Chapter Eleven

Buffy stood by the door as she watched Giles rapidly search through his books, trying to find the missing one the blonde vampire had taken.

"Are you sure it was one of those?" Buffy asked, gesturing to his dusty old collection that she had never seen him touch before.

"I thought so," he frowned. "But nothing is missing."

"What book do you think she took?"

Giles took a step away from the stack of books and winced as he did. The hit to his head where he had collided with the door had left a big purple bruise. Buffy quickly handed him the ice pack they had stacked in their first aid kid. He sighed in relief and gently put the ice pack to his head. "I'm not quite sure. Do you remember how the book looked? The hit to my head left me a little disoriented."

Buffy shrugged. She was too preoccupied with the fact that the vampire was, in fact, alive to notice what she had stolen. She did, however, get a tiny glimpse of one of Giles' precious cargos. "It looked more like a journal to me. It was brown, and I saw a red bookmark in it. Does that help–" she abruptly stopped as Giles rushed past her to his desk, frantically looking for something. "Giles? What is it?" she asked.

He gave her no answer as he pulled open a drawer and emptied its belongings onto his desk. Whatever he was searching for, he must not have found because he threw the ice pack at the door and yelled, "Bloody hell!"

Now Buffy was starting to become worried. She shook her hand in Giles' face to try and get his attention. That seemed to do the trick because he finally looked back at her.

"It's that bad, huh?" she asked.

"It's worse than I expected," he replied. "The vampire took my watchers' journal."

"Oh," Buffy said. Not entirely understanding the importance of the journal. "And is that… bad?"

"Buffy, that journal has every vampire, demon, and creature of darkness you've ever faced. It has all of your strengths and your weaknesses I've documented during our training sessions."

"So what you're saying is that a vampire has a journal that tells her all of my greatest weaknesses to kill me?" she asked, stunned. She knew Giles had kept notes on her Slayer activities but never knew he went into such detail in a journal.

"The Watcher's Council likes us to keep records, so they have a history of the Slayer lineage when–" He stopped abruptly, looking uncomfortable.

"When the Slayer dies," Buffy finished for him, not being able to stop the slight shiver that ran through her. What a morbid way to think of young girls. She shouldn't be surprised. She'd never had the not so much pleasure of meeting the creeps that forced her into this lifestyle, but the way Giles had described them to her made her wish that she never had the misfortune.

After a few awkward moments, Buffy admitted, "That's the vampire Ford told me he staked."

Giles sharply turned towards her, shock and confusion on his face.

"I doubt a vampire as young as her would be smart enough to plan an attack in a room where a Slayer frequently resides and trains," Giles said.

"Those guys came here with a purpose," Buffy agreed.

"Yes, yes, and, uh, we must ascertain what that purpose is."

"Someone else had to be running this charade behind the scenes," she said mindfully. "Someone that knows enough about Slayers to know that they have their own personal journals. And I think I know who it is."

"Why would Ford lie to you?" Giles asked, confused. He didn't bother asking Buffy who she thought was behind this attack. It was apparent that the annoying bleached blond who'd been a constant pain in her ass since he had arrived in Sunnydale was in charge. "I thought you two were old companions?"

"I don't know," Buffy answered truthfully. She honestly had no idea what Ford was planning. She still couldn't believe that her childhood friend would go behind her back like this. Why would he lie to her? The Ford she remembered wasn't someone who hurt others for his own personal gain. Buffy hated to admit that Angel had been right about Ford all along. If anything, she should be used to people lying to her by now. It didn't shock Buffy when Angel would lie to her or withhold information. Ford doing it hit harder than she anticipated. Maybe because she didn't expect so little of Ford, he was a human, after all, and a dear old friend. "But I will find out," she finished confidently.

Buffy knew she wasn't the smartest Slayer ever. While studying the past lives of the former Slayers wasn't something she did often—or ever, she somehow knew that she was an outlier. Buffy rarely read the readings required by Giles. It became such a habit that he'd given up on the idea altogether. She tended to think of herself as a weapon—point her at the bad, scary thing, and she'd kill it. Strategy and research were things best left to Giles.

Her friends are always there to help her out of situations beyond even her abilities. Like when Xander brought her back to life after the Master had killed her or when he, Willow, and Giles helped defeat Amy's mother when Buffy's immune system failed her due to the witch's vengeance spell. When she had to make plans that didn't require help from her Watcher or friends, she did so based on gut instinct. It hadn't failed her yet, and her stubborn determination wouldn't allow her to back down from a fight or quake in her stylish yet affordable boots. They were built for kicking.

There were times when she even had to take a step back and really think. What would Giles do if he were in her position? He wouldn't simply allow Ford to take him to some creepy place where people worshiped vampires. He would try and figure out where the malicious activities were taking place. And that's why Buffy decided to follow Ford after school, hours before she was supposed to meet up with him. Ford had a secret, and Buffy didn't like secrets. Or surprises, especially when it involved anything to do with the word vampire. She followed him as he walked on the sidewalk towards wherever the hell he was headed. She stayed far behind, enough for him not to sense he was being followed but also not allowing him to disappear from her sight.

She knew she should've told Giles of her plan, but this was her mess to clean up. Unfortunately, this wasn't an idea that she could simply ignore. The thought of solving Ford's mystery was nearly overwhelming, and getting her friends involved wasn't an option unless necessary. She had told Willow of her plan and to alert Angel or Giles if she wasn't back at Willow's house before the sun had gone down. She was glad that she always had her friends as backup.

After following Ford for over twenty minutes, he had finally arrived at his destination. Buffy squinted as she read the sign above the door. The Sunset Club. She couldn't resist the impulse to roll her eyes at the corny choice of name. It was like these people screamed for vampires to come and eat them. Buffy waited for Ford to enter the club before running across the street. After a few minutes, she slowly opened the door and snuck inside. She heard Ford in the distance speaking to someone. They seemed too preoccupied to notice her presence, but she remained in the shadows to not alert them. She listened closely in on the conversation.

"Is everything ready?" asked a woman.

"Of course. It's ready," said a man. The voice was not familiar to Buffy. "I took care of it. I always take care of it."

The woman asked, "Is it time? Tonight?"

"Are you nervous?" Ford asked.

"Yes," the woman quickly shook her head and recanted. "No. I'm ready for the change. Do you think they'll bless us?"

"I know they will. Everything's falling into place," Ford replied.

Buffy didn't shiver in fear at the thought of humans being stupid enough to create a cult based on the creation of vampires, and she was disappointed to know that a close childhood friend was to take part in it. It wasn't like Ford was unaware of how evil they were. He was very much conscious of the dangers. She also knew what the woman meant by wanting them to change and bless her. Not only did they worship vampires, but they wanted to become one. Her hunch of them wanting vampires to come eat them had been correct. It was the most outlandish idea she had ever heard. She was brought out of her thoughts when their voices became louder. They were arguing amongst each other.

"Oh, Christ! Why didn't you tell me about this?" Ford asked angrily.

"I have to do everything around here. Sorry, Mr. Flawless Plan Guy, it slipped my mind. By the way, your one friend, the tall, broody guy, wasn't very nice," replied the man.

Buffy instantly recognized that they were speaking of Angel. Ford wasn't foolish, and he would soon figure it out as well. It was time she had put an end to this weirdness. If she had to beat Ford to a bloody pulp just to get it through his thick head that vampire equals bad, then that's something she was willing to do. She also was in a hurry to get the hell out of this place. It was giving her major wiggins.

"It's gonna be alright, isn't it?" the woman asked, "They're not gonna let us down? I need them to bless me."

"It's gonna be fine!" Ford snapped.

"No," Buffy said as she finally came out of the shadows and put her hands on her hips. All three turned to look at her at the top of the stairs. "It's really not."

"Dru, you can't come," Spike said as he ran a frustrated hand through his hair, undoing the gel that he'd done twenty minutes prior.

"Naughty boy," Drusilla pouted. "You want all the fun to yourself."

"Come on, baby, you know that's not true," Spike said, exasperated. He walked over and kneeled in front of her. "You're still too weak, and it's too dangerous of a mission. I can't risk having you in the same room as the Slayer."

Drusilla crossed her arms and turned away from him. Spike sighed. He knew better than to try and rationalize with her. As much as he loved her, she could get on his damned nerves sometimes. He wouldn't let Dru get her way. He wasn't going to risk her life. She was the only thing that gave him meaning in this fucked up world.

There was a knock on the door, and Spike couldn't help but be grateful that he was being bothered. He walked over and swung the door open to find Vanessa on the other side with a journal in her hand. Spike snatched it from her and began leafing through the pages. After Vanessa had successfully retained the first book he had sent her to fetch from the Slayer's Watcher to help restore his Dark Goddess to her full strength, he had sent her on another mission to retrieve a book that could possibly help him fight the Slayer.

"There were no complications?" he asked absentmindedly, still looking through the book. He was impressed at what he was seeing. When he didn't hear an immediate answer, his eyes snapped back up to Vanessa's face, who had a worried look on it. "Something you're not telling me?"

"Well, there was a slight problem, and we, well you see–"

"Spit it out," Spike barked, annoyed.

"The Slayer was there and saw us take it," she admitted.

Spike growled and slammed the book on the table next to him. "I told you not to cause any commotion. Now the Slayer will know why I wanted the damn book."

"You don't know that," Vanessa tried to reason. "She might not even know you have it."

"She will," Spike argued. "The Slayer might be the bane of my bloody existence, but the bitch is smarter than I originally gave her credit for."

"I'm so sorry," Vanessa apologized, obviously trying to save herself from being dusted.

Spike was fed up with minions who could not follow simple orders. He thought when first arriving at the Hellmouth that he'd find more competent minions than the lot he had. Living on the mouth of Hell didn't make them any less stupid. He still hadn't forgotten about Vanessa going behind his back and leading that boy back to his mansion. He didn't have proof that she did, but he remembered the slight glance the boy had given her when Spike had questioned him on how he had found where he resided. He'd been around for far too long to know when somebody was conspiring behind his back. While it ended up working in his favor, he still couldn't let go of the betrayal from a measly minion. The only reason he had allowed her to live was so she could finish out this task for him since she was successful the first time. He didn't see the point of her existence now.

"Please, I promise it won't happen–"

Spike never allowed her to finish. It happened all too quickly as Vanessa gasped in pain. Spike withdrew his hand from her chest, pulling her heart out. He grimaced as the dust fluttered around him, latching onto his leather coat. "Bugger."

"If I don't go, the sunshine will swallow you," Drusilla rambled. Spike rolled his eyes. Apparently, they weren't finished with the conversation just yet. But if it eased Dru's mind if he allowed her to go, he would agree to it.

"Fine, you can come," Spike pointed at her, annoyed. "But you will be heavily guarded, and I don't want you near the Slayer."

Drusilla stood and clapped her hands together happily. Spike grabbed the book and walked out of the room with Dru in tow. He saw the troops lined up through the room, waiting for his command. Spike stood before them and began speaking. "When we get there, everybody spread out. I want three of you guarding Drusilla and two men on the door. First priority is the Slayer; everything else is fair game, and let's remember to share, people."

Turning back to Drusilla, he asked worriedly, "Are you sure you're up for this?"

Drusilla nodded her head with a wicked smile on her face. "I want a treat. I need a treat."

Spike grinned, reaching his hand to caress Dru's face gently. "And a special one you'll have. Once the Slayer's dead, I'll leave her blood for you, princess. That should help strengthen you." Spike knew the Slayer's blood wouldn't heal Dru, but that didn't mean it wouldn't help with her weakness. Slayer's blood was euphoric. Spike had taken a lot of drugs since becoming a vampire, and Slayer's blood had been the most incredible high of them all. He still reminisced how he felt after he had tasted the Chinese Slayer. The strength that raced through his body even months later...

Digging into his pocket, he held up a pair of keys and threw them to a nearby minion. "Lucius! Have the car ready. We will be leaving soon."

Buffy walked down the stairs. "I'm sorry, Ford. I just couldn't wait till tonight! I'm rash and impulsive. It's a flaw."

"We all have flaws," Ford replied, eyeing her.

"You're right," Buffy admitted as she came to stand in front of him. "I'm still a little fuzzy on exactly what yours is. I think it has to do with being a lying scumbag.

Ford merely shrugged his shoulders, clearly unfazed by the insult. "Everybody lies."

And boy, was he right. Ford was a liar. Angel was a liar. Even she was a liar to some extent.

"What do you want, Ford?" she asked, confused. "What's this all about?"

"I really don't think you'd understand."

"I don't need to understand," Buffy countered. "I just need to know."

"I'm gonna be one of them," Ford said firmly.

Buffy stared at him in shock. "You wanna be a vampire?"

"I'm going to."

Buffy shook her head in confusion. She still didn't understand why he'd want to become an evil demon. The Ford she knew wouldn't just willingly want that.

"You know, vampires are a little picky about who they change–" Her eyes widened as she began to understand what was truly happening here. The blonde female vampire. The Watcher's Journal. Spike. Ford. They were all connected. He was going to lure her here to Spike in exchange for immortality. "You were going to offer them a trade!" she said, stunned. "You were going to give me to them! Tonight!"

Ford nodded his head. "Yes."

"You had to know I'd figure it out," Buffy said aloud, speaking more to herself than him.

"Actually," he replied with a gleam. "I was counting on it."

Buffy began to back away.

"What's supposed to happen tonight?"

The facade dropped from Ford's face as the tone in his voice changed rapidly. "This is so cool! It's just like it played in my head," he said callously. "You know that part where you ask me what's supposed to happen? It's already happening."

Buffy turned as she heard a sudden loud clang. The man she didn't recognize from earlier had shut the inner door. That was definitely not good. She hurriedly ran back up the stairs to open the door but didn't find a lock anywhere. She began pounding on it, using all the Slayer strength she could muster. The door stood unyielding to her feeble attempts to break it down.

"Rigged up special," Ford said from behind her. "Once it's closed, it can only be opened from the outside. As soon as the sun sets, they'll be coming."

Buffy quickly turned around, outraged that he would put all of them in danger. "Ford, if these people are still around when they get here…"

The man in the silly costume interrupted, "We'll be changed. All of us."

"We're going to ascend to a new level of consciousness!" The woman stated ardently. "Become like them. Like the Lonely Ones."

"This is the end, Buffy," Ford said. "No one gets outta here alive."

"There's gotta be another way out of here!" Buffy replied, looking around for a possible escape.

"This is a bomb shelter, Buffy. I knew I wasn't going to be able to overpower you. But this is three feet of solid concrete. Trust me when I say we're in for the long haul."

Buffy sighed in frustration. "At least let the other people go." If Ford wanted to sacrifice his life, then so be it. But she'd be damned if she was going to allow innocent people to die because he was an idiot.

"Why are you fighting this?" The woman asked. "It's what we want! It's a beautiful day. Can't you see that?"

"What I see is that, right after the sun goes down, Spike and all of his friends are going to be pigging out at the all-you-can-eat moron bar," she replied candidly.

The man threw up his arms in disbelief and said to Ford, "Okay, that's it. I think we should gag her."

Buffy walked up to him. "I think you should try."

"She's an unbeliever. She taints us."

"I am trying to save you! You are playing in some serious traffic here! Do you understand that? You're going to die! And the only hope you have of surviving this is to get out of this pit right now and–" she paused suddenly. For the first time truly looking at the man's appearance before her. Spike would definitely kill him first. "My God, could you have on a dorkier outfit?"

He glared at her, obviously offended.

Ford smiled. "I got to back her up. You look like a big ninny."

There was a sudden beeping noise, and they all turned to look down at Ford's watch.

"6:27. Sunset," he said.

Wasting no time, Buffy hurriedly ran up the stairs and began punching the door.

"Hey, you never give up, do you?" Ford asked as he followed her up the stairs.

"No, I don't."

"That's a good quality in a person. Too many people, they just lay back and take it, but us..."

Buffy scoffed. "Us? Do we have something in common now?"

"More than you think," he whispered.

Buffy turned around. "Yeah, well, let me explain something to you. You're what we call the bad guy."

Ford chuckled. "I guess I am!"

Buffy looked down sadly at the people gathered together. There were more of them coming from the other room. "These people aren't going to get changed, are they? The rest of them, they're just fodder."

"Technically, yes," he admitted. "But I'm in. I will become immortal."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Well, I've got a newsflash for you, braintrust: that's not how it works. You die, and a demon sets up shop in your old house, and it walks, and it talks, and it remembers your life, but it's not you."

Ford shrugged. "It's better than nothing."

Buffy turned to him, shocked. "And your life is nothing?"

Ford snickered but didn't offer a response.

"Ford, these people don't deserve to die!"

Ford suddenly turned to her and said resentfully through clenched teeth, "Well, neither do I! But apparently, no one considered that because I'm still dying."

Buffy stared at him confused as tears began to form in his eyes.

"I look good, don't I? Well, let me tell you something," he retorted. "I've got maybe six months left, and by then, what they bury won't even look like me. It'll be bald and shriveled, and it'll smell bad. No, I'm not going out that way."

Buffy realized what he was trying to do… trying to prevent. That was why he'd been absent from school for weeks. His sickness wasn't just the flu or cold. She turned away as tears began to form in her eyes as well.

"I'm sorry, Summers. Did I screw up your righteous anger riff? Does the nest of tumors liquefying my brain kinda spoil the fun?"

Buffy put on a brave face and turned back to face him. "I'm sorry. I had no idea. But what you're doing is still very wrong," she said, sticking to her morals, even when her heart was telling her otherwise.

Ford gave a bitter laugh. "Okay, well, you try vomiting for twenty-four hours straight because the pain in your head is so intense, and then we'll discuss the concept of right and wrong." He looked down and pointed at the people below them. "These people are sheep. They want to be vampires because they're lonely, miserable, or bored. I don't have a choice."

Buffy shook her head. "You have a choice. You don't have a good choice, but you have a choice! You're opting for mass murder here, and nothing you say is going to make that okay!" she pleaded, "Think of your mother! When you wake up, and there's a demon in your body, the last thing it's going to want is your mother safe. It'll seek out anyone you had close connections with as a human. I've seen it happen. I've heard stories." Buffy and her mother had been close with Ford's mother growing up. She had to get him to see all the bad things that would happen from a rash decision.

"I've already made my peace with that," he replied uncaringly. "You think I need to justify myself to you?"

Buffy began to back away. Trying to get through to him was a pointless battle. He was far too gone in his fantasy to see the dangers he was imposing on everyone. "I think this is all part of your little fantasy drama! Isn't this exactly how you imagined it? You tell me how you've suffered, and I feel sorry for you. Well, I do feel sorry for you, and if those vampires come in here and start feeding, I'll kill you myself!"

And she had meant it. Taking a human life wasn't something she took lightly, but she'd make an exception for him. She couldn't help the pure disgust that graced her face as she looked at someone she used to consider a friend.

"You won't have the option. Spike is going to be here soon."

"How did you know to go to Spike?" She couldn't help but ask. "You could have gone to any vampire. Why him?"

"Vanessa, the blonde vampire from that alley, wasn't the first vampire that I had talked to," Ford admitted. "There were others that I had asked to turn me into an immortal who was not keen on the idea. Word on the street was that Spike is a man loyal to his word."

"A demon," she corrected.

"Regardless," he continued. "I did some research and heard of his reputation. The vampires I was speaking to were young and foolish. I knew I had to prepare myself before seeing Spike. He wouldn't listen to a sickly boy with nothing unless I had something to offer him."

"So you offered innocent people and me in exchange for a demon to take over your body?" Buffy looked at him in disgust. "You don't care about sacrificing people, your mother or even my life, for that matter. All you care about is yourself."

Ford chuckled. "You know what? Before I even met Spike, I knew that he would accept the trade. I had heard from other vampires in town that he is obsessed with Slayers. I always assumed he just really wanted to kill you. But when I went before him and mentioned you… there was a certain look of hunger in his eyes."

Buffy looked down. She couldn't allow her feelings to get the better of her. She was coming off of a defeat from her last fight with Spike. She must keep a clear head if wanted to have any chance of beating him when he comes. Or, at the very least, hold him off until Willow showed up with Angel.

"Of course, I think he will still kill you when he gets here," Ford continued scathingly.

Buffy rolled her eyes and turned away.

"Summers?" Ford called. She glanced over her shoulder. "I really did miss you."

Buffy could only look at him with disappointment. She was at a loss for words. Nothing she said would change his mind. She began walking back down the stairs when she heard a car come to a screeching halt. Her eyes widened as she realized who had arrived. Spike.

Buffy turned frantically towards Ford. "Please help me stop this!" she pleaded. He remained silent. She sighed and ran towards the railing. "People, listen to me! This is not the mothership, people! This is ugly death coming to play!"

Ford's backhand punched her across the face, and she went tumbling to the bottom of the steps. He walked down after her and hit her in the back as she tried to get up, sending her to the floor again. Buffy winced as she tried to push herself off the floor to no avail. She was angry at herself for letting a human who was weak and sick get the best of her. After a few loud bangs, the door finally opened, and in walked Spike in gameface. The blonde girl was at the top of the steps as Spike smirked at her. He snatched the choker from her neck and yelled, "Take them all. Save the Slayer for me." He looked around before making eye contact with Buffy. She watched as vampires stormed the room and began feeding on the people below. She slowly found her strength to rise to her feet but wasn't quick enough to stop Spike from roaring and violently biting down on the girl's neck, all while maintaining eye contact with Buffy.

As she began to run up the stairs to stop him, she was hit in the head with something. She groaned as she looked over to see Ford standing over her with a crowbar. He raised it over his head and brought it down to strike again, but she grabbed it mid-swing, stopping him. She kicked her foot in his stomach and sent him flying into a concrete pillar as he fell unconscious to the floor.

She got up and turned to the empty spot Spike previously occupied. The girl was at the bottom of the stairs. Buffy quickly ran to her and put her two fingers to her neck, searching for a pulse. She sighed in relief when she heard a faint heartbeat.

Buffy turned to survey the chaos happening around her. She didn't know where to start or who to help first. It was a bloodbath. She decided to help the person closest to her as she tore off a piece of a wooden chair leg and staked the vampire from behind. The man she saved was the dork from earlier. He looked at her with tears in his eyes.

She turned away and threw a punch at another vampire close to her. After a few exchanges, Buffy was able to dust him and continued searching for Spike. She looked around to see vampires still feeding, knowing she couldn't stop them on her own. She needed help. She needed–

"Buffy!"

Buffy turned to see Angel, Willow, and Xander join the fight. She sighed in relief as they quickly fought the vampires guarding the door and pushed their way inside.

"What's going on?!" Xander asked frantically.

"Ford offered to exchange me for immortality. I don't have time to explain the details." Buffy turned to Willow. "You and Xander need to get as many people out as you can. I'm going to find Spike."

She didn't wait for a response before she turned around in search of the bleached menace that had caused this mess. What she found instead was a female vampire hiding in the shadows above. Her eyebrows furrowed as she took a step closer, trying to get a better look. Her eyes widened when she realized that the vampire was Drusilla. Buffy ran up the stairs and quickly dusted the vampires protecting her.

"I'm surprised Spike let you come knowing I'd be here. I know you're weak, and I've read some of the evil and vile things you've done to innocent people," Buffy said with revulsion.

Drusilla gave a sadistic smile as she began to sway back and forth. "You are the sunshine that has come to take my prince away."

Buffy frowned. "Wow. You really are crazy."

"You may take my prince, but I shall take your king back into the darkness," Drusilla rambled. "For you were destined to take the prince into the ashes before you had met."

Buffy held her stake high but couldn't help but shake her head in confusion. "I have no idea what you're saying."

Drusilla stopped swaying and stared at Buffy in the eyes. "You're mysterious stranger needs you."

Buffy froze. No. Nobody knew that Buffy referred to Spike as her mysterious stranger. It was impossible that Drusilla knew of Buffy's feelings towards Spike or her trip to the future when she had died. It was her secret. It wasn't possible.

Drusilla pointed, and Buffy's eyes followed as she gasped at the sight below her. Angel had managed to find Spike as they fought an even battle. She couldn't allow them to kill one another. Angel was in her heart and Spike… If he had to die, she wanted it to be by her hands. Forgetting Drusilla, she quickly ran down the stairs to them. She was relieved to see that Willow and Xander had managed to get some people out of the club, but many vampires still lingered and were feasting. Buffy suddenly realized that they were outmatched. There were too many of them. She couldn't kill them all. She had to think of something more clever…

"I know you need her heart to heal Drusilla!" Angel yelled.

Buffy frowned as she overheard him and Spike fighting.

"The Slayer's heart isn't going to heal Dru, you git," Spike replied as he threw a punch at Angel's jaw and connected. He spotted Buffy and grinned. "Has the Slayer told you yet that she gets all hot and bothered by me?"

Buffy's eyes widened at what Spike had revealed to Angel.

Angel glanced at Buffy and looked back at Spike with a growl. "You're lying."

"Am I?" Spike laughed. "She smelled like she was enjoying herself on Halloween night when we were all close and personal."

Buffy suddenly realized what Spike was playing at. He was trying to get Angel upset so he'd attack Spike out of anger.

"Angel, don't!" Buffy yelled as she ran towards him, but was tackled by another vampire. She groaned in frustration and, after a few quick punches, swiftly staked the vampire. She looked up to see Spike with the upper hand in the fight as Angel fought sloppily. She'd never seen Angel act like that and was surprised that Spike was able to get under his skin so easily.

"Oh, and Slayer?" Spike called out to her as he repeatedly punched Angel in the face. "I know your greatest weakness."

She ran after him only to be stopped by yet another vampire. It would never end. There were too many of them. She backed away as the approaching vampires pushed her into the corner. How had Spike found her greatest weakness when she didn't even know what it was? Angel was losing control of the fight, and she'd be too late to stop it. Just like she was too late to stop the vampires from taking innocent people's lives, and the people she cared for were in danger.

Buffy paused. The people she cared for. That was her greatest weakness. A Slayer wasn't supposed to have a family or friends. She's supposed to be alone. But Buffy wasn't alone. And having people in her life constantly puts them in danger.

She looked up towards the upper level at Drusilla and then back at Spike. He wasn't an ordinary vampire; that much was certain. He cared for the crazy psycho. Making a decision, she ran past the approaching vampires and leaped off a couch to the balcony railing. She quickly climbed over and grabbed Drusilla from behind, and held a stake to her chest.

"Spike!" she yelled.

Spike stopped mid-punch and looked over at them. Drusilla stared down at the stake poised in front of her.

"Everybody, STOP!"

All of the vampires stopped feeding.

"Good idea. Now you let everyone out, or your girlfriend fits in an ashtray," Buffy threatened.

Drusilla whimpered, frightened. "Spike?"

"It's gonna be alright, baby," Spike replied and turned towards his minions. "Let them go!"

They all let go of their victims, and the people hurried up the stairs and out the door. Buffy motioned Willow and Xander to help a weakened Angel out the door before turning to Spike. "Down the stairs," she ordered.

Spike slowly backed down the stairs. Buffy forced Drusilla ahead of her, still holding the stake ready. When Buffy reached the top of the stairs, she stared at Spike for a moment. She had the upper hand. She could kill Drusilla now and be done with it. But something inside of her commanded her otherwise. "Oh, and Spike?" Buffy said mockingly. "It looks like we have the same weakness."

She looked at Drusilla and shoved her down the stairs at Spike. He caught and steadied her as Buffy turned and rushed out the door. He started to give chase, but Buffy quickly shut the door behind her.

Buffy walked out of the building and watched as people helped and supported each other. Angel limped up to her with Willow and Xander close behind.

"What about the rest of the vampires?" Willow asked.

"They're contained," Buffy replied. "They'll get out eventually, though. We should probably go. We can come back when they're gone."

Xander looked at her, confused. "Come back for what?"

Buffy looked back at the entrance with an emotionless expression. "For the body."

Buffy stood in front of Ford's grave. Giles was beside her as he was kind enough to accompany her. The last of the sun's rays glanced off the trees as Buffy sighed.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to say," she said truthfully.

"You don't need to say anything."

"It'd be simpler if I could just hate him. I think he wanted me to. I think it made it easier for him. Be the bad guy. The villain of the piece. But really, he was just scared."

"I suppose he was," Giles replied. Unlike Buffy, he held no sadness in his tone.

"You know it's just, like, nothing's simple. I'm always trying to work it out. Who to hate or love. Who to trust," Buffy admitted. She thought she could trust Ford, and she was wrong. The same feeling applied to Angel. She hadn't forgotten about him asking Spike about a ritual involving her heart. While Spike seemed to rebuke the statement as false, it made her question why Angel decided to keep that information to himself. The only thing that kept her from barging into his place and demanding answers was that she wasn't ready to explain to him what Spike had confessed at the Sunset Club of her liking him. She could claim it wasn't true, but Spike didn't have a reputation of being a liar. And if Angel and Spike had been some sort of 'companions' in the past, he knew it to be true. And she wanted to hate Spike. She truly wanted it more than anything, but she couldn't find it in her heart to fully accept it. "It's like the more I know, the more confused I get."

"I believe that's called growing up."

Buffy pouted. "I'd like to stop, then. Okay?"

Giles gave a soft smile. "I know the feeling."

"Well, does it ever get easy?"

Suddenly, Ford emerged from the grave, a snarling vampire, and lunged at Buffy, who planted a stake firmly in his chest. She didn't even look as he exploded into dust.

After a moment, Giles asked. "You mean life?"

Buffy thought about it. "Yeah. Does it get easy?"

Giles sighed. "What do you want me to say?"

"Lie to me."

"Yes. It's terribly simple," Giles started as they walked out of the graveyard. "The good guys are stalwart and true. Their pointy horns or black hats easily distinguish the bad guys, and we always defeat them and save the day. Nobody ever dies… and everybody lives happily ever after."

"Liar."