FF: Rewrite, part 6 - B/S, W/T

["carrkjar" <carrkjar@xxxxxxxxx>]

Sleeping With the Enemy
Season 6 Reset, part 5

Author: Frau Hunter Ash 

Copyright © 2002 by Hunter Ash. All Rights Reserved.
Email: carrkjar@xxxxxxxxx Feedback welcome!!
Homepage Addy: http://www.hunterash.com/ 

Acknowledgments: Note: Plot collaborated on by Hunter Ash and Dark 
Gremlin 
Suggestions from many people and many boards. A special "thank you" 
to them. 
Another special "Thank You" to Joan the English Chick 
(pisces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx) for her transcripts.  

Bargaining, Parts 1 and 2 written by Marti Noxon and David Fury
Afterlife written by Jane Espenson

Disclaimers: The characters and show all belong to Joss Whedon, Fox, 
Mutant Enemy, Kuzui, and God only knows who else. No harm intended.

F/F romance: the story assumes a loving and sexual relationship 
between people of the same gender and opposite gender. If this 
offends or is illegal for you, then please leave. Come back when you 
are older, have an open mind, moved, or changed your laws. 

Spoilers: In my universe here, Season 6 is happening again! Starting 
with Bargaining and taking off from there. Things will be different 
here.  

Rating: Pairings: W/T, X/An, B/S

Summary: Buffy is back but unfocused mentally and ends up looking 
for feelings with Spike. Giles and Willow are at odds over her use 
of magic and someone from the past has some answers.

* * *

Buffy moaned as she raised her head from the pillow. It felt like 
her body had been through a gauntlet and her head hurt the worst.

"Now I remember why I never drink," she muttered.

"You're the one that kept going back to the tequila," Spike 
complained next to her. "You couldn't get enough of me or it."

"Oh my God," Buffy whimpered, sitting up rapidly on the bed and 
looking at her bruised and naked body. "I didn't&we didn't!"

Spike turned over and laughed.

"I'm not sure what we didn't do, pet," he grinned. "I think we 
pretty much covered it at least once last night."

Buffy looked around for her clothes, her expression almost panicked.

"This isn't happening," she muttered. "This is a nightmare!"

"You didn't think so last night, Slayer," Spike smirked.

"Shut up! Just shut up!" Buffy snapped, grabbing her clothes and 
hurriedly putting them on. "I've been dead for&for a long time, I'm 
back less than two days and I had sex with you? You sure I wasn't 
sent to a new hell?"

Spike continued to smirk and lit a cigarette.  

"Same hell as always, welcome back," the vampire's eyes danced with 
amusement.

"You ever say a word about this and I'll stake you before you finish 
the sentence," Buffy threatened.  

Spike laughed again.  

"You'll be back," the vampire taunted as Buffy looked for her shoes.

"Last night was the end of this freak show," Buffy snapped. "I may 
have been out of it mentally but I seem to be thinking a little 
better today and you are so not what I want."

"That's not what you were saying last night," Spike countered. "In 
fact, you were begging for it."

"I remember you hovering around all the time, sniffing after me like 
a puppy dog," Buffy said brutally.

Spike, moving with the speed of a vampire, was out of bed and had 
Buffy in his arms, kissing her.  

Buffy moaned and then shoved Spike back onto the bed.

"I have&I have to get out of here," Buffy muttered.

"You get to stay here," Spike growled. "Sun's up, I'm stuck here."

Buffy frowned, looking down at Spike's naked body and hesitated. The 
vampire stood up slowly and pulled Buffy to him, hard. The Slayer 
hesitated and then kissed him back passionately. Spike grinned and 
tossed Buffy down on the bed, covering her from behind, his hands 
moving to remove her clothing.

"God, I always knew the only thing better than killing a Slayer would 
be f-&"

"What?" Buffy demanding, ramming her elbow into the vampire's nose, 
knocking him off her. An angry Slayer stood over Spike as he held 
his nose. "Is that what this is about? Doing a Slayer?"

Spike, still holding his nose, continued to smirk. "I wouldn't throw 
stones, pet. You seem to be quite the groupie yourself."

Buffy wiped her mouth with the back of her hands, looking disgusted.

"Shut up," she snapped.

"Just pointing out that vampires get you hot," he continued.

"A vampire got me hot," Buffy growled. "One vampire and he's gone!"

Buffy grabbed her shoes from under the bed and headed for the ladder.

"You're just&" Buffy hesitated, revulsion on her face. "You were 
just convenient."

"What?" Spike demanded, angrily grabbing up his trousers. "You think 
you can go back to treating me like dirt until the next time you feel 
an itch? Well, forget it!"

Buffy started climbing the ladder, ignoring the vampire.

"Last night changed things! I'm done being your whipping boy!" Spike 
growled.

Buffy stopped and looked down at the angered vampire.

"It changed nothing between us. It was a mistake," Buffy said firmly 
and went to the upper crypt with Spike quickly following.

"Bollocks!" Spike shouted. "It was a bloody revelation! You can act 
as high and mighty as you like but I know where you live! I've tasted 
it and you!"

"Get a grip," Buffy smirked, keeping her distance from the vampire.

"I may be dirt, Slayer, but you roll in it. You never had it as good 
as me," Spike insisted and growled when Buffy laughed at him.

"You wish, one night with Parker was better than you," Buffy snapped 
and walked out the crypt, leaving the door open to the sunlight.

* * *

Tara woke up to find Willow awake and sitting on the sofa in the 
living room. The blonde witch walked up slowly to her lover with a 
sigh. Tara knew that Willow had slept restlessly again the night 
before and so slept very little.  

"Hey, baby," Tara said softly, sitting next to the red-haired witch.

"Hey," Willow said, her voice flat and without emotion.

"Where's everyone?" Tara asked.

"Dawn has gone to school and Buffy never came home," Willow answered 
calmly.

"What?" Tara demanded, her eyes widening.

"Yeah, never made it back," Willow nodded. "Giles called, that's 
probably what woke you up. He's been up all night and has worked 
himself into a rant and I'm his target."

"Will, you do not have to see him today!" Tara urged. "We've all 
been through a lot in the last couple of days. He can wait to lecture 
us."

"Not us," Willow corrected. "Me, I'm the one he's going to yell at."

"That's not fair," Tara declared. "We all did this and it worked! 
Why does he want to yell?"

"I guess because I thought of it, researched it, pushed you guys into 
it and I'm the boss," Willow shrugged. "He's coming over. I figure 
he'll yell at me for trying such a high level of magicks and we'll be 
mad at each other for a couple of days and that'll be it."

"No, that's not it!" Tara grumbled but the doorbell interrupted any 
further protest. She stood up and looked down at her lover before 
storming to the door.

* * *

Once out of the cemetery, Buffy's confidence evaporated and she 
rushed into an alley where she spent several minutes throwing up 
behind a dumpster. She ran a shaky hand over her lips and tried to 
compose herself before heading home. 

Sunnydale had recovered somewhat and life was moving back into its 
normal routine around the Slayer she observed as she walked slowly 
towards home. Businesses were boarded up in places but people were 
moving towards work and school and most of the wrecked cars had been 
removed.

Buffy frowned as she passed the Magic Box, not really expecting to 
find it open but wondering if Giles was in the back. She hesitated, 
debating whether to go around back and pound on the door. Buffy 
wasn't sure if she wanted to see Giles, especially before taking a 
shower and trying to wipe Spike's memory away, but she had always 
turned to the ex-Watcher in the past.  

The Slayer turned and continued towards home. Buffy was doing a good 
job at mentally beating herself up and tried to steel herself against 
the obvious questions she would be facing. Willow, Tara and Dawn 
would demand to know where she had been all night and why she hadn't 
called them. They had a right to be worried, Buffy knew. She hadn't 
been acting normally and disappearing overnight when she hadn't even 
been back from the grave for two nights, was out of character and had 
probably been hard on her friends and Dawn.

Buffy sighed and opened the door to the house softly, wondering if 
anyone was home and if she could get a shower before they saw her.  
Buffy frowned when she heard Giles' voice from the kitchen, it was 
loud and angry.

"Damnit, Willow!" he shouted. "I'm saying you had no right to exclude 
me from that decision!"

"Yes, we did!" Willow shouted back. "You would never have agreed to 
it!"

"You're a stupid girl!" Giles snapped, stopping Buffy at the base of 
the stairs, stunned. Did he actually yell that at Willow?

"Hey!" Tara's voice protested.

"What? Giles?" Willow's voice was hurt and small sounding.

Buffy moved to glance around the corner and saw Giles standing by the 
sink with a cup of tea in his hands. Tara and Willow on the other 
side of the bar, looking at him with a mixture of shock and anger.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Giles demanded from 
Willow. "The forces you've harnessed, the lines you've crossed? I 
thought I could trust you."

"Are you saying you don't trust me?" Willow whispered as Tara wrapped 
an arm around her shoulder, glaring at Giles.

"Think what you've done to Buffy," Giles insisted, the intensity 
almost frightening to the Slayer.

"We brought her back!" Willow protested.

"You brought her back!" Giles corrected. "I know the others were 
merely following your directions and at an incredible risk!"

"Risk? Of what? Making her deader?" the witch snapped.

"Of killing us all," Giles said loudly. "Unleashing hell on Earth, I 
mean, shall I go on?"

"No!" Willow snapped, jumping to her feet. "Giles, I did what I had 
to do. I did what nobody else could do."

"Oh, there are others in this world who can do what you did. You just 
don't want to meet them," he said bitterly, turning his back to the 
two witches.

"No," Willow agreed, stammering. "Probably not, but ... well, 
they're the bad guys. I'm not a bad guy. I brought Buffy back into 
this world, a-and maybe the word you should be looking for 
is "congratulations.""

"Having Buffy back in the world makes me feel ... indescribably 
wonderful," Giles admitted, turning around again. "But I wouldn't 
congratulate you if you jumped off a cliff and happened to survive."

"That's not what I did, Giles," Willow protested.

"You were lucky," Giles snarled.

"You weren't even there!" Willow countered. "Where were you, Giles? 
You thought we were patrolling, where were you?"

"Willow, don't, please," Tara begged softly.

Buffy could see the muscles in Giles' jaw twitching from restrained 
anger and felt very sick again.

"What are you implying, young lady?" Giles growled.

"Where were you? Helping us slay the bad guys?" Willow shouted, 
unable to stop her anger. "Or were you wrapped around a bottle 
again?"

"If I had been, I'd have bloody well stopped you!" Giles shouted 
back. "The magicks you channeled are more ferocious and primal than 
anything you can hope to understand, and you are lucky to be alive, 
you rank, arrogant amateur! You never should have tried that! Even 
Buffy isn't worth that!"

"Stop it!" Tara shouted before Willow could reply. "This isn't 
helping anyone! Will, you're bleeding again."

Willow felt her nose and muttered a curse as Tara grabbed a paper 
towel.

Buffy frowned, watching her mentor and best friends glaring at each 
other.

Because of her.

Willow had risked damnation and possibly opening a rift in the 
dimensions and destroying the world, for her.

Giles was right, she wasn't worth it. Buffy turned towards the 
stairs again.

* * *

Dawn yawned, trying to pay attention to her math teacher but the 
teenager was bored. Between Willow, Tara, Xander and Giles, Dawn was 
more than an adequate student. Having Spike and Anya around also made 
history interesting and gave her some unique insights that weren't 
covered in her books. The teenager knew that she had this part of 
algebra down and was having trouble concentrating.

Dawn had been hoping to see Buffy before heading off to school, 
seriously hoping that her older sister was better and happy to be 
home.  

Dawn frowned and blinked.  

"Buffy?" she whispered.

Several students around her dropped books, pencils or almost fell out 
of their chairs when Dawn leaped to her feet and rushed through the 
narrow row of desks to the door. 

"Dawn Summers!" the teacher yelled but Dawn ignored him, dashing 
through the hall towards the main doors.

"Buffy!" she muttered, slamming through the doors, heading towards 
home.

* * *

Buffy sat on the edge of the tub in the master bathroom looking at 
the pale skin of her wrists curiously. In her hand was a brand new 
single-edged razor.

"If you do this, it'll kill Willow and Dawn," a voice said calmly.

Buffy squeaked and was on her feet with Slayer reflexes, the razor 
now held defensively. There was no one in the locked bathroom with 
her. The Slayer slowly unlocked the door and looked in the bedroom 
that was now Willow and Tara's.

The blonde frowned, finding no one there.

"Buffy, if you do this, the guilt will kill Willow and the loss will 
devastate Dawn."

Buffy spun and dropped the razor and blinked rapidly at the woman 
talking to her.

"Am I dead?" she asked softly after several moments.

"No, I am but you aren't anymore," the figure answered calmly.

"Momma?" 

Joyce held out her arms to her daughter and Buffy rushed into them.

* * *

Giles, Willow and Tara had finally stopped snapping at each other and 
began rationally discussing Buffy's return and the possible 
consequences to the Slayer.

Willow was tired, sick and feeling irritable until Tara suggested 
making everyone breakfast.

"That'd be good," Willow nodded. "Food equals energy of which I have 
none."

"Do you think you can eat, baby?" Tara asked as Giles frowned, almost 
as if he was seeing just how frazzled and exhausted the young witch 
looked.

"I'd like to try," Willow said softly.

"What in the world?" Giles snapped as the front door slammed open.

"Buffy!" Dawn screamed and ran up the stairs.

Tara dashed out of the kitchen with Giles and Willow behind her.

"Dawn! What's going on?" Tara demanded, barely catching sight of the 
teen.

"Buffy! Something's wrong!" Dawn screamed and began pounding on Tara 
and Willow's door.

"In our room?" Tara asked.

"The door's locked!" Dawn snapped.

"Buffy, are you in there?" Tara asked, knocking on the door.

"I didn't hear her come in," Willow muttered, looking confused and 
concerned.

"Well, we were yelling at each other for awhile," Giles pointed out.

"Buffy!" Dawn yelled, pounding on the door.

"Ladies?" Giles asked and Willow looked to Tara and Dawn, they both 
nodded.

"Do it, Giles," Willow said firmly and the ex-Watcher stepped back as 
Tara and Dawn stood aside. One kick and the door crashed open.

"Oh my God," Giles muttered and grabbed the doorframe for support.

* * *

Dawn pushed past Giles and stopped as well, stunned for a moment.

"Momma?" she whispered, trying to accept the sight of Joyce and Buffy 
sitting on Tara and Willow's bed, Joyce holding a crying Buffy.

"It's me, Dawnie," Joyce said calmly, holding out her hand.

"Momma!" Dawn cried and rushed to get in on the hug, clinging to 
Joyce tightly.

Joyce Summers looked up at Giles and the two witches and smiled as 
her daughters cried.

"Come on in, guys," Joyce urged. "My time is short and there's a lot 
to explain."

"Mom?" Buffy asked, raising her head.

"I've been given a chance to explain some things to you," Joyce 
said. "All of you but I don't have long."

"Joyce?" Giles asked softly.

"I'm physical for right now, Rupert," Joyce smiled sadly. 

"Did we&?" Willow asked quietly.

"No, Willow," Joyce shook her head. "The Powers That Be have allowed 
me to return for a short time to stop Buffy from messing things up 
again."

"Buffy?" Tara frowned.

"I&" Buffy hesitated, dropping her eyes, unable to look at any of 
them.

"Buffy accepted that her death was at its appropriate time and she 
was at peace," Joyce explained. "She thought coming back was a 
mistake and was in shock. Buffy thought it would be better if she 
wasn't here anymore."

"What do you mean, Joyce?" Giles asked, noticing Buffy wouldn't meet 
their eyes.

"She was gonna kill herself after everything that's happened?" Dawn 
demanded and Buffy leaned into her mother's arms.

"Buffy thought it was the only way to fix things," Joyce said 
softly. "She always had problems dealing with heavy emotions, you 
know that."

"She tried running away again," Willow muttered, suddenly 
understanding. "Back to the peaceful place."

"Yes, exactly," Joyce nodded, keeping her arm tight around 
Buffy. "What none of you knew, not even Buffy, was that it wasn't 
her time. She wasn't meant to die by closing that portal."

"What?" Buffy asked, sitting up and looking at her mother, or rather, 
her mother's ghost.

"The Fates had determined that it was Dawn's time but you took her 
place," Joyce explained. "For which, I am so incredibly proud of 
both of you!"

"I knew I was supposed to die," Dawn muttered.

"I'm glad you didn't," Joyce said firmly. "Because of this, Buffy 
was allowed to stay in a peaceful and comforting place until the 
Powers That Be tormented Willow enough to find that spell and bring 
Buffy back."

"What? The nightmares? They were sent to me?" Willow whispered.

"Yes," Joyce nodded. "I wasn't happy with that choice, they nearly 
drove you to suicide and sometimes they forget about fragile human 
emotions. Once they put that spell in your path, they knew your love 
for Buffy wouldn't let you rest until you did it."

"Willow was supposed to do that spell?" Giles demanded, his voice and 
face full of doubt. "The power, the risks she took and dragged the 
others into, that was intended by the Higher Powers?"

"Yes, Rupert," Joyce said with a smile for the red-haired witch. "If 
she hadn't they would have driven her insane and then worked on Tara 
and then Dawn."

"They were that determined to have Buffy back alive?" Giles 
demanded. "Why didn't they just zap her back here then?"

"You know they have their rules and games," Joyce shook her head. "It 
had to be someone that loved Buffy and would sacrifice everything for 
her. Willow was willing to sacrifice her life, her soul to bring 
Buffy back. It was a test for Willow as well."

"I did good?" Willow asked, hopefully.

"You did wonderfully, Willow," Joyce nodded. "Not that you should 
try repeating that, young lady! You need to be careful in the future, 
you'll be tempted now. You've tasted incredible power and don't have 
Tara's spiritual base to ground you or Giles' experiences. Trust 
them and listen to them."

"Okay," Willow said shyly.

"Giles, she is incredibly talented, stop fearing it and teach her how 
to control and use it properly. You aren't Ethan Rayne, you can help 
her avoid the traps Ethan led you into," Joyce said firmly.

"Momma?" Buffy asked softly. "I can't go back?"

"No, Buff," Joyce said gently. "That was kind of a holding place.  
You've earned an even better place, Buffy. Trust me, that was a cat 
nap compared to where you're headed if you keep going."

"Mom, since I was supposed to die, does that mean the Powers That Be 
want me?" Dawn asked, her voice a little fearful.

"No, they aren't that strict in their plans," Joyce smiled. "You 
have a new destiny and you and Buffy have to work together. That's 
why you sensed she was in trouble."

"What else can you tell us, Joyce?" Giles asked as the spirit looked 
around the room and glanced at the clock with a worried expression.

"The world needs a Slayer and Faith is in prison and therefore 
useless," Joyce said. "Sunnydale in particular needs Buffy. 
Something is coming soon that will require all of you to work 
together. Buffy is the Slayer, Dawn will become a good fighter one 
day, Willow has the natural magic talent and Tara is her balance.  
Xander is the heart, the spirit of the group, his undying love and 
trust in all of you is like a light. Anya is his focus and the 
natural critic and counter voice of the group. Giles, you are always 
the intelligence and maturity that they sometimes lack. We know that 
you've thought of leaving, thinking that it's time they grew up 
without relying on you. That isn't the way nor your path."

Giles frowned.

"They need guidance during this transition time," Joyce continued, 
standing up slowly, her eyes becoming glazed. "They need you as a 
friend, not as a teacher any longer. Time to adapt, Giles."

Buffy and Dawn stood up, their eyes wide with surprise, awe and a 
slight bit of fear.

"Mom?"

"I've got to go for now," Joyce said, pulling both Dawn and Buffy 
into her arms again. "I'll be back around but it won't be physical 
and no one but the Scooby Gang can see me."

"You'll be back?" Dawn asked hopefully.

"Yes, consider me your contact with those Powers types," Joyce smiled 
and stepped away from the bed. "Just remember, I love you all and I 
am proud of you. I am especially proud of my daughters."

Buffy wrapped her arms around Dawn as Joyce disappeared and both 
began crying again.

Tara placed an arm around a shocked Willow and gently led her lover 
around to the other side of the bed and made the hacker sit.

"I suggest Buffy and Willow get some sleep," she said softly. "We 
need to call Dawn's school and think of something."

"I agree," Giles said softly, watching Buffy and Dawn crying, his 
Slayer exhausted as well by the looks of her.

"No, I'm okay," Buffy protested.

"You've been out fighting all night," Giles countered. "Your clothes 
are a wreck, you haven't slept since you've been back and you need 
the rest. Willow is just as bad off."

Buffy glanced over, noting Willow's dazed expression, dark circles 
and gaunt look and nodded, not wanting to correct his assumption 
about what she had been doing all night.

"You two crash in here," Tara insisted. "I'm going to fix something 
to eat for the rest of us while you two sleep for a few hours."

"I love you, Tar," Willow said softly, lying down on the bed with a 
heavy sigh.

"I love you, Willow," Tara whispered, kissing her gently.

"You going to be okay, kid?" Buffy asked Dawn.

"Yeah, now that you're okay," Dawn said with a small smile. "You are 
okay, right?"

"Yeah, I think I will be now. I mean, yeah, you know, sleeping's 
hard, but ... just because of the whole waking up in a box thing. So 
maybe waking up's the problem. You know, but just for a second. I 
sleep okay. Great even. Except, you know, for the dreams ... God, I 
am tired. I'll be okay."

Dawn pulled Buffy over to the bed and smiled as the Slayer laid down 
next to Willow, curling around Tara's pillow.  

Both young women were sound asleep before Tara even reached the door.

The blonde witch watched her mate and friend sleeping for a moment 
and made several gestures with her hands.

"Seal this space and room, from danger keep all from doom. Demon, 
vampire and werewolf barred be, so as I wish, so mote it be!" she 
whispered and shut the door.

* * *