Chapter Two

Later that night, Buffy lay in her bed. The day had continued in the same way it had begun: badly.

Her cousin Sarah was just as horrible as ever, although she was nice to Spike. Buffy guessed that Sarah, just like Dawn, had developed a hasty crush on the peroxide blonde Englishman. He hadn't been nice to her though; he'd been all sarcastic and evil, as he always was when Joyce wasn't around. It seemed that Joyce was the only one he really respected.

Except for yesterday, a little voice in the back of her head said. She'd seen something different the night before. Spike had been a gentle young man who'd saved her and then taken care of her. Who was that kind and caring man and where was he now? Why was Spike being so rude all the time? Was it all an act?

Thoughts still whirling in her head, she fell asleep.

The week when Aunt Michelle and cousin Sarah stayed at their house went by slowly, and more than once Buffy felt like she wanted to just break Sarah's neck or something. Hurt her. Really badly. Because not even Dawn was as bratty as Sarah was, believe it or not. Buffy noticed this when Joyce ordered Buffy to take Sarah and Aunt Michelle shopping at the mall; Sarah got everything she pointed at.

On Thursday, it was October 31st, and every child and teen in all of Sunnydale dressed up for Halloween. Sarah and Dawn had had fun at the mall, picking out a costume each for them. Dawn was dressed up as a Tinkerbell, in a very short, green dress and her hair up in a bun on the back of her head. On her feet, she had little green shoes.

"You know, that could become really cold since it's chilly outside," Buffy told her.

"I know, Buffy," an annoyed Dawn answered, "But it's my choice."

"Fine," Buffy shrugged and helped her baby sister with the zipper in the back.

Nancy had come out a little later, dressed like a princess. It was funny, Buffy thought, to see her not-very-skinny cousin dressed up in a tight, poofy pink dress with layer upon layer of frills and her hair pinned up with clips formed as butterflies, making her appearance resemble more to a wedding cake than a princess. On the whole, Sarah looked ridicules, and Buffy worked hard to not laugh in her face.

The two set out to go trick or treating, while Buffy put on shoes and collected her stake to go out and patrol. As she was getting ready, the door opened, and someone came in. In the dim light of her room, Buffy couldn't really make out who it was, but it looked a lot like a – vampire.

Instantly, she grabbed her stake, and she was just inches from putting it through the vampire's heart, when she realized that it wasn't a vampire. It was Spike, dressed up as one.

"Hello, love, you not happy to see me?"

"Spike! Get out of my room!" she said, angrily.

"Oh you're in a mood today, pet. That time of month again?"

"Get out Spike," Buffy repeated, this time in a lower, more threatening voice.

"Where's your sense of fun, pet?" he asked her mockingly.

"Where it's always been – far away from you." She leaned forward to him, stake in one hand, the other one ready to hit.

"Aww, that's so funny," Spike said in a low voice. He too leaned closer. They were mere inches away; she could feel his warm breath on her face, making her heart beat faster. Stop it, she told herself. Just get him out of here.

And that was what she did. In one quick motion, she had shoved him out of her room and closed the door right in his startled face.

At the end of the week, Buffy was more than happy to see her cousin and aunt go. When her relatives left, the house suddenly felt so peaceful – even thought Spike was still there – and Buffy sat down to do some schoolwork. She had a test in geometry the next day, and it felt like she didn't know half of it.

There was a knock on the door.

"What?" Buffy asked, tiredly.

She heard Spike's voice; "Can I come in?"

Buffy didn't answer; she went over to the door and opened it. "What is it?"

"See: I knock," he said, grinning. When he noticed she wasn't smiling back, he stopped, though.

"What do you want now?"

"Well, we haven't really talked all week, so I though…"

Buffy interrupted. "Spike, we didn't talk before that either."

"I know that! So? I want to start. I've been her for almost two bloody months, and I still haven't said more than twenty words to you."

Buffy sat at her desk, just looking at him, trying to figure out where this was going.

"And that's a problem because…?" she asked him.

He sighed, and muttered, "Whatever."

He was walking out of the room when Buffy asked him, "Why weren't you scared of the vampires?"

He turned around and looked at her, looking as if he was trying to decide whether to tell her or not. Finally, he said, "My great grandfather was a Watcher. He told me all about them when I was little."

Buffy was surprised at the explanation. She didn't know what she'd been expecting, but it hadn't been that.

"When I came here, I didn't know you were the Slayer. But I was wondering what you were sneaking out every bloody night for. So, I decided to follow you, pet, and that's how I ended up in the cemetery."

Buffy's mouth formed a perfect 'o'.

"The next day, I went to the library, and found some ol' books, and they said you were the Slayer. It's not all that complicated, pet. Anything else you want to know?"

First, Buffy sat still. Then she shook her head, and then, as he was leaving for the second time, she said, "I want to know if you can help me with this; it's geometry."

A smile played on his face as he walked over to her, and sat down next to her.

She got the highest scores she'd ever gotten on a math quiz that next day, and she decided that Spike was going to get to help her again.

She had a busy life; School, training and slaying took up almost all her time, and she was overly thankful to her friends who helped her with both schoolwork and the staking of vampires. Even Spike helped every now and then. He didn't have the powers that she did, and he didn't have the magic knowledge that the Wiccas had, but in his own way he helped them. He was like a second, stronger version of Xander.

When Buffy had first told Giles and the Scoobies that Spike knew she was the Slayer, they had been surprised and Xander had seemed a little worried.

"Was it really a good idea tell him?" he had asked.

"I didn't tell him," Buffy had responded. "He followed me one night, and – well, he saved my life. We didn't talk about it, though, until last night, and he told me that he knew about vampires and all that. His great grandfather was a Watcher. Giles, have you heard of William Johannes Walthrop?"

Giles had looked up, surprised, and said, "Yes. He was the Watcher of Linda the Vampire Slayer in the – I don't know, sometime around the fifties, I believe. Linda was a very successful Slayer, and she saved the world quite a few times, I believe, making her Watcher a well-known name among the Council."

Buffy had nodded, taking in the information. So Spike hadn't lied to her. She hadn't really thought that he was, but it was good having someone confirm that he was telling the truth.

"So, w-what is he going to d-do now?" Tara had asked, shyly. "S-Spike, I mean."

"He wants to go with us and patrol," Buffy had responded, thinking back to their conversation the evening before. "He is a good fighter, I saw that just in the short time when he – rescued me. I'm sure he'll do good."

The Scoobies nodded, as Willow said, "Yeah, we can never get too much help."

One night, they were all out patrolling; Buffy walking first, Spike after her, then Willow and Tara and last Xander and Anya who held hands and looked cute. It didn't take them long to find some vampires, and soon they were all fighting. There were more vampires than there were Scoobies, but the Scoobies had the top hold anyway. Vampire after vampire was turned into dust, and finally, they were alone in the graveyard again.

"Well, that wasn't too hard," Xander said, brushing dust off his pants.

"I don't see anymore," Buffy said, looking around. "I say we call it a night."

The others nodded and they scattered after getting out of the cemetery.

"You coming?" Buffy asked Spike as they were leaving.

But he was standing there, listening intently. He pointed at the bushes and held up four fingers. Buffy nodded understandingly and they walked over there, but stopped as they heard voices.

"The lady will be very pleased," one of the people behind the bush said.

"Kill the Slayer and she can rule," another one said.

"She has the crystal, now all she needs is the Slayer's blood," a third one chimed in.

"We do best in going back to her," the fourth one whispered.

Buffy could see that they were minions, and gestured to Spike to come back to her, as she stood a little further away from them. Spike crept over quietly and they left together.

"What do you think that lot meant?" Spike asked her as they hurried home.

"I don't know but I'm gonna find out," Buffy said, rounding the corner of Revello Drive. "Giles will have to look at it, tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? Slayer, you could be in danger!" Spike protested.

"Spike, listen to me," Buffy said as they reached her house. "Get two things straight. One: Never ever call me Slayer. Buffy is my name, that's what you call me. Two: I am the Slayer, therefor I am usually in danger. On the other hand, I also have powers and am quite equipped to take care of myself. It won't matter if Giles looks at it tonight and falls asleep over it, or tomorrow when he's actually awake. Got it?"

"Got it Sla-Buffy."

Problem was that Giles was on Spike's side; He was saying that she should have come there the day before. Buffy argued the same points to him as he'd done to Spike, but it was only when Willow reminded the two that they had more important things to do than argue, that they actually stopped.

"Yee-ha, research-party!" Xander said sarcastically, as they settled down in the Magic Box, each with two books in front of them.

But when darkness fell outside the little store, none of them had found anything to go on. There wasn't a word in any of the books about anything Spike and Buffy had heard.

"May-maybe they just did it to confuse us," Willow said, half-jokingly.

"I don't think so, Will," Buffy said, seriously. "They talked about a lady; if we only knew who that was."

"Probably a demon of some kind," Giles said. "What interests me is that they need your blood, Buffy, to be able to use the crystal."

"So basically," Xander said, "As long as you don't let them catch you, we're safe."

"Oh yeah, as if I would be planning on letting them catch me," Buffy said sarcastically. "Sorry," she continued when she saw the look on Xander's face. "Didn't mean to be rude."

"It's okay, Buff," Xander smiled a little.

"I wish that we knew what the crystal's name was; It would make searching for information about it just a little easier," Giles sighed.

"They just called it 'the crystal', so I don't know," Buffy answered. "I wish we would have taken one of them, you know, captured on, and then we could ask."

"I'm not sure that would help though," Willow said, "Since minions can be very loyal to their masters."

"Can be, being the key words here," Buffy muttered.

"Buffy, I think we need to get going," Spike said suddenly and pointed at his watch. "Your mum wanted you home for dinner."

"Oh yeah," Buffy said, surprised at Spike for remembering such a thing. "Let me just go and get my stuff."

She came back a minute later and said to the Scoobies, "I'm sorry I have to leave, but mom and dad wanted us home early for some reason today."

"It's okay, Buff," Xander said and Anya nodded beside him. "You've done your share; we'll just continue having fun here among dusty books."

"Thanks you guys," Buffy smiled, and then left the store with Spike. "Do you have a clue of why my parents wanted us home tonight?" she asked him.

"I don't know, pet, but it is for yours and Dawn's ears only, because your mum asked me if I could go out and eat or so tonight."

This worried and surprised Buffy. Since the day Spike had come to their house, he'd been part of the family and done everything with them. She wondered what could be for only the 'real' family's ears. Was there something wrong?

Unconsciously, she sped up, wanting to get to her house fast. The cool November air suddenly seemed even chillier, like it went right through her thin jacket, straight into her bones. When the reached Revello Drive, Spike told her that he was going to the Bronze.

"I'll be back later," he said. "Give you all lots of time."

"Thank you, Spike," Buffy said suddenly.

"For what, pet?"

"I dunno," she said. "For letting us do family business without getting mad, I guess."

Spike just shrugged. "See you lot later," he said and turned around.

Buffy stayed put for a second before running towards her house.

The first thing she noticed when she came in was that she didn't smell any food. Her mother hadn't made dinner. But she found them all, her mother, her father and Dawn in the dining room, sitting around the table. Her parents both looked very serious, and in Dawn's face Buffy could read the same emotions she was feeling: Fear and worry.

"Hi Buffy," Joyce said, and pointed at a chair, "Sit down, please."

"What's going on?" Buffy asked even before she had had time to sit down.

"Yeah, I'd like to know too," Dawn said.

"Well," their mother started, suddenly looking angrier than Buffy had ever seen her. "As you may have noticed, your dad has spent a lot of time at the office these last months." Her voice was ice cold; it scared Buffy. "And a couple of days ago, I found out why. Your dad has been having an – an affair."

Buffy and Dawn both seemed to have lost their abilities to talk. Buffy's stomach twisted itself into a knot, she felt tears burn behind her eyelids, and suddenly she knew what was coming.

"You–you," she started. "You're getting a di–divorce."

Dawn gasped. She had tears falling down her cheeks.

"Yes," their father said. He seemed very calm, and all of a sudden, Buffy couldn't recognize her own dad. This was not the man who'd stayed up and told her and Dawn stories, he was not the one who'd bought her mother flowers, he was not the one who she'd known. This man she didn't know.

"I'm sorry," he said, and stretched a hand out to touch Buffy's hand.

"Get away from me!" Buffy yelled, pulling her arm away from him. "Get away!"

"Buffy," her father said, but he didn't sound sorry.

"Get away from me," Buffy whispered again. "I'm leaving now, and when I get back, I don't want you to be here."

"Buffy!" Joyce yelled after her, but Buffy didn't stop. She reached for her jacket and she left the house.

Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She didn't know where she was going, just that it was far away from her home.

Home.

At the moment, she just couldn't think of it as home. It held people she didn't know. She wished that it was two hours ago, back then she was still happily unknowing of her father's betrayal. She didn't know how she would ever be able to talk to him again. The whole scenario made her want to throw up. He dad with another woman…

And her mother. She had looked so mad and so hurt. But at the moment, she didn't want to think of her either, her own feelings being more than enough to try to deal with.

She found herself in the cemetery.

In the shadows, she saw vampires come walking. It was a big group, at least ten ugly creatures, walking another twenty feet away from her.

"The lady must have the Slayer," she heard on say. "Then she can rule."

The others laughed; it was a rotten laugh.

"Oh great, just what I needed," Buffy muttered and quickly wiped away her tears.

The vampires had heard her, and within seconds, they were all over her. Buffy fought for all that she was worth, but she wasn't concentrated and the vampires got in many good blows on her. She staked four, before another one hit her over the head with something hard.

Everything went black.

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