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Chapter 12





Buffy sighed in relief as she let Giles inside and he had barely even got through the door before she started bombarding him with questions. "Please, Buffy slow down," Giles told her. "I don't even know as much as you do at this point." Buffy felt her cheeks redden as she looked over at Spike before she sat back down.



"Spike," Giles said, nodding his head at him as he entered the room. "So, tell me exactly what happened."



~*~




Anya was staring at Xander as he paced around the room talking to himself. The details of Spike's death at his hands had her eyes wide and caused her to slowly start backing away from him. She was pretty sure he wouldn't hurt her, but one could never tell. The demon that was apparently taking up residence inside him was like a loose canon. If Xander could control it then they should be all right until Giles could figure out what went wrong.



Xander turned his head in Anya's direction and smiled as he looked at her. "I can smell your fear, you know."



Anya's eyes widened slightly as she stared at him and her heart rate increased as she continued her slow steps backwards. "Xander, we really need to go see Buffy. Maybe the gang can get you back to normal."



Xander inhaled deeply, laughing almost hysterically before looking back at her. "You have no idea how this feels. It's no wonder Spike enjoyed being a vampire."



"Yeah, well he's had a hundred years to get a grip on it. You've had twenty minutes." Anya watched the yellow of his eyes darken slightly as he stared at her before she heard a low growl emanate from him. She stopped when her back hit the wall and swallowed heavily as Xander took a slow step toward her before he stopped and closed his eyes.



"Anya," Xander said deeply before opening his eyes back up and looking at her. "Run."



Anya stared at him for only a second before she turned and ran through the apartment. The loud growl Xander let out when she made it through the front door caused a scream to finally escape her as she ran down the hall.



"And so it begins," Xander smiled as he stepped out of the bedroom. "Ready or not, here I come."



~*~




"And you don't think it was the demon?" Giles asked Spike for what he thought was the hundredth time.



"Again, no," Spike sighed. "Look, I took a hit, fell and my heart started beating. End of story. I don't know why or how but I can assure you it wasn't the demon."



Giles had listened to Buffy and Spike retell what had happened several times and he still couldn't believe it didn't have something to do with the demon they were fighting. A vampire didn't just "have a heartbeat" for no reason. "Well, I guess we'll have to do a little research in to the matter. There has to be a reasonable explanation for this."



Buffy had been sitting quietly in her seat watching the exchange between Giles and Spike. Her mind had wondered countless times over what all this would mean. If Spike were human, how different things would be for them.



"Penny for your thoughts."



Buffy smiled as she looked over at Dawn before looking back at Spike. "I was just wondering how this would change things."



"What do you mean?" Dawn whispered so the others wouldn't hear.



"Well, if Spike were human."



"You two wouldn't have to hide your relationship."



Buffy gave Dawn a tiny smile before Spike turned to look at her. He looked so different. His skin was still pale, but it had a healthy glow to it now. He looked alive. He smiled at her and Buffy felt her heart skip a beat. She watched him stand and with a final look at her, he turned and left the room.



Buffy's eyes followed his form until he was out of sight before she also stood. When she made it to the entrance to the hall, Giles' voice stopped her.



"Buffy, what exactly do you remember?"



"Giles, I've told you everything I know."



Giles sighed heavily before grabbing another volume of the many books he had brought. Nothing he had seemed to help and he knew he'd have to make a trip to the Magic Box to find what he was looking for. "I know, Buffy. I just can't for the life of me figure out what could have caused this. If it wasn't the demon."



"A spell maybe?" Dawn asked from the corner she was sitting in.



All eyes turned to her and for the first time Giles smiled.



~*~



Spike was staring out across the backyard and he sighed lightly as he looked up into the night sky. The assault of questions Giles had been throwing at him were exhausting and even though he wanted answers to how and why this happened, his body was beginning to fatigue.



"Hey."



Spike's head turned quickly to the left and he smiled when he saw Buffy. "Hey," he said softly. "Didn't hear you come out."



"Apparently," she said, returning his smile. "You okay?"



Spike looked back out across the yard for a few minutes before looking back at her. "I'd be lying if I said yes," he told her. He watched as her smile disappeared and sighed lightly before shaking his head. "You wouldn't believe how many times I've wished for this. To be human. Thought it would make a difference."



"A difference in what?"



"In the way you saw me."



Buffy stared at him before taking a step closer to him. "It doesn't matter to me what you are," she smiled. "Well, I mean it does, but you've changed. It took the whole `little me' thing to finally see it, but I did. I do. Vampire or human my feelings for you are the same."



"And what is that exactly?"



"I care about you," she said softly. "I enjoying spending time with you and."



"But you're not in love with me?"



Buffy looked up at his hopeful face before sighing lightly. "I'm not even sure I know what love feels like."



"You loved the poof," Spike told her before looking back out across the yard.



"Yeah, but that was different."



"How?" Spike asked as he looked back at her. "How was it different?"



"I was sixteen," she smiled. "Everything is so intense at that age. Now that I look back at it, I'm not even sure what I felt. I cared for him and I still do, but I'm not sure it was love. Not real love."



"And Captain Cardboard?"



"Completely different from Angel," she grinned.



"So in other words you're completely daft and have no clue what you feel. No wonder your relationships always fail." He smiled.



Buffy chuckled lightly before closing the distance between them. "If getting involved with you makes me daft, then yeah. I guess I am." A smiled bloomed across Spike's face and Buffy's smiled widened as he lifted his hand and wrapped it around her waist.



"So, what are you trying to say?" He asked her quietly.



"I'm saying that I don't know how to describe what I feel for you. Not yet," she grinned as she looked up at him. "But, I know that I want you. That I miss you when you aren't around. And you make me feel alive. Vampire or human, I'll still want you."



Spike stared down at her and smiled before pulling her closer to him. He kissed the top of her head before looking toward the back door. "Suppose anyone would miss us if we took off for a while?"



"Probably," Buffy laughed. "What did you have in mind?"



Spike raised one eyebrow at her before a wide smirk crossed his face. "Did I ever tell you William was a virgin?"



Buffy's laughter rose before she shook her head and swatted at his arm playfully. "What, you want me to deflower you now?"



"Hey, someone's got to do it."



"You're impossible," she laughed. "And I thought we discussed the whole sex thing already."



"Yeah, you said you weren't ready to jump into bed with another vampire without thinking things through first. 'M human now. Completely changes the rules."



Buffy's smile was wide as she leaned up and kissed him. The thoughts of someone catching them never even entered her mind as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He deepened the kiss and she moaned when she was met with warmth instead of the cool touch she was used to. The new sensation only excited her more as she pulled him closer to her.





~*~




"But who would do it?" Willow asked, looking through one of the books Giles had laid out across the table. "And why?"



"Maybe someone who wanted him out of the way," Dawn supplied. "Human Spike would be easier to kill, right? I mean no super powers and all."



Giles looked over at her and smiled as pulled his glasses off. "That may very well be the case," he told them. "It's possible."



"What's possible?" Buffy asked as she and Spike re-entered the room.



"A spell," Dawn beamed. "Someone may have done a spell on Spike."



"Why?" Buffy asked, her brow lifting as she looked over at Giles.



"Hard to say at this point," he told her. "But it seems like the most plausible explanation we can come up with."



"Well, can you check, Will? Do one of those tracking spell thingys you do?"



Willow grinned at Buffy before shaking her head. "I could, but I'm not real sure I can."



"I can," Giles smiled, looking over at Willow.



"Well, what do we need?" Buffy asked as she walked closer to the group.



"Not much," Giles told her. "A stop down at the Magic Box will be in order though."



"Well, let's go then," Buffy said as she started for the front door.



"Buffy, it's nearly three a.m.," Giles informed her.



"So?" Buffy said as she opened the front door.



"So, it's late and I'm sure we can wait until everyone's had a good night's sleep."



Buffy looked over at Spike as he stopped behind her and sighed lightly when he nodded his head at her, indicating that Giles was right. With a final look at the others she knew she was outnumbered before she turned back to the door to close it.



She peered out into the darkness and stopped when she thought she heard someone scream. She saw a woman run up her walkway and her eyes widened as Anya screamed and ran toward her. "Anya! What's wrong?" She asked worriedly as their friend made her way to the house.



"Xander," Anya screamed as she flew into the house past Buffy and Spike.



"Xander?" Buffy asked as she watched a hysterical Anya. "Where is he?"



The other occupants of the house were already at Anya's side as she cried through her breathless state. Everyone was stunned at her disheveled appearance before a loud growl from outside caught their attention. Turning back to the door, Buffy sighed in relief as she saw Xander running toward the house. She smiled as she opened the door wider. "Xander, what is going on?" She asked him before looking back at Anya.



"Don't invite him in!" Anya screamed as she held her stomach and tried to catch her breath.



"What? Why not?" Buffy asked before turning back around to look at Xander. Her eyes widened when she saw he wasn't slowing down and she stepped back as he jumped up on the porch and charged the open doorway. When he hit the invisible barrier everyone stared with wide eyes as a vamped out Xander stood at the threshold.





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