everyonelives | because the lives of the wicked should be made brief

( "Yeah," Spike says, wanting to skip this part. "I know you warned me it wouldn't be that easy, but I'm fresh out of a silver knife and I can't exactly bleed over the phone," he says to Allison as he hands it over. "And don't start with the holy water," he says to someone else. Maybe Sam. )

Mia, it's Allison. I can't explain it, but Spike was trapped inside a spell - the one Sam and us all ended up in because we were tracking down the bodies. It's actually kind of funny, he was playing the part --

( "Oi! Stick to the important bits." )

He was girl, okay, bye, here's Spike again.

( "I was the minder. Knew all the rules, made sure the captives played by them," he clarifies getting his phone back. "I'd send a selfie, but you'd see wallpaper." )

[She trusts Allison enough to know that she probably did all the requisite tests to ensure that Spike is Spike, and there were details involved that do nothing to convince her which means it's most likely real.

And she's not really sure how to handle this. But there is a part of her that's a little relieved.]

How? I mean, I know there was all kind of witch stuff getting thrown around, but why pull you into that spell out of everyone there?

Beats me. One minute I'm Mr. Big Pile of Dust and the next I was in Wuthering Heights. It was a literary spell. Exhausting, that. They pulled me out of The Crucible.

( He did kill the last minder, but, when you think about it - he freed the guy. )

I was on Succession, actually, in the middle part. So, I guess it manifested all things written. Didn't I die right after that redheaded bint used all her mojo to bring down a building and lock us all inside the neighborhood. Well, there went Spike, there went the neighborhood.

Yeah, uh. The hunters got her too.

[They tried they best they could to save her, so really it wasn't meant to be.]

You've missed ... a lot. But maybe I can catch you up in person. Where are you guys?

San Fran. Allison and Sam are still here, but Ben, this demigod, his missing boyfriend, Joshua, this vampire and his werewolf husband are all going back to New Orleans. I'm a wheel, either way, just gotta decide if I'm a fifth or a third. Unlikely Sam or Allison will take me back to the Winchester's big hideout.

( Also, how did he fall in with all these gay men? )

[Luck? Good taste? Mia's not one to judge.]

I'm not far from New Orleans. I'll meet you there.

[There's a pause as she weighs the next question carefully.]

Do you want me to tell Buffy and Faith?

( There's less baggage with Faith, more a camaraderie he wants to get back to. ...Buffy and him. )

Feel free to. Not planning on keeping my rebirth a secret. ( But also, he doesn't need a big to do. ) Castle's really gone?

Yeah. Ever heard of something called the Ivory Tower?

[It's a vampire thing and Spike's been a vampire a long time. Maybe he might be able to fit a piece together that they don't currently have.]

Makes me think of chess. Should I have?

( Spike was never a joiner when it came to vampire politics. He reeked havoc. Once the core four broke apart, it was him and Dru. On the other side of the good coin, he'd never stumbled across it. Not with Buffy, or any of the other slayers. )

I didn't until a couple days ago. They're the ones who blew up the castle.

[And Mia's still pissed about it, but given the blow they swung, she's feeling a little better.]

We hit one of their places in return. Something called the Riverboat? Basically a casino turned blood bank but on a boat.

( The Riverboat shakes a screw loose up there! )

That's right, a nice dual assault on the witches and their resting place. How'd you like it? Bet it all on black? I've heard about the Riverboat. It's a nice non-secret. Apparently, there's prime blood. Or, there was.

Definitely was now. Last we left it, it was a smoldering wreck on the Mississippi.

[Good riddance, as far as Mia is concerned.]

And the witches that caught you are dead too.

And they come in with a full-on strike. We should go bowling.

( He's got a new lease on his life, yet! )

[There's a half-laugh at that.]

We'll see. I'd have to find a bowling alley in New Orleans first.

[There's probably one somewhere.]

Text me when you have the flight information, okay? It'll be good to see you.

Yeah, I will. Go back to sleep. See you soon, Mi.

( And with that, he'll hand Allison's phone back to her.

William moved the pillow under his head so he could prop himself up. "Spike's... alive?" )

Yeah. I'm not sure how but apparently he got pulled into some kind of spell and he's just been sitting there for months. The others found him when they went to deal with the witch bodies.

[She pauses before looking back at him.]

I know I told Dad I'd be right back, but I'm gonna take a couple more days and meet him in New Orleans. Make sure for myself.

Dad will be fine. You don't think it's actually him? Didn't Allison vouch for him?

( He yawns. )

Do you want me to trace back the call in the morning?

Allison vouched for him, and it was on Allison's phone.

[So there's not much really to trace there.]

I'll make sure to take either Buffy or Faith with me.

[She then glances to the door, then the clock.]

Do you think I should tell them now, or wait until morning?

What time is it?

( He thinks, no, but if it's not as late as it feels like, maybe? Would it change anything if she waited until the morning? He needs more facts. )

[She makes a face because yeah. It's probably way too late. Faith doesn't take it well when people interrupts her sleep.]

You're right. It's not like Spike's going to get here any faster.

Not unless that spell gave him our uncle's super speed.

( Which, he doesn't see it doing. )

He's alive, though. Feels like a win.

Yeah.

[She still has questions, but for now, it does feel like a win. We'll see how Buffy and Faith feel about it in the morning.]

Sorry for waking you.

( Come morning, Buffy zips her suitcase shut as her phone goes off on the bed. Grabbing it, she answers. )

Hey, Mia.

Hey, uh. I got a call last night.

[Might as well just get right to the point.]

It was Spike. He's alive.

Spike's --

( She looks over at Stefan, also in the room, a little lost for words. )

I guess he reached his ninth life. ( She frowns. ) Did he - how?

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