A/N: Lovin' the response so far. Glad you guys seem to be enjoying this sequel. :-) Here's another chappie. Happy reading!

(Note: Some dialog taken directly from the episode.)

Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its characters are the property of Joss Whedon.

You know some real bad tricks

And you need some discipline

But lately you've been trying real hard

And giving me your best

And you give me the most gorgeous sleep

That I've ever had

And when it's really bad

I guess it's not that bad

-No Doubt, "Underneath It All"

Buffy tossed and turned in bed, while in her dream a girl with hair dyed bright pink ran for her life. The girl was being chased by a pair of robed men. They ran through nighttime Frankfurt, Germany (Buffy didn't know how she knew this detail) until the robed men cornered the girl just outside an underground nightclub. She tried to fight them off, but they were too strong. Then one of the men plunged an ornate dagger into her torso. They left her where she lay, alone and dying. With her final breath, the girl spoke in an unearthly voice, "From beneath you...it devours."

"Buffy! Buffy!"

She gasped awake, saw Spike's worried face looming over her, his hands gripping her shoulders. Buffy licked her dry lips and rasped, "I heard screaming."

Spike replied with a faint smile, "That was you, luv."

He moved back so that she could sit up. Buffy hugged her knees. "There was a girl."

"That would be me," Dawn spoke from the doorway, drawn there by the sounds of her sister's distress.

Buffy shook her head. "Uh...no, it was..."

"Just a dream," Spike said, though he wasn't entirely convinced.

"It was just a dream, right?" Dawn asked, hopeful.

"'From beneath you, it devours.' That's what she said. And then they..." Buffy rose from the bed and wandered over to the window, pulled aside the curtains to peer out at the night-shrouded streets. "There's more like her," she murmured, "out there, somewhere. And they're gonna die."

Spike reached for his discarded jeans on the floor and slipped them on without Dawn seeing anything the teen shouldn't, then he went to stand behind Buffy and put his arms around her. "There's nothing you can do now," he whispered into the side of her neck, "Come back to bed, luv. You need to rest."

Buffy sighed, knowing he was right. Whatever the dream meant, she couldn't do anything about it until she understood more. And she had a big day tomorrow, starting her new job as a school counselor. She turned to her sister, still hovering in the doorway. "I'm okay, Dawnie. Go on back to bed."

With a nod, the teen reluctantly returned to her room. Buffy let the vampire lead her back to their bed and snuggled up to him under the covers. "Something's coming," she murmured.

Spike ran his fingers through her hair in a soothing gesture. "I know. I feel it, too."

Buffy shuddered. She honestly didn't think she would be able to sleep anymore, but after a few minutes of Spike gently stroking her hair, her eyelids grew heavy and she finally drifted off. Fortunately for her, there were no more dreams that night.

Morning was somewhat better. Bright daylight chased away the shadows and Dawn spent the entire ride in Xander's car enthusing over the fact that her sister would be working at her school. She gushed about how cool it was, then made it clear that Buffy was not to acknowledge or socialize with her or her friends in any way, as that would humiliate the teen and destroy her social life. Buffy laughingly agreed to these terms.

It was weirdly thrilling having her very own cubicle and desk. Made her feel like a real grownup at last. Principal Wood even gave her the power to give detention, should she find it necessary. Buffy was anxious to do well, but also confused as to why a college drop-out like her was given the job in the first place. The principal's explanation didn't really help her. "These students need someone around who understands them. I need someone who understands these students."

Right.

Buffy spent part of her day exploring more of the new campus. She returned to the basement, wondering if she'd feel that strange vibe Spike had mentioned without the vampire present. She did feel something, but it was hard to describe. Sort of a low buzz that was felt more than heard. It made her skin tingle and her bones vibrate. It was very unnerving, and she highly doubted it meant anything good. It had to be connected to the Hellmouth somehow, though she didn't remember this sensation from her days as a student. Was the Hellmouth becoming more active?

The rest of Buffy's day was fairly uneventful. She talked to a few students that Principal Wood sent her way. Buffy wasn't sure if she was doing any good, but at least she hadn't screwed up royally, either. So, that was something.

The evening, however, was not so uneventful. Xander arrived at the house shortly after sunset accompanied by a very shaken young woman named Nancy, who proceeded to tell them an interesting story involving her unfortunate Yorkie and a huge worm-like creature that burst out of the ground and swallowed the pooch whole. It nearly dragged Nancy after it before she thought to let go of the dog's leash. Her palm was scraped raw, so Buffy got out the first aid kit and wrapped her hand.

"And whatever it was, it was big," the woman said in a tremulous voice, "And strong. Stronger than... I mean, I don't know how it's possible. You hear things in this town, living here in Sunnydale, but nobody actually believes them, y'know? You'd have to be crazy, and—and you guys think that I'm crazy, don't you?" She eyed them all warily.

Xander was sitting beside her on the couch, Dawn on her other side, while Buffy sat on the coffee table to tend to Nancy's minor wounds. Spike leaned in the living room doorway, his arms crossed. He was wearing a dark blue, skin-tight shirt Buffy had recently bought him, and she found the sight of him distractingly yummy. He'd filled out some over the summer. Xander joked that Spike needed to lay off the junkfood, but vampires couldn't really digest ordinary food; it just went right through them. No, it was a different aspect of Spike's diet that had recently changed. Ever since the Claim, he had been drinking regularly from Buffy, usually while they were making love, and never more than a few ounces at a time. But apparently a steady diet of high-octane Slayer blood made quite the difference. Buffy certainly appreciated the results.

Spike smirked at the less-than-pure feelings he picked up through the link. Then Xander responded to what Nancy had said and his and Buffy's attention returned to the matter at hand. "We don't think you're crazy."

"We've seen things, too, Nancy," Buffy assured her.

"And we're gonna take care of this," Xander promised, "It's your lucky night. Considering, y'know, your dog just got all ate up and stuff..." He coughed awkwardly at the look Nancy gave him. "Hey, can I freshen your tea?"

"No," Nancy stared at him as if he'd grown a third eye, "That's okay. Thanks."

Spike smirked. Real smooth, Harris.

"So, you say this thing just came up out of the ground?" Dawn asked, "I mean, without any warning signs or anything?"

Nancy shook her head. "Just this kind of rumbling, you know, like just before an earthquake."

The words brought on a deep sense of foreboding in Buffy. "From beneath you, it devours."

Dawn and Spike tensed.

Nancy frowned in puzzlement. "What?"

"Nothing," Buffy replied, trying to sound casual.

"Nothing good," Dawn muttered.

"It's sounding 'monsterific,' all right," Xander said, ignorant of Buffy's dream.

Buffy used her businesslike tone, "Look, Nancy, we're gonna get into this. And I promise you, if your dog is alive, we're gonna find him." She got up and put on her jacket. "Okay, we're gonna split. Two pairs. Whatever this creature is, it's burrowing through solid ground. That means a strength and power that we don't usually deal with, but we may have to get used to, now the Hellmouth's getting all perky."

Nancy leaned closer to Xander and half-whispered, "Shouldn't we call the police, or something?"

Xander quirked an eyebrow. "And tell them...?"

The woman smiled ruefully. "I'll stop interrupting."

"Xander, take Nancy home," Buffy ordered while she dug through her weapons chest, "Drive, don't walk, and try not to stop 'til you get there."

"Is your girlfriend always this...commanding?" Nancy asked.

Xander frowned, confused. "Who?" His eyes widened as her meaning dawned on him. "Buffy? Oh, no, no, no. See, uh—I mean, she's—she's a girl, and she's a friend, but she's not my girlfriend." He pointed towards Spike, who was selecting a weapon of his own from the trunk. "She's actually seeing Captain Peroxide over there."

"Oh," Nancy nodded sagely, "Likes the whole bad-boy thing, huh?"

The vampire flashed a wicked grin.

"Spike and I will check out the scene," Buffy declared, heading for the door.

"I'm command central," Dawn stated with full authority, "so everybody check in with me." Her shoulders slumped a moment later and she muttered, "Okay, I'll be here doing my homework, but the other one sounded cooler."

"Righty-o, then." Spike followed after the others, lightly bumping Dawn's shoulder in passing. The teen smiled, then sighed and went to fetch her schoolbag.

It didn't take long to find the place Nancy had described. Spike played his flashlight beam over the ring of broken concrete circling a dark crater that was wide enough for a grown man to fall through. "Think this here's our spot."

"How'd you guess?" Buffy asked drily.

Spike huffed a quiet chuckle, then knelt down to peer cautiously into the hole. "I don't fancy sticking my head in that."

"Well," Buffy said lightly, "if something bites it off, that'd be a clue."

Spike threw her a mock-glare, then held his arm out to her. "Hold the torch, will you?"

Buffy took it and held it up. "Flashlight," she enunciated, "Here we call it a flashlight. Torches are all flamey."

Spike rolled his eyes. He carefully moved some of the rubble aside and looked down into the gaping maw. After a moment, he sighed and stood up, dusting off the knees of his jeans. "There's nothin' here. Just a bit of slime. Mounds of displaced dirt and such. Whatever our beastie is, he's gone." He looked at Buffy. "What d'you think? This the Big Bad your dream was talkin' about?"

Buffy pursed her lips in thought. "No," she shook her head, "Doesn't feel right. Whatever this thing is, it's obviously dangerous, but not Big Bad dangerous."

"Hmm." Spike nodded in agreement.

Buffy's cellphone rang. She dug it out of her pocket and answered. It was Xander. He and Nancy had been attacked by the worm thing, which seemed to have a personal vendetta against the woman. It turned out, Nancy had a psycho ex-boyfriend that she'd wished to be rid of; the operative word being "wish."

They all met up at The Bronze a few minutes later and found Anya sitting at a table with a young woman who was talking animatedly to the vengeance demon. As soon as she saw them approach, Anya rolled her eyes and groaned, "Oh, penis."

"This the one you talked to?" Xander asked Nancy, who nodded.

Anya sighed, then flashed a bright smile at her companion. "Tell you what, why don't we put a pin in it? Why don't you go get yourself a drink, and we'll pick it up in a few, okay?" Once the bewildered woman was gone, Anya glared at the interlopers. "You guys, I'm working here."

"We noticed." Buffy set a short sword down on the table, a not-so-subtle threat.

"Did you turn this nice lady's ex into a giant worm monster?" Xander asked in his typical blunt way.

Anya laughed, then had the grace to look a little chastised. "Yes."

Nancy gawped. "No way! Are you saying that thing was Ronnie?"

"You wish it, I dish it," Anya shrugged, "I thought we were clear on this. I didn't think you were gonna go all narc on me."

Buffy looked at the woman in disbelief. "You wished your ex was a worm?"

"We were just talking!"

"Anya has a way of making things happen," Xander explained.

"I had a quota," the vengeance demon stated, "The guy had it coming. What's the big?"

Nancy paled. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Anya," Buffy snapped, "that thing you created burst through solid pavement and ate her dog."

Anya's expression fell. "Oh! Puppy!"

"Wait, that gets your sad noise?" Xander exclaimed, "People's lives are in danger and you give it up for the Yorkie?"

"You never understood me, Xander," the currently brunette woman huffed.

"Xander, who is this woman?" Nancy asked.

Xander winced. "Anya. She's, um...my ex."

Nancy's eyebrows rose in a this-explains-a-lot expression. "Oh."

Anya scowled. "Hey, nobody's bragging here." She started to get up, but Spike reached over and shoved her back into her chair. "Hey! Hands off the merchandise, Spike! You don't get to go there again."

The vampire scoffed, "Please. You threw yourself at me, remember?"

"Okay, guys," Buffy interjected, "Can we focus here for just a second? Anya, this Ronnie? He wasn't a worm. Worms are, like, this big," she held up her finger and thumb, indicating a couple of inches between them, "This thing was, like—"

"Sluggoth demon," Spike's scarred eyebrow quirked at the vengeance demon, "Am I right?"

Anya sulked. "Maybe."

"Wait, I-I didn't wish for that," Nancy protested, "I mean, I don't even know what this whatchamacallit demon thing is."

"Sluggoth demon. It's a very large, very nasty natural predator who died around the Crusades," Spike explained.

"Same phylum," Anya muttered, "It's not cheating, I just embellished."

"Well, you can unembellish, now," Xander said.

His ex glared at him. "Bite me, Harris. I have rules to work with. Vengeance demon codes of conduct. But you'll never understand, 'cause you're all still so...human," Anya's voice trailed off as she began to stare at them all, frowning as her eyes came to rest on the vampire.

"I'm not," Spike said, "Demon, just like yourself, Anya. Now, you're gonna turn the spell around like a good little vengeance demon, or I—What?" he broke off, irritated by the brunette's gawking.

Anya's eyes widened. "Oh, my god."

"What're you staring at?" Spike growled.

"Oh, my god!" Anya said even louder. Her eyes roved over him in shock. "How did you do it?"

"Spike, what's she talking about?" Buffy asked.

"I don't have a sodding clue." Spike glared at the excited vengeance demon.

"I can see you!" she cried, "I-I can see her in you!"

"What the hell are you—"

"Her soul! Buffy's soul is in you!" Anya shook her head in astonishment, then turned her gaze on Buffy and, if anything, gaped even more. "A-And your demon's in her! You both have the same soul and the same demon at the same time! Holy crap, that's so weird!"

Spike's and Buffy's eyes met, their shock bouncing back and forth through the empathic link they shared. They knew the Claim had brought about some changes, but they had no idea it was this extreme. What did this mean? Was Buffy still human? Was Spike still a vampire?

"Uh, Buffy."

"Not now, Xander," Buffy responded absently.

But her friend persisted, "Nancy. Anya's hissy fit over souls freaked her out. She's gone, and out there all alone, she's worm bait."

Jarred back into reality, Buffy pushed this new revelation to the back of her mind to deal with the current situation. "Spike and I will find her. You stay here with Anya and get her to reverse that spell."

Xander nodded. Buffy and Spike hurried for the exit, weapons in hand.

They found Nancy easily enough. The screams for help were something of a giveaway. Buffy swooped in and rescued Nancy from imminent worm-devouring while Spike fought the creature off. Then, just as the vampire brought his sword in for a fatal stab, the Sluggoth suddenly morphed into a pudgy naked man. It happened so fast that even Spike's enhanced reflexes didn't have a chance to react. His sword penetrated the man's right shoulder and they both screamed in pain, Ronnie from his impalement, and Spike from his chip firing. Once the flare of agony faded, Spike stared at the wounded man with an expression that bore an uncanny resemblance to horror.

Buffy rushed over and knelt at Ronnie's side. Luckily, the poor guy had passed out, so she didn't have to deal with any screaming or flailing limbs. She pressed a blanket she'd retrieved from a dumpster to the man's bleeding wound. "He's going into shock," she muttered, pulling out her cellphone and dialing 9-1-1.

"I-I'm sorry," Spike backed away.

Buffy urgently spoke into the phone while keeping pressure on the man's wound. Nancy hesitantly joined them just as Xander and Anya came running. Nancy stared at the brunette woman with revulsion. "You. You did this. What are you?"

She didn't wait for a response, only walked away without a backward glance.

Xander gazed at the woman's retreating back and heaved a rueful sigh. "She's not calling me, right?"

Buffy fought against the overwhelming guilt as she instructed the operator on where to send the ambulance. She didn't know why she felt so horrible about this. It wasn't like she—

Her head snapped up, eyes wide, staring straight at the vampire backing anxiously away.

"I'm sorry," Spike said again. He dropped his sword and ran, vanishing into the night.

Buffy quickly handed Xander her phone. "Help is on the way."

Before her friend could protest, she hurried after the vampire. She didn't see him, but their connection helped her find where he'd run off to. There was a cemetery close by, and a small church. Buffy saw the wavering glow of candlelight in the windows. She entered the church, saw the flickering votive candles, and found Spike hunched over in one of the pews. She sat beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"What is this?" Spike's voice cracked. He was scared and confused. His hand rubbed his chest, fingers curling as if to claw through his shirt. "What...What is this?"

Buffy swallowed. In the months since they made the Claim, neither one of them had done anything to bring this particular emotion on. So it was no wonder Spike had no idea what he was feeling now.

"It's guilt," she told him.

A tremor ran through him. He looked at her with wide, pain-filled eyes, tears glistening in his eyes. "It's...How do you...God, it hurts."

He didn't know how to cope. It was overwhelming him. He was beginning to spiral out of control, the guilt compelling him to dredge up the memories of past sins. Buffy knew she had to stop this now, before he drove himself off the deep end. She took his face in her hands and made him stare into her eyes. "Spike, what happened back there was just an accident. You don't have anything to feel bad about," she pushed her emotions through the link, made him feel her certainty, "Look at me. That guy's gonna be fine. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Right...wrong," Spike muttered the words that, until now, had always meant nothing to him. He took a shuddering breath and ran a hand through his mussed curls, "Bloody hell." He was calmer now, thanks to Buffy's steadying presence. And the link. Spike had a feeling he'd be in much worse shape if it weren't for Buffy's steadying emotions.

"You're okay." It wasn't a question, but he nodded all the same. Buffy pressed a kiss to his forehead and withdrew her hands. "Looks like Anya was right. We're sharing a soul."

Spike reached over and touched the Claim mark on Buffy's neck. "What else is this doing to us?"

"I don't know," Buffy shrugged, troubled and intrigued at the same time. If she had Spike's demon in her, did that make her part vampire now? Would she grow fangs? Have sudden cravings for blood? She hadn't so far.

Spike's eyes wandered towards the church's altar. He rose from his seat and slowly approached the large cross that rested at the altar. Buffy joined him, the same question running through her mind. Slowly, Spike reached out and touched the cross with his fingertips. After a moment there was the familiar burn and he jerked his hand away, inspecting his reddened fingers. "Guess some things are still the same."

Buffy frowned. "I dunno. Didn't that seem to take a little longer to hurt you?"

The vampire's brow furrowed in thought. "Yeah...I think so. Didn't hurt as much, either."

Curious, Buffy rested her hand against the cross for a moment. Nothing. "Well, I'm still human. Ish," she smiled wryly.

"What's this mean?" Spike wondered.

Buffy shook her head, at a loss. "Whatever this is...it doesn't feel like a bad thing. I mean, aside from your whole guilt-trip." She took his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "I think this is making us a part of each other."

"This'll either make us weaker or stronger," Spike said.

"Which do you think it is?" Buffy asked.

The vampire thought about it, then twined their fingers together. "Stronger."

"Stronger," the Slayer agreed.