It's Not Where You Start Out (5/17)
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."

----------

5.

Dawn walked down the street bristling with nervous energy. This was *it.* Her last day as the stupid supernatural Key thingy. She was scared, a little bit, but she was excited more than anything. It wouldn't change everything in her life, she knew. She'd still be the Slayer's sister. She'd still have a twenty-one-year-old for a substitute mom and a dad who cared so little for them he couldn't be bothered to show up for his ex-wife's and daughter's funerals. She'd still have Witches and a vampire and an ex-demon for friends. But *she* would be normal. A real, regular, honest-to-god *person.*

She was still furious with Buffy for not getting that. I mean, she knew her sister had reasons to be protective, but these were *monks* they were talking about. They were the good guys! Fortunately for Dawn, Buffy's negativity was irrelevant. Brother Ondrih had given her the name of a church, St. Cyril's of the Ascension, and told her that if she ever wished to see him, she need only go there. Thank god she hadn't blown it by telling Buffy about *that!*

She'd gone to Lisa's first after storming out of the house, partly because she needed to talk to *someone* who would be on her side and partly because she knew her smothering sister would probably call Lisa's mom to make sure Dawn really was there. Lisa, as Dawn expected, had been excited for her. A little worried, too, but Dawn had dealt with scarier stuff than a kindly monk. She'd been attacked by vampires and demons, knights bent on destroying the Key and finally an actual god. This should be a cake walk after all that. That didn't stop her from being nervous, however. so she'd hung with Lisa a little while, getting her nerve up, and they'd looked up the church on the internet and found it on the other side of town, near the mansion Angel used to live in, of all places. Figures it would be far away, since she'd be walking there. Then she'd snuck out Lisa's bedroom window so that her mom wouldn't see her leave and call Buffy, and begun her long walk across town.

Finally she saw the church. It was a large and very elaborate stone building, completely the opposite of the small brick church Lisa's family attended. It sat on a hill at the edge of town and had an almost gothic look and as she got closer she saw that was because it had been neglected for some time. The grounds were overgrown with weeds and the stained glass windows in the front looked grungy and covered with years of dust. Even in the late afternoon sun the place looked a bit spooky. She shuddered, glad that she'd gotten there before nightfall or she might have lost her nerve.

Carefully she made her way down the overgrown walk toward what appeared to be the massive wood front door. She pushed it and was almost surprised when it opened easily. She stepped inside and was momentarily blinded by the relative darkness inside. After her eyes adjusted, she looked around. She was in a large sanctuary, very ornate and elaborately decorated, and lit by hundreds of candles. Unlike the unkempt exterior, the inside of the church looked immaculate. Rich wood pews were inset into a marble floor and massive stone statues lined the walls. The place smelled faintly of oilsoap and incense.

"Hello?" Dawn called out nervously, her voice echoing strangely in the large sanctuary. "Brother Ondrih? It's Dawn Summers."

She began walking down the aisle toward the alter and the huge wooden crucifix there. The alter table before it covered in an elaborate white cloth embroidered with gold and covered in lace.

"May I help you?"

"Oh!" Dawn jumped as a man in a brown robe stepped suddenly into her path. He was tall and a little younger than Brother Ondrih.

"Hi," Dawn replied when she'd regained her composure. "I'm looking for Brother Ondrih. I'm Dawn Summers."

The man's eyes lit up. "Yes, yes of course, Miss Summers. We didn't expect you so soon. My name is Brother Viktor. I'm so delighted to meet you."

Dawn smiled. He had the same soft accent as Brother Ondrih. "Is Brother Ondrih here?"

"Yes, he is here, please, follow me."

She followed him through a side door and down a dark hallway and into what appeared to be a living area. It was sparsely furnished in stark contrast to the ornate decorations of the sanctuary.

"Please wait here," Brother Viktor said, pointing her to a wood chair. "I will send for Brother Ondrih."

Dawn sat on the chair and drummed her fingers nervously. Fortunately, she didn't have long to wait. Brother Viktor returned with Brother Ondrih almost immediately.

"Miss Summers!" the older monk exclaimed, breaking into a warm smile. "It is so good to see you again." He looked around, as if expecting someone else. "You are alone? You did not bring your sister?"

Dawn frowned, rising to greet him. "That's okay, isn't it? She-- she decided not to come."

Brother Ondrih looked worried. "It seems unlikely that the Slayer would take so little interest in her charge. Did you tell her about my proposal or are you here on your own?"

"I told her," Dawn sighed, "but she's so uptight. She wouldn't even listen! But you can still do it, right? You don't need her, do you?"

"I certainly don't wish to do this without her permission," Brother Ondrih replied. "She is your guardian and your protector."

"OVER-protector is more like it," Dawn protested. "Please, Brother Ondrih, do the spell tonight. I don't want to wait for Buffy to get over herself."

"I am not comfortable with this. I do not wish to do something against your sister's wishes."

"What about MY wishes? This is MY life, not Buffy's!"

"Does she know you're here?" Brother Ondrih asked.

Dawn's shoulders slumped. "No. I snuck out, okay? She thinks I'm at my friend's house."

Brother Ondrih and Brother Viktor exchanged looks, then Brother Ondrih turned to her and smiled. "Very well. I do not like it, but it is important that we do this. The Key must be returned to its rightful state."

Dawn smiled, elated. "Oh, thank you!" she cried. "You won't be sorry!"

"No," Brother Ondrih agreed, "I don't think I will be."

----------

Buffy clutched the phone, trying to stay calm. "Please try and get Lisa to tell you where she went," she said to Mrs. Johnson, forcing her voice to sound composed. "I'll be right over." She hung up and looked up at her friends, all of whom looked ready for action.

"I'll drive you over," Xander offered before Buffy could say a word.

"Thanks," she replied, and then Slayer Mode kicked in. "Will, I need you and Tara to get together some spells. That one you pulled on the vampire the other night, that work on humans?"

"It should," Willow confirmed. "I have to go back to the dorm and pick up my stuff."

"Fine, we'll pick you and Tara up there after we find out where she went. Anya, I need you to go to my house," she said, tossing Anya her keys. "Get together a whole slew of weapons. Crossbows especially. We'll pick you up after we talk to Lisa, too."

"Got it," Anya confirmed.

"And me?" Spike asked.

Buffy glanced out the window. "It's not dark yet. When it's dark, go back to my place in case Dawn comes home after all."

"Like hell!" Spike shouted indignantly. "I'm going with you! I'm not sitting around like someone's sodding grandmum while some blighter tries to turn Dawn into a blob of mystical energy!"

"Spike, these guys are human. You can't do anything."

"The bleeding Knights of Stupidity were humans too and I went with you then," he pointed out.

"I so don't have time for this!" Buffy shouted back, losing her patience. "You can't help this time, Spike. Please, go to my house in case Dawn shows up and explain what we found out if she does. *That's* how you can help!"

Spike glared at her, his eyes cold and hard. Finally he gave her a tight, humorless smile. "Fine. On your merry way then."

Great, now she had Spike pissed off. Well, now wasn't the time to babysit his ego, she had to get to Dawn before she could go to the monks and they could do their spell. "Okay, let's go."

The group exited the shop quickly and went their separate ways: Xander and Buffy out back to his car, Anya towards Buffy's house, and Willow and Tara towards the UC Sunnydale campus.

"We'll find her," Xander told her as they got into his car.

"I know," Buffy replied. "We have to."

----------

Spike waited until the others were gone before he picked up the nearest object he could find -- the spell book Willow had brought down from the loft -- and hurled it against the wall.

"BLOODY HELL!" he screamed, then kicked a chair for good measure. Who the hell did she think she was, treating him like a sodding child! It was one thing to make jokes about his inability to hurt humans like that stupid "kitteny" taunt the night before. It was quite another to send him away when Dawn was in trouble. He was her protector, dammit! And Buffy expected him to sit here and do bugger all?

It was the chip. The bleeding, sodding piece of technology in his brain. She really *did* think of him as some sort of neutered lap dog. Attack on command, sure, but now it's "sit" and "stay." Well sod that!

Almost unconsciously he reached into his pocket, his fingers touching the folds in the parchment there. He thought only a moment, then came to a decision. Quickly he went behind the counter to the computer Anya had there for inventory. Spike was not exactly a computer wizard -- vampires had little use for the things -- but Anya had taught him the inventory system so that he could find specific volumes or subjects if necessary. Calling up the reference screen, he typed in "Palawgi." Several titles came up, reference or history books most of them, but near the bottom of the list Spike saw a citation for a spell book. It was listed under DARK MAGIC and would be in the loft upstairs where Giles had put the books customers were not allowed access to. Smiling, he pulled the piece of parchment out of his pocket and turned it over, not to where the incomplete spell was written, but to the phone number jotted on the back. He picked up the phone and dialed.

"I've reconsidered your offer," he said when a man's voice answered in a lilting English accent. "I've found the Palawgi spell. How soon can I meet you?"

----------

"I don't know where she went."

Buffy let her breath in frustration as Lisa denied for like the hundredth time having any idea where Dawn had gone. She was lying, Buffy was sure of it. Her parents were sure of it, too, and were pretty angry.

"Listen young lady," Mr. Johnson yelled at her, "I've had about enough of this. You tell Buffy where her sister went or you're gonna be grounded until well after graduation. *College* graduation," he added.

Lisa just eyed him coolly, resolute. This was getting them nowhere. She had to make Lisa understand the gravity of the situation, but her parents' presence was interfering. She went over to them and said somewhat conspiratorially, "Can Xander and I talk with Lisa alone for a minute? Maybe since we're not really parent-types she'll confide in us if you're not here."

Mr. Johnson was clearly too angry to care, but Mrs. Johnson saw wisdom in that approach. "We'll be downstairs," she said, dragging her husband from the room.

Xander shut the door behind them and Buffy sat down on the bed beside Lisa. "I know you think you're helping her," Buffy said. "I know how bad she wants to not be the Key, but those monks, they *lied* to her, Lisa. It's not possible for them to take the Key out of Dawn and still have Dawn left. She *is* the Key."

"You're just being paranoid," Lisa retorted.

"No, I'm not. Listen, Lisa, the Key is living energy. It can be turned into life, human life, but then it *becomes* that life. It can't then be removed without destroying that life. Think about it. If you turned a prince into a frog but wanted the prince back, what would happen to the frog?"

Lisa thought about this a second, then her eyes widened in horror. "Oh god, Buffy, I'm sorry, I didn't--"

"Don't be sorry, just tell me where she went."

"To a church. St. Cyril something. Over on the west side of town."

"I think I know the place. Big gothic-looking church, over near Angel's old mansion."

"Figures," Xander muttered.

"Thank you, Lisa," Buffy said, then she and Xander left the room at a jog. They knew where to go, but they still had to get there in time.

----------

The monks led Dawn to a large, empty room with a wooden floor, where they met a third monk, a heavy-set man that Brother Ondrih introduced as Brother Josef. There was a circle on the floor, ringed with candles and amulets and things that looked like they were straight out of the Magic Box. Incense was burning in censors around the room, giving off a  sweet, smoky aroma.

"We didn't expect you tonight," Brother Ondrih apologized, "so we need a moment longer to prepare."

Dawn nodded, trying not to show her nervousness. It was one thing to be excited about the *idea* of the Key being removed from her. It was another to actually *be* here. She'd seen Willow and Tara do some spells, but she'd never actually had one *done* on her. Although that was pretty stupid since she was *created* by a spell. She swallowed.

"You are afraid?" Brother Ondrih asked.

"No," Dawn replied quickly. "A little nervous, maybe."

"Do not be afraid. It is a painless spell. Soon all will be as it was."

Dawn frowned. "Not really as it *was.* As I *remember* it being," she corrected. "I know my memories are false. I never existed apart from the Key."

He smiled at her. "Of course, that is what I meant."

Dawn's nervousness upped a notch. Had she been rash? Maybe she should have talked to Willow and Tara first. Surely if they had talked to Brother Ondrih and the spell was okay Buffy would've let her do it. Then they could have all been here with her. Maybe she should back out and come back with Buffy. I mean, what was the hurry? Buffy would understand *eventually.* She'd make her understand.

"We are ready," Brother Viktor said, and before Dawn could voice her indecision, Brother Ondrih was guiding her gently toward the center of the circle.

"Sit here," he instructed. Wordlessly, Dawn did as she was told and sat cross-legged on the floor.

The three monks sat on the edge of the circle around her. "We are going to begin chanting," Brother Ondrih explained. "You will feel the energy of the Key welling up in you and a peace wash over you. When we are finished, the Key will be restored to it's natural state."

"And I'll be a regular person?"

Brother Ondrih smiled again. "You will be as God intended."

Dawn frowned again. What did that mean? Her stomach twisted nervously and she made a decision. "Brother Ondrih, I changed my--"

She was cut off as the three monks began chanting in unison. She felt a warm radiance inside her, which cut off her words and paralyzed her. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak, and panic began to fill her. //No, no, no, I changed my mind, I don't want to do this, I changed my mind.//

The monks chanted louder and the warmth Dawn felt started to burn. She tried to scream, but nothing came out and she realized she could no longer breathe. She felt like someone had lit a fire in her heart and it was burning her to ashes from the inside out. A deafening roar rose in the room and she could no longer hear, and then the world around her began to disappear in an eerie glow.

----------

It was dark by the time they left Lisa's house, and Xander broke every speed limit and maybe even a few laws of physics picking up the others then racing to the other side of town towards St. Cyril's. When they arrived, the five of them bounded out of the car, Buffy scooping up the bag of weapons Anya had collected and doling them out. She and Xander each took a crossbow, Anya got a hefty ax, while Willow and Tara armed themselves only with satchels of powder they'd prepared for the spell Buffy had requested. Buffy then hoisted the bag with the remaining ax and swords over her shoulder and together the five of them entered the large sanctuary.

"They're not here," Anya observed as they looked around the candle-lit interior.

"They're here somewhere," Buffy replied. "Let's split up. Will, you come with me; Xander, take Anya and Tara. If you find them and they're not doing the ritual or hurting her, come get the rest of us. If they are doing the ritual, do whatever you can to stop it and yell for us like crazy."

Xander nodded and they split up, Buffy and Willow heading toward a side door near the alter while Xander and the others went through a door just the main entrance. They'd barely taken a dozen steps, however, when Buffy suddenly felt foggy, as if she couldn't quite concentrate.

//Why am I here?// She looked around, a little confused. Willow caught her eyes, obviously equally confused.

"Buffy?"

Buffy shook her head, trying to clear it. They were in a church, she had a crossbow, obviously she was here for *something,* something important, too. It nagged at the back of her mind. Why couldn't she remember? Frowning, she shook her head more violently, trying to clear it. In a flash, it came to her: //We're here for my sister!// she reminded herself.

Sister? She didn't have--

//YES! YES I DO!//

Buffy's eyes widened in horror. "Oh god! They're doing the ritual and it's messing with our memories, too! Willow, we're here for Dawn! Remember Dawn!"

Willow frowned, then shook her head like Buffy and she had it. Her face turned ashen. "I forgot! For a second--"

"XANDER!" Buffy called back and Xander reappeared at the door he'd just went through. Obviously he and the others had stopped, confused as well.

"They're screwing with our memories. We have to stop it NOW!" He didn't reply, still looking a little lost. "We're looking for monks performing a ritual. We have to stop it. No matter what you forget, don't forget that! Stop the ritual!"

Xander nodded, if not remembering at least accepting her instructions. Buffy grabbed Willow's arm and took off at a dead run down the aisle and through the door at the end. It led to a darkened hallway. She paused, unsure where to go, her mind fuzzy as the reason she was even here kept fading in and out. //We're here to stop the ritual, doesn't matter what  ritual, stop the ritual.// she intoned to herself. Then she saw a faint unnatural glow coming from the other end of the hall and sounds of chanting filtered to her.

"XANDER!" she cried out loudly, no longer caring if the monks heard her coming. If she startled them into stopping, so much the better. "WE FOUND IT!"

She took off again, Willow at her heels. When they rounded the corner they saw a large wooden door with an eerie light seeping out through the cracks. It was noisy, too; she heard loud chanting and a sound like a windstorm. Buffy no longer had any idea why it was so important to stop whatever ritual was going on inside, but she knew she *had* to stop it. She hurled herself against the door, but it was locked. Throwing aside her crossbow, she grabbed a hatchet from the sack she was carrying and swung it at the door. She hacked at the door with all her strength, finally breaking through just as Xander, Tara, and Anya skidded around the corner.

Buffy fell into a large room suffused with a peculiar, unnatural light. Three monks were seated in a circle in the far corner, chanting and oblivious to their presence. In the middle of the circle sat a girl, her back toward Buffy. She was sitting up rigidly, as if caught in a medieval torture device, and it was clear she was in pain. And the odd glow seemed to actually be *coming* from her.

"Willow!" Buffy called out, her voice almost drowned out by the chanting and the roaring wind-like noise. She scrambled to her feet, tossing aside her ax and sweeping up her crossbow once more.

Willow nodded and dipped her hand into her satchel. She withdrew a handful of powder that glinted in the light cast by the girl, then tossed it at the monk nearest the door. "Petrificus!" she shouted.

The monk jerked back, then froze. Out of the corner of her eye Buffy saw Tara do the same thing to a second monk. Both paralyzed monks stopped chanting and in an instant the roaring noise stopped and the glow faded away. The girl in the circle sagged suddenly and took in a rasping breath of air and then Buffy remembered. //DAWN!//

As soon as the room returned to normal, the third monk's eyes snapped open. Buffy hefted her crossbow and pointed it directly at him.

"You want your Key back? You'll have to go through me."

Dawn whirled around at Buffy's voice. She tried to say something, but was too short of breath. Sparing only a brief eye flicker away from the monk, Buffy took in the rest of the room. Xander had already taken up position to her right, crossbow also aimed at the unparalyzed monk, and Willow and Tara stood at the ready with their satchels. Anya was  standing near Xander brandishing her ax.

"Anya, make sure Dawn is all right," Buffy instructed and Anya lowered the ax and moved quickly into the circle, kneeling by Dawn's side.

"You okay Dawn?" Anya asked. Dawn merely nodded, still unable to speak.

Buffy turned her full attention back to the remaining monk who was staring at her impassively. "Which one of you is Brother Andre?"

"Brother Ondrih," the monk corrected. He spoke with an accent. "I am he. And you are the Slayer." It wasn't a question.

"Hey, give the man prize," Buffy quipped.

"You fight the forces of darkness. I am not your enemy," he said calmly.

"Really? 'Cause I'm thinking anyone who wants to take my sister apart and steal my memories of her pretty much qualifies as 'enemy.'" Buffy heard Dawn gasp, but she kept her eyes focused on Brother Ondrih.

He merely smiled. "You do not understand."

"I understand perfectly," Buffy disagreed. "Now explain it to Dawn. Tell her what this spell of yours does."

Brother Ondrih remained silent.

"You've got two pretty pissed off people pointing crossbows at your chest," Xander put in. "If I were you I'd be a little more cooperative."

"The Slayer does not kill humans," the monk insisted calmly.

"No, but a crossbow in the arm would sure hurt like hell," Buffy said icily.

He looked at her and shook his head sadly.

"Tell Dawn what this spell does."

"It sets things right. It turns the Key to its natural state and the world to its natural order."

"Which means?" Buffy prompted.

"Which means that this *creature,*" his eyes flicked to Dawn, "this abomination before God will cease to exist."

"You lied to me!" Dawn cried, having regained her voice. "You said I could be a normal person!"

"My dear child," Brother Ondrih laughed humorlessly, "it is impossible for you to be a 'normal person.' Only God can create life. What my brethren did in creating you was a heresy, an overturning of the natural order. You are an affront to God."

"You know, been there done that with the Knights of Byzantium," Buffy derided. "Can we have some fresh material here?"

"The Knights of Byzantium!" Brother Ondrih scoffed. "They were fools. They thought the Key *itself* was evil. They sought its destruction. We *protect* the Key. It is a tool, a powerful one that can be used in God's service."

"Blah blah blah," Buffy cut in. "From where I sit one dogmatic extremist is pretty much like any other. Only the deity changes."

"You are a heretic and a fool. Do you not understand that *you* are a tool as well, no different than the Key? Yet you choose the profane above your sacred duty. We protect the Key as God willed, you protect what God has not willed."

"I protect a living breathing human being! A complete innocent who did not ask to be conjured up by *your* order."

"My brethren meant well," Brother Ondrih replied apologetically, "but they were apostates. They overturned what God had ordained and sent a sister to one whom He never meant to have a sister."

"How she got here is irrelevant! She's here now and she doesn't deserve this!"

"She is an abomination."

"You use that word one more time and you're gonna sprout a few extra holes," Buffy said menacingly.

"It is the truth. We seek to return your life to you, do you not understand this? My misguided brothers gave you false memories, false affection, false connections. They violated you and those you love. Surely you realize this."

Buffy could see that Dawn was crying now, stricken by words that confirmed her deepest fears about herself. It was all Buffy could do to control her rage. "You're wrong. The memories may be false, but the connection and the love, that's real. Maybe they had no business doing what they did, but it's done. Dawn is a human, an innocent human, and we love her. *You* will not violate us by taking her from us, from our *memories.*" A fresh wave of rage washed over her. "I *died* to protect her, and you want me to *forget* what was so important to me that I would choose that? That's the true abomination."

"We all love her," Willow chimed in, stepping forward.

"That's right," Xander agreed readily. Tara also stepped forward and Anya squeezed Dawn's shoulder.

Brother Ondrih took all this in. "Clearly the ritual my brethren performed has already worked much evil--"

"Okay, I've heard enough," Buffy cut him off. "Here's the deal. Dawn stays with us. You go home. You live."

"You will not kill a human," Brother Ondrih reminded her.

"I already have killed humans who were trying to murder innocent people. I'll do it again if I have to." She looked down at Dawn and Anya. "Come on, let's get out of here."

They stood up and moved behind Buffy, who started slowly backing away towards the door. Xander, Willow, and Tara followed suit.

"And my brothers?"

"The spell will wear off in an hour or so," Willow replied.

Buffy lingered, keeping her crossbow aimed at Brother Ondrih while her friends left the room.

"This is not the end, Sister Slayer," he said softly. "We will not be deterred from our mission. The Key must be returned and the False One destroyed."

Buffy regarded him coolly. "Like I said, you want your Key, you'll have to come through me." Then turning, she followed her friends out, not dropping her crossbow until they were outside the church gathered around Xander's car. She went to her sister, who was shaky and crying, and swept her into her arms.

----------

Spike knocked on the door to room 321 at one of Sunnydale's seedier motels. The door opened a crack, the chain still across, and Spike saw Ethan Rayne's face peer through the crack. The door closed again and he could hear the chain scraping as Rayne pulled it out. Spike almost laughed. As if a little chain would stop any of the types in Rayne's circle of enemies. Bloody wanker.

The door opened completely and Rayne stepped back. Spike stopped at the doorway.

"Are you waiting for an invitation?" Rayne asked, then realized. "Oh. Right then. Come in, William."

Spike stepped into the room which, impossibly, was even seedier on the inside. "Name's Spike, mate."

"Yes, yes of course, Spike," Rayne muttered. "Do come in. I trust you have the necessary payment?"

Spike reached into his coat and produced a wad of bills. "Five hundred dollars."

"Ah, very good. You don't mind if I count it?"

Spike shrugged and handed him the money, which Rayne rifled through quickly.

"And the other item?"

The vampire reached again into his coat, this time pulling out a sheet of paper that looked as if it had been torn out of an old book. It was covered in flowing script and looked to be hundreds of years old. He held it out to Rayne, who reached for it eagerly. At the last second, Spike snatched it back again.

"Uh-uh-uh," he scolded lightly. "First you do my spell, then you get your spell."

Rayne scowled. "How do I know you'll keep your end of the bargain once I do the spell and you're de-chipped?"

Spike smiled widely. "What, you don't trust me, mate?"

"I should think not."

"Don't trust you either."

"Well then, we're in a bit of a predicament."

"Seems we'll both have to take a leap of faith." Spike gave him an ironic grin and put his right hand over his dead heart. "I promise I won't kill you once I get the chip out. And you'll get this," he indicated the paper in his left hand with a nod of his head, "when I've been mojo'd back to my old self. And," he added, putting the paper back in his pocket, "if something goes wrong and I end up a pile of dust, this spell is dusted with me."

"Point well taken," Rayne conceded. "Agreed. But first I must at least look at the spell, verify it is the one I'm seeking."

Spike retrieved the parchment from his pocket and held it out for Rayne's inspection, but wouldn't let go of the paper. The human read it quickly, smiling.

"Yes, yes, that looks like it. That will do." Spike put the paper back in his pocket and Rayne ushered him over to the sagging bed. "Have a seat. I have a little preparation to do, but it shouldn't take long."

Spike went over to the bed and watched carefully as Rayne carefully measured out ingredients for the spell. Most of it matched exactly with what he had told him earlier, with a few additions.

"Ah, taro root and some -- what is that, rat's blood?"

"Mongoose blood. Much more exotic," Rayne corrected.

"So that's what you left off."

"That and a few other things."

"You'd better do this right," Spike warned.

"Not to worry."

Spike grimaced, wondering if he'd made a huge mistake. It was one thing to find a spell himself, one he knew for sure worked. It was another to trust his fate to someone like this prat, someone who had a grudge against Giles and anyone connected with him. Then again, that was probably working in his favor. As the fellow himself had said, the idea of a fully functional vampire living in Giles' shop basement would have to appeal to him. And it's not like he had any choice. He didn't have time to waste if he wanted to be able to protect --

Protect? Protect whom? He frowned, trying to remember. It was like something nagging at the back of his mind. Buffy? That didn't seem right.

He shrugged it off when Rayne finally finished and brought the concoction over to him. It smelled awful. "Here, drink this."

Spike looked at him like he'd grown a third eye. "Surely you jest."

Suddenly he broke into a wide grin. "Yes, I do, actually." Spike felt the incredible urge to give the man a good thrashing, but he resisted. "No, no, you don't have to drink it. I do have to smear it on you, though."

Spike wrinkled his nose in disgust but allowed him to smear the stuff onto his face, ears, and the back of his neck. "My my, awfully sensitive for a bloke who drinks blood," Rayne muttered. When he was finished, he pulled back.

"Right then. You sit there. I'll make a circle around you with more of the potion, and then do a brief incantation and there you have it. No more chip buggering up your brain."

"Just get on with it," Spike growled, losing patience.

Rayne quickly marked out a circle on the bed spread around Spike, who absently wondered what housekeeping would make of the mess. Although considering this dive there might not actually *be* any housekeeping. When the circle was complete, Rayne stood before the bed, closed his eyes, and began mumbling. Latin, Spike guessed. Why was every other
spell in bleeding Latin?

As the man prattled on, Spike began to notice a faint tingling in the part of his head where the familiar jolt of pain would occur whenever he struck out at a human. The tingling grew stronger, more electric, but wasn't actually painful. And then abruptly, it stopped.

Rayne's eyes popped open. "Done."

Spike eyed him skeptically. "Just like that?"

"Just like that. You now have a piece of completely useless and harmless plastic in your head. I'll be taking my summoning spell now."

"Well now, mate," Spike said. "First I have to make sure you kept up your end of the bargain." Then without further warning he leapt up from the bed and coldcocked Rayne.

The human yelped in surprise and pain, staggering backward under the blow and falling to the floor. Spike, however, didn't feel a thing. No pain. Not even a tingle. He smiled.

"That'll do." Then he reached into his pocket, retrieved the summoning spell, and let the paper flutter down onto Rayne's sprawled form.

Spike left the sleazy motel room and headed out into the cool Southern California night feeling absolutely exhilarated. He was *free.*

First he had to go clean up, get the horrid-smelling stuff off his face and neck. Then it was time to work off a little tension. Time to find something to kill.

NEXT

FanFic Home