her hand stops; hovering over the container. All eyes are on her as everyone holds their breath, silently preparing for another onslaught of imagery and sound.

Willow opens the box, flipping the lid on its hinge with slender, steady fingers.

Nothing happens.

A collective sigh of relief moves through them all, save for the white-haired woman peering inside the object.

"Where's the light show?" Gunn asks.

"Perhaps i-it was a one-time only sort of thing, where the energy was captured and..."

"Oh...goddess." Willow whispers, but the only set of ears sensitive enough to pick it up are Angel's. He turns back to her.

"Willow?" He waits for her response as he turns back to her. "What is it?" She turns to him, her eyes white as clouds. The others gasp and involuntarily take a step or two back. Willow looks past Angel, then to the floor – seeing nothing – then to the ceiling before she whispers.

"Rupert."

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"Willow." Giles sprints to the phone and dials the number for Wolfram and Hart.

The phone rings one and a half times before Fred answers Angel's phone. She hands it to Wesley.

"Giles?" Wesley keeps his eyes on white Willow as she stares into space, the box now in her hands. A low humming sound is coming from her; or maybe it's coming from the box. He can't be sure.

"Wes, where's Willow?" Giles' frantic voice rouses Wesley from his hypnosis.

"She's here, but...something's happening with the object that was brought to us; the one containing the amulet. We're fairly certain that it has something to do with Spike."

"What? Spike? Th-the amulet?" Giles feels the wind exiting his lungs, but a sound barely comes out. Spike?

"Yes, but...Willow is...well she..."

"Is something wrong?" Giles' shock at hearing about the amulet subsides and his growing concern over his...friend...takes over. "What's happened, Wesley?"

"N-nothing's happened, per se, it's just...I can't say I know exactly what's going on, Rupert, I-"

The phone is suddenly yanked out of his hand by an unseen energy. The force of it nearly knocks Wes backwards. Fred and Gunn rush to his aid.

Willow is staring at the device as it floats mid air. On the other end of the receiver, Giles stands rigid, caught in a state of suspended animation. A few seconds pass before the suspended phone suddenly drops to the floor of the office. Angel grabs it and calls out to Giles.

"I'm here. We'll be there first thing in the morning." He explains.

"What just happened?" Angel says to Giles while staring at Willow who seems as if she is about to explode with energy. Her hair moves as if stirred by a slight breeze, which of course is non-existent. "And who's 'we'?" He speaks slowly; cautiously, turning away from Willow he whispers into the phone. "What's going on?" Giles takes a deep breath on the other end, before speaking.

"Willow believes that Spike is trapped in that...amulet. She says that she can release him, but that she needs Dawn there to do it. It seems that Dawn a-and Spike were somehow...bonded...when she intervened at the Hellmouth."

"When she got hit with the light?" Angel asks.

"Yes, I suppose so. She's been experiencing...episodes...ever since."

"Yeah, we've all experienced Dawn's episodes." Angel replies, catching Wesley's eye. All three of his colleagues are hanging on every word of his side of the conversation. "Um...Giles...did Willow just tell you all of that? Just now?"

He hears the Watcher take another deep breath before answering.

"Yes, Angel."

The vampire contemplates that briefly before responding.

"Ok. Ok...I get it. But, I think we need to talk when you get here. Tomorrow?"

"First thing in the morning."

"Right. Ok. See you then."

They don't bother to say goodbye before hanging up. Angel looks at his friends, who are confused having only heard one half of the conversation. He takes an unnecessary breath, and then addresses them sotto voce.

"Somehow...Willow told Giles what was going on. That's what that little...display...was about."

"She told him? Just now? But she didn't say anything...was it...telepathy of some sort?" Wesley glances over at the witch who is concentrating on the box in her hands.

"I guess...I dunno. It's all sketchy right now. All I know is that she told him that Spike is in the amulet, or whatever, and that she can get him out, but that she needs Dawn here to do it. Seems Dawn and Spike are...bonded or something." Confusions clouds their faces. "Look," Angel runs his hand through his hair. "I don't really get it either, but Willow's obviously convinced."

"Yes, well, she does have an unique insight into whatever is going on here." Wesley offers.

"I'll say. If she can't deal with whatever is happening here, I don't know who could. The girl's got some serious credentials in the magic department. Plus, she knows Spike." The others look at him perplexed. "I mean, she knows Spike, right?"

"Well, yeah. She knows him, why?" Angel asks.

"Because..." Gunn looks at each of them waiting for one of them to get his point. Exasperated, he sighs audibly. "She talking about bringing back Spike, right?"

"Right." Fred responds.

"Right, so she would know if it were really Spike and not, say, some demon trying to get a free ride into the land of the living. Right?"

Angel frowns. Wesley scratches his head. Fred turns to Willow, observing her.

"Yeah," she answers quietly. "She'd know."

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Buffy turns down Second Street off of Wilshire Boulevard. She has no idea what kind of establishment the Huntley hotel is, nor does she really care. All she wants is a place to relax and regroup for a few days.

Santa Monica beach has always been one of her favorite place to visit. 'Anne' used to hop on the bus from L.A. and go there just to sit and people watch; or to watch the waves roll in from the other side of the Bay.

The sun is high in the springtime sky as she pulls into the parking lot. The desk clerk informs her that check-in isn't for another few hours, but is nice enough to suggest a nearby café, just a block away on Ocean Avenue, with wonderful views.

Buffy walks slowly to her destination feeling, for the first time in a long time, that the future held some promise. A great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Her sadness and grief are still there, but they have assumed their rightful places in her psyche, no longer ruling her daily life; permeating her every thought.

Spike will always be a part of her, she knows that. And she wouldn't have it any other way.

Only now, instead of lamenting not having him there with her to enjoy the sunset, she can think of him as a part of her; knowing that he is always at her side – in her heart – and is sharing every part of her life with her.

Sitting on the terrace of the small, French café, Buffy muses over this notion and smiles as she sips on her Boddington's – one of Spike's favorite English beers. Expensive – Hello? Import? – but she has to admit, it is better then Coors Light.

"Beer good." She smiles as she toasts to the azure of the sea and to her love. Her Spike.

TBC: Chapter 13: Lazarus Heart

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lilmamaday: Here you are, love. hope you enjoyed it!
Ladyluck523: You know what they say - it's always darkest before the Dawn. ;]
dragonqueen12: I'm glad you're enjoying the story, hon. Thanks for your words of encouragement!
spuffyfan: What's up with Dawn? Lots and lots. She's instrumental in this story, actually. And I'd like to think she's matured into a lovely young woman.
spikealicious: Hey there...I'm so glad you've found my story so intriguing. You know how much I admire your work. I've really been enjoying One Normal Life. I think everyone should read it and the prequel.
Spikes Solace: Well, sweetie, the next chapter is called 'Lazarus Heart'. Does that give you a hint? ;]
Caroline: Hey doll. Hope is alive and well and all will be alright. Have faith in me, ok?
Helen: Thanks so much! I'm happy you're enjoying the story so far. Unfortunately, I do not know the author of that Neruda translation. But is one of my favorite poems.
Kari Mouke: I hope you like HMD as much as you liked DSTD. Thanks for your kind words!
nmcil: Hi hon! Yes, the only reason I still write 'Spuffy] is precisely that: the story seems unfinished to me. I'm happy that you're enjoying my little tale. I hope to see more artwork from you soon.
Kimbyann: I must confess that I have purchased stock in the Kleenex tissue company. We have a deal that, the more I can make you cry and the more tissues you buy, I get a percentage. ;]
Melissa: Thank you, hon. :]
Patty:There was so much left at loose ends, I think. This is only my version of post-Sunnydale. It only exists in my widdle head. I'm glad you're enjoying it, though.