---

“Wonder how Buffy’s doing?” Dawn asked no one in particular, looking up from the large book she was reading.

The whole gang was still at the magic shop, researching. There was so much they had to do. Giles and Anya were researching any information pertaining to Glory. Willow and Tara were studying protection spells, trying to find some way to keep Dawn safe from the crazed hellgod. Xander and Dawn had continued on with their research on Buffy’s ‘condition.’

“I’m sure she’s fine, Dawnie. You saw what she did to Spike last night. I think she can handle herself just fine,” Willow reassured.

“Yeah, and with any luck she might see how Spike’s using her and dust his evil ass once and for all,” Xander grunted.

“Xander! We’ve already been over this. Spike saved Buffy’s life… He--He might not have done it in the traditional sense, but he did save her!” Willow was beyond annoyed. She’d had to listen to Xander bitch and whine about Spike all night. *Why couldn’t he see how hard all this would be for Buffy if she had to do it alone?* Willow couldn’t even begin to imagine what Buffy was going through. *She must be scared out of her mind.*

“Yeah sure… all he’s done is create his very own Buffy slave,” Xander grumbled under his breath. *Why was everyone so quick to accept the peroxide pest? Had they forgotten about the Buffybot or all the times Spike had tried to kill them? How did they know he was too late to save her? He could have simply waited for Buffy to slowly bleed to death and taken the opportunity to turn her, make her into his very own sex slave. Or perhaps he thought she would be all evil and he could send her to kill all of them. After all he couldn’t do it himself. Could he?*

Xander’s musings were cut short when the bell over the front door rang and in walked an extremely dishevelled-looking Buffy followed by a very tousled Spike.

“Good lord Buffy! What on earth happened?” Giles asked, dropping his book onto the research table.

“Are you okay?” Willow asked, slightly wide eyed.

“Yeah, Wills, we’re fine. We just had a little run-in with our resident hellgod and her merry band of crusty demons,” Buffy muttered, slumping down into one of the chairs surrounding the research table.

“W-what did she want?” Tara asked nervously, already knowing the answer.

“Her key,” Buffy replied, giving Dawn’s hand a reassuring squeeze.

“I’m guessing she didn’t like it very much when you wouldn’t tell her, huh?” Xander queried, taking in Buffy’s and Spike’s appearance. They both looked like they’d been hit by a truck.

“No, she didn’t… She started throwing some hissy fit, complaining about how it was hers and why wouldn’t I give it to her?” Buffy replied with a small shrug.

“Yeah… stupid bint certainly has some serious screws loose,” Spike grumbled, taking a seat next to Buffy.

“Yeah, you would know,” Xander interjected, clearly referring to Spike’s relationship with Drusilla.

Spike simply glared at the whelp; he didn’t want to upset Buffy by starting another fight with the dark-haired twit.

“So what happened?” Dawn asked anxiously.

“Well, she demanded that I give her ‘her key’ or she’d make me watch while she ripped Spike’s arms and legs off,” Buffy said quietly.

“What? And you stopped her?” Xander retorted with an inappropriate laugh.

Buffy threw Xander an icy glare, silencing any further comments. “Anyway, she then started to threaten you guys, telling me she’d work through each of you and she’d eventually find someone I cared about more than protecting the key… so we fought.”

“Oh, Buffy! You could have been killed!” Willow gasped.

Buffy smiled. “Thanks for the concern, Wills, but here’s the thing: I really got to test out my new strength.” Buffy’s smile widened.

“And?” Dawn asked, unable to take the suspense much longer.

“And I kicked ass. I’m almost as strong as the bitch.”

“Good lord!” Giles gasped, taking his glasses off to clean them.

Buffy laughed at Giles’s reaction; nice to see some things in her life were still predictable. “The thing is, I think she’s always relied on her strength to fight her enemies; she’s no warrior. I was able to take her down too quick.”

“YOU KILLED HER!” Anya yelled excitedly, happy not to have to do anymore research.

“Not quite,” Buffy replied quietly, chewing her bottom lip. “I had her down, and I was beating her with a headstone, which was really fun by the way.” Off everyone’s looks Buffy lowered her eyes in embarrassment. “Anyway, she was weak… and then right before my eyes, POOF! She turns into Ben.”

“What?” Giles asked, stunned.

“Ben?! As in hospital Ben?” Dawn asked.

“Yeah,” Buffy said quietly. She knew Dawn had really liked Ben. He’d been nice to her.

The room fell into silence for a moment, and Buffy noticed that no one seemed to be too concerned with researching this phenomenon. She gave Giles a surprised look. “Well?”

Giles blinked a couple of times and stared as Buffy. “Well what?”

Buffy’s brow furrowed in shock. “Aren’t you gonna research it?”

“Research what?” Giles asked in confusion.

“The whole Glory turning into Ben thing,” Buffy said, slightly exasperated.

“Glory turned into Ben?” Anya cried, clearly surprised.

“Yeah… weren’t you listening? I just told you guys, I was fighting Glory and she morphed into Ben.”

“Glory morphed into Ben?” Xander yelped. “When did this happen?”

Buffy gave Spike a bewildered look. “Just now… What’s with you guys? What’s so hard to grasp about the fact that Glory is Ben and Ben is Glory?”

The whole room filled with shocked gasps.

Buffy let out a small whimper and looked to Spike for help. He looked just as perplexed as her. “What’s wrong with you lot? Evil’s afoot here, pay attention kids,” Spike ground out.

“What are you talking about?” Xander asked in confusion.

Spike threw his head back, letting out a frustrated growl. “Ha-ha-ha… ooh she’s a tricky one,” Spike laughed to himself. Off everyone’s surprised looks, Spike turned to Buffy. “Can’t you see, pet? It’s a spell. If anyone finds out about her little presto trick, they instantly forget.”

“So why wouldn’t it work on us?” Buffy asked, puzzled.

“Don’t know, pet… Maybe it only works on humans… and you and me being a little less or more than human, we’ve remained immune,” Spike replied, running his hands through his hair.

“So how do we break the spell? If I ask Willow or Tara, they’ll probably just forget.” Buffy wondered aloud, trying to find some way to explain her problem to her forgetful friend. “Um, Willow?”

Willow’s head shot up at the sound of Buffy’s voice. “Yeah, Buff?”

“Um… If someone had a spell placed on them, kinda like a protection spell that stops people from finding out a secret… How would you break it?” Buffy asked.

“What kind of spell?” Willow asked.

“A forgetting spell. Let’s just say, for instance, a demon was able to morph into someone else, and anyone who found this out would instantly forget. How would you break the spell?” Buffy asked, praying Willow would be able to help her.

“Oh, that would be a cinch to break! It’s a really simple trick; lots of wiccans used to use that spell in the Middle Ages. That way, if anyone found out they were witches, they’d forget before they could tell anyone,” Willow explained. “Why do you ask?”

Buffy took a deep breath, hoping against hope that Willow would remember this conversation. “I think Glory’s got a spell like that on her… Spike and I have been trying to tell you guys something about her and you keep on forgetting… Are you with me?”

Willow nodded her head. “Yeah. So you want me to break the spell.”

“Yes,” Buffy said with a sigh of relief. She was certain she would have screamed if Willow had forgotten again.

“Okay, just give me a sec. I’ll just grab the ingredients,” Willow announced, jumping up and grabbing the various items she’d need.

“You’re gonna pay for that, right?” Anya asked, clearly concerned for her money.

Willow rolled her eyes at Anya’s comment.

“Anya, if what Buffy says is true, this spell could be of the utmost importance,” Giles said, deeply exasperated. “I’m sure we can absorb the cost.”

“Well, just don’t complain to me if you go broke!” Anya huffed, sourly watching Willow raiding her saleable goods.

“Okay. That’s everything,” Willow announced, placing the ingredients on the counter.

“Do you need any help, honey?” Tara asked.

Willow gave her lover a sweet smile. “No… all I need is a bit of quiet; I need to concentrate on the casting.”

“You’re not going to release any hammer-wielding trolls, are you?” Anya asked snarkily.

Willow gave Anya an annoyed look. “Not if you keep quiet! It’s really a simple spell, just a couple of chants and some herbs, nothing too elaborate.”

“That’s what you said about the troll spell, and look what happened there,” Anya mumbled.

Willow gritted her teeth together, trying to remain calm. “Like I said before… THAT WAS NOT MY FAULT! If you hadn’t been blabbing all the way through the spell, nothing would have happened!”

“Oh, so it’s my entire fault that a 300 pound troll destroyed half the town. It’s funny because I don’t remember being the one stealing any of the ingredients!” Anya yelled in exasperation.

“I didn’t steal anything, I simply borrowed them… And it was for a good cause. I was trying to help Buffy,” Willow retorted.

“Oh, so unleashing a giant, town-smashing troll is your way of helping Buffy. Sorry, maybe it’s my seasoned age, but I don’t see how that could help!” Anya bit back angrily.

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Buffy yelled, beyond frustrated. It was enough to have to put up with Spike and Xander constantly at each other’s throats; now she also had to listen to Anya and Willow go at it. Buffy took a deep breath in order to calm herself down. “We don’t have time for this. I need this spell, and I need it to be done right. Any problems you have with each other, feel free to let loose… after we kill Glory.” Buffy gave Willow and Anya each a cold stare in turn. “Okay?”

Willow dropped her head in shame. “Sorry, Buffy.’’

Anya also had the decency to look ashamed, mumbling her apologies as she slumped down in her seat next to Xander.

Buffy let out another deep sigh as she lightly rubbed her hands over her eyes before turning her attention back to Willow. “Can you do the spell?”

Willow nodded her head. “Yeah.”

Everyone sat in silence as they watched Willow take several deep breaths before starting the spell; the shop filled with the smell of sandalwood and lavender. After several simple chants, the room lit up with a bright flash, indicating the spell was complete.

Buffy watched Willow expectantly. “So did it work?”

Willow nodded her head. “Yeah… I think so.”

“Okay, then… let’s find out,” Buffy said as she faced the group. “You guys remember how I said I was kicking Glory’s ass?”

Everyone nodded. *So far so good,* Buffy thought to herself as she continued. “Well, what you couldn’t seem to remember was the part where I told you guys that Glory turned into Ben. I mean right before my eyes.”

The room was filled with the same gasps as before. Buffy crossed her fingers, hoping desperately that they’d remember what she’d told them this time.

“Good god. How could that be?” Giles gasped.

“Glory is Ben?” Dawn asked in a small voice.

“Wow. Gotta say I never saw that coming,” Xander muttered.

“You can’t be serious, Buffy…. Ben is Glory? Doctor Ben?” Willow gasped.

“G-Glory turned into B-Ben?” Tara asked quietly.

“How could Glory be Ben? He’s a man!” Anya asked in confusion.

Buffy let out a sigh of relief as the room filled with excited questions pertaining to Glory’s transformation. “So you guys remember, right?”

“Yeah…Glory is Ben,” Dawn repeated, still sounding rather confused. “How can Glory be Ben?”

Buffy closed her eyes in relief as Dawn’s simple question filled her ears. “Thank god you remember… ‘Cause I swear if I had to explain to you one more time that Glory was Ben, I was gonna scream.”

“Glory is Ben?” Xander asked in mock shock.

Buffy rolled her eyes in irritation at Xander’s terrible joke.

“Buffy, I don’t understand… surely you mean that Ben was helping Glory in some way?” Giles asked, bewildered.

“No, Giles, I don’t. I mean one minute I was fighting Glory and the next *fitzzz*… She’s Ben,” Buffy explained.

“Yes, you keep repeating that… I’m just a little perplexed by this, ah… transformation. Perhaps if you enlighten me further on tonight’s patrol I would be able to comprehend everything more clearly.”

Buffy took a deep breath. “Spike and I were patrolling Sunny Grove Cemetery. Nothing much was happening, so we were just about to head back here when eight of these really ugly slimy demons attacked us. We took them out pretty fast, but then Glory turned up with a whole gang of her crusty little minions. She started complaining about me not giving her ‘her key’ and how it was hers and she should have it. We fought. I had her down. She was weak, and then the next thing I knew, she wasn’t Glory any more, she was Ben… and I froze… I couldn’t believe my eyes. I mean, one minute I’m fighting a hellgod, and then the next Ben’s lying in front of me all beaten and bloody… I didn’t even have time to think before I heard one of Glory’s cronies threaten Spike. When I turned around two of them were holding him and another one had a loaded crossbow aimed right at him… Everything just happened so fast. I saw the arrow flying through the air… I-I didn’t even think… I just threw myself at him and the arrow ended up through my hand. By the time we recovered, Ben and the minions were gone…”

“Good god, Buffy! You were injured? Why didn’t you say something sooner?” Giles gasped. “Anya, get the first-aid kit.”

“No, don’t worry. I’m fine,” Buffy called out, halting Anya in her tracks.

“Buffy, how on earth could you be fine? Didn’t you just say you had an arrow through your hand?” Giles asked, clearly puzzled.

Buffy nodded her head as she nervously chewed her bottom lip. “Um, yeah… I did. It kinda healed already.”

“What?!” Giles asked.

“I guess it’s just one more thing to add to the research pile,” Buffy shrugged as she showed Giles her hand. The only evidence of her previous injury were two small, almost invisible scars on either side of her hand.

“Good lord! You mean to say that this healed in less than an hour?” Giles asked, astonished, as he examined Buffy’s hand.

“Um, not exactly… It kinda healed in less than a minute,” Buffy said as she pulled her hand away from Giles.

“I-It healed in a m-minute?” Tara stammered softly.

“Extraordinary!” Giles gasped, taking off his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Wow… that’s, I mean wow!” Willow said, shocked, staring at Buffy’s hand.

“Yeah, I know,” Buffy said.

“Did you feel it? I mean, did you feel it healing?” Dawn asked in awe.

Buffy smiled gently at her sister. “No, Dawnie. It just healed.”

“Um, doesn’t anyone else here have a problem with Buffy risking her life for Spike?” Xander asked, stunned that no one else had voiced the issue.

“I do,” Spike said from his position next to Buffy.

Everyone in the room turned and stared at Spike.

“What?” Spike asked defensively. “You think I’m happy ‘bout her riskin’ her life to save my arse?”

Buffy threw an icy glare at Spike before returning her attention to Giles. “So, Giles… What do you make of all this? I mean who or what is Ben? Is he a god or what?”

“I’m sure I have no idea… In light of this new information I’d be inclined to suggest….”

“Research?” Buffy finished for Giles.

Giles gave Buffy a warm, apologetic smile. “Well, yes.”

Xander clapped his hands together. “Well, let’s hit the books, bygum!” he said with fake enthusiasm.

Everyone mumbled their protests and aggravation as they sat down at the table to research Glory and Ben.