Clarification

Written: May 2002

Spike lay on the ground, attempting to recover from the trials that the demon had put him through. The demon's eyes glowed and turned to look as Spike came to.

"You have endured the required trials," he told Spike.

"Bloody right I have! " Spike slowly twisted himself, pushing up from the floor into a kneeling position. "So, you'll give me what I want. Make me what I was. So, Buffy can get what she deserves," Spike demanded.

The demon cocked his head and raised one finger.

"Of course, but first I need some clarification as to what you think Buffy deserves," the demon responded.

Spike eyes widened and he wondered what the demon meant. As he began to ask, he felt himself being pulled away through a tunnel of moving lights. The movement stopped suddenly and Spike found himself on the floor of the Summer's basement. Muttering to himself about not being given a warning and questioned why he ended up here of all places. Then from the floor above he heard Dawn call out.

"Buffy, I'm leaving for school. See ya this afternoon." Then the front door slammed.

Spike chuckled to himself. The demon must have removed the chip because he couldn't feel it squirming around in his head anymore.

"Finally I can give the bitch what she deserves. I'll show her what an evil soulless vampire is really like!"

Quietly moving upstairs he paused to listen for Buffy's presence. Not hearing her on the first level he started up the staircase. Halfway up he could hear her humming some silly love song! This was definitely not the girl he had last seen. It appeared from the sound of her cheery little tune that she had shaken off her "woe is me" attitude and found some happiness. Spike grinned wickedly and thought that she wouldn't be that way for long. He crept to her doorway and watched her for a few moments as she matched up her clothes. All the while she continued to hum that insidious tune.

Buffy sensed that she wasn't alone and turned to look at him clutching a blouse to her chest. She stared at him in disbelief.

"Spike, what are you doing here? I didn't think I would ev..ever see you again," she stammered.

"Slayer, I came back to make sure you got what you deserved!"

Spike moved at vampire speed and had Buffy in his arms and his fangs in her neck before she could say another word. The blood flowed down his throat. The rush was so intense that it blocked out everything else. Buffy tried to push him away and she cried for him to stop. But this was his first true feed in so long it became everything to him. And then she stopped moving. He threw her lifeless body across the bed, wiped her blood from his chin and licked it off his hand. She looked so helpless. He had had his one good day. Spike laughed. As, he took one last look around the room he noticed her diary on the nightstand. It was still open to the last entry. He picked it up expecting to read some drivel about her life. Instead he found the one thing he never expected.

May 25, 2002 Now that everything is over I am going to hunt for Spike. Somehow when I thought the world would end I realized how much I love and need him. It won't be easy but all we need is our love and we will work it out somehow.

Below her entry she had drawn little hearts with their names scribbled in the middle. Spike felt the pain rip through his chest and the tears well up. Then he realized that it wasn't the chip -- it was him all along! He really loved Buffy! It wasn't something the chip had done to him. He heard screams surrounding him and it took him a moment to realize that screams were coming from him. He fell to his knees overwhelmed by the tears and pain.

Suddenly he was moving again back toward the cave. The demon looked at him.

"Well, is that what Buffy deserves?" He asked the vampire. He seemed to be enjoying the expression of pain on Spike's face. Then he asked another question. "Or is this what she deserves?"

Without a chance to reply or recover from his nightmare Spike was traveling again. This time he landed in a cemetery and found himself in a chase with a demon. He could feel Buffy's essence near him. He sighed with relief with the knowledge that she was still alive. Catching up with the demon he reached out to grab it when he felt Buffy's small hand on his hip.

"Spike, please take care it. I am so tired. Spike, pleeeeease," her plaintive voice reached through his dream and woke him.

Startled, Spike looked around to find that he was in bed with Buffy. She was shaking him by his hip. Spike could hear someone crying loudly down the hall. Realizing that the crying was what Buffy wanted him to take care of, he went down the hall to find whoever was incessantly crying. The sound seemed to be coming from Dawn's room. He walked into the room surprised to find a crib there. There in the crib was a baby girl, snuggled in pink clothes. As he leaned over the side the baby opened her eyes and looked up at him. Radiant green eyes gazed into his. A tear rolled down his cheek as he realized she had Buffy's eyes.

Spike picked the infant up cradling her to his chest. She quieted down as if she knew she was safe now. He sat with her in the rocker that was in the corner of the room and stared in awe at the tiny creature in his arms.

"Here's her milk, Spike" Dawn spoke from his side startling him.

He took the bottle from her and somehow got the bottle into the baby's mouth and she sucked at it contentedly.

Dawn turned to leave the room pausing to look back at him.

"Can I talk to you tomorrow? I had some trouble with some demon tonight and just need some advice."

"Sure Nibblet" He smiled up at her contentedly as he realized that this was his family. Buffy and he were together and the infant was theirs. And apparently Dawn was doing the slaying now.

Dawn bent down to kiss him on the cheek. Then she ran a finger softly across the baby's cheek.

"Good night Tara. Be a good girl for Daddy." Dawn whispered.

Then she was gone. Spike rose with Tara and returned to Buffy's room. He stood for a moment over the bed watching Buffy sleep. Then Spike placed the baby beside Buffy and laid down next to them. Reaching across the infant he took Buffy's hand into his and laced their fingers across Tara's stomach. Buffy opened her eyes and looked at him sleepily.

"Thank you Luv. I am so glad that you never gave up on us." Then she smiled at him.

"Damn it all to bloody hell," he shouted. He could feel himself being pulled away from them back to the cave with the manipulating demon. Finding his bearings he turned to look at the demon ready to blast him. The demon raised his hand to stop his ranting before it even started.

Then the hand came to rest on Spike's chest and the demon said, "Very well, now that we are certain of what you want we will return your soul."

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