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Chapter 16
 
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A/N- So this is the last official chapter of the story. But there will be an epilogue to follow!


"No, Spike, you can't. It's too risky."

"This could help us take down Angelus," he replied.

"You could die," Buffy said, emotion filling her voice.

She hadn't come straight out and said the words, but Willow had heavily implied that if she were to cast the spell, Spike's chances for survival were practically non-existent. Furthermore, he might not be able to recover many of the memories at all. As it stood, he'd be the exception if he managed to remember everything before his body gave out.

"We will find another way."

"There is no other way, Slayer," Spike yelled, frustrated that he couldn't make her understand.

Willow had even admitted as to having tried the soul restoration spell. When Buffy and Spike had gone searching for Camilla, she'd decided to cast it. She had realized it would be an easier option than casting the memory spell on Spike again, and hadn't had time to consult with Buffy. But much to her dismay, it was obvious the spell had failed after Buffy and Spike had returned. Whatever power Angelus had, it was protecting him from magic.

"This is it. This is all we've got. Would you rather me die a few weeks from now when he's assembled an army or whatever the bloody hell he plans to do? And Camilla… Are you really willing to risk the safety of your daughter?"

"That is not fair," Buffy ground out. "You know I would do anything for Cam…"

"So would I."

"Why are you so quick to jump into this? I thought you didn't trust magic. Something about consequences."

"To hell with the consequences."

Though he wasn't Camilla's real father, and never would be, Spike couldn't help but feel like she was his. He had never even felt this protective of Dawn when he'd been tasked with watching out for her when Buffy was gone those few months. But something about the little girl brought out a part of him that he never even knew existed. And the thought of leaving her… leaving Buffy… made him feel hollow inside. But he couldn't sit around and wait for Angelus to attack them again.

"Giles is doing research. All of us are looking. There is no reason…"

"You, Buffy, you are the reason. Camilla, she's the reason. And you know as well as I do that sticking our sodding noses in books won't help this time."

Buffy shook her head at him and crossed her arms defiantly. "I'm not letting you do this. I'm not letting you kill yourself."

"And exactly how do you plan to stop me?"

"Beat you down, tie you up. Whatever I have to."

"I don't have to be free for the spell to work."

"Then I'll talk to Willow. She won't do the spell."

"Why? Because you forbid her? How often has that worked out for you?"

Buffy just glared at him. She couldn't let him do this. She couldn't let him die for her. Not again. Last time she'd walked away from him, left him to burn in the hellmouth, had been hard, but somehow she'd known it was the right thing to do. But this time… Nothing felt right about letting him go.

"Please, don't do this." Emotion had found its way back into her voice.

Spike took a step closer and put a hand against her cheek. She resisted the urge to slap it away. She didn't want his comfort right now. Didn't want to need it. Buffy tried to keep a grip on her anger, wanted to beat some sense into him. But when he moved to wrap his arms around her, her resolve seemed to melt and she embraced him in return.

She buried her head in his neck, willing herself not to cry. She'd seen this coming, known their relationship was too good to be true, doomed to end. She just hadn't realized that it would end with him dying… again.

Her lips found his neck and worked her way slowly along his jaw, finally finding his lips. She kissed him fervently, and he kissed her back, pulling her flat against his body.

When he tasted salt, Spike pulled back. There were tears in Buffy's bright green eyes.

"I love you," she said.

Spike had always wondered what this moment would feel like. But out of all possible scenarios he had concocted in his brain, none had ever been so bittersweet.


"I still don't understand," Dawn said, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. "Why would Angelus make a deal with Martin? And why didn't Martin leave town with Camilla?"

"Maybe he had something to take care of before he left," Eric replied.

Willow and Camilla had retired for the night, as had Buffy and Spike. But the younger Summers couldn't sleep. There were still too many unanswered questions rolling around in her brain.

"But what? And Spike said he found them in an old warehouse. Not a motel or even an actual place of residence. What could he have been doing?"

Eric shrugged. "Did they check it out? Buffy and Spike I mean?"

Dawn shook her head. "No, I don't think so. But you know them. They're kill first, ask questions later. They're all focused on finding out how Angelus got his powers and how to destroy him. But we don't even really know what his master plan is."

"But if they manage to kill him, it won't matter what his plan is, right?"

"Unless whatever he's doing has already been set into motion. We don't know if he's operating alone. Maybe if Willow can get the spell to work, we can find out."

"And if not?"

"Then we may have to do some old fashioned detective work."

Eric looked skeptically at his fiancé. He wasn't sure what she had in mind, but he was almost positive he wouldn't like it.


Willow stared at the worn pages of her magic book. She'd studied over the spells many times, wondering which of the spells she would get the chance to cast. Out of every book she owned, she still considered this one the most valuable.

She ran her fingers over the inscription on the inside cover.

With love always, Tara.

She wiped the moisture from her eyes and closed the book. Buffy was angry with her. The slayer had made that much clear with her sideways glares, when she would even look at Willow at all.

But Willow understood. She knew what it was like to lose someone. This was why she was determined to see Spike through this spell. She'd spoken with the coven about Angelus and they'd all agreed that no further magical action should be taken against the vampire until they knew more about the powers he now seemed to possess. And the only way they had found to do that was to recover Spike's memories.

She'd tried to explain this to Buffy, but her best friend wasn't having any of it. And Willow couldn't blame her. The slayer was finally happy, for the first time in a long time, and now that could end if this spell went wrong… or even if it went right.

Willow put the book on the bedside table and lay down next to the sleeping little girl. She recalled what Camilla had said to her before falling asleep.

"Are you okay, Cammie?"

"Yes," she said, nodding. "Just sleepy."

Willow smiled at the child. "Well, you'd better go to sleep then."

"When is my mommy coming?"

"I don't know. But I'll stay here with you until she does."

"Okay," she said with a yawn. "Aunty Willow?"

"Yeah?"

"That mean man said he was my daddy. Why did he say that?"

Willow wasn't sure how to answer. "I… I don't know."

"I don't have a daddy," she said. "Cept now Mr. Spike is my daddy and he will take care of me forever and ever."

Somehow, someway, Willow was determined to make sure that happened.


The next evening came all too soon.

Camilla was sitting on the couch watching cartoons. Spike stood in the doorway for much too long, watching her eat her dinner, trying to find the strength he would need to tell her goodbye. He knew the risk of what he was doing. He knew that he wouldn't be coming back. Buffy knew that too, which was why, he suspected, she hadn't looked at him since she'd gotten out of bed that morning.

It had been a long day, and yet, not nearly long enough. He'd played cards with Camilla, watched some of her programs on the telly with her, and helped Buffy with dinner, though the two of them had barely spoken a word to each other.

But now the day was over and it was time to go.

"Where are you going?" Camilla asked when Buffy told her Spike was leaving.

"I have to go away, bit."

"When are you coming back?"

Spike wasn't sure how to answer that. More than likely, he wouldn't be coming back. But how could he tell her that? She wanted him to be her father and now he would have to tell her he couldn't. He would have to say goodbye to her and her mother. Spike wished there was more time, more time to spend with both of them. More time to deliver a proper goodbye. But there wasn't more time. Only this.

"He's not coming back, sweetheart," Buffy said for him.

Camilla looked at her mother. "Yes huh. Tell her, Mr. Spike. Tell her you're coming back."

"I'm sorry, bit. I don't think I am."

"Not ever?" Her bottom lip was trembling.

He shook his head no.

Before he could say anything else, she jumped off of the couch and ran up to him, wrapping her arms around his legs. "No you can't leave."

"I have to, Nibblet. I'm sorry." He tried to gently push her off of him but she was clinging to his lower limbs for dear life.

"But… but you're sposed to be my daddy."

Spike felt his heart break when he saw big tears running down her face. "I can't be your daddy, little bit. I'm a vampire…"

"I don't care if you're a bampire," she said. "I love you. Mommy loves you, too."

He met Buffy's eyes. They were silently backing up her daughter, begging him not to go. But she remained silent. They had already said their goodbye.

"And I love you, both of you, more than anything. But I can't stay. It would only hurt you both if I did." There was a truth to his words that kept him from changing his mind and taking it all back. He'd known all along that he could never have a life with them. Not for long. He was dead, they were alive. They deserved more, and now they could have it. As soon as Angelus was stopped, they could have a decent, normal life.

Buffy tried to hold back tears as she stepped forward and pried her daughter away from Spike. "You have to let go, Cam." What she wanted to do was tell Spike he was wrong, that they were not better off without him. That he made everything better for both of them. But she couldn't do that, not in front of Camilla. Not when, chances were, he wouldn't be coming back.

"No, no," Camilla yelled, "don't leave me."

Spike willed himself not to look at the girl. He could feel the tears forming in his own eyes.

"Baby, let go," Buffy said gently, pulling the girl back and into her arms. Camilla struggled to get away but her strength was no match for her mother's.

"No…no…no…"

Buffy held on to Camilla, both of them crying now, as Spike walked out the door.

He wanted nothing more than to turn around, go back to the two people who meant the most to him in this world. But he couldn't. He had made his decision. Angelus had to be stopped and this was the only way. And there was still the small chance that he could come back from this.

And a small chance was better than no chance at all.


"Are you ready?"

Willow was seated in a chair next to the bed, spell book in her lap. She had a bowl on the night stand filled with the yellow liquid.

"Ready as I'll ever be, Red," he replied from his position on the bed.

"Alrighty then. As soon as you're under, I'll complete the binding spell. It should allow me to see what is going on in your head, but I'll still be able to communicate with Dawn."

The younger girl was in a chair across the room. She had volunteered to accompany the two. Willow had explained that while she was bound to Spike, she would still be able to speak, but in the unlikely chance that something went wrong, she wanted to relay what she was seeing to a third party.

Even with the protection spell Willow had placed on her apartment, Buffy hadn't wanted to leave Camilla. And Willow hadn't wanted to perform the spell on Spike in the apartment in case Spike didn't make it. No one wanted the little girl to have to see that, and Willow knew it would be hard for Buffy if the vampire died in her home. They had opted for Spike's rented apartment instead.

Spike consumed the liquid from the bowl as Willow began chanting.

The effect was instantaneous.


"Harm?"

"Oh, Spikey, I'm so glad you're here. I was starting to think I was the only one of us here."

"Us?"

"Yeah, us. Wolfram and Hart employees."

Wolfram and Hart? It sounded familiar, but Spike couldn't quite put his finger on where he'd heard it.

"You two know each other?" Mafius asked.

"We used to date," Harmony said a bit too cheerfully.

"Oh," the demon replied. "I'm sorry," he said looking at Spike.

"Hey," Harmony said with a glare at him.

"Where did you come from?" Mafius asked, ignoring the girl.

"Well, that would all depend on what you mean. Five minutes ago, I was in the jungle."

"And before that?"

"More jungle. And before that, a desert."

Mafius shook his head in understanding. "He came through the portal," he said to scaly, who nodded.

"Portal? What portal?"

"A few nights ago, there was… a disturbance. Bartholomew and I were hunting as our schedule dictates when we felt… a shaking of the ground. Upon searching out the source, we were able to see the portal, lights flashing for quite a distance. And from the portal emerged demons, creatures we hadn't seen here in ages."

"And where is here, exactly?" Spike asked.

"This place has many names. We call it Inoberia."

"Another dimension, then?"

"Yes, this is not your dimension, vampire."

Somehow, a portal had transported him to another dimension. Spike reasoned that it could have something to do with the amulet he had been wearing. A side effect… a consequence. But, how had Harm ended up here? As far as he knew, she hadn't been anywhere near Sunnyhell when the hellmouth had collapsed. But it wasn't like he'd kept tabs on her. Mafius had also implied they were not the only ones to cross the threshold into this dimension.

Buffy.

Where was she? Had she made it out in time?

But then… no. That feeling that something was off about his thoughts returned.

"How do we get back?" Spike asked.

"That is something I cannot tell you."

"Then I'll not be wasting any more of your time, mate." He needed to sort out the mess in his head and the only way to do that was to get the bloody hell away from these wankers. If they didn't know anything, they couldn't help. He had to find someone… had to get back to… back to what?

The larger demon, Bartholomew presumably, held up his hand. "You will come with us."

"Like hell…" Spike started.

"They're taking us to see the wizard," Harmony said, earning her a look from all three individuals around her. She shrugged. "What? That's what you said."

Mafius turned to Spike. "We have no wizards here. I believe she is speaking of the queen."

"Queen, whatever," Harmony said, rolling her eyes. "The point is, she can help us get out of this place. Hopefully before it causes more damage to my hair."

"That true?" Spike said, ignoring his ex's continuing complaints about hygiene, "this queen of yours, she can get me get home?"

Mafius nodded.

"Then let's go see her."


Dawn watched as Spike relaxed onto the bed. At first he looked almost asleep, but something about his expression, the way his hands would occasionally squeeze into fists, said different. He was not resting.

Willow had closed her eyes after reciting a bit of Latin, and seemed to have fallen into a trance. Dawn wondered what the witch was seeing. She had always been intrigued by magic though she had only cast a handful of spells herself. She'd also seen the dark side of the craft, experienced it first hand, and that had been enough to deter her.

She had decided to follow her sister's example and shoot for a normal life. A life that wasn't filled with vampires and demons… at least not most of the time. Though neither of them would ever be completely normal, not with everything they had experienced in their lives, she was determined to help her sister find happiness and if that included working a regular job like a regular person, well then that is exactly what she would do.

If it hadn't been for her decision to go to college instead of joining Giles and Willow at the Watcher's Council, she also would never have met Eric. Everything happened for a reason. She had to believe that. And she had to believe that Spike was going to be okay. Dawn hadn't seen Buffy smile the way she had since Spike had shown back up in their lives in years. Now that they had finally taken that step, finally admitted their feelings for each other... he couldn't die now.

Dawn was pulled out of her revere when she heard Willow mumble something. It sounded almost like…

"Harmony."


The "palace" was a vast array of grey stones, much like a medieval castle, with dark vines climbing the walls. The bloody sun shone high over the queen's residence.

"This queen, she isn't going to like, eat us?" Harmony asked.

"She does not normally eat vampires, no," Mafius replied.

"Normally?"

"No need to worry."

They entered through large wrought-iron gates. From the way Mafius talked about the queen, Spike wasn't sure he wanted to meet her. She sounded highly unpleasant, but if she could send them home, he would gladly have a little chat with her. He only hoped he wasn't walking into a trap.

The queen was in the grand hallway. The inside of the palace was not formal or elegant. The black plants grew along the inside as well, and the floors and walls were the same brick as the outside.

With orange skin and eyes like black pits, the queen stood out among the dullness of the castle. Her long silk robe shone in the dim candle lights.

"More guests," she hissed in an almost inaudible voice.

"Your majesty, we located these two in the forest. They came through the portal."

"Of course they did. Thank you, Mafius."

The demon bowed to her and exited the way he entered, Bartholomew on his heels, leaving Spike and Harmony alone with the queen. Well, not alone. There was another figure in the room. His back was to them, but he was wearing a slightly tattered leather jacket and his dark hair stood up off of his head.

"Your friends have arrived," the queen hissed at the figure, who turned to look in their direction.

"Angel?"

"Spike?"

Suddenly a flash of images pushed their way into Spike's brain. Wolfram and Hart, passing through doors, Fred, Illeria, Angel, a dragon.

He remembered.

They had been trying to take down the Senior Partners. Fighting in an alleyway… Whatever had been clouding his brain had cleared.

"I wasn't sure if you were alive," Angel said, a slight disappointment in his voice.

"Don't sound so jolly about it, mate," Spike shot back.

"You want me to pretend I'm glad to see you? You've been nothing but a pain in my arse since we met."

"And you've been the light of my life…"

"Now boys," the queen scolded, "no fighting in the palace." She smiled, showing teeth that were sharpened to a fine point. "I suspect you are all here for the same reason."

"Your lackeys here claim you can send us back," Spike said.

"Back to your human world?" She acted as if even saying the word put a bad taste in her mouth.

"Yes," Angel answered.

"I can do that," the queen said, in a bored-like tone.

Spike was skeptical. This dimension had already messed with his memories and the queen didn't look like the negotiating type. Captain Forehead seemed convinced the Oompa Loompa could do as the other demons had claimed. But this all seemed too easy. And Spike couldn't forget the demon he'd first encountered in the jungle, the one who'd told him 'she will find you'. She as in… the queen?

"How do we know you're not lying to us?" Spike asked.

"You don't."

"She's not lying," Angel said. "I've seen what she can do."

"Well, that's great for you, mate, but I haven't seen her majesty do a bloody thing."

An iron-like grip wrapped around Spike's throat and lifted him from the ground. Harmony ran forward in a vain attempt to help, but a wave of the queen's hand sent her flying backwards.

"We do not speak out of turn here, vampire."

Spike struggled pointlessly against the invisible hand. "You've made your point," he managed to growl.

The hand dropped him abruptly and he landed, painfully, on his shoulder. Spike jumped back to his feet, massaging his hurt shoulder, and glared at the queen.

"What is your price?" Angel asked.

The queen tapped a long sharp nail against one of her chins. "I don't suppose I could convince one of you to join me here? I am always looking for new lovers."

The vampires shared a look, both daring the other to take the offer. They answered no at the same time.

"And you?" The question was directed at Harmony.

"Tempting but I try not to date outside my species. Well, unless you count that one night stand I had with…"

"Harm!"

The blonde vampire shut her mouth but glared at Spike.

The queen sighed. "Very well."She paced around, a bit dramatically, in front of them. "I don't have much time. I'm very busy."

Spike wanted to point out how they didn't want to be there any more than she wanted them there, but Angel spoke first.

"We understand, your majesty. But if you could please…"

She paused in her pacing and looked Angel up and down. "I will grant your request, vampires. For a… price, as you say."

"And that would be what?" Spike asked.

"I require from you a… I believe the word is trade. I do this for you, you do something for me."

"What could we possibly do for you?"

"There is someone in your world whom I need destroyed. A demon I'm sure you will have no problem killing. He betrayed me and then proceeded to escape through your precious portal. No one betrays me. He must die. I would do it myself but I find entering the human realm revolting."

"So we off your runaway and that's it?" Spike asked.

The queen nodded. "Well, there is one more thing I require."

"Which is?" Angel asked.

"A soul."


Buffy paced back and forth in her apartment. Camilla had finally cried herself to sleep and though her heart broke for her daughter, Buffy knew the girl was better off not sharing in her worrying.

Spike couldn't die. He couldn't. Not after everything they had been through together. It couldn't be coincidence that he had been the one to find Camilla that night in Los Angeles. And it wasn't some random happenstance that he'd moved with them to New York, that he and Camilla had bonded so easily, that she herself had fallen in love with him.

No, not coincidence.

Fate.

And the universe couldn't be so cruel as to take away everything now. She had to believe that. Had to believe that he was gonna be okay. He was strong. He could survive this.

He had to.


"You want our souls?"

"Just one will do. You see, I am a soul eater. That is what I do, how I stay beautiful."

Spike let out a snort. "I don't think it's working."

Angel glared at him. The queen merely brushed him off with a wave of her hand.

"That is my offer. If you will not accept it…"

"We accept," Angel said quickly.

Spike looked over at his grandsire. "Volunteering, mate?"

"You have a problem with that?"

Spike could have pointed out that once his soul was gone, Angel would become a killer. They could restore his soul, but how many lives would be lost before they could do that? But what were the other options? Harmony didn't have a soul. That only left him. And Spike couldn't imagine giving up his soul after he'd worked so hard to get it back. But it would be safer that way. Spike was sure that even if his soul was gone, he would not turn into some killing machine that had to be stopped.

And he should have said all of this. But the queen had already stepped right in front of Angel and put her hands on the side of his head.

"I take no man or beast upon his word." She chanted a few words in a language none of the three vampires had ever heard. Then she smiled, sharp teeth glistening.

"I should warn you, my methods often have… side effects. Sometimes I can't control my magics."

Her right hand moved over Angel's chest and the next thing Spike registered was the screaming.


Dawn jumped from her chair and ran to the bedside. "Willow," she called out. "Willow."

The witch's eyes popped open and she stopped screaming though her breaths were still coming quickly and unevenly.

"I know how to stop him," she managed to say.

"What?" Dawn asked, confused. "What the hell happened?"

But Willow ignored her. Instead she stood up from her seat and headed straight for the door.

"Wha… where are you going?" Dawn asked.

"I have to go find Angelus. You stay here with him," she said, indicating Spike.

"He looks bad, we should wake him."

Spike's skin had paled, if that was even possible, and he was drenched in sweat.

"We can't," Willow said, grabbing up a bag and throwing some of her things in it.

"Why not?"

"Because the spell is designed so that he stays under until he remembers everything." She opened the door to the apartment. "Just stay here and call me if he wakes up. Or if…" she broke off, not wanting to state the obvious.

"Yeah, okay," Dawn replied.

And with that, Willow was gone.


A knock on the door pulled Buffy out of her thoughts. She looked at Eric, who had been seated silently on the couch for nearly two hours. He glanced at the door and then back at her nervously.

Buffy walked to the door and pressed her hand against it. "Willow, is that you?"

Dawn had called nearly a half hour before and told her that Willow knew how to stop Angelus. Neither knew what the witch's plan was, and Willow wasn't answering her phone. Dawn's report on Spike hadn't been an entirely comforting one either, but at least her little sister had confirmed that the vampire was not yet dust.

She was met with unnerving silence.

"B-Buffy. It's m-me."

The voice sounded nervous, and oddly familiar.

"P-please open the d-door."

It suddenly clicked in her brain and Buffy knew who was on the other side of the door. And she also knew the girl wasn't alone.

"Krista?" she said through the door.

"Y-yes."

Buffy cursed under her breath and then told Eric to go in the bedroom with Camilla and try to call Willow again. He immediately jumped off of the couch to oblige her. Once he was out of sight, Buffy opened the door. As expected, Krista was standing there, Angelus behind her.

"Buffy, so nice to see you again."

"Let her go," Buffy demanded.

"And why would I want to do that?"

"I'm s-sorry, Buffy. He said he would kill my family."

"It's okay," Buffy said, glaring at the man behind her. "It's not your fault."

Angelus ran the tip of the knife in his right hand down the side of the girl's cheek as more tears ran down her face.

"I said let her go. She has nothing to do with this."

He pressed his mouth close to Krista's ear. "I think she deserves to know what kind of trouble her neighbors have been into, don't you?"

Krista jerked away from him and the knife penetrated the skin on her cheek, drawing blood. She whimpered and Buffy made a move toward them, but Angelus quickly moved the knife to the girl's throat.

"Make any sudden movements, and she dies."

"I don't think so."

Before Buffy could look for the owner of the voice, the knife flew from Angelus' hand. His head jerked to the side and then he was flying across the hall and landing with a loud thud about twenty feet away.

Willow stepped around the corner, her hands raised in the air. "Sorry I'm late," she said.


Dawn looked at her watch. It had been close to an hour since Willow had left and she still hadn't received any word from anyone. On top of all of that, Spike hadn't woken up and looked worse and worse by the minute.

His skin had sunken in now, leaving him as literally nothing but skin and bones. She feared that any moment, his body would turn to dust and there would be nothing left at all.

They had thought to bring all of the blood they'd had with them so he could feed upon waking, but from the looks of him now, it would take much more than that.

A noise brought her attention to the bed. Spike was moving, his whole body convulsing madly. She ran to the bedside and attempted to hold him down, praying that whatever Willow had planned, that she would finish it soon.


"Finally, someone with power. I was wondering when you would be showing your face," Angelus said, getting back to his feet.

Krista had managed to scramble away from him and Buffy ushered the girl into her apartment. She hadn't moved from her spot in front of her apartment door. Angelus shouldn't be able to enter, but if his magic somehow gave him a way around an invitation, she would do everything in her power to keep him away from Camilla.

"I know what you are," Willow said.

Angelus laughed. "You have no idea what I am."

Buffy watched as her best friend approached the ex love of her life. Mixed emotions ran through her. She was obviously worried about Willow. She knew her friend was a powerful witch, but she'd seen what Angelus could do; saw how he had somehow spelled himself so that he couldn't be staked.

But it wasn't just Willow she was worried about. Despite herself, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness at the thought of Angelus dying.

Willow began chanting in a language that Buffy had never heard. At first, Angelus didn't seem the least bit affected. Then, something strange happened.

His eyes took on a strange green glow. And then he started shaking.

"You bitch," he growled at her.

Buffy thought he would lunge at Willow, but he didn't. Instead he raised his shaking hands and began chanting. Buffy stepped back, out of the line of magical fire.

The back and forth seemed to drag on for hours, but it couldn't have been more than a few minutes. Angelus was strong, but Willow was stronger.

It was obvious that Angelus was losing the grip on his borrowed power and as Willow's chanting got louder, he fell to his knees. He seemed determined, but it was not enough. His body slumped and finally hit the floor.

Willow dropped her hands to her sides and took a couple of deep breaths.

"What did you do?" Buffy asked, still unsure of the seemingly unconscious man on the floor.

"I stripped him of his power. The spell worked. I was able to see where the black hole took them. It was a dimension called Inoberia. We were lucky. It was one of the 7 dimensions of Ka." Off Buffy's look she added, "I studied them when I joined the coven."

"So, you saw what happened to them?"

"Yes. The queen of that dimension has power. She consumes the souls of demons and often absorbs their powers. She took Angel's soul, and in the process, inadvertently transferred some of her powers to him."

"So, she made him do all of these things?"

"No, once he was back in our world, that was all him."

"And that spell you cast?"

"Once I knew where and how he'd gotten the powers, I knew which spell to use to take them away."

"So you tracked him here? I thought he was all un-trackable." Buffy wondered.

"I went to the warehouse, the one where you and Spike found Camilla. I thought he may still be there. What I found…" She broke off, looking down at Angel's unconscious form. "There was a demon, a very dead one. The soul eater made a deal with Angel; his return to our world in exchange for a favor. She wanted him to kill a demon for her. But in order to make sure he did as he promised, she made sure he couldn't get what he desired until the demon was dead. Once I realized the demon in the warehouse was the one he'd been assigned to kill, I knew that now he'd be free to get what he wanted."

"Me," Buffy said. "So he wasn't just playing with us. He didn't kill me… because he couldn't." Buffy wasn't vain enough to think Angelus had wanted her for anything else. All the evil vampire had ever wanted was taunt her and be the one to end her life. It hurt to think that what he wanted most was her death, but it wasn't that surprising.

Willow nodded. "I do think he wanted to hurt you. That is his style. But when you fought him in the warehouse, he wouldn't have been able to kill you then, assuming that's what he wanted. That demon hasn't been dead that long. I guess it took him a while to find it. I also found something else at the warehouse. Money. Lots of it. My guess is Angelus offered Martin the money to kidnap Camilla."

That made sense. Martin always had been a greedy bastard. Buffy couldn't help but feel a little glad that her ex was dead.

"So what now?" Buffy asked.

"Now he's just a regular old vampire. He should wake up soon."

"I imagine he'll be pissed."

Willow nodded. "I'll prepare the restoration spell. It should work now."

Buffy turned back to the apartment. Krista was standing in the middle of the living room, holding the telephone. She nodded and walked on shaking legs to Buffy.

"It's for you."

Buffy took the phone and gave Krista the most reassuring smile she could. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

Krista nodded but still looked just shy of terrified. Buffy knew she would have to explain a lot to her neighbor but knew they had to take care of Angelus first.

Buffy raised the phone to her ear, planning to tell whoever was on the line that she would have to call them back. But when she heard her sister's voice on the phone, she felt her heartbeat accelerate. Dawn was with Spike.

"Dawn? What is it? What…?"

"Buffy, you need to get over here now."

"Why? What happened?" She wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"Just get over here."


Buffy broke every traffic law possible on the way to Spike's apartment. She kept reminding herself on the way that Dawn hadn't actually said Spike was dead. But she'd sounded panicked and that was enough to worry Buffy. Willow had cast the restoration spell and once she was convinced Angel was back, Buffy had practically run out the door.

Thankfully, Camilla hadn't woken up during the mini magic war that had taken place just outside their home. Eric and Krista were left trying to make sense of everything while Willow took on the job of explaining everything to Angel. The vampire remembered nothing of his venture to another dimension and little of the time since he'd been back. That was another conversation Buffy would have to have when she got back, but for now, she had to make sure that Spike was okay.

When she reached the building, Buffy jumped out of her car and ran at slayer speed up the stairs, not wanting to waste any time waiting for the elevator. The apartment door flew open as she reached it and Buffy was met with a wide-eyed Dawn.

"Is he…?" she could even form the words.

"No," Dawn said, taking a deep breath. "Quite the opposite."

"What do you mean?" Buffy couldn't quite read the expression on her sister's face. She didn't look upset, but she also looked… unsure somehow.

"He's alive."

"Alive as in… still in the land of the undead?"

Dawn shook her head.

"Dawn…"

"Buffy, his heart's beating. He's human."

 
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