Part Thirteen

"Why are there two Buffies?" Dawn asked suspiciously.

Buffy's head snapped up as hope filled her eyes. "You can see me?" she asked excitedly.

"Of course I can see you Buffy. What's going on?"

"I'm a ghost," Buffy said dejectedly, her consussion making her tone seem almost child-like.

Giles stepped towards Buffy and gently pushed her hair out of her face. "Buffy, I can assure you, you are most definitely not a ghost. But you are in serious need of some medical attention. I'm afraid you've had quite a bump to the head."

"Is that why everything is so blurry?" she asked dreamily.

"Yes, I'm afraid it is," Giles said softly, his gentle tone a quiet cover for the anger building inside of him. "You must tell me though, however did you get the idea that you are a ghost?"

"Well," Buffy said slowly, "I remember coming to the crypt, ready to give Spike a whole new meaning of the word pain, when suddenly everything went black. I woke up, and...I could see my corpse lying there. Spike was actually grieving, believe it or not. I started screaming at him, and he didn't even notice. When he finally saw me, he told me I had died. But maybe it's not too late! If I'm still here, can't you like, magic me back into my body?"

"Buffy, you must believe me when I say you are very much alive," Giles said patiently. "Dear," he muttered more to himself than to anyone else, "you must have hit your head rather hard to actually believe a word that came out of Spike's mouth."

Spike's head turned sharply to look at Giles in silent protest as he continued to inch his way towards retreat. While Buffy and Giles had been speaking, Spike had been slowly edging his way towards the door. Dawn had been standing in shocked silence, but she snapped to attention when she noticed Spike trying to leave.

"Stop right there, mister!" Dawn grabbed Spike by the front of the shirt and dragged him over to where Buffy was chained up. Even though he could easily outmatch her, he followed like a whipped puppy. "First, you are going to give Giles the keys to unlock my sister. Then you are going to tell me *exactly* what is going on here, starting with what happened to Buffy, and why there is a corpse that looks like her in that coffin."

Spike gave Dawn a sexy grin and slowly dug into the pockets of his tight, black jeams to produce a large, iron key for the shackles. Shifting uncomfortably under Dawn's very unamused look, he began his version of the story. "Um, well...yeah. You see...Buffy, she came in here with this bright idea that she was gonna work me over real good, but somehow you ESPed a message into my head. Warning bells went off, so to speak, and I was all ready to relocate myself, like some pansey-assed poof of a vampire, can't even defend myself properly. Damn shame it is to, let me tell you..."

"Spike!" was the curt reply from a very impatient Giles. "Do get on with it!"

"Oh, bugger off!" Spike angrily replied.

The two Englishmen glared at each other and Dawn pointedly coughed and raised her eyebrow. This was enough to quiet both of them, and Spike continued his story.

"Anyway...blondie here stormed in before I could make myself scarce. Thing is, she rushed on in, in such a righteous rage, that she set the door flying back into the wall. Caused a small cave-in, it did. These crypts aren't the sturdiest of homes. What with the rate of people dying in this God forsaken hell-hole, these crypts have to go up mighty fast I'd gather. She huffed and she puffed, and down came part of my roof. Can check for yourself if you like. The stones came down and knocked her right out."

"Spike, this does not explain how Buffy came to be *chained to a wall*, the belief that she is dead firmly implanted in her mind. Do tell...how do you justify playing with the mind of a woman you claimed to have loved?"

"C'mon now, Watcher. Think for a moment. This woman spurned my love...rejected me at every turn. Now what do you expect me to do? Chip or no chip, a vampire's got to have his respect. Here I am, the Slayer all bleedin' and unconscious at my feet. Can't kill her. Oh no, we can't have that. But here is my enemy, the bane of my existence, the blonde terror who has humiliated me more than any other. You expect me to just bandage her up nice and neat and kiss it better? Hell no! I've had my fill of trying to get into her good graces. Not this vampire...never again. So, I did what I could in this situation. I had myself a spot of fun. I guess the government blokes didn't wire me for mental anguish when they worked me over, so I took my chance to play around a bit. I convinced our dear Buffy that she had joined the ranks of the dearly departed. Gave her just a fraction of the pain she caused me, I'll tell you that." Spike sneered down at the semi-conscious form of Buffy, now cradled in Giles's arms.

"But Spike," Dawn interjected, "that still doesn't explain the body in the coffin."

"Oh, right. That." Spike kicked the coffin and grumbled, "Wake up you stupid sod." The Buffybot sat bolt upright and looked around the room. She saw Dawn and a mannequin-like smile lit up her face.

"I'm Buffy," she said brightly. "You're Dawn, my sister."

Spike grimaced slightly and continued. "What you see there is a marvel of modern technology. Now, as we are all painfully aware, I was rather besotted with the damn Slayer. Embarrassing tidbit of info I'd like to keep quiet, by the way. But, in my love-sick state, I ran across a maker of androids. Ordered myself a replica of Buffy. Figured if I couldn't have her, I could at least have something."

"Oh. My. God. You bought a sexbot. Can I say Ewww! With a capital E?" Dawn shivered as she looked at the mechanical monstrosity that bore an uncanny likeness to her sister.

The Buffybot took the insult with a smile plastered on her face. Seeing Dawn was upset, she tried to explain her purpose. "Dawn, my sister, I am not just for sex anymore. At first that was all Spike wanted. He had me specially programmed just for that. But he was displeased so I was given extra programming. I can make him happy in lots of ways now." She smiled again, certain that she had fixed everything.

"You slept with that...that *thing*?" Dawn asked, furious and hurt at the same time.

Spike stepped towards her, his hands up in defense. "Now pet, you have to let me explain..."

"Spike, you have really outdone yourself. I didn't think you had it in you, but you have the mental torture thing down to an art. You must be so proud. The Slayer and her sister in one fell swoop." Dawn glared at him, and then purposely spat out, "You are *just* like Angelus."

Spike recoiled as if he'd been slapped. His whole life he had tried to get out from Angelus' shadow, to be anything except like his sire. Dejectedly, he said, "now that's hitting below the belt, luv."

Dawn felt a pang of guilt run through her. She had purposefully distanced herself mentally from Spike, but the hurt on his face still stung her heart. She was about to take back her words when the Buffybot tried to come to the rescue.

"Dawn, you can't be angry at Spike. Spike loves you. He wouldn't have sex with me until I pretended to be you. I used your voice to please him. You are what makes him happy." The Buffybot tried to give Dawn a hug, and she sprung back in horror.

"Fuck!" Spike exclaimed. "Buffy, sleep mode," he said quickly, trying to keep her from causing any more damage.

The Buffybot collapsed to the ground, and Dawn stood above her death- like form in shock. "I can't even *begin* to describe how low you are Spike," Dawn said in an icy voice.

"I trusted you." She showed him the marks on her arm and on her neck. "I opened a *vein* for you! I gave you as much of myself as I could possibly give, but NO, that wasn't enough. I wouldn't sleep with you, so you went and fucked some robot because you couldn't keep it in your pants long enough to wait until I was ready. You have ETERNITY, and you couldn't wait. But I guess you got what you wanted. Best of both worlds. A robot that looks like Buffy, but can sound like me. I hope you have what you want, because you will *never* have me. I hate you!" she screamed, tears rolling down her face.

Spike paced back and forth, anger and regret warring inside of him. "Would you just listen to me for one BLOODY second?" he shouted. "This thing," he said, kicking the robot at his feet, "was a mistake... just a way to shag the Slayer. Virtual Buffy, all pliable and willing. But I wanted her before I knew you. I have something better now, so I had her reprogrammed. She was supposed to be a soddin' *doctor* for God's sake. A present for you and your mum. Someone to look out for Joyce when you lot couldn't be around. Underneath the cheerleader smile, she's got the wiring of a neurosurgeon. Didn't know that stupid git who built her didn't erase the original programming. So now I've got this robot who's only goal is to make me happy. She sees that YOU are what makes me happy, so she tries to give me you. And I was weak...I let her. But don't you see...I want *you*, not some robotic imitation."

"Wake it up, Spike," Dawn said calmly.

"What?!"

"Wake that thing up. What I have to say, I want you both to hear."

Spike kicked the robot again and muttered, "Wake up you stupid sod."

"Hi!" the Buffybot said in a chipper tone of voice.

"Listen and listen well," Dawn said, addressing the Buffybot. "You can have him. Make him happy however you want. He no longer concerns me." The Buffybot looked up at her, a confused look appearing on her mechanical face.

"Spike, you can take you and your `present' and go to hell. I want nothing to do with either of you." Dawn felt compelled to add one final blow, and tell him he was beneath her, something she knew would hurt him to the core, but she didn't have it in her to be that cruel. Instead, she purposefully turned her back on Spike, insulting him in a vampiric fashion by treating him as no threat. With an effort, she kept the tears from flowing as she walked towards Giles.

"C'mon...let's get out of here," Dawn said matter-of-factly. "Buffy needs a doctor and mom's probably already at the hospital, it's so late. We have to hurry though. I'm guessing the sun is either about to set or already down. I don't think I can handle any more vampires today."

Giles saw the pain etched across Dawn's face and rose to embrace her. "I am so sorry, my dear."

A wobbly Buffy staggered to her feet and leaned against the wall. "I don't feel so good, guys."

Giles gave Dawn a final squeeze before rushing to Buffy's side. "We're leaving...can you walk?"

"Yeah, I'll manage," Buffy said, trying to gather her strength.

Giles helped support Buffy as they walked to the entranceway to the upper level. Dawn moved to follow, and Spike stepped in front of her, blocking her path. "You can't just leave, Dawn," Spike said in a pleading voice. "We're connected, you and I. That just doesn't go away...that will *never* go away. You are mine and I am yours, whether you like it or not!"

"Goodbye, Spike" Dawn said, brushing past him.

Spike stood for a minute in stunned silence, half hoping that Dawn would come back. Finally he moved to follow the group out of the crypt, the Buffybot trailing blithely behind him like a loyal puppy. Spike raced outside and watched Dawn's retreating form as she and Giles rushed to get Buffy to the car before any vampires began to rise for the evening.

Spike followed at a distance, making sure nothing attacked them on their way through the cemetery, before finally letting Dawn go. When he got back to the crypt, his robot was waiting for him. Without a second though, he decided to take his pent-up frustration out on the Buffybot. His fists clenched as he turned to glare at her. "Fine mess you've gotten me into," he growled as he shook her roughly and then slapped her across the face.

The Buffybot crumpled to the ground. "You are displeased," she cried in a despondent voice, oily tears leaking out of her eyes.

"Bloody hell! Figured that one out, did ya? Of *course* I'm displeased, you stupid bint!"

The Buffybot slowly rose to her feet and walked over to where Spike was pacing, standing in front of him with her head bowed. "I'm sorry, Spike" she apologized quietly. "I want to help...how can I fix this...how can I make you happy?"

Spike looked down at the oil-streaked face of the robot who would do anything for him and actually felt a twinge of guilt. It wasn't her fault things had gotten so royally screwed up. With a groan, he gathered the crying robot into his arms. He rested his chin on her head and sighed, "You know, you might just be the only friend I have left. You wanna help though? Delete anything in your program about having sex with me. Never talk about it...*especially* around Dawn, and never try to have it with me again...*ever*. Understand?"

Spike heard a slight whirring sound coming from inside the Buffybot. When she looked up at him again, the fanatical admiration in her eyes was gone. "I think I understand," she replied. "We are just...friends. I can still make you happy, but it is not my job to sleep with you."

"Oddly put, but yeah, I think you've got it. Go on inside now. I just need some time to clear my head."

From a distance, several pairs of eyes watched the exchange between Spike and the Buffybot. They were too far to hear their conversation, but they noted with glee the way the Slayer seemed to hold this one in high esteem above all others.

"See how patient she is with this one," one of Glory's minions said knowingly. "There is none of her characteristic temper. With all of her other companions she is quarrelsome and mouthy, but she takes his abuse quietly and even moves to comfort him. She must care for him a great deal."

Nods of agreement were shared between the trollish minions. Echoes of "he is the one" rippled through the small group. Stealthily, they moved to surround Spike. By the time he heard their approach, it was too late. He was already surrounded. Spike fought with a fury, killing several of the creatures, but in the end their numbers overpowered him. Kicking and yelling, Glory's servants dragged Spike along in the direction of Glory's lair.

"Glorificus will be well pleased," the head minion said smugly.

******

Part Fourteen

Giles paced furiously in the waiting room of the hospital. It was killing him, not knowing exactly what was going on with the *two* Summers women that were now in the hospital. Angrily, recommenced his ongoing argument with the nurse at the front desk.

"As I've explained *several times*, Mr. Giles, Buffy is with the doctors. I don't know why it's taking so long for `just a couple bloody stitches,' as you so eloquently put it. And Mrs. Summers is still undergoing several tests. I'm not at liberty to divulge patient information with you, so if you would kindly take your seat, I will notify you as soon as either of the Summers women is ready to receive a visitor."

The nurse ended her speech with a glare that would have daunted most men, but Giles had become quite accustomed to glares from determined women, and he was not about to back down. "I most certainly will *not* take a seat," Giles said loudly. "I have been sitting for *hours*. I have put up with this nonsense long enough, and you *will* take me to Buffy or I will find her myself!"

Giles moved to stride past the nurses' station and into the area where they treated patients. The nurse placed a firm hand on Giles's chest and said evenly, "Sit *down*, Mr. Giles. Do not force me to call security."

Dawn took this moment to leap from her seat and provide a calming influence in the situation. "C'mon, Giles," she said, taking his hand. "Come sit with me. If you leave or get arrested or something, I'll be here all alone, and I just don't think I could take that right now."

Giles looked down at Dawn's pleading face and grudgingly acquiesced. "Very well," he said with a sigh. "I suppose waiting a bit longer will do no harm."

Giles and Dawn had just begun to walk back to their seats when Dawn stopped dead in her tracks, a strange look on her face. At first she just gasped, looking slightly bewildered, then she screamed and fell to the ground, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Giles quickly knelt next to the writhing girl as she clasped her stomach and moaned in pain. "Dawn," he said urgently, "what is it?"

"I think it's Spike," she said through clenched teeth, giving Giles the answer he had feared. Before he could speak to her anymore, a flurry of nurses and doctors pushed him to the side. He lunged through them and whispered fervently in her ear, "Remember your training, Dawn!" And then it was too late to say any more. He was roughly pushed back and Dawn was carried away.

"Please, let me accompany her!" he pleaded.

Again he came face to face with the nurse who was quickly becoming a bane to him. "You know that's not possible, Mr. Giles. I'm afraid you'll have to just wait out here until the doctors have finished."

"Bloody hell!" he growled as he punched the wall in frustration.

******

Spike struggled against his bonds as the lumpy demons dragged him into Glory's lair. She began to look him over and the cowering head minion, Jinx, spoke. "Most splendiferous one, we believe we have brought you..." he looks at his fellow minions and they respond in unison, "...The Key!"

Glory paced around Spike, squeezing him in various places as if she were buying fruit at the grocery store. "Hey, watch the hands lady!" Spike yelped in protest. Glory continued her examination. She leaned in close to his face and sniffed his neck, even giving him a quick lick before grabbing Jinx and throwing him to the ground.

"*He* can't be the Key, because, see, the Key ... has to be pure. This is a vampire. Lesson number one...vampire equals impure."

"Yeah, damn right I'm impure. I'm as impure as the driven yellow snow. Let me go," Spike said a bit nervously.

Glory ran her hands seductively through Spike's hair. "You can't even brain-suck a vampire," she said, giving his head a rough shove. "He's completely useless."

"But, your holiness," Jinx humbly interjected, "we observed the Slayer. She held this one above all others. She treated him as precious."

Glory perked up, spinning to face Spike. "Really? Precious? Well, let's take a peek at you, precious." Glory looked him up and down, running her finger down the middle of his chest.

"Sod off," Spike growled, flinching at her touch.

"That wasn't very nice," Glory said sweetly as she punched him in the face, sending him flying across the room. A trickle of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth. Before he could get his bearings, Glory was at him again. She grabbed him and threw him onto her bed. Glory crawled on top of him as he groaned in pain. She straddled his waist and her hand crept down between his thighs. "Just tell me what you know, and I can make it good for you. You'll die quickly, I promise."

Spike looked at her in horror. "What makes you think I'd even want to touch the likes of a skanky, psychotic, cheap, ex-god like you? You're second rate all the way," Spike said with false bravado, emphasizing each insult, giving them a chance to sink in.

"I don't care what you want!" Glory screamed, punching him in the face again. "I want to be inside you," she whispered into his ear.

A confused look flitted across Spike's face. "I think you've got things a bit backwards."

Glory quickly demonstrated what she meant, taking one finger and thrusting it into Spike's stomach. He arched his back and released a guttural scream. "Shhh. What do you know, precious? What can I dig out of you?" Glory cooed, stroking the side of his face gently as she pushed her finger in deeper.

Violently, Glory pushed herself away from Spike, not caring that she cracked a few ribs in the process. With an idle wave of her hand, she motioned to her minions. "String him up, boys."

Rapidly, the minions scurried over to Spike and lifted his body from the bed. They firmly wrapped chains around his wrists and hauled him to the ceiling, hanging him like he was a piece of meat. Glory walked towards him, her high heels clicking on the tile. "Why don't you just make this easy on yourself, sweetie. I haven't even begun to cause you pain."

She punched him in the stomach several times, and once more in the face for good measure. Spike groaned with every hit, but managed to keep his mouth firmly shut. Glory took her finger and began to point back and forth between his eyes. "Eeny, meeny, miney, moe...which eye should I poke out?" she said in a sing-song voice.

"Stupid bint, doesn't even rhyme," Spike coughed out.

"Shut up!" Glory said, offended. "I'm a god, you know. You should be nice to me...." Glory looked as though she was about to start pouting, then she hauled off and punched Spike again.

"Would you look what you did?" Glory screeched, examining her hand. "You got blood all over my nail polish...and I just painted them!" The flaky god took one of her fingers and slowly licked the blood off it. Startled, she stepped back and looked at her finger in awe. Then she approached Spike and licked his stomach, near where she had punctured it earlier.

"Back off, bitch," Spike said through clenched teeth. "Already said I'm not interested."

"How did you do it?" she yelled, shaking him violently. "Why do you taste like my Key?"

Spike couldn't quite manage a cocky grin through all the swelling, but his tone was arrogant. "I'm a vampire, you see. Corruptin' innocents is a daily affair. You can't expect me to remember them all."

"You fed from her, didn't you? Dammit!" Glory screamed.

"Tell me who she is," Glory pleaded.

Spike noticed a tone of desperation in her voice that hadn't been there before. Something had changed. He didn't know what it was, but for some reason the outcast god seemed to need him now. This tiny tidbit of information was enough to restore Spike's confidence. He responded to her question with a disdainful air.

"Not bloody likely."

"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" Glory yelled in frustration, punctuating her words by punching Spike. Finally, she collapsed onto her bed with a sigh. "Get him down from there," she said with a wave to her minions.

"But most holy one, don't you wish to continue pummeling him for information," Jinx timidly asked.

"No, you idiot. I need him now. He's got some of the Key's blood in him. I need as much blood as I can get. We'll bleed him too, when the time comes. Go tie him up somewhere. If he escapes you die, k?" That said, Glory flopped back on her bed, and stared at the ceiling while her minions scurried to obey her commands.

******

Dawn laughed in relief...she laughed so hard that she cried. She had done it! Her world had been nothing but pain, and now it was gone...just vanished.

The confused looks on the doctors' faces only made her laugh harder. She couldn't blame them though. When they first brought her back, there were signs of internal bleeding, and bruises populated her body. Now she was already healing. Not as quickly as if she had been a vampire, but more rapidly than any normal human, even the Slayer. One of the few small advantages to being bound to a vampire.

"I just don't understand it," a young intern said to a doctor that was berating him for incompetence. "I know I did the tests right...there's no way we should be getting such drastically different results. It's like she's healing before our very eyes!" The frustrated young man ran his fingers through his hair and paced in annoyance.

"I've had quite enough of your theatrics. You obviously did something wrong," said the doctor contemptuously. "Patients don't just heal themselves...they need *us*! I believe this girl merely had a nasty fall, and the blood made it seem worse than it really was. That, coupled with worry over her family, is most likely the source of the pain she seemed to be in, no massive internal injuries that have suddenly vanished. Just look at her...she's hysterical, but not dying."

Dawn calmed herself down to some soft giggling. "Boy, these doctors sure have denial down to an art," Dawn thought. "They must have to do this every night, living on the Hellmouth and all."

Dawn sat up and stared at the people around her. They all seemed so intent of finding out `what went wrong', i.e. a patient actually getting better without their intervention, that most of them were completely ignoring her. She waited for a slight pause in the noise, before interrupting. "Excuse me," she said softly. "Hello!" she said a bit more loudly, this time catching their attention. "I'm feeling much better now. Is there any chance I could see my mom and my sister?"

"You took quite a fall young lady. You're lucky you escaped with only some minor cuts and bruises. We'd still like to observe you for a bit," said the doctor, "but we can put you in the same room as your sister. Your mother is still undergoing some tests, but we'll certainly let you know when she is finished," he said with a placating smile.

They put Dawn in a wheelchair and gave her a short ride over to the part of the ER where Buffy was resting. Inside the curtained off room, Dawn could hear talking. "Giles!" Dawn exclaimed as they wheeled her in. "What happened?"

"Dawn!" both Giles and Buffy cried in unison.

Dawn raced over and embraced her sister and then Giles, who was sitting in a chair right next to Buffy's bed. Then, realizing the intern was still watching her intently, she swayed a little bit, pretending to be woozy.

The intern pushed the other close to Buffy's and gave it a small pat. "Here, why don't you sit down," he said with a small smile. "They're going to want to keep you here overnight, for observation. Pretend that you're still weak, but feeling better, and they should let you go home tomorrow with your sister."

"What do you mean pretend?" Dawn said with wide eyes as she climbed into the bed.

"I'm not as willing to delude myself as most of the people here," he said with a slight tone of bitterness. "Weird stuff happens here. Bodies drained of blood coming back to life... `wolf' and `bear' attacks in a town that hasn't seen that kind of wildlife in half a century or more...patients healing themselves on the table," he concluded, with a knowing look at down. "I might not know what causes it all, but I certainly won't ignore it. Don't worry though, unless you sprout fangs and try to attack me, your secret's safe with me."

He had meant that last statement as a joke, but the sudden silence that filled the room spoke much louder than any words. A chill went down his spine as he realized that none of them were even attemtping to deny any of the seemingly impossible things he was suggesting. Instead, they all seemed to be avoiding his gaze, silently begging him not to pry any further. The confirmation that at least some of his assumptions were true was strangely unwelcome. It was almost better to believe he was crazy than to know that there really were supernatural things that went bump in the night. Quickly, he grabbed the wheelchair and muttered a goodbye, leaving them to whatever they had to discuss.

A perceptible sigh went through the group once the intern left the room. "I suppose it's good to know that not all of the residents of Sunnydale are living in complete denial," Giles said, trying to break the tension. "But do tell me Dawn, what happened to give our friend such a burst of insight?"

"No way, mister. I asked you first. What happened while I was gone." Dawn crossed her arms and gave an attempt at a stern face.

"Yeah, c'mon Mr. Self-Restraint. Why don't you instruct Dawn in proper waiting room behavior?" Buffy teased.

Giles looked sheepishly down at his hand, bandaged and splinted, and now resting easily in a sling. "Yes, well, I'm afraid with the entire Summers family now residing in the hospital, I became slightly fed up with waiting. When the ever discourteous staff informed me yet *again* that I should take a seat, I became a bit...disgruntled."

"I'm a big girl, Giles. You can say `pissed off'," Dawn smirked.

Giles glared at her, but he continued his story. "Yes, well, in my angered state, I vented my frustration out on the wall, to the consternation of the staff, I'm sure. And the result was this," he said, indicating his bandaged hand.

"Oh cool, Giles punched a wall!" Dawn said gleefully.

"No not cool," Buffy admonished. "It was stupid, and dangerous. And...well...stupid."

"Yes, Dawn. Buffy is quite correct in this instance. You'd do well not to follow my example. But let's shift the focus off of me for just a moment, shall we? What happened to you?"

Dawn grimaced slightly. "It was Spike...*again*. I think he's in trouble with another ex-girlfriend or something," she said with disdain. "For a second, I felt kinda turned on and mad at the same time. I just don't get guys...it's like they get turned on even when they don't want to be. Spike definitely did *not* like this girl, yet she aroused him."

"Well, you know for Spike, getting beat up is like third base," Buffy commented. "Anyway, guys are pigs. They get turned on by almost anything. Spike's almost normal that way."

"Ahem," Giles muttered, looking slightly offended.

"Present company excluded of course," Buffy said as she leaned over and gave him a slight kiss on the cheek.

Dawn raised her eyebrows and Giles turned a bright shade of red. "D… d…d…do go on, Dawn," Giles stuttered, wanting to keep them from noticing his sudden embarrassment.

Dawn smiled and continued her story. "Well, this girl must have really hated Spike, because the next thing I knew, it felt like someone was beating me up...I hurt all over, especially my stomach. This girl must have been like, supernaturally strong, to work him over like that. Then I did the whole Zen thing Giles taught me, and I distanced myself from my link with Spike. It still hurt for a while, but then it suddenly stopped. I think Spike's beating is probably over for now. I'd say he deserved every second of it if I didn't have to live with the lovely side effects."

"Well I'm glad you're ok," Buffy said, reaching over and giving Dawn's hand a squeeze. "And I'd like to officially welcome you into the world of boy trouble, Hellmouth style."

"Yeah, dating a vampire sure is weird."

"*Dating* him?" Buffy exclaimed. "Oh please don't tell me you're gonna *stay* with him!"

"Buffy," Dawn said slowly, "I love him, and when you love somebody you stick with them, through the good and the bad. Right now things, are bad, but despite *everything* I still miss him in the `I can't live without you' sort of way. You can't cut somebody out of your heart just because things aren't all sunshine and roses."

"Wow," Buffy said with admiration. "When did you get all grown up and mature?"

"You don't hate me?" Dawn asked nervously.

"No, I don't hate you. I might not agree with your decision, but I don't hate you. And this is really going to surprise you, but I don't hate Spike either. He's helped us over and over again... he's even save my life and *yours*, and all he wanted, besides blood and cigarettes that is, was a little bit of recognition. I treated him like dirt, and I was wrong. Not that I want to be all buddy-buddy with a vampire, but I think a...truce...could be established."

"Do you mean it?" Dawn said hopefully.

"Yeah, I mean it," Buffy smiled. "I mean, it's not like I can go beat the crap out of him if every time I hit him it hurts you."

"Thanks, Buffy. That means a lot to me, it really does," Dawn said quietly.

"I'm so proud of you both," Giles said, a fatherly smile on his face. "You are both turning into remarkable young women so quickly, it astounds me."

"Does that mean I finally get to go patrolling," Dawn asked.

"Not in a million years," Buffy laughed.

"Well, can I at least date without fear of my sister staking my boyfriend?"

"I suppose," Buffy said with an exaggerated effort.

"I wonder where Spike is anyway," Dawn mused.

******

Spike groaned in his chair. He almost wished Glory were beating him up again. Anything had to be better than listening to her insane drivel. At least she had been making sense before, trying to pry information out of him. Now she almost seemed to be talking to the voices in her head. The only thing that kept him from provoking her was the laughing presence in the back of his mind. Dawn felt happy and safe. He knew that everything that happened to him affected her strongly. To keep her from any more pain, he gritted his teeth and continued to placidly sit while Glory paced in front of him.

"No, no, no, no, no! You can't do this! Not now...not when I'm finally getting close. My vampire knows something about the Key. Just...just let me have some more time. Ahhh...I need to eat...need...NOOO!" Glory ceased her pacing and held her head as she screamed. Her high-pitched tones deepened into a rich bass as her mortal half came to the forefront.

"Well, would you look at that," Spike said, things suddenly looking a bit brighter.

******

Part Fifteen

Ben looked at the bloody figure chained to the chair in front of him. "Who are you?" Ben said accusingly.

"I'm Glory's new chew toy," Spike said sarcastically. "Who the hell are you?"

Ben ignored his question, and instead began to stare Spike down, slowly pacing a circle around the chair. "You get your kinks in a weird way," he said, hoping to divert attention from himself and his sudden appearance.

"This coming from the man in the dress," Spike said, his eyebrow arched. "But hey, I'm a man of the 21st century...you get your jollies dressing up like a girly, it's no problem of mine. I've known sicker...hell, I was raised by sicko myself."

"Hey! It wasn't my *choice* to be dressed like this!"

"Ah, so the evil fairies tied you up and *forced* you to dress in female attire," Spike replied, deciding not to let on that he actually *saw* Glory's transformation. If the boy was none the wiser, he wouldn't be the one to educate him.

Ben was silent for a moment, then he ducked his head, pretending to be embarrassed. "It was a fraternity prank, ok? *Believe* me, I don't enjoy waking up and discovering I'm in a mini dress and heels."

"Well, how's about this, mate. Untie me, and I'm gone...never a word to anyone. See, this Glory chick, she got a bit mad when I didn't feel like playing her games. Tied me up and left me to rot she did. Anger control issues, I wouldn't doubt. But as you can see, she roughed me up right proper, and I'm hurting in a major way. Let me go, and we can both crawl off to our respective holes to recuperate."

"Sure, whatever," Ben replied, relieved that he didn't seem to remember any connection between him and Glory.

As soon as Ben undid the chains, Spike was out of there without so much as a "thank you, mate." Once outside, he was off like lightning in the direction of the hospital. Eventually, he realized the futility of trying to run the whole way there. Moving like the predator he was, Spike stalked down a drunk dressed in leather outside a bar. He followed him to his vehicle, grabbed him from behind, and took a quick drink before robbing him of his motorcycle keys. For some strange reason, he felt himself compelled to not kill the man. Not having the time to ruminate on the kinder, gentler Spike, he hopped on the bike and sped the whole way to the emergency room.

Spike stormed inside, and strode up to the nurses' station. The nurse's jaw dropped at his fierce look. Summoning her courage, she stood up and said, "Sir, I'm certain you want to see a doctor as quickly as possible, but I'm going to have to ask you to fill out some form first, unless your situation is life-threatening."

"I could care sod all about some doctor," Spike spat out. "And the only life being threatened here is yours, got that? Now be a smart human and tell me where Dawn Summers is before I rip your esophagus out and hang you with it!"

The nurse that had been so resolute in shutting Giles down just earlier that night, found herself slack-jawed at the sight of the vampire in front of her. As his eyes flashed yellow, she mutely pointed in the direction Spike needed to go. Not waiting for further instructions, Spike took off. His eyes were half-closed as he moved through the halls, guiding his way to Dawn nearly by scent alone.

Finally he found his way to the room where Dawn and Buffy had been moved. Inside he could hear the sisters and the Watcher all happily chatting. He stood in the doorway for a second just observing the tender scene before striding in. "Miss me?" he asked sarcastically.

Dawn shrieked when she heard Spike, turning around to greet him. Then she shrieked again when she saw him, this time in horror. Bruises covered nearly all of his normally handsome face, and under the tatters of his clothes, more cuts and bruises could be seen.

"Dear Lord, Spike, what happened?" Giles asked in surprise.

"I had a run-in with our favourite psycho-god. I'm afraid I didn't fare so well."

"Glory...Glory did this to you?" Dawn asked, slowly reaching as if to touch him before pulling her hand back sharply.

"`Fraid so, little bit. She was keen on finding out who the Key is. The bruises are in response to me telling her to go to hell." Spike reached out and stroked Dawn's hair. "I'd die before I ever let her hurt you, nearly did, truth be told."

Tears were running down Dawn's face, and she stood on her tip-toes to give Spike a gentle, lingering kiss, uncaring of who was watching. Spike groaned and leaned into the kiss, cupping the side of her face as he pulled her closer. "I love you," he whispered so only she could hear.

"Ahem," was the sound that came from behind the couple as Giles and Buffy both coughed politely, trying to get their attention.

"As touching as this is," Giles said tersely, "have we forgotten the one simple fact that Spike is a complete sod?"

"Such language," Spike said, in fake shock. "Is this the thanks I get? I did you all a good turn. The only guts I spilled to Glory were the literal sort."

"But you tortured *my* Slayer!" Giles said possessively.

"Well, *your* Slayer tortured *me*. Eye for an eye and all that. Now if you want any chance of beating this Glory lady, we'd best call a truce. If she could do a number like this on me, just imagine what she could do to your wrinkled body, old man."

"I should stake you myself," Giles growled.

"Giles, no!" Dawn exclaimed.

Buffy groaned and climbed out of bed, stepping between the feuding males. She put a hand on each of their chests to keep them from lunging at each other. "Now boys," she said calmly, "I think we've had enough injuries for one night. As much as I hate to admit it, Spike's right. We will need all the help we can get in the battle with Glory." She turned towards Spike, and looked him in the eye. "What you did tonight was a good thing, and I appreciate it. Think we can forgive and forget?"

"Whatever," Spike shrugged.

"Truce, then?" Buffy asked, extending her hand.

Spike just stood there staring at Buffy, and Dawn elbowed him in the ribs. "Yeah, truce," he said, shaking her hand.

Buffy turned to go back to her bed, and she swooned slightly after the first step. "Buffy!" Giles exclaimed as he caught her and helped her ease into bed. "You must rest. It will only endanger you further if you attempt to fight while not at full strength."

"Wow, I guess I really did get hit hard on the head. Pretty soon I will be able to challenge your title as King of Concussions," Buffy teased.

"Yeah, right," Spike muttered. "Ponce needs to learn how to fight."

Giles pulled out a vial of holy water and uncorked it. "Another word and this becomes the proverbial salt in your wounds."

"Spike was just leaving, Giles," Dawn said as she pulled him towards the door. "We're gonna go take a little walk...be back in a bit."

Before anyone could protest, Dawn ushered Spike out the door. "So where we going, luv?" he asked.

"Well, I can't have you being all bruisy, so I thought we could go find you some blood. That should help you heal, right?"

"I'm always up for a pint," Spike said nonchalantly. "I've filched blood from this place lots of times. C'mon, I'll show you the way...just in case you ever get the urge for A+ or something."

"Eww...gross," Dawn replied, but she still followed quickly behind Spike, always up for an adventure.

Once they found where the blood was stored, Spike hungrily devoured four bags of blood. Growls rumbled in the back of his throat as he finished off the blood. He grabbed a set of scrubs to wipe the excess blood from his face, and there was already a noticeable decrease in the amount of bruising.

"Wow...you're like Wolverine in the X-men."

"Come again, luv?"

"You know, X-men, the comic? Wolverine is a mutant, and his special ability is to heal quickly and in the movie they made from the comic Rogue is really young and she likes him so it's kind of like us in a way except that you like me back...oh, nevermind," Dawn said, ducking her head bashfully as she saw the bemused look on Spike's face.

"No worried, pet," he said, stroking her check. "You somehow manage to make babbling look sexy," Spike leaned in to kiss her, but just then, they heard voices coming from outside the room. Quickly, Spike grabbed Dawn's hand and led her out the back exit to the room and up a set of stairs that led them to one of the X-ray rooms.

The room was empty, but up on the view screen were several pieces of film showing the inside of a person's head. "Wow..." Dawn said in a hushed tone, "it's like seeing into someone's mind."

She was just reaching up to touch one of the slides when Spike doubled over in pain behind her. "Spike!" Dawn yelped, rushing to his side. "What is it?"

Spike had his hand pressed to his stomach, and when he pulled it away, his fingertips were red with blood. "I guess fist-sized puncture wounds take a bit more to heal up...running up stairs probably wasn't the smartest move" he groaned.

"I might know how to help," Dawn said, an idea forming in her mind.

"How's that?"

"You said my blood was all powerful and stuff, right?"

"Those words might have crossed my mouth," Spike said cautiously, fearing where this was leading.

Dawn pulled her hair to the side and offered up her neck. "Feed from me," she said.

"Thanks for the offer, luv, but no thanks. You're weak as it is. You keep all those red blood cells to yourself."

Dawn stepped closer to Spike, trying to look seductive but uncertain of whether she was succeeding. "Please..." she practically begged, her eyes wide and pleading. She took his one hand and slowly licked the blood off of the fingers. "Please..." she repeated.

Spike's resolve crumbled as he pulled her into a rough kiss. He nipped and sucked at her lips before moving down to her neck. As always, he was careful when he bit into her, not wanting to cause any more pain than was necessary. Dawn moaned and closed her eyes, letting the sensation of him suckling her carry her away.

Spike lowered the two of them to the ground, and bracing himself over her, he continued to gently feed, but as quickly as it had begun, it was over. Dawn sighed with disappointment as Spike's fangs slid out of her and he turned to lay next to her on the cold tile floor.

"That was...wow, like always," Dawn smiled. "I feel all tingly."

"That might be lack of blood flow to the extremities, luv. I really shouldn't feed off of you so much."

"No complaints on this end," Dawn giggled.

Spike allowed Dawn to cuddle next to his side for a few minutes before insisting they should go back to the room so she could rest. As they were about to exit, a pair of doctor's came in. Spike quickly pulled Dawn into the shadows as they observed the two.

"Thanks for coming to look at this," the first doctor said to his companion. "I wanted to be absolutely certain on this diagnosis."

The other doctor looked at the slides closely and came to a quick conclusion. "I hate to say it, but what we have hear is definitely a malignant growth of some sort. You see where the growth is pushing in on the brain tissue here," he said, pointing to a section of the picture. "Well, if it expands, this person is going to begin experiencing some serious problems. I would operate as soon as possible."

The first doctor sighed heavily. "That's what I was afraid of. I just don't know what I'm going to do. This woman's whole family is in the hospital. Her two daughters were both admitted this very night. Let's just hope the mother has her daughters' gift for rapid recovery."

"If you'd like, I can come with you when you tell them. What's the patient's name?"

"Summers. Joyce Summers."

Dawn's grip on Spike tightened as she listened to the doctors' conversation from her secluded corner.

"Oh God, Spike!" she cried, muffling her tears in his shirt.

******

Part Sixteen

Spike escorted Dawn back to her room in silence. She was in a dazed state, worse even than the night she had unwittingly discovered that she was the Key...with his help. Always with his help. If he hadn't been with her that night, she could have found out from her family, from her friends. Not in a way that resembled a blow to the head more than a discovery. And this was just the same. Poor kid didn't need to find out about her mom that way...wouldn't have either, if she hadn't been with him. Spike was beginning to feel deep pangs of guilt, made all the more severe by the fact that he so rarely experienced this emotion. He never really made the attempt to get used to the feeling. It was all he could do to keep staring stonily ahead as they made their way back to the room.

Dawn, feeling Spike's guilt flowing through her in painful currents, came out of her daze to give Spike's hand a squeeze. "Not you fault," she said softly. "You didn't give her cancer...you didn't make me the Key."

"But luv, there were ways of disclosing these choice tidbits of info that wouldn't have been so hurtful."

"Spike, do you *really* think that there is any *easy* way of hearing that you're mom is dying? Do you think TIMING would make it all better? There is nothing you could have done. If you want to make things better, stop feeling guilty. You being upset only makes it worse for me...you know, you being inside my head and all."

Dawn said this last bit with a slight smile, but Spike felt even worse after hearing it. Dawn glared at him and gave him a punch in the stomach, letting him know that his latest little dive deeper into self-loathing was *not* the help she was looking for. He gave her a sheepish grin and forced himself to think happy thoughts. Inside his head he began to sing:

"Ninety-nine bleeding bodies on the wall, ninety-nine bleeding bodies. Take one down, pass it around, ninety-eight bleeding bodies on the wall..."

Dawn grimaced as she looked up at Spike. "That's really gross...you know that, right?"

"Hey, if you can't take the gore, get out of my head," Spike said with a cocky grin.

Dawn laughed, and Spike was relieved to see that her mood was visibly improving. He had her smiling... right up until the moment they entered her and Buffy's hospital room. Dawn stepped into the room, ready to send another taunt Spike's way, and her voice caught in her throat. Giles had Buffy cradled in his arms as best he could, her whole body shaking with the force of her tears.

Dawn just stood there in stunned silence. Finally, she asked in a trembling voice, "It's Mom isn't it? Is...is she gonna die?"

Buffy and Giles immediately started from their mournful embrace. Buffy reached out one arm, beckoning Dawn to join them. Together, the three of them shared in their grief for a short time while Spike shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. Normally in this sort of situation he would laugh or make some rude remark, but he didn't think that would help him work towards his goal of a stake-free existence. And hell, he didn't like it that Joyce was sick any more than the rest of them did.

Finally the three of them broke their embrace. Buffy wiped the tears out of Dawn's eyes and stroked her hair back. "Dawnie, the doctors gave us some bad news about mom. She's got cancer...there's a tumor in her head and if they don't remove it, she could die."

Dawn tipped her head so that her hair covered her face as fresh tears began to fall. Buffy grabbed her chin and tilted her head up, staring intently into her eyes. "Listen to me, just because Mom needs an operation, *doesn't* mean that she's going to die. Ok? You *have* to believe that."

"I do...it's just...what happens if she *doesn't* make it?" Dawn asked in a scared voice.

"The doctors say she has a really good chance, Dawn. And they are going to operate right away. She's scheduled for tomorrow morning at 11."

Dawn's brow furrowed slightly. "How could they fit her in so soon? I thought you had to wait weeks to get an appointment with a brain surgeon."

Buffy paused for a moment, looking for the proper way to phrase what she needed to say. "There was a man scheduled for tomorrow, but he couldn't make his appointment..." Buffy said with reservation.

"That's impossible!" Dawn exclaimed. "People who need brain surgery just don't cancel appointments."

Spike came up from behind her and gave her a pat on the back. "What big sis is trying ever so delicately to say is the bloke... well he may still be in the hospital... but his bed's down in the frosty freezer."

"Spike!" Buffy and Giles exclaimed, their voices tinged with disapproval.

"Hey, don't get your knickers in a twist over me! I'd have thought by now you'd have realized that Dawn here outgrew sugar coatings a long time ago. She had to, living in a place like this, with a sister like you. This girl...this young *woman*, she has to bear the weight of the world on her shoulders. The least you can do is treat her like an adult every now and again."

For a moment there was silence, then Buffy opened her mouth to give an angry reply, but she was stopped by a sudden commotion outside of the door.

"Sir!...Ladies! Visiting hours are over! You *can't* go in there!"

There were some more loud sounds and quite a few screeches that came from the hallway, then Anya, Willow and Tara came into the room, followed by Xander, who was brandishing a chair like a lion tamer at the angry nurses outside. Finally, he dove into the room, slammed the door, and jammed the chair underneath the knob, blocking their entry. Making sure the door was secure, he then turned towards the room's occupants and gave a deep bow. "Xander and his harem have arrived," he said with a flourish.

"He doesn't mean that," Anya said. "He's only sleeping with me."

"Yes, we are all quite aware of that," Giles said with a slightly bemused smile.

Buffy beamed at her friends. "What are you all doing here?" she exclaimed.

"Hey, we're the Scoobies. When Giles called and told us you were in here, we came as soon as you could. You can just call me moral support gal," Willow grinned.

"A...all of you look really beat up. What happened?" Tara asked timidly.

Spike snuck up behind the shy girl who had yet to notice his presence in the room. He tapped her on the shoulder and she screamed when she saw him.

"Yep, I win the prize for most gore," Spike said cheerily.

Buffy and Dawn both gained rather lost, haunted looks in their eyes, the question removing the brief happiness they had felt at the arrival of their friends, and bringing reality back to smack them in the face. Not trusting Spike to tell the tale with any degree of validity, Giles found himself bracing himself to deliver the many pieces of upsetting news. He took his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose

"Right, then. Where shall I begin?" he said with a sigh. He then began to recount the events of the day.

Parts Seventeen - Twenty
Parts Twenty-One - ?