Betaed by Maria and Flight Of Fancy.


Spike was the first one awake the next day. Dreams had plagued him throughout the night. Well, maybe it was more accurate to call them nightmares instead. He didn’t know if his imagination was creating memories for him, based on Buffy’s story, or if they were sent by the Powers, to show him what his life could have been like if Buffy hadn’t been attacked the night before the dance. Either way, his dreams gave him something to think about. They had been very vivid, and had filled in a lot of the gaps that Buffy had skimmed over the night before.

Like a compass pointing North, Spike had turned to face Buffy in the night. Waking first gave him a unique opportunity to study the ex-Slayer as she slept on in his arms. So much strength in such a tiny package...not something you could see just by looking on the surface. Maybe she wasn’t conventionally beautiful, but she was certainly pretty. Her face held character though, even in sleep, and a hidden layer of steel that was there if you knew what to look for.

The little blonde was using one of Spike’s arms as a pillow, and was holding his other arm wrapped around her waist, as if trying to convince the vampire to hold her close. Spike could tell that she was close to waking. Her nose was wrinkling, as it was tickled by a stray strand of her golden hair.

Spike smiled, and removed the mischievous hair, letting his bed mate return to her sleep. While he watched her, his mind was working in high gear. Spike didn’t know what to do. Buffy had made it clear that he was free to leave, whenever he wanted. He just wasn’t certain that, after spending the last few weeks in her home, he’d be able to live without her. How could he sleep without having her wrapped in his arms? More importantly, why should he have to try?

He could leave, or he could stay. Nothing was written in stone, and Buffy had been honest about their past in the other timeline. It didn’t take much thinking before Spike was forced to acknowledge that he couldn’t leave the petite ex-Slayer. That much was simple and impossible to argue. What he wasn’t certain of, was whether he loved her enough to claim her, to stay with her forever and never be with another woman for the rest of his unlife. She said she loved him like that, but did she really understand what she was asking of him? Did she understand what would be expected of her? Spike wasn’t interested in another one-way relationship.

Spike was so distracted by his thoughts that he was unaware that Buffy was awake and was watching him. Though completely absorbed with the tiny blonde in his arms, his mind was miles away.

Content to be wrapped in her vampire’s arms, Buffy closed her eyes again and snuggled deeper into his embrace, her nose buried in his throat.

Absently, Spike tightened the arm wrapped around the ex-Slayer’s waist. He was still pondering their relationship and his own feelings, but he already knew that having Buffy in his arms was a blessing.

The couple was so absorbed with each other that they didn’t hear Merrick answering the door and letting Joyce into the warehouse an hour later, or the pair leaving again not long after.

It was late morning when Buffy woke again, stretching like a kitten that had been sleeping in the sun.

“Morning, Luv,” Spike drawled.

“Did you get any sleep?” she asked, with a little yawn.

“Some.”

They locked eyes. Slowly, without thought, their heads moved closer. Spike looked down at her lips for a moment, and then back to her eyes.

Buffy moved her hand up Spike’s back, and licked her lips as she moved closer to him.

Spike moved in and nibbled at her lips. He gently pulled her to his chest, giving her an opportunity to pull away.

Instead of moving away, she repaid his nibble with one of her own. Soon they were sharing a soft kiss, that gradually developed into an exploration of each other’s mouths.

Spike had started the first kiss; Buffy the second. After that, there was no way of telling who started the numerous kisses they shared. It didn’t seem as if they could get enough of each other.

Finally, they broke apart, both panting, brows touching.

“I...I don’t want this to go any further, until you know in your mind and heart that this is what you want,” she said, breathlessly. “I want this more than anything, but I want you to want it too, and not just because of sexual attraction.” She swallowed visibly. “Do you understand?” she asked almost pleading, cupping his cheek with her hand.

Spike sighed, “I do, and thank you for keeping a clear head.” He placed a kiss on her nose. “I think I’m falling in love with you, but I want to be sure. A claiming is forever, not something you can revoke the day after.”

The happiness Buffy felt at Spike’s declaration was almost overwhelming. She felt as if her heart would beat out of her chest, and she knew if she stayed in her bed any longer, the temptation to start kissing her vampire would be impossible to resist. “Take as long as you need,” she said, as she rolled onto her back. “I need a shower.” Buffy glanced once more at Spike, and then smiled shyly as she rolled off the bed.

Spike had given her more than the crumb he had asked for, once upon a time. Buffy had hope, that he would be hers, as she was his. She had all the time in the world to wait for him. Alone in the shower, Buffy let tears of happiness run down her face to mingle with the warm spray from the showerhead.

Spending the day quietly relaxing, Spike and Buffy passed the time in quiet conversation, getting to know each other. They watched a movie, and sparred for a short time, before they parted ways for the evening. Spike went to Willy’s, and Buffy went to her mother’s home on Revello Drive.

************

In the school library, research had begun again as soon as the bell signalled that school was over for the day.

Angel, however, wasn’t restricted by the demands of a modern education. He had been at the books both night and day. He wouldn’t accept what Giles said, or what he read in the prophecy.

Angel believed that if the prophecy was true, there had to be another way to interpret it. Either that, or fix it, and turn Buffy back into the normal girl she was before she became the Slayer.

When Willow and Xander entered the library, Angel was pacing back and forth across the length of the room. He had a book in one hand, and was running his other hand through his hair.

In contrast to Angel’s agitation, Oz was sitting on the stairs to the upper level, calmly watching the show. He had a study period last block, and had arrived an hour earlier. Giles had caught him on his way out of his last class, and had convinced him to come and keep an eye on the Scoobies. The Watcher was worried they were going to do something stupid, but was too exhausted to supervise them any longer. He had hardly slept since Kendra had found the book, and he needed to go home and get some rest. Oz wished he was home as well. He had a bad feeling about what was to come.

Still, he had agreed to help the Watcher, and that was how Oz came to be reluctantly seated in the library, occasionally turning a page of the book in his lap and pretending to read.

“What’s up, Dead Boy?” Xander let the barb fly without thought when he saw Angel. Noticing the vampire’s normally impeccable hair, he let out a snicker and asked, “What’s got your hair in such a twist?”

Angel turned and growled at him, eyes flashing golden in the shadowed room. “Quit it, boy.”

Xander took a step back. That wasn’t the reaction he was used to, and he decided that it might not be the best time to irritate the recently-evil vampire. When he saw Angel take a seat at the research table, he carefully inched his way to a chair as far away from the vampire as he could get.

Angel inhaled deeply. Even from fifteen feet away, he was enjoying the intoxicating scent of fear that was rolling off Xander.

“What did you find?” Willow asked, pulling out a chair and taking her place as the buffer zone between Angel and Xander.

“Everything I’ve found just seems to confirm what Giles has told us.” Angel slammed the book closed.

Xander jumped in his seat when Angel closed the book he had been reading. To cover his girly jumpiness, he quickly asked in a sarcastic voice, “Have you read all the books? Every last one of them?” as he gestured to the stacks of books piled high on the table.

Angel looked at Xander through yellow demon eyes, unable to disguise the contempt he felt toward the weak and whiney teenager. The vampire’s eyes were their normal puppy-dog brown though, when he turned back to Willow. “We have to do something. Buffy thinks she’s looking for someone fated to be her soul mate, but instead she’s going to end up with someone who will kill her when she turns her back on him.” Again, he ran his hand through his hair, causing even more damage to his hairstyle.

Knowing that hysterical laughter was NOT the right path to take in front of the homicidally irritated vampire, Xander quickly stuck his head in a book and tried to control his reaction to Angel’s out of control hair.

“What about a temporary solution?” Willow was wringing her hands.

“What are you talking about?” Xander asked, his good mood gone.

Angel and Xander were both looking hopefully at Willow, Oz forgotten.

“Well, I might be able to do a spell. Kind of like a ‘time out’ until we find out where everything went wrong,” she said nervously. “Then we can fix the problem and remove the spell.”

“Yeah, she’ll be so grateful to us. We’ll be saving her from having to be with a demon,” Xander said dreamily. He was convinced that Buffy would be so thankful that she would fall into his arms, and he’d finally get what he wanted from the petite blonde.

“Willow, can I talk with you for a minute?” Oz was standing at his girlfriend’s side. “In private, please.”

Willow looked up, startled. She had forgotten that Oz was even in the room. “Now? But...”

“Yes, now. In the hallway, please.” He walked out the door, positive that Willow would follow.

It only took a moment for her to join him outside the library, but it was clear she found his request annoying. “What is it?” she asked impatiently. “I don’t have time to hang around, Oz. I’ve got to find the right spell to help Buffy.”

Oz stared at her, his face carefully blank. “Willow, please think about this. You’re crossing some boundaries here, and I don’t think you’ve really thought this out.”

“Wh...what?” She started to wring her hands. “What do you mean?”

“It scares me that this isn’t obviously wrong to you...that you think she’s going to be grateful to you if you do this.”

“It’s for her own good,” Willow said, pleading for his understanding. “We can’t let her make a mistake and get hurt.”

“Please, Willow. Don’t do this.” Oz placed his hands on her arms and drew her closer, trying to convince her with the comfort of his touch.

“You don’t understand. I have to help her.”

“Are you really going to place a spell on your friend, without her knowledge or permission?” Oz asked her. “Do you really think she’ll be happy when she finds out that you’ve taken control of her life?”

Willow was clearly overwhelmed, tears trickling down her face as she tried to make up her mind what was best. “I have to, Oz. I have to look out for her. She doesn’t understand what she’s doing!” Willow claimed.

Oz could see that there was no reaching her. His hands fell from her arms and he stepped back. “I can’t be a part of that, Willow. I won’t help you take control of Buffy’s life, just because you don’t like how she’s choosing to live it. If you can’t see how wrong this is, then you’re not the person I thought you were. I’m sorry, Willow, but we’re through.” Oz turned and walked away, leaving the redhead standing in the hall.

Willow called out, desperate to have him come back, to fix things between them. Oz didn’t react to her calls, though she knew he heard her. When he reached the end of the hall and turned the corner, she looked at the doors to the library, torn between chasing him and returning to the Scooby meeting. In the end, she wrapped her arms around herself and returned to the library, tears running down her cheeks.

Oz hurried to his van. A short drive later, he was knocking at Giles’ door.

A dishevelled Giles opened the door, and Oz walked into the Watcher’s home, not waiting for an invitation. Unable to relax, he began to pace back and forth across the living room.

Giles had never seen Oz this agitated before. Normally, he was the most collected young man the Watcher had ever met. “What happened, Oz?” Giles gestured for him to sit on the couch.

Oz sat down, but couldn’t help his leg from bouncing. “I just broke up with Willow.”

“I’m sorry, Oz.” Giles patted him awkwardly on the shoulder. He was surprised that Oz would bring such emotional news to him, and wasn’t certain what kind of response the young teen was looking for. “Can I get you a cup of tea?” Tea fixed things like this, didn’t it?

Oz ignored Giles’ attempts to make him feel better. “They want to place a spell on her, to stop her from making any decisions they don’t agree with.”

“I beg your pardon? What are you talking about?”

“I came straight over to let you know. It’s Buffy.” He looked up from his hands. “That’s why I broke up with Willow. I just couldn’t...” He looked down again.

Giles got up, realization dawning on his face. “I’ll call Buffy.”

****************

In the meantime, Angel, Xander, and Willow had located a spell that they thought would do the job nicely. If it worked properly, Buffy would forget everything about the prophecy all the craziness of the past few months. Instead, she would believe that she was just a normal girl, complete with friends and family, and a calling to save others.

It was important that the components of the spell were correct, so the trio took a few minutes to figure out exactly which day would be the last one that Buffy remembered. They settled on the day before she was to go meet the Master. The spell components would be easy to find at the Magic Shop, and so the last question to be answered was just who would be doing the spell on Buffy?

******************’’

Buffy’s response to Giles’ warning phone call was a simple, “Not again.”

“Again? Have they done this before?” he asked, pulling off his glasses.

“You, Willow, Xander, and Angel have all done this to me before, at one time or another.”

“Oh, Dear Lord. I...I don’t know what to say, Buffy. Would ‘I’m sorry’ be appropriate?”

Buffy sighed. “It’s okay, Giles. It helps that you’re on my side this time. How do we make them understand though? Why can’t they just have faith that everything is as it should be?”

“I don’t know, Buffy, but I would think putting a stop to the spell they’re planning right now should be our top priority.” Giles rubbed his brow.

Buffy closed her eyes, leaning against the wall. It was too similar to her memories of the other timeline. It hurt to think that nothing had changed. The pain was almost physical, as if someone had slammed a fist into her chest and was squeezing her heart. “It won’t be a problem, Giles.”

“How can you say that? You can’t just lie down and let them have their way.” Giles was getting angry.

“Oh, I won’t. What I mean is, their spell won’t work. It’s impossible to place a spell on me without my consent.”

Giles could hear the sadness in her voice. “I confess, I don’t understand, Buffy. You sound sad, but I would think that would be a cause for celebration?”

Buffy sighed. She’d just been through the emotional upheaval of sharing her life story with Spike, and now this. “It reminds me of why I had to get the protection spell in the first place, Giles. Not something that makes me all smiley-faced.”

Giles cringed. “That bad?”

“I don’t think you really want to hear any details, since you were part of the ‘let’s mess with Buffy’ party that time.”

“I’m sorry.”

Buffy could hear the sincerity in his voice, and did her best to remember that Giles was different this time.

“What would you suggest we do then, Buffy? Should we be trying to stop them from casting the spell?”

“There’s no point, Giles. If you stop them now, they’ll just do it later. Kendra and I are going to the Bronze tonight. I’m going to just stick to that plan, and I bet the Scoobies will show up there later. It’s kind of the only place in town to celebrate, and they’ll think they’ve scored a major victory with this spell.”

“Yes, I suppose you are quite right. In that case, might I join you tonight?”

“At the Bronze?” Buffy asked, astonished.

“Yes, at the Bronze. Surely I don’t appear as stuffy as all that? I’ll even provide you and Kendra with a ride to the club, if you’d like.”

“Um, okay. I was going to ask who you were, and what you’ve done with Giles, but I think I’ll just ask you why you want to go, instead.”

“I confess, I want to see their faces, when they realize that the spell they cast didn’t work.” The Watcher was desperately trying to polish his glasses, without dropping the phone. At the moment, he had the receiver pressed between his shoulder and jaw. “What time would you like me to pick you up?”

“Come over whenever you want. Maybe I’ll be able to talk Mom into making you a cup of tea before we go.” Buffy looked over at her mother, who nodded. “We could have a bit of a chat before we go Bronzing?”

“I would be delighted.”

Plans made, Buffy hung up the phone and turned to her mother. “Wow...bronzing with Giles...I never would have believed that one.”