Disclaimer: Joss made ‘em, I play with ‘em.

Author’s note: Thanks to all my reviewers! Quotes from the episodes Becoming parts 1 and 2
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Drusilla came into the mansion’s garden where Spike was reading the newspaper, sitting calmly back in his wheel chair.

“Nice walk, pet?”

Drusilla’s hand flew to her stomach as though she was going to be sick.

“I met an old man. Didn't like him. He got stuck in my teeth. But then the moon started whispering to me...” Dru closed her eyes “All sorts of dreadful things.”

Spike felt the presence of his Grandsire behind him.

“Well, what did it say?” asked the elder vampire.

“Oh. Look who's awake,” Spike said snidely.

Angelus bumped Spike on the head with his fist as he walked past him.

“What did the moon tell you? Did you have a vision? Is something coming?”

“Oh, yeah. Something terrible. Psst, psst, psst, psst, psst, psst...” rambled Dru.

“Where?”

“At the museum. A tomb... with a surprise inside.”

“You can see all that in your head?”

“No, you ninny. She read it in the morning paper,” said Spike as he handed over the paper.

Angelus took the paper from him. “Oh, my.”

“That's what's been whispering to me. Sh.”

“Oh, yeah. Don't worry, though. Soon it'll stop. Soon it'll scream,” taunted Angelus.
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Buffy had been ecstatic when she found out the spell to re-curse Angel, but now there was madness. And it just made her feel much worse about Miss Calendar’s death.

“Hi! For those of you who have just tuned in, everyone here is a crazy person. So this spell might restore Angel's humanity? Well, here's an interesting angle. Who cares?” asked Xander harshly.

“I care,” said Buffy.

“Is that right,” said Xander

“Let's not lose our perspective here, Xander,” ordered Giles.

“I'm Perspective Guy. Angel's a killer.”

“Xander...” admonished Willow.

“It's not that simple,” declared Buffy.

“What? All is forgiven? I can't believe you people!” yelled Xander.

“Xander has a point.” Cordelia supported her boyfriend.

“You know, just for once, I wish you'd support me, and I realize right now that you were, and I'm embarrassed, so I'm gonna get back to the point, which is that Angel needs to die,” continued Xander.

“Curing Angel seems to have been Jenny's last wish,” noted Giles.

“Yeah? Well, Jenny's dead,” Xander pointed out.

“Don't you ever speak of her in that tone again!” said Giles angrily.

“Can't you hear what I'm saying?” yelled Xander.

The two men stood their ground, looking like at any moment there would be hitting. Buffy rushed over and put herself between them.

“Stop it! Stop it!” yelled Buffy.

The tension was thick. Giles glared at Xander, Xander glared at Giles. Buffy walked away from the two men angrily.

“What do you wanna do?” asked Willow quietly.

Buffy sighed. “I-I don't know. What happened to Angel wasn't his fault.”

“Yeah, but what happened to Ms. Calendar is,” said Xander.

Buffy stared at him in disbelief.

“You can paint this any way you want. But the way I see it is that you wanna forget all about Ms. Calendar's murder so you can get your boyfriend back,” said Xander coldly.

“You have no idea Xander! He is not my boyfriend, never was my boyfriend and I’m deeply sorry that I ... You know what, so tired of apologizing.” Buffy turned and walked out of the library. As the doors swung closed Buffy could hear Xander’s retort.

“When was he not her boyfriend? When did she get this new boyfriend and who is he? I‘m totally confused.”
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Stupid Xander and his ‘It’s all your fault Buffy’ and his ‘Angel needs to die, die, die.‘ Buffy walked through the park muttering to herself. Suddenly a twig snapped and Buffy stopped and looked towards the noise. Slowly she approached the bushes where she heard the noise. Buffy turned as she heard something else. But there was nothing, again. Suddenly the air shifted and Buffy turned to face her stalker. It was Kendra.

“You know, polite people call before they jump out of the bushes and attack you,” greeted Buffy.

“Just wanted to test your reflexes.”

“How about testing my face-punching? 'Cause I think you'll find it's improved.” You nearly killed Spike! Buffy could barely contain her ire at that fact. My town! My Spike!

“I was on my way to your house. Saw you walking. Couldn't help meself.”

“Which begs the question, and don't think I'm not glad to see you, but, why are you here?” Buffy paused. Truth here Buffy, don’t really want to see her at all do you? Then she continued. “Oh, wait. No, let me guess. Your watcher informed you dat a very dark power is about to rise in Sunnydale.”

“Dat's about it.”

“Great. So, you have any idea what this dark power is?” Buffy asked.
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Spike sat in his wheelchair in front of the thing that Angelus and Dru had brought back from the museum.

“It's a big rock. I can't wait to tell my friends. They don't have a rock this big,” jeered Spike.

“Spike, boy, you never did learn your history.” said Angelus.

“Let's have a lesson, then.”

“Acathla the demon came forth to swallow the world. He was killed by a virtuous knight who pierced the demon's heart before he could draw a breath to perform the act. Acathla turned to stone, as demons sometimes do, and was buried where neither man nor demon would want to look. Unless of course they're putting up low-rent housing.” explained Angelus “Boys...”

Two minions with crowbars started to pry open the large stone coffin. The lid crashed to the floor, letting a cloud of dust waft up. Inside the coffin stood a stocky demon with a sword stuck in his chest. Spike wasn’t really very impressed. You could buy these things at garden centres.

Behind him Dru started swaying back and forth. “He fills my head. I can't hear anything else.”

“Let me guess. Someone pulls out the sword...“ Spike trailed off.

“Someone worthy...” answered Angelus.

“Mm. The demon wakes up, and wackiness ensues.”

“He will swallow the world,” interjected Dru.

“And every creature living on this planet will go to Hell.” continued Angelus. “My friends... we're about to make history... end.”
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Well, he was in a fix. Angelus and his loony sire wanted to end the world, again. Of course this time he was in a position to stop it. No longer confined by that bleedin’ chair. Spike paced his room at the mansion. Truth be told he didn’t want to end the world. It had Buffy in it. And even if she was turned here and now, he still liked the world in which he unlived.

“Spike?” came Dru’s voice.

Spike quickly returned to his chair.

“Spike, my sweet! The fun's about to begin,” she cooed.

Spike wheeled himself out into the main hall of the mansion, only to see minions dragging a young man before the garden gnome. The man was bare chested and bare footed. Angelus always liked his boys young and spry and pretty. Bloody poofter. The minions dropped the whelp in front of Angelus, who was already spouting mumbo jumbo.

“I will drink... the blood will wash in me, over me, and I will be cleansed. I will be worthy to free Acathla. Bear witness... as I ascend... as I become.” Angelus grabbed the whelp by the hair and lifted him up, holding him so that his neck was exposed.

Spike rolled his eyes as Angelus let out a primal roar and sank his teeth into the ponce. Angelus dropped the man with a thud once he was finished drinking. Spike watched as Angelus walked towards the gnome with purpose. He felt lingering trepidation at the act.

“Everything that I am, everything that I have done, has led me here. I have strayed, I have been lost. But Acathla redeems me. With this act, we will be free,” spouted the poofter.

Angelus grabbed the hilt of the sword with both of his bloody hands. Suddenly, a bright light emanated from that general direction. Spike turned away to protect his eyes. Vampire eyes weren’t made to do certain things, and that was one of them.

Turning back to watch his grandsire, Angelus shook with the sword firmly in his grasp. After a moment or two, nothing happened, and the sword remained firmly imbedded in the stone. Then another bright light flashed from the stone, this time red and throwing Angelus to the floor.

Spike smiled. “Someone wasn't worthy,” sing songed Spike with glee.

“Damn it!” cursed Angelus bringing himself off the floor.

“This is so... disappointing!” Dru moaned.

Angelus began to pace. “There must be something I missed. The incantations, the blood... I don't know!”

Too funny for words, Spike tried hard not to laugh.

“What are we going to do?” Dru whined.

“What we always do in a time of trouble: turn to an old friend.” answered Angelus, “We'll have our Armageddon. I swear!”
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Buffy shook her head as she walked through the cemetery. Angelus was really a piece of work sending a minion to burst into flames during school hours to deliver a message. Now here she was wandering graveyards because ‘His hour is at hand’ Buffy snorted in laughter. Truth was that she had contempt, not actual fear of Angelus anymore. Sure he had done nasty stuff, and she would never forgive him for killing Miss Calendar, but Buffy knew that he wouldn’t kill her. She just hoped that her feeling was right, and not some over confident ‘I’m indestructible’ crap that teenagers believe. Out of the corner of her eye the vampire in question walked out from behind a mausoleum.

“Hello, lover. I wasn't sure you'd come,” greeted the vampire.

“After your immolation-o-gram? Come on, I had to show. Shouldn't you be out destroying the world right now, pulling the sword out of Al Franken or whatever his name is?”

“There's time enough. I wanted to say goodbye first. You are the one thing in this dimension I will miss.”

“This is a beautiful moment we're having. Can we please fight?”

“I didn't come here to fight.”

Buffy raised her eye brows, puzzled. “No?”

“Gosh, I was hoping we could get back together. What do you think? Do we have a shot?”

Buffy stared incredulously at him.

“Alright. We'll fight.” Angelus rushed at her. Buffy ducked to avoid his punch. As Buffy fought her mind wandered to Willow. She supposed to restore Angel’s soul. Buffy looked up at her attacker, only to get punched in the face. This is so not going how I imagined it, Buffy thought.

“Come on, Willow.” Buffy whispered, as she regained her footing and punched Angelus.

Buffy made to punch him again, only to be caught up and pushed away.

“Geez, is it me, or is your heart not in this?” sneered Angelus.

Buffy reached into her jacket and pulled out ‘Mr Pointy,’ Kendra’s stake. God that girl needed to get some friends.

“Maybe I'll just go home, destroy the world,” continued Angelus.

“Well, I think Mr. Pointy'll have something to say about that. Come on. Let's finish this. You and me.”

Angelus began to chuckle. “Y-you never learn, do you? This wasn't about you. This was never about you.”

It was a trap! Buffy turned and ran.

“And you fall for it every single time!” he yelled after her.
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Berating herself the entire way back to the school, Buffy was feeling stupid by the time she reached her destination. She should have known. Why? Why had she left them? Because Angelus knows how to push your buttons. He knows you oh so well.

Buffy looked at the damage in the Library. Book cases were fallen, tables and chairs destroyed. Buffy saw Kendra lying on the floor. Buffy rushed to her side, sliding on the floor. But it was too late, Kendra was dead, slashed in the throat. Buffy carefully took the other Slayer’s hand. I didn’t want you dead. Buffy reached up to Kendra’s face with her free hand and petted it lovingly. Kendra had been a sort of sister to her. Sure a sister that she didn’t get along with, and she tried to kill her boyfriend and her other vampire friend... Buffy searched Kendra’s face for answers, suddenly Buffy knew. Drusilla had done this.

“Freeze!” a voice startled Buffy out of her reverie.

She hadn’t noticed the police enter the Library. Buffy slowly raised herself to her feet and raised her hands.

“Look, I didn't do anything,” Buffy calmly protested.

She didn’t have time for this, Angelus and Dru had to pay for this.

“Do it! Now!” yelled the police officer closest to her.

Another officer crouched down and felt for Kendra’s pulse.

“This one's dead.”

“What about up there?” said the first police officer nodding towards the balcony of the Library.

Buffy looked up at the stacks to see Xander lying unconscious on the floor behind the railing.

“Xander...” Buffy started towards her friend only to be stopped by a police officer’s hand.

“Get her out of here!” commanded the officer.

“Wait! Just see if he's okay! Please!” wailed Buffy.

Buffy watched helplessly as she watched one of the officer check on Xander, at the same time as being led out of the Library doors.

“Please. You don't understand,” protested Buffy once they were in the hallway.

“You'd do well to keep your mouth shut, missy.”

“But I didn't do anything.”

“Why do I find that so very hard to believe?” sneered Principal Snyder, who had been just a little further down the hallway.

I knew I should have let Spike eat that guy when I had a chance, thought Buffy.

“You know this girl?” the police officer asked the principal.

“Buffy Summers. If there's trouble, she's behind it.”

“You stupid little troll. You have no idea!” she yelled.

“Attitude problem. Serious,” continued Snyder.

Buffy turned to face the police officer that held her. “Look, I just wanna know if my friends are okay.”

“All right, that's enough.” The officer spun her around and got out his handcuffs. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and...“

Buffy glanced over her shoulder, and without warning backhand punched the officer in the face. Buffy effortlessly incapacitated the man, giving Snyder a great show. The little troll man took a step back, and watched as Buffy made a run for it
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This day sucked. All her friends were in the hospital, except Giles who was missing and she was on the run from the cops. And that stupid greasy man who was at Giles’ telling her she had to do it alone. Well he was right. This was why Kendra didn’t have any friends, they just got hurt. She was going to have to deal with Angelus by herself, and die in the process. She just hoped that she would take him out with her. Buffy looked up as a car drove by. She turned back to see that there was a cop car coming down the street too. Maybe he won’t see me? The squad car turned on his lights and let out a brief siren blare. Buffy kept walking as the car came to a stop and the cop got out.

“Hold right there!” said the cop slamming his door.

Buffy spun around to face him, and saw that she had a gun pointed at her.

“Put your hands on your head! Do it!”

Buffy began to raise her hands when a blur of black assaulted the cop, knocking the gun out of his hand and the cop to the ground.

“Hello, cutie.” said Spike smiling.

Buffy rushed into his arms.

“Oh my god, Spike!” Buffy began to sob.

The whole day’s events and the stress she had been carrying suddenly overwhelmed her. Something about being in his arms, that made her feel safe.

Spike cooed soothingly, petting her hair and planting small kisses on her head.

After a moment Buffy calmed down, cried out for the time being. Buffy stepped back from him and wiped her eyes.

“I have to stop Angelus, I don’t have time to be weepy girl.”

“Want some help, Goldilocks?”

“Huh?” Buffy was confused. Spike had never ever offered to help her fight the bad guys before, granted since he got to Sunnydale he was one of the bad guys. Even when they had had their patrol dates, he just sat around and watched her dust other vamps.

“Taking out the bad guy and all that rot? I'm talking about your ex, pet. I'm talking about putting him in the bloody ground.”

“He’s not my ex, Spike, he was a mistake.”

“He's got your Watcher. Right now, he's probably torturing him.”

Buffy gasped.

“Why are you telling me this? Are you helping him with some new trap?”

“No, love.”

“Then what do you want? Cause you usually don’t go against the whole family thing.“

“I told you. I want to stop Angel. I want to save the world.”

“Okay. You do remember that you're a vampire, right?”

“We like to talk big. Vampires do. 'I'm going to destroy the world.' That's just tough guy talk. Strutting around with your friends over a pint of blood.” Spike sat down on the squad car’s hood and took out a pack of cigarettes out of the cop’s front pocket “The truth is, I like this world. You've got... dog racing, Manchester United.” Spike pulled out a smoke and dropped the pack on the unconscious cop “And you've got people. Billions of people walking around like Happy Meals with legs. It's all right here.” Spike lights us and takes a drag. “Most importantly, it’s got you.“ Spike stared into her eyes. “But then someone comes along with a vision. With a real... passion for destruction. Angel could pull it off. Goodbye, Picadilly. Farewell, Leicester Bloody Square. You know what I'm saying?”

“Okay, fine. You're not down with Angel. That didn’t stop you from helping Mummy from attacking my friends.“

“I wasn't in on that raiding party, Goldilocks. I made you a promise, no hurting your family and friends. I keep my promises love.”

“You didn’t before”

Spike rolled his eyes, “Angelus doesn’t count. He was my family first. I thought I had explained that little detail.” Spike lowered his voice, “I can't fight them both alone, and neither can you. And I'm all you've got.”

The police officer began to regain consciousness.

“All right. Talk.”

Spike turned to the officer, “I'm just gonna kill this guy.”

Buffy cleared her throat loudly. Spike turned to face his lover.

“Oh, right.”

“Let's get inside.”

Spike grabbed Buffy’s hand and led her away from the cop car.
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Buffy and Spike walked along to Buffy’s house in silence. She was still contemplating what he had told her that night. He didn’t want to end the world? But then why had he helped Dru with the Judge? Assuming that he actually was up and functioning at that point. Buffy’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a car pulling up beside them.

“Buffy?!” cried her mother from the window of her jeep. “Where have you been?” Joyce stopped the car and got out, running to Buffy’s side. “Are you okay? The police were here! I've been looking for you!”

“Mom, let's, let's go inside, and I can explain,” said Buffy calmly.

“Who is this man?” asked Joyce looking at Spike “Who are you? Are you okay?” Joyce asked Buffy again.

“Mom! I'm-I'm okay.”

“Buffy, terrible things have happened. What were you doing?”

“What, your mum doesn't know?” asked Spike.

Buffy glared at Spike and in that moment he realised that maybe that wasn’t the way to say it. If Buffy hadn’t told her mum yet...well that really wasn’t his business, was it?

“Know what?” asked Joyce.

Buffy faced her mom, “That I'm, uh... This is Spike...uh...William. My boyfriend.“

“Right. William Aurelius,” Spike offered his hand to Joyce.

“Oh!” said Joyce surprised. “Well it’s good to finally meet you William, it’s about time that Buffy brought you over. So, what do you do? Obviously you aren’t in high school.“

“Well....”

“You know what?” interrupted Buffy, “Why don't we go inside, and, and we can talk about this.”

Buffy starts towards the door of the house, followed by Spike.

“I'm, I'm not sure how I feel about this,” said Joyce hesitantly.

Buffy turned around to face her.

Suddenly a vampire bolted across the porch, pushing Buffy and Spike aside and jumped down the steps at Joyce. Joyce screamed and took a flurry of steps back. Buffy grabbed the vamp by the shoulders from behind and launched him at Spike. Spike occupied the vamp with a series of punches to the face while Buffy got out her trusty stake. Spike’s last punch sent the vamp spinning and into perfect staking position. Buffy thrust the stake in the heart of the offending vamp and watched as he crumbled to dust.

“One of Angel's boys.” Spike noted.

“Yeah, probably watching me. Or you,” answered Buffy.

“Yeah. He won't get a chance to tattle on us now.”

“Buffy... what... is going on?” asked her mother confused

Buffy looked at her mother for a moment and exchanged a look with Spike. God, why now? Please let her understand.

“Mom... I'm a Vampire Slayer.”
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tbc ...