Disclaimer: Drat, you've figured me out. I am Joss in disguise. Ha ha! Oh, wait, what's that? Well, my therapist is saying that no, I'm actually not Joss, and she needs to up my medication. Damn. "Breathe" is Faith Hill.

Rating: NC-17 (yeah, like that's a surprise with my fics…)

Summary: Buffy and Spike are expecting their first child and planning their wedding. What could make their lives even better? How about yet another apocalypse… (sequel to my fic "Daylight")

Spoilers: This takes place post-:"Chosen" and "Not Fade Away," so anything and everything.

Author's Note: This is the sequel to my fic "Daylight," and also ties in with my whole post-Chosen series. You don't necessarily have to read the rest of those to understand this, but it would probably help, since I have expanded the storyline past what was presented on the show. To find those fics in chronological order, go here: http://dark-desire.org/blood/subpages/post-chosen.html

Feedback and Archiving: I live for feedback, so send me lots. And I usually okay archiving, but if you haven't archived any of my fics before, please ask before you do. addie_logan@yahoo.com

Shameless Website Plug: For my other fics, go here: http://www.dark-desire.org/blood


*** *** ***

I can feel the magic floating in the air
Being with you gets me that way
I watch the sunlight dance across your face and I've
Never been this swept away

All my thoughts just seem to settle on the breeze
When I'm lying wrapped up in your arms
The whole world just fades away
The only thing I hear
Is the beating of your heart

'Cause I can feel you breathe
It's washing over me
Suddenly I'm melting into you
There's nothing left to prove
Baby all we need is just to be
Caught up in the touch
The slow and steady rush
Baby, isn't that the way that love's supposed to be
I can feel you breathe
Just breathe

In a way I know my heart is waking up
As all the walls come tumbling down
I'm closer than I've ever felt before
And I know
And you know
There's no need for words right now

'Cause I can feel you breathe…

*** *** ***

Prologue:

May 20, 2003

"Come on, Emma, you really don't have to do this."

Emma ignored her friend's pleas, not breaking her stride for a moment. "Have you seen your face, Katie? I think I kinda do."

"Bobby just got mad, Emma. He's not anymore. You know how me and him fight."

"I know how he beats on you, and it's time for it to end."

"Emma, please! He'll just hit you, too!" Katie tried to grab her, to make Emma stop, but she couldn't keep up.

"Yeah, well, I'm hoping I can get a few of my own in," Emma replied, making her way up the gravel walk and pounding on the door. "Open the hell up, Bobby! I know you're home!"

The door swung open, and Bobby looked down at her, a sleazy grin on his face. "Well, if it ain't just the classiest girl in this whole great state of Texas. To what do I owe this pleasure, Miss Rawlings?"

Emma decided the best answer she could give was her fist connecting with his face.

"You little bitch!" Bobby roared, wiping the blood off his mouth. "I'm gonna teach you some better manners than that, girl."

"What, like you taught Katie?"

"Woman oughta know her place." Bobby grabbed Emma by the arms, slamming her against the outside wall by the door. "And now you're gonna learn yours."

"No!" Katie yelled from behind them. "Bobby, let her go. She ain't got no part in this!"

"Shut up, Katie! You'll get yours next." Bobby raised one hand from Emma's arm, bringing it down across her cheek. When Emma responded by giving him a hard glare and spitting in his face, Bobby roared, throwing her back into the gravel.

Emma heard Katie scream, felt the gravel scrape her skin, and then…something. Like a click and then a surge of power. She could feel it flowing through her, connecting her to something that felt both new and familiar at the same time. She looked up at Bobby, a slow grin spreading across her bloodied face.

It looked like he was going to be the one learning the lesson…

*** *** ***

Chapter One

"You're being no help. Why do you do this? Do you like tormenting me?"

Spike looked up at the glaring Slayer, noting that the look on her face was one he hadn't seen much of since the days when they wanted to kill each other. "I told you my opinion, Buffy."

"You only said that because it's what I want!"

Spike stared at her for a moment in disbelief. "And this is bad because…"

"Because you're not taking an active role!" Buffy exclaimed, tossing the magazine she was holding to the ground.

"I am taking an active role. I'm actively telling you to go with the flower arrangements you like."

"Ah! You are just as bad at this as you were when we were under that spell!" Buffy stormed out of the living room, shutting herself in the bedroom with a loud slamming of the door.

Spike sighed, looking at the mess of bridal magazines and wedding how-to guides scattered on the floor. He'd thought Buffy had been a handful before… Spike was quickly learning that the only thing more difficult than a Slayer was a pregnant, hormonal Slayer planning her wedding. And honestly, how could him telling her to do what made her the happiest where their wedding was concerned be the wrong thing to do? He trusted her not to do anything completely insane, and it wasn't like the little details of the day really mattered anyway.

What mattered was what the day meant. He and Buffy were making a public statement of their relationship. From this point on, there'd be no more lies and secrets, no more hiding what they felt. They were going to be married—were going to be parents. That's what was important to him. Not whether or not the bridesmaids wore cerulean of aquamarine…

A loud and persistent beating at the door pulled Spike back to the present moment and he cursed under his breath as he went to answer it. He found an angry-looking teenaged girl he assumed to be one of the way too many Slayers mulling about. "What?" he snapped, far from in the mood.

The girl seemed unphased by his gruffness. "I wanted to talk to Buffy," she said.

Spike glanced back towards the bedroom door. "She's, uh, not available right now," he replied. There was no way he was going into that room with the mood she was in…

The girl put her hands on her hips. "Then can you do something about this?"

"About what?" Spike asked.

"My roommate is playing her music too loudly and won't turn it down."

Spike's scarred eyebrow rose slowly. What did he look like, the den mother? Sometimes he seriously questioned his sanity when he agreed to Buffy's plan of moving here to help oversee the training of the new Slayers. "Can't you just go somewhere else?"

"It's my room, too, and I'm not leaving because she doesn't know how to play well with others," the girl snapped in response. "And she's breaking the rules."

"Can't have that," Spike muttered. With a resigned sigh, he followed the girl towards her room. He knew if you'd told him not too long ago that someday he'd be playing hall monitor for a bunch of Slayers, he would've laughed. Now that that day was a reality, however, it didn't seem as funny as it once could have been.

There's no point in asking you'll get no reply
Oh just remember I don't decide
I got no reason it's too all much
You'll always find us out to lunch

He could hear the music long before they reached the girl's door, and Spike figured that would've been possible even without his superior hearing. The walls were reverberating…

But in his opinion, the Sex Pistols were supposed to be played at that volume. Didn't this girl know anything?

Oh we're so pretty
Oh so pretty we're vacant
Oh we're so pretty
Oh so pretty we're vacant
Ah but now and we don't care

"See!" the girl shouted, pointing towards a closed door. "She's been doing this all afternoon. Make her stop."

Spike couldn't believe this was actually happening to him. He'd signed up to teach these girls how to fight, not to commit such crimes as telling someone to turn off the Sex Pistols. But the girl beside him looked about ready to kill something, and despite the fact she was far from his Slayer, she was still a Slayer. Best not to piss her off. He knocked as loudly as he could, hoping he could be heard over the music.

Apparently he could, because a few moments later, a young woman opened the door and leaned casually against it. Her dark brown hair was streaked with red, orange, and hot pink, and she was wearing a t-shirt from a tour the Clash went on probably long before she was born. "What seems to be the problem, officer?" she asked with wide eyes that seemed anything but innocent.

"You know what the problem is," the other girl snapped. "Your music is too loud. He wants you to turn it off."

In all honesty, that was the last thing Spike wanted. He peered into the room, noting the marked contrast between the two sides. It wasn't hard to guess who had put up the scarily-large poster of the vapid pop star that seemed to dominate the space. He shivered to think about having to live in a room with that thing watching you all the time. Made him pity the brightly-tressed Slayer.

"Right, the music," Spike said quickly, his mind made up on how he was going to handle this. If he were lucky, them maybe he could use it to solve another problem he was having, too. "It's entirely too loud. And it's quite clear from your appearance that you're incapable of ever being a good roommate to anyone. Pack your things. I'm going to have to move you into a private room."

"What!" the first girl yelled. "She gets a private room? That's so unfair! She can't get a private room for breaking the rules. Besides, I've been here way longer."

"Yes, but you're the one who is able to behave properly in society," Spike said. "You, Rude Girl, get your stuff together and then come down to my apartment. You know where that is?"

"Yeah. You're General Buffy's fiancé, right?"

Spike suppressed a snort of laughter. General Buffy? That's what they called her? "Uh, yeah. That's me. Be there when you're ready to move."

"You got it."

"Good." Spike walked away from the two Slayers, whistling to himself as he ignored how the first one was glaring at his retreating form.

*** *** ***

Buffy was out in the living room when Spike came back to their apartment, and it was obvious from her face that she'd been crying. "Where'd you go?" she asked softly, looking up at him with wide, red-rimmed eyes.

"Couple of the Slayers were having a row. Had to mediate."

Buffy sniffed. "I came out, and you'd left, and I thought I'd made you mad, and…" Buffy trailed off, bursting into tears again.

Spike rushed over to the couch, sitting beside Buffy and wrapping his arms around her. "Shh. Wasn't leaving you, kitten. Never would. Love you."

Buffy pulled up, wiping her eyes. "I know. I'm just such a wreck. My moods are all over the place, I'm so tired, and morning sickness—really a misnomer. Should be like all-the-time sickness."

Spike ran his hand over her hair. "I know, baby. But I'm right here for you, anything you need."

"I know." Buffy moved closer to him again, resting her head on his shoulder. "And I'm sorry about earlier. I know you weren't trying to be disagreeable."

"Yeah, with the whole me agreeing with you and all…"

Buffy sighed. "I know. I'm just afraid that you don't really want any of the stuff you're saying you do, and then the day will come, and you'll hate everything and be all miserable."


"Buffy…" Spike took her chin in his hand, tilting her face up so she was looking at him. "Hey. Me miserable? On our wedding day? Not possible. I'm going to be marrying the woman I love. No place for misery in that, pet. Doesn't matter to me what sort of flower arrangements there are or if we serve chicken or fish at the reception. Because when it's all said and done, you're going to be my wife."

Buffy stared at him silently for a moment before the crying started anew. "Did I say something wrong?" Spike asked, his brow wrinkling.

"No. You said something right." Buffy threw her arms around him.

"So happy tears then." Spike croaked, suddenly missing the days when he didn't have to breathe.

"Happy tears," Buffy replied, her grip on him loosening.

Spike pressed a kiss against her hair. "Good."

"I love you," Buffy said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Love you, too," Spike replied, content to have her there in his arms.

*** *** ***

Okay, I promised you a sequel to Daylight, and here it is. Please, review and let me know you're onboard with this.

Buffy frowned when she heard a knock at their front door and pulled herself up from where she'd been resting against Spike on the couch. "Who could that be?"

"Probably the loud Slayer," Spike said, standing up.

"The 'loud Slayer?'" Buffy asked, eyebrow arched.

"Yeah. That was the problem earlier. Couple of roommates weren't getting along. I'm moving one of them to her own room."

"Just like that? Couldn't you have tried some mediating first?"

"Do I look like a teen counselor? The two of them were obviously mismatched, Buffy." Spike went to answer the door.

Buffy came up behind him and peeked out the door as Spike opened it, wanting to see who this "loud Slayer" was. She frowned, realizing she wasn't one of the ones Buffy already knew.

And that she was absolutely gorgeous.

"So, um, Spike, right?" the other Slayer asked, a bag slung over her shoulder.

"Yeah. Didn't catch your name earlier." Spike said.

"Emma Rawlings," she replied, holding out her hand.

Spike shook it. "Nice to meet you then, Emma."

Buffy pushed forward, standing slightly between Emma and Spike and resting her hand possessively on her fiancé's shoulder. "And I'm Buffy," she said.

"Yeah, I know. It's good to finally meet you. You're like a legend around here with the other Slayers. Is it true you battled a god?"

"Yep. And the root of all evil, too. So tell me, Emma, how long have you been a Slayer?"

"I got Called a year ago, when most of the girls did, but I've only been here about a month. That's when Mr. Giles found me and told me I was a Slayer."

Buffy swallowed. Spike was arranging for special accommodations for this girl and Giles had brought her here himself? Visions of a Faith sequel danced through her head… "So is Giles your Watcher now?" Buffy asked, trying to keep her tone as conversational as she could.

"Oh, no. I haven't even seen him since I left home. I don't have a Watcher," Emma said.

"You don't have a Watcher?" Buffy asked. "I know we're a little short on them, what with the explosion and all, but…"

"Oh, I had one," Emma said quickly. "But she asked that she be placed with someone else."

"Did she now?" Buffy asked, eyebrow arched.

Emma shifted, her nervousness apparent. "I didn't work well under her training guidelines."

"I'm sure she'll have a new Watcher soon enough, pet," Spike said. "You didn't have one for a while either, if memory serves. Nor do you have one now."

Buffy shot Spike a look. "Well, are you going to show her to her new room?" she asked briskly.

Spike glanced at Buffy for a moment, trying to figure out what was up with her before he decided she must be having another one of her weird mood swings. "Yeah. Come on, Emma. We need to go get the key first."

"It was nice to meet you, Buffy," Emma said, smiling at the older Slayer.

"Yeah, you, too."

Spike frowned, able to tell Emma had picked up on Buffy's less-than-sincere tone. Even with her hormones going all wonky, this wasn't like Buffy. "All right, then," he said. "I'll be back soon, luv."

"Uh huh," Buffy replied, turning around and walking off.

"She doesn't like me," Emma said once the door was shut behind them and they were making their way down the hall.

"Don't take it personally," Spike replied. "Baby's making her act all buggy. Hormones and whatnot."

"She's pregnant?"

Spike stopped, rolling his eyes skyward as his jaw clenched. "Bloody hell." He let out a deep breath, looking back at Emma. "I wasn't supposed to say that. We found out right before we came here, and I'm the only person she's told so far."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I won't tell anyone I know—not even Buffy. I'll just forget it all together."

"Thanks," Spike replied. "She wouldn't be at all happy if she knew I was blabbing that to any of the Slayers."

"Got it. Your secret is safe with me."

"Great. Now let's go get you that key."

*** *** ***

"Okay, this isn't a room," Emma said as she looked around the place Spike had taken her. "This is an actual apartment. Furnished and everything. And is that an entertainment system?"

"Yeah. It was one of the guest rooms. This is still part of the faculty wing."

Emma turned sharply, her brow furrowed. "I'm not…"

"I know." Spike cleared his throat. "Actually, I was thinking maybe you could help me out with something."

Emma looked at him skeptically. "This isn't about to get creepy is it, because despite my rep around here, I…"

"No!" Spike said quickly, seeing where she was going. "Not that at all."

"Good. I mean, no offense, you're a definite hottie, but I'm so not the type to move in on someone else's man," Emma said.

"And I'm very much someone else's," Spike replied. "This is…well, there's this girl next door to you—Dawn. She means a lot to me, and she's been really down lately. I think it's something about a boy, but she won't talk to me about that."

"So you want me to what, pump her for information and report back?"

"No. I want… Well, I want you to be her friend. She doesn't really know anyone her own age, and I think she's lonely. Thought maybe it would help her, having another teenaged girl to hang out with."

"And you chose me because…"

Spike shrugged. "Dunno. Though your excellent taste in music may have had something to do with it. But Dawn, well, she's Buffy's sister, and she tends to have sort of mixed feelings towards the Slayers. You obviously weren't exactly fitting in out there, so I thought maybe she'd like you better."

"You have a very strange sense of logic," Emma replied. "But hey, people tell me the same thing, so it works for me. Can I meet her?"

"Yeah, come on." They walked back out into the hallway and Spike knocked on Dawn's door. "Bit, it's me. Open up."

The door opened a few moments later, Dawn smiling slightly at Spike. "Hey." She caught sight of Emma. "Who's this?"

"Emma Rawlings. She's your new neighbor."

"Didn't think any of the newbie Slayers got to live up here," Dawn said, eyeing Emma warily.

"I annoyed my way out of the dorms," Emma replied.

"Well, I'm just going to go check on Buffy," Spike said backing away from the two girls. "See you both later."

"Okay, he can be such a freak," Dawn said when Spike had left.

"He thinks you're lonely and elected me to be your new best friend," Emma explained.

"Oh god," Dawn replied, burying her face in her hands for a moment. "I'm sorry," she said when she looked up again. "He just gets all…big brother-y and way overprotective. You really don't have to hang out with me if you don't want to."

Emma shrugged. "No, it's okay. I've spent the past month in a foreign country where I know all of no one. I could use a friend myself."

Dawn looked Emma over for a moment. Usually—unless he was training them—Spike avoided all non-Buffy-shaped Slayers like the plague. If that wasn't the case with this one, maybe she wasn't all that bad. "All right," Dawn said with a shrug. "Wanna get some lunch? I found a place the other day that's really good."

"Works for me," Emma replied.

*** *** ***

"So where'd you put Amy?" Buffy asked when Spike came back.

"Emma," he corrected her.

"Whatever."

"I put her in the apartment next to Dawn," Spike replied. "And what is with you?"

"You what? Spike, she's been here a month. This is going to set a precedent—a bad one." Buffy gave him her angry Slayer glare.

"Look, Dawn hasn't been exactly adjusting since we came here. She seemed okay the first couple of days, but now she's withdrawn, barely talks to either of us—or anyone else for that matter. Emma seemed all right. Thought maybe she and Dawn could hit it off."

Buffy stiffened. Her fiancé, her Watcher, and now her sister? This girl was wasting no time working her way into her life… "How long have you known her?"

"Emma? Just met her."

"And you've already decided she's perfect best friend material for Dawn?" Buffy asked, hands firmly planted on her hips.

Spike bit the inside of his mouth to keep from snapping. Whatever had gotten into Buffy, he was really hoping her mood would hurry up and swing the other way. "Just thought she could use someone around her own age, is all."

"Yeah, and Rainbow Brite's evil twin is just the right person for that." Buffy threw her hands up. "God, this is going to be like Janice all over again."

"Oi! No need for that now. She seems like a nice enough girl to me."

"What was that you called her when she came to the door today? 'Loud girl?'"

"Didn't mean that as a bad thing," Spike explained. "Just didn't know her name yet, and she was blaring the Sex Pistols when I met her."

"Oh, the Sex Pistols," Buffy snapped, her hands going back to her hips. "Well, why let Dawn be her friend? I bet you two are like kindred spirits or something."

"Buffy, what…" Spike stopped, Buffy's behavior suddenly making sense. "You know, Slayer, if you weren't such a pain in my arse, you'd be adorable."

Buffy narrowed her eyes. "Spike…" she said, her tone one of warning.

"You're jealous, pet. I'm touched," Spike said with a small chuckle.

"You're about to be touched in the nose by my fist."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Please. You and I both know you don't do that anymore.

"I may take it up again."

"Buffy, as strangely flattering as you actually being jealous where I'm concerned is, there's no need for it. I'm not even attracted to her."

"Please. I saw her, Spike. With her big brown eyes and pouty lips and her sexy punk girl style."

Spike raised his eyebrow. "Maybe I'm the one who should be jealous." He reached down, taking Buffy's hands off her hips and holding them in his own. "Seriously, kitten, I was just thinking about the bit. You're the only woman I want—that I'll ever want. You're the love of my life, and hell, you were the love of my unlife, too. No other woman could come close to changing how I feel about you, Buffy. Ever."

Buffy's shoulders slumped, his words making her anger drain away. "I know. And I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go all psycho on you. I'm just so tired, and my brain hasn't been its most functioning today."

"It's okay, princess." Spike kissed her forehead. "Want me to run you a bath?"

Buffy looked up from under her lashes. "With bubbles?"

Spike smiled, glad to see that the storm seemed to have passed. "'Course, sweetling. Anything you want."

*** *** ***

Buffy practically purred as Spike ran a brush through her hair, wondering why she hadn't taken advantage of this particular skill of his years before.

He'd come into the bathroom after allowing her some time to soak away the day's soreness and helped her wash all those hard to reach spots. Then he'd carefully dried her off with a soft, thick towel before rubbing lotion all over her body. Now with the hair brushing on top of that, she was putty in his very talented hands.

He made her feel so pampered, so cherished.

So loved.

"I'm sorry I was such a bitch earlier," Buffy said. "I know you'd never cheat on me, Spike."

"I know you do, kitten. It's all right." Spike set the brush down before lifting up her hair and pressing a kiss against the nape of her neck, making a shiver run up Buffy's spine.

Buffy stood up, a slow smile forming on her lips as she tugged on the belt of her robe. "Still, you've been so nice to me despite how much trouble I've given you today. There must be some way I can show my appreciation."

Spike's expression quickly became a leer as the silk of her robe pooled at Buffy's feet. "I'm sure you can think of something."

Buffy kneeled at the edge of the bed between Spike's legs, undoing his belt and unbuttoning his jeans. He cock sprung eagerly into her hands, and Spike groaned as Buffy gave the tip a light lick. "Maybe I could kiss you here and make it all better," Buffy said, her hand barely moving up and down the hard shaft.

"Buffy, please…" Spike moaned as he thrust his hips forward, desperate for more of her touch. She leaned in again and took the head in her mouth, swirling her tongue around it before hollowing out her cheeks and sliding down as far as she could go.

Spike groaned again, fisting his hands in the hair he'd so painstakingly brushed shortly before. The feel of Buffy's touch was the most wonderful thing he'd ever known, and he didn't know how she could think for even a moment he'd ever want anyone else. Even with over a hundred years of experience under his belt before her, Buffy could make him feel things he'd never known were possible.

Buffy pulled up slowly, massaging the underside of his cock with her tongue as she did. "Need to feel you against me," she said breathlessly. "Need to feel you inside me." She reached down to take off his boots as Spike pulled his t-shirt over his head. She then moved to his jeans, pulling them the rest of the way off before nudging him back on the bed. Spike moved to rest against the pillows, watching Buffy as she crawled up to him.

The couple cried out in unison as Buffy slid down on top of him, taking all of Spike inside with one stroke. Spike gripped Buffy's hips, guiding her movements as she set her pace. She never failed to drive him wild when she rode him like this, her untamed sensuality what had drawn her to him in the first place.

He wondered sometimes if she'd known that first night that she was dancing for him—if she'd been able to sense her the way he could her.

But he knew for certain that this particular dance she was doing now was all for him, and god, it drove him bloody crazy.

As she drew nearer to her peak, Buffy's movements grew more frantic, and Spike reached between them, working her clit with the pad of his thumb until Buffy wailed in release. Spike followed her over, his hips bucking as he called her name.

When his surroundings became clear again, Spike reached down and pulled up a blanket, bringing it around the two of them. Buffy moved slightly to the side, resting her head against his chest. Spike slid his hand between them, pressing it against her stomach. "Hope we didn't jostle Baby too much."

"Baby's been jostling Mommy all day."

Spike chuckled. "You been the one causing all this ruckus, Baby?"

"It can't hear you. Doesn't even have ears yet."

"Aw. She doesn't need ears to hear her daddy, do you, Baby?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "You are such a freak."

"Please. I've heard you talk to her plenty of times."

"Have not."

"I may not be a vampire anymore, kitten, but I still have the hearing."

"Unlike our currently earless baby," Buffy muttered.

Spike chuckled, kissing the top of her head. "And you call me a freak."

"Mmm…We can be freaks together," Buffy said, nuzzling closer to him.

"I think the sex fried your brain, Slayer."

Buffy's eyes drifted shut. "Tends to do that. You're quite adept at the brain fryage."

Spike held her tightly as he heard her slipping into the telltale signs of sleep. Even with her unpredictable mood swings to contend with, Spike couldn't imagine anything better than life with the woman he held in his arms.

*** *** ***

I was really glad to see the response I got to the first chapter of this. I'm always worried when I write anything with an OC, because I know how that can turn people off. But instead I got people asking to see more of her, which was quite a relief! So many people seemed excited about this fic starting and I hope the second chapter didn't disappoint. :)

Buffy wondered if waking up with the sound of Spike's heart thumping in his chest would ever seem commonplace. She'd stayed awake for hours before, just listening to it beat. She could feel his breath stirring her hair, and the knowledge that it was needed breath and not merely an echo of the man he'd once been made her happier than she ever would've imagined it could.

She knew without a doubt that she'd still love Spike if he were still been a vampire. She'd told Angel as much when he'd asked her if her choice would've been the same had the Shanshu Prophecy not been about Spike, and she'd meant it. But getting to have a real life with the man she loved, to get to start a family with him, made everything all the more wonderful.

And that family-in-progress made its presence known with a sharp turn of Buffy's stomach. She put her hand over her mouth and ran to the bathroom.

When Buffy came out again, Spike was waiting for her, glass of ginger ale in hand. Buffy took it from him with a small, grateful smile. "You're so wonderful."

"I try."

Buffy sat down on the couch, taking small sips of her drink. "This better be one damn good kid, 'cause this part sucks."

Spike sat beside her, frowning at the sight of the dark circles under her eyes. "Why don't you go back to bed, sweetheart," he said, rubbing gentle circles against her back.

"Can't. I have meetings all morning."

Spike frowned. "Buffy, I know we agreed to come back here to help train the new Slayers, but that was before we knew you were pregnant. Maybe you should take a little time off, at least until the baby is born."

"I took enough time off, Spike. These girls need me. So many of them have died already."

"Not your fault, pet."

"I don't know, Spike. After what happened in Sunnydale, I just abandoned them, and maybe if I hadn't…" Buffy trailed off as she began to cry.

Spike took the glass of ginger ale from her hands and set it down before pulling her against his chest. "Shh. Don't cry, sweetling. You didn't abandon anyone. You took some well-deserved time off after seven years of guarding the Hellmouth. Nothing to be ashamed of. And they were Slayers, luv. Most tend to die young—and stay that way."

"But I didn't. I could've taught…"

Spike nudged her chin up gently, looking into her eyes, "What you are, Buffy, that strength inside you—it can't be taught. You're unique. Even with the hundreds of Slayers around now, you're still the One."

Buffy took a deep, shuddering breath, wiping her eyes. "You and your sweet talk…" She gave him a watery smile. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Spike replied, kissing the top of her head.

"Okay, I have got to stop being all crazy hormone girl now," Buffy said, sitting up. "Do you have anything you have to do today?"

"Not until tonight. I'm taking a few of the girls on a supervised patrol."

"All right. I'll come home after my morning meetings, because we really need to make a decision about the catering."

Spike refrained from telling her he didn't particularly care what the caterer brought, remembering how well that had gone the day before. "All right. We can have a nice, long discussion about it, and I promise to disagree with everything you say."

Buffy gave him a playful swat. "Jerk."

Spike leaned closer. "Going to have to disagree with that, too."

"Figured you would," Buffy replied, meeting him for a kiss.

*** *** ***

"It seemed to me like the whole thing was just a pathetic attempt to make one of the worst managerial attempts in the history of music look like a success. Besides, I could've gone my entire life without seeing that much of Malcolm McLaren."

Buffy froze in the entryway of the apartment, Emma's voice hitting her as soon as she walked through the door. She looked at where the other Slayer was sitting cross-legged on her couch, facing Spike.

Buffy cleared her throat and Spike turned quickly. "Hey, pet."

"What is she doing here?" Buffy asked, pointing at Emma.

Emma got to her feet. "And that would be my cue to leave."

"No," Spike said quickly as he stood as well. "Buffy, Emma just came over here to let me know she and Dawn were getting along."

Buffy crossed her arms in front of her. "Looks more like she's getting along with you."

Spike sucked in a breath. "Buffy, stop being so bloody ridiculous! We were talking—that's it. I don't go off every time I see you talking to some other guy."

"You never liked Xander."

Spike paused for a moment before replying with, "That's 'cause he's a git, not because I don't want you having any male friends."

"You can have female friends," Buffy said. "Just not her."

"Really, I'm just going to go," Emma said. "I'll see you later…" She caught the glare Buffy shot her. "Or not."

"Emma…" Spike called after the girl, but she didn't stop. He turned his gaze back on Buffy. "I'm sorry you're feeling bad, pet. I really am. And if you want to take it out on me, fine. Yell, scream, punch me in the sodding nose again. But don't take it out of her. She hasn't done anything. A month ago, she had to leave behind everything she knew. She's alone and painfully homesick. Cut the girl some slack."

"I took a look at her record, Spike. She's been here for a month, and she's already gone through three roommates and scared off a Watcher. She's caused nothing but trouble ever since she showed up."

Spike shut his eyes, his head turned slightly, the gesture one Buffy knew meant he was trying to control his temper. When he looked at her again, his eyes made it clear that the reign he had on it was far from tight. "Your record wasn't exactly spotless at her age either, Summers."

"Why are you defending her like this? You know I don't like you seeing her."

"I'm not…" Spike stopped, his jaw ticking. "It's because you're being a right bitch about her. If you want to be jealous, go right ahead. But don't treat that girl the way you just did ever again." He walked past Buffy on his way to the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Out," Spike replied, not looking back. "Tell the caterer to go with the chicken."

Buffy shook as the door slammed.

*** *** ***

Spike knew in front of Emma's door was probably the last place he should be standing, but at the moment, he really didn't care. He loved Buffy more than anything in the world, but he wasn't going to tolerate this. Despite what Buffy had gotten into her head, Spike knew Emma was a decent girl, and he seriously doubted she was interested in anything from him beyond friendship.

He'd been around long enough to know when a woman was interested, and he was getting none of the usual signs from her.

Emma was wiping her eyes when she answered the door, and Spike could tell she'd been crying though she was most likely trying to fight it. "You shouldn't be here," she said.

"Yeah, I know. But I wanted to check in on you."

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

Emma sniffed. "That's because I'm really not. But I've already got you in enough trouble with Buffy, so you should just go."

"Things between Buffy and me have been worse than this in the past, believe me. And it isn't your fault. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Please," Emma replied with a snort. "I'm always doing something wrong."

"You're not here," Spike assured her. "Buffy's just…Buffy's gone insane. She's not normally like this. She's been jealous before, but that was all of once." He added with a shrug, "And we were broken up at the time, so I did that on purpose anyway."

Emma chuckled lightly, then sobered. "So it's just me she hates."

"No. Like I said, Buffy's not being herself. We've only been here for a couple of weeks, and she's adjusting. Plus the crazy-making hormones."

"I still feel bad that she hates me so much," Emma said softly. "I wanted to be good at this. My life has been one fuck up after another. And then when that Giles guy came and told me I was a Slayer and what that meant, I thought maybe that was why nothing had worked before. Maybe my life couldn't go right because I was meant to be doing something else, meant to be someone else. But then I came here, and I can't get along with anyone, and I'm just as much of a wreck as I've always been."

"Hey now. You're not a wreck. You've had to make a huge adjustment in your life. And you can be a good Slayer, Emma. I can see it in you."

Emma shook her head. "I really don't think so."

"Trust me. I've known a few Slayers in my day." Spike cocked his head to the side, thinking for a moment. "You up for a spar?"

Emma's eyes widened. "With you? But you train the girls with a lot more experience than me. I've only been on one group patrol, and when I fought with the vampire, I missed the heart, and he knocked me on my ass."

"Don't worry about that. Same thing happened to Buffy her first time out."

Emma eyed him suspiciously. "Really?"

"Yeah. Takes a bit of practice, ducks, but you'll get the hang of it."

"Or end up with my throat ripped out," Emma muttered.

"Don't talk like that. You just need more practice is all. This Slayer stuff, it'll come naturally to you as soon as you let it."

"I don't know…"

Spike smiled at her. "Well, I do. Come on, change into something you don't mind getting sweaty in, and I'll give you some private training."

"I'm not sure if I should…"

"You need the practice, and to be honest, I could use the work out."

Emma decided he was right. "Okay. Just give me a few minutes."

*** *** ***

Buffy had spent most of the time since Spike had left the apartment feeling horrible. He was probably right. She knew the idea of him cheating on her was ludicrous. After everything they'd been through together, why would Spike throw it all away to be with some other woman? He wouldn't—no matter how attractive that other woman was.

And now that she was thinking about it rationally, Buffy realized Emma really hadn't seemed to be flirting with Spike. She'd probably judged the girl too harshly, going all crazy-pregnant-lady.

It hurt to fight this way with Spike, especially now. She had been rude to Emma, and Spike, too, in the process. She needed to find him and patch things up.

Knowing Spike, Buffy figured he'd probably gone down to the training rooms. It was a good place for him to work off his aggression. She made her way over there, stopping at the front desk. "Hey, Kim," she said to the girl sitting there. "Is Spike down here?"

Kim looked up. "Yeah. He's giving a lesson. Training room five."

"Thanks," Buffy said, walking past the desk. She frowned slightly. Spike hadn't said anything about giving lessons today, only supervising a patrol after dark.

She stopped short outside the training room, her blood running cold as she saw inside through the window.

Spike was sparring with Emma—and from the looks of it, having quite a good time.

Buffy turned around and ran, tears in her eyes.

*** *** ***

"Buffy, kitten, are you home?" Spike waited a moment, frowning when she didn't answer. He knew she was there. Her scent was too strong for it to be otherwise. He went to their bedroom, stopping short when he saw her. "Buffy, what are you doing?"

"I'm packing your things," Buffy said, shoving a black t-shirt into a bag.

"And why are you doing that?" Spike asked, staring at her with a mix of shock and confusion.

"Because you're moving out," Buffy said tersely.

Spike took a step backwards. "Sweetheart…"

"I saw you with her earlier," Buffy said, not turning around to look at him.

"Buffy, there's nothing you could've seen that would warrant throwing me out."

"You were sparring with her," Buffy replied as she moved on to packing his jeans.

"Yeah, I was," Spike said. "What of it?"

"Do you have any idea what it felt like to see you fighting with another woman?"

Under any other circumstance, Spike would've found that at least a bit funny. Getting angry over your fiancé fighting with another woman… He was pretty sure only Buffy would be capable of such a thing. But the humor was lost on him as he watched her preparing to throw him out of their home. "That's my job, remember?"

Buffy spun around, her eyes flashing with anger. "She wasn't just another Slayer, Spike. And this was not a scheduled training session."

"You're being ridiculous. You're out of sorts and not thinking clearly."

"Don't try to pin this all on my hormones," Buffy snapped. "You were the one sparring with her."

"Bloody hell, woman! I was training her, the same way I would any of the junior slayers."

"I know how you can get when you spar, Spike," Buffy said, her eyes narrowing.

"No, you know how I get when I spar with you. It's being with you like that that gets me hot, Buffy. The way you move…how passionate you are…"

"She looked like she had quite a few moves herself," Buffy snapped in response.

Spike walked over to the bag she'd been packing, zipped it up, and grabbed it from the bed. "You know, if this is how little you trust me, maybe you're right about me needing to leave."

"Good. I don't want you here."

Spike turned around and walked out.

*** *** ***

Yep. I'm a mean, evil person leaving it there. But please, put away the voodoo dolls… *wink*

Thanks to everyone who's been reading this fic, and keep that feedback coming!

Trivia question for the day: Does anyone know what specifically Emma is referencing at the beginning of the second scene?

If you'd like to see a banner for this fic (including a picture of Emma) go here: http://www.dark-desire.org/blood/images/graphics/wtdb.jpg

"Geez, Spike, you look horrible. And you have…luggage?"

Spike stood in the hallway outside Dawn's apartment, his shoulders drooping. "Your sister asked me to leave."

"Oh my god! Spike, I…wow."

"I know there are guest apartments where I could stay, and I really shouldn't be asking you this but…"

"You don't want to be alone and want to know if you can crash here?" Dawn guessed.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Of course!" Dawn stepped back. "Come in. Are you hungry? Emma and I were just eating pizza."

Spike paused when he saw Emma sitting on Dawn's living room floor. "I didn't know you were here," he said.

"Dawn and I were having dinner," Emma replied. "But I could leave if…"

"No, don't do that," Spike said. "You're eating and all..."

"Okay." Emma's eyes widened as she noticed he was carrying a large bag. "Did Buffy kick you out?"

"Yeah," he replied simply.

"Spike, I'm so sorry," Emma said quickly. "This is all my fault."

"No, pet, it isn't," Spike assured her.

Dawn stepped up to Spike's side. "Wait, why is this all Emma's fault?" she asked.

"It isn't," Spike replied quickly.

"Yes, it is," Emma insisted.

"Okay, why does Emma think it's all her fault?" Dawn amended.

"Because Buffy's gotten it into her head that she needs to be jealous where Emma's concerned," Spike replied with a heavy sigh. "She thinks…well, honestly I don't know what the hell she thinks right now, but it's not good. Or anywhere in the neighborhood or accurate."

"It'll be okay," Dawn said softly, resting her hand against Spike's arm. "Buffy loves you. She'll cool down and want you to come back. It's probably just the baby making her nuts anyway. I mean, Buffy's crazy enough without extra wacky-making hormones."

Spike was startled. "You know she's pregnant?"

"Saw the box for the test in the garbage right before we left Rome. Besides, you two suddenly insisting I have my own place when you're living in a three bedroom apartment? Please, it's so obvious you're making room for baby…"

"Weren't really trying to keep it from you, bit," Spike said. "Buffy just wanted to get more settled in here before she made the announcement."

"I figured. But anyway, come in. Have some pizza."

"Yeah, all right. And get me one of those beers you have in the back of the fridge, will you, nibblet?"

"I don't…" Dawn stopped, her arms crossed in front of her chest defiantly. "I'm old enough to drink in this country, you know."

"Yeah, and I'm not getting on your case about it. Just need a drink is all." Spike walked past Dawn, dropping his bag on the couch before sitting on the floor with Emma. Dawn rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen.

Spike watched for a moment as Emma picked at the toppings on her pizza. "This really isn't your fault, you know," he said softly.

"You don't have to be nice to me," Emma replied. "Your fiancée kicked you out. It's okay to hate me."

"Emma, you haven't done anything wrong."

"I'm sure I have somewhere. Hell, my own mother hated me because of the way my step-father looked at me." She paused to glance up at him before adding quickly, "Not that you look at me any way, just…" Emma sighed, looking down at the pizza again. "I know I'm pretty. Not being vain about it, I just know. Women get upset if I'm around their men. I should've just stayed away from you, and then Buffy wouldn't have had a reason to get jealous."

"Em, Buffy doesn't need a reason to get cranky," Dawn said as she walked into the living room, sitting next to Spike and handing him his beer. "Reason's got nothing to do with it. She'll come around. If anything, she'll start missing the wild, kinky sex."

"Dawn!" Spike exclaimed, after fighting to keep from spitting his beer all over the carpet.

"What?" Dawn replied. "I heard the two of you in Rome. All sorts of noises coming from that bedroom at all hours. It was like someone left the Playboy channel on in there." Dawn giggled, gesturing towards Spike. "He's so adorable when he gets embarrassed. He turns all pink."

"You're evil," Spike said. "You do know that, right?"

Dawn leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I learned from the best, Big Bad."

"So Buffy won't stay mad?" Emma asked.

"Nope. She'll be taking him back in no time," Dawn replied. "Besides, it's really not you. Probably just her Faith complex acting up again."

"Her what?" Emma asked.

"Her fear of another Slayer trying to move in and take over her life—again." Dawn explained.

"Oh," Emma said. "So you mean Faith as in Faith Lehane?"

Dawn nodded. "Yep. She and Buffy don't have the best past together."

"That reminds me," Spike said, standing up. "I need to call her."

"Faith?" Dawn asked. "Why do you need to call her?"

"Need to see if I can get her to take over patrol duties for me tonight. I could probably use a fight, but I'm not too up for Slayer-sitting."

"Phone's on my bed," Dawn told him.

"Thanks, nib." Spike went into the bedroom, leaving the girls alone again.

"You weren't just saying they'll be okay for Spike's sake, were you?" Emma asked.

"Nope," Dawn replied, opening the pizza box between them and pulling out a slice. "Buffy and Spike, they've got the big Love. Meant to be and all that." She bit into the pizza.

Emma relaxed a little, hoping what Dawn was saying was true. She hadn't known Spike very long, but she liked him. She'd hate it if she caused a permanent rift between him and woman he loved—especially when that woman was carrying his child. The last thing Emma needed in her life was more guilt.

"Hey, would you be terribly offended if I went in there and talked to him alone for a few minutes?" Dawn asked. "I don't plan on badmouthing you or anything like that, it's just…"

"No, it's fine," Emma replied. "You guys can't talk freely about this with me here. I get that. I'll just go over there and turn on the TV."

Dawn smiled. "Thanks." She hopped up, going into the bedroom and closing the door behind her. She plopped down on the bed, and when Spike hung up from his conversation with Faith, she said, "Okay, what's up?"

"With Buffy?" Spike asked.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Well, yeah. 'Cause you and Buffy have been back together barely over a month and she's already kicking you out?"

Spike sighed, sitting beside Dawn. "I told you, she's jealous of Emma, which makes all of no sense."

"Sure it does," Dawn said with a shrug. "Buffy's got a jealous streak a mile wide."

"Not with me she doesn't," Spike muttered.

"Oh, please. You should've heard her that time she came down to the basement and found Faith on your bed. She ranted forever about that."

Spike looked at her, startled. "Really?"

"Yeah, really. So seeing another woman—another Slayer—with you? Not saying she's right, 'cause the idea of you cheating on Buffy is just so ridiculous it's laughable, but, well, recipe for jealousy there."

"Yeah, I guess. Although anything I feel towards Emma is very far from what Buffy's thinking." Spike lowered his voice, aware that Emma was still in the apartment, albeit on the other side of a closed door. "I feel sorry for her. I saw her in that room, with that roommate she had, and I don't know... She looked…trapped. And something in her eyes… She tries to hide it, but I know that look. She's…"

"Haunted," Dawn said.

"Yeah. You've caught it, too?"

Dawn nodded. "She seems really sad."

Spike sighed. "I wasn't trying to hurt Buffy. And I tried to reassure her. I thought we'd resolved it last night. I told her there was nothing going on between Emma and me, and she seemed like she accepted that, but then today… Buffy has to know she's the center of my world. Bloody hell, I died for the woman. But I can't…" Spike turned away from Dawn's eyes. "I don't know what I'd do if she went back to treatin' me like she used to. Never trusting me, makin' demands that everything be her way all the time. We were supposed to be past that. I can only do so much. I want to make her happy, but when she's back to flyin' off the handle with me and never wantin' to talk about anything…"

Dawn rested her hand against Spike's leg. "She won't get like that again. She loves you. You're going to get married and have a baby together. She'll get over all this with Emma soon enough."

"God, I hope so. Fighting with Buffy like this—it's just too much for me to handle right now. Bloody nerve-wracking." Spike took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Didn't want to hurt Buffy. Emma was real down, talking like she could never be much of a Slayer. So I told her I'd train her a little, tryin' to get her spirits up. If I'd know Buffy was going to get this upset about it… But that, with Emma, that wasn't about Buffy. It was about tryin' to show someone that she's worth something. I know how Emma feels, all out of place. Like she doesn't belong. I can't just sit idly by and watch someone go through that."

"Did you explain that to Buffy?" Dawn asked.

"She never gave me the chance," Spike said, shaking his head. "I was too mad to try to have a rational conversation with her after she flipped on Emma, and then when I came home, she was packing me a bag."

"Give her time. She'll come around, listen to your side of things," Dawn said.

Spike arched an eyebrow. "Have you met Buffy?" He held his arm out to the side. "'Bout yay high, blonde hair, hits like a Mack truck?"

Dawn smirked. "Yeah, I know. But she isn't going to let herself lose you, Spike. Not again."

"I need her, bit. Love her so much…"

"I know. And she needs you, too. Just wait for her to calm down some, and you two can talk."

"I figure things would probably be okay if I agreed to stay away from Emma, and I will if it's the only option, but I do like the girl. She's been nice to talk to. Most of the mini-Slayers stare at me like I'm a bleedin' curiosity. Nice to have one of them around that doesn't."

"They talk about you," Dawn told him. "Call you Mr. Hottie."

"I've heard," Spike replied, sounding less-than-thrilled. "It's usually punctuated by high-pitched giggles."

Dawn patted his arm. "Cheer up. Buffy will come around. Maybe she could talk to Emma, see that there's no threat there. Might make her relax about everything."

"Except every time she's in a room with Emma, she goes off on the poor girl. If that's how it's going to go, then it's probably best to leave them separated. I love Buffy, but watching her treat someone like that… Been on the receiving end too many times."

"Well, you're welcome to stay here as long as you want. My couch is quite comfy. But something tells me Buffy will be wanting to work things out soon. She'll miss you. Probably does already if she's through being all pouty."

"Hope so, bit."

Dawn stood. "You wanna go watch a movie? Take your mind off things for a while?"

"As long as it's not some Hollywood drivel starring Heartthrob-of-the-Month."

"This coming from the man who watched Passions and Dawson's Creek." At Spike's glare, Dawn chuckled. "Fine. Movie choice for the night goes to you."

*** *** ***

Buffy couldn't sleep. She'd gone to bed early, hoping with a little extra rest, she could feel more like herself. But all she could do was lay awake, her eyes refusing to stay closed. The bed was too big, too cold, for her to get comfortable.

Buffy sighed, facing up to the truth. She needed Spike.

She sat up, placing her hand against her belly. "Okay, sprout. Time for Mommy to go get your daddy back."

Buffy dressed and made her way out of the apartment. She knew without a doubt where Spike was. He easily could have gone to any one of the empty apartments on this floor, but she didn't think for a second that he had. That would be too much like moving out. No, he'd go some place where he wouldn't question his welcome, but at the same time, he'd know everything was just temporary.

Which led her directly to her sister's door.

"You do realize you're a total bitch, don't you," Dawn said as soon as she opened the door, scowling at Buffy.

Buffy nodded. "Coming to that conclusion myself."

Dawn stepped out into the hallway with Buffy, shutting the door behind her. "Spike's here, but I don't want you wigging, because so is Emma."

Buffy didn't want to wig either. And rationally, she knew there wasn't a reason to. She knew that Dawn and Emma had been hanging out, and if Emma was there, it was most likely because of Dawn, not Spike. But something about thinking about Spike and that other Slayer made "rational" go right out the window. After all, shouldn't Emma be Spike's type? She looked like she should be…

"Okay, before you start with the 'Slayer smash,' listen to me," Dawn said. "Emma was here when Spike got here. When she found out you had Spike leave because he'd been spending time with her, she was really, really upset. Worried that you wouldn't take him back. Not exactly the behavior of a homewrecker waiting to make her move."

"Maybe she was acting."

"Buffy, I've been hanging out with her for two days now, and not once has she pumped me for information about Spike. She knows I know him. If she was interested in him, she'd be asking about him. She hasn't been." Dawn paused to meet her sister's eyes. "I've been watching them all night. He acts the same way with her that he does with me."

Buffy sighed, slumping a little. "Ugh. I don't know what's gotten into me, turning me into mega-bitch Buffy. Looking back on it, throwing him out was definitely a little extreme."

"Just blame it on all the crazy pregnancy hormones," Dawn said with a shrug. "It's like a nine-month get out of jail free card."

Buffy's eyes widened. "You know? Did Spike tell you?"

"I figured it out on my own, Buffy. I'm not a total doof." Dawn stepped forward and hugged her sister. "Congratulations. Now go say you're sorry."

"Can I just claim pregnancy amnesia?" Buffy asked as she pulled away.

"Does that exist?" Dawn asked.

"I have no idea. But I bet he doesn't either. Or demonic possession. I'll tell him I was possessed by a psychotic jealousy demon."

Dawn arched her eyebrow, her hands firmly planted on her hips. "Or you could go in there and apologize to both of them."

"Yeah, I guess that would be the best thing to do. Although jealousy demon…"

"Buffy…"

"Yeah, yeah I'm going," Buffy grumbled, walking into the apartment with Dawn following close behind.

Emma and Spike were watching television in the living room, Spike on the couch and Emma stretched out on the floor, her chin resting in her hands. They both jumped up when they saw Buffy, and Emma immediately began to speak. "We weren't…we just…I swear, it's nothing. Don't be mad at him, 'cause…"

"I know," Buffy said, stopping the other Slayer's nervous rambling. "I've been acting like a real crazy person these past couple of days, and I'm sorry. Emma, you must think I'm the biggest bitch in the world."

Emma shrugged, Buffy's apology causing her to relax. "Not really. You saw a threat and you wanted to protect your own. I get that."

Buffy gave her a small smile. "Thanks for being so understanding," she said. "I probably don't really deserve it, the way I treated you. And I was wrong there. Very, very wrong."

"Excuse me a minute," Spike said. "I have to go call Hell and ask them if the need some skis."

Buffy gave him a dirty look. "Ha ha."

Spike moved closer to her. "You throwin' me out, like that—just decidin' the way things were gonna be without talking to me first, the way you used to? That really hurt, Buffy," he said softly, the joking tone gone form his voice.

"I know. And I'm so sorry, Spike. If you're not ready to come home, I'll…"

Before she could finish, Spike pulled her to him, silencing her with a kiss. "Don't wanna fight with you, kitten. Want things to be okay with us."

Buffy sighed happily, feeling the tension draining from her now that she was back where she belonged. "So you'll come back home then? I can't sleep without you…"

"All you had to do was ask."

"See. I told you you didn't have to try to blame it on a jealousy demon," Dawn said, approaching the blond couple.

Buffy glared at her sister. "Shut up, you."

Suddenly, there was a loud crash and a flash of bright light, and the four occupants of the room were gone.

*** *** ***

Yep, there I go with one of those cliffhangers again. Betcha didn't see that one coming, did ya? Please keep the death threats down to a minimum.

The reviews from the last chapter were such a treat to read. I never expected so many people to get that involved as to take sides! I loved seeing people explaining why they were siding with Spike or Buffy. It was also extremely helpful in writing this chapter, since when I originally thought I had finished it, it came up a little short, and I was trying to figure out what was missing. But after reading the reviews, and seeing how people were interpreting certain things, I realized exactly what I needed to add. So see, reviews are important!

Also, if anyone is interested, I have a fic currently in progress entitled "After Death" that is a companion piece to "Daylight," told from Angel's point of view. If you're interested, it can be found here: http://adultfan.nexcess.net/aff/story.php?no=544193968

Dawn pulled herself up groggily, looking around her. The sky was pitch black with swirling clouds of red energy, the ground beneath her feet dark sand. Wind whipped around her and she hugged herself tightly. "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," she muttered.

"I don't think we're on Earth anymore," Emma replied, getting to her feet beside Dawn. "What is this place?"

"Looks like a demon dimension," Spike said from behind them. He gasped when he saw Buffy lying on the ground and ran to her, kneeling beside her prone body. "Buffy? Talk to me, sweetling, please…"

Buffy groaned, trying to pull herself up. "Baby doesn't like interdimensional travel. Oh, god…" She got up on her hands and knees, turning away from Spike as the contents of her stomach made their way back up. Spike moved quickly, taking hold of her hair and keeping it out of the way.

When her stomach had stopped convulsing, Buffy rose shakily to her feet, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Spike put his arm around her, helping her stand. "Sorry," Buffy said. "That was really gross, I know."

Emma reached into her pocket and pulled out a stick of gum. "Here."

"Thanks," Buffy said, taking the gum with a small, grateful smile before unwrapping it and popping it in her mouth.

"So how exactly did we get from Dawn's apartment to here?" Emma asked. "That shouldn't even be possible…"

"Says the one person here who never lived on a Hellmouth," Dawn commented.

"Something must've brought us here," Spike said. "Question is what."

"I did."

The four of them turned towards the unfamiliar voice to see a man standing a few feet away. He was covered in robes, his face shadowed by a hood. Spike stepped forward, his eyes narrowed. "Care to tell me why you did that?"

"I require the services of the Slayer," the robe figure replied.

"Yeah, well, the Slayer ain't rental property," Spike said. "Send us back."

"I'm afraid I cannot. Were I to do so, it would put everyone at a very great risk."

Spike started to respond, but he stopped when he felt Buffy's hand on his arm. It was obvious she was still feeling the effects on the trip, and it made him want to hurt the man in the robe for doing this to her. But the look on her face at the moment was telling him to let her be in charge, and he took a step back.

"I'm the Slayer," Buffy said. "Who are you?"

"I am Aiden, Guardian of the Sacred Amulet of Theringal."

Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Okay…. So what exactly do you need from me Mr. Amulet-Guardian Guy, 'cause I have to tell you, you didn't exactly catch me at the most convenient time."

"And for that, I am sorry. I had wished for there to be another way; however, I was forced to act with haste. It is not safe for us to speak here. The storms will roll in soon. Please, accompany me to shelter, and I shall explain everything."

"Why should we trust you?" Spike asked. "You've already brought us into a demon dimension against our will."

"For that, I do apologize, but I did what I had to do in order to prevent what is coming," Aiden replied.

Buffy pulled on Spike's arm, getting him to turn towards her. "I think we should go with him," she said softly enough so only Spike could hear.

"It's not safe. With your condition and those girls with us…"

"I know." Even with the circumstances surrounding them at the moment, it clicked in Buffy's head that Spike had just linked Emma and Dawn together, and she didn't miss the implication there. "But we don't have a lot of choice. We can't stay out here, and there's not really a wide variety of places to go. We're going to have to take out chances with him."

"And what if we're walking into a trap?"

"Then we'll fight out way out, just like we always do."

Spike knew Buffy was right. He didn't like it, but what choice did they really have? The sky looked beyond ominous, and he really didn't want to be around to find out what the storms there were like. "Right then. So we follow the escapee from a bad 80's music video."

Buffy gave him a look. "Yeah." She cleared her throat, turning back towards Aiden. "All right. We'll go with you. But try anything to hurt me or any of these people with me, and I will kill you."

"I would expect no less," he replied before turning his back to them. "Follow me."

The small group exchanged glances before they started to walk after him. Aiden had gone only a few paces before he stopped, waving his hand over the ground in front of him. A patch of sand swirled for a moment before disappearing, revealing a long staircase going down into the ground. "The entrance to the Temple of Theringal is guarded. That is why I could not bring you directly there." He stepped down on to the stairs, leaving the others to follow.

The stairway was dimly lit, and Buffy held on to Spike as they made their way down, trusting his eyesight more than her own. She was still feeling woozy from the trip there, and the last thing she needed was to take a tumble down the stairs.

Spike was aware of Buffy's small hand on him, and he stepped slowly, letting her use him as a guide. He knew the other two were behind them, but they were keeping a few steps back, giving Buffy some room, and he was grateful for that. Buffy was having a hard enough time just being pregnant without this, too. She needed to be home where she could rest.

When they got to the end of the stairs, they were in a long corridor, lit by torches on the wall. Aiden continued to lead them, his pace quick. Buffy started to walk, but felt a wave of dizziness hit her after only a few steps. Without a word, Spike picked her up, cradling her against him as they went. Part of her wanted to rebel against being carried like a child, but it felt too nice pressed against his warm body to complain.

The corridor eventually ended in a large cavern that Buffy assumed was the temple Aiden had referred to. It was decorated with white marble columns and statues, a raised marble dais in the center.

"Pretty fancy place for a hole in the ground," Spike whispered to Buffy before kissing her forehead and putting her back on her feet.

Aiden stopped and turned around, pushing off his hood. Buffy's eyes widened at the sight of his chiseled features, long, thick black hair, and dark blue eyes. He was certainly better looking than she had expected, and when she looked back to see the two girls gaping, she guessed the same could be said for them.

"This is the Temple of Theringal," Aiden said. "It has been my home for over a millennium as I have guarded the sacred amulet."

"Not another bloody amulet," Spike muttered, earning him an elbow in the ribs from Buffy.

"I was able to fulfill my duties as Guardian until recently, when the temple was attacked by the armies of Chalchicomehuel," Aiden continued. "How they were able to breech the temple's defenses, I am still unsure of, but with their surprise attack, they were able to overpower me and seize the amulet."

"And I'm going to guess that that's not the sort of thing that leads to hugs and puppies," Buffy said.

"The amulet is an object of great power," Aiden said. "Whether that power comes from darkness or light depends on the wearer."

"And let me guess, 'cause I think I know this one," Buffy said. "It's fallen into the hands of great evil, hell-bent on making the world go ka-boom?"

"In a manner of speaking," Aiden replied. "Chalchicomehuel plans to utilize the power of the amulet to allow his armies to invade your world, claiming it as his own. From there, he plans to mount an offensive against the Higher Realms themselves."

"The amulet is that powerful?" Buffy asked.

"It can be," Aiden replied. "Although from the information I have been able to gather, I believe that Chalchicomehuel plans to augment it with something called 'the Key.'"

Dawn's gasp was audible in the large chamber, but Buffy spoke quickly. "Do you have any idea where this Key is?"

"No, only that Chalchicomehuel plans to use it. I am not even sure if it is in his possession yet."

"Do…do you know how he plans to use it?" Dawn asked, taking a couple of steps forward.

"To my knowledge, the Key coupled with the amulet would allow him to punch a hole through the fabric of reality large enough to allow his armies to travel first to your world and then on into the Higher Realms."

"So what do you want to do about the Key?" Dawn asked.

"If it has not fallen into Chalchicomehuel's hands, I wish to locate it."

"And then what?" Dawn's voice fell. "Would you destroy it?"

"No. To attempt to destroy something that powerful would only be foolish. The Key must be guarded, kept safely away from Chalchicomehuel."

Dawn breathed a sigh of relief at that. He didn't want to kill her. Unless, of course, he knew already that she was the Key and he was only trying to lull her into a false sense of security. She moved closer to Spike.

"So why did you bring us here exactly?" Buffy asked. "I mean, I'm guessing it has something to do with this Chachi guy, but I like to have specifics."

"For two reasons," Aiden replied. "Although to be honest, I only meant to bring the Slayer. It is difficult to be exact with interdimensional travel."

"That's nice," Buffy said, her expression belying her impatience. "Reasons?"

"Well, I have heard that you battled the vile hellspawn Glorificus in your own dimension, and in the stories of this battle, the Key is mentioned. I thought you may be of some help where it is concerned."

"The Key is safe. I'm not telling you any more than that," Buffy said tersely. "Second reason? 'Cause you said you had two."

"I require the assistance of a great warrior, a Champion. Your deeds are legendary. It is not often that a vampire Slayer survives long enough for her name to even be known, but yours—it is not only known but spoken with reverence by those on our side and with fear by those who are not."

Buffy couldn't help but puff up a little at that. "Really?"

"Yes. I am honored to be in your presence."

Buffy tugged on Spike's arm. "You hear that, honey? Being in my presence is an honor."

"I could've told you that, luv," Spike replied with a wink.

Buffy turned back to Aiden. "So, this evil guy with a name I'm not even gonna try to say is going to bring about yet another apocalypse, and you need me to help you kick his ass? Is that the deal?"

"Yes," Aiden replied. "I was going to ask your assistance in locating the Key, but you can assure me it is safe and out of Chalchicomehuel's hands?"

"It is," Buffy said.

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to tell me where it is."

"Can't," Buffy replied. "I don't trust you enough for that."

"I understand. You have just met me, and the Key is something that requires much safekeeping. It would be unwise to reveal its location to a stranger. Though as far as trusting me is concerned, I can tell you that I am incapable of saying anything that is not truth."

"I knew a bloke like that once," Spike said. "Went by the name of Drogyn. Didn't care much for questions."

"He is my cousin. And yes, he has always resented that aspect of our job. He was unaware of that stipulation when he accepted his guardianship and, well, there have been…incidents."

Spike's expression clouded over. "You haven't heard have you?"

"Heard what?"

"Drogyn died. Couple months back."

Aiden paled. "I didn't… News is slow to reach here. How?"

Spike debated how much to tell Aiden. He didn't necessarily feel the need to protect Angel, but he wasn't sure this was quite the time or place for a detailed account. "Got caught up in some mess with the Circle of the Black Thorn. They killed him." Spike let out a deep breath. "I tried to protect him, but I guess it wasn't enough."

"If you tried at all to protect my cousin from an enemy such as the Circle, then you have my respect and gratitude. And while the news you have brought of Drogyn's passing saddens me greatly, I haven't the time to mourn properly now. There is much at stake and very little time to act."

"So what's the plan then?" Buffy asked. "'Cause if there's an apocalypse, I'd just as soon get it over with so I can go home."

"We need to retrieve the amulet, though we cannot travel with the storm raging. It is three days' journey to Chalchicomehuel's stronghold, and from there we will need to enter and locate where he is keeping the amulet. The window of time he has to execute his plan is small, and if we can recover the amulet and prevent him from gaining access to the Key, then he should not be successful."

"How come I'm doubting it's gonna be as easy as you just made it sound?" Spike asked.

"I'm sorry if I made it sound easy," Aiden replied. "It shall not be. While most of Chalchicomehuel's forces are stationed beyond his stronghold, it will still be heavily guarded. We will have to fight our way in. As I stated earlier, I meant only to bring the Slayer. If any of the rest of you are unprepared for combat, then it will be best if you stay behind."

"Would they be protected here?" Buffy asked.

"In the past, I would have said yes, but I can no longer offer such a guarantee," Aiden replied. "Not after Chalchicomehuel has already breeched the temple once."

Buffy felt torn. On the one hand, if this guy was after the Key, she should keep Dawn far away from him. But on the other hand, it wouldn't be any safer to leave Dawn somewhere where she couldn't protect her. "They stay with me," Buffy said. She gestured to each person as she spoke their name. "Spike is a Champion in his own right. Dawn has proven herself in battle already. And Emma, she's a Slayer—like me."

Aiden blinked. "I was under the impression that there could be only one Slayer at any given time."

"You weren't kidding when you said news traveled slow around here," Buffy said. "That rule sorta got tossed. Not that certain people felt like abiding by it in the first place, but hey…"

"So I have the help of two Slayers then?" Aiden asked.

"I don't have anywhere near Buffy's experience," Emma said. "I'm new to the whole Slayer thing. But I'll…do what I can."

Aiden looked at her, his dark blue eyes locking with her large brown ones. "I have no doubt that you will live up to the title that has been bestowed upon you."

Emma swallowed, his intense gaze seeming to pull her in. "Thanks."

"You said we can't travel until the storm passes," Spike said, pulling Aiden's attention back to him and Buffy. "Is that going to be a while?"

"Several hours, I'm sure," Aiden replied. "These storms are rather unpredictable, and when they show up, they don't leave quickly. My advice would be for all of you to rest. There are rooms, behind the temple, where you can sleep."

Buffy found herself trusting Aiden more than she normally would a virtual stranger. Not that he had her trust completely, but she wasn't sensing anything particularly off about him, and Spike seemed to be warming up to him since they'd had the brief conversation regarding Drogyn. "Okay. But don't try to split us up completely," Buffy said

"I have two rooms, across the hall from each other. One with two beds for the young women and another for you and…Spike, was it? Unless I am wrong in my assumption that he is your companion."

"You're not wrong there," Buffy said, lacing her fingers with Spike's. "And that will be fine."

"Follow me then," Aiden said, leading them out of the main room of the temple.

*** *** ***

Yes, it's taken a sudden turn. But I did mention an apocalypse in the summary… Hope you're all still interested in reading. Leave a review and let me know!

Aiden showed Buffy and Spike to their room first before bringing Dawn and Emma across the hall to theirs. It was decorated similarly to the temple itself, with a heavy use of white marble. Two beds were on the far side of the room. "Will the accommodations suit you?"

"Yeah. It's a really nice room," Emma said. She turned, finding herself only inches away from Aiden, and her face flamed. "Really nice."

Aiden gave her what could have been the beginnings of a smile. "I am glad. If you need anything tonight, my sleeping chamber is but two rooms down."

"Okay," Emma said, unable to form the words to say anything else.

Aiden nodded. "Sleep well." He left the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Oh my god, that man is seriously gorgeous," Dawn said after a moment. "And you know he's got some serious muscles under that bulky robe."

"Kinda makes you want to rip it off and lick 'em."

"Emma!" Dawn exclaimed, though she couldn't suppress a girlish giggle.

"What? The man is hot. Did you see his eyes? They're just…wow." Emma shook her head. "Did he really say he's been guarding the amulet for like a thousand years?"

"Over, I think," Dawn replied.

"Damn. He looks good for his age."

"He looks good for any age."

Emma cleared her throat. "So yeah, way hunky but way old guys aside, this apocalypse thing—pretty normal occurrence around the Summers household?"

"Oh yeah," Dawn replied. "Back in Sunnydale they used to happen every year around May. It was like, well, it's almost summer—must be time for an apocalypse."

"Really? That many?" Emma asked. "'Cause I was sorta under the impression that the apocalypse only started up once."

"One would think," Dawn replied. "Although I'd thought we'd gotten it out of the way for the year with the big battle Buffy and Spike fought in L.A." Dawn frowned. "Although, come to think of it, it seemed like Angel always got a big Maypocalypse, too, so maybe that was his and this one's ours."

"It's July," Emma pointed out.

"So it's a little late." Dawn went over to one of the beds, sitting down on the edge. Emma followed, sitting beside her.

"You look worried," Emma said.

"Well, yeah, we were just told someone's trying to end the world. Old hat or not, it's really not something I like to hear," Dawn replied.

"I know, but…" Emma looked at her for a moment. "You seemed to get extra wigged when Aiden started talking about that Key thing. And Buffy knows about it, so I guess it's something you've run into before. Is it something really bad?"

"Yes and no," Dawn replied. "It's…complicated. I can't really go into details right now, but the last time the Key was an issue, I almost died. So hearing that someone's trying to use the Key makes me a little jumpy. Glory was after it before, and she was relentless about it. And then there were these knights, and…" Dawn's eyes widened. "Oh god, what if the Knights of Byzantium come back?"

"The what of what? Emma asked, looking confused.

"They were knights who wanted to destroy the Key. They attacked us when Buffy wouldn't give it to them. It was bad," Dawn explained.

"Didn't Aiden say the Key couldn't be destroyed?

"I think so," Dawn replied. "But I don't really know… Something bad could still be done to it."

Emma frowned. "Done to it? Is the Key something that can be hurt?"

"I…I can't really talk about this," Dawn said. "It's not that I don't trust you, it's just with this situation, and…"

"You've only known me for two days, Dawn," Emma said. "You don't have to apologize for not telling me big secrets. If I were in your position, I wouldn't trust me either."

"Thanks, Em."

"We should probably both just get some rest," Emma said, standing up. "I'm tired, and I'm sure you are, too."

"And something tells me tomorrow is not going to be a stroll through the park," Dawn remarked.

"Guess it's time for me to prove I've got what it takes to be a Slayer," Emma muttered.

"Hey. You'll do fine," Dawn said.

"Or I'll be dead and then it wouldn't really matter anymore."

"Emma, don't…"

"It's okay, Dawn," Emma said, cutting her off. "I'm okay. Just tired. And a little shaken up from the whole being pulled into a demon dimension thing."

"Yeah, me, too," Dawn replied. "We should get some sleep." She gave Emma a mischievous grin. "Or you could take Aiden up on his almost-subtle offer and go down to see him."

Emma blanched. "What are you talking about?"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Please. He said if you 'needed anything' to come down to his room. That's like universal code for 'if you want sex, come down to my room."

"He was just trying to be hospitable."

"While standing two inches away from you and giving you smoldering eyes? I don't think so."

"Okay, you can just have your crazy theories," Emma said. "I'm going to bed.

Dawn smirked. "Whatever you want to do, but you're passing up the chance to get it on with a major hottie."

"Sleeping. Now," Emma said, hurrying over to the bed.

Dawn kicked off her shoes and got under the covers of the bed. "Have sweet dreams of tall, gorgeous men with lickable muscles."

Dawn laughed as the only response she got was in the form of a thrown pillow landing over her face.

*** *** ***

Spike sat next to Buffy on the large bed in the room they'd been given for the night. "Feeling any better, kitten?" he asked softly.

"A little," Buffy replied. "My stomach's not as flippy. But I am really not looking forward to another apocalypse. We have how many active slayers now, and I'm still go-to girl for when someone wants the world not to end."

"It's 'cause you're too good at what you do," Spike said. "You need to throw a couple, let the world come to an end two or three times. They'll leave you alone after that."

Buffy nudged him gently. "Very funny."

Spike gave her a small smile before leaning in to kiss her. The kiss started out soft, but soon grew in passion until Spike had guided her down on to the bed his body pressing on top of hers. He finally broke away, panting for air. "Sorry, pet. Got a little carried away," he said, starting to get up.

Buffy wrapped her arms and legs around him, bringing him back down against her. "Stay. Want you."

"You don't feel well," Spike said. "You need your rest."

"Need you," Buffy replied. "I don't know what's going to happen when we leave here. Need to feel you now."

Spike kissed her again, knowing what she was feeling because he was feeling it, too. They undressed each other quickly, almost frantically, as the gravity of what they could be facing fueled their need. He slipped his hand between them, dipping his fingers inside of her and finding her ready for him already. He entered her quickly, knowing that she needed the closeness, the connection, as much as anything else.

"Spike," Buffy gasped, holding him tightly. "I love you. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Buffy," Spike replied, dropping his head to kiss her along the neck and shoulder. "Love you so much. Only you. Never…never want anyone but you."

"I know," Buffy said, her hands moving from his back to his hair and down again. "I know."

Neither of them spoke again as they made love, letting their bodies say the words instead. Buffy cried out as Spike moved his hips and found the spot inside of her that only he had ever touched. The tension inside of her spiraled higher and higher, and Spike moved faster, his hips meeting hers with a near-bruising force. Her body trembled lightly, and he turned his head, locking his eyes with hers.

Buffy's orgasm tore through her just as she felt the first bursts of him inside of her, and she knew they'd reached the peak together. Their eyes never moved away from each other as they rode out the tremors, pleasure engulfing them both.

Buffy cradled Spike against her for long, silent moments, still needing to feel him near her, even when the aftershocks had passed.

Spike stirred, kissing her neck. "Love you so much," he murmured against her skin.

"I love you, too."

As the chill in the air began to hit their cooling bodies, they moved, getting under the covers. Buffy rested against Spike's chest, a smile playing on her lips despite the circumstances they found themselves in. She knew if he was with her, they'd be all right. Dawn, their baby—they'd be safe. Spike was her strength, the one person she could count on, even when she had nothing else left.

"You know I'd never cheat on you, don't you Buffy?" Spike asked, breaking the silence in the room.

"I know," Buffy assured him.

"When I was sparring with her, I wasn't…"

Buffy propped herself on her elbow and pressed her finger to his lips. "I know, baby. I trust you. I really do. I just…seeing you with anything Slayer-like that…" She took a deep breath. "They're my issues. Don't worry about them."

Spike took hold of her hand and kissed it softly. "They're not just your issues, Buffy. Something affects you, then it affects me, too. This is a partnership we have here. No reason for you to hold anything in or try to fight it on your own. You just gotta let me in, pet. Gotta let me talk to you, know what's going on in that head of yours."

Buffy felt her eyes tear up as she rested back on his chest. "I know. I've just…never had that before. Never really had a partner. Not Riley and certainly not Angel. With both of them, there were always so many secrets, so much hidden. And they never really cared about what I felt, what I wanted. I think most of the time they didn't even care about me. It was never about who I am. It was always about who they wanted me to be. So having a man who loves me exactly the way I am and wants to be at my side instead of always trying to push me behind him? Kind of a new Buffy experience."

Spike pulled her closer to him. "Just as long as you know you're it for me, pet. I can give you time to get used to the fact that I'm the one who isn't going to leave."

"Not even if I tell you to and then punch you in the nose a lot," Buffy added.

Spike chuckled. "That's because you're bloody sexy when you throw a punch."

"You're such a perv," Buffy said, her eyes rolling.

"You know, you're always saying that, but then you’re my partner in perversion."

"That's because your perviness has rubbed off on me," Buffy replied.

"Probably because I rub against you so much." Spike said, running his hand down her hip.

"Behave," Buffy chastised, though she couldn't help the small giggle that escaped. It was times like this that she had to wonder why she had ever kept herself so closed to Spike. Even in light of what they faced once the storm passed, she felt at peace now, just being with him like this. She wondered how many trials in her life would've seemed easier if she'd let his love make her stronger.

But at the same time, she knew they may not have ended up where they were now if they'd taken a different route. They'd both made mistakes where their relationship was concerned, but they'd emerged with a love that was stronger than anything she'd known before. It was a love strengthened by time and trials. She pressed her hand against her stomach, knowing that soon they'd have tangible proof of that love, a baby to hold.

"We'll be all right, pet," Spike said, his hand moving up to rest in her hair. "We'll beat the baddies just like we always have in the past."

"I know," Buffy replied. "And I'm not letting anyone try to use the Key again. They're not laying a hand on her."

"No, they're not," Spike agreed. "I won't let someone hurt either of my girls."

Buffy warmed at the conviction in his voice. It meant so much to her that he was not only willing to fight for her, but for her sister as well. She pulled up slightly, running her hand along the side of his face. "You're a good man, William."

Spike pulled her up to him, crushing his mouth against her.

*** *** ***

Feedback is very important. I like to know what the readers are thinking about the story as I'm in the process of writing it so I can address anything confusing or general concerns on the readers' part. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've added something or clarified a part of a scene I already had written because of something left in a review. Your thoughts and opinions do matter to me, so please, leave a review!

Despite the fact that she was tired, Emma found herself having trouble sleeping. Dawn had fallen asleep almost immediately, and Emma figured she must've discovered some "how to sleep when the world may end tomorrow" technique that Emma wasn't aware of.

Emma's mind kept going between impending doom and Aiden. The whole mess of getting sucked into a hell dimension and being told the world might be ending would be wigsome enough without the hunky amulet-guardian thrown into the mix. Her thoughts drifted back to Dawn's insistence that Aiden had been hitting on her earlier, and she wondered if there was any truth to that. Normally, she had a pretty good idea of when a man was flirting and when he wasn't, but with Aiden she hadn't been paying the kind of attention she usually would. In the past, she'd never had any problem keeping her cool and being the one in the situation with the level head, but she'd never been around a man quite as gorgeous as Aiden. He looked at her and about all she could do was drool.

What if he had been making a pass at her? She could definitely use something to take her mind off of things, and Dawn had a point about her missing out on a big opportunity if she passed it up. Maybe if she just went down there and talked to him a bit, felt out the situation. If he had been hinting towards sex, then she was sure he'd make that clearer, and if not, she'd just leave. Simple as that.

Quietly, she climbed out of the bed, careful not to make any noise that would wake Dawn. She walked down the hall to Aiden's room, but stopped short when she got there. What would she say? What if he was already asleep and she was just going to bother him? She decided she'd been insane to go there in the first place and turned around, walking back towards her room.

"Emma?"

The sound of Aiden's voice made her stop short. She turned to see him standing in his now-open doorway. "Did I bother you?" she asked, pushing her hair away from her eyes. "I didn't mean to bother you…"

"No, you didn't," Aiden replied. "Though I am wondering why you came here only to stand by my door for a few minutes before leaving."

"I…I should go back to bed," Emma said.

"I know why you came. You were thinking about engaging in sexual intercourse with me, but then you became nervous, so you left."

Emma's eyes grew wide. "What? That's…that's insane is what that is. I don't know where you came up with that." She blushed.

"Your red-stained cheeks tell me all I need to know," Aiden said with a small grin. He walked out into the hall, approaching Emma. "You don't need to be coy. You're attracted to me, as I am to you. We have the time and could both use the release. Spend this evening with me, in my bed."

Emma just gaped, not knowing what to say in response. She wasn't exactly a novice when it came to sex, but she'd never known anyone to be quite so blunt. "I don't…I don't know if it's really such a good idea."

"I don't see why not." Aiden reached down and took her small hand in his much larger one. "It has been a long time since I've had a woman with me, Emma. My life is primarily a solitary one, and it is rare that I can find the pleasure of female companionship. It is not usually my way to ask a woman to allow me to take her so shortly after our meeting, but I've had my fill of cold, lonely nights. Tomorrow we begin our journey into battle. Let's make the most of tonight."

Emma swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. Aiden had a point. Besides, wasn't this why she'd come down here in the first place before she'd chickened out? And the man was absolutely beautiful… "Yeah, okay."

Aiden said nothing in response, only lifting her off of her feet and carrying her away.

*** *** ***

Spike woke as Buffy scrambled to get out of bed, running towards the room Aiden had indicated was the bathroom. He hated seeing Buffy like this, hated knowing she was suffering. The pregnancy had been rough enough for her when they'd been home and it seemed that being in this other dimension was only making it worse.

She came out a few minutes later, looking wan and pale. "At least this demon dimension has pretty standard bathrooms," she said, climbing back into bed with Spike. "Running water and everything."

Spike wrapped his arm around her, reaching up to stroke her face. "How bad is it this morning?"

"Not so bad."

Spike looked down, meeting her eyes. "Don't lie to me."

Buffy sighed, knowing that she didn't have much of a chance of hiding the truth from Spike. "Pretty bad. Baby's still not happy about the whole interdimensional travel thing. Not that this pregnancy has exactly been a smooth ride from the start, but this certainly hasn't helped matters."

"We don't have to do this Buffy," Spike said. "There's a whole army of Slayers out there. Aiden could just as easily use some of them."

"None of them have my experience with this sort of stuff," Buffy replied. "Not even Faith, and she's been at it the second longest. Besides, this Chachi guy is after Dawn—I can't ignore that. If she's in danger, I have to be the one to fight. I can't have it any other way."

"I understand that. And I want to protect Dawn, too, but you may not be the best one to do it right now, luv."

"I'm still the Slayer," Buffy said, raising her chin defiantly. "Baby or no baby, I can still fight and I can still protect my sister."

"I just don't want any of you getting hurt," Spike told her. "What if something happened and we lost the baby?"

Buffy shook her head. "It won't happen. I'll be careful, I promise."

"Buffy, how careful can you be? We're going up against an army of demons. I don't think that's something they normally recommend for pregnant women."

"This is my job, Spike. It's what I do. And I can protect my unborn child just fine. I don't need you telling me what I can and can't do while I'm pregnant."

"I'm not…" Spike paused, taking a calming breath. "I'm not doing that, luv. I'm just worried, is all. You're weak and you're going into a dangerous situation. I don't want to lose you or our lil' bit."

"You won't. But I can't walk away from this. It's too important."

Spike conceded, knowing Buffy well enough to know when she wasn't going to back down from something. "Just be extra careful, all right, pet? It's not just you you're looking out for now."

"I know. And trust me, the last thing I want is to lose this baby. I haven't even had the chance to look into her eyes yet and I already love her."

Spike nudged her lightly. "So you're admitting I'm right and it's a girl then."

"No," Buffy replied. "That was a…generic her. I was just being PC and not automatically saying 'him.'"

"Right. You know as well as I do that there's a little Buffy in there."

"I don't know why you're so fixated on having a girl anyway. Aren't men supposed to want strapping young lads that they can mold in their image?" Buffy asked.

"Maybe. But I want a daddy's girl that I can spoil rotten," Spike answered with a grin.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "You're impossible." She settled back into Spike's arms, deciding that if Aiden hadn't come to wake them yet, then she was getting more sleep.

"That's nothing new," Spike countered, holding on to Buffy tightly.

"No, it sure isn't." Buffy's eyes drifted shut. "Although I am setting one rule right now for the spoilage. No ponies. I don't care how hard she begs, our flat is not big enough."

Spike chuckled. "All right, pet. No ponies."

*** *** ***

Emma opened her eyes with the uncertainty one feels when waking up in a strange bed. She turned, amending that. Waking up in a strange bed with a strange man…

The events of the night before came rushing back and she blushed. Apparently the men of whatever dimension Aiden hailed from were much more knowledgeable when it came to pleasing a woman than the ones she'd known back in Texas. She'd had no idea sex could be like that.

Aiden was still asleep, and Emma took the opportunity to look him over. She'd been too caught up in everything he was doing the night before to really get a good look, though she hadn't missed the fact that his muscles were indeed "lickable." The man was chiseled perfection, every inch of him. She glanced down at the tent forming in the sheet and moistened her lips with her tongue. And she did mean every inch. She hadn't even known they came that big…

Deciding to come down to Aiden's room and then to take him up on his offer to spend the night with him had probably not been the most rational decision Emma had ever made, but it certainly wasn't one she regretted. It had been one of the most amazing experiences of her young life and it had done much in the way of calming her anxiety.

When she felt Aiden reach out and stroke her hair, Emma looked up sharply, meeting his eyes. She'd never known anyone with eyes that intense, and they made her feel a way she didn't think she had before. "Good morning, my sweet," Aiden said, smiling softly at her.

"Good morning," Emma replied, blushing a little.

"Even after all the ways I touched you last night, still you blush," Aiden teased, stroking her reddened cheek.

"I'm usually not much of a blusher," Emma said, though the red stain on her face darkened. "I think it's all your fault."

"That's blame I'll gladly accept," Aiden replied. He tilted her face up, kissing her until Emma felt lightheaded.

"Wow. You're one hell of a kisser," Emma admitted, smiling slightly.

"I've had many years to learn," Aiden said. "And I'd love to show you many of the other things I know, but there isn't time. Hopefully, the storm has passed by now and it will be safe for us to start our journey. As much as I would enjoy keeping you right here to make love to you over and over again, I'm afraid there are more pressing matters to attend to."

Emma looked up at him through hooded lashes. "Can I take a rain check then?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Aiden replied, his lips descending on hers again.

*** *** ***

"And where were you exactly?" Dawn asked when Emma came back into the room.

Emma glanced over at Dawn. She tried to look casual, though a smile soon crept to her lips. "Aiden's room."

"Oh my god, you were not!" Dawn gave Emma a teasing smile. "You total slut."

Emma giggled. "It was incredible, Dawn. I mean…wow. I thought I'd had sex before, but it was nothing like that. I'm starting to think that human guys just don't know how to do it."

"That is a very real possibility," Dawn said with a chuckle. "Not that I've had any complaints in my all of one physical relationship. Well, except for the whole part where he left me, but I'm so not in the mood to get into that." She cleared her throat. "So, what's up with the apocalypse? Was it called on account of too busy shagging?"

"Sadly, no," Emma replied. "Aiden's getting ready and then he's going to call us all back to the main chamber."

"Damn. I'm really not looking forward to this."

"Me either. I know I'm supposed to be all strong and a Slayer for the whole thing, but I have no clue how to be that," Emma admitted.

"It's not really that hard once you're actually in the battle," Dawn said. "Adrenaline and the will to survive kick in. Keeps you fighting. And I don't even have the instincts you have as a Slayer."

"Maybe it would be easier to have confidence if half my Slayer training didn't consist of constant reminders that Slayers die young. They make being called as a Slayer sound like getting diagnosed with terminal cancer," Emma said, frowning.

"It doesn't have to be that way," Dawn replied. "Not anymore anyway. For one thing, it's no longer one girl against every demon out there. Those odds weren't exactly fair. And Buffy's proven that a Slayer can live longer than a year or two at most."

"Hasn't she died twice?"

"Well, yeah, but she got better."

"Still, I'm not sure how comforting that really is."

A knock on the door stopped Dawn from responding, and Emma went over to answer it, not really wanting to talk about her possible imminent death any longer, and found Spike on the other side. "Aiden said he wants us all back in the main chamber." He looked at Emma askew for a moment before calling out to Dawn. "Bit, go across the hall and make sure your sister is getting on all right. She's had a bit of a rough morning."

Dawn hopped down off the bed and walked into the other bedroom, giving Spike a nod as she did. As soon as they were alone, Spike nudged Emma fully inside the room, shutting the door behind them. "Are you completely insane?" he asked.

Emma blinked. "What?"

"Sleeping with Aiden. We can't even one hundred percent trust him right now, despite his claim to be Drogyn's cousin. Could all be part of a trap."

"Or it could not be," Emma replied, crossing her arms in front of her. "We've got to trust him some, Spike, since we are pretty much at his mercy here."

"Doesn't mean you have to go shagging him," Spike said. "What if he'd been trying to separate us and he was just going after you first?"

"Well, seeing as I'm standing here right now and he certainly didn't do anything to hurt me, I'd have to say that wasn't the case. Besides, how to do you know anyway?"

"I can smell him all over you," Spike replied. "Thought I might have caught a little of you on him this morning, but I didn't get close enough to be sure."

"You can smell him on me? That's a little creepy, Spike."

"You don't know the half of it," Spike muttered. Then louder, "Look, Emma, just be careful, all right? We don't really know what this guy is all about. He could be what he says he is, he could not. It's not safe for you right now to get emotionally involved."

"I'm not! Geez, Spike, it was just sex. It doesn't mean that I'm fantasizing about riding off into the sunset with him. And while I do appreciate your concern, I already have five brothers—I really don't need another one."

Spike stiffened a little. "I'm just trying to look out for you. This life you've found yourself in is a dangerous one, especially if you don't know the ropes. You can't let your guard down at all until you know for certain who you can trust and who you can't."

"I know that. And I didn't let my guard down. Not really. And you've got to trust him a bit, too, to have agreed to stay here," Emma replied.

"Don't have much of a choice," Spike said. "But I also didn't sneak off by myself and shag him."

"Well, no, 'cause Buffy would so kick your ass," Emma said, unable to resist a small smile. "But really, I'm okay. It wasn't that big of a deal. I was just nervous about this whole impending apocalypse thing, it being my first and all, and Aiden was offering comfort. That's all."

"Just be careful, Em. I want all you girls to get out of here in one piece."

"I will be careful. And believe me, whether I slept with him or not won't make a damn bit of difference if Aiden becomes a threat."

"Good. Make sure it stays that way, at least while things are the way they are. We're not exactly on home turf here."

"I know." Emma reached out and gave Spike's arm a small squeeze. "And I do appreciate it that you're looking out for me. But I'm okay here. Not taking any crazy chances."

Spike's expression made it clear that he still wasn't so sure about that, but he didn't press the issue anymore. "All right. Come on, lets go get the Summers women and then head back to the chamber."

Emma nodded, glad that the lecture appeared to be over. "Okay. Let's go."

*** *** ***

Sorry I didn't update for a while, but I haven't forgotten about this story—I just got distracted by a very loud plot bunny. Hopefully, people are still interested in this one. Please leave a review and let me know!

Buffy had slipped into full Slayer mode by the time they were all assembled, knowing the only way to get herself, her family, and Emma out of this was to keep her focus on their task. She'd dealt with enough apocalypses in her twenty-three years to know what she was facing and what slipping up could lead to.

She stood in front Aiden, her arms crossed over her chest in a no-nonsense stance. "I want to know the game plan. Where exactly are we going, how long is it going to take to get there, and how are we traveling?"

Aiden turned his deep blue gaze on Buffy. "It should take approximately three days to reach Chalchicomehuel's fortress. Since any sort of mystical travel would cause unnecessary risks, we will have to travel on foot. The first day of this journey will be on the surface; however, we will then come to a series of tunnels in which we can travel more safely. I should warn you now that the land beyond this temple is savage. Beasts of all sorts roam free, waiting to tear out your throats. It will be dangerous."

Buffy shrugged. "Sounds like another Tuesday night back in ol' Sunnydale. Got any weapons?"

"Of course. I would not propose that any of us make such a journey unarmed. Come, I will take you into the armory and you can select what will be needed."

The group followed Aiden into a room off the side of the main chamber, and Buffy's eyes lit up as she saw the far wall was covered in swords. "Shiny," she said, eliciting a small grin from Spike.

Emma held back, glancing around but not moving. Aiden came to stand beside her. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

Emma blushed before she admitted, "I don't know what to do with any of these things. I have no weapons training."

Aiden leaned in, whispering hotly in her ear, "You seemed to have no problem handling a certain 'weapon' last night."

"Aiden!" Emma gasped in shock, though her exclamation was quickly followed by a girlish giggle that almost made her wince as soon as she realized it had come from her.

"Don't worry, little Slayer, I will show you how to wield a sword. You will be ready when the time comes."

Across the room, Buffy elbowed Spike, then nodded her head towards Emma and Aiden, her eyebrow raising. Spike answered her unvoiced question with a nod, and Buffy mouthed, "Already?"

Spike nodded again, and Buffy shrugged, taking a sword off the wall and then swinging it a couple of times to test the weight. She smiled, deciding that Aiden did have good taste in weapons at least.

When everyone was armed, Aiden cleared his throat. "Are we prepared to depart then?"

"No time like the present," Buffy replied. She turned to her sister, concern for the younger woman clear on her face. "Dawnie? Are you holding up okay?"

"I'm fine," Dawn said, leaning on the hilt of the sword she'd chosen. "It's not like I haven't done this whole end of the world thing like a bazillion times before."

"I know, I just…" Buffy stopped, realizing she was coming close to revealing the truth about the Key—something she was nowhere near prepared to do yet. "Yeah, okay. Let's head out."

"This way," Aiden said, motioning towards a passageway. "It leads back to the surface." He walked into the darkened corridor, the other four close behind.

*** *** ***

Even without the storms Aiden had spoken of raging, this world they'd found themselves in was not a pleasant place. The red sky crackled above them, occasionally breaking the silence with a near-deafening burst of thunder. Spike kept his senses sharp, ready to fight at a moment's notice if need be. He'd made a vow to himself to see all three of these women through this safely, and he wasn't going to let anything make him break that. He knew he'd failed both Buffy and Dawn enough in the past…

He felt Buffy slip her warm hand in to his and looked down, seeing her green eyes filled with concern as she gazed up at him. "You're looking all pensive," she said. "Something wrong?"

Spike shook his head. "No more than the obvious, kitten."

"We'll be all right, Spike," Buffy said, squeezing his hand. "We'll all get through this just fine."

No sooner had she spoken than did Dawn let out an ear-piercing scream. Buffy and Spike whipped around to see her being pulled into the sand by something unseen just beneath their feet. "Dawn!" Buffy yelled, moving immediately towards her sister.

Before Buffy could get to Dawn, Emma reacted, slicing the creature she saw wrapping its hand around Dawn's ankle. The beast screamed from beneath the sand, its severed limb falling at Dawn's feet as the teen stumbled backwards, now free. Buffy ran to her sister's side, helping her to regain her balance.

"Are you okay?" Buffy asked her. "Anything broken?"

"No, nothing's broken. I'm good," Dawn replied, breathing heavily. "What the hell was that?"

"A krenack," Aiden said. "It is strange to encounter one here, though. They usually travel further inland."

"Well apparently one decided to find itself a change of scenery," Buffy said. "Emma, is it…"

Before Buffy could finish her question, the krenack shot a second hand through the ground, grabbing Emma and pulling her down beneath the sand through a sinkhole the beast had created. Buffy and Spike shared a look before starting towards the spot when an inhuman cry of pain sounded and Emma appeared again, coughing up sand.

Aiden knelt beside her, offering her his hand to help her pull herself up. Emma sat beside the sinkhole she'd just been in, gasping. After a moment, she looked down, seeing that she was covered in sand and demon slime. "Oh, ew," she said, her nose wrinkling in disgust. "That was just…ick." She spit sand out of her mouth as she wiped at her eyes.

Suddenly, Aiden was hauling her up, his hands moving over her as he checked frantically for injuries. "It didn't bite you, did it? Krenack venom is quite poisonous."

"No, it didn't have a chance. I stabbed it the moment it pulled me down," Emma pushed Aiden back from her a little, steadying herself on her feet. She glanced at her sword. "Guess I'm better with this thing than I thought I'd be."

"That's Slayer instincts," Buffy said. "Practice will make you better, but the basics come with the whole Slayer package."

"Handy," Emma said. She turned to look at Dawn. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Dawn said. "Thanks."

Emma shrugged. "I heard you scream, and I was standing there, so…it seemed like the right thing to do." She shook her hair, sand raining down from it as she did.

Aiden reached into his pack and pulled out a cloth. "Here. This should help some. At least allow you to get the slime away from your eyes."

"Thanks," Emma replied, taking the cloth from him and wiping off as much of the goo and sand as she could. "I probably look horrible."

"Even krenack entrails cannot hide your beauty, little Slayer."

Emma smiled slightly. "Strangely enough, I think that may be one of the sweetest things anyone has ever said to me."

Buffy cleared her throat. "So, can we move along now? If there's anymore of those krenack things in the area, it's probably best we don't stick around to find out."

"I agree," Aiden said. He took his cloth from Emma, surprising her when it became clean again with just a shake. "Enchanted fabric," he replied to the unasked question he saw on her face as he folded it back up and returned it to his pack.

"Handy," Emma replied.

"Quite." Aiden gestured to a rocky formation that lay ahead of them. "Those are the caves that are the entrance to the tunnels. If we can make it there, then we may rest before setting out again without the danger of the storms."

Buffy nodded. "Then let's get to those tunnels."

The group began to walk again.

*** *** ***

It took them several hours to reach the tunnels Aiden had spoken of, the incident with the krenack leading them to move warily, watching their every step. However, while a few small creatures had crossed their path, it had been nothing as dangerous as the krenack had been.

"Are you tired, pet?" Spike asked softly, noting the worn look on his fiancée's face.

"A little, but it's not bad. I can make it to the tunnels," Buffy said.

"You sure? I could carry you the rest of the way," Spike told her.

Buffy shook her head. "I'm good, really."

"You'd let me know if you weren't, wouldn't you, Buffy?" Spike asked, frowning. "I don't want you putting yourself or the baby at risk by being stubborn."

"I'm not being stubborn," Buffy insisted. "I'm tired, yeah, but not overly so, and I haven't felt any nausea since that little pit stop I had to make a couple of hours ago."

Spike stroked her back, her words doing little to remove his concerns. He'd been worried enough about Buffy on this trip before she'd suddenly turned very pale and run behind a rock, emptying her stomach. He could understand her sense of obligation as the Slayer, but this was the last thing a pregnant woman needed to be putting herself through. "Let me know the moment you get too tired," Spike said.

"I will," Buffy replied. "I know my limits, Spike."

Spike's eyebrow rose at that, but he said nothing. Even if Buffy did know her limits, she'd never exactly been one to stop when she reached them. He just hoped that having the baby's well-being to think of would be enough for her to take care of herself for once. He took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as they continued to travel.

*** *** ***

Once they reached the shelter of the caves, Aiden found a spot for them to settle in for a little while, the amount of travel they'd done that day sufficient for the time being. He was aware that the older Slayer was with child, and it worried him to think of her making this dangerous journey in her state, though he knew nothing could be done about it now. Besides, from the numerous conversations he'd overhead between her and her mate throughout the day it was quite clear that she wasn't going to stop anyway. The woman had quite a stubborn streak, that much was plain.

Aiden knelt on the ground, opening his pack and removing several small items. The first one, he tossed a few feet in front of him before speaking words in a language none of his companions recognized. Instantly, it burst into flames, illuminating the cavern they were in as well as filling it with a comforting warmth. "The fire will burn there, contained, until I put it out," Aiden told them, looking up at the four gaping humans. "It is safe, and it will allow us to stay warm."

"Handy, that," Spike said, still eyeing the fire warily.

Aiden then set three other small items on the ground, stepping back before he waved his hand over them and spoke again in the strange language. This time, they did not catch fire, but instead grew in size to produce three sleeping pallets, two of them slightly larger than the third.

"Well, that beats an air mattress," Buffy said. "You could make a fortune selling these things in our world."

Aiden smirked. "Tempting, but I believe I'll pass on that. I've already got all I could ever need." He reached into his pack again, this time producing five strips of what appeared to be dried meat. "It doesn't look like much, I know, but the nutrients in it make it the equivalent of an entire meal. It should fill you."

Aiden watched as Spike took a strip and began to inspect it carefully. "Spike, if I wished to kill you, I would've done it some time ago, and not waited until now to poison your food."

Spike looked up at Aiden. "I can't help but be cautious, mate. I've got my family here to watch out for."

"I know," Aiden said. "And I can respect your need to protect them. I would expect nothing less." Aiden bit into one of the strips, chewed, and swallowed. "But as you can see, I am not falling to the ground in death now."

"Somewhat comforting," Spike admitted. He sniffed the strip, using his superior senses to catch the scent of any possible poisons. He didn't smell any, and he figured it probably was safe as Aiden had said, but he still wanted to be as careful as he could for the sake of the women there with him. He tasted it, waiting a moment before nodding.

The group ate in silence, finding that the strips, while small, did fill them up as Aiden had claimed. Apparently wherever it was he came from was big on making things travel-sized…

Aiden cleared his throat. "There is an underground spring not far form here where you could wash off the remaining krenack grime if you would like, Emma," he said. "It has been known to cause skin irritation after prolonged exposure, and it could make sleeping quite difficult."

Emma nodded. She had been starting to feel a little itchy… "Okay. Where is the spring?"

"Come with me. I'll show you."

Spike held up his hand. "Whoa. I don't think I like the idea of the two of you just wandering off alone down here."

"It isn't far," Aiden said. "And it would be wise for you to stay here, keep the campsite safe. Besides, your mate is clearly tired. She needs to rest."

"I'll be fine, Spike," Emma said. "I just really want this slime off of me."

Spike glanced between Emma and Aiden. His gut had been telling him all along to trust the man, but there was too much at stake for him to be anything but on his guard. "Hurt her, and I kill you."

"Of course," Aiden said with a nod. He took Emma's hand. "Rest. We'll be back soon."

As Emma and Aiden walked away, Buffy sat down on one of the larger pallets and patted it with her hand. "Sit down, Spike. Aiden's not going to hurt her, and you know it. Not with that look in his eyes…"

Spike sighed, sitting beside Buffy. "We've got a world to save, you know. It's not the time to be sneaking off for a shag."

Dawn snorted, making the blond couple glance up at her. "Please. If I wasn't here, you two would be all over each other right now."

Spike wagged his finger at her. "That's not the point, bit."

"Whatever," Dawn said with a smirk. She laid down on the smaller of the three pallets, staring up. "Hey, how about the next time we take a family vacation it's to somewhere that doesn't involve sleeping in a cave that's quite possibly full of demons?"

Buffy chuckled, leaning back against Spike. "Sure. And while you're working on that, you're gonna have to find a new family, 'cause I think this is the best we're gonna get."

*** *** ***

I know it took me a really long time to get this chapter out, and I'm sorry to everyone who's been waiting for it. I have been trying to work on it, but I was struggling with some very bad writer's block and couldn't seem to get them out of the temple. But I think I'm past it now, so hopefully it won't be months until I can post again.

Also, there's been some questions about Emma's age. She's nineteen.

Please review and let me know if people are still interested in this story after the break!

There are two versions of this chapter. As a birthday present for Wolfspider, I extended the first scene between Aiden and Emma, going beyond the "fade to black" I have here. However, I know that there are some people who aren't interested in reading much about any couple except Spike and Buffy, so I'm posting the original version here, with the scene clipped. Nevertheless, I have made the full text of this scene available for anyone who would like to read it, and it can be accessed here: http://www.angelfire.com/scifi/addielogan/wtdb_9_alt.html Bear in mind if you do follow the link to the scene that it is NOT the full chapter, only one scene, and that you should go back to this page after reading it and pick up where you left off.

*** *** ***

"Sorry Spike's being so protective of me, too," Emma said once she and Aiden had gotten significantly out of earshot of the campsite. "I mean Buffy and Dawn I get, but I don't know why he's bothering to care one way or another about what I do."

"He has a brother's concern for you," Aiden replied. "It's clear to see."

Emma blinked. "Spike's not my brother."

"Our families are not always the ones we are born into, Emma," Aiden said. "Sometimes we do not find them until later, when we need them the most."

"I haven't had a lot of luck with families," Emma muttered.

"Do you not have one?" Aiden asked, a frown creasing his face.

"Oh, I do," Emma said. "I just…can we not talk about this? Please? It's…it's not a good subject for me."

Aiden observed her body language and facial expression, the small light he carried illuminating her. "Someone hurt you," he stated.

"Which would be why I don't want to talk about it," Emma said. "I…" She looked way from him. "I can't."

"Then we won't," Aiden replied. He took her hand, pulling her softly until she stopped with him. He pushed her multi-colored hair away from her eyes. "I cannot lie, Emma. Every word I speak must be truth. So when I tell you you're beautiful, I mean completely—all of you. Not just what I can see with my eyes."

Emma looked away from him again, the intensity of his gaze too much for her. "You don't know me, Aiden. We only met yesterday."

"I touched your soul last night. You can't tell me you didn't feel that as well. Being with you…it was more than just a physical act. In my centuries of existence there have been many, many women, but not a one of them did to me what you did. You shook me to the very core, Emma."

Emma raised her eyes slowly, her surprise clear in them. She had felt what he described, too, but had thought it was just because she'd never been with a man who possessed Aiden's experience or talent. Had there instead been something more to it? Was her immediate attraction to this man and willingness to share his bed so quickly indicative of something that she did not yet understand? It was possible… Since she'd become a Slayer, Emma had felt as if a veil had been lifted off the world, showing her things she'd never begun to imagine could exist before. Could what she was already feeling for Aiden be one of those things? "Aiden, I…"

Aiden cleared his throat. "Let's continue to the spring."

Emma nodded, willing to let this particular conversation drop. The physical aspects of whatever was happening between her and Aiden she could handle, but anything else was just too much too soon. She let him bring her to the spring, waiting as he lit a fire there the same way he had back in the other chamber.

"So there's nothing in that water waiting to eat me, right?" Emma said, walking over to the spring and looking into the clear water.

"No. Most of the creatures native to this dimension survive in sand, not water—there's much more of it."

"Okay then." Emma stood up straight, facing Aiden as she slipped out of her clothes and let them fall to the ground. "So…are you gonna join me?"

Aiden watched as Emma stepped into the water, flipping her head back to dampen her hair and then coming up again, her tanned skin and colorful tresses now damp. He grinned slowly as he disrobed, approaching the spring. "Oh yes, little Slayer. I will most definitely be joining you."

*** *** ***

Spike's eyes zeroed in on Buffy's feet as she took off her boots, and a frown creased his brow. "You told me you were fine walking, Buffy."

Buffy looked up, startled by his harsh tone. "I was."

"You bloody well were not! You're feet are badly swollen—they had to be bothering you. You should've said something."

From her own pallet, Dawn glanced at the couple, but quickly looked away again, deciding it was best that she stay out of it.

"I was fine, Spike," Buffy said, her arms firmly crossed over her chest. "I told you I was fine and I meant it."

Spike took a deep breath meant to be relaxing, though the ticking muscle in his jaw let Buffy know how close his temper was to exploding. "You spent all day walking through the desert, Buffy, and your feet are severely swollen. You're putting the baby at risk."

"I am not! I'm not going to hurt the baby, Spike."

"Yes you are!" Spike's yell vibrated off the cave walls and Dawn's head snapped around again, unable to continue to feign disinterest in the argument. "The first trimester is when miscarriages are most common, Buffy, and all of this, it's only putting stress on your body. I should've made you stay back in the temple. Sod that, I should've made Aiden send you right back home."

"You couldn't make me do anything, Spike," Buffy snapped. "I've got a world to save."

Spike's eyes narrowed. "You're not just the Slayer anymore. You're a mum now. There's a child growing inside of you that needs more protection from you than anyone else out here. Don't you get that? She's weak and she's helpless, and you're the only one who can keep her safe." Spike spread his hand out over her belly. "That's our baby in there, Buffy—and you're going to kill her."

Buffy opened her mouth to respond, but then shut it again as she burst into tears.

Spike's anger softened immediately and he pulled Buffy into his arms, wrapping them tightly around her. "Shh…don't cry now, kitten. Please sweetling, don't cry."

"I…I don't wanna kill our baby, Spike," Buffy said, clinging to his black t-shirt.

"I know, princess. I know. I'm sorry I said that like I did, I'm just…I'm worried about the both of you, is all."

"And you're mad at me, too," Buffy said, sniffling.

"No, I'm not." Buffy looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "Well, yeah, okay, maybe a little because you're not exactly using your best judgment right now, but it's not really you I'm cross with. It's those bloody Powers that Fuck with You. We should be planning our wedding and getting ready for the birth of our first child, not going up against yet another apocalypse."

"I know. But we'll get to do all that when we get back home. We'll get through this fight just like all the others, and then we can have our wedding and our baby," Buffy said softly.

Spike cupped her damp cheeks in his hands, looking into her eyes. "I'm gonna hold you to that, Slayer."

"I wouldn't expect anything else from you."

Happy that all seemed to be right with her sister and brother-in-law-to-be again, Dawn lay down on her pallet and closed her eyes.

*** *** ***

Aiden and Emma returned to the campsite quietly, careful not to disturb the other three who they knew could already be asleep. Aiden kept his arm wrapped tightly around her, smiling slightly at the way Emma so easily welcomed the embrace.

He led her over to the third, currently unoccupied pallet, stopping beside it. "I have another one in my pack if you would rather not share this one with me," he said, keeping his voice down. "I don't mean to presume anything."

"You're not presuming," Emma said. "I would've been more upset if you hadn't just put down one for us."

"I'm glad for that." Aiden lay down on the pallet, opening his arms for Emma. She moved into them without hesitating, nuzzling her face against his warm chest. "Good night, my little Slayer," he whispered, brushing a gentle kiss against her forehead.

"Good night," Emma whispered back, responding to his kiss with one of her own against his collarbone.

*** *** ***

Buffy heard Emma and Aiden return, their voices too soft for her to completely understand, although their tones made their warmth towards each other obvious. Seeing Emma take to Aiden so quickly made Buffy feel even sillier about ever worrying that something could be happening between the younger Slayer and Spike, since it was clear that Emma did not have her heart set on stealing Buffy's fiancé.

And Spike… It was as clear, too, as it had always been, where his interest remained—in her. And now, in their family as well. He was sleeping behind her, his body pressed tightly against hers with one hand resting protectively over her belly. She knew if there was anyone in this world she'd have to consider Spike putting before her, it was the child growing inside of her now, not another woman—and that suited Buffy just fine. His concern should be for their baby.

And so should hers…

Buffy had read that some women had difficulty accepting that their bodies became in many ways something else during pregnancy. Suddenly, they were sharing the most personal of space with someone else, someone growing inside them, seeking nourishment from them. She'd also read that this led some women to resent their babies, and while Buffy felt nothing of that sort, it was definitely something she was having a hard time completely wrapping her head around.

One thing Spike had said in their earlier argument stuck out in her mind. She wasn't just the Slayer now—she was a mother. She'd been the Slayer so long that that had been her primary focus, and she'd pushed her body time and time again in order to fulfill her duties. Exhaustion and physical pain were things she had lived with on a daily basis, things she'd come to expect. She'd never thought twice about pushing herself beyond her own limits because she'd never put herself first. She was the one girl in the all the world who could fight back against the darkness, and that meant she had to give everything she could to protect everyone else.

But that wasn't the case anymore. She was no longer alone as the Slayer—far from it. It wasn't even as it had been before, with Faith or Kendra sharing the Slayer title. Because that was really, in many ways, all they'd shared with her—the title. When it had come down to the big battles, the real sacrifices, it had still landed on Buffy's shoulders. Even when it had technically been the Chosen Two, she had still been the Chosen One.

She didn't have to carry that burden anymore. Even if she was in charge of the Slayers, they were now an army. In the battle in Los Angeles against the forces brought forward by Wolfram and Hart, Buffy had fought, yes, but she had been the general in charge, not the lone soldier facing a martyr's challenge. And now, well, her body wasn't hers alone either, and the one person who did need her protection the most was growing inside of her, depending on her to take care of herself so she could take care of her child.

Buffy knew that Spike had been right. She wasn't taking care of herself, and she shouldn't be out here. She needed to stop thinking of herself as the only Slayer, as hard as that was going to be. She knew she'd never be able to step back completely, but she didn't have to fight every dragon that crossed her path anymore. She had shared her power. It was time to share her burden.

Her eyes shifted to Emma, the light of the fire allowing her to just make out the form of the younger woman, her small body wrapped tightly around the much larger one sharing her sleeping pallet. Something was different about Emma. She wasn't like the others who had been Called along with her, and at first, Buffy had perceived it as a threat. But the more she was around her, the more Buffy realized it wasn't a threat at all. It was the same sort of feeling Buffy got from Faith, only less hostile, more comforting. Emma wasn't part of the group like the other girls. She was an individual—she was a Slayer.

Emma hadn't come to fit in with the others in the month since she'd arrived in London, instead setting herself apart. She had seemed on the outside to be the one who would cause the most problems, yet as Buffy had gotten to know her, she'd seen how strong she was and how quickly she'd been willing to step up and fight. When that sand demon had gone after Dawn, Emma hadn't panicked, and she hadn't simply waited for orders as Buffy had seen many of the other girls do. She hadn't been confused or lost. She'd acted. She'd done exactly what Buffy herself would've done, leaping into the fray with her only thought being to protect.

Buffy knew that there had always been many Potentials at any given time, waiting for the current Slayer to die for their chance at being Called—whether those Potentials knew it or not. She'd assumed before that it was more or less at random, any one of the Potentials having just as much of a chance at being the next Slayer than any other. But as she looked at Emma now, Buffy wondered if maybe that wasn't true at all. Was there one Potential with more, well, potential? Was being Called as the Slayer less the lottery that Buffy had thought it to be and even more destiny than she'd previously considered? Was Emma different from all the other new Slayers because she was the one in all of them that would have been a Slayer no matter what—the one who had truly been waiting for Faith's death in order to be Called?

If that were true, then what did that say about Buffy herself? She'd always seen her Slayer destiny as something thrust on her, something that had taken her away from the path she should have been on. She should have had the life of any other girl that had been like the one she'd been in L.A.

Only looking back, that didn't seem right at all. She didn't know that girl anymore, didn't even really remember what it had felt like to be her. But being the Slayer… Sometimes it scared her just how right that felt, how complete staking a vampire could make her feel. She had never been meant to be anything but the Slayer. It was who she was just as much as if she'd been born knowing it. And this place now, where she was, was where she'd always been meant to be. The path she was on was truly hers.

Her mind wandered to another time, when she'd stood in her living room and listened as almost everyone she cared about turned on her, questioned her ability to lead. Anya had told her then that being the Slayer didn't mean that Buffy was better than anyone else—just luckier. She'd said Buffy had just happened to be Chosen, not because she was truly different than anyone else, but because it had just happened that way by sheer chance. But that wasn't the case at all, was it? She had been Chosen because she was different. The others who had been Potentials when she was Called hadn't become the Slayer because they weren't her. Something inside of her—whatever it may be—gave her the strength to be a true Slayer where others would always fall short.

And that was in Emma, too…

Buffy could feel it now, could feel the connection flowing between her and the other woman. She was truly her sister Slayer in a way the other girls were not. And it was why Emma was here now, why she'd been plucked out of the mass of girls and brought to Buffy's attention. She had changed the course of the other girls' destinies, shared her own power with them and created an army.

But the power inside of Emma had always been meant to be Emma's. It was the true power of the Slayer.

"Our power," Buffy whispered.

"You say something, kitten?" Spike muttered sleepily behind her, rubbing his nose against her hair.

"No," Buffy said, turning in his arms. "Go back to sleep, baby."

"Love you," Spike murmured as he drifted off again, the sound of it making Buffy smile.

"I love you, too," she replied, her own eyes closing, finally allowing herself some much needed rest.

*** *** ***

I guess the muse really did finally wake up on this one, letting me post two chapters so closely together. Please review!

Spike woke the next morning the same way he had most other mornings of late—with Buffy scrambling to get out of his arms before she lost the contents of her stomach. He hated seeing her like this, especially so far away from the warmth and comfort of their home. They needed to be where he could take care of her, pamper her. Getting pulled into another dimension to prevent whatever number apocalypse this was wasn't what he'd planned for before the wedding.

On the other side of the fire, Aiden stirred, Emma making a little mew of protest as he slipped away from her. Spike thought back to the day before and Emma's insistence that it was just sex with Aiden, nothing that could cloud her judgment, and frowned. She was clearly in a little more over her head than she'd said she was, and Spike wondered if she even realized it.

Buffy came back then, sitting beside Spike on the pallet and resting her head against his shoulder. "How are you feeling, kitten?" he asked softly as he brought his arm around her and held her tightly against him.

"Crappy," she answered honestly. "My head hurts."

"Our journey across the desert took less time than I had anticipated," Aiden said, looking over at Buffy and Spike. "I had counted on more attacks than the one from the krenack. We can move more leisurely today, and it won't put us too far behind."

Buffy turned her head towards Aiden. "But don't we need to get to Chachi's lair like, as soon as possible?"

"Soon, yes, but not at the expense of your health. Besides, you've assured me that Chalchicomehuel does not have access to the Key, which lessens the haste," Aiden replied. "Do not hesitate to rest when you need to, Slayer. It will not cause any harm."

Spike looked at Aiden for a moment, giving the other man a nod as he realized what he was doing. If Buffy didn't feel like resting would put the world in any more jeopardy, she'd be more likely to do it—something Aiden must've been observant enough to figure out. "See, luv," he said to Buffy, pushing her hair behind her ears. "You can take it a bit easier today."

"Are you sure?" Buffy asked, glancing between the two men. "This is important and…"

"Geez, Buffy, the man can't lie, remember?" Dawn said with more than a little exasperation, poking her head up from her own pallet. "If he says you can rest a little, then you can."

Buffy gave her sister a dirty look. "Fine. I got it. No pushing myself too hard today."

"I'm holding you to that," Spike said, his eyes level with hers as he placed his palm flat against her belly.

Buffy reached down and took his hand, lacing her fingers with his. "I told you last night I'll be more careful. I meant it. And starting with that, can we wait a little bit before we set out? My stomach's still all flippy."

"Of course," Aiden replied. "Just let me know when you're ready."

Buffy nodded her assent, and leaned against Spike, resting her head on his shoulder as she waited for her stomach to settle.

*** *** ***

Emma felt like they'd passed the same spot a million times by now, but she had the feeling that was more because every spot looked about the same when you were walking through a dark cave and not because Aiden was leading them around in circles.

She'd never been a fan of small, dark spaces, and the longer they were in these caves, the more she had to fight from feeling too panicky. Instead, she kept a tight grip on Aiden's arm as she walked at his side, the strength she felt there keeping her going. He'd told them that soon they'd reach a cavern where they could stop for a bit, and Emma kept reminding herself of that. In the cavern, they may still be underground and in the dark, but at least they wouldn't be as closed in as they were in these passageways. If she only had some space to breathe…

Suddenly, Aiden came to a halt, causing Emma to jerk and almost stumble, her mind not focused enough on what was right in front of her. She started to ask what was going on when she realized Spike had also grown completely still, his body rigid as he struggled to move himself in front of Buffy and Dawn.

Spike and Aiden shared a look before Aiden spoke, his voice low, "There's something in here."

Emma tightened one hand around the hilt of her sword and the other around Aiden's arm. She felt a mix of fear and adrenaline surge through her as she waited for whatever was going to happen next.

She didn't have to wait long. Above them, two yellow eyes opened, revealing a creature that had been blending in with the roof of the cave. With a hiss, it dropped to the ground, landing in front of the group and snarling viciously at them.

The demon was large with dark scales, and reminded Emma of some sort of bizarre cross between an armadillo and a snake. Its body was hard, slightly domed over, and its small, rounded head poked out from the top, fangs and a forked tongue appearing with every snarl the creature made. For a moment, it made no move, though its body seemed poised for attack. When it finally did move, it lunged for Dawn, only to have Spike immediately block it. He swung at the demon with his sword, cursing as it didn't put as much as a dent into the creature's hard outer covering.

"Looks like it's going to have to be decapitation with this one," Buffy said as Spike tried striking it from one side while Aiden thrust at its back. "Or a chainsaw, but we appear to be fresh out of those."

"Damn. And I had one in my other jeans, too," Spike replied. "Head it is then."

The demon was soon attacking again, and this time Spike swung at its head. The demon, it turned out, was better defended than they realized, and it pulled its head down below its hard outer covering.

"Son of a bitch!" Spike said as the demon's body armor blocked him again and its arms struck out to knock him to the ground. "Aiden, any idea on how to kill it?"

"No. I've never seen one before," Aiden said, even as he was maneuvering himself around to fight it face to face. He had as much luck as Spike, however, and the demon grabbed him by his shirt and threw him, causing him to slam into Emma. The two of them tangled together, both struggling to get back on their feet in order to combat the creature.

Buffy remembered her promise to worry more about her baby, but as the demon turned to advance on Dawn again, the immediate need to protect the rest of her family took precedence. She moved between the demon and her sister, her sword raised. The demon hissed and raised its clawed hand, striking at Buffy even as her sword came down to block.

In a moment of horror, Buffy felt the demon's massive claws rake across her belly. Panic filled her as she waited for the pain, for the feel of her flesh tearing and the knowledge that her child had been taken from her.

Only it didn't come. Instead, the demon screamed in rage and pain, holding its hand with the other. With a start of shock, Buffy realized that its thick claws had not ripped through her, but had instead broken off as soon as they'd touched the skin of her abdomen. The bottom of her shirt was torn from the attack, but she didn't have a single mark on her skin. She frowned in surprised confusion. "Huh."

The demon recovered quickly from the pain of its injury and turned to attack once more, again focusing on Dawn. Dawn screamed as it lunged at her, pinning her one-handed against the wall. Its forked tongue darted out, licking the air before its mouth curved in something that could've been a smile.

"Key…"

Dawn's heart pounded in her chest, her whole body seeming to freeze as the demon's eyes stared down into hers. She felt a pull, an urge to go with it, to let it take her away, even as the very same thought filled her with terror.

It was then that Emma managed to get to her feet again, shaking off the aches she'd gotten from being stuck between a rock-solid ground and a very large, very heavy man. Before the others had a chance to get to their feet, Emma had scrambled for her weapon. She sized up the situation, an idea forming in her head before she ran and leapt onto the back of the demon, wrapping her arm tightly around it to hold on as it tried to buck her off.

As it had done when Spike had gone for its neck, the demon pulled its head in—only Emma had been planning on that. She gripped onto it with one hand and raised her sword with the other, then plunged the blade past the demon's protective body armor and into the top of its head. Emma turned her face quickly, wincing with disgust as the demon's blood spurted up, splashing her.

The demon gurgled, spasming one more time, throwing Emma off its back as it did, before it fell to the ground in a lifeless heap.

Dawn took a deep breath, shaking her head as the last of the demon's pull left her mind. "Holy shit," she said, kicking the body of the demon one time for good measure, making sure it didn't respond.

"Ow," Emma groaned, wincing as she tried to get to her feet. "If I wasn't a Slayer, I'd have so many broken bones right now. And why am I the one that keeps getting splattered with demon guts?"

Spike shook himself off, then helped Emma up. "Nice going there, though."

"Yeah," Buffy added. "I hadn't thought of getting to its head like that."

Emma shrugged. "It's how a couple of my brothers used to kill turtles." At the looks that got her, she shrugged and added, "They're sick bastards. I usually don't claim them in public."

Aiden had gotten to his feet, though he'd remained silent, observing the scene in front of him. Spike frowned when he saw the concerned look on Aiden's face. "What is it, mate?"

"This battle revealed to me how little I know about the current situation," Aiden replied. "The Key is here with us, and the child Buffy carries is one of prophecy."

"Huh?" Buffy said, her brow wrinkling. "Okay, the Key thing I knew, though I'm not gonna be chatty about it, but the prophecy thing gets the 'huh?'"

"Wait, the Key's here?" Emma asked, holding up a hand. "What's going on?" She turned to Aiden. "And how did you suddenly know that?"

Aiden nodded down to the demon's corpse. "I heard it. It called Dawn the Key."

Emma's head whipped around, and she gaped at her friend. "You're the…"

"It's a long story," Dawn said. "But yeah. Key is me." She gave a small wave.

"This isn't the best place to be hashing all this out," Spike said, taking a step forward. "Obviously we're vulnerable here."

"You're right," Aiden replied. "We should be able to keep a better eye on our surroundings in the cavern up ahead."

"Right then. We'll talk there," Spike agreed.

"Wait, first I want to know what the hell he's going on about with prophecies," Buffy said. "I don't like those."

Aiden gestured to Buffy's stomach with his hand. "Your child is protected from the strike of a weapon. That is only bestowed on mothers who carry children of the utmost importance, ones whose births and deeds in life have been prophesized. Were you not aware of this?"

Buffy shook her head. "No. Was I supposed to like, get a visit from an angel or something?"

"I do not believe so," Aiden answered, frowning.

"Well, if I was, totally missed it," Buffy said. "I guess this will be something to keep the Watchers busy when we get back home. But in the meantime, I've got a bulletproof belly, huh? I bet I could make a killing in a sideshow." At the look Spike shot her, Buffy held up her hands. "Only kidding, honey. But it is kinda cool."

"Don't take any chances," Spike said. "Whatever forces are protecting the baby could be fickle, Buffy."

"Duh, sweetie." Spike started to speak again, but Buffy went over to him and kissed his cheek, getting him to calm down before he started in on her. "Let's just get to that cavern, all right? I want to rest."

Spike nodded, though Buffy could see from the look in his eyes that he was still very unsure of this turn of events. She decided she'd discuss it with him later, when it was just the two of them. For now, they needed to get moving.

"Are we ready to go then?" Aiden asked.

"Yeah," Buffy replied, slipping her hand into her fiancé's and giving it a squeeze. "Let's go."

*** *** ***

I'm sorry it took me two months to update this story. I'd tried to work on it, but I was very unhappy with it and didn't like anything I had. However, being the kind and generous soul that she is, Niamh recently agreed to beta the chapters I'd written and help me get them to a point where I could be happy enough with them to post. So hopefully with her help (thanks, Nia!) I can get out of the funk I've been in with this story and start updating more regularly.

Please review. In all honesty, I could really use some encouragement with this one.

Dawn picked nervously at a spot of grime on her jeans as they all sat down at the camp they'd set up in the cavern. She felt decidedly uncomfortable now with her secret out, wondering how Emma and Aiden would react to knowing she was, in fact, the Key. It tended to have a way of making people treat her differently.

She looked up and at Emma, trying to search the other girl's face for some sort of sign. Emma had been quickly turning into one of the best friends Dawn had ever had, and the thought of how that could change now with Emma knowing the truth about her worried her. It was times like these she really hated not being normal…

Emma met Dawn's eyes, then gave her a smile, and Dawn felt relief flow through her. Maybe this would be okay after all. Unless Emma balked after getting the details of Dawn's origins… The worry rose up again.

Spike and Aiden made a pass around the cavern, checking for any signs of demonic company before they joined the women at the small camp.

"You know, I told you I knew where the Key was, and you said it was probably better you didn't know," Buffy pointed out as soon as Aiden sat down.

Aiden nodded. "True, you did, and that was in fact my response, but I still had no idea the Key would be coming with us. This entire time we've been bringing the Key closer to Chalchicomehuel."

"Look, this guy needs to be stopped," Buffy replied. "if he wants the Key, then that means he's coming after my sister, and I'm not about to let him go on existing if that's the case. Also, leaving her behind—not the brightest move either. She needs to be with me, where I can protect her."

"But we could be bringing her into a trap," Aiden argued. "The demon we just faced isn't local—I'm well versed in all species native to this dimension. There's a good chance that Chalchicomehuel sent it to get the Key, and from the way it went right for Dawn, it obviously knew she was its prey."

"That doesn't mean evil demon guy knows, though," Dawn said, speaking up. After all, they were sitting around discussing her. She might as well have a voice. "The demon was some sort of snake, and they can be sensitive to the Key sometimes. I had a snake thing come looking for me before, when someone else was trying to figure out where the Key was. She used the snake because she didn't know specifically where to find it." Dawn frowned, then added, "Or me. Or whatever pronoun I should use when talking about the Key."

"Which brings me to another one of my questions," Aiden said. "How exactly is Dawn the Key? The Key is energy, and looking at her all I see is a human girl."

"She didn't start out as my sister," Buffy said. "Only she is now. It's confusing and long, and hasn't made a bit of sense to anyone yet, so I'll just sum up. There were some monks, they wanted the Key protected, so they somehow made it into a person and gave me a sister. So Dawn, my sister, Key."

Aiden and Emma both blinked, twin looks of confusion on their faces. "The monks made her?" Emma asked. "What does that mean?"

"They somehow made the Key flesh and then created a bunch of memories for Dawn and everyone around her," Buffy said. "They used magic to make her and her life. Only apparently they somehow made her from me, and we have the same blood or something like that."

"Okay, that is really the weirdest thing I have ever heard," Emma said. A flash of hurt went across Dawn's face, and she quickly amended, "Not that you're weird. You're my friend, and I like you a lot. But monks making people out of Keys and giving them the same blood as their sisters—weird."

Dawn chuckled. "All right, I have to give you that."

"What are the effects of this?" Aiden asked. "The Key is an incredibly powerful mystical force. Even contained in a human vessel, it must be a source of great power."

"Dawn's just a normal girl," Buffy said. "Glory came after her and was going to use her to tear down the walls between dimensions, but after that, there hasn't been any sign of it."

"Uh, Buffy," Dawn said, raising her hand slightly. "Recently, there's been, some, uh…signs of it. Big signs."

Buffy's head whipped around and she gaped at her sister for a moment before yelling, "What?! There's been something going on with the Key, and you've just not told me?"

"I was still trying to sort it all out!" Dawn said in her defense, though even as she said it, she knew she didn't really have an excuse. She should have told Buffy about the reemergence of the Key.

Buffy's hands went over her chest. "Spill, Dawnie. Now."

Dawn sighed. "Fine. Around the time that you went to L.A. to stop the Circle of the Black Thorn, I started having these really weird dreams. I couldn't figure them out at first, but then it turned out that they were the Key talking to me, asking me to, well accept it. I did, because otherwise I was going to die or something, and then I think I got some powers. Only I can't quite figure them out yet. I can sort of see things, like if I stand in a spot, I can see what was there before. Like the walls of time are falling down for me. And sometimes, I glow green. I think there's probably more, but I've been too nervous to experiment."

Spike, who had been surprisingly silent for the whole conversation was suddenly on his feet, the look on his face telling Dawn in no uncertain terms that he was not happy with what she'd just said. "What?! Are you bleedin' out of your mind? All this has been going on, and you haven't said a sodding thing to anyone? Dammit, Dawn, this is serious! You can't just keep something like a mystical force speaking to you in your dreams and making you have super powers to yourself."

Dawn shrunk back from him as she responded. "I didn't keep it completely to myself. I told Andrew. Some of it anyway. And we did some research on the Key…"

"You told Andrew? And that was it? Like he could really do any help…" Spike replied.

"Hey!" Dawn yelled. "He did try to help me! You barely even know him, Spike, so don't even try to…"

"Okay! Everyone quiet!" Buffy yelled, cutting Dawn off and stopping Spike before he could say anything else. "Honey, sit down. We have an apocalypse on our hands, and there is no time right now for yelling."

Spike sat down reluctantly, though he didn't say anything, the tone in Buffy's voice telling him that arguing would not be a smart move at that particular juncture.

Buffy took a deep breath. "Okay, first off, Dawn, not telling us was dumb."

"Buffy, I'm okay," Dawn said. "The Key's a part of me, and I can feel that it's not going to be a danger to me like this."

"No, but withholding information like that from people you're going into battle with can be a danger," Buffy replied. "It's like fighting with a blind spot. If the Key's suddenly become active, this is an important piece of info, Dawn. And for another thing, you said yourself you don't know everything you can do with this power."

Dawn sighed. "I know. It's just been confusing, and I haven't really known how to deal with it, okay?"

Buffy could tell Spike wanted to say something again, but she spoke first, keeping him quiet. "We can't do anything about what's already done, but from now on, I want full disclosure. Got it?"

"Yeah. Full disclosure it is," Dawn agreed with a nod. "And, um, sorry about not doing that before." She ventured a glance at Spike and noticed how much the muscle in his jaw was ticking. And he'd called her by her actual first name when he'd been yelling… She swallowed, knowing she had one unhappy ex-vampire on her hands.

After a moment of silence in the group, Aiden spoke up again. "So let me make sure I have everything reasonably clear. Dawn is, in fact, the Key, made flesh by a group of monks. Recently, this has allowed her to be in possession of powers that even she is not completely knowledgeable of yet. Is this correct?"

"More or less," Dawn replied with a shrug.

"This changes things," Aiden said. "We are, essentially, bringing the Key to Chalchicomehuel. However, you are right, Buffy, in your assertion that allowing Dawn to be no longer under your protection is not a true option, especially since Chalchicomehuel seems to be sending his agents out to hunt the Key." He cleared his throat. "This is not an ideal situation, but it is the one we are in nonetheless."

"What about your truth-telling thing?" Spike asked. "Is that going to pose a problem now that you know about Dawn?"

Aiden shook his head. "No. When I answer a question, it must be the truth, but I do not have to answer. I can remain silent, and I will do so when it comes to this, even if I must give my last breath to do so."

"Right then," Spike replied with a nod.

An uneasy silence fell, everyone in the group trying to absorb all that had just been revealed. Buffy's hand went to her belly as what Aiden had told her earlier concerning her child being protected because of a prophecy came to her mind. She supposed it shouldn't shock her as much as it did, seeing as the child of a Slayer—especially one who had died twice—and a man who had spent over a century as a vampire was something that was bound to be a big deal. But up until that moment, she hadn't thought in those terms. It had just been her baby—hers and Spike's. A child they had created, the way countless other couples had done. Now she realized it was probably so much more—her child could very well be part of something big, something epic.

This child—her child—had most likely been prophesied. The thought of it made her head spin. Add to that her sister, who just happened to be a mystical Key, exhibiting signs of super powers, and she really needed to lie down.

Deciding to take advantage of those rests everyone had been so keen on assuring her she could have, Buffy did just that.

*** *** ***

After they'd rested, the five of them set out again, Aiden telling them there was a cavern up ahead that would be a better place to stop for the night. Not that they could really tell when it was night down there. With no view of the sky and their internal clocks thrown by the dimensional hop, time had lost most of its meaning. There was nothing they could do but keep moving through the darkened caves, unsure of where they stood in time or place.

It was beginning to become more and more of a problem for Emma. The longer they spent in these small, dark spaces, the harder it was for her to remember to breathe. But she kept moving on, forcing back the desire to break into hysterics that was pushing inside of her. She was a Slayer now. It wouldn't do at all for her to succumb to claustrophobia when there were a lot of more important things to deal with.

Still, she kept a tight grip around Aiden, the strength she could feel coursing through him helping to keep her grounded. Something about his presence alone made her feel safe, and that was what kept her sane now.

For his part, Aiden was not unaware of Emma's distress, and he fought not to allow his concern for her to distract him. She'd assured him earlier she wasn't in pain from the battle, and he figured that must mean that whatever was upsetting her now was something other than physical—which made it something he couldn't help her with in their current situation. Later, possibly, if the fates allowed it.

However, Aiden found cause for concern in the "later" itself. He certainly hadn't expected when he opened the portal to bring forth the Slayer to meet someone like Emma—someone who could make him feel things that could threaten the life he'd sworn himself to over a millennium before. His life as a Guardian was a solitary one, with no real room in it for a mate. Where would he fit Emma into that? Could he?

Aiden forced those questions out of his mind. This was not the time for them, and seeing as the world as they knew it could quite possibly be coming to an end soon, it may never be something he'd have to worry about at all.

He continued on, ignoring his worries and the pain in his arm as Emma tightened her grip.

*** *** ***

If you're interested in more details on how Dawn discovers and copes with her new Key-powers, it's part of my story Both Sides Now, which is included in my post-Chosen series. Since it's not primarily a Spuffy story (though Spike and Buffy do make appearances) it is not on this site. However, if you would like to read it, it is archived here: http://www.dark-desire.org/blood/fanfiction/BSN/main.html

Another big thanks to Niamh for betaing this and her help with performing a "that-ectomy." *wink*

Please take a moment to review!

Immediately, Buffy knew she was dreaming. She remembered falling asleep in the last cavern they'd stopped in, and she knew she hadn't left.

Only something about this dream felt different from dreams she'd had in the past. It felt almost like a Slayer dream, but she never seemed to know she was having one of those until it was over. Furthermore, everything around her was crisp and clear, not the muddled mix of metaphor she tended to get from Slayer dreams.

She stood in a house she didn't recognize. It was tidy, but the things inside of it were worn, some threadbare. Outside, thunder rolled and lightning crashed, and the house shook and groaned with each burst of light outside.

Faintly, she could hear the sound of tears, though they were almost drowned out by the rain pounding outside. She moved towards the soft noise, the floorboards hidden under old carpet creaking beneath her feet.

Buffy stopped when she reached a closet, knowing she'd find whomever was crying inside. She took a deep breath before she pushed the door open, the stopped when she saw the small form of a little girl huddled on the ground, her knees pulled up and her face hidden against them.

Buffy knelt down in front of the little girl and spoke gently to her. "Why are you crying? Are you afraid of the storm?"

The girl made no signs of awareness of Buffy at all. Buffy reached out to touch her then, but she stopped short when she suddenly realized they weren't alone. She looked up, gasping at the white-haired woman standing over them.

"You… I remember you," Buffy said. "You were the Guardian of the Scythe."

The woman nodded, a soft smile on her face. "I was. But I was more than that, my child. I was the Guardian of the Essence of the Slayer. I protected it. I kept it safe from harm until the time would come for the army to push back the darkness. Now that time is here, and they do not need one who is only a Guardian. They need more. They need a leader."

"Me," Buffy said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes, child. You. For so many years, prophecies have spoken of your coming, of what it would mean to the Slayer line and the world you fight to protect." The old woman's smile grew wistful. "These prophecies have spoken as well of the Warrior of Dark turned Champion of Light who would fight by your side."

Buffy smiled herself at that. "Spike."

"And now you are united, the way it was always meant to be. Things are falling into place, the forces of Light aligning to push back the coming tide of Darkness."

Buffy nodded, feeling deep down within herself that the woman's words were true. She knew defeating a force such as the First Evil had been a major victory for her side, and had hoped it could be a sign of things to come.

"What came to you last evening was the truth," the woman told her, catching Buffy's full attention again. "The essence of the Slayer does lay more strongly in some than in others. Someday, when goodness has grown in strength again, there shall be more true Slayers, but for now things must be as they are."

"So I was right, about it not being so random when it comes to choosing a Slayer? I wasn't just like drawn from a hat? It was really always meant to be me and none of the other Potentials around when I was Called?" Buffy asked.

"Yes. You and you alone were capable of facing the trials you overcame. It was never your destiny only because you were the Slayer. It was your destiny because you are you."

Buffy let out a deep breath, the old woman's words giving her the final push she needed to accept who and what she was. She was the Slayer. The One. Which brought another question to her mind. "Hey, how come you're being so straightforward and helpful? Usually when I have these dreams it's either all cryptic metaphorness or a gruesome history lesson."

"You do not need metaphors or a history lesson right now, my child," the woman replied. "You need answers. And I have more to give. As a Guardian, I strove to protect the Slayer line, even as the First Evil strove to destroy it. Alone, my power was not strong enough to protect all the girls who would be Called, so I chose only one, one girl that I could keep hidden away from the eyes of both good and evil until the time was right. She was the one girl in her generation with the strength inside of her to be most like what you already are, my dear. So I shielded the piece of the Slayer essence she carries, and there rested the hope for the existence of the line, should the First Evil succeed in its plans."

The woman reached down and stroked the hair of the crying girl. "I placed the hopes of the Slayer line on her shoulders. And now with the armies of the First Evil driven back and the powers inside of her awakened, it is time for you to guide her, to teach her of what she is. She needs you now, needs you to show her what it means to be the Slayer."

Buffy nodded, understanding. The woman moved her hand away from the girl, and now it was Buffy who reached out and stroked the girl's long, brown hair. "She hurts so much," Buffy said softly.

"Heal her."

In a snap, Buffy was awake, her surroundings again those of the cavern they'd stopped in for the night, the world of her dream fading away.

Almost, anyway. The soft tears she'd heard were still there, and Buffy rose to her feet to walk over to where Emma sat alone in the shadows, her knees pulled up to her face, just as they'd been in Buffy's dream.

"Trouble sleeping?" Buffy asked as she knelt down beside her.

Emma looked up suddenly, wiping her eyes harshly with the back of her hand as she did. "Did…did I wake you? I'm sorry. I was trying to be quiet…"

Buffy shook her head. "No. You didn't wake me. I had a dream. A Slayer dream."

Emma blinked. "Are we all gonna die?"

Buffy chuckled. "No. Well, I don't think so anyway. But it wasn't about this fight. Not really anyway. It was about you, Emma."

"Huh? Me? You had a Slayer dream about me?" Emma asked with surprise. "That's weird."

"No, not really." Buffy glanced behind her back towards the camp, making sure the other three were indeed still asleep, then sat down beside Emma, cross-legged. "There's something… I'd thought it before, but the dream confirmed it for me. You're special, Emma. Different than the other Slayers who were Called with you."

Emma snorted. "If by 'different' you mean 'more of a screw up,' then yeah, I guess."

"No," Buffy said, her tone even more emphatic than she'd meant it to be. "Emma, you are so not a screw up. I mean, since we've gotten here, you've been fighting like a pro. Both of the demons that attacked us, you've killed. And today, you figured out how to kill that turtley snake demon when the rest of us were getting our asses handed to us."

"Dumb luck," Emma said, looking down.

Buffy reached out and took Emma's chin, guiding her gaze back up to meet hers. "No, not dumb luck. Slayer strength." She dropped her hand. "There was a woman in my dream tonight, one I'd met before. She used to be the Guardian of the Slayer Essence, and she told me something important. I'm sure you've heard about last year, when the First Evil was trying to wipe out the Slayer line. It's why I had the spell done that Called all the Potentials at once."

Emma nodded. She had heard that. If there had been a Welcome to Slayer School brochure, that probably would've been the opening blurb. "Yeah, What about it?"

"This woman—the guardian—she told me she tried to protect the line by choosing one Potential to keep hidden away from everyone, one Potential to protect the line of the Slayer inside of her. That Potential was you, Emma."

Emma started, then began to shake her head. "No. I'm not anything like that, Buffy. I'm really not. I know I was able to fight those demons, but I'm still a screw up as a Slayer. I am. I am."

"Emma, you're not. Believe me here. The Slayer Essence is stronger inside of you than any of those other girls that were Called when Willow did the spell, because you've got what it takes to be a great Slayer."

"Buffy…" Emma took a deep breath, forcing her next words out. It was something she'd kept buried for over a year now, something no living person besides herself knew anymore. But it was time to let it out, for her to stop hiding from what she was, what she did. "Buffy, I killed someone. A human."

Buffy's eyes widened, her breath catching for a moment. "What?"

"I killed someone. When…when I was first Called." Emma gazed down at her hands, unable to look at Buffy's face and the disgust she was sure would be there as she revealed who she really was. "His name was Bobby. He was my best friend's boyfriend, but… God, he was horrible. He was a thief and a dealer, and I wouldn't have been surprised if he had more than a little blood on his hands. And he was always beating on Katie. Then, she got pregnant."

Emma stopped, taking a deep breath to try to calm herself, to fight the hot tears stinging her eyes. "He beat her so hard she lost the baby. She told me, and I just snapped. I was so sick of seeing it, so sick of watching as people got away with hurting people smaller than them, of taking advantage of the weak. So I went over there. I don't know what I thought I was going to do. Bobby was so much bigger than me. And at first, I wasn't able to do much at all. He was knocking me around like I was nothing.

"But then I felt it. Something just clicked inside, and I felt it, this great power surging through me. I figured out later it had been the moment I was Called, but all I knew then was finally, I wasn't the weak one anymore. For the first time in my life, I could fight back. And I did. I didn't even think about what I was doing, I just struck out, hit him over and over, and…" She stopped again, another shuddering breath. "I heard Katie screaming, and that's when I realized what I'd done. Bobby wasn't breathing anymore. He was broken and bloody and… I'd beaten him to death."

Buffy met Emma's confession with silence as she tried to digest what she'd just heard. She knew at one point in her life that she'd be horrified completely, wanting to try to push Emma's actions into a box clearly labeled "Evil." But in the almost decade-long run she'd had as the Slayer, Buffy had learned to look at things in shades of gray. Yes, Emma had taken a human life, which was something that typically, Buffy saw as wrong. However, she didn't think Emma was truly a killer. She had acted out of love, out of concern for her friend. She hadn't acted out of malice or for the thrill of the kill. She hadn't gotten out of control, hadn't used the strength given to her to fight for good for her own personal gain.

She'd been stuck in a bad situation, and she'd acted. Years of being held down, and this time, she stood up. Buffy saw the little girl in her dream, scared and alone, and she knew that had been Emma. So much pain in her life, and she'd finally snapped.

It had been the moment she was Called… Buffy swallowed, feeling her own twinge of guilt as she realized what that meant. Emma had possessed the strength to beat Bobby to death because of what Buffy had done. She'd given Emma that strength. Emma hadn't even been aware of what she was when she'd done what she'd done, had literally not known her own strength.

As quickly as her guilt came, Buffy pushed it away. Had Emma not become a Slayer at that moment, then chances were, she'd be the one who was dead now. She'd fought to defend her friend, and then to defend herself.

Buffy reached out and placed her hand on Emma's shoulder. "Emma… You're not a cold-blooded killer. You're…"

"There's more," Emma said, venturing a look up. Even with what Buffy had just said, Emma was expecting to find judgment on her face, and she was surprised when she didn't. But it didn't make her feel better not to see it. She still felt like it should be there. "Afterwards, I hid the body out in the woods. Katie was freaking out, but I told her to calm down, it would be okay. I panicked, didn't know what to do. I just wanted to put it behind me, forget about it. I didn't want to go to jail because of scum like Bobby.

"But Katie… She couldn't handle it. The guilt weighed on her until four months after I killed Bobby, she killed herself. Katie was my best friend, and she killed herself because of something I did. I killed her, too."

Buffy's heart out to Emma. "You didn't kill her. She killed herself."

"Because of me. I started out my life as a Slayer like that, Buffy. I can never be a good one. Never."

Buffy took Emma by the shoulders, resisting the urge to shake her. "You will be. I've already seen what you can do, and tonight… Emma, when I had that dream, I felt it, felt what's inside of you. And I know it, because it's in me, as well. You're a Slayer, just like I am. Yes, there's a darkness to our power. I've faced it, I've touched it. But we're warriors. We fight the darkness outside of us, and we can fight it inside, too. You just have to believe in your own strength."

"I don't know, Buffy. I don't know…"

Buffy took her hands from Emma's shoulders and gripped the girl's hands instead. "I do. And I'll show you."

Emma held on to Buffy, and for a moment, she thought she could feel their shared strength passing between them. Could it be what Buffy was telling her was true? Could she honestly move past how she had begun as a Slayer?

She didn't know. She hadn't expected Buffy to be so understanding, to look at her with anything but disgust after she revealed her darkest secret, and now that Buffy was not only accepting her, but still telling her that she could be a great Slayer, Emma didn't know how to feel. She felt relieved and guilty for that relief.

"You're not alone, Emma," Buffy said softly.

Emma's tears had slowed, but they now began again, and Buffy wrapped her arms around her, sharing her strength.

*** *** ***

Thanks again to Niamh for providing most excellent betaing.

I've been considering writing a story that would focus mainly on Emma. Buffy and Spike would be in, of course, though they wouldn't be the central characters. Before I start it, however, I need to know if there would be interest. So if you would be interested in reading a story about Emma, please let me know.

Don't forget to review!

Eventually, Emma and Buffy had both gone back to bed, parting silently with no further discussion of what had transpired between them. Emma found her way back to the warm circle of Aiden's arms, but she couldn't manage to fall asleep again. A nightmare had woken her in the first place, and the fear of going back to it kept her eyes open.

On top of that, her mind was racing from the conversation she'd had with Buffy. She hadn't meant to tell anyone what she had done, but once she'd started speaking, she'd been unable to stop the flow of her confession. For over a year, she'd kept the truth hidden inside of her, and now with it out, she was both relieved and terrified. It had been a weight of off her, but now she feared what Buffy would do with such a piece of information in the long run. Tonight, the older Slayer had seemed accepting, which Emma neither understood nor felt as if she truly deserved. Slayers weren't supposed to do what she had done, and as far as Emma was concerned, Buffy had every right to judge her.

Emma couldn't help but wonder if maybe Buffy did. Maybe it been only outward acceptance, a cover for the feelings of disgust Emma's confession had given her. Only Emma hadn't felt anything like that coming from Buffy. No, Buffy had continued to insist Emma had what it took to be a great Slayer, one important enough that the entire Slayer line had been entrusted in her, no less.

Emma wish it was indeed true. She wanted to believe she could escape all the pain and darkness of her past and become something else, something she'd always been meant to be. She liked the idea of having a destiny, of having a purpose. Her whole life she'd felt as if she'd done more harm than good, and she wanted more than anything for that to change. She wanted to feel like her existence in the world was something positive.

Still, it was a difficult thing to hope for. Wanting to believe and actually believing were two different things. Emma was a Slayer, a fact she couldn't argue with, but she also knew being a Slayer didn't automatically make someone good. When she'd been living in the dorms, she'd heard the whispers and rumors circulating among the girls about Faith. Emma had never been able to get a real story from anyone, but the gossip had been that Faith had killed at least twice, and had spent some time in prison for murder. From there, the stories seemed to run the gamut from Faith turning her back on her old ways and seeking redemption to her secretly plotting to kill them all in their sleep. Emma wasn't sure what she believed—though the latter seemed a little farfetched, even for Slayer Central—but she did wonder if there was a chance for someone to take a life the way Emma herself had and still be a good Slayer.

Could one act truly condemn you forever?

Aiden made a soft noise in his sleep, and Emma looked up at him, examining his face for a moment. He was one of the most gorgeous men she'd ever seen, especially outside of movies and television. On top of that, he was strong and kind, and actually treated her with respect. She could feel he truly was someone good. What would he say if he knew what she had done? Would he still look at her with affection the way he did now? Would he still want to touch her?

Emma supposed it didn't really matter. She couldn't keep Aiden. She'd known that from the start. It wasn't something they'd talked about, but she knew there was no life for their relationship once this mission was over. They were from literally two separate worlds, and Emma didn't see any way they could ever reconcile that. He had his responsibilities as a Guardian, and while Emma wasn't sure exactly what those entailed, if he'd been doing it for over a thousand years, she assumed it was an appointment of the permanent kind. Furthermore, she was a Slayer, and she knew that was something which would mean she wouldn't be able to stay with him in his world. She'd have duties to fulfill in her own world, especially if what Buffy had told her tonight was indeed true.

She probably shouldn't be with him at all. There was a lot at stake, and she didn't need to complicate it more with a doomed love affair. Yet in one night he'd made her feel more than anyone before him had, and Emma couldn't bring herself to turn her back on that completely, even if she knew she could never have him forever.

A second was better than never.

He shifted against her, bringing her closer to his warm body, and Emma nuzzled her face against him, letting his scent and the feel of his skin comfort her. She'd learned in her nineteen years of life you had to take moments of peace where you could get them, and she gave into the warmth of him now. She could worry more tomorrow.

*** *** ***

Spike snapped awake, certain he'd heard something. He lay completely still, his arm wrapped protectively around Buffy as he listened.

With his ultra-sensitive hearing, it didn't take him long to pinpoint what he'd heard. Hissing. Whatever it was, it was still outside the cavern, but the sound was obviously moving—and getting closer by the second.

He shook Buffy gently until her eyes opened, and she turned slightly towards him. "Spike? Is something wrong?" she asked.

"There's something moving towards us. Sounds like snakes," Spike replied.

Buffy was fully awake then. "Snakes? Dawn…"

"Yeah, my thought, too," Spike said. He sat up. "Let's wake the others."

Spike went to wake Emma and Aiden, while Buffy rushed over to her sister and knelt beside her. "Dawnie, wake up. Something's coming."

Dawn opened her eyes, blinking for a moment before she realized what Buffy said and sat up. "What is it?"

"Spike says it sounds like company of the forky-tongued kind."

Dawn got up from the sleeping pallet and pulled out her sword, then went with Buffy to join the other three. "They're getting closer," Spike said. "Can you hear them yet?"

Buffy shook her head. "No. Not yet."

"How come you can?" Emma asked, glancing over at Spike.

Spike looked over at her, frowning as he realized Emma didn't know what he was—or what he had been. "Long story. I'll tell you later."

Emma nodded in response, willing to let it go for now. She had more important things to worry about than Spike's apparent oddities.

Spike knew the moment he was no longer the only one who could hear the hissing. All three of the woman stilled, their eyes widening as the noise grew louder. Aiden, for his part, looked every bit the stoic warrior.

"That sounds like a lot of snakes," Dawn said, moving slightly closer to Buffy.

"I'd say it's more than one, that's for sure," Buffy said. "Although maybe they're echoing in the caves or something."

No sooner had the words come out of Buffy's mouth, than did the opening to the cavern began to flood with large dark, red-eyed snakes, slithering towards them. "Not an echo!" Dawn yelled, her heart pounding in her chest as she knew they were coming for her.

"Okay, we can do this," Buffy said, her sword raised. "I've faced way bigger snakes than these guys."

Beside her, Aiden caught her attention when he arched an eyebrow, and she responded with an indignant, "Well, I did!" She paused for a moment, then added, "Okay, it was just one, and I had dynamite, but it was a way bigger snake. Ooh, and there was this other one who these frat boys worshipped…"

"High school memories later, pet," Spike said as he moved to strike. "Snake hacking now."

"Right," Buffy said, focusing again. "Keep them away from Dawn."

The snakes weren't particularly hard to kill. They lacked the protection the earlier creature's exoskeleton had afforded it, and died quickly once they were stabbed or hacked in two. The problem, however, lay in the sheer number of them.

"They keep coming!" Buffy yelled, bringing her sword down to dissect yet another one. She'd already lost count of how many she'd killed, and the newcomers were simply swarming and slithering over the bodies of the dead. "Aiden, is there another way out of here?"

"No," Aiden replied as he took down one of his own. "They're coming through every way out of the cave."

"So what's the plan then? We just keep killing them and hope we get through to the end of them?" Spike asked.

"Unless someone comes up with something better," Buffy said. "And I'm all open for suggestions right now, 'cause I'm really not liking the odds here."

"Uh, guys…something's going on with Dawn," Emma called out, drawing the attention of the other three to the younger Summers sister.

"Oh my god," Buffy gasped, the sight of her sister sending a shock through her. Dawn's arms were stretched out in front of her, an eerie green light surrounding them. The same light covered her eyes, and Buffy realized she could hear Dawn chanting, her voice growing louder over the sound of the hissing.

Soon, Dawn was shouting, the words in a language Buffy didn't recognize. Dawn yelled one last word, and a bright burst of light filled the cavern, prompting Buffy to shield her eyes.

When Buffy could see again, the snakes were gone, and Dawn was lying in a crumpled heap.

Spike's sword clattered against the ground as he ran to Dawn, pulling her up into his arms. He shook her and got no response, and Buffy hurried over, kneeling beside them.

"She's alive," Spike said. "Still breathing, heartbeat still steady. She's just out cold."

"What the hell was that?" Buffy asked, running her hand over her sister's forehead in a need to touch her, to assure herself Dawn was still there.

"I'm going to wager the Key decided to make itself known," Spike replied.

Emma and Aiden hovered in the background, not wanting to step in on the family scene. Neither of them knew what to say anyway, both at a loss for words after what had just happened.

"What do you think we should we do?" Buffy asked Spike. "She seems pretty out of it, but I'm not sure we should stay here for long, not after what just happened."

"No, we need to move," Spike said. "Things are obviously heating up, and we don't need to be sitting targets. I can carry her until she wakes up."

Buffy swallowed, a question she didn't really want to even think about coming to her mind. "Spike, what if she doesn't…"

"She'll wake up, sweetheart. Bit probably just expended herself doing whatever it was she just did."

Buffy ran her hand across Dawn's face again, hoping Spike was right. Seeing her little sister do what she had just done had scared Buffy, made her worry for the girl's safety. She'd known for years now Dawn was made from an ancient, mystical energy source, but there was a difference between knowing abstractly and seeing the effects of that played out right in front of your eyes. Buffy had taken for granted Dawn was just a normal girl now, the Key being either gone or completely dormant, and it worried her to know that wasn't the case at all. Twice now someone had come after Dawn, wanting her for the power inside of her. Now with that power was even more visible, would more come? Would it get to the point where Buffy could no longer protect her sister?

Although given the display she'd just seen, Buffy also had to wonder if Dawn really needed her protection anymore…

"We'll clean up the traces of us being here and go then," Buffy said. "We should probably keep moving as much as possible." She turned back towards Aiden. "Do we have much further?"

"We should be out of the caves soon," Aiden replied. "Then there is one more trip across the desert until we reach Chalchicomehuel's fortress."

"Then we'll keep moving for as long as we can, limit ourselves to short rests." Buffy said. "And Spike, before you start in on me, I know. But sitting around will put us in more danger, and we can't risk that right now, especially with these things coming after Dawn. We're just going to have to hope Aiden's right about that prophecy baby protection whatsit."

Spike nodded, knowing it was pointless to argue. Buffy was right anyway. With the two attacks they'd already faced, there was every reason to believe there would be more, and the last thing they needed was to make themselves sitting targets. Their baby was in danger any way they looked at it. "Right then. Let's get moving."

Spike stood, cradling Dawn in his arms and hoping he had been correct when he'd assured Buffy she would wake up.

*** *** ***

Buffy knew she needed to keep her focus on her surroundings, but she couldn't seem to stop her mind from wandering. So much had happened in just the past few hours, and she was still trying to sort it all in her mind. What Dawn had done back in the cavern as well as the teenager's still-unconscious state were foremost in Buffy's thoughts. The longer Dawn stayed out, the more Buffy worried about whether or not her sister was going to wake up. And furthermore, if she did, would she still be Dawn? The way she'd looked and sounded when she'd done whatever it was she'd done to the snakes sent chills up Buffy's spine. What if the Key had managed to push itself forward, and what was inside the girl now was no longer her sister?

She shook her head, trying not to let those thoughts take hold. They wouldn't know anything until Dawn woke up, and in the meantime worrying about things that could turn out to be completely unfounded wasn't helping anything. She had other things to worry about for now.

Like the guy whose name she still wasn't going to even try to pronounce who was trying to bring about the apocalypse and kept attacking them with snake-like demons in the meantime. Or the child she was carrying inside of her who could possibly be a part of some important, prophesized event. Or the fact that the Slayer traveling with them had last night, following an uncharacteristically non-metaphorical Slayer dream Buffy had telling her to "heal her," confessed to murdering someone.

So, yeah, plenty of things to worry about.

Buffy turned her attention to Emma for a moment, watching the other Slayer as she walked slightly ahead of them, alongside Aiden. Buffy had gotten the feeling every time they'd started in the caves that Emma was nervous, almost fearful, and Buffy wondered why. She didn't think she was afraid of what they could run into, not after how Emma had handled herself every time they'd actually been attacked. So there had to be something else to it, something that could set the younger woman on edge in a way that the demons they'd faced could not.

Buffy had the suspicion it was something more on the psychological end of things making Emma jumpy now, and she thought back to a moment to her dream, to where she'd seen the child she was sure had been Emma—in a closet. Did Emma's current claustrophobia come from something in her childhood? From the feelings, the impressions, she'd gotten in the dream, Buffy had a suspicion it did, but she knew it wasn't her place to ask. If Emma wanted to talk, she would, the way she had the night before.

In part, Buffy felt like as the Slayer, what Emma had admitted to should horrify her. She had taken a human life, which was something Buffy had always ranked up there among the highest sins. But that had been at a different point in her life. True, she still didn't condone the taking of human life, especially innocent life, but she'd begun to see the world differently than she once had. In retrospect, she knew she should've killed Ben, human or not. As long as he had shared a body with Glory, he had been a threat not only to her family, but to the entire world. Allowing him to live had been foolish, and she had been relieved when Giles had admitted to her sometime later that he had done what she had not been able to do.

She hadn't jumped on the "yay for murder" train Faith had once seemed to be on, but Buffy could no longer say she placed the taking of human life completely in the "wrong under all circumstances" box either. It was never something she felt should be treated lightly, but she could see shades of gray. She'd felt the same way in her slaying recently, no longer able to tell herself that by dusting a vampire she wasn't killing something that even resembled a person.

The Council's old standpoint that vampires were no more than demons in human corpses had started to ring false to her years ago, and now it seemed to hold no truth at all. How could it after she'd gotten to know Spike? The man—complete with beating heart—she was with now was so much like the vampire she'd known before, albeit with a bit more of a conscience. If he'd been nothing more than a demon in a dead human body then, what was he now? Did a soul make you more of a person than your memories or personality? Buffy didn't think so, not anymore. Thinking it had made her job easier to do at one point, but she wasn't going to keep living in denial anymore. It was too tiring, too draining, and she'd rather accept the truth, no matter how hard it may be to face.

Maybe she should ask Spike when she was going to get her parade, trombones and all.

Buffy realized her mind had wandered off again and forced her concentration back to the moment. The last thing she needed was to have some demon jump out and make her a snack because she'd gone all philosophical Slayer. There'd be more time for thinking later, when the world wasn't ending yet again.

*** *** ***

Dawn blinked her eyes open slowly, groaning quietly as she did. She felt like she'd been hit by a dump truck that had dropped bricks on her, too, for good measure. She frowned as she noticed she was moving even though her feet weren't on the ground, then looked up and realized she was being carried as well as who was doing the carrying. "Spike?"

The group stopped when Dawn spoke, turning towards her and Spike anxiously. "Hey, nibblet," Spike said softly. "Been wondering when you were going to wake up."

Dawn winced, her head pounding. "How long have I been out?"

"A few hours," Spike told her.

"Damn. And you've been carrying me the whole time? Your arms must be about to fall off."

Spike smirked. "It's been like carrying a feather pillow, I swear."

"Big liar," Dawn replied. She shifted in his arms, groaning again as she did. "What happened to me?"

"You don't remember?" Buffy asked from beside Spike.

"Not really," Dawn said. "I remember the monster snakes, and then…" Her eyes widened, a small gasp coming from her as she began to recall what had happened next. "I…I sent them away. Didn't I?"

"Something like that, I think," Buffy answered. "I wasn't entirely sure what happened, just that you started glowing green and chanting in a strange language, then bam! Big flash of light and no more snakes."

Dawn's brow wrinkled for a moment until she realized that was making her head hurt more, and she tried to relax. "It was weird. It was like I knew what I was doing, but not at the same time. But I think… I think I zapped them into another dimension."

"That is what it appeared to be," Aiden said, speaking up for the first time in hours. "Though that is normally something only a very high level sorcerer can achieve with such ease. It was very focused. More often than not, when someone without much experience tries to do what you did, something other than the intended object gets pulled in as well. But you not only left everything besides the snakes intact, you also managed to take away the snakes outside of the cavern that you could not see."

"So that's…not normal?" Dawn asked, frowning.

"Not for a novice, no," Aiden replied with a shake of his head. "The Key must be making you quite powerful."

"More powerful than I think even I realize," Dawn admitted. "And Aiden, do you by any chance have some tiny pain killers in that magical travel bag of yours? My head is not happy with me right now."

"No, but I am a low-level healer. I can't do anything too spectacular, but I can take away your pain." Aiden approached Dawn and Spike, sharing a look with the other man for a moment, as if to ask permission to touch the girl in his arms. Spike gave Aiden a nod, though he kept his grip tight on Dawn.

Closing his eyes, Aiden reached out and put his hand against Dawn's head. He murmured an incantation so softly Dawn could barely hear him, and she felt something pass through her body gently, like a wave. When Aiden pulled away, a slight wooziness remained, but the horrible aching was gone.

"Better?" Aiden asked her.

"Yes, much. Thank you," Dawn said as she pushed to get out of Spike's arms. He helped her to her feet, then started to rub his biceps. "Feather pillow, huh?" Dawn asked him with a smirk.

"You were light, I promise," Spike told her. "Just still not completely used to having circulation, is all."

Emma frowned, latching on to the last bit of Spike's response to Dawn. After a beat, she spoke. "Okay, I've tried to just forgot for a while about Spike's smelling Aiden on me and hearing the snakes before everyone else, but not used to having circulation? Plus, you're all super strong. Spike, what is up with you?"

"None of the other girls back at Slayer Central talked about it?" Spike asked.

"No," Emma replied, shaking her head. "All I ever heard them say where you were concerned was what a hottie you are and how it's so totally unfair that Buffy's got you all to herself."

"Hey! I was miss solo Slayer for like eight years. I earned having a hottie all to myself," Buffy replied, arms crossed over her chest.

"And all yours I am, kitten," Spike said, his arm going around Buffy's waist. He cleared his throat. "But about me. I used to be a vampire."

Emma's mouth fell open. "Huh? How can…what?"

"I used to be a vampire," Spike repeated. "Until a few months ago when I came down with a sudden case of being alive."

"Is that…normal?" Emma asked. "'Cause I know I haven't been a Slayer very long, but I've never heard of a vampire suddenly being alive again before."

"It's not normal. Spike's a big freak," Dawn said, throwing the bleached blond a teasing grin.

"Very funny, bit," Spike muttered in response.

"Spike's the only one it ever happened to," Buffy said. "We're still not sure exactly how, only that it was probably tied to this prophecy. Something about Shanshu."

"So you're him, then," Aiden said, turning his gaze on Spike. "You're the vampire who earned the restoration of his soul."

Spike looked at Aiden, a bit taken aback by not only the fact that Aiden had heard of him, but by the way he'd phrased the question. "Yeah, I'm him. What about it?"

"Nothing specific really," Aiden said with a shrug. "But when you've been around as long as I have, you hear about things, prophecies that come up several times throughout the ages. For as long as I can remember, there has been talk about a Champion who would emerge from darkness, a vampire with a soul. It was said that this vampire would be given a new life and in that life would accomplish great things at the side of his mate, a Champion in her own right."

"I'd heard the new life bit," Spike replied. "Didn't know the rest—though that had been my plan, so nice to hear the Powers are with me on that one."

Aiden spoke again. "I must admit, I hadn't ever put too much stock into those prophecies, despite their continual appearance. It becomes difficult at times to differentiate the prophecy from the myth. Many of the prophecies seemed disjointed, some speaking one way about the souled vampire, and some another. A few had postulated that there were to be in fact two vampires with souls, one cursed and continually tempted into darkness, and another who chose to have his soul restored and would succeed where the other failed, but I was never certain of the validity of that. The idea of even one vampire regaining its human soul seemed almost beyond the realm of possibility."

"There are two," Spike said. "Or were, I suppose, since he's still a vampire and I'm not. His soul was a curse. And he's also a total git."

"Well, then. I stand corrected," Aiden replied.

Spike turned towards Emma, appraising her mood for a moment. "Are you all right with this?" he asked her.

Emma shrugged. "You used to be a vampire and Dawn's a mystical Key. Weird, sure, but I can deal with it. You guys have treated me better than anyone ever has in my entire life, and I'm not going to get all freaked out just because you don't fit behind the normal label. I mean, hell, I was endowed with mystical powers so I can fight demons, so who am I to judge?"

Spike gave her a small nod. "I appreciate it."

"All right, so are the explanations and bonding moments over?" Buffy asked. "'Cause we've got an apocalypse to stop, and standing around chatting isn't going to keep the snakes away."

"I'm fine," Dawn said. "Whatever Aiden did helped, so we don't need to stand around on my account."

"All right. Let's get a move on then," Buffy said, falling back into Slayer mode.

Aiden started to walk again, leading the way through the darkened caves.

*** *** ***

Please review.

On the one hand, Emma was grateful to be out of the caves. She had space on all sides of her now, and for the first time since they'd gone underground, she felt like she could breathe freely.

On the other hand, the desert with its dark, ominous, alien sky was not a drastic improvement.

She stayed close to Aiden, telling herself it wasn't because she wanted him to protect her, but because he knew this world and she didn't.

Dawn followed close behind them with Spike—Buffy again cradled in his arms—bringing up the rear. Every now and then Emma would hear Buffy insist she was fine to walk now, and every time, Spike would ignore her. Finally, Buffy had sighed heavily, and since Emma had not heard the other Slayer protest being carried again, she assumed Buffy had given up.

Periodically, the wind would kick up the sand around them, and Emma would turn her face towards Aiden, shielding her eyes against his chest. Every time she did, he'd wrap his arm around her, holding her close until the wind had passed.

The desert seeming to stretch out endlessly in front of them, the small group kept moving forward.

*** *** ***

Buffy struggled to stay alert. She knew even with Spike carrying her she needed to be ready at a moment's notice were they to be attacked again, but she was finding that increasingly difficult. His arms were warm encircled around her, and his heartbeat was steady against her ear. Even with what surrounded them, being in his embrace gave her a feeling of safety, and she knew it would be easy to simply drift off to sleep.

However, while she couldn't give in to her need for rest now, she swore to herself that once she got home, she wasn't leaving the bed for several days, even if there was yet another apocalypse looming.

With all the Slayers running around now, someone else could certainly field the next one.

Unbidden, her eyes kept trying to close, and Buffy would start to slip out of consciousness before she remembered where she was and snapped to attention again.

She'd just started to drift off again when Spike stopped short. "Hold up a moment," he said to the others. "I hear something."

Dawn stopped in her tracks, then turned to look at him. "It's not hissing, is it? Please don't tell me it's hissing."

The look on Spike's face was all she needed to know he wasn't going to be able to grant that particular request. Dawn kicked at the sand. "Crap."

Buffy began to squirm in Spike's arms, and he set her down on her feet without protest. "How far away does it sound?" Buffy asked him.

"Not far. And it sounds like…" Spike paused, frowning as he cocked his head to the side and tried to verify what he was hearing. "It sounds like it's under us."

Suddenly, a large snake with a crest like a cobra popped up from the sand, snapping its fangs at Dawn. She screamed, jumping backwards to get out of the way as she swung her sword forward, making the snake recoil.

Four other snakes rose then, surrounding the group. "Geez, Tremors much?" Dawn said, her voice shaky as she moved closer to Buffy and Spike.

"I didn't like that movie when I wasn't living it," Buffy responded, her sword up at the ready.

Wordlessly, Spike, Buffy, Emma, and Aiden all formed a protective circle around Dawn, knowing she was the focus of the attack. They waited for the giant snakes to strike, the sounds of the beasts' hissing now almost deafening.

"They're not moving," Buffy noted. "I don't like this. It's like they're…"

"Waiting for something," Spike finished for her, earning a nod from the blonde Slayer.

Although the snakes weren't attacking, they had successfully trapped the five people in their midst, surrounding them like bars of a reptilian cage. Any time one of them moved, the snake closest by would snap its massive jaws, making it clear that anyone who tried to run would have to contend with its dripping fangs.

It started with a low rumble, far in the distance. Then, the ground beneath them began to shake, toppling all five of them to the sand. Spike was the first to regain his balance, and he moved towards Buffy and Dawn, trying to shield the two women from whatever was about to happen.

Yet as soon as he reached them, one of the snake's colossal tail shot forth out of the sand, striking him hard across the back. He slumped, blood oozing from the wound.

Emma turned at the sound of Buffy's scream and watched her crawl to Spike, shaking him, her movements growing in strength as he didn't respond. The wind picked up around them, howling and kicking up blinding amounts of sand. Emma held her hand out, trying to get to Dawn when the ground underneath the younger Summers opened.

Buffy turned again, one hand on her fiancé as she reached for her sister, yelling the teenager's name. Dawn tried to grasp Buffy's hand, their fingers touching, but the pull was too strong, and Dawn disappeared into the ground.

With Dawn, went the snakes, and the desert stilled again, an eerie silence settling around them.

Buffy trembled, her eyes darting between the spot Dawn had last been and Spike's still body. Emma rose to her feet and stomped with her boot, trying to see if she could follow Dawn under as she had when that creature had grabbed her friend at the start of their journey, yet the fissure seemed to have closed completely.

Aiden moved quickly to Buffy's side so he could inspect Spike's body. He met the Slayer's gaze. "He's alive. Poisoned heavily, but I will try to remove the toxin from his body."

Buffy's eyes were rimmed red as she asked, "Try? Do you know you can do this?"

"I can't make you a promise I do not know I can keep," Aiden told her as he shook his head. My healing powers are limited, and his injury is great. But I will do the best that I can and hope it will be enough."

Buffy's only response was a nod, knowing she had no other alternatives now than to hope Aiden's best was enough. Her mind was in turmoil, her heart screaming for both Spike and Dawn.

Aiden rolled Spike on to his stomach, positioning him with his head cradled in Buffy's lap so as to keep it out of the sand. He ran his hands over the open wound, his eyes closed as he chanted softly.

After several moments, he looked up, shaking his head with a frown. "I don't have enough power in me."

"Could you take some of mine?" Buffy asked, fighting her tears. She needed to be strong now, for her lover and her sister. "I have a lot of it."

"I'm not sure it would be safe," Aiden replied. "You are with child; it could cause both you and the baby harm, were I to attempt to siphon off your energy."

"But the baby's protected by the magical whatsit. Wouldn't that…"

"Take some from me," Emma said, cutting Buffy off as she stuck her hand out towards Aiden. "'Cause unless this whole 'I can't lie thing' is a big act and you were lying to me the other night, I'm certainly not pregnant."

"I wasn't lying," Aiden said, and Emma could've sworn she saw his cheeks redden slightly. However, it soon faded, and with determination, he took her hand.

Emma felt as Aiden began to draw the energy from her, yet it didn't hurt as she'd suspected it might. Instead, she felt his presence connecting with hers, soothing her as energy from her began to flow into Spike, with Aiden serving as the conduit.

Buffy ran her hand through Spike's hair, saying a silent plea that this would work. "Please, baby, you have to be okay. We'll need you to save Dawnie, and…" Buffy swallowed hard as a fresh rush of tears filled her eyes. "Spike, please," she whispered. "I'm still not ready for you not be here. I'll…I'll never be ready for that."

Aiden pulled up, his arm shooting out to catch Emma as he let go of her hand and she slumped to the ground. She swallowed, blinking slowly, feeling tired but knowing she could still go on.

"I've done all I can," Aiden said. "We won't know if it's enough until he awakens."

Buffy fought the urge to panic. "How long will that be?"

"I don't know," Aiden replied. "But we need to seek shelter for now." He stood and scoured the terrain, then pointed ahead. "There is a rock formation over those dunes. They should protect us, should a storm arise." He stood, taking Spike and throwing him over his shoulder before helping the two women stand as well.

Buffy glanced at Spike, knowing he'd be quite put out if he knew Aiden was going to carry him like that.

A small, almost smile formed on her lips at the thought.

He had to be all right. They couldn't have come this far only for her to lose him now.

Silently, they made their way across the dunes.

*** *** ***

Dawn groaned as she sat up, her eyes opening slowly. She looked around, frowning as she realized she was moving through a dark tunnel, though she wasn't actually the one doing the walking.

No, not walking—slithering. She realized she was sitting in some sort of shallow box tied to one of the giant snakes that had attacked them in the desert. She reached out, yelping when her hand received a shock.

Crap. Force field.

"Pretty little Key is awake. Pretty little Key stays put."

Dawn turned, noticing to her left a small, hideously ugly demon riding a snake. Her nose wrinkled as the creature looked at her with something that could've been a smile.

"Krez told his lord he would find the Key. Krez did good."

Dawn sighed. This was just what she needed—to get kidnapped by Gollum's even more deformed cousin and his pet mutant snakes. "I'm not the Key," Dawn said, figuring it was at least worth a shot. "You've got it all wrong."

Krez hissed, and Dawn reeled back at the sight of his forked tongue. "Pretty little Key lies. If lies keep going, Krez take away pretty little Key's mouth."

Dawn's eyes bulged at that, and she decided not to try to play that particular card anymore.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked.

Again, Krez hissed. "Pretty little Key must not want pretty little mouth."

She swallowed, resolving now just to stay quiet. She needed to focus on escape anyway.

Dawn thought back to the cave and how the Key had seemed to come alive inside of her long enough to banish the snakes. Perhaps if she could do it unintentionally, then if she concentrated hard enough, she could will it to happen as well.

She closed her eyes, trying to will the Key to the surface; however, nothing happened. Krez began to laugh, and Dawn's eyes opened again.

"Krez thought pretty little Key might try to banish Krez. Krez saw in the cave. Krez has been watching, has been waiting." He grinned with evil glee. "Krez knew to get Key, Krez must distract golden-haired Slayer. So Krez had pet kill man with blood-drinker scent and golden-haired Slayer look away! Krez get Key then." Krez cackled in delight.

Dawn gasped, her face growing pale. Spike? She shook her head, praying it wasn't true. Krez had to be wrong, because Spike couldn't be dead—not again.

A memory flashed in her mind from right before she was pulled beneath the sand. The snake's tail… Spike… blood... A tear rolled down her cheek.

"Pretty little Key don't need crying. Krez's lord will soon have pretty little Key, and then she will not care for friend. Girl will be gone; only Key remain." Krez clapped his hands.

Dawn turned from him, hugging her knees tightly against her chest.

*** *** ***

I really am trying to finish this fic. It's still a struggle for me to write, as the inspiration just isn't there. I have, however, recently finished the rough drafts for two of my other WIP's, so I'm going to try to devote more time to this one and hopefully bring it to a conclusion. Thank you to everyone who has been so patient through all the breaks between posts.

Buffy felt helpless—she hated feeling helpless. Spike was still unconscious and Dawn was gone. She'd scream if she thought it would get her anything but a sore throat.

She looked over at Emma, watching the other Slayer as she sat huddled against Aiden. Emma had dark circles under her eyes, and her normally bronzed skin was looking almost pale. The energy drain had obviously taken its toll "Thank you, Em, for what you did for him," Buffy said.

Emma looked up. "He was kind to me before. I was simply repaying the favor."

"Still, you didn't have to. You went above and beyond there."

"No, I didn't," Emma replied, shaking her head. "Not for a Slayer."

Buffy met Emma's gaze, seeing the strength in the other woman's brown eyes despite the currently-weakened state of her body. An understanding passed between them, and Buffy realized something fully for the first time.

Being the Slayer no longer meant being alone.

Buffy broke away from Emma's eyes when Spike groaned, her heart leaping at the sound. "Spike?" she asked softly, stroking his hair. "Talk to me, honey. Please…"

"Buffy?" Spike replied groggily, forcing his eyes opened. "What the hell happened?"

The overwhelming sense of relief Buffy felt at hearing his voice again almost made her burst into tears. "You got hurt," she said, her own voice cracking. "I thought for a while there I might lose you."

"I'm too bloody stubborn to die. You should know that by now," Spike replied as he sat up, ignoring the throbbing pain throughout his whole body. He glanced around, then frowned. "Where's Dawn?"

"She fell through the sand," Emma said.

"I don't believe she's dead," Aiden added. "Clearly, she was targeted as the Key, so Chalchicomehuel would want her alive."

"Then we need to find her," Spike said, trying to stand only to have his legs give out on him, though Buffy quickly caught him.

"Easy there, Billy. You were poisoned by a giant snake monster. You're not exactly in top form," Buffy chided softly.

He wanted to protest and insist he really was perfectly fine, but the way his head swam told him that would be useless. "Then leave me here, pet. Go on and save Dawn."

"No," Buffy said, shaking her head emphatically. "There is no way I'm abandoning you out here."

"Buffy, I can catch up later. Dawn's in trouble. For all we know, whatshisface could be using her right now to do whatever world-ending thing he's planning to do. You can't wait around for me."

"I don't believe Chalchicomehuel could have already started the ritual," Aiden said. "These sorts of things, they take preparation and proper alignments. We should have time enough still."

Buffy placed her hand against Spike's leg. "We'll save Dawn—but you'll need to be there beside me to do it. I need you in this fight."

When Spike opened his mouth to protest some more, Buffy put her finger against his lips. "Shh… Just rest, get your strength back up. The more you chatter on, the more energy you're wasting that you could be using to heal."

Spike gave her a dirty look, but he also let her guide his head back down to her lap so he could rest some more.

*** *** ***

Dawn looked on in disgust as she watched Krez eat what appeared to be giant beetles from a pack at his side. They crunched; he slurped.

She wished she could break out of her prison and snap his neck.

She couldn't let herself believe Spike was really dead. As unfair as the universe tended to be, that would be just too much. She and Buffy had just gotten him back in their lives, and now he was going to marry Buffy, plus they were awaiting the birth of their first child. To take him now…

Even the universe couldn't be that cruel, could it?

She'd seen him hit, yet only moments later, the ground had given out beneath her feet and she'd lost consciousness. Anything could've happened since then. For all she knew, Spike was already back on his feet, ready for a fight.

Dawn had to believe that. Otherwise, she thought she might break down, and she didn't have time for that.

Krez turned his yellow, reptilian eyes on Dawn as he sucked a beetle leg into his mouth. "Pretty little Key need not have worry for friends. Friends and pretty little Key will be too dead to care soon." Krez laughed as if he found his words very funny.

Dawn glared, unable to keep herself quiet. "My sister is going to kill you," she snarled.

Krez hissed, then bared his fangs. "No, no, pretty little Key. Krez will kill golden-haired Slayer. Krez will taste golden-haired Slayer's flesh." He hissed again.

The thought made her want to shudder in revulsion, but Dawn continued to glare. If pathetic little Krez honestly thought Buffy couldn't kick his slimy ass, then he was one delusional demon.

"Krez's lord will so rule the Heavens and the Hells. All the Slayers will be nothing under the power of Krez's lord." He clapped rowdily.

Dawn turned her head, no longer wanting to look at the creature. His words meant nothing to her; she wouldn't let them mean anything. Spike, Buffy, Emma—they were all fine still, and they would get to her in time to stop whatever ritual that Chachi guy had planned. Then they could go home, and everything would be fine.

As the snakes continued forth through the tunnel, Dawn held on to that thought.

*** *** ***

Night had already fallen by the time Spike woke again. He sat up, rubbing his head.

"Are you feeling better?" Buffy asked.

"I've felt a lot worse," Spike replied. "I think I can go on now."

"It will be possible for us to travel during the night; however, it will put us in greater peril," Aiden said. "We will have to move slowly, and with caution."

"Which is still better than not moving at all," Buffy replied. "We'll just have to watch each other's backs. Emma, are you okay enough to go on?"

Emma nodded. "I feel fine now."

"What happened to Em?" Spike asked, his brow furrowed.

"She gave Aiden energy so he'd be strong enough to heal you," Buffy answered.

Spike turned to Emma, but she held up her hand. "Please, just don't make a thing out of it, okay? We need to go save Dawn."

Understanding, Spike nodded. It seemed as if though Emma was quick to jump in and help someone in need, she was uncomfortable receiving any credit for her actions.

Spike wondered if it was humbleness or a resistance to see herself as a hero. He filed the question away to think about later.

Now, he needed to concentrate on rescuing Dawn.

*** *** ***

At night, the desert was even worse than it was during the day. The heat seemed to linger even in the darkness, and the sky had grown more ominous, the red crackles of lighting above bathing everything in an eerie blood-colored glow.

Spike still wasn't at top strength, and Buffy was grateful he hadn't insisted on carrying her now. Instead, he allowed her to let him lean on her, her arm wrapped around his waist to catch him if his legs started to tremble.

She'd asked him once if he needed to rest again, but he'd shaken his head no, determination set in his eyes. Buffy knew him well enough to know if he wore that particular expression on his face, nothing was going to stop him from doing what he had his mind set on.

Buffy had long since come to terms with the fact that she was in love with a very stubborn man.

Periodically, something would make a sound in the distance, bringing them to a stop while Aiden listened to see if he could identify the creature. So far, they hadn't run into anything that was an immediate threat.

However, Buffy had an idea that was about to change when a loud screeching filled the air. "Duck!" Aiden yelled right before something large swooped, coming down over the tops of their lowered heads.

"What the bloody hell is that?" Spike asked, glancing up cautiously.

"Mulnax," Aiden said. "It'll be coming back around soon."

Seconds later, the mulnax came in for a second pass, its screeches reaching near-earsplitting levels. This time, it brought down its talons, the claws digging into Aiden's shoulder. He hit at the creature with his sword, making it cry out in pain before it flew back for another attack.

When it came back again, Buffy looked up from her crouching position, waiting until the beast was right above them. Then, she sprung up, flipping into the air to drive her sword through it.

The mulnax let out one more horrible screech, its wings flapping idly before it fell to the ground beside the group in a dead heap.

Buffy flicked her arm, her nose wrinkling. "You'd think after all the times I'd been demon slimed, I'd be use to it by now." She looked over at Aiden. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. I think it was only a scratch."

"Aiden, it dug its claws into you," Emma said, standing on her toes to try to get a better look at his shoulder. "Let me see."

"I'm fine," Aiden insisted.

Emma crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow. "What happened to always being truthful, huh? I saw what that thing did to you—I was right beside you."

He raised his own eyebrow in response. "It's not a lie if I believe it to be true."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Great. A stoic." She moved her hands to her hips. "Let me look at your arm. Otherwise, I'm going to be spending the rest of this trip wondering if it's going to drop off into the sand, and that'll just be a distraction."

Aiden sighed. "There's a cleansing strip in my pack. It's blue."

Emma reached into the pack on his side, digging around for a moment until she pulled out a blue strip. "This it?"

"Yes," Aiden told her with a nod. "Place it over the wound and it will prevent any infection that may cause my arm to 'drop off into the sand.'"

"Good to know," Emma muttered as Aiden knelt down enough to let her reach the top of his arm. She placed the cleansing strip over his shoulder, watching as it spread out to cover the whole of the injury. Then, she kissed his arm softly. "There. I can go on without worrying about your stubborn self now."

The darkness of their surroundings hid the blush on Aiden's cheeks. "Thank you."

As Spike fussed over Buffy, checking her for any sign of damage, despite her insistence the mulnax had never touched her, she watched Aiden and Emma, a smile tugging at her lips. It had surprised her to realize they had seemed to connect so quickly, yet watching them now, she had to admit they were rather cute together.

Although somehow, she had the feeling they'd both scoff at that assessment—outwardly at least.

She wondered what would happen to their fledgling relationship once this was all over.

"Those demon guts aren't burning you, are you? Making you feel a little woozy?"

At Spike's question, Buffy looked back at him and rolled her eyes. "Honey, they're just average, every day demon guts. I'm fine. Baby's fine. It's good."

"You about gave me a heart attack flipping up into the air with your sword like that," Spike told her.

"Yeah, well, I had to kill the nasty giant hell-bird thingy," Buffy retorted. "Deal with it."

Spike shook his head, then placed a kiss on her cheek. "Just be careful."

"I always am." At Spike's raised eyebrow, Buffy pouted, then insisted, "I am!"

"I'll believe that when I see it, Slayer. Now come on, if we're all all right here, we might as well get moving again." Spike's nose wrinkled and he nodded his head towards the dead mulnax. "That thing really reeks."

The other three in agreement, they set out again.

*** *** ***

I'm really trying to get this one to its end, and I'm going to do my best not to keep having such big gaps between posts. Please take a moment to let me know what you think of the story. I could really use the encouragement right now.

Dawn didn't know how long they'd been in the tunnels before Krez began to bounce on the top of his snake, making a strange, twittering noise as he clapped his hands. "Almost time, almost time! Krez will make his lord very happy now!"

Dread curled in Dawn's gut, and she couldn't find a way to agree with Krez's enthusiasm.

"Krez's lord will be pleased! Krez will get place of honor."

The snakes slithered around the bend in the tunnels, and Dawn gasped as she saw two large black marble doors in front of them. Somehow, she didn't see this going well for her.

Again, Krez began to bounce up and down and clap. "Here! Here!"

"Joy of joys," Dawn muttered under her breath, trying not to shiver.

The doors opened slowly, letting both the snakes Krez and Dawn were on as well as the ones trailing behind to enter. They went down a long hallway made of the same marble as the doors, the walls illuminated with torches.

The further they went, the more the dread inside of Dawn continued to grow.

Finally, they were in a large room, a raised dais in front of them. The snakes came to a stop. A large, reptilian demon sat upon a throne, his golden eyes blinking almost as rapidly as Dawn's heart was beating.

Krez scurried down off the side of his snake and ran to the stairs in front of the dais, his head bowed. "I have brought Krez's lord his Key."

Wordlessly, the large demon rose from his throne and made his way down the stairs, his eyes never leaving Dawn. She noticed a glittering gem around his neck and wondered if it was the amulet that had been stolen from Aiden.

The demon snapped his fingers and Dawn felt the air around her crackle as the force field fell. Then, he reached in and grabbed her by the neck, pulling her up so her feet were dangling over the ground. As she struggled, his long, snake-like tongue darted out and licked her cheek, making her wince in disgust.

He dropped her to the ground. "She is the Key," he said in a deep, hissing tone. "I am pleased."

Krez scurried over, then bowed again. "Krez do good for Krez's lord."

"Yes. You have done very well."

"Krez can have reward?"

By now, Dawn was fairly certain this demon was Chalchicomehuel, and the thought did not offer her any respite.

"Yes. You may take the Key to your chambers and do what you will with her. Just remember, there must be enough blood in her for the ritual."

Krez began to clap again. "Krez thanks Krez's lord."

Dawn trembled, the thought of being at the mercy of that slimy little freak enough to make her stomach turn. "You don't really want to send me with him!" she protested. "He…he might break me before you can use the Key!"

Chalchicomehuel reared back and slapped her, sending Dawn toppling to the ground. "Never speak to me in such a manner! You are less than swine to me." He looked down at her, his reptilian mouth curling in something that may have been a smile. "Besides, I want you broken. It will make it so much easier to bleed you once the time comes. Krez, take her."

Krez bounded to Dawn and grabbed her by her arm, dragging her behind him as he rushed down a hall. She grimaced in pain, tears in her eyes that she didn't let fall.

Somehow, she'd find a way out of this…

*** *** ***

"I'm going to wager that giant black castle looking thing rising out of the sand is the evil bloke's lair," Spike said, squinting as he looked out over the desert.

"Yes, that would be Chalchicomehuel's fortress," Aiden replied.

"So how do we get in exactly?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah. There's not enough wood around for us to build a giant bunny to hide in," Emma added, completely straight-faced.

Buffy and Aiden stared at her blankly. Spike couldn't help but smirk. He knew there was a reason he'd liked that girl from the start.

"I believe our best course of action would be to simply walk through the front door," Aiden said after a beat.

At that, all three of his traveling companion's turned to stare at him, nearly-identical cries of "huh?" sounding from both Buffy and Emma.

"We would be no match for Chalchicomehuel's guards; however, the ones he employs around the perimeter tend to be the slower-witted creatures, chosen for their brawn. One of my strengths has always been cloaking spells, and I don't think any of them would be able to detect one. Closer to Chalchicomehuel, the guards will be more cunning, yet fewer in numbers, giving us a better chance of surviving a battle."

Spike and Buffy shared a look, a sort of silent communication seeming to pass between them before they both nodded. Buffy turned back to Aiden. "Okay. We'll go with that."

"I should go ahead and perform the cloaking spell now. The closer we get to the fortress, the more of a chance we have of being spotted."

"Then do what you need to do so we can get in there and save my sister," Buffy replied. "And, you know, the universe, too."

With a short nod, Aiden closed his eyes and began to chant.

*** *** ***

Krez pushed open a door and dragged Dawn into a room, throwing her onto a straw mat that may have passed for a bed. He looked at her, his tongue darting out from his mouth as he clapped and bounced. "Krez like pretty little Key. Krez happy pretty little Key is Krez's toy now."

"Believe me, buddy, it is so not mutual," Dawn snapped, her eyes narrowing as she rubbed her sore arm.

Krez hissed, then bounded quickly to her, perching himself on her chest. He snarled, swiping at Dawn's face and scraping her skin with his claws. "Pretty little Key learn respect for Krez."

With a glare of pure hatred, Dawn spat in the demon's face.

Krez screeched and jumped back, wiping at his cheek. "Pretty little Key suffer for that!"

However, Krez's recoiling gave Dawn just the moment she needed. She rolled off the mat, trying to crawl away. Krez leapt onto Dawn's back, hissing as he grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head into the stone of the floor.

Blood began to pour down the side of her face, but Dawn pushed herself forward against Krez's weight and reached out. Her hand went under a piece of the floor that had broken, and she pulled it up with a grunt.

Krez yanked her hair again, but Dawn bucked up, throwing the demon from her body. He tumbled to the ground with a yell, and Dawn turned herself around so she was facing him and struck out with the broken piece of stone.

The stone made contact with a satisfying crunch, and Krez howled in pain. He rolled around on the floor, his hands over his bloodied face, and Dawn came in again, beating him repeatedly until he was still.

Dawn pulled herself up, her chest heaving with exertion as she glared down at Krez. She wiped the blood of her face, then dropped the stone down, letting it hit the demon's battered body one more time.

Were she her sister, Dawn figured she'd have a witty quip at the moment. As it were, all she did was kick him in the side.

That was satisfying enough for her.

She glanced around the room, her stomach turning when she saw a collection of what she could only guess were torture implements by a set of chains, and knew she had narrowly escaped that fate. She shivered at the thought, then took a step closer, searching for something she could use as a weapon. She had just placed her hand on a small dagger, when suddenly, she went down to the ground with a scream.

Slimy, reptilian hands wrapped around her neck, and she heard a sinister voice against her ear. "Krez truly make pretty little Key suffer now."

Dawn coughed, struggling to breathe. Krez's hands tightened, and she knew if she didn't get up soon, he may kill her now. She let her body fall limp.

Seconds later, Krez released her, and she heard him hum with glee as he got off of her and moved towards his torture wall.

In a blink, Dawn was on her feet, her hand still clutching the dagger she'd taken. Krez turned, hissing, and Dawn struck, plunging the dagger into his chest. The demon's eyes bulged, strangled sounds gurgling from him as he slipped to the ground.

Again, he lay still, his forked tongue hanging from his mouth. Dawn, however, didn't trust him to be truly dead this time, and she knelt beside him with the dagger and brought it to his neck. She then used it to remove his head, wincing at the blood splatter and nauseating sounds.

For once, she longed to be fighting a vampire. Dust was so much cleaner.

She stood, now covered in blood, both her own and Krez's. His head lolled beside his body, the yellow eyes staring blankly forward, yet no longer seeing anything. She trembled, relief at overcoming one danger mixing with the fear of soon facing another.

She watched Krez for long moments, making sure he didn't manage to grow a new head or something.

He didn't.

Again, Dawn wondered if she could access the part of her that was the Key from here. She closed her eyes, trying to make a connection with the mystical energy force.

Several minutes and nothing happened. It was if something was blocking her, keeping her from opening another doorway.

Dawn wondered if maybe that was for the best. Granted, she wasn't in the best of situations now, but were she to suddenly pop herself someplace else, it could be worse.

She just couldn't imagine quite how anything could truly be worse at the moment…

Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest, yet her face was set in determination.

She would get out of here alive. There was no way she was letting that freak Chalchicomehuel use what was inside of her to destroy the world as she knew it.

Her hand wrapped tightly around the dagger, Dawn stole from the room.

*** *** ***

Chalchicomehuel's fortress loomed above them, the sky over it seeming even more ominous than the rest. Buffy had been unable to keep from having her doubts about Aiden's cloaking spell—she'd seen too many magical mishaps in her day—yet it seemed to be working as the guards were paying them no attention.

"The entrance we will use is there," Aiden said, pointing forward.

"Isn't that the front gate?" Spike asked.

"Yes," Aiden replied.

"And those guards standing beside it won't notice it opening?" Spike questioned, his eyebrow rising.

"Not the way I plan to open it, no," Aiden said. "Trust me, I do not wish for this to fail anymore than you do."

"Then let's storm the castle," Buffy said, then frowned. "Or, you know, quietly sneak through the front door."

The four of them began to move again, Spike's hand coming down instinctively to curl around Buffy's. She gripped it tight, giving him his hand squeeze in response to reassure him.

Even with what they were facing, having him there with her made it seem a little easier. She knew he'd always have her back.

The guards around the door continued to stare forward, oblivious to the fact that their castle's defenses were being breeched. They were so stony faced they reminded Buffy of the guards outside of Buckingham Palace, and she fought back a snicker at the thought of the bulky, reptilian demons in tall, fuzzy hats.

Spike cocked an eyebrow at her and she mouthed, "Tell you later." He gave a short nod in response.

Aiden put his hand against the entrance, a light bursting forth that had Buffy shielding her eyes, yet still, the guards saw nothing. Apparently, Aiden hadn't been exaggerating when he'd said he was good with cloaking spells…

The space between the two large doors began to widen until there was enough room for them each to pass through. As soon as they had, the space disappeared again.

"Well, you're just all sorts of handy," Spike said to Aiden as he looked back at the doors.

"You should see me do party tricks."

Spike stared at the usually-stoic man before he realized Aiden was making a joke and grinned. Apparently, there was a little more to him than what appeared on the surface…

"So where to now?" Emma asked, trying not to get discouraged by the long, dark corridor facing them. It wasn't nearly as narrow as the caves, and she'd survived them…

"We find Chalchicomehuel. I should be able to…" Aiden closed his eyes, concentrating for a moment before they opened again and he smiled. "Yes. The amulet is calling to me. Let's go."

"Sodding amulets," Spike muttered as he followed the other three down the corridor. "This bloody thing better not make me burst into flames."

*** *** ***

Thank you so much to everyone who provided me with words of encouragement for the last chapter. They really were a boost to my muse! I'm trying to get this one finished so I can post the rest of it, and hopefully, there won't be another hiatus.

Please review!

Despite her best efforts to stay calm, Dawn's whole body shook as she made her way through the winding halls of Chalchicomehuel's fortress. She knew she was still in danger, since not only did she not know how to get out of there, but she also didn't know what could lurk behind any corner. She was exposed, armed only with a dagger, and in enemy territory.

However, at least now she had a fighting chance, something she wouldn't have had if she'd remained at Krez's mercy.

Dawn knew she needed to find a way out. Even if she only managed to end up in the desert, she had to at least escape Chalchicomehuel so he couldn't use her for his ritual.

Above all else, she had to prevent that.

The universe itself depended on it.

*** *** ***

Spike stopped short, closing his eyes as he breathed in deep. The three others stopped a second later, turning to look at him.

"What is it?" Buffy asked softly.

Spike's blue eyes snapped open. "Dawn. Her scent is nearby."

Buffy's heart jumped nervously. "Is she…?"

"I don't know," Spike admitted with a shake of his head. "She's bleeding, or at least she was at some point."

"Can you find her?" Emma asked, her concern for her friend obvious in her voice.

Spike nodded. "I can track her scent. It's strong."

"Then we will follow you," Aiden said, his words following the thoughts of the others.

Spike and Aiden switched positions in the group, with Spike now leading and Aiden flanking them in the rear, watching for possible attacks. Periodically, Spike would stop, breathing in deeply again to verify from which direction Dawn's scent was coming.

When one of those times he announced, "She's close," Buffy had to keep herself from calling out her sister's name. They needed to stay as quiet as possible in the enemy's lair, yet the panic inside of her was one Buffy knew wouldn't calm until she could touch the younger Summers and assure herself she was all right, and it almost made her forget that.

Then, they turned a corner and saw her, and Buffy let out a sigh of relief. Dawn stopped at the sound of their footsteps, surprise, then elation going over her face before she ran to them.

Buffy grabbed her younger sister, hugging her tightly as she whispered, "You're alive."

"So are you," Dawn said, returning Buffy's firm embrace before she pulled back and ran to Spike. "And you… Krez told me you were dead again."

"Had a bit of a scare, but I'm good now," Spike assured her. "And who is Krez?"

"Was," Dawn corrected him. "He was this creepy little demon guy, the one who was in control of those big snakes." She shuddered once, but then her face steeled. "I killed him."

"Are you okay?" Buffy asked, squinting in the darkness to see if she could make out any serious injuries on Dawn.

"I've been better, but I'm alive, so I'm going to count my blessings," Dawn replied. "Oh, and I saw Chal…Cha… The evil demony guy. Just for the record, he's freaking creepy. And I think he's wearing your amulet, Aiden. Either that or he just likes flashy jewelry."

"The amulet is near," Aiden confirmed to Dawn. "I've been able to sense its presence since we entered the fortress."

"Aiden was leading us to Chalchi-whatta by his connection to the amulet when Spike caught your scent," Buffy said.

"Well, he's definitely here. He sent me off with Krez, though I don't think that went quite as he planned," Dawn replied.

"Then let's find him, kill him, and do that world saving thing we do," Spike said with determination.

His four companions in agreement, Aiden began to lead them towards the amulet—and Chalchicomehuel—again.

*** *** ***

Chalchicomehuel was not pleased. He'd sent his guards to retrieve the Key only to be told she was not there—and that Krez was now dead.

The loss of Krez was truly no loss at all. The pathetic lackey had been more often useless than useful; however, the loss of the Key was much more of a problem.

Chalchicomehuel knew the fault truly lay with himself for leaving the welfare of the Key to the likes of Krez, yet he never accepted blame for anything. There was no point in it when he was always so conveniently surrounded by minions who could take it for him.

"You!" he bellowed, pointing to a guard. "Why did you not keep a better watch on the Key?"

"I…I was not assigned to this post, my lord," the guard replied, trembling as he spoke.

"I asked not for an excuse!" Chalchicomehuel replied with an angry hiss. He stormed over to the guard, ripped the demon's head off, tossed it to the ground, and then turned to address the remaining guards.

"Find me the Key! Now! The girl could not have gotten far."

Without hesitation, the guards rushed from the room to do their master's bidding.

Chalchicomehuel kicked Krez's body then roared in frustration.

*** *** ***

A yell of pure fury reverberated off of the stone walls, bringing Aiden, Spike, Buffy, Dawn, and Emma all to a dead stop. "Okay, what the hell was that?" Buffy asked.

"I'm going to go with something very much not of the good," Dawn replied.

"It is Chalchicomehuel," Aiden said. "He is angered."

"Think he found Dawn gone?" Spike questioned.

Aiden nodded. "It is most likely."

Before they could begin moving again, the sound of heavy feet hitting the hard floor began to approach, causing all of them to raise their weapons.

Soon, Chalchicomehuel's guards were coming at them from all sides, attacking fiercely. "Something tells me these guys can see us," Buffy said as she stabbed one through with her sword.

Aiden swung his own weapon, decapitating another guard. "They are Slomytith demons. They're immune to glamours and other spells of deception."

"Then we just kill them all," Spike said, stabbing one then swinging around to take out another.

One of the guards made a loud, trembling sound in the back of his throat. Moments later, more were flooding the hall.

They were beyond outnumbered; they had no chance of succeeding.

Spike yelled as five of the guards converged on Buffy, pulling her down. He tried to get to her, but was stopped when another group tackled him.

Something hit him hard, and his world went dark.

*** *** ***

Dawn couldn't remember a time when her head had hurt this badly. The world seemed to spin, and she groaned, lifting her hand up to try to cover her oversensitive eyes.

Or at least she would have if she could've moved her arm…

She blinked, trying to bring the world into focus. She realized she was back in the throne room Krez had led her into, only this time, she was chained securely to a chair.

"I see you are awake, Key," Chalchicomehuel said from beside her, his forked tongue flickering. "I made an error in letting you out of my sight before, but I can assure you, it is not one I am going to repeat."

Chalchicomehuel rose from his throne and walked over to Dawn, tracing the side of her face with the edge of one of his talons. "The time for the ritual is nearly at hand. Soon I shall rule over all dimensions and achieve the ultimate power that is my destiny."

"Actually, snake boy, I think your destiny is to be a pair of boots and a matching handbag after my sister kicks your scaly ass."

Chalchicomehuel hissed and backhanded Dawn. "Hold your worthless tongue, Key!"

Dawn didn't reply again, though she glared at Chalchicomehuel.

He looked at her, his eyes blinking rapidly, before he seated himself again, his hands folded in front of him in a way that reminded Dawn of a demonic lizard version of Mr. Burns. "Besides, if your sister is one of the people who I found trespassing in my fortress, then she is no threat to me at all." He waved a hand dismissively. "She is dead. They're all dead."

Tears welled in Dawn's eyes, even as she shook her head. "No…"

"Yes. I have dealt with them. But don't worry, Key. You'll be joining them as soon as I have finished my ritual."

Dawn fought back burning tears. She refused to believe Buffy—or any one of them—was dead. They were all fighters, all Champions. They'd all survive and they'd save the world, because that's what the good guys did.

She sat still in her chair, clinging to that hope.

*** *** ***

Emma sat against a cold, stone wall, her knees pulled to her chin. The cell she'd been thrust into was small, barely enough room for her to even move.

Memories she would've rather kept buried were rushing through her head, and she didn't know if she wanted to scream or bust into tears.

So she simply remained quiet, still.

She didn't know what had happened to the others. The attack in the hallway had seemed to happen so quickly, the guards ambushing and surrounding them before anyone really had a chance to fight. She'd taken some down with her, but there had been too many, and she'd soon been overwhelmed.

The last thing she remembered was Spike yelling for Buffy. After that, was nothing…until she woke up in this cell.

The room was completely filled with darkness. She'd reached out, only to find that she had at most a foot of space surrounding her. It was her worst nightmare come back to life.

Emma didn't know what Chalchicomehuel had planned for her, but she hoped it was anything but leaving her here to die slowly. She would've preferred the demon guards killing her in the corridor.

Hell, given the choices, she'd rather be pulled out and tortured to death. Anything to get her out of here…

The longer she sat there, the harder it became to breathe. She fought off the waves of panic assailing her, but with every one, it became a little bit harder. Memories of her past were converging with fears for her future and filling her with terror.

She felt as helpless as she had as a child.

Only now, she wasn't…

Her eyes snapped open, the tears stopping. She wasn't helpless.

She was a Slayer.

Emma struck out with her boot, the thick sole connecting with the wall in front of her. She heard the rock chip, and she kicked again, this time harder.

Knowing she needed more force, Emma slid down as far as she could, both of her legs stretched out in front of her. She took a deep breath, then kicked out with both legs at the same time with as much strength as she could muster.

The large stone went shooting out and crashed into a far wall. She flipped herself around and peeked out through the hole, noting that whatever sort of cell they'd stuck her in was by another torch-lit corridor. She waited for a moment, but the guards didn't come running at the sound of the smashing stone.

Emma knew it would be a tight squeeze, but she was pretty sure she could fit through the hole she made. There were definite perks to being as small as she was, even if she never could seem to come anywhere close reaching the top shelf.

She pushed through the hole, wincing as her shoulders stuck for a moment, but then she was able to force them through with a little twisting. Finally, she stood, now back on the outside of the cell, and wiped the dust from her body.

At first glance, it looked like she was simply staring at a stone-lined hallway, but seeing as she'd somehow ended up buried behind the rock, she assumed the others must be as well.

She didn't know why Chalchicomehuel's guards hadn't killed them outright back in the hallway, but she could ponder that later.

Right now, she needed to find her friends so they could save the world.

*** *** ***

I've got the drafts written for all the chapters of this one now except the last chapter (which is half written) and the epilogue. So I'm going to try to just post a chapter every day until I get it all up.

Please take a moment to review!

Emma knew the others had to be around somewhere, despite the fact all she could see in front of her was two walls lining a corridor. If there'd been a cell for her hidden behind the bricks, then the odds that there were others were pretty high.

The question was, how was she going to figure out where? She couldn't simply keep kicking stones until she found her friends.

She knew the answer to getting them out lay in figuring out how they'd gotten in in the first place. Emma doubted Chalchicomehuel's guards had taken the time to wall each of them up. For one thing, it was simply ridiculous from a time management standpoint.

Emma moved down the hall, keeping herself to the shadows. She found three guards at the end and frowned, knowing she'd have to kill them before they had a chance to call out for reinforcements like they had earlier.

Not too easy without a weapon, but if she was able to pull off the plan she'd hastily formed in her head, then she'd have one soon enough.

Emma jumped the first guard, snapping his neck before pulling a spear out of his hand and launching it at the second one, hitting him right through the chest. The third opened his mouth to scream, but Emma jumped him, tackling him and ripping his own sword from his side to hold at his throat. "Make a sound and I kill you. Understand?"

The guard nodded, fear in his reptilian eyes. "Yes…yes. Understand."

"Show me how to get to the people I came in with."

"All dead," the guard claimed.

Emma pushed the sword closer to its neck, blood trickling onto the edge of the blade. "I can make this hurt—a lot."

"I have key to cells!"

"That's what I thought," Emma said with a grin. "I let you up, and you unlock the doors. Call for your buddies, and you're dead before they get here."

She stood, though she kept the sword pointed at the guard as he moved shakily towards a strange device. The point of Emma's sword in his back, he inserted a key from a loop on his belt and turned it.

The hall flashed with a bright light and the walls wavered then shifted, revealing the others in cells similar to her own. All three of them got up and moved into the hall. Emma drove the sword through the guard's back.

Spike immediately ran to Buffy, checking to make sure she was all right. "I'm fine," Buffy assured him as soon as he started inspecting her for wounds. "You?"

"Fine," Spike replied. He grabbed Buffy, holding her tightly against him. "Bloody hell, that had me nervous, being in there and not knowing what was happening to you."

"I know," Buffy said, tightening her hold on him. "Me, too."

Aiden walked past Spike and Buffy, down the hall towards Emma, surveying the large bodies of the three dead guards. "Did you do all of this?"

"Yup. Real quick-like, too," Emma replied.

Aiden then took Emma by surprise when he grabbed her and kissed her hard. She was panting for breath when he pulled away, her eyes wide. "Does thinking about me killing demons get you hot?" she asked.

"No." Aiden cleared his throat, then was compelled to admit, "Well, yes, some. But I kissed you because I was pleased to see you alive. When I was trapped behind that wall, I didn't know what had become of you, and…" He trailed off.

Emma placed her hand against his cheek. "And you were worried about me."

"Yes," Aiden admitted with a nod. "A great deal, actually." He rubbed against the palm of her hand with his face.

Buffy and Spike came down the hallway then, and Emma jerked away from Aiden, coughing as she did. "So, we going to try this whole beating the baddie thing again?" she asked.

"Looks like," Buffy replied. "Though I have to say—not that I'm complaining or anything—but given the situation, it seems a little odd he kept us alive."

"Chalchicomehuel likes to be able to personally torture his enemies to death," Aiden explained.

"Oh," Buffy replied, her nose crinkling. She knelt down and grabbed a sword off of one of the dead guards. "Well, let's make sure he doesn't get that chance then."

They stripped the weapons off the remaining guards before they set out to track down Chalchicomehuel.

*** *** ***

Dawn watched as a robed demon approached quickly and knelt at Chalchicomehuel's feet. "My lord, the alignment has begun. The time for the ritual grows near."

Chalchicomehuel's lips curled in what could pass for a smile. "Good. I must prepare. Have the guards escort the Key to the site."

"Yes, my lord."

Chalchicomehuel stood, turning a vicious look on Dawn before he strode down from the dais and out of the chamber. The robed demon stood them, calling for the guards.

Within moments, the guards converged on Dawn, taking her from her chair and dragging her out of the chamber, the robed demon following closely behind. She struggled, trying to fight the demons, but it was no use, as they were much stronger than her. Finally, she slumped.

"Buffy…where are you?" Dawn thought, trying to ignore the nagging voice in the back of her head reminding her Chalchicomehuel had claimed Buffy—as well was Spike, Emma, and Aiden—was dead.

Dawn didn't want to believe that. So often in the past, things had seemed like they were at the end, yet every time, Buffy came through and saved the world. She didn't want to think of that in terms of the possibility Buffy had played the odds one too many times.

Instead, Dawn kept telling herself her sister would always be on the winning side.

The guards brought Dawn up a large, spiral stone staircase, dragging her feet up the stairs when she tried to keep from moving. She stumbled, yet they kept her upright, their sharp claws digging into the flesh of her arms and making her wince in pain.

She refused to cry.

Finally, the guard in front of her pushed open a door, leading to what Dawn figured must me the roof of the fortress. Blood red lightning crackled in the sky overhead, bathing everything in an eerie glow.

"Take her there!" the robed demon barked at the guards, pointing to where two large poles were fastened to the stone. Dangling between them was four sets of manacles, and the guards chained Dawn's hands and feet, easily subduing her as she tried to struggle again.

"To fight now is useless, Key," the robed demon told her as he approached her, running the tips of his claws down the side of her hair. "You will not be released from these chains until your body is no more than an empty husk."

"Buffy won't let you do this," Dawn replied, still bucking in her chains.

The demon laughed. "I do not know this 'Buffy' you speak of, but I can assure you, the name strikes no fear in my heart."

"That's because you're an idiot," Dawn growled.

"Silence, Key!" the demon yelled as he slapped her. "I have grown tired of your insolent mouth."

"Yeah, and I've grown tired of your ugly, scaly face, but there's not much I can do about that either."

The demon roared, raising his hand to strike her again when another, larger hand closed over it. "Calm yourself, Rilagal. The girl means only to anger you, yet her taunts are meaningless. There is no reason to begin the spill of her blood before the ritual."

Rilagal turned and knelt at Chalchicomehuel's feet. "I am sorry, my lord. I offer you penance for my folly of being so easily provoked by the filthy human girl."

Chalchicomehuel placed his hand atop Rilagal's head. "And you can trust I shall collect your penance soon. In the mean time, the ritual must begin."

Dawn looked at Chalchicomehuel as he began to approach her, her eyes widening at the sight of strange symbols carved in his skin. He had a dagger in his hand, and she knew it was meant for her.

His cold, reptilian hand lay against her cheek. "It is a shame the ritual will fully drain you of your life," he said, his tongue flickering. "You have an appealing body, for a human. You would've made an enjoyable concubine."

What Dawn would've given for use of her arms and a sharp, pointy weapon… Instead, she had to make due with glaring.

This ritual wasn't going to happen. Buffy would save her.

"My lord, the time is at hand," Rilagal announced. "You must begin the ritual at once."

Chalchicomehuel took a step back from Dawn before he raised his dagger to the air, calling out words in a language Dawn didn't recognize. Then, he brought the dagger down and moved to Dawn again, slicing shallow cuts into her sides.

Dawn winced in pain, her mind flashing back to a similar moment back on Glory's tower, and a wave of dread washing over her.

"Come on, Buffy… I need you now," she thought.

As Dawn's blood began to drip onto the stones beneath her feet, Rilagal began to chant, his voice booming. Chalchicomehuel knelt to the ground, placing one of his hands in both of the small pools of blood. Then, the demon rose again, one blood-covered hand on the amulet and the other one reaching towards the stormy sky.

Thunder boomed loud enough to shake the fortress itself, and the heavens opened.

Dawn began to fear that maybe this time, Buffy was too late…

*** *** ***

The guards seemed to be otherwise occupied as Spike, Buffy, and Emma followed Aiden through the fortress, since very few of the demons attacked—and the ones who did were quickly dispatched by the small group.

Buffy wasn't sure if that was good or bad, considering they could find significantly more guards waiting for them once they reached Chalchicomehuel.

"They're up there," Aiden said, stepping over the body of his latest kill and pointing towards a stone staircase. "The call of the amulet is strong. Chalchicomehuel is attempting to access its powers."

"Then let's put a stop to him," Spike said.

They ran towards the stairs, weapons at the ready. Half way up, the building suddenly shook, knocking Buffy off her feet. Spike caught her easily, his hands around her waist as he set her upright again.

"Easy there, luv," he said, his voice and breath warm against the back of her neck.

"Thanks," Buffy replied, amazed that something so small could make her feel comforted, even at a time like this.

They ran the rest of the way up the stairs, stopping when they reached the roof of the fortress. They stayed hidden in the stairwell, trying to avoid the gaze of the guards Chalchicomehuel had posted there.

Buffy could tell from the way the guards were gathered, something was going on, and she struggled to peer through the bulky lizard demons and catch a glimpse of what it was.

When she did, her blood ran cold at what she saw.

Dawn…

Blood…

Buffy's heart skipped then pounded harder in her chest as she watched the sky begin to split apart, a bright light shining from a portal.

A portal created from Dawn's blood.

A portal that wouldn't close until the blood stopped flowing.

Cold dread washed over Buffy as she realized she'd gotten there too late.

*** *** ***

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"The ritual has started," Aiden said softly to his three companions. "We need to stop it before the portal grows large enough to allow Chalchicomehuel access to the Higher Realms.

Buffy shook her head, tears in her eyes. "I can't… I can't kill Dawnie."

Aiden gave her a strange look, his head tilted slightly to the side. "Of course not. She is innocent in all of this—why would there be any need to kill her?"

"The blood," Buffy said, swallowing hard. "He used Dawn's blood to open the portal. The only…" She stopped, her whole body shuddering. "The only way to close the portal is to stop… Stop the blood from flowing."

Understanding dawned on Aiden, and he placed his large hand on Buffy's shoulder, trying to calm her tremors. "Buffy, he used the amulet to open the portal. Dawn's blood is simply to augment the amulet's powers, to add to its strength. The power flow of the amulet must be stopped—not the flow of Dawn's blood."

Buffy let out a deep breath, feeling her strength returning as the feeling of helplessness was pushed back. "Okay then. How do we stop the amulet's power flow?"

Aiden's hand dropped back to his side. "That may pose a problem. If the amulet were to be destroyed now…"

"It could cause a backlash of epic proportions."

Aiden, Buffy, Spike, and Emma all froze, the strange voice startling them as they recognized it as none of their own. Suddenly, the world around them grew still as the figure of a woman bathed in white light appeared before them.

Buffy pointed to her. "Hey, it's you again! Slayer guardian lady."

The woman smiled. "Hello, again, Buffy. And hello to you as well, Aiden."

Buffy turned to Aiden and raised her eyebrow. "You know her?"

Aiden nodded. "She is of my people. A Guardian."

"So there's like a Guardian Club and you're both members?" Buffy asked, her nose crinkling.

"Of sorts. She was the one who told me in order to defeat Chalchicomehuel I'd need the Slayer."

"I said you'd need the strength of a Slayer," the female Guardian clarified. She turned, looking back at the frozen sight behind her. "I cannot hold this moment long, so I must be quick. The Powers have only allowed me enough time to tell you what you need to know in order to be victorious."

"So the powers can like, freeze time?" Buffy asked, peering behind her at the statue-like demons. "Why can't they just zap Chachi and save us the trouble?"

The Guardian shook her head. "If they could do that, then there would be no need for their Champions. You are all responsible for your own destines—the Powers can merely help you along. But I can tell you what must be done to restore the barrier between this world and the Higher Realms. The amulet cannot be destroyed, not here, not like this. As Aiden said, it would indeed cause a reaction strong enough to send ripples out into countless dimensions, breaking apart the very fabric of reality."

"Then how do we save the world this time?" Spike asked.

"A sacrifice can be made in place of the amulet's destruction. When power is taken, power must be given in order to right the balance again." The Guardian reached out and stroked Buffy's cheek. "That is how you were able to sacrifice yourself in order to save your sister before. Your power offered for hers."

"So power from a Slayer can be given in place of the power of the amulet?" Buffy asked.

"Yes," the Guardian replied.

"How would I do that?"

"It will be known when the time arrives. Good luck, to all of you."

Suddenly, the Guardian was gone, and the world around them started again. It had been a strange experience to say the least, but one they could think about more when the universe wasn't in immediate peril.

"We'll have to get through the guards before we can get to the big guy," Spike pointed out. "And then…" He trailed off. "I don't like what the shiny bird had to say. There's got to be some way to beat this thing without taking the energy of a Slayer."

"Spike, I have to do what I have to do to…"

"It's not going to be you, Buffy."

Spike and Buffy both turned towards Emma when she spoke. "What?"

"It's not going to be you, Buffy," Emma repeated "Look, while we're standing here debating this, that portal is getting bigger and Dawn's bleeding to death. There's no time. It needs a Slayer, well, I'm a Slayer. Let's do this."

"Emma, you're…" Buffy started.

"Buffy, you're pregnant. There's a child growing inside of you that needs you. And there's a whole lot of other people who need you, too. Me, well, maybe this is why I'm here, okay? If I can do this, give myself for the world, then maybe I actually meant something."

"Emma, you're not…" Buffy tried again, but Emma wouldn't let her finish.

"Cover me," she said quickly to the other three before she darted out from the stairwell, using her sword to fend off the guards that rushed towards her.

There was no more time for debate. Emma had made her move and the stage was set. Spike, Buffy, and Aiden rushed out after her, fighting off the guards as Emma moved in closer to Chalchicomehuel.

"Hey, lizard face!" Emma yelled over the roar of the opening portal, her sword raised. "How about a bit of a tussle? I could use a new pair of boots!"

Chalchicomehuel turned his head, hissing at Emma. "Who dares to address me now?"

"That would be me, Emma the Vampire Slayer." She grinned. "Or I guess tonight, Emma the Icky Lizard Demon Slayer. Either way, you're dead."

Chalchicomehuel shook, knowing he needed to remain in place in order to continue opening the portal. "Guards! Kill this insolent child!"

A guard rushed towards Emma, only to have Spike jump, tackling the demon to the ground. Emma moved in for Chalchicomehuel when another guard came forward, its sword piercing her side before she had a chance to strike.

Emma gasped, lurching forward as her hand went down and touched the wound. She pulled her hand back up, staring in shock at the blood now covering it.

"Emma!" Aiden yelled, cutting off the head of the demon he had been fighting before he ran to her, running his sword through the demon that had just stabbed Emma before it had a chance to make a second blow.

Emma blinked, then turned to Aiden. "I know now," she told him softly.

"Don't sacrifice yourself," Aiden said, grabbing her arm. "There's…there's got to be another way."

She shook her head. "No. This is what I have to do," he voice almost eerie in its calmness. Emma looked back down at the blood, a strange sort of understanding filling her.

Blood was life.

Blood was power.

She pulled away from Aiden and ran towards Chalchicomehuel, fierce determination in her eyes. As the portal grew even larger, Emma jumped on the back of the demon, wrenching the amulet from around his neck.

"No!" Chalchicomehuel yelled, turning to face Emma. He reached for the amulet, but before he could, Emma wrapped her blood-covered hand around it

She screamed, pain ripping through her as her body bucked uncontrollably. Chalchicomehuel tried to grab for her, but couldn't, as a bright light burst forth, a deafening roar covering the Slayer's screams until the portal closed and Emma slumped to the ground, still.

Chalchicomehuel's yellow eyes were wild, his forked tongue flickering as he bellowed in outrage. He came forward, his claws raised to strike Emma's body when Aiden leapt, a cry of anguish sounding from him as he knocked the demon down.

They struggled, Aiden's sword clattering to the ground as Chalchicomehuel wrested it from his grip. Aiden fought with blind anger, the image of Emma as she was now foremost in his mind.

Suddenly, Chalchicomeheul grew still, and Aiden looked up to see Spike standing over him, his sword driven through the demon's head. "Sorry if I took away your vengeance or anything, but you looked like you needed a hand."

Aiden met Spike's eyes, giving the other man a small nod before he stood and retrieved his weapon, bringing to down to cut off Chalchicomehuel's head.

Suddenly, the guards turned to dust, blowing away in a strong gust of wind. Buffy staggered backwards as the demon she'd been fighting disappeared, a look of surprise on her face.

The roof was quiet and still, a strange sort of peace with all that had just transpired.

Buffy ran to Dawn, breaking the girl's chains and gathering her in her arms. She shook her lightly, trying to bring her back to consciousness. "Dawnie? Dawnie, talk to me please."

Dawn blinked, her eyes opening slowly. "B…Buffy?"

Buffy gathered Dawn against her, hugging her sister tightly. "Oh thank god, you're all right."

"My sides hurt," Dawn said, wincing in pain.

Spike hurried over to them, taking Dawn from Buffy and cradling her in his arms. "These cuts are shallow," he said, looking her over. "They're like…" He stopped, swallowing hard. "I've cleaned up marks like this on her before."

Buffy nodded, knowing when he meant. That time, she hadn't survived the battle. This time…

She turned, looking over to where Aiden knelt on the ground, Emma gathered in his arms.

This time, it was another Slayer who had fallen.

Buffy moved over to Aiden and lowered herself down beside him. "I'm…I'm sorry this had to happen. She…" Buffy stopped, her eyes filling with tears. "She would've been an amazing Slayer."

"She's still alive."

Buffy blinked, Aiden's declaration taking her completely by surprise. "She is?"

"Yes. She is…very weak, but her pulse is still there."

Spike stepped forward, Dawn still cradled against his chest. "I can hear it. Aiden's right, it's weak, but she's alive."

Aiden ran his hand across Emma's forehead. "She's lost a lot of blood and her life force is waning. But…" He smiled softly. "She's holding on. She doesn't seem to want to let go."

"Stubborn. She's a Slayer all right," Spike commented.

"Can we save her?" Buffy asked, leaning in to push Emma's hair from her face.

"I don't know," Aiden admitted. "Her wound is deep and her energy is greatly depleted. She'll need rest." Supporting Emma with one hand, he reached into his pack and pulled out two blue strips. "Tend to Dawn's wounds with these. I will see to Emma."

Buffy took the strips and went back over to Dawn and Spike, placing the enchanted bandages over her sister's wounds as Spike continued to hold the younger Summers. Dawn winced a little when the blue pieces of material stretched to cover the cuts, but then she turned her head towards Spike's chest, drifting off to sleep in his arms.

Buffy stroked Dawn's hair for a moment before she turned back to Aiden. "What do we do now? Is this it? Did we save the world?"

Aiden looked up. "Yes, we did. Chalchicomehuel's plan was stopped, and he is no more. From here, there is nothing to do but return to the Temple and wait for them to heal."

"So now we walk all the way back across the desert and through those tunnels?" Buffy asked, her nose wrinkling in displeasure at the thought.

Aiden shook his head, then uncurled Emma's fingers, still wrapped around the amulet. "This can augment my powers enough to allow us to all return safely to the Temple within a matter of moments," he said.

"And it won't open up anymore of those portal things?" Spike asked. "Or possibly cause anyone to, um, burst into flames?"

"No," Aiden replied, shaking his head. "It won't."

"Then I'm all for it," Buffy said. "Another trek across this world is not very appealing right now."

"No, it isn't," Aiden agreed. He placed the amulet around his neck before chanting softly.

In a flash, they were all gone.

*** *** ***

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Buffy sat on the edge of the bed, watching Dawn as she slept. Aiden had given Dawn some energy once they'd returned to the Temple, claiming it would both speed the healing process and help her sleep. Then, he'd gone off with Emma to help her heal as well.

The Slayer ran her hand over Dawn's forehead as she felt tears welling in her eyes and her throat tightening. Now that it was finally over, Buffy felt the stress of the past couple of days come crashing down around her. It had been different from any of the other dangers she'd faced since she'd been Called, and even now, it all had a sort of surreal feel to it.

But it had been real. She'd almost lost Dawn.

She'd almost lost Spike.

She felt his hand on her shoulder and jumped before she realized who it was. "Come on, luv. The nibblet's out for now, and there's nothing else you can do for her."

"But what if she wakes up. I want to…"

"No, it's time for you to take care of yourself a little, too. You and the sprout you've got inside of you." Spike lifted Buffy up, ignoring her protests. "Come on. I've drawn you a bath."

"Is that your way of telling me I'm stinky?" Buffy asked, letting Spike carry her back over to the room they'd been sharing as she relented at the thought of soaking in warm water.

"You do have a bit of that apocalypse ripeness," Spike teased with a wink.

Buffy slapped his chest. "Ass."

Spike chuckled as they reached the bath and he set her on her feet, helping her remove her clothes. She winced as a bit of fabric snagged a cut, and Spike gently peeled it the rest of the way from her skin.

When she was nude, Spike gently patted her bottom. "All right. Into the water with you now."

Buffy looked over at the bath, watching as the warm water bubbled. It was large, more like a marble Jacuzzi, really, and her aching muscles longed for it. She glanced over at Spike. "You are going to join me, aren't you?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Honestly, honey? I think you could use it." Her nose crinkled. "You've got a bit of that apocalypse ripeness going on yourself."

Spike shot her a look, but he slipped off his own clothes, then took her hand and led her over to the bath. Buffy sighed in contentment as she sunk down into the water, letting it wash over her, taking away all the grime from their journey and soothing her aches.

Spike moved behind her, massaging her shoulders for a moment before he said, "Dip back and get your hair wet, and I'll wash it for you, yeah?" Buffy turned to give him a grateful smile before she leaned backwards, getting her hair thoroughly wet before she came back up. Spike picked up a glass bottle from the side of the bath, pouring some into his hands and working it into a lather.

Buffy moaned under Spike's touch, relishing the feel of his fingers working her scalp. Long past the sort of reaction she'd had the first time he called her "Goldilocks," Buffy had discovered there were definite perks to Spike's obsession with her hair.

This was one was at the top of her list.

"Wash it out now, pet," Spike said once he'd gotten her hair soaped up enough. Buffy did, washing the suds out of her hair, then moving back to rest against his chest.

Spike wrapped his arms around her, and Buffy closed her eyes, a small smile on her lips. Her body felt tired, drained, but at the same time, she felt a sense of relief.

Another apocalypse averted. Somehow, she'd managed to beat the odds and pull it off again.

One of Spike's hands drifted down, resting over Buffy's belly. "Baby's okay, too," Buffy said, placing her hand over his. "I can feel it."

"I know. I just think about it sometimes, how a life we created is growing inside you, and I…" He stopped for a moment, then said, "It's a little overwhelming."

"It is." Buffy craned her neck so she could look back at him. "Do you really think it's a girl?"

Spike's hand began to caress her abdomen. "I do."

"I was thinking, earlier, about names. And I know it's kind of early, and we have lots of time to decide on one, but I thought, maybe Anne?"

Spike's hand stilled. "Anne was my mother's name."

"I know. You said it once, back in Sunnydale, and I remembered because it's my middle name, too." When Spike didn't respond, Buffy cleared her throat. "But I know what happened there, so maybe it was a bad idea, and I shouldn't have…"

"No, it's not a bad idea," Spike said quickly, putting an end to Buffy's rambling. "I just hadn't thought…" He stopped, his hand moving across her belly again, this time with a light tremble. "Anne. I think… I think that would've made her happy."

"So maybe Baby's an Anne," Buffy said sleepily, her eyes closing again. She nuzzled against Spike's chest, the events of the past few days catching up with her as she quickly dozed off.

Spike held her for a while, relaxing with the woman he loved in his arms before he finally lifted her out of the tub, wrapped her in a towel, and carried her to bed.

*** *** ***

Emma whimpered, the pain shooting through her making her fight against regaining consciousness.

"Shh, mimlai. Sleep now."

Emma sighed, not fighting against Aiden's words. He pulled her closer to his bare chest as he kept a steady, yet low flow of healing energy into her body,

He could give her more this way. It would not work as quickly as possible, but he could aid her healing for longer.

The heartache he'd felt when he'd thought she'd given her life to defeat Chalchicomehuel was more than Aiden had felt in centuries.

And then the joy he'd felt when he'd touched her and realized she was still alive…

Aiden had never planned to give his heart to any woman. His life, which had been set out for him even before his birth, was a solitary one, and while he was allowed the occasional sojourn out of the Temple, for the most part, he was alone.

The Temple would be no place for someone like Emma. She was wild, untamed. She deserved a place where she could know freedom.

She never would here.

She was beautiful, strikingly so, yet it was more than Emma's physical appearance that had drawn Aiden to her from the start. Even when he'd first approached them in the desert, he'd felt a spark when he'd seen Emma, something from her tugging at his very soul. She had a fire in her, one which called to him, made him long to experience true freedom right along beside her.

Yet he could not. He was forever bound to his duties, forever cursed to solitude.

Knowing he would soon have to say good bye, Aiden held on to Emma tightly.

*** *** ***

When Buffy awoke, warmth and comfort was warring in her mind with worry and concern.

Drowsily, she let warmth and comfort win out and nuzzled against Spike, smiling to herself.

"You awake, luv?" Spike asked, his voice rumbling through Buffy's body.

"Can I say no?"

He chuckled. "You can try, but I think you just gave yourself away."

Buffy stretched, then looked up and gave him a pout. "You and your logic are mean."

"Sorry, kitten," Spike replied with a kiss to her forehead.

"I guess we should get up, go check on the others," Buffy said, stretching again. She couldn't help but notice Spike's erection as her leg brushed against it, and she swallowed, her body temperature suddenly seeming to rise.

"They're resting, luv," Spike said, dipping his head to nip at her collarbone.

"But…we...responsibility and…"

"Post apocalyptic sex now. Responsibility later," Spike said as he rolled her over, his body covering hers.

Spike's fingers delved into her folds, stroking her until she was panting beneath him, writhing in pleasure and desire. He lifted his hand, his mouth closing over his fingers as he moaned at the taste of her.

It made Buffy tremble.

He slid inside with a sure, steady stroke, and Buffy wrapped her legs around his hips, guiding him in deeper.

Spike thrust in and out wordlessly, the only sounds coming from him harsh pants and groans. Buffy was used to the sound of his voice, used to him both "whispering nasties" and professing his love.

Sometimes in the same breath…

But now he was silent, steady, holding her close as he pushed in as deep as he could.

It was then that Buffy realized how afraid he'd been these past few days.

Afraid for her…

Afraid of losing her…

She wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him closer, his head going down to the crook of her neck. "I'm here, baby," she said soothingly, moving one hand up to stroke his hair. "You didn't lose me this time. I'm here. Right here."

Buffy felt him trembling, felt his hips pitch forward hard, his movements suddenly jerky. She held him closer, tighter, and whispered one phrase over and over in his ear.

"I love you…"

He came with a strangled gasp of her name, stilling above her, locking her in place. She moaned, her own body following him over and shaking in release.

Spike collapsed against her chest, and she held him there as she felt him drift off into a much-needed sleep. He was still nestled inside of her, and she smiled and kissed him softly on the top of his head.

His breaths were even in his sleep, warm as they stirred her hair. She could feel his heart beat against her breast, and her own heart swelled as she relaxed in the calm after the storm.

They'd done it. Somehow, they'd managed to see yet another apocalypse through to the other side.

It amazed her sometimes, how quickly the final battle could turn. A decision made in the blink of an eye was often all it took to affect the fate of everything.

Three years before, that decision had come in the form of a swan dive from a tower.

This time, it had been the sacrifice of another Slayer.

She worried about Emma now, worried that the energy she'd given had been too much for her to make it. But the girl was strong, and Aiden had said she was still fighting, not wanting to let go. The corner of Buffy's lip twitched up.

And who was it who had said all Slayers had a death wish?

He'd been right that night, at least in her case. She had had a death wish, and hearing him call her on her darkest secret had frightened her more than any demon ever could.

Somehow, Spike had always known what she didn't want to admit to even herself. He'd been able to tear through everything she built to hide behind and call her out on what she'd thought no one would ever know.

He'd even been able to do it when they were mortal enemies.

She didn't understand it then, yet she did now. Spike knew her because he was a part of her.

She wouldn't be able to feel this peace in his arms now if he weren't.

Spike shifted slightly against her, sighing in his sleep, and a warmth spread through her.

The world was safe. Her family was safe.

And she was in the arms of the love of her life.

With a smile on her lips, Buffy joined him in sleep.

*** *** ***

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Emma still felt sluggish, her body weaker than she was used to, yet not completely drained. The pain in her side had greatly lessened as well.

She rolled over in the bed, smiling at Aiden when she saw him beside her, watching her. "Hey," she said softly, her voice scratchy.

Aiden smiled, warmly, yet with a trace of sadness. Emma didn't have to ask why it was there.

"I'm grateful you're all right," Aiden said as he ran his hand down Emma's cheek. "I didn't wish for you to sacrifice yourself."

"I did what I had to do," Emma replied.

"You did. And I am proud of you. Yet knowing you were in danger, watching you be harmed…" Aiden trailed off with a shake of his head.

"I'm strong. I'm a survivor," Emma told him, the strength she spoke of reflected clearly in her eyes.

"I know." Aiden's own eyes darkened, growing stormy with lust and something else Emma couldn't quite identify.

Then, he kissed her, his lips sealing themselves over hers, and she knew. Possession.

The two times they'd been together before had been passionate, but this… She knew now Aiden had truly been holding himself back, but now, he no longer could.

This was the full force of his passion, mirroring the wild, untamed landscape of his world. And with every touch, every stroke, he demanded nothing less from Emma.

She gave him all he wanted and more.

*** *** ***

Dawn had been awake for a while now, still tired, yet too restless to fall back to sleep. Her body was sore, but in a way, she welcomed the pain. It let her know she was still there, still real.

When Glory had failed in her attempt to return to her world, Dawn had believed she'd no longer have to worry about the Key. Even after Willow had gone all black-haired, veiny evil and tried to return Dawn to her Key state, Dawn had convinced herself the Key wasn't anything but dormant, useless.

Recently, she'd learned how wrong she'd been.

The Key itself had woken up inside of her, making its presence known. She still wasn't sure what all it could do or even if she'd ever truly be able to utilize its powers at will, yet she knew it was there and that it was indeed powerful.

Now, someone other than Glory had come for her, showing her the Key had uses beyond only what the hellgod had planned.

Would others come for her? Would it be something she'd never see an end to?

The thought filled her with dread. She didn't want to be always fighting against someone who wanted to use her to end the world. And what if someday, they weren't able to stop the diabolical scheme du jour? Dawn didn't want the world to end because of her.

She'd thought before, especially the summer when Buffy had been gone, about ending her own life in order to get rid of anything that might be left of the Key. Yet now, even when she knew the Key truly was still a possible danger, she didn't want to entertain that thought again. Maybe it was selfish of her, but she wanted to live.

She couldn't, however, continue pretending the Key didn't still affect everything about her life. If the recent awakening of the Key in Rome hadn't been enough, this with Chalchicomehuel had been more than she could possibly ignore.

Dawn knew she didn't have enough of a martyr streak in her to go through with suicide, but it would be irresponsible for her not to seek a greater understanding of her powers. She needed to open herself up to the Key, to learn more about it—and, in the process, herself as well.

The door to the room opened, making Dawn look up sharply, and she smiled when she saw it was Buffy. "Glad to see you awake," Buffy said, returning Dawn's smile as she walked over to the bed and sat on the edge.

Dawn sat up, her knees pulled to her chin. "Yeah, I'm awake. A little reluctant to get out of the bed, though. When we get home, I swear I'm going into hibernation."

"I don't think you'll be the only one," Buffy replied. "I feel like I could sleep for a month. And Spike—he's so out of it now, he didn't even notice me coming in here." She frowned. "The man still sleeps like the dead."

Dawn smirked, then grew serious again. "You and Spike are all right now, aren't you? I mean, like, relationship wise. You were fighting and stuff."

Buffy frowned. Had they been? She knew it had truly only been a few days, but now, that seemed like lifetimes ago. So much had changed in a short period of time. She felt even closer to Spike than she had been before they'd come here, and Emma, well…

Buffy certainly wouldn't ever feel jealous of the other Slayer again.

"We're good," Buffy told her sister. "We're very, very good."

"There's been 'we almost died' sex, hasn't there?" Dawn asked with a teasing grin. When Buffy's only response was a blush, Dawn pointed and announced, "I knew it."

"So what if we did?" Buffy asked, her chin raising. "We did almost die, and that's a perfectly good reason to have sex."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Oh, like you need a reason. You two would have sex to celebrate buying a loaf of bread."

Buffy's blush returned. "Shut up," she muttered.

"I think it's sweet," Dawn replied. "Well, probably not the sex itself, 'cause you two tend to break things, and I always know, too, 'cause Spike gives the lamest fake explanations in the world for things like how the coffee table ended up in pieces, but anyway, you guys—sweet. You've got like, this epic love."

"Do we?" Buffy asked, her expression half-questioning, half-smile.

"Well, yeah. I mean, for starters, vampire and Slayer? That's got this whole dark fairytale thing to it, like Beauty and the Beast." Dawn's eyebrow quirked. "Unless the vampire's lame and has hair that grows straight up from atop his gigantic forehead. Then it's more like a low-rent production of Romeo and Juliet."

Buffy gave Dawn a stern look, though Dawn could still see a twinkle of mirth in her sister's eyes. "Ha ha. Very funny, Dawnie. And just for the record, you talk to Spike way too much."

"Whatever, you know I'm right. But yeah, epic love. You two like defied everything—even death. And now you're getting the big happy ending, with the wedding, and the babies, and everything."

"I guess we do, but when I think about him, I don't think about things like that. He's just…Spike. And I'm just Buffy." Buffy leaned forward and stroked Dawn's face. "What about you? Are you okay? How are your sides?"

"They're fine. A little sore, but that stuff of Aiden's really helped. I'll be good as new soon."

"Good." Buffy touched her hand to Dawn's cheek one more time before she let her arm drop. "It's not your fault, you know."

Dawn flinched, her eyes going down. "It feels like it sometimes. I mean, the world keeps being put in peril because of what's inside of me."

Buffy shook her head. "No, Dawnie. It's not because of you. There's nothing but good inside of you. It's because of them."

"I…"

"Don't, okay? It's not you, and I don't want you to think it is. Besides, if the Key wasn't there, they'd just find some other way to try to destroy the world." Buffy shrugged. "They're evil. It's what they do. Like a hobby. Knitting just isn't sinister enough."

Dawn couldn't help but giggle. Then she looked up, met her sister's eyes, and threw her arms around her, hugging her tightly.

*** *** ***

"We can't really be together, can we?"

Emma's question pierced the silence that had fallen after their lovemaking, and Aiden looked down at where she rested against his chest. "No, we can't. I have my duties as a guardian and you…"

"Have mine as a Slayer," Emma finished for him. She sighed. "This sucks."

"That's one way of putting it, yes," Aiden replied, his hand smoothing over her hair. "I didn't think the nights here could get any colder, but now that I've held you…" He let his voice trail off, stopping himself before he said too much. With his inability to be anything but completely honest, he knew it would be difficult to say anything without saying everything.

Emma traced a random pattern against his chest, a tightening in her throat. She felt safe with Aiden, which was a feeling she was far from used to. She wanted a chance to explore this thing between them, to get to know whether or not it was just a brief physical connection that would fizzle in time or something more.

Something she'd never truly touched before.

"I'm allowed to leave the Temple for short periods of time," Aiden said, his hand stilling against her hair. "It would not be as much time as I know at least I would want, but it would be…better than nothing. If you would allow me to visit you, that is."

No, Emma knew it wouldn't be enough, and even now she had the feeling it was going to be difficult to keep having to say good-bye to him. Rationally, she knew she should tell him no. She had already begun to fall for him, and if she kept seeing him, she feared she would falling further when she still couldn't really have him.

Would that be worse in the long run than not having him in her life at all?

"I want you to," she said softly. "When…when you can."

Aiden moved his arms to wrap around her waist and hold her close. "I will be with you as often as possible."

"And we'll have to make that be enough."

Aiden could see the tears in her eyes, and he didn't know if he could watch them fall. Already, this was causing more pain in his heart than he'd known in centuries.

To stop them, he dipped his head down to kiss her.

*** *** ***

Finally, they'd ended up back in the large central room of the Temple, the time for them to return to their own dimension now at hand. Buffy kept her hand tightly in Spike's, the thought of more interdimensional travel making her nervous even though she knew it was necessary.

"I thank you greatly for your help," Aiden said. "And I apologize for putting you all in such great peril."

Buffy waved her hand. "Eh, peril's like, what we do. I mean, I grew up on the Hellmouth. All of this—just another Tuesday night in Sunnydale."

Aiden favored her with a dimpled smile. "Still, you all made great sacrifices in order to aide me in my quest, and I appreciate it."

Spike nodded. "Happy to be of service, mate." He squeezed Buffy's hand.

"So this is it then?" Dawn asked. "Time to go home."

"Yes, it is," Aiden replied, his gaze flickering to Emma. "Safe journey to all of you."

He closed his eyes, preparing to call on the forces needed to send them back, when suddenly Emma ran to him and threw her arms around him. He returned the embrace, taking in one last deep breath, full of her scent. She looked up, her brown eyes shining with unshed tears.

"I just needed to tell you good-bye one more time," she said softly.

Aiden nodded, understanding. "I'm glad you did. I will be with you again, soon. I promise you, mimlai."

Emma swallowed hard. "I know. I'll be waiting for you, okay?"

Aiden gave her another nod before he kissed her, gently, bidding her a soft farewell.

Reluctantly, Emma stepped away. Aiden closed his eyes again, and with a bright flash of light, they were gone.

*** *** ***

Seconds after leaving Aiden, they were standing back in Dawn's living room. The four of them took a moment for the disorientation to pass, and Buffy was grateful she didn't feel the need to throw up again. She had had enough of that to last her a lifetime.

Dawn glanced over at her clock, squinting at the time as if she wasn't sure what she was seeing. Then, she picked up her cell phone from the coffee table, the time and date showing up on the screen.

"Guys, we've been gone like ten minutes," she said.

"Must've been one of those dimensions where time goes all wonky," Spike said.

"The Council's supposedly working on something to regulate that now, but since we just snapped over there, we couldn't do anything about it," Buffy replied. Then, with a shrug, she added, "Not that it really matters so much in this case since we were only there for three or four days in their time. Not a lot of aging we can do then." She frowned. "I wonder if this changed my due date."

"So that's just it then? We saved the world, and now we call it a night?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, that's pretty much how it goes," Dawn replied. "No one died, so eh, it's all good."

"Welcome to the life of a Slayer," Buffy said, her smile teasing.

"Not to like, throw you all out of here or anything," Dawn said, "but I'm really, really tired."

"Nib's got a point," Spike replied. "Might as well all head to bed and then suss out anything that needs it in the morning. Or later."

"I'm liking 'or later,'" Buffy said, her hand slipping back into his. "Come on, honey. Let's go home."

Buffy and Spike said their good-byes to the two girls and then walked out the door to their own flat.

*** *** ***

That's pretty much it for this fic, aside from the epilogue I'm posting tomorrow. Sorry to anyone who wanted more details of the wedding, but that isn't what I had planned for this one. It's part of a larger series, so there will be more stories connected to this one at a later date. If you're interested in seeing the ones I've already written in this series, you can check them out here: http://dark-desire.org/blood/subpages/post-chosen.html

Please review!

Buffy waited with excitement—and a bit of nervousness she hadn't foreseen—as she waited for Spike to open the door.

It had been a long day, to say the least. And while things hadn't exactly gone off without a hitch, she was refusing to dwell on the few negative aspects of the day. It wasn't hard to do, since the good far outweighed the bad.

After all the waiting and anticipation, it was official.

Buffy and Spike were husband and wife.

"Bloody…sodding…key. Doesn't it know it fits in the buggering lock?"

With a soft smile on her face, Buffy placed her hand over his, steadying his tremors. The key slipped into the lock then, and with a turn, it was open.

Buffy started to step inside, but Spike stopped her. She frowned. "What?"

"Tradition, luv," Spike reminded her before he scooped her up into his arms. "No crossing of any thresholds for you unless I'm carrying you. The last thing we need is to ask for bad luck."

Buffy laughed as he kicked the door shut, locking it back one handed before carrying her towards the suite's bedroom.

"So I'm guessing we're not going to take it slow, look around the hotel room we bilked the Council out of big piles of money for," Buffy teased, knowing good and well what the answer was—and having no actual complaints.

"Later," Spike replied, his voice almost a growl. "You've been my wife for hours, and I've yet to exercise any of these husbandly rights I supposedly have now."

They'd debated for a while about whether or not they'd spend their wedding night at home and leave for their honeymoon the next day or it they'd leave the reception and go straight for the Council jet—even if that would bring them to their destination late in the evening.

Ultimately, they'd decided on the second option. While it meant a delay in the consummation of their marriage, both of them agreed they didn't want to have to get out of the bed for quite some time once they got in.

And two weeks at a seaside resort in Greece with nothing to worry about but each other should give them plenty of that.

One thing they'd agreed on right off when planning the honeymoon was they wanted to be somewhere with lots of sun.

As set on one-track as Spike's mind tended to be at times like this, Buffy had expected him to toss her on the bed and immediately pounce. However, he'd instead laid her down gently, her hair fanning out over the plush pillows.

He then clicked on the lamp beside the table, turning it down to allow only a dim light in the room—just enough to illuminate Buffy. She'd changed into a simple, white shift dress to travel in, and as Spike watched her situate herself on the snow-white hotel sheets, she looked very much like the bride she was.

Gorgeous, pure—his.

Buffy held out her arms to him. "Come here. I want to touch you."

Spike moved over her then, sinking into her embrace as he kissed her, moaning into her mouth. His whole body trembled, the act they were about to perform seeming to suddenly take on a new meaning in his mind.

He'd been with Buffy so many times he'd lost count, but now was still a first time.

The first time he was her husband; the first time she was his wife.

"I'm nervous," Buffy admitted when they broke apart for air. "Why am I nervous?"

"It's all right, pet. I am, too," Spike told her. He looked at her face for a moment, searching her eyes. "Do you need to slow down?"

Buffy shook her head. "No. I want this—I want you. But it feels like something's changed."

"Something has changed, pet," Spike replied as he smoothed her golden hair away from her face. "But it's a good change."

She smiled sweetly at his words and ran her own hand over his cheek. "It is, husband."

A grin broke across Spike's face, wonderment and elation playing onn his features at the sound of one word alone. "I can still hardly believe that's what I am to you."

"You are. And me, I'm your wife."

Something flashed in Spike's eyes, the wonderment suddenly replaced by raw hunger. "My wife," he repeated, the second word coming out as a growl.

Buffy shook, her nervousness disappearing with a rush of moisture between her legs. She loved it when he was possessive, when he lost himself completely to the need to have her.

So she spurred him on.

"I am now. For better or worse, 'til death do us part, I'm yours." She kicked off her sandals, then brought her leg up to massage his calf with her bare foot. "Lay claim to me, Spike. Mark me as your wife."

He growled low in his throat, his eyes flashing yellow briefly, reminding her that even if he may not be the vampire he once was, a bit of demon still resided in her husband. His mouth descended, and he kissed her with bruising force before he trailed to her neck, nipping at the skin against her thundering pulse.

Buffy moaned, thrusting her hips as she begged him for more between pants and gasps.

Suddenly, Spike moved down her body, pushing up the bottom of her dress roughly before tearing her panties away. Buffy cried out at the first touch of his mouth to her pussy, the guttural noises he made as he ate her out driving her almost as crazy as his tongue.

Beyond Spike, Buffy had never had a lot of experience in this area, but she had a feeling most men didn't quite do it with the relish he did. Spike had told her more than once he loved the taste of her, insisting, when he'd been a true vampire, that her juices were as sweet as her blood—if not sweeter.

His newly-beating heart didn't seem to change his hunger for her, though.

She gasped as he shoved his long tongue inside of her, lapping at her inner walls as his nose bumped against her clit. It always amazed her that he could get his tongue to move like that, yet she didn't have much time to ponder it before she was screaming in pleasure, her nails tearing at the bed as her head thrashed from side to side.

Then he pulled up, three nimble fingers replacing his tongue as he moved up to lick roughly at her clit. His fingers curved up, finding just the right spot inside of her immediately, and Buffy keened as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her.

He didn't slow his assault, didn't stop so he could move up and slide his cock inside of her, and Buffy sobbed with the almost-overwhelming assault to her nerve endings. She panted his name over and over again, her mind seemingly unable to remember anything existed but him.

It was too much.

She wanted more.

The last orgasm that roared through her made her hips shoot straight off the bed as she screamed loud enough to make herself hoarse. Spike bit down lightly on her clit, drawing out her release until she finally slumped to the bed, a sheen of sweat over her skin as she panted for air.

Spike pulled up, licking his lips, then smirked at her. "So, how am I doing at this husband stuff?"

Buffy swallowed. Did he expect an answer comprised of actual words, 'cause she couldn't give him one. She was lucky she managed a "Gah…"

"I'll take that to mean I'm doing a bang up job," Spike said with a wink.

"Got the 'bang' part right," Buffy thought with a giggle. She felt boneless, gloriously relaxed, all stress in her life forgotten for now. She forced her arm off the bed and pointed to the tent in Spike's trousers. "Want that now," she told him, a mischievous grin forming on her lips.

"More than happy to oblige, kitten," Spike told her with a grin of his own. He stood, staying away from her just long enough to strip off his clothes before he was on top of her again.

"Dress needs to come off," he murmured against her skin as he kissed her along her collarbone. Having the thin, white material bunched at her hips was not enough for him now.

"Zipper…back," she said, gasping as she thrust her hips and the head of his cock brushed against her sodden folds.

Spike reached behind her, cursing under his breath as he fumbled with the zipper. "Fuck it, I'll buy you a new one," he said before he ripped the dress from her body and tossed it to the floor.

Buffy thought she might be upset about how often he seemed to ruin her clothes if she didn't find it so damn sexy. She bought new underwear so much she was pretty sure the store clerks talked about her, but for Spike, she'd buy a dozen new pairs a day.

"No bra, good," he said as he moved to her breasts, laving a nipple with his tongue. "I hate those bloody clasps. Made to taunt men, they are." His teeth began to nip at the soft mound of flesh, and Buffy whimpered, her body seeming to forget she'd had multiple orgasms only a few minutes earlier.

"Spike…inside, inside now," she gasped. "Have to…need to…oh, Spike."

Spike pulled back up and looked into her eyes, the swirl of emotions he could see there these days never failing to amaze him. Love, lust, awe… She felt so much for him, and he knew it. He knew.

It was hard to believe sometimes that it wasn't all a dream. That he wasn't still cold and alone, perhaps back in his old crypt where so many nights all he'd had was dreams of her.

But it was real. Buffy was there, beneath him, waiting for him to make love to her because she loved him. One thought pushed forward to the front of his mind, threatening to overwhelm him.

Buffy was his wife.

He reached out and stroked her cheek, feeling as the band on his left ring finger slid across her skin.

Never again could anyone try to claim what they had wasn't real.

He'd stopped, his erection poised to enter her, yet still outside of her body, and Buffy couldn't wait any longer. "Please…I need you, Spike. I need…" She swallowed and turned her gaze up to meet his.

"I need my husband."

Her words made a shiver pass through him, and with a groan, Spike sank inside of her. Buffy gasped, her eyes rolling back at the feeling of being so completely full. There wasn't a part of her he couldn't touch.

"Oh, Buffy," Spike moaned as he began to thrust, his strokes growing deeper as Buffy moved her legs up to wrap around his back. "My love… My goddess… My wife."

"Yes, yes," Buffy chanted over and over again, tremors of pleasure rippling over her. Past this bed, past him, the edges of the world blurred into nothingness, until all she knew was joy.

It hadn't had the makings of a lengthy coupling, and when Spike felt the first stirrings of release, he didn't fight them. They'd have time for leisure later, but now, tonight, it was about something else entirely.

Buffy had said it herself earlier. He was laying his claim, marking her as hers once and for all.

After tonight, there would be no more running, no more hiding. She'd be his completely, as he'd always been hers.

After tonight, they would truly be forever.

Buffy moaned his name, a deep, almost animalistic sound before she cried out in heartfelt release. Her inner muscles squeezed him tightly, urging him along, and Spike followed, her name a bellow from him.

He rolled as he collapsed, taking her with him so she was cradled against his chest. Her hand stroked his skin, fingers trembling, and he captured it, lifting it to his lips to kiss each of the slender digits before he let it go again.

They lay in silence, what hung between them now too deep, too much for words. Spike's hand came down to graze over her belly, the beginnings of a swell growing there now, and she didn't have to question was he was thinking.

Buffy placed her hand over his and traced his wedding ring with her finger.

*** *** ***

That, folks, is the end of this fic (though not the series). For more of the series, please go here: http://dark-desire.org/blood/subpages/post-chosen.html I'll be adding more fics as I get them written.

Thank you for everyone who kept reading this story, even with all the breaks I had to take. Your words of encouragement really meant a lot to me, and I hope you enjoyed it!