“What do you mean, Giles?” Buffy’s worry-filled eyes moved from Spike’s demon to her Watcher.
 
“Buffy, in the latter stages of dehydration, those afflicted become increasingly lethargic as well as confused.  If left untreated, one could slip into a coma, which ultimately leads to…” Giles left the tragic ending unsaid, but knew his Slayer clearly understood.
 
“That’s not going to happen.  I won’t let it.  Giles, we gotta get there now. Can’t this middle-age-crisis mobile go any faster?”  Buffy returned her attention to the backseat, her distress ever present.
 
“Wills, how’s he doing?”
 
“Still with the z’s and some drooling, so I guess A-Okay.”  Willow smiled softly hoping her words alleviated some of her friend’s concerns.
 
“Okay, good.  William has to be all right if the demon is one with the sleeping and drooling side of life.  Or unlife in his case.”  Buffy shifted and faced forward, returning her eyes to the road.  Her worried expression changed into one of confusion when the direction they were heading seemed wrong.
 
“This is not the way to your place, Giles.  Where are we going?”
 
“While you were gone, I located a spell to reintegrate Spike’s two halves.  However, the spell requires a pentagram large enough for both William and the demon to take position in the center.  My flat doesn’t have enough space, so we need to perform the ritual at the Magic Box.”
 
“Magic Box?  Giles, we don’t have time for you to do the whole soccer mom thing!  What if—what if after all this driving around we’re too late?  What if—”

Giles’ moved one hand from the wheel and tenderly placed it on Buffy’s shoulder as he looked over to her.
 
“Buffy, we will make it in time.” 

She nodded, and after their brief exchange, Giles turned his attention back to the road.
 
The rest of the trip was made in relative silence with the exception of several considerably loud bouts of snoring.  When they finally arrived, Giles opened the front door and turned on the lights while the others moved Spike’s demon inside.
 
Xander and Buffy carefully carried the still sleeping vamp toward the back of the store.  Willow proceeded to situate a blanket, courtesy of Giles, on the floor before they laid him down.
 
Once this was done, Xander headed over to Giles and Willow, who were standing at the sales counter discussing preparations for the spell.  Buffy remained with Spike’s demon and was now sitting of the floor next to him.
 
“…The pentagram must be large enough for them both.  In addition, the spell also requires white candles placed at each of the five points, which will be lit during the spell.  You will find everything you’ll need downstairs in storage.”  Giles opened the hefty tome and showed Willow the passage containing the information.
 
“Okay, draw a big star on the floor and decorate it with candles, gotcha.”  Willow nodded and headed off to collect the supplies.
 
Giles picked up the phone and started dialing, as Willow headed downstairs with Xander trailing behind. 
 
“Wills, what’s up with that?”  Xander stood beside her while she perused the shelves.
 
“What that are you talking about, Xander?”  Willow pulled a box marked ‘candles’ from the shelf, placed it on the floor and started searching through the array of wax pillars.
 
“The that I’m referring to is the Hellmouth’s rendition of Beauty and the Beast going on upstairs!”  Xander gestured wildly as he started pacing.
 
“You mean what’s going on between Buffy and Spike?”  Willow stopped her search and looked up at her clearly agitated friend.
 
“Aaa…yeah!  She can’t, Will.  She can’t be falling for another vampire.  It’s like Angel all over again.  Well, without the nonstop broodiness.”
 
“Xander, you need to relax.  Look, I know you don’t want to hear this, but tonight I realized something.  Spike is nothing like Angel.  Sure they both have a major sun allergy, need a liquid diet, and seriously love the hair gel, but that’s where the similarities end.  When Angelus came on the scene, it was all about tormenting Buffy and killing innocent people.  Spike’s demon hasn’t been like that at all.  You saw it tonight, Xander.  The demon had a non-stake wielding Slayer on tap and never tried to bite her.  To be honest, I felt all peeping Tom-ish watching them together.”
 
“No—no, there’s no togetherness.  Maybe she’s just confused, like some sort of Florence Henderson thing going on.  You know, when a nurse starts having feelings for their patients.  Plus, there’s the chip.”  Xander continued pacing, stopping only when Willow moved into his path.
 
“Well, the chip doesn’t stop him trying to get bitey, it just zaps him if he does.  And it’s Florence Nightingale, and no, I don’t think it’s that either.  Even before William became sick, Buffy’s been acting kinda weird around him.  I’ve been noticing some things ever since our run-in with Toth.”  To escape the scrutiny she knew was surely coming, Willow kneeled down and returned her attention to the box’s contents.
 
“Things, what things?  How come I’m the last to know about these so-called things?  And how come after five years I’m still the Jack in this Three’s Company scenario?  Yeah, I get to hang out with two hot girls, but when things happen, I’m left out of the loop.  And then during the catchy credit-rolling music, there I am tripping over the couch and being the punchline in some joke.” Following his rant, Xander sighed dejectedly.
 
Willow pulled out two white candles and placed them on the floor, before brushing her hands off on her jeans and standing.
 
“Xander, we don’t purposefully leave you out, and you’re not some joke.  It’s just these things…well, they’re girl things, and even though your input is important to us, you just don’t have the proper—um—parts to be included.”  Willow smiled warmly; hoping her friend understood, and his feelings weren’t hurt.         
 
“I do, Wills, it’s just sometimes it would be nice to join in on the giggling girlfests you and Buffy have.  Now, I’d never trade in my manly parts, even though sometimes they get me in trouble, but I would still like to be included.  So there, I said it.  Anyway, I should head back upstairs.  Giles is going to need some help getting Watcher Jr. here.”  Xander returned Willow’s smile and started ascending the stairs.
 
When Xander entered the main part of the store, Buffy was standing next to Giles as he was ending his phone call.
 
“So Giles, ready for Operation Revamp?”
 
“Ah yes, Xander.  Anya is waking William now, and hopefully, when we arrive he will be ready to make the trip.  Buffy, we will back shortly.”  Giles turned and headed to the exit with Xander following behind.
 
Buffy watched the two men leaving, and when she could no longer hear the sound of Giles’ car outside, she turned and eyed the room with apprehension.
 
Now, with Giles and Xander gone, Willow still in the basement, and the demon snoring away in the corner, nobody was there to help curtail the anxious anticipation welling up inside. 
 
Buffy really hated this, the waiting.  It wasn’t in the Slayer’s make-up to let others take the reins, but she knew it was what she needed to do.  However, even though she accepted the waiting, it didn’t mean she had to do so sitting still.
 
When Willow finally came upstairs with several white grease pencils and candles in hand, a slight sense of relief washed over Buffy as she abruptly ended her frantic pacing.
 
“It’s about time!  You were down there like two hours!”  Buffy headed over to her friend and relieved her of a few supplies.
 
“Buffy, it was less than twenty minutes and that was even after the heart-to-heart conversation with Xander.  Just to recap, he wants to join in on our ‘all chick-flicks, only chocolate foods allowed, and no discussing our love life’ fests, all the while remaining completely male.”  Buffy’s brow rose in question, and Willow continued, “Don’t ask. Anyway, we have everything we need for the spell.  Well, except for William, and don’t worry, they’ll be back soon.”
 
Buffy smiled half-heartedly at Willow’s attempt to make her feel better.  Then with minimal discussion, they cleared an area large enough for the spell, and after outlining the initial pentagram, each chose a section to work on, darkening and widening the lines.
 
“So—you and Spike, huh?”  Despite Willow’s attempt at sounding nonchalant, her words hit Buffy full force.  Her eyes widened and shifted quickly from the floor to Willow, whose gaze was trained on her.
 
“Me—and—Spike?”
 
“Well, not exactly you and Spike, more like you and Spike-halves.  Which when we finally put them back together will be a whole Spike.  So yeah, you and Spike.”  This time Willow refrained from beating around the bush and went straight to the point.
 
“Wills, there’s no me and Spike, me and William, or me and Spike’s demon.  There isn’t me and anyone, not anymore.”  Buffy stood from the floor.  She noticed a few white smudges on her hands and started wiping them off on her jeans.
 
“’The lady doth protest too much, methinks.’”
 
“Hey, don’t get all Shakespeare-y on me!  And I’ll have you know this lady protests too much ‘cause the other lady thinks way too much for her own good.”  Buffy struck her classic oppositional pose: hip cocked, arms crossing her chest, and one eyebrow raised.   
 
“Well, this other lady thinks that you, this lady has been acting wiggy around William, and this other lady noticed definite major sparkage between you, this lady and the demon.”  Willow stood up from the floor and struck a mirrored pose.
 
“Wait, huh?”  Buffy dropped her arms and scrunched her nose in confusion.
 
“Uh-uh, no way missy, you’re not getting out of this discussion that easily.  I’ll make it simple: Are you having feelings for Spike?”
 
Buffy’s gaze moved from Willow to one half of the man in question.  The demon shifted and snorted before resuming another round of snores.  A soft smile touched her lips.
 
“I don’t know, Willow.”  Buffy looked back at her friend. “I mean, hello, this is Spike we’re talking about.  He’s the same irritating, bleached vampire that has been a constant thorn in my side for years.  Yet, when he was William and even the demon, all the annoyingness of Spike—from the way he talks and acts, to you know just being Spike—was gone.  Then you have Giles saying these two halves have always been inside Spike, it really got me thinking.
 
“William is super sweet and respectful, and he’s kinda cute.  Well, in a shy, dorky way.  Then you have his demon.  Yeah, he’s all with the bloodlust, but even though he was starving, he was nothing but gentle and protective of me.  And I won’t mention totally hot in a grrr-kinda way.  So since Spike is really William and the demon just in one package, I stand by my earlier answer—I don’t know.”  Buffy sighed and lowered to the floor to continue on the pentagram.
 
With her head lowered, Buffy didn’t notice Willow looking over at the demon then back at her.  If she had, Buffy would’ve seen Willow’s look of decision to not press her any further before resuming work on her section.
 
They finished just when the tinkling of the over-the-door bell alerted them that the gang was back with William.  Just like Pavlov’s dog, the bell had Buffy instantly moving from the floor to William.
 
He looked worse than he did several hours earlier.  He appeared considerably weaker, relying heavily on both Giles and Xander to walk.  He was muttering nonsensically, while his eyes continually rolled in their sockets.
 
Buffy took Xander’s place, and she and Giles gently directed William to a chair.  Once he was seated, Giles remained close by to ensure he didn’t fall over, as Buffy lowered herself into a crouching position in front of William.
 
“Hey, William, it’s me Buffy.”  She gently cupped his cheeks, guiding his face in her direction.  His eyes rolled forward before he squinted, attempting to focus.
 
“Buffy?  My Buffy.  So glowing, effulgent.  My sun and I’m falling like Icarus…” The rest of his words were murmured making it difficult to understand.
 
“Giles, please say we’re ready.”  Slightly blushing, Buffy stood, not moving too far from William.
 
“Yes, all we need is William and the demon in position.”
 
“Okay, can you and Willow help William to the center?  Xander, I need help with the demon.”  Buffy remained standing next to William until Willow came over.  While Willow and Giles guided him to the center of the pentagram, Buffy and Xander moved the demon. 
 
Once both William and the demon were placed inside, everyone moved and stood outside the pentagram.  The group studied them with sheer fascination.  Despite one being in full demon guise, they looked exactly the same.  Especially since William was no longer wearing glasses and was dressed in his original outfit, leather duster and all.
 
“So Willow, is this an easy spell?”  Buffy started pacing nervously, her eyes remaining on William and the demon.
 
“Yeah, their natural state is to be together.  But there could be one big problem.  With Toth still being around, I don’t know if this will work.”  Willow shifted uncomfortably.
 
“Ah, yes Willow, this was one of the factors I considered during my research.” Giles returned to the counter and opened the tome.
 
“What is she talking about, Giles?”  Buffy’s strides increased in speed as her trepidation heightened.
 
“When a caster, especially one as powerful as Toth, is alive during the attempt of breaking their spell, it becomes far more difficult.”  Buffy heard the clear uncertainty in Giles’ voice.
 
“Does difficult mean the spell might backfire?  Are we putting them at risk?”  Buffy continued pacing while waiting for his response.
 
“There’s always a risk of a spell not working,” Willow added uneasily.
 
“Then we’re not doing it.  Not until Toth is taken care of.”  Buffy’s tone was one of conviction.
 
“Simply amazing.” 
 
William’s unexpected words drew everyone’s attention and stopped Buffy mid-stride.  William was kneeling and leaning unsteadily over his demonic counterpart, actively exploring his features.  William’s hands were roaming over the demon’s prominent ridged forehead and then becoming slightly bolder, he started probing the demon’s mouth.
 
Buffy watched with rapt interest William continuing his examination, and that’s when her thoughts started turning naughty—like her being the one explored by very hands-on Spikes.  Then, as though hit by a splash of cold water, she remembered she had a job to do and tamped down her lustiness.
 
“Guys, keep an eye on them while I’m out hunting Toth.  If need be, tranquilize the demon, and make sure William doesn’t get too handsy with his other self.”
 
“Buffy, are you going to go back to the dump to look for tall, dark, and odiferous?”  Xander appeared to be trying hard to ignore William’s roving hands moving over the demon, and Anya watching with clear interest this borderline inappropriate touching.
 
“Sounds like a good place to start.  It’s not like Toth’s just going to show up here asking to be killed—”
 
On the heels of Buffy’s words, Toth blasted apart the Magic Box’s front door.  All eyes turned and watched him emerging from the lingering smoke. 
 
“I wish for a million dollars.”  Xander looked upward to an unseen presence, hoping whoever gave Buffy her wish, gave him one as well.
 
“I will not miss again, Slayer.” Toth snarled, training his weapon on Buffy.
 
“Give it your best shot, rod-boy.”
 
With that, Toth launched a blast at Buffy, missing her by a hairsbreadth before she attacked him in a flurry of skillfully placed punches and kicks.  Since Toth relied heavily on his weapon, Buffy quickly got the upper hand and with a sweeping kick, knocked Toth’s rod from his hand.
 
“Buffy!” Giles yelled from his position near center of the room and launched a broad sword in the air toward his Slayer.  
 
Only taking her eyes off her opponent momentarily, Buffy caught the weapon and with a fatal thrust, buried the sword deeply into Toth’s chest.  With a roar, the demon collapsed.  He was dead before he hit the floor.
 
Dropping her weapon with a resounding clank, Buffy ran over and stopped on the outskirts of the pentagram.  She noticed William and the demon had remained inside.  One was staring at her with wide eyes filled with disbelief and the other was stirring awake, most likely from the pungent smell of blood and death.
 
“Now Willow!”  Buffy ordered her friend brusquely.
 
“Let the spell be ended!”  Willow simplistic command triggered a flash of bright light, and then all went still.
 
All eyes were fixed on the now lone figure sitting in the center of the pentagram.  Spike’s eyes remained downcast for several moments before he slowly raised his head.  He wore the face of his demon until it suddenly slipped away, leaving only that of William.  With weary eyes, Spike focused on Buffy momentarily.  Then without a word he rose unsteadily, staggered across the Magic Box and out into the night.  
 
    
 
 
 
 
 
 
Author’s Notes:

 I really appreciate everyone who are continuing to follow this story.  A big thanks to my irreplaceable and amazing betas Sanityfair and Diebirchen.  Love ya ladies!  I will be posting next Monday!!!!

Please take a moment to let me know what you think.  A moment of your time makes my whole day!  Also voting closes for SunnyD Awards Round 25 on December 19th.   Remember, the writers are what keep fanfiction alive!  Show your support! 


 
You may think, ‘Hey, don’t you think it was a little convenient Toth just showing up like that.’  Well, yes, but if you remember in the episode, Toth just ‘showed’ up at Xander’s apartment.  So I decided to go this way.  No harm, no foul.
 
Beauty and the Beast is a traditional French fairytale, originally published in 1740. Many renditions have been done, including one of my favorite’s Disney’s version. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauty_and_the_Beast
 
Florence Nightingale was a tireless nurse who dedicated herself in the care of her patients. She was not emotionally or physically involved with them.
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Nightingale
 
Florence Henderson played Carol Brady on the Brady Bunchhttp://www.flohome.com/index2.htm
 
Three’s Company is an American sitcom from 1977-1984.  The show center around three roommates, two women and one man, living in Southern California. The man, played by John Ritter pretended to be gay in order to live with two girls. There were two landlords during the course of the show, Mr. Roper, played by Norman Fell and Mr. Farley, played by Don Knots. The landlords were always showing up at inopportune times. The apartment complex was supposed to be for “respectable” people, so no one was allowed to live in sin. However, this was the swinging seventies and early eighties. The show was rife with slapstick comedy...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three'sCompany
   
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” Is a famous quote from Hamlet.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_lady_doth_protest_too_much,
 
Ivan Pavlov was a Russian physiologist, even though he contributed to the area of psychology.  He is famous for an experiment in Conditioned Reflex—using a dog, a bell, and food. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Pavlov
 
Icarus is a person in Greek mythology who wore wings made of feathers and wax and despite being warned against it, he flew too close to the sun then plummeted to earth and died. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icarus