Chapter 4
Spike pulled up to Der's house and both Dawn and Buffy were shocked at how nice it was. It was easily a million dollar home, which made sense considering what Spike said Der does for a living.
"Um wow." Dawn simply said as they got out.
"I told you he makes a great deal of dosh. It's not a crime to like nice things Bit."
"This is really nice. So talking to him now." Dawn said with a smile.
They walked up to the front door and Spike gave a small chuckle to what Dawn had said. Spike knocked before he opened the door and walked in.
"They don't lock it?" Dawn and Buffy both asked at the same time.
"No need to within the community." Spike simply said.
Der walked around the corner and gave Spike a warm smile.
"Look who's up and walking around. How are you mate?" Der asked.
"All good. Der this is Dawn."
"Yes I've heard about you. You mean a great deal to Spike, that makes you family." Der said with a warm smile.
"Um thanks." Dawn said slightly shy as she wasn't used to meeting new people or demons for that matter.
"No need to be shy. My home is your home. Come on in and meet the others. Jackson is here with some paperwork for you too." Der said to Spike.
"Ta." Spike said and guided Dawn into the living room where Der's wife was along with Mick and Jackson.
Der's wife, Lisa, was holding her newborn baby daughter while Mick and Jackson were talking. They all looked up at them when they walked into the room.
"This is Dawn." Der said making the introductions. "Dawn this is my beautiful wife Lisa and our new daughter Elle. This is Mick and Jackson, they are dear friends of ours. My other daughter Sara is just in the kitchen and my son Sean is in his room."
"Hello Dawn, it's good to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you from Der." Lisa said with a warm smile.
"Really?" Dawn asked surprised.
"Of course. Spike talks about you all the time. How are you doing with everything? Are you adjusting okay?" Der asked with concern in his voice.
"Ya not too bad. I have some school work to catch up on from missing three weeks, but I'll be okay." Dawn answered.
"She's thinkin' about what she wants to do once she graduates. I told her about some of what you do. She's hopin' to pick your brain about it." Spike said.
"I'd love to. Have you been interested in law before?" Der asked.
"Never thought about it. Honestly, I just want a job that I could be good at, help people and make good money. I want to see this world and one day I want a family and I want to show my kids the world. I need a job that will let me do that and I can't really handle blood so being a doctor is out. Spike mentioned you work in corporate law and it sounding interesting." Dawn explained.
"Well I'd love to explain it to you. Give you a feel of what I do during the day and you can see what you think. If you want, one day during the summer you could shadow me at work. Get a real first person view of it all." Der offered.
"Seriously?" Dawn asked shocked.
"Of course. I'm a firm believer that you can't pick a career until you've gotten to experience it first hand. I do a lot of different things during the day it would be very beneficial for you to see some of it."
"Ya I'd love to. That sounds awesome." Dawn said.
"Come on, I'll explain some of what I do in the kitchen. It's my night to make dinner. Spike, you're staying." Der said with a warm smile as he placed a supportive hand on Dawn's shoulder.
"I never say no to free food." Spike said with a smirk.
"I hope you like Quesadillas Dawn." Der said.
"Um love them." Dawn said with a smile.
"Are you just going to let my sister be taken away by some demon? Seriously Spike that's not okay. You don't know what he could do to her." Buffy said with concern at seeing her sister go off with an older man.
"She's in good hands. You don't need to worry about her." A male voice said in her head and Buffy instantly spun around to see who the hell had just spoken to her.
"What the hell was that?" Buffy asked confused.
"Not what, who. It's okay ma'am, no need to be alarmed."
"Who are you?" Buffy asked going into full Slayer mode.
"Jackson. My demon blood has a strong psychic abilities. I can see and communicate with those that are in between realms."
"What does that mean?" Buffy asked confused as Spike went over to see Lisa and the baby.
"It means you are in between Heaven and Hell. Humans call it Limbo, but that is too much of a simple term for it. You are in a void, a waiting period."
"A waiting period for what?"
"That I cannot answer. The world decides where one's soul goes once they leave their body. You are a Slayer though so you will go to Heaven eventually. It could be the portal you jumped into has delayed your soul from crossing over. The universe has to work on correcting the problem."
"And how long could that take?"
"Could be minutes, could be years. The universe is a funny place. But to ease your concerns Der is a very good man. He only wishes to help people, especially those that are young. He believes that the young generation will be the key to repairing the damage done to this world. He will not harm her. Only bore her with details about his work."
"Ok, but if you can hear me and see me, than that means you could tell someone that I'm stuck here and they could do something to fix it."
"I cannot do that."
"Why the hell not? I'm stuck following Spike around. Not even one of my friends, but Spike. This isn't a void this is a version of Hell here." Buffy said with anger now growing in her voice.
Jackson chuckled before he spoke. "Being anchored to a man that loves you is Hell to you? And to answer your question I won't say anything because it would hurt Spike too much to hear that you are with him, but he can't hear, see or touch you. To know that he would have to lose you all over again. I won't put him through any more heartache than he already is in. You will simply just have to wait until you're soul reaches its destination."
"Then don't tell him. Tell my friends and they can hurry up the process."
"I care for my friend and his well-being. No offense Slayer, but it is not my job to interfere with those that have crossed over. You should have automatically gone to Heaven once you died, but your soul didn't. Someone is trying to teach you something and until you have learnt that, you will be attached to Spike. Is it so bad to be able to see your sister growing up? If you were in Heaven you wouldn't have been able to. You would be in a white void filled with peace and warm feelings. You wouldn't have been able to watch over your sister like most believe. All you would have seen is white light. Being attached to Spike allows you to watch over your sister and friends until Spike is killed. Seems like a gift to me, even if that leash is attached to Spike."
"But why Spike. Or is it just because he is close to immortal?"
"Could be or it could be the lesson you need to learn is connected to him. He is not your average vampire as you have already seen."
"Why is he so different? He went from looking to kill me and my friends to taking care of my sister. What's his gain in all of this?"
"There is none. He isn't doing this for some type of reward. Not like your previous vampire lover who is helping the helpless with the hopes of being granted a mortal life again. Spike simply cares for Dawn. He has claimed her as his own and sees her as a little sister. He will die to protect her without hesitation or remorse. He simply loves her. Just like he loves you. He would have died for you. He would have easily taken your place that night. Despite what you think Spike can love, he loves stronger than a human does. Yourself and Dawn are not the first humans that Spike has grown attached to and you will not be the last. Though he has never fallen in love with a human before, not since he was killed. Your death will haunt him forever."
"Why is he different? Vampires don't feel love or emotions. They don't get attached to humans. So why does he? Der was talking about how he feels pain like a human does. That he's different for some reason. What is the reason?"
"No one knows. Sometimes vampires come out different. Could be that Drusilla was too unstable to sire him properly. Left too much of the human inside of him. It could be that he has more human DNA in him than demon, like half-breeds have. Any number of reasons could be contributed to why Spike is the way he is. Some believe he is part of an unknown prophecy. A warrior that can walk in the darkness and in the light, metaphorically speaking of course. We may never know why Spike is so unique and rare. The question you shouldn't be asking is why. The question you should be asking yourself is, can you accept that he's different than your initial thoughts? How much of your own judgement of him will you let cloud what your eyes are seeing of him?"
"You make it sound like it's so simple." Buffy said annoyed.
"But it is. You are no longer bound by the rules and bigoted views of your Watcher and friends. You are able to see the world for what it truly is without any hold back. What harm would it be to yourself if you admitted that things were not as they appeared to be? That Spike is capable of love? You are dead. You cannot bring back the dead. Why not let yourself see the world with new eyes? You may find that you are less confused that way."
"I don't understand the point of any of this. What's it matter if I learn something new? I'm not going back. You said it yourself, I'm dead and going to stay that way. This is pointless." Buffy said with anger.
"To you it is right now, but maybe you won't always feel that way. I think the anger you feel is because you are starting to see that your once perfect world is far from it. That maybe you have misjudged some characters in your life. For whatever the reason the universe wants you here to see these things, you are and you might as well make the best of it."
"But I can't talk to any of my friends. I can't touch anything. I can't even let them know I'm here. What exactly am I supposed to make the best of? Being stuck with Spike, my number one enemy."
"Former enemy. Now he seems like the best alli you have. He is the one taking care of your sister and not your two best friends or Watcher. He is the one out there slaying the vampires and demons. He's the one working all night to pay the bills, your bills technically. You were put with Spike for a reason and one day that reason will be made clear. For now find joy and comfort in knowing that someone is taking care of your sister and you get to still watch her grow up. Being with Spike surely can't be all that bad if you get to see your sister regularly."
"No it's not. And I know there are worst places that I could have ended up. I just wish I knew why. And why the hell does it matter if he gets human blood or not? Pig's blood works just fine does it not? Angel survived off of it." Buffy said asking the question that had been bothering her now that she had someone that could hear her.
"It's not as simple as he would like you to believe. Angel often mixed his blood with human blood that he bought from Willy's or the hospital. Spike would occasionally buy it from Willy, but once he discovered he was in love with you he stopped knowing that you wouldn't approve. Pig's blood is close to the bottom of the ladder for blood quality. It will keep him alive and help heal injuries with time, but it won't give his demon the strength that it needs. He won't be as strong as he'd naturally would be and he will tire faster. Spike has never let it hold him back, but he could have truly used the full strength of his demon during that fight with the Hell Goddess. Larger and naturally stronger animals will give him more strength, but human blood is what his demon needs to be at full strength. However, three to five pints a week is all his demon needs with the right amount of animal blood."
"It is true that the butcher will only give a vampire so much?"
"It is. That's why there are bite houses in town. Not all vampires want to kill to survive. The Butcher will only give so much out a week unless the Slayer specifies otherwise. Slayers don't do that though, at least not in the last six decades."
"Why do I have to give permission? How would the butcher even know?"
"No one opens a butcher's shop and gets people buying animal blood without knowing what they are getting into. Animal blood sales are just as high as meat sales, especially in a Hellmouth. Spike being so high up in the blood line hinders him in this situation. The butcher is afraid to give him more blood because it would make him stronger and that could hinder you. The butcher doesn't want to cross you so those vampires that are weak minions or bite whores get more blood because they hold no threat to you. He can't give Spike more blood without your say so and now that you are dead buying blood will be even harder. Vamps will demand more and the butcher will have no choice but to give it to them. Der and I will figure out something to ensure that Spike receives enough blood."
"You guys are pretty close huh?"
"We have been there for each other through a great deal. Spike is a very good man and a good friend to us. You will see in time."
"Well at least I have you to talk to right?"
"Yes you always will as long as you are around."
"Will he notice me? Sometimes he'll answer a question that I ask or he'll look around like he senses something, but can't see anything."
"Spike is very powerful and he does have remarkably strong senses due to his age. It's possible he feels like someone is there, but if he does he is most likely blowing it off to paranoia or wishful thinking. If he knew you were there with him it would keep him from moving on. He would become obsessed with trying to find a way to help you fully crossover into Heaven. As much as he would want you to be back here with him, he is not about to rob you of your final reward either. Spike is very intelligent and he knows a great deal about magic. I do not wish for him to play with it though and he would if he thought it would release you from this void you are in. His love for you is great, so great he would destroy himself if it helped you. Most humans do not love that deeply, but the love he felt as a human was intensified by the demon. You had a very powerful weapon on your hands and you didn't even know it."
"I knew he was powerful it's why I wanted him around with my mom and Dawn to protect them against Glory. I didn't know about the blood though, if I had I might have given him some human blood before the fight. He might not have lost that fight on the tower if he was at full strength. That could have changed everything. And you're right. I do get to watch Dawn grow up for however long I'm here. That is a blessing and if that blessing comes wrapped around Spike then I'll put up with him. He is doing a lot for my sister, more than I ever expected him to be doing. He deserves that much loyalty."
"Yes he does and he deserve a great deal more, but I have a feeling you will see that for yourself."
"Spike mate, I have the paperwork for the lease for you. Did you check the house out yet?" Jackson said out loud now that Spike and Lisa seemed to be finished talking.
"I did. Took Glinda the good witch and the Bit with me."
"How was it?" Mick asked.
"Let's just say I've seen worse, but also haven't. Glinda was real good about it though and got the Bit lookin' at it like it was their canvas to do with what they will. A fresh coat of paint and a good cleanin' and Glinda thinks it'll be perfect for em." Spike said with a shrug.
"The bones of the house are good the rest is just in rough shape. I can help with painting or cleaning." Jackson offered.
"Ppreciate it." Spike said as he took the lease from Jackson.
"What about the other house? Can you sell it?" Mick asked.
"Relator came by today, asking price is two-twenty. Three is left on the house."
"Ouch. You'll be lucky if you clear two hundred after fees and closing costs. You'll be down a hundred grand. The bank will want to renegotiate the terms of the loan on top of that." Mick said.
"Hence the moving into a shitty house." Spike said clearly not happy about it.
"Is it that bad?" Lisa asked with concern.
"No, it's not that. If the Bit had been livin' in an apartment her whole life, this being the first house would be perfect and a step up. But she lives in an amazin' house right now. The only home she ever really has lived in with her own true memories. The house her Mum wanted her girls to be in. It's just bricks and wood I know, but feels like I'm letting em all down." Spike admitted.
"You're not though. Dawn isn't even your concern or problem to figure out. Her dad should be doing it or those friends of the Slayer should. You're doing what you can to keep her from being on the streets and starving. That's not letting anyone down. And who cares what it looks like. A house is just a house until the people within it make it a home. The good witch is right." Mick said.
"I know. Just an adjustment period ya. We're keepin' the gallery and I'm gonna get it back up and runnin'. It'll take a bit of time and work to rebuild it up, but it'll be somethin' to help with money comin' in."
"Mick said you were fighting. Are you sure that's a good idea?" Jackson asked with concern.
"Don't have much options right now. I'll have to until somethin' comes up in the community." Spike said still not happy about the pointless fighting himself.
"We'll put the word out that you're looking for work. Some freelance stuff will come up I'm sure." Mick said.
"Ta mate. I'll fill these out for ya." Spike said as he held up the lease to Jackson.
Spike got up and headed into the kitchen to grab a pen and get the paperwork done. Dawn was in there chatting up a storm to Der about his work.
"How's the learnin' goin' Bit?" Spike asked as he sat down at the island.
"Pretty good. Der's job sounds pretty interesting. I'm excited to be able to see it in person after school is finished. I think I'll definitely take the law class during the summer and get a good feel for it. Thank-you Der for talking to me about it all."
"It's no problem I am happy to help." Der said back with a warm smile.
A young girl walked into the kitchen from outside and Buffy figured it must be Sara.
"Hey Spike. I didn't know you were here." Sara went over to give Spike a hug that he easily returned.
"Just popped by for some paperwork. This is my mate Dawn. Dawn this is Sara."
"Hey its nice to meet you." Sara said with a wave.
"You too. I've seen you around school actually in the halls." Dawn said as she recognized the girl.
"Ya I thought you looked familiar. Are you guys staying for dinner?"
"We are ya." Dawn answered.
"Awesome, wanna check out my room?"
"Ya sure." Dawn said with a smile.
Sara led Dawn away to where Buffy wouldn't be able to see her.
"Thanks for talkin' with her. She wants more out of life than the normal townie." Spike said.
"That she does and you know I don't mind. Kids need something to be excited about and looking forward to in their future. It helps them fight to achieve it all. She's a bright girl too. How was the house? Jackson said it was in rough shape." Der asked giving Spike his full attention.
"It is. Glinda got the Bit excited about it though. Fresh paint and some cleaning Glinda thinks it'll be good as new."
"Somethings just need a woman's touch. How much are you gonna be able to sell for?"
"Two-twenty tops."
"Shit. Why so low?"
"Problem with the pipes. They are outdated and not up to code. New home owners will have to pay close to eighty grand to fix em. At min we'll be short a hundred could be one-twenty if we don't get the askin' price."
"I'm going to propose two things to you and I know you probably won't take either option but, why don't I draft something and send it to Angelus legally forcing him to sign over your money?"
"You can't force him you know that. I legally signed it away a century plus ago and he has that proof. The only reason he didn't burn it all was because he thought it would be funnier to watch it grow with interest knowing that I'll never have it. I wouldn't be surprised if he was using it to support his little family and business down there."
"We could take it to court." Der started, but Spike cut him off.
"Admit in court, for public records, that Angelus tortured me for decades. Raped me until I signed away my money. I'll bloody well pass and he knows it. Even if he loses he'll come out the winner. The only way he's signing over that money is if someone physically forces him to. I can't. I'm not strong enough with my current diet. Ironically enough the only person who could have forced Angelus to do anything was the Slayer. But we both know that's not happenin' even if she was alive."
"I would now, but only because I saw what he did to you two weeks ago." Buffy said.
"What if I went down there with the paperwork and got him to sign?" Der offered.
"He won't sign it. You know that. It'll only make him come up here again and I'm not in the mood to deal with him."
"Then will you at least let me give you the money to cover the house?" Der tried.
"No and you know that. I'll pay it off. I'm fighting at the club and I'll start picking up some freelance work soon. I'm working on the gallery that the Bit's Mum had going to get it back up and runnin'. I'll pay it off."
"It's not going to be that easy and you know it. Between the gallery, working and taking care of Dawn, you're going to be exhausted. I'm your friend, why won't you let me help you? How long have we've been friends for?"
"Long enough for you to know I'm not gonna take money from ya."
"A hundred grand is equivalent to a dollar to me. You know that."
"That's not the point Der and you know it. I handle my own business and I pay my own debts. I don't take money from friends."
"I can argue that this isn't your debt to take on."
"No its Buffy's, but she's gone and once the Bit is of age the bank will come after her and you know it. If I don't help the Bit, then who will? Who's gonna make sure she's not livin' on the streets and starvin'? Buffy's friends? They blame the Bit for her death. Promise or not, I'm not gonna let my girl be out there strugglin' when she should be living her life. I'm no stranger to hard work."
"I'm not saying to leave it to Dawn. That wouldn't be fair, but it's not fair to you to have to deal with everything either. You know I don't mind giving you the money or loaning it to you at a better rate at least. You wouldn't have to stress over monthly payments."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I know you. The second I try to give you any money you won't take it. That will make me very pissed off at you and our good friendship will turn to shit over money. You want to help so badly then find me some work that I can get lined up. Or clients looking to buy art."
"I can do that. How many pieces are at the gallery?"
"Twenty paintings, ten statues small to medium in size."
"Can the gallery hold more?"
"It could eventually. There is a top floor that is unrented, but it would cost double for the rent each month. Three grand is right currently there. There used to be a girl workin' there durin' the day, but I haven't reached out to her yet. Not too sure I can work it just yet. I'm gonna work on gettin' a quick show together for the weekend. Don't know how many will turn out on short notice, but better than nothin'."
"Five days from now. Short notice, but I'll let my clients know and anyone else I think of in the community. How many people can it hold at one time?"
"A hundred and it could double if I could get enough profits to get the second floor."
"I'll put the word out. We blow up the gallery then you wouldn't have to worry about working outside of it."
"That's the plan and it can be somethin' the Niblet can have once she graduates."
"I'll help put the word out and be there for it. You've had successful businesses before, you can do it again with this one. I'll always be here to help you out Spike."
"I know mate. I'll make it work. It'll take some time, but everythin' will get there."
"How are you doing after everything? Dawn seems like she is trying to make Buffy proud and her sacrifice worth it. I know this isn't easy on you." Der said with concern in his voice.
"I never thought I'd outlive her. I knew she'd go down fightin', but I always thought I'd go with her. I haven't been to her grave yet." Spike admitted.
"Maybe that's something you should do. I know you love her and I know that love doesn't go away after something like this. I couldn't imagine what I would do if something happened to Lisa. My world would be destroyed. You're pushing through it though for Dawn and I think she would be really proud of you for it."
"Maybe. It doesn't matter if she is or not, I wouldn't walk away from the Bit either way. I know I'm not who she would want to be with her sis. All she ever saw was the monster in me, never the man. I know I was just some weapon she had in her chest, but it was better than nothing." Spike said with a shrug.
"Is that what you really think of me?" Buffy asked slightly hurt by Spike's words.
"She was cruel to you at times. She used you and hit you even though she knew you couldn't hit her back. There's a few things I'll never be able to forgive her for."
"It's not her fault. She was operating under the lessons she received, you know that. Besides, between Angelus and Dru I'm used to cruelty. Don't matter, she's up on her fluffy cloud lookin' down on her kid sis and friends. She's at peace with her mum. She deserves it after the life she had. I just wish I could have made it a longer life for her. A life where she experienced true love and have kids. Maybe in another life she will."
"You think I'm in Heaven. Jackson is right, you would become obsessed if you knew I was trapped in this void. You can never know I'm here. I can't do that to you." Buffy said sadly as she wouldn't be able to let her friends know about her being here. She would have no choice, but to wait it out.
"Can't bring back the dead and those that do have the power would never do it. Somethings in this world you don't mess with, life and death is one of them. She will have another chance in her next life. All you can do is continue with the path you are on. Protecting her sister and keeping the Hellmouth guarded. How bad has it been at night?"
"Not too bad. Once word spreads though, there's no tellin' what could happen. You might have to move your family out of here. There's only so much one person can do and the threat of a master vampire is not as great of a threat as a Slayer."
"I know it's not. I'm worried that once the word spreads that the Hellmouth is Slayer free the crusades will start coming here. We were safe because a Slayer resided her and the crusades won't go near one. Some twisted view of respect for their soldier in arms. They could completely destroy this town and community without even a second thought."
"I know. Last I heard they were over in Europe so we might have some time to figure out a plan before they hear about the party down here. Not much else we can do."
Buffy moved over to the kitchen doorway that lead into the living room. She couldn't go much farther from Spike, but it would be enough that Jackson could hear her.
"Jackson, what are the crusades?"
"They are an army of full demons that hunt this earth with one mission. Kill as many half-breeds as possible. They believe that half-breeds weaken the demon bloodline and give full demons a bad name. They massacre any they come across. They move all around the world eliminating half-breed demon communities and any full demon that protect them."
"Why have I never heard of this before?"
"They avoid Slayers out of respect. You kill demons, but also half-breeds like vampires and the not so friendly half-breeds. To them, you are a sister in arms and deserve respect for helping them with their cause. Most half-breeds believe the Slayer is a member of the crusades and to avoid her at all costs, even if they are harmless in nature. You are not just feared by those that have evil in them, but also those that have good. The consequences of having biased Watchers and the political driven Counsel whispering in your ear. Slayers stopped learning about the harmless demons centuries ago. Now most good demons will live underground for the remaining of their life, hiding from those that wish to kill it. The crusades will kill children as young as sweet Elle without hesitation. Parents live everyday in fear of what could happen to their children."
"I didn't know about this. I didn't know about any of it. I would never condone what they are doing. Yes, I didn't know that there were such a thing as good demons, but I would never go out hunting for them and try to kill them all. I only kill those that are dangerous or are hurting someone. Otherwise I would have killed Spike after he got his chip long ago. I stopped the Initiative from capturing demons."
"You did, but that doesn't earn much trust when there is a century behind you of betrayal and pain. Not fair on you I know, but it would have taken the word of someone respected and trusted within the community for your reputation as a Slayer to change. Its no matter now, you are no longer with the living world. All we can do is hope that the world does not descend into chaos with no Slayer within it. Unless your friends are trying to break out the other Slayer from her prison cell."
"I doubt they are. They don't like her, even if she is the last Slayer out there. Besides, even if they do I doubt she would be much help."
"People change. A new perspective and some helpful friends can make all the difference in the world. Especially to that of a young woman who is just looking for a family to belong to."
"You think she would really change?" Buffy asked very interested in Jackson's opinion, though why she didn't know, but he seemed very intelligent and insightful.
"I think anyone can change given the right setting. Look at your vampire. He used to be the Slayer of Slayers and now he is raising your little sister because of the love he feels for you both. If he can change and be more of his true self, then why not your Sister Slayer? All it takes is the right family to change a person. Spike had your family, your mother and sister to make him show his true colours. Who knows how strong Faith could be if she had that positive experience as well. That acceptance."
"You believe Spike could change her." Buffy stated.
"I believe they are similar and that he could help her find her way. I believe this community could help her find her way. She gets a family and the community gets another guardian. It will also keep demons, the more dangerous ones, from coming to Sunnydale. Spike will need help guarding the Hellmouth, he can't do it alone, no one can not even you. You were his partner out in the field and he was yours. You know that. He needs a new partner one that needs him just as much. He will always love you, but if he does not have a purpose to force him forward he will always mourn you and be stuck in the present. You don't care much about him, but we do."
"You want my blessing. Why? You don't need it."
"No I do not, but it would be nice to have."
"If you think Faith has it in her to be good then go for it. I don't want anyone harmless or innocent to get hurt, human or otherwise. I just don't know if she can do it or if Spike is up for that responsibility with everything else he's got going on."
"Spike can handle a great deal. And he will not be doing it alone. We look out for each other. Spike is a part of our family and now so is your sister. Ironically enough. I wish you had trusted us, trusted Spike more. We would have protected her. We could have had her hidden away where your Hell Goddess never would have found her. That fight would have turned out so much differently should you have just trusted in Spike and his survival instincts."
"Ya I'm starting to get that. What if Faith goes bad again? Spike can't fight her with the chip."
"Don't worry about that. We can help Spike should the worst happen. Though I do not foresee that happening."
"Alright. Well it's not like I can say no. If you think she will be able to help and keep the city safe then okay. Spike's not my favourite person, but I'm not about to deny that he needs help at night. The Hellmouth needs a Slayer."
"Good. Thank-you Ms. Buffy."
"Der, Spike, a word a moment." Jackson said.
Buffy saw that Spike and Der came into the living room and Der spoke.
"Something wrong?"
"I heard you mentioning the crusades."
"Are they moving?" Mick asked with concern himself.
"Not yet. We were just discussing what to do when they eventually come down this way. It won't take long before word spreads that far." Der said.
"There is an option. There is another Slayer." Jackson said.
"She's in jail though. She went to the dark side." Spike said.
"People change, as you know. Sometimes it just takes the right people to bring out someone's trust self." Jackson said.
"You think she would be on the side of good if surrounded by the right people?" Mick asked.
"I think if we got her out of jail, gave her a place to stay, give her a family, I don't think she would betray that. I think a positive environment is what she needs to finally be who she was born to be." Jackson said.
"She is in jail though." Lisa said still stuck on that obstacle.
"I know, but we could get her out somehow. It would be good for Spike to have a partner out there with him and a Slayer would keep the crusades away from Sunnydale." Jackson said.
"And if she goes back to her bad ways? Can't exactly stop her." Spike said.
"Not with his chip. And there aren't any demons in this community that would want to go against her." Der said.
"I don't think she will and if she does we can always turn to the community and the covens to restrain her. I think she is lost and needs a place to call home. She has been in jail for a couple of years now. Enough time to think about her mistakes and re-evaluate her life. I don't think she would betray us if we got her out and gave her a home." Jackson said.
"Where would she stay?" Mick asked.
"Stay? How the bloody hell are we gettin' her out? She's in maximum federal prison not summer camp." Spike said.
"You've broken out of a prison before back in the sixties." Mick said.
"I'm sorry what?" Buffy asked shocked.
"A story for another day." Jackson said.
"What if we don't have to break her out. Isn't there a way we could do it legally?" Jackson asked.
"Maybe. She's there for murder though." Der answered.
"Did she confess?" Mick asked.
"I don't know. I'd have to look into it. Getting her out legally would be best then she wouldn't have to be hidden all the time." Der said.
"You got any mates that can look into it?" Spike asked Der.
"I do ya. I'll get in contact with them and see if we can reverse the conviction. If not then we break her out."
"You mean I break her out." Spike said with a smirk.
"Well you are the bad boy in the family." Der said with his own smile.
"Remember that when I call you for bail money. I can't exactly hit my way out this time around." Spike said.
"I'll always bail you out brother." Der said back.
"If we can get her out I think it will be good for the city. It would solve a few problems." Jackson said.
"I'll work my contacts and see what I can do. Mick, can you get the blueprints to the prison?" Jackson asked.
"I'll get them and we can start getting something together should we need to break her out. Where will she stay?" Mick asked.
"She can stay here for now until we find her a more permanent place of her own within the community." Der answered.
"Is that really safe with the kids?" Buffy asked as she looked at Jackson.
"There are spell wards up on the house that prevents any violence happening within the home. It will be fine."
"Now that business is completed, we have dinner to finish. Business hours are over." Der said with a warm smile as he turned to go back into the kitchen to get dinner finished.
"I'll come help." Spike said with his own smile.
Buffy couldn't believe how they were all acting with each other. It was like watching a family. Buffy never expected for that to happen. She didn't ever think of how demons would act with each other. Buffy always figured they were normal demons. She never thought they would live in nice homes with kids and friends. Buffy didn't know how she felt about Dawn being around them, but she was getting less concerned about it as she saw them interacting throughout the next couple of hours. They all sat down for dinner at the table when it was time. The kids all talked about their day and how school went. If there were any problems or any need for help with homework. It was so domesticated and normal. Buffy never thought she would ever see something like this. By the time it was time for Dawn and Spike to leave Buffy felt like she had just watched a family having a nice family dinner with each other. Dawn had really hit it off with Sara and they spent most of the time there just talking about different people at school and boys. It was good to see Dawn relax and have a friend that she didn't have to hide the dark things in the night from. Buffy was feeling good when Spike dropped Dawn off at the house before he headed to the fight club.
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Tara walked into the Magic Shop and saw that everyone else in their group was there. Tara was glad, because then she could tell everyone about the new place that her, Willow and Dawn will be staying in. Tara knew that it was a serious downgrade from the current house Dawn was living in, but it was better than nothing. Tara meant what she said when they could make it work with just some cleaning and fresh paint. It would be a change to be living in that area and with Dawn, but Tara was hopeful it wouldn't be too bad. Tara thought it might be nice to be living in the downtown area where the majority of the shops were.
"Hey Sweetie. How did it go today?" Willow asked as she looked up from the book she was reading.
"Not too bad actually. It could have been better, but I think it'll be okay." Tara answered as she went and gave Willow a kiss before sitting down beside her.
"What happened today?" Anay asked.
"Well first Spike had to go to Dawnie's school to speak to her principal and teachers regarding her school work. Spike was able to smooth things over so Dawnie won't lose this semester. She just has to make up the work by the end of school year. Dawnie is thinking about maybe taking some courses this summer to try and graduate early. She also doesn't know what she wants to do just yet for a career. She's going to think about it and see."
"That's good for her school that she won't be behind. And there's nothing wrong with working ahead. She can be in College or University sooner and get her career started. Does she have any ideas?" Willow asked.
"Not really. She wants to do something that will pay well and let her travel. She was going to talk to a friend of Spike's who is a corporate lawyer about what he does and see."
"A friend of Spike's is the last person she should be talking to." Xander said.
"Spike really isn't that bad Xander. He's working hard to make sure Dawnie is taken care of. He's working on getting the gallery back up and running to help with the bills. He's stepped up when it should have been us. He's working at night and patrolling. Plus he's there for Dawnie and her school. He's not who you think he is." Tara said in Spike's defence.
"Ya we'll see how long that lasts before he gets sick of the life and moves on to some other victim he can stalk and become obsessed with." Xander said clearly not buying it.
"What about the house? How was it with the real estate agent?" Willow asked.
"Why do you need an agent?" Anya asked.
"We need to sell the house. There's too many bills and debt left on it. There's three hundred grand left on the house and the agent said she could put the house up for two hundred and twenty grand. There's some type of problem with the pipes, they are out of code and are on the out. The contractor said it would take almost eighty grand to fix them." Tara answered.
"We are getting that a lot at work. Most homes were built thirty years or more ago and their electricity and plumbing are all out of code. Its expensive, that guy isn't trying to pull anything." Xander said.
"We figured. After closing costs though, we will have a hundred grand left on the house to pay off. But the agent thinks she can have it sold by the end of the month and Spike's friend was able to find us a place within our price range. It's a two bedroom house right by downtown. It's small and in need of some cleaning and new paint, but it'll be good for the three of us. There's a fenced in yard that I told Dawnie we could get a vegetable garden started and that got her excited. The two bedrooms are the size of Dawnie's current room, but it's a start somewhere and it's roughly fifteen hundred a month depending on how much our utilities bills are."
"That's cheap for a house, even a small one. Most places that are for rent are very expensive because the landlords are trying to get as much from them before they either move or are killed." Anya said.
"When can we move into it?" Willow asked.
"Within a couple of days. I thought we could paint and clean first, because it desperately needs it. We are also going to have a garage sale at the current house to help with any expenses for moving and we can't bring most of the furniture to the new place. There is a garage so we can store some stuff in it. I thought maybe we could store Buffy's room until Dawnie was ready to move on from it and let the stuff go." Tara answered.
"I think that would be a good idea, especially what I have in mind." Willow said with a huge smile.
"What do you mean?" Tara asked confused.
"I've been doing some research and I found a way we can bring Buffy back."
"What do you man bring her back?" Tara asked.
"It's still a little bit away, but I found a way that I can bring Buffy back. I can get her out of Hell."
"You want to raise the dead? Willow, this is serious and the dark magic it would take to bring someone back to life. It's dangerous."
"I know, but she's in Hell. She died in a Hell portal. I can't just leave her there. I have to bring her back. I can't do it soon enough to try and save the house, but I can bring her back I know I can. I've been doing research and working on the spell. Anya is working on helping me get all of the ingredients for the spell. We can do this. We can get her out of Hell." Willow said with confidence.
"Are you sure though? Willow this is really dangerous and we have no idea what could happen afterwards. Anything could go wrong. Are you all really sure you want to risk it?" Tara asked the others.
"Buffy is my best friend. I won't leave her in Hell." Xander said.
"I support Xander." Anya simply said.
"We can't leave her in Hell baby. She doesn't deserve it. We have to save her. She would for any of us." Willow said.
"Ok, if you three are sure then I'll help. But what about Spike and Dawnie? When are you telling them?" Tara asked.
"We weren't going to. I don't want to get Dawnie's hopes up. It's still going to take a few months for us to get everything we need for the spell." Willow said.
"And we can't tell Spike. If something does go wrong he won't let us take the necessary steps to correct what we've done. He also hates magic he could try and screw with the spell on purpose. It has to be just us four that know." Xander added.
"You want me to lie to Spike and Dawnie? Is that really the best thing to do?" Tara asked not too sure how she felt about lying to Spike and Dawn. She would be practically living with them and helping with Dawn's care. It felt wrong to keep something like this a secret from them.
"We can't risk them getting involved or jeopardizing it. Spike hates magic he would never approve of this and he could have this delusion that Buffy is in Heaven. I can't leave my best friend in Hell, I won't. They can't know it's for the best." Willow said.
"Ok. I'm not sure about it, but if that is what you all want to do then okay. What is the first step?"
"I need to get all of the ingredients and Willow needs to ensure that the spell will work." Anya said.
"Until then we go as if nothing has changed." Xander said.
"Starting with moving." Willow said.
"Well we could use some help at the house with it. We need to paint the current house and get the lawn cleaned up. Then the new house needs a serious cleaning and fresh paint. Any chance you could come by and help with mowing the lawn Xander?" Tara asked.
"Sure, you know I'll help out. And if there is anything in the new house you need me to check out or fix all you have to do is ask."
"That would be great. I'm not real sure what is going on with the new house. It did pass inspection I know that. There's going to be a lot of work until we are in just one house." Tara said.
"We can get them ready for us. We can start this weekend if you want." Willow said.
"I can't Saturday. I promised Spike I would help him at a show for the gallery. But I can all week and Sunday." Tara said.
"We can figure it out. Do we need to get going for Dawnie?" Willow asked.
"Not yet, we have a couple of hours before Spike should return with her. He was going to get dinner for her as well."
"Good so we have a couple hours to do more research and get this plan in motion." Willow said with a smile.
"What do you need?" Tara asked more than ready to help her friends.
Willow and Tara spent the next two hours going through magic books while Xander helped Anya on the computer trying to find everything they needed. It would take a few months to get all of the ingredients especially the more rare pieces, but once they had everything they were going to bring Buffy back from the dead. They were not going to let her be trapped in Hell no matter what anyone said. They were not going to stop until she was free once again.
