When Spike woke, he had all intentions of going back to sleep; it was a bloody barmy time for vampires to be up. But when he moved his arm, hoping to pull his Slayer close to him again, he had to open his eyes as he realized she wasn't there. He let out a forlorn sigh. Looked like he had to get up, sodding white hats and daylight hours. He looked up and saw them all around the table researching. Well, most of them were. Buffy was trying to pretend she was when it was clear her mind was off somewhere far away and he knew Xander was using one of Giles's books to hide what he was really reading from everyone because he kept snickering, and Spike knew for a fact the whelp had never been that entertained by and invested in something to do with research. Spike sighed, he supposed he'd be roped into helping as soon as they knew he was awake. He looked at Giles and was relieved by how much better he was looking.

He decided there was no point prolonging anything. The sooner he let them know he was up, the sooner they'd finish what they had to and he could get some time alone with his girl. When he walked into the room, Buffy was the first to notice him and she gave him one of her bright smiles. He walked over to where she was sitting, rested his arm on the back of her chair, and leaned down, planning to just kiss the top of her head. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable in front of her pals, but she turned her head up and kissed him. After a few seconds, he pulled back, "Morning, luv."

"Morning!"

"What are you do-gooders working on?"

"Buffy told us your ideas about trying to contain The First instead of figuring out how to beat it. We think that might be our best bet. That is, if we can find a strong enough spell."

"Yeah?" Spike felt a strange sense of pride knowing that he might have helped the good guys come up with a solution to their problem, which also gave him a bad feeling because he shouldn't want approval from the white hats. He was the big bad and he didn't need anyone's approval, especially not from some straight-and-narrow types. Those thoughts left his mind when he turned his head enough to look at Buffy, who was giving him a proud smile.

He scoffed at himself inwardly, 'such a ponce, love's bitch indeed.'

"Yeah, it's just that he's, like, super strong, and there aren't many spells that would have enough power to stop him, that's not to mention the power the casters would need, too. We might need more than just what Giles and I have." Willow started speaking excitedly but as she spoke she slowed down and slumped. She was the magic girl, that's what she brought to the group, and if she couldn't do what they needed her for, what good was she?

"That's all right, Red. There's always a witch or warlock out there willing to do the work for some dosh." Spike flinched after he spoke because he remembered it was not usually the good-magic types that were working for pay.

"Really? Where would you find someone like that?" Willow was back to being excited-girl at the new knowledge.

"Not sure, around here. Willie's would probably be a good place to start looking. What'd we decide to do with Slayer number two?"

Giles sighed. "No decision yet, and I do not feel comfortable keeping her locked up as a prisoner in my bathroom much longer, either."

"Let me talk to her," Spike suggested. Buffy's eyes shot to him and he saw jealousy flash through them.

"Why?" Giles and Buffy both asked, but Buffy's tone was much more demanding.

"Might be able to clear the situation up. You obviously don't wanna hurt the bird. I understand her, I've been on the side of evil. She might be more open to talking to me. Make her think I'm on her side or some rot."

Giles looked speculative, and Buffy looked like she hated the idea but had to concede it might work.

"That might work! Make her think you're like a double agent or something. Her guard won't be as high with you," Willow chimed in.

"Just gotta know what the goal is. Are we trying to get her to leave or to stay?"

Buffy looked just as unsure about her answer to that question as she was the night before. Eventually, she took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders and Buffy the Slayer came out.

"I want her out of here. I'll never trust her enough to have her fighting with me or watching my back. I'll always be worried she'll stab me in it. It just won't work. So she has to leave, then it'll be up to her to stay away from everyone who's after her. There's nothing more we can do to help her," she said, all stoic. Faith had a lot of people who wanted her: the Council, the mayor, and the police. She was still wanted for murder. She wouldn't have an easy or safe life out there but she'd done that to herself. She was offered a home, multiple homes, really, even if some of them were evil, but she'd screwed over every one of them. Now it was time she faced her consequences on her own.

"Right then, I'll go have ourselves a little chat," Spike said and walked out of the kitchen, Buffy followed right behind him.

"Spike."

"Yeah, kitten?" he asked, turning around, but Buffy grabbed him by the lapels of his duster and pulled him down for a kiss. It wasn't a quick kiss. Spike could feel the passion rolling off of her and he loved every second of it. Spike groaned into her mouth, and Buffy used that to add her tongue. Spike pushed her up against the wall, and if he'd cared more he'd have cringed because he knew the others in the kitchen could hear them. He didn't care, though, and ground himself against her. Unfortunately for him, Buffy ended the kiss quickly after that.

He looked at her lustfully and was confused about why the snogging had ended. "We'll continue after you're done talking to her."

She straightened her clothes and walked back into the kitchen. Spike couldn't help but stare after her. "What the bloody fuck was that?" he asked, though after that he realized it probably had something to do with Faith. Maybe some weird Slayer competition. But he couldn't see why getting him hard as a rock before going to talk to the bint was a good thing. He shook his head and continued his walk to the bathroom.

Faith was looking at him with a smirk on her face when he strode in. "Having fun out there, stud?"

Spike smirked, "What's it to you?"

"Me? Nothing. At least someone's getting to enjoy themselves in this place. We know Watcher man isn't, and with me tied up…" she shrugged.

"You think you're the only one who knows how to have a good time? Buffy does pretty well for herself."

"Yeah, right. You can't tell me that display out there was normal Buffy. She's worried that I'll show you what a real good time is and you'll be bored of the same old missionary with her."

Spike scoffed. "You don't know her nearly as well as you think you do."

"Yeah? Angelus sure had a lot to say." She paused to laugh, "No, that's a lie. All he really had to say about her was how bland she is. Apparently, she's so boring he almost fell asleep in the middle of screwing her. Doesn't really matter, 'cause I could do things to you that she wouldn't even dream of. All you gotta do is let me go."

Spike chuckled, "Oh yeah? And what's that?"

"I could ride you at a gallop until your legs buckled and your eyes rolled up. I've got muscles you've never even dreamed of. I could squeeze you until you popped like warm champagne, and you'd beg me to hurt you just a little bit more." Faith deflated a little when Spike didn't look affected by her words, but she was quickly able to hide it.

"Got some news for you, Slayer number two. That won't be necessary. I'm not Angelus, never had to hold someone prisoner to get shagged."

"No?"

"No."

"What do I gotta do to get free, then?"

Spike didn't answer her question. Instead, he stood up, pulled his cigarettes out of his pocket, and lit up. He got a rush from the small evil he was doing—he knew the Watcher would be pissed when he smelled the smoke in here. After a few drags, he looked back to Faith. "If I were to let you out, what would you do?"

"Get the hell outta dodge."

"Yeah? And where would you go? How will the Slayer know you won't be darkening her doorstep again? See, here's the thing. They're the good guys, they're not like you and me. They don't like holding people hostage, it makes them feel all dark and dastardly. So, I think I can convince them to let you go. Jus' need some proof so that they know you won't be coming back."

"Yeah? And why would William the Bloody want to help me?"

"'Cause I know you."

Faith scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself, you don't know shit."

"No? Let me give it a go. No family, or no family you want leastways. Didn't know anything about the supernatural in the world until one day you woke up and you were stronger and faster than before. Didn't have any time to enjoy that leg up you finally had because a Watcher came knocking on your door telling you your whole life is forfeit, you have to spend your nights saving kiddies and puppies from the real evil in the world. It pissed you off, but hey, at least you're not alone anymore, so you go and you fight. Then something sent you to go looking for Buffy, could be the Watcher was too uptight for your tastes, but no, going by that look of pain in your eyes I'd wager it's a better guess that something happened to Watcher man and you were all alone again. You heard something about another one just like you and decided to check it out. When you got here it wasn't all it was cracked up to be either. I know from experience how hard it is to crack in that inner circle. So you went looking elsewhere. I heard from that lot what happened with you and the mayor, and then you jumped right on Angelus's cock. What you are is a scared little girl covering up her fear with sex appeal and a 'don't fuck with me' attitude, looking for a home you've never actually had. How am I doing so far?"

"You son of a bitch, you have no clue what you're talking about!"

He stared at her a long time then shrugged. "Sure I don't, pet. That still leaves you with nowhere to go."

Faith stayed quiet for a long time, trying to calm herself down because even though she'd never admit it, he was right and she didn't know what to do. Spike eventually put his cigarette at her lips and she inhaled gratefully. When she exhaled, she grudgingly said, "Thanks."

"I can get you some money, not much, but enough to get you away from here and a few nights in a shitty motel with some left over for the vending machine."

"Then what?"

"Now that's your decision to make, innit? You can keep going the same way you are, might last a few more years, or might not. The reason Buffy's the best Slayer I've ever fought and is going to live the longest isn't because she has the best skills, though she does, it's because she's not alone. She has people to depend on. You need that. If you decide you're going to fight the good fight, you can either find your own or do enough good that when you do come back they'll let you stay."

Faith stayed quiet for another long period of time, thinking over his words and then she laughed, "I can't believe I'm getting advice on being good from the Slayer of Slayers."

Spike laughed too, "Yeah, it's kinda a mind fuck when you think about it. The advice is solid, though."

"Yeah. You really think you can get them to let me go free?"

"You really planning to leave and start over somewhere else? They don't have to watch their backs from you?"

"Nah, I learned my lesson. I might not be a white hat but I'm definitely no black hat either."

"I know what you mean. I've been aiming for a gray one, I've been wearing it pretty well if I do say so myself," said Spike with a cheeky smirk, while putting his thumbs through his belt loops, his legs apart, and his pelvis jutted out.

Faith looked him over appreciatively and then looked at Spike with her most enticing smile. "Wasn't lying you know, I could show you things the goody good girl would never do. You could come with me, we could spend our nights fightin' and our days fucking. Until I get bored of you, at least, but from the looks of you, that could take a while."

"Thanks for the offer, pet but I'm not plannin' on leaving."

Faith laughed. "Shit, I never thought I'd see the day."

"What day is that?"

"The day a soulless vampire was in love with a Slayer. According to the Watchers and Angel it wasn't supposed to be possible, but here you are."

Spike shrugged, "Here I am. Right then, I'll talk to them and see what I can do for ya."

"Yeah, uh, thanks." Spike could tell how hard it was for Faith to get those words out.

"No problem, luv."

Spike chastised himself for being too intent on his conversation because it took all his control not to scream like a little girl when he opened the door and Buffy was standing right there with her hands on her hips. He quickly closed the door, leaving Faith in the bathroom alone.

"Christ, pet, you almost gave me a bloody heart attack."

"Your heart doesn't beat, Spike."

"It does for you, kitten," he said with a suave smile.

Her hard exterior softened and she smiled at him. "How'd it go?"

"You tell me, you were standing right outside the door."

She looked a little embarrassed. "Do you believe her?"

"Yeah, she wasn't lying. It's hard to lie to a vamp, we hear your heart rate, we can catch the most minute twitch, and can smell when you start sweating more. I think she wants a place to belong, she just wasn't going about it the right way."

Buffy looked at Spike for a long time until eventually she nodded. "Okay."

"Good, now…" He pulled her close. "Where were we?"

Buffy giggled, "Sorry, Spikey, we have Slayer business to handle, the others think they might have found the spell."

Spike groaned and looked at his poor neglected prick. He mumbled under his breath, "The things I deal with for love."

"What was that?"

"Lead the way, kitten."

Buffy shrugged and made her way back to the kitchen with Spike following. Willow and Giles were standing, both looking over one book and speaking quietly. It looked like Xander was asleep with his head on a book, while Oz was staring off into space.

Giles noticed them come into the room first and cleared his throat as he stood up, "You were in there a while, how'd it go?"

"She'll leave and she'll stay away."

"You're quite sure?"

"I know she's not lying and she seems pretty set, there's nothing to say she won't eventually change her mind but for now she means it."

"I guess that's the best we could hope for without magic. Right, I'll look at bus schedules and we'll get her out of here."

"What about you lot? The Slayer said you found a spell?"

"Quite right. It'll lock The First in a container of our choosing and it won't be free until someone releases it. We'll need to find somewhere safe to keep it away from people. It's best if it is never found. Unfortunately, it'll take a while to gather all the ingredients and we're going to need a third magic user, a triad would make completing the spell much simpler."

"How long is a while, Giles?" Buffy asked.

"A week, maybe two."

"Not great, but we'll deal. Okay, you guys get on that, Spike and I will go to Willie's and try to find a third."

"Actually, while we were looking for this spell, I came across another one."

"What spell, Wills?"

"If I do it, it can lead us to the strongest magic users around here. Maybe that would be easier. I've never done anything like it but I-I think I can do it."

"No Willow, that type of spell doesn't differentiate between types of magic. For all we know, it could lead you right to The First Evil, or someone just as bad."

"O-Okay, I was just trying to help."

"And you are, Willow. It was a good idea but that's why you must talk through spells before doing them."

"Okay, Giles," Willow said with a small smile.

They separated to do their tasks. Buffy tried to convince Spike to wait until dark but he was positive he'd be fine. She scrunched her nose at the thought of going through the sewers but agreed anyway. Being down in the sewers reminded her of their previous conversation, though.

"Spike, you do remember I said yes to the gem, right?"

"'Course I bloody remember."

"Then why aren't we getting it, we wouldn't have to be all with the smelly right now and you wouldn't be in danger when we fight."

"It's gonna take some work. We haven't taken care of the minions yet. When night comes, we can send them to where I know they have to dig and get to work."

"What, are they just going to be digging with shovels? I'd think something like that would take heavy machinery. And you know I can't let them just feed off humans while they're digging, Spike."

Spike chuckled awkwardly, put his hand behind his neck, and scratched, "'Bout that, I already got the machinery all figured out. I kept the stuff that was used to get your scythe. Plus, I already told you, they're bagging it. Granted, I got them to bag it by making them keep a low profile from you but I figure if me, you, and Lawson go in there and tell them they bag it or they die, they'll do the work. Then once I get the ring and the gold, we'll have a right fine date night of stakin' them all."

Buffy wasn't sure how to feel about that, she's never used minions before and something about that just seemed wrong, but on the other hand, if they weren't hurting anyone, and they were helping to get the ring, they were actually doing good, so it was okay? She didn't know, it was confusing. But she trusted Spike to tell the truth, and if they were only going to live long enough to help and not hurt anyone in the process she supposed it was okay. "O-okay."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. We'll move them tonight."

Spike smiled widely and pulled her in for a heated kiss. "Christ, I love you, Slayer."

"Yeah, yeah, now let's go. No more smoochies while I have this gross smell in my nose."

"Think how bad it is for a vampire."

"Yeah, but you don't have to breathe, you're just a weirdo."

"Good point, that."

Buffy grumbled as Spike spent the rest of the trip not saying anything so he didn't have to inhale. Spike climbed up the ladder that was closest to Willie's, and Buffy followed. With his duster he made the run into the bar and busted in, in his usual fashion, with Buffy following calmly behind him. Both saw and ignored the sigh of resignation Willie let out when he saw who it was.

"Which of you lot knows their way around magic?" Spike asked loudly.

A few people looked at them but when they noticed that the Slayer was with Spike, they quickly turned their heads away. "Right, should have accounted for the fear of the Slayer. Not many people are gonna wanna work with you."

"Yeah, well it doesn't matter anyway, I don't want to work with people who don't want to work with the Slayer. That usually means they're up to no good, no good things that I'd have to slay them for. I really don't like having to slay people I work with."

"That's not rightly true, Slayer. Most demons or witches don't like working with the Slayer because the Slayers, especially those who work with Watchers, have a reputation of slaying first and asking questions never. Most demons, even the ones who are vegetarian and never hurt a soul, don't think it's worth the risk."

"Oh…" said Buffy, and Spike put his hand on her lower back, hearing her sadness at the thought. For a second he wanted to laugh, what a change she's gone through recently, she's grown a lot and she's willing to see the gray; she knew it wasn't all black and white. He couldn't help but be proud of her. Which was a mind fuck for him, other than Dru for the last hundred-plus years, for his whole unlife, since his rebirth, he never gave a fuck about anyone but her. She wanted him to care about Angelus and Darla, so he did what he had to, to make her happy, though he didn't actually give a fuck about them outside of familial ties. But Buffy, Christ, Buffy—compared to her, it all seemed like child's play. No other being could make him care so much about someone or something more than her. So when the woman showed growth, damn straight he'd be proud of her. He pulled her a little closer and had to stop himself from kissing her forehead and whispering in her ear the poetry that she constantly brought out of him. She was his muse, and he wanted to scream it to the world, but knew that he couldn't, not here at least.

He really needed to get a hold of himself because he was letting himself get too soft and sappy over his girl. He wasn't even paying attention to the woman who was making her way up to them until she was right in front of them. "Uh, hi, can we, uh, talk outside?"

"Sure…" said Buffy, sounding unsure and a little wary, although willing to hear her out.

When they made it outside they couldn't help but watch the short mousy brunette with freckles. She was looking around as if she'd been under surveillance for years and she thought she finally got a moment free but couldn't enjoy it. "Right then, what's this?" Spike asked after he was done getting his kicks from this flighty bird.

"Uhh, I joined something I shouldn't have. It's just this Wiccan circle. Or, at least, that's what I thought it was, but they're into some dark stuff, stuff that I don't want to be involved in."

"Then quit?" Buffy said but it came out as more of a question.

"It's not that simple, they're into some dark stuff, I don't feel safe. I just wanted to practice magic, I didn't sign up for all that."

"Okay, we can help but we'll need some more information, why don't you come back with us and we'll talk about it and we'll work something out, maybe we can help each other."

The woman stared at them for a long time before reluctantly nodding her head. It was clear she was skittish, and it made Buffy worry about what she was so scared about, who were these people?