A/N: Okay peeps, here it is at last. I know, I know, it's been freakin' forever, and I am SO sorry! Musie has been so stingy with the inspiration lately. This is dedicated to and a huge THANK YOU to my best bud, angelsblueeyedgirl. This chapter def wouldn't have been written, nor would it be any good without her awesome input. Love ya bunches, jenna!

Recap: When we left our lovers, Buffy had just lost her Slayer's powers when Neville performed the ritual. Now we're gonna watch them deal with the aftermath and how they figure out who done it and how to reverse it. Hope y'all enjoy!

Neville surged to his feet, exultant, as the power raced through him. "Yes!" he shouted, grinning and raising his arms triumphantly. "Nobody can stop me now!" He brought his hands down and flexed them in front of his face, laughing maniacally.

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Angel bent over Buffy's limp form, frantic with fear. "Buffy! What's wrong?" She didn't stir and his heart seized. Was she dead? He laid his head on her chest and was relieved to hear the faint beat of her heart. Sitting back up, he took her by the shoulders and shook her gently. "Buffy! Wake up!" Her head rolled on the pillow and a frown creased her brow and he waited anxiously. Finally her lashes fluttered and she peered up at him.

"Angel?"

"Yeah, baby, I'm here."

"What happened?"

"That's what I was going to ask you."

The frown intensified and her eyes became unfocused as she searched her memory. "I'm not sure…all of a sudden I felt so weak. Like my powers are gone." There were tears in her eyes when they came back to him. "It's like they just drained away."

"Maybe you're just tired. That was a hell of a battle we just went through—"

"No, this is different. I can usually feel the Slayer's strength, like, pulsing in me, but it's just—gone." She sat up suddenly and Angel made a move to stop her.

"Maybe you should rest—"

Glaring at him, she swung her legs over the side of the bed. "I'm not sick. I just need to—whoah," she said, sinking back as a wave of dizziness swept over her. Angel caught her and eased her back down on the pillow. "Maybe I'll just lay here for a minute, wait for the room to stop spinning."

Angel watched her closely, deeply concerned. He remembered another time he had seen her like this, weak and so strange. That time she had been poisoned. He sensed this was different somehow. He straightened as a startling thought came to him.

"The ritual."

"What?"

"Nicolai's ritual was supposed to take your powers."

Buffy frowned, struggling to keep up with his logic. "But we killed Nicolai and we have the book."

"I know, but don't you think it's strange that you've suddenly lost your Slayer strength almost right after we won the battle?"

"You think someone made a copy of the ritual?" She was feeling a little stronger but lay still, hoping her Slayer strength would return. A part of her feared it never would.

"It's the only thing that makes sense. We need to find Giles. Maybe he can do some research, find a way to reverse it."

"Right. Research. When in doubt, research." She lay still thinking for a moment while Angel wondered where Giles might be staying. "Angel?" softly, hesitantly. His eyes focused on her. "Wh-what if we can't get them back?"

He leaned down to kiss her gently. "We will, don't worry."

His eyes were steady and her confidence was bolstered by his calm assurance. There may have been a time she would have been glad to be shed of her powers, but she'd gotten used to them. Living without her Slayer powers just didn't bear thinking of.

Both stiffened at a sudden sharp knock at the door. "Who knows about this place?" Angel whispered.

"Nobody but you and Spike."

Another knock sounded as Angel got up to see who it was. He hesitated with his hand on the doorknob. "Who is it?"

"It's Faith. Open up!"

Shooting a surprised look at Buffy, Angel unlocked the door. Faith slipped in as soon as he opened the door.

"Are you okay?" she asked Buffy without preamble.

Buffy rose to one elbow. "What are you doing here?"

"I was on my way to the airport when this weird feeling came over me, like I knew something was wrong with you. Your powers are gone, aren't they?"

Buffy and Angel exchanged a look of surprise. "How did you know?" Buffy asked.

Faith shrugged. "Dunno. Like I said, it was just a feeling, like I felt your powers drain away."

Angel sat down on the edge of the bed. "Maybe there's some kind of mystical connection between you two. I mean, there's never been two Slayers at the same time before. Could be that created a special bond. Have you ever experienced anything like it before?"

"I've always felt connected to B," Faith said thoughtfully. "Like, I dunno, I could sense stuff."

Buffy was studying Faith intently. "I've felt it too. It's hard to describe, but it's kinda creepy."

"Well, whatever it is, I'm glad you're here," Angel said. "I need you to find Giles."

"Giles? How the hell would I know where he is? For all I know he's on a plane headed for the States."

"Please, Faith, you have to try. Somebody performed Nicolai's ritual and took Buffy's powers. We need him to figure out how to help Buffy. I'd go myself, but I don't want to leave her and I don't think it would be safe for her out on the streets."

Buffy straightened and made a sound of protest, but they were ignoring her.

Faith sighed. "Fine. Where should I look?"

Just then there was another knock. "Not much of a hideout. More traffic here than downtown L.A.," Angel grumbled. "Who is it?"

"Spike, lemme in."

Angel rolled his eyes, but he opened the door in spite of his misgivings.

"What are you doing here?" Angel asked grumpily.

"Saw Faith headed this way and thought I'd have a look-see, find out what was up." He grinned as he looked around. The scent of sex lay heavy in the air and he cocked an eyebrow at Faith, wondering if he might have interrupted something. Nah, they hadn't had time for that, but that meant Buffy and Peaches had been going at it, and recently too, if his nose was any judge. His smile faded and he shuffled his feet awkwardly.

Faith folded her arms, irritated that Spike seemed fixated on Buffy in the bed. "I think you just wanted another shot at B," she muttered darkly, fuming. Spike looked at her in surprise. Was that jealousy? he thought hopefully. She glared at him.

"Hey, Spike can help you find Giles," Buffy suggested, ignoring the other Slayer's jibe.

Angel suppressed a sigh of relief. Any plan that involved getting Spike out of their hair and allowing him to stay with Buffy was a great plan as far as he was concerned.

"Yeah, and after you've brought Giles up to speed and set him on the researching you can check out the demon underground. We need to know who took her powers. See if you can find out who might be throwing their weight around, you know, showing a big change in behavior."

Faith snagged Spike's arm on her way to the door. "C'mon, Billy. We got an ex-Watcher to track down."

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"You think Giles is at the crypt?" Spike asked doubtfully as they approached the graveyard.

"No, but I want to check something out. I got a hunch whoever did the ritual did it in the crypt."

The place looked just like it had when they left it hours ago. Spike looked at the couch where he had had the most mind-blowing sex with the most amazing woman he'd ever met. She seemed oblivious to his mood, stalking over to the brazier that stood in a corner. A thin stream of smoke rose from the coals.

"Someone's been busy here," she murmured. "Wonder where he got Buffy's blood?"

"Over here," he called, going over to a dark stain on the floor. Faith came and hunkered down beside him as he went on. "This was where they had her tied up. She must have been bleeding a lot."

Something in his voice, concern maybe?, got to Faith. The guy needed a reality check, big time. "When are you gonna face facts? She's never giving up Angel, especially now that he's human again. Might as well stop mooning over her."

"What do you know about it? Besides, she ain't the one I'm mooning over," Spike replied meaningfully.

Faith raised her brows at him. "Don't waste your time, fang boy. I told you, I'm not a one man—or vamp—woman. So if it's me you're mooning over, get over it."

He opened his mouth to reply, but she cut him off. "Look, can we talk about your weird tendency to jones for Slayers some other time? Right now we need to figure out which scum bag did this to B."

Spike fumed impotently, distracted by her nearness. He could still smell himself on her. Desire swept through him and he briefly considered grabbing her and kissing her 'til she begged for mercy. Then she stood up and he pushed the urge away. Her prickly manner told him sex was the furthest thing from her mind. But he wasn't deterred. Now that she was hanging around a bit longer, another opportunity could come up later. If it did, he'd definitely be up for it. Yep, he and the dark Slayer definitely had some unfinished business, and he was gonna do his damnedest to see it taken care of.

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Giles was at his lodging reading when a knock came at the door. He frowned and glanced at his watch. It was too early for the cab. He still had three hours before his flight left. Laying the book aside, he got up and went to the door, peering through the peephole. For a moment he considered not opening the door, knowing the pair that stood out there had brought trouble. He sighed, accepting the bald fact that he wanted to know what had brought them here. He disengaged the chain and opened the door partway.

"Yes?" he said wearily, hoping his attitude might discourage them.

"Hey, Mr. G. Can we come in?" Faith asked, glancing up and down the hallway like she thought they might have been followed.

Giles sighed and stood aside. Faith and Spike came in and he pushed the door shut behind them.

"Thought you'd have gone by now," said Spike. "Got any beer?"

"No," the Watcher replied. "What can I do for you?"

"Angel sent us. Somethins wrong with B."

Giles frowned. "Wrong? I didn't think her wounds were that serious."

Faith perched on the arm of the couch. "She's weak as a kitten. Angel thinks someone may have done the ritual."

Spike was crouched in front of the minibar, examining the contents. "Yeah, she collapsed when they were shaggin'—"

Faith cleared her throat loudly and Spike looked over his shoulder. "What?"

"Angel didn't say that—"

"He bloody well didn't need to. I got a nose. Smelled the sex soon as we walked in—"

"Can we stick to the facts?" Giles cut in. He really didn't need any more details regarding Buffy and Angel's intimate relationship.

"Anyway, Angel thinks someone may have copied the ritual and done it," Faith said, rolling her eyes at Spike.

Pulling out a handkerchief, Giles started cleaning his glasses, a frown creasing his brow. "They would have needed some of her blood."

"That's easy," Spike said, selecting a mini Jack Daniels and twisting off the cap. "We went by the crypt before we came here. Guess the Slayer bled quite a bit, right in that spot they had her tied up at." Upending the bottle, he drained it in one gulp. Dropping it, he reached for another.

"You're paying for those," Giles said sternly.

Spike rolled his eyes and put the Southern Comfort back. "Spoil sport," he muttered.

"So, we were thinkin' you could do your research deal and come up with a counter spell to save the day," Faith said.

Giles brows rose and he put his glasses on. "Well, I don't have many of my books with me, but I do have a colleague I could call on. Did you bring the text with you?"

Spike smiled, stood up and pulled the book from an inside pocket of his duster, handing it to Giles.

"Where is Buffy now?"

Spike snorted. "Peaches didn't think it was safe to take her out, weak as she is. So they're stayin' put, snug and safe in their little nest. Ya ask me, it's just an excuse for some more shaggin'."

Giles frowned at him but decided to ignore his inappropriate comment. "Give me a few hours and I'll see what I can find."

Faith stood and headed for the door. "Right. While you're doing that, we gotta see if we can find the scum bag that did this. C'mon, Spike. I'm sure you know a pub or two where we can squeeze someone for info."

"How will we find you?" Spike asked.

"We'll meet at Buffy's place. Where is she staying?"

After giving him directions, they left, heading for a nearby pub that was a well-known demon hangout. Spike walked tall, allowing himself to fantasize that they were on a date. Her arm brushed his as they walked and his libido kicked up a notch. Whatever happened, they were definitely going to have another go, if he had anything to say about it. Faith walked beside him, alert for any danger, blissfully unaware that he was plotting her seduction.

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Tobias opened his door and gave his visitor a weary look. "What is it now, Neville?"

Neville had to force himself to maintain his sniveling, cowering persona for the moment. "Angel sent me. Said 'e needs to meet wi' ya."

Tobias turned from the door. "What does he want now? I've helped him all I can."

Neville lifted his right hand and struck with the stake, swift and sure. Tobias disappeared in a shower of dust. "Guess 'e'll 'ave ta get 'elp elsewhere," Neville said with a cruel twist of his lips. "I'm through cow-towin' to the likes o' you."

Looking around the tidy apartment, Neville smiled. This'll do, he thought, pleased with himself.

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A/N2: Well, what did you think? I hope you liked. Now, click the little blue "GO" button and tell me. I think part of the reason musie's been so miserly with the inspiration lately is the sad lack of reviews. I mean, sheesh, 135 people have me on author alert and I only hear from a small fraction of you! So please don't be stingy…this obsession of mine doesn't come with a paycheck and the reviews are the only pay I receive.