Chapter Summary: Cordy left the cemetery. Xander overheard a decent portion of the conversation between Cordy, Spike, and Buffy. He headed into the crypt to find out what was in there. Angel is out looking for Cordy and the missing members of the Sunnydale gang. Willow and Amy are at Rack's. Spike and Buffy left Cordy to do a little patrol of their own before they headed back home.

Xander stood in the crypt trying to process everything he heard. The bullet on the floor, and the blood splattered around the crypt, told him a story that he didn't want to accept.

Who would use a gun in a cemetery? A gun wouldn't kill most demons. So a demon must not have been the original target. All of the vampires and demons he read about/encountered used brute strength, cunning or an occasionally flashy but effective sword or hammer. A gun seemed to imply a human assailant seeking out a human victim. Buffy was the Slayer. A human couldn't possibly be responsible for her death or want her dead.

The overheard conversation kept replaying in Xander's mind. Buffy said she had a soul. She had been turned but retained her soul? That couldn't be true! A vampire always equaled evil and must be staked. It was the way it always had been. He staked Jesse when he was turned. Even Angel, the original souled vampire, proved that vampires could never fully be trusted. If vampires could be redeemed, then with the right sire and incentive could Jesse have been redeemed? It was obvious that Spike was Buffy's Sire, and the bleached menace wasn't Xander's idea of the right kind of Sire.

All these thoughts ran through Xander's mind. New ones kept popping up and Xander started to feel overwhelmed. It was giving him a headache. He closed his eyes tightly.

If by some miracle Buffy retained her soul, did that mean she could lose it like Angel did? If she really had a soul, what was she doing with the evil undead? Sure, he had to be her Sire, but why didn't Buffy stake him when she rose? Why hadn't Buffy contacted Xander, or at the very least contacted Angel? Wouldn't Buffy have sought solace with her friends? Didn't she trust them?

With a guttural moan Xander turned and ran out of the crypt, not even bothering to slam the door shut behind him. He ran until he was blinded with tears. He had already pushed himself past the point of shooting chest pains and a lack of breath. The world was spinning, and he was dangerously close to passing out. Finally he collapsed on a park bench, tears streaming down his face.

Xander's world had been turned upside down. If he was to believe what he overheard, then his best friend had spiraled out of control and was manipulating everyone around her. His other best friend, Buffy, was dead. The clear cut lines between good guys and bad guys was blurred. He didn't like this strange new world he was in. He needed answers, and he needed them now.

'Where should I go? Who can I talk to?' Giles was drunk, and he seemed to blame Buffy for disturbing his life. Anya would have answers, but Xander wasn't sure if he really wanted her opinion on the matter before he was absolutely sure of the truth. He loved Anya, but her views on the demon world and her past disturbed him. If he was honest, he would have admitted that he was having as much of a problem with accepting Anya's past as he was his own. He was terrified of turning into his father and of never measuring up to a "real man". He knew they would have to work it out, but he couldn't deal with that tonight.

Running the options over in his grief-stricken mind, Xander dismissed everyone he knew from the equation. Perhaps Cordy misunderstood what was happening at Buffy's house? He should really talk to Willow before he made any decisions on who to trust. After all, he owed his best friend the chance to defend herself. Standing up, he got his bearings and then headed in the general direction of Buffy's house.

Willow leaned back into the couch at Rack's and started at Amy. The magical buzz she got from Rack completely restored her good mood. She could barely remember why she was upset with Buffy. Did it really matter if Buffy came home? Well aside from still not knowing where the Slayer hid the checkbook that is.

Willow barely remembered her own name at this point. The magic coursing through her veins was so intense, so primitive, and so primal. It felt like molten chocolate was caressing every inch of her body. She felt powerful and yummy. Life was excellent, the magic was plentiful, and as soon as she found Tara ... Well Tara would come back to her. She wouldn't have a choice.

In the meantime, Willow looked up at Amy, where had Amy picked up that shirt from? It looked like dark crushed red velvet. Willow ached to reach out and touch the material, as well as the girl who wore it. Biting her lip, Willow tried to figure out if she could get away with having an affair with Amy. After all Tara did break up with her, and while Willow would make sure Tara came back to her, she couldn't be faulted for having a little fun.

Tara would get used to having Amy around. Amy had magicked the rest of her stuff into Dawn's room earlier. So Tara would have to accept Amy in their lives. If she was careful, Tara would never even know what had happened. Besides, Amy was fire and lightning while Tara was soft and cuddly. Who would blame her for being attracted to both of them.

Reaching over, Willow caressed Amy's arm. Amy flinched and started to pull away from the other girl. Then, Willow glanced over at Amy, soft black eyes meeting Amy's green. "Come on Amy," She seductively purred. "Don't you want to feel what I can do to you: all this energy, all this power, all this magic running through us. "Don't you want to feel the power?"

Amy looked unsure until Willow sent a magical pulse of power into the reluctant girl. The magical energy surrounded Amy, erasing the doubts from her mind and bringing her to orgasm. Slowly Willow pushed Amy down on the couch. The power swirled around them. It caressed and melded the two bodies in a lover's dance. Rack sat back and watched the pair with a leer of cynical delight.

Angel paced all around Buffy's house. He couldn't believe how irresponsible everyone seemed to be acting. Willow practically begged him to come to Sunnydale and one he arrives she scampered off to go play with her new friend. Buffy, the Chosen One and the protector of all that is good and pure, seemed to have run off for a vacation. Wasn't being dead for a while enough of a vacation for her already? Finally, the only person who knew where Buffy was had managed to get herself kidnapped.

It was simply amazing that these children hadn't been killed years ago. How did they ever manage to defeat his alter-ego? It astounded him. He remembered that one reason Angelus was defeated all those years ago was because of his Childe, Spike. Angel growled deeply at the thought of his oft time rebellious Childe.

Then there was his trusty seer. Cordelia whined and complained all the way down from Los Angeles, and then she disappeared, leaving him stuck in the house with Connor. Angel loved his son, but how was he supposed to take care of everyone and watch a baby at the same time? Cordy should have known that she was needed to baby-sit while he went out to save the Sunnydale gang ... again.

After twenty minutes of pacing, brooding and the occasional swear word, Angel grabbed Connor and headed out into the night. Perhaps he could find Giles or Xander to watch Connor for him. They had to be good for something because obviously they were lost when it came to dealing with problems or their Slayer.

Buffy and Spike headed home to their new house. Patrol was quiet. All they saw were a few fledges that Giles and Xander had managed to miss and one ugly demon that came to Sunnydale to take on the Slayer. Buffy briefly mused at how all the demons knew what she looked like. She knew that vampires could sense her, but could demons feel her as well? The world wasn't black and white, despite what the Council thought.

Speaking of the Council, she would have to find out if a new Slayer has been called when she died this time. No one said anything to her about a new Slayer being called after the tower incident. Were there three Slayers roaming around, or was her first death the only one that mattered?

Lost in her thoughts, Buffy never noticed when Spike put his arm around her. Instinctively Buffy leaned into him as they passed by the brightly lit Magic Box. Thankfully the sole occupant of the store was on the phone to the Council and not watching as they strolled by.

Spike's vampire hearing picked up on the conversation inside, and he cringed. He was grateful that Buffy was so lost in other thoughts, or she would have heard the conversation as well.

"I don't care if Faith is still in jail. We need a Slayer here, and Buffy seemed to think now was a good time for vacation." Giles spoke harshly into the phone. He seemed more upset with the person on the other end of the phone line.

"Of course she'll be back. Her sister is still in Sunnydale." Giles threw his glasses onto the counter near the register. "However, she has been quite unsteady lately after her ..." He caught himself and quickly amended the end of his sentence. "... mother's death."

Giles listened to the other person talking for a brief moment before he interrupted again. "The last time she left, she was gone for three months." He looked at the ticket on the counter. "I am leaving here in three days."

Giles held the phone away from his ear while the person on the other end yelled at him. "Frankly I don't care." He paused to take in a deep breath. "You can choose to arrange Faith's release from jail or not. The choice is up to you. Buffy's been through enough. It's time for Faith to do her REAL job."

Willow and Amy stumbled out of Rack's place. The air surrounding them crackled with energy. They walked along the sidewalk with their arms wrapped around each other.

An elderly man looked up and watched the two women stumble about. 'Damn shame it is how the kids these days act. Two beautiful girls like that strung out on drugs already.' Crossing the street he steered away from them. He shook his head, and he quickly continued home.

Perhaps they were members of the famous PCP gang that frequently rampaged through Sunnydale. They looked like addicts who would kill for their next dose, pimp themselves out for another hit or simply manage to kill themselves because their true pain would not register. Nothing meant anything to him but their next fix and their desire for more.

Unknown to the little man, however, was the realization that it wasn't drugs that caused this dangerous high. It was something even worse, the remnants of Rack's magical enhancements and Willow's blackest mojo were emerging. Amy was hardly an innocent in the whole matter either. She was spiraling out of control herself and would soon surpass her mother in magical abuse and addiction. Seeing the look the man gave them as he passed made Amy briefly wonder if she was losing herself to the power. With a caress of Willow's hand, she quickly forgot her doubts. The Bronze was waiting for them.

Xander halted his progression to Buffy's house when he spotted Willow and Amy. "Willow, wait up!" He broke out into a jog and quickly caught up to the two girls.

Willow turned around. She was quite annoyed at being interrupted on her way to go dancing. Seeing that it was Xander, her face softened, and she reached out to caress his cheek. "Xander, you haven't called or come by for almost a week. Don't you love us anymore?"

Xander blinked and stared at Willow. She seemed off. There was something her that was mesmerizing though. Perhaps it was her eyes or the husky sound of her voice. As she stared at him, he shivered. For the first time in his life, he felt afraid of his best friend.

Angel was on his way to the Magic Box, when a strange scent floating past his nostrils. Clutching Connor, his mind was focused on the scent, Connor began to squirm and then yell. His father, however, didn't notice as the baby began to wail his outrage that his father was holding him too tightly.

The vampire flashed into game face, and his pace picked up from a slight trot to an outright run. He stopped paying attention to the boy in his arms or the area surrounding him. He concentrated on the strangely familiar scent that seemed to hold him in thrall.

As Angel ran further into the cemetery the scent grew stronger. He staked a couple vampires standing outside the door of an open crypt. He snarled and ran into the open door of the crypt through the other vampire's dust. Close his eyes, he breathed in deeply. He remembered this scent. It was the sweet smell of Slayer blood, and he could almost taste it.

A fledgling growled at Angel from his spot on the floor. He looked up at the elder vampire and growled again his warning to back off on his find. The vampire's face was covered in the remains of the blood that hadn't dried yet and what he licked off the cement floor of the crypt.

With one hand wrapped around Connor, Angel swiftly dusted the irreverent fledgling. No matter who found what first, he was the elder. His rights should have been respected.

Memories of his teeth buried in Buffy's neck made him grow hard, and he growled in frustration and anger. Who dared to take the Slayer into this dank hole? He smelled the perfumed scent of blood, sex and death. It permeated the air, even though he knew that this scene was several days old.

Angel felt Angelus clawing at the surface of his brain to be let free. He snarled into Angel's ear, 'Who would dare touch what belongs to us?'

Angel inhaled more deeply. There were faint traces of leather and smoke. 'No, Spike wouldn't be that stupid, would he?'

Angel snarled and stormed out of the crypt. He slammed the door shut. He knew the Slayer lost too much blood in that place to have walked out of there alive. 'Somehow Spike must have hired a human to help him kill Buffy.'

'You really are an idiot, Angel.' Angelus mentally slapped his souled counterpart. 'You know what happened here. You felt it a couple days ago.'

'No, no, that can't be.' Angel leaned against the side of the crypt. There was no way he was ready to face the possibility that Spike found a way to Sire Buffy.

'Be denial boy all you want, but you know it's true.' Angelus delighted in the thought that Buffy was now a vampire. Now he would have no reason to hate her. He wanted to give the soul a moment of happiness to go bye bye and claim her. His Childe would be no match for him if challenged.

'You aren't going anywhere, monster.' Angel chastised the beast within him. No matter how close to the surface Angelus was, he refused to acknowledge that the two parts of him were really one. He headed out of the cemetery and back to his original destination, the Magic Box.

Willow felt the power still surrounding her. There was nothing that she felt she couldn't do. She could tell that she made Xander uncomfortable. Raising an eyebrow at him, she upgraded her assessment incorrectly to him being aroused. She chuckled in an amused way to herself. She always knew that Xander had a desire for powerful women, demons, and the unattainable.

Willow still remembered Xander's myriad of rejections throughout high school. She lusted over the boy for years, and he had only desired her once someone else laid claim to her heart. He never wanted her, just plain Willow. He had wanted Oz's Willow. Then once they were caught kissing, it was over again. He only wanted what he couldn't have, again.

Just look at Xander's history ... first and always foremost was the unattainable Buffy. Then there was the Queen Bitch of them all, Cordy. After using and using and disregarding her own self, there was the slutty Slayer Faith. Lastly, but not least, he moved on to a former vengeance demon. Sure Anya was easy to obtain in the beginning, but did anyone actually think he could keep a woman like that? It was so obvious that he was perpetually challenged to find what he couldn't have.

Willow couldn't think of a better revenge for his callous treatment of her pre-witchy self. Of course, now that she was in control, he wanted her. She could tell by his obvious discomfort around her. Standing there, shifting from one foot to another while avoiding looking at her. What else could cause his uneasiness. He was so obvious to her.

Willow grinned devilishly and slid up next to Xander. She leaned close and practically purred into his ear, "Now, now Xander. What are you doing running around at this time of night without one of us to protect you? If you're not careful, you could attract another demon. Don't you remember how much of a demon magnet you are? Why even Cordy is part demon now."

"Of course it could be fun." Willow leaned even closer to Xander so that as she whispered to him, her lips would caress his ear. She ran her hands down his front, pausing to cup his covered cock. "I still remember all the naughty things that my vampire double whispered to me." She licked the edge of Xander's ear lobe.

"She told me how the two of you used to paint the town red with blood, and then fucked in it until dawn." Xander shivered, and Willow took that as a good sign. "She told me how she took you and made you beg for mercy before draining your life blood. You begged her to take you, to turn you and to fuck you forever Xander. You begged her for forever with her!"

Willow let go of his cock and stepped back. She sneered at him, "Now you have your little vengeance demon, and you can't even keep her happy." She waved her hand in the air with indifference. "I heard about what the two of you sang during Sweet's visit. So pathetic! You'll never be man enough for any woman." She blew Xander a kiss, turned, and walked away from him.

Xander stood there and gaped in shock while Amy and Willow walked away. What the hell happened to Willow? Cordy, Buffy and Spike were right. How the hell did he not notice that transformation? He staggered down the road on autopilot towards home. There was only one person he could trust. He might not like what she would tell him, but at least Anya was always honest. Right now, she seemed must less scary than the Willow he'd just met.

Buffy sighed in contentment when they reached their house. She hadn't realized how nervous and tense she was until she spotted the familiar and welcomed structure. Home was her safe haven. It was her reclusive place away from a strange and hostile world.

It was strange that even as a vampire, she felt right slaying evil. Buffy briefly thought about using her "death" as a perfect excuse to retire from being the Slayer. She wanted to be able to run away and try her hand at becoming a "normal girl", well as normal as a Slayer turned vampire could be.

Who was she kidding though? She was Buffy the Vampire Slayer who just happened to be a souled vampire with a mystical key for a sister. She was pretty sure that she was falling in love with Spike, a vampire without a soul and her Sire. It was enough to make her head hurt.

Becoming a vampire hadn't seemed to change her very much. If anything it seemed to make Buffy a better Slayer. Tonight, while patrolling, she noticed that her senses were stronger, her actions were quicker, and she practically craved the violence of the fight more than before. She couldn't imagine not slaying.

Buffy led Spike over to the porch swing and sat down with him. She needed to rest and decide what to do about her friends. Now that Cordy knew she was a vampire, she would have to think about how to tell her friends. Everyone was going to find out. It would be better to tell them on her terms then deal with the aftermath of them finding out on their own. Of course that did mean figuring out what to do about Willow. They'd have to block her magic somehow.

Buffy snuggled into Spike's arms and then froze. She hadn't realized that she was this close to Spike on the swing until now. Earlier, she rejoiced in the feel of his arms, but that was when they were out in the cemetery. They were surrounded by people, demons, fledges and eventually Cordy. At home they were alone. Everyone else had fallen asleep a long time ago.

Buffy felt the outline of Spike's body pressed next to her and his cool breath on her neck. She closed her eyes and let out a ragged breath. She fought the urge to flee, and she willed her body to calm down. She was in Spike's arms, and this Spike would never hurt her.

Finally Buffy looked up and met the worried gaze of her Sire. "Spike? I know you said you would be patient with me, but can I kiss you?" She hurried on before he answered, "Nothing else ... Just kiss you?"

Spike nodded his agreement. He couldn't trust his voice not to squeak when he spoke. He vowed not to move or press Buffy for more. He would accept what she was offering, and he wouldn't try to pressure her into anything she wasn't ready for.

Spike's demon raged inside of him. It demanded that he take her, claim her, and mate with her. It was more than dominance. The demon wanted to offer Buffy the comfort that their mated bond would bring.

Spike knew that he could take the pain away with the bonding between their demons, but he knew she wasn't ready for that yet. He would not take the risk of further traumatizing Buffy. He read enough of the stupid books to know that she needed to be in control of things for a while. So, he waited, staring into Buffy's beautiful emerald eyes.

Buffy leaned closer to Spike for a kiss. She hesitated for a moment, and then pressed her lips against his.

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