Previously on Grey Lines:

Giles picks up Willow and Dawn on his way to Xander's. In the meantime, Spike wakes up and, as always, he and Buffy start arguing. At Xander's Giles tells them the events during the night and they all wonder what's going to happen now. A stubborn Spike decides to walk home in the middle of a storm, Buffy follows him, trying to stop him and a whole new argument ensues and just like she had done the previous day, Buffy shuts the vampire up with a kiss.

A shy knock coming from the door made him look up, his hands sliding sluggishly down the sides of his face to rest over his mouth as his gaze fell over the redhead.

"Hey..." she moved slowly, taking her seat on the bed next to the old librarian.

Giles simply nodded as he gave her a ghost of a smile.

"I think Xander has finally given into sleep." She spoke softly, reaching for a restless strand of red hair and pining it behind her pale ear.

Another weak smile was the old man's only reply.

"He dozed off with his head over Anya's lap."

A suffocating stillness built between them for a few moments, until Giles finally broke his silence and spoke:

"I don't know if we can beat him."

Willow looked at him a bit amazed but she didn't speak, preferring to listen instead.

"We don't even know what his powers are." He sighed letting his fingers graze through his hair. "He'll find us Willow. It won't take long."

The redhead paused for a while, wondering if she should say what was on her mind. They had avoided the subject the entire summer, ever since...

"I can help." She said plainly, a deep frown settling over her marble forehead as she waited for Giles' reaction.

"Not against Ethan. You don't know what he is capable of." The librarian answered, his gaze pinned on the wooden floor.

"I was talking about..." she hesitated before she said it. "...magic."

"What?!" Giles almost shouted standing up abruptly.

"Giles-"

"No! You cannot!" he cut her off not only with his short statement but also with a flat and sharp movement as his hand seemed to cut through the air.

"Giles I know I can handle it now." She tried to argue standing up and following the ex-watcher around the room. "You said it yourself. Eventually I would be able to recover and go back to the way it was."

"It's too soon. You're not ready." Giles said sharply, turning to face her.

"Buffy can't fight Ethan on her own, she'll get pummelled. Giles I know-"

"This is not open for discussion, Willow. No!" Giles ended the argument walking pass her and out the room. The ex-witch quickly followed him, trying desperately to make a point. As they moved into the living room Giles came to a full stop in mid stride, catching Willow off guard and causing her to bump into him.

"Well, well, well. You're here after all." Ethan spoke coolly, dropping an unconscious Xander on the floor. "And they said you had gone back to London. They got me worried there for a minute."

"What do you want Ethan?" Giles said in a flat tone, but inside him he could feel the adrenalin surge through his veins.

"Just to say hi to an old friend, I guess. How are you doing, Ripper? You look like you've put on a couple of pounds." Ethan mocked as he glazed around the room.

Giles' eyes desperately searched the compartment for Dawn's skinny figure until he found her sitting in the corner of the room. She was motionless, her arms hugged her legs and her mouth was tightly shut. The ex-watcher frowned, there was something very wrong with this picture, Dawn was never one to hide while one of her friends was being beat up by a madman. As he watched closely he noticed the fear and the anger swimming in her bloodshot eyes. Ethan had done something to her, he had paralysed her somehow.

Noticing the object of Giles' attention Ethan let out a deep laugh before speaking:

"Manahan demon poison. Doesn't last long, but it's good for keeping bad little girls in the corner when they've been bad." Looking at Dawn he added: "Isn't it, dearest?"

"What do you want?" Giles repeated the question. Behind him stood a frightened Willow, clinging to the old man's shirt.

"I've told-"

"Cut the crap, Ethan!" Giles hissed.

"Well, you're pet vampire snivelled his way into my territory. Tried to destroy what was mine. You don't know anything about that now do you?" A flicker of inhuman rage flashed across the madman's eyes as he spoke.

"No." Giles said simply.

Without a word, Ethan outstretched his hand. Almost instantly, Dawn's motionless body was flung across the room in his direction until his strong fingers connected with the young teenager's soft neck.

Willow drew one sharp breath at the sight of Dawn dangling by her neck from the Rayne's hand.

"Let her go." Giles ordered, but Ethan ignored his pleas, instead he moved towards the window.

"It's getting a bit hot in here, don't you think?" he asked to no one in particular as he opened the large panoramic window with one hand while the other held a grip over Dawn.

"Ethan!" Giles yelled as the young girl's body was pushed out the window into the thundering storm.

But contrary to the ex-watcher's biggest fear, Ethan didn't drop her; his grip on Dawn was still firm and strong. The teenager remained motionless, the only evidence of her fear and doubt flashed in her eyes as her body refused to move.

"Ah! Rain! Always manages to make one home sick, doesn't it Ripper?" Ethan asked in a mocking voice. Giles made a move towards the madman and Ethan immediately outstretched his hand singsonging simultaneously: "Uh-uh-uh, don't even think about it. Back up, now!" he ordered and Giles obeyed.

An evil smirk spread across the man's face as he saw the look of desperation on both Willow and Giles' faces. The feel of his outstretched arm getting soaked made his attention drift towards the drenched girl hanging from his hand.

"I'm singing in the rain, just singing in the rain." He sang excruciatingly off key. "Come on, don't be shy. Sing! Oh, that's right, you're paralysed. Sorry, forgot." Ethan let out a loud laugh at his own sick joke.

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The kiss lasted a fraction of a second as Buffy found herself being pushed away by two strong hands curled around her skinny arms.

"What?" she stared at him in amazement under narrowed eyes as the raindrops hit her heavy eyelids.

She watched as he brought his hands to his face, his cursing muffled by the thundering rain. His fingers ran up his pale ivory skin tracing deep trenches through his soaked hair as he looked up at the clouded sky, the cool crystals of water sprinting down his sharp cheekbones as he clenched his teeth together.

"What?" she repeated, this time it was a bare whisper, that not even his vampire hearing could pick up.

He dropped his gaze from the blackened sky to her glassy eyes and stared at her for a second before turning around and walking toward the mines.

"Why are you acting like this?" she yelled, never moving from her spot.

Her hoarse voice made him stop in mid stride and turn around to face her.

"No, why are *you* acting like this? Four months ago you couldn't even stand to be within five feet of me and now all of a sudden you're all hot and bothered over me?" he roared in anger.

"It's because-"

"I know why! It's why I went to freaking Africa, got myself beaten to a pulp for it. But you know what? I just realised that was the single stupidest thing I've ever done."

"You think it's because you have a soul now?" Buffy asked incredulous.

Spike narrowed his eyes, giving her an angry look.

"It's not." She said in a calmer tone.

"Right, you just woke up one day and suddenly realised you didn't care if I was a soulless monster or not." His voice was dripping with sarcasm as he searched for the harshest words he could think of. "Or better yet, after four months of forced celibacy you just got too horny to stick to your good-girl-semi-virgin crap of a routine." He could see the anger boiling up inside her as her gaze shot daggers at him. "What, need another good roll in the with the dirty vampire from next door to get you going, or-"

He was forced to shut up as Buffy's fist connected with his cheek, his head being flung to the side at the intensity of the blow.

"Shut up!" she shouted.

He remained motionless for a second before slowly turning to stare at her with narrowed eyes.

"Truth hurts, doesn't it?" his tone was cold and callous as a forced grin settled over his lips.

She stood in silence under the pouring rain. He could see her eyes swimming in angry tears as she stared up at him. Spike swallowed hard as he she moved pass him with her head bowed and before he knew it his right hand was gripping her by her arm.

"Look, I didn't mean to..."

"Well, you did, ok?!" she shouted pulling herself away from him. "You always do. You always manage to screw everything up with that big mouth of yours." As she spoke her anger melted into hurt and desperation as the tears she had been holding back now freely rolled down her flushed cheeks. "God, do you even think before you speak?"

"What do you want me to think, Buffy? The only time you ever come near me is when you need a favour or when you need..." he looked her up and down before continuing. "another type of favour. And the only time you show any concern about me it's because I've got a bloody soul too lose." He was now yelling as the rage took over him once more.

"You're talking about back there? At the clearing?" she asked incredulous as she pointed back into the deep woods. "I wasn't worried about your *stupid* soul. I stood there watching God knows how many vampires get turned into a large pile of dust, Spike and *you* were next!" she yelled.

"You didn't know that that could happen to me." Spike argued.

"No, I didn't. Giles hadn't told me yet but..." her voice faltered as she remembered the anguish that had run through her at the sight of him outstretching his arm towards the white circle. "...I was scared... I-I..." she stuttered as anger, fear and exhaustion took over her. "I could feel something bad was going to happen... to you... and-and..." just then she realised she was crying and the Slayer in her woke up. Immediately, a cool and calm mask slipped her face and voice as she wiped the tears with the back of her sleeves. "You..." she pointed at him with an accusing finger. "You should have told me there was a chance you might...you could get... dusted."

"Buffy..." he started as he saw through her pathetic attempt to hide her fears from him.

He was still in a bit of shock at her confession as he took a step towards her. She immediately took one back, away from him. Unwilling to play their old game of cat and mouse he closed the space between them and once more curled his fingers around her arm in a strong grip.

"I didn't know you were scared because-"

"I wasn't scared!" she immediately denied, but seeing the look on his face she realised it was useless to deny what she had just said second before. "I was afraid it would go wrong and Anya was going to..."

"You were scared something might happen to me, weren't you?" He said in a mocking voice letting go of her in order to run his fingers over her small arm, but she pushed his hand away from her and backed up.

"I was just... It's none of your business what I was." She suddenly snapped; a deep frown settling over her wet forehead.

"Come on, admit it. You were afraid I might turn into a big pile of dust."

"I was n-"

Before she could answer his hands were all over her, his body pined her against the closest tree and his mouth crushed hers with demanding force. She was caught off guard by his sudden movement, after the beating he had taken he could barely walk; she wondered how he was able to slam her against a tree. After a second, she began to struggle under him, trying to push him away, bringing her fist to his back and he immediately pulled away howling in pain.

"I'm sorry... did I..." she awkwardly apologized.

"It's ok, just a bit..." he looked up at her as the rain continued to pour over them.

With his eyes, he secretly asked her permission before bending down and kissing her softly. This time she kissed back and soon the tension that had been building between them all this time was let loose on the rampage bringing hands into play. Buffy's small fingers greedily clung to his wet clothes, desperately pulling them in all directions as she tried to get under them. Spike's hands mimicked her gestures with the same urgency and hopelessness as his body pinned hers against the tree and his mouth consumed her lips.

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"So, enough singing!" Ethan sighed audibly. "It's getting exhausting."

Giles' eyes never left the young teenager hanging out in the rain. They were on the tenth floor and the chances of her surviving the fall were definitely not on her side. He felt a chill run down his spin as he pictured Dawn falling to her death. He shook the image out of his mind continuing to gaze at her. He could see she was starting to regain her strength and coordination as she lightly kicked the air.

"Ethan, don't do this." The old man's despair was evident in his voice.

"Just tell me where the vampire is." The madman ordered between clenched teeth, the cockiness and distant superiority had abandoned his tone and only the raw rage remained.

"We don't know." Willow answered.

Anger flashed in Ethan's eyes and without a word he opened his hand and Dawn's body freefell down ten floors.