************

~Part One~

He watched the blonde carefully. She was after all why he was here. She danced playfully with a brunette boy and then turned to a girl. The two of
them laughed at some joke that the brunette wasn't in on. The vampire's piercing blue eyes were only for the slayer until…

Buffy and Willow giggled. Xander was doing a bad rendition of the Bee Gees. His hands were flailing and his feet were glued to the ground yet his legs wobbled back and forth. Then there was his back, it was ram rod straight refusing to move to the beat. The girls couldn't help but laugh at their friend.

"What's so funny?" Xander asked truly bewildered. Willow started to say something but Buffy stopped her.

"One day the boy must learn on his own." Buffy advised. The girls shared another smile and Willow's eyes flickered across the crowd. That's when she saw him. Lean, blonde, ice blue eyes, and hotter then any television actor she had ever seen in her entire life. For a moment she was just frozen, drowning in his eyes. Then it hit her he was staring just as hard.

The redhead gave him a secret shy smile and her eyes sparkled. How could Spike help but play along? He flashed her his most boyish grin. And then the little girl turned away flippantly, acting as if it didn't phase her. Spike smirked at the playfulness and remembered his reason for being there. He
turned to a random person and put on his best "I'm concerned" face.

"Where's the phone? I need to call the police. There's some big guy out there trying to bite somebody." He said loudly.

************

"So he looks that bad?" Willow asked. Buffy shrugged.

"Ah how bad could he be. I mean his name is Spike and he has bleach blonde hair? God he looked like a Billy Idol wanna be." Buffy pointed out. Willow giggled in agreement. Her mind briefly remembered the blonde she had shared…well a smile with at the Bronze. Now he had been cute, even from a distance she had been able to tell that. * Oh well he's gone now * She realized. Then her mind methodically pushed the incident away and she listened to Buffy grumble about the new big bad.

"So we're the slayer's friend are we red?" Spike asked softly as he followed the girls. His mind was far from work, it was all on play. She looked
innocent, sweet, pure…the way Spike liked them best. But there was something else. * She's got a certain fire * He thought. * Well maybe it's just the red hair * But as this girl…Willow! * So that's her name * Spike thought smirking.

He watched her face carefully and there was a far away look in her eye. She was listening to her friend but her mind wasn't there. Then he saw that sparkle again. No, she definitely had fire. * Maybe this town won't be so bad after all. * He decided. Spike pulled out a cigarette and fell back. Time to eat.

************

"Ask for some aspirin!" Willow growled. She was definitely not enjoying her time here in the closet with Cordelia.

"Hey!" Cordy cried. "These are my prayers." Willow rolled her eyes and stood up.

"That's it, I am so out of here." She declared. Cordy held her breath as Willow marched out the door. Nothing. Willow smiled back in triumph and
headed straight out the door leaving Cordelia behind. * I hope a vampire finds her * She thought.

The redhead stalked down the street not caring what evils lurk in the shadows. There was a loud crack of a branch and she glared into the darkness.

"I am tired, hungry, and have just been locked in a closet all night with my arch nemesis. Just try it!" Willow called into the dark. When no answer came she walked on, satisfied she had scared off whatever might have been coming.

Spike grinned as he watched her march down the street. The girl had guts, he had to give her that. He brushed dust off his coat of the vampire that had been hunting her. All of them…the Slayer, her idiot friend, Angel even… all of them could die by another vampire's hand for all he cared…but not her. Willow was different. She was special.
 
 

~Part Two~

Spike watched her again from the shadows. Willow, and the Slayer were walking towards the Bronze. Keeping far enough away from them, so that slayer didn't sense him, he watched them walk into the club.

He hadn't seen Willow on the parent teacher night, but still smiled at the memories of that night, *Now that was fun.* He grinned to himself, and walked into the Bronze, sitting at the bar to watch the little red head.

************

"That test was grueling." Buffy grimaced, taking a sip of her coke.

"It wasn't that bad." Willow said thoughtfully.

"Of course it wasn't that bad ... for you. Will, you're book girl. That's all you ever do, ya know." Xander said, nonchalantly, staring out onto the dance floor. Willow's smile graced off her face at her friends unknowingly cruel words. She took a sip of her coke, and blinked away the tears in her eyes.
 
"Uh, guys. I don't feel that great. I'm gonna go home." Willow said, sliding off her seat. Buffy hopped off her seat, and looking at her worriedly.
"Buffy, you stay. I can make it home on my own. I have a cross and stuff." Willow said quickly. She turned on the pair, and walked out of the club.

Spike watched the red head, as she headed out of the club, and he slid out of his seat to watch her home. Keeping himself in the distance, he watched as she past people quickly, not looking anywhere but the ground. A growl rumbled in his throat as he saw a vampire come up behind the red head.

Willow kept her eyes down, tears had already sprung from her eyes. She suddenly felt someone come up behind her, and grasp her shoulder.

"Buffy, I said I could walk home on my own." She said, turning to look behind her. The look on her face, quickly died as she saw the vampire in full grr mode. She kicked against him, trying to get away, but he held her tight. Willow continued to try and get away, but it was no use. She scrunched her eyes closed, and waiting for his fangs to sink into her neck. But it never came. She felt herself fall hard to the ground. She turned her head slightly, to see what was going on, but her vision was blinking with black, she couldn't see, all she could see was a flash of white hair. She put her hand up to her head, and felt blood. She moaned in pain, and tried to see what was ahead of her, but now all she could see was black. Her head thudded against the ground, passed out on the ground.

Spike finally dusted the vampire, and he turned to look at the red head. He saw her small form on the ground, knocked out. He walked over to her, and picked her up, cradling her against him, he started to walk towards her home.

************

Finally reaching her home, he walked up towards the door and stopped at the entry.

"Pet, can I come in?" Spike asked, looking tenderly down at Willow. Willow's head nodded his chest. Spike opened the door, and started to walk through, thankful that her invitation had worked. Still cradling her against him, he started to walk up the stairs, and opened various doors, seeing if he had found her room. On the second door, he saw stuffed animals, and a laptop and knew he had found her room.

Moving the comforter and sheets down to the end of her bed, he laid her down onto the soft mattress, and pulled the covers up over her, resting them under her chin. He looked down at her, with a small smile, before standing up straight, and headed towards the french doors.

Walking out the doors, he glanced one look at her, before climbing down the wall, and away towards the factory.

************

Willow opened her eyes groggily, as the sun's rays shown down on her face. Her hair was fanned out around her, and when the sunlight hit her hair, made it look like fire. She lifted her head, and winced in pain. Putting her hand to her head, she could feel dried blood.

"What the hell happened?" She asked, looking around her.
 

~Part Three~

Willow pulled the towel away from her head and tried to remember getting the huge lump that was now there. She couldn't.

"Let's see Bronze, walking home…" After that she didn't remember anything. * Hmm weird. * She grabbed her brush off of the table and began to pull it through her hair. That's when she noticed the parchment paper nestled on her teddy bear's lap. She blinked to make sure she hadn't dreamed it up but the paper didn't disappear. Willow picked it up and turned it over in her hand.

There was no mark on the outside and the paper was the fancy kind one would buy in a stationary store. She unfolded it and read the simple message scrawled in black ink.

"The first salvation was free but the next one will cost you…a conversation. S." The S was signed with a flourish. Willow furrowed her brow in
conversation. Salvation? * When was I saved? * She touched the bump and figured that might have something to do with it. Instantly bits and pieces of the vampire attacking her came back slowly. Then she was carried home. That's all she remembered.

She reread the note and smiled. The tone was playful. * Well if that's the price then I can afford it can't I? * She thought smiling. She folded it up
and began to hum to herself happily as she got dressed. It was going to be a beautiful day.

************

"Why so happy Will?" Buffy asked as she joined her friend in the common area that morning. Willow smiled and shrugged.

"It's just one of those happy days." She informed her friend. She could just tell Buffy but something held her back. This was something she wanted for herself. Having one little thing to herself in a life on the Hellmouth wasn't much to ask for.

"Those days are the best." Buffy agreed. "Especially after a date with Angel." The slayer said grinning. Willow grinned.

"OK details now." Then the girls walked to their first class talking about boys, smoochies, and all the other things normal teenage girls think of. But
in the back of Willow's mind the note's words remained. *Maybe I'll need saving sooner then 'S' thinks * She thought smirking.

************

The red head walked through the night looking as defenseless and innocent as possible. She twisted the rosary in her hand peering into the dark trees.

"Look at me, look at poor helpless me." She said softly. For a cemetery in the Hellmouth this place was…well dead. She sighed, thinking there was going to be absolutely no vamp activity this night. * At this rate it'll take years to find S again * She thought grumpily.

Spike held in a hearty laugh as he watched her sitting on the top of a tomb stone. She looked more then tempting to any sane vampire watching. Her red low top sneakers matched her long sleeve shirt, which she was wearing over a pair of black capris. She wasn't even trying to hide. He liked the idea that she was going through all this just to talk to him. The vampire watched as she jauntily hummed a Phil Collins tune. He started laughing quietly at the site. It was too much.

Willow swung her legs back and forth and sighed. * Ten more minutes and I'm calling it a night* Apparently God was listening because suddenly she was pushed onto the ground. She scrambled onto her back and looked up at the brawny vampire. He growled at her.

"Dinner." It said dumbly. Willow thrust her cross into it's face and it flinched back in disgust. Then the vampire's face was filled with a look of pain and it was gone, dust. Willow coughed as the dust cleared and she was pulled to her feet by a tall man. She looked up and her couch turned into a
gasp.

"S-Spike!" She cried in surprise. She jumped back to a safety of a three foot distance and his face slid into it's familiar cocky look.

"Awe now luv, don't be like that. After I save your life and everything." He said grinning. Spike walked closer to her and Willow held her cross up.

"I'll kill you I swear." She insisted backing away. Spike cocked his head and studied her. She really meant what she was saying and that impressed him the most. She may have been scared to death but she was going to go out fighting.

"Now, now red calm down. I'm just here to collect on what's owed to me." Spike said. Willow's face fell to one of confusion.

"Owed? What?" She asked, caught off guard by his cool almost friendly demeanor.

"Well, of course, you owe me a conversation. Remember?" He asked raising his eyebrow. Willow's mouth fell open and her cross slipped soundlessly to the ground as she stared at him.

"You, it was you?" She asked in surprise. Spike bent down and picked up the chain of the rosary. He held it out to her.

"Dropped this." He said softly. Willow held out her hand and he dropped it into her open palm. His hand touched her fingers and closed them over the
beads. "Wouldn't want you to be without protection now would we luv?" Spike asked. For once in her life Willow was speechless.
 

~Part Four~

Willow put the beads into her pocket, and looked up at Spike, her eyes questioning.

"Why?" Willow asked, after about three minutes of silence.

"That one night at the Bronze, I was there to watch out for the Slayer, and I saw you." Spike said, staring straight ahead.

"I still don't quite get it ... why me?" Willow said.

"I saw you, the Slayer, and the idiot boy all dancing together. Once I saw you, I was intrigued." Spike shrugged.

"His name is Xander, ya know" Willow informed him.

"Besides the point." Spike said.

"But you tried to kill me..." Willow said.

"No, just the Slayer. Did I come after you, while you were in the closet?" Willow's eyes sharpened.

"You knew?" She asked.

"I can smell." Spike grinned. "But the cronies interrupted. I knew nothing would happen that night, so I tried to kill Betty."

"Buffy." Willow said.

"What?" Spike asked.

"You aren't that good at keeping names, are you?" Willow smiled a little. Spike cast her a look, and her smile disappeared, replaced with fear.

"I remember the names of people that are worth remembering." Spike grinned. Willow gave him a small smile, her fear disappearing, then as the meaning of his words sunk in, she gave a small blush.

"Here, I'll walk you home." Spike offered. Willow nodded, still not quite sure of the entire situation.

*I still don't get it.... I'm not that interesting. The only thing people want me for, is homework help...*

"What're thinking about luv?" Spike asked. Willow shook her head, and looked up at the vampire.

"Nothing." Willow became very silent, as she went over the reasons he could be interested in her. All she could think of was getting to Buffy, and her body went suddenly rigged. *I'm such an idiot. I'm the brains, and this is when I find out?* Willow thundered. Spike noticed her become uncomfortable, and stopped walking.

"What are you thinking about, Willow?" Spike asked.

"Just thought of the answer to a riddle. That's all." She said, hoping she could get home soon.

"What riddle?" Spike inquired.

"Nothing. It's not important." Willow said, staring down at the sidewalk.

"Willow, you can trust me." Spike said, seriously. Willow looked at him surprised, wondering if he could read minds.

"I.... uh..." Willow stuttered, not really knowing what to say. "Am I that predictable?" She asked, suddenly. Spike laughed out loud, and looked at her.

"You do kinda stand out." He smiled at her.

"Oh." Willow said, her mouth in the shape of a giant 'O'. Spike suddenly stopped, and looked at her.

"You're home." He commented. Willow looked up at her house, and nodded.

"Yep ... uh... I just want to let you know I'm taking a lot on faith here, but you wanna come in?" She asked, quietly. Spike smiled at her words, and
nodded.

"Sure, Red. Why not?" He grinned.

"No biting." She said, walking up the steps. Spike gave the same boyish smile he did at the Bronze that night.

"I promise."
 

~Part Five~

'I promise.' * Awful strange words coming from a vampireespecially Spike. * Willow thought. She dropped onto her couch and Spike pulled off his jacket, taking a seat a polite foot away from her. Willow watched him move in fascination. She'd never seen him minus the duster before and she had to admit he didn't look too bad. * Billy Idol or not he's a honey * Her brain pointed out. Then it hit her.

"It was you!" She exclaimed. Spike replied with a dumbfounded look.

"Probably, but you'll have to clarify pet." He suggested. Willow smiled.

"At the Bronze that night. The night you met Buffy. It was you I saw!" She declared. Spike shook his head.

"It took you this long. Pet I'm hurt." Spike said clutching his chest, making puppy eyes. Willow rolled her eyes.

"Please, I can't be expected to know and remember everything!" She exclaimed. Spike noted the small amount of bitterness in her voice. He stored the comment away for later reference. "And don't call me pet." She warned. Spike shot her a crooked grin.

"All right luv." He shot back. Willow sighed in exasperation but one look at his face and she couldn't help but smile with him. A thought struck the girl with the question that had been burning in her mind since he had saved her.

"So what made you want to talk to me?" Willow asked. * Better then Dru * He thought instantly. Spike pushed the thought aside. * Dru'' the love of your un-life, don't think that *

"Why not talk to you?" Spike answered. Willow sighed. It had been a long night and she wasn't in the mood.

"Look don't answer a question with a question. You're the one who wanted to talk here, remember?" Willow remarked, then she stopped stunned by her own outburst. Spike didn't seem stunned at all. He just smiled and nodded.

"Point taken red." He replied. "And you've answered your own question."

"What?" Willow asked, dumbfounded. Spike's blue eyes studied her slowly.

"There's something in you that everyone else is missing. That little bit of fire you hide. I saw it for a brief instant that night at the Bronze and
thought 'Will you have to get to know a girl like that, she will be a meal worth eating'." He ended with a playful smile, Willow blushed and smiled
shyly.

"Really?" Willow asked softly. "I'd be worth eating?" At the question Spike shot her a look of disbelief.

"Bloody hell girl any vampire would be crazy not to try and get a hold of you." Spike assured her. Willow replied with a small proud smile.

"Thanks." Willow replied. Spike smiled at her gently.

"Anytime." He said.

"So your name is Will?" She asked raising her eyebrows.

**************

Willow practically skipped down the street on her way to school the next morning. She'd been up until three o'clock in the morning talking to Spike.
He'd told her a little about his life as a mortal but he kept pretty quiet about life as a vampire. She'd caught a few references to a girl but she
couldn't keep him on the subject long enough to find anything out.

Mostly he'd wanted to know about her. He asked her all about her life, school, everything. And she had pretty much given him her biography right
down to the science kit she had gotten for her sixth birthday. She had found it amazingly easy to talk to him. A recurring thought reemerged. *He's the enemy * But for some reason for those few hours they weren't enemies, they weren't vampire and human, they weren't even guy and girl, they were just two people getting to know each other. And that's what she had liked the most.

"So Wills research party this afternoon?" Buffy asked. Willow smiled and nodded as she joined her friends on the quad.

"Yeah, what is it this time?" Willow asked pulling out her chemistry book.

"Spike stuff." Buffy shrugged. The chem book slipped from the redhead's fingers and thudded to the ground.

"Oh." She said softly. Xander grabbed the book and handed it back to her.

"Careful Willow. This could kill someone." He commented with his usual goofy grin. Willow nodded and clutched the book to her chest tightly.

"So up for it? Giles had donuts." Buffy said smiling. Willow nodded, putting on a false smile.

"Yep, I'm there. I'm so research girl." She said. The bell rang and the three hurried to their class but Willow lagged behind slightly. * Do I really want to know what he's done? *

**************

As Willow searched through random vampire histories other thoughts flitted through her brain. * How can I help Buffy kill him? What if he's using me to get to Buffy? How can he try and kill Buffy if he's friend's with me? * And that was just some of it. She flipped through the pages, not even glancing at the words. Xander looked up and noticed the blank stare on her face.

"You there?" He asked waving a hand in front of her face. Willow blinked and looked up.

"Oh uh huh." She said nodding. She looked down at the book, trying to get into this and realized she was right in the middle of a Spike chapter in
history, written by some watcher in the 1940s. Apparently Spike had been hanging around Wales at the time.

'William The Bloody is a cold blooded vicious killer. His sire, Drusilla, trained him well in the art of being a vampire. The plague of Europe was the
twenty-year period when Darla and her children roamed the continent unchecked. The whereabouts of Darla and Angelus is unknown and Drusilla was killed in Prague. William, aka Spike, has wreaked havoc on this town since his arrival. He has shown a particular fondness for bantering and toying with Leona as they fight.

In his time the vampire had cut down one slayer in her prime. The details of the death is uncertain, occurring in China around 1900. His strengths:
intelligence, resourcefulness, art of deception. His weakness: ?'

Willow read on but only found some useless babble about a river demon in Paris. She sighed rereading the short text. So far the odds were stacked
against the blonde vampire. * Why would someone like this even look at someone like me? * 'That little bit of fire you hide.' He had told her.

But everything he told her could've been a lie for all she knew. * Why didn't I think of any of this last night?* She wondered.

"Finding anything Willow?" Giles asked. Willow's eyes shot up to his.

"Nope!" She said slamming the book shut. "Nothing in here."

**************

Willow looked at her front door for the millionth time. He'd assured her that he'd be there after dark but here it was eight o'clock and there was no sign of him. * Is this good or bad? * She asked herself. * I mean do I really want him to come back? * She forced her eyes back onto the chemistry homework at hand. There was a soft knock at the door and she pushed her book aside, jumping up to answer it.

Spike gave her a cocky smirk and Willow felt suddenly too shy for words. * He actually came! * She thought happily. * But maybe he's trying to get to Buffy * Her brain reminded her.

"Hi." Willow said softly. She pulled the door open and let the vampire enter. Spike watched her and saw the shyness fade to doubts and then back into shyness. The ability she had to doubt herself and her instincts amazed him. But her eyes switching from one thought to another made him want to study her all the more.

"What's wrong?" He asked the moment she sat next to him. Willow once again questioned whether he could read minds.

"Is this just a game?" She blurted. "Are you just trying to get to Buffy through me?" Just the idea of it hurt her and Spike could tell. He laughed
despite himself. "Don't laugh at me!" She cried, trying to sound angry. Spike ran his fingers down her hair and smiled at her.

"Luv, I assure you, when I'm around you the slayer is the last thing on my mind." He said softly. Willow smiled shyly, her cheeks pink.

"Oh." Willow replied.

"You've been reading up on me." Spike said touching her nose lightly. Willow looked down guiltily.

"Wellit's just thatI kindaDo you blame me?" She finally spit her words out, but kept her eyes down. Spike shrugged and leaned back on the couch.

"So find anything interesting? How bad was I?" He asked grinning. Willow smiled, realizing he loved the attention that was showered on him in books
and diaries.

"You were wicked." She assured him, smiling. He raised an eyebrow and smirked at her.

"And that's only what they know about." Spike remarked. Willow rolled her eyes.

"What an egomaniac." She shot. Spike shrugged.

"We all need hobbies luv." He replied. He stood up and took a look at her massive stereo system. "So what kind of music do you listen too?"

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