Growing Up on the Hellmouth

By

* * * *

Disclaimer in Faery Childe’s Index

* * * *

Dawn groaned as she sat up, feeling for all intents and purposes like she had a hangover minus the getting drunk part. Her head throbbed and her body ached. Tentatively, she moved to sit up, keeping her movements slow.

"Did anyone get the number of the truck that hit me?" she said to the quiet room.

At her feet, two sleeping figures began to stir. Buffy had curled up in Giles's lap, her arms around his waist. With a start, the Watcher and Slayer woke up and hurriedly disentangled from each other.

"Whoa, I must have been out for a while. Since when have you two been all cozy?" Dawn asked, a smirk on her face.

Buffy quickly scrambled to get off the floor and put as much distance as possible between her and Giles. "I'm gonna go make tea or something," she said hurriedly as she scampered to the kitchen.

Giles moved to sit next to Dawn on the couch. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he began to explain. "We...we were merely sitting watch by your side, to ensure your safety. During the course of the night, we must have fallen asleep. I assure you nothing untoward occurred." Despite his protestations, Giles seemed extremely flustered by Dawn's taunting words.

"Then why are you blushing," Dawn asked, feigning innocence.

Buffy emerged from the kitchen, several cups of tea in hand. She lept to defend Giles as she distributed steaming mugs to everyone. "It's all my fault, Dawn. Really. So leave the old guy alone. I refused to leave your side last night, so Giles sat down with me to keep me company. We both kind of fell asleep, and at some point during the night I turned Giles into a pillow. I mean, he's a lot more comfy than a cold, hard floor."

Buffy totally missed the mixed emotions flying across Giles's face. First anguish at being referred to as `the old guy' and then a warm sort of elation at being deemed a good pillow.

"Yes...well, a...a Watcher's job is to serve his Slayer through all manner of hardship. Even if that hardship happens to be the threat of a floor too hard. My aching back is well worth the knowledge that my Slayer slept the night through in ease."

Dawn giggled at Giles's dry sarcasm. "Hey...since when did you get a sense of humour, Giles?" Dawn asked, still in a teasing mood after finding Giles's in such an un-Watcherlike position.

"I have many talents, I assure you. Unappreciated as they may go," Giles said, a hint of bitterness creeping into his voice.

Frowns creased the foreheads of both Dawn and Buffy. Dawn, however, was the first to assure Giles of his worth. "No! Humour's good. Girls just love a guy with a good sense of humour. Don't they Buffy? And, hey! If your back really hurts, I bet Buffy could like give you a massage later or something and make you feel a lot better."

"Dawn, what are you doing?" Buffy asked, not liking the direction the conversation was going.

"It...it's just, you and Mr. Giles make a nice couple, that's all," Dawn said, a hint of a smirk on her face. This was a great way to keep Buffy's attention away from her and Spike.

Buffy's expression was unreadable. She had fought hard to never think of Giles as anything more than stuffy Watcher guy. She realized that two pairs of eyes were staring intently at her, waiting for a response. Not willing to even begin to examine what her feelings might be in front of either Dawn or Giles, she made the appropriate outraged face and exclaimed, "Oh. My. God. Giles and I are *not* a couple. Where on Earth did you get that idea?"

"It's just that Mr. Giles is so sweet, and you two have to be together like, forever, anyway since he's your Watcher and all. It makes perfect sense. And...and you're lonely...he's lonely. Maybe you could like, stop being lonely together?" Dawn smiled nervously as Buffy and Giles stared at her, incredulous looks on their faces.

Giles buried his disappointment at Buffy's clearly negative reaction and lept into the conversation, intent upon making himself seem just as uninterested. "Dawn, dear, while I am sincerely flattered that you think so highly of me, I don't know if it is all together appropriate for you to be...how do you say...fixing me up with anyone, least of all, your sister. The sentiment is appreciated, but I must ask that you leave me to find my own companionship, if and when I so desire it." Giles again had a flustered look on his face, cracking his composure, and this time it was not lost on Buffy.

Rather than force the issue right then, Buffy tucked away that tiny piece of knowledge and instead brought the focus back to Dawn. "I know what this is about," Buffy exclaimed. "You're afraid that I'm gonna go after Spike again. Believe me, you have nothing to worry about. I wouldn't touch his undead ass with a ten-foot pole, and honestly, I don't think you should see him anymore either. But you certainly don't need to fix me up just so I stay away from Spike."

Giles went from being flustered to baffled. Since when had Spike become an object of debate between the sisters? Slipping into his parental/Watcher mode, he began to grill them.

"Wait just one moment here!" Giles interjected. "Go after Spike *again*...Dawn shouldn't see him *anymore*! Just what have you two been keeping from me? Buffy, as your Watcher, I need to be informed of all major happenings in your life, especially when they involve things of an undead nature. Now please do inform me...just what is going on between the Summers sisters and our reluctant ally Spike?"

Buffy suddenly found the ground very interesting. Not being able to meet Giles's eyes, she said quietly, "It's not a big deal or anything. I, um, sorta tried to seduce Spike to prove to Dawn that he is nothing but an uncaring, soulless demon who'd go after anything in a skirt. It, um, didn't go well."

Grief and anger warred across Giles's face. He had never dreamed that Buffy could demean herself so much. "Buffy, you should be *ashamed* of yourself!" he admonished. "While I admit, we need to protect Dawn at all costs, there was no need to whore yourself out to a vampire merely to quelch a shoolgirl's crush. That was unnecessarily cruel and entirely shallow on your part. Just think of the feelings you've harmed. What were you thinking?"

"Taking this a bit personally, aren't we Giles?" Buffy spat out, shame quickly turning to anger at his attack. `Whore myself out to a vampire?' Is that what you think of me? For your information, I did *not* sleep with Spike. I do not have *feelings* for Spike. Let's get that straight right now. How could you think I'd stoop that low?"

Giles was about to lay into Buffy again when Dawn interrupted. "Stop! Would you two just stop?" she screamed. "This isn't helping *anything*. If you two could stop screaming at each other for just a minute, maybe we could focus on the issue at hand...like what happened to me last night."

"Dawn's right," Buffy said. "Now isn't the time to fight. We need to figure out why Dawn was channeling Spike, and how we stop it."

"I...I was channeling Spike? What exactly do you mean by that?" Dawn said, half-fearing she already knew the answer.

"Dawn, last night you went nuts. First point on the creep scale...you were talking like him. Had the British accent down pat. Then things got even wiggier. You *threw me* across the room, and I swear your eyes glowed yellow. Unless you've been pumping some sort of demon steroids, this is *not* normal behavior, Dawnie. I'm scared for you."

"Yes, Dawn. I must agree with Buffy. This behavior is quite out of the ordinary. You appear to be fine now, but we have no idea whether you will have a relapse, if you would call it that. Any information you could give us would be of extraordinary help. Just what is the nature of your relationship with Spike?"

Dawn turned crimson red, and she too suddenly found the floor to be very interesting. "Um...ah...we're friends," Dawn stuttered. That's all...honest! Just...good friends."

Buffy narrowed her eyes as she listened to her sister. Getting up from the chair she'd been sitting in, Buffy grabbed her sister's chin and pulled Dawn's eyes up to meet hers. "Are you sleeping with him?" Buffy bluntly asked.

Dawn scrambled away from her sister, and Giles had to put a restraining hand up to keep Buffy at bay. "Buffy! I can't believe you'd ask me that!" Dawn said, trying to muster enough outrage to deflect Buffy's questions.

Giles guided the Slayer back to her seat, then gave Dawn a sympathetic look as he sat down again. "Buffy, really. Show some restraint. She's only 14...far too young to be engaged in that sort of activity."

Buffy snorted and her lips curled up in a sneer. "Giles, please tell me that somewhere under all that tweed there is a man who still lives in this world. Girls her age...even younger...get pregnant every day. Sex is a real issue here. And just how old were you mister, when you lost your virginity?" Giles coughed and looked towards the ground, his silence answer enough.

"I thought so..." Buffy said with a hint of self-satisfaction at being right. "So answer me, Dawn. Are you sleeping with the bleached-blonde wonder?"

"No!" Dawn yelled. "No..." she said more softly. "I've decided that I'm not ready to have sex yet. I'm only 14, and I'm still growing up. As much as I hate to be called a kid, I'm not really an adult yet either. Throw on top of that being the Key, and you have got one complicated life. I don't need to throw sleeping with a 126 year old vampire into the mix. As if my life weren't crazy enough as it is."

"Dawn, I d..don't mean to pry, but do you mean to tell me that you've actually *discussed* this with Spike?" Giles asked, disbelief written across his face.

"Yeah, we talk about stuff. Spike's pretty cool. I can tell him how I feel, and he doesn't put me down or anything." Dawn's face notably brightened, just at the mention of Spike. A smile beamed across her face.

Giles noted the almost too happy glow on her face, and a faint memory began to twitch in the back of his mind. Something he had read once before...something he had experienced long ago, in the wild days of his youth. "Dawn, is it safe to say you and Spike are close..." Giles asked, moving to tenderly cup the side of her face. "...dare I say, even intimate?" He slowly moved his hand back, gently moving the hair that covered her neck.

Buffy gasped as she truly saw the marks on Dawn's neck for the first time. The first night she noticed them, all she could see were bite marks. She never thought to examine them until now. These were not the hurried marks of a minion looking for an easy meal...they were marks made with care. No vicious tears ran across her throat. Only two angry red marks marred the pale length of Dawn's neck.

"How long have you been letting Spike feed from you?" Giles asked quietly.

"No, no, no, no, no! This *cannot* be happening. You did *not* just tell me that my little sister has been volunteering as vamp chow for that Billy Idol wannabe!" Buffy was furious. She got up from where she'd been sitting and paced furiously around the room. "I'll kill him. If he touched you, I'll kill him!"

"Buffy...Buffy!" Dawn shouted. "Calm down...please! Let...let me explain. You don't understand. I asked him to do it...I *wanted* him to!" Dawn was frantic, and tears streamed down her face.

"Buffy, do sit down!" Giles snapped as he grabbed Buffy by the shoulders and firmly pushed her down into a wooden chair nearby. "You must remain calm. Now is not the time to let your anger control you. We have to hear Dawn out...her life may depend upon it."

The moment Giles mentioned a threat to Dawn's life, Buffy settled down. Anger still rolled off of her in waves, but she kept it contained, barely hidden under the surface. "Fine," Buffy said in a steely tone.

Dawn was curled up in a ball on Giles's sofa. She had let her hair fall to cover the mark on her neck again. "I won't let you hurt him," she whispered.

Giles stroked the frightened girl's hair, calming her with soothing words. "Dawn, I may not be ...fond...of Spike, but at this moment I have no desire to see him come to harm. I fear that you two may have formed a unique sort of bond, and to hurt Spike is to hurt you. I care for you greatly, Dawn. You are like a daughter to me, so if hurting Spike in any way endangers you, I will gladly see him live to a ripe old age."

"So you won't kill him?" Dawn asked hopefully.

"No, *we* won't," Giles said with a pointed look at Buffy. "But I am a bit concerned. From what I know, such a bond can only be formed in blood. An intimate embrace...a lover's kiss. It wouldn't take much..." Giles left the statement open, silently asking if Dawn had indeed done what he feared.

"I...I didn't realize what was happening until it was too late," Dawn murmured, starting slowly. "Spike...he was so gentle with me. Kissing me and touching me...he made me feel so loved. He made me want to live, even after finding out I'm not all together real. So I...I wanted to give him something. I heard vampires had a thing for pain. I mean, every time Buffy beat up on Spike, he got a happy... “ Buffy cringed at this little tidbit of information, but Dawn continued. “...so I bit him. I bit him hard enough to split his lip, and my lip got cut on his fangs. Our blood mixed together in our mouths. I thought it would be disgusting, but it was *amazing* Giles. For a second, I could see into him, and through him, all the way back his bloodline. I know you are going to tell me it was wrong, but I wouldn't take it back. Not for the world." Dawn stared at him defiantly, just waiting for an excuse to run out of the house and into her lover's arms.

From her seat, Buffy fumed. She had a million things she wanted to scream at Dawn, but she held her tongue, just biding her time until she could lecture Dawn on every single reason why it was *not* ok to get involved with a vampire.

For a moment, Giles was silent. He pinched the bridge of his nose again and a sigh escaped him. "Dear Lord, it's worse than I had imagined," he gasped. "To feel that sort of connection, your bond must be very deep, founded in the strongest of emotions."

"I love him...I really do. Not in the `oh I just love Justin Timberlake from N'Sync' sort of way. I mean love, love." Dawn clutched a couch pillow to her chest, stunned by the confession she had just made.

"I don't doubt the sincerity of your feelings, my dear, but I don't think you realize the gravity of the situation you are in. You are deeply bound to Spike. It is a feeling unlike any other.” Giles paused a moment and took a deep breath before continuing.

“I hate to admit this, but once, long ago, I too was in this situation. I carelessly bound myself to a vampire, more out of defiance to my father than any real sort of affection. The bond was shallow at best, my feelings for her only being superficial. But when she was slain, killed by the Slayer, my world was turned upside down. I went into a coma for three days, and I was in emotional torment for months afterwards. I felt as though a part of me had died, yet I barely even cared for her. If something should happen to Spike, the consequences to you would be dire. The physically ramifications alone could cripple you, and the emotional pain would be unimaginable. It is unlikely you would survive. And the closer you become to Spike, the deeper your bond will become. Are you willing to take that risk, all for the love of somebody who professes himself to be evil?"

"Giles, you don't understand. I am not a normal teenager. I have something inside of me that *gods* are fighting over. You threaten me with the potential of death if I stay with Spike, but I may not even live past Glory. Why should I give up what may be my *one* chance at love before I am killed, just because I *might* get hurt. I'm sorry, but I can't do that."

Giles and Dawn leaned toward each other, their foreheads touching, as they sat in silence, both thinking on what had been said. Buffy, tired of being ignored, broke the tender moment with another tirade. "I can't believe I am hearing this!" she exclaimed. "You," she said, pointing accusingly at Giles, "you claim you love her...that you love me, yet you almost seem to *approve* of this relationship. There are no bursts of outrage. There is no oh-so- British stuttering at the ‘impropriety of it all’. All you can think to say is be careful, you might get hurt. And Dawn, what were you *thinking*? Letting a vampire feed on you. Has everyone but me totally lost their mind?"

"You dated Angel...now I'm dating Spike. I don't see the problem here," Dawn said, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.

"Dating? Now you're dating him? That's it! I can't take any more of this. I may not be able to stake Spike, but I sure as hell can use him as a punching bag." That said, Buffy stormed out the door of Giles's house.

Giles chased after her, begging for her to stop, but it was no use. She easily outdistanced him, and he was forced to return to his home, panting and out of breath. Dawn threw her arms around his waist and began to cry as they both stared out the door, wondering what the consequences of Buffy's rash behavior would be.

At the crypt, Spike was just beginning to wake up. In his head, visions of a blond ball of anger beating the bloody snot out of him were playing ping pong inside his skull. The words "Be careful, Spike. Buffy's coming," echoed through his mind. With a sigh, he got up, groaning at yet again being awakened while the sun was still high in the sky.

"Guess the Slayer's in the know about all me and kid sis have been up

to," he grumbled. Outside he could hear somebody approaching.

"Master, what is wrong? Do you require assistance?" the Buffybot asked.

"You be quiet now, ya hear? I can't have the Slayer getting' into even more of a snit once she gets an eyeful of you. Go hide," Spike said, making shooing motions with his arms. "Don't come out unless you hear me screamin' in pain or the like."

"That will make you happy?" she asked

"Yes!" Spike hissed.

"Ok," she replied in a chipper tone, flipping her hair to the side as she turned to go to the lower level of the crypt.

Just as the Buffybot disappeared from sight, the real Buffy stormed into the crypt. Careful to avoid the sunlight now streaming into the crypt, Spike crept silently behind her and smashed a large chunk of rock against her head. Buffy crumpled to the ground, unconscious, as Spike stood above her menacingly.

"Oh, this has been a long time comin', Slayer," Spike sneered as he began to drag the unconscious form of the Slayer across the floor.

* * * *

Dawn tightened her arms around the Watcher's waist. "Giles, what are we going to do?" she asked quietly. "What if Buffy really hurts Spike? What's that going to do to me? And...and what about today? Mom is supposed to go to the hospital today. She'll be devastated if Buffy isn't there for her. And...and..." Dawn was getting frantic, so Giles placed a fingertip over her lips, gently silencing her before her mind could come up with any more things that could go wrong with the day.

"Hush, dear. We will figure something out, but standing here fretting about everything that could happen won't get us anywhere. First off, I think we need to devise a way of protecting you from your link with Spike."

"Protect me? But I don't want to break the link!" Dawn exclaimed, worry creeping into her voice.

"You misunderstand me. I didn't suggest that we *break* the link, merely give you some protection from it. It is a potentially powerful weapon, but like any weapon, one must learn to master it, to control it, else it becomes deadly." Giles stared at Dawn meaningfully, letting his words sink in. She became calm, listening with rapt attention.

"Right now, the bond between you and Spike is very strong, so strong in fact, that there are times where it is difficult for you to distinguish where he leaves off and you begin. This is a dangerous place for you to be. You are unaccustomed to the strong urges of a demon and are in no place to combat them. As things are, you have become a danger to yourself and those around you..."

Giles looked like he was about to continue when Dawn cut in. "Ok, Giles...I think I get it. As, um, interesting as your lectures are, do you think we could move on to what we are going to *do* about this?"

"Oh, yes. Quite right." Giles took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes, trying to focus before he continued. "What I propose is that we teach you to center yourself. You must be able to find the calm within and have a place that is solely and completely you in the depths of your mind. In that place you are safe from any outside intrusions, and from it, you can observe the link between you and Spike and call upon it at will, rather than being consumed by it. Now is the perfect time for this, as it is day, and Spike is most likely still asleep. There is less chance of him interfering if he is unconscious, although knowing Spike, I wouldn't rule out the possibility," Giles said with a wry grin.

"Wow," Dawn said in surprise. "That sounds like some wacky Zen stuff there."

"Not quite Zen, as you call it," Giles said with a slight smile, "but it is an advanced form of meditation. Usually I would never even attempt to teach this to a novice. There is always the possibility with mediation at this level that you could get lost inside your own mind, trapped in the walls you have constructed, and unable to regain consciousness. But I believe the circumstances merit such drastic measures."

Dawn gasped as she felt a surge of anger race through her. "Um, Giles, we may have a problem...Spike's awake, and he's not happy. I think Buffy might be with him," Dawn said nervously.

"Oh dear. Then we must hurry. Despite what you may be feeling, you must do your best to remain calm. If you cannot control your emotions, this will never work."

Dawn sat up straight and tried to look brave. "Ok, then. Let's get started."

Giles pulled out a large, translucent crystal and placed it in front of Dawn. "Let's begin," he said gravely.

* * * * * * * * * *

Spike was about to give Buffy's unconscious form a sharp kick to the ribs for good measure, when he felt something change inside of him. A bubbly, bright presence that had been there since the moment he claimed Dawn seemed to withdraw slightly from him, as if a shimmery curtain now separated him from his tiny bit of internal light. As he concentrated, the curtain got slightly thicker, and the light even more distant. He knew that if he wanted, he could tear through the barrier in a heartbeat, but he shrugged it off. "If the little bit wants some distance, fine by me. Probably's for the best. Don't need her getting some third eye sort of vision of me working over her big sis."

"Isn't that right, Slayer?" he asked as he gave Buffy's body a kick.

"Aw hell, never pegged you for the quiet type," Spike laughed as he flung her over his shoulder and took her to the lower level of the crypt. After chaining her to the wall, he moved to rouse the Buffybot.

"C'mon now, clap on, or whatever the hell you have to say. Wake up you stupid piece of tin!"

The Buffybot's eyes snapped open and a bright smile mechanically appeared on her face. "Good morning, Spike!" she said cheerfully.

"Get up," he said gruffly. "I have need of your services."

"Oooh, your presence sends chills down my spine and fear to my heart. Shall I run and scream before you chase me down and ravage me?" she asked, her eyes wide and willing.

"Not *those* kind of services, you mechanical twit. I'm gonna teach you a new game. Real simple. You see that girl chained up there? That's the real you. Go lie in that coffin across from her and pretend you're dead. And here..." Spike bit into his fingertip and smeared some blood and dirt on her head where he had hit the real Buffy. "...that's to make it look a bit more real."

"I don't know if I understand this game, Spike," the Buffybot said with a forlorn voice. This was not the sort of game her programming had taught her.

"Let's just call it a new type of screwing. You can understand that now, can't you? This is just screwing of the mental sort," he said with a malicious grin.

"Ok!" the Buffybot exclaimed happily as she bounced over to the coffin and laid down.

"Buffy!" Spike said in an exasperated tone of voice.

"Yes, Spike?"

"Put your legs together, now there's a girl," he said impatiently.

Finally the Buffybot was in position. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and a peaceful look was on her face. If it weren't for the blood congealing on her forehead, she would look like she was asleep. Not wanting to risk any more mishaps, Spike said evenly, "Your new wake command is `get up you stupid sod'... Nothing else, ya hear?."

"Get up you stupid sod...yes, I understand Spike," the Buffybot said cheerfully, unaware of the insult within the command.

That done, Spike ordered the robot to bed. "Buffy, sleep mode," he said quietly. A slight whoosh of air escaped the robot's lips as she became truly still.

Just then, the real Buffy began to stir. Spike quickly took his position kneeling next to the coffin and crying as if in mourning. He pretended not to notice as Buffy moaned softly and slowly opened her eyes. Dried blood covered her face and a deep gash ran across the top of her forehead and into her hairline. "Spike..." she attempted to growl, but it came out more like a weak cry for help than anything.

Spike yelped and lept back in mock fear, turning wildly as if to look for the source of the sound. "Who's there!" he shouted at random into the room. "I won't let you touch her!"

Confusion flitted across Buffy's face as she watched Spike prowl back and forth across the room, searching for a nonexistent intruder. He stormed past her without so much as a glance in her direction, as if he couldn't see her standing there, chained to the wall. "Spike!" she shouted, coughing with the effort. "What's happening..." she cried, Spike's odd behavior and her aching skull causing fear to creep in where normally she would be strong.

Spike whirled around violently again at the sound. "Buffy?" he said, hope in his voice, as he ran to the coffin side. He cradled the limp form inside and began to stroke her hair. "Buffy, oh God, Buffy...I knew you couldn't be dead. I knew it! C'mon, there's a luv. Wake up. Wake up!" he screamed as he began to shake her violently. The Buffybot lay as still as before.

"Wake up..." Spike wailed one final time before gently setting her body back down into its original position. "Bloody hell," he growled, running his fingers through his hair, "now I'm hearing things!"

Buffy strained against her chains as she called out, "Spike Spike! You have to hear me! I'm right here...why can't you hear me?"

Spike roared as he pushed himself away from the coffin. "GO AWAY!" he shouted as he spun in circles. He kept shouting as he kicked and punched various objects in the room. Finally, he came to where the real Buffy was chained up. Still acting as if he didn't see her, he slammed his two fists into the wall on either side of her head, mere inches from her hair. "Why the fuck won't you leave me alone? Even in death you haunt me, Summers," he moaned, leaning against his arms, but being careful not to touch her.

"Spike, I'm here!" Buffy said, still hoping he would see her.

Spike lept back and narrowed his eyes at the wall. "Yes, Spike! I'm here! I'm really here! Oh, God, please let him see me…"

Spike stared at the wall, then at the coffin, and then at the wall again before taking a tentative step in her direction. "Buffy?" he asked incredulously.

"You can see me? Please tell me you can see me!" Buffy cried.

Spike reached out to touch her, then pulled his hand back sharply, hissing as if he'd been burnt. "Hell, Slayer, I can see you. I can bloody well see *through* you too!"

"But that...that's impossible!"

"Well, luv, how's this for impossible," Spike said gently, "here I am, talking to you over here, when right over there lies your body, all stiff and cold. I hate to break the news to you, but I think you're a ghost."

"This can't be happening...this *can't* be happening. If I'm a ghost, why does my head hurt so much? Huh?" Buffy looked at him accusingly, as if she had just proved her entire point.

"Well, here's how I see it. You took quite a bump to the head, got your skull all bashed to pieces. That's what did you in... but since you've convinced yourself you're still alive, you've left yourself with all the physical symptoms you should wake up with after a nasty turn like that. That's why you've still got blood all over ya too. Look at your corpse. Tried to clean her up, I did. Didn't have the best of clothes to put on her, but I wanted her looking a little less bloody for when your friends come round. Won't do for them to see you a crumpled, bloody mess. So I fixed you up, nice and neat as I could." As he said this, tears started to stream down his face.

"Hell, Slayer. Why'd you have to go and die. It's not easy ya know? Bandaging up the dead body of someone ya used to love. You were so strong...so beautiful. Why did you have to go and die!" As he said this, he began to drift back towards the coffin and the still form of the Buffybot.

"Spike, no! Don't leave me!" She strained against her chains again, trying to reach out to him. "Why can't I move?" she exclaimed.

Spike turned back to her, sadness etched on his face. He moved to cup her face, his hand hovering mere millimeters above the surface of her skin before pulling back. "I think it's a spiritual metaphor, or some such rot. You've literally chained yourself to this earth because you feel you still have things to accomplish. I'm afraid I can't help you there. Only you can set yourself free from this prison."

Spike sat down and stared at the ground, his head in his hands. "I don't know what to do here, Slayer. I really don't," he said, false remorse tingeing his words. Buffy let out a strangled cry and slumped against the wall, tears streaming down her face.

* * * * * * * * * *

Dawn stared at the prison of her own making. All around her was light. Gleaming, white light. This was who she was. No memories from the monks. No influences from her friends, family or the world around her. No Spike. This light was her essence.

She took a few steps forward and held her hand out. The light gave way slightly to show a wall. She could see it all around her. A sphere that glittered, diamond strong. Taking a deep breath, she allowed a door to form in front of her. Through it she could see the link between her and Spike. It no longer glowed pink as it had when she first began. There were now two distinct sections, pure white and blood red...her and Spike, two *separate* entities.

Tentatively, she moved along the glowing beam, allowing her mind to reach into the blood-like light without letting it consume her. Dawn stepped forward, her eyes closed, and red light bathed her, like a supernatural dark room. When she opened her eyes again, she could see into Spike's crypt. Tears were on her face...no *his* face, but inside his head, laughter continuously rang out, loud and clear. Dawn watched the show for a bit, becoming more and more confused by the minute.

Dawn gasped as two rough hands reached out and grabbed her. Spike was no longer talking to Buffy. He sat on the ground, his head in his hand, so the Slayer wouldn't notice his distraction. Mentally he grasped Dawn in an iron grip. "Enjoying the show, little bit?" he growled, the menacing sound sending chills down Dawn's spine.

"Spike, you're hurting me!" Dawn cried. Immediately, Spike's grip loosened and he winced as if in pain.

"Sorry 'bout that, luv. Just meant to startle ya. This poking around inside each other's brains takes some gettin' used to."

Dawn backed away, frightened by what she was seeing in Spike. Something seemed off...different somehow. "I...I have to go Spike. Don't leave, I'll be over soon." Dawn retreated into her diamond dome. She could feel Spike following her as she tried to close the door she had opened.

"Dawn, wait!" Spike yelled.

Again, Dawn found two hands gripping her shoulders. "Dawn...Dawn! Come back to me," Giles said urgently as he shook her lightly.

He sighed in relief as her eyes lost that glazed look and focused on him. "I thought I had lost you there for a moment. What happened?"

"I...I did what we've been practicing. I formed a room inside my head where only I existed, with nothing from the outside world. But this time I went further. Once I felt pretty secure, I explored a little. I poked inside of Spike's head, and I was ok for a while. Then he noticed me. He...he tried to hold me there."

"I'm guessing that was his self-preservation instinct taking effect. It's not every day that one has an outside presence invading one's mind. Wh...what did you see while you were there?"

"I don't know really," Dawn said slowly. "It was all muddled. I think Spike was fantasizing or something. Buffy was there, but she kept changing. Sometimes she was in a coffin, wearing really tacky clothes for some reason, and other times she was chained to the wall, blood caked all over her face. It couldn't have been real. Spike can't even defend himself, let along hurt her. Giles...I'm scared. What if Buffy hurt Spike, and that's why he didn't want me to leave. M...maybe he needed to tell me something and I just ran off. He could be in his crypt, bleeding and hurt. He could be dreaming about hurting Buffy because he can't fight back against her! We have to go help him!" Dawn was getting frantic, and she began to tug on Giles's arm, motioning for him to get his car keys.

"Dawn, you must calm down. As difficult as it may seem right now, we need to think logically. When you let yourself into Spike's mind, did you feel any pain? Think closely on that...did you feel pain of any sort?" Giles stared at her intently, and realization flashed in her eyes.

"No, I guess I didn't," she said softly. "I was scared when he grabbed me, but I didn't feel pain coming from him."

"Then it is safe to assume that Spike isn't in any sort of physical discomfort, agreed?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Dawn said, visibly relieved.

"Right, then. While I shudder to think about the implications this has on the frequency of Spike's daydreams about Buffy's death, I don't believe what you saw is the result of Spike mentally seeking revenge for a beating from Buffy. But I do agree that it would be prudent to go to Spike's crypt and see what has occurred, but hopefully we can go with a bit more of a rational mindset now. I'd hate to think all these lessons about centering oneself have gone for naught."

"Yeah, yeah. I get the point. But we have to hurry...Mom's supposed to go to the hospital today at 4 and it's already 1. We have to find Buffy and get her home so Mom won't be all alone at the hospital."

"Let's go then, shall we?" Giles said as he opened the door for Dawn.

"Yup, let's" Dawn replied, hurrying out the door.

Giles sped all the way to the cemetery, and the two raced towards Spike's crypt, getting several strange looks from people visiting the graves of their dearly departed. Once inside, Spike was nowhere to be seen. Dawn glanced around quickly and then exclaimed, "Over here, Giles! I think there's another level!"

The two explorers climbed slowly down to the lower level. Dawn gasped at the sight before here. It was the coffin from Spike's dream, but it was surrounded by candles, casting deep shadows on everything around it. She didn't bother to wait for Giles to finish descending before she rushed over to the coffin. Inside, Buffy was laid out, still as death. Dawn reached out to touch her and shrieked as she felt the cold skin beneath her fingers.

From the wall came a slight sob. Buffy, resigned to being dead, didn't even call out to her friends. She just cried in misery, her willingness to fight drained for the moment. Dawn looked up in surprise. Giles appeared behind her and placed his hands protectively on her shoulders, his brow knitted in confusion.

Dawn reached out slightly with her mind, and then turned to the

smirking figure leaning against the wall in shadows.

"Spike, why are there two Buffies?" Dawn asked, her eyes narrowing.

* * * *

"Why are there two Buffies?" Dawn asked suspiciously.

Buffy's head snapped up as hope filled her eyes. "You can see me?" she asked excitedly.

"Of course I can see you Buffy. What's going on?"

"I'm a ghost," Buffy said dejectedly, her consussion making her tone seem almost child-like.

Giles stepped towards Buffy and gently pushed her hair out of her face. "Buffy, I can assure you, you are most definitely not a ghost. But you are in serious need of some medical attention. I'm afraid you've had quite a bump to the head."

"Is that why everything is so blurry?" she asked dreamily.

"Yes, I'm afraid it is," Giles said softly, his gentle tone a quiet cover for the anger building inside of him. "You must tell me though, however did you get the idea that you are a ghost?"

"Well," Buffy said slowly, "I remember coming to the crypt, ready to give Spike a whole new meaning of the word pain, when suddenly everything went black. I woke up, and...I could see my corpse lying there. Spike was actually grieving, believe it or not. I started screaming at him, and he didn't even notice. When he finally saw me, he told me I had died. But maybe it's not too late! If I'm still here, can't you like, magic me back into my body?"

"Buffy, you must believe me when I say you are very much alive," Giles said patiently. "Dear," he muttered more to himself than to anyone else, "you must have hit your head rather hard to actually believe a word that came out of Spike's mouth."

Spike's head turned sharply to look at Giles in silent protest as he continued to inch his way towards retreat. While Buffy and Giles had been speaking, Spike had been slowly edging his way towards the door. Dawn had been standing in shocked silence, but she snapped to attention when she noticed Spike trying to leave.

"Stop right there, mister!" Dawn grabbed Spike by the front of the shirt and dragged him over to where Buffy was chained up. Even though he could easily outmatch her, he followed like a whipped puppy. "First, you are going to give Giles the keys to unlock my sister. Then you are going to tell me *exactly* what is going on here, starting with what happened to Buffy, and why there is a corpse that looks like her in that coffin."

Spike gave Dawn a sexy grin and slowly dug into the pockets of his tight, black jeams to produce a large, iron key for the shackles. Shifting uncomfortably under Dawn's very unamused look, he began his version of the story. "Um, well...yeah. You see...Buffy, she came in here with this bright idea that she was gonna work me over real good, but somehow you ESPed a message into my head. Warning bells went off, so to speak, and I was all ready to relocate myself, like some pansey-assed poof of a vampire, can't even defend myself properly. Damn shame it is to, let me tell you..."

"Spike!" was the curt reply from a very impatient Giles. "Do get on with it!"

"Oh, bugger off!" Spike angrily replied.

The two Englishmen glared at each other and Dawn pointedly coughed and raised her eyebrow. This was enough to quiet both of them, and Spike continued his story.

"Anyway...blondie here stormed in before I could make myself scarce. Thing is, she rushed on in, in such a righteous rage, that she set the door flying back into the wall. Caused a small cave-in, it did. These crypts aren't the sturdiest of homes. What with the rate of people dying in this God forsaken hell-hole, these crypts have to go up mighty fast I'd gather. She huffed and she puffed, and down came part of my roof. Can check for yourself if you like. The stones came down and knocked her right out."

"Spike, this does not explain how Buffy came to be *chained to a wall*, the belief that she is dead firmly implanted in her mind. Do tell...how do you justify playing with the mind of a woman you claimed to have loved?"

"C'mon now, Watcher. Think for a moment. This woman spurned my love...rejected me at every turn. Now what do you expect me to do? Chip or no chip, a vampire's got to have his respect. Here I am, the Slayer all bleedin' and unconscious at my feet. Can't kill her. Oh no, we can't have that. But here is my enemy, the bane of my existence, the blonde terror who has humiliated me more than any other. You expect me to just bandage her up nice and neat and kiss it better? Hell no! I've had my fill of trying to get into her good graces. Not this vampire...never again. So, I did what I could in this situation. I had myself a spot of fun. I guess the government blokes didn't wire me for mental anguish when they worked me over, so I took my chance to play around a bit. I convinced our dear Buffy that she had joined the ranks of the dearly departed. Gave her just a fraction of the pain she caused me, I'll tell you that." Spike sneered down at the semi-conscious form of Buffy, now cradled in Giles's arms.

"But Spike," Dawn interjected, "that still doesn't explain the body in the coffin."

"Oh, right. That." Spike kicked the coffin and grumbled, "Wake up you stupid sod." The Buffybot sat bolt upright and looked around the room. She saw Dawn and a mannequin-like smile lit up her face.

"I'm Buffy," she said brightly. "You're Dawn, my sister."

Spike grimaced slightly and continued. "What you see there is a marvel of modern technology. Now, as we are all painfully aware, I was rather besotted with the damn Slayer. Embarrassing tidbit of info I'd like to keep quiet, by the way. But, in my love-sick state, I ran across a maker of androids. Ordered myself a replica of Buffy. Figured if I couldn't have her, I could at least have something."

"Oh. My. God. You bought a sexbot. Can I say Ewww! With a capital E?" Dawn shivered as she looked at the mechanical monstrosity that bore an uncanny likeness to her sister.

The Buffybot took the insult with a smile plastered on her face. Seeing Dawn was upset, she tried to explain her purpose. "Dawn, my sister, I am not just for sex anymore. At first that was all Spike wanted. He had me specially programmed just for that. But he was displeased so I was given extra programming. I can make him happy in lots of ways now." She smiled again, certain that she had fixed everything.

"You slept with that...that *thing*?" Dawn asked, furious and hurt at the same time.

Spike stepped towards her, his hands up in defense. "Now pet, you have to let me explain..."

"Spike, you have really outdone yourself. I didn't think you had it in you, but you have the mental torture thing down to an art. You must be so proud. The Slayer and her sister in one fell swoop." Dawn glared at him, and then purposely spat out, "You are *just* like Angelus."

Spike recoiled as if he'd been slapped. His whole life he had tried to get out from Angelus' shadow, to be anything except like his sire. Dejectedly, he said, "now that's hitting below the belt, luv."

Dawn felt a pang of guilt run through her. She had purposefully distanced herself mentally from Spike, but the hurt on his face still stung her heart. She was about to take back her words when the Buffybot tried to come to the rescue.

"Dawn, you can't be angry at Spike. Spike loves you. He wouldn't have sex with me until I pretended to be you. I used your voice to please him. You are what makes him happy." The Buffybot tried to give Dawn a hug, and she sprung back in horror.

"Fuck!" Spike exclaimed. "Buffy, sleep mode," he said quickly, trying to keep her from causing any more damage.

The Buffybot collapsed to the ground, and Dawn stood above her death- like form in shock. "I can't even *begin* to describe how low you are Spike," Dawn said in an icy voice.

"I trusted you." She showed him the marks on her arm and on her neck. "I opened a *vein* for you! I gave you as much of myself as I could possibly give, but NO, that wasn't enough. I wouldn't sleep with you, so you went and fucked some robot because you couldn't keep it in your pants long enough to wait until I was ready. You have ETERNITY, and you couldn't wait. But I guess you got what you wanted. Best of both worlds. A robot that looks like Buffy, but can sound like me. I hope you have what you want, because you will *never* have me. I hate you!" she screamed, tears rolling down her face.

Spike paced back and forth, anger and regret warring inside of him. "Would you just listen to me for one BLOODY second?" he shouted. "This thing," he said, kicking the robot at his feet, "was a mistake... just a way to shag the Slayer. Virtual Buffy, all pliable and willing. But I wanted her before I knew you. I have something better now, so I had her reprogrammed. She was supposed to be a soddin' *doctor* for God's sake. A present for you and your mum. Someone to look out for Joyce when you lot couldn't be around. Underneath the cheerleader smile, she's got the wiring of a neurosurgeon. Didn't know that stupid git who built her didn't erase the original programming. So now I've got this robot who's only goal is to make me happy. She sees that YOU are what makes me happy, so she tries to give me you. And I was weak...I let her. But don't you see...I want *you*, not some robotic imitation."

"Wake it up, Spike," Dawn said calmly.

"What?!"

"Wake that thing up. What I have to say, I want you both to hear."

Spike kicked the robot again and muttered, "Wake up you stupid sod."

"Hi!" the Buffybot said in a chipper tone of voice.

"Listen and listen well," Dawn said, addressing the Buffybot. "You can have him. Make him happy however you want. He no longer concerns me." The Buffybot looked up at her, a confused look appearing on her mechanical face.

"Spike, you can take you and your 'present' and go to hell. I want nothing to do with either of you." Dawn felt compelled to add one final blow, and tell him he was beneath her, something she knew would hurt him to the core, but she didn't have it in her to be that cruel. Instead, she purposefully turned her back on Spike, insulting him in a vampiric fashion by treating him as no threat. With an effort, she kept the tears from flowing as she walked towards Giles.

"C'mon...let's get out of here," Dawn said matter-of-factly. "Buffy needs a doctor and mom's probably already at the hospital, it's so late. We have to hurry though. I'm guessing the sun is either about to set or already down. I don't think I can handle any more vampires today."

Giles saw the pain etched across Dawn's face and rose to embrace her. "I am so sorry, my dear."

A wobbly Buffy staggered to her feet and leaned against the wall. "I don't feel so good, guys."

Giles gave Dawn a final squeeze before rushing to Buffy's side. "We're leaving... can you walk?"

"Yeah, I'll manage," Buffy said, trying to gather her strength.

Giles helped support Buffy as they walked to the entranceway to the upper level. Dawn moved to follow, and Spike stepped in front of her, blocking her path. "You can't just leave, Dawn," Spike said in a pleading voice. "We're connected, you and I. That just doesn't go away... that will *never* go away. You are mine and I am yours, whether you like it or not!"

"Goodbye, Spike" Dawn said, brushing past him.

Spike stood for a minute in stunned silence, half hoping that Dawn would come back. Finally he moved to follow the group out of the crypt, the Buffybot trailing blithely behind him like a loyal puppy. Spike raced outside and watched Dawn's retreating form as she and Giles rushed to get Buffy to the car before any vampires began to rise for the evening.

Spike followed at a distance, making sure nothing attacked them on their way through the cemetery, before finally letting Dawn go. When he got back to the crypt, his robot was waiting for him. Without a second though, he decided to take his pent-up frustration out on the Buffybot. His fists clenched as he turned to glare at her. "Fine mess you've gotten me into," he growled as he shook her roughly and then slapped her across the face.

The Buffybot crumpled to the ground. "You are displeased," she cried in a despondent voice, oily tears leaking out of her eyes.

"Bloody hell! Figured that one out, did ya? Of *course* I'm displeased, you stupid bint!"

The Buffybot slowly rose to her feet and walked over to where Spike was pacing, standing in front of him with her head bowed. "I'm sorry, Spike" she apologized quietly. "I want to help... how can I fix this... how can I make you happy?"

Spike looked down at the oil-streaked face of the robot who would do

anything for him and actually felt a twinge of guilt. It wasn't her fault things had gotten so royally screwed up. With a groan, he gathered the crying robot into his arms. He rested his chin on her head and sighed, "You know, you might just be the only friend I have left. You wanna help though? Delete anything in your program about having sex with me. Never talk about it... *especially* around Dawn, and never try to have it with me again... *ever*. Understand?"

Spike heard a slight whirring sound coming from inside the Buffybot. When she looked up at him again, the fanatical admiration in her eyes was gone. "I think I understand," she replied. "We are just... friends. I can still make you happy, but it is not my job to sleep with you."

"Oddly put, but yeah, I think you've got it. Go on inside now. I just need some time to clear my head."

From a distance, several pairs of eyes watched the exchange between Spike and the Buffybot. They were too far to hear their conversation, but they noted with glee the way the Slayer seemed to hold this one in high esteem above all others.

"See how patient she is with this one," one of Glory's minions said knowingly. "There is none of her characteristic temper. With all of her other companions she is quarrelsome and mouthy, but she takes his abuse quietly and even moves to comfort him. She must care for him a great deal."

Nods of agreement were shared between the trollish minions. Echoes of "he is the one" rippled through the small group. Stealthily, they moved to surround Spike. By the time he heard their approach, it was too late. He was already surrounded. Spike fought with a fury, killing several of the creatures, but in the end their numbers overpowered him. Kicking and yelling, Glory's servants dragged Spike along in the direction of Glory's lair.

"Glorificus will be well pleased," the head minion said smugly.

* * * *

Giles paced furiously in the waiting room of the hospital. It was killing him, not knowing exactly what was going on with the *two* Summers women that were now in the hospital. Angrily, recommenced his ongoing argument with the nurse at the front desk.

"As I've explained *several times*, Mr. Giles, Buffy is with the

doctors. I don't know why it's taking so long for 'just a couple bloody stitches,' as you so eloquently put it. And Mrs. Summers is still undergoing several tests. I'm not at liberty to divulge patient information with you, so if you would kindly take your seat, I will notify you as soon as either of the Summers women is ready to receive a visitor."

The nurse ended her speech with a glare that would have daunted most

men, but Giles had become quite accustomed to glares from determined women, and he was not about to back down. "I most certainly will *not* take a seat," Giles said loudly. "I have been sitting for *hours*. I have put up with this nonsense long enough, and you *will* take me to Buffy or I will find her myself!"

Giles moved to stride past the nurses' station and into the area where they treated patients. The nurse placed a firm hand on Giles's chest and said evenly, "Sit *down*, Mr. Giles. Do not force me to call security."

Dawn took this moment to leap from her seat and provide a calming

influence in the situation. "C'mon, Giles," she said, taking his hand. "Come sit with me. If you leave or get arrested or something, I'll be here all alone, and I just don't think I could take that right now."

Giles looked down at Dawn's pleading face and grudgingly acquiesced. "Very well," he said with a sigh. "I suppose waiting a bit longer will do no harm."

Giles and Dawn had just begun to walk back to their seats when Dawn

stopped dead in her tracks, a strange look on her face. At first she just gasped, looking slightly bewildered, then she screamed and fell to the ground, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Giles quickly knelt next to the writhing girl as she clasped her stomach and moaned in pain. "Dawn," he said urgently, "what is it?"

"I think it's Spike," she said through clenched teeth, giving Giles the answer he had feared. Before he could speak to her anymore, a flurry of nurses and doctors pushed him to the side. He lunged through them and whispered fervently in her ear, "Remember your training, Dawn!" And then it was too late to say any more. He was roughly pushed back and Dawn was carried away.

"Please, let me accompany her!" he pleaded.

Again he came face to face with the nurse who was quickly becoming a

bane to him. "You know that's not possible, Mr. Giles. I'm afraid you'll have to just wait out here until the doctors have finished."

"Bloody hell!" he growled as he punched the wall in frustration.

* * * * * * * * * *

Spike struggled against his bonds as the lumpy demons dragged him into Glory's lair. She began to look him over and the cowering head minion, Jinx, spoke. "Most splendiferous one, we believe we have brought you..." he looks at his fellow minions and they respond in unison, "...The Key!"

Glory paced around Spike, squeezing him in various places as if she

were buying fruit at the grocery store. "Hey, watch the hands lady!" Spike yelped in protest. Glory continued her examination. She leaned in close to his face and sniffed his neck, even giving him a quick lick before grabbing Jinx and throwing him to the ground.

"*He* can't be the Key, because, see, the Key... has to be pure. This is a vampire. Lesson number one... vampire equals impure."

"Yeah, damn right I'm impure. I'm as impure as the driven yellow snow. Let me go," Spike said a bit nervously.

Glory ran her hands seductively through Spike's hair. "You can't even brain-suck a vampire," she said, giving his head a rough shove. "He's completely useless."

"But, your holiness," Jinx humbly interjected, "we observed the Slayer. She held this one above all others. She treated him as precious."

Glory perked up, spinning to face Spike. "Really? Precious? Well, let's take a peek at you, precious." Glory looked him up and down, running her finger down the middle of his chest.

"Sod off," Spike growled, flinching at her touch.

"That wasn't very nice," Glory said sweetly as she punched him in the

face, sending him flying across the room. A trickle of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth. Before he could get his bearings, Glory was at him again. She grabbed him and threw him onto her bed. Glory crawled on top of him as he groaned in pain. She straddled his waist and her hand crept down between his thighs. "Just tell me what you know, and I can make it good for

you. You'll die quickly, I promise."

Spike looked at her in horror. "What makes you think I'd even want to touch the likes of a skanky, psychotic, cheap, ex-god like you? You're second rate all the way," Spike said with false bravado, emphasizing each insult, giving them a chance to sink in.

"I don't care what you want!" Glory screamed, punching him in the face again. "I want to be inside you," she whispered into his ear.

A confused look flitted across Spike's face. "I think you've got things a bit backwards."

Glory quickly demonstrated what she meant, taking one finger and thrusting it into Spike's stomach. He arched his back and released a guttural scream. "Shhh. What do you know, precious? What can I dig out of you?" Glory cooed, stroking the side of his face gently as she pushed her finger in deeper.

Violently, Glory pushed herself away from Spike, not caring that she

cracked a few ribs in the process. With an idle wave of her hand, she motioned to her minions. "String him up, boys."

Rapidly, the minions scurried over to Spike and lifted his body from

the bed. They firmly wrapped chains around his wrists and hauled him to the ceiling, hanging him like he was a piece of meat. Glory walked towards him, her high heels clicking on the tile. "Why don't you just make this easy on yourself, sweetie. I haven't even begun to cause you pain."

She punched him in the stomach several times, and once more in the

face for good measure. Spike groaned with every hit, but managed to keep his mouth firmly shut. Glory took her finger and began to point back and forth between his eyes. "Eeny, meeny, miney, moe... which eye should I poke out?" she said in a sing-song voice.

"Stupid bint, doesn't even rhyme," Spike coughed out.

"Shut up!" Glory said, offended. "I'm a god, you know. You should be nice to me..." Glory looked as though she was about to start pouting, then she hauled off and punched Spike again.

"Would you look what you did?" Glory screeched, examining her hand. "You got blood all over my nail polish...and I just painted them!" The flaky god took one of her fingers and slowly licked the blood off it. Startled, she stepped back and looked at her finger in awe. Then she approached Spike and licked his stomach, near where she had punctured it earlier.

"Back off, bitch," Spike said through clenched teeth. "Already said

I'm not interested."

"How did you do it?" she yelled, shaking him violently. "Why do you

taste like my Key?"

Spike couldn't quite manage a cocky grin through all the swelling, but his tone was arrogant. "I'm a vampire, you see. Corruptin' innocents is a daily affair. You can't expect me to remember them all."

"You fed from her, didn't you? Damnit!" Glory screamed. "Tell me who she is," Glory pleaded.

Spike noticed a tone of desperation in her voice that hadn't been there before. Something had changed. He didn't know what it was, but for some reason the outcast god seemed to need him now. This tiny tidbit of information was enough to restore Spike's confidence. He responded to her question with a disdainful air.

"Not bloody likely."

"Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!" Glory yelled in frustration, punctuating

her words by punching Spike. Finally, she collapsed onto her bed with a sigh. "Get him down from there," she said with a wave to her minions.

"But most holy one, don't you wish to continue pummeling him for

information," Jinx timidly asked.

"No, you idiot. I need him now. He's got some of the Key's blood in

him. I need as much blood as I can get. We'll bleed him too, when the time comes. Go tie him up somewhere. If he escapes you die, k?" That said, Glory flopped back on her bed, and stared at the ceiling while her minions scurried to obey her commands.

* * * * * * * * * *

Dawn laughed in relief... she laughed so hard that she cried. She had

done it! Her world had been nothing but pain, and now it was gone... just vanished.

The confused looks on the doctors' faces only made her laugh harder.

She couldn't blame them though. When they first brought her back, there were signs of internal bleeding, and bruises populated her body. Now she was already healing. Not as quickly as if she had been a vampire, but more rapidly than any normal human, even the Slayer. One of the few small advantages to being bound to a vampire.

"I just don't understand it," a young intern said to a doctor that was berating him for incompetence. "I know I did the tests right... there's no way we should be getting such drastically different results. It's like she's healing before our very eyes!" The frustrated young man ran his fingers through his hair and paced in annoyance.

"I've had quite enough of your theatrics. You obviously did something wrong," said the doctor contemptuously. "Patients don't just heal themselves... they need *us*! I believe this girl merely had a nasty fall, and the blood made it seem worse than it really was. That, coupled with worry over her family, is most likely the source of the pain she seemed to be in, no massive internal injuries that have suddenly vanished. Just look at her... she's hysterical, but not dying."

Dawn calmed herself down to some soft giggling. "Boy, these doctors

sure have denial down to an art," Dawn thought. "They must have to do this every night, living on the Hellmouth and all."

Dawn sat up and stared at the people around her. They all seemed so

intent of finding out 'what went wrong', i.e. a patient actually getting better without their intervention, that most of them were completely ignoring her. She waited for a slight pause in the noise, before interrupting. "Excuse me," she said softly. "Hello!" she said a bit more loudly, this time catching their attention. "I'm feeling much better now. Is there any chance I could see my mom and my sister?"

"You took quite a fall young lady. You're lucky you escaped with only some minor cuts and bruises. We'd still like to observe you for a bit," said the doctor, "but we can put you in the same room as your sister. Your mother is still undergoing some tests, but we'll certainly let you know when she is finished," he said with a placating smile.

They put Dawn in a wheelchair and gave her a short ride over to the

part of the ER where Buffy was resting. Inside the curtained off room, Dawn could hear talking. "Giles!" Dawn exclaimed as they wheeled her in. "What happened?"

"Dawn!" both Giles and Buffy cried in unison.

Dawn raced over and embraced her sister and then Giles, who was sitting in a chair right next to Buffy's bed. Then, realizing the intern was still watching her intently, she swayed a little bit, pretending to be woozy.

The intern pushed the other close to Buffy's and gave it a small pat. "Here, why don't you sit down," he said with a small smile. "They're going to want to keep you here overnight, for observation. Pretend that you're still weak, but feeling better, and they should let you go home tomorrow with your sister."

"What do you mean pretend?" Dawn said with wide eyes as she climbed

into the bed.

"I'm not as willing to delude myself as most of the people here," he

said with a slight tone of bitterness. "Weird stuff happens here. Bodies drained of blood coming back to life... 'wolf' and 'bear' attacks in a town that hasn't seen that kind of wildlife in half a century or more... patients healing themselves on the table," he concluded, with a knowing look at down. "I might not know what causes it all, but I certainly won't ignore it. Don't worry though, unless you sprout fangs and try to attack me, your secret's safe with me."

He had meant that last statement as a joke, but the sudden silence that filled the room spoke much louder than any words. A chill went down his spine as he realized that none of them were even attemtping to deny any of the seemingly impossible things he was suggesting. Instead, they all seemed to be avoiding his gaze, silently begging him not to pry any further. The confirmation that at least some of his assumptions were true was strangely unwelcome. It was almost better to believe he was crazy than to know that there really were supernatural things that went bump in the night. Quickly, he grabbed the wheelchair and muttered a goodbye, leaving them to whatever they had to discuss.

A perceptible sigh went through the group once the intern left the

room. "I suppose it's good to know that not all of the residents of Sunnydale are living in complete denial," Giles said, trying to break the tension. "But do tell me Dawn, what happened to give our friend such a burst of insight?"

"No way, mister. I asked you first. What happened while I was gone." Dawn crossed her arms and gave an attempt at a stern face.

"Yeah, c'mon Mr. Self-Restraint. Why don't you instruct Dawn in proper waiting room behavior?" Buffy teased.

Giles looked sheepishly down at his hand, bandaged and splinted, and

now resting easily in a sling. "Yes, well, I'm afraid with the entire Summers family now residing in the hospital, I became slightly fed up with waiting. When the ever discourteous staff informed me yet *again* that I should take a seat, I became a bit...disgruntled."

"I'm a big girl, Giles. You can say 'pissed off'," Dawn smirked.

Giles glared at her, but he continued his story. "Yes, well, in my

angered state, I vented my frustration out on the wall, to the consternation of the staff, I'm sure. And the result was this," he said, indicating his bandaged hand.

"Oh cool, Giles punched a wall!" Dawn said gleefully.

"No not cool," Buffy admonished. "It was stupid, and dangerous. And... well... stupid."

"Yes, Dawn. Buffy is quite correct in this instance. You'd do well

not to follow my example. But let's shift the focus off of me for just a moment, shall we? What happened to you?"

Dawn grimaced slightly. "It was Spike...*again*. I think he's in trouble with another ex-girlfriend or something," she said with disdain. "For a second, I felt kinda turned on and mad at the same time. I just don't get guys...it's like they get turned on even when they don't want to be. Spike definitely did *not* like this girl,

yet she aroused him."

"Well, you know for Spike, getting beat up is like third base," Buffy commented. "Anyway, guys are pigs. They get turned on by almost anything. Spike's almost normal that way."

"Ahem," Giles muttered, looking slightly offended.

"Present company excluded of course," Buffy said as she leaned over and gave him a slight kiss on the cheek.

Dawn raised her eyebrows and Giles turned a bright shade of red. "D… d…d…do go on, Dawn," Giles stuttered, wanting to keep them from noticing his sudden embarrassment.

Dawn smiled and continued her story. "Well, this girl must have really hated Spike, because the next thing I knew, it felt like someone was beating me up...I hurt all over, especially my stomach.

This girl must have been like, supernaturally strong, to work him over like that. Then I did the whole Zen thing Giles taught me, and I distanced myself from my link with Spike. It still hurt for a

while, but then it suddenly stopped. I think Spike's beating is probably over for now. I'd say he deserved every second of it if I didn't have to live with the lovely side effects."

"Well I'm glad you're ok," Buffy said, reaching over and giving Dawn's hand a squeeze. "And I'd like to officially welcome you into the world of boy trouble, Hellmouth style."

"Yeah, dating a vampire sure is weird."

"*Dating* him?" Buffy exclaimed. "Oh please don't tell me you're gonna *stay* with him!"

"Buffy," Dawn said slowly, "I love him, and when you love somebody you stick with them, through the good and the bad. Right now things,

are bad, but despite *everything* I still miss him in the `I can't live without you' sort of way. You can't cut somebody out of your heart just because things aren't all sunshine and roses."

"Wow," Buffy said with admiration. "When did you get all grown up and mature?"

"You don't hate me?" Dawn asked nervously.

"No, I don't hate you. I might not agree with your decision, but I

don't hate you. And this is really going to surprise you, but I don't hate Spike either. He's helped us over and over again... he's even save my life and *yours*, and all he wanted, besides blood and cigarettes that is, was a little bit of recognition. I treated him like dirt, and I was wrong. Not that I want to be all buddy-buddy with a vampire, but I think a... truce... could be established."

"Do you mean it?" Dawn said hopefully.

"Yeah, I mean it," Buffy smiled. "I mean, it's not like I can go beat the crap out of him if every time I hit him it hurts you."

"Thanks, Buffy. That means a lot to me, it really does," Dawn said

quietly.

"I'm so proud of you both," Giles said, a fatherly smile on his face. "You are both turning into remarkable young women so quickly, it astounds me."

"Does that mean I finally get to go patrolling," Dawn asked.

"Not in a million years," Buffy laughed.

"Well, can I at least date without fear of my sister staking my

boyfriend?"

"I suppose," Buffy said with an exaggerated effort.

"I wonder where Spike is anyway," Dawn mused.

* * * * * * * * *

Spike groaned in his chair. He almost wished Glory were beating him up again. Anything had to be better than listening to her insane drivel. At least she had been making sense before, trying to pry information out of him. Now she almost seemed to be talking to the voices in her head. The only thing that kept him from provoking her was the laughing presence in the back of his mind. Dawn felt happy and safe. He knew that everything that happened to him affected her strongly. To keep her from any more pain, he gritted his teeth and continued to placidly sit while Glory paced in front of him.

"No, no, no, no, no! You can't do this! Not now... not when I'm finally getting close. My vampire knows something about the Key. Just... just let me have some more time. Ahhh... I need to eat... need... NOOO!" Glory ceased her pacing and held her head as she screamed. Her high-pitched tones deepened into a rich bass as her mortal half came to the forefront.

"Well, would you look at that," Spike said, things suddenly looking a bit brighter.