Spike smiled as he tossed the pint of Grape Ice triumphantly into the air, and caught it. Then a few drops of water hit him on the head, telling him the rain was finally coming, and he tucked his treasure into his coat. Dawn had told him once that it was her favorite flavor of sherbet, but they never seemed to make it anymore. So Spike visited an old man who ran an ice cream parlor, and the man had assured him he was familiar with the flavour, and could make it. It would be a nice surprise for the Nibblet, who’d just gotten back her report card with all “A”’s and “B”’s, no small feat for a Slayer-in-waiting.

Cerberus was enjoying the night air and the chance to stretch his legs. He’d spent all day hunched over a pile of books. Spike was pleased with how well the dog was progressing, but felt offering the dog a “treat” for a job well done would insult the dog’s intelligence. Yet the vampman wouldn’t hesitate to give a treat to the human girl. The irony was not lost on the canine. But he wouldn’t beg; he wasn’t some ordinary dog, after all.

The sweet night air the vampdog had been filtering through his nose suddenly turned sour. He felt Spike tense and knew his friend smelled it too. Fear was a rancid smell just as it was; add cheap beer, cigarettes, and Poachen demons to it, and it was downright disgusting. He never understood why Spike seemed to enjoy the smell of beer and cigarettes, although he suspected it was the "Pavlov’s Dog" scenario (he’d just read about it that morning), where a subject could be trained to react a certain way to stimulus via repetition and expectation. Those smells could almost always be associated with a fight, and there was little Spike liked more. Through their bond, Cerberus found himself salivating in anticipation that was not even his own.

They followed their noses down a sidestreet, where they found a couple of teenage girls being harassed by a handful of half-drunk monsters. Grinning with his game-face, Spike plopped the pint down on a trash can lid. The sound drew the attention of one of the thugs. The sight of a vampire wasn't frightening to the Poachen, but it did manage to elicit another scream from one of the girls they had surrounded.

To fend off the vamps, the demons had to let their prey go. Spike didn't notice at first, his attention on the Paochen, but only the screamer had fled. Her hands free, the other pulled something from out of her pocket. She touched the object to the back of one Poachen's neck, and he dropped to the ground with a scream. She came up behind the last one and did the same. As it dropped to the ground, Spike's fist flew over its head, and connected with her eye.

Spike fell to the ground in pain as his chip kicked in. Cerberus was rocked by the wave of agony that swept over him via the bond he shared with the bleach-blond vamp. While they were down, the girl touched the object to Spike's neck. It was a tazer.

Spike had never felt such pain before from the chip. Electricity like white-hot needles stabbed through his brain and down his spine. He felt like someone was holding a lit cigarette to his brain. Then the darkness came over him, and her felt nothing. Cerberus felt everything Spike did, and was out cold too.

The girl put the tazer back in her pocket and reached into another one. She pulled out a wooden stake this time. A wild light gleamed in her eye and her teeth glinted in her dark smile. She was about to plunge the stake home when she was startled by a siren. In a moment, flashing blue lit up the alley. All the light revealed was a man and his dog, lying still among puddles of a strange green goo, puddles that were being quickly washed away by the sudden downpour. The girl had gone the way of her hurried companion.

Dawn raced to answer the doorbell. “Did you forget your keys again? Can’t you just pick the lock?” she told the figure behind the door as she opened it. Then she saw whom it actually was, and, for once, was struck dumb.

“Pick the lock? Good heavens, what HAS your Watcher been teaching you?”

“GILES!” Dawn let out an excited squeal as she gave the man a bear hug. Giles had left for England a week or so ago. She hadn’t expected to see him again so soon. He returned her hug and ruffled her hair, making her giggle.

Buffy came running when she heard her sister shout Giles’ name. Dawn let him go, only so he could be crushed in another bear hug by the Slayer.

“Buffy—“ he rasped.

“Oh! Sorry!” She let him go, brushing the hair out of her eyes sheepishly. “I forget about the Slayer-strength sometimes…”

He laughed. “Quite all right, I’m happy to see you, too.”

“And don’t think I’m NOT happy to see you, Giles, but… what are you doing back?” Did he think she couldn’t take care of herself? Really, just because she’d died twice and had almost no money…

“Well, you’re not going to believe this…” He took of his glasses and started to clean them. Not a good sign. “The, ah, Council has located another Slayer-in-waiting.”

Buffy and her sister blinked in confusion. “And you flew all the way back to tell us?” they asked in unison. If anyone needed proof that Dawn was made from Buffy, all they had to do was watch the two of them together.

“Yes, well, ah… it seems the girl in question is HERE. In the Hellmouth, I mean.”

Dawn wasn’t sure why, but she felt a sudden surge of jealousy, along with a sense of territorialism. Which was stupid, because it wasn’t like she really WANTED to be the Slayer; if she did become the Slayer, that would mean Faith was dead. She didn’t wish anyone dead, no matter what they might be like. So why did she feel like she suddenly had competition? She should be happy—she would probably get to meet this girl, and they could train together! It would be like having another sister!

Buffy seemed shocked. “How is that possible? Two girls in the same place??”

“Well, ah…” She hated when he spoke like this, it was almost never good. “It seems possible that it’s this OTHER girl who is actually the Slayer-in-waiting here.”

“…WHAT?!?” the girls said in unison. Dawn felt like she was in danger of something being taken from her. Buffy was angry that such a mistake, one that put her sister’s life in danger, was made in the first place.

“Well, you have to understand that reading the signs is like reading the Tarot…” Giles began to pace. “It’s all subject to interpretation. The Council knew there was a potential Slayer in the Hellmouth. They thought it was Dawn, but may have been thrown off because she was made from an actual Slayer.” He saw the disappointment in the young girl’s eyes, and it broke his heart. But he also couldn’t help but feel relieved that she wasn’t likely to share the fate of her sister now.

Buffy wanted to believe, and it all made sense, but she wasn’t convinced. “So what makes them so sure it’s this girl?”

“They aren’t ENTIRELY sure, but one of the Council’s psychics had a vision of her slaying a vampire, and we DO know there is SUPPOSED to be a Slayer-in-waiting here… It’s just that apparently the signs are now pointing more specifically, towards the other side of town, where this girl lives.”

“So, is this just a social call, or do you want me to help you track her down?”

Giles smiled sheepishly. “Well, of course I came to see you… but if you’re offering, I would welcome the help.”

Of course she would. This might put an end to Dawn’s dangerous training.

Dawn, for her part, was not happy. She was determined to help them too. She didn’t buy this “mix-up” story. She WAS a Slayer-in-waiting, she was sure of it. She could FEEL it. Maybe there really was ANOTHER one in Sunnydale. Or maybe this was all an elaborate trap. In any case, though, she was going to have to keep her aid a secret—Buffy would never let her help. No, she was going to have to put the “lurking” lessons Spike gave her to good use.

The first thing he noticed was the smell. It seemed to come from everywhere, the stench of rot, decay. The second thing he noticed was that it didn’t seem to bother him. The third was that it was very dark where he was. The fourth, that he seemed to be in a very small, cramped space. The sixth, that he seemed to be naked, and very cold. The seventh, that he didn’t seem to MIND being cold, any more than he minded the smell that should have had him retching.

Only after noticing all those things did he realise he had no idea who he was. Or where.

Was he inside a box? He tried pushing up on what he thought was the lid. Instead of his hands moving up, his body-- or rather, the ground, and his body with it-- moved in the direction his feet were pointing. Light flooded his tiny box, and for a moment, he was blind.

He could hear just fine, though, and his ears told him there was someone out THERE, wherever there was, outside his box. Whoever HE was. Wherever his BOX was.

“Oh my god! Doc! Dr. Lawrence! We got a live one!”

Dr. Lawrence? Was HE Lawrence? Was he a DOCTOR?

“Oh man, I can’t believe this is happening on MY watch…” The voice mumbled.

He jumped (well, as well as one CAN jump when one is lying down) when the ground moved again. Suddenly he was in the open air.

A head popped into view. “Hey, man, the doctor will be here in a minute,” the voice told him, coming from the head above him. He felt a warm hand on his bare arm. He remembered he was naked. That was ALL he remembered. He was mortified at being nude. He tried to ask for his clothes, but when he spoke, no sound came out. He took a deep breath and tried again. “My clothes… please…”

“Oh! Right, you must be freezing!” The head disappeared, but the sound continued.

“Hospital regulations say you should put on a gown, but I don’t have any here. Just the clothes we took off ya, so I guess you can have ‘em back.” The head came back into view, wearing a grin that almost made him jump again. “’Sides, they’re gonna be a lot warmer anyway, not to mention a lot more dignified!”

He blanched at the feel of the strange man’s hands as the fellow helped him up and into his clothes, but something told him it was best to cooperate. He looked about the room as he dressed. It was a morgue. What was he DOING there? WHO was he?

“Poor guy. I hope he didn’t belong to some kid.”

“Nah, didn’t you see that other guy? He wasn’t no family man. Dog was probably an attack dog or somethin’.”

“No way, he’s one o’ those Jack Russels, like that dog my kid likes, whatsisface, Wishbone? Or that one on Frazier?”

“So?”

“So they ain’t attack dogs, stupid! Geez, you think just because a kid dyes his hair and wears leather, he’s a punk!”

“I call ‘em like I see ‘em… Oh, that’s probably Animal Control.”

The crunch of gravel made his ears twitch. His eyes weren’t open yet, but he could see through his lids the change in light. There was a loud sound, something a distant part of his mind told him was a car door slamming. A slapping sound now, footsteps on wet pavement, maybe.

His eyes snapped open when the hands touched him. He leapt to his feet and growled at the stranger.

“Whoa! What the hell?!? I thought you guys said he was DEAD!”

“We… I coulda swore he WAS, man!”

“Look at his face!”

He could feel something was happening to his head, but he didn’t know what. The strange humans seemed frightened by it, and that was all he cared about. The one who’d touched him backed away and headed towards his truck.

“I’ve got some tranqs in here…”

The other men stayed where they were. One of them was holding out a shiny thing to him, and that distant voice in his mind told him that it was not something friendly. It certainly didn’t SMELL like food. The other man was speaking to him in soothing tones. For some reason, one he couldn’t place, he didn’t trust it. He didn’t give them a chance to do anything else, turning tail and running down the alley as fast as his paws would carry him. A loud bang followed him into the darkness, but it didn’t catch him.

The shining knife spun through the air and embedded itself deep into pressboard wall of Shelly’s room. It hit just shy of the circle she’d painted on the wall. Other marks were all around it. She knew, like on a tree, the marks on the outside rings were older hits, while the ones closer to the center circle were newer, showing her progress. There were even quite a few in the small circle itself. She hit it more often than she missed nowadays. But tonight she was a bit off her game.

She didn’t dare take a knife with her outside. She knew it would be too easy for her to be tempted to kill with it. It wasn’t that she objected to killing a human, but that doing so carried a whole truckload of problems, mainly unwanted attention. She couldn’t fight the monsters of the night, human or otherwise, with cops looking over her shoulder.

Instead she contented herself with incapacitating her victims first, double-checking them, questioning them if need be, and THEN killing them. That way she made no mistakes. Except tonight it hadn’t quite worked out. A vampire had gotten away.

And she had to confess that, now that she thought about it, perhaps it was better she DIDN’T kill him. She wasn’t entirely certain, but it seemed the vamp had been HELPING her. That, when he’d punched her, he had actually been aiming for the demon she had been about to hit herself, who’d ducked. She knew the Slayer had some vampire boyfriend, but this one better fit the physical description of a cold killer named Spike. Then again, she’d heard rumors that THAT one had started running with the Slayer too. Was the woman making a business of reforming vampires?

This is exactly why Shelly didn’t kill her victims right off the bat. Better to make sure they were actually guilty, first. She didn’t want an innocent to die like her father had, convicted and given the death sentence for a crime he didn’t commit.

So which was she more upset over, the fact that she’d let a vamp escape, or that she might have almost killed a good guy?

“So, we gonna go out again, or what?” asked her friend Kira.

Shelly laughed. “I dunno, you sure you feel safe enough with me around? You sure bailed on me tonight.”

“Aw, c’mon, Shells! There were too many of ‘em! You shoulda hightailed it too! Don’t go yellin’ at me for having some common sense!”

Shelly shrugged. “Now you sound like my Pop.”

Kira shuddered. “He’s DEAD.”

“Don’t stop ‘im from talkin’ too much.”

“Thanks for coming over on such short notice, guys.”

“Hey, it’s no problem, it’s been a while since we got the chance to hang with Dawnie anyway…”

Anya gave Xander an annoyed look. “No, it hasn’t! We watched her last week so Buffy and Spike could go on patrol! THEY got to see a little action, but have WE lately? NOOOoooo—“

“Hey, it wasn’t THAT kind of action!” Buffy protested. Actually, it would have been nice if they HAD been going out on a date. They STILL hadn’t yet.

“We can do that LATER tonight, Anya.”

“Oh no you don’t, no babysitter shenanigans while the kid’s upstairs sleeping!” Buffy crossed her arms and glared at Xander. He gave her a pained look. “You’re not helping! I meant when we got home!”

Anya looked to Buffy, brow raised. “Hey, yeah! Just how long are you going to be?”

Buffy shrugged. “I dunno. As long as it takes to hunt down a girl we’ve never seen and don’t even know the name of.”

Anya threw her hands in the air. “Great. We’re not only spending the night here, but the next MONTH.”

Buffy simply shrugged and followed Giles out the door.

Xander couldn’t help but notice how Willow and Tara had avoided babysitting duty. He hoped they were having more fun than he was about to.

“Will, I’m telling you, this isn’t a good idea!”

“Honestly, Tara, you’re starting to sound like my mother! Thinks of how much easier it will be to move about the Hellmouth, if I can get this perfected!”

“But portals are DANGEROUS! Look at what happened to you when you did that teleportation spell!”

“That was different, that was moving me WITHOUT a door. I’m making a door first this time, and I’m using a tool to do it. Besides, I’m a lot more powerful now!”

That was what worried Tara. Willow was impossible to dissuade when she had her mind set on something. Problem was, she rarely thought out the consequences of her actions first. Power had turned her from shy, timid, and cautious to brave, reckless, and outright obnoxious. Tara was at a loss as to what to do. She watched helplessly as her lover finished the adjustments on the gauntlet she had fashioned. At least they were out in the middle of nowhere. Hopefully if something went wrong, they would be the only ones hurt by it…

He was dressed by the time the doctor came in. The man looked at him strangely as he walked slowly into the room, and stared at him for long moments. Finally, he spoke to the orderly. “Why don’t you leave us, Frank…”

“But my shift—“

“Janet will be here before long. I don’t think any of our guests are going to be checking out anytime soon. I’ll watch them till she gets here. I’m sure this young man is in a delicate state right now.”

“Uh… O-okay, doc, yer the boss…”

The doctor followed the orderly to the door and closed it behind him. He watched the man for a few moments longer through the window, then turned to face his patient.

“Let’s get a bite to eat, shall we?” He opened the door again and motioned for the would-be corpse to follow.

Dawn didn’t even wait to hear the front door open and close again. If she was going to follow Buffy and Giles, she needed to be out there BEFORE they left, so she could see where they went. She opened her window and lowered the rope ladder she had put together long ago for just such an emergency.

She waited for Buffy and Giles behind the neighbor’s tree. She watched them go down the block a ways, then set off after them. This was going to be tough, staying close enough so that she didn’t lose them, but far enough that Buffy didn’t notice her, and all without a passerby thinking she was up to something. Of course she WAS, but she couldn’t SEEM it.

The white and brown terrier followed the familiar scent. As he went, the scent was joined by MORE familiar smells. He still didn’t know what any of them were, but they made him feel safe. Maybe this way led to food?

He saw a man and woman coming towards him. He almost ran off when the breeze carried their scent to him. It was so familiar… Whoever they were, he didn’t feel they were a danger. He trotted up to them, tail wagging. Perhaps they would feed him.

“Cerberus! Heya, boy!” The woman smiled and knelt beside him, scratched him behind the ear. “Where’s Spike?”

**Is she talking to me? How is it that I’m understanding her?**

Buffy stopped her attentions and stared at the dog. “Huh? Yeah, I’m talking to you! Geez, I’m not THAT bad with the conversation thing, am I?” She stood and looked to Giles.

He took off his glasses and began to clean them.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” She looked down at Cerberus. “So where’s Spike?”

**Who’s Spike?**

Buffy put her hands on her hips and frowned. “All right, what are you two up to?”

It was strange. Cerberus understood the words this human was saying, but he didn’t know what she MEANT. He decided to try something. He concentrated hard. **FOOD.**

“Oh, he’s on a food run? What’s with the big secret?” She smiled. “I know, he’s bringing home a surprise, isn’t he?” She grinned, but the smile fell as fast as it appeared, into a pout. “But now we’re not gonna be home when he brings it back!”

**Forget this…** the dog decided. He was never going to get anything out of her, food or answers. He continued on his way, following the first scent.

Buffy and Giles watched the dog walk back towards the house, brows furrowed in perplexion.

“So, my dear boy, which do you prefer, chocolate or vanilla?” The doctor motioned towards the couple kissing on the park bench.

The patient looked around in confusion. “I-I don’t see an ice cream stand…”

The doctor laughed. “It’s true, then, you’ve gone ‘vegan’, so to speak?”

The patient looked at the doctor like he was Jeckyll gone all Hyde-ee.

The doctor raised a brow. “No, then? Well, I’m glad to hear it! So I’m guessing you having fallen for that girl is just a rumor, too?” He didn’t wait for an answer, but walked over to the couple.

Not knowing what else to do, the patient followed haltingly.

“Good evening!” the doctor said to the couple. They ignored him. He smiled. Then he grabbed the girl’s arm and pulled her from her beau’s embrace.

“Hey!” protested the young man. Then he saw the doctor’s face. He ran screaming.

“Heh, hope you like fast food, Spike, my boy!”

To the patient’s horror, the doctor really HAD turned into a monster. The monster sank it’s fangs into the girl’s neck.

“No!” the patient cried.

The doctor looked at him in perplexion. He dropped the girl to the ground and spread his hands. “Wha-at?”

The patient grabbed the doctor by the shoulders and threw him against the lamp post nearby. He began to pummel at the monster, until it hit him in the chest with a powerful fist, throwing him back.

“So. It IS true, then. I refused to believe the rumors until I saw for myself… But now I know that Lilah was right. My sire HAS fallen to the Slayer, like his grandsire before him.” He brushed off his coat. “You’re lucky Wolfram and Hart has plans for you, or I’d kill you myself, traitor!” And he was gone, fast as a blink.

The patient turned to the fallen girl, and scooped her up in his arms. She was bleeding, and needed a doctor, but after what just happened, he wasn’t about to take her back to where he’d come from. He stood there a long moment.

And that’s when it hit him.

Had he ever known hunger like this? He couldn’t remember. Couldn’t remember who, or what, he was. And in this moment, he didn’t care. He only knew the smell of blood was so strong he could taste it. NEEDED to taste it. Without thinking, he brought the girl’s neck to his lips.

“Cerbie!” Dawn whispered as she spotted her small fried coming towards her.

The dog stopped. This one seemed familiar too.

‘Don’t tell Buffy I’m following her, please!”

**Tell who what?**

Dawn smiled. “I knew you’d be on my side! You can help me trail them!” She went on to tell the compact canine about the new Slayer-in-waiting.

The little dog had no idea what she was talking about. Still, it was something to do. Maybe she would feed him.

He pulled his lips away from the girl’s wounded neck in horror. She was still breathing, he noted with relief. What was he doing?!?

“SPIKE!”

He looked up, into the eyes of a girl so beautiful it took his breath away.

Except that he realised now he hadn’t BEEN breathing. And her eyes were filled with horror. Looking at him. Holding another girl in his arms, one who bled from the neck. And him with blood on his lips.

“No…” Buffy breathed. This couldn’t be happening. Spike didn’t have a soul to lose. He had nothing to change him from good to evil with the flip of a switch.

Oh, wait. He did. Somehow the chip must have been deactivated.

But she had come to believe that it wouldn’t matter if it happened someday, that he loved her enough to not feed. Buffy felt like she’d died again. Spike may as well have just ripped her still-beating heart from her chest. She prayed that she would wake up any second now. Then again, that wouldn’t help, since her nightmares were usually prophetic.

“Oh, Spike…” she breathed. “We never even got a chance…” She should have known better than to believe.

“That’s it! I have it!” Willow smiled at her lover, and squeezed her hand. The light of the swirling portal reflected off her now-black eyes with an eerie light. She moved towards it.

Tara grabbed her arm. “Wait, you don’t know where it goes!”

Willow laughed. “I cast it to open up to the park. The only way to see if it worked is to go through.” And so she plunged through the gate.

There was nothing for Tara to do but follow.

Shelly heard something out in the field by the trailer park. She headed towards the sound, Kira’s unpracticed footfalls making it harder to hear it as she followed behind. Shelly bit back a hiss of irritation and hoped whatever they were trailing wasn’t scared of by the other girl.

She needn’t have worried. They were only a few feet away, yet the twosome in the tall grass seemed oblivious to everything but themselves and the swirling light in front of them. A light within which they suddenly disappeared.

And Shelly followed.

“Uh-oh. That can’t be good!” Kira said to the empty air.

The air a dozen feet or so behind Spike began to shimmer and swirl. After a moment, Willow and Tara stepped out of it. And then came another girl.

“SPIKE!”

Buffy whirled, and found Dawn and Cerberus beside her. “Dawn! What are you doing here?!?”

The girl from the portal took one look at Spike and the victim in his arms and let out a guttural cry. She charged at him, a tazer brandished in her hand. He laid the girl in his arms down and dodged her swing. He ran around her, away from the crowd and towards the light. The girl grabbed him by the coat and hit him with the tazer. He cried out in pain, and backhanded her. She fell like a rock.

And his memory came back.

With a rush, he understood what was going on. The girl with the tazer, he’s met her in the alley. She’d hit him with it. He’d been knocked out and must have been mistaken for dead. They took him to the morgue. That’s where his old friend Lawrence had found him. His progeny. The good doctor had taken him out to feed. And he DID feed. The chip must have been fried by the tazer.

And Buffy had seen him feed.

He should have been happy the chip was deactivated. Nothing could be further from the truth. He’d seen the revulsion in her eyes when she saw him feeding just now, something he’d prayed he’d never see again. How could he face her now? He’d actually give anything to have it working again, if it meant she would believe in him again.

He ran on, through the light. It closed behind him.

Willow and Tara stood gawking while all this was happening. What was going on?!? But when the portal disappeared, they snapped to their senses. Tara ran to the side of the victim. Willow went to check on the girl who’d come through the portal with them. Who was she?

Giles walked over. “I think we’ve found the other Slayer-in-training…”

“The what?”

He explained while they revived the young woman.

“Buffy! Tell me it’s not true, it CAN’T be true!” Dawn held her sister’s arm’ in a death-grip, tears of fear and frustration streaming down her face.

“It is, Dawn. We all knew it could happen someday. Spike’s chip doesn’t work anymore.” She fought to keep her face calm, fought the tremble of her lip and the tears in her eyes. She stared where the portal was long gone, and Spike with it. “And now I have to kill him.”

Lawrence watched everything from the shadows, a grin nearly cutting his face in half. He hadn’t gone far when he’d left Spike, wanting to see what the vamp would do next. It looked like Spike wasn’t so far gone after all. At the very least, the Slayer had it in for him. Maybe this assignment wouldn’t be so hard after all. He still didn’t understand why Spike had attacked him; maybe hunger had driven him mad, and he was demanding first dibs on the food. Well, it was his right, being the sire, after all.

It was funny. Lawrence had always scoffed at Dru’s insistence on fates and spirits and destiny. But surely it was kismet that his sire would appear in the morgue of his own hospital? Wolfram and Hart’s seers must have known Spike would be brought in. And now, because he took him out to feed, Spike’s relationship with the Slayer had been compromised. His job to bring his sire onto the team just got a whole lot easier.