Disclaimer: Everything BtVS and AtS is owned by Joss, ME, and all them over there. Everything Anita Blake is owned by Laurell K. Hamilton
Author's Notes: All song lyrics are from the Three Doors Down song Kyptonite.

Chapter 1

Willow sat on the ground between two grave stones, one that belonged to her best friend�s mother and the other that belonged to her best friend. Her head was bowed as she silently wept, her shoulders slumped with defeat. It was hard for Willow to remember a time in her life when her heart had not been filled with sadness. It just seemed that lately she had more of a reason to be sad. They had all fought so hard to defeat Glory, but in the end Buffy still died. So many things had gone wrong that day it was hard to pin point the moment it had turned against them. In the end none of it really mattered they had still failed to save Buffy.

Willow knew that somewhere along the line it was she who had let Buffy die. When Willow had touched Glory and returned to Tara what had been taken, she should have stayed just a second or two longer in Glory�s head . . . weakened her just a little bit more. Then again, maybe she should have understood what Buffy�s quest had meant sooner. How could have Buffy�s gift had been death? Being the smartest person in the group, shouldn�t she have figured it out before Buffy had jumped to her death?

Willow�s small frame shook as the sobs racked her body. In her mind she was reliving the moment two weeks ago when she had looked up into the star speckled midnight sky to see a lone silhouette diving toward the opening of the portal. As the phantom shape disappeared from sight Willow heard Buffy�s voice whispering in her ear. �My gift is death? How can death be my gift?�

Willow had known the moment the battle started that they would not leave it unshaken. Still, as the Slayer�s inter circle they had to protect Dawn. Buffy had made it clear that they were there to protect Dawn at all costs. One of the many reasons that Buffy had laid so much faith in Spike was her knowledge that, if she fell in battle, he would rise to the occasion and make sure Dawn stayed safe. Say what you will about the beast, but the man would protect Dawn until he drew his last breath, so to speak. That was what they as a whole were doing; protecting Dawn.

Spike and Willow had both been staying with Dawn at the Summer�s home. Spike thought that it would be better for Dawn if she stayed where she had lived with both her mom and sister. He had felt that she had been through enough. To ask her to move away from the memories the house had held for her would just be too much for the girl. So Spike had moved in about a week or so after they had buried Buffy. He had been there for both Willow and Dawn in their grief.

Willow knew he was hurting as well, but since the night of the battle he had remained closed off to sharing any feelings he had for Buffy. He had thrown himself into caring for Dawn. Willow remembered the first night well.

They had taken Buffy�s body and left the parking lot where Glory�s minions had built the tower. The Scoobies had never been more defeated, each one carrying their own sorrow. The early morning light separating them from Spike as they carried their fallen home, leaving him in the shadows of the fading night.

That night, as the sun had set, Willow had sat on the back steps, her head hung low when she had heard the swish of leather and looked up into the most painfully misunderstood blue eyes she had ever seen. It was in that moment that she had realized that he was in as much, if not more, pain than the rest of them. Spike had been there for them like always, and still he had failed to be their saving grace. He felt like Willow did, that he was the sole cause of Buffy�s death. Spike had tried, but he had failed Dawn as he had fallen the distance from the tower to the cold unforgiving ground. Willow could plainly see the weight of that burden resting heavily across his shoulders. He was here looking for something, anything to help ease that burden.

"Red." His voice shook as he struggled to contain his emotions.

"Spike." She knew that this was the hardest thing he had done in a long time. He was as lost as she and Dawn were. The loss of Buffy was causing more discontentment than any one would have guessed. A group with out their leader. There had to be something they could focus on, to rid them of their guilt.

"Dawn is in the house. She would like to see you. Why don�t you go inside and see if she needs anything." Willow wanted Spike to know that he was welcome. "She wanted sometime alone so I came out here." Willow saw him open his mouth to say something, but she continued on as if she hadn�t noticed. "She asked about you earlier and said that if you stopped that she wanted to see you. So if you don�t go in and say Hi she will have a cow."

Spike smiled. It wasn�t a happy smile but a forced facial reaction to Dawn�s determination to keep him involved in her life. He was sure that the other members of the gang would not be as happy to see him as Dawn would be.

"I think maybe I�ll just go. Tell Niblet that I�ll stop tomorrow." He turned to go.

"Spike, you don�t have to go. Dawn and I are the only ones here. She could really use a friendly shoulder to cry on." Her voice was scared, Dawn wasn�t the only one who didn�t want to be alone.

Spike searched his pockets and pulled out a cigarette. He lit it and took a couple of deep drags. Even if he was dead it still calmed his nerves. He needed something, anything to take away the sting of pain in his chest. He knew that this time he was in need of something stronger than booze to help with the pain. If he was the old Spike he would be bathing the streets red with the blood of his victims. It would have taken a lot of deaths to take the edge off what he carried inside. Since he was chipped, and there was no way he was going to be painting anything unless he used his hands and a bucket of pig�s blood, Spike sighed and turned his attention back to Willow. He watched her for a moment before he spoke. "Where is everybody?"

Willow hung her head. "Giles went back to his apartment to make arrangements for the funeral, Xander and Anya went home for the night."

Spike watched her as the air between them filled with salt from the fresh tears that pooled in her eyes. This was more than just her sorrow over losing her best friend; there was something more in her eyes than just simple grief. That is when it hit him; she hadn�t mentioned her witch. He crushed out the embers of his cigarette as he settled himself next to her on the back steps. He made no move to touch her.

"Where is your witch?"

That one little question broke the dam that had held her tears in place. Willow knew that it was gonna be hard to deal with her failure to save Buffy. With all the magic that flowed through her veins, all the power that she was capable of, she had failed the two people that needed her most. She was not witch enough to save her best friend, and too much of a witch for her lover to stay. Buffy�s body hadn�t even begun to cool before Tara had informed Willow that she was leaving. Tara told Willow that she was leaving on the next bus home. It was all just too much for Tara to deal with; said she needed to go some place that wasn�t the hell mouth. Tara had asked Willow to come with her, suggesting that Dawn could live with Xander and Anya. Willow had refused to run away and leave Dawn to fend for herself. Tara had picked up her bag and walked out the door, not even bothering to look over her shoulder.

"S. . . she w . . . went h . . . home." It was all Willow could manage to get out before her own tears choked her.

Spike didn�t know what to say. The witch had just up and left Willow the morning after she had watched her best friend dive to her death. How could the timid little witch have just up and left? He would never have thought that Tara could be so cruel. Spike lifted his arm and placed it across Willow�s shaking back. Her sobs had slowed but he could still smell the salt as tears rolled silently down her cheeks. He wasn�t sure what to do. � If I offer comfort to her, how much is too much? Will I lose myself in her touch? I am hurting too.�

Willow wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her shirt. She knew he was trying to be there for her, just didn�t know how he was going to do that. He didn�t want her to hurt anymore than he wanted to hurt. Willow leaned back against his side and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Spike." She sighed as his arm instinctively wrapped around her shoulders pulling her closer.

"Welcome, Red." He felt himself relaxing as she made herself comfortable in his arms, her tears now dry as she sought the solace he was offering. It had been a long while since he had held someone in his arms that made him feel content, like he was just what she needed. Spike noticed that Willow fit along his side just as perfectly as the sun slipped into the horizon�s pocket, following a path made that was fated to be forever, always making way for the shadows of the night.

Sometimes in life things can be revealing to one with a watchful eye and a quick mind. In other cases people can go a lifetime without ever finding their place, closing themselves off from the possibilities that are present. And then sometimes �Fate� intervenes and places things in the way just so you find what you are looking for. . . whether you want it or not.

Willow looked up from her spot on the ground between the headstones. She could see the sun starting to set. She stood and brushed off her skirt. She knew there were people waiting for her at home, and she had better get back before Spike and Dawn had a chance to worry.

�If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman
If I am alive and well, will you be there holding my hand ?
I�ll keep you by my side with my superhuman might
Kryptonite . . .�

Three months later. . .

�I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon
After all I knew it had something to it had something to do with you
I really don�t mind what happens now and than
As long as you�ll be my friend in the end . . .�

Nothing is ever easy in life; you just take what you can get and do your best with it. When there is a loss of life that touches you and yours, you take the time to make sure you are there for your family, start the rebuilding process.

"Niblet!" Spike yelled for what seemed like the hundredth time. "Get down here, now! The moron express with be here in 5."

"Spike, I asked you to please stop calling Xander that. He is nice enough to offer to drive Dawn to school . . ." Willow said as she walked up behind him. Willow paused like she had a sudden thought. "Unless of course you would like to walk her." She tired to hide her smile.

"Ha ha, Red. You�re a bloody riot." He turned back to the stairs "Dawn! Get down here!"

"Coming Dad." Dawn said as she appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Just bloody wonderful I live with a bunch of comedians." He threw his hands up in mock surrender, then stomped off to the kitchen mumbling under his breath. Willow and Dawn both tried to stifle their giggles behind his retreating form. It had become a morning tradition for Spike to stand at the bottom of the stairs and yell for Dawn to hurry. He would complain when Dawn would call him dad, but Willow and Dawn knew that he loved the whole game. He had settled nicely into their lives.

He stayed in the basement on a small bed placed off to one side. He had refused to move upstairs into one of the bedrooms. Willow thought maybe he felt uncomfortable with the idea of having to take either Joyce�s or Buffy�s room. Spike had told her it had to do with his sun sensitive skin.

One afternoon Xander had come over and they had put up some walls to give Spike a space of his own. But that was as far as it went; Spike had never moved but a few small things into the room. Often Willow thought it meant mean that he didn�t plan on staying long. She wished Spike felt more at ease with them. No matter what they were doing he always kept a small part of himself closed off. Willow was startled out of her thoughts as the front door opened and Xander walked in.

"Hey Dawnie, Wills. What is for breakfast?" Xander asked as he sniffed the air. He slipped an arm around each of the girls and guided them toward the kitchen.

Spike looked up as the trio walked into the kitchen. "Let me guess. You�re hungry, right Harris?"

"You think I show up 15 minutes early just so I can eat?" Xander managed a semi hurt look. "I only do it out of the kindness of my heart, I love giving Dawn a ride to school. Plus I wanted to say �Hi� to my two closest friends." Since Buffy�s death, Xander had come to see Spike in a different light. Spike had taken care of Dawn without any real complaints. Xander had watched as Spike and Willow made a home for Dawn, making her their first priority.

Spike couldn�t hold in his snort at Xander�s comments. "More like the kindness of your stomach. Besides don�t you have a woman at home to cook for you? Oh, that�s right; your woman can only cook between the sheets."

"Spike!" Willow almost choked on her coffee.

"Dad, you know you shouldn�t talk like that in front of me. I am only a kid after all." Dawn said, with her face all scrunched up in her best pout face. "Just think of the bad things I�ll do now that you exposed me to that kind of talk."

"Bloody hell, I told you to stop calling me that," he hissed through clinched teeth. "Now hurry up and eat or you�ll be late." He scowled only half heartedly at Dawn before setting the plate in front of her.

********************************

After everyone else had left the house Spike settled in for the day. He lay awake on his bed as he thought about everything that had happen since Buffy had died. He had been completely convinced that he had loved her. She was strongest woman he had even known. She had managed to live longer than any other slayer. Dru had been strong, but only because of her demon; she still had to be treated like a child.

Spike wasn�t sure what he was doing. He had made a deal with a Slayer to take care of her little sister, yet he was a soulless demon. He should have just left the night the Scooby gang had carried off the dead body of the Slayer. �Cuz that is what she was: she was the Slayer and he was her sworn enemy. Spike should have left with Dru when she came back for him. It was simpler times back then. He had known his place. Being with Dru wasn�t always the best place to be, but at least there he knew Dru loved him, that he was her childe. Dru hadn�t always cared for him the same way he cared for her, but that was because she was completely crazy. You learn to work with it when it is all you have got.

Then he had lost his Dark Goddess only to come back to this hell hole, get his plans mucked up with the Gem of Amara, and then the solider boys putting the chip in his head. Now he was playing house with the Slayer�s kid sister and Red.

Spike shifted on the bed as thoughts of the red-headed witch filled his mind. Another reason he was starting to question himself. He shouldn�t be enjoying the moments in everyday life that would bring him brushing up against Willow as she passed him in the hall. The other day he had stepped out of the bathroom wearing just a towel. Willow had stood at the top of the stairs, just staring as he had walked past. He would have sworn that he saw lust in Willow�s eyes as she watched him making his way down the stairs. Then when he got to the bottom of the stairs, he glanced over his shoulder just to see if she was still watching. She was gone, but he could still hear her heart racing. Spike had thought for sure that when he had come back upstairs he had caught the sent of her arousal lingering in the hall.

The emotions that day�s thoughts stirred in him only made the situation that he was in all the more wrong. Living with Willow and helping to take of Dawn . . . he was pretending to be more than he was, a soulless demon. Willow and Dawn believed him to be strong, their protector; that he would die before anything happened to either of them . . . that as long as he was un-alive and well he would be at their sides. Spike had been thinking that maybe it was time for him to move back into his crypt, to put some distance between him and temptation. The longer he was around Willow, the bigger the temptation she became. He felt like he was on the edge of the tower, and from where he was standing it didn�t seem that far to fall. Willow had this way about her; when she looked at you, it was like you were the only one there. She would give you her complete attention.

Spike lay on his bed, his head filled with confusion and his eyes closed. He must have drifted off, �cuz when he woke he could hear movement in the kitchen and a conversation held in soft whispers. Spike heard the microwave beep and the smell of warm blood filtered through the air. He was ready to get up when he heard the basement door opening and the soft steps of someone . . . no, not someone; it was Red.

Spike could smell the sweetness of her innocence, even from another room. He could always pick out Willow. It was remarkable how that scent stayed with her no matter what life brought her. Dawn was a child and didn�t smell of innocence as strongly as Willow. Maybe being made from the Slayer had something to do with it. Either way, he knew it was Willow even before she stepped quietly into his room and placed the mug on the stand next to his bed.

Spike opened his eyes just enough to see the look on Willow�s face as she watched what she thought to be his sleeping form. �Or more importantly,� he thought to himself, �what is not there? She looks at me with no distrust in her eyes. She finds no monster in me.� He knew then that what little bit had happened between him and the witch over the last few months was more than he had gotten from the Slayer in a year. He wasn�t sure where he was going, but he knew that Willow was going to be a big part of whatever the future held.

He opened his eyes and sat up, running his hand through his sleep tousled hair. "Thanks, Red."

"Welcome, Spike," she said softly as she left him to his meal.

********************************

Spike awoke to the sound of a scream, sending him upright in his bed, knocking over the empty cup Willow had brought him earlier. It took a moment to orientate himself. �The Summer�s basement. Dawn!� He was up the stairs heading to Dawn�s room when Willow opened her door. Without hesitation they both headed to Dawn�s bedroom door. Spike opened the door just as Dawn screamed again. Both Spike and Willow moved to either side of the dreaming girl. Spike�s strong hand reached out and shook the girl from her sleep.

"Niblet, wake up." He shook her again.

"Buffy?" Dawn asked as she opened her eyes.

"No, Dawnie. It is us," Willow said as she felt the girl move into her arms and start to cry.

"I . . . I still miss . . . ss h . . . her." The saddened girl confided through her tears.

"Of course you do. We all do. We will probably miss her forever, but after awhile it doesn�t hurt as much when we think of the good times." Now Willow had tears in her eyes.

Spike was turning to go out the door when he heard Dawn�s voice.

"Where are you going?" She had stopped crying but you could still hear tears in her voice.

Spike turned back around to face the bed. "I was feeling knackered and thought I would head back down to the basement."

"No, I want you to stay with me and Willow." With that, she lifted the side of her blankets inviting him to join her and Willow. Spike shook his head as he felt himself take a step forward closer to the bed. He knew now without a doubt that he was soddin� pouf when it came to the two girls in that bed. He had shared so much with them in the little time he had spent living there. He knew he was lost, but as he slid into the bed and felt Dawn�s head come to rest on his shoulder as the covers were tossed over him, he suddenly couldn�t remember why he even cared. Spike felt Willow�s hand come to rest on his stomach as she spooned the back of Dawn.

Willow felt a smile spread across her lips as Spike�s fingers curled around hers. They may not have known it in the beginning, but now she was sure that they were gonna be alright. As long as they had each other, nothing else mattered.

The next morning Spike awoke to the sound of the TV playing down in the front room and warmest feeling in his chest. He always hated waking in the morning hours. When the sun�s rays were fresh, they seemed to cloud his thoughts even more than when he woke in the early evening hours. Suddenly his eyes snapped open as he felt the warmth bury itself in the crook of his neck. All he could see was red. When he remembered that he needed to force the bodily function of breathing, he pulled air into his lungs. As he did, his head buzzed with the heady smell that was Willow. That was when his idle mind went to work.

�How did I get here? Oh yeah, Niblet�s bad dream.�

Spike heard Willow moan as she pulled him closer, rubbing her breasts against his chest. Spike moved to her as he buried his face deeper in Willow�s hair. He knew he should take himself back to the basement but he couldn�t seem to move. This felt too good; a warm, willing body in his arms. His eyes drifted shut, sleep threatening to overtake him, when Willow�s tongue darted out to taste the skin along his neck. Spike�s body shuttered in response. He knew he needed to get out of there, his body was responding to the witch�s innocent touches. That was the last thing he needed right now; to have her wake and find that it was a demon she was holding. He wanted to avoid that look of rejection when she knew what was holding her. Spike tried to carefully remove himself from her arms without waking her.

Willow felt something being tugged out of her arms. Even half asleep she knew she didn�t want to let it go. So she didn�t. She opened her eyes as the movement continued.

"Spike?" Willow�s sleep coated mind asked

Spike heard his name slip from her lips and he froze. He knew there was no way to avoid what he was so afraid of now. He looked down to see her wide green eyes watching him. There was a moment when he had thought that it was over, that everything he had grown comfortable with in the last months was lost to him. She would want him to go now, he just knew it. He felt Willow stiffen as the sleep faded away. He prepared himself for what he thought was about to happen.

"Do you want to go to my room?" Willow asked softly.

"What?" He was sure she had not just asked if he wanted to go to her room.

Willow released him and sat up. "I thought that maybe you were uncomfortable in here. It is after all Dawn�s room. I just wasn�t ready to get up yet and I thought that maybe you would be able to relax and fall back to sleep in my room."

Spike looked at her. She just wanted to be held. She wasn�t afraid of what he was or what he might do. Willow opened her mouth to say something, then decided against it and closed her mouth again. Suddenly feeling very uncomfortable she dropped her gaze to her hands as her face blushed.

"Or you can go down stairs and sleep." she finished quietly

Spike wasn�t sure if he had heard her right at first. Then she had said it again. He knew it was a bad move, but it didn�t matter. He was lost to the world when she looked at him with those eyes of hers. "Yeah, Red. Let�s go to your room. Niblet will be up here soon to get dressed."

Once they were in Willow�s room and had settled into the covers. Spike gathered Willow in his arms and said, "Luv, just promise me one thing."

Willow sat up a little to look Spike in the eyes. He sounded so serious. "What�s that?"

"Don�t ever tell anyone what a nancy boy I am."

"Your secret is safe with me."

She moved back into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder. Spike released the breath he had been holding and settled back into the bed. He shook his head as he thought about how the woman in his arms made him feel. Red was defiantly a unique woman that was for sure. She was cable of so much love that she gave it willingly to everyone who needed it. Spike drifted back to sleep with a smile on his face, a real smile.

�If I go crazy than will you still call me Superman
If I�m alive and well, will you be there holding my hand?
I�ll keep you by my side with my superhuman might
Kryptonite . . .�

One month later . . .

�You call me strong, you call me weak, but your secrets I will keep
You took for granted all the times I never let you down
You stumbled in and bumped your head
If not for me then you would be dead
I picked you up and put you back on solid ground . . .�

It had been better than four months since they had laid their friend to rest. Things had finally settled down. Dawn had started school and things around the house ran well. Spike got Dawn up and ready for school, and during the days he helped around the house. He was the glue that held them together. Giles had gone back to England. He had called the remaining gang together one night and told them that he was returning to England to start his life over. Now that Buffy was gone it was time for him to move on. He said he would keep in contact with Dawn and the others. Willow had gotten the impression that it had something to do with Dawn finding out that he had wanted to sacrifice her instead of Buffy. Dawn had yet to forgive Giles for what had been said. Xander and Anya came over every night for dinner. As a whole they did what they could to give Dawn the home she needed.

Every night Spike would leave the house just after dark for patrol. Sometimes Xander would go, but mostly Spike went out alone. He needed a way to relieve some of his aggression. Willow knew that it was Spike�s way of balancing himself. He had been so good to Dawn, taking care of her, provided for her. Willow wasn�t sure where all the money came from, she didn�t really care. Between the two of them the bills were paid. Willow�s parents sent money every month. She was sure that they meant that money for college, and Willow paid her major college bills with it, but the extra money went to the house and for what Dawn�s needs. Things were gonna be okay.

Willow waited up every night for Spike to return from patrol. She knew he was more than cable of taking care of himself, but since that first night they had shared a bed, things had changed between them. They shared a bed and nothing more, just held each other and gave comfort. Spike would stay with her until it was time to get Dawn up for school. Then after Xander stopped by to take Dawn to school, Spike would head back down to the basement and sleep the rest of the day away while Willow headed off to college.

Willow looked up at the clock, almost time for Spike to come home. She got up and headed to the kitchen. She always had a cup of cocoa ready for him when he got back. Willow knew that time was running out for her. She knew in her heart he would leave like all the others in her life had. It was only a matter of time.

Spike had been more withdrawn at night when they went to bed. After the first night they always talked before falling asleep. They talked about everything from each of their pasts. Spike had told her of the days before Angel, when Angelus had been his sire. He had told her of Dru and their relationship. Willow had told him what her life had been like before Buffy; her parents, and her relationship with Xander. They had left no stone unturned. Spike had told her one night that he felt like he could tell her everything and it wouldn�t matter. She would still treat him like he was a man and not a monster. They had grown close in the last four months.

Willow looked up at the clock. She still had a few minutes before he would be back, so she grabbed the cocoa and went into the front room. She put the cups on the coffee table and turned on the TV. Willow settled herself on the couch.

************************************

Willow could feel a knot in her neck, She tried to turn over to relieve the pressure, and when she did her face hit the back of the couch. �I am on the couch? Hmm, I haven�t done that since before Buffy died. Wonder why Spike didn�t wake me?�

Willow sat up on the couch and she looked around the room. The TV was still playing and both cups of cocoa were still on the coffee table where she had left them. Willow looked at the bottom of the stairs; there was no duster flopped over the railing. That is when the knot formed in her gut. A cold, heavy knot . . . the kind that makes a chill settle in your bones because it means somebody isn�t coming home. Willow jumped up off the couch and quickly searched the top two floors of the house. Finding no sign of him, she went to the basement. The door was open just a crack.

Willow knew the moment she entered his room that he wasn�t there. She didn�t even look around, she just dashed back up the stairs. She had to see how long it was until sunrise. She came to a halt in front of the clock. Willow never even looked at its hands; the red light of the sunrise was reflecting on its glass face. She knew something was wrong. Spike still wasn�t home.

She turned around and walked to the back door, swinging it open to greet the morning light as it crept across the lawn, over the steps. Willow felt a wave of pain in her heart as the sun�s rays warmed her face. She shivered as its sun�s warmth poured onto her skin. Willow knew in that moment there was more to what was between her and Spike than just comforting each other. She felt the tears well up in her eyes. �What if he never comes home? I never got a chance to tell him how I feel. What if I never see him again?�

Willow felt a tickle in the back of her mind. Something so distant that she almost missed it. A whispered, �Willow . . . Willow . . .� Tears flooded her eyes. "Spike"

�If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman
If I am alive and well, will you be there holding my hand ?
I�ll keep you by my side with my superhuman might
Kryptonite . . .�

********************************************

Spike opened one eye. He tried to clear his head. The last thing he remembered was patrol. He had been in the Restfield cemetery when he had felt something. It was almost the same feeling he got when he was around the Pouf; not exactly the sire-childe bond, but the feeling of power gained from age. As a vampire grew older, its signature got stronger and stronger. Still, there was something different about this signature; something was altering its strength. Spike felt the tingling start again and knew that his captor was about to pay him a visit.

Spike tried to sit up. Who ever was coming, he was gonna greet them on his feet; give them a face to face meeting with the Big Bad. Spike found however that he could not move his arms or legs. There was something magical holding his body to the altar.

Spike felt the vampire enter the room. He didn�t even bother to look up; he knew he wouldn�t like what he saw.

"I have looked a long time for you," the voice hissed. "You are worth the wait, Master will be pleased."

"Bloody hell! Not another mad minion trying to resurrect its master. You guys just don�t get it, do you? You won�t get away with anything here. This is the Slayer�s town." Spike knew that if he was gonna get anywhere he first needed to find out what the minion knew.

"You must think that I am a fool." The voice was gravelly. At first Spike had thought it was a woman that had spoken to him but now it sounded like a man. "The Slayer has been dead for a little over four months."

Spike�s eyes snapped open as the creature revealed that it knew that Buffy was dead. The sight that met his eyes as the creature stepped forward was appalling at best. The creature that stood in front of him was, or at least at one time had been, human; he could smell it on the air. At the same time Spike could feel a demon . . . no, two demons. One was a vampire, but the other one he couldn�t identify. Whatever was standing in front of him was a combination of all three.

The creature moved closer to Spike. Its gnarled hand touched his face. Spike tried to pull away.

"What? You find me revolting?" The creatures face started to shift, revealing the beautiful woman that was hidden beneath. Her hair was a soft blonde and her eyes were black holes, void of all life. Spike noticed that the skin of her face wavered like it took a lot of power for her to shift back and forth.

Her hand drifted down to his chest. The skin under it began to tingle.

"You are perfect. Just what I need to bring my Master home. A being of evil transformed to good, not by a soul but by love." The creature hissed as it�s face shifted back to its original form, digging its fingers into Spike�s chest cavity.

Spike could feel the fingers stoking his heart right before he sunk into the blackness swimming inside his head. �Willow . . . Willow . . .�

*****************************************

"Xander, he would have come home last night." Willow was beyond any thoughts other those of Spike. She was so worried. He was all that held her world together. With him gone she wasn�t sure what to do.

Xander had taken Dawn to school, then come back to find out why Willow was so upset. When he walked into the house, he had known something was wrong. The house was just too quite. No smell of food in the air. Then he had seen the look in Willow�s eyes. He knew he needed to get Dawn out of the house and to school, and then make it straight back to Willow. Now that he was back in the house he was more concerned than ever. Willow was falling apart and Spike had not even been gone 12 hours yet. This was not good.

Xander stood and walked to his pacing friend. He wrapped both arms around her and just held her. Willow slowly relaxed in his arms, her eyes drifting shut.

"Wills, he will be home tonight. He must have gotten trapped by the sun. As soon as the sun sets he�ll come sauntering in here like nothing happened." Xander cooed softly in her ear. "You just gotta have faith."

Willow�s eyes snapped open. "Faith?"

Xander felt Willow start to pull away from him. He wasn�t sure what he had said but something had struck her. "Wills, what�s the matter?"

Willow looked at Xander. He knew the look that clouded her eyes; it meant that she was thinking. Something he said had started the whole process.

"You know Xander, your right. Maybe he just got caught somewhere because of the daylight. If he is not here tonight at sundown, however, I will need you and Anya to stay with Dawn for the night." Willow didn�t bother to look up as she walked over to her laptop. She had things to do.

"Wills, are you okay?" Xander was worried now. Willow was so lost without Spike. As Xander stood on the threshold, he realized that Anya had been right; Willow and Spike were in love. He felt like he should keep repeating it in his head, force himself to believe what he had some how missed. Sure, he knew he had been there everyday, watching the two of them fall for each other. Xander knew that he should say something to his best friend, help her in her moment of need. He just couldn�t seem to make his feet move.

He had been pretending that they were just making a home for Dawn, not falling in love. Xander moved to stand next to his friend. He hesitantly placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Will, he will come home." Xander offered quietly. "Just wait and see. He�ll be here right after the sun has set,"

Willow just nodded and kept typing.

*****************************************

Spike was sure it had been at least a few hours since he lost consciousness, but he knew it was well past dark. He looked up as the door opened and the creature walked in.

"It is almost time to meet my Master," it hissed.

Spike was looking for a reason to stall. "So, you gonna share? Or is this one of those bloody times when it is all smoke and mirrors? �Cuz so far, I am thinking that maybe your Master is gonna be a shade disappointed."

The creature spun around, "You don�t know what you are talking about. He will be as pleased with me now as he was then. You have no idea what I have been through, so many years I�ve lost track, wandering this planet looking for the perfect form for my Master."

The creature turned from the distorted form of the demon into the soft supple curves of a woman. "This is what I looked like when we fell in love. Then his horrible wife, Isabelle, found us. She never deserved him. Jonathan loved me more than he loved her. Isabelle and Jonathan parents had their marriage arranged since the day they were born; a treaty of peace between their families. One family held the powers of darkness and the other held the powers of light. We never had a chance. Jonathan and Isabelle were bound together." Her voice broke as the events she spoke of brought tears to her eyes.

Spike knew he was playing this for all it was worth. He was waiting for the right moment. Waiting for the right opportunity to make his get away. The creature just had to let its guard down. He just had to be patient.

"What�s your name, luv?"

"Amelia." She tried to stifle her sobs as she spoke.

"Tell me what happened." Spike requested in his most comforting voice. He had learned a lot in his hundred some years in this world. The thing he knew the most about was how to pacify a woman on the edge. After all, Dru being his Sire had taught that lesson many times.

Amelia looked at him. Her Master would indeed be pleased with her. This vampire was going to be perfect. She stepped around the bed and took a seat next to Spike�s hip.

"Jonathon loved Isabelle, but not like he loved me. I just needed to show him. So one night I invited him to meet me at a small house outside of town. He came and we made love in front of the fire place. I told him of my love, my plan for us to be together." Her voice was soft and distant, like she was lost in the memories of her sordid tale. "His wife found us together and she was furious. I never realized how important the treaty was until it was too late." She paused

"Isabelle�s family was old, and their roots in magic went back for generations. Only the women were blessed with the power, and they bore only female children in order to keep their line alive. Each of the women in Isabelle�s family carried the mark of pure white magic burned into their skin right above the heart. It was there to remind them of their duty.

Jonathan�s family isn�t much different, except that it is the men who hold the power. They were, however, rather new to the world of magic. His grandfather had been involved in a church. They had found some tombs in the bottom of the church that had been disturbed. When Jonathon�s grandfather entered one of the crypts, he stumbled across an amulet on the floor. When he picked it up and read the incantation on it, his body was infused with the magic of an old, evil power. He was transformed into a Warlock. It was shortly before the birth of his first child who had been a girl. Both the mother and child had were murdered. The sudden gaining of all that power had been more than Jonathan�s grandfather could take and it had driven him to slaughter his wife and baby." Amelia smiled a soft sad smile.

"It had took me years to find out why Isabelle�s family had been so distraught over the loss. His wife had been Isabelle�s great aunt. Before Isabelle�s family even had a chance to morn, Jonathan�s father had taken another wife, and all the rest of the children that followed had been boys. That is when things had gone so wrong between the two families�. Jonathan and Isabelle had been the families� second chance at peace.

Jonathan and Isabelle were meant to balance that magic; each of them was one half of a whole. When Isabelle found us, she banished Jonathan away and cursed me to this pitiful existence. I need to free my Master so he can set things straight. He can reverse the curse Isabelle cast on me, return my beauty to me. Then he and I can be together." As she spoke, Spike noticed a shimmer pass through her as she struggled to keep her human face in place. Amelia had once been a beautiful woman, now she was cursed with a life of wretchedness.

After she had finished her tale of heartbreak all Spike could think was that this chit is as daft as Harmony. "Tell ya what. You let me up and I�ll help you set things right."

Amelia smiled. Slowly releasing the magic that kept Spike bound. It was almost time, seconds until everything was were it needed to be, the moon, the planets. Everything had to be the same as it was the night Isabelle had banished Jonathan.

Spike sat up on the bed just as Amelia�s hand reached up to reveal a small palm full of glittery sand. Amelia whispered something as she blew the dust in his face.

The last thing Spike would remember was the burning of his skin as the magic mixed with his flesh.

********************************

Willow pulled her car over in front of a tall building somewhere in L.A. She knew it didn�t look like much but it was where they had hidden Faith. Willow could feel the magic that surrounded the building, each spell stronger than the last, each balancing and protecting. Willow was nervous. She was about to walk into the biggest magical compound in the Western Hemisphere - through the front door - and was than going to walk right back out that same door with Faith in tow. She had the blessing of the PTB, thanks to Angel.

Willow had been told by Angel that there had been several attempts of Faith�s life since Buffy had died. So they had moved her here in order to keep her safe. Angle felt that the Watcher�s Council had been the ones to initiate the bounty, that way they would have been able to start fresh with a �untarnished� Slayer to train.

�I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon
After all I knew it had to be something to do with you
I really don�t mind what happens now and then
As long as you�ll be my friend at the end . . .�

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