"Europe, I believe." Willow responded, still a little shaken from the spell.

Spike scoffed. "Yeah, sure, bloody Europe. That isn't really narrowing the search down, now is it?"

"Willow and I could try a location spell to see where they come from," Tara piped in. "I mean it really shouldn't be all that hard. All we need is an item the monks left behind. You know, something that we could connect to them..." She trailed off. What did they have that the monks left behind?

"The Key," Giles said thoughtfully, "The Key is what the monks left behind."

"Oh bloody hell," Spike grunted, "I don't want to endanger the little one again, and I sure as hell don't want to get almost fried by that bleeding plasma she turns into whenever Red over here works her mojo."

"Now wait a minute...!"

"Willow," Giles interrupted, "We simply cannot allow Dawn to be involved in any more spells unless it is crucial to getting Buffy back. You saw how dangerous it was. Let me ring the Watcher's Council and see if they know of the monks and their whereabouts."

"You don't trust me, is that it?"

Giles sighed and carefully wiped the lenses of his glasses before putting them back on. "Of course I trust you. You know that. But this has to be done safely and without harm done to Dawn. Now let me contact the Council and see if they know anything about these monks. It's the only way to get Buffy back, you know."

Her name sent a chill up Spike's spine. He still flinched whenever her name was mentioned. He realized it was better for them to contact the Council. He had made a promise to the Slayer the night she died, vowing to forever protect Dawn "until the end of the world." And now that he had grown so attached to the little one, he sure as hell wasn't going to let anything harm her in any way. Another spell would be too dangerous. Of course, the final spell in which Buffy will be made out of Dawn would probably involve Dawn's presence, but until then, he wasn't letting her be involved in any more spells. It was better for them all to just contact the Watcher's Council. But if the Council didn't have the information about the monks...

Spike sank to the floor and covered his face with his hands. He hadn't wished for this, this act of heroism. He never had it in him, and he never wanted it either. Especially not when he was human. He was so weak back then. And even now he felt utterly weak and helpless. He didn't know how to protect. He didn't know how to make sure everything was good and safe. And with so much at stake, insecurities began to haunt him like they never had before in his entire existence. What would he do if the Council didn't know where the monks were? How was he going to protect Dawn then? And when it does come down to the final spell when Buffy would be made out of Dawn, how could he possibly be there to ensure her safety? What if she didn't make it out alive? How could he live with himself if he failed once again?

"You guys sure know how to party. Why so glum?"

That voice. That familiar voice. He looked up and saw her. Blonde hair in loose curls, cute smile.

"Buffy?" He slowly got on his feet. "Buffy!"

Giles' mouth dropped when he saw her. "Oh my god."

"I love the summer. It's like being a little kid again. I can do whatever I want to do in the summer. I have an idea, let's go to The Bronze!" Suddenly Buffy's image flickered. It was Dawn again, looking absolutely petrified as tears came streaming down her face.

"She wants to come out. She-she wants to be free. Why is this happening to me?!"

Willow touched Dawn's arm gently, trying to stop her from crying. "It's okay Dawnie, it's all right. We're going to find a way to get her out of you. It'll all be okay."

****

"Now Rupert, you do realize just how dangerous the final making of the Slayer out of the Key will be."

"Now Quentin, at my disposal are two very smart and powerful witc..."

"Rupert, you do realize that the world very well may end by this," Quentin quietly interrupted, "As legend has it, the spell will require the Key to be split temporarily into two beings. The original being of The Key, Dawn Summers, as you call it by..."

"Call her by."

"Yes. Well, Dawn will be split open and the Slayer will emerge out of her. Dawn will then close up and return as the little girl she is now. Apparently she cannot be in human form when the spell will take place, and you do realize that by being in complete Key form, it--she will decimate everything around her unless this is done quickly and precisely. Done correctly and precisely, it will be as if nothing ever happened. Dawn and Buffy won't even remember that the spell happened to them. But if it is done wrong, I can almost guarantee you that you and your witches will unleash the Key in it's purest form, energy capable of unimaginable destruction."

"Yes Quentin, I do understand the precautions we must take. And we will approach the spell with absolute care. But you do have to realize that Dawn's safety is of as much importance to us as Buffy's return. We will also take extra precaution in making sure that Dawn also makes it out alive. Buffy isn't our only concern in this matter."

Quentin sighed. He just didn't understand why anyone would protect something that could have the capabilities of creating such great chaos. "Very well, Rupert."

"Now, where is the information you have regarding the whereabouts of the Brethren of these monks?"

"The sects are scattered throughout the world. However, a research team at our Council's headquarters has located the monks who had worked specifically on the protection and relocation of the Key into Dawn are to be found in Granada, Spain. The actual chant and ritual that could very well be used to remake our Slayer will be found in their temple there. The ritual is so old and dates so far back that it's not even in the Council's records. It had only been thought of as legend until proven true when Glory and the Key entered Sunnydale. Find the chant and ritual, Rupert. Get our Slayer back."

****

Cargo planes. Spike hated cargo planes. But what choice did he have? It's not like he could just jump off the ground and soar to whatever destination he wanted to like The Vampire Lestat. And if he wouldn't burn from the sun from those bloody little windows, he would have chosen a regular commercial airline over a slow metal and wood flying box any day. Not that he had ever been in a commercial airplane in the first place. But he was pretty sure there were seats to sit in, there weren't big heavy boxes banging into him every five minutes, and that it wasn't freezing cold and pitch black. Not that it was cold to him. But he was pretty sure Dawn was turning blue. Wearing Spike's duster, she curled up in a ball next to him.

"It's no use, Nibblet. I haven't got any body heat."

"D-doesn't matter. We-we've only got a few hours left before we land. I'll be okay."

He sighed and put his arm around Dawn. She was the only living thing that mattered to him now. If he lost her... No, he couldn't think about that. Dawn will always be alive. He'll get Buffy back. Both of the Summers sisters will be alive and well in a few hours. And Buffy will forgive him. Lying down, he ran his fingers through his trousled hair and let out a sob. He didn't like not knowing what was going to happen. He had always been the champion, the hunter, the one who came out on top. What the bloody hell was he now?

He let out another sob. He was suddenly tired. He could smell Willow, Tara, Xander and Anya somewhere nearby. Probably all asleep. He couldn't contain his sorrow any longer. Buffy was inside Dawn, drowning inside of her. Spike wanted her to surface. If he could just talk to her again, even for one coherent moment, all of this pain and suffering would all be worthwhile. He could tell her how much he missed and loved her, and how sorry he was for letting her die. Whenever Buffy surfaced and took over Dawn's body, her words were always so random. It was like looking through a window into the past things she said when she was alive. People, animals--things that die are 99% of the time in the past. They cannot be in the present because they are not there to live it. Buffy wasn't part of the world anymore, so when she resurfaced and took over Dawn, while her being was in the present, her mind would stay forever lost in the things she had said or did when she was younger and alive. Spike realized that this is what Giles meant by she was dead, but undead in a way. She still existed in being a part of Dawn, but was trapped in the past as almost all dead things are. And Spike, being the 1% of dead beings that live in the present, realized just how important it was for him to make sure that Buffy stopped drowning in Dawn and become alive again. Sobbing as he came to this realization, he rolled over and fell asleep.

****

Six hours later they stood on the outskirts of Granada.

"Well, there it is! We finally found it." Xander said. Despite it being extremely hot weather, all of the scoobies were covered from head to toe in heavy blankets. They were still freezing cold from the plane ride, and Dawn had picked up a bad cough. But that didn't matter at the moment. They finally found it.

It was a small temple, completely isolated and surrounded by mountains and hills.

Dawn wasn't all that impressed. "It looks so old," she said as she wiped her nose with her blanket.

"It's a few centuries old, Dawnie!" Willow explained.

"So? It's all crumbly and falling apart."

Spike sighed. He could sense some thing bad was about to happen. He could feel it.

"Let's get the sodding ritual chant already," he muttered heatedly as he took off towards the temple. He couldn't handle these emotions. But all of this would all be over soon. Willow, Tara and Dawn followed him up the cracked stone stairs and through the door. The four of them stopped suddenly at the main hall of the temple.

"Oh no!"

"Oh my god!"

"OH BLOODY HELL!"