She should have known that just because she was upset didn't mean that the dreams wouldn't come to her. If she could even call them dreams.

It felt less and less like Slayer dreams and more like…like…memories.

And if that wasn't strange enough, she had felt like each time she had a dream, something was trying to communicate with her.

Like something was trying to reach through her through the dreams.

Then there were times when she was sure, positive with everything in her that they weren't dreams at all. That they were events that had happened.

Waking up from those dreams were extremely unsettling…and ten times more freaky since she constantly woke up before Spike's big…finish.

Not one time had she actually seen or even felt…

Well it's not like she would want to feel that! No way!

But especially tonight of all nights…she thought her body understood that she would under no circumstances be dreaming of the bleached menace.

Maybe if it had been just a sex dream she would have been able to forgive herself…but it wasn't.

It wasn't sex at all.

But passion. Passion she had no idea she could have felt for anyone but Angel.

Twisting her head she kissed him deeper and without restraint…and he returned it in full force. There were people and music…but nothing mattered but his lips on hers.

He would pull away and let her catch her breathe…but she didn't care about breathing, only that his lips were back on hers. That he made her feel that passion again.

That he made her feel.

And god how he made her feel.

She could taste him, taste his mouth in a way that she had never allowed herself to taste a man. Thoughts of right and wrong were gone as she felt him sliding his tongue across hers and the instant pull at her nethers as a reaction to the feeling.

She wanted him. Wanted him in a way that she shouldn't want him…she knew that. Knew she shouldn't…but God that didn't stop her.

When her eyes opened all she felt was…well…the 'h' word. And…she so couldn't believe that she was that word when it came to Spike.

But the moment she would even THINK his name…and her body responded by becoming…

Buffy shook her head. She needed to sleep!

She was still upset about Riley…but this voice in the back of her head in her dreams was becoming more prominent.

At first she had just thought it was a weird dream thing where it was her thoughts but totally not. Like she was watching a movie about herself and somehow could hear the inner voice of the main character…which was her.

It was almost like…

Buffy shook her head and tried to calm down her raging hormones.

Settling down into her pillow she closed her eyes and tried not to think about the vampire that had been trying to kill her for the past three years.

Spike spent the next few weeks recovering from his injuries and avoiding Buffy like the plague. Wasn't really hard.

He knew what was coming after all and knew that Buffy would be preoccupied by the whole Riley sleeping with Faith in her body ordeal.

Honestly it wasn't something that could only happen to Buffy Summers.

He had spent a vast amount of that time going between his father's place and Joyce's house.

At the end of the day he always felt like he was the child of divorced parents.

But Faith and he had developed a real relationship. He knew her taste in music after all, and it was similar to his own…with little differences here and there.

"Are you kidding me? Blink -182? They are bloody not Punk Rock!"

"This from a guy that thinks Good Charlotte is Punk Rock!"

"Oi! They're going places I tell you!"

Faith had just shook her head and laughed as she went back to eating as Joyce watched from the doorway shaking her head with a little smirk on her face.

They had become a close. The four of them.

His father would visit Faith and Joyce when he couldn't because of something Adam had done or what not. He had grown more protective of them all in those few weeks. Weeks that he had been gearing up for the unfortunate day when everyone started speaking about Jonathan. Really he was thankful that whatever spell the boy had cast had not left him star struck like everyone else.

Like Faith.

Faith who talked about Jonathan in a way that made him want to vomit…if he could vomit that is.

The weirdness was when Joyce had talked about the boy. That was when he knew the boy needed to be stopped sooner than he had been.

Messing with Joyce's mind was a way to make him lose his semblance of calm.

It was one thing when he hadn't known about Joyce being sick…but now that he knew…anything and everything that could affect Joyce's health was of top priority to him.

He had planned things out to almost play out like they had before…but a few weeks of planning had allowed him to adjust for stopping Jonathan at the mausoleum where the nest of vamps had been feeding.

Faith of course had been beyond gung ho about being with him when he confronted Jonathan…and as much as he had wanted to deny Faith with every ounce of strength he had…one look in her eyes and he knew he couldn't do that to her. The look of excitement in her eyes that he had never seen made him keep his trap shut.

He had told Faith to stay hidden while he faced Jonathan and by miracle of all miracles Faith had agreed. Maybe it was because she was suddenly nervous to see him that she agreed.

"Vampires only form nest to make hunting easier. They're not big on cooperation." Jonathan said.

Spike gave a bored annoyed look at Faith with a side glance as he waited for his que to emerge. It helped that the look made Faith smile in laughter.

"They mostly like to hang out all creepy and alone in the shadows."

Faith's face furrowed at that. She was there…Spike wasn't alone. Jonathan was wrong…and Jonathan was never wrong.

"Don't you agree….Spike?"

Spike rolled his eyes and gave a raised brow to Faith as a warning to stay where she was before moving out from behind the bushes.

The smirk he gave the boy was identical as the first time he had done this. "Well well…the man himself."

But when Jonathan moved to circle around him Spike just growled and stared at the boy.

For a second Jonathan looked shocked and hesitated.

It was all the opening he needed.

Whipping his hand out he hoisted Jonathan in the air. Though he seemed to actually know how to fight…he was instantly distracted by the morphing of Spike's face.

"Remove the spell off of everybody…now!" Ok so maybe his plan hadn't been complex…but he knew it would get the job done.

Immediately Buffy and friends moved towards him when Faith stepped out to block them from getting close to Spike or Jonathan.

Despite what she thought of Jonathan…Faith held Spike's safety a higher priority.

"Now let the two boys talk it out. Jonathan can handle himself." Faith said with certainty, though Jonathan squirming and trying to loosen Spike's hold behind her left her feeling a little dubious of what she just said.

"Faith! Faith is here. Buffy…didn't you say Faith left?" Xander said as he seemed instantly freaked out at the rogue Slayer's presence.

Faith and Buffy exchanged looks but Buffy's eyes flickered between Faith and Spike, as if she was putting together a puzzle piece she most certainly didn't even know existed.

As much as she hated the last couple of weeks for what happened between Riley and Faith, her continued dreams of the man currently holding a struggling Jonathan were what truly kept her awake at night.

The fact that Faith was protecting Spike…it brought something out that she thought she had felt when she found out Riley had slept with Faith. Yeah it was her body…but it still hurt like hell.

But this.

Seeing Faith placing herself inbetween Spike and them…jealousy coursed through her veins in waves.

"I'm not going to tell you again Jonathan…break the spell before someone gets hurt. You being one of them." Spike threatened before he placed Jonathan back down and immediately blocked the punches he knew Jonathan would try.

"You're the worst kind of scum Spike…" it was the only words Jonathan got out when what Spike said stopped Jonathan cold.

"IT'S HURTING BUFFY'S MUM! Now stop whatever the hell spell you did!" Spike roared the first part and was about to launch himself at Jonathan when Buffy registered the words.

Faith hearing the words even made her turn and look at Jonathan in shock.

Buffy and Faith moved as one as they both took up either side of Jonathan and held him still as Buffy looked at the shocked and horrified face of Jonathan Levingston.

"I…no…no I didn't…it's impossible." Jonathan said as fear and doubt washed over his face.

"Is Spike telling the truth?!" Faith asked with a look of anger that bordered on livid.

"Jonathan if your hurting my mother soo…help…me…God…" Buffy almost growling out the last four words as the fear of her mother being hurt caused horrible thoughts to crash over her.

"I..no. No..I just…I just wanted everyone to like me. I just…I'm…I'm sorry Buffy. I never meant…" Jonathan said as he looked at the ground as he realized he never expected to hurt anyone.

"Bloody hell." Spike rolled his eyes as his bloody soul reminded him of how much the bloke meant to Andrew. He knew he couldn't let Jonathan go back on his own. Warren and Andrew would convince him to do things the boy really didn't want to do.

Huffing out a sigh he stared straight into Jonathan's eyes. " If had just told the Slayer that you knew who she was and was willing to help she would have just made you one of her scoobies and you would have had yourself friends that wouldn't judge you!" Spike tried not to scream the last part as his nerves got the best of him.

Jonathan's head shot up. "After what I did in highschool?! Buffy would never let me be friends with her."

Buffy's face scrunched up. Something in the back of her mind was trying to remember what Jonathan had done when Spike continued to speak.

"Bloody…look mate! I've tried killing her countless times and she hasn't bloody well killed me because of those wankers sticking a chip in my head and I can't bite anymore. If she can help her soulless enemy she can damn well forgive a human with a soul!"

Buffy felt herself flushing from the way Spike was talking about her, and she soooo would have turned around and stared at him for the way he was painting her out to be, but if Spike was telling the truth about Jonathan's spell hurting her mother she wasn't about to let him go for everything.

"Really? Would you have really let me hang out with you?" Jonathan asked.

Everyone was trying to remember what Jonathan had done, but all they remembered were the lies his spell had produced.

But Buffy was always Buffy.

"Of course I would have! But protecting everyone is what I do! My friends…they've been on the front lines with me from the beginning! They know what they've gotten themselves into! But…lying to me about who you are is NOT a way to get me to trust you or want you around me and my friends."

"And if whatever you did is hurting Joyce…I don't care who you are. I'll put you down right here and now." Faith said with a no nonsense voice.

Joyce had been incredible to her in the past month.

She had never had the kind of love and affection a daughter usually received. But Joyce was becoming like a mother to her. She'd be damned if she let anyone hurt her while she was around.

Buffy felt a surge of affection for Faith in that moment. As opposite as they were, as weird as it was with how Faith had threatened her mother, Buffy somehow knew that Faith would have never truly hurt her mother.

Despite what she let everyone think…Buffy knew Faith cared more than she let on.

"Easy Faith. Jonathan's a good bloke. Know's right from wrong. He's going to break the spell now aren't you?" Spike asked raising one eyebrow up in an expectant way.

Jonathan looked between Faith and Buffy and gulped then nodded quickly.

Willow and Xander watched with furrowed brows as Spike seemed to deflate and nod back. Both of them thinking one thing.

Why does Spike care about Buffy's mom?!

"There's a…there's a creature that…we need to kill to break the spell." Jonathan said as Buffy and Faith eased their grips on his arms.

"Know the one. I'll go kill the bugger." Spike sniffed and stiffened in stance. "Was lookin' for a spot of violence."

"Not without me your not! I've been cooped up for weeks! That thing has my name written on it!" Faith said as she let go of Jonathan and turned towards Spike. Really it was because she knew Spike was still recovering and didn't want him getting hurt even worse than he was.

Sure his face looked normal again, but she knew internally he was still healing.

"You wish Blink!" Spike used his new nickname to get a smirk out of the girl. "But…won't say no to some assistance! Faster we deal with it…the quicker we can check on mum and see if she's alright."

Faith's little smirk had vanished as she nodded her head as worry flooded her. Spike hadn't said anything about Joyce when he had talked about finding Jonathan.

Faith turned her head towards Buffy and not knowing what to say only said her nickname for Buffy. "B…."

"We deal when you get back. Kill it and I'll know all of this wasn't some trick. You don't come back I'm letting Jonathan go." Buffy turned her head and shared a look with Faith that at one point would have shone with pure hate…but now it held a message that Faith knew all too well what it meant.

Don't double cross me.

Faith knew that would have at one point in time. But not now. Now with Joyce at risk.

Spike knew if Buffy looked at him he risked her seeing something that everyone had seen in him so far.

He allowed his demon out, hoping that it would help disguise what he knew would only complicate matters.

When Buffy looked at him she seemed a little shocked and Spike used it to his advantage.

"Don't worry cutie…I'll take care of the nasty. You just keep that stake in that back of those pants of yours."

Without allowing her time to quip back he was moving across the cemetery with Faith right behind him.

Buffy stood there holding Jonathan fighting every instinct she had to run after the duo. Especially with everything telling her that Jonathan was an incredible person and would never do anything of the sort.

"You're really not going to go after them?" Willow's insecure voice asked as she watched Buffy holding on to Jonathan.

"Wills…it's my mom."

All of the protesting from the group died with those words.

Minutes went by when Buffy finally felt something wash over her and barely was able to hold on to Jonathan as it passed through her.

Jonathan looked scared as he realized that the spell he had cast was broken.

Everyone began looking at each other as Jonathan braced himself for the backlash.

But when Buffy was able to remember who Jonathan was…the anger she felt began to subside as she realized that for him to go to this lengths after what happened last time…he had no one to turn to. And even crazier then that was that Spike had been right. If he had just come to her she would have let him become one of them.

He obviously knew about witchcraft and the part of her world that no one was suppose to know about…but they lived on the Hellmouth after all.

Nothing had thrown her more than seeing Spike that night though. Despite everything Buffy had been overwhelmed at the sight of him and couldn't for the life of her remember why.

Now though…the sight of him with Faith had caused an instant surge of jealousy she didn't know she could feel. Even him showing his demonic face hadn't pushed away the hurt she had felt at seeing Faith with him.

Then all kinds of questions of how the hell it was possible that they were together…and how were they together? Were they together together or or…or were they…

"I swear Buffy I didn't know it would hurt your mom." Jonathan said desperately as Buffy's grip suddenly increased and he was almost certainly bruising him on the way to breaking his bones.

Buffy let go of Jonathan almost instantly and Jonathan fell back onto the ground.

"Don't…move." Xander said to Jonathan. His own memories of the past view weeks making him angry.

"Guess that means Spike was telling the truth." Anya said as she looked up at Buffy with a look of shock on her face.

Unfortunately…it made Buffy realize that…Spike was telling the truth!

"OhmyGod…Mom!"

Author's Note: Ok...hopefully that sated some of you. Personally I think the next chapter is going to be more 'boom', but this definitely bridged the gap in storylines. Well...hopefully!