Action Plan

Once everyone had calmed down enough about the recent revelations, an impromptu old style Scoobie meeting started, to decide how best to proceed. Buffy excused herself, in favor of a nap, and Spike was tempted to go with her, but decided staying was the most wise and practical thing to do. In the light of impending fatherhood he'd been actively trying to do the right thing, even when it usually wasn't the easiest or most gratifying option. So, he made himself a strong coffee and he sat down.

"What do we do?"

"Well," Willow began to answer him, "I think I can get Buffy's soul back."

The ex-vampire's eyebrows shot up. "How's that?"

"First I do a tracer spell to tell me where Riley is. Then, assuming the place where they're holding the jar is near him, I'll be able to focus a second spell on that area which will break it and release the soul."

"And if it's not in the area?"

The Witch frowned and shrugged simultaneously. The action would have been funny, if the situation wasn't so serious. "Then nothing changes, I guess. The spell won't work. The soul will stay in the jar. Locked away for years, probably, but at least no one can use it for anything."

"Indeed," Giles agreed. "We don't know if Ethan was planning to use it in a spell himself, or sell it on to someone else, but either plan seems to have been stopped now."

"Right," Spike nodded, taking it all in, then sipped his coffee again. "And we couldn't try and break the jar with yer spell before, because we needed a general location to start?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," Xander interjected. "And what happens if there are books or crystals or whatever, holding demons in that area, and we accidently let those loose?"

"Won't happen," Willow assured him. "I'll make my spell really specific; to only unlock the container of the essence of the chosen one, or words like those. I just don't know what we're gonna do with it, once it's no longer contained."

"What do you mean?" asked Dawn.

"Well, if we get Buffy's soul back we can't return it to her while she's still got Spike's."

"And to remove Spike's so as to put Buffy's back in would likely be too much for her," Giles concluded.

"So, we just wait until she's strong enough – or y'know, not pregnant any more – and do the old switcheroo then, right?"

Giles shook his head, "To move someone's soul is a serious thing. It should not be done unless extremely necessary, and not to put too fine a point on it, it simply isn't necessary. Buffy is coping with Spike's soul better than anyone could have expected. In addition, it is extremely unsafe to have a soul outside of a host for the length of time it will take for Buffy to come to term."

Willow agreed. "We have to find a container safe enough for it, so no-one else could take it and attempt whatever ritual it was originally removed for."

Xander had a look of resignation on his face. "The logical thing to do here is put it in Spike, isn't it?" he asked.

"I believe so," Giles answered him.

"When?" asked Willow.

"Hang on," said Spike, holding up a hand. "We're not doing anything without word from the Slayer."

"We really should sort this ASAP," Willow reasoned.

"And waking Buffy is so not a good idea," Dawn chimed in.

"You are not giving me Buffy's soul without her permission," said Spike, putting an end to it. "Spell can wait for a couple hours while she gets some kip. World's not gonna end between now and then, right?"

Giles sighed and sided with the ex-vampire. "We wait," he said.

It was the next day before the spell was done. All breathed a sigh of relief went it went off without a hitch.

To be continued...