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Chapter 10
 
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 “What’s a lollipop princess?”
 
“Only the next to bestest character in the game. Now you get to move all the way up here,” Camilla said picking up Spike’s blue pawn and moving it up the board.
 
“Oh, well in that case, all hail the lollipop princess.”
 
Buffy rolled her eyes at him. “It’s Candy Land, Spike. All you do is draw the card and move to the space. No praising is necessary.”
 
“You’re just mad because you drew Plumpy.”
 
She narrowed her eyes at him, but couldn’t keep her lips from twitching.
 
“My turn now,” Camilla announced. She picked a card with two yellows and moved accordingly. “Now mommy,” she said.
 
Buffy picked up a card and moved to the next blue space, though at this rate it seemed she was this close to losing.
 
“This is so fun. Don’t you think this is so fun, Mr. Spike?”
 
“Yes, Nibblit.”
 
Camilla smiled, seeming very happy at his response. Buffy was glad that her daughter was happy, but at the same time, lately she was becoming more and more concerned about her growing attachment to Spike. It’s not that she minded the two of them getting along, and it’s not that she thought Spike would up and disappear from their lives forever, but Cam always looked so forward to seeing him. Not to mention she’d made that comment about the father thing.
 
Buffy couldn’t deny that the thought of them getting back together had crossed her mind, but neither of them had so much mentioned the kiss since it had happened nearly a week before. The slayer knew that it would be so easy to give into her desire to be with him, but she still wasn’t sure that would be the best thing for her daughter. Spike was still a vampire, after all. It wasn’t like he could give her the normal life that she had always claimed to want. But Buffy couldn’t seem to convince herself that that really mattered. So what if he wasn’t normal? She certainly wasn’t.
 
He could be a father figure to the child. They had bonded almost instantly, and she was sure that he would do anything for the girl. But having a vampire for a step dad might make Camilla’s life a little harder, and Buffy did not want that to happen either. It was all so complicated.
 
“Mr. Spike, I think you’re gonna win.”
 
Buffy looked at the game board. Spike was four spaces from the end.
 
“All you have to get is purple and you win.”
 
Spike picked up the next card and made a face.
 
“Is it a purple?” Camilla asked.
 
“Somewhat.”
 
“What is it?”
 
“I think I picked up the wrong card.”
 
“Spike,” Buffy said with a playful warning to her tone.
 
Camilla stood up and looked over his shoulder at the card. When she saw it, she started to laugh. Buffy raised her eyebrows and Spike sighed putting down the card. Buffy smiled as Camilla picked up his pawn and set it beside the plum tree.
 
“Seems Plumpy has claimed another victim,” Buffy laughed.
 
“Ha bloody ha,” Spike said sarcastically.
 
Buffy and Camilla both laughed.
 
“It’s okay, Mr. Spike,” the little girl said patting him on the back.
 
He smiled. “Thanks, pet.”
 
Buffy was about to say something else when the phone rang.
 
“I’ll be right back. I'm just gonna get that.” Buffy stood up and walked over to the kitchen counter to get the phone.
 
“Hello.”
 
“Buffy?”
 
“Yeah.”
 
“It’s Willow.”
 
“Oh, hey, what’s up?”
 
“We have a problem,” Willow told her.
 
“What kind of problem?” she asked, becoming slightly worried.
 
“There’s something I should tell you. And I probably should have told you sooner, but… with everything that was going on…”
 
“Willow, what is it?”
 
“Spike was dead,” she replied.
 
 “What?” Buffy asked, confused.
 
“Angel too.”
 
Buffy froze at the sound of that name. “What do you mean were?”
 
“I mean they were dead. The coven saw them both killed in Los Angeles seven years ago. I never told you because I knew you still loved them and I knew you would try to get them back.”
 
“What?” she asked a little too loud. A glance in the living room showed the two were looking in her direction. She waved her hand at them as if to say ‘it’s nothing.’ Luckily, they accepted her wave and went back to the game.
 
“I’m sorry, Buffy. I thought I was doing the right thing,” Willow said, sounding younger than she was. “But imagine my surprise when Spike showed up at Dawn’s apartment. I called the coven for an explanation. They knew he was back; they’d known for some time but decided to leave me out of the loop. They were keeping an eye on him, watching to see if he did anything suspicious.”
 
“You’re not making any sense.”
 
“I know this is kind of hard to understand, but, Buffy, I’m not sure you should trust him.”
 
“But you’ve yet to fully explain to me why. You just tell me he was dead and now he’s not. What did you mean when you said I would try to find them?” she asked, remembering her friend’s earlier statement.
 
She could hear Willow sigh.
 
“Angel made a mess of Los Angeles. By taking down Wolfram and Hart, he set a lot of things into motion. Made a lot of demons very unhappy. A mass of creatures found their way to the city. There was a huge battle.”
 
“Why is this the first I’m hearing of it?” Buffy asked incredulously.
 
“Like I said, we didn’t want to involve you.”
 
Buffy was getting angry now. “What happened?”
 
“The fight was too large. Hundreds… thousands of people would have died had they been allowed to continue. So the coven had to step in.”
 
“What exactly did they do?”
 
“They created a black hole. A portal to another dimension and dropped it right over them.”
 
“And?” Buffy asked with a hint of irritation.
 
“And they sucked them all up, all of the demons in close proximity, and sent them to another dimension. Miraculously, a few days later, Spike appeared back in the ally in which the fight had taken place.”
 
“You knew,” the slayer said in an accusatory tone. “You knew what they were going to do before they did it.”
 
Buffy couldn’t believe that her best friend had known two of her ex-lovers were about to get sucked into a hell dimension and did nothing to stop it. And on top of that, didn’t bother to tell her even after it had happened.
 
“I knew they were sending the black hole, yes,” she admitted. “But they never told me Spike came back.”
 
Buffy rubbed her forehead with her free hand. “Why are you telling me this now?”
 
“Because, like I said before, we have a new problem. It seems that Spike wasn’t the only one who came back.”
 
“Angel,” Buffy said immediately.
 
“Yes. It seems he is now back as well. They’re keeping an eye on him but…”
 
“But?”
 
“They’re afraid he may have... lost touch with humanity.”
 
“You mean his soul. They think he lost his soul?”
 
Buffy took the silence on the other end as a yes.
 
“We’ve been tracking him for a couple of days, but as of this morning we can’t seem to locate him. It’s like he’s vanished.”
 
“Do you think he went back to that dimension?”
 
“No, but we do have a good idea of where he might be headed.”
 
“And where is that?”
 
“New York.”
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Buffy walked back into the living room, still reeling from her recent phone conversation. Spike was helping Camilla pick up the game and put it back in the box.
 
“We need to find out if Spike knows anything,” Willow had said.“We’re sending someone down. I would come myself but…”
 
“I’ll talk to him.”
 
“Buffy, I don’t think…”
 
“I’ll talk to him,” she said, more forcefully.
 
Willow hesitated a moment. “Okay. But if you find out anything…”
 
“I’ll call. I promise.”

 
She was torn between being angry and fearful. She wasn’t afraid for herself, but for Camilla. If Angelus was back, and if he was coming for her, Camilla would be in grave danger. Angelus was a ruthless son-of-a-bitch who wouldn’t stop until he got exactly what he wanted. Whatever that was.
 
“Camilla, honey, I think it’s time to get ready for bed,” she said to her daughter.
 
“But, mom, we were having fun,” the little girl whined.
 
“I know. But it’s late.”
 
“Mom…”
 
“Camilla,” Buffy said in a mother-like tone.
 
“Fine,” she huffed. “Goodnight Mr. Spike.”
 
And with that she stomped off to her bedroom.
 
“What was that about?” Spike asked when he heard the little girl’s door close. “It’s only 8:30.”
 
“What happened in L.A., Spike?”
 
“What?” he asked confused.
 
“What happened in L.A.?” she repeated.
 
“What do you mean?”
 
“I mean, what happened after you tried to battle the Senior Partners?”
 
Spike sighed and sat down on the couch. How was he supposed to explain something to her that he didn’t even understand himself? Buffy sat down beside him.
 
“Please Spike. It’s important.”
 
“There were demons,” he said after a moment. “Hundreds and hundreds of demons. We didn’t think any of us would make it, and I'm still not sure exactly how I did. I just know that when I woke up, I was in the alley alone. All I could figure was that the powers that be spared me for some reason.”
 
“And that’s it? You just… woke up?” She sounded skeptical.
 
“Yes.”
 
“And you don’t remember anything?”
 
“I remember fighting. I remember the rain pouring down and not knowing which way to turn. I just kept hitting anything that came close. It’s all just a blur after that. Everything runs together.”
 
“And you’re sure that’s all you know.”
 
“Yes.” He was becoming frustrated. “Why would I lie?”
 
“I’m not saying that you would. But Willow said…”
 
“Red? She was on the phone,” he guessed. He’d known since their first encounter a few months back that the witch wasn’t happy to see him.
 
Buffy nodded unnecessarily.
 
“And what did she say?”
 
Buffy explained about the black hole and about him reappearing days later.
 
“The bloody witches have been watching me?” he asked, a bit enraged.
 
“That’s not the issue, Spike. A few days ago they got wind of something else. Someone else.” She took a breath. “It’s Angel. He’s back too.”
 
Spike’s inner defenses shot up at the sound of his grandsire’s name. Of course this was all about Angel. When was it not? His mind jumped to all sorts of conclusions. If Angel was back, that meant Buffy had no use for him. It meant he should pack his bags and move out of the city now before he inadvertently caused a scene. He could feel his own anger rising.
 
“And you want me to leave?”
 
“No, of course not,” Buffy replied, seeming genuinely surprised that he would think that.
 
“I don’t much fancy a reunion, pet.” If Angel was coming here, Spike didn’t plan to stick around and watch him sweep Buffy off of her feet.
 
“Well, I’m afraid we might get one anyway. The coven lost track of him this morning, but they seemed to think he was on his way here.”
 
Spike noticed the fear sounding in her voice. Why would she be afraid of Angel coming here? Unless… “Luv?” he urged.
 
She met his gaze. “There almost certain,” she told him, “that he doesn’t have a soul.”
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