"But...you died."
Spike gently grabbed her hand from his face. "So did you."
Buffy crossed her arms and turned to Willow. "It wasn't me! Buffy I would never...I wouldn't do that again." The witch looked frantically to Spike for help.
"She's tellin' the truth, Love. Wasn't her." Buffy looked between them, brow furrowed in confusion. "It was tall dark and broodies new playmates who done it."
"Angel Investigations did this?"
"Angel Investigations? Is that really what they went by? Should have figured." Spike laughed and led Buffy to the couch by her elbow. He pushed some books out of the way and sat on the coffee table. "No sense hiding."
Dawn stepped around the corner dressed in her pajamas and looking kind of embarrassed. "You're supposed to be asleep Dawn. You have school tomorrow."
"Like I could sleep knowing this is going on out here? Yea right." She joined Buffy and Willow on the couch.
Buffy sighed "ok, but you better not give me trouble in the morning." Dawn rolled her eyes and mumbled 'I know' a couple times which seemed to appease her sister enough. "So Angel did this?" Her attention back on Spike.
"Wolfram and Hart did it. Angel wasn't happy."
"Wolfram and Hart are the bad guys though. Right?"
"Thinks he can change them from the inside" He scoffed. "Bloody idiot if you ask me. Even has Harmony working for him. Worst par of being stuck there."
Buffy listened in silent awe as Spike recounted his tale. Just like when he told Willow and Dawn the night before, he left out the bits about him deciding not to come back and working for Angel for a while. That was something he would talk to Buffy about alone. Or not. He was leaning more on the not. Buffy looked like she had been going through hell, he didn't want to add to that. When he was all done he looked up at Buffy who appeared to be holding back laughter. "You were a ghost? That's..."
"Don't say cool!" Dawn cut her off. "He doesn't think it was cool."
"What?"
"I said it was cool and he went ballistic."
Willow shook her head at the youngest Summers but it was too late. "I did not go 'ballistic'" Spike growled.
"When did this happen?" Buffy looked back and forth between Dawn and Spike. An uncomfortable silence settled on the room. Dawn looked down at the floor, not wanting to meet her sisters gaze, while Willow fidgeted guiltily. "Well?"
"He came by last night..." Buffy's mouth dropped open. How could they have not told her? "You were asleep" Willow continued as if she could hear the question on Buffy's mind "we thought...we should let you sleep"
Everything began overwhelming her. The sleepless nights, the nightmare, the feelings she tried to hide, the exhausting nights at The Burger Place, everyone leaving, and now this. The urge to go out into the night like she used to and kill something returned. "I'm gonna go patrol" She sighed. Ignoring the protest of her aching body she swiftly got up and headed for the door. Spike jumped up to follow her but she spun around and ordered him to stay. Or, she tried to. He noticed it sounded more like a plead than an order, but he obeyed. Watching wordlessly as the door closed behind her.