Buffy and Spike entered the library nervously the next morning. Buffy had whined and pleaded for another 12 hours of solitude, but Spike had feared an angry, suspicious Watcher with a crossbow.

Not surprisingly, Willow, Oz, Xander, Dawn, Angel, Fred, Wesley and Faith were all present.

Angel, Fred and Wesley were off in a corner pouring over some old texts. Buffy assumed they were investigating the attack the day before yesterday.

“We’re here for moral support.” Willow told her friend.

“Except for Angel, we think he’s here hoping Giles stakes Spike.” Dawn said quietly to Buffy.

“Pretty much.” Xander agreed.

“I’m just here cause I wanna see somebody else be the big screw up for once.”

Buffy nodded and grimaced.

“Thanks, Faith.”

Buffy ignored her sister and Xander.

“Do we really think I’m going to need moral support?” Buffy asked Willow, her voice came out very nervous and child-like.

“Do you really think the Watcher could take me?” Spike asked Xander. Buffy just gave him a look.

“You’re staying out here, until I have a chance to go in and talk to him.” Buffy tried not to look worried. “Just in case.”

Spike snorted at her. “Please, luv.”

“Look Spike, seeing you and Giles get into some kind of pissing contest is not something I really want to see today, so please just let me talk to him first.”

“Right, sounds good. That’s what I would suggest we do, too.” Spike backed off at her tone. Xander and Dawn started snickering and he threw them a glare and a very obscene gesture.

“So tell me the truth, Will, how bad is it?” Buffy asked gesturing helplessly at Giles closed office door.

“Its pretty bad, he hasn’t left his office since I talked to him, except to come out searching for books. I know he found some books Dawn said you were looking at in the” Willow looked around suspiciously for moment and lowered her voice. “back room.”

“After that you could hear him swearing and throwing things.” She continued. “Just be prepared, its been quite the shock for him, I think.”

“Great. Good. I’m sure it will be fine. Really.” Buffy was trying to convince herself as she walked slowly toward the door. Before she got too far Spike grabbed her arm and spun her around.

“If you need me, I’m right here.” He said putting his hand over her heart.

She smiled and kissed him. “Thank you.” She said earnestly. “Just please let me handle this, no matter what you sense, don’t come rushing in unless I call you, Ok?”

Spike watched her for a moment. He really didn’t like the thought of the Watcher’s ignorance hurting Buffy, but he knew she was right. The last thing the situation needed was him arrogantly flaunting their relationship. He nodded. “Ok, luv, but don’t hesitate to call if you need me, you don’t have to do this on your own, you know.”

She smiled up at him bravely and turned to walk towards the door.

Spike went over and sat on a table next to Faith trying not to fidget nervously.

“Man, I wish I would’ve brought popcorn for this.” She told him excitedly. He just shot her a look.

“I thought you had an out of town job today, Faith.” Dawn reminded her dryly.

“Yeah, some town is reporting trouble of a ‘supernatural’ nature. She shrugged, “I’m going to go check it out and hopefully kick some ‘supernatural’ butt.”

“Are you taking Robin with you, since Buffy is unavailable.” Dawn teased her.

“Nah, he has too much going on. I thought about taking Rhona or Kennedy so they could get some field practice while they are here, but turns out they’re headed back to Cleveland tonight.”

Spike smiled. He wondered if the fact Red and Oz were covered in each other’s scent had anything to do with that.



Buffy knocked on Giles door, before stepping into the office. He looked up at her entrance, he looked horrible. It was obvious he hadn’t changed clothes or slept in several days. There were dark rings around his eyes and his hair was in all different directions. His eyes darkened with anger when he saw it was her.

“Hey Giles.” She said softly.

“Buffy.” He acknowledged her, turning back to his book and marking his page before giving her his full attention.

“Look, I know what you’re thinking…” She began.

“Really, Buffy. Please, tell me what it is that you believe I’m thinking.”

Buffy swallowed nervously. “You’re thinking that I threw away my shot at having a normal life, but Giles I really don’t think I’m meant to have a normal life.” She pleaded with him to understand.

Giles shook his head and removed his glasses.

“Actually, no I’ve been sitting here for 2 days now just wondering at your stupidity for jumping into an ETERNAL commitment without taking the time to even consider what the repercussions might be.” He snapped. He stood up and put a finger in her face.

“You have behaved extremely foolishly. How can you even justify taking such a risk?” He demanded.

“Giles, I really do love him. To me losing him was a bigger risk.” She tried again to make him understand.

Giles slammed his hand down on the book laying open on his desk. “Damn you and your romantic notions! How many times have you ‘followed your heart’ as it were, leading us into situations that would never have occurred it had you gone about things sensibly? How many times has your impulsive recklessness led to one of us having to come rescue you?”

Giles looked into her eyes and she flinched at the anger she saw directed at her in his gaze.

“What happens if Spike’s demon goes back to its old ways, or he loses his soul?”

“Spike changed before he got the soul, that’s one of the reasons he went looking for one.” Buffy tried to explain.

“This was when he tried to rape you, correct. Would that be the change you were referring to?”

“Look, Giles you have to trust me on this…”

Giles barked out a bitter laugh.

“Oh I trust you. I trust you to get your heart broken when this goes bad and leave the mess for someone else to clean up. Just like after Angelus killed Jenny,” Buffy stepped back with tears in her eyes as Giles continued. “Just like I had to do with Ben.”

“Buffy all the power you have at your disposal that could be corrupted and used against everything we stand for and you go and make a decision like this.” He turned away from her in disgust.

“What do you mean ‘like you had to with Ben’? What did you do with Ben?” Buffy’s voice had a command in it that stopped Giles cold.

“Er, well, he couldn’t be allowed to just run off until Glory got her strength back and returned.” Giles voice took on a slightly uncomfortable tone and Buffy’s eyes narrowed.

“So, what, you had Glory bound within him somehow?” Buffy asked.

“Um, no.”

“You had him incarcerated someplace where she couldn’t get out?”

“Buffy, this isn’t the issue right now.” Giles snapped at her.

Buffy just stared at him horrified. “Oh my god. You killed him, didn’t you?” Her tears broke and she turned and walked out of his office.

Giles followed her. “Buffy, it was the only way to guarantee Dawn’s safety. I did what needed to be done, what you couldn’t do. Under the circumstances I believe it was the right thing to do.” He defended himself.

Everyone was watching the argument taking place in front of them. Faith felt bad about wanting to see Buffy be the black sheep for once, she hadn’t realized it was going to be this brutal.

Spike could easily feel Buffy’s hurt, it cut through him. He wanted nothing more than to go comfort her, but he told her he’d wait until she asked for him. She needed to do this on her own.

“If you were so certain it was the right thing to do, then why didn’t you ever tell me?” Buffy yelled at Giles.

He didn’t have an answer for her.

She turned and looked at her friends assembled before her.

“Anyone else? Huh? Now’s your chance?” She threw her hands up in the air. “Anyone else have any secrets they want to share with the group. I mean I’ve just been informed that my impulsiveness has cause you all to make decisions in my place. Any one else have anything they want to tell me?”

Buffy looked at each one of them, but no one said anything.

“Angel, I believe you have a mighty big secret you’ve been keeping.”

Angel’s face was tortured misery.

“Don’t you want to share with the group? You know unburden your soul?” She asked him nastily. Buffy was referring to Angel’s on Connor, who he had with Darla. Buffy had learned all about it thanks to Spike’s memories.

Spike looked down uncomfortable and slightly angry that she had used their bond for ammunition to attack.

For a long time uncomfortable silence suffocated the room, then Angel began to speak.

“The first year I was in LA, Buffy came to see me. We were attacked by a demon. His blood turned me human. Buffy and I spent the day together, then I realized that I was a liability to her as a human so I went to the Higher Beings and had them turn back time 24 hours, so it was like it never happened. No one remembers it but me.”

Buffy gaped at him in shock. So did the others.

“What exactly did we do during this day we spent together?” She asked him, her voice full of ice. She walked up to him standing right in his space.

“We ate junk food, we saw the sun…” He paused.

“Did we sleep together?” She demanded.

“Yes, we made love.”

She slapped him across the face hard. She felt almost physically ill now, but she just buried that deep inside and continued on.

Spike stood up to go to her but she waved him away.

“ANYONE ELSE?” She yelled into the room. “Clear your conscience. Come on let me have it. Everyone else is.”

Xander hesitantly raised his hand.

“Xander?” Buffy’s voice was filled with poison at this point.

Xander took a deep breath. “The day you went to rescue Giles and fight Angelus, with Acathla…”

“I remember, what about it?”

“I told you Willow said to kick his ass.”

“Xander!!” Willow gasped, shocked.

Xander just looked down.

“Go on.” Buffy said.

“Well, what she actually told me was that she was going to try the spell to restore his soul again and you should buy her some time.”

Buffy staggered back, reeling from the pain inside her. Then she straightened.

“So everyone here knows better than me. Turns out the night you kicked me out of my own house was a long time coming. None of you believed me capabable of doing my job.” Buffy came to stand in front of Willow.

“I’m just wondering then, why you bothered to bring me back at all? What you just needed someone who was really strong?”

“Buffy…” Willow beseeched her.

“Save it, Will. I think I’ve heard enough for today.” With that she walked out of the library slamming the door behind her.

Spike sat there for a moment, then he began to clap. “Well done, not even out of our room an hour and you have her running away already. Guess its true, your biggest strengths are also your biggest weaknesses.”

“I really don’t need to listen to lecture from you, Spike.” Giles growled at him.

“Well, you need to listen to lecture from someone. At least I never felt the need to go behind her back when I thought she was wrong. I at least had the strength of my convictions to tell her straight out. Personally, Rupert, I’m glad you killed that wanker Ben you just should have taken the time to explain why you did it and given her the chance to understand why you did what you did. Instead of throwing it in her face as one of her failures.” Giles was surprised Spike knew what they had been arguing about in the office. Spike just smiled at him. “Side effect of our ‘eternal commitment’.” He told him.

Then he turned on Xander. “And you.” Spike laughed. “Just felt the need to clear your conscious, boy?” Xander attempted to speak. “Don’t. I don’t even want to hear it.” Spike got right up in his face. “She never needed to know that.”

Spike went over to Faith. “Would you mind if we took that little road trip for you? I think it would be best if I got her out of here for while.”

“Sure no problem.” For once Faith had no smart replies, she just handed him the information. “Here are the directions and a description of the compliants.”

“Thanks, luv.” Spike gave her a quick smile.

“Take care of her, ok.” Faith sounded almost hesitant, she still wasn’t real comfortable showing affection for people. Spike was in the process of walking away, but he turned and squeezed Dawn’s shoulder.

“That’s what I’m here for.” He said trying to reassure both Dawn and Faith without showing too much. He walked up to Angel next.

“I’m going to be needing your car, Peaches and I don’t even want to hear a word out of you.” As ordered, Angel didn’t say anything, he just handed him his keys.

“How you could even do something like that to her…” Spike couldn’t even finish he was so disgusted with the other vampire.

Then he turned and went after Buffy, his duster flowing behind him as he left.

No one in the library said a word.



A telephone call from an office inside the house.

“Mr. Isaac Milton, please.”

“I’ve been waiting to hear from you. I understand the Slayer and her vampire are still alive.”

“Yes, and that’s not all. They are the ones who took the job outside, not Faith.”

“I see. Well, then we have a second chance at our main objective.”

“Do you think your people will get the job done this time?”

“If they don’t then it will be up to you to take care of the problem personally. So far you have managed to stay in the house undetected, in spite of your intentions.”

“I’ll do what needs to be done. The mission is what matters.”

“Exactly.”

Knowing the conversation was over, Robin hung up the phone and stared blankly at the wall.