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Sunnydale

“What are you researching?” Tara asked shyly.

“Oh, um…just boning up on some spells. You know, most have such a lyrical quality. If you don’t get them quite right, they tend to blow up on you. I should know,” Willow admitted, blushing bright red. “Plus, you never know when you might stumble on a spell that would be helpful fighting demons and stuff…not that I’ve been helping a lot lately. Buffy’s got Riley to help out with the slaying, so it’s not like we help out that much anymore, but you never know, something might happen…not that I want anything to happen…just...you never know.”

“I get it; it’s nice to be needed sometimes. Just be car-careful. That book…it’s all white magic, but even with white magic can backfire if it disrupts the natural or-order of things,” the blond stammered, looking concerned.

“Oh, no! No disorder. No order of any kind, just reading,” she assured her. “I just wanted to get a feel for the different spells in the books, that way if I ever needed anything; I know just where to look.” Willow grinned happily.

“Oh, well, that’s good; it’s good to be prepared,” Tara agreed, ducking her head and allowing her hair to fall forward to cover her face. She eased her way off the bed. “I’m just going to ru-run down the hall and get a couple of sodas, and I’ll be right back.”

Willow raised her head from the book she was currently reading. “Okay, sweetie, I’ll be right here. Oh, and make mine root beer, if you don’t mind?” She grinned broadly at the other woman.

“You rebel, you,” Tara teased, slipping out the door with barely a sound.

Willow returned her gaze to the open book on her lap and chewed her lip in concentration. Slowly she read the words again, an idea forming almost against her will. Things had been so strained lately with the group; everyone seemed to be splitting in different directions. If only she could find a way to pull them back together like they used to be…maybe she could, the redhead pondered, looking at the spell once again.

It was just a small spell; a basic rebirth and renewal incantation. Something simple that would give them all a revitalized outlook on life and refresh friendships that had grown just a bit stale and disillusioned.

Hearing the door open, she marked her page and slid it under the bed quickly. She would look at it again once Tara was asleep. She didn’t want to worry her over something that was nothing, and nothing was exactly what it was. It was barely even a spell, she reasoned. In fact, it was more of a chant with a few candles. It was nothing…really.

She smiled brightly at her lover as she accepted the can of soda. Things were beginning to look a little brighter in Willowland. She had Tara, college, and now the potential return of the friendships she hadn’t even realized were drifting until recently.

Yep, things were definitely looking brighter…radiant even.

South America

“Herbie, be a dear and get me Miss Edith. She’s calling me. She says it’s very urgent, but I couldn’t possibly be so rude as to leave our guests unattended.” Drusilla smiled graciously at her ‘guests’. The bodies of two tourists long since dead were propped up at the table as if they had stopped by for a social visit and a nice cup of tea.

The chaos demon rose from his chair, grateful for a chance to stretch his legs after being forced to endure the tea party from hell for the last two hours. Dru’s conversation with the corpse’s tended to be a little one-sided, and since he couldn’t actually hear their responses, he was at a bit of a loss as to how to respond. The brunette had declared to the brightly clad couple that the demon just suffered from a bit of shyness to cover up for his lack of participation in the discussion.

Herbie reached the second floor and turned to the left to enter the bedroom that he and Drusilla had shared for the past year. She wasn’t always the most agreeable of companions, but what she lacked in sanity she more than made up for in enthusiasm in the bedroom. Who doesn’t like a bit of agony mixed with their sex? No one that he knew, that was for sure!

He moved across the room to Miss Edith’s bed, which occupied one corner of the room. At first; he had been a little bothered by the way the small doll seemed to stare at them during sex, but eventually, he found he could ignore the glassy eyes and blank stare if he tried hard enough. Oddly enough Dru seemed to perform better when the creepy little creature was in the room. He was unsure if she was attempting to impress the doll or if she just liked the idea of someone watching them together.

Briefly, he thought of her previous lover, William the Bloody, and wondered if he’d had to endure the same behavior or if he had known of ways to curb some of Dru’s more outlandish antics. He had been with her for more than a hundred years; he could have probably given Herbie a few pointers in handling the dark haired vamp, if he hadn’t been quite so upset about the break up. Oh, well, it wasn’t like he was going to come back around to win her back. Not after the last time.

He picked up the doll; careful to avoid getting too much slime on the dress, something that seemed to set the vampiress off at the best of times. Apparently Miss Edith had a thing about cleanliness. Turning the doll to face away from him with a shudder, he hurried back to Drusilla and their ‘guests’.

“Thank you, dearest,” the deceptively fragile looking woman said, taking the doll carefully from his grasp. Cradling it close to her body, she made the introductions to the couple whom the doll had yet to meet. Once the pleasantries were over, Dru turned the doll to gaze in her eyes. “Now Miss Edith, what was so terribly important that it had to interrupt our tea party?”

She leaned in close to listen intently to the small figure in her arms, a frown slowly coming over her features. She began to fidget in her chair, squirming as if bothered by some unseen pest. Herbie had seen her in this mood too many times in the past to even dream of intervening in whatever had caused her irritation. He backed away discreetly

Drusilla suddenly jumped from her chair, spinning around to face him. “I’m so sorry; I must leave our party early. It seems Miss Edith and I have some business to attend to. Would you please be a dear and show our guests to the door?” With that said, she walked briskly toward the door, intent on seeing to her problem as soon as possible.

“Is there anything you need help with, Dru?” he asked, concerned for her sudden change in behavior.

“No, dearest. Miss Edith and I have matters well in hand. You don’t mind cleaning up for me, do you?” she asked sweetly, her charms showing in full force. She knew exactly how to get what she wanted out of those around her; after all, she’d had many, many years of practice.

“Not at all, just let me know if you need any help.” He smiled and turned back to the table after she glided out of the room, sighing lightly when he realized his evening was going to consist of digging a new set of graves just outside the walls of the villa.

At least it wasn’t raining like it had been two weeks ago. That had been one miserable night. The graves kept filling in on him from the rush of the rain water, but Dru had insisted that they be disposed of right then, so he had spent most of the night digging and re-digging, trying to get the hole large enough to accommodate the two bodies without them resurfacing before the stormy weather had passed.

Herbie lifted one of the bodies onto his shoulders and heading for the doors leading out onto the veranda and into the courtyard.

In the darkened basement, Drusilla placed Miss Edith on the small pillow in the center of the table located in the middle of the room and began to pace the floor.

“So, the little red witch is planning a spell, is she? She meddles in magic far beyond her. Tempts the fates with retribution and makes the gods tremble with anger. Her interference this time will break my brave knight. My golden boy. If she succeeds, the light will never embrace the darkness. The sunshine will push the night away until he loses all hope. Oh, my little willow tree; so much power and so little wisdom.” She whirled to face the doll once more.

“We must fix this, Miss Edith. If we cannot, then we have turned my prince away in vain. He was meant for the sunshine, but she blocks out his light. We should give her an awakening, and I believe our little witch has given up a perfect opportunity to accomplish our task.”

She moved across the room, and began removing things from a small cupboard in the shadows. She placed candles and a few herbs, along with a small silver bowl and lighter on the table beside the pillow Miss Edith occupied. Drusilla moved across the floor as if on air, her gliding feet never seeming to touch the ground.

Once more at the old cabinet, she bent to retrieve a small yellow box. Tenderly opening the lid, she explained its presence to her precious dolly. “Daddy so loved his souvenirs! Mementos of destruction and torture, of terror and anguish. Pain was his greatest art; the suffering he caused was a symphony of delightful sounds.” Dru extracted two snippets of hair, each tied by a different color of ribbon and both gleaming gold in the dim candlelight of the cellar.

She placed the hair in the silver bowl and carefully crumbled selected herbs over the strands. She picked up the lighter and touched it to the candles. The room seemed to glow much brighter than should have been possible from so few wicks. Drusilla smiled enigmatically and waited for word from Miss Edith to begin the spell.

At the dolls encouragement, she began to chant, tipping one of the candles toward the bowl and setting the mixture ablaze. She reached into the open keepsake box and withdrew a small dagger. Running it across her palm, she allowed a few drops to splatter and hiss in the heat of the fire. Once finished, she brought the bleeding cut to her mouth and eagerly licked it closed.

Her gaze seemed to intensify as her voice grew louder. On the final words of the incantation, the candles flared and flickered and a sudden burst of wind swept through the enclosed room, seeming to sweep the spell away with the breeze. The candles guttered out and silence reigned once more.

When all was quiet, she picked up Miss Edith once more, cuddling her close to her chest and ascending the stairs. “I think you are correct, Miss Edith. I don’t think the slayer will be able to ignore this.”

Giggling madly as she topped the stairs, she danced in small circles, stopping only when she decided to find Herbie and request that he take her out for a late night dinner.

Magic always took so much out of a ghoul, after all.

Sunnydale

Willow slipped out of the bed as quietly as possible, trying not to wake Tara. She retrieved the book of spells from under the bed, grabbed a small backpack from the floor beside the doorway, and crept from the room down to the bathroom at the end of the hall. After checking that all the stalls were empty, she began to unload the bag of candles and place them in a circle around her.

She told herself that she was only keeping this from Tara because she didn’t want her to worry. Plus, it was just a little spell to sweep away old hurts and refresh the spirit, which would allow for the friendships to flourish once again. Letting everyone know might dampen the effect of the spell, which was not of the good. It was such a tiny little spell, a baby spell, minuscule even. So why would she need to tell someone about something that practically didn’t even exist?

She finished arranging her candles and then carefully lit each one. Opening the book to the page she had marked earlier, she began to chant softly, not wanting to draw unwanted attention to her nocturnal activities. The candles burned brightly as she chanted.

“Oh Mother Earth, hear me. We ask for cleansing. We ask for rebirth.”

The words continued on; she had carefully memorized them earlier, anxious to be prepared. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the phrasing, not noticing when the candles flared higher as a smoky wind entered the room. It swirled around the sacred circle, mixing with the smoke rolling from Willow’s candles. The gray haze then hovered and whirled around Willow before spreading out, covering the entire circle before dissolving.

The young witch opened her eyes once the spell was complete, already feeling enthusiastic and excited about the changes for herself and her friends.

Things would be looking much brighter for them in the near future…she could feel it.

She stretched across the bench trying to work out the kinks. She had expected to feel sore after her fight with Adam the day before, but it felt as if she had slept on the floor all night. Suddenly becoming aware of the lights and sounds around her, she sat up stiffly. The glare from the florescent lights caused her to quickly close her eyelids again.

Oh, and the smell; the scent of exhaust fumes and floor cleaner from the mop bucket beside her. It was familiar. Something she had just experienced. Squinting to let her vision adjust, she noticed people milling about.

The bus station. How did she get back here? Looking around, she noticed she was in the same seat she had sat in yesterday. She remembered getting off the bus, bone weary and heart heavy. She had decided to stop for a moment before making her way across town to the dorms. She had fallen asleep only to find herself being shaken awake an hour later by a worried station attendant worried that she had missed her bus.

Then came the oh-so-pleasant reunion with Riley, the could-it-have-gotten-any-worse visit by Angel, and then the spectacular ass kicking that Adam had presented her with. Only to be followed by the never-want-to-do-that again conversations with Riley about how one of his best friends had been killed while she couldn't do anything but watch and bleed really well. Not one on her better days, that's for sure.

She turned to look at the clock, noticing the same clerk from the day before at the ticket counter. She still couldn't figure out how she made it all the way across town, or why she'd come to the bus station. It certainly wasn't for the ambience.

Oh, maybe yesterday had all been a crazy dream brought on by exhaustion? No, she couldn't be that lucky. Maybe she was sleepwalking, not that she had ever done that before, but hey, first time for everything. Nothing that she could come up with seemed plausible. She would just have to go see Giles and see if he had any answers for her, but first a stop at the bathroom.

She rushed for the stalls; feeling like she hadn't peed in forever. Once she was done, she moved to the sink to wash her hands. The mirror caught her attention. Something was off, and she had to focus for a moment before she realized what it was. Her bruises were missing. With slayer healing, she had expected them to be mostly gone by morning, but here she was, not a scratch on her. Go, go slayer healing. At least she didn't have to walk to Giles' looking like the victim of a violent crime.

Wait a minute; she was in her clothes from yesterday, too. She clearly remembered putting on her Yummy Sushi pajamas before climbing into bed. After the fight with the others, she had returned to the dorm room, certain that Willow wouldn't show up there that night.

Oh, God. The fight with Xander and Willow, and Giles acting all intoxicated. It all came rushing back. The screaming, the accusations, the drunken giggling; it turned her stomach thinking back on all the things that had been said. She still didn't understand what might have possessed her friends to act as they had, but she new she couldn't face Adam again in the shape she was in. She had returned to the dorm to get some rest and clear her head before going after him once more…and that's it. The last thing she could remember was her head hitting the pillow, being unable to keep her eyes open for a moment longer, and then blank.

It must be some freaky Hellmouth thing, or an evil spell, or some sort of demon possession. Oh, or maybe her nightmares come to life again? Maybe she should start trying to wake up little kids…or maybe she was just grasping at straws. Hopefully, Giles had sobered up enough to do some research. She needed to get back out and search for Adam. She didn't have time to waste on the newest whatever it was trying to make her life miserable.

She made her way quickly out of the bus station and toward Giles' house. The weird feeling of déjà vu seemed to cling to her the entire way. Something was setting off her slayer senses in a major way, but it was broad daylight, and she couldn't feel the tingles that demons and vamps gave off. It seemed to be a whole other vibe.

Finding Giles sober was a major bonus, explaining to him for the fifth time exactly was happened…not so much. She had at first been hesitant to enter after the badness of the previous day but it was soon apparent that he had either forgotten his drunken haze or was determined to ignore the events as if they never happened. Well, that worked for her, Denial was one of her best attributes and she'd gladly cling to it for as long as possible.

The frustration of not having any answers to the newest oddity that was her life finally became too much and she stormed out of the apartment ready to tear something apart, hopefully of demon or vamp persuasion.

~~~~~

Spike moved to the upper level of the crypt to begin heating his morning blood. It was bad enough keeping day walkers' hours while staying with the watcher, but since he had started working with Adam, it seemed he couldn't reset his internal clock. Between patrolling for his daily spot of violence and conditioning his body to sleep lightly due to the constant threat of demons taking offense to what they saw as assisting the slayer, he was pretty much on standard mortal time.

A sound from the hole in which the ladder to the lower level was situated had him moving to investigate. Finding no signs of movement or sounds, he turned back to the kitchen area of the crypt, just barely stopping himself from yelping when coming face to face with his new cohort.

"Well, mate, to what do I owe this unexpected visit?" he snarked, attempting to cover his surprise.

"You failed to make our appointed meeting. I was forced to seek out your presence to see what had detained you," Adam stated calmly.

"What meeting? We met yesterday, I did the whole Yoko Ono thing and now the Scoobs are Splitsville." Spike could feel his agitation growing. He began to pace the crypt, putting some distance between himself and the seemly unstoppable hybrid and began patting his shirt pockets searching for his pack of cigarettes.

"I believe you are mistaken, I have no record of our meeting or any understanding of this Yoko Ono reference."

"You get some wires crossed or something? A slight short-circuit? Remember how we talked about how people blamed Yoko for the Beatles breaking up, but the band had just grown apart? We decided to split up the Scoobies to make the Slayer weaker, more manageable without outside 'variables' getting in the way," The blond explained, lighting a cigarette as he spoke.

"This idea is intriguing; I would like you to carry out this plan. Split the Slayer from her group, make her vulnerable. I like this plan very much. You will do it today," Adam said with finality, moving toward the ladder to the lower level.

"Yeah, right. I'll get right on that." The blond vamp replied, a look of absolute confusion marring his expression.

~~~~~

The slayer made her way to the campus. She needed to find something to kill to take her mind off of the ultimate badness that was the last few days. It not like she expected her life to go well, since major suckfest was pretty much the description of her of her post-slayer and even pre-slayer life, but one would think that once in a while, she could get a break. Maybe only have one emotionally crippling crisis at a time?

Reaching her room, she had just turned the key in the lock when she heard her name. She turned to find Riley standing behind her, dressed in the same embarrassing clothes as the day before. "Riley, are you okay? I mean, I know you're not okay, but are you, you know…okay?"

"Yeah, I got a little tired of sitting around waiting, so…" he looked at her expectantly.

"Waiting for what?" she asked, confused.

"For you to get back from L.A. You know; where you've been for the last 24 hours? Seeing your ex-boyfriend and saving him from an evil slayer who likes to take over your life."

Ignoring his comment about Faith, Buffy tried to explain. "But I got back yesterday. I've been here the last 24 hours. Riley, we've talked twice since I got back."

"What the hell are you talking about, Buffy? I haven't spoken to you since we escaped the Initiative. Boy, seeing Angel really did rattle you didn't it? So what happened that was so bad that you're acting like this?"

"He just spun my head a little. It's not that interesting," she muttered almost dizzy from the overwhelming feeling of déjà vu.

"Got my attention," he stated baldly, crossing his arms and assuming a ridged stance.

"Look, Riley. Something's going on. We've done this before, had this same discussion. I don't understand what's happening, but it's not right, and those pants a second time are even worse." She began to pace, trying to get her frazzled nerves under control.

"I got the pants from Xander, he's washing my uniform. What do you mean by 'done this before'?" he asked not looking convinced.

"That's what I mean; I know where your uniform is, and I know why you're dressed in those hideous pants. Riley, something really wiggy is going on. I woke up in the bus station this morning, in the same clothes I had on yesterday, and I'm apparently in some time warp thingy. God, Xander would be eating this up right now. Yesterday a whole lot of badness went down. Adam kicked my ass, Forrest died, and the gang had a total melt down."

"Right, a 'time warp thingy'. You know what that sounds like to me, Buffy? A bad dream. People have them all the time. I just heard Forrest on the scanner just a few minutes before I got here; he's fine," the ex-soldier stated, his expression far from pleasant. "Look, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. Tell you what, why don't I get out of your face? You had a long trip."

"Riley, you don't have to go," she implored as he moved toward the door.

"It's okay. Besides, I have to recharge them every two hours or they go dead on me," he said, indicating his pants.

"Okay," she answered quietly, watching him leave. She hated that she didn't feel more guilty about his leaving, but right now she needed to take a few minutes to try to piece together the events that had unfolded rather than waste time placating her boyfriend.

~~~~~

Spike burst into the watchers apartment, eager to discover if the chaos he thought he had wrought in the group had been real or an incredible hallucination.

Finding the watcher sitting in almost the exact same pose as the previous day seemed odd. The watcher was once again singing 'Freebird', the same bottle of liquor on the counter, the same frightened shriek he had bellowed before. The blond smirked; maybe he could take some tips from his overactive imagination.

He started out his speech in the same way that he had dreamt, not surprised at finding the bagged blood in the fridge just as he had envisioned it. The conversation went in much the same way, with the exception of the watchers stuttered statement that the slayer had stopped by just that morning looking for a bit of help. Which lead to his easy comeback "So she only comes around when she needs something, huh?" His sympathy was only partially faked for the aging man.

It really was just too easy; like pieces on a chess board. His amusement was only slightly dimmed by the nagging feeling he was missing something important. He left the watchers apartment once more, his smile bright and cheery. It was great being evil.

Finding the whelp and his ex-demon bird waiting at his crypt just seemed too much of a coincidence. He had never shared his sire's gift for the sight, but he had to wonder if maybe he wasn't becoming a bit clairvoyant. The feeling of something being terribly wrong was intensifying with each relived moment, and the satisfaction of watching the whelp's reactions weren't nearly as much fun as he remembered them being. Maybe he'd gotten hold of some bad blood or something? Mocking the brunette until he stormed out into the daylight, Spike turned to dress for the night's adventures, feeling like he already knew the outcome.

He waited until dark to return to the watchers once more, armed with the disk Adam had given him, pausing to prepare himself again for the acting he was about to do. Already knowing which particular buttons to push for maximum effect, he wasted no time on dramatics and cut right to the chase. His mission once again accomplished, he stopped by the crypt to grab a celebratory beer; if for no other reason than he knew that's what his dream self had done.

Maybe he should try dreaming of buxom blondes, wads of cash, and all the blood he could drink that night, just to see what happened.

~~~~~

Buffy limped into the dorm room bruised and sore. She had tried so hard. She had argued, threatened, and begged, but nothing had worked. The events that she knew had to be more than a dream had played out in front of her eyes in horrific Technicolor. Nothing she had done had saved Forrest's life. Adam was stronger, responded quicker, and was better armed than she could handle. She had screamed at Forrest not to shoot the walking demon junk pile, but he'd refused to listen to her, just as he had in her dream…

Vision…memory…whatever it was.

Apprehension had filled her as she regained consciousness after her fall and recalled the next portion of her magic carpet ride of horror. She had been tempted to run straight to Giles'. Only her knowledge that her ex and current boyfriends easily kill each other had let her feet drag her back to this spot.

She stared at the doorway for a moment when the knock sounded. The weight of knowing who it was before she answered was staggering. She moved reluctantly toward to the wooden panel separating her from her former boyfriend. Her stiffened arms opened it to allow the vampire entry into the room. She sighed heavily when she once again had to voice her invitation to enter.

"Let me guess; you're sorry for being an ass when all I wanted to do was help and you came to apologize. You 'accidentally' ran into my boyfriend on the way here and 'accidentally' smashed your fist in his face repeatedly. Am I close?" she asked, pinning him with a no nonsense glare, defying him to disagree. She stayed close to the door during her tirade, waiting for the next player to enter the room.

When Riley showed up right on cue, she disarmed him quickly, pushing him to the opposite side of the room from Angel. "Riley, he's not evil but we have to talk for a minute. We're just going out into the hall. Just trust me for a few more minutes, okay?"

She ushered the broody vampire out into the hall, taking deep breaths and trying to collect her thoughts. "Angel, I know what I did was wrong, but you were wrong, too. I just need us to forget about it and move on. I've got a lot going on here and I don't have time for more childish games."

"Uh, things are pretty tense around here. Can I do anything?" he asked, concerned.

"Honestly? Your leaving would be of the best. I've got a lot to try to figure out, and some really bad news to deliver, and then an insane fight with my friends scheduled for later tonight," she snarked and rolled her eyes.

"Okay, I'm not going to even try to figure that out," he joked, making his way down the hallway. "Oh and…Riley? I don't like him."

"Thank you; it means a lot that you came," Buffy replied softly.

~~~~~~

Spike made his way into Adam's lair. "That was even more fun than the last time."

"You are still making references to things that have not happened. It is possible that you have an internal issue that needs to be resolved." Adam tilted his head, observing the blond vampire.

"The only internal issue I have is this soddin' chip. The slayers all separated from her little friends, so how about my chipectomy? You got everything you need, right?" the blond asked. Averting his face so that Adam couldn't see him, his mouth was already moving to mimic the imitation Frankenstein's reply.

"No. There's one more thing."

Spike left the cave frowning. Something definitely wasn't right. He just didn't know how to get the answers he needed.

~~~~~

After the once again disastrous talk with Riley, Buffy had dreaded going back to Giles'. It seemed even knowing what was going to happen and what was going to be said couldn't change anything for the better. Maybe it was a message from the Powers; fate wasn't to be messed with. Well screw that! If they stupid Powers hadn't figured out by now that Buffy Anne Summers made her own destiny, they were about to find out.

That sudden declaration didn't seem to make her feet any less heavy on the long walk to her watchers apartment building. She was determined not to allow her friends' obvious issues make her jump into another argument. She was going to be cool, calm, and collected. She was going to keep a level head. She was going to be the reasonable one.

That reasoning lasted all of ten minutes.

In between the frustration of not being able to stop Adam coupled with the newest ride on Buffy's Happy Fun Land The Revolving Time Loop of Misery; it took less than twenty minutes to resort to the name calling and accusation throwing badness of the previous day…or today…whatever.

Watching Tara and Anya running for the bathroom, she wished nothing more than to be able to follow them and hide until this horrible day was over…if it would ever end, that is. Somehow, she was beginning to doubt it.

By the time she left, the déjà vu creepiness that had followed her all day was back with a vengeance. There was no way she could explain knowing all the events that had happened that day. Seeing the looks on her friends' faces for a second time left her with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something was seriously wrong; she just didn't know how to get the answers she needed. She left the watchers apartment once again, miserable and defeated.

She sang softly to herself on the walk back to the dorm. "Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya tomorrow. You're only a day a way."

Somehow she doubted that.

===============

Oh shit.

Opening her eyes, she could see nothing through the glaring fluorescent light.

Oh no.

Closing her eyes she willed the vision away, but the sounds and smells were just how she remembered.

Bus station? Check. Same clothes? Check. Head wound gone? Check. Heaving sigh? Extra big check. The amount of how screwed she was?

Infinite.

Oh shit.

Opening her eyes, she could see nothing through the glaring fluorescent light.

Oh no.

Closing her eyes she willed the vision away, but the sounds and smells were just how she remembered.

Bus station? Check. Same clothes? Check. Head wound gone? Check. Heaving sigh? Extra big check. The amount of how screwed she was?

Infinite.

Buffy leaped to her feet, and she stormed across the bus terminal to where the clerk sat reading the newspaper. "Can you tell me the date?" she demanded.

The clerk peered over her glasses at the strange young blonde woman. "Yes, ma'am, it's Tuesday, May 2nd." With one last penetrating stare, she went back to her newspaper.

"Should have known it was Tuesday," Buffy grumbled. "Everything bad happens in Sunnydale on a Tuesday." She whirled around to leave, ignoring the looks of fear and confusion she got from the people she passed along the street as she continued her tirade all the way to Giles' apartment. "Why the hell am I doing this day over and over? Couldn't fate have picked a better day? Oh I don't know like maybe a good day? But, no; it has to this day."

Buffy pounded on Giles' door. She wondered if there was anything she could do to convince him that she was in fact reliving this day in a ceaseless, vicious cycle. When Giles opened the door, Buffy marched inside, and went directly to the kitchen where she knew he hid his best bottle of scotch. Amid shouts and threats, she poured the bottle down the sink. Then she sat a still sputtering Giles down to explain what was happening to her.

"So, you're saying you've lived this particular day twice already?" Giles asked. He wished he had been able to stop the girl from dumping his alcohol down the sink, because he was fairly certain he would need a drink very soon.

"Yes, Giles. For the last time. That's exactly what I'm saying." Buffy jumped to her feet, and threw her hands in the air. "Maybe if you didn't spend your days drunk you'd have a better grasp on reality."

"Are you implying I'm an alcoholic, Buffy?" Giles asked indignantly.

"If the shoe fits!" Buffy screamed. "Come on, Giles, get a life. Haven't you heard the saying 'when one door closes, another one opens'? Well, find yourself a god damn door."

"If you're going to take this kind of attitude, I think you should leave me in peace to drink myself silly." Giles marched to the door. He opened it angrily, and pointed outside. "Since you've poured my bottle down the sink. I suppose I'll just have to go buy me a new one."

"Fine. You know what. What ever! It's not like I don't have better things to do." Buffy stalked towards the open door. "I can just go back to the dorm and deal with a jealous Riley. It's not like I haven't done it before." She was storming the courtyard and out the gate before Giles had a chance to respond.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike once again woke with that strange feeling of déjà vu, again. The dreams of buxom blonds, wads of cash and plenty of blood to drink obviously hadn't done the trick. Instead he had dreamed of green eyed blond Slayers kicking his ass all over Sunnydale, no cash and only pig's blood to drink. It had been an unsettling dream that left him hovering between intense arousal and abject horror. After going through the familiar motions of warming his blood, Spike sat down in his grungy easy chair, and waited for his guest to arrive.

"Well, mate, what took you so long?" Spike snarled. He smirked at the look of surprise on Adam's face. Wow, the git has a facial expression besides constipated. Puts me in mind of my ole grandsire.

"You failed to make our appointed meeting. I was forced to seek out your presence to see what had detained you," Adam stated calmly to cover his surprise that the vampire was expecting him.

"Well, I knew you would come to me if I waited long enough," Spike replied. He took a sip of his blood while he waited for the cyborg to respond.

"What is the purpose of such an exercise?" Adam questioned. He searched his databases, but was unable to find an answer.

"No purpose." Spike shrugged his shoulders. "Sometimes people ... or demons ... don't have to have reasons for what they do. It's called free will."

"Free will. I must research this thing you call free will," Adam mused. "Now, about this Slayer, she's just a girl."

Spike chuckled, "True, but she's a girl with family and friends. They make her strong. Stronger than any other slayer in history." He took the last sip of his blood, and put his cup down on the floor next to his chair.

"What makes you strong can also make you weak." Adam stared at the vampire with distaste. If he hadn't needed the half breed to get to the Slayer he wouldn't have bothered with recruiting such a wild card. The rumors that this creature worked alongside the Slayer were interesting, to say the least. "Take them away from her."

"Like I haven't tried that before," Spike muttered. Pasting on a completely fake smile, he sarcastically commented, "Of course. Capitol plan, mate. Make the Slayer and her Scoobies brassed off at each other. Don't know why I didn't think of it myself."

"What is that tone of voice you are using? It's quite intriguing."

"It's called sarcasm. Look it up in the dictionary." Spike rose from his chair, crossed the room to the door, and held it open. "'ll get right on it, Mr. Bits. Don't let the door hit you on the backside on your way out."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy marched across the campus. She grew madder and crankier with every step she took. Buffy knew she'd find no peace at her dorm room, because Riley was due to arrive. Jealous, strangely dressed Riley. The only person she had ever seen so out of place dressed in Hawaiian print had been Spike. Too bad I can't blame this all on Spike. A few quick thumps on his nose would make me feel so much better.

Reaching her room, she had just turned the key in the lock when she heard someone call her name. Damn, next time I need to walk faster and not open the door when he comes by or wait until he's already been here.

Buffy turned to stare at her 'boyfriend'. Only today she was wondering what she actually saw in the guy. "Hey, Riley. I'm not really feeling up to having company right now. Maybe we can catch up with each other later." She watched as Riley's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Yeah, well, I got a little tired of sitting around waiting, so ..." Riley's voice trailed off, and he waited for Buffy to respond. He stepped back in surprise when he saw ire flash in her eyes, and anger tighten her lips.

"I know what happened, Riley. Xander told you all about Angel and the curse." Buffy folded her arms across her chest while she tapped her foot impatiently. "So, you got all jealous and had to rush over here to make sure I didn't get groiny with my ex-boyfriend."

"That's not it at all!" Riley rushed to defend his actions. "Yes; Xander told me about Angel, but I'm here because I was worried. Besides, I was waiting for you to get back from L.A. You've been gone for 24 hours and I've missed you."

"Well, I've been busy, Riley. Patrolling, trying to find Adam, repeating the same day over and over," Buffy muttered the last part under her breath. She turned to open the door of her room. "Look, Riley, seeing Angel brought back old memories and old feelings. I need some time to process it all. It's not all that interesting."

"It got my attention, but you don't want to talk about it. I get that." Riley backed away from Buffy. "Tell you what; why don't I get out of your face? You had a long trip." He turned to stride down the hallway away from his 'girlfriend'.

"You don't know the half of it," Buffy muttered before she slammed her door shut.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Spike sauntered into Giles' apartment, he expected to find the Watcher once again singing and drinking. Instead, the vampire was surprised when he found the older man pacing the floor while muttering curses under his breath. Spike's feeling of déjà vu was suddenly replaced by a sense of dread. Something wasn't right with this picture, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. The Watcher wasn't doing what he was suppose to be doing or reacting the way he was suppose to be.

"Hey, Watcher, what's got you in such a dither today?" Spike strolled towards the apartment's small kitchen where he knew there was a bag of blood waiting for him.

"What do you want?" Giles growled. He was in no mood to put up with the hyperactive vampire, not after his earlier fight with Buffy.

"Couple of things actually." Spike opened the fridge door. "Ah, there it is. Knew I left a bag here." He took out the bag of blood. "First thing, that little witch of yours has been workin' the mojo again. Been feelin' a bit wonky all day. It's getting bloody annoying." Spike crossed to the microwave, and popped the bag into the machine.

Giles moved to the bar, curious in spite of himself. Maybe Spike had an explanation as to why Buffy had been so touchy earlier. "Wonky, you say? Can you tell me about it?"

Spike narrowed his eyes at the Watcher's curiosity. He decided he'd better get down to the real reason he was here. "It's not that important after all. I need to talk to Buffy. Have you seen her? Got some info for her."

"What kind of information are we talking about?" Giles asked. He watched as the vampire pulled the warmed blood bag from the microwave, ripped it open, and poured it into a cup.

"Highly classified." Spike took a sip of the blood. "I'm talkin' about the good stuff now." He watched as the sober Watcher raised his eyebrow to indicate continuation. "These are Initiative files. I can get in and get them. I expect good compensation for the endeavor."

"That goes without saying, Spike," Giles said sarcastically. "What kind of information are we looking at?"

Spike shrugged, and took another sip of his blood. "Mission statements. Design schematics. All of Maggie Walsh's dirty laundry, which I guess would include lots of tidbits about..."

"Adam." Giles stared off into space for a few minutes. "Fine. I'll pay you $500 for the information."

"What about the Slayer?" Spike hid his surprise at this turn of events. The strange feeling of dread doubled for the blond vampire. This was definitely not how things were suppose to be going. If Spike didn't know any better, he'd say that something had changed elsewhere in this loopy little day.

"We'll just leave Buffy out of this, Spike," Giles announced. There was no way he was going to let the vampire know he was still smarting from the fight he'd had with his charge just a few hours before. "It's just between you and me. I'll send Xander over to your crypt with the fatigues you used when you helped to rescue Oz."

"Slayer's treating you like crap, huh?" Spike asked with faux sympathy. This was going better than before. It was almost like someone was doing his job for him.

"Buffy's treating me just fine, as if it were any of your business. I think seeing Angel just put her a bit on edge is all." Giles crossed the room to the bookcase. He searched through the books in the hopes of finding a bottle of scotch that he had missed before.

"Only comes around when she needs something, huh?" Spike questioned. He felt like rubbing his hands together in glee.

"Just keep up your end of the bargain, Spike. I'll be waiting here with your cash." Giles watched as the vampire slipped out into the night. The Watcher knew he had to get busy. He needed to call Xander, go to the ATM and then hit the liquor store.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy stormed up the dirt path where she knew Forrest and subsequently Adam were hiding at. Today there would be no arguing, threatening or begging. Today would be a full out knock 'em out punch to the face. She showed no surprise whatsoever when Forest jumped out into the path behind her. She whirled around to face him, and raised her eyebrow at the blaster he was holding in his hands.

"Shooting humans, now?" Buffy asked. She remembered the commando asking her if she was killing humans now from the first time through this damned loopy day.

"No, not really," Forrest replied, "But I can have a patrol here in less than a minute. So, tell you what; you go your way and I'll go mine."

"Something tells me that I don't quite believe that," Buffy snarked. "Oh yeah, the fact that Adam can kill you in under a minute." She edged towards the wary commando, and continued to talk in an attempt to keep him off guard. "Remember that Polgara demon you guys picked up a few months back? Where do you think the skewer went?"

"Maggie removed it for experimentation," Forrest answered. He backed away from Buffy, wondering where this conversation was going.

"Oh experimentation. I guess that's a fancy word for implantation, because she put it on Adam."

Before he could blink, Buffy was behind him where she gave him a sharp thump to the back of the head. She caught him, and dragged him into some bushes. Buffy grabbed up his blaster rifle and moved cautiously to the entrance of the cave. "Hey, Adam? I know you're in there," she called out.

"Ah, the Slayer. And alone," Adam stated in his calm voice. He rounded the corner, and looked down, blinking in astonishment when the small blond woman blasted him with her gun.

"Fuck," Buffy exclaimed when the blaster had no affect on the huge cyborg. She threw the gun to the ground, and turned to run down the path. A few feet away, she paused to turn and throw a taunting 'Catch me if you can!' back at Adam. Buffy ran through the woods hoping that Adam would follow her and not find the unconscious body of Forrest this time.

Suddenly, she cried out when she tripped over a tree root, and rolled down the incline where she hit her head on a rock.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hours later, Buffy woke up with a blinding headache. So much for avoiding the head wound.

She sat up, touched her forehead, and brought back a hand covered in blood. Buffy sighed deeply, fighting exhaustion. Time to go talk to Angel and Riley. I so don't want to do this again. Maybe I could cut them off at the pass.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike waited in his crypt for the Whelp and his bird to arrive. He figured the third time was the charm. Playing the Watcher had been impossibly easy for the blond vampire, so he knew the Whelp would be child's play.

Anya and Xander strolled into the crypt while arguing about Buffy. Xander tossed the bundle of clothing to Spike, otherwise ignoring the vampire as he continued to fight with his girlfriend about the blond slayer. The pair wandered back into the sunlight leaving the peroxide blond vampire staring after them in a state of annoyed shock. Spike was filled once more with the same unsettling dread he'd felt earlier with the Watcher.

At dusk, Spike dressed in the fatigues, preparing himself for the trek to the Watchers and the dramatics of watching them implode on themselves. He wondered if this confrontation would be as easy as the others had been. The vampire still couldn't believe his luck with the Watcher and the boy. Spike strolled casually towards the apartments while he smoked a cigarette. Once he hit the courtyard, he pretended to be out of breath, and flung himself into the apartment.

"I think I lost the buggers," Spike panted. He wasn't at all surprised when he saw Willow sitting at Giles' desk.

"Any luck with the disks?" Willow asked. Spike handed them over and she laid them on the desk. She turned to Tara, who had just come out of the kitchen. "What did Buffy have to say, baby?"

"S-she said that she had to go st-stop Riley and Angel from killing each other." Tara smiled shyly at her girlfriend. "But then she muttered that maybe she should just let them kill each other. T-that it would make things easier for everyone. I-I don't think Buffy's feeling very well."

"I'm sure she's okay. Just the stress of seeing Angel, like Giles said." Willow turned back to Spike, and asked, "Was this everything?"

"Took what they had. Should be something useful on one of them." Spike smirked at the red-headed woman. "What's this about the Poofter and Captain Cardboard?"

"B-buffy said Angel's in town, and Riley's gunning for him," Tara replied hesitantly. She glanced at the vampire, and then dropped her eyes to the floor. There was something changed in his aura, but she had no idea what it was. The change seemed at this point to be fairly ambiguous, so Tara decided to ignore it.

Spike suddenly found the idea of seeing his grandsire and the soldier boy fight over the Slayer appealing. He sidled over to the dishwater blond witch, and whispered in her ear, "Did the Slayer mention where this fight was going on?"

Tara nodded, and whispered in return, "In the alley behind the grade school." She smiled wryly when the grinning blond vampire bid the group goodnight, and made his escape. Shaking her head at his antics, Tara turned her attention to Willow and the disks that Spike had brought by.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike stood on the roof of the Sunnydale Grade School. Below him he could see his grandsire fighting off a group of commandos, and the old fart was actually winning. Of course, they weren't using the tazers on him like they had Spike. The blond vampire shook his head in amusement. Peaches, three. Commandos, zip. Ahhh there's Captain Cardboard.

The man in question rounded the corner, and he raised his flashlight to catch sight of a large male dressed all in black. Spike smirked at the surprise on the toy soldier's face when the poofter called him by name. Spike himself was surprised when Riley quickly identified the dark, broody vampire. He'd been positive that the Slayer would have avoided telling her boyfriend about Peaches. Spike giggled to himself over the pissing contest that the pair got into, not that he expected Finn to win against Angelus.

Spike was just starting to enjoy the fight when the girl herself slipped into the alley. He could tell she was one brassed off little honey when he saw the look on her face. He noticed the cut on her forehead, and wondered to himself what the hell she run into that could hurt her like that.

"I'm going to punch out both of you, and leave you for the commandos if you don't stop this macho bullshit," Buffy growled. She stood with her arms crossed while she tapped her foot. "What are you? Twelve?"

"Protecting another vampire, I see," Riley muttered. "Isn't Hostile 17 enough?" He was so busy glaring at Angel he failed to notice the narrowing of his girlfriend's eyes. However both vampires saw the look and thought simultaneously, uh oh, Buffy's pissed off now!

"You leave Spike alone, Riley," Buffy snarled. "He's my vampire, and if you threaten him again, you'll live to regret it." She knew that if this day played itself over that neither Riley nor Angel would remember this little conversation. Buffy really had gotten used to Spike's presence, and she realized she would be upset if anything happened to him. She was so caught up in the drama that she failed to notice the blond spy.

"Spike's still here in Sunnydale, Buffy?" Angel demanded. "You haven't dusted him?" This whole conversation surprised the brunette vampire.

"Of course I haven't dusted him, Angel," Buffy replied incredulously. "He's almost like one of the gang. You know on the fringes, borderline ...like Mexico ...ohh or Canada ...or one of those other countries that are, you know, on the border." She had no idea how much her words surprised the blond eavesdropper.

"You actually slept with this creature?" Riley spluttered. "I thought Xander was only kidding. Does this mean you're sleeping with Spike, too? You were engaged after all." He glared back and forth between Buffy and Angel.

"I'm not sleeping with Spike." Buffy denied the allegation vehemently. "He's a ... an ally, and I need all of those I can get."

"I think the lady doth protest too much," Riley grumbled.

"I think someone is jealous of the vampires." Buffy snapped irritably. She could feel her headache swelling to monumental proportions, and sighed. "Look, Angel, thanks for coming by. Go home. Riley..." Buffy shook her head slightly. She put her hand wearily to her throbbing forehead. "I need to go talk to Giles and the gang. I'll catch you later. I can't deal with this anymore." The Slayer turned, walking out of the alley, and leaving three very confused males behind.

Riley and Angel continued to glare at each other until Angel spoke up loudly, "What the hell was that all about, Spike?" He had felt the other vampire's signature from the beginning of the fight.

Spike smirked and called down from his perch on the school's roof, "Haven't a bloody clue..." He looked from Angel to Riley. "Sire. But you know the Slayer, always doing the unexpected." He pulled his cigarettes from his duster, tapped one out, and put it to his lips. When the cigarette was lit, Spike took a deep drag off of it.

Angel raised an eyebrow at the title of respect that fell from his grandchilde's lips. He could almost hear the wheels turning in the commando's head and grinned to himself when he realized that Spike was attempting to get a rise out of the human.

"Sire?" Riley glanced back and forth between the two of them. "Oh, that's just great! You're 'family'? Well, that explains everything, doesn't it?" The contempt dripped from his voice. He simply couldn't understand why Buffy would protect the very creatures she was meant to destroy. "I don't know how Buffy has survived this long when she allows you both to live."

Spike tilted his head to study the young man. "You don't really know the Slayer, do you? Oh, you think you do. You think you understand what lies beneath the pretty face, but you don't."

"And you think you do, Hostile 17?"

"Course I do, you git. Buffy Summers is the best Slayer in the history of the Council, and I should know; I've killed two of them," Spike proclaimed proudly. He took the last drag on his cigarette, and then flicked it towards the pair in the alley below him. "Commandos are almost here."

With that, Spike melted into the darkness. He went back to his crypt where he thought over what exactly had happened in the alley, and the odd statements that the Slayer had made.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Half way to Giles' apartment, Buffy decided she wasn't up to another confrontation with her friends again so soon and turned her feet towards the dorm. She decided she'd take a hot shower, put on her sushi pajamas, and pray that tomorrow would be a new day instead of the Loopy Day from Hell once again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy woke up, but didn't open her eyes. She didn't need to see to know exactly where she was. Eau de bus terminal wafted through the air. Buffy sighed while she thought about having to deal with another round of male posturing. First Riley, then Forrest, then Angel and Riley again. Oh, and let's not forget Giles. She bet if she went out to find Spike, he'd do some incredibly stupid male thing, too.

Damn men.

Buffy woke up but refused to open her eyes. She didn't need to see to know exactly where she was. Eau de bus terminal wafted through the air.

She sighed at the thought about having to deal with another round of male posturing. First Riley, then Forrest, then Angel, and then Riley again. Oh, and let's not forget Giles. She bet if she went out to find Spike, he'd do some incredibly stupid male thing, too.

Damned men.

Coffee! Coffee would be of the good. Nobody should have to deal with testosterone poisoning without coffee. So that was the plan. Coffee first, deflating male egos with as much joy as possible, later. Okay, well maybe sooner than later, because you could only drink so much coffee.

As Buffy made her way to the Espresso Pump, she stubbornly refused to think about the various men in her life. The trouble with that was that it left her very little to think about since she was also stubbornly refusing to think of Willow and that unfortunately left her with an internal monologue that consisted of four words, 'get coffee, then think', repeated over and over again.

Taking her coffee to a booth in the very back of the shop, Buffy took a couple of sips of the aromatic beverage before she mentally roused herself to face the prospect of thinking about the never ending day from hell. Maybe if she spent some time going over everything that had happened, she could be all logical about it. How hard could it be? She could so do logical. She was all over the logic-y stuff. Just call her Buffy the Logic Girl. Okay, so…logically, all she really had to do was come up with a plan. A plan that involved thinking and smartness and er…some place to start.

Oh God! She was so screwed.

'No! Stop it. Stop thinking you can't do this. You're smart. You got great SAT scores. You could have done anything. You are the Slayer!' Buffy mentally berated herself with a little pep talk. She had to get out of this funk. She had to believe in herself. She had to find out who was responsible so she could beat them to a pulp. Suddenly feeling brighter about the whole situation, Buffy tackled her problems with renewed vigor.

First problem; what's happening? Well, that was easy. She was being forced to relive the same day over and over again, like it was on some sort of repeat cycle. Okay, so why was it happening? That was a little harder. Buffy contemplated everything she knew and the all the bits and pieces that she had picked up from things that Giles had said. She really should have paid a little more attention when he was actually saying it. Off topic - moving on.

For something like this to happen, Buffy could only think of two possibilities. It was either the work of the Powers or someone had done a spell.

If the loopy day was because of the Powers, well then she could only assume that as she was the only one who seemed to be aware of it, the loopiness was somehow directed at her. Something she was or wasn't doing was making the day repeat. If that was happening, then all she had to do was work out what she should or shouldn't be doing and well…not do it? Or maybe do it or…um…okay, well she knew what she meant.

The other possibility was that it was a spell. If it was a spell, she was going to need some help, because Buffy so didn't do magic. But who could she ask for help? Because Giles with the drinking was so not reliable, and Willow…well, not really sure that the wonky-ness that is a Willow spell would be big with the helpful. Especially considering the redheads last little trip into the land of magic had ended up with Buffy being engaged to…

Spike!

Spike knew about magic. Maybe she could ask Spike? But then that would involve actually having to talk to him, something she had been avoiding as much as possible since the whole kissing with the lips and the snuggling and…all. It would also mean having to ask him for help and while Buffy might be willing to think of him as a fringe member of the gang, she was so not ready to actually ask him for help.

So…the Powers it is.

Having firmly decided that the lesser of two evils was the option she was going to explore, Buffy forced herself to think about all the events that had happened since the day started repeating and what she could do differently.

There was Giles' drinking. Maybe calling him an alcoholic wasn't the best choice she could have made. She briefly considered sitting down with Giles and finding out what his problem was, other than drinking. She'd heard somewhere that most people that drank a lot only did it to avoid problems that they didn't want to face. Even though she was the first person to agree that denial was good, the drinking - not so much. Okay, well that was a hard one, better think about that one later.

Jealous boyfriend? Well, that just pissed her off. He'd just had sex with Faith! Who was he to get jealous about her relationship with someone she loved…er loves…er whatever. It was so way before Riley had even been in the picture. You didn't see her getting all snippy and growlly over his ex's. She didn't even know their names, let alone the ins and outs of the groinyness factors. So what if she hadn't mentioned that she'd had sex with Angel? It wasn't like Riley had shared his sexual history with her. Xander was so on her list for opening his big mouth. What the hell was he thinking, telling Riley personal stuff like that? What was next? Discussion of any and all feminine hygiene product that might be used by the Buffster?

And then there were Forrest's accusations. Why exactly was she was to blame for Riley's leaving the badness that was the Initiative? She hadn't told him to do it. She hadn't asked him to give up his career. It's not like she asked him to commit treason, and what was up with that anyway? Treason? Somebody so needed to cut down on their caffeine intake.

"Can I get you another?" the waitress asked Buffy politely.

"Um…oh, er, yes please."

~~~~~~~

When Spike woke once again to that strange feeling of déjà vu, he made a snap decision not to hang around waiting for Mr. Bits. The more he'd thought about it, the more he was convinced that somebody other than him knew that the day was repeating and that somebody was an irritating little blond with an annoying habit of screwing up his plans. Finding out what she knew without giving himself away was going to take a lot more finesse than usual. The day was only twenty-four hours long, so he didn't have time to play who's Yoko Ono with the walking jigsaw puzzle.

Making his way stealthily through the sewers, Spike was easily able to avoid Adam. While he might have been able to get around the man-made monster, he wasn't so successful in escaping his own thoughts.

Buffy had said he was almost a part of the gang; on the border of being one of them. What did that mean? Was he pissing away his only opportunity to be an accepted member of a group? And not just any bloody group, a group that was known for its loyalty and success, for its connection as family. It would mean consciously deciding to become one of the good guys. Renounce evil and all that other good stuff. It would mean living with the chip. Whether or not he could wasn't the question. Of course he could. He was capable of doing anything he set his bloody mind to. No, the question wasn't could he do this - it was 'would' he do this? Maybe he could use this looping day to his advantage, test the waters so to speak. Didn't the watcher say something about a higher purpose? Hell, maybe there was one.

Arriving at the sewer grate closest to the watcher's home, Spike made the decision to talk to the watcher about higher purposes. If it didn't work out, the bugger wouldn't remember it anyway and Spike could still have all his options open.

~~~~~~~~

The whole thinking of treason thingy brought Forrest firmly to mind. Now there was a guy with some serious anger management issues. The way he was acting, one would think that he had a personal interest in Riley that went way beyond the whole buddy-buddy thing. Buffy giggled at the thought of confronting the commando with that little epiphany. Maybe she could use that to distract him before she knocked him out and got them away from Adam. And maybe this time she could watch where she was going and not knock herself out for a couple of hours.

Okay, so where did that leave her? Um, avoid Giles. Avoid Riley. Save Forrest with the added bonus of questioning his possible sexual orientation choices. Run away from the big-guns-don't-work-on-him monster. What was next?

Oh, yeah, can't forget the Angel/Riley confrontation. Hold on…since neither one of them had been very forthcoming about their 'meeting', maybe she should swing by the alley a little earlier and find out exactly what happened for herself. At least that way, she'd know who it was she should be angry with. She had been kinda quick with the accusations before. Maybe she'd find out once and for all if she was giving herself a whole lot of unnecessary grief with the dating of her not-so-normal boyfriend. Maybe that was a part of her life that she needed to completely reassess. Maybe what she heard was true. Maybe Parker was the rebound guy, Riley the transitional guy and the next guy would be…

As blue eyes flashed cheekily in her mind, Buffy shook her head in fear, desperately trying to remove the image. 'Damn you, Willow'. Latching on to the first thing that came to mind, she grabbed on with both hands. Fighting Scoobies. Maybe if she didn't have to deal with all the other badness of the day, she could be a little less, and they could, well maybe…oh who was she kidding, she had no clue what to do about that mess.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Spike knocked before entering the watchers apartment this time. He was intent on starting out on the right foot. He planned on going with honesty and a little exaggeration, but only enough to get the watchers attention…which apparently he had, given the look of shock on the blighter's face. 'It isn't like I've never knocked before!' he thought indignantly. 'There was that one time…'

"Spike?" Giles' voice was questioning.

Now that he was here, the normally verbose vampire was at a loss for words. The enormity of what he was planning hit him like a tidal wave. He was here to talk to the watcher about changing his entire nature…and his demon wasn't complaining one little bit. He was floored by the realization. Something must be wrong with him, because that just wasn't right.

Was it?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Buffy watched from her hiding place at the side of the dorms as Riley stood at the top of the steps and visually searched the grounds. The expression on his face was a mixture of irritation, suspicion, and barely suppressed rage. Whoa! Who knew Riley had that sort of depth of emotion in him, and what the hell did he have to be angry or suspicious about? She'd told him where she was going. It wasn't like she'd snuck off to see her ex-boyfriend or anything. She'd been totally up front Buffy.

Stomping her foot in irritation, Buffy silently willed the ex-commando to leave so she could get on with her own plans. Get changed, save Forrest, put off boyfriend confrontations, use the bathroom. That last one was quickly becoming an issue of major importance.

Buffy almost gave herself away when she sighed in relief as Riley started to march angrily down the steps and away from the building. She held her breath and tried to make herself as small as possible as the brunette checked his step and paused to take what appeared to be a last minute perusal of the perimeters. Buffy didn't relax again until she lost sight of his hard-to-miss clown pants. Moving quickly towards the front door of the dorms, she shook her head at the irrelevant thought- 'someone seriously needs to have a talk with Xander about his wardrobe choices'.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Something's wrong," Spike whispered as he lifted terror filled eyes to meet the surprised eyes of the watcher.

Giles only needed a moment to come to the conclusion that the shaking vampire was totally serious and completely terrified. Spike would never have allowed Giles to witness his vulnerability any other way. Buried deep within the hardened exterior of the watcher lay a compassionate man and that man would have been incapable of reacting in any way other than helpful.

"Come and sit down, Spike. Tell me what's happened," Giles gently urged the distressed vampire.

Unable to Sit while his mind still reeled in shock, Spike ignored the first part of the watcher's suggestion and started to pace in agitation while he responded to the second part. "I was thinkin' about what you said, 'bout a higher purpose, you know? How maybe workin' on the Slayer's side isn't such a bad idea, an all, 'cause I bloody well prefer fightin' demons than humans, there's more challenge in it. But see, the problem was always gonna be goin' against m' nature. Except that doesn't seem to be a problem it should be, 'cause m' demon's not complaining at the idea of bein' a white hat at all." Spike stopped his pacing and turned to face the fascinated watcher. "I spent the first twenty years of m' unlife under the tutelage of Angelus, Darla and Dru; nobody told me I got to make the choice between good and evil, Rupert. When in the bleedin' hell did that happen?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Buffy watched as Forrest jumped onto the path in front of her. She'd managed to get there a little early and had positioned herself behind where she knew he would emerge. Her stifled giggle at his stealthy ways alerted him to her presence.

Turning awkwardly, the soldier leveled his weapon at the disrespectful girl.

"So, what?" Buffy crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "You're killing humans now?" Repetition could be good. At least it gave her an opening. And not bringing the lame-o gun had been a stroke of genius as far as she was concerned.

Forrest looked down his nose at the small blond. He didn't care who she thought she was, as far as he was concerned she was just as much a freak as the hostile he was searching for. "No, not really," Forrest replied dismissively, "But I can have a patrol here in less than a minute. So, here's the plan; you go your way and I'll go mine."

Buffy snorted in derision. "Oh, and you're thinking that Adam will just wait around to kill you while you stand together in companionable silence until they get here? Good plan!"

This girl was really starting to bug him. It was definitely time to put little Miss Attitude in her place. "You think you're the first girlfriend Riley's ever had?" Forrest hissed in contempt as he moved closer, obviously trying to intimidate the tiny blond. "Such a big head on that skinny little body," he paused to look her over contemptuously. "No. You're just the first one to get him to commit treason. Riley had a career. And a future till he met you."

"You know," Buffy faced the angry soldier, her expression serious. She'd heard it all before, no way was this idiot getting to her today. "Even if we broke up, Riley's straight. I mean really straight. He's never gonna date you."

Buffy would have laughed at the fish out of water expression on Forrest's face if she wasn't so aware that his life depended on her moving the stubborn jackass away from the vicinity of the cave. She could laugh about his reaction later. Right now she needed to keep him off balance until she could get into position to knock him out. Because she seriously doubted he was gonna go for her loopy day story. Moving around him, she kept his mind focused on her words rather than her actions as she continued to speak.

"Now I'm not saying that there isn't some nice guy out there for you to find, I just think it would be more realistic if you concentrated on the ones that are open to alternative lifestyles."

Forrest's outraged "I'm not gay!" was as far as he got before Buffy knocked him out with a solid right hook to the jaw.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Spike and Giles spent the afternoon debating the consequences of choice. Giles was pleasantly surprised to discover that the vampire had a quick analytical mind. Giles had sorely missed the stimulation of an in-depth debate. Actually, he'd sorely missed the stimulation of a simple conversation with another adult. He hadn't realized how lonely he was until now. He wasn't sure how he felt about the fact that it had taken a vampire to show him that he desperately needed to do more than sit in his apartment and wait for Buffy to come to him with a problem. He wanted- no, needed- to do something more with his time. Maybe helping Spike was just the thing he needed to feel useful again.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Buffy positioned herself on the roof of the school gymnasium. Laying flat on her stomach, she was able to see the entire alleyway. The actual school roof may have been slightly easier to access, but the gym roof gave her a much broader view and since she wasn't exactly sure where the action started, she decided to go with the higher vantage point.

Buffy found it difficult to stay put when Angel got jumped by a group of commandos. She reasoned she'd been able to take down six of them under a minute, they surely wouldn't be capable of taking down a master vampire that knew they were around.

Buffy didn't believe for a minute that they would have been successful in taking down Spike if he had been paying attention. She never understood how they had managed to get him in the first place. She wondered briefly what had distracted him. She'd have to remember to ask him the next time she saw him. Well, that was if she saw him, because there was no way she was going to go looking for the bleached blond pain in her butt.

"Back-up team! Request immediate back-up! Over! They're tearing us apart over here! Two men down! From out of nowhere! Mayday! Repeat! Mayday!"

Buffy rolled her eyes at the dramatic cries of the commando below her. 'Oh please! It's just one damned vampire!'

A stealthy movement out of the corner of her eye caused Buffy to shift her focus to the grade school roof. What the hell was he doing here? Buffy froze. She knew she was safe from view from the vampire in the alley, but the bleached blond on the lower roof was a completely different story; Buffy was sure the bastard had eyes in the back of his head are far as she was concerned.

The bobbing of a flashlight drew her attention back to the alley just as the light hit Angel full in the face. Yeah, that was one pissed off vampire.

"Riley Finn," Angel said his intonation flat.

'How the hell did he know that was Riley? Ew, did he do that smelly thing?' Buffy screwed up her face in disgust.

"I know you?" Riley asked the hulking brunette.

"We have a friend in common," Angel coldly replied.

Buffy watched as Riley's expression changed from confusion to recognition. Angel's name echoed off the walls of the alley.

Taking a step forward, Angel glanced down at the commandos on the ground before turning suspicious eyes on the man in front of him. "Welcoming committee your idea?"

"Way I heard it. You were all peaceable now. You didn't by any chance go and lose that pesky soul again, did you?" Riley asked snidely, totally unaware that his comment could be heard by the other party required in that particular scenario, and that she was far from pleased.

"Don't push me, boy." Buffy wasn't the only one that was pissed. Angel was outraged that this little pisser was basically suggesting that Buffy was a cheat. From what Faith had told him, this guy should be the last person throwing out that accusation.

"Now what possibly could've happened with Buffy that would make you lose your soul?" Riley's rage was fuelled by his jealousy.

Buffy inched her way back from the edge of the roof. She was shaking with equal amounts of rage and hurt. She needed to think about things. She needed to be alone. She needed to kill something!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Spike watched the scene below him repeat everything he'd seen before, that is, until it was time for the leading lady to make her appearance. When she didn't show, he knew his earlier suspicions were true, that she might be just as aware as he was that the day was constantly repeating.

Melting back from the edge of the roof, Spike didn't bother to watch the end of the scene in the alley. He had a feeling it would all just replay itself regardless of if he stayed or not. For now he had a lot to think about. He needed some time just to get everything clear in his head. He really needed a drink!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When Buffy let herself into her mother's house, she was exhausted. A hard patrol and the emotional upheaval of the last couple of days had left her beyond tired. All she wanted to do was have a nice, relaxing bath and fall asleep all snuggled up in her own bed

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Buffy woke up and sighed. Oh yeah, there was no mistaking that smell. Maybe she should just go to sleep at the bus terminal in the first place. At least that way she'd be sure to wake up where she went to bed.

Stretching out the kinks that sleeping on the bench had given her, Buffy forced herself to face the fact that that only thing she'd managed to do the day before was save Forrest and get really pissed at Riley, and unless she did something majorly different this time, she just had more of the same to look forward to.

Damned men.

Buffy woke up and sighed. Oh yeah, there was no mistaking that smell. Maybe she should just go to sleep at the bus terminal in the first place. At least that way she'd be sure to wake up where she went to bed.

Stretching out the kinks that sleeping on the bench had given her, Buffy forced herself to face the fact that that only thing she'd managed to do the day before was save Forrest and get really pissed at Riley, and unless she did something majorly different this time, she just had more of the same to look forward to.

Damned men.

She ran through her options in her head. Well that was a short trip, she thought sarcastically. Guess its back to Giles, maybe with more talking and less yelling. Unless, of course, there was liquor involved, which would mean a little yelling, but mixed with some understanding and listening. Hopefully.

Wearily, she walked through the streets of Sunnydale. She watched as normal, happy families went about their day, oblivious to the fact that they would just be living the day over again in a matter of hours.

Somehow oblivion seemed kinder.

The trip to the watchers apartment seemed to take twice as long as before. Whether the weight in her feet came from grim acceptance of the situation or sheer exhaustion, she didn't know.

When she arrived, she again explained her situation. Once again Giles reached for the bottle, and once again she lost her temper, barely reining it in just short of the explosive replay of day number two- or was it three?

Okay, so Buffy with the patience and understanding…well she'd have to work on it. Hey, slayer here! She was supposed to be with the quick reactions. It was just that snap judgments and friendships weren't so mixy, but people could change. They could.

Two phone calls to the other scoobies later, she and Giles were sitting in stiff silence awaiting the arrival of the others. Maybe 'alcoholic' and 'lush' weren't the most understanding words she could have used, but it got him to put the bottle down.

Xander was first, dragging a sullen Anya behind him. Buffy watched as the ex-demon plopped down on the couch, acting as if her whole day had been ruined. Well, join the club. She should try a bunch of ruined days. No, Buffy, she reminded herself. Remember…patience and understanding…both of which are going out the window if that girl rolls her eyes one more time. It took many deep breaths later but she was calm once again. This patience thing was a lot harder than she had anticipated.

Oh, well, they would do the research…or the other scoobies would anyway. They would figure out what was happening and then she would slay it. Then she could get back to concentrating on Adam and how to defeat him.

Simple.

She refused to think that this could be something slayer strength couldn't handle. Relief filled her when Willow finally arrived. Buffy stood, gathering her thoughts on how to explain the situation.

"Hi, guys. Here's the deal…"

Several hours later and it still felt like she was on a slow walk to hell. Xander was all Star Trek and sci-fi theories. Anya was sure she was part of a vengeance wish, and she was a little too enthusiastic about the idea for Buffy's liking. Willow was busy switching from proclaiming her innocence to searching for spells which could have caused the loopiness.

Giles had been very quiet most of the time, only speaking to ask short pointed questions or occasionally offering Willow suggestions for books to check. She wasn't sure if it was from this morning's argument or from contemplating her situation. She hoped it was the former.

The group was startled out of their research by the front door swinging wide as Spike made his now daily entrance to the watchers home. Surprise lit his face as he looked up to see the impromptu scoobies meeting.

"What are you doing here?"

"What the bleedin' hell are you lot doing here?"

Both blondes called out in unison as vampire moved slowly toward the still open door and away from the advancing slayer. She had just made it within striking distance when the phone on the wall began to ring. Glancing in disgust at the vampire once more, she reached for the phone.

"Hello? What? Who is this?" She held the receiver toward the bleached blond as if it was contagious. "It's someone named Herbie for you," she said, arching a silently questioning eyebrow.

"Herbie? I don't' know any bloke named Herbie." He frowned in confusion but accepted the phone anyway. "ello? Spike, aka William the Bloody, here." He grinned as the slayer rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Sometimes aggravating the bint was the most fun he had that didn't involve gallons of liquor and a bar brawl.

"What? Sure." He responded to Buffy's questioning look by stating that "Herbie asked me to hold." That caused the slayer to mutter under her breath about irritating vampires who treated other people's homes like hotels.

"What? You mean like you and the scoobies do? Descend on the poor watcher, eat his food, make a mess of his flat, and then run off to let him do the cleanup. Right nice of you, that. By the way slayer, you keep rolling your eyes like that and they'll fall right out of their sockets. I've seen it happen." He turned his head to hide the smirk as the petite blond turned a nice shade of red.

"Hello…Dru?" Spike's eyes widened as he heard his sire's voice floating across the circuits and wires. His thoughts raced as he tried to think of what the insane chit would possibly be calling him for, especially at the watchers place. "How the bleedin' hell did you know I was here? How'd you get the number, for that matter?"

Drusilla smiled sweetly at the chaos demon holding the phone just away from her face. Technology and the dark haired vampiress just didn't mix. The last time she had actually held the phone herself, she'd sworn that she felt her essence being sucked through the phone line and had refused to touch the device since.

"Miss Edith has her ways, dearest. You should know that. You have to ask the right questions, my Spike, or the answers will play hide and seek in the autumn leaves like little naughty children. Switches and canes, that's what they used on naughty children back in the day. They need more canes and switches, dear William. The cries and whimpers are oh, so delightful."

The vampire started to roll his eyes until he noticed the slayer watching him intently. "Right, canes and switches. Why do I think this isn't a social call, Dru?" he asked sarcastically.

"Such manners. I should scold you and send you to bed without supper, you naughty boy. Miss Edith and I have been so busy trying to make sure you have your pretty sunshine. It's burns to the touch, but it shines bright for an effulgent heart, like my brave knight. He's bright like the moon shining its light, but the moon doesn't make its own light does it, William? It can only reflect the light it receives from the sun."

"Look Dru. I realize you're off your nutter, but the bloody cryptic tripe is getting old. Just say what you want me to know so I can get on with my bloody wonderful day," He snarled his tone angry and defensive.

"Tut tut. No cake for you. If Miss Edith didn't insist, I would make Herbie hang up this phone right now," she pouted, stomping her foot even though she knew he couldn't see her.

"Dru!"

Sighing loudly to show her displeasure, she continued, "The tree. She sought to weave and bend. I only used it as a foundation to reach out for the burning baby fishes, swimming all around. They bathe in the shallow water and the light. They gleam and glisten. Shiny backs and slippery fins. Oh, so pretty they are."

Spike sagged against the wall, banging his head lightly. "You did a spell. That's what all this repeat-o nonsense is. I swear to bleedin' hell Dru, you could drive a bloke as batty as you are with this shit!"

The slayer moved closer as soon as he uttered the word 'spell', her heated gaze burning a hole through him and the phone he was clutching. "So, this is all your lame-o ex-girlfriends fault?" she hissed.

"Don't be so fast to judge, love. I think she may have had an accomplice." He glanced quickly as the couch where Willow was perched on the arm. She squeaked softly when she heard the vampires' words and felt the stares from the two blondes.

"B-but I haven't! No spells, not a one!" she denied. The witch felt both indignant about the accusation and guilty about the spells she had been researching for the past week, but she definitely hadn't performed any spells recently. It's not like she would forget if she had.

Turning his back to the living room Spike tried to think of the best way to get information out of the insane brunette. "Dru, princess, what is it that I need to do to make this stop?" he asked softly, leaning his head on the wall. He didn't want to anger her until he had his answers, knowing how fickle both Dru and her sidekick could be.

"Poor William, you need only to see the truth and the sunshine of course. She must see the truth as well. Only then will Miss Edith allow the spell to break. She laughs, Miss Edith does. Laughs and giggles over you both. She so enjoys knowing that you're spending your days over and over and over again."

Her manic laughter grated on Spikes nerves. Damn Miss Edith anyway! He should have burned that damned doll decades ago. She had been nothing but trouble since the day he brought her home. He had gotten her to appease Dru while being stuck indoors after a particularly nasty incident with a local dressmaker. Apparently, the chit had tried to fit her in something unfashionable and she had decorated the shop with the girl's entrails.

"Yes, I'm sure she's right enjoying herself. So, the spell, Dru. Can the tree fix the spell?" Desperation and hope filled his voice.

It was one thing believe the witch botched up another spell. It was quite another to know his insane sire was involved. There was no telling what kind of side effects or repercussions she could conjure up to go along with this…what? Supposed revelation? Spiritual enlightenment?

Bugger that!

Would the manipulation by the women in his life never end? It seemed he was forever at the mercy of females, no matter if they had been the one that turned him loose or not. Dru no longer wanted him, but she felt the need to interfere with his bloody unlife at her whimsy.

Oh, he knew what she was implying. The same tripe that she had spouted while he was in South America with her- that his obsession with the slayer was about more than in just killing her.

It's wasn't that the chit was unattractive, but he was a one woman vamp. Even if she did look like a bloody Valkyrie when she fought, he never would have forsaken his dark princess. His being cast out and alone with no family for the first time since his turning still brought a pang of grief and longing when he focused on it too long.

The thing was, he enjoyed being around other people, and his time spent with Rupert yesterday had been an eye opener on how things could be if he just opened up a bit and let them in. Being around the slayer was both fun and frustrating at the same time. He loved the witty banter and trading quips with her, but being reminded of his inability to be the vampire he had once been was a torment he didn't need.

"Spike!" the slayers voice hissed. He shook his head to clear it of his wayward thoughts. He must have dozed off a bit during his reflections. His eyes rose to meet her worried gaze.

"I'm trying to get some answers, luv. Keep your knickers on, alright?" He turned once again, this time with his back to the slayer. It probably wasn't the smartest move for a vamp, putting himself in this position while within easy striking distance, but he figured if she hadn't staked him by now that she wouldn't over such a minor snub.

He could almost feel the slayers breath on his neck as she moved closer trying to hear what was being said. His grin was evil as he leaned slightly into her. He stretched his senses beyond the walls of the apartment, any second now…he shifted even closer as the knock sounded at the front door.

He felt the slayer tense, knowing that she also had a good idea as to who was waiting on the other side of the flimsy barrier. Still, she didn't move away, more concerned with the phone call than whoever was at the door.

The watcher rolled his eyes and stood up from the table filled with research books on magic and dimensions. "Please, by all means, let's ignore the door we're standing not two feet away from as if there were no one knocking," he muttered. He swung the door open wide, making sure to leave plenty of room between himself and the threshold. One could never be too careful in Sunnydale, after all.

"Angel." His surprised voice registered loudly in the room. Willow and Xander both tensed as the visitors' presence was announced. Anya merely reacted to her boyfriends' discomfort and asked if the broody vamp was evil again in a voice too loud to be a whisper.

Still the blondes ignored the room of people, treating them as if they didn't exist. Spike was still trying to coax information out of the giggling Drusilla and Buffy was doing her best to listen in on the conversation.

"What the hell is Spike doing here?" Angel asked, his brow wrinkled in confusion. He knew of his family member's chipped state from both his Thanksgiving visit and from Buffy on the day he had taken back by the oracles.

However, knowing of his newly neutered lifestyle and seeing him lounging at the watchers home, using his phone as if it was an everyday occurrence, was something else entirely. And why were the two blonds standing so close together? They looked almost…intimate. Or at the very least, fairly comfortable with each other.

Finally, frustration got the best of the slayer and she grabbed the phone from Spikes hand. "Listen you insane bitch, whatever you did…undo it. Now! Stop laughing…I mean it!" Shoving the receiver back into the vampire's hand, she paced the floor. "I can't believe she hung up on me."

She turned to scan the room and came face to face with Angel. Her eyes widened and her nostrils flared. Irritation lit her eyes as she was reminded of his presence. "You! This is all your fault! You just had to drive her crazy before you vamped her. Couldn't be like everybody else and just bite her. No, you had to go for the gusto."

Her yelling ceased only to bring her fist quickly to meet his face. She watched with satisfaction as he sailed backwards to land on his ass. Well, if she couldn't get back at the vampire that was causing her problems, she could at least get the one who made her.

She didn't bother to wait for her ex-boyfriend to remove himself from the floor. Instead, she immediately turned back to Spike. "Well, did she tell you anything useful? How to break it, what it was, or why the hell she did it in the first place?"

"Slow down, Slayer. Thanks to your wonderful people skills, she hung up. Didn't get much except I know it had something to do with Red here." Both blonds turned accusing eyes toward the young Wicca.

"What? No, I haven't done any spells. I swear, Buffy. No spells." Willow's frantic denials were almost enough to make the slayer relent. Almost.

"Then why did she name you, Will? I swear; if you did it, I won't yell at you. Just tell us so we can fix it." Buffy was practically begging at this point, the craziness of the last several days enough to make pride a non-issue.

The redhead was distressed that everyone was so quick to blame her at the smallest suggestion of her involvement. And it seemed no matter how much she denied it they would believe the worst. Tears began to well up in her eyes. "Buffy, I swear I didn't do this."

"Hold up, Slayer. What about looking at spells, Red? Any spells you've been researching? Thinking of trying any spells out?" the blond asked with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"What are you thinking?" Buffy asked. She felt that they were so close to an answer, but she would have sworn that Willow was telling the truth.

Turning to face the slayer, Spike tried to work through his idea in his head. "What if she hasn't done the spell yet?"

"Huh? How is that possible? If she hasn't done it, then how did it happen? That makes all the kind of sense that's not." Her mind was trying to follow his line of reasoning.

"Think about it, love. We've both done all sorts of things the last several days, things that we haven't done today. Things that we could do and it would never make a difference on tomorrow. We wake up and it's like it never happened."

"Yeah? And?" Aggravation was getting the best of her and if he didn't get to the point soon, she was so going to lose it.

Sighing loudly, he began to pace the floor, using his hands to exaggerate his point as he moved. "So, let's say she did the spell the same day everything went wonky, the same day we're having over and over. Of course she hasn't done the spell yet in our time. She wouldn't do it until later tonight."

Once again the pair turned to face the witch. This time the blush spreading across her face was enough to signal her guilt.

"Willow?" Buffy asked, disappointment clouding her face.

"I swear it's just research, Buffy. Healing stuff, renewal and restoration magic's. White magic's only a-and I haven't even done anything. Just research and reading. No actual s-spells."

"Well, Red, obviously you went from research to casting sometime later tonight, which will soon turn into tomorrow," the vampire snarked as he banged his head lightly on the wall behind him. He couldn't' help but direct his anger towards the witch. After all, if she hadn't gone about casting spells all willy-nilly, then they probably wouldn't be in this mess. Some people never learned control, and he had a nasty feeling that the small redhead would be one that would learn the hard way too little, too late.

Turning his attention back to the issues at hand, he moved toward the living area only to come face to face with The Great Brooding Hulk.

"Angelus," he acknowledge before moving on to the couch and plopping down with a loud sigh.

Reminded of her ex once again, Buffy wearily made her way over to the brunette. "Angel, if you're here because of the fight; its fine…over and done with, you can go back to LA with a clear conscience."

"Is everything alright? Things seem kind of crazy around here. Can I help with anything?" he asked concerned.

"No, we're just having some issues. We'll work it out. Thanks anyway," she assured as she led him to the door.

"If you're sure." He stepped through the threshold and turned around, his best woeful expression in place.

She refrained from rolling her eyes and stated sarcastically, "Very sure, thanks again, and come back again next time you feel the need to beat the crap out of my boyfriend."

"How did you…? It just happened. It was an accident." He tried to smooth things over even as he wondered how she had found out so quickly.

"I know. You didn't mean to, his face just jumped in front of your fist, it happens. See ya later, Angel. Like tomorrow," she muttered, slamming the door in the dark vampires face.

Twenty minutes later and they still hadn't found any solution to the spell from hell. Willow was gathering her things to make a trip back to the dorm to pick up her spell books when a frantic knock sounded on the front door.

Buffy tensed and looked around wildly. "Oh, God, it's Riley. I'm so not in the mood for this right now. Willow, I'll go get your spell books if you get rid of Riley. Tell him I'm not back yet, or I'm with my mom, or I died in a horrible accident. Anything! Just get rid of him," she hissed out the last as she grabbed Spike's duster sleeve, dragging him behind her as they made their way to the back of the apartment.

Giles didn't have so much a back door as it was a large window, but desperate times called for desperate measures. They made it several blocks before Spike finally broke the silence surrounding them.

"So, Slayer, what's with the Houdini escape route we just had to take to avoid the boyfriend? Trouble in paradise?" He worked hard at keeping his expression neutral. The last thing he needed right now was a broken nose.

"It's none of your business, Spike," The petite blond huffed as she picked up her pace.

"Right. And here I was thinking we were in this thing together. My mistake. Sorry 'bout that. It won't happen again. See ya 'round, Slayer." He veered off the sidewalk to the road and began to cross before she caught his arm, spinning him around to face her.

"Alright, look. Riley has some jealousy issues to work through. Take one super strong girlfriend, add in a calling that takes up most of my time, and throw in a 'my girlfriend slept with a super strong vampire' and mix until foamy. It doesn't exactly make for happy boyfriendy thoughts, and the 'lets make Buffy crazy loopy day from hell' isn't helping either." She lowered her eyes, looking at the pavement as if it held all the answers she was looking for.

"The first time I just tried to brush it off and go on. After a couple of times, though, I started to lose my temper and things were said. I have to think part of it is him reacting to my anger. It has to be. He's just crazy right now."

"Or maybe you're finally getting to see a side of the boy that you haven't until now," The vampire offered quietly, dipping his head to look her in the eye.

Buffy turned her head to avoid his gaze. "Can we just not do this? We have a spell to break remember?" She finally looked up to meet his measuring stare with a pleading one of her own. Between Angel and Riley and the constant explaining to the Scoobies, she didn't know if she could take it if the irritating vampire started in on her, too.

"Sure, pet. Let's go get those books." Once again, they started down the street and Spike let his thoughts drift. He had wanted to call her on her statement of him belonging, even if in the most marginal way, to the scoobies. Whether by default or design, he had thrown his proverbial hat in with the slayer and her gang the moment he had went to them for help.

As much as he still tried to proclaim his evil nature, he hadn't really done anything more immoral than petty theft in the last several months. Well, except plotting with Adam, which he would need to think about later. Sure there were lots of wicked things he could have done to entertain himself, but the truth was, without the violence and mayhem to back it up, his heart just wasn't in it. If fighting demons was the only way he could get his quota of fists and fangs, well then, demons it was.

The rest of the trip was made in silence, both individuals lost in their own thoughts. It wasn't until the trip back to the watchers that the blond vampire had a sudden revelation.

"Bloody hell, I don't know why I didn't think of it before," the vampire exclaimed. With his excitement lighting his face he seemed much younger to Buffy, almost childlike in his enthusiasm.

"I'll go to Dru, make her lift this crazy curse, and we can move on with our lives…or unlives as the case may be.

Buffy laughed mockingly. "Yeah, great plan genius. You really think that will work? What happens when the day resets? We don't even know for sure what time it happens. You don't even have a clue. You're not the one waking up next to a bucket of old mop water in a crappy little seat at the bus station every morning."

"Well then, no harm no foul. I'll wake up in my nice comfy bed all snuggled up in the blankets. But, if it does work, then presto! No more spell. Maybe it's only affecting us in Sunnyhell. If I can get far enough away maybe the spell won't be able to affect me. It's worth a shot anyway. We got nothing to lose." He smirked at the slayers irritated look when he mentioned waking every morning in his own bed. It wasn't his fault she took a siesta in the bus station that fateful morning. Maybe next time she'd be more careful where she took her little catnaps.

"Yeah, whatever. Like you said; no harm, no foul. Lets get these books back to Giles and see if we can find anything tonight, or else I've got a date with a nice plastic chair in the morning," she mumbled the last.

Life so wasn't fair, here she was the chosen one waking up every day in a torture device while the evil vampire woke up in his nice soft bed. Why couldn't she have the bed? Not that she wanted to wake up in Spike's bed, because, well...she didn't. It just wasn't fair.

Spike smiled when the slayers face broke into a full blown pout. He hadn't even needed to wind her up much this time around. He lived for the little moments like these. Unlife was good.

The morning dawn was bright and clear, just like the last several before it. Of course it helped that it was the same damn day. Spike stretched lazily in his comfy bed before remembering the mission that had been decided the night before.

South America.

He had some demon friends in L.A. with a small charter plane that he planned to call in a few debts for. With any luck, he could be there in a few hours and put and end to the never ending day. He packed his leather duffel as he reviewed all the fun that he had over the last couple of days baiting and leading the slayer's little pals on. He would almost be sad to see the fun end. But a vampire could not live by derision alone, he thought as he grabbed the bag and headed toward the sewers.

Morning dawned bright and clear, just like the last several before it. Of course it helped that it was the same damn day. Spike stretched lazily in the bed before remembering his mission that had been decided the night before.

South America.

He had some demon friends in L.A. with a small charter plane that he planned to call in a few debts for. With any luck he could be there and put an end to the never ending day.

He packed a small leather duffel as he reviewed all the fun that he had over the last couple of days baiting and leading the scoobies, he would almost be sad to see the fun end.

But a vampire could not live by derision alone; he thought as he grabbed the bag and headed toward the sewers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"My naughty boy thinks he can come and sweet talk you, Miss Edith," Dru crooned to her doll. "We must teach him a lesson." She brought the toy closer to her ear.

Herbie stepped inside the doorway to watch his insane consort while she whispered things to her doll. He hoped that William the Bloody and the Slayer figured Drusilla's plan out soon, because frankly, he was sick of the same day playing over and over.

"So what shall we play, dearie? Ring around the roses gets so tiresome. I've got it!" Dru leaped to her feet, and she twirled around the room with Miss Edith in her arms. "It's perfect, it is. Let's play Clue, shall we? It's such a wonderful game. I played once with a man in New York while my Spike was hunting a slayer. He was tall and dark, and he tasted like fear and wine."

Herbie sighed. Oh yeah, it was going to be a long night. "What do you have planned, my sweet?" he asked even if he really didn't want to know. It was a good thing that Chaos Demons were blocked from the mental invasion that Drusilla was used to performing on others. Herbie knew she would be displeased with his less than happy thoughts.

"They get treats, my sweet. Find a hint and get a prize, do it wrong…grrr. Bad dog. No cake."

Herbie sighed again. He had always sucked at solving riddles and now he was involved with a demon whose riddles were harder to figure out than Nostrodamus'. He turned to leave the room when Dru started to speak again.

"Dreams, my horny pet. My sweet boy and the sunshine shall feel the bite of love and it shall show them the way." Drusilla turned her attention back to Miss Edith while she started to chant under her breath.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy mentally went over her 'to-do list' for the day. One: avoid Riley, Angel, and the Scoobies. Two: save Forrest from Adam. Three: wait it out and hope that Spike made it to the mental ho bag and that she would end the Loopy Day from Hell out of the kindness of her heart. Buffy snorted at that thought. Damned loony bitch. If I see Angel today, I might punch him out again just for the fun of it.

Buffy knew she still had a few hours before she could meet up with Forrest. She decided the easiest way to avoid the first thing on her list was to hide out in a hotel room. That way she could at least shower and wash out her undies. She dug around in her pockets to count her money and found she had more than enough. Buffy used all her change to stock up on some goodies from the bus terminal vending machines.

Buffy laid on the bed while she munched on a bag of chips, and she flipped through the channels on the fuzzy television in search of something to watch. She felt pretty good, considering. The shower had been long and hot, and the bed was soft compared to the bench in the bus terminal. Her eyes drifted closed without her even noticing.

"Birds singing, squirrels making lots of rotten little squirrels. Sun beaming down in a nice, non-fatal way. It's very exciting, I can't wait to see if I freckle." Spike glanced up at the sun, and then back down at the Slayer lying on the ground below him.

Buffy stared up at Spike in astonishment. Crap, he must have found the Gem thingie that Giles was talking about, she thought. She grabbed her stake from her bag just as she launched herself up from the ground. Buffy landed a punch, but reeled back to the ground when he returned it with a left hook. She kicked him when he jumped on her and he staggered back.

Spike jumped at the Slayer, and he landed on her stake. He looked down at the wound. He laughingly said, "Oh do it again. It tickles, but in a good way." Spike smirked at Buffy when she pulled the stake out and the wound closed up on right before her astonished eyes. He held up his hand to show off the ring. "The Gem of Amara. Official sponsor of my killing you.""

Buffy fell backwards when Spike suddenly backhanded her. She tried to crawl away, but Spike caught her by the hair and hauled her to her feet. Buffy squirmed to get away from the vampire, but he pushed her up against a nearby pole. The Slayer stopped moving as soon as she felt his hardened cock pressed up against the crack of her ass. She groaned, and her eyes fluttered shut when arousal shot through her entire system.

Spike whirled the Slayer around so that her back was pressed into the pole and his lips were pressed against her neck ready to bite her. Then, he heard her huskily moan deep in her throat while she buried her hands in his hair making his fangs dig into the soft skin above her jugular vein. Without thought, Spike cupped her breasts in his hands, and he tweaked her nipples into diamond hard points. Against her skin, he muttered, "Slayer, I want you."

"Spike, I love you," Buffy cried while he bit into her flesh. Her orgasm rippled through her, leaving her weak and breathless.

Buffy sat up to look around the room. She put her hand on her forehead, and she whimpered, "No. For God's sake, no."

She jumped to her feet to rush into the bathroom. Buffy splashed her face with cold water and then peered into the mirror. She gasped when she noticed the bite mark on her neck. What the hell is that? Buffy leaned into examine her neck more closely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike got himself as comfortable as he possibly could being squeezed into the baggage compartment of the small plane. It was going to be a long ride, and he just hoped that this worked. He had no desire to do the same day over and over again with the Slayer. Not that it was any skin off his nose, but bloody hell she was getting bitchier and bitchier with each loop. The vampire's eyes drifted shut without him even noticing.

Spike sat down in the chair next to Dru. He kissed her on the cheek. Indicating the life sized dolls seated around the small table, he asked, "Who are your friends, my love?"

"Spike, my sweet prince. This is Sunshine. She's yours to play with today." Drusilla indicated a beautiful blond doll with porcelain skin, rosy cheeks, and bright green eyes. Then she pointed to a cute red haired doll. "This one is Tree. She's mine to play with. I just love to play with dollies." Dru clapped her hands together.

Spike sat back in his chair, startled when the dolls came to life. He watched as Dru grabbed the red haired doll and twirled and danced around the room.

"Such wickedness in this one, my Spike," Dru sing-songed while she danced. "Snip, snip the little strings of restraint and watch the pretty lights all aglow." She giggled when Spike growled his discontent. Dru and the doll whirled in a circle around the male vampire while she taunted him.

Spike felt a small hand on his sleeve. When he looked, the blonde doll was looking up at him expectantly. She smiled sweetly while she indicated that they were supposed to get up to dance, too. Spike sighed heavily. He knew he would never hear the end of it from Dru if he didn't follow orders. So, being the gentleman that his long dead mother had taught him to be, he rose to his feet and gallantly held his hand out to the blond doll.

Dru smiled dreamily while she watched Spike dance with Sunshine. She leaned into Tree's ear, and she whispered, "See, I told my Spike that the moon has no light of its own. Reflects the sun, it does. Efflugent and burning.""

"Dru, pet? What's going on here?""

Dru stopped dancing to stare at Spike with fathomless eyes. "You're running away from the sunshine and your great destiny. You have all the answers, sweet William. All the right tricks to get your treat. You need only to set yourself on the path and follow the leader.""

Spike felt sudden heat fill his arms. When he looked down, he was surprised to find the Slayer, warm and alive in his arms. She swayed against his body, and much to his chagrin blood rushed to his groin causing him to get an erection. The girl seemed to respond to this as she danced closer and closer.

"Miss Edith wishes to speak to Tree now." Dru stood behind Spike. She licked his neck and whispered in his ear, "Be a good boy and listen to your heart, Spike." Dru and Tree danced off to another room where the small doll was sure to be holding her own court.

Spike found himself pushed into a nearby armchair with the Slayer perched on his lap, her perky little voice filling his ear with words that would make a weaker vampire run for his life.

"There's so much to decide. Ceremony, guests, reception," Buffy said matter-of-factly. She leaned in close to whisper in his ear, "Honeymoon.""

"No church weddings and no daytime ceremonies," Spike answered firmly. "I have no plans on being a big pile of dust, honeymoon or no." He shivered when Buffy took his earlobe into her mouth and sucked on it.

"Of course, baby. I don't want my best guy to be dust," Buffy mumbled against his neck. She licked the soft skin, humming and cooing as she did.

"You're not going to be all pouty this time?" Spike asked. He was unexpectedly disappointed when she shook her head negatively. "I like your pout, pet. Makes me want to nibble on that little lip of yours.""

"I love you, Spike," Buffy whispered huskily.

Spike squirmed in the chair when he felt Buffy sink her teeth into his flesh. His cock pressed against the zipper of his jeans when he felt his borrowed blood leave his body and enter the Slayer's mouth. Spike came in his pants like a teenaged boy when Buffy growled against his skin.

Spike opened his eyes while he gasped for unneeded breath. His hand shot to his neck where dream Buffy had bitten down. His fingers came back bloody, and he knew that somehow the mark had transcended the dream world into the living world. Spike laid there contemplating what the dream had meant, and the more he thought, the madder he got. He understood what Dru was prattling on about, but damn it, he was the master of his own destiny. No woman- not his Sire, or the Slayer or the witch- was going change that. He; Spike, William the Bloody would choose who he loved and spent his unlife with. No one else had that right but him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy rushed to get her clothes on. She had to get to Forrest before Adam killed him again. If Spike was somehow able to get Dru to stop the loopy day, then Buffy wanted to be sure to have at least this one little thing fixed. Hopefully she could catch up with the commando early enough she could once again avoid Adam and the injury to her head. Buffy took a quick look in the mirror to make sure the newly acquired bite marks on her neck weren't showing before she exited, intent on her mission.

Hiding in the brush, Buffy held the stone above her head while she waited for Forrest to come down the trail. For some reason, she felt incredibly twitchy and the mark on her neck tingled fiercely. Buffy waited until the commando was just in the line of sight to step out and knock him over the head with the rock. After Forrest crumpled to the ground, she threw the rock to the side, and she leaned over to check his pulse. Grabbing his arms, she dragged him down the trail away from the cave.

Buffy pulled the unconscious commando into a thick bush and searched through his pockets.. In an inner vest pocket' she found a packet of plastic law enforcement restraint ties. She quickly bound Forrest's wrists behind his back, but checking to make sure he could breathe without problems. She quickly checked the path for Adam, and when she saw it was clear, dashed back towards town.

Walking along Main Street, she looked at the store windows. She was passing the magic shop when she noticed Riley talking on a pay phone outside the Espresso Pump. He seemed very agitated, probably upset because he couldn't find her. Buffy quickly ducked into the magic shop. She hadn't been in the store since Willow's 'Thy Will Be Done' spell when she had come in search of Tagas Root.

"Can I help you, miss?" the clerk asked politely.

"Um, no. I'm just looking around," Buffy answered. She kept one eye on the front window for Riley to pass. Buffy picked up objects, glanced at them, and then put them down in an attempt to look like she was shopping.

"B-Buffy," a voice said, "How are you?"

Buffy stiffened when she heard the voice. Like before when she had saved Forrest from dying, the bite marks on her neck tingled. Buffy turned to look at the short, dark haired male. "Hey, Jonathon. You're not here planning some sort of diabolical spell to take over Sunnydale, are you?"

"N-no, I was just working here with Mr. Bogarty." Jonathon nodded towards the shop owner. "I decided to put my knowledge to good use for a change."

"Um, That's great, Jonathon." Buffy glanced towards the window. "I'm glad to see you're doing something constructive."

"Can I help you with something, Buffy?" Jonathon asked. He had noticed the glances that the blond girl kept throwing towards the front window.

"Not really. I was just avoiding someone." Buffy turned her gaze back at Jonathon. "Hey, you know about magic, right? Do you know any spells that might ... I don't know ... make a day repeat itself?"

Jonathon raised an eyebrow. "Wow, that'd be a powerful spell. Very dark and not for the novice spell caster." He walked over to the bookcase where he pulled out several books. "Why not try looking through these? If you don't find anything, let me know. Hey, you could always rent Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. That was such a cool movie."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike had been drinking steadily since he had landed in Bogata, Columbia, thirty minutes before. He was brassed off at Dru, the Slayer, the Fates and every other diety he could lay his thoughts on. They were all playing with him, and he was not a pawn.

Give it up, mate, you're love's bitch, a little voice muttered in his ear.

I may be love's bitch, but I'll love who I want, and there's no way it's the Slayer, Spike growled back.

"Senor Spike? You 'ave a phone call." The bartender held out the receiver towards him.

The blond vampire took the phone from the dark haired man. He spoke into the receiver in a resigned voice. "Hello, Dru."

"Hello, my naughty boy. Why must you be so stubborn?" The crackling of the phone line played counterpart to Dru's voice.

"Me, stubborn?" Spike growled. "I'm not the one listening to a soddin' doll and doing magic all willy-nilly."

"Tsk, tsk. I'm only trying to help you, love. So pretty you would be all wrapped in sunshine." Dru giggled softly when Spike growled her name again. He was such a naughty boy when he wasn't doing what his mummy told him. She had half a mind to punish him. "You know you won't make it, my Spike. It will be dark soon. All the shadows come out to play and the day begins anew. You'll be with her soon. As soon as you accept it, you can fix it all."

"Fix what?" Spike muttered. He swallowed down the last of the whiskey in his glass and signaled the bartender for a refill.

"Why, fix the factors, you silly boy." Dru beckoned to Herbie to hang up the phone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy looked up to see Jonathon put a cup of coffee and a muffin from the Espresso pump down next to her. "Thanks. I haven't had much to eat today. Kinda busy."

"So, you're really doing the same day over and over?" Jonathon asked after he sat down next to Buffy. "Wow! That must be really weird especially having no one to help you."

"Not alone exactly," Buffy muttered. "Spike's stuck with me." She closed the book she was looking through and picked the next one out of the pile.

"Um, that's the vampire, right? I vaguely remember him from the spell I did," Jonathon said with a tinge of embarrassment. He took one of the other books and started leafing through the pages. He was a few pages in when he suddenly announced, "This spell sounds promising." He handed the book to Buffy.

Buffy mumbled to herself while she read, "Spell causes perpetual time reversal. Certain stipulations. Um, improvement requirements. Subjects must evolve or discover hidden truths. Cannot be reversed with a general reversal spell. Oh, great, that's a lot of help. How the heck are we suppose to know what to change?"

She broke off when the hidden bite marks started to tingle again. Her hand twitched with the urgent need to rub at the offending mark. "Um, so ... you got any books on dream manifestations?"

Several hours later, Buffy left the magic shop knowing more about dreams and spells than she had ever thought possible. When she passed, the Alibi Room she decided to slip inside to order something to eat. For a demon bar, the food was surprisingly good. Buffy sat in the back of the bar, her back against the wall and her eyes on the front door. Couldn't be too cautious.

After Willy brought Buffy her burger, fries and Diet Coke, she sat munching on her food while absentmindedly listening to the conversations around her. When she saw Angel walk in the door, she shrank back in the booth until she remembered she was the Slayer and not afraid of some stupid vampire.

Buffy dipped her fries in ketchup while she watched the dark vampire question the bartender. She grimaced when the man pointed in her direction. Buffy watched dispassionately as Angel stalked towards her.

"Is this how you spend your days? Avoiding everyone so you can hang out in a demon bar?" Angel demanded. He shook his head when Buffy motioned to the bench across the table from her.

"I've had a bad couple of days, Angel. Just wanted to spend some time alone," Buffy said softly. Her hand itched to touch the mark on her neck even though it wasn't tingling at the moment. As crazy as it sounded, she took a great amount of comfort in having Spike's bite on her body. It seemed to be helping her feel grounded in all the crazy loopiness.

"What about your duty, Buffy? When you do stupid things like this you forsake your duty as the Slayer," Angel announced pompously. He crossed his arms to stare at the petite blond. She'd been acting crazy ever since she had found out that Faith had visited him. Angel decided she needed to be reminded once again of what her purpose in life was. "You seem to have gotten into the habit of burying your head in the sand when things don't go your way."

Buffy's jaw dropped at Angel's words, and she leaped to her feet. Where the hell did he get off, telling her what to do? "Why don't you tell me what you really think, Angel?" She stepped back when Angel moved towards her. "You tell me to stay out of your town, and yet you still feel the urge to invade mine? Oh, and how did you get those bruises on your knuckles?"

Angel looked down at his hands. "Nothing. It was nothing. Just ran into the wall or something. Quit trying to change the subject. I talked to Giles and the others. They haven't seen you all day and they're worried." He sniffed the air cautiously. Something was off with the Slayer, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "You're acting like a child, Buffy. It's very unbecoming of you."

"I need a little alone time, so I'm acting like a child?" Buffy shook her head, and her hand crept up to her neck without her even realizing that she was now rubbing the bite mark. "Go home, Angel. I don't have time for your childish antics."

Angel leaped across the space between the Slayer and himself. He pulled her hand away from her neck and there on her flesh he saw very familiar bite marks. "Alone? You call letting Spike bite you being alone? I think it's time we went and talked to Giles. You're not yourself." Angel grabbed Buffy's arm, and his game face rippled into play. He bent down over Buffy's neck.

"Oh, I'm myself alright. Just sick of people telling me what to do," Buffy growled. She punched the dark haired vampire in the face. "Now let go of me."

"You're mine," Angel snarled. He pulled Buffy even closer, and he bent his fangs closer to her neck. Angel's eyes opened in surprise when he felt a stake enter his heart. He gasped as he felt the particles of his being turn into dust.

Buffy coughed as his ashes began to settle. "Nope, not yours. Haven't been yours in a long time." She sighed heavily. "Well, at least he won't remember this tomorrow."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy awoke stiff and grumpy. The very familiar smell of the bus terminal tickled her nose. She sat there listening to the sounds around her for the longest time. Buffy felt the marks on her neck begin to tingle fiercely. When she opened her eyes, Spike was sprawled in the chair across from her.

"So, have fun staking the poof yesterday?" Spike drawled.

Buffy awoke stiff and grumpy. The very familiar smell of the bus terminal tickled her nose. She sat there listening to the sounds around her for the longest time. Buffy felt the marks on her neck begin to tingle fiercely. When she opened her eyes, Spike was sprawled in the chair across from her.

"So, have fun staking the poof yesterday?" he drawled.

"Not as much fun as I'm gonna have dusting you," Buffy snarked in return.

Spike sat forward, leaning his elbows on his knees as he clasped his closed fists under his chin. Giving the grumpy slayer a look of wide eyed innocence, he mildly chastised her. "Now, pet, is that any way to greet the nice monster that brought you coffee?"

"Coffee?" Buffy perked right up at the thought of the enticing beverage.

"And donuts," Spike elaborated. "We've got a lot to talk about and I figured that if we try for once to do without the usual arguments, we might be able to figure this mess out."

She carefully considered the vampire in front of her. "Are you talking truce, teamwork, or something else?"

Spike inwardly cursed the part of his anatomy that had perked up at the thought of 'something else'. He also ignored the little voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like his insane sire as it urged him to 'play in the sunshine'. He wasn't going to be dictated to. Once this situation was fixed, he was going to go back to his unhappily chipped unlife and hating the slayer as he so rightly should. In order to do that, they had to work together, and that required…

"Teamwork," Spike answered her question. "We're gonna have to try and trust each other, pet."

Buffy looked at him, her expression serious but sad. "And how do we do that, Spike? How do we, as mortal enemies, trust each other?"

"I guess that's another thing we need to talk about, slayer."

~~~~~~

"I get that it would be harder for you to trust me than it should be for me to trust you, what with me bein' evil an all, and you being the Chosen One for the white hats. So, how about I go first?" Spike offered the apprehensive girl seated in the booth opposite him.

Willy had been a little worried when they'd entered the Alibi Room, but they'd assured him that they weren't there to cause trouble. They just needed a private place to talk. Willy had sent them to a dark booth in the back.

"But before I tell you what's been going on, I'm gonna ask that you wait till I finish before you pass any sort of judgement on me, alright?" Spike set down his ground rules. "I also think it would be better to spend the day discussing our problem. We know we're not gonna fix anything today, so nobody that gets hurt will stay hurt. If we concentrate on just this one thing, we might actually come up with a game plan."

Buffy cautiously nodded her agreement. She could feel the intensity of the blond vampire's emotions. She could tell he was being sincere about tying to work together. Was it possible that she was just tuning into him for the first time? Maybe she had some latent slayer thing going on where she was getting insightful? Whatever it was, being able to feel Spike's emotions was seriously wiggy. Not that she was planning on giving away more than she had to.

She wasn't sure if she was looking forward to his explanation for the bites or not. She sure as hell wasn't planning on sharing that knowing what he was feeling was making her feel better about this mess. She didn't feel so alone. His feelings gave her comfort, something which she would totally deny if anyone ever suggested it.

Spike began his tale. He admitted to helping the giant jigsaw puzzle in return for the removal of his chip, and told her of his plan to break up the Scoobies. A lot of what he said made Buffy realize just how easily they had all allowed it to happen. She had to wonder if the genuine contrition she felt coming from the vampire was the only thing that was stopping her from jumping up and staking him.

She listened carefully as he went on to tell her about his day with Giles, surprised to hear the deep disappointment in his voice over the fact that the watcher would never remember their conversation. She could feel how it made him feel. There was no doubting him this time. No underlying suspicions as to his motives. He really was amazing. She supposed she really shouldn't be surprised by anything he said anymore. 'You've been one constant roller coaster ride ever since I meet you, Spike. I never know when we're going to hit the next lo