Without much goading from Willow, Dawn headed to the master bedroom to get some rest immediately after the two men left. Willow, on the other hand, decided to stay awake and wait for the two, until they got back safely. It had been a very long couple of days and she was extremely tired but she didn't feel sleep coming to her soon.

Willow rubbed at her temples, sat on what was left of the sofa and watched some late night television instead.

Spike and Xander rushed back to the Summers' home, worried that demons had attacked the girls while they were gone. With Buffy still getting back on her feet, Willow was the only one powerful enough to fend them off. If the three were outnumbered, Willow would surely need the help.

They barged into the house, frantically shouting the girls' names, looking around and seeing no sign of a struggle.

Alarmed, Willow jumped out of her seat and ran to the hallway. “What? What?”

Xander and Spike shot each other a look and sighed in unison when they saw Willow, relieved that nothing had happened to them. Shaking his head, Spike sat on the stairs, watching Xander catch his breath.

“You're okay,” Xander said. It was half a question, half a statement. He panted, a hand on his chest.

Willow quirked a brow questioningly. “Why wouldn't I be?”

“We just thought...” Xander started to explain and turned partially to glance at Spike. Spike gave him a look, protesting the we, and he went on, “Well, I thought...” Willow raised her eyebrows and waited for what he was going to say. “Never mind.”

Willow ignored his rambling, curious as to what they'd found. “So?” She just wanted to resolve things, put everything that had happened behind them and move on. Seeing that the woman wasn't with them, however, was not a good sign.

Xander shrugged, pacing slightly. “So nothing. The place was empty.”

Willow's eyebrows creased at the top of her nose in worry. “Empty? That can't be. Spike said --”

“It was there, all right? The bitch must've left,” Spike said.

Willow wrung her hands. “Hopefully, all this is over.”

Xander nodded, his hands on his waist. “We should get back to L.A. before we find out otherwise,” he said. “But first, I need to get some sleep.”

Xander waved a hand and headed up the stairs as Willow spoke. “You can sleep in Dawn's room. She's in the master bedroom.”

Remembering Spike still slept, or at least he needed to get some rest, Willow said as an afterthought, “Spike, you can sleep in--”

“I'll take the couch,” Spike said before she could finish. “Someone needs to guard the house anyway.”

Willow smiled awkwardly at him and nodded. “Okay.” She walked up the stairs as Spike shrugged off his coat and hung it over the stair railing.

Once on the second floor, Xander stopped in front of Buffy's bedroom door. He raised his hand to grab the doorknob but thought better of it and let his arm drop. As eager as he was to see her, he wasn't quite ready to face her yet. He was still coming to terms with what he'd been told, mostly the part where they'd pulled her out of heaven. Maybe a good night's sleep would help alleviate the guilt and confusion.

Sighing, Xander made his way to Dawn's bedroom.

Spike walked into the living room, wincing as he tilted his head from side to side. His body still ached, but that didn't matter. She was back. She was really back.

He sat back on the couch with a small smile on his face.

Silence pervaded the whole house. Everyone was asleep. Spike listened to their heartbeats, all of them calm and steady except for one.

Buffy was still awake.

He made his way upstairs and stood outside her door. It creaked faintly as he slowly pushed it open. Buffy was sitting on the edge of her bed, in the middle of the darkness. Her eyes were fixated on the floor. She'd been able to change into more comfortable, less bloodied clothes and had brushed her hair. Even in her frailty she was absolutely beautiful, her spirit indomitable.

Spike released the breath he didn't know he was holding. “Hey,” he said cautiously, so as not to startle her.

She slowly lifted her eyes to him. “Hey.”

“Couldn't sleep?” He took one hesitant step into the room and when Buffy didn't protest, he entered.

She smiled crookedly at him as he closed the door behind him. “Kind of had enough of lying down.”

He forced a chuckle.

Silence. Then, “Did you find her?” she asked, her voice hopeful.

He paused, debating whether to answer her straightly or to beat around the bush. “No,” he said, deciding to be honest. “We didn't.”

“Oh.” Buffy's eyes fell to her hands on her lap. “She's still out there then.” Her tone was firm and vengeful, yet unmistakably laced with fear.

“We'll find her,” Spike said vindictively. “We'll--”

“It's okay, Spike. She caught me at a really bad time.” She let out a humorless chuckle. “I'd just crawled out of my grave for God's sake.” She snorted disdainfully, clenching her hands into fists. She was determined to get her revenge. “Next time...”

“There won't be a next time,” Spike said with an air of finality. “I'm not letting her near you again.”

Buffy shook her head and let out a soft chortle, knowing he wouldn’t even be able to hurt her. But the resoluteness in Spike's eyes warmed her heart, and she could feel just how much he wanted to protect her.

“You have to leave this town. You could stay with Angel.” His eyes flicked to the floor. “Heard the ponce owns a hotel now. You've got plenty of rooms to choose from there.”

“I guess,” she said distractedly, not really paying attention to the idea. She didn't know how she'd handle a place, albeit a large one, full of people that cared about her. She could already imagine how smothered she'd feel.

All she wanted was to be alone with someone she could trust and would feel safe with.

Willow, Dawn and Xander had not pestered her or asked every second or two if she was okay, and for that, she was thankful. She just didn't know how long she’d be able to avoid their questions once they started.

And if they hadn’t found the woman who did this to her yet, she was going to find her and make her suffer.

“You should get some rest,” Spike said, breaking her train of thought, and turned from her, his hand already on the doorknob.

“Can you stay with me?” Spike whirled around, his eyes locking with hers. Buffy dragged her eyes away from his; the emotions were too overwhelming. “Just until I fall asleep,” she stammered, eyes downcast.

“Sure,” he said with a nod.

Buffy lay down on the bed and curled on her side. She tucked her bandaged hands beneath her chin like a child, closing her eyes.

She felt safe with Spike around.

Spike sat down on the floor, his back against the door and eyes closed as he concentrated on her breathing and heartbeat. Soon, her breathing became slow and regular. The sounds placated him and moments later, sleep took him.

Not long after, Buffy's voice woke him up. He opened his eyes, glancing immediately at Buffy. She was still asleep, stirring, tossing, turning, and talking.

Spike stood up and drew nearer. Her eyes were screwed shut and her arms were raised, hands gripping the pillow on either side of her head. She was dreaming.

Spike walked to the side of her bed. “Buffy,” said he, slightly shaking her. “Buffy, wake up.”

A hand seized his throat. Buffy had sat up and was now holding Spike above the ground, her eyes still closed. She was still asleep. Spike's eyes grew wide as Buffy easily held him there. “Buffy!” he screamed, scrambling to get free of her powerful hand wrapped around his throat. “Buffy!”

Buffy finally roused, and startled, she released Spike. “Oh, God,” she said.

“I see you're getting your slayer strength back,” Spike said in a raspy voice, rubbing at his neck and wincing.

Buffy frowned and looked down in embarrassment. “I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to.”

Spike sighed and hesitantly sat on the bed, facing her. “It's all right. You were having a nightmare.”

“I was,” she spoke softly. The images of the inside of the coffin, the dirt making its way in as she dug herself out, feeling trapped, helpless, gasping for air haunted her dreams. She shook the thoughts away.

“Want to talk about it?”

She looked up at him, grimacing. “Not really.”

She needed time. “Okay,” Spike answered and smiled.

Relieved that she could count on one person not to push her, she smiled back sincerely.