Disclaimer: All hail Joss.

Author’s note: Some dialogue from ‘Villains’ Special thanks to the Fab BloodyTearsofLife for the great beta job and the helpful additions that she made to this chapter.

Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing! *hugs*
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Chapter 31: Calling

Spike stared back at her with sad eyes. He had to tell her, to prepare her for the inevitable. He knew now that there was method to Drusilla calling him back time and time again.

He could see her lip starting to tremble, tears starting to well up in the corner of her eyes. He stood up, clad in only his jeans, his hair still sleep tousled and knelt down on the floor beside her. He didn’t know how to say what needed to be said but every moment he waited, the more her lip trembled, the more tears fell on her cheeks.

“Buffy...” he began, reaching out to grab her hand.

“No!” she wailed, cutting him off, a torrent of tears falling from her green eyes. “You’re mine now! Not hers. We’re mates! She can’t have you!” Buffy cried, reaching out to touch his face. “Please don’t go. I need you! I love you! You promised!”

“Love, I...” Spike started again.

“You promised!” she whispered through her tears.

Her ability to speak was cut off by the sobs she could no longer control.

“Buffy, please love, you’re jumping to conclusions,” he said softly, trying to calm her. “Buffy...”

His shout halted her tears for a moment and her eyes snapped up to lock with his.

“Drusilla called me, she wants me by her side again. But I’m not going. Do you understand? I am not going,” he stated slowly, letting each word sink in.

Buffy hiccupped then sniffled.

“You’re not...you’re not going?” she asked confused. “You’re going to stay?”

Spike nodded, a smile on his face. “I promised to stay with you, Buffy. I love you.”

Buffy’s smile lit up the room radiantly and she threw herself into his arms. Spike stood up, an armful of vengeance demon around his neck.

“I’m sorry I made you cry, love,” he whispered into her hair.

“You better be, Mr. Fairchilde,” she responded, each word punctuated by a kiss.
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Buffy stepped into the halls of Dawn’s school eager to get Dawn alone. She spied her granddaughter talking with some friends animatedly. Buffy smiled, glad that Dawn had friends of her own. Catching Dawn’s eye, Buffy motioned for Dawn to come talk to her out of the hearing range of her friends.

Excusing herself, Dawn moved towards the vengeance demon with a smile.

“Hey!” greeted the teen. “What’s up?”

“You mean you don’t believe that I’ve decided to try out being a student?”

“You’re way old, why would you want to do that anyways?”

“Hey!” protested Buffy. “I was elevated at Seventeen I’ll have you know. I do still look Seventeen don’t I?”

Dawn rolled her eyes. “Yes, you are teenageish. So...what’s up?”

“Can you come by the crypt after school, Spike needs to talk to you,” explained Buffy.

A worried look passed over Dawn’s face. “Ok, I can do that.”

Buffy smiled. “Thanks.”
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Buffy appeared back in Spike’s crypt only to find her mate packing stuff up into a duffle bag.

“You can come back whenever you want. You don’t have to pack it all up,” she said, stepping towards him.

“Just some clothes and a few trinkets, love,” he responded with a smile.

“I spoke with Dawn. She’s going to stop by after school.”

Spike nodded. “You don’t suppose she’ll feel as if I’ve abandoned her?”

Buffy smiled tenderly. “No, not when she can get us to appear wherever she is in an instant. Besides you aren’t giving up the crypt, you’ll be back. It can be a summer home...” she tried.

Spike looked at her with a questioning look. “Between the two of us, pet, we’ve got homes coming out of our arses.”

Buffy had to laugh at that. “Kent, London, New York, and this gem here in Sunnydale...”

“Don’t suspect that we’ll be going to London anytime soon...”

“I don’t know, Spike. It’s still... painful.”

He nodded.
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Dawn stepped into Spike’s crypt closing the door behind her. Her backpack brushed against the stone walls of the crypt with a fingernails on a chalkboard type sound. She cringed.

“Nibblet,” greeted Spike, sitting in his comfy chair, the TV portraying Oprah and the latest book she added to her book club.

“Erixel, she said you wanted to talk to me?” asked Dawn, putting her backpack down.

Spike stood up from the chair and stepped towards her. “Something’s happened, Dawn. I’m going away, with Erixel...”

“You two finally shacking up?” kidded Dawn.

“Ya, I suppose we are,” he admitted.

Dawn broke out into giggles and hugged her favourite vampire. “Yay!” she gushed. “I’m so happy for you! It’s about time!”

“Guess you aren’t mad then?” he asked over top of her head.

“No! It’s not everyday that your great great great grandparents get mated! You know you so have to have a regular wedding, and I could be the maid of honour! Promise me no green puke worthy dresses? Oh! And none of those squishy things with tentacles for gifts…”

“Bloody hell, Nib! What are you yammering on about?”

“And how did you know that we’re mated?” asked Buffy, her head appearing through the trap door from the lower level.

“Anya told me!” Dawn replied with a ‘duh’ expression. “I work there, to pay off the ‘mad thieving.’ She can’t keep a secret to save her life... Anya can be a bride’s maid too! So where are you going to live? Are you going to be in Arashamahar? Or are you going to New York? I’d love to live in New York...Please say I can come visit?”

“Of course you can visit,” interrupted Buffy. “I think you’re taking this rather well...”

“I’ll say,” interjected Spike, eyeballing Dawn as if she’d grown another head.

“You’ll still come when I call?” asked Dawn, becoming serious, directing her question to Buffy. “And you’ll bring Spike?”

Buffy nodded. “Anything you need. Hugs, vengeance, a quick escape, anything.”

“Are you going to tell Liz?” asked Dawn. “That you’re leaving?” she asked, directing her question to Spike.

“Not intending to, Bit,” answered the vampire truthfully.

“Good,” grinned the teenager evilly.
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Buffy settled against the cold body of her mate, and stared out into the dark New York cityscape. They’d grown closer as the days went by, each time he felt Drusilla call him to her side, he told her about it and continued to stay with her when the morning came. She had a new piece of jewellery, a diamond on her left hand. The silk slip nightgown she was wearing was soft against her skin, and Spike’s hand sliding up and down her leg felt really good.

“Well I suppose I should get up and get some nosh,” he stated.

Buffy laughed. They had started to keep vampire hours only a day or two into their new life together. Spending the days in bed with her husband wasn’t a bad way to pass the time. Unfortunately the moment was ruined by a sharp voice, laced with panic filling Buffy’s head.

“Dawn!” cried the vengeance demon, sitting up, before teleporting away, leaving her lover shocked in bed.
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Buffy materialized beside Dawn, who was looking horrified at the body of her friend on the bedroom floor.

“Dawn?” whispered Buffy.

The teenager collapsed, sobbing into her arms. Tenderly, Buffy picked up the teen and carried her into her bedroom, the two of them sitting on the bed, as Buffy rocked her granddaughter.

Buffy just let her cry, knowing what was going to come next.

“I wish Tara was alive,” whispered Dawn, sniffling.

“Oh Dawn,” sighed Buffy sadly. “I can’t do that. I wish I could. Oh D’Hoffryn, I wish I could.”

“Why? Why can’t you bring her back?” Dawn sat up and glared at Buffy daring her to explain.

“Because you aren’t the wronged party. Tara’s death, was against Tara. Not you. It’s one of the rules that I have to abide by. I’m so sorry Dawn.”

“I don’t understand,” started Dawn. “Why her? She never hurt anyone!”

“Life isn’t fair. Death certainly isn’t either. No one can say why the innocent suffer.”

Downstairs the front door opened, and Buffy could hear the sounds of footsteps.

“Dawn?” came Liz’s voice, just as she rounded the corner to Dawn’s room. “You!”

Buffy looked up from Dawn’s grief stricken face to Liz’s. “Yes, me.”

“I...I called her,” interjected Dawn, standing up from the bed. “I found...I found... Tara. I didn’t want to be alone.”

Liz nodded. Xander took that moment to walk in. “Holy nipples!” exclaimed the man with the large upper arms.

It was then that Buffy remember what she was wearing. Well it could have been worse, she thought, crossing her arms to provide what little bit of protection she could from his bulging eyeballs. I could be naked.

“Xander!” chastised Liz.

“I was in bed, when Dawn called me...” Buffy offered in way of explanation.

“Don’t care,” interrupted Liz. “Look, thanks for being there for Dawn, but you need to go. We need to find Willow.”

“Yeah, she's off the wagon big-time. Warren's a dead man if she finds him,” added Xander.

“Good,” observed Dawn bitterly.

“Dawn, don't say that,” chided Liz, gently.

“Why not? I'd do it myself if I could,” continued the teen.

“Because you don't really feel that way,” countered Liz.

Buffy looked between the two sisters and suddenly felt the need to be elsewhere. She didn’t want to be involved in this if she could help it. Well, unless there was a wish involved.

“Yes I do. And you should too. He killed Tara, and he nearly killed you. He needs to pay,” continued Dawn. “Hey, he nearly killed you!” said Dawn happily.

“Yes, joy!” noted Liz. “No need to be happy about it.”

“But, Erixel can grant you a vengeance wish!” gushed Dawn.

“No,” stated Liz. “Human world has its own rules for dealing with people like him.”

“Yeah, we all know how well those rules work,” remarked Xander.

“Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don't. We can't control the universe. If we were supposed to ... then the magic wouldn't change Willow the way it does. And ... we'd be able to bring Tara back,” explained Liz.

“And Mom,” added Dawn.

“There are limits to what we can do. There should be. Willow doesn't want to believe that. And now she's messing with forces that want to hurt her. All of us,” continued Liz.

“I just ... I've had blood on my hands all day. Blood from people I love,” noted Xander.

“I know. And now it has to stop. Warren's going to get what he deserves. I promise. But I will not let Willow destroy herself.”

“Okay, where do we go? She could be anywhere,” said Xander.

Liz sighed. “I don't know, um ... Maybe the Magic Box for some kind of locating spell. I could go myself.”

“No no. I'm cool. I'll go,” noted Xander.

“Dawn can't stay here by herself,” said Liz.

Buffy agreed with that.

“Let me go with you. I want to,” pleaded the teenager.

“No, honey, it's too dangerous,” countered Liz.

“But ... it's Willow. She needs us.”

“She does. And you'll help her. Lots. Okay, but first we have to get her home in one piece,” soothed Liz.

“But...”

“Dawn. I'm serious. You've been through enough for more than one ... ever. You should be someplace where you feel safe.”

“Fine,” grumbled Dawn. “I want to go to with Erixel.”

The was a pause. Liz sighed again. “All right.”

“What?! Not all right. Are you kidding?” protested Xander.

“Xander!” spat Liz, silencing him. The Slayer turned to Buffy with a serious expression. “You’ll take care of her?”

Buffy nodded.

“I’ll call for you when it’s safe to bring her back.”

Buffy reached out and took Dawn’s hand, opened a portal and slipped through it, leaving the Slayer and the Carpenter together with a witch to find.
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tbc...