Previous Chapter Summary: Xander and Anya talked all night and into the morning about vampires, demons, and what Xander knew about Buffy and Willow. Cordelia snuck back into the house before Angel, but Angel tried to confront her without success. Buffy and Spike shared the night together in more tender but passionate embraces, moving forward in their relationship.

Chapter Summary: A couple days of time have passed since the last chapter. Spike believes that he only dreamed the last part of his night with Buffy. He thinks that their connection is stronger only because of their growing relationship. Several people will be faced with different confrontations, both good and bad. Buffy will be tested both physically and emotionally over the time that passes in this chapter. Our little family will grow closer, possibly bring in new additions, and old friends will find out that what they do will affect their friendships.

The next couple days passed in relative peacefulness. Angel paced and scoured Sunnydale with no further luck in finding Dawn or Buffy. Every time he tried to corner Giles on the issue, he was brushed off. Giles even went so far as to kick Angel out of the Magic Box on one of the days.

Angel followed Willow's directions to the Sunnydale branch of Wolfram and Hart, but he never saw any sign of Buffy or Dawn. When he went back to examine the crypt it was completely clean. No traces of blood remained, and there were no other signs of a struggle present.

Cordy still wasn't talking to Angel, but he knew that she had some idea what was going on. He had picked up traces of her scent the first time he visited the crypt.

On the third day Angel was fed up with Cordy's avoidance of him, Willow's nonchalant attitude, and Giles' pompous posturing. He dashed out the door of Buffy's house with a quilt over his head, and he darted down the manhole in the middle of the street. He was going to get some answers.

Cordelia called the cell phone number she had for Spike, grateful that he picked up on the second ring. "Spike?"

"It's Cordelia. Angel just left here like a bat out of hell." Cordy walked into Buffy's old bedroom where Angel was sleeping. Schematics and architectural designs of the sewer systems as well as the Wolfram and Hart building were strewn across the vanity.

"I think he's headed to Wolfram and Hart. It looks like he figured out the sewer access to it."

"Bugger! Of all the days to ..." Scraping noises and cursing echoed over the phone line. "Buffy headed there to take care of some legalities about bank accounts and the house."

Cordelia heard the sounds of doors opening and closing amidst more cursing. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Stay with his kid and try to get a hold of Valerie. She needs to be warned that the poof is on his way."

"I'll do what I can." Cordy heard the line go dead before she finished speaking. She dialed up Valerie's number, but it was busy. She set her phone to automatically redial until it went through. While she waited, she thought about the meeting she had with Dawn, Tara and Valerie the day before.

"I can't help it." Dawn paced back and forth in front of the bus stop bench Tara sat on. "I feel like a caged rat."

Tara cringed. Spike and Buffy shared all the knowledge they gleaned from their conversation with Cordelia. Tara knew Amy was a witch before she was turned into a rat. She couldn't help but wonder what Amy and Willow might be doing.

"Oh my gosh," Dawn gasped. "I didn't mean to ... I'm sorry." She covered her mouth with her hands.

"I know Dawnie ..." Tara sighed and then patted the bench next to her. "Miss Chase will be here soon enough."

"What if she doesn't believe us," Dawn fretted. "What if she and Angel try to take us away from Buffy and Spike?"

"Valerie promised to follow us in her car." Tara reminded Dawn of the plan they talked about. "We also have the signatures of our bracelets that they can track." She wrapped an arm around Dawn's shoulder.

"Everything we do is a risk until Angel is gone and Willow's under control." Dawn sighed. "I wish we could say to heck with everyone else and their judgments."

"We could always leave Sunnydale, but the problems would follow us." Tara looked up in time to see a convertible car stop at the corner.

Cordelia spotted Dawn and who she assumed to be Tara at the bus stop. She parked the car on the curb and stepped out of the car. She walked over to the pair slowly, keeping her eyes open for anyone else that might try to attack.

"Hello, Cordy," Dawn greeted. Although she knew the monks faked her memories, she remembered Cordelia Chase.

"Hello, Miss Chase," Tara cordially greeted the old Scooby. She stood up. "I'm Tara McClay. I'm sure you remember Dawn Summers."

"Yes, though sometimes my recollections are foggy." Cordelia turned to look at Dawn again. "No offense, Dawn."

"None, taken. Most people are like that." Dawn giggled. "Maybe we can explain that to you some time."

Cordelia raised a brow in curiosity. She looked around the bus stop area. "Let's get out of here." She started back to her car.

Dawn looked up at Tara for her approval. Tara nodded. The two of them walked hand in hand to Cordy's car. Before Tara shut the door she glanced at the opposite corner where she knew Valerie was waiting in her tinted windowed car. Knowing Valerie was there put her at ease and made her feel more confident. Perhaps everything would work out after all.

Cordelia shook her head back and forth. Connor felt the nervousness of the woman who held him. Cordy cooed and soothed Connor. "Sorry, Connor." She bounced Connor in her arms.

Everything Cordy heard from Tara and Dawn went along with what Spike and Buffy told her. It seemed like both of the girls were happy to be living with Spike and Buffy. Both of them seemed nervous about Angel and Willow, but other than that they just wanted to move forward with their lives without the interference of others.

Cordy wandered down the stairs into the living room. Willow and Amy were out of the house for the moment. She warmed up a bottle for Connor. She looked down at her phone. "Why is Valerie's phone still busy?"

At the law offices of Wolfram and Hart, Valerie switched between several calls simultaneously. She had Buffy's bank on hold on one line while she spoke to several creditors and real estate agents on other lines.

Several pages were occupied in her notebook with notations and confirmation numbers for all of the transactions Buffy and Spike wanted her to take care of today. She picked up a stack of file folders, stuffed them into her briefcase, and left her office.

Dawn paced back and forth in the main lobby. She was starting to wear a path in the carpet. She wrung her hands together. She had stayed home the last two days from school in case Willow or Angel tried to nab her from school.

Nothing happened between Dawn and Buffy to cause anyone concern. In fact both of them had gotten along better than they ever had before. Their relationship was becoming closer than just sisters. They were becoming close friends.

The only problem Dawn had with her living arrangements was that she felt Spike and Buffy were hiding something from her. Every now and then she'd catch them staring at her and talking about something. She never got close enough to hear what they were talking about. She was going to ask them about it soon if they didn't tell her something.

Buffy arrived at the lower level garage for the Wolfram and Hart building. She parked the Taurus, after dropping Tara off at the college, and headed into the building from underground. She followed the directions Valerie gave her the night before to find the main conference lounge.

Buffy looked down at her watch. She was about ten minutes early. So, she figured Val would arrive soon. They had given her a lot to take care of: Buffy's bank accounts, the Summers' house, schooling, and trust funds to name a few.

'It's not like I have to worry about running out of time in the near future,' Buffy chuckled at the thought. The last two days with Spike, Tara, Dawn and Valerie had been some of the best in her life. Though she spent most of that time being tested for tolerances and endurances, she felt refreshed and reenergized.

Valerie made it into the main lobby about the same time that the doors burst open to a smoking vampire. Dawn screamed and ran to Valerie. Valerie placed herself between Dawn and the intruder desperately hoping that the protective magic around her would prevent bloodshed.

Valerie felt the wards crackle but not before Angel's hand lashed out. She attempted to avoid the blow, but she ended up dazed as her cheek was sliced open. Her head snapped back from the force of the blow.

The blanket fell away and revealed a very ticked off vampire. "Get away from the lawyer, Dawn." A furious Angel growled at Dawn. "She's evil. I'm here to protect you from her."

"I don't need protection from her. Valerie saved me from the only person I needed protection from ... Willow." Dawn moved and firmly stood her ground in front of the bleeding woman. Angel would have to go through her to get to Valerie.

Buffy, who moved from the conference room to the main room when she heard the commotion, vamped and growled threateningly at the danger to her family and friends. She launched herself at Angel's back, kicking him to the floor with a blow to the middle of his back. She flipped Angel over while she punched and beat on him.

All at once the vampire surged off the floor. He bound Buffy's wrists in his hand. He growled dominantly, demanding her to submit.

Buffy snorted at the command. There was only one person she gave that control to, and that vampire was blonde, sexy, and her Sire. She counter-growled in refusal.

The dark haired vampire let go of one of Buffy's wrists long enough to open-handed slap Buffy across the face. The ring he wore on his hand cut into her cheek.

Pain radiated from the blow. She blinked at the stars swimming around her vision. Out of the corner of her eye, Buffy saw Dawn sneak Valerie down a hallway to another room. Happy that her sister was safe for the moment, she fought back again. Her boot connected with the vampire's groin, and he dropped her.

"Now Buff. Was that a nice thing to do?" Angelus cupped his aching family jewels. Seeing Buffy as a vampire called out to his demon. She was magnificent to behold. His demon forced its way to the surface in a lunge of desire, dominance, and a need to posses the woman, shoving the soul back into the background.

'Buff?' Buffy thought to herself. Her eyes widened in recognition. "Angelus?" She whimpered, 'Please no, not my dream!'

"Oh aren't we a smart little fledge." Angelus sneered. He straightened his back and walked closer to Buffy. He leaned down and sniffed at her neck. She felt like family. How was that possible? "SPIKE!!" He snarled in disgust and anger. He recognized his Childe's mark on Buffy's neck. Spike's scent was all around the woman.

Buffy couldn't help the step back she took away from Angelus' rage. She doubted that she'd seen him this mad the last time he was free.

"How dare he?" Angelus grabbed Buffy's arms. He pushed her up against a wall. "You were mine."

Now Buffy was peeved. There was no way she'd let Angelus get away with a remark like that. "I belong to Spike."

Angelus dropped Buffy to the floor, and he laughed. He laughed so hard that Buffy thought he was going insane. When Angelus stared at Buffy's eyes again, he glared at her in hatred. "If he touches you again, I will dust him. I brought him into this world, and I will take him from it."

Spike raced through the sewers across town from his house to Wolfram and Hart. He felt the panic and fear in his Childe, and he forced himself to push his body past it's limits to reach her more quickly.

The cover over the tunnel entrance in the underground garage of the office building flew up and into a car with the force of Spike's punch. He was in full game face, and he stalked towards the entryway.

"William, she needs to face him alone." A feminine voice called from in front of him, a shadow blocked the door.

Angelus held Buffy up by the throat against the wall. "Poor little Buffy. Where is your Sire now?" He taunted her.

Buffy scratched at the hand at her throat. She tried to pry Angelus' fingers apart, but she only succeeded in upsetting him more. She felt Spike's presence getting closer and closer. 'Sire ... Please help me.'

Angelus sneered, "He will never come for you. You aren't worth enough to him for him to face me. He isn't willing to die for you."

"William you can't go in there," A familiar feminine voice repeated to Spike from the shadows. "She needs to face him by herself."

Spike's enhanced sight made out the form of what appeared to be a vengeance demon. "Who are you, and why did you call me that?"

The female demon stepped further into the garage area. "I am called Halfrek now, servant of D'Hoffryn and a vengeance demon."

"What would you know of what Buffy needs to face or not face. She is calling for me." Spike was angered that someone stood between him and Buffy. He felt the anger and pain that his Childe was feeling, and it tore at him not to be by her side. "She is my Childe. I have to protect her."

"There is a time to protect, and there is a time to let your Childe fight her own battles." Halfrek kept her place in front of the door leading into the building. "I know what is on her mind. I heard her cry for vengeance from her rest, and I helped you both to be able to achieve her wishes."

Spike's eyes widened. "The chip. You are the one that took the chip out!" He exclaimed.

"Why would you take out my chip when it was Buffy's vengeance?" Spike felt something towards the demon, but he wasn't able to place where he knew her. He had no recollection of meeting a Halfrek before.

"It would have hindered you from bringing her rapist and murderer to our form of justice," Halfrek explained. "You could also call it a down payment on an old debt." Her face shifted back to her human form.

Cecily reached out to touch Spike's arm. "No trick, William." She smiled softly. "I was recruited by D'Hoffryn shortly after the night I said those awful words to you."

Spike stepped away from Cecily. "You have no right to expect any kindness from me now. I should rip your throat out."

"I know, and I only ask that you let me apologize to you. Just hear what I have to say, please."

Cecily's voice was filled with honesty, and Spike's demon knew that. He nodded for her to continue. He forced himself to hold back the rage that built within him at seeing her again.

"Although I did not love you, William, I would not have said those awful words to you if it weren't for my parents." Cecily kept her gaze even with Spike's. "They wanted to arrange a marriage between myself and Roger. They found your attention on me embarrassing to them."

"I quite agree." Cecily continued, "They told me that if I didn't find a way to keep you from coming around again, they would publicly embarrass you and your family. It seems that my father had some blackmail against your family from several generations past. It shouldn't have mattered, but you know how our society was. Your whole family would have been disgraced. Although I did not love you, I did not want to see your family destroyed."

"I'm sorry, William. If I had known ..." Cecily let her sentence trail off, "I don't know what I would have done."

"I suppose I should thank you." Spike stood up taller. Somehow hearing Cecily's original reasons for what she said made him feel a little better about his old poncy side. "If I hadn't been turned then I never would have met the true woman I was meant to be with."

Spike started to step around Cecily to go inside, but a hand on his arm stopped him. "You've faced your past, and now she needs to face her own. If you go in there now, she'll never know if she can do what needs to be done against Angelus."

Buffy felt the rage surging through her Sire, and it heightened her adrenaline enough for her to kick Angelus away from her. "Stay away from me, Angelus. I will never be yours."

Angelus laughed menacingly. "You will always be mine, Buff." He stood back up. His height towered over Buffy's, but she was stronger.

"I swear if you come near me and mine again, I will stake you." Buffy stared at Angelus with a flinty glare of determination in her eyes.

"Oh yeah?" Buffy grinned. She dropped low, swung her leg out, and knocked Angelus off his feet. When he bounced back up off the ground, she sent a flurry of punches and kicks to his head, face, and chest that had the elder vampire stumbling back in retreat.

"I've had a good teacher, and you have no idea the power that runs through my veins now, Angelus." Buffy taunted the tormentor that wore her ex-lover's face. The more time she spent around Spike the more she realized just how cohesive the demon was with the humanity. If Spike could love her demon and all, then all of Angel's excuses about Angelus were mere dust in the wind.

"I taught that boy most of what he knows. That won't stop me." Angelus slapped Buffy hard across the cheek, sending her through a panel of glass. He stomped over to her, and raised his foot to kick her in the stomach, but two hands on his foot pushed him back across the room and stopped his blow.

"He's killed two Slayers, three if you want to count the one he turned." Buffy advanced on Angelus. "You've taken down none. I'd say that he has an advantage over you." She countered Angelus' thrusts and punches.

Buffy knocked Angelus to the floor. She jumped on his chest and continually beat his face and chest until his skin bled and every inch was bruised.

Buffy grabbed a stake from her pants and drew her hand back for the final blow. Mid-swing the body beneath Buffy choked and spluttered, "Buffy ... Buffy stop ... It's me ..." The words were garbled, but the meaning was clear.

Angel slowly nodded. "Yes. Oh Buffy what has he done to you." He looked up at Buffy's vampiric visage. He was just as upset with his demon side as he was Spike.

"Angelus did nothing I couldn't handle, but you aren't going to get off on the excuse that you are all that separate anymore, Angelus." Buffy's eyes narrowed.

"He pushed me back, and I couldn't get out." Angel shook his head. "I tried, but I couldn't stop him. You have your soul. I can see it. Surely you understand what it's like."

"You'd better learn to control Angelus because I'm not going anywhere but straight into the arms of the man I love, and that man isn't you. My soul and demon are quite content with each other." Buffy glared at Angel. "Maybe it is because I wasn't such a bastard before I was turned, like you."

"I don't know what lies Spike has been telling you, but you can't believe him. He's only going to exploit his hold over you as Sire."

"He's done nothing but give me time to adjust." Buffy sighed. "Do you have any idea what happened to me?" She looked down at the broken and bruised form of her first love. "A human hired a hit man to kill me. Said hit man decided to get his jollies by having his way with me before he shot me."

"Oh my God." Angel gasped in horror. "That would explain all the blood in the crypt I found."

"Yes, and your evil Spike turned me, but he fully expected me to stake him when I awoke." Buffy got close to Angel's face. "He figured that I'd keep my soul, and he was willing to face the stake to make sure that I lived. Do you know why?"

Angel shook his head back and forth. Buffy got close enough to Angel's ear to whisper into it. "Because he loves me in a way that you never did and never will." She sat back on her heels. "Get out of Sunnydale, Angel, and don't come back."

Buffy pushed herself up off the floor and stood up. She turned around to see Dawn, Valerie and Spike all staring at her.

Dawn ran into Buffy's arms. She wept as the two of them walked until they reached Spike.

Spike opened his arms for both of his girls, and he hugged them tightly. He watched over Buffy's head while the guards loaded the broken vampire onto a cart and escorted him down through the tunnels. "Let's go home."

Valerie limped forward. "Before you go, we really should take care of that paperwork. I know we're all tired, but it won't take too long."

Buffy nodded. Wrapped in Spike's embrace, she followed Valerie into the conference room to take care of business.

Anya slammed her hand down on the counter. "Are you quite through with your tantrum because you are starting to scare the customers away, Giles."

Giles looked up over the edge of his tumbler from where he sat at the research table. After a couple hours of slamming through files in his office, he'd moved into the main room with his drink. "This is not the time for your blunt observations, Anya."

"Now is a better time than last night when you kicked Angel out of the Magic Box for asking questions." Anya set the receipt pad down on the counter. "You didn't even ask him why he was here."

"Frankly I don't give a damn what Angel wants or wants to know," Giles retorted angrily.

"Did it ever dawn on you that maybe Angel was here for a purpose?" Anya was tired of seeing a side of Giles that she only recently knew existed. Where was the stuffy Watcher that always had an eye out for danger? "He doesn't usually come off his perch in L.A. to visit us. Maybe it had something do with Buffy?"

Giles perked up at the mention of Buffy's name. "Dawn said that Buffy wanted to get away for a few days. She wouldn't even tell me where she went."

"Have you seen Dawn lately either?" Anya looked over Giles' shoulder to lock gazes with Xander. She wasn't trying to give away Buffy's secret, but she had to get Giles out of this stupor. The only thing that might still affect him would be if he thought Buffy was in trouble.

Xander kept the place in the book he was reading with his finger. He closed the book on his finger and watched the two interact.

"I assumed that Willow and Tara were taking care of Dawn's care while Buffy was away." Giles set his drink down on the research table.

"From what I heard, Tara moved out of Buffy's house." Of course Anya hadn't heard about it necessarily. It was more an observation she'd made after visiting Willow the other day. There was no way Tara would let Willow hang all over Amy like she was if she was still living there.

"And Dawn was taken by social services." Xander stepped into the conversation. He and Anya went to Buffy's house together the day before to see if they could find any information on Buffy. "Willow said she's been gone for several days already."

"Good Lord!" Giles stood up too quickly for his semi-inebriated mind to allow. He promptly collapsed to the floor.

Xander and Anya rushed to Giles' side to help him up to the chair again. "You okay there, G-man?"

Giles was too shocked to correct Xander use of the horrid nickname, "Why didn't Willow tell anyone about this?"

"Something tells me that she's occupied with other things, like her new girlfriend Amy," Xander offered in explanation. He recognized Amy the night Willow grabbed him. She was still at the house when he and Anya visited as well. "They seemed awful chummy."

"That can not be good." Giles rubbed his head. "Amy was starting to become dangerous with her bumbling magic. Willow does not need that kind of influence right now."

"What Willow needs is to be sent away to be trained or restrained," Anya stated bluntly. "The house reeked of continual magic usage. It was unnerving."

"Did Angel leave a number where we could contact him at?" Giles rested his elbows on the research table and leaned forward in his seat.

"I'll go check." Anya headed back over to the register. She searched through a tiny box of business cards.

A knock at the front door caught Willow's attention from the movie she was watching with Amy. She headed to the door and opened it. She was surprised to see an older bald man on the Summers' front porch. "Hello. May I help you?"

The banker cleared his throat before he spoke, "My name is Mr. Saunders. I'm here on behalf of the First Bank of Sunnydale about this house."

"Oh, you must need the mortgage payment. I have that right here." Willow ran to get the recently located checkbook out of the desk. She ran back to the door with the checkbook in hand. "If you just tell me the current payment owed, I can write you a check to take care of it."

The banker leaned over to look at the checkbook. "That account belongs to a Miss Buffy Summers, correct?"

"Yes, it does. Buffy filled out papers for me to have authorization to write checks though. I'm Willow Rosenberg."

"I'm sure you are, but there isn't any money in that account for you to draw upon. I'm afraid that account has been closed."

"I'm sorry Miss Rosenberg, but that account has been closed," The older banker repeated. "All funds have been transferred from the account, and the account has been terminated."

Willow collapsed against the doorframe. Her body shook with the anger. "You can't do that. I was a co-signer on the account. You had to have my permission as well."

"No, we did not," The older man crisply informed Willow. "You merely had access to the funds, but you were not the primary or joint holder of the account. Miss Summers' attorneys arranged for everything, and that was all that we required." He shoved a sealed envelope into Willow's hands.

"It is notice from the new owner of this house. It is their wish for you to vacate the premises in the next 10 days." The banker was ready to bolt. He had the assurances of his bosses that he would be protected from any harm, but this woman made him nervous. He really hated this town.

"The home belonged to Joyce Summers and then to her daughter Miss Buffy Summers. You were merely a guest. Therefore you have no legal rights of ownership."

Willow's eyes darkened for a moment before they returned to her natural color. 'So someone wants the Slayer's house? Fine, but they won't get much out of it by the time I'm through with it.'

The banker watched the wheels turn in Willow's head. He decided to put in one last comment before he left. "The new owner has taken over carte blanche, and she wishes everything intact. So, I would suggest you only remove your personal belongings. She will know what has been removed as she was a friend of the previous owner."

Willow slammed the door of the house and threw the checkbook across the living room. 'We'll just see about that.'

Amy walked up behind Willow. She wrapped her arms around Willow's waist. "What's wrong, honey?"

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