Part 2

Spike landed with a heavy, extremely painful thud.

"So much for soft landings" the vampire complained bitterly noticing that the** short arse demon** had made a perfect entry. Climbing to his feet he brushed the dirt off his hands and let his eyes slowly adjust to the darkness.

Spike didn't need a welcome sign to tell him where he was; the unbelievable heat combined with the sickening smell of sulphur and brimstone lead him to only one conclusion

** Welcome to hell, Spikey boy**

"Forward" the demon guard pushed roughly at the back of Spike's legs, propelling him forward. Growling slightly the vampire's hands formed into tight fists with fury, the temptation to smash the annoying little bastard was growing by the second. Only the realisation that there was no way out of this hole stopped him from doing just that.

Spike was then confronted with a maze of dark twisting tunnels, each leading to a different level of hell. As he was moved forward towards the lowest level, he felt the heat continue to grow until it totally engulfed his whole body leaving his skin prickling. He wondered not for the first time if spontaneous combustion was going to be a slight problem.

The tunnels continued for what seemed like miles. Spike slowly stumbled and cursed his way along with increasing difficulty; even his sensitive vampire sight struggled with the blackness that surrounded them. But, as his feet continued to squelch through the deepening quagmire, he became slightly grateful that he couldn't see what was beneath him. The stench was so bad, Spike was sure the sight would be enough to turn even his hardened stomach.

As the tunnel narrowed, the eerie silence was continuously broken by the piercing screams of the dammed. The journey finally came to an end outside a small stone entranceway. There was just enough light for Spike to see the most hideous stone gargoyles standing guard.

" Now what?" the vampire asked turning around only to find himself completely alone.

Shrugging his shoulders, Spike made his way past the gargoyles and into an enormous flame filled cavern.

" William" the smooth rich voice came out of nowhere and everywhere at the same time.

All of Spike's senses came alive as he prepared for attack.

** One good thing about being in hell was that it was full of demons, Spike could still kill demons with ease.

" Or do you prefer Spike these days?" A deep red mist materialised from the ground. It swirled around the whole cavern and then transformed into human form.

Despite the intense heat, Spike shivered.

"Wow! I didn't know George Michael was a demon" he joked nervously studying the transformation.

A low, evil, chuckle came from the being in front of him. Spike took a step closer but quickly stepped back, the heat this creature generated was intolerable even for a vampire.

The human form was dressed from head to foot in black satin. Its appearance was completed with a shock of jet-black hair, black sunglasses and a trim goatee beard.

" I thought my human form would be far less intimidating" Again the low voice seemed to fill the cavern

" Personally, I always found George Michael pretty intimidating, something about the eyes" Spike continued in awe.

The creature reached up and slowly removed the black glasses to reveal eyes of flaming fire. This creature's eyes were not in the same league as the demon who had opened the vortex; these eyes held an eternity of cruelty, evil and damnation. This was evil personified.

"Holy shit" Spike stuttered in recognition

" I'd prefer you not to use such offensive language in my presence, if you don't mind" the voice was spoken with a menacing threat

Spike stood rooted to the spot

**Oh sure he'd heard the rumours** but coming face to face with the man himself blew Spike away.

" So are you really the…"

" The Devil, Satan, Lucifer, Anti Christ, Beelzebub? Yes. All those and a few million more. I have many names and many faces" at that point he transformed again, this time the image offered was of the typical red devil complete with two horns and a tail.

" I like this one the best" Its evil mouth twisted into a sickly smile.

" You can call me Lucifer, I think it fits the red image perfectly"

Spike knew it didn't matter what you called it, whatever this creature was, delusions of grandeur aside, it was incredibly powerful and extremely dangerous.

"So, what do you want from me?" Spike regretted the question as soon as it left his mouth

" I need your help"

"Me? I'm only a lowly vampire and a redundant one at that" Spike tapped the side of his head with a finger pointing out his Achilles heel. Then taking advantage of the situation he continued.

" Hey! Talking of redundant any chance of removing thi…." The look in the devil's eyes stopped him cold. Spike knew this was not the time or the place to be asking favours from the most evil creature in creation.

" The Slayer. I understand you're quite friendly with the annoying little bitch" The fire in the devil's eyes intensified and flashed with anger. Spike physically flinched.

" Would hardly call it friendly, although I do agree with the annoying bitch part. No, I think you have me mistaken with another vampire. Big brooding fellow goes by the name of…"

"Angelus" the tone in the devil's voice was beyond frightening even for a hard ass like spike.

" Yep, that's the vamp, he happens to be an old Sire of mine, bloody big poof if you ask me. But, hey! he and sluttie the slayer are like that" Spike held up crossed fingers to prove his point.

" You're lying Spike…A wonderful little curse put an end to that relationship........ Angel" he rolled the name around on his tongue and then spat in disgust.

"I'll deal with that traitor in my own good time. The End of Days is almost upon us, my minions will rise up from every level of hell and smite out the curse of humanity once and for all…I want the slayer Spike. I know you can get close to her…I want her soul" the devil growled

"One question" Spike raised his hand impersonating a small schoolboy.

"Why not take this chip out of my head and I'll kill her for you?"

The devil's throaty laughter shook the cavern walls sending jets of steam hissed all around them.

"I don't want her dead you fool, a dead slayer equals a new slayer. No I want her soul, once I get it down here I'll trap it for all eternity. No new slayer to stand in my way I'll leave an empty shell to walk the earth, or maybe let a demon set up home inside"

" Hate to rain on your parade mate, but there's already another slayer, that dark haired bitch with far too much attitude for her own good. But if you deprogram me I could kill the other one for you" Spike offered optimistically. To get that bloody chip out of his head he was more then willing to make a deal.

" You're too late Spike, my agents got to her already. It was just so easy, once she killed that human her fate was sealed. We stole her soul. She was a tricky little minx, caused me no end of trouble when she escaped and made her way back, just in time to confess her sins and save that Judas vampire's neck. But no matter, Faith will be incarcerated for the rest of her natural life, the judge is a very old friend of mine" Once again the hideous laughter caused the temperature in the cavern to rise.

" And what's to stop Buffy from escaping in the same way?" Spike asked.

" Me. There will be no mistakes this time" he spat. A large strike of fire flew across the cavern exploding against the wall. Burning rubble fell crashing towards Spike. The blonde vampire jumped and rolled just in time to prevent him self being buried in molten rock. Climbing back to his feet, he made a mental note not to piss off the devil with stupid questions - it could seriously damage his health.

" I'll be sending an assassin, one of my very best. When it arrives you will assist it in anyway it demands. Is that clear?

"Crystal" Spike nodded his eyes were then drawn to bright light above his head as a swirling vortex opened again. This time an energy force swept down wrapping the vampire in its pull and propelled him up into the world above.

Back in Xander's bathroom the disorientated vampire slumped onto the tiled floor taking deep unnecessary breaths. The smell of brimstone and sulfur hung heavily in the air. After a few moments reflection, Spike reached up to the shower and turned the hot water back on, feeling an urgent need to scrub again. This time it wasn't the smell of holy water he needed to rid himself of, this time it was the stench of hell.

So lost in thought, Spike failed to notice when the hot water ran cold. His mind was on far more important issues.

"Well Slayer you've really done it this time" she was finally going to be brought down, literally. Spike then thought of something even better.

** And with a little luck he might take Angel as well**.

Part 3

Riley Finn, a tall good-looking boy with sandy blonde hair, moved cautiously around the room, his bright eyes fully alert deciding whether to attack or defend. After careful consideration he moved quickly and struck the first blow.

Buffy's lightning reflexes blocked the strike with ease.

"Come on honey you can do better than that" she laughed, dancing lightly on her feet.

Riley smiled, lunged forward and threw a left handed punch. Buffy caught his fist, twisted his arm and threw him straight over her shoulder.

Taking a deep breath, Riley jumped back onto his feet and moved forward again. This time he tried to grab her neck but she automatically blocked his arm, whirled around and sent him slamming into the floor again. Once more Riley pulled himself to his feet

" Are we bronzing tonight? " Buffy continued to weave around him never once losing concentration

" Sure, if I live that long" Riley's breathing was growing heavier with each fall. The workout was sadly becoming very one-sided.

" What's the matter? You're not afraid of little me, are ya? Buffy teased, her beautiful hazel eyes twinkling but as soon as the words left her mouth she had the strangest feeling of da ja vu. Slightly distracted, Riley's next attack almost caught her off guard.

As he moved swiftly to the right Buffy sprung, somersaulted twice and kicked Riley flat on his back. This time he hit the floor with a loud thud and groaned as all the air left his body.

Knowing that he was completely out of his depth, and to avoid any further humiliation, Riley made the decision to stay still.

" I surrender" he joked and held up his arms.

Buffy walked slowly towards her boyfriend and held out her hands

" You know you really should try and block more" she laughed at Riley's dazed expression. He accepted her hands and pushed himself up from the floor.

" Buffy, as much as I love training with you, let's call it a day honey" he asked raising his eyes hopefully. Suddenly his whole body ached and if he was honest with himself, there was only so much humiliation a normal guy could take.

Buffy nodded her agreement and smiled affectionately. She knew how difficult it was for Riley these days, she could tell he was exhausted and yet she had hardly broken into a sweat. Buffy hated to admit it, but training with Riley was a complete waste of time. Her mind reluctantly drifted to a different time and a more fulfilling training session.

**Angel had always left her sweating ** her thoughts turned to firelight battles, which lead to heavy kissing and…

**Bad visuals** Buffy silently cursed and shut the images out of her head. Angel was gone, their life together was a thing of the past and that's where thoughts of Angel had to stay. She then forced her attention back to her current boyfriend

** Her nice, normal, safe, boring…stop that** Buffy corrected her slip and remembered Riley was still waiting for a reply.

" Yeah, come on lets call it a day, besides I can always go and annoy Spike into some action, he's always good for some ass kicking" Buffy grinned.

Riley seemed much happier now the workout was over, he slipped his arms around her tiny waist and turned her towards him, leaning down he gently kissed her head.

" I have to say I like the sound of that, it's not really Spike's week. Did you see what that holy water did to his clothes? They were totally ruined and the look on his face, it was just priceless" Riley chuckled, the thought of hostile 17's most recent humiliation would keep him smiling for weeks and help him forget his own inadequacies

As a new image entered his head, Riley continued to insult the unfortunate vampire.

" Come on let's grab a cappuchino and remember the loser pays". Buffy teased, nudging him lightly in the ribs as a sign of affection. Then she untangled herself from his embrace and walked across the room to collect her bag and jacket.

While her back was turned she failed to notice the sad expression that passed over Riley's sombre face. Without meaning to Buffy had managed to damage his fragile masculine pride once again. It seemed the stronger Buffy grew the harder it became for Riley to accept their differences. He longed desperately for their relationship to work, he had never loved anybody the way he loved Buffy and he couldn't imagine his life without her. It was just this whole Slayer issue that was constantly causing the gap between them to widen.

Riley wished with all his heart that Buffy could be just a normal girl, but his wish went unanswered. He dreamed of the day when they could put all the vampires and demons behind them and settle down to normality. Although deep in his subconscious he doubted that Buffy really shared these dreams, or the intense feelings he held for her.

Riley's darkest fear was that a certain brooding vampire still held her heart captive, even though he had no solid grounds for these feelings. Buffy no longer spoke of her ex , she had closed that subject long ago, yet Riley still felt insecure, maybe it was her reluctance to say the three little words that that would reassure him once and for all.

He thought back to her last comment ** and remember the loser pays**

The word loser felt like a kick in the guts. Sadly, where Buffy was concerned, he was always going to come second in this relationship.

His final hope was that he was only the runner up when it came to training and not when it came to her heart.

******

After kissing Riley goodnight, Buffy decided to carry out one last sweep of the cemetery before heading off to bed.

The poor workout with Riley had left her feeling wired and frustrated. She knew she'd never be able to rest like that. Buffy just hoped a good slaying would rid her of all her excess energy and let her sleep.

Demon activity had been really slow the last few nights, so the odds were that something big was brewing.

There had been a couple of suspicious deaths earlier in the week; Buffy always watched the fresh graves for any sign of a newly risen vampire. The way she was feeling tonight even a newbie would be something to dust, anything to break the boredom.

Buffy stopped at her room first and picked up a package she also needed to deliver.

** Might as well kill two birds with one stone** she thought as she slipped Mr. pointy into the waistband of her leggings and headed back into town.

The two freshly dug graves were both no shows, much to Buffy's disappointment. She perched on top of a neighbouring headstone for about an hour aimlessly twirling her stake. It was so peaceful you could almost hear the worms munch in the soft earth below.

" Come out, come out where ever you are " Buffy sang quietly into the lonely night. But the dead stayed dead.

Feeling thoroughly disappointed Buffy climbed down from the cold head stone and stared at the two new graves.

" Alright, be like that" she pouted her lip in mock annoyance. This lack of activity was driving her nuts, then she remembered one last option.

Scanning the cemetery Buffy saw one small flicker of light coming from the mausoleum were Spike had set up his home. She bent down, picked up her bag and headed in that direction.

** If she was really lucky she might get to kick a vamp's ass after all, well any action was better then nothing** her smile grew as she made her way across the graveyard.

*****

" What do you want, or have you just come to take the piss again?" Spike demanded, bitterly resenting the intrusion.

" Can I come in?" Buffy didn't wait for an answer she pushed passed the vampire and strolled into the crypt.

" What does anything I say matter, its only my bloody home"

Buffy completely ignored his protest.

When she turned around Spike was standing with his arms crossed over his chest looking annoyed and impatient

"Well I haven't got all night you know, I was just about to take my pathetic begging bowl down to the local butcher shop before I fade away completely.

" You know what your trouble is, you have no sense of humour" Buffy grinned.

" And do you know what your trouble is Slayer? You breathe" Spike shot back.

Buffy held out her package " I thought you might need this"

" What's this a years supply of garlic and holy water?" Spike approached the bag carefully. He wouldn't put anything passed the slayer.

" Open it"

Spike took the offered bag and cautiously peered in

" It won't bite " Buffy giggled this time. ** It was so funny, the big bad vamp was such a coward **

" Oh!" he slowly pulled out a brand new black T-shirt. Searching deeper into the bag he was amazed to find a new leather duster.

" I don't understand…Are these for me…WHY?" he asked suspiciously.

" Your clothes suffered a lot of damage and you really do look stupid in Xander's clothes, come to think of it Xander looks stupid in Xander's clothes" she grinned again and then continued.

" I guess what I'm trying to say is, I know in your own twisted way you were trying to help us. I feel a little guilty so I brought these…kind of replacements"

Spike continued to look suspiciously, he didn't trust the Slayer one little bit, hell he didn't trust anybody.

Buffy turned to leave. " Spike, as much as I hate to admit it you have forced your way into the scoobie gang and scoobies look after each other."

"Bloody hell, I don't think so" Spike didn't want to be associated as a bleeding *white hat* in any shape or form. He still had a reputation to consider as a bad ass vamp. The chip thing was bad enough to live with, but a pathetic *scoobie*

"Give me a break" he snarled.

Buffy just nodded " Have it your own way, but keep the clothes" she then quirked her eyebrows.

" Oh, Spike. This doesn't mean that I've changed my mind about you, I still don't trust you and I certainly don't like you."

Spike watched her carefully

" Oh, it's mutual Slayer, believe me"

Nothing more was said but both slayer and vampire knew it wasn't quite true.

When the Slayer was gone Spike pulled on the new duster, it fitted him perfectly.

**I'm going to steal the Slayer's soul**

**Scoobies look after each other**

** I'll be sending an assassin, one of my very best**

**you were trying to help us**

" I wasn't trying to help... I'm a vampire... I'm a evil bastard...I'm not a bloody white knight… DAMMIT"

*****

Spike found himself outside Rupert Giles apartment; he walked up to the door but turned sharply away

** I'm out of my head ** he didn't owe the slayer a thing, she had been the thorn in his side for …Well for as long as he could remember. What did he care if the bitch lost her soul, an eternity of torture and suffering was just what she deserved.

Fighting against every evil bone in his body he turned back towards the door.

" I'm going to regret this, I just know I'm going to regret this for the rest of my very *SHORT* unlife" he moaned as he rapped loudly on the door.

Go to Part 4