Disclaimer:All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Beta’d by the wonderful Marella916. Banner by nmcil12.

After a spectacular defeat at the end of NFA, resulting in all life in this dimension ending, the Powers have decided to give the dimension one more chance. They decide our favorite blonde vampire is just the guy for the job. Numbed from recent events Spike thinks they've gone barmy, he's not a hero but the Powers insist. What's a souled vamp to do when he is sent back in time?
 
Just a warning: This is an AU spuffy story. BUT Buffy is only 16 when this starts so the spuffy lovin' while it will happen won't be for awhile. There will be briefly Bangel. I don't mind Angel, but I do not like the pairing of Buffy/Angel but it is necessary to the plot. I have rated this M for now for adult language, eventually there will be smut but like I said it won't happen right away so try to be patient. I hope you enjoy what I have done with the characters. I have used certain elements of the show, certain bad guys and even some dialog. In those instances I
will make the necessary acknowledgments.

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He hoped with proper planning he could make changes to the attitude the group had towards Spike in the other dimension. Angelus had caused so much damage that by the time Spike had started to change none of the group was willing to see it or believe in it. His own teachings to the children hadn’t helped matters. Hopefully by introducing Spike to the others earlier and under better circumstances he would pave the way for Buffy to see Spike as the individual he was instead of the mindless killer they had attributed him to be before.
 
There were still so many variables and unknowns in the future even with the glimpse Giles had seen. Free will was a great and terrible gift. Human and demon a like, each had the power to choose their actions. The history books were full of humans who made choices with terrible consequences that affected everyone. Some chose well, others did not. Giles was coming to learn that a soul didn’t matter much in the grand scheme of things. A soul might make it easier to empathize, find pity, even remorse but it was no guarantee that ones actions would be for the good. Desire, hate, love and jealousy were the feelings that powered decisions. Some had a better grasp on the repercussions and consequences of their actions and took care in tempering their wants with others in mind. But there were those who had no care for whom they hurt to get what they wanted. 

The rest of the week was spent with the three men plotting and planning on how to eliminate the Master. Eventually they had a plan and the night before school was to start they went into battle. That night there was an Aurelian family reunion of sorts, The Master, Darla, Spike and Aurelian minions were all in attendance including Luke, but by morning the only one left standing was Spike. The Master and his minions were destroyed in the underground cavern they had been in. Darla was dusted by Giles, outside the Bronze just before she fed on an unsuspecting teenager. Whistler was able to eliminate Luke in a mausoleum running from the Master’s lair. Spike, Giles and Whistler had done their homework, each night the two demons went out on patrol and killed as many of the Master’s minions as they could find. The day before Spike went up against the Master himself, he and Whistler set traps in the tunnels leading to the lair. In some places they set up tripwire traps attached to crossbows, in other places simple motion detector lights with UV bulbs were placed. Each manhole that could be reached thru the tunnels was rigged with a holy water surprise reminiscent of a college prank, silly, but very effective against any vampires that tried to climb out.

The fight against the Master was brutal and Spike was sporting several broken bones by the end of it which were quickly healed by the gem. A lucky spin kick had ol’ bat face stumbling backwards onto a lit candelabrum. Spike kept attacking despite the flames as the older vampire tried to get to the small puddle of water on the floor of his cavern to put out the fire. Eventually the flames completely engulfed the Master and only his bones were left behind. Whistler took on the job of crushing his bones into powder and disposing of them in running water.
                                                              §

The next morning it was a zoo outside Sunnydale High School as first days usually are. Xander Harris was attempting to ride his skateboard down the sidewalk when he saw a beautiful blonde getting out of a jeep. He was so captivated he never saw the railing and crashed into it. Shaking his head and hoping no one had seen his fall Xander got up only to find himself staring in the green eyes of his best friend, Willow Rosenberg.

“Willow! You are so very much the person that I wanted to see!”

“Really? Cause it looked like you really wanted to see the blonde cutie that just walked by.”

“Oh, ah….yeah. I mean no! I’m having problems with math.”

“Which part?”

“All of it. Please be my study buddy?”

“Okay, do you have ‘Theories in Trig’? You should check it out.”

“Huh?”

“From the library? Where the books live.”

“Yeah, right of course! See I wanna change.” Xander walked into the school library, seeing no one around he wandered up the stairs to look at the books in the stacks.

                                                               §
After meeting with the principle Buffy went to the library to get her books for class. “Hello? Is anybody here?”

“Can I help you?”

Buffy spun around to look at the man that just came out of the office. “I was looking for some books, I’m new here.”

“Miss Summers?”

“Good call! Guess I’m the only new kid huh?”

“I’m Mr. Giles, the librarian. I was told you were coming.” Giles heads around the counter reaching for something on the shelf underneath.
“Great! So I’m gonna need Perspectives on 20th Century….”

“I know what you’re after!” With a grin Giles placed a large book on the counter. Across it in gold leaf is the word “Vampyr”.

“That’s not what I’m looking for.” She said as she took a step back from the counter.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“My mistake.” Giles said as Buffy started to pace around the room.

“What’s the sitch?”

“Excuse me?”

“This is my first day. I was afraid that I wouldn’t make any friends or I would be behind on all my classes. I never expected you to drop a vampire book in front me!” she spat turning to him with her hands on her hips.

“Do you think it’s a coincidence your being here? You really have no idea what’s going on do you?”

“Why can’t you people just leave me alone!” she huffed as she resumed her frantic pacing.

“Because you are the Slayer!” he insisted. “Into each generation a Slayer is born, one girl in all the world, a Chosen One, one born with the skill and strength to hunt….”

Buffy interrupts his speech to finish it herself. “To hunt the vampires, to stop the spread of their evil, blah, blah, blah, I’ve heard it okay?”

“I really don’t understand this attitude.” He pulled off his glasses and started polishing them furiously. “You’ve accepted your duty, slain vampires before.”

“Been there done that, moving on.” Buffy sits at the table with a huff.

“What do you know about this town?” Giles asks as he sits across from her.

“It’s two hours on the freeway from Neiman Marcus?” she asked innocently.

“This town sits atop a hellmouth. A center of mystical energy, evil gravitates towards it.”

“Yeah well I’m retired. How’s this for an idea. You kill them!” she pouted.

“My duty is to train you, prepare you…”

“Prepare me? Prepare me for what? For getting kicked out of school? For losing all my friends? For having to spend all my time fighting for my life and never getting to tell anyone because I might endanger them? Keeping my family in the dark? My father, mother and sister in danger because of what I am? Go ahead prepare me!”

“Miss Summers, I am afraid you can’t just walk away. You are the Slayer and you have a duty to protect the innocent.” Giles responded.
“Did you say your sister?”

“Do you know why we moved here? After I burned down the gym I was expelled. I’m grounded for like forever because of it and you want me to start all of that all over? And yeah I have a sister, Dawn she’s a year younger than me. Shouldn’t you know that being the watcher the council sent here for me?”

“I… It seems they left that information out of your file.”

Buffy stared defiantly across the table at Giles for a few minutes before jumping up and storming out of the room. Giles sat for a while longer with a look of confusion on his face before getting up and walking into his office, leaving the vampire book on the counter. Despite knowing what would happen from his visit with the Oracles, Giles had hoped things might be different. But what really confused him was the information about Dawn. According to what he had been shown and what Spike had said, Dawn wasn’t due to arrive for a few years yet!

Xander poked his head out around the bookcase to make sure the coast was clear before he made a beeline for the door, snatching the book off the counter in his escape.

                                                                 §

When school let out Giles immediately set out for Spike’s house. The news that Dawn was here already in this time was disconcerting to say the least.

To say that Spike was shocked by Dawn’s presence in Sunnydale this early would be an understatement. Giles sat in the living room letting his companion talk about a little girl he loved like a sister. The caring and feelings Spike had for the girl came through clearly in his every word and expression. The look of worry that appeared suddenly had Giles concerned.

“Oi! Whistler get your bum down here!”

“What’s up Spike?” The balance demon asked as he entered the living room.

“The bit’s here already. Know anything about that?”

“Well…”

“Spill my smelly friend.” Spike snarled as he rose from his seat and pinned Whistler to the wall with an arm across his throat.

“The PTB might have given the monks a little heads up about Glory. Last time they were in a rush. This time they had more time to prepare so they sent Dawn here earlier. The Powers might also be sending Dawn some dreams.”

Spike didn’t even realize he had switched into game face when he demanded to know what Whistler meant.

“Ah, they might be sending her dreams about you two being friends.” Raising his hands in a defensive posture Whistler continued. “Don’t shoot the messenger! They just want to make sure she trusts you! She won’t actually remember the other timeline. Dawn will just have a feeling that she can trust you with her life.”

Spike started to pace around the room, torn by the information. The idea that his friend; the only one that he had at the time; was back filled him with happiness. The fact that the powers were making her feel that way towards him filled him with sadness. Knowing that she actually hated him at the end made him realize that Dawn needed to be told the truth if they had any hope of being friends this time. Giles thought this was an unnecessary and risky thing to do. But Spike convinced him that telling Dawn and Joyce was a necessary evil.

“Was out patrolling last night and snuck up on some vamps, ‘parrently they heard a slayer was in town. They were planning on jumping her.” Spike sauntered over and plopped down in a chair. Raising his arms behind his head he continued with his story. “Know the slayer is supposed to be this big secret. But I think you need to let Joyce and Dawn in on it.”

“Spike! You know that goes against everything the watchers council teaches.”

“Yeah yeah… Point being, last time ‘round Darla didn’t get dusted so quick and managed to trick Joyce into inviting her in. Took a chunk outta the lady. Even if the slayer ain’t slaying, she’s still a target and so’s her mum an’ kid sis.”

Giles was unable to come up with a counter argument.

“Sides I like the lady. First time I ever met her she hit me upside the head with an axe. I had the slayer pinned with a two by four in my hand and she didn’t hesitate. Told me to ‘get the hell away from her daughter’. Joyce’s is a strong lady, she can handle it.”

“What do you plan on telling her about your past?”

Spike dropped his arms from behind his head and straightened up in his chair. “The truth.”

Giles gave Spike an incredulous look. “The truth? All of it? I doubt that would help in your cause to win Buffy’s affections. If Joyce knew you had tried to kill her daughter….”

“I keep telling you people, got no interest in a relationship with the slayer. Thought after your mystery tour of the past you would have figured it out. She didn’t love me, never did never will. She loves Angel, always will. She’ll fall arse over tea kettle for him. Don’t know when he’s gonna show so you better get the gypsy working on that curse.”

                                                             §
It was a confused set of teenagers that entered the high school library the next morning. Xander had grabbed Willow as soon as classes let out the day before. After relaying the overheard conversation to his friend Xander had shown Willow the Vampyr book he had grabbed from the library.

Taking the bull by the horns, Xander decided the best way to get the answers he wanted was to come right out and ask Mr. Giles. Seeing the librarian standing at the counter, polishing his glasses, Xander walked over and placed the purloined book in front of him. “I figured I should return this, I forgot to check it out yesterday.”

Giles was so startled his glasses flew from his hand and landing on the counter top. “Where did you get that book?”

“Right here. I heard you and the new girl talking yesterday. How vampires were real and Sunnydale has some bad mojo that draws evil to town. So I grabbed the book. Me and Willow spent last night reading it.” At a snort from Willow, Xander blushed and amended his statement, “Okay Willow spent last night reading, I just looked at the pictures. Still is it all true?”

Giles was quiet for a moment. Getting the two teenagers on board this early would help him enormously. From what Spike had told him and what the Oracles had shown him, the relationship between Spike and the two teenagers was tenuous at best. Having them befriend Spike at this point in time could only aide Giles in his goal. From everything he had seen and heard Buffy had placed so much weight on the opinion of these two that she had let her happiness fall to the wayside in an attempt to make Xander and Willow happy. Buffy had let others decide who and what she wanted or deserved all in an attempt to not disappoint her friends. So terrified that they would stop loving her or even leave her if they didn’t approve she was willing to forgo her own happiness to keep them near her.

“Yes, all of it.” Giles finally answered.

“Wow! How didn’t we know about this?” Willow asked.

“There is a Hellmouth in Sunnydale. For the most part it has been fairly dormant for the last 50 years or so. Only in the past decade has there been increased activity in the area. Sunnydale, when the Hellmouth is active as it appears to now be, has a high rate of disappearances and murders.”

The two teens were shocked by this information. After settling into the chairs at the table Giles continued speaking. “You’ve read about the evil that is in this world. What I need to tell you now is that there are beings in the world in service to a higher power whose job it is to fight that evil. Buffy is one of those beings. She is a slayer. ‘Into every generation a slayer is born: one girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their number. She is the Slayer.’”

“Holy Frijoles’”

With a smile Giles resumed talking. “Yes quite. I have recently discovered that there are others, whom have dedicated their lives to fighting evil.”

“This is… wow. It’s just a lot to take in you know?” Willow was stunned that all this was going on in Sunnydale. She had lived here all her life and never knew. “Can we help?”

Giles looked at both children. “Are you sure you want to help? It is dangerous work, fraught with life threatening situations.”  Both teens answered with emphatic yes’s. Writing an address down on a piece of paper he handed it to Xander. “Meet me at this address at 6 o’clock tonight.”

After Willow and Xander had left Giles walked over to the phone. Dialing a number he chewed on the stem of his glasses while waiting for the line to be answered. “I wanted to warn you. I’ll be stopping by tonight with some visitors. Knowing your history with them I thought it best to notify you beforehand.” Holding the phone away from his ear, Giles waited until the person on the other end stopped cursing. “Well that is neither here nor there. They are not the same people you remember. You have a chance at a fresh start with them both. I suggest you bury any lingering resentment and view this opportunity, to have a better relationship with the two of them, as the second chance it is.”