11. Didn't See That One Coming

Disclaimer: Don't own em, just break em.

Summary: They're all there. Will it be a warm, fuzzy reunion?

Reviews: Yes please. Love the warm fuzzies brought on by reviews. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!

A/N: Gonna work on 'The Demon Within' next. 'Her Last One' is complete; I'll post a new chapter every couple of days. Response to that one has been encouraging. It's an unusual fic, please check it out and let me know what you think. It won second place in the Marsters-Mobsters Fall FanFic contest.

As always, kudos to WayWard Childe for his invaluable assistance.

The next few minutes passed as if in slow motion. Spike's head twisted around until he was staring directly into Dawn's tear-filled eyes. His body followed until he was completely facing the people who'd traveled so far to get to this point. He shoved his hands defensively into his jacket pockets and pulled the black leather protectively around his torso, longing desperately for the familiar comfort of his duster. Anya's hand clutched his arm as tension flowed through her slender body. He could see the Scoobies scrambling to get up from the confines of the booth and wished he and Anya had taken their chances on staying in. Fatalistically, he'd known he'd have to see them but had wanted more time. Time to get over his rage at being back, time to decipher what was happening between himself and the blonde ex-demon who'd taken him into her home and time to formulate a plan to stop his misguided Sire from destroying what he, Spike, had sacrificed everything to save.

"Niblet." The nickname he hadn't used in so long slipped out in a mere wisp of sound. The heartbreak in the whisper sent a shaft of sympathy through Anya and Dan.

"Spike! Oh God, Spike! Spikespikespikespike." Dawn chanted as she shoved on Lorne to get out of the booth and run to her vampire/brother. The hard feelings she'd had before the final battle had long since gone away and the regret she'd had over threatening to set him afire burned anew in her heart. Tears blurred her vision as she fought to get free.

Xander stood up, his eye fixed on his ex-fiancée. "Anya?" The disbelief was evident. He hadn't kept in touch with her after he'd left her in the suspicious hands of Angel's doctors. He'd regretted the way they'd parted in the ten months since he'd last seen her. He'd moved on with other girls including the one he'd just taken a vacation with but Anya still owned a small piece of his heart. He stumbled as Willow shoved him away from the end of the booth. The witch clung to her life-long friend as she stared at Spike. Andrew made a move as if he were going to run across the bar and jump on the statue-still vampire. Xander caught the younger man by the back of his belt, halting his headlong sprint.

Giles finally managed to extract himself from the confines of the booth and leaned against the table, cleaning his glasses. He blinked unmanly tears from his eyes as he concentrated on removing every speck of nonexistent dirt from the immaculate lenses. "Dear Lord. Oh my God. I didn't believe it, but... Oh Dear Lord." Tumbled from the elder Watcher's mouth.

Buffy slipped off the bench and stopped, her wide green eyes fixed on the man who'd died for the world. She'd stopped thinking of Spike as just a vampire not long after he'd returned with a soul. A tiny frown marred her smooth brow as she noticed how tightly Anya had a hand wrapped around Spike's arm. Relief flooded her tiny form as she realized that they were together. Maybe this wouldn't be as emotionally messy as she'd feared.

Gunn, Wesley, Fred and Lorne exited the booth as fast as they could move to avoid being trampled by the hysterical teenager battering at them. Dawn burst from the group like she'd been shot out from a cannon, her long hair flying behind her like a banner. Tears streamed down her face as she kept up her chant of "Spikespikespikespike." She almost flew across the floor and skidded to a stop in front of the man she'd given up on ever seeing again.

All movement in the bar slowed to a stop as the teenager and the vampire faced each other. Spike's sapphire eyes hungrily roamed over Dawn's tear streaked face.

Dan tensed in anticipation of trouble from the strangers who'd come to find Spike. He slipped up behind Anya and tentatively put a hand on her shoulder blade, letting her know he was there if they needed him. He watched Spike's face for an indication that he didn't want to talk to them and was stunned to see the love radiating from the man's pale features as the girl stood there staring as if seeing an apparition.

Spike pulled a violently shaking hand out of his pocket. He raised it half-way to Dawn's face but let it drop. He closed his eyes and turned his face slightly away. A harsh sob broke from the girl's throat at the apparent rejection. The sound brought his head snapping back and his eyes flew open. He pulled his other hand out of his pocket but kept his hands dangling down along his sides. He clenched them into tight fists to stop the shaking.

Dawn covered her mouth as her sobbing increased in intensity. She wrapped her free arm around her own waist and bent slightly forward as she cried.

"Dawn." Spike groaned. "Stop, Luv. Please. You're gonna make yourself sick." Tears of his own slid silently down his lean face as he watched her weep. His words broke the near spell-like atmosphere surrounding them and Dawn launched herself at the shocked vampire. She buried her face into his neck as he caught her instinctively and hugged her tightly as if he'd never let her go again.

The hug seemed to be the indicator that it was all right to approach their recovered friend. Slowly, the original Scoobies shuffled forward until they were within speaking distance. Xander walked cautiously around to stand in front of Anya. She wrapped her arms defensively around her waist as she gazed up at him. Dan stepped a little closer as he felt his friend tense.

"Anya, you look good. How have you been?" Xander smiled. "So, you and Spike, huh? Gotta say, didn't see that one coming."

Anya sighed in relief. "I'm great, thank you." She glanced at Spike. "Well, we're taking it slow for now. He's got something he has to do."

Cindy began urging the gawking local customers toward the exit, hoping to give the emotional group a little privacy. She knew the gossip mills would be churning with the story of the dramatic reunion. Spike had already been fodder for the gossips with his blond good looks and sexy accent.

Dawn eased away and wiped her face with her hand. Spike pulled her around to snuggle her into his side. Giles extended his hand. "Welcome back, it's good to see you." The Watcher said quietly.

Spike stared at the hand as if it were a hissing snake. "I'd say it's good to be back but I'd be lying." He said acidly.

Giles snatched his hand back sharply. "I'm sorry. I don't know what to tell you."

"Don't bother. It's done." Spike glared over at Xander still standing in front of Anya. "Harris. You had your shot. Back off."

Xander grinned, not offended at all. "Spike, snarky as ever, good to know some things never change. I was just telling Anya that I didn't see you and her getting together but if she's happy, then it's all good."

Spike's face reflected his surprise before he smoothed his features into an implacable mask. He merely nodded at the brunet before turning his attention toward Buffy and Willow, who were standing off to the side, arms entwined, huge eyes trained on the surly vampire.

Cindy ushered the last customer out the front door and locked it. She breathed a sigh of relief as she did so. "Ok. Why don't you all take a seat and I'll get you each a drink." She motioned toward the bartender. "Jay! Another set up for the big table. Spike, Honey, what do you want to drink? Beer? Or something stronger?"

Spike sent her a grateful glance. "Double Jack Daniels, please, Kitten."

Cindy nodded. "Anya? Do you want a coke?"

Anya nodded with a wan smile.

Spike moved slowly over to a small table near the large booth. Dawn clung to his side like a limpet. He glanced down at her, amusement in his deep blue eyes. "Does this mean you don't hate me anymore?" He asked softly.

"I love you. I'm so sorry about the way things were between us at the end. If I'd known you wouldn't make it out..." She choked up and bit her lip.

"Ah, Bit. You were right to hate me. Just know that I love you and I'll never stop." He gazed down at her soberly. The glint of gold caught his eye. He hooked a finger under the fine links and pulled the pendant out. Dawn flushed guiltily as he quirked his scarred eyebrow.

"I'm sorry. It was in your stuff and after Willow did the soul search and told us where you were, I needed something to hold on to. Something I could have with me all the time and..." The teenager dropped her gaze in embarrassment.

"Niblet. It's all right. I was going to give it to you for Christmas but..." He shrugged. "It was my mother's. I carried it with me everywhere for more than a century. I was just waiting for you to get old enough to appreciate and take care of it before I gave it to you."

She looked up at him with a brilliant smile on her pretty face. "Thank you."

He winked. "You're welcome." His face sobered as Cindy placed their drinks on the table. They sat down, Anya taking the chair on the other side of Spike. He sent her a warm glance as she scooted closer to him.

"Are you all right, Luv?" He asked gently.

Anya nodded. "I'm fine. Xander surprised me, that's all."

"Me, too." Spike admitted.

Almost everyone resumed their seats around the big booth. Giles remained standing. He cleared his throat but before he could say anything, Andrew's babbling grew louder interrupting the elder Watcher's train of thought.

"It's him. It's really him! My therapist thought I was holding onto false hope, but... I knew he'd come back." The boy looked up from where he'd been twisting his fingers together in agitation and gazed at the vampire mistily. "You're like... you're like Gandalf the White, resurrected from the pit of the Balrog, more beautiful than ever."

Spike frowned viciously. "Somebody shut him up!" He snarled.

Xander turned toward Andrew. "If you don't want him to take off and we never see him again, I suggest you shut the Hell up!" He hissed.

Giles continued to furiously wipe at his glasses. Some members of the group began to fear for the lenses. "Yes, Andrew. It would be wise for you to keep quiet for the time being. If you can't restrain yourself, you will have to return to the motel."

Andrew stopped bouncing in his seat and subsided but continued to mutter to himself while he sent adoring glances in the direction of the blond vampire he hero-worshiped.

Spike glared at him for another second before transferring his attention to the unusually fidgety Giles. "Watcher, you won't have anything left of those glasses in a minute."

"Yes, quite." Abashed, Giles returned his glasses to his face. "Well, Spike. We... ah... we know where you were while you were... um... gone. And I want to tell you that we're not sure why you were brought back but we feel... that... the action was reprehensible."

"I know who did it and why." Spike snarled.

Wesley blinked given the scarce knowledge that Lorne had uncovered, it was surprising that Spike was so well informed. "Really? Can you tell us?" He leaned forward eagerly.

Spike scowled at the younger Brit. "Who the Bloody Hell are you?"

Wes smiled slightly. "I'm Wesley Wyndam-Pryce." He indicated his companions. "This is Gunn, Fred and Lorne. We work with Angel..."

Spike surged up from his chair startling everyone in the room. "What the fucking Hell are you doing here?" He roared. "Why aren't you with that bloody tosser stopping him?"

"Stop him from doing what?" Fred asked softly.

Spike ignored her. He stared at Giles again. "Remember Acathla?" The quiet question chilled the Sunnydale survivors with the exception of Andrew, who seemed to be lost in some sort of 'Spike fugue'.

"What's that got to do with what's happening now?" Buffy asked.

"Everything." Spike spat without further elaboration.

Lorne drained the last of his Sea Breeze – and wasn't he thrilled to find a bartender who could make a decent one outside of LA – and smiled placatingly at the irate vampire. "Now, Cupcake, why don't you tell us what it is Angelkins needs to be stopped from doing."

Spike's blue eyes flared with golden sparks. He growled. "My name is Spike."

"Of course it is, Sweetness." Lorne blithely ignored the enraged blond.

Suddenly, Gunn noticed how close Spike was to completely losing it. "Lorne, man, let the guy tell us in his own time. You're seriously pissing him off."

Spike clasped his hands on top of his head almost as if he were trying to keep it from exploding. He turned his back to the table and inhaled deeply, trying to maintain some sort of composure. He didn't want to reveal his demonic side to Cindy and Dan. Pacing back and forth, he tried to calm down. They didn't know that Angel was trying to do. What did they do for Angel that they weren't informed of his plans? How can they not know?

Abruptly it was all too much for the blond vampire. He began to laugh. The sheer range of emotions he'd gone through since getting up, on top of the nightmare that had disturbed his sleep just became too much. He bent forward at the waist and howled with laughter for several minutes. Standing straight again, he faced the humans who'd said they worked with Angel.

"How can you not know?" He snickered. "How in sodding, bloody, fucking Hell can you not know?" He moved back to his table and picked up his drink. He gasped as he tried to stop laughing long enough to swallow some of it. Shaking his head from the burn of the alcohol, he turned back to the stunned onlookers. Their expressions set him off again, an edge of hysteria entering the sound.

Giles wound up his nerve and placed a tentative hand on Spike's shoulder. "Spike, tell us what you're talking about. What is it they should know?"

With a jerk, Spike turned to face the Watcher. He waved his arm toward the booth full of silent people. "They work with him, Rupert. They're supposed to know."

Wesley had Gunn let him out of the booth. He stood next to Giles in front of the upset vampire, his arms folded across his chest in a no-nonsense stance. "Spike. What are you talking about?"

Spike turned away from the two men and scooped his glass up from the table, downing the last of the drink. He noticed that Dawn's tears had begun again. He smiled sadly at her and whirled around to face the others once more.

"Peaches, the great Poof, my misguided Sire, Angel is going to piss off the Senior Partners. He can't win. I was pulled back to this place to stop him." He turned and threw the empty glass across the room, where it shattered on the wall.

Cindy gasped in shock at the suddenly violent turn of events. Dan started toward Spike but the server pulled him back with a shake of her head.

Spike sobered abruptly. He stared at Giles and Wesley with cold blue eyes. "You know where I was." He stated.

"No, Spike. I don't know where you were. Why don't you tell us what you're talking about?" Wes challenged.

Rage radiated from the blond, his unnecessary breathing grew ragged as he attempted to control the shaking that had taken over his lean body. "I was in Heaven and because you can't control that stupid sod, I was dragged out and dumped back here in Hell." Spike yelled. Silence reigned in the bar. "Don't you listen? I've been telling you. He's gonna take on the biggest of evils and destroy what I died to protect!"