Into the Dark

Author: Aileen E.

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~Part: 6~

Placing one knee on the edge of the bed, Willow leaned over the vampire. She closed her eyes as she lowered her head, to lose herself in the sensation of Spike's cool, moist lips against hers. She knew it was a mistake, she felt it with every ghosting touch of his fingers against her skin, tasted it on his tongue, heard it in the echo of every moan and whimper. She felt his hands fleet over her arms and down her back, bringing her closer to him until her breasts were pressed against his naked chest. It was like drowning, the deprivation of breath, the constriction in her chest, the weightlessness of her limbs, and she didn't want to come up for air. The kiss was soft and languorous, and when his hand tenderly cupped her cheek, she whimpered.

It was his gentleness that unhinged her. She knew that his gentleness had to be a means to an end, because there was nothing soft about Spike - he was cunning, manipulative, and yes, evil. And still, she could not pry her lips away from his. It was Spike who broke the kiss, only to trace the side of her throat with the tip of his tongue.

"They are waiting for us," Willow managed to say between raged breaths.

"Let them wait," Spike responded, his hands tracing the shape of her buttocks.

"We can't, Spike..."

"Tell me again how much you want me," he whispered as his hands traveled up her sides to cup her breasts.

Willow planted small butterfly kisses over his face, traced his lips with her thumb. "I do want you, Spike, I want you so much."

"Show me, let me feel how wet you are for me."

She heard the sound of her zipper as Spike slowly lowered it. Shaking her head, she pushed away from the bed.

"Spike, we can't, not now."

Spike's features hardened and he frowned at her. "Why not?" His voice was soft, in contrast with his expression.

"Because they are waiting for us. Spike, we came here to help them, not to ... you know."

He reached for her hand and traced small circles on her palm. "Later then? After we talk to the watcher and the others?"

Willow swallowed hard and nodded. There was no use in fighting the inevitable, not anymore. For better or worse, she loved Spike, and it made no sense to deny both of them what they so obviously wanted. As for their future together, it was best to just let the cards fall where they may. A small smile crept across Spike's lips and Willow shivered involuntarily. Loving Spike was one thing, trusting him with her heart was an entirely different matter.

Seemingly satisfied for the moment with her promise, Spike left the bed. He dressed and a few minutes later they were heading down the stairs. Willow came to a sudden halt when they reached the dinning room and she saw the woman sitting next to Giles.

"Faith!"

Faith smiled crookedly at her. "Hey, Will."

In spite of the knot twisting in her stomach, Willow managed a small smile, but Faith was no longer looking at her, her eyes had settled on Spike.

"Uh, Spike, this is Faith, the other slayer. Faith, Spike." Willow tried to make the introduction sound as casual as possible, but she felt Spike tense next to her.

A discomfited cough from the watcher broke the awkward silence. "I guess with everything that's been going on, I forgot to mention that Faith had rejoined us."

"Yeah, I guess you forgot," Willow mumbled while moving to sit on the opposite side of the table from Faith. Spike followed uncomfortably close to Willow and took the seat next to her. Angel was standing a few feet away, leaning against the wall. He pushed away from the wall and joined them at the table to sit next to Faith.

"Spike and I have been talking. We decided it would be a good idea for us to have a look around, see if we can get some intelligence on the other Spike's location."

Giles frowned. "I suppose it's worth a try, but we need to come up with something besides that. I've been thinking about what Willow said last night ..."

"Out of the fucking question!" Spike spat.

Giles tried to explain. "Spike, it's not like we have many options. We are all at risk here."

Willow groaned inwardly. Her stomach was growling, and they had not been five minutes in the room and the arguing had already begun. Well, if you can't beat them, join them, she thought. "Giles is right, if anyone has a better plan I would like to hear it." Her eyes shifted between Spike and Angel, challenging them to come up with anything better. Spike openly glared at her and Angel looked uncomfortably around the room.

"Just don't do anything until Spike and I come back. Give us some time to see what we can find out," Angel said finally.

Willow nodded. "I wasn't planning on doing anything rash. I'm not any more excited about the idea than any of you. Actually, every time I think about it my stomach gets all twisty, but we all need to get used to the idea that it may be the only way."

Willow frowned when she felt Spike's hand run possessively over her arm. The gesture was not lost on the others at the table and Willow looked around uncomfortably. She thought Angel was about to say something when Andrew walked in carrying a tray.

"The bad news is that all we have are peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but the good news is that we have plenty of them," he announced.

"Yeah, especially since there are so few of us left," Faith pointed out caustically, grabbing a sandwich and taking a large bite from it.

Andrew sat down, taking one of the sandwiches from the tray and sinking down in his chair.

"By the way, where are the others?" Willow asked, trying to dispel the sense of foreboding that had settled over the room after Faith's comment.

Giles stared into her eyes for a moment and Willow frowned.

"We lost three others last night. We are what's left, other than a few connections on the outside."

"Any news about Julie?" Angel asked.

Giles nodded and looked down at the floor. "One of our contacts stopped in earlier. They found her body at the graveyard. She was drained."

Willow frowned, staring into her sandwich. Something about Giles' account seemed strangely familiar to her.

"Who was Julie?" She asked.

"A girl who had been working with us for the past couple of years. You might have known her, I think she mentioned once that the two of you were in some of the same classes in college, before, before everything that happened."

"You mean before she went magick happy and set the vampires loose on us?" Faith asked with a smirk.

"Faith, that will be enough!" Giles snapped.

"Hey, I'm just telling it like it is."

Willow blocked out the conversation, her mind reeling with thoughts. It had to be the same Julie, killed in the same way she had seen in her dream. She had never had prophetic dreams before, so why now and why about this? Furthermore, if one of her dreams had already come true, did that mean that the others would too? Her stomach rolled and suddenly she wasn't so hungry anymore. She set her sandwich on the table.

"Fucking Xander!" She heard Faith exclaim.

"It wasn't Xander," Willow whispered, her voice trembling with her realization.

Giles leaned toward her. "I'm sorry, Willow, did you say something?"

"It wasn't Xander, Xander didn't kill Julie. It was Spike."

Four pairs of eyes turned to look at Spike.

"What the fuck you all looking at? I don't even know what the bleeding hell she is talking about!"

Willow looked pointedly at Spike. "In my dream, remember? The one I told you about."

Spike frowned. "I thought you said you didn't have visions."

Willow shook her head. "I don't, or at least, I never did before. But it is just too much of a coincidence, I think."

Giles adjusted his glasses, studying the stunned redhead intently. "Willow, is there something you haven't told us?"

Willow nodded, remembering that she had never gotten the chance to tell Giles about the dreams. "Soon after we got back to our dimension I started having these dreams, more like nightmares. That's the reason why I needed to get in contact with you, to see if you knew what might be causing them. That was before I knew what had happened here."

Giles leaned forward in his chair, his attention fully focused on Willow. "And you think these nightmare might have been premonitions?"

"I'm not sure, but in one of my dreams I saw Spike kill Julie. She was standing in front of the graveyard as if she was waiting for someone and he snuck up from behind her. In my dream, he dragged her back into the graveyard and killed her."

"That makes sense. The entrance to the graveyard is our meeting place when we get separated during patrol, she would have been waiting for us there," Faith commented dispassionately.

"And her body was found inside the graveyard," Giles added. "Willow, were there other dreams, anything that could be a warning, anything useful?"

Willow shivered even though it was summer and the room was warm. She recalled the most frightening and persistent dream she'd had in the preceding weeks - the dream where she and Spike were lovers and she was a vampire burnt to ashes by the sunlight. Was that where her decision to allow herself to love Spike would lead? Perhaps the Spike in the dream was not the one sitting next to her but the other one. Still, if her dreams were really prophecies, then their implication was clear in Willow's mind - she would be captured by Xander and she would die twice. The first time she would return as a vampire, and the second time she would be burned by the sunlight.

Spike stood up suddenly and he placed his arms around Willow. "Red, are you all right?"

The woman had turned pale as a ghost. She blinked up at him, her eyes filling with tears.

"I'm, I'm fine. I just ... just remembering the dream, seeing Julie die again, knowing that it really happened. It upset me, I guess."

Spike knew that she was lying, or at least, not telling him the whole truth. Something had terrified her, he had sensed it. He decided not to question her in front of the others; he would find out later what was really bothering her.

Giles covered one of Willow's trembling hands with a sympathetic one. "It's hard, believe me, it doesn't get any easier no matter how many we lose. That's why we have to remain focused and strong, it's the only way it will stop."

Willow nodded numbly and blushed with embarrassment; everyone at the table was staring at her. Angel pushed away from the table and stood up. "It's only a couple more hours until sundown, we can start at the tunnels and work our way to the surface by nightfall," he told Spike.

Spike nodded, wondering at the other's urgency to leave the house. He didn't want to leave Willow until he felt certain that she was alright. "Willow, are you going to be ok while I'm gone?" He asked softly.

Willow nodded. "I'm fine, Spike."

Spike looked at Giles for reassurance.

"We'll be fine. I want to talk more to Willow about these dreams, and we have some research to do. We will not be leaving the house."

Spike nodded toward Angel. "Let's go then, mate."

Faith started to rise from the table, but Angel stopped her. "You're not coming with us."

"What?" She barked. "I can't patrol by myself and Giles and Willow have stuff to do here."

Andrew, who had not spoken the entire time he had been sitting at the table, raised his hand. "I'll patrol with you!"

Faith scoffed. "A lot of help that will be if we run into a group of vampires, unless I throw you at them to snack on while I get away!"

Not addressing Faith's comment, Andrew stood up and quietly started to clear the table of the barely touched sandwiches.

"Do some training while we are gone. Just stay here," Angel told Faith unequivocally.

Faith hesitated for a moment, but then nodded her head, looking pointedly at Angel. Spike wondered about the strange, unspoken exchange between the two and decided that it was something worth pursuing, later.

The two vampires exited through the basement of the house, with Angel in the lead. They navigated the intricate maze of underground tunnels in silence, Spike growing increasingly restless. Everyone was acting strangely and things weren't adding up. Willow had been terrified of something, Faith seemed to have agreed to stay behind a little too easily, and Angel was just too damned quiet.

After they had been exploring the tunnels for nearly an hour without finding any hint of vampires, Spike could no longer control his need to know what was happening and he jumped in front of Angel.

"All right, out with it, what the bloody hell is going on?"

Angel frowned. "What do you mean?"

Spike clenched his jaw, taking a step toward Angel. "What the bleeding hell is going on between you and the slayer? I can smell her all over you!" He spat accusingly.

Angel seemed to consider his words for a moment. "We fuck, that's all, not that it's any of your business."

Spike was taken aback by the revelation, not that he had not harbored his suspicions. "What about your precious soul?"

"I lose the soul if I achieve a moment of true happiness, and believe me, I've never been further away from true happiness in my whole miserable existence, not even when I'm with Faith."

Spike's lips twisted into a knowing smile. "I see. She is a slayer, but not the slayer you want. That's bloody pathetic!"

Angel grimaced. "Now it's your turn. What's going on between you and the witch?"

"We fuck, not that's any of your business," Spike mimicked.

Angel took a threatening step toward Spike and the younger vampire could not help but recoil.

"I'm not blind, Spike, I know what you're getting from her, what I don't understand is how."

"What? You want me to draw you a fucking picture!?"

"What you got on her, Spike? Did you blackmail her, threaten her?"

Spike clenched his fist, suppressing the urge to hit the other. "I got nothing on her! I'll have you know that she came to me, because she wants me!"

A mocking smile that was all Angelus twisted Angel's lips. "You were always stupid when it came to women, Spike. Angelus used to love watching how Dru could wrap you around her little finger with only a few words, had you panting like a puppy dog! Tell me, Spike, what do you think Willow sees when she looks at you?"

Angel was fucking with his head, trying to goad him into giving something up, Spike knew this. Still, his words added fuel to Spike's already smoldering insecurities about Willow. He had asked himself the same question at least a hundred times and still he couldn't bring himself to believe that Willow would ever love him for himself, he had merely given up trying to figure it out. Angel's carefully chosen words had reopened wounds both new and old.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" He roared.

"It means that I know you're up to something and I'm going to find out what it is!"

"You're bloody paranoid! I'm not up to nothing! All I want is to get the fuck out of this world and ..."

A noise coming from the dark tunnel ahead caught Spike's attention and he stopped talking in mid-sentence, listening intently and sniffing the air instead. One look at Angel's face confirmed what his senses told him, there were two, possibly vampires, walking toward them. Spike's arm swung out, snaking around Angel's neck at the same time that he dropped the older vampire to his knees with one swift kick. Two vampires circled around the bend, coming to an abrupt halt when they spotted the other two. They stared agape, their eyes shifting between Spike and Angel, and blinking a few times, before they appeared to regain their composure.

"Master! Is that, is that, Angel?" One of them asked.

Spike sneered down at the vampire he was holding tight against his thigh. "It sure is, mates. Caught him sniffing around down here, I did."

The two fledglings appeared properly impressed. "Wow, Xander is going to freak when he finds out. He always said that you would never be able to capture Angel..." The young vampire let his words drift, suddenly realizing that he had said more than he should have.

"The whelp says that, does he?" Spike chuckled, wondering what else Xander said behind his sire's back.

"Do, do you need any help? Bringing him back to the lair?" One of the minions offered eagerly.

"Nah, meek as a puppy he is. Besides, I want to spend some quality time with grandpa here. Tell you what, why don't you two run along and give Xander the news, I'll be there soon as I get done here," Spike told the two, a malevolent sneer twisting his features as he glanced at Angel still on his knees next to him.

"Sure thing, Master!" The two young vampires disappeared down the tunnel, apparently eager to deliver what they considered to be very important news.

Spike felt Angel shove against his leg and he reluctantly released him. The vampire rose to his feet, adjusting his clothing and glaring at the younger vampire. Spike knew that he had held Angel's neck tighter than necessary and had enjoyed it a little too much. He let Angel know as much with a defiant sneer.

"We are gonna lose them if we don't hurry up," he commented casually, pointing in the direction that the other vampires had left. He had figured that tricking the two young vampires into showing them the way to their lair was more efficient than trying to torture the information out of them; he was glad that Angel had caught on to his game as quickly as he did.

With a final glare, Angel took off down the tunnel with Spike following closely behind him. They passed several other minions on their way. Each time Angel would put his hands behind his back and lowered his head while Spike pretended to shove him along. At one point Spike shoved him with such force that Angel landed on his face. Spike chuckled. "Have to make it look real, mate," he whispered in Angel's ear once they were out of hearing range of the minions. A by now familiar glare was the only response he got from Angel.

The minions stared at as they walked by, but a warning glance from Spike was all it took to keep them at bay. After only twenty minutes, they came to a sharp precipice at the end of the tunnel. Spike could see no way down into the lower level, but he could distinctly hear noises coming from below them, even if he couldn't make out any intelligible words. It worried him how close they had come to the lair without realizing it. Had both he and Angel not being so engrossed in their own thoughts, they should have been able to hear or scent something even before they had met the first two minions. He saw Angel motion with his hand for him to duck and Spike dropped to the ground, sliding on his belly until he could see over the cliff.

The sight would have stolen his breath had he had any. The tunnel opened into a large cavern and he could count at least twenty-five vampires below with a cursory inspection, there were probably more. This was no fly-by-night operation that he was looking at; it was well organized and with a lot of muscle behind it. Angel, who laid on the ground next to him, nudged him on the arm and Spike turned to see what Angel was pointing at. At first, Spike wasn't sure what exactly he was seeing, not having seen his own reflection in over a hundred years, but the gait and physique were unmistakable. He stared in fascination at himself, or rather his double, walking toward a group of vampires. He recognized the two he had spoken to earlier amongst the group.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Angel motioning to him that it was time to leave, but he remained frozen on the spot, studying his double. Not a bad looking bloke, Spike thought idly, but what transfixed him was the other's poise; his double radiated arrogance and confidence, two things that Spike had not felt in a long time except for the short time he had spent in this dimension the first time.

"Spike, time to move," he heard Angel whisper.

"Do I still look like that?" He quietly asked Angel.

The other vampire seemed confused by the question. He studied Spike's double for a moment and then seemed to realize what Spike was asking. The other's uncomfortable silence and sad stare was the only answer that Spike needed.

"Let's get the fuck out of here," he whispered harshly before quickly moving away from the cliff and back up the tunnel, not even glancing to see if Angel was following.

They were careful to avoid the minions on their way back and they kept a hurried pace, knowing that their ruse would be discovered as soon as Spike's double talked to the two minions. Neither Spike nor Angel spoke until they were a safe distance from the lair.

"The lair is right below the graveyard. There must be at least half a dozen entrances, no doubt well guarded," Angel commented.

Spike pondered the significance of the other's words. It would be almost impossible for their small group to gain access to the lair, and even if they somehow managed to do it, there was no way that they could secure the place, because they didn't have enough people to cover all the exits. A direct, surprise attack to the vampires' stronghold was out of the question.

Spike was too distracted to come up with anything useful to say. After seeing his double, Spike's thoughts had drifted to the question that Angel had asked him earlier. What, indeed, did Willow see when she looked at him? Did she see the confident, powerful, master vampire that he had seen in his double, and was that what attracted her to him, or did she see a neutered, broken vampire worthy only of her pity? Or worst, a desperate sucker that she could use for her own ends? Spike decided that he would find out the answer to those questions that very night.

~Part: 7~

Xander heard the minion call out from just outside the door, not that he actually had a real door to his room. It was more like a piece of rotted wood, haphazardly hinged and partially covering the entrance to the makeshift chamber, but that's what you got when you lived in a hole in the ground.

"The Master, he wants to see you," the minion explained.

A tingle of anticipation ran down Xander's back; the mention of his sire always had that effect on him. He gave the bleeding, broken, naked fledgling at his feet a hard shove with his foot. "Get the fuck out," he growled. He smirked as he saw the young male scramble to gather what remained of his tattered clothes and run past the other minion.

"Master Xander? What, what do I tell the master?" The minion asked hesitantly.

Xander rolled his eyes. Maybe it was his imagination but the minions seemed to get stupider every day. "What do you think? Oh, wait, that's right, you don't think! Tell him I'll be there!" He barked.

Xander shoved his spent cock back into his pants and grabbed a shirt from the floor, throwing it on without bothering to button it. He hated the lair. He knew his sire had never been particular about his choices of residence, but Xander hated living in the ground, like an animal. He missed his plush mansion, his expensive clothes and all the other perks that he had enjoyed as a master vampire living in a town run by vampires. His sire kept promising him that they would soon get it all back, but he was growing tired of empty promises and idle dreams.

Xander had pleaded, tried to cajole, and right down threatened his sire in an attempt to convince him to leave this town and move somewhere else. He still had some money stashed away, or at least, he'd had until the previous year when his dwindling funds had finally run out. But all his sire seemed to want to do was come up with one half-cocked plan after another. His initial obsession had been with killing the watcher, then he had spent hours ranting about how he was going to 'bag' his fourth slayer, and for the past three months it had been all about Angel. The bleached blond actually wanted to capture Angel, release his soul and bring Angelus back. Xander guessed that was what his sire wanted to see him about.

Xander entered Spike's chamber. His sire was nervously pacing inside the close quarters, two young vampires cowered near a corner watching their master warily. Xander's eyes shifted between the fledglings and his sire.

"What's going on?" He asked.

Spike stopped pacing and pointed at one of the minions. "That's what I would like to know!" He hollered.

The minions looked around nervously before casting their eyes down.

"We already told you everything we know, Master."

In two strides Spike was on the minion that had spoken, viciously kneeing him in the stomach and sending him reeling to the ground. "Then tell it again!"

The minion that remained standing hurried to speak. "Like we said, we were patrolling one of the tunnels when we ran into you, Master. You had Angel with you, he was kneeling at your feet. You told us you were bringing him in and to run ahead and give Master Xander the news. We were looking for him when we saw you, here. That's all we know."

Xander's eyes widened and he turned toward Spike. "Angel is here?!"

Spike rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in the air in a gesture that denoted his aggravation. "No, Angel is not here, and I don't have a bloody clue what these sodding idiots are talking about! That's why I sent for you. What 'you make of it?"

Xander shifted uncomfortably under his sire's intense scrutiny. "Obviously they made a mistake. They saw someone else that they thought was you."

Spike raised his eyebrow. "Sorta' like when I first got back and you mentioned something about someone else, someone you thought was me?"

Xander blanched at his sire's statement. He had always assumed that Spike had been lying when he denied any knowledge of the events that took place shortly before the vampires had once again lost their ability to walk in the sunlight. Spike's denial had angered Xander, but he had let the argument slide at the time. His sire was back to his former self and ready to take his child into his fold. Furthermore, the witch was nowhere to be seen and Spike had not mentioned her since his return. Xander had decided to leave well enough alone, but now he wondered if it was possible that there were, in fact, two Spikes.

He slowly approached the two minions. "You sure about what you are saying? That it was my sire you saw?"

The two vampires nodded vigorously in unison. "We even talked to him and everything. Looked like him, sounded like him, and even knew about you, Master Xander," one of the minions explained while the other nodded his agreement.

"Was there anyone else with him, besides Angel?" Xander asked warily.

The other two seemed confused by his question. "Like who?"

Xander turned on his heel and walked toward Spike, ignoring the question. "We should send out some minions to scavenge the tunnels, see if they can find Angel and this impostor."

"Already done." Spike motioned to the two minions with a wave of his hand and they quickly scurried out of the chamber.

When Xander turned to follow suit, he felt a strong hand grip his shoulder.

"Not you, boy. You and I have business to attend to."

Xander tensed, his body quivering inside at the sound of his sire's suggestive tone. Spike was standing behind him, his fingers squeezing the boy's shoulder. Xander felt the other's teeth graze the skin of his neck.

"Sire," he whispered, and heard Spike chuckle at the tremor of desire in his voice.

The pressure on his shoulder increased and Xander fell to his knees, he watched his sire's boots as the older vampire circled around to stand in front of him. He knew what his sire wanted, what was expected of him. It was a sequence of actions that they had followed many times in the past three years. Xander brought his hands up, undoing the other's pants and pushing them down until his sire's semi-erect cock was freed from the constraints of the fabric. He took the pale flesh into his mouth as he felt slim fingers tangle into his hair.

The cock in Xander's mouth instantly became rigid. After three years, the boy had grown adept at pleasuring his sire, even if this was the only privilege, albeit dubious, that he was allowed. He ran his tongue the length of the shaft before engulfing it fully with his lips. Above him, he could hear Spike's guttural grunts and moans. It was always like this, no words uttered, no glances exchanged, only animalistic sounds and rough, demanding hands, and finally a sudden rush of cold fluid and it was over, as mechanically and sudden as it had begun.

Except that this time, as Xander swallowed around the tip of Spike's cock and was rewarded with a violent thrust of the hips, he thought of delicate fingers tangling in his hair, of harsh words spoken sweetly and dripping with passion, of fangs slicing desperately into his neck leaving him hot, and weak and wanting, of a less than gentle kiss filled with yearning ... and in his fantasy it wasn't Willow's name that had escaped his sire's lips as Xander felt the cold semen flood his mouth three years earlier.

Xander had barely finished swallowing his sire's release when he felt cold hands push him roughly away. He got to his feet without looking at his sire, a bit startled by his own thoughts. His erection was painful and he knew from previous experience that his sire would not do anything to alleviate his condition. Fully intending to find some fledgling upon whom he could vent his lust, Xander started to leave.

"Stop," Xander heard Spike command softly.

He frowned. This was not part of their routine. Normally, Spike would lose all interest in Xander after he had come, wordlessly dismissing him. Turning around, he looked at his sire with a questioning glance.

"Earlier, who did you think was with Angel and the other?"

Xander cursed inwardly. He didn't want to broach the subject of the witch with Spike. There had been no sign of her for three years and that was good enough for him. Spike came to stand in front of Xander and the boy averted his eyes.

"No one, Sire. I was just wondering if..."

Xander never finished his words. He felt Spike slap him across the face, hard enough to draw blood from the corner of his lip.

"Think you can lie to me, you sodding whelp?" Spike barked in his face. "You know, when I first came back, I thought you were making up excuses to explain how the watcher managed to concoct a plan and cast a spell right under your nose. But now, I think I should have been paying more attention to your babbling. So why don't you tell me again what happened, from the beginning, all of it." Spike brought the tip of his lit cigarette close to Xander's eye, making his threat clear.

Xander stared at his sire with wide, anxious eyes. He had left quite a bit out of his story, most importantly the fact that he had kidnapped and later tried to kill Willow. He swallowed hard, glancing at the glowing tip of Spike's cigarette. "There really isn't much to tell, Sire. About a year after you left, you just showed up one day, with Will. Willow and the watcher got together behind our backs and did some kind of spell. After that, vampires could no longer walk in the daylight and you and Willow disappeared . Me and some of the others moved down here. Several weeks later you turned up again, alone."

Xander saw the other vampire's jaw clench, the muscles of his face jerking spastically, at the mention of the witch. Xander wondered what had happened between the two of them, why Spike had returned alone. But right now he was more concerned about the way his sire was looking at him.

"Well, I happen to know for a fact that Willow and I were nowhere near here at the time you say, so how do you explain that we could be here and half way across the world at the same time?"

Xander thought about Spike's words for a minute. "Fuck! I should have thought about it sooner!"

Spike stepped back, raising his eyebrow and glaring at Xander. "Thought about what?"

Xander hurried to explain. "When we were in high school, another Willow came to this world from an alternate dimension. From what I understand, there were doubles of all of us in that dimension, Willow, me, Buffy, Angel... The doubles were exactly the same as us, except that their world was different. Willow was a vamp in that world and ..."

Spike's lips turned upward into a smile and Xander shivered. He knew that look well, it was the look that said that his sire was thinking of a plan, one that would most likely get them all dusted.

"A double, huh? So you think that the me and Willow that were here, were actually doubles, from another dimension. And if my double is back, then maybe so is Red's."

Xander shrugged. "I don't know, I guess. Spike, I thought that you were lying about not being here before, I never thought about there being two of you until the minions said they saw you in the tunnels while you were really here."

"And if there are two of me, there are also two of Willow," Spike insisted.

Xander would have groaned aloud had he not thought that his sire would most likely slap him again for doing it. Spike truly had a one track mind. "Spike, you're missing the point. If I'm right, there is another one of you running around out there, with Angel. And they are up to something. Why else would they be down here in the tunnels?"

"No, my boy, you're missing the bleeding point. If we get Willow, she'll bring back Angelus, and she'll again cast that spell that will allow us to walk in the sunlight. She is the one who did it the first time, you know. After I turn her, together the four of us will tear this bloody town apart."

If it is possible for a vampire to pale, Xander did at that moment. His sire had a valid point, except that Xander had no desire to have Willow back into their existence. Even if Spike showed him no other consideration than demanding a blow job from Xander now and then, the young vampire knew that with the witch around he wouldn't even get that much. Not to mention that if this was the same Willow that had previously visited their world, she would surely tell his sire about the things he had done to her. Furthermore, Xander felt no inclination to confront his sire's double again. The boy's world was quickly unraveling before his eyes. These were complications that he could never have foreseen. If he was going to save his own ass, he had to make sure that his sire and Willow never met. He tried to maintain his composure, there was still one thing that Spike had not thought about and it could very well be his salvation.

"Sure, Spike, just one thing - how are we going to get Willow?"

A grin spread across his sire's face. "My boy, I have a plan."

~*~

Willow paced anxiously inside the confines of her room, disposing of her jeans, bra and blouse in favor of a more comfortable oversized t-shirt. She was turning into a liar, that was all there was to it. Before coming to this world, Willow had barely been able to conjure up a lie when she needed it most, and not without a great deal of guilt. But lately it seemed that all she did was lie, and the more she did it the easier it got. She had lied to Spike about what had been troubling her at the table, she had lied to Giles about the dreams, telling him that they were mostly disjointed images that didn't make much sense even to her, and she had lied again when she had pleaded off the research session, claiming a headache and exhaustion as the reasons. Throw in all the lies she had told the first time she had visited this dimension, not to mention the lies she had told to her friends in order to cover the existence of this dimension, and Willow was starting to suspect that something
 about this world made liars out of people, or maybe just her.

Willow climbed on the bed and rested her head on the pillow, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. Spike would probably not be back for several hours and she had to make a decision before then. She had all but told him that they would have sex when he returned, and Spike would be expecting her to abide by her offer. Thoughts of her dreams kept plaguing her, terror mingled with excitement. Pleasant visions of what it would be like to be Spike's lover, to live with him, to have him in her bed everyday, interjected with violent images of him killing her, turning her and of her body combusting in the sunlight. She wished that visions came with road signs which pointed to which exit to take. Would her premonition turn true if she gave herself to Spike, or would something go wrong and she would be captured by his double? Or maybe it would come true either way, since they were both, in essence, the same person.

Willow startled when the door to her room swung open and Spike stepped in.

"Spike! You're back so soon. I, uh, wasn't expecting you, not for a while. Not that it's bad that you're here. I'm glad you're back, soon and, and safe. I just thought, that, well, whatever you and Angel were doing, would take, you know, longer." Willow stopped babbling when she saw the vampire's stern expression.

He quietly closed the door behind him before stepping over to the bed. "I want the truth," he stated simply.

A fair request, Willow thought. Now, if she only knew what he was talking about! "Sure, Spike. The truth about what?"

He took a determined step toward her and Willow involuntarily startled. His mood was so contrary to when he had left that it puzzled her. Earlier, had been concerned about her, now he appeared cold and demanding. Spike's eyes traveled over her body as if he was assessing every inch of her, finally settling on her face. His voice was soft but distant when he spoke. "I've been wondering about you. What you see in me, why you let me do to you the things you let me do. Do you do it because you want me, trust me, or is there something else?"

So it's back to 'you are using me,' is it? She thought. "Spike, I already apologized to you, I told you I wanted you, I don't know what else I can say to make you ..." A thought occurred to her, something that he had said that morning resonated in her brain. Show me. She smiled inwardly. If what Spike wanted was a demonstration, then she would give him one that he would not likely forget. She had already admitted to herself that she loved him, now all she had to do was convince the stubborn, cantankerous vampire of that fact.

An insinuating smile spread across her face as she crawled across the bed toward him. She almost laughed at the disconcerted expression on the vampire's face, and she would have, had she not seen the glimmer of uncertainty that flashed in his eyes if only for an instant. Emboldened by his vulnerability, Willow rose to her knees in front of him.

"If I recall correctly, we already started this conversation this morning. We left off around the part where I was going to show you just how much I want you," she whispered enticingly as she ran her hands over his chest. She delighted in the strangled hiss of pleasure she elicited from him when her fingertips brushed over his sensitive nipples.

There was a blur of motion and Willow was surprised to find herself flung on her back with the vampire hovering above her, glowering menacingly. A devious smile twisted Spike's lips and Willow shivered, but was unable to question his actions as his mouth captured hers in a punishing kiss. There was something desperately vulnerable about the way his lips drank from hers and his body trembled.

She felt him nudge her thighs with his knees and she spread her legs to accommodate him, allowing him to ground his crotch against her. Willow winced, the rough fabric of his jeans chafing her flesh through her thin cotton panties.

"What's the matter, Pet, I thought you wanted me?" Spike panted when he tore his lips from hers.

Willow smiled, trying to suppress her uneasiness. "I do, baby, but I want you naked," she whispered as she reached between their bodies, her fingers blindly searching for the zipper of his pants.

He stilled above her then, a surprised expression on his face. Willow smiled triumphantly as she lowered the zipper and Spike's hard shaft sprung into her hands. There was never any doubt in her mind about how much Spike desired her; he communicated it with every word, every look, every gesture, and she wanted to give him that same certainty. She wrapped her fist around the hard flesh, slowly moving her hand over his length until Spike groaned. The tip of one of her fingers brushed against the swollen head and came out wet. She brought the hand up, her tongue peeking out to lick the pearly drop of fluid from her digit.

"Fuck, Red!"

Willow laughed then as Spike scrambled to get out of his clothes, pale limbs flailing, fabric tearing, and then he was on top of her again and there was no chafing, only hard flesh grinding against damp cotton. Willow raised her hips slightly, encouraging the delicious friction.

"Feel that, Spike? That's how much I want you. All you have to do is look at me and I get all tingly and wet," she murmured in his ear.

Willow felt his hands fumble with her t-shirt, trying to push the offending garment up over her head. Grasping the edge of the shirt, she pulled it off at the same time she thrust her breasts up to meet his mouth. There was no need for modesty. Even with Tara, Willow had always wondered how the other would view her actions. But she knew that Spike would never pass judgment on her. She knew from experience that he reveled in illicit, sensual pleasures and relished her wantonness; his own debauchery was liberating.

He suckled harshly on her nipple, alternately scraping it with his teeth and laving it with his tongue, until Willow was moaning and writhing beneath him. She felt him tug impatiently at her panties, tearing off the flimsy barrier before he swooped down to her other nipple. The contact of cool, hard skin against hot, soft flesh sent a bolt of pleasure through Willow's body. She shifted her hips, trying to pull him inside her, nearly screaming her frustration when he evaded her efforts.

"Do you still want me, Pet?" She heard him whisper from somewhere above her. She wasn't sure where the voice was coming from because her eyes had drifted close and her own heartbeat was thundering in her ears.

"More than ever, please, Spike, please," she begged, unable to form any coherent thought past her need.

"You want to come, you want my cock, or do you want me?"

Something wasn't right, something about the tone of his voice, the emphasis he put on each word, and if Willow could have forced her body to stop burning and her heart to stop pounding she would have figured it out. But she was past logical thought.

"All of it. Spike, please!" She whimpered.

The sudden absence of his body against hers and his anguished groan brought Willow to full attention. He was kneeling between her legs, breathing harshly, his eyes dark and stormy, his cock hard and weeping.

Willow frowned. "What...?"

Wordlessly, he bent down, reaching for his clothes on the floor. Willow stared in confusion, watching as he straightening once more and brought up a pair of handcuffs and a length of black cloth to dangle in front of her face.

"Do you trust me?" He whispered.

Willow's eyes widened. No one had told her anything about trust. This was supposed to be about want, wasn't it? Willow searched his eyes for an explanation and what she found there was tentative hope - and need. By allowing herself to love him, she was trusting him with her heart and possibly her life, what difference would a pair of handcuffs and a blindfold make?

She smiled up at him and stretched her arms above her head. An unexpected shiver of anticipation wracked her body as he crawled over her. She was surprised when he placed the fabric over her mouth instead of her eyes, but she understood what he was doing. He was rendering her powerless to fight him with either magic of fists. Willow could have stopped him at that moment, could have told him that what he was demanding from her was unfair. Instead, she lifted her head to allow him to tie the makeshift gag.

After he had knotted the fabric, he ran a hand softly over her arm until his fingers were circling her wrist. Willow gasped when she heard the soft click of the cuff locking in place. He looked down at her, his gaze questioning and intense. Willow nodded and she felt his strong hand lift her other wrist before she heard a second click. She tentatively tried to lift her arms and discovered that her cuffed hands had been secured to the headboard.

Spike sat back on his haunches, his eyes traveling over her naked and vulnerable body. "God, Pet, you look beautiful like this. I want to keep you tied to this bed and fuck you for hours," he whispered.

His voice was strained and Willow saw his fingers twitch reflexively with the effort not to touch her. She raised her hips in invitation, silently begging for him to touch her, fuck her, do whatever he wanted to do as long as it stopped the fire burning within her. She whimpered when his hands made contact with her flesh, but it was not enough. He ran his hands slowly up the inside of her thighs, over her stomach, down her sides, avoiding all the places where she needed him the most. A moan escaped her mouth as she clenched her lips over the gag. Spike chuckled, running the tip of one finger through her folds and bringing the wet digit to his lips, tasting her as she had done to him earlier.

Willow nearly screamed with frustration when he finally settled between her thighs and she felt him position himself at her entrance. She braced herself for the onslaught of his thrusts, but was surprised when he gently slipped inside her. He was moving in and out of her in long, lazy strokes, his hands and mouth exploring her skin with barely there caresses. Willow gritted her teeth, her moans of pleasure and frustration muffled against the gag. The torturously slow pace seemed to go on forever and Willow was surprised when unexpected waves of intense pleasure rolled through her body and her inner walls constricted spastically around Spike's shaft.

The gag was slipped from her mouth by urgent hands and the words that had been muted by the cloth poured forth from her lips.

"Spike, I love you, I love you so much!"

She felt him momentarily falter above her before he quickened his pace slightly and mumbled, "I love you" against her skin. He continued to move inside her, drawing out her orgasm, whispering "I love" again and again until her body relaxed and she grew languid in his arms. She felt his seed spill inside her as he held her against his body. She heard him whisper "I love you" one more time before her eyes drifted shut.

Her eyelids fluttered open when she felt him reach above her head to unlock the cuffs. With a mischievous grin, she placed her hands on his chest, looking up into the serene pools of azure that were his eyes.

"Now will you believe me when I tell you that I love you and I want you?"

He nodded numbly, as if her words had just confirmed something he wasn't sure he had heard. Willow pushed on his chest until he was resting on his back and she was hovering above him.

"Hum, I better make sure. I think two or three more times should do it? What do you think?"

His only response was a strangled moan as she slipped down his body and took his already hardening cock into her mouth.

~*~

The first rays of morning sunshine were creeping over the horizon when Willow awoke, but inside the room it was dark and cool, the sunlight blocked by thick, dark draperies. She stretched leisurely, wincing slightly at the soreness in her muscles. Turning on her side, Willow smiled at the sleeping form of the vampire next to her. Spike loved her, he had told her and she trusted that he was telling the truth. There would be a lot of explaining to do once they returned to their world, but Willow was not worried about that. She knew that whatever happened, Spike would be by her side and she would draw strength from him. Scooting closer to the cool body, she placed a soft kiss on his chest.

"Wench," she heard him mumble playfully.

Angry voices reached her ears from somewhere in the mansion and Willow sat up, straining to make sense of the words. Unable to identify or understand the voices, she looked curiously at Spike. The vampire's eyes were open, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"What is it, Spike?"

"That's Angel's voice ... and the slayer!"

Spike was immediately on his feet, hurriedly slipping on his jeans. Willow scrambled to find some clothes, throwing on a crumpled shirt and a pair of jeans, not bothering to take the time to find her underwear. Spike was already out the door when she stumbled after him.

Once out in the hallway, she could make out what the voices were saying.

"It wasn't my fucking fault. This shit happens all the time, I don't see why you're making such a big deal out of it!" Faith was arguing.

"Because I warned you! I told you to stay put!" Was Angel's angry response.

"You're a fucking vampire, I'm the slayer, you don't tell me what to do, Angel. Who the hell do you think you are anyway? If you weren't so fucking drunk half the time, brooding over your precious Buffy, this kind of shit wouldn't happen. She is dead, ok, DEAD, and she is not coming back! Get used to it and get over it!"

There was a roar and a crash as Willow and Spike reached the stairs. Angel was on top of the slayer, viciously slamming his face against the woman's face. Faith brought up her leg; her boot connected with the vampire's chest and sent him stumbling back. Faith was immediately on him, the two exchanging blows. Willow paused half-way down the stairs. "Separate!" She yelled, stretching out her hand. Faith and Angel went flying through the air in opposite directions, landing harmlessly on the floor, stunned expressions on their faces.

Spike went to stand by Angel, offering a hand to help hoist him up, while Willow descended the stairs and Giles entered the room from a side door.

"Dear God! What is going on here?"

Angel took Spike's hand and jumped to his feet, glaring at the slayer that was still trying to stand.

"She went out patrolling last night after I told her to stay put. She took Andrew with her and now the boy is gone!" Angel growled.

Willow frowned. "Andrew is dead?" She asked softly. She had not known the boy for very long, but she genuinely liked him and had hoped that they could become friends, if only for the short time that she would remain in this dimension.

"I don't know," Faith explained, brushing dirt off her pants. "We were walking down the street and Spike came at us out of nowhere. He had about three minions with him. I told the boy to run, but the minions grabbed him. I was fighting Spike and suddenly he was gone, and so was Andrew."

Spike scuffed. "You're saying that he attacked you, the minions took the boy and then they just left? He didn't try to kill you? That don't make no bleeding sense!"

"Since when does anything you do makes sense, Spike?" Faith spat.

"Fuck you, you bloody slut! It wasn't me who took the boy!"

Giles was rubbing his temples. "Will you stop? You're all giving me a bleeding headache!"

The two vampires and the slayer turned surprised looks on the watcher, who was nervously running his fingers through his rumpled hair.

Willow was quietly considering the significance of the events Faith had described. "Why would they want to take Andrew. I mean, I'm glad they didn't, but why wouldn't they just kill him?"

Angel and Spike exchanged knowing glances.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling that we'll find out soon enough," Angel answered.

~Part: 8~

Angel's ominous words stunned the group into silence. Even if no one wanted to say it, they all knew the implications. If Spike had taken Andrew alive, there had to be a reason, and in that case, there was a strong possibility that the boy was still alive and at the mercy of the vampire.

Willow glanced worriedly at Spike. "We have to do something."

"Pet, I don't know that there is anything that we can do, at least not until we know what it is that he is up to."

Faith scoffed. "Only one reason why a vampire would take a human alive instead of draining him on the spot."

Willow paled at Faith's words, thinking back to the things Xander had implied that Spike had done to her double when he had captured her, thinking about what he had done to Xander. "What, what do you mean?"

The slayer shrugged, but her eyes were hard. "Looks like Spikey was bored and wanted a toy," she ground out. Her words were directed at Willow, but her hate filled eyes were locked on Spike.

Willow shook her head in an attempt to dismiss the truth of her words. Her wide eyes scanned the room, studying the expressions of the two vampires and the watcher. Spike looked as if he was going to say something, but remained silent and looked away. Angel had walked over to the nearest chair and was slouching down, his hands over his face. The silence was suffocating and Willow wished that someone would either deny of confirm the slayer's supposition. After seconds that seemed to stretch into hours, Angel let his hands fall to his lap as he sighed.

"There is more to it than that. Spike wouldn't look twice at someone like Andrew; he loves a challenge and the boy would be no match for him."

"Bloody right!" Spike said, and Willow thought she detected a note of relief in his tone. She latched on to the slim hope.

"Then, you don't think he would hurt him. I mean, if he is part of some plan, Spike wouldn't want to hurt him, right?" Even though she spoke about the version of Spike that she had never met, her eyes searched the face of the blond vampire in front of her for reassurance. He averted his eyes, and his silence was the only answer that Willow needed; her face fell. "But, why? I mean, why Andrew?" She whispered.

Spike shrugged, still avoiding Willow's eyes. "Most vulnerable, convenient, wrong place at the wrong time, how the bloody hell should I know?"

Faith took a step toward Spike. "Oh, he knows why alright, and he knows exactly what his double is probably doing to Andrew right now ..."

Giles voice was soft coming from the corner of the room. "Faith, that's enough. Willow and Spike ..."

Before the watcher could finish what he was about to say, Faith whirled on Willow. "Her? She is the one who did this! Everything was fine until she decided to cast one of her spells and do this to us!" Faith's voice grew more menacing as she advanced toward Willow. "Just a few words, a wave of your magic wand, or whatever the fuck it is you do, and you send us all straight into hell!"

"What the bloody hell are you talking about, you sodding bitch? There was no you before the spell!"

Willow frowned toward the watcher as she backed away from Faith. She could tell by Faith's confused expression that Giles hadn't told them. Faith didn't know that there was no them before she had cast the spell, that their creation had been a side effect of the spell.

Giles stepped forward and placed his hand on Faith's arm, but the young woman shrugged away from him.

"This isn't getting us anywhere. Our first concern is finding out what Spike is up to and getting Andrew back, if he is still alive. I'm open for suggestions," Giles said, his eyes fixed intently on Willow, letting her know without words that he would explain to her later.

Willow nodded silently and went to stand next to Spike, needing his strength and support. She allowed herself to relax when he put his arm around her, despite the uncomfortable looks the others in the room gave them.

"We still have some time until sunset, I can go around and talk to some people," Faith suggested.

Giles nodded. "Yes, that's a good idea. Faith and I will get in touch with some of our contacts, spread the word about what happened and let them know to keep their ears to the ground."

Angel growled, "And listen for what? Screams? We know where their lair; it is right under Sunny Hills Cemetery. Spike and I were there, but it's too well protected. There is no way we can go in undetected and get the boy out."

Faith bristled. "So what then? We do nothing?"

Faith startled and Willow leaned closer to Spike when Angel jumped angrily to his feet. "It's what we've been doing so far, why break with tradition?" He spat, before storming out of the room, leaving three stunned humans and one scowling vampire behind.

"Maybe I should do some more research. Go over the books again and see if I can find a spell that might help," Willow offered weakly, trying to dispel the uncomfortable silence that had followed Angel's sudden outburst and exit.

"Please do that, we shouldn't be too long," Giles said, putting on his jacket and motioning Faith toward the door.

Willow sank against Spike when they were alone in the room. "Spike, what are we going to do?"

"We'll figure something out, Pet," he told her, but his voice didn't hold much promise.

"Do you think Angel is alright?" She frowned toward the stairs. She saw Spike's worried expression as he followed her gaze, but he didn't answer.

Willow and Spike went upstairs and finished getting dressed in silence. A few minutes later, they were back in the main room of the house. Stepping away from Spike, Willow walked toward the bookshelf. She chose two books, handing one to Spike and flopping down with a sigh on one of the large chairs. "Let me know if you come across anything that you think might be useful."

An hour later, Willow slammed close yet another book and brought her hands up to massage her temples. She looked at the vampire sitting on the chair next to hers, but he appeared to be engrossed in the open book in front of him. After a few minutes, she noticed that he still had not turned the page or acknowledged the fact that she was looking him. He was lost in thought.

Willow had been doing some thinking of her own, about what Faith had said, that everything that was happening was ultimately her fault, about Angel's words that all they ever did was nothing, about the look on Spike's face earlier that had told her that she really didn't want to know what Andrew was going through, about how it was all true. Sometime during the past hour, she had made the decision to go ahead with her plan on her own. She knew that Spike would be angry when he found out, but she also knew that he would stop her if he knew beforehand. Even with her power, it was a calculated risk at best, but the only alternative she could see was sit around with their noses buried in books, pretending to look for nonexistent answers until there was no one left. The only thing that remained for her to figure out was how she was going to leave the house without Spike noticing. Her opportunity presented itself a moment later.

Spike closed his book and tossed it down on the floor, next to the pile already there. "I can't do this anymore, it's bleeding pointless. It's almost dark, I'm going to see if the poof wants to hit the town with me, see if we can find anything out."

Her stomach tightened into a knot, only the thought of Andrew and how scared the boy must be, how he was probably waiting, hoping, for someone to rescue him, kept her resolve in place.

"You're right, we are not going to find anything here. I'm going to go up to the room, look through some of my own books." She started to get up, but Spike's hand on her arm stopped her.

"Are you sure you're going to be ok, Pet. You'll be alone for a little while, but the others should be back soon."

Willow manipulated her facial muscles into a smile, forced the words to slide from her tongue. "You and Angel go, I'll be fine."

When he looked skeptical, she smiled wider. "Really, Spike. Like you said, it will only be for a little while, and no one can come into the house uninvited. I'll be up in my room, you know, with my books, the worst thing that can happen is that I get a mean, nasty paper cut."

Spike didn't smile at her feeble attempt to make light of the situation. Instead, he pulled her head close until his lips were brushing softly against hers. She prolonged the kiss, wondering if he could taste the venom of the lies she had told. He gently pulled away from her. "I'll expect more of that when I get back," he whispered.

"And I'll be happy to oblige," she answered sincerely. "I'm sorry for lying, baby. I'll make it up to you, I swear I will," she silently added as she stood up from the couch.

At the top of the stairs, the two parted company. Willow softly closed the door to her room and waited until she heard Spike's footsteps disappear down the corridor, before reaching for her backpack. Her plan was simple. She would use a teleportation spell to get to Spike's lair. She didn't know the exact location, but she had heard Angel say that it was directly beneath Sunny Hills Cemetery. She figured if she teleported to the graveyard, she would be close enough to Spike's lair to cast a guiding spell that would take her to Andrew. Once she found him, all she had to do was get close enough to the boy to grab him and teleport both of them out. The vampires would never know what hit them.

She checked her backpack to make sure she had the stake and the small bottle of holy water that she had brought with her. There were crosses and more weapons in Giles cabinet in the main hall of the house, but she had not had a chance to grab any. What she had on hand would have to do. Besides, if everything went well, she wouldn't need to use them.

Willow stood in the center of the room, her backpack slung over her shoulder. She whispered the incantation, bracing herself for the jolt and temporary disorientation that she felt whenever she teleported. A few minutes later, she was standing in the middle of the deserted graveyard. The sun was starting to set into the horizon.

She took in her surroundings; the graveyard looked different from the one she had frequented while on patrol back in her world. It was overrun with shrubbery, wild vines tangled around unreadable markers. Giant stone statues lay on their side, their wings broken, their faces stained - angels tumbled from their pedestals. To one side of the yard, Willow noticed a cleared path that led to a small section of freshly dug dirt and hastily constructed wooden markers. No doubt it housed the newest tenants of the rapidly expanding population of the graveyard. Willow wondered if Julie was buried there, making a mental note to ask Giles for the location of the girl's grave once she got back. They had never been close in their world, but by a strange twist of fate, the girl had become Willow's fallen comrade, linking them in death in a way that Willow knew they could never have been in life.

Once she had assured herself that she was not in any immediate danger, she retrieved the stake, holy water and a flashlight from her backpack. She shoved the holy water into her pocket before she spoke the words of the spell. "Aradia, Goddess of the lost, the path is murky, the woods are dense, darkness pervades. I beseech thee, bring the light."

Willow smiled and waved at the tiny speck of light that appeared in front of her. "Lead me to Andrew."

The light hovered and flickered momentarily before it started to move toward a group of large crypts in the back of the lot. Willow followed, looking uncomfortably around her. The sun was setting and a cool breeze was blowing. Clenching her jaw and squaring her shoulders, Willow forged ahead. "I can do this. I've been fighting the forces of evil for years. I'm a powerful witch. Anything goes wrong, I just have to whisper a few words and I'm out of here. Those vampires don't know who they're messing with." Willow mumbled the litany under her breath as she walked. The graveyard was almost totally dark now and the woman was starting to question if she was doing the right thing. Maybe she should have talked to one of the others, at least let someone know of her plan. "Yeah, like they would ever go for it," she muttered.

The small globe of light passed through a wall into one of the large crypts and Willow lost sight of it. She hurried to the doors and stepped inside the dark, damp room. Turning on her flashlight, Willow watched the floating spark as it passed through another wall. The wall looked solid, with no sign of a door. She pointed the flashlight at it and saw that it was decorated with intricate carvings depicting angels and a garden. There were also several plaques with names and dates, presumably belonging to the occupants of the crypt. She frowned as she stepped closer to the wall, running her hands over the cool surface; there had to be a way through. A voice came from behind her. "Nice craftsmanship, a little too baroque for my taste though."

Willow recognized the stilted, mocking voice and she whirled around, dropping the flashlight. Spike stood in front of her, his jaw clenched, his eyes dark.

"I, I ... Spike! I'm... I can explain."

"Can you, Pet?" He drawled as he took a step toward her.

"Well, yeah, I had this plan and I knew that you wouldn't approve. I know, I should have told you, but I didn't think you would listen. I used magic to find Andrew, but now I lost my guiding spark, somewhere behind this wall, and I was looking for a way in. You think ..."

Willow stopped babbling as the vampire came to a stop in front of her. He was looking at her strangely, like he was studying her face. She took a hesitant step back. "Spike?" She asked as she looked closely at the vampire. Something wasn't right, he looked alright, but different, somehow.

Her eyes grew wide and she inhaled sharply. "Disce..." The words of the spell were cut short when Spike's fist connected with her jaw, knocking Willow unconscious.

~*~

Spike hesitated in front of Angel's room. Something wasn't right with the vampire; he had sensed it the previous night and his erratic behavior earlier in the hall had confirmed it. Spike considered turning around and going back to his own room. Maybe he could talk Willow into putting the books down. He'd had her only a few hours before and he already wanted her again. But he knew that Willow would protest that they had to find Andrew. He also knew he wouldn't get a moment's peace from the witch until the boy was safely back with them. With a deep sigh, Spike pushed the door open.

Angel was laying on the bed, propped against some pillows, an open bottle in his hand. Spike stepped into the room and took in the other vampire's appearance. His shirt was off, his pants were unbuttoned and his hair was in disarray, as if he had spent the past hour running nervous fingers through it. But it was his expression that took Spike aback, his eyes were blank, his mouth set into a grim line. If he didn't know better, Spike would have thought that Angel had aged in the past hour.

Spike raised an eyebrow and tried to keep his tone casual. "You really shouldn't let yourself go like that, mate."

"Watch your tongue, boy," Angel ground out.

Spike frowned at the familiar tone. "Angelus?"

Spike sighed in relief when Angel shook his head and raised his hand, offering him the bottle.

"Close the door, Spike."

Spike closed the door behind him and took the proffered bottle, going to sit on the chair that Angel had occupied the last time he had been in the room. Spike's eyes narrowed as he raised the bottle to his lips and the scent of blood, not whiskey, hit his nostrils. Glancing questioningly in Angel's direction, Spike drank from the bottle until it was almost empty.

"It's human," he commented unnecessarily as he leaned forward and handed the bottle back to Angel.

Angel shrugged, taking the bottle and leaning his head back against the pillows. "It's not hard to get, if you know where to go, have the right connections."

Spike felt a shiver creep up his spine. It was possible that Angel secretly indulged in a taste of human blood every now and then, what Spike couldn't understand was why he was sharing the information with him. "Do the watcher and the slayer know that you've been patronizing the local black market?"

Angel chuckled. "What do you think?"

"I think it would make them bloody nervous if they knew. Unlike me, you don't have a chip in your brain to stop you should you suddenly decide to eat in instead of ordering out, if you know what I mean."

"No, I don't have a chip, I have something worse, a conscience," Angel said, putting the bottle to his lips and draining the rest of the blood.

Spike shifted uncomfortably, not knowing what to say, his wit failing him. This was not for what he had come to see Angel. The other vampire's problems were not his concern. "Angel, I ..."

"How long have you had that chip in, maybe a year? Try a century, Spike. A century of living among them, of sharing their pain, their guilt, the futility of their existence, of watching them die around you one by one and actually caring. How much longer, Spike, until I finally get it right?"

Spike shrugged. "Don't know, mate, it's your bloody crusade. I just want to get Red out of here and go home. Maybe you should talk to someone else about this, someone who actually gives a fuck."

Angel threw his head back then and laughed. Spike wondered if the vampire had lost his mind. Angelus had never been the most stable individual; maybe all the years of being saddled with a soul had driven him over the edge. Perhaps that was what the curse was meant to do, slowly drive Angel insane.

The dark haired vampire stood from the bed and his expression grew serious. His dark eyes bore intently into Spike's. "There is no one else, William, no one that would even come close to understanding what it's like for us. Humans, they are different. Their understanding is limited by their condition. But you, my boy, you and I are the same breed, same stock even, although I can hardly tell anymore. It's been too long, William."

Spike studied the dark vampire in front of him. Soul or no soul, he and Angel had a history together. There had been a time when Spike had lived for Angelus' attention, would have done anything to have the older vampire look upon him with favor. Granted, his impulsive and ill-advised attempts had only succeeded at enraging his grandsire, but the bond had always been there.

Spike watched Angel walk to stand next to him. A cool hand reached to caress his cheek and Spike squeezed his eyes shut, trying to suppress the tremor that cursed through his body. With that one touch, Angel had told Spike the things he had waited for over a century to hear from him. Maybe this wasn't the same Angel he knew, but he felt the same, smelled the same, and Spike was sure that if he kissed him, he would taste the same as well.

"Angel, don't do this." The words sounded more like a plea than a warning.

Angel's hand slid away from his face. Even if he couldn't understand what the vampire was feeling, the other's anguish was palpable to him and the words left Spike's mouth without thought. "Maybe you should consider getting rid of the soul. Red could..."

"You would like that, wouldn't you, my boy? To have Angelus back, to have things be the way they used to be? No guilt, no regrets, no boundaries... nothing would be forbidden to us then."

Spike unconsciously leaned his head against Angel's thigh. "Things could never be the same again, Angel. I have a chip in my brain, you have a soul. I don't belong here, and ... and neither does Willow."

"I need you, Spike. I've always needed you."

Spike shook his head, hardly believing the words he was hearing, certain that the universe must have decided to play some kind of cosmic joke on him. He had to get away from Angel, from his words, his scent, his touch that reopened every wound and awakened every need that until that moment Spike had believed no longer existed. An hour inside Willow's soft, warm body and a bottle of whiskey, and then his world would make sense again.

Spike pushed Angel away and stood angrily from the chair. "You're crazy! You bloody left us, left me behind to take care of Dru, to fend for myself the best I could. You can't do this to me now, not when I've found Willow."

Spike started to head for the door, but stopped when Angel followed him. Angel's arm encircled his waist, pulling Spike flush against the large, hard body behind him.

"She would come to understand. There are things that you need, things that she can't give you."

Spike felt Angel's erection press against his back and he reflexively ground back in response, his own cock swelling and straining against his pants. Angel was talking about more than just sex. It was deeper and more complex than that. There was the owning and belonging, the blood bond between them, the taking and the bleeding, the blood drinking, the savage ripping of flesh and tissue that no human could endure. The other vampire's lips brushed against his throat and Spike's demon silently roared inside him.

Angel's hand tangled in Spike's hair, roughly pulling his head to the side and exposing his throat. He could feel soft lips against his neck, hear the words whispered close to his ear. "Say it, boy. You always said it for me. Say it now."

The word left Spike's lips in an agonized, unnecessary breath. "Sire."

It was a game they had played. In front of the others, it had always been Angelus, but in private, during their most intimate moments, it was Sire. Sharp fangs ripped through his neck and Spike reared his head back, his mouth open in a silent scream. Pleasure poured into his veins as the blood pumped out, melting his skin and weakening his legs. Eyes shut tight, Spike moaned and whimpered, barely aware that he was grinding his ass against Angel's erection. When Angel pulled away from his throat, Spike slumped in defeat, letting Angel support his weight. He offered no resistance as Angel guided him toward the bed. The older vampire was right, it had been too long - too long since Spike had know what it was like to have a sire, too long since he had been with his own kind.

The two vampires tumbled onto the bed, panting harshly. Spike landed face down and he tried to turn around, to look at the vampire on top of him, but Angel held him in place with one hand, ripping his shirt off with the other. A large hand traveled down Spike's back, tracing his spine and coming to rest just above the waistband of his jeans.

"So beautiful, so sweet," Angel whispered.

Spike trembled under the other's touch and reflexively pushed his hips back, seeking contact with Angel's body. Angel kneeled on the bed, straddling his thighs, covering his body as he leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "You've missed me, haven't you, William. You've missed this."

Spike set his lips into a grim line, refusing to say the words, despite the burning need that was tearing his insides apart. Angel's lips brushed against his nape and his cock nudged Spike's ass through the fabric of their pants. Spike waited, but the vampire made no further move. He is going make me bloody say it, Spike thought. Refusing to give Angel the satisfaction of hearing how much Spike wanted him, needed him, Spike said the word that he knew would convey all the feelings he could not verbalize. "Sire."

In one fluid motion, Spike rolled them over and straddled Angel's hips. He smiled mischievously when Angel looked up at him in surprise.

"It's been a century, Angelus. I've learned a few tricks since," Spike said as he leaned down and ran his tongue over one hardened nipple.

Angel hissed and raised his hips in response as Spike continued to kiss and lick his way down the vampire's chest and over his stomach. When he reached the patch of dark curls at Angel's groin, Spike brushed his cheek against them, nudging the pants down with his chin. He slowly reached inside and pulled out Angel's hard cock, stroking it a few times with his fist. The vampire groaned and bucked against his hand.

With a growl, Angel pushed Spike off him and quickly divested himself of his pants. Spike took in the vampire's physique. He was strong and broad everywhere, his skin smooth and supple, except for the veined, hard rod of flesh protruding from the dark nest of curls. Spike ran the tip of his tongue over his upper lip and Angel was on him in a second, kissing him hard, grinding his cock against Spike's own painful erection.

"Take them off!" Angel growled, pulling away from Spike and motioning toward his pants.

Spike wasted no time ridding himself of the offensive garment before he was once again on top of Angel, his lips tasting the other's skin, his fangs lightly scraping against the smooth chest, bringing to the surface tiny droplets of blood that he quickly lapped up. His mouth reached Angel's cock, and he licked up the drop of fluid that clung to the tip before fully engulfing the large head with his mouth. Angel reflexively raised his hips and Spike open his mouth wider, letting the cool rod slide in until it brushed against the back of his throat, before pulling back until only the tip remained between his lips. He teased the slit with the tip of his tongue and heard Angel groan in frustration.

Spike smiled knowingly. It might have been a century, but Angelus had taught him well how to please him and some things a vampire doesn't forget. He swooped back down on the rod and latched his lips around the base, his tongue laving the shaft, his throat muscles constricting around the tip, his mouth milking Angel's flesh until the other vampire was moaning and writhing. Angel grabbed a fistful of Spike's hair and held him still while he violently fucked his mouth.

It was a brutal and frantic assault, and Spike reveled in it, whimpering in pleasure. He rubbed the tip of one finger against Angel's moist shaft, coating it with his own spit before sliding it between Angel's legs to rub the sensitive skin behind his balls. Angel roared and bucked against Spike one last time before his seed flooded the blond vampire's mouth. He swallowed the cool cum and let Angel's still hard cock slide out of his mouth. Kneeling on the bed, Spike looked down at Angel with a triumphant smirk.

The older vampire's jaw was set into an angry scowl. He pounced on the smirking vampire, roughly pushing him on his back and moving to kneel between his legs. Spike had been ready for Angel's reaction; he knew that the older vampire liked to be in control. That's what made it all the more thrilling for Spike, to know that he had the power to make the other whimper and groan helplessly under his ministrations.

But the time for playing was over. Spike spread his legs wider, bending his knees up and offering himself to Angel. Intense, dark eyes traveled over his prone body, fueling the desire that was already raging inside of him. Spike's cock twitched and he moved his hand to the aching shaft, wrapping his hand around it and pulling hard. Angel slapped his hand away.

"Hold still," he growled.

Spike raised his arms above his head, trying to suppress a groan when one of Angel's hands cupped and massaged his balls. Angel brought the other hand up to Spike's mouth. He obediently parted his lips, taking the two proffered fingers in and laving them with his tongue.

"Get them wet, boy, 'cause you know where they're going," Angel said.

Spike obeyed, sucking hungrily on the fingers until they were pulled out of his mouth with a wet, slurping sound. The hand traveled down and Spike felt a large finger dip into the cleft between his cheeks, spreading them apart. The tip circled his hole for a moment before slipping all the way inside, causing Spike to groan and clench his teeth.

"My boy, so tight!"

Spike panted harshly as a second finger joined the first, pushing against the tight ring of muscles that surrounded his hole. Angel worked the fingers back and forth, occasionally scissoring them to stretch him ever further. Spike's cock was oozing pre-cum onto his pale stomach, his body was rigid and his eyes grew teary with the effort to remain still.

"Fuck, Sire! Please!" He begged.

Angel sneered and pulled the fingers out, making Spike gasp at the sudden emptiness. Strong hands grasped his thighs and pushed his legs up and out as wide as they would go. It had not been nearly enough preparation, and Spike braced himself for the pain. When he felt the head of Angel's cock nudge against his opening, Spike ignored his previous instructions to remain still and pushed down, seeking to impale himself on the large knob.

"My dear William, you were always such a hot little slut." Angel's sneer turned into a grimace as he pushed forward, burying himself to the hilt inside Spike. The younger vampire screamed and threw his head back as Angel pulled back and slammed back into him. The pain and the pleasure were both searing, and Spike groaned and panted unashamedly.

"You love it, don't you, boy? Change for me, Spike. Show me your beautiful, true face and you may even get to come this time."

Spike resented Angel's condescending tone, but could not deny the words. He let his demon face slide forward and glared through amber colored eyes at the vampire above him.

"Happy now, Sire?" He ground out, his sharp fangs gleaming.

"Oh, yes!" Angel hissed.

All thoughts of rebellion fled Spike's mind when Angel started to pound into him. He knew that the other had torn him, could feel the blood lubricating his passage and smoothing Angel's thrusts.

"Harder. Please, Sire. Need more." Spike wasn't sure for what he was begging, more pain, more pleasure, more acceptance, or more love. Maybe it was all the same to him.

He brought his arms up and wrapped them around Angel, digging his nails into the smooth skin of the other's back until he drew blood. The dark head descended on his chest and he felt Angel's rough tongue furiously lapping at his nipple. His hole burned, his cock hurt and his balls ached with his need to come. He wanted to hold back, but he knew that he couldn't hold out much longer.

"Yes, yes. Oh, God, yes pleaaaaaase!"

Angel's head reared back and his smoldering, yellow eyes stared into Spike's face for a moment, before he swooped down and his fangs tore into the erect nipple he had been licking. Spike roared and spurted his seed between their bodies as Angel swallowed convulsively and emptied himself inside him.

As Spike came down from his orgasm, he felt Angel lovingly lap at the no doubt already closing wound on his chest. With a contented sigh, the older vampire pulled away and slumped on the bed next to him, casually wrapping an arm around Spike's slim waist.

"Damn, Spike. You always feel so damned good!"

Spike moved closer to Angel, basking in his scent, his nearness, his words of praise. He felt more than sated, he felt complete. Angel tensed against him a moment before Spike heard footsteps out in the hall. Someone stopped just outside the room and pounded hard against the door.

"Angel! Angel, open the door!" It was the watcher's voice.

"Bloody hell." Spike rolled off the bed and landed on his feet, hastily pulling on his pants.

Angel stood up and started to dress. "One moment, Giles."

The pounding against the door only grew more frantic. "Angel, is Spike with you? For God's sake, open the door!"

"I'm here, watcher, don't get your knickers in a twist!" Spike spat as he held the remnants of his torn shirt up for Angel to see.

Angel grabbed a shirt from his closet and tossed it at Spike before he walked to the door. He threw the door open and Spike walked to stand next to him, slipping the shirt on. The watcher stared agape at the two vampires, taking in their disheveled appearance and Spike's unabashed grin.

"What is it, Giles?"

Giles snapped his mouth shut and turned to look at Angel. He was about to speak when Faith walked up to them. "She is not in the house," the slayer said, slightly out of breath.

Spike's eyes narrowed. "Who is not in the house?"

"Willow, it appears she left the house, alone," Giles explained.

"That's impossible! I left her in the bedroom less than an hour ago!" Spike growled, his apprehension growing by leaps as he looked at the faces of the watcher and the slayer.

"That's the first place we checked, she is not there, and Faith just did a survey of the house. That's not all..."

Spike growled and took a threatening step toward the watcher. He felt Angel's hand on his chest and stopped, trying to control the fear that twisted his gut. "What else, Rupert, and make it quick!" he ground out.

Giles adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat before continuing. "One of our informants saw Spike carrying an unconscious woman that matched Willow's description through the graveyard. Faith and I rushed there as soon as we heard, but we didn't see any trace of either of them. I was hoping that the man was mistaken, but seeing as Willow is now missing ..."

Spike roared and launched toward the door. Angel's arms went around him, trying to restrain him. Changing into his demonic facade, he elbowed Angel on the chest and sent him stumbling backward against the bed. Spike made it out into the hall before the slayer jumped in front of him. He growled a warning at her, but Faith didn't move. She stood in front of him, her arm raised, a stake firmly in her grasp.

Without thinking, Spike knocked her arm aside and dropped to his knees, groaning in pain as the chip sent a jolt though his brain. In an instant, Angel was on him.

"Spike, stop this!"

The vampire was beyond reasoning. He growled and hissed, struggling against Angel's hold. He managed to turn around and look up into the eyes of the vampire that he had only a few minutes earlier called sire.

"This is all your bloody fault, you bastard!"

Angel shook his head. "Spike, no, I didn't ..."

Before he could finish the sentence, Spike renewed his attack, catching Angel unawares and punching him on the side of the face. Faith rushed forward, stake in hand.

"Hold him down, Angel!"

"Faith don't!" Angel screamed, throwing his body protectively over Spike's. "This is not what I wanted," he whispered to Spike before hitting him on the jaw, hard enough to knock him unconscious.

~Part: 9~

Spike stood at the foot of the bed - stood and waited for her eyelids to peel back and reveal to him the pools of emerald that were her eyes. Not being a patient man, he gingerly ran his fingers over one of her calves, hoping that the slight contact would alert her to his presence - she had always had sharp instincts, his witch. He watched as her eyelids fluttered, her brow furrowed, her nose twitched. He knew, by the slight jerk of her body, the moment she realized that her arms were tied above her head. She came to full awareness then, her startled scream muffled by the rough cloth tied over her mouth.

"Hello, Pet." The casual remark hitched in his throat as her wide eyes scanned the room and came to settle on him.

For an instant he saw it again, that welcoming look of trust on her face when she saw him, before her mistake registered and she shook her head. The feeling was mutual. Xander had told him that she was an exact double of the Willow he had known, but the boy was always running at the mouth and Spike only half listened to most of what he said. This time, he had been right. She was his Willow in every respect, except that she was very much alive. He could feel the warmth of her skin even when he wasn't touching her, hear her strong heart pumping warm blood through her veins, and her scent was as intoxicating as any drug.

She motioned with her head toward the restraints tied around her wrists, communicating with her eyes that she wanted him to let her go.

"Not yet, luv. There's something I want you to see first."

Her eyes widened and searched around the room, the light of the candles flickering over her pale face as she turned from side to side. He enjoyed the sight for a minute, before he yelled over his shoulder. "Bring him in!"

Willow froze when Xander entered the room, dragging Andrew behind him. Without saying a word, he threw the boy onto the bed. Andrew's body landed limply across Willow's legs and she began to struggle against her restraints, trying to scream under the gag. The boy was naked and his body was covered with bruises and cuts. Spike wondered if maybe he should have gone easier on the boy. Willow seemed upset by his condition; he had forgotten how sensitive she could be.

Spike walked to stand at the head of the bed, brushing a few errand locks away from her face. "There, there, luv. The boy is alright. Xander, show Red that the boy is ok."

Xander reached down and jerked the boy's head up by the hair, turning his face toward Willow. She whimpered and her eyes filled with tears. Andrew looked anything but alright. His face was battered, his eyes swollen, and the tracks of tears cleared a path through the blood and dirt that marred his cheeks. Scratches and the beginnings of bruises were visible on his back, hips and thighs. When Xander bent his head to run his tongue over the boy's neck, Andrew moved away from the vampire and tried to cover his head with his hands.

Launching upright as far as the bonds would allow, Willow trained a hate-filled glare on Xander. She mumbled angrily under the gag, but no words would form. Her eyes softened when she looked at Andrew again.

"Boy, tell Red here you are ok!" Spike barked.

"I ... I ...." Before the boy could form the words, Xander smacked him on the back of the head with his open palm and Willow renewed her struggles against the bonds.

She was trying to say something, but Spike had made certain that the gag was tied securely over her mouth, and her words came out as nothing more than strangled gargles.

"Now, we will have none of that, Pet. Xander here is going to be taking his new friend away, to spend a little time together," Spike explain softly, letting the implied threat slip into his tone.

Xander's eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched; Spike sent a warning glare in his direction. Spike knew that Xander was not happy about being sent away as a warden for their hostage, while he stayed behind with Willow. The young vampire had his uses; that's why Spike had turned him in the first place, but sometimes he wondered if the boy was more trouble than he was worth.

Spike continued, "Don't worry, the boy will be safe, as long as you do as I say. You try anything, anything at all, including using your magic against me or running away, and then, well, I can't be responsible for what Xander does to him. Are we clear on this, Pet?"

Xander lifted Andrew off the bed and turned him away from Willow. He ran his hand down the boy's back, squeezing when he reached the naked buttocks.

"Don't worry, Will, I'm going to take really good care of him," Xander drawled, a cruel sneer twisting his face.

Spike bristled. Maybe he needed to remind the boy of his place, if only for good measure. If Willow didn't believe that her compliance would ensure the boy's safety, Spike's plan would not work.

Spike ripped Andrew away from Xander and tossed him back on the bed. He wrapped his fingers around Xander's throat and shoved the vampire against the wall. "Remember what I said. No touching the boy unless I send the word. Do you understand?"

Xander nodded, but the barely concealed sneer didn't leave his face. It would have to do. He stepped away from Xander and glared at him as the younger vampire smoothed out his shirt.

"Take him away," Spike ordered.

Glancing angrily at Willow, Xander picked Andrew up by the arm and pulled him out of the room.

Spike walked back to the bed and sat next to Willow. "So, what you say, Pet? You gonna be a good girl for me?"

He watched the emotions play across the woman's face. Every thought was written on her features: anger, sorrow, confusion and ultimately, acceptance. Finally, Willow squeezed her eyes shut and nodded.

Satisfied, Spike bent over her body and reached behind her head to untie the gag. Taking the boy hostage had been a stroke of genius; it had worked out better than he had imagined. He had made sure that the slayer knew it was him who had taken the boy, the others already knew the general location of his lair - it had only been a matter of time before they attempted a rescue. That the witch had shown up alone and had been spotted by one of his human informants the moment she had materialized in the graveyard, had been sheer luck.

Once he had taken of f the gag, Spike moved to work on the ropes that secured her arms to the headboard of the bed, letting his hands glide and linger over her soft skin. It had been so long since he had touched his love, smelled her, heard the sound of her voice, that it was all he could do to keep himself from taking her. He had to remind himself to go easy; didn't want to make the same mistakes he had the first time.

"Is that better, luv?" He asked, briskly rubbing Willow's reddened wrists with his hands.

The moment she realized her hands were no longer bound, Willow bolted away from him, crouching on the bed like an animal about to strike and glaring at him. "Don't touch me!" She hissed.

Spike's eyes narrowed. "I thought we had an agreement," he half growled, his sudden anger seeping into his tone despite his efforts to the contrary.

Willow nodded. "We do. I don't try anything, I don't run away, I don't use magic against you, and you make sure Andrew is safe. That was the agreement."

A smile twitched at the corner of Spike's lips. She was clever, his witch, but nowhere near as clever as him. "And, you do as I say," he drawled as he sat on the bed, leaning back against the headboard and crossing his arms behind his head. "Come here and kiss me."

Willow's eyes grew wide and darted nervously around the room, as if looking for a way out.

Spike's voice was soft and calm, but the coldness behind the words was unequivocal. "Try it, Pet, and the boy will wish a dozen times over that he was dead."

Willow's eyes glittered with suppressed tears as she shook her head, scooting a little away from him. "No, I can't."

Jumping angrily to his feet, Spike clenched his fists at his side. "Bloody hell, you say! Xander told me everything about you, about the last time you were here, and who you were with."

Willow frowned, her knuckles turning white around the fistful of sheet she clutched in her hands. "You ... you're not him," she said, her voice trembling.

"Maybe not, but I'm the closest thing to him that you will ever come near again. Start getting use to the idea, luv." Just like he knew that the woman before him was the closest thing he would ever come to having his Red again, the one he had broken and ... He didn't want to think about that, not anymore, not when she was sitting right in front of him, as beautiful, alive and whole as ever. His tone softened. "Just a kiss, Pet."

For once, he couldn't read the expression on her face, dread, resignation, shame? She slowly leaned toward him, and he met her halfway, because he could see the effort it was costing her. His lips closed over hers, and Spike could have sworn he felt his long-dead heart beat. She tasted like he remembered, and like she had never tasted before, sweet, soft, warm - willing.

Too soon she broke the kiss. She sat back on her heels, staring at him with a mixture of confusion and shame in her eyes.

"That wasn't so hard, was it, Pet?" Spike whispered, before grabbing her hands and pulling them over her head. Willow kicked and struggled against his hold, but in two minutes he had her hands tied to the bed again. She opened her mouth to speak and he took advantage of the opportunity to slip the gag between her lips, deftly securing it behind her head.

"Maybe next time, you'll do as I say - when I say," he growled before turning on his heel and exiting the room.

~*~

Spike paced angrily inside the confines of the cage. It had been at least a couple of hours since he had regained consciousness, who knew how many since he had been locked up in the cage, and even longer since Willow had been missing. No one had come to check on him, not Angel, not the slayer, not even the watcher. A couple of times he thought he heard noises on the floor above his head: muted voices, heavy steps, nothing that would give him an indication of who was in the house or what was going on. He wrapped his hands around the reinforced iron bars and rattled the cage again, before punching the thick chain that secured the gate.

"Bloody bastards! Just wait until I get my hands on you! Angel, I swear I'm going to rip your heart out and stake it to a wall if you don't get me out of here right now! You hear me?"

He doubted that anyone could hear his rant; it was obvious that he was in one of the cellars beneath the mansion. A shadow moved in the corner and he strained his neck to see, growling when he saw Angel move to stand under the light of the single light bulb in the room.

"About bloody time. Let me out of here!"

The other vampire only stared at him, deep in thought, not moving. Spike kicked the side of the cage, but Angel didn't so much as flinch.

"Angelus, I mean it, let me out."

Angel shook his head, his expression serious. "I can't do that, Spike."

Spike's anger and frustration were escalating. "You bloody well can! Just unlock the gate and I'll let myself out!"

Angel walked slowly toward the cage while he spoke. "Not until I know that you're not going to do something stupid."

"All I'm gonna do is get Red and get the fuck out of this place! After this, we are leaving, whether she wants to or not!"

Angel tilted his head, a shadow of a smile ghosting across his face. "See, that's the stupid part. You wouldn't get three feet into that lair before you became a pile of dust."

"I'll find a way, just let me out," Spike growled.

Angel shook his head. "You can't just walk into ..." Angel paused, his eyes traveling the length of Spike's body and back to his face, "your lair and walk out with Willow, but I know someone who can ..."

"Bullocks! You are just making up reasons to keep me locked up in here, because you're a bloody prick!"

Angel ignored Spike's outburst. He was leaning against the cage, absently running his fingers over the metal bars. His voice was barely above a whisper, the calm tone further irritating the blond vampire. "Don't you miss it sometimes, boy? The power, the thrill of the kill, the rush...?"

Spike unconsciously backed further into the cage, startled by the sudden change in subject of conversation.

"Of course I miss it, every fucking moment I'm awake! What's your point?" He asked suspiciously.

"The point is, that if I didn't have the soul he would have never been able to kill her."

Spike knew, without being told, to whom Angel was referring. He snorted. "That's because if you didn't have a soul, you would have killed her yourself, Angelus! And what the hell does that have to do with me getting out of this bloody cage?"

Angel ignored the question. "Ah, so you see my point!"

Spike was quickly losing patience with the other. "No, I don't!"

Angel spoke slowly, as if trying to explain something to a child who is too slow to understand; he emphasized each word. "If I didn't have the soul, I would have killed her long ago and reveled in it. Instead, he gets to kill her and I suffer for it."

Spike frowned. "You suffer because you didn't get to kill the slayer? Mate, take it from me, plenty more where that one came from. What you say you let me out and we go hunt ourselves some slayers, starting with the bitch upstairs, eh?"

Angel's ruminative expression changed quickly to one of anger as he slapped his hand against the cage. "Don't mock me, boy!"

"Then stop talking like a bleeding lunatic! And you can stop calling me 'boy,' I haven't been your boy in over a century."

"You're right, William, one more thing in my long list of regrets."

Angel turned away and Spike rushed against the bars of the cage. "Where the bleeding hell you think you are going, you bloody poof? Get back here and open this cage! Angelus!"

Spike's angry voice resonated off the walls in the empty cellar. He waited for a minute, hoping that the other was bluffing and would come back. When the minute turned into two, and then into five, Spike slammed his body against the side of the cage, before he dropped to his knees and wrapped his hands around the bars.

~*~

Willow closed her eyes and once again willed her body to relax. She had spent what seemed like hours alone in the room. Just outside, she could hear noises, voices, steps, yells, and an occasional fight, but no one came near her except for a woman who had entered the room once, to replace the burned down candles with fresh ones. Several times, Willow yanked on the chains that bound her hands, or tried to loosen the gag with her tongue. Even if she managed to say the words of a spell or break loose from the chains, she wasn't sure how much good it would do. Now that Spike knew about her presence in this world, she had lost the element of surprise. More importantly, she was not willing to risk more injuries to Andrew by trying to run away and save herself. If she could find out where Xander had taken him, they would at least have a chance to escape together, but if she tried and failed ... .

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone entering the room. She opened her eyes and saw Spike standing by the foot of the bed, casually shrugging off his duster. The vampire pulled his shirt over his head before sitting on the bed to remove his boots. Willow nudged his back with her foot, mumbling behind the gag when he turned to look at her. Ignoring her protests, he stood and started to unbutton his pants. She averted her eyes, letting out a muffled yelp when Spike slipped under the covers, next to her on the bed.

He rolled on his side, leaning over her as his hands reached around to untie the gag. She tried not to stare at the expanse of bare chest hovering two inches in front of her face. Shame suffused her when her body involuntarily responded to his nearness. Closing her eyes, Willow mentally scolded herself. It was not Spike, except it was in every respect, and yet it wasn't her Spike. She opened her eyes and looked up at his face, trying to find the subtle differences that had reminded her before, but they weren't there. In every sense, this was Spike. Every sense but the one that counts, she told herself.

He pulled away and Willow blushed when she realized that he was studying her face as intently as she had been studying his.

"What ...? What are you doing?" She asked.

"It's morning, I'm going to bed, Pet," he answered with a shrug.

Except that he wasn't going to sleep. He was laying on his side, his hand lazily running circles over her stomach, his eyes traveling over her body, searching her face.

"Uh, Spike, you should put out the candles. They are a fire hazard, you know. It would not be good, if there was, you know, a fire, with me being tied to the bed and all, and with us being underground, and vampires, you know, kind of combustible."

With a groan, Spike jumped off the bed and Willow quickly closed her eyes, wishing she had kept her mouth shut. She had tried to think of a way to put some distance between herself and the vampire's roaming hands and prying eyes, to buy herself some time to regain her composure. In her panic, she had overlooked the fact that the sheet was the only thing covering Spike's naked body. Her eyes opened when she felt him get back into the bed.

The room was engulfed in darkness and Willow again cursed herself for an idiot. Now, she was not only tied to a bed, next to a naked vampire, but she couldn't see a thing! Her body jerked involuntarily when she felt Spike's hand brush against her thigh. She tensed when his cool lips kissed the side of her face, before sliding down to nuzzle her neck.

It would be so easy to just murmur a few words. She would be safely back at the mansion ... and Andrew would be left alone to contend with Spike's wrath.

"Spike, please don't," she whispered.

A gentle hand glided over her breast, cupping it and pinching the hardening nipple.

"Your body is telling me something else, Pet."

Willow could hear the laughter in his voice. She clenched her jaw. "It's not you I want," she ground out, bracing herself for his response. She was surprised when his tone remained calm, almost amused.

"It will be, luv. Besides, that don't bother me; spent a century listening to Dru call out for her Daddy while I fucked her, I did."

Willow winced at the cold, flat tone with which he spoke the words, suspecting that it had bothered him more than even he knew. His erection rubbed against her side, while his hand traveled over the plains of her belly. She felt her stomach clench in response.

"You saying you don't want this, Red? You don't want me inside you?"

She squeezed her eyes shut as his voice sent another shudder of pleasure through her. When his mouth kissed hers, she tried to imagine the taste of blood on his lips - fresh, human blood belonging to someone he had probably murdered, only a few hours earlier, with the same hand that was now nudging her thighs apart. She abruptly turned her head, wrenching her mouth from his. A warning growl vibrated against her neck.

"You're not playing nice, Red."

The urge to escape was overpowering. While her mind told her that this was not Spike with her on the bed, her body recognized him as her lover whose touch it craved. The others wouldn't blame her if, under the circumstances, she chose to save herself. They would all readily and wholeheartedly agree that she had done the right thing by getting herself out and worrying about helping Andrew later. Willow just couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead, she concentrated on remaining still and trying to keep her body from responding to Spike's touch.

He was taking her clothes off. Her pants slid off her legs and she shivered against the damp coldness of the room. There was a tug on her shirt, followed by a ripping sound, and Willow surmised that Spike had ripped her shirt off, not bothering to untie her hands. Her undergarments quickly followed. Willow squeezed her eyes shut, even though she couldn't see more than faint shadows with them open.

His hands pushed her thighs apart

"You're gonna love me, Red. I'm gonna make you love me."

Willow braced herself for his penetration and was surprised by the feel of his tongue gliding smoothly over the length of her slit.

"Oh, gods," she whispered.

He repeated the motion and flicked the tip of his tongue over her clit, sending a stab of pleasure through her body. Willow bit into her lip, but could not completely suppress a moan.

"You like that, don't you, Pet? I can make it good. I can make it so good you'll beg me for it."

His whispered words drifted over her in the darkness as his fingers played lazily with her clit. Moisture seeped from between her legs and all Willow could think was how much she wanted Spike with her, in her, at that moment.

"But I guess you already know that," he added, slipping a finger inside her.

In vain she struggled to control her treacherous body. She writhed and panted until she was covered with perspiration. The efforts she made served only to wedge his fingers deeper into her core as his expert tongue laved and teased her sensitive flesh. She screamed, a shrill and keen sound of release and anguish as orgasm plunged her senses into oblivion.

The sound of his voice crooning in her ear brought her slowly back to awareness. "I've missed you so much, Pet. Not gonna fuck it up this time; I'm gonna make it right by you. I love you, Red."

Stunned by the unexpected proclamation, Willow failed to protest as his cock slipped inside her, filling and stretching her ready channel. He was rough in his passion and desperation, stretching her legs apart, pounding into her with every thrust. As his fervor increased, so did her pleasure, until Willow was bucking against him, moaning his name as another orgasm rippled through her insides.

It was later, when they both laid on the bed, their lust spent, that reality once again set in.

"I love you, Spike," Willow whispered as she drifted off to sleep, knowing there was no way for the vampire curled up next to her to know that the whispered words were not meant for him.

~* ~

Spike stopped pacing when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs of the cellar. A moment later, Angel was standing in front of him, his face somber. This time, Spike didn't bother threatening the other vampire; he knew that Angel was going to let him out only when he was ready to do it, and no amount of ranting would speed up the process. While Spike waited for Angel to speak, he stared him down, piercing blue eyes challenging dark, icy ones.

"We need to talk. You have to make some decisions."

Spike raised his eyebrow; he could feel an ultimatum coming on and he was in no position to bargain. "I think we've talked enough. Le'me out so I can take a bath, I stink of you."

Angel dangled a key in front of Spike, just out of his reach. "First, we talk."

Spike shrugged, truly not caring what the other had to say, but willing to play along if it meant an early release from his prison. "Fine, you talk, but make it quick," he said curtly.

"Someone is here, and he wants to see you. But, whatever you think of this, you have to promise me that you'll listen to me first, before you act."

Spike's gaze narrowed and he nodded, Angel had his attention. The older vampire motioned with a slight nod toward the side of the room. A low growl built in Spike's throat and his eyes flickered yellow as a figure stepped out of the shadows and walked to stand next to Angel.

"Hello, Sire," the new arrival said.

Spike stared in shock at the two dark vampires standing side by side in front of him.

~Part: 10~

"What the bloody hell is he doing here?" Spike roared, slamming his body against the cage. His gut twisted when he saw Angel put a protective arm around Xander's shoulders.

"He came to us, offering a truce ... and help, in exchange for asylum."

Spike frowned. Surely Angel was not stupid enough to believe that Xander could be trusted.

Angel's expression was strangely blank, his voice flat. "Remember when I said that I knew someone who could go into Spike's lair and get Willow out?"

"The only way he is getting anywhere near Willow is through a cloud of my dust!" Spike snarled.

Angel clicked his tongue, shaking his head at Spike as an adult would do to show his disappointment with a child's behavior. It was condescending, and all the more humiliating because Xander was closely watching the exchange.

"Xander here is family, boy. You could show a little more hospitality to him. He brought Andrew back to us."

Spike tried not to let his surprise show. "Did he now, and still breathing?"

Angel nodded. He stepped away from Xander and approached the cage slowly. Spike could not help the shudder that wracked his body, the almost imperceptible step back he took. Xander stood by, grinning idiotically and basking in the elder vampire's acceptance. But decades of experience told Spike that Angel was up to something, and the blond vampire wasn't so certain he was going to like whatever it was.

"The boy is resting comfortably in one of the bedrooms upstairs; as comfortably as can be expected under the circumstances, that is. I think Xander deserves at least the benefit of the doubt from us."

Spike huffed derisively. "You're bloody mad if you really believe that, old man. What do the others say about this, the watcher, the slayer?"

"They are understandably reluctant. But really, Spike, have you taken a good look around you lately? Conviction is quickly becoming a luxury no one around here can afford ... least of all, you ... not if you ever want to see Willow again."

Spike considered his options, while his eyes shot daggers into Xander. On the one hand, he could argue with Angel until the end of days, while Willow was held captive, or he could simply play along and make things up as he went. Spike was good at making things up.

"So, yeah, whatever. Just let me out of this bloody cage."

"First, your word that you won't try anything unless I give the ok, and you'll stay away from Xander for the time being."

Spike's eyes narrowed menacingly and he was rewarded with a nervous twitch from Xander. He nodded reluctantly and Angel slipped the key into the lock. The moment the gate opened, Spike was on Angel, catching him off guard and knocking him to the floor with a swift uppercut to the jaw.

"Owed you that one, mate. Didn't think I would forget, did you?" Spike sneered as he walked toward the cellar's stairs, ignoring Angel's furious glare and Xander's lustful one.

~*~

Spike leaned against a far wall, watching the others gathered around the dining room table. By the look of things, Xander's presence didn't sit well with anyone in the group, but because of the possibility that Xander could have some valuable information about Willow's whereabouts, they had acquiesced, albeit warily, to his request to join them. Giles looked like he was using every ounce of self-control he had ever possessed not to tear into Xander. Faith was restless and on edge, understandable for a slayer sharing a room with three vampires. It was Angel's behavior that didn't quite fit. The older vampire had been a little too ready to believe Xander's story, too willing to let the unarguably evil vampire into their little group, and more than a little too quick to jump to the other's defense whenever anyone questioned the wisdom of the gamble they were taking. It was on Angel that Spike's eyes were trained as the elder vampire questioned Xander.

"We only know of one entrance to the lair, how many are there?"

"Five, two through one graveyard, one at another, and two through the tunnels. I'm telling you, Angel, it doesn't matter; there's no way we can storm the lair with only five of us."

Angel furrowed his brow in concentration. "What about the minions? Any of them loyal to you?"

Xander shook his head, looking a little embarrassed by the admission.

Spike snorted in derision. "Not bloody likely," he muttered under his breath.

Giles interjected. "Well, we do have a few others on the outside, people who are sympathetic to our cause and may be willing to help."

Xander chuckled, an expression of unadulterated amusement on his face. "Is that so, watcher? Tell me something, how do you think Spike knew about a Willow and Spike from another dimension being here? Did you think he just took my word for it? And how was it that Spike knew the moment that Will showed up at the graveyard, even though it was still daylight outside?"

Giles stared at Xander for a minute, a betrayed and confused expression on his face. "Are you saying that some of our people are working for Spike as well?"

Xander smirked. "I'm saying that you have no people. What you have is a bunch of humans who work for Spike, watching you and informing him of your every move. It's amazing how motivating a pair of sharp fangs against the neck of someone's loved one can be. It can be right down inspiring!"

Giles launched across the table, reaching for Xander's neck. Angel reacted by clamping his hand around the ex-watcher's wrist, slowly but firmly pushing him back to his chair. Faith tensed, but backed down when Giles returned to his seat without much protest.

Spike had seen enough. He stepped away from the wall and walked toward Xander. "You know what I don't get about this, droopy boy? What's in all of this for you? If we are such a band of buggered as you say, what makes you so eager to join us? Can you tell us that?"

Xander's expression turned serious as his gaze settled on Spike, all humor and mockery drained from his face. "Sire, I ..."

"Don't fucking call me that! I'm not your bloody sire and you're nothing to me! The only reason you're not a handful of dust blowing in the wind is because the poofster over here seems to have a hard-on for you! So, why don't you cut the crap and tell me what the fuck you're doing here!"

Angel's dark gaze was fixed on Spike. "Spike, maybe we should discuss this later," he emphasized his words, glancing in the humans' direction.

Spike was beyond subtleties and discretion. Xander still owed him for what he had done to Willow, but his first priority was to get Willow back and he had to admit he wasn't going to do that by alienating the two other vampires. He was almost grateful when the watcher, who seemed to have regained his composure, interjected.

"What, then, do you suggest?"

Angel shifted uncomfortably. "I'm thinking of a more subtle plan. Xander told me that Spike's main goal in capturing me is not to kill me, but to bring back Angelus ..."

Faith and Giles inhaled sharply while Spike clenched his jaw, wondering why he had not thought about it earlier. It made sense to him that his double would be ready to bring Angelus back into his family, especially if Drusilla was out of the picture. Even if he could no longer have sunlight, he would have his surrogate sire by his side, a child to command and control, no chip ... and Willow. Everything Spike wanted, everything that should have been his. A twinge of envy twisted Spike's gut. He realized that Angel was still talking.

"I could go back with Xander, offer a truce to Spike, lead him to believe that I'm ready to lose the soul, gain access to Willow."

Silence filled the room as they each seemed to consider the plan. While the others were probably weighing the odds of success, one question weighed heavily in Spike's mind, then what?

"How will you explain about Andrew?" He asked instead.

Xander spoke, looking directly at Spike, his voice void of emotion. "No one outside of this room knows Andrew is here. I could just say that I killed him. Spike doesn't much care about the boy one way or the other. It was Willow he was after all along. As long as she believes that Spike has the boy somewhere, she'll do whatever he says."

Spike flinched, recognizing that Xander was right. He looked at Angel. "What do I do?"

"You stay put," Angel commanded.

Spike glared at him angrily, but nodded his agreement. "When?" He asked.

"Tomorrow night."

When there were no more questions and no objections from the group, Angel stood up. Spike had started walking away, already planning how he could keep a close eye on Angel without jeopardizing Willow's safety, when he heard the older vampire's voice call out to him.

"Spike, we need to talk, in private."

Spike almost smiled, he must have been losing his edge if he had thought that Angel was going to leave things at that. He turned to follow Angel up the stairs as the small group disbanded, and Xander quickly fell into step next to him.

"Get the fuck away from me!" Spike growled. He watched with disgust as Xander scurried away like a kicked puppy.

~*~

Spike sat on a comfortable chair in Angel's room, his legs stretched out in front of him, a glass of whiskey in his hand, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He wished that Angel would stop the brooding and get on with the talking.

"I want to apologize for what happened before," Angel began.

A snarky comeback danced on the tip of his tongue, but Spike refrained from speaking when Angel raised his hand.

"You have to believe me, I harbor no ill will toward Willow, and this is not how I wanted things to turn out."

It wasn't that he didn't believe Angel's words, but Spike still needed to lash out. "Well, I guess neither of us got what we wanted, then."

Angel ignored him. "No harm will come to her if I can help it, I assure you of that much."

Spike frowned, sensing something in the other's tone that he could not identify. "But?"

"But, I know you don't believe me and you're going to do something stupid."

Spike shivered inwardly when Angel turned to look at him and his jaw was set, his eyes dark and cold. "Whatever you decide to do, don't get in my way. This is the only warning you are going to get."

Spike jumped to his feet. "You are warning me?" He yelled. "I don't know what the bleeding hell you're up to, Angelus, but I don't believe that pile of rubbish about you giving Xander the benefit of the doubt. Whatever your sodding plan is, I'm warning you to leave Willow out of it!"

Angel shook his head, giving Spike a lopsided grin. "You know what, Spike, I almost feel sorry for you. Do you really think she is worth all of this?"

Spike's voice faltered and he averted his eyes. "To me, she is."

Angel approached Spike until the two were standing toe to toe. "Then, for her sake, I hope that you can control yourself."

"And who is going to control Xander, or you for that matter?"

"Xander is nothing more than a love sick puppy. Do you even know why he came here?"

"Not a bloody clue, don't really care."

Angel chuckled. "It was you."

Spike's eyebrows shut up. "Me? Hankering for a bit of dusting, is he?"

"Think about it Spike, do you even want the boy?"

Spike walked away from Angel, snuffing his spent cigarette with the heel of his boot and reaching into his pocket for another one. "Want is relative, mate. I want to hear him scream and beg for mercy before I finally dust him ... but other than that, no."

"And neither does his sire," Angel shrugged. "He probably figured he had a better chance with you than with the other. When you think about it, he is a lot like you, Spike."

"Well, he figured wrong! And he is nothing like me! I was never that bloody pathetic!"

Spike bristled at Angel's skeptical look, but held his tongue.

"I'll watch Xander closely, but I can't watch both of you, so my warning stands."

Spike turned away uncomfortably, watching the cloud of gray smoke rise from his lips and spread across the ceiling. He heard Angel's soft steps as he closed the gap between them.

"Spike, whatever is happening with Willow, you know it isn't her fault, right? You wouldn't take no for an answer, and neither will he. If she is smart, she'll do what she has to in order to stay alive."

Spike was surprised by Angel's softly spoken words. Thoughts of Willow with his double had been tormenting him ever since Xander had planted the idea in his head. He knew exactly what he would be doing at that very moment if he had Willow with him. Angel was right, Willow didn't have a choice, the question was, did she want one? He thought it best not to give voice to his doubts.

"Just make sure she is alright, ok?"

Angel placed his hand on Spike's shoulder. "I'll do what I can for her," he stated simply.

No promises, no assurances. Spike jerked away from the other's touch. A strong hand clasped on his forearm and whirled him around. Angel's face was only an inch in front of him, and his lips took Spike's in a harsh kiss. Spike didn't react for a moment, too stunned to move, but after a brief pause he pushed Angel away and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. It wasn't the taste of Angel that he was trying to wipe away, but the lingering emotions behind the kiss - desperation tinged with a hint of goodbye. Without a word, Spike stormed out of the room.

~*~

From the shadows, Xander watched the figure of the woman standing in the garden. He followed her gaze to one of the upstairs windows of the mansion. It had been his bedroom window when he had lived in the house. A whiff of the cigarette she smoked reached his nostrils along with her scent. When he was human, Faith had always smelled to him of plain soap, a hint of cheap body splash, sometimes sweat, and more often, sex. At that moment, he smelled something else, the salt of tears and the unmistakable undercurrent of rage. His tongue snaked out, letting the scent tickle his taste buds. If his plan worked, he would be tasting a lot more of that when he had the slayer in his grip.

He stepped out into the open courtyard and felt her tense at his approach. She didn't turn to look at him, but casually twirled a stake between her fingers.

"Ten seconds," she stated.

Xander paused, not understanding her statement. "Ten seconds ... what?"

"Ten seconds before I turn around and drive this stake through your heart if you're not out my sight."

Xander chuckled. He took her threat seriously, but doubted she would carry through after hearing his next words. "They are fucking, you know."

Faith looked at him then, her brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

Xander stepped close enough to reach out and snatch the cigarette out of the woman's hand. She whirled on him, the stake poised next to her head, and he jumped back. "Careful there, Faith. You could poke somebody's eyes out with that thing." His gaze returned to the upstairs window.

"I could still smell you on him, even over the smell of Spike's cum."

Faith snarled, baring her teeth. "You miserable little fuck!"

She launched at him and Xander stepped out of the way, dropping the cigarette and losing some of his composure. Maybe it had not been a good idea to taunt the already pissed off slayer.

"Whoa, hold on there! You don't want to do that!"

"I think I do!" Faith said as she rushed Xander and they both tumbled to the ground, Faith landing on top.

For one terrifying moment, Xander thought he had misjudged the woman, both her strength and the intensity of her anger, but then she hesitated. He took the opportunity to throw her off him and bounce to his feet. She recovered quickly, rolling on her side and landing upright. She hovered only two feet in front of him, the stake still raised for attack.

"What the fuck do you want, Xander?"

Xander smirked, knowing he had her. She had never been too smart, Faith. "Oddly enough, I want to help you."

She laughed, a mocking, tinkling sound. "Yeah, right. That was a good one, wanna tell me another one?"

Xander glanced once more at the window, snorting when her gaze followed his. "Do you really believe all that crap, about Angel going into Spike's lair to get the witch?"

Faith frowned and Xander could almost see the wheels grinding slowly inside her brain.

"Sure, why not?"

Xander clicked his tongue, much in the same fashion he had seen Angel do to Spike. "Oh, I don't know, maybe because he is sick of grazing with the sheep, maybe because being burdened with a soul is so not with the fun, maybe because his eyes glinted like the devil's when I told him that Spike wanted to free him of the soul and he had the means to do it."

Faith shook her head, but she slowly lowered the stake, easing down her guard. "Angel wouldn't ... I mean, he's been dealing with issues lately, I can see that, but ... " Her voice faltered, not sounding very convinced by her own words.

"Think about it, Faith. A newly de-souled Angelus, not one but two Spikes, and a witch, against you and ... well, just you. Even a girl with cojones like yours has to stop and think about those kinds of odds."

And she was thinking, he could tell. Only, Faith had never been much with the thinking and Xander had been counting on that. He casually looked in the direction of the window and noticed that the bright overhead light had been turned off, replaced by the dim illumination of a table lamp. Xander pretended to glance at the non-existent watch on his wrist. "If I were you, I wouldn't hang around here waiting for those two to finish. Spike has quite a bit of stamina." He grinned lasciviously before turning his back and pretending to walk away.

"And you want to help me? How? Or maybe I should ask, why?"

Xander turned around and shrugged. "Actually, you can ask both, just because I'm generous that way. First with the how. I can't take on all of them by myself and neither can you, so we split them up. I'll take care of the witch, and arrange for you to meet alone with Angel. That only leaves Spike; two against one are more my kind of odds."

"You want me to kill Angel?" Faith asked, her eyes wide.

Xander shrugged. "It wouldn't be the first time you tried; I don't see the problem. Unless, of course, you already know you can't do it."

She straightened her shoulders at the challenge. "I can do it! How about the other Spike?" She motioned toward the house.

"This Spike is chipped; he can't touch you, and with Angel and Willow gone, he'll more than likely leave Sunnydale."

Faith smiled wickedly at him, shaking her head. "He is going to kick your ass!"

"Maybe, but that's not your problem, is it?"

"Ok ... ok, I see where you're going with this. But what's in it for you?"

Xander shrugged. "Vampires have this complex social structure, a hierarchy of power ..." He studied the woman's confused expression. "If Spike and Angel bite it, I'm in charge."

Faith's lips formed a silent 'o.' "And you leave Sunnydale," she added.

"Already planning on it. This town is just not as much fun as it used to be, and it never was much fun to begin with."

Faith considered his words for a moment. "Fine, what's the plan?"

Xander smiled as he gave Faith the details of his plan, leaving out the part about already having found a way to get Spike's chip out of his head, and the minor detail of how he was going to blame Angel's and Willow's death on her, and give her to Spike as a token of his love and devotion - after ripping her tongue out, of course.

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