Eraser

Author: WildCherry45

Author’s Email: shopaholicgurl45@yahoo.com

Notes: Heard the song and this idea popped up!

Notes 2: Set in the 6th season so some spoilers!

Distribution: Want. Take. Have. Just be sure to tell me first!

Feedback: Like it? Don’t like it? Tell me, please!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Joss & Company own all. Michelle Branch owns ‘Are You Happy Now?’

Thanks: As usual, to my lovely beta, Em. Sweetie, you’re just the best *ever*!

~^~**~^~

Now, don't just walk away
Pretending everything's ok
And you don't care about me
And I know there's just no use
When all your lies become your truths and I don't care

Could you look me in the eye
And tell me that you're happy now
Would you tell it to my face or have I been erased
Are you happy now?
Are you happy now?

You took all there was to take
And left with an empty plate
And you don't care about it
And I, I've given up this game
I'm leaving you with all the blame cause I don't care

Could you look me in the eye?
And tell me that you're happy now
Would you tell it to my face or have I been erased
Are you happy now?
Are you happy now?

Do you have everything you want?
You can get up and give everything you’ve got
You can't run away from yourself

Could you look me in the eye?
And tell me that you’re happy now
Come on tell it to my face or have I been erased
Are you happy now?
Are you happy now?

Would you look me in the eye?
Could you look me in the eye?
I've had that all I can take
And I'm about to break
Cause I'm happy now

Are you happy now?

~^~**~^~

“Bloody hell, Slayer, stop lying to yourself.”

Buffy whipped around and glared at him, “You know *nothing* about me,” She spat, walking towards him.

He cocked his head to the side, “Oh, I know.” Spike smirked, “I know how to make you scream, Buffy. I know how to give you immense pleasure beyond your wildest dreams.”

“And how long does that last exactly, Spike?” She retorted, “Only for awhile and then reality comes knocking at my door. It’s not gonna work. This,” she pointed at herself and then at him, “is not what I want. This isn’t happiness.” She turned around and started walking towards the door again.

“I’m all that you’ve got.”

She stopped in her steps, her back still turned, “No, I have more than this. I have my friends and my family.” She said coldly, “I can have *anything* I want but not with you standing in my way.”

He snorted, “I’m your support, Slayer. I’m what keeps you up. I can make you feel. I can get rid of that numb feeling inside. You *need* me.”

She shook her head sadly, “I don’t need anything from you, Spike. Not anymore.” Before he could say anything more, she hurriedly ran out of the crypt and shut it with a slam.

Spike stared at the closed door, “She’ll be back.” He relaxed a bit, “She has to come back.” He rolled his hand into a fist, “She has to.”

~^~**~^~

Buffy opened the door to the Summers’ residence with a happy sigh. She was home. Home was safe. No Spike to bother her. She closed the door with her back and leaned against it. The sun was pouring through the windows and she felt the warmth on her back. The sun also prevented any interaction with Spike.

“Buffy, you’re back. Did you get what you needed?”

The blonde’s eyes snapped open, “Oh, Will.” She smiled nervously, “Hey, ummm, yeah.”

Willow gave her an odd look, “You okay?”

Buffy replied quickly, “Fine, you know, perfectly peachy.”

The redhead stood at the base of the stairs, “You sure? Cuz you know, I’m here if you want to, well, talk.”

“I’m fine, Will, really,” Buffy started to walk into kitchen, silently praying that Willow wouldn’t follow.

But, she did. “Are you positive you’re okay, Buffy because you seem kinda-“

She cut her off sharply, “I’m fine.”

The redhead sighed, “Ok, I just wanted you to know that I am here for you. Especially after the whole Tara incident.” Willow looked down sadly. It still hurt to talk about her ex-girlfriend.

They had broken up a few weeks ago. The blonde decided that Willow was using too much magic and said that if Willow didn’t stop, then she would leave. Willow didn’t stop. And so, she left.

“I’m sorry, Will.”

Willow looked up and smiled, “No, don’t be. I’m fine, see.” She pointed at herself, “smiling.” Sighing she added, “I’m here, okay?”

Buffy watched as her best friend walked away. She sighed and leaned her arms against the counter in front of her. This was Willow. The Willow that she knew ever since sophomore year. The Willow that was there for her through everything. The Willow that she trusted. So, why wasn’t she willing to share her Spike problem with her? She had shared her Angel issues with the redhead before so it wasn’t like she wouldn’t understand.

Suddenly, a thought came to mind. She knew why. Maybe, she always knew why. She just never wanted to admit it to herself. But, it was the truth.

This was also the Willow that ripped her out of heaven.

~^~**~^~

Willow heard the door to the Magic Box slam. She didn’t even flinch or stop typing. After all, it was only Spike.

“Red, where’s the Slayer?”

She didn’t look up from the screen, “Hi Spike, nice to see you too.” She continued to tap her fingers on the keyboard, “She’s not here yet. She went with Xander and Anya to pick up some food.”

Spike stood in the middle of the shop, not liking that she was ignoring him, “What about the bit and the Watcher?”

“They went back to Giles’ place to pick up some new books that just came in.”

“So, you’re here, alone?”

She finally looked up, “Yes, Spike, I’m here but not alone, you’re here too.”

He took a step forward, smirking at her tone, “What about the witch?”

Willow’s face hardened at his words, “I don’t know. I don’t talk to her anymore, you know that.”

“Oh,” he feigned innocence, “Must’ve slipped my mind.”

She rolled her eyes, “Right, of course.”

The silence descended upon them again and Spike still stood there in the middle, tapping his foot impatiently. Willow looked up, frustrated, “What is it, Spike?”

He walked around the table, her eyes on his every movement. He stood behind her and leaned down, almost whispering in her ear, “What are you doing?”

She closed her eyes briefly before opening them again, “Research.”

He leaned in even closer with his next words, “On what?”

“N-New demon,” she replied, swallowing the big lump in her throat. What was she doing? She was getting all nervous around *Spike*? Spike, the fangless vampire. She shouldn’t be afraid, he couldn’t bite her. But, the dangerousness still poured off of him in waves. She was definitely intimidated.

Suddenly, he backed away with a smile, “Need help?”

With her brow furrowed she replied, “Umm, yeah, sure.”

It was at that moment that the rest of the gang came into the shop.

“We’ve got food, we’ve got books,” Xander announced as he walked in, carrying three big boxes of pizza, “We’ve got a research party.” When he saw Spike, he stopped in his steps, “And apparently we’ve also got the evil dead.” He looked at Willow, “Why is he here?”

Willow closed her laptop, “Research.”

“Xan, you forgot the breadsticks,” Buffy said as she walked in. She stopped in her steps when she saw Spike. She continued to stare at him, not knowing what to say.

Willow looked at the exchange between the two blondes in confusion, “Umm, he’s here for research.”

Buffy snapped out of her thoughts, “Oh, right, umm, research, of course.” She turned around, “I’m gonna go help Giles get the books.”

Xander nodded, “Yeah, I better go with.”

The redhead turned to Spike and saw that he was staring at the Slayer’s retreating body. Weird. “Spike,” she said, trying to get his attention.

He didn’t reply, instead, he kept on looking towards Buffy’s direction.

Willow shook her head, got up, and walked behind the counter, grabbing a package of napkins and some paper plates. When she looked up, Spike was still staring at Buffy who was now in the shop again. Ok, this had officially passed the weirdness mark. It was more leaning towards creepy now.

They didn’t seem to notice her. Buffy stood in front of Spike, the silence saying more than words could express. Did something happen between the two? It was usually bicker, bicker, threat, threat, but now, it was extreme silence and intense staring.

Both of them seemed to snap out of it when the rest of the gang came in. Buffy put the books onto the floor and brushed the dust off of herself. “You’d think new shipment would actually mean new books.”

Anya pushed passed the blonde and snatched a piece of pizza from the box, “Oh, one of the things I love about this body. Fast metabolism.”

Dawn grinned and picked up a breadstick, “So, Giles, what are we researching?”

~^~**~^~

Buffy walked in uncomfortable silence with the blonde vampire. They were put together out of force. Damn Giles and his patrol orders. She purposely walked a little faster, not wanting to be side by side with him. She had sworn him off but there she was, still drawn to him. God, she hated it. Where the hell were all the vampires when you wanted them? She was in the mood for some violence. Just something to distract her from Spike and her want to jump him.

Spike stared at the back of her head, surprised that she hadn’t already attacked him. So, she was actually going to go through with this. Well, he’d fix that. He caught up with her and leaned toward her, not actually touching her. He brought his voice down to a whisper, “Slow night, ehh?”

Buffy nearly growled when Spike started his plan for some twisted form of seduction. Didn’t the blonde idiot get it? It was over, whatever the hell they had. Stupid. She pushed him hard, “Get away from me, Spike.”

He stumbled backwards with a laugh, “Like it rough, ehh, Slayer?”

She shook her head, “I don’t like anything with you.”

“I know you want me, Buffy. I can smell it.”

Her face showed disgust at his words, “God, you’re just sickening.”

“Then why are you so attracted to me?”

She shot him a stony glare, “You’re just a distraction, Spike.”

“So be it. But admit it, you need me.”

“Don’t you ever get tired of this, same old, same old, *every* night?”

“No, find it bloody amusing, actually.”

“Yeah?” She cocked her head to the side, “Well, I don’t.”

He walked towards her and stopped when he was only inches away from her face, “Admit it, Slayer.”

She punched him in the face, not even feeling the pain in her hand from the force of the blow. He held the side of jaw and laughed, “Told you. You *need* the pain.”

Buffy tightened her grip on the stake in her hand, “Fine, I admit it. I need the pain. I need something to get rid of the numbness inside me but I don’t *need* it from you. I don’t want anything from *you*, Spike.” She spat, “You’re beneath me.” Without another word, she walked away.

He watched her, his hand still holding onto his jaw. Her words finally hit him.

~^~**~^~

Willow sat on the couch, reading over some spell books when Buffy walked in. She was about to say hi, but then she saw the blonde leaning against the door, the distress obvious in her expression. Willow rushed over to her and hugged her tightly. “What happened?”

Buffy held the redhead tighter, “I- Willow- I- I need to tell you something.”

Willow pulled back and smiled reassuringly, “What is it?”

The blonde paused for a moment and furrowed her brow, “I-um- I need you to take Dawn to school tomorrow.”

The redhead nodded, “Ok, but, what else is wrong?”

Buffy forced out a smile, “Nothing, Will.”

“Buffy,” Willow started.

The blonde pushed passed her and started up the stairs, “It’s nothing, Will.”

~^~**~^~

The fledgling that was lying on the ground was thoroughly pummeled by the time Spike was done with him. The blonde vampire leaned down and staked the vampire, putting it out of its misery. Spike stalked towards his crypt, still fuming over the incident that happened only an hour before.

She had brushed him off so easily. Like she didn’t even care. Maybe she didn’t. Maybe he was just fooling himself. He had already tried so many times before to reel her in but she never accepted. She just rejected. She didn’t want him.

A part of him was tempted to change himself just for her. But, it wouldn’t be worth it. If she didn’t want him for *him*, all of him, then she didn’t want him period. If he changed himself, he’d only be lying to her and to himself. He had learned his lesson well with Drusilla. You can only put up an act for so long. When they find out, it’s never pretty.

So, he would have to learn to forget her. Or, he could make it go in quite the opposite direction. He could make sure she would *never* forget him. He could do.. something. Something to piss her off majorly. Something to hurt her. Hurt her like he was hurting now. Something.

Looking up, he saw that he was in front of the Summers residence. Bloody hell, even when he was pissed, he still managed to lead himself to her house. He walked towards the side of the house, seeing the shadow in the window. It was Willow.

That was it. That was how he could hurt her. The redhead was her best friend. If he hurt Willow, then he’d definitely hurt Buffy.

Or, maybe he wouldn’t even have to hurt Willow. Maybe, he could just screw with her mind a bit or something of that sort. Make her fall for him. And after that, Buffy would rue the day she ever met him. She wouldn’t ever forget him after that. Then, she’d need him. She’d need him to fix everything.

Bloody brilliant.

~^~**~^~

“Spike, couldn’t Buffy patrol with you? She can fight a lot better than I can,” Willow sighed as she walked through the cemetery. She hated it here. It smelled like death.

“She’s busy doing the bonding thing with the bit. Besides, a little fresh air will do you good.”

She raised an eyebrow, “Fresh air? I’d prefer to get my fresh air in some place a little less corpse-y.”

He looked around the cemetery impatiently. Where were they? He had hired some minions beforehand to attack Willow so he could fight them off. The chits these days swooned over chivalry and bravery and all that rot. So, if he saved her, he should be a shoo in. He was so immersed in his thoughts, he never saw the two vampires pop up and attack Willow.

It was only after he felt the force of the energy force that she created that he looked towards her. There was a growing ball of light in her hands and when it got the size of a basketball, she threw it towards the two fledglings, conveniently dusting them both.

Spike frowned, ok, she wasn’t supposed to do that. He was supposed to rescue her, damn it. Bloody hell, did the chit have to ruin everything? He cleared his throat, “Getting pretty powerful with the magicks there, Witch.”

She smiled, “I looked up that spell just for incidents like this. You seemed kinda out of it so I thought I might give it a try.” She giggled happily, “It worked!”

A smile slipped from his lips, “Yeah, it did.” He shook himself, “Right, well, you best be getting back.”

“Don’t you need me to patrol with you?”

“I got it covered, go home, Willow.”

“Okay, bye, Spike.”

He nodded his goodbye and turned around as soon as she left. She made him smile. That was different.

~^~**~^~

“Where were you?” Buffy asked as Willow walked into the kitchen, looking for something to eat.

“I was patrolling with Spike.”

The blonde’s eyes grew wide, “Patrol? With Spike? You were patrolling with Spike? Why?”

Willow gave her an odd look, “You were busy.”

“Doing what?”

“Bonding,” she stated, “With Dawn.”

“Well, yeah, but still, you shouldn’t have gone patrolling and *not* with Spike.”

“Buffy, you’re not my keeper. I’m a big girl. I can patrol. I killed two vamps with an energy ball.”

Buffy smiled, “Will, I get you’re a bad ass wicca and all but it’s *Spike*.”

“Oh, so that’s your focus point here.”

“Well, *yeah*.”

The redhead cocked her head to the side, “What’s up with you two? You guys seem kinda awkward-y around each other.”

“Awkward-y? No, we’re not. There’s no awkwardness there, Will. Just annoyingness and much aggravation.”

“Seems like there’s more so than usual.”

Buffy smiled nervously, “That’s not the point, Will.”

“Really? Then what is?”

The blonde sighed, whenever Willow got like this, it was best not to argue with her. “Ok, we’re both tired, let’s just settle this later.”

Willow watched as Buffy walked away, it was almost like deja-vu since it was happening so much.

~^~**~^~

Willow heard the pounding on the door and rushed down the stairs. The house was completely empty except her and she was hoping for some silence but apparently somebody wanted in. She opened the door and a steaming blanket-covered Spike came rushing in.

“Spike?”

He kicked the blanket away and brushed himself off, “’ello, luv.”

“W-What are you doing here?”

He looked offended, “What? I can’t come over to talk?”

Willow stared at him in disbelief, “It’s the middle of the day, for one. And why do you want to talk to me? Couldn’t it wait until, you know, later?”

“No, because you are always busy with your Scooby Gang activities when the sun sets. Besides, I don’t want the bloody Slayer on my back for talking to you.”

Willow sighed, “Ok, just let me put some blankets up then.” She grabbed a few thick blankets out of the closet, “What did you want to talk about?”

Spike glanced around the living room and seeing some spell books he blurted out, “Magick.”

The redhead paused for a moment, “You came over here, in the middle of the day, to talk about magick?”

“Yeah, what of it?” He had a feeling he wasn’t making things any better but he was getting bored in the crypt, pacing and thinking. He needed to do something and starting on his new project seemed like the best idea so here he was.

She frowned, “Umm, okay.” She dusted off her hands, “Alright, you can come in here now. What about magick?”

“Spells,” he replied after a few silent moments. Damn. He should’ve planned this better.

Willow nodded, “Okay, spells. What kind of spells?”

“Transportation spells.”

The redhead grabbed a spell book off of the table in front of her, “Spike, you’re gonna have to be a little less vague. What kind of tr-,” she paused, “Wait a sec, I think I know what you’re up to.”

He took a step back. Was she psychic? How could she know?

“Are you looking for a spell to get your chip out?”

He looked at her incredulously, <There’s spells like that?> “Umm, of course not.” <Bloody hell, this was an even better plan.>

“Liar,” she smiled at him, “Spike, even if there was a spell like that, which I highly doubt there is, I don’t think I could work it.”

Spike stood there, stunned, “So, if you could do it, you would?”

“Well,” she began, “I-I guess.”

“Why? Don’t you think I’d go after you lot and try to kill you all?”

She sighed, “Yeah, you probably would. But, I don’t think what the Initiative did was right. It’s actually kinda inhumane. Better to right the wrongs.” She put her hands in her lap, “Besides, Buffy would stake you if you came after us.”

The mention of the blonde brought a frown to his expression, “Yeah, right.”

Willow shook her head, “You want something to drink, Spike? Obviously, I’m not much help in the spell department but you could still stay if you want. Well, unless you want to go.”

He paused for a moment, “Nah, I’ll stay. Do you have any chocolate milk?”

“Yeah, ummm, I think we do.” The redhead grinned, “You want chocolate milk?”

“Well, it’s too hot for hot chocolate.”

She shrugged and was about to go to the kitchen when Dawn burst through the door. Spike quickly jumped back, avoiding the rays of sunlight. The brunette shut the door with a slam and yelled, “Willow!”

Willow smiled, “Dawnie, right here.”

Dawn walked into the living room and noticed the lack of sunlight, “Will, why do you have the blankets up?”

Spike stepped out of the shadows, “’ello, bit.”

“Spike? What are you doing here?”

He let out an exasperated sigh, “Why does everyone keep asking me that?”

Dawn shot him a confused look, “Because it’s day and you’re a vampire. And that usually equals crispiness.”

Willow smiled, “What is it, Dawnie?”

“Oh, right. There was this big drama at school today because this one teacher almost stabbed a student.”

The redhead frowned, “What?”

Dawn nodded enthusiastically, “I know. I was shocked too. I think it might be some type of Hellmouth-y incident.”

“You mean spirit possession?”

The teen shrugged, “Maybe.”

Willow looked thoughtful, “Well, it has happened before.” The redhead headed towards the door, “We gotta get to Giles’.” She stopped and looked at Spike, “Crap. Sunset’s in an hour, Spike. Can you wait?”

“Do I have a bloody choice?”

Dawn shook her head, “Not really.”

He plopped himself onto the couch and turned on the TV, “I’ll see you chits later then.” He cringed as the door shut. Bleedin’ hell! Another plan, down the drain.

~^~**~^~

“Are you sure, Giles?”

Spike walked into the Magic Box as the words came out of Willow’s mouth. The conversation immediately stopped when he arrived. He raised an eyebrow, “What?”

“What are you doing here, Junior?”

The bleached blonde demon glared at Xander, “I heard something about a stabbing. Teacher, student, ring any bells?”

Giles cleared his throat, “Yes, that is what we were speaking of.”

“How’d you find out?” Buffy’s eyes narrowed.

“It’s called the news, Slayer,” He replied with equal venom in his voice. Bloody hell, if she wanted a verbal sparring match, then she’d get one. He’d make her pay. He’d make her hurt.

“Spike,” Willow repeated, “Spike!”

He snapped out of his thoughts and said aggravated, “Yeah?”

“It is a sprit possession type of thing. A lot like the last one that we dealt with around the Sadie Hawkins Dance. Did Angelus ever tell you about that?”

“Well,” he smirked, “He did come back smelling like Buffy and so he explained.”

“Right, well, that’s basically what it is. Almost exactly.” Willow got up and sifted through the pile of papers in front of her, “I think there’s a story in here somewhere.”

“Why are we explaining this to him?” Xander asked, still glaring at Spike.

“Because we’ll need his help.”

Willow almost jumped back at the outraged whats that followed. “If you want me to revoke the spirit then I need someone there to back me up, Spike can do that.”

“What about me, Will?”

“Think about what happened last time, Buffy. If there’s any type of unnatural forces at play, Spike’s vampire healing and powers will be more efficient and more helpful.”

Anya grinned, “So, for once you get to do the saving?”

Willow smiled at Anya’s idea of reasoning, “Well, to put it bluntly, yeah, I guess so.” She turned to Giles, “What do you think? I have the spell that I need. I can probably get this done tonight.”

The Watcher nodded, “I suppose it is our only option left. But, you may want to inform Spike of the circumstances before you head off.”

“Wait, you plan to do this *tonight*?” Buffy asked, her eyes wide.

“Well, I don’t want any students getting stabbed. Especially not with Dawnie having to go to school tomorrow.”

“Well, you know, I would be willing to stay home,” Dawn started.

Buffy pointed an accusing finger at her, “I don’t think so.”

The young teen pouted, “Darn it.”

Xander smiled and patted her on the back. He looked up at the redhead, “You ready for this, Willster?”

Willow smiled, “Yeah, I’ve got my nifty little spell and everything.” She nodded, “I’m ready.” She turned to Spike, “You up for it?”

Spike smiled internally. Well, he didn’t even have to plan this one. He would do as she said and once he succeeded, she’ll be so amazed that she’d have to fall for him. He almost grinned giddily but still managed to keep his blank look on, “Yeah, let’s go.”

Buffy sighed and gave Willow a tight hug, “Be safe.” She turned to Spike and tried to avoid the awkwardness of having him around, “Take care of her.”

Each of the remaining Scoobies gave Willow a hug while Spike stood by, slightly peeved at the lack of attention and care towards him. The redhead walked up to him and gave him a reassuring smile and squeezed him forearm. “Ready?”

He nodded and his expression softened. How did she always manage to do that?

Anya smiled and yelled out right before the door shut, “Good Luck!”

~^~**~^~

“So, you want to explain what’s going on?”

Willow gripped the candle tighter, “It’s actually kind of disturbing.”

He shrugged, “Hello, demon here. It takes a lot to disturb me.”

She smiled, “Well, if you say so.” Sighing she began, “I think it was about 50 years ago when this happened. It was an incident between a student and a teacher. They were having an affair. The student was your all around straight A, cheerleader type girl. Not someone you would expect to break the law like that. I think she was about 17 when it happened. He found out that she had another boyfriend. So, he tried to get her to break it off with the other guy. She wouldn’t and he was overcome with jealousy. So, one day, when she was staying after school for cheerleading practice, he stabbed her. Afterwards, he was so shocked at what he did, he ran away and left her there. She died because of blood loss. God, you should’ve seen the pictures.”

He cringed, “Ok, that was disturbing.”

She shook her head, “You know what’s even worse? That they actually had detailed stories of this online and everything. It didn’t take me all that long to find this info.”

“The human mind is sick.”

She sighed sadly, “I’m tempted to agree with you there.” Her breath caught in her throat out of surprise when he suddenly put an arm out to stop her.

“We’re here.”

~^~**~^~

Willow walked through the hallways nervously. She glanced around her, “Ok, right here.” She handed the white candle to Spike, “Hold this.” After lighting it, she took a step back and started the spell, “Come forth evil. Let me confront thee.”

The originally darkened hallway became fully lit and then darkened again. It kept switching back and forth. Someone was obviously messing with the power, trying to scare them off.

“Leave us be, let thy haunt be peaceful once again.”

Spike held onto the candle tightly, not knowing what was going on around him. There was a sudden rush of wind and he looked up at Willow with uncertain eyes. He threw his head back, feeling something go through him. Still clutching the candle with his left hand, a sharp knife materialized in his right.

Willow’s eyes widened when she saw the look of hate in his expression. <Oh, this isn’t good. This *isn’t* good.> She backed away slowly, “Out of marrow and bone, out of house and home.”

Spike was getting closer and closer. He backed her up until she felt the wall behind her. She looked into his eyes, knowing that she had to finish the spell but still fearing for her life. He leaned forward and growled.

“I expel thee!” She yelled and then screamed.

He plunged the knife into her abdomen before roaring in pain and dropped the knife, which promptly disappeared, as the force that was in him was sent away.

The force went through Willow and she screamed again before sliding down the wall. Through hazy eyes, she saw the power vanish into smoke.

Spike blinked a few times, trying to figure out what had just happened. Willow, possession, stabbing, power, gone. He looked up and saw the trace of crimson on the white wall. His eyes followed the mark and he let out an unneeded gasp when he saw Willow’s still body, lying on the ground. He immediately bent down and brushed the hair out of her face. He examined the wound; it was deep. He needed to get her to a hospital, *now*.

Picking her up and carrying her gently, he rushed with hurried steps to the nearest hospital. Her eyes fluttered open when she felt the movement. She whispered quietly, “Spike?”

He looked down at her, his eyes filled with pain, “I’m here.”

She smiled softly before her whole body went limp.

~^~**~^~

Buffy lifted her head out of her hands when she heard the approaching footsteps. She jumped up, “What’s going on?”

“Are you one of her relatives?”

She looked back at Giles who replied, “Yes, Willow is my daughter. She,” He nodded towards Buffy, “is my niece.”

Spike looked at the doctor impatiently, “Well?”

The doctor sighed, “She’s going to be okay. Thankfully the puncture didn’t harm any internal organs. She’s still healing but she’s not awake yet for some reason. I suspect she will be in a few hours.”

“Can we see her?” The blonde demon asked, running his hand through his hair.

Buffy looked at him oddly, <Why did he care so much?>

“And you are?”

“Boyfriend,” Spike replied automatically before anyone else could say anything.

The doctor nodded, “Alright, go ahead.”

~^~**~^~

Spike gently caressed Willow’s pale hand as he sat next to her. It had been a whole 24 hours since it happened. 24 agonizing hours. She should’ve been awake by now, but for some reason, she wasn’t. The doctors came in to check up on her regularly and could come to no conclusion as to why she hadn’t woken up.

Buffy had doubled her patrols, still trying to sort through all her feelings. She had originally blamed everything on Spike but Giles had talked some sense into her. So, now, the blonde Slayer was merely ignoring him as usual. She was still trying to accept all that she had done before. All that she had done to Willow. In a way, she was thankful that the incident had occurred. If it hadn’t, she never would’ve realized how pointless it was to drown in self-pity and not accept the blessings that she was given. She had ignored her best friend and took advantage of Spike. But, not anymore. Everything was different now. She was different.

The rest of the gang had been in and out of the hospital a few times. Xander had been adamant about staying right next to her the entire time but his newfound job called. He wanted to call in sick or make up some stupid excuse but Spike had talked him out of it, promising that he would call as soon as she awoke.

And then, there was Spike. He who stayed with her through the whole 24 hours. During the day, he closed the blinds and crept into the corner of darkness, watching her from the shadows. But still, she wouldn’t wake up.

This couldn’t be right.

~^~**~^~

“It’s been a week, Giles.” Buffy stated, “A week. She should be awake by now. Why the hell isn’t she?”

The Watcher took off his glasses and massaged his forehead, “I don’t know, Buffy. Perhaps a side effect of the spell that she did.”

“Well, get to knowing, this is *Willow*, Giles, *Willow*. I need to know what’s going on with her.”

“Here, help me read over this. It’s the spell that she did. If there are any side effects it should be in here.”

After an hour of silence, Buffy finally spoke up. “It’s not here, Giles. I’ve read and re-read over this and it’s not here. Maybe there’s something on possession. I say we call a research session.”

Giles sighed, “Buffy, don’t you think it would be best if we not alarm the rest of the group of this?”

She stared at him incredulously, “They already know. Unless they’re brain dead, I’m sure they also think it mighty suspicious that she’s not awake yet.”

He nodded, “I understand your concern, Buffy. Believe me, I do.”

For the first time, the Slayer actually saw the dark circles under his eyes and the distress in his tone and face. She ran a hand over her face, “I’m so scared, Giles. I don’t know what’s happened to her. I need her back.”

“We all do.”

Buffy’s head suddenly whipped up, “I know what we need.”

“What?”

“Spike. He was there at the time of the spell. He’ll know the details. We need him over here, *now.*”

Giles pointed at the door, “Go.”

~^~**~^~

“Spike!”

The blonde demon rolled off the sarcophagus and stood up, “What is it? Is she awake?”

Buffy shook her head sadly, “No, that’s why I’m here.”

“Yeah?”

“You have to come with me to the Giles’, *right* *now*.”

”Why?”

Buffy stopped in her steps and sighed, “Because, it’s for Willow.”

He walked passed her hurriedly, “Let’s go.”

~^~**~^~

“Is that all?”

Spike nodded at the Watcher, “That’s everything.”

Giles skimmed through the pages of the book he was holding, “You said the power went through her?”

“Yeah,” he replied sadly, “And it was painful obviously.”

Buffy shook her head, “I still don’t get it. Why didn’t the chip go off when you stabbed her?”

“He was under possession,” Giles replied simply.

The Slayer nodded, “Well, if you think that explains it.”

Giles tapped the page in front of him in triumph, “Found it.”

Both blondes rushed to his side.

“It says,” he read aloud, “When the spirit passes through the body it may possess the being. During this possession, the body is fully under the spirit’s control. The spirit may invoke whatever it may wish on the vessel.” He looked up, “Oh dear.”

Buffy looked at Giles expectantly, “Well?”

“It makes sense now.”

“Yeah,” she began sarcastically, “It’s all starting to come to place now. Unfortunately, this place is nowhere near *this* place. You wanna explain?”

“The spirit, it passed through Willow like Spike said. So, for a second, it possessed it. It must’ve invoked some type of curse or something of that sort onto her. That’s why she’s not waking up. It’s because she can’t.”

Buffy’s eyes grew wide, “What?”

Spike growled, “You mean this damn spirit thing is the one that’s causing all of this? How do you fix it?”

The Watcher cleared his throat, “I don’t know. I’d have to research some more.”

Buffy sighed, “Alright, that’s it. I’m calling a research session, I don’t care.”

Giles nodded in agreement, “Please do.”

~^~**~^~

The Slayer shut the book with a defeated sigh, “Ok, I’m officially seeing spots. That can’t be good.”

Xander groaned, “Alright, I’m standing. Cramp. In. Leg.”

Buffy glanced at her Watcher, “Giles, are we getting any closer?”

“Just bits and pieces. I’ve figured out *how* the spirit managed to put a spell or curse on Willow. Because she was using a spell on him, the magical powers were in the air, which made the spirit’s wish come true. Whatever it may be.”

The Slayer smiled, “So, we are getting closer. Good, very good.” Buffy yawned, “God, it’s getting late.” She looked at the sleeping bodies of Anya and Dawn, “Xander, can Dawn stay at your place tonight? I’m going to stay here with Spike and Giles to do the research.”

Xander nodded and bent to pick Dawn up. Buffy nudged Anya few times and the ex-demon woke with a snort, “Yeah, I’m awake!”

The young brunette smiled, “Bye, Giles, Buff, Junior.”

Spike nodded his goodbye and continued to read.

~^~**~^~

Same place. Different time. Buffy was walking with Spike again through the cemetery. She had told Giles she wanted to get in a quick patrol before the sun came up but the lie didn’t even sound convincing to her own ears. She needed to talk to him. To see what was really going on.

“Why do you care?” The question pierced the silence that was hanging over them.

Spike stared at the night sky, his eyes clinging to the brightness of the stars among the dark, “I don’t know.”

Buffy shook her head, “Two weeks ago, you couldn’t have cared less about her and now, you’re helping us out more then ever. I know you’re not doing it for me. So, you have to be doing it for her. Why?”

“I care about her.” He began, “It’s my fault. I should’ve had more control over the whole possession thing but I didn’t. I don’t know *why* I care or maybe I do but right now the reasons aren’t coming forth.”

“You don’t even know her. You barely even talk to her.”

He looked down, “I wanted to make you hurt before. Hurt you like you had hurt me.”

Hazel eyes stared at him in shock, “You.. you went after her?”

“Not like that. I thought if I could make her fall in love with me, you’d finally feel the desperation I did. I didn’t get very far. She kept messing things up.” He let out an unneeded sigh and continued to stare off at the sky, “I tried to save her, you know? Bloody hell, I even hired minions to attack her. But, she was just,” he paused, “She took care of herself. She didn’t even need my help.”

They walked for a few minutes in silence until he spoke again, “She makes me smile. Every time I’m around her, I always do. And, I want that back.”

The tears shone in Buffy’s eyes and she finally looked him in the eye when they got to his crypt, “When we get her back, don’t hurt her. Take good care of her.” She walked away without another word, leaving Spike standing there, speechless.

~^~**~^~

He could hear his own heart pounding. It hadn’t done that in 128 years. But, it was. The thumping was loud in his ears, drowning out all other sound. He stood in the middle of the road, the sun shining down on his pale body, holding his ears, and trying to hear something else. He closed his eyes tightly and suddenly, it all stopped. He cracked open one eye carefully and surveyed his surroundings. He was in the cemetery and it was night. The only light cast on the gloomy area was that of the moon. He glanced around when he caught sight of a flash of red. His ears perked up when he heard the sweet sound of her giggle. Was it..? Could it be her?

The flashes of red kept popping up, here and there, switching every time. It was the only color in the dark night. The paleness of the moonlight only made it more alluring. He scanned the area again and their eyes met. A veil was over her face and there was an unnatural sparkle in her green eyes. He saw a small hint of a smile peek through before she turned around and ran.

As if he had no control over his own body, he ran after her. He ran so hard that his now beating heart felt like it was going to burst through his chest. He caught glimpses of her, the veil, or her red hair. And suddenly, everything began spinning. He stopped running and put his elbows on his knees, panting for air. He looked up and nearly stumbled back when he saw her.

“D-Dru?”

She smiled and pointed behind him. He turned around and there she was, standing there, the veil still over her face.

“My Spike.”

He turned around and faced Drusilla once again and she said softly, “You must lift the veil my dear boy.”

He nodded and moved towards Willow. He touched her cheek, but still she remained motionless. With a growl, he lifted the veil up and everything went white.

Spike shot off the sarcophagus, gasping for unneeded breath. Little beads of sweat had formed on his forehead. He wiped them away and continued to gasp. He had to get to the Watcher’s.

~^~**~^~

“Drusilla?”

Spike nodded furiously, “Yes, Drusilla, my bloody sire.”

“She was in your dream?”

“She told me to lift the veil that was covering Willow’s face.”

“Are you positive it was Willow?”

“I didn’t actually get a good look at her face but it was her.” He paused, “I could feel it.”

Giles paced around his living room, mumbling to himself, “Lifting the veil, lifting the veil.”

“What are you rambling about, Watcher?”

He looked up and smiled for the first time in a week, “You have to unmask something. Perhaps of the magical sort. That’s what your dream meant. Apparently, you have to be the one to do it too.”

“Unmask something? You want to be a bit more specific?”

“Something is preventing Willow from regaining consciousness. You have to lift the veil, metaphorically speaking. It’s just a matter of how.”

Spike tapped his fingers against the arm of the chair, “Why me?”

“You were involved in the spell. You were the one who was holding the candle and the one who the spirit possessed beforehand.”

“Well, what am I supposed to do?”

“That’s what we have to find out.”

The vampire stood up and headed for the door, “Magic Box?”

Giles nodded his consent and grabbed his jacket off the table.

~^~**~^~

“So, you had one of those prophetic dreams? Like the ones Buffy used to have?” Xander questioned while flipping through the pages of a book he wasn’t actually reading.

Buffy’s brow furrowed, “Well, if they’re like the ones that I used to have then that means it’s actually going to come true.” She looked up at Giles, “Which means Drusilla has something to do with all of this.”

The Watcher stopped reading, “I never actually considered that factor. I assumed that because Spike has the childe-sire bond with her, he trusts her.”

Spike snorted, “I may love her but I don’t trust her.”

Dawn looked up confused, “You love her? I thought you hated her. You were gonna kill her last year for Buffy, remember?”

The vampire let out an unneeded sigh, “It’s complicated, Niblet. Sire-Childe relations run through your blood. You always love them, even if you don’t want to.” His eyes turned towards Buffy and the Slayer fidgeted nervously.

“Right, well, I think Spike and I need to go on a patrol. When’s Anya coming back here from the hospital?”

Xander checked his watch, “Oh, I should be picking her up right now.”

“You’re doing the overnight watch this time, right?”

The young brunette nodded, “Yup.”

~^~**~^~

“What’s going on, Spike?”

The blonde demon turned towards her, “What do you mean?”

She sighed, “With everything,” she motioned between them, “Us. You and Willow. What’s going on?”

He looked at her in confusion, “I’m still not getting your point, Slayer.”

“What exactly do you feel towards me right now?”

Spike looked down and gripped the axe in his hand tighter, “I don’t love you.”

She breathed a sigh of relief, “Okay.”

“I don’t think I ever did.”

Buffy resisted the urge to say ‘I told you so’. She waited for him to continue.

“It was an obsession. I wanted to possess you. I always had a thing for the untouchable forbidden fruit sort of deal. And bloody hell, you were the gem of it all.”

“Why exactly?”

“First off, you’re a Slayer. Second, Angelus, enough said. And third, because you didn’t return my feelings.” He watched as she twirled the stake in her hand, “I always did like a challenge.”

“Yeah,” she smiled, “And you were extremely stubborn about it all too.” There was a comfortable silence between them then until she sighed. “I’m sorry, Spike.”

He stopped walking and stared at her incredulously, “What?”

She rolled her eyes, “You make it sound like I’d never say that to you. Well,” she paused and reconsidered her statement, “Alright, I see your point. But, still.” She smiled, “I really am. For how I treated you and for well, you know.”

“It’s not all your fault, Buffy. I have a part in it too.”

She smiled, “Oh, I know. But, still, I just wanted you to know that, well, I really am sorry.”

“I’m sorry too,” He looked at her, “Why the sudden change?”

“After all this happened, it just made me realize a few things. And how the way I was acting was just.. inexcusable. I think I’ve just finally accepted everything. It’s tough, but hey, I’m used to tough.”

Spike grinned at her, “Well, look at the Slayer, all grown up.”

“Shut up, Spike.” Her expression grew serious, “But, I’m getting off track here. What about Willow?” She sighed, “I know we’ve talked about it before and all but seriously.” Buffy looked him in the eye, “I just.. need to know.”

“I care about her,” His brow furrowed, “A lot more then I should. A lot more than I’d like to.”

“She’s my best friend, Spike. And I love her. Even if I didn’t show it, she’s like my lifeline. I don’t think I need to give you the whole, ‘If you hurt her’ speech.”

He nodded, “I know, Buffy. I know.”

“So, you care about her but the real question is, do you want her?”

For the second time that night, he stopped in his steps and seriously considered the question. He smiled at the realization, “Yeah, I do.”

~^~**~^~

Buffy was out doing her daily patrols while Anya and Dawn were at the hospital with Willow. The rest of the gang stayed at Giles’, researching.

“I think I’ve got it,” Giles placed the book on the table in front of him and smiled.

“What is it, Watcher?”

He placed a finger on the page, “There.”

Spike peered at the writing, “To lift a mask.” His blue eyes quickly scanned over the page, “It’s a spell.”

“Well, that’s kind of a given, isn’t it, Junior?” Xander turned to Giles, “Are you gonna perform it?”

The Watcher shook his head, “I can’t. I don’t have anywhere near that amount of power to perform that kind of spell.”

“What about Spike?”

Giles shook his head silently.

“Then what,” Xander paused when it all came together, “You’re not actually thinking of doing what I think you’re going to do are you?”

Giles sighed, “It’s the only choice we have left.”

“That’s insane. She’s- she’s *insane*!”

“It’s the only bloody choice that we have.”

The young brunette didn’t give up, “And how do you plan to find her?”

“I don’t,” Spike replied simply.

“What?”

“Her Daddy will.”

~^~**~^~

Willow glanced around her nervously. Where the heck was she? The tall buildings towered over her, intimidating more then any demon had done before. The bare streets only added to the emptiness that she felt inside. Never before did she feel so alone.

The small cry that erupted from the young girl’s lips caused Willow to whip around and stare in confusion, “W-Who are you?”

The girl stood in the center of the road, fat drops of tears rolling down her chubby cheeks, “I want to go home.”

Willow took a few steps toward her and knelt down so that she was face to face with the young child, “How did you get here?”

The girl shrugged and sniffled, “I don’t know. I don’t like it here.” She cocked her head to the side, “What’s your name?” She reached out and grabbed a strand of Willow’s hair, “Pwetty.”

“I’m Willow.”

The young blonde smiled, revealing the empty spaces in her mouth, “My name is,” she paused, “My mommy told me not to talk to strangers.”

The redhead grinned, “Don’t worry, sweetie. I won’t hurt you.”

“Pwomise?”

Willow nodded, “I promise.”

“My name’s Ashley.”

The redhead smiled, “Well, hello, Ashley.”

She let out a giggle and looked up and around her, “Where are we?”

Willow sighed and shook her head, “That’s what I’m trying to figure out.” She began to talk, more to herself then the young blonde, “I keep walking down these streets. The signs are all mixed up. I have a ticket,” she fished around in her pockets and showed it to Ashley, “But I can’t find the train station.”

Ashley whimpered in fear, “No, it’s bad.”

Willow’s brow furrowed in confusion, “What, the train station?”

The tears began to flow again, “You can’t go there.”

“Why not?” The redhead asked softly, not wanting to cause more tears.

“It’ll hurt you.”

“Sweetie,” Willow pushed a strand of hair out of the young girl’s face, “I won’t let anything hurt me or you.”

“Don’t go,” Ashley repeated, “Don’t go.”

The redhead looked down at her and gave in, “Okay, I won’t go.”

The blonde smiled widely, “Thank you.”

~^~**~^~

“Deadboy?” Xander asked, still shocked, “You’re going to ask *Deadboy* for help?”

“Not going to, Moron,” Spike rolled his eyes, “Already did.” He smiled proudly, “And, he already found her.” He turned to Giles, “They’ll be here in a few hours.”

“Did you tell Buffy about this?”

Spike nodded, “She agrees.”

Xander looked between Giles and Spike with an unbelieving look on his face, “Buffy agrees? Giles, *you* agree?” He shook his head and then looked at Spike suspiciously, “Alright, evil dead, how’d you know to get Drusilla before we even found that spell?”

The vampire let out an unneeded sigh, “Because, unlike you, I’m not a bloody idiot. She was in my dream which obviously meant she had something to do with it all. And so, after that, I called up Peaches, had a nice lil’ heartwarming conversation with him and he promised me he would find Dru. And, he did.”

“How come nobody told me?” The brunette asked, nearly screeching.

“Because,” Giles looked pointedly at him, “We were afraid you were going to react the way you are now.”

He let out a defeated sigh, “Oh.” He glared at Spike, “I still don’t agree with this.”

“Well, lucky for me, I don’t care. This is to help Willow, not you.”

Xander looked down in shame and after a few moments of silence he spoke again, “Right, it’s to help Will. And it will? Right?”

His question remained unanswered.

~^~**~^~

“Ok, I’m back,” Buffy called out to the apartment when she came through the door, “Anya’s taking care of Dawn and Xander’s at the hospital.”

Spike looked up at the blonde, “They should be here by now.”

Giles came out of the kitchen with a plate full of cookies and a pot of tea, “Perhaps they got caught up in traffic.”

All three heads turned towards the door when the knock came.

“They’re here,” Buffy stated.

Nobody moved until there was another knock. It snapped Spike out of his momentary lapse, “Bloody hell, I’ll get it then.” He whipped open the door and smirked, “Poof, long time no see.”

“Spike,” Angel looked past him at Buffy and then Giles, “Buffy, Giles,” he said in a softer tone.

Drusilla walked up from behind Angel and touched the barrier in front of her, “My Spike, the stars, they’ve been whispering to you, haven’t they?”

The blonde gulped, “’ello, Dru.”

“I’ve heard it too.” She smiled, “Lift the veil.” She looked back at Angel, “That’s why we’re here.”

Buffy coughed, “Right, well, ummm, that’s great and all but don’t we want to get started?” She looked at Giles, “We don’t have to do this here if you don’t want to. We can always go to the Magic Box.”

Giles moved forward and turned on the porch light. He handed the spell papers to Drusilla, “Can you perform a spell like this?”

Drusilla caressed the papers that she held in her hand, “They hum to me.” She closed her eyes and began to hum along to an unheard tune, “I need to see her.”

Buffy laughed unbelievingly, “Yeah, right. I don’t think so. I’m not letting you *anywhere* near her.”

The dark haired vampiress looked up at Angel, confused. “I need to.”

Angel stepped through into Giles’ home and said softly, “Listen to her, Buffy. If she tries anything, we’ll be able to stop her.”

Buffy looked at the faces in the room and sighed, “Fine, but like you said, anything fishy and she’ll become closely acquainted with Mr. Pointy.” She looked at Giles, “I need you to call Xander and tell him to come over here. I don’t want him to start freaking out again when I bring Drusilla over there. We don’t have time for it.”

The Watcher nodded and watched as the four left.

~^~**~^~

Drusilla gripped the side of the wall and gasped for unneeded breath, “It’s dark where she is. I can feel it from here.”

Buffy looked around the room in confusion. She glanced at Angel, “What is she babbling about?”

“Willow,” Spike answered, “Is she in trouble?”

Drusilla walked tentatively up to the bed and held her hand up right above her, “It’s strong, Spike, it’s very strong.”

The Slayer walked up to Drusilla and shook her, “Tell me what is going on here.”

The vampiress shook her head sadly, “He has her.”

“What?”

“The bad man, he has her.”

Buffy looked down and then back up at Spike, “Is she talking about the spirit?”

Spike shrugged, “Bloody hell, I don’t know, Slayer.” He sighed, “I hope not.”

Before anyone could stop her, Drusilla put both of her hands against the sides of Willow’s head. She let out a blood-curdling scream before collapsing into Angel’s arms.

~^~**~^~

Giles nearly spilled his tea all over himself when he heard the pounding on the door. It was soon followed by Buffy’s muffled yell, “Giles!!”

The Watcher rushed to the door and opened it. He quickly stepped out of the way to let Buffy and Spike in. Angel was about to follow suit but found that he couldn’t. “Giles, you have to invite her in.”

Giles looked at Angel uncertainly before sighing, “Drusilla, come in.”

Angel kicked the door shut with his foot and set her down onto the couch. Xander jumped up off his seat and stared at the unconscious vampiress. “What happened?”

“She put her hands on Willow’s head and then she just started screaming.” He looked at Giles, “I think she saw something.”

Spike knelt down next to Drusilla, “She said it was dark where Willow was. I think she’s in trouble.”

“Thank you Captain Obvious,” Xander deadpanned, “We kind of already figured this out before.”

His emotions on high, Spike stood up and growled, “Shut your trap, you git!”

“What are you going to about it, huh?”

Buffy slammed her hand down against the table. The whole room jumped back and shut their mouths. She began in a deadly calm voice, “Willow is stuck in only god knows where. Drusilla is unconscious and she is our best chance of getting Willow out. You two are *not* helping. So unless you have something helpful to say, shut up.” She walked towards Giles, “Is there any way you can get her to wake up?”

Giles pinched the bridge of his nose, “I suppose some smelling salts should do the trick. I have some upstairs.”

Buffy nodded and headed into the kitchen, Angel following behind her.

“Are you okay, Buffy?”

“Fine,” she replied tightly.

“Buffy.”

She looked up at him and said sharply, “Look, Angel, I’m trying the best I can to control my emotions here. Now, I don’t want to be a hypocrite because I just gave the two idiots out there a lecture about just that. So, please, leave me alone.”

“I just want to help.”

She softened her expression, “You are.”

~^~**~^~

Buffy came out of the kitchen holding a mug of warm blood. “Do you have it?”

Giles nodded and held the small brown bottle in front of Drusilla’s nose. She twitched a few times before moaning. Her eyes shot open and the Watcher backed away when he saw the golden tint in them. “Buffy.”

The Slayer moved in front of her and handed her the mug of blood, “Drink.”

Drusilla held it to her nose and sniffed it before cringing in disgust, “Yucky.”

“Yeah, well, that’s all you’re gonna get.”

The vampiress pouted a few moments before sipping the blood.

Buffy turned to Angel triumphantly, “I’m having a hard enough time trying to understand her so I think it’d be a good idea if you tried to decipher her ramblings.”

The dark haired vampire shook his head, “Don’t ask me. I could never understand her very well, either.”

Before the Slayer could protest, Spike spoke up, “I’ve got it. Spent over a century with the chit. I’ve got it down.” He sat down next to Drusilla and looked into her eyes, “Dru?”

She put the empty mug onto the Watcher’s table and hung her head down, “She doesn’t know, Spike. He’s painted a spell around her. She can’t tell.”

“I believe I speak for everybody in this room when I say ‘huh’?”

Spike ignored Buffy’s complaint and said gently, “What else is there?”

“She wants to get out, but she can’t.” Drusilla cocked her head to the side, her expression wondering, “She doesn’t know the bad man. There were flashes. He was rotting. And then, there was a girl.”

Xander chose this time to wedge himself into the conversation, “Girl?”

“A lil’ un’. I saw her. She was the man.”

Buffy scoffed, “She was the man. Oh yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Giles, are you sure this is helping us?”

The Watcher moved forward and looked at the vampiress, “The girl, she was pretending? Or, what?”

“No, they kept changing. Switching.”

He snapped his fingers, “That’s it. That’s the spell. He’s tricking her by pretending to be a little, helpless girl. She couldn’t get out if she wanted to. Willow would never leave the girl behind.”

Spike shook his head, “Bleedin’ hell. Soddin’ spirits.”

“Well, isn’t that what the unveiling spell is for then?” Xander asked confused. “I mean, Drusilla *can* perform it, right? After that, Will sees the creepy corpse for what it really is and she can get out.” He looked at the unsure faces in the room, “Right?”

“There’s still a lot that we don’t know, Xander. It could be putting Willow in a great deal of potential danger.”

“Well, isn’t she in danger already?”

Giles sighed, “I suppose you are correct.”

“So, we do the spell?”

Buffy sighed and glanced at Drusilla who gave her a small smile back, “Yeah, we do the spell.”

~^~**~^~