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.
Since I have already stolen Drogyn and hopefully given him a better death than Joss did; you won’t be all that surprised that I am playing with the Angel timeline. I’m just borrowing one more character. But I promise to give him back in the same condition I got him in.
 
Dialog taken from “No Place Like Home” by Doug Petrie. Dialog taken from Triangle, written by Jane Espenson
 
Many thanks to my beta No_Promises. The wonderful banner is by 3hours.
 

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Buffy was avoiding everyone, especially Spike. They had been sleeping together ever since that first time and she really need to think about what was going to happen when this was all over. Just last night as she was almost asleep Buffy was sure she heard him whisper, “I love you.” He had said the same thing to Tara weeks before. The question for Buffy was ‘did she love him back?’ It wasn’t easy thinking about this logically. Her feelings for Angel didn’t require thought. It was just this knowledge one day that she loved him. Yeah and look how well that turned out!
 
With Riley she had never felt comfortable enough with the soldier to fall in love. She liked him, enjoyed his company and was happy that he was okay with the slaying but love? No she never was in love with Riley. He always made her feel helpless somehow. Like she was a little girl that needed to be protected instead of what she really was, the protector of the world. He couldn’t understand when mom got sick why she wouldn’t cry. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to. She had wanted to crawl into bed and cry for days when mom had said she was going to the hospital for tests. But mom and Dawn needed her. She couldn’t break down or she might never stop.
 
Being the slayer had nothing to do with it. The situation was as normal as it could get. Mom was sick and she was the oldest. That meant it was up to her to help out and take care of her family. Riley couldn’t understand that for some reason. They needed her to keep it together not fall apart.
 
But Spike seemed to understand; he didn’t coddle her or try to make her feel better about it. It had been his suggestion that they send Joyce to LA to be seen by some other doctors. One’s that might be able to figure out what was wrong. He understood that Joyce and Dawn were the most important people in her life and she needed them to be safe. There was no long emotional conversation, just a decisive action. He didn’t want her to lean on him; he wanted her to draw from the strength he offered.
 
He had gotten tossed around by Kaledena and the first thing he did was get as many of her friends and loved ones to safety as he could. He stayed too, helping out, fighting beside her when he could have walked away. Sure Kaledena had a scorched earth policy when it came to demons so there was no guarantee that he would survive if he had left. But he wouldn’t be trapped here with them living in a cave trying to figure out how to defeat a PTB.
 
Buffy’s thought brought her right back to the beginning. Did she love Spike? No. Not yet, and that was enough to give her a panic attack. But at the same time it wasn’t. Spike was different; she had seen a lot of vamps in her time as the slayer. Granted she didn’t spend oodles of time talking to them. But none had ever been quite like Spike. Despite what Angel and even Giles and the Council had said Buffy knew Spike could love. You don’t stay with a girl as crazy as Dru for a century unless you love her. She could see it now. Looking back at everything he had done recently. All the little and not so little things he had done for her and her friends and family that screamed his love and affection for her.
 
The vampire had put himself in danger numerous times to keep them safe. Had gone above and beyond recently running to LA and back, scrounging through the town for the food and supplies they needed.
 
He made her laugh, when he stood next to her she felt stronger. This knowing that he had her back made her feel like she could face anything. And when he focused those blue eyes on her Buffy could feel a delicious heat rise up inside. That had never happened with Riley! Well except for the haunted frat house incident. He fought by her side without question, her right… er left hand man. So no, at this moment Buffy wasn’t in love with Spike, but she had a feeling that it wouldn’t be much longer before she was. He was becoming all the things she wanted in a guy; thoughtful, strong, funny, smart. The list had changed once she had become the slayer. Add good in a fight, able to read really old languages, oh yeah, knowledge of secret hideouts a plus! Plus he was a great kisser and his talents in the bedroom were nothing to sneeze at either!                                                            
 
~*~
 
It had taken four weeks but eventually Dawn had mastered the spell. They had worked their way up from knives to larger objects. Each time Dawn was able to change the nature of the item from evil to good as indicated by a glowing golden light suffusing the object. “What about that other spell? Shouldn’t we practice that one too?” Joyce asked Wesley.
 
“Unfortunately we cannot. Dawn is the key that means she opens portals to other dimensions. Performing that spell would open a portal; the energy created from such an event would be noticeable to those who practice magic. It could alert Kaledena and her followers of our intentions and Dawn’s location.  It is time; we need to go to Sunnydale. Dawn is ready and your doctor seems to have found a drug regime that is working for you. You haven’t had a seizure in quite a few days.”
 
~*~
 
“You have not located them yet, why is that?”
 
“As I have explained we simply do not have the resources available. Unless you would have us go farther afield to swell our numbers?”
 
“There are sufficient followers to here for your needs.”
 
“I am sorry Kaledena but there are not. Right now we are running low on those unworthy enough to become one with you. Once those are gone we shall have to start using those humans that do meet the requirements to keep you strong instead. A surprising number of the town’s population has fled. Some red flags were raised in neighboring cities but the police here stopped the inquiries. Should we start sending people out to gather more in nearby cities?”
 
“NO! As long as the slayer has my key we cannot take the chance. You will have to make do with what you have. I want them found.” Kaledena stormed out of the room. Once in her private chamber she let her rage out. Tossing furniture from room to room shrieking in fury she reduced the suite to rubble in minutes. Those stupid humans! The key needs to be destroyed! Once it is gone there will be no stopping me. After I have all the humans on this planet under my control I can consume them at will. The power I will gain will allow me to destroy the Powers That Be, I will rule the Universe and all its dimensions! After venting her anger Kaledena returned to her acolytes. “Have you discovered the ritual?”
 
“No, we have been unable to find it. I placed another call into the Watcher’s Council. They confirm it was not in the material they left and it is not in the Council Archives. You are safe, there is no way for Buffy to have obtained the ritual.” The watcher replied.
 
“That is a small comfort. As long as the key still exists it is a danger to me. Until it has been destroyed we must do all we can not to arouse suspicion in the neighboring cities.”
 
“I understand.”
 
~*~
 
“It’s time.” Spike announced as he made his way back into the main room.
 
“Was that Wes?” Buffy asked as she rose from the couch.
 
“Him, Joyce and the bit are leaving tonight, should be gettin’ to town around 7 tonight. I’m gonna meet ‘em at the town dump. There’s some tunnels over that way an’ I doubt anyone’s watching ‘em.” Turning to the witch Spike outlined the plan for the evening. “Glinda, need you to get ready to cast those spells.”
 
“I’ll go tell Clem to get the word out. He managed to get quite a few demons to help us.” Buffy stood and started to make her way to the cavern the floppy skinned demon had been staying in.
 
“I’ll help Tara with the spells. We’ll be ready when you get back.” Anya said as she started gathering the supplies they would need.
 
~*~
 
Tara was beginning to question the wisdom of Anya’s idea the closer the two got to the brightly lit building. “I don’t think this was such a good idea.”
 
“He’s going to need it for the fight tonight. You saw what happened last time; she tossed him around like a rag doll.” Anya paused in the shadows of the parking lot. “Let’s get set up. We need to make this quick.”
 
With a nervous twitch Tara knelt down and quickly assembled the components she needed for this mission. “Visible only by will, I blind and make deaf all others who may see or hear us. A darkness shall cover them like that at the bottom of the ocean, Forgetfulness will envelope their minds should they come to interrupt us in our work.” Soon both women were chanting, “Solavisibilia voluntatem surdum et caecum omnibus visuris vel audi nos. Sicut tenebrae operient eos in fundo maris oblivio erit ipsi amplecterentur interpellare nos ab operibus nostris mentibus.”
 
Cleaning up the signs of the casting both women made their way into the hospital. Taking the stairs to the basement they found the blood bank. Anya opened the backpack she was carrying and started grabbing blood bags out of the refrigeration unit and stuffing them in the bag while Tara kept watch. Finishing faster than Tara had thought possible Anya led the way back out of the building.
 
When they arrived back in the cave it was to a panicked slayer. “Where have you guys been?!”
 
Unfazed by the worrying Slayer Anya began removing the bags of blood from the backpack.  “We went to get Spike some blood before the fight. He’s going to need all the strength he can get and pigs blood just won’t cut it.”
 
“Right nice of you ladies.” Spike walked over and took the proffered bag from Anya.
 
“Oh, um yeah. I didn’t think it mattered what kind of blood he ate.”
 
“Well of course it matters. Human blood is better for vampires than animal blood otherwise they’d all just feed on livestock and leave humans alone.” Anya responded to Buffy’s comment. Turning back to Spike, “Don’t eat all of it, you’ll probably need some later to heal up from your injuries.”
 
~*~
 
Dawn was subdued during her walk through the tunnels; her mind was too busy going over the spells she had to cast to care about the smell or the numerous bugs and rodents that marked her last trip. Spike was in the lead with Dawn close behind him, Joyce was next with Wesley bringing up the rear.
 
~*~
 
Joyce could tell that something had changed between her oldest daughter and Spike while they had been in LA. They kept giving each other little looks or brushing up against each other when they thought no one was watching. Joyce was about to march over to talk to Buffy and demand to know what was going on when the look in her daughter’s eyes stopped her. Buffy was over at the table with Spike and Wesley planning their strategy. Spike said something that must have been a joke because it had Buffy laughing, but it was the look she gave the vampire that gave Joyce pause. “I think she’s in love with him.” Joyce jumped as Anya spoke from right next to her.
 
“What makes you think that?” Joyce questioned the young woman.
 
“You saw it, the looks she gives him, plus they’ve been sleeping in the same bed for weeks now and they’ve been sharing orgasms too. I don’t think she’s told him yet though. Buffy’s too worried about what Xander, Willow and Giles would say.” Anya rolled her eyes at the stupidity of the Scooby gang. “It’s not like they have any room to talk. Willow dated a male werewolf then announced she was gay and now she’s dating a witch. Xander really is a demon magnet and no offense to Spike but I killed way more people then him. I started the Russian Revolution for cripes sake! And Giles, well if he was smart he’d be happy for her. With Spike here patrolling with her Buffy stands a good chance of living a long life. That broody vamp ran away leaving Buffy to fight by alone. But Spike doesn’t seem like the type of guy to leave the woman he loves.”
 
“You think Spike loves her?” Joyce asked in a near whisper so the others didn’t overhear the conversation.
 
“We know he does, he told me weeks ago. I don’t know if he’s told Buffy yet. He’s worried that once Kaledena is taken care of whatever they have down here will end.” Tara joined in.
 
“That might be for the best. I want her to have a normal life, get married and have babies.”
 
“Well that’s just silly.”
 
“What? Anya there’s nothing silly about wanting a normal life for my daughter.”
 
“Really Joyce, Buffy is the Slayer, she’s never going to have a normal life. Haven’t you been paying attention lately? Vampires, former PTB, mystical sisters! The closest she came to normal was Riley and he was all wrong for her. Never mind that he was spying on her for the military but he hated that she was stronger than him. Can you see a human guy being okay with the fact that she could toss him across the room? Or that she has to go out every night to kill things? She’d break a human guy during sex if she really let go with her slayer strength.” Shaking her head at the folly of humans Anya tried to explain. “Spike is just as strong as her, he heals almost as fast as her and he loves to fight too. Plus he has vamp stamina in bed to match hers. No, Spike is better choice for her than some puny human.”
 
“But this kind of thing won’t last forever. Eventually she can stop and have a life that doesn’t included vampires and demons.”
 
“Not unless she dies.”
 
“But…. No I don’t believe that.”
 
“Suit yourself, but slayers have short brutal lives. I’ve seen it you know, I’ve been around a long time.”
 
“Anya you’re 19 I doubt you’ve seen all that much.”
 
“Actually Joyce I was a vengeance demon for over 1100 years remember? You wouldn’t believe the things I’ve seen. I’ve only been human for a few years, ever since Giles smashed my amulet. I tried to get it back but Willow isn’t very good with magic, her spells always go wrong.”
 
“Anya.” Tara tried to get the ex-demon back to the point.
 
“Oh, yeah sorry that’s a whole other story. You can try to stop them from being together, you might even succeed. She won’t be happy though and she probably won’t live very long either.”