It's Not Where You Start Out (12/17)
by Kelly Frieders
raykel2@cox.net

Genre: Drama, B/S
Rating: PG-13, nothing you wouldn't see on the show
Disclaimer: Spike's not mine. Wish he were, but my husband might object. Buffy and all the rest aren't mine, either. I'm just borrowing them from Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy for a while.

Summary: Post "The Gift." Way post "The Gift," actually. Takes place sometime the following year. There's some new interest in the Key and an old enemy is back in town. Spoilers for everything up to and including "The Gift."

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12.

"Hey, anybody home?"

Buffy poked her head out from the hallway into the kitchen to find Willow standing at the back door. "Hey Will, c'mon in. I'm just trying to do some clean-up after last night's fun."

Willow stepped through the kitchen and joined Buffy in the hallway, taking in the scene. "Doesn't look *too* bad," she said optimistically.

"Well, Spike did a little clean-up last night while I was at your place, but you know, he's a vampire and a *guy,* so his idea of 'clean' pretty much isn't. Dawn's room is the worst, though, with the broken window. Spike nailed up a board over it, but hopefully Xander can fix it tonight." She pushed her hair back out of her eyes. "Okay, I've had enough for one morning. Let's go sit down."

"Dawn get off to school okay?" Willow asked as they made their way into the living room.

"Yeah. I talked to her principal, too. I told her my dad was having 'custody issues' and we had reason to think he might try and grab her or get someone else to do it. She said she'd have the staff keep an eye out for adults who didn't belong there."

"Geez, your poor dad, getting all the blame."

"Yeah, he's been a total jerk the last year or so, but I still hated to make him the bad guy like that. I just didn't know what else to say that would have the same effect."

"'Some monks want to turn my sister into a mystical energy source' might not go over well," Willow agreed. "Was the principal cool? Please tell me she's better than Snyder."

"Oh yeah, she's light years beyond that toad. New to Sunnydale, though, and not very Hellmouth savvy."

Both girls fell silent a moment, then Willow gave Buffy a wide smile and raised her eyebrows.

"Well, go ahead," Buffy groaned, "I know you're dying to say 'I told you so.'"

"I would never do that," Willow replied, feigning innocence, "at least not unless I was *completely* and *totally* right and she-who-shall-remain-nameless had been living like Cleopatra Queen of Denial and just desperately deserved it. Oh wait."

"Yeah, yeah," Buffy answered sheepishly.

"So what the heck happened?"

"He lost the chip. It scared the hell out of me Will," she confessed earnestly. "I really thought it was Angelus all over again."

"But then you saw him not feed on Brother Ondrih?"

"Right."

"And then?" Willow prompted.

"And then, it all just came crashing down. My defenses, my denial, everything."

"And?"

"I kissed him."

Willow raised her eyebrows. "You kissed him? Just out of the blue? No talk, nothing, just... kissage?"

"Pretty much."

"What kind of kiss? Sweet? Hot and heavy? C'mon, details details!"

"I pretty much jumped him," Buffy admitted.

Willow's jaw dropped. "Shameless vixen!"

"I know. I just-- I don't know, Will, I just lost it. When he refused to feed, I just knew everything I'd told myself about him, about how I felt, was all a lie."

"And the kiss? How was it?"

Buffy smiled. "It was-- wow."

"Wow?"

"Wow."

"And?"

"And *then* we talked. We talked about why he let Brother Ondrih go."

"What did he say?"

"He said he likes his life the way it is now, that he doesn't want to be what he used to be, a slave to the bloodlust."

"He said that?"

"Yeah," Buffy nodded. "Remember what I told you the other night when we were patrolling? How I couldn't be someone else's moral compass? I don't think he needs me to be, not anymore."

"That's huge," Willow said.

"I know."

"Okay, but what about all the other stuff? I don't want to be the party pooper here, but didn't you say you were gonna think with your brains and not your heart this time?"

"I know," Buffy admitted. "Clearly I suck at thinking with my brain. I don't know what to do with any of this, I really don't. I mean, there's the whole Angel thing and all that stuff we talked about before, about he and Spike being kinda family. And that is freaky. But Angel is my past, you know? And still I've managed to make everything about him.  Spike can't love me without a soul because *Angel* couldn't. It wasn't fair to Spike. Hell, it wasn't fair to *me.*" She sighed. "I loved him so much, Will. A part of me always will. But it was never meant to be. And it's not fair to Spike to saddle him with Angel's baggage."

"I suppose," Willow said, "but you know there's more than just the Angel history that makes a relationship with Spike kinda freaky."

"I get that, I really do. There's the vampire stuff, which actually seems weirder now than it did with Angel. I was only sixteen when we started dating, you know? Eighteen when we broke up for good. You think you're gonna live forever when you're sixteen. I'm not gonna live forever. I get that now. *Boy* do I get that now. But Spike is, or could if he doesn't get staked somewhere along the way. It's weird thinking about."

"Okay, that makes it sound like you're thinking long term," Willow told her, concerned. "I mean, it's been one day, right?"

"I know, but Spike's not exactly Mr. Love-em-and-leave-em. He was with his last girlfriend for more than a century."

"His last girlfriend was Harmony and he was only with her a few months," Willow corrected.

Buffy made a face at the mention of their ditzy schoolmate-come-vampire. "Okay, we're just going to pretend there never was a Harmony. She's in, like, the Parker category. Best completely forgotten."

"No argument there."

"My point is, do you see Spike getting over this any time soon? Really?"

"No," Willow admitted, "which is partly why I'm worried and why I was worried when we talked before."

"I know, and you were right. If he's that serious, I kinda have no business going there if I don't think I can be where he is."

Willow frowned. "Do you? Think you can be there?"

Buffy looked at her friend. "I'm not sure, to be honest. I'm still kinda wigging about everything."

"You said you were in love with him," Willow pointed out.

"I know. God, that's just so scary to even think about. I mean *Spike,* Will. It's just otherworldy."

"But?"

Buffy sighed. "I love him. I do, I can't help it. I knew it the second he pushed Brother Ondrih away."

"Nervous stomach, tingly feeling, the whole deal?" Willow asked.

"The whole deal," Buffy confirmed. "Is that so terrible? Am I just a complete idiot? Is there *any* hope that this could be a good thing?"

"Well, speaking as the lesbian who formerly dated a werewolf, I have to say I'm not completely opposed to unconventional relationships," Willow grinned. "Seriously, I don't know Buffy. I mean last year when we all thought you were sleeping with him, I thought it was the stupidest thing ever. I mean I really thought you'd flipped out. But now?" She shrugged. "He's changed so much. I honestly like him and I think in some ways he's good for you."

"Like how?" Buffy asked, hungry for anything she could use to tell herself what she felt made sense.

"He accepts you like you are, for one thing. Angel left because he wanted you to have a 'normal' life and Riley left because he couldn't handle that you had something he could never be a part of and he just could not get past the fact that you were stronger than he was. I don't think Spike will ever have issues with that. Heck, he revels in it. And now that you've been accepting your Slayerness more, I think that's a really good thing. And he doesn't get intimidated by you or bothered when you take charge or anything. Riley and Angel, both gotta-be-in-charge guys. Spike's not, but he will still tell you if he thinks you're wrong."

"Boy will he," Buffy agreed.

"But go slow, okay? Be really careful. It's still kinda ooky, Buffy, I'm not gonna lie to you. The whole idea of you and Spike? Weird. But weird can be good too."

Buffy smiled. "Typical Will. As long as everyone's happy."

"Are you?"

Buffy smiled shyly. "After I left you guys last night we just sort of cuddled on the couch and watched a movie. Well, he watched a movie and I fell asleep. It was just so... sweet. Simple. Yeah, I'm pretty happy.

"Aw!" Willow smiled broadly.

"I mean outside of the monks wanting to kill my sister and Ethan Rayne and the rest of the weirdness that is the freak fest of my life," Buffy finished. "And that reminds me, I've gotta get down to the Magic Box. We gotta find Ethan and we've gotta figure out how to stop the monks for good. I'm not overly thrilled about just waiting around for them to try for Dawn again."

"No. Been there done that with Glory. Not good times." Willow stood up. "I've got another class, too, but Tara and I will be down later on. We'll figure it out, all of it."

"Actually, meet back here tonight," Buffy said, rising along side her. "I need Xander to fix the window in Dawn's room. We can have a brainstorming session while he's working and maybe that will distract him from how much he hates the idea of me and Spike."

"He'll get over it."

"He never got over me and Angel."

"That was different, he had a crush on you when you started seeing Angel. And he was starting to like Spike, even though he'll never admit it," Willow said. "I'll see you back here tonight." She gave Buffy a quick hug. "And whatever happens with you and Spike, I'm here for support, 'kay?"

"Thanks Willow," Buffy said, pulling her friend into another hug.

----------

It was well after noon when Spike woke up, which was pretty early for a vampire, but he was still wired from the night before. After a shower he got dressed and headed upstairs to talk to Anya. He found her at the big table under the loft, grabbing a quick lunch while business was slow.

"Afternoon, love," he said amiably, affecting nonchalance as he sat down on the steps of the ladder by the table.

Anya looked up from her lunch. "Spike! Newly unchipped and able to eat people. You're not going to, right? Eat people?"

He almost chuckled. Leave it to the demonette to completely forgo small talk. "Yeah, I was just looking for someone to eat for breakfast," he quipped, then off her startled look said, "Kidding! Don't get your knickers in a twist."

She relaxed. "Okay then."

"And I want to thank you," he went on more seriously. "Buffy told me what you said last night. And I appreciate you letting me stay here. Hard to find a crypt with running water and electricity for the telly and fridge."

She waved it off. "Xander, I love him, but he can be such a human supremacist sometimes. A girl's gotta stick up for her roots. We former evil demons have to stick together. Besides, now you can intimidate and threaten humans who would try to steal my money. As long as you don't eat the paying customers."

"Right then, I'll only eat the layabouts who never buy anything."

This time she got the joke and smiled. The front door bell jingled and she leaned over to see who had come in. "Speaking of," she muttered, then turned back to Spike. "And no loud and raucous sex games downstairs during business hours," she said loudly.

Spike gave her a puzzled look, until Buffy appeared around the corner looking thoroughly embarrassed.

"Thank you, Anya, we'll take that under advisement," she said.

"So long as you don't scare away the customers," Anya finished, grabbing the remains of her lunch and sliding out of her seat.

Buffy turned to Spike. "Hi."

"Hi," he returned, feeling awkward. Not normally one to embarrass easily, he did feel badly for Buffy having been put on the spot. Add to that the fact that suddenly being ten feet away from her made him feel like he'd just caught fire and he simply had no idea what to do with himself. "Little bit get off to school all right?" he finally added.

"Yeah," Buffy answered, plopping her bag down on the table and taking the seat Anya had just vacated. "And I talked to her principal, told her some story about my dad having custody issues and trying to grab her. I think they'll be cautious about letting people wander around the school who don't belong there."

"Good." There was more uncomfortable silence.

"Okay, why is it everything I can think of to say sounds really lame?" Buffy said. "Like 'I had a really good time last night.' Uh, except for the falling asleep part."

Spike smiled, genuinely pleased. "Doesn't sound lame."

"Yeah, it does. It's just kinda weird, you know? We've known each other a long time."

"More than four years. Getting close to five."

"Three of which we were mortal enemies. The first thing you said to me was you were going to kill me."

"And your mum hit me with an ax."

Buffy laughed at the memory. "And now--"

"Having second thoughts?" he said with a little trepidation when she trailed off.

"No, no, that's not it," she corrected hurriedly. "It's just gonna be hard to get used to, that's all. Everyone else I've ever been involved with pretty much started out in the 'potential' category."

"Yeah, well, everyone else I've been involved with started out in the 'undead' category, so new ground here too, pet."

"Okay, so weirdness all around." Then she shook her head. "Four years, I can't believe it's been that long. Although I guess not so long when you're well on the other side of your centennial," she finished, realizing.

He shrugged. "And yet, sometimes I can't believe there was a time when I didn't know you." He groaned as soon as the words were out of his mouth, smiling ruefully. "And *that,* love, is what lame sounds like."

She snickered and inched closer to him. "Maybe we should both just shut up."

"Right then." He leaned toward her and kissed her.

"I *said* no scaring away the customers!"

The broke apart and Spike saw Anya standing behind Buffy. "Sod off," he told her irritably.

"I can't, you're in my way. I need to go upstairs."

Buffy pulled away from Spike and sat back down in her chair and Spike stood up to let Anya by. "Killjoy," he muttered as she passed him.

"That's okay, we've got work to do anyway," Buffy told him as sat back down. "Remember? Monks? Ethan Rayne?"

"Yeah," he agreed reluctantly. "Don't suppose Rayne would still be in that lovely five star establishment he was staying in?"

"No, he's a big baby. He'd have cleared out the second after I left. But it wouldn't hurt to check the other lovely five star establishments around town."

"Spike!" Anya called down from above. He twisted and looked up the ladder at her. "Have you been going through the books up here? A customer phoned in looking for a spell and I can't find the book that references it."

"I thought those books were off-limits to customers," Buffy said.

"Well normally, yes. But I just need a reference. It's in **Demons of Arashmaharr: Supplications and Summons,** but the book isn't here."

Spike frowned. Why did that title sound familiar? And then he remembered.

"Oh bloody *hell!* he called out, smacking his forehead with the heel of his hand.

Buffy looked at him. "What?"

Spike grimaced, internally giving himself a few hard mental kicks. "The spell Rayne wants is in that book."

Buffy sat up in her seat. "*What?*" she repeated, louder this time.

"Bloody wanker sends you off to kill me, thus leaving the shop nice and empty. Must've lifted it last night," he muttered.

"You've *got* to be kidding me!" Buffy closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead.

"What?" Anya asked, backing down the ladder. "You know where the book is?"

"Apparently Ethan Rayne has it," Buffy snapped. "This is just *great!*"

"Well I didn't exactly see you rushing off to deal with him last night," Spike shot back, standing up to move aside for Anya again.

"What are you talking about?" Anya asked.

"Your book might have been stolen," Buffy answered.

"Stolen? Isn't that the sort of thing I'm paying you to stop from happening?" Anya said pointedly to Spike.

"Don't fret, we'll get your sodding book back."

"Okay, we gotta find him *fast,*" Buffy said, standing up and starting to pace. "All right, you said this Palawgi was pretty nasty. What exactly does he--"

"Palawgi?" Anya cut her off.

"That's who this Rayne fella is looking to bring forth. Deception Demon," Spike answered.

"I know who he is," Anya replied. She smiled and crossed her arms. "Wow, does that name bring back memories. I wonder how he's doing these days."

Spike and Buffy both just stared at her.

"You *know* Palawgi?" Buffy asked in amazement.

"Of course I do! I was from the demon realm Arashmaharr, remember? Palawgi and I go way back. Deception and Vengeance go together a lot. Heck, seems like half the time I was just following in Pally's wake--"

//Pally?// Buffy mouthed to Spike, incredulous.

"--picking up after him. You know, guy uses deception to cheat on girl. Girl finds out anyway, gets vengeance. Happened a lot." She smiled wistfully. "I haven't thought about him in ages."

"So you and Palawgi are, what, mates?"

"Mates? Oh no, we were just friends."

"I *meant* friends, you ninny," Spike replied.

Buffy gaped at her. "You're good buddies with this evil demon?"

"What?" Anya asked, defensive. "You think over a thousand years I never had any friends? Besides, he wasn't all that bad. Mostly just looking for a good laugh."

"A good laugh? What about all that inflicting pain or death stuff?" Spike questioned dubiously.

"Oh *that,*" Anya waved it away. "That's mostly just hype. Not that he was *opposed* to pain and death, mind you. But simple humiliation was perfectly acceptable."

Buffy turned to Anya, thinking. "Just how close are you two? Would he do you a favor? You know, without the pain and death stuff."

"I think so. We were pretty tight back in my demon days, but then again I'm not a demon anymore. But I think he'd help me out."

"Can you summon him?"

She nodded. "Yes, I'm almost positive I remember the ritual used. We probably have everything we need here, too. You want me to do it tonight?"

"Actually, I was thinking now would be a good time," Buffy told her impatiently. "If we hurry, we can get to him before Ethan does and keep him from assuming whatever form he plans on assuming. Or if we're already too late, maybe Palawgi will undo the spell."

"Technically, it's not a spell," Anya corrected. "A spell is when a human channels the power of the lower beings. When a demon uses his own power it isn't a spell. Completely different kind of power."

"And I should care because? Just summon him!"

"But I can't do it now," Anya complained. "We're open for business! I can't do a summoning spell when there are customers here."

"Then we'll have to close up for a little while," Buffy insisted.

"But I don't make any money when we're closed!"

"Anya, this guy, Ethan Rayne, hates Giles more than anyone in the world. Giles is your partner. You've got to think that anything he's doing is bad for Giles and thus potentially bad for the Magic Box."

Spike could see Anya weigh this and he admired Buffy for targeting the demonette's weak spot.

"Okay, fine. We'll set up in the training room." She then set about giving Spike and Buffy directions for items to collect for the ritual.

In about fifteen minutes they were set up in the darkened back room and ready to go. Anya knelt down on the floor in the middle of a circle of carefully laid out amulets and candles while Buffy and Spike stood together near the wall. Anya recited a long incantation in Latin, then finished in English: "Palawgi, thou deceiver, thou Master of artifice. Thou delightest in the sufferings of the innocent, in the victims of your wiles. Come forth, o Trickster, and render me thy willing vessel."

A wind blew through the room, whipping Anya's hair around her face, and then the candles blew out and Spike could no longer see. Then with a loud roar and a bright flash of light, the candles reignited and a tall being appeared in the center of the circle before Anya. He wore a dark, hooded robe and had a puckered gray skin. If he'd had a sickle he would've resembled the Grim Reaper.

"Who calls me forth from my realm, human? What deception dost thou plan to entertain me?"

Anya looked up and smiled brightly. "Palawgi! Still with the archaic language, I see." To Buffy and Spike she whispered loudly, "He thinks it makes him sound more important."

The demon, clearly not used to such an irreverent greeting, faltered. "You dare to speak to Palawgi with such insolence?" he roared.

"Oh *please,*" Anya replied, rising. "Save it for someone who hasn't had to bail you out of more than your share of deceptions gone wrong. Remember Inprimis and the sheep incident? If it weren't for me giving Bathsua that little nudge towards making a wish..."

The demon took a step back. "Anyanka?" he said, his voice no longer bellowy or full. He pulled down his hood to take a closer look at Anya.

"It's me!" she confirmed, beaming. She then threw her arms open and the gnarled demon embraced her in what had to be one of the most incongruous sights Spike had ever witnessed. He exchanged glances with Buffy, who look equally baffled.

After a tight hug, Palawgi pulled back and smiled warmly at Anya. "Anyanka, it has been what, a century? And look at you! What are you doing in human form?"

"Believe it or not, I *am* a human now," she said almost wistfully.

"No!" he roared. "How can that be?"

"Vengeance spell went south and I got stuck in this form," she said sadly, then brightened. "But it's okay. I like being human now. Would you believe I'm getting married soon?"

"Impossible!" he bellowed. "You, the Defender of the Scorned, the Scourge of the Philandering? You are marrying? A mortal? Surely you are trying to out-trick the Trickster."

"No, it's really true," she told him. "You should come to the wedding!"

Buffy cleared her throat then, cutting off the bizarre exchange. "I hate to interrupt this little reunion, but *Anyanka* here had a favor to ask, right?"

"Oh yes, right," Anya remembered. "Palawgi, this is Buffy and Spike. They're friends of mine. Well, not friends really. More like associates--"

"Anya," Buffy interrupted again.

"Right. Anyway, there's a man who stole the ritual to summon you from my shop. He is an old adversary to my business partner and we think he may want to use one of your deceptions to cause us harm. As a favor to me, I'd like you to not grant his wish."

Palawgi crossed his arms. "A ridiculous little Englishman, large nose?"

"That be him," Spike groaned.

"Then he's already summoned you?" Buffy asked.

"Yes, just last night. His request was tedious, but he vowed to use his deception against the Vampire Slayer and her Watcher and that amused me so I granted him his supplication. Those Watchers are so tiresome and humorless."

Anya grinned nervously. "Well, yes, that's very true, and I can see how you would enjoy that. But really, Palawgi, you would like *this* Slayer. She's very entertaining. She *dates* vampires!"

Spike snickered at this, earning himself a shove on the arm from Buffy. "Hey, she said it, not me," he protested.

"You wish me to undo the transformation for the Slayer, Anyanka?" Palawgi asked her, incredulous.

"No, I want you to undo it for *me,*' she replied petulantly. "This man *stole* from me and if he succeeds in harming this Watcher he could harm his business, which is *my* business, and I don't want to lose any of my money!"

"This is highly irregular, Anyanka. I cannot remove a form that has already been granted merely because you wish it."

"Then tell us what his plan is. How does he plan to use his deception?" Anya asked.

"I cannot tell you that either."

"After all we've been through together, Palawgi? You *owe* me."

"That may be, but I cannot go against my calling merely out of friendship. Would you have undone a vengeance wish merely because I asked you to?"

"No," Anya admitted, sullen.

"Can you at least tell us what form he's taken?" Buffy asked.

He turned to regard her a moment. "You are the Slayer?"

"Yes."

"And you have befriended a vengeance demon and a vampire?" he asked, nodding his head toward Spike.

"Yes."

He smiled, showing ugly yellow teeth. "That is mildly amusing. I will tell you this much: he requested the form of another human. A
Watcher."

"Giles," Buffy said. "And he'll look like Giles for three days?"

"That is correct."

She clapped her hands together. "Okay, at least that gives us a starting place. But why here? Giles is in England. Why would Ethan
come all the way to Sunnydale to impersonate Giles?"

Spike stared at her. "Yeah, what could he *possibly* want to have access to in Sunnydale as Giles?" he asked sarcastically.

"His money!" Anya cried. "He could drain the Magic Box's account at the bank."

Spike rolled his eyes at her. "Or maybe the Slayer?"

"Buffy? What would he want with Buffy when he could have that money! I'm going to call the bank!"

"Palawgi here said he wanted to use this deception against the Slayer and her Watcher," Spike said to Buffy, ignoring Anya as she headed toward the front of the store to call the bank. "He must want access to you for something. And when he came looking for me to help him out he called it a 'limited time offer.' So timing must be important."

"Giles is on an isolation retreat this week. No contact with anyone, which means Ethan can pass himself off as Giles here and the real Giles can't prove he wasn't here." She considered this a moment. "But if he does want access to me, or even Giles' life *here,* then that means eventually he'll--"

Anya suddenly reappeared from the front office, cordless phone clutched to her chest, and slammed the door behind her, cutting Buffy off in mid-sentence. "You'll never guess who just walked into the store."

Buffy and Spike exchanged looks. "Well, at least that solves one major problem. Time for a good pummeling," she said.

Spike put a hand on her arm to restrain her. "Hang on, pet. I've got an idea." He turned to Palawgi. "Say we do a little deception for you right now, with that stupid pillock as the mark. Would you consider undoing the mojo on him, giving him back his own form?"

Palawgi looked at him thoughtfully. "Yes, that is a bargain I can accept, one deception for another. What form do you wish?"

"My own will do, mate. Only thing I need is one Vampire Slayer."

----------

Buffy emerged from the training room to find Giles -- at least it *looked* like Giles -- standing at the counter.

"Giles!" she cried, feigning delighted surprise. "What are you doing here? We weren't expecting you!" She threw her arms around him.

"Yes, obviously," he replied, taken aback at first but then returning the hug a little stiffly. "Why is the shop closed in the middle of the
afternoon?"

It sure *sounded* like Giles. Buffy released him. "Would you believe Xander got himself hurt at work? Nothing major, but Anya had to go with him to the emergency room. She'll be back soon." She eyed him closely while trying not to look like she was. He certainly looked like the same old Giles. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming? When I talked to you last week you said you were going on some kind of Watcher's retreat."

"Well yes," he replied, "I wanted to surprise you. I was supposed to go on that retreat, but you know how bloody boring those things are. I thought my time would be better served visiting here."

Buffy smiled. She hadn't talked to Giles in at least two weeks and he'd never told her about the retreat. She'd only found out about it a few days ago when she'd tried to phone him to ask for advice about the monks. "Well your timing is *perfect,*" she said, taking his arm and negotiating him away from the counter and toward the loft so that their backs were to the training room door. "You wouldn't believe what's been going on here this week. Ethan Rayne is here!"

"That bastard! Here in Sunnydale?" he replied in what Buffy thought was way-too-forced derision. "What's he doing here?"

"We're not sure, but he's already done one really terrible thing." She put a pained expression on her face and sat down on the steps with Ethan in front of her, his back still to the counter. "Giles, Ethan found out a way to deactivate Spike's chip."

"What? That's dreadful! What happened?"

"It's bad. Spike went totally evil again."

"Did you kill him?" he asked hopefully.

Buffy shook her head. "I tried to. I found out about it just last night and when I found Spike he had just killed someone. We fought, but he got away. Now he's really pissed and is looking for revenge. I'm really scared for the gang, Giles. He knows he's no match for me, but I think he's gonna go after all my friends."

And with that, right on cue, Spike grabbed Ethan from behind and pulled him backwards, holding him tightly in a choke hold. "I dunno about the no match for you part, Slayer, but you got the other part right. I'm gonna kill your friends."

Ethan cried out in terror and it was all Buffy could do to keep a straight face. Forcing her expression into one of shock and fear, she jumped up as if startled and let her eyes dart around, pretending to search for a weapon.

"Don't even think about reaching for a stake, Blondie, or the Watcher's finished."

"Let him go, Spike," she said menacingly. "This is between you and me. Leave Giles out of it."

"Don't think so, ducks. A couple years without feeding makes a fella a little hungry. Need a snack before I can take you on."

Ethan whimpered in fright and again Buffy had to bite the inside of her lip to keep from laughing. She wondered if it had occurred to him that Spike wasn't even in vamp face. "You kill him and you're dust."

"I'm dust anyway," Spike shot back. "You were right, I know I can't beat you. But I can bloody well take down at least one of your friends before you stake me."

"Buffy, do something!" Ethan pleaded. Buffy gave him a helpless shrug. Spike gripped Ethan tighter, baring his neck.

"Wait! I'm not Giles!" he cried out. "Kill me and you'll be killing one of her enemies, not her friends!"

Spike paused. "Really now. Do tell."

"It's Ethan Rayne, William. Palawgi gave me Giles' form. We can work *together* for revenge."

"Come now, Rupert, you can do better than that," Spike replied.

"Really, Giles, that was pretty lame," Buffy added.

"You know I wanted the Palawgi ritual. Why else would I want it? And how would Giles know that?"

"Good point," Spike admitted. "Of course you're assuming I care. A meal's a meal. And after too many years of Yank food I'm ready for a good English meal." He made another lunge toward Ethan's neck -- still not in vamp face, Buffy noted -- then stopped just short and looked up at Buffy. "Think he's had enough, love?"

Buffy finally let the laughter bubble out. "Yeah, I think so."

Spike let go of Ethan's neck but still held his arms firmly pinned back behind him. After recovering from the fear, Ethan glared at Buffy. "You bitch," he spat.

Spike shook him. "You watch how you talk to the lady," he threatened.

"And you," Ethan seethed, turning toward Spike. "You got your freedom and you're still playing the Slayer's little pet? You're pathetic."

"Oh yeah, after watching that little display of manliness I'm feeling really pathetic right now," Spike replied dryly.

Buffy walked over to them and put her face up to Ethan's. "You're going back to England and you're not ever going to come to my town or even my country again. You got that? Because I'm getting tired of beating the crap out of you, but I'll do it again if I have to."

"And how exactly do you propose to do this? Going to accompany me to England yourself are you?"

"No, I'm thinking INS will take care of that. There's no way after your stint in Nevada that you're legal here."

"You forget, for two more days I'm Giles."

"I don't think so. Anya!" she called out.

Anya appeared then from the back room, Palawgi trailing behind her. Buffy had the satisfaction of seeing Ethan blanch.

"Well done, Slayer," Palawgi said, his voice back to that bellowy show voice. "Anyanka, you were right. She is indeed entertaining. I am amused by the vampire's deception. Far more diverting than this man's choice."

"Then the prat gets his own face back," Spike said.

"It is done," Palawgi replied. He withdrew a talisman from his robes and waved it in Ethan's direction. A bright light flashed around them, momentary blinding them, and when it faded it the man in Spike's grasp looked like Ethan Rayne once more.

"Spike, why don't you tie up Mr. Rayne down in the basement where he can wait for INS to come by."

"Wait! Where's my book! I want my book back! And my money! I was right! I just got off the phone with the bank and he cleared out the store's account!" Anya cried out.

Ethan glowered at her until Spike shook him. "Answer the lady."

"No, that's okay, we'll just get Willow and Tara to do a truth spell when they get here," Buffy said. "But Spike will have to keep an eye on him while we wait, and you know how Spike gets bored easily, so I really hope he doesn't have to wait too long. I'd hate to think what he'd do to entertain himself."

"S'right," he said happily. "Attention span of a child, that's me. I can think of a few good games to play, though."

"You don't scare me," Ethan growled, but when Buffy cocked her head at him he said "Oh bugger all. Everything's in an abandoned store front down the street. The place where my costume shop used to be."

"I'll be taking back my five hundred dollars too," Spike muttered as he dragged Ethan off toward the basement.

"*Now* can I open up the shop again?" Anya asked plaintively.

"You might want to see your friend off first," Buffy said, nodding in Palawgi's direction.

"Oh yes, of course. Palawgi, it was wonderful seeing you again. Really, don't be such a stranger."

"It was a pleasure, Anyanka. Summon me anytime."

She smiled and walked him back into the training room. "And you'll have to come to the wedding."

Buffy watched, shaking her head. Xander would *freak* at that guy showing up at his wedding, a thought which made Buffy smile. Just when she'd thought their lives couldn't get any stranger.

But now at least the Ethan Rayne problem was solved, leaving only the big one: the monks and Dawn. Still she had no plan of attack, no idea on what to do other than sit and wait for them to go after Dawn again. She couldn't kill them, not unless extremely provoked, but she didn't want to sit around, forever on the defensive. There had to be some way to get rid of them for good without having to kill them outright.

She flopped down in a chair. Of course, Spike had been right the night before. Guys like that who liked to toss around words like "abomination" and "unnatural" weren't likely to *ever* give up. She doubted anything short of a mandate from God himself would deter them. If only it could be as easy as dealing with Ethan had been. Just a simple little deception.

Buffy's eyes widened. Deception! Maybe that *was* the key after all. She chewed her lip a moment, thinking.

"Well that was fun," Anya said coming back into the room. "Now let's open up and get some customers in here."

"Anya," Buffy said, looking up at her. "Do you think Palawgi would help us out again?"

"What? He just left! You want me to call him back?"

"Not right now," Buffy said, "but soon. Would he do it again? A real deception this time, against the monks?"

"Monks?" Anya grinned. "Oh, I think he'd like deceiving monks. He'd find that *very* entertaining."

"Good." She stood and grabbed her bag, still sitting on the table where she'd left it when she'd first come in. "Xander's coming by my house when he finishes work to fix the window in Dawn's room. I want everyone to meet me there tonight after sundown. Tell Spike, too. Oh, and can you take care of Ethan?"

"Why not, I only have a store to run," Anya grumbled. "What about my book and my money?"

"Spike can get your stuff back from his old shop once it gets dark."

"And what are you going to do while I'm taking care of everything else?"

"I've gotta pick up Dawn from school and then I've gotta make a phone call."

NEXT

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