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Spike is in a cave, hanging from the walls by his bound wrists. He's bruised, exhausted, leaning his head back against the cave wall. One of the bringers comes up to him with a knife, swings at his belly, but he kicks it away; it comes in for a second rush, and when it's close enough, he kips up and gets his legs around its throat. Breaks its neck. Then snaps the bindings and starts to go. White Buffy is there, and he smiles. He starts toward her, but the bindings bring him up short. It was all an illusion.

"Aw, dreaming about me again?" It's the First, as Buffy. It taunts him, says that Buffy doesn't care about saving his ass, and isn't coming for him, but he closes his eyes and begins to mutter to himself. It breaks off, realizing that he's not listening, and comes closer.

"She...she'll come. She'll come for me. She'll come..." It's his mantra. The First steps back. Pissed.

"No," it says softly. "I won't."

There are a couple of brief Spike hanging in the cave bits, but nothing happens; it's mostly the First, making threats, and he's in the background.

After Buffy defeats the Turok-Han: Spike is hanging there in the cave, alone, tied with leather thongs. He's too weak even to try to break them, now. The wounds on his chest are closed, but still there, and I think they may scar. He hears something, or senses something, looks up. His face hardens. It's White Buffy, holding a Bringer's knife, with her cheek butterflied closed where the Turok-Han cut her.

"So, it's a knife, now?" he says. Still defiant, but he's scared. Maybe the thing is right, and she's never coming for him... "You can't hurt me," he says, "you're just a figment, you're just..."

And she steps up close to him. Reaches up to cut the bonds, and he turns, his eyes flying open when she actually touches him, and the leather parts, and his arm falls. She turns to cut the other arm down, holding his arm so there's slack in the leather. His hand falls on her shoulder, not quite a grab, but definitely making sure he can touch her. She cuts the leather, then turns under his hand, and just looks at him. There's something in her face... Something tender, gentle... He looks at her, does the head tilt, starts to say something that might have been, "You came," but can't talk. Her lower lip trembles, just a tiny movement, hardly there, but she's feeling for him. He groans, leans on her, and together they leave the cave. He's leaning on her, walking as though still in pain, but under his own steam.

--

Dori

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