She's Like Candy

Author: Writergrrrl

Parts: 11 - 20

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~Part: 11~

It was just after 2:00 that afternoon when Willow next awoke. Her entire body felt heavy, and her head light, but she knew from experience that it was from the loss of blood. A shower and something to eat would go a long way in making her feel better. Now all she had to do was convince her heavy limbs to pull herself out of bed.

"Spike?"

The blonde was nowhere in sight, and she didn't get an answer. After listening for a few seconds, she was able to discern Spike's heavy accent as he shouted at something on the television. Giggling to herself, Willow slowly moved to sit on the edge on the bed to let her head stop swimming before she stood.

Wobbling legs bore her to the dresser where she pulled out a pair of comfortable pajama pants and a tank top as well as panties. Thanking whoever thought up building bras into tank tops, the tired girl flopped down on the toilet cover to remove her clothes. The sweat pants and long sleeved shirt were way to warm for the spring day.

Willow shucked the pants, hoping that it was Anya and Dawn who had dressed her, but decided almost instantly that she wasn't going to be asking any questions. It was embarrassing to think of Spike or Giles seeing her in her underwear, Xander had seen her in them a few times over the years of their childhood, but it would be worse to *know* that one of them had seen more than she was comfortable with. Asking about it alone would probably turn her red for a week.

Willow threw them into her hamper before turning to face the door, and giving a shout. The long mirror mounted onto the door gave the witch a clear view of her entire body. A body that had undergone a few more changes while Willow was sleeping.

Her long legs, once milky white, then a shimmering white, were now wrapped in the same brighter glittering as her chest. The lines of the brighter silver-white emerged from the glimmering skin just to the outside of her lower ankle and climbed their way up her legs as they circled, hooking and twisting like the tattoos some of the boys at school sported around their arms. The tops of the vining columns disappeared under the bottom edges of her panties.

Willow yanked desperately at her shirt. Her panties and bra quickly followed, and the redhead stood staring into the mirror. Twisting her body one way and another, she took in the changes.

The almost wicked looking vines slid over the swell of her hips before dipping toward one another. They tangled over and across the small of her back and up the skin at both sides before splitting just under both arms. One line on either side of her back crawled over her shoulder blades and wrapped down her arm in the same manner as her legs. The other lines slid around to join the now matching `V' on her chest.

She was so intent on studying the new additions to her full body make over that the sharp knock on the door caused her to jump.

"You okay in there, Red?"

"Yeah," Willow rested one hand on her chest, nearly laughing at the rapid thumping of her heart. "I'm fine."

"You sure? I can smell your fear all the way in the living room."

"There were a few more changes made to my look without my permission while I was sleeping. I was just trying to get used to the newest parts of my new look. I'm okay, really."

"Want me to have a look?"

<You have *no* idea. Bad Willow. He's trying to get over Buffy, here; he doesn't need you going all hormonal on him.>

"No, Spike, I'm... I'm good."

"I'm sure you are, luv." She could hear the teasing in the vampire's voice and was secretly glad that the Spike she knew was still there.

"Go back downstairs, Spike."

"Fine, I'm going. I know when I'm not wanted."

<Gulp.> "Whatever, Spike. Just go."

"Yell if you need help with any hard to reach areas."

Willow heard the door to her room close and smiled. ~~~*~~~ It didn't take Willow long to shower, since someone had cleaned her up after her stint as an emergency blood donor the day before. She scrubbed her body quickly, glad to see that the color changes still weren't causing any pain. Her hair, still matted with blood in places, came clean after two rather impressive battles with the shampoo. Willow was just working conditioner into the strands when she was rudely reminded that she had missed two vision rituals in the past two days.

{"Are you sure I can't play with you?" Vampire Dawn pouted prettily at a horrified Xander. "It would be so much fun."}

"Okay, Willow," the redhead hurriedly began rinsing her hair for the last time. "Get dry, get dressed, and figure out what the *hell* is going on with the visions of Dawn as a vampire."

Willow rubbed the towel over her hair quickly before running it over the rest of her body. She didn't take the time to rub on her lotion or even comb through her tangled locks. Pulling her clothes on as fast as her damp skin would allow, she opened the door to her room and began setting up for the ritual.

She didn't spend as much time on the preparations as she had over the last week, but decided that an emergency called for slightly altered plans. There was a brief prayer to the Goddess for protection and guidance before she hurried to ground and center herself. She had forgone the sage incense and struggled a bit to focus before the image of Dawn came.

{Dawn was standing in front of a giggling Willow, wearing a black dress designed to look tattered. Her hair was in a wildly flirtatious style, and the smile covering the younger girl's lips could only be described as devilish.

"Say you'll do it, please?"

"Buffy would *not* be happy. You know that, right?"

"Buffy's being a total..." Dawn looked between Willow and a silent Spike, "b-i-t-c-h. Besides, you *know* it would be cool."

"Okay," Willow nodded to herself. "I'll vamp you out."

Dawn squealed in delight and threw her arms around Willow's shoulders in a tight embrace. "Thank you! Thank You! This will be so much fun!"

"But-"

"Figures."

"It's nothing bad, Dawnie. I just want you to be sure to wait at the dance for Anya and Xander to pick you up and take you home. I don't want to run the risk of some vamp deciding you'd make a good playmate for the evening or Buffy to jump to the wrong conclusions."

"I can do that."

"Good. I'm also going to put it on a timer."

"Like Cinderella?"

"Something like that, but earlier."

"Earlier?" Willow smiled at the whine that only a teenaged girl can pull off.

"Yes, earlier. The dance ends at 11:00, so I'll have the spell end at 11:30."

"See, pet?" Spike made his first contribution to the conversation. "It's only half an hour before that bint. Just don't go losing any shoes. You're much too young to be gettin' hitched."

"Is it a deal?"

"Yeah, it'll be great!" Dawn was back to bouncing, again, something only a teenaged girl can pull off. "Vamp me now! Vamp me now!"

"Come on, Spike, we could use your help with this one."}

Willow left the vision to see a smiling Spike leaning against the side of her open bedroom door. "You'll never guess what Dawn's going to have me do tonight."

"Fill me in over breakfast? I've made you pancakes." Spike turned and headed down the hall before Willow could form a response to his out of character statement.

"Pancakes?" Willow shook her head and ran to catch up with the retreating blonde.

~~~*~~~

"So, Nibblet wants to be a vampire for this mixer at school." Spike chuckled into his second mug of blood. "It takes balls to vamp the Slayer's kid sister, even if it's just a gag. I'm proud of you, ducks."

"What can I say, I'm a rebel. Besides, I'm not a big fan of Buffy's at the moment."

"I told you that it was a mutual thing. I landed my share of punches and kicks."

Willow busied herself with gathering her syrup covered plate and the glass that had held her milk. She moved from her stool at the counter top and rinsed them out before loading them into the dishwasher.

"You and Buffy have been patrolling together for a while now. You know her routine, right?

"Course I do."

"Tell me."

"Well, there are two separate routes. One is to go Grandview, then Walnut Hills, before heading over to Greenlawn, and then back through Grandview. The second is to go through Grandview before hitting the older cemeteries of Oakwood, Grove, and St. Peter's before another sweep of Grandview. Either way, Grandview is always hit twice since it's the newest cemetery and pretty well populated."

"My point exactly." Willow worried her bottom lip with her teeth, hating to be the one to have this conversation with the vampire.

"What bloody point would that be?"

"Don't you see, Spike? You guys fought before you left Grandview for the first time, right?" At his nod, Willow continued. "That means she *had* to have come through there again. There's no way for her to have gone back and not felt a vampire. She would have gone to investigate, and seen you. She didn't do anything to help you, Spike. She left you out there to die!"

Spike remained silent as Willow finished cleaning up after his cooking spree. His eyes had grown to a smokey blue, and a muscle behind his jaw twitched slightly. Willow, deciding that she had said far more than was wise, found her copy of -Atlas Shrugged- and the three books that analyzed it. An angry Spike who had let his food go cold wasn't a Spike who liked company as a general rule.

"Where are you off to?"

"Just headed for the living room. I've *got* to get started on this paper. Of course, since I haven't been to school all week, I should have at least been doing the reading for it. Now, I have History to deal with before I can even start on the Women In Literature paper. The History is due first, so I *have* to finish it. The Lit can wait, really, though it's due Friday."

"I could probably help." Spike downed the last of the congealing blood in one gulp with a grimace of distaste. "What's the paper on?"

"The rule of Henry VIII, and its effect on Ireland."

"Okay, maybe I'll just go take a nap." Spike grinned at Willow's giggle and headed on up the stairs.

Willow spent the next few hours reading over her notes and history text before really getting to work on the actual paper. It wasn't really all that hard, as she had always been interested in Ireland and how things got to be in the state that they are. The thought of some king giving away land that wasn't his, that he had never even seen, to nobles who then abused the inhabitants angered her.

<There's that smell again.> The whiff of burning copper surrounded the redhead. <It only happens when I'm angry. Goddess, I wish I knew what was going on with this.>

It was just after sunset when she put the finishing touches on the paper. She had just saved the information and sent the command to print when Spike came through her door and flopped across her bed.

"Finished?"

"I'm done with the History, but I still have the other to do." Willow stood from her chair, stretching as she moved. "I'm due for something to eat. You want something?"

"I'll come with you, pet."

The witch and the vampire had just stepped off the last step when the front door was unceremoniously thrown open to reveal a smirking Buffy. The slayer ran her eyes over Spike before striding fully into the house.

"You didn't meet me." Willow was surprised to see that Buffy was pouting as if Spike had stood her up for a date.

"I didn't think you wanted me to after the other night." Spike dug his cigarettes and lighter out of his pocket, lighting up before facing the blonde woman head on. "I don't think I'm going to be doing patrols or anything else with you."

"Oh?" Buffy straightened and looked at the vampire with a set jaw. "Why's that?"

"Decided I need a change of scenery. You've got issues, and I've done my time with one loony bitch."

Willow retreated to the relative safety of the kitchen where she began heating blood for Spike. She leaned against the counter, listening in as Buffy huffed for a moment before finding her voice.

"How *dare* you!" Buffy closed the distance between her and the vampire in four long strides. "You can't just break things off like that."

"Here I was thinking that I just did." Spike took a drag from his smoke and blew the cloud to the side. "I think it's time you leave."

"No, I don't think it is." Buffy pushed Spike in the chest, forcing him to back up a step, before jabbing him in the chest with one perfectly done nail.

"You can't hit or hurt anything human except me. You're a weak, pathetic excuse for a vampire, and-"

"Enough!" Willow wasn't sure how she had come to be between the two blondes, but she didn't take the time to dwell on it.

"You will *not* come into *my* house and talk to Spike that way! I don't care what kind of problems you're having. That doesn't give you the excuse to talk to him or anyone else that way! Goddess, Buffy, you're acting like some kind of possessive, abusive girlfriend instead of the girl who's been my best friend for years."

"When did you start sleeping with him?"

The change of subject took Willow by surprise, and all she got out was a stuttered "W-What?"

"You heard me, Willow. When did you decide to move in on my territory?"

"Buffy, I didn't even know you were doing anything with Spike until this whole vision thing started. I'm not sleeping with him now, nor have I ever slept with him. I couldn't be that lucky. Now, I think it's time for you to get out of my house."

Buffy looked around the irate redhead to yell at Spike again. "We're not through until *I* say we're through."

Willow instinctively pulled energy from the earth and the air in the room, picturing the training room of the Magic Box. She began putting all the energy she could into what she knew she was about to attempt.

"You *need* me!" With that shout from Buffy, Willow released all the energy, and the small blonde slayer disappeared.

Without acknowledging Spike's uttered `bloody hell', Willow simply moved to her telephone, dialing the number quickly. "Is Buffy there?"

"Willow?" Anya's breathless voice answered her. "Yes, she just appeared out of nowhere in the training room."

"Good. Bye." Willow hung up and faced the vampire in her living room.

"I sent her to the Magic Box. I had to make sure she made it there."

"What did you mean?"

"About what?" Willow took the blood from the microwave and handed it to the now mobile vampire before retrieving herself some chips from the cabinet.

"About not being lucky enough to be sleeping with me."

<Figures he'd remember that.>

"Um, nothing." Willow could feel the blush burning her face as she headed towards the stairs. "I'm going to get that history paper bound before Dawn gets here." Willow tried to retreat to her room, but Spike was right on her heels.

"C'mon, Red. Tell me what you meant." Spike set his mug on the desk before pinning her against it with his body. "Tell Spike all about it."

<Now would be a good time for the Hellmouth to open up and eat me... Come on... Anytime now would work... Goddess, it should be illegal to look that good while being all smirky and evil.>

"Spike," Willow sighed and forced the vampire to back up so she could move to put her paper in its clear binding. "Y...You know."

"No, I don't. Why don't you tell me?" He was smirking again as he sipped at his blood.

"You... You're." Willow let out a frustrated sigh. "I think they had you in mind when they came up with the term `sex on legs'. Happy?"

Willow thanked herself, again, for figuring out how to take blood out of carpeting when Spike spurted the mouthful he was about to swallow across the room at her admission.

"But this shouldn't really make any difference to you, since you're just now getting away from Buffy, and I refuse to be Rebound Girl for you. I hope you're not too weirded out by that or anything. It shouldn't change anything with us being friends, since I've always thought you were a hottie." Willow jumped when the doorbell chimed. "And I'm just gonna shut up and go answer the door now. Because that's what you do, you know... Answer the door when the doorbell rings."

Willow nearly ran to answer the door, wanting to be as far away from the blonde as she could get in the hopes that she wouldn't hear him when he started laughing.

~Part: 12~

"Dawn!" Willow pulled the girl through the door and up the stairs.

"Um, hello." Dawn panted for breath after her near sprint up to Willow's room where there were candles and incense already burning. "I was going to ask if-"

"You want to look like a vampire for your dance tonight, right? That's why I have everything all set up."

"How did you know?"

Willow simply pointed at the side of her head and winked, giving the younger Summers sister a grin. "Madam Willow knows all."

"That's so cool."

"I try." Willow lit one more candle while she off handedly motioned towards a jewelry box. "Pick something out of there that you'd like to wear tonight, okay?"

"Cool." Dawn rummaged through the contents before she caught sight of Spike sitting on the bed. "Hi Spike."

Spike nodded to the girl. "Nibblet."

"How's this?" The giddy teen handed Willow a small silver choker surrounded with stars.

"That's perfect."

"Now can we do the spell on me?"

"We're not going to do the spell on you. We're going to do it on the necklace. That way I don't have to put energy out all night to keep you in all your vampire glory." There was a very Willowy grin as she explained her plan.

"Sounds good to me."

"You *do* know that Buffy is going to freak, right?" Spike chuckled from the bed, and Willow knew he was enjoying her little bit of trouble causing.

"Hush, Spike, or she might change her mind." Dawn actually sounded worried, which just caused Spike to laugh harder.

"Nope, she won't even know." Willow held up the necklace she'd been concentrating on since Dawn had picked it out. "We'll make it so the spell wears off the necklace at eleven tonight."

"And since Xander and Anya are taking me and picking me up, she'll have no idea!" Dawn threw her arms around Willow's shoulders. "Willow, I love you!"

"I love you too, Dawnie, but now I need for you to be quiet. I have to concentrate."

~~~*~~~

Twenty minutes later, Willow came down the stairs to say hello to Xander and Anya. The couple was there to pick up their passenger for the evening, though Anya was quite vocal about her displeasure of not getting enough bed time.

"Anya," Xander patted his girlfriend on the arm. "We're going to go out and have a nice dinner, then pick Dawn up. After that, we're going home for a long niiiiiii- Oh my God!"

Xander and yelled so loudly that Spike nearly dropped the mug he'd been sipping out of for the last ten minutes while talking to Xander and Anya. Anya covered her ears and looked reproachfully at her lover. Xander, having hurdled the back of the sofa, now stood rooted in place while pointing to the slight figure on the stairs.

"What's the matter, Xan?" Dawn's lilting voice teased from the shadows. "Don't like the new look?"

"Dawn?" Anya giggled softly. "Forget I was complaining. That has to be the best costume ever!"

"Costume?" Dawn raised an eyebrow in her best Spike imitation. "I'm not wearing a costume. Xander looks nice. Can I play with him, Anya?"

"Sorry kid, he's mine."

"But she... How can you... Willow?" Xander could do little more than stutter and point at the small girl in the doorway to the living room.

Dawn's usually flawless skin had been transformed into an unnatural white. The color brought out the deep blue of her eyes wonderfully. The ridges running along her forehead only seemed to make her more attractive, or that's what Spike had said at least. The small fangs glistening in the lamplight seemed almost cute.

"It's just a spell, Xan." Willow giggled at her best friend. "It's going to wear off at 11:00, and there's nothing more to it than looks and a muffled heartbeat. There's no hunger for blood or any change to Dawn at all."

"You sure?"

"Positive." Willow handed Dawn the coat she was lending the girl for the evening. "Now, go have fun."

"Bye Willow," Anya chirped on her way past. "Thank you for the laugh."

"Yeah, thanks." Xander's remark left no doubt that he didn't mean a word of it, but Willow knew he'd forget about being annoyed by the time they got to the school.

~Part: 13~

Xander's car hadn't left the driveway before Spike turned to Willow with a raised eyebrow and that sexy as sin grin. "So I'm sex on legs, am I?"

Willow wondered if the glittering tribal designs on her skin were pink, as she felt the heat rush along her skin. <Stupid, annoying, gorgeous, flirty vampires! Homework, Willow. Just focus on what you have to do for class and try not to think about the vampire standing... so... close... Stop it! Homework! Think of homework!>

The redhead shuffled over to the coffee table where she had left the books for her literature class. She let her mind clear of everything except the task laid out in front of her, not hearing Spike move around. She had just begun to think that maybe he had decided that she wasn't worth bothering when she was spun by strong hands to meet intense blue eyes.

"You think I'm good looking, pet?"

Willow wriggled away from Spike's grasp and turned back to her notes. "S-Spike, y... you *have* to know that... well, that... Come on, Spike, you know you're gorgeous."

Willow thought she heard a small sigh, and looked up from her notes in time to catch the end of a shrug. "You're telling me that *no one* has told you how you look?"

"Like one of the girls I was in the middle of draining? Not bloody likely, pet."

"What about Dru?"

"What about her?"

"Didn't she ever tell you anything about the way you look?"

"Used to call me her `pretty pet', but she only had two words for things like that. You were either `pretty' or `nasty'. Sometimes, for variety, she'd throw in `smelly'.

"Really?"

"Really." Spike traced the backs of his fingers along Willow's cheek. "You were always `the pretty tree', and Buffy was either `nasty slayer' or `smelly slayer'."

"She smells to vampires?"

Spike dropped his hand in favor of finding the pack of cigarettes in his pocket. "I think it had more to do with the musk stuff she used to wear."

"Yeah, it *was* a little strong."

"A *'little'*!" Spike blew a long stream of smoke out as he chuckled. "Smelled like a cheap French whore's more like it."

Spike nodded sagely to himself even as Willow's shocked laughter burst from her mouth.

"Spike, even though I hate what she did, she's still my friend. I'm angry and appalled, but I can't stop loving her just like that." Willow snapped her fingers to show how quickly `that' was.

"I know that, Red. It's one of the things I like about you."

Willow smiled softly and went back to her outline.

"Just how attractive *am* I, pet?"

"Ugh!" Willow threw her notes down and stepped over to the grinning vampire. "Here!"

Touching her forehead to his, Willow pushed a picture of what he looked like at that moment into his mind. Willow would have liked to have seen the look on his face, but that would mean breaking contact. Without that, Willow doubted she could keep the borrowed mental picture going, so she simply stood and waited.

It was a full ten minutes before a harsh whisper came from the blonde. "Do I always look like this?"

Willow gave the barest shake of her head, sending forth the memory of the first time she saw him, not realizing until too late that the feelings the accompanied the memories were also going out.

"You were frightened, weren't you pet?"

"More than ever, and that was two years after Buffy came, so that's saying a lot."

Spike pulled away from the redhead, and Willow was shocked to see a solitary tear trailing down his cheek. Before she could comment, he stepped past her and picked up her discarded notes. "So, what's this then?"

"My assignment for Women In Literature. I'm supposed to describe what I got out of the book, and if I agree or disagree with the author's philosophy."

"Shouldn't be too hard for a smart bird like you."

"Well, it would have helped if I had actually read the other books."

"Shirking your school work?" Spike clucked at her as he grinned, moving to sprawl out in one of the easy chairs with one of the books. "Won't that get you into trouble?"

"Hey! I read the assigned book, I just didn't read the books on the book. Besides, I don't really have to go to classes. As long as I'm there for all the tests and the assignments get turned in on time, no one cares."

"I could go to school if they were all like that."

"You can take a lot of courses online now, too."

"Really," Spike never looked up, but Willow could tell the vampire was trying to hide his interest behind the indifference.

"Maybe I'll show you sometime."

"If you want to, pet."

It was two hours later, just after nine, by the time Spike and Willow finished discussing the works they'd read. Willow was making notes in a shorthand that she repeatedly assured Spike that she could understand, having decided that -Atlas Shrugged- was one of the better books she'd been assigned in the class. <With any luck, I'll have this whole paper finished by Tuesday or Wednesday.>

Spike stood from his chair and moved to the door of the living room just as the front door was thrown open unceremoniously. Buffy was through the opening before the door bounced off the wall and swung closed on its own momentum. She didn't even pause to look at Spike, now standing fully in the foyer in front of her, before spinning to glare at Willow.

"I cannot *believe* you did that!"

"I sent you somewhere safe." Willow's voice was small, and she hated that she sounded so much like the mouse that she had been when the blonde had first arrived in town. "I just needed you to go, and you wouldn't."

"I don't want to hear it. I just don't need you showing off like that."

"What the hell are you prattling on about, Slayer?" Spike had retrieved another cigarette and lit it while Buffy was talking.

"She's already got everyone running around researching why she's changing colors and trying to figure out what's going to happen next." Buffy turned back to the redhead. "I don't need you keeping Spike here on top of everything else."

"I'm not keeping him here. Spike can leave whenever he wants to."

"What makes you think she's keeping me here, Slayer?"

"You weren't at our usual place." Buffy pouted prettily for Spike's benefit. "She has to be using magic or something to keep you here."

"Actually, Buffy," Willow moved to stand just in front of Spike. "He was helping me with my homework. Didn't you hear him earlier? He doesn't want anything to do with you."

"I can fight my own battles, luv." Spike's voice was soft, keeping the words from hurting the small redhead.

Spike gently moved the small redhead to stand behind him, shielding her with his body. "I'm tired of never being the one that the person I'm with really wants. I'm sick of being used as a substitute or a punching bag! I'm through, okay? Do you hear me? Done."

"You *should* be happy with what you get!" Buffy looked the vampire up and down. "You're not worth caring about, let alone loving. I can see why Dru always had a candle for Angel. You're nothing compared to him."

"Go to hell!" Willow was stunned at her own outburst before she shook it off and moved to stand fully in front of Spike's motionless body. "Spike is ten times the man Angel ever was, and more than one hundred times the demon. You're just pi... mad that Spike can care without a soul and Angelus was an unfeeling bastard. If you can't at least be civil to Spike, then you need to leave him alone. That's starting right now. And, if you can't grow up and not be a bit... bad person about this, then you need to get out of my house. You're not welcome here."

The front door opened with a wave of Willow's hand and the blonde slayer turned and left with a huff.

Willow went to the window, making sure that Buffy seemed to be leaving this time. When the small blonde was about to turn the corner, a near roar brought Willow around with a shriek of fear trying to fight its way past the lump in her throat. It took her a moment to process the scene now in front of her.

Spike was leaning against the wall in full game face. His hand and wrist were hidden behind the layers of paint and drywall he'd just made a rather large hole in. Blood tinged tears slid down his cheeks, shoulders shaking in great, silent sobs.

"She's right." Spike's mumbled words were spoken against the wet surface of the wall.

"What?"

"Buffy," Spike put his forehead against the wall and gazed at his boots. "She's right. I'm not worth more than a shag here and there, or to take anger out on."

"No, Spike," Willow rushed to the sobbing vampire's side and pulled his bleeding hand from the wall, wincing when she caught sight of the broken stud and dented cement inside the hole. "She's being a petty, vindictive bitch. She said those things to hurt you, to make you think that you deserve whatever she says and does."

Willow eased the two of them down to sit on the floor just in front of her door, keeping her arms securely wrapped around the blonde's body. She was able to maneuver her legs so that he rested between them while her back was pressed to the wall behind her.

"You're one of my best friends, Spike. I'm not going to let you keep going on this self destructive kick you're on. I've been in that self-hating hole, and it's not for you."

"I can't do it."

The words were spoken softly, against her shoulder, but Willow heard them clearly enough to catch the desperation in them. "What can't you do, Spike?"

"I can't be here, be confronted like that all the time, and not do something that I'll hate myself for."

"Then let's get out of here." Willow brightened at the idea.

<Why not? I sure as heck deserve a bit of a break after everything I've done over the past year.>

"You mean, run away?" Spike had pulled away from her shoulder to look her in the eye, but his body still rested in her loose embrace. "Just like that?"

"Well, we can run away for a little while. I have to be back in time to turn my History paper in on Tuesday, but it's only Saturday night. That gives us a little while to get away and let you just decide what you want to do."

"You'd do that for me, luv?"

"I'm *doing* that for you. Now get up so we can go pack, you heavy vampire."

~Part: 14~

"Where did you say we're going?" Spike poked his head through the door to Willow's room, grinning at her mock glare.

"I *didn't* say where we're going, and stop trying to trick me into telling you!" Willow's giggle made Spike's smile widen.

"Aw, c'mon pet," Spike hefted Willow's small suitcase and book bag along with his own duffle before the two headed down the stairs. "Tell your bestest pal where he's bein' whisked away to."

Willow's only response was to shake her head before they began placing the bags in the trunk of the car, having to try three times to get it all in around the rather large cooler of blood. Spike stopped more than once to tell her that the Desoto could easily have been packed, but Willow nixed the idea each time it was brought up.

"Spike, I can't see to drive that thing."

"I'll drive. See? All fixed."

"Huh uh! I'm surprising you here, buddy. Knowing where we're going does not a surprise vacation make."

"Wait." Spike's face was a mask of sudden horror. "We're *not* going to see Peaches, right?"

"I can assure you that we are *not* going to see Angel. We're going in the opposite direction, even."

"So we're going south, then. Inland or coastal?"

"Get in the car, Spike."

"Spoilsport."

"Don't I know it? Now, are you going to get in the car, you big baby? Or am I leaving without you?"

Spike hurried to slide into the front seat, checking that there was a thick blanket handy should he need it. "You do realize that we're stopping for road munchies, right?"

"What kind of trip would it be if I didn't?"

The two friends laughed as they left Sunnydale, stopping at the first mammoth gas station they saw. Well stocked up on sugar in every form they could think of, Willow directed the car toward the coast. Spike tried to ask questions, but finally decided that singing along to the radio was more entertaining.

Two and a half hours later, just after 11:30, the sedan rolled to a stop in front of a large Victorian house set back from the road. It's back was skirted with balconies, and its front was adorned in numerous trellises of climbing roses. The heady smell of the pink and red blossoms surrounded the two of them as they slid out of the car; Willow moving to pull the bags from the back as Spike took in the ocean view under the crescent moon.

"It's beautiful, luv." Spike had taken the bags from Willow's hands and carried the cooler under one arm.

"Isn't it?"

The two had just stepped up onto the covered porch when the door was pulled open. A tall, amazingly thin woman with perfectly blue scales stood just inside. She flashed a smile full of small green teeth before moving to shake Willow's hand and nod politely to Spike.

"Welcome to the Blue Shell." The woman noticed the bags and cooler Spike was carrying, and gave a sharp whistle. A moment later, a smaller blue person appeared. "Take their things up to the dark room, Croman."

"Yes, mama."

"Thank you for taking us on such short notice."

"It was no problem. We don't get a lot of calls for vampires, especially not up from Sunnydale. When someone from the Hellmouth calls, we try to be accommodating."

"A room for a few nights is more than enough, thanks." Spike shifted from foot to foot in the cool comfort of the porch.

"Sorry about grumpy Gus here," Willow inclined her head in Spike's direction. "He's a little hyper active, and being stuck in a car for the last two hours hasn't helped."

The owner of the bed and breakfast simply giggled lightly and motioned the two to follow her. "Please come inside. My name is Keemara, and, if you follow me, I'll show you to your room."

They followed the demon's lithe form into the foyer, past an open arch that lead to a large common room, and up the staircase that was situated to the left of the door. Walking along the hallway at the top of the stairs, Willow smiled at the large mirrors and antique furniture. They came to a stop at the end of the hall, just outside a door in a squared off corner.

"The entire top floor will be yours. We were going to turn it into two separate rooms, but, as I said, we don't get a lot of vampires staying, so it was more of a waste of money."

"Sounds good to me, ducks." Spike eyed the spiral stair revealed when Croman reappeared through the door. "We're just looking to get away from pretty much everyone for a bit."

"I know the feeling." Keemara smiled softly and handed both Willow and Spike a key to the door behind her. "I know you're probably tired and droopy from the ride, so just come and sign in after you're all settled."

"Thank you, I will." Willow couldn't help but feel attached to the other woman, though she really couldn't figure out why. Spike didn't seem to share her feelings, as he had already disappeared up the steps before Willow remembered to ask something important. "Oh, about my magic-"

"I've spoken to the other guests, there are only three, and none of them will have a problem with your type of spell." A soft chuckle accompanied the next words. "One wanted to know if you could see something for him."

Willow found herself a little uncomfortable, though curious as to whether or not she could actually do something like that. "I could try. I'm *really* new at this vision thing, and haven't tried to see anything that didn't apply to me or someone I'm close to."

"I'll let him know. Who knows? This could be your ticket to fortune and fame."

Both women laughed as they parted ways. Willow to follow Spike up the winding stairs, and Keemara back the way they'd come.

Willow gasped at the sight that greeted her as she made the last circle of the wrought iron bar that ran from floor to ceiling. The huge room had obviously been decorated with a vampire in mind, but Willow felt calm settle like a mantle around her shoulders as she took in the furnishings.

A large bed was situated in the center of each far wall, leaving the space between open for a small kitchenette on one side. The other side, the side that faced the water below, held a fireplace nestled between two great french doors, the heavy black drapes of which had been pulled back to let in the view of the waves crashing into cliffs. In front of the grate, a large sofa and two chairs sat clustered around a black metal and glass table.

The carpeting was a deep, deep red. The heavy drapes on all the windows were a solid black, reminding Willow instantly of the black t-shirt and red over shirt that Spike favored. The furnishings were all of a deep mahogany, accented with fabrics in black and varying shades of red. Even the canopy frames on the beds were wound with red and black gauzes and velours.

"Nice one, Red." Spike's voice from behind her caused Willow to jump a little.

"Don't *do* that! And thank you."

"No, I'm thinking that I should be the one doing all the thanking here."

"Well, if you insist." The redhead tossed her head and then held out a hand in a haughty gesture. "Go ahead. I'm ready."

Spike chuckled at her theatrics, and Willow tried to will away the tingling in her stomach at the sound. The vampire slipped long fingers under her knuckles, bending to brush a light kiss over them. "Thank you, Lady, for all you have done for me."

Willow dissolved into giggles at Spike's courtly manners before grazing a kiss over his angled cheek. "I'm going to take a shower. I feel grimy."

"You do that, pet. I'll go down and get us all checked in. Want me to get you something not prepackaged while I'm about?"

"Sure. I'm sure there's something around." Willow dug the keys to her car from her hip pocket and tossed them to the vampire.

"What's this, then?"

"Spike, it's a bed and breakfast." Willow dragged out her pajamas she'd packed before retrieving the bag containing her shower essentials. "There isn't any room service."

"Good point. Been a while since I stayed in something like this. I'll ask the blue bint about a good place for human food."

"Please don't call her that to her face."

"Just teasin' pet." Spike had pulled the leather of his coat back onto his shoulders, and gave her a smirk.

"Oh, bleh!" Willow heard Spike chuckling as she shut the bathroom door.

Twenty minutes later, Willow emerged from the steaming bathroom to find Spike laying out her dinner for her on the coffee table. "Didn't know which bed was whose, and you've been sitting the same way for hours in the car. Didn't want you hurting at the kitchen table while you tried to eat."

Willow smiled at his mini-babble and began the slow task of working the knots and twists out of her hair. "Thank you, Spike. You didn't have to drive all over looking for Chinese, but thank you even more for doing it."

Spike moved her to sit on the couch and handed her the little plastic fork that came with the order. Sliding behind her, he sat on the back of the couch, resting one leg to either side of Willow's back. "Was the least I could do. Now eat your chicken before it gets cold and hand me that comb."

Willow happily complied, surprised to find that Spike was amazingly gentle and patient as he worked steadily at all the damp knots in her hair. <I wonder if that says anything about what he'd be like in bed... Great Willow. Way to not think sexy thoughts while on this trip.>

Once the knots were all worked out, Spike set the comb down and picked up the brush that had been lying on the couch beside Willow's leg. Three strokes of the stiff bristles later Willow had to force down the bite of rice in her mouth.

If Spike noticed that she had completely stopped moving, he didn't let on. He continued to run the brush through her flaming tresses, sliding his free hand behind to smooth down the slightly damp curls.

"Mmmmhhh," Willow's mouth had dropped open just a bit, and she didn't have time to stop the moan before it was out.

Spike didn't stop his movements as he chuckled. "It's good for me, too, pet."

<Well, there goes trying to play it cool.> Willow let her forearms rest against her knees as she slumped in self-defeat. <How am I getting through the next two days without doing something incredibly stupid?>

~Part: 15~

The next day started with a rather late morning, at least by Willow's standards. She didn't open her eyes until nearly noon, finally pulling herself from the comforts of the bed when she felt the tingling in her fingers and arms. She had done her morning ritual, seeing Spike throwing a baseball at some carnival stand, and then began her paper in earnest. The large mantle clock was chiming six when Spike sat down across from her at the small kitchen table.

/He should be a t-shirt model./ Willow swallowed heavily as she began gathering her books into a neat pile.

/That black against all that pale skin is... nice. Women all over would kill to get their husbands to look like... Wait. I don't want women everywhere lusting after Spike! Why not? It doesn't matter, Willow. He's a vampire, so no pictures. Yeah. No worries./ Willow saved her paper, now only a proofread or two away from completion, on her laptop.

The sun had dipped behind the cliffs on the other side of the small cove, and Spike had opened the drapes. "We doin' something tonight?"

"Yeah. I just need to do the evening ritual thing, and then we can get out of here."

"Need any help?" The blatant hope in the vampire's eyes made it impossible for Willow to refuse.

"No, but you can if you want too."

Spike shrugged indifferently, but Willow saw the smile that curved the edges of his lips just enough to be visible.

"Actually, I was thinking about finding the person who wanted me to try and see something for him. If you could help me be sure that he isn't going to try anything, that would be great."

"You're not doing it if it's dangerous, pet." Spike snuffed out his freshly lit cigarette to stare at her.

Willow began gathering the things she used for her spell. "I'm not planning on doing anything that could be dangerous, Spike. I've got enough to worry about at home. No, I want to be certain that it would be safe, and you'll keep me safe."

"Damn straight I will." Spike took the bag of supplies from the small witch and motioned toward the stairs when she made to protest. "Let me carry the bloody bag, pet. Get over the whole feminist thing and just walk."

"Fine," Willow tried to sound put out, if only for the sake of her inner feminist, but found the idea of someone carrying her bags for her too nice. /I just won't tell *him* that./

They moved from the upper hallway to the common room they had passed by the night before. Spike, immediately captivated by the large television that dominated a good bit of one wall, set her bag on the floor between his feet and began flipping through the channels at super human speed. Willow only shook her head and went in search of their pretty, blue hostess.

Slipping into the kitchen, Willow found Keemara laughing with another demon. The unfamiliar demon was tall, even as he occupied one of the larger chairs at the table. The muscles of his four arms were clearly defined, and Willow couldn't help but think that she should start a line of t-shirts for demons and make him her second model. The orange of his face was bisected by a jagged line of deep brown running from the roots of his deer green hair to the underside of his jaw.

"Keemara?" Willow hated to interrupt, but the tingling had returned to her arms and she wanted to do her ritual soon.

"Oh, Willow," Keemara stood from her seat and moved to lead the redhead further into the room. "This is N'Gutya. He's the one I was telling you about."

"Hello." Willow waved at the demon who'd just extended one of his large hands to her before realizing that she must appear rude. "I hope you're not offended, it isn't you. It's just that there's this tingling in my arms and hands when I've gone too long without `seeing' something, and that's usually followed by a painful vision. I wanted you to meet my friend before I tried to visualize anything for you."

"Oh, that's fine." The large smile that slid across his face convinced Willow that he was sincere, and she smiled back. "She wants to meet the demon you're reading for, huh?"

"*He* is a vampire, and he wants to make sure that I'm safe."

"Even better." The chair scraped along the floor as he pushed himself back from the table. "Is he around?"

"I left him in the common room channel surfing, so he should still be there." Willow spoke over her shoulder as the two of them followed Keemara's lithe figure through the house to the door of the room. Spike could be heard yelling at the television.

"He always does that." Willow shook her head and smiled when Spike turned to look over his shoulder at the three newcomers. "Spike, this is N'Gutya. He's the one who wants me to do the reading."

Spike turned off the television before hopping the back of the couch in one fluid motion to stand just behind the redhead. "Maranadi demon, fairly harmless unless something they find dear is threatened."

"That was rude, Spike."

"Just wanted you to know what you were dealing with, pet." Spike put out a hand for the tall demon to shake. "Hey."

"I understand completely. We're known for our protective streaks, so I'm all for you being here to look after Miss Willow."

"Right then," Spike rubbed his hands together with a wide grin and pulled Willow's bag onto his shoulder. "Where're we settin' up?"

"In here would work fine for me, as long as nothing loud is going to interrupt." Willow looked at N'Gutya for his agreement, smiling when he nodded.

"We'll sit in the chairs so you can be comfortable. I've never done this for someone I didn't know, so I can't really promise anything."

"I don't need any promises. I trust that you will do your best."

"Maybe it would help to have a specific question in mind?" Willow bit at her lip as she put the candle in its holder and motioned for Spike to light the round piece of charcoal. "That way you could focus on it, and I'll focus on you."

N'Gutya simply nodded and took the seat that Spike pushed to face the one Willow had taken.

Willow cast her circle and centered herself. The trepidation she felt made grounding a little more difficult than normal, but the connection formed stronger for the effort. Placing her hands into those of the demon facing her, Willow let her mind focus on the thought that N'Gutya was projecting so clearly.

{"Are you happy?" N'Gutya was speaking to Keemara on the porch of the inn.

"Very."

"Do you... Do you ever miss your husband?"

Keemara turned to him, a puzzled look on her face. "That's an odd question, but yes, I do miss him. The pain isn't as sharp as it was when he first died, it has been nearly ten years, but I still ache a little. Why is it that you ask?"

N'Gutya removed a delicate silver cuff from one of the pockets of his pants. Holding it out to Keemara, the orange demon looked at her intently. "You've been wearing black for far too long."

"Yes, yes I have." Keemara smiled and moved to kiss her companion, giggling softly when his four arms surrounded her small frame.}

Willow slid back into reality with a sigh and a grin. She forestalled any questions silently and earthed the power still flowing through her frame. After she had blown out the candle and opened the circle, she pulled N'Gutya to follow her into the foyer.

"Go for it."

A wide smile lit the orange man's face. "You're sure?"

"Yep."

"Thank you." His large frame seemed to swallow her in a hug before Willow could respond.

"If you're done with your little meeting, Red, I say we go see if there's any trouble to get into." Spike stood beside the front door, an unreadable look in his eyes.

"I don't know about trouble, but I'm ready to do something anyway." Willow patted N'Gutya on one of his arms and smiled brightly at Keemara as she passed.

"Don't I get to know what the vision was?" The blue woman pouted.

"It's not my place to tell." Willow smiled at Spike as he shut the door behind them to the sound of their hostess begging the other demon for the information.

~~~*~~~

The two unlikely companions slid into the car and set out for the small city Keemara had told Spike about the night before. There was mention of a boardwalk along the beach and some decent restaurants. It should have been over twenty minutes away. Spike made the trip in ten.

Willow stood from the car on shaking legs and forced her hand away from the armrest where it had been clinging for the duration of the ride. "Okay, that's it. I'm driving back."

"If we had taken *my* car, you wouldn't have seen the scenery flashing by like that."

"Doesn't make me feel any better, Spike." Willow shook out the flowing skirt she wore and glanced down to be certain her shirt was straight. The witch had decided that she could show a little more skin then she had been, so the top was a gray t-shirt that matched one of the colors in the skirt. It came to rest an inch above her exposed navel, showing off the flat of her tummy and part of the glittering designs at her sides and back.

"You look absolutely edible, pet." Spike looped an arm about her waist and guided her toward the lights strung along the shops and stands twenty yards away.

"Thanks. I think."

"Oh, that was a complement, luv. Trust me." Spike leered at the redhead, causing her to giggle softly.

Willow was about to respond when a large carousel set into the middle of the shopping area caught her eye. "Oh, look! We *have* to ride that later!"

"If you say so, pet." Spike lit up a cigarette as they began meandering along the shops and booths, both taking in the odd mix of a strip mall and carnival-like games.

They had just ridden the carousel for the second time when Spike decided that Willow should have something to eat. Willow wanted to eat some of the food there, telling Spike that they didn't get anything like that in Sunnydale, and that she wanted `carney food'. The blonde vampire had simply laughed and bought her an elephant ear and some french fries that they loaded down with ketchup and vinegar.

"Hey mister," a man running a stand where you threw baseballs at a stack of bottles called out to the pair as they passed. "Show your girl what you're made of!"

"No thanks, mate." Spike grinned at Willow's slight blush, laughing out loud when the grin only served to make the rose color deeper.

"Win her a prize!" A woman sitting on the ledge of the next booth spoke up. "A girl as pretty as that should have something she can hold on to when you're not around."

Spike stopped in his tracks and turned to look the woman in the face. "What this, then?"

The woman, obviously sensing a potential customer stood and moved to the center of the wooden fence railing. Throwing her arms wide, she motioned to the balloon-covered, checkered board behind her, and then to the prizes hanging from the walls and just over her head. "You get three darts for five dollars. Pop a balloon, and get a prize."

"One prize for each dart?"

"Pop one, you get nothing. Two will get you something on the bottom. Three will get you anything on the walls. If you can pop three balloons in the same colored square, you can have anything in the booth."

Spike nodded and reached for his wallet, stopping Willow's protests about wasting money with a look.

/Okay, if he wants to be mister `macho man' and win something, I'll just let him waste the money. Never mind that we could probably *buy* the stupid prized for less at a store./ Willow resigned herself to letting Spike do his `guy thing' and happily munched on the remains of her dinner. /Who knew that lots of sugar and cinnamon on a piece of fried dough could be so filling?/

The first `pop' of the balloon made Willow jump. She'd been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed Spike receive the ammunition for the game. When she looked up at Spike, she saw him grinning at her so playfully that she giggled and placed a light kiss on his cheek.

"Want a prize, luv?"

"Yep. Win me something, Spike."

The blonde tossed the second dart with seemingly no attempt at aiming, though Willow knew otherwise. A second balloon, this a large blue one, was burst with a loud crack as the dart stuck firmly into the black square behind it. The small group of people who had stopped to watch the attractive blonde in the long coat try his hand at winning the beautiful redhead a gift clapped and whistled. Spike, who had been about to throw his last dart in rapid succession to the second, stopped and turned to bow to his audience.

"One more, and the lady chooses her prize!" The woman in the stand didn't seem to care that the blonde was about to get something big. Willow figured that Spike winning had probably brought more customers than the woman had seen all evening.

Spike tipped his head one way and another before landing a perfect shot to a yellow target in the upper left of the board, exposing the black check it had rested against. Seeing that Spike had struck three balloons, and that they had all been in black squares, the crowd went wild. There were people patting Spike on the back and congratulating Willow from all sides.

Willow suddenly found all the attention unnerving, but was saved when Spike used the back of a knuckle to raise her face to look at the things hanging from the walls and ceiling of the booth. "Pick one, Red."

Willow grinned and tossed the trash she'd been holding into the bin next to the booth. Pointing to the back corner above the vender's head, she grinned. "I want that one."

"The red bear?"

"Yes, please."

The woman retrieved the bear using a long pole with a hook at the end, handing the bear to Willow with a smile. "I think he deserves a kiss for that one."

Spike's lips settling over her own cut off Willow's protest. /Lips of Spike. Yeah, they taste fine to me./

The softness of the kiss was interrupted by a cheer from the crowd, and Willow pulled back just after it began. "Thank you."

"No, thank you, pet." Spike chuckled as he guided Willow, whose arms barely circled the middle of the stuffed animal, through the crowd and back to the car. "Only someone from the bloody Hellmouth would pick out a red bear with devil horns and wings."

"It reminds me of you."

"Not bloody likely!" Spike was grinning, despite his words, as he watched Willow secure the animal in the back seat of the car with a belt.

"It's okay, Spike." Willow shut the door and wrapped her arms around Spike in a hug that she put all her strength into. "I won't tell anyone that you're really a cuddle vamp."

Willow was laughing at Spike's warning growl when she caught movement from the corner of her eye. A boy of nine or ten had started across the street against the light. As she watched, a deep blue sports car sped towards the boy, now frozen in fear.

"Stop!" Willow threw herself away from Spike at the same time she put a hand out to the car.

Suddenly, the car was suspended two feet off the ground inches from the boy's shaking body. The kid seemed to shake himself, looked around at the people watching, and took off back the way that he'd come. With a sigh from Willow, the car was set back on the asphalt, where it continued its skid another five feet.

"Oh, goddess," Willow's broken whisper seemed to snap Spike into action. Before she could get another word out, she was pushed into the car. Spike slid into the driver's seat a moment later, and then they were out of the parking lot and away.

"You okay, Willow?"

"That boy could have died." As an afterthought, Willow cocked her head to the side. "You used my name."

"So?"

"I'm just used to hearing `pet', `luv', or `Red'. That's all." Willow was looking out her window at the nighttime world of the small city they were moving through. Her voice sounded small, confused, but she couldn't make it come out right. "I like the way it sounds when you say it."

"I'll remember that." Spike winked at her when she looked over at him. "Let's get you home."

"I'm hungry."

Spike nodded, though Willow thought it was more to himself than to her statement. "Do you want to stop somewhere and go in, or take it back to the room?"

"Just something I can eat in the car is fine. I'm just suddenly starving."

"Well, stopping that car must have taken a lot out of you." Spike moved the car into the drive thru of the first fast food place they came to. "You want a burger and fries?"

"Yes. Oh, and a thing of iced tea."

Spike ordered, making sure to get Willow extra ketchup for her fries and lots of sugar for the tea before pulling back onto the main road. The trip home took longer this time; Willow secretly glad that Spike decided to follow the speed limit.

"You go on up, Red." Spike helped her out of the car and moved to unbuckle the bear from its seat in the back. "I'll get junior here and your tea."

Willow nodded mutely and slowly climbed the stairs to the door.

~Part: 16~

Spike beat Willow to the end of the hall, easily taking the key already in her hand and opening the oak door. Willow barely brought herself to smile and pull her new bear into her arms. She was exhausted, and could only focus on the thought of the warm bed waiting for her at the top of the stairs.

/These things weren't this long when we left... I wonder who came in and did it while we were out./ Willow almost stumbled on the iron steps, silently grateful for the strong arm that was suddenly supporting her from behind. Her mind didn't register it when her feet left the ground and she was wrapped in the complete set of strong arms. /Was probably a demon. Stupid step growing demons. Wonder if they'll still be this long when we go home in the morning?/

"What's wrong with me, Spike? I shouldn't have been able to do that."

Spike sat her down on the edge of the bed, holding on to her arms to ensure that she stayed upright. He began untying her shoes, managing to get one off before the redhead fell back with a yawn. "I don't know what's goin' on with you, pet. Maybe you shouldn't think about it tonight and just be happy that you saved the boy."

"It's not just the car thing." Willow rubbed the back of her hand against her eye. "I've made myself go from one place to another without even trying and sent Buffy to the Magic Box with a little effort. That's just not how magic works! Have you noticed that I start smelling weird when I get mad? That's not even mentioning the sparks that go on with my hair!"

Spike pulled the now sobbing redhead into his arms, settling her against his chest. "I don't know what's happening, pet, but we'll figure it out. Both watchers are on it, and you *know* how those blokes get all excited about research. There's nothing we can do about it tonight, so just let it go."

"I can't!" Willow pushed herself from the bed and snatched her nightgown from the back of the chair where she'd left it that morning. "Something's happening to me, something big, and I'm scared."

Spike was suddenly in front of her, making Willow gasp slightly and step back. The vampire advanced as she retreated, quickly closing the distance between them with his longer strides. Willow couldn't help but focus on the darkening eyes of her pursuer before watching as his tongue moved to wet his lower lip.

There wasn't enough time to think as he drew her into the circle of his arms and lowered his soft lips to her own. Willow could do nothing but sigh into Spike's mouth and let him deepen the kiss. The room dissolved into darkness as her eyes slid closed and she became absorbed in the feeling of Spike's mouth, his body, against her own.

The soft growl of Spike's approval snapped Willow back to reality, and she pulled away from his embrace. "We can't, Spike."

"Why not?" The look of bewilderment in the blonde's eyes was all too quickly replaced by something Willow didn't want to name. "Am I not good enough to kiss you?"

"No, Spike. It's not like that! I-"

"You can be my friend when you need one, but you don't want me to touch you. That it?" Spike had retreated a few feet away from her, but Willow could almost feel the anger coming off of him in waves. "Or is it that I'm not attractive enough for you?"

"You *know* that's not it, Spike!"

"Then you don't want me to touch you. A vampire isn't good enough for the best friend of a slayer."

"You're more than good enough for me! Hell, you're too good for me!" Willow, seeing that Spike was watching her, plowed on with the halting explanation. "I... I just... I don't want to get hurt, Spike. I d-don't want to be Rebound Girl."

"So you just don't want me." Spike chuckled to himself and shook a cigarette out of his battered pack. "Admit it, Red."

"I *do* want you, Spike! Don't you get it, you stupid vampire?! I want you so much that my mouth goes all dry and my palms get sweaty from just being in the same *room* as you! The thought of you being with Buffy hurt me, physically, because I knew that she was going to end up hurting you and I couldn't do anything about it! You're attractive, dangerously attractive, smart, funny, and more caring than any other guy I've ever known! I just don't want to be a girl who happens to be around when you're low. I want to be everything to you. Not a convenience."

Spike inhaled off of his Marlboro and snuffed the almost new cigarette out. "You're more than a convenience, pet. You're the best friend I've ever had, and I wouldn't hurt you."

"I know you wouldn't, Spike. Not on purpose." Willow moved to put her hand on Spike's arm, sighing when he stepped closer and brought his forehead to rest on her shoulder. "I just can't be hurt again. I *can't*! When we go home tomorrow, I don't want you to forget about me when Buffy comes back."

"Buffy can find someone else to push around, and there's no way I'm forgettin' you, luv." Spike wrapped his arms around Willow's waist.

"Let me hold you, Red?" The pleading in Spike's voice made Willow's breath catch in her throat. "Just for tonight?"

"Please, Spike. Please just hold me."

Spike brought Willow back to her bed, pulling his boots off before sliding under the coverlet. He settled behind her, an arm around her waist. The last sounds Willow heard as she drifted off to sleep were Spike's whispered words of assurance that she would be fine, that he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

~~~*~~~

Willow woke late the next afternoon to the sound of Spike singing softly as he moved about in the kitchenette. The fresh smell of bacon was the second thing to reach Willow's slowly waking senses. She could hear the soft popping of grease in the pan, smiling when she realized that the blonde was making her breakfast.

"I know you're awake over there, Red. Get that cute butt up and get your shower. Breakfast will be done in a few."

Willow nodded before she remembered that he couldn't see her from his spot in front of the stove. "Okay. I'm moving."

Her shower was finished in half of her normal time, and Willow was in the kitchen fifteen minutes after leaving the bed. Her damp hair hung down her back, wetting her shirt so the worn cotton clung to her like a second skin. Spike's only response to her hurrying was a grin and a raised eyebrow.

"What?" Willow grinned, ruining the irritated tone of her voice. "I'm hungry."

"Didn't say anything, pet."

"You were thinking something though."

"I was thinking of how nice it would be to be that shirt about now."

Willow nearly choked on the juice Spike had put in front of her along with her plate. She could feel the blush staining her face, and cursed her light skin before changing the subject. "So, we're leaving after my ritual, right?"

"Smooth, Red." Spike only chuckled and stole a strip of bacon from her plate. "Everything's packed. Just need your last minute things put in, and we're on our way."

Willow nodded and finished her breakfast.

Spike washed the dishes and put them away while Willow went through her vision ritual and then packed the last of her things. She made sure to place Junior, as Spike insisted on calling her new bear, safely on top of her suitcase before informing the blonde that she was ready to leave. Spike went over the entire room three times to make sure they hadn't left anything important, making Willow wonder if he also had some sort of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder as well as ADD, as Xander claimed.

Willow carried only her bear down the steps, once again bowing to Spike's need to `be a bleedin' gentleman' and letting him carry her bags as well as his own. She told the human-looking clerk in the office that she wanted to tell Keemara good-bye, but was told that the newly engaged woman hadn't gotten out of bed yet. Spike chuckled along with the middle-aged woman while Willow wrote out a message for the blue demon, telling her how happy she was for her, and that she loved staying at the Blue Shell.

The ride home seemed to stretch on forever, and the companions were both happy when Willow's house came into view on the quiet evening street.

Spike pulled the blanket from over the back windows and grinned at Willow. "Home again, home again, and all that rot."

"Somehow I don't remember `all that rot' being in the rhyme." Willow giggled when Spike growled playfully at her imitation of his accent.

"Should have been there all along," Spike stepped from the car into the confines of the garage and took the bags from Willow's hands. "Can't help that it had to be improved on, now can I?"

"No, Spike," Willow rolled her eyes at his back and followed him into her home. "Can't help that at all."

"Knew you'd see it my way, luv."

Willow only laughed and went to check the messages on her machine. After one from her mother saying that she and Willow's father weren't going to be making it back to Sunnydale until autumn at the earliest and two hang-ups, Willow heard Buffy's voice entreating Spike to `pick up the phone'. Spike came down the steps and hit the `next' button without listening to the rest of the message meant for him. Willow was so busy smiling at the vampire's wicked smirk that she nearly missed the sound of Giles' voice asking her to call him when she found a moment.

Willow erased the tape and picked up the phone to call the watcher. "Did you find out something?"

If Giles was surprised by the abrupt question without a preamble, he didn't show it. "I'd like for you to come over as soon as you can, Willow. I need to talk to you about a few things, and I'd really rather do it in person."

"Okay, Giles," the shaking in her voice bothered her, but Willow kept her lip from trembling. "We'll be there in a few minutes."

"We?"

"Spike and I."

"Yes, very good. I'll see you soon."

"Bye." Willow tried to sound like her happy self when she disconnected, but found herself sniffling into Spike's chest as he held her once again.

"Not gonna find anything by standin' here, Willow."

"I know," Willow sighed and moved away from the blonde as she found her jacket and checked to be sure that her `Hellmouth Survival Kit' of a few stakes, a squirt gun of holy water, and a cross was in place. "Let's get this over with."

Spike nodded and followed her into the growing night.

Ten minutes later, Willow was pushing the door to the watcher's apartment open. "We're here, Giles!"

"Good to see you're doing well." Giles fixed a reproachful gaze on the redhead. "We were worried that something had happened to you until Xander saw that your suitcase and some of your clothing were missing."

Willow winced at her carelessness. She hadn't even thought to call Giles before they had left, just focusing on getting Spike as far away from Buffy as she could at the time. "I'm so sorry! I can't believe I didn't think to call you."

"Just try not to forget to call someone the next time you decide to leave town, hmm?"

The look she was given spoke more than the words could ever convey, and Willow found herself nodding. "Got it."

Giles nodded and motioned them to sit down. "I've got to tell you, Willow, that I've exhausted all of my resources. I haven't been able to find anything on your situation."

"W-What?" Willow began worrying her lower lip. "Giles, I-"

"I've been talking with Wesley every day, and he still has more than a few avenues open to him. We haven't stopped looking, Willow, but I can't think of anywhere else to seek out the information we're looking for. Wesley has quite a few more contacts within the Watcher's Council, and is using them to the best of his ability."

Willow nodded and took a deep breath, letting it out in a slow hiss between clenched teeth. "I think I'm going to turn in my paper and then see how soon I can take my exams. I have to do something, or I'll go mad just thinking about all the things that have been happening to me."

"I'll let Wesley know that you will be visiting within a few weeks, then." Giles smiled at the young woman in front of him. "Would you like some tea? I would like to hear where you have been the last few days."

Willow smiled in thanks and began telling Giles of their stay at the Blue Shell and all that went on that weekend.

~Part: 17~

Willow came through the door later than usual on Wednesday, smiling at Spike's sleeping form stretched out on the couch. It had been a good day, and she hummed softly to herself as she shed her jacket and book bag. She didn't want to wake the vampire, but knew that he would not be happy if she let him sleep without telling him what was going on.

"Spike?" Willow ran long fingers through Spike's soft hair and giggled when he purred and rubbed against her skin. "Time to wake up."

"Don't wanna," one blue eye drifted open to take in the redhead. "Home early, then?"

Willow shook her head and chuckled. "Spike, it's nearly four o'clock! I'm almost two hours late; not early."

"Bugger," Spike rubbed a large hand over his face. "Get your school all squared away?"

"Yep. I've got History and Rhetoric of Cyberspace on Friday. I'll be taking my Women in Literature exam on Monday. After that, I'm good to leave until graduation. If I want to walk through, that is."

"We'll worry about that when it gets here, luv. Want to do your ritual before we find something for dinner?"

"Sounds good. Want to man the incense for me?"

"I got ya covered, Red." Spike stretched and moved to the supplies Willow had left sitting after her morning ritual.

Willow could tell that the blonde loved to watch her as she worked spells or performed her rituals, and had begun including him whenever she could. Most of the time, like now, that meant that he sat quietly and sprinkled incense on the glowing charcoal. He insisted that he'd much rather watch than try anything when Willow had pressed him to join in an actual spell, so she let him do as he pleased.

Her mind let itself open as soon as she centered herself, letting her know that it had been too long since the ritual that morning.

{"How *dare* you!" Buffy paced in front of Spike's fallen body. "I can't believe that you would just take her away for a weekend without even considering what I would think!"

"I don't bloody well *care* what you think!" The vampire's voice was quiet, more muffled than Willow was used to, but she couldn't see his face and assumed that he was speaking with it pressed to the floor. "You used to tell me that I was below you. Now, I'm starting to think that maybe you had that backwards."

With a cry of rage, the slayer kicked at Spike's knee.}

Willow slammed back into her body with a gasp of pain that she somehow knew the Spike in her vision wasn't going to let out. She could feel a tear slipping over her cheek, hurriedly wiping at it as she finished her ritual.

"You okay, luv?"

Willow knew with an odd certainty that she couldn't tell Spike what she had seen. The vampire would go and pick a fight with the blonde slayer, and she didn't want to be on the sidelines for that one. "I... I think I'm just tired. I saw... something... but I couldn't hang on to it."

"Youre brain hasn't adjusted to everything that's happening is all." Spike kissed the top of Willow's head and slid the ritual components back into the bag Willow had been keeping them in. "You need to rest."

"Yeah."

"I'm going."

Willow felt her heart stop before raggedly slamming against her ribs. He was leaving just like that? No explanations or long rants about the unfairness of his unlife? Willow fought to hold back her sniffles. "You are?"

"No way in hell I'm lettin' you go off to LA and Angelus without at least comin' along."

"You're coming with *me*?!"

"What? Thought I was just up and leaving town?" Spike laughed at her sheepish nod and pulled her into a tight hug. "I wouldn't do that to you Willow. Not without an amazing sodding excuse. Besides, I'm fond of you pet. Not going to leave you behind."

"Good," Willow nodded resolutely to herself as she blushed. /He's fond of me. Spike's fond of me! He just said so./

"I think I'm going to return the books I borrowed from Giles, okay?"

"Can we get a pizza too, luv?"

"I think that can be arranged." Willow grinned at the vampire and gathered the two large tomes before heading out the door and into the night.

~~~*~~~

Willow walked through the front door of her house half an hour later, having ordered the pizza before going to visit the watcher and the rest of the Scoobies at the Magic Box. Willow had figured out over the last week that Spike insisted on eating dinner so that he could be certain that she ate at all. It still felt odd to eat regularly at six every evening, but Spike always insisted on it, so she had gathered the pizza and stopped by Willy's Bar to get some of the `good stuff' as a special treat for her vampire roommate.

"Honey! I'm.... Oh, Goddess." The calling on her goddess was a soft plea as Willow rounded the corner into the living room and dropped the box she was carrying along with the bags of blood.

Her eyes took in the sight, but her mind wasn't processing what they saw. There were only bits and pieces before her brain caught up and she was able to actually see what it was she was being told was there.

The television was laying in a pool of glass on the floor, the entertainment center that had housed it nothing more than a pile of wood. The stereo with its large speakers and CD player had been thrown across the room, now resting in a broken heap on the tattered remains of the couch. The DVD player looked to be intact, though it rested on its side between the couch and the overturned and shattered coffee table.

Willow stood still only long enough to take in the destruction of the room before turning to glance over the clean kitchen and sprint up the steps. "Spike!"

No one answered, and Willow became more and more frightened as she went from room to room. The rest of the house had been left undisturbed. Nothing was out of place until she came to her bedroom.

The room still housed her computer and laptop along with her stereo, and none of the bookcases had been raided. The only thing that wasn't right was sitting in the middle of the room; looking innocent and sweet at the same time it scared her more than the destruction in the room below.

Her bed, still made with its flowered duvet and soft pillows looked as if giant claws had ripped into it. Bits of stuffing from the bed mingled with shreds from the ruined quilt, reminding Willow of the aftermaths of many of her own fights against various demons when their blood would be splattered over her clothes. Her eyes darted around the room as she backed toward the door, and that's when she saw it.

There, in a thin line leading from the bed to the door, was a copper trail that glistened in the soft light from her lamp. Willow didn't need to see any more to know that it was blood. Somehow, she knew that it was Spike's.

"Spike?!" Willow had moved back to the living room on autopilot. "Oh, where are you?"

A flash of lavender caught the witch's eye, and her breath stopped. A strip of cotton, no more than a few inches in length, hung from a jagged piece of the twisted frame of the wood and glass coffee table.

~Part: 18~

Willow ran through the front door of the Magic Box and barely stopped herself from falling down the steps inside the door. She took in the people sitting at the table, noting the absence of Buffy and Dawn. "Where is she?"

Anya looked up from counting her till at the edge in the witch's voice. "Buffy?"

"Yeah, Buffy." Willow felt an odd tingling shooting up the backs of her legs and down the column of her spine as if the earth and sky were trying to force energy into her body, but ignored it in favor of leveling a steely look on Xander and Giles. "Know where she is?"

"Haven't seen her since I picked Dawn up for school this morning." Xander's voice gave away his fear of the look in Willow's eyes, and she instantly felt sorry.

"Sorry, Xan. Didn't mean to go all scary on you."

"Nothing big, Wills." The boy's body had relaxed when she favored him with one of her soft smiles. "I've seen worse from my dad."

"Buffy was to meet us here after she got off work, but she hasn't made it here. Is there a problem, Willow?" Giles' face was lined with worry.

"Spike's missing."

"Missing?" Xander looked out the window. "The sun is just now going down."

"That's only one of the reasons I'm worried."

"What happened, Willow?" Anya pressed a warm cup of tea into Willow's hand and led her over to the table. "What's gotten you so worked up?"

"My living room was trashed. I'm talking TV and stereo wrecked, and furniture broken beyond repair. My bed has been slashed to ribbons and there's blood on my floor. Not a lot of blood, but a line of it." Willow pulled the scrap of material from the pocket of the leather duster she'd found still hanging in the closet. "I found this caught on the coffee table."

"Looks like something Buffy would wear." Xander scowled at the offending material as if it had done something wrong. "She's got a thing for lavender."

"Well, that's because she looks good in it." Willow shrugged and looked at Giles for help. "Do you think she would have gone after him? She left a message for him over the weekend, but he erased it without even listening to it."

"Spike *has* made quite a few enemies among the demons since he started helping us. I wouldn't rule any of them out in favor of suspecting one of our own."

"You're right," Willow felt some of the anger she had been feeling replaced with worry that something they wouldn't know how to track was behind the vampire's disappearance. "I'm just scared. I brought those books here, stopped for pizza, then stopped for blood. When I got home, the living room was trashed and Spike's nowhere to be found."

"You got pizza *and* blood?" Xander visibly shuddered at the thought.

Willow would have laughed at Xander's disgusted expression if she hadn't been so annoyed with the group's lack of action. "It's not as if I'm eating the blood, although Spike *does* dip the crusts."

"Okay, that's just icky." An almost bell like voice spoke from the top of the steps.

"Buffy, where have you been?" Anya was doing a rather convincing impersonation of Joyce from her spot in Xander's lap. "We can't find Spike. Know where he is?"

"Haven't got a clue." Buffy let her eyes linger on Willow's dejected form. "I got stuck at Dawn's school for some kind of older sister/ teacher conference. Was not of the fun, let me tell you."

"So, you haven't seen Spike?"

"No, though it's not on my top ten things to do, either."

"We can't just sit here. We have to do something." Willow chewed at her lip, hoping that Giles would agree with her. If the watcher said to do something, the rest of the group would at least go along with it for a few hours.

"I'll check the cemeteries on the North side of town, maybe beat up on Willy." Buffy sounded almost bored as she laid out a plan of action. "Xander and Anya can take the East. Since the South side and the West don't have as many cemeteries and demon hidey-holes, Wills can probably handle it on her own. Even if whatever this is isn't a threat to humans, we should stop it before anyone else comes home to a wrecked house."

Willow only nodded in reply.

~~~*~~~

It was just after dawn when the redhead stumbled out of the last cemetery on her `list' for the third time. She had combed the six plots of burial ground three times each, and found nothing for her trouble. Not even a strand of platinum hair or the lingering smell of tobacco and leather. Willow was certain Spike hadn't set one combat booted foot in any cemetery that night.

She'd stopped by the Magic Box to learn that no one else had found anything. Anya and Xander offered to stay out, but Willow knew they had work in the morning and had sent them on home with thinly veiled assurances that Spike would be fine. Buffy had simply come in long enough to inform Willow and Giles that she hadn't found anything, and that Willy knew less than he normally did, before announcing that she had to get home to meet Dawn when the younger Summers got in from a study session with her friends.

"Where could you be, Spike?" Willow pulled the comforting weight of Spike's coat tighter around her small frame as she walked. "I can't think of anywhere else you could be."

/Talking to yourself, Willow. Can't be a good sign./

Willow's thoughts changed direction as she turned a corner and moved slowly down a familiar street. /Well, what do you expect when something may or may not have happened to someone I love?/

The redhead stopped. Her feet simply refused to move down the sidewalk. The breeze that had been gently ruffling her hair was still. The songs of the birds, moments ago sounding from the trees and the wires crisscrossing the neighborhood, were no longer easily picked out amid the muffled humming in Willow's ears.

/I love Spike?... Oh, Goddess. I love Spike./ Willow seemed to become lighter with the realization, even as her stomach curled in on itself in a myriad of new feelings and questions. /I have to find him! He doesn't know!/

"Willow?"

Willow's head snapped up and she moved quickly to the side of her friend. "Dawn? What are you doing here?"

"This is Nancy's house."

Willow took in the houses surrounding her, just now realizing that she had been walking down the sidewalk that would lead her in front of the slayer's home. "Isn't it a little early for a study session?"

"I spent the night."

"What?"

"I spent the night here last night." Willow loosened her grip on the younger girl's arms when a not so subtle look of concern was directed at them by Dawn's friend. "Buffy said I could so that I could spend more time studying for my finals. She said it was okay, I promise!"

"It's okay, Dawnie." Willow smoothed a piece of hair back from the younger girl's face. "I'm just tired and I guess I overreacted."

"That's okay. I'm going with Nancy and her mom to the mall. Want us to drop you off somewhere?"

"Wow, spending the night with a friend and skipping school to hit the mall. That must have been some good sibling/ teacher conference."

"What conference?"

Willow held Dawn's eyes with her own. "Didn't Buffy have a conference with your teacher yesterday?"

"Nnnnno," Dawn turned her head to the side and fixed Willow with a confused frown.

"Are you okay? Are you *sure* we can't take you home or something?"

~~~*~~~

Willow glanced over at the car sitting in the drive, offering a small wave to the girl waiting for Dawn. "No. No, I'll be fine."

The younger girl looked unconvinced until Willow draped an arm around Dawn's shoulders in an attempt to assuage the younger girl's obvious unease. "I must be more tired than I thought. I could have sworn Buffy said something about it last night. Oh well, I think I'm gonna grab something for breakfast and then get some rest. Have fun, okay?"

Dawn nodded and hugged the redhead tightly before skipping over to the car. "Bye Wills!"

Willow returned the huge smile with one of her own before turning away and winding her way through the alleys. There was only one place in Sunnydale that Willow could think of to hold a vampire captive.

/Crawford Street, here I come./

~Part: 19~

The sun was glinting through the trees, burning off the last of the pink dawn, when Willow rounded the corner onto Crawford Street. The mansion sat at the end of the street, a silent sentinel for so many memories. In a town full of people who seemed to have more money then they had brain cells, Willow had always wondered at the mansion’s continued emptiness. Even with the repairs that would have been necessary, the large house should have been snapped up years before Spike and Druscilla had made it their home.

Willow pulled Spike’s duster as tight as she could around her slight frame and fought her way past the nearly waist high weeds framing the once beautiful lawn. She didn’t know where Buffy was and didn’t want to risk the blonde seeing her if she could help it. The witch didn’t know how or when, but Buffy had let her mind go too far. This was far from ‘not right’. This was monstrous.

The back of the stone structure came into view, and Willow pressed herself to the crumbling garden wall and listened. She couldn’t hear anything from inside the house, the world outside seeming to fade into nonexistence as she focused on the house in front of her, but she was fearful of getting too close. The wall, and what little protection it offered, deliquesced into rubble nearly ten feet from the vine covered hole in the back of the mansion. If she moved any closer than what she was at the moment, Willow would be in full view of anyone who happened to look in her direction.

After several minutes of silent contemplation, Willow leaned forward and nearly screamed at the loud rustling of the coat against the untended flowerbeds. Throwing herself back against the wall, Willow listened once again. The hammering of her heart was all that sounded in her ears, but Willow stood against the wall until the thudding had dulled. There was still no movement, and Willow decided to try again.

"Okay, Willow," the witch whispered to herself as she pulled the coat off as slowly and quietly as possible. "Be as quiet as Angel in stealth mode. Think vampire."

With a deep breath to try and steady her nerves, the redhead slid down the wall to sit on the ground. She was increasingly glad that she’d worn pants to school the day before as the thorns of a nearly wild rosebush caught in the thick denim material covering her legs. She took little more care with her arms than legs, and winced as she repeatedly felt the hot pain that accompanied the needle-like pricks to her hands and arms. She didn’t stop the slow downward movement until she was lying on her stomach on the hard earth. Trying to remember every war movie she’d been forced to sit through with Jesse and Xander as a child, Willow crawled forward.

/Where would he be?/ Willow slid slowly through the bracken, having decided that moving slowly was better if it meant that she went undetected. She came to the low wall formed by the crumbled rock and moved to lay with it along her front. /First, worry about getting into the house. One step at a time./

Minutes seemed to stretch into hours as Willow once again focused on hearing any movement from inside. After deciding that she’d listened long enough, she pushed her scratched and slightly bleeding hands into the ground and raised herself in a kind of modified pushup. She stopped only when one eye was gazing over the wall and into the house, and then all caution was forgotten as she cried out in fright.

There, hanging from one of the light fixtures set into the wall, was Spike.

Willow was at his side, and horrified at what she saw, without feeling the floor beneath her feet. The now familiar stench of drying blood surrounded Spike’s still body, nearly gagging Willow as she fought down the sobs threatening to spill from her throat. If the vampire had been human, Willow had no doubt that he would be dead.

Spike’s white blonde hair was stained a bright red from the blood still trickling from his left temple. There were angry slashes of red criss-crossing the firm chest visible through the tattered remains of his black t-shirt. The fingers of his graceful hands reminded Willow of the time Xander’s dad had slammed the boy’s hand in a car door. The manacles holding the vampire’s weight had long since cut into the flesh of his wrists, causing rivulets of blood to run down Spike’s arms.

"Oh, Goddess," the sobs finally won as Willow focused on the metal bands holding Spike captive. "I’ve got you, Spike. I’m here." After four tries, Willow was able to focus her power and open the offending bindings.

It wasn’t until Spike’s full weight had bared her to the floor that Willow realized something was wrong with his legs. The denim covering the vampire’s flesh kept her from seeing what it was, but she knew that it had to be bad to make that wet popping sound as she clumsily moved him. Stealing herself for whatever was to come, Willow used a hole in the fabric of his right pant leg to rip the material from just above to ankle to just above his knee.

"Ugh!" Willow threw herself away from Spike’s still body, barely managing to make it three feet away before her stomach heaved.

/Broken. His leg is broken./ Willow wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand, unconsciously smearing the vampire’s blood across her face. /If one’s like that, then the other one probably is, too. She broke his legs./

Even with her limited knowledge of the human bone structure, Willow could tell that his leg had been broken and then pushed back together haphazardly. The jagged ends of the bone jutted out from just below his knee, though the gashes in his leg told Willow that they had been at an even more awkward angle. Tears slipped over her cheeks even as she told herself there wasn’t time to sit and cry.

/You can cry for his pain later, Willow. Right now, you have to get him out of here before Buffy comes back./

"Spike." Willow patted the side of the demon’s face, his true face having come out with the pain of being moved, and tried to wake him up. "Come one, Spike. You have to wake up."

"Go ‘way." The murmured reply brought a small, unbidden smile to Willow’s face. Any response was a good response at this point.

"No, Spike. You have to wake up! We have to get out of here before Buffy gets back!"

"Buffy!" Spike seemed to snap back to reality at the mention of the slayer’s name, and he tried to sit up only to be pushed back by Willow’s gentle hands. "Bitch trashed your house."

"I’m more worried about you than my house, Spike." Willow nodded at his legs, now both exposed to the air of the room. "Your legs are broken."

"Thought I felt that happen."

"You’re awfully calm about it."

Spike grinned up into Willow’s concerned eyes. "Angelus did that a time or two, though he usually rubbed salt or alcohol into the cuts. I think it bugged the bitch that I didn’t so much as whimper. Help me set ‘em?"

"O-Okay..." Willow rubbed her hands along the wet material of her blood-spattered jeans. "What do I do?"

"I can do all the work. I just need you to hold above my ankle and not let that part move. Think you can do it?"

"We have to get out of here, so yeah, I think I can." Willow winced as she grasped Spike’s right calf and shin and felt him reposition the bones correctly. "You didn’t... didn’t make a sound when she did this?"

Spike waited until he had finished with both legs before answering. "Not a peep, luv. Wouldn’t give her the satisfaction. How did you know it was Buffy?"

The sudden change in subject threw Willow for a moment. "There was a piece of cloth stuck on the remains of the coffee table. I saw it and just... I knew."

Spike nodded and looked through the vines at the back of the house. "How we gettin’ out of here, pet? I’m thinking that you didn’t drive here."

Willow only shook her head and wrapped trembling arms around the blonde’s waist as she pictured her bedroom. There was an odd itching along her arms and legs before there was nothing. Just as suddenly, the world reappeared to reveal the embracing pair sitting on the carpet beside Willow’s ruined bed.

"Nice trick, pet." Spike’s grin could only be described as proud.

Willow couldn’t contain the tired giggle that escaped her mouth as the vampire slipped, once again, into unconsciousness.

~Part: 20~

Willow spent the next hour force-feeding Spike five pints of blood, not even noticing when some of it got on her already stained clothes, and packing Spike’s things into the back of the Desoto. She wasn’t surprised to find that the trunk of the car did indeed hold all of the cargo she had planned on taking with room left over. Making a mental note to mention it to Spike if he started getting testy on the drive, Willow ventured once more to her bedroom.

The blankets Willow had tacked up over the windows to keep the sun from hurting the vampire kept the room in perpetual twilight, and she had to blink rapidly to bring the vampire lying on the ruined bed into focus. He hadn’t moved since she had roused him long enough to gulp down the blood she’d heated and brought to him. The demon’s face was still to the fore, and she had to put her fist in her mouth to keep from laughing at the sight.

There, lying on his back, Spike was sucking his thumb.

"Spike," Willow’s giggles made it hard for her to speak and she dissolved in a heap of laughter beside the vampire. "Spike you need to wake up."

"Why do I have to keep tellin’ you to go away?"

"Because I keep caring enough about you to wake you up. Now, let’s move!"

"Why the hurry?"

"You really *want* to be here if Buffy decides to come looking for you?" Willow stood beside the bed and pulled on Spike’s arm until he swung his legs over the side. Sliding an arm around his waist, Willow managed to stand him up and help him to the top of the stairs.

Spike groaned when he saw the steps that led to the foyer. "Why can’t you just do that thing where we just go where you want us?"

"Because I’m still tired from the last time. You *do* want to go somewhere once we get to the car, right?"

"Where we headed, anyway?" Spike winced and grunted with each step down. "Hope it’s somewhere good."

"We’re going somewhere safe."

Willow was happy that Spike was silent after that. She didn’t think she could have made it down the stairs supporting both of their weights if she had to talk. They made it to the car and Willow managed to get Spike into the passenger seat without him making too much of a big deal of it.

She draped the quilt she had brought from the living room couch over his body. "Go back to sleep now."

"You know you’ve got blood on you?"

"It’s okay. I’ve had it on me before."

"Don’t hurt my car." Spike’s eyes were already closed.

Willow pressed a kiss of his cool cheek. "I’ll take care of her."

Nearly three hours later, Willow let a sigh of relief pass her lips. They were close. Another twenty minutes, and Willow could get out of the car with its nearly impossibly dark windows. She flexed her fingers on the wheel, trying to work out the cramps that had set in just after leaving Sunnydale.

/Note to self: White knuckles on a steering wheel aren’t a good thing./

Willow pushed the quilt down far enough to see that Spike was resting peacefully before heaving a sigh and sliding from the cool confines of the car and into the bright afternoon sunlight. The building before her did little to make her feel welcome.

"You have to do this, Willow. It’s for Spike." Nodding to herself, Willow started across the street.

She wasn’t sure if the trip from the car to the door was too long or far too short. Nothing about this decision sat well with her, but it was the only thing she could think of. Spike couldn’t stay in town with Buffy on the loose and out for his blood, and she *had* to take those exams. She hadn’t gone through all that she had to finish school only to not graduate because of a few stupid tests. With a sigh of resignation, Willow pushed at the door.

"Angel Investigations... Oh, hello Miss Rosenberg." Wesley had come around the desk when she first walked through the door, but stopped when he neared the center of the main lobby. "Are you quite alright?"

"No." Willow cleared her throat. "I-I need to see Angel."

"Are you hurt? You’re covered in blood!"

"I *know* I’m covered in blood!" The redhead felt her hair shifting in an impossible wind and tried to calm herself down. She hadn’t realized until that moment that she had never done her morning ritual. "I need to see Angel, and I need to see him *now*!"

Just as she finished her statement, the elevator sounded and Angel emerged with Cordelia trailing behind. "- Madden boots that would help business considerably."

"Tell me again *how* a pair of boots is going to help out-" Angel caught sight of the small redhead standing at the top of the stairs. "Willow!"

Cordelia didn’t see the redhead, and looked at Angel oddly. "They aren’t going to help Willow. Willow’s in-" the seer followed Angel’s line of vision. "-the middle of our office. Willow, I don’t know *what* people in Sunnydale are thinking, but that isn’t a good look on anyone."

"It’s not a ‘look’ Cordy. It’s blood."

"Well, obviously."

"Is it that girl with the funny name again?" Fred stepped off the stairs with Gunn. "Is she dead again?"

"No, but that’s only because she ambushed Spike in my living room."

"What?" Cordelia fished a clean shirt from behind the desk, pushed it back in the box, and dug out a t-shirt. "I thought her and Spike were chummy. Besides, isn’t he fangless now?"

"Just because he’s an indoor pet now doesn’t mean he’s fangless." Willow huffed at the brunette as she ducked behind the desk and slipped one shirt off and the other on. "And, apparently, he can hit Buffy."

"Bet that makes for some interesting evenings. Course, I’ve heard that vamps like pain." Gunn chuckled to himself, barely managing to duck the statue that smashed against the wall behind him. "Throwin’ things with your mind, now?"

"I haven’t done my ritual today. I found one of my best friends chained and beaten to a wall *with his legs broken*! Not only that, but all the beating and breaking was done by the girl who I brought back! I mean, a snake came out of my *throat* here, and she goes around hurting one of the few people that I can call a friend. How grateful is that?! Put on top of that the fact that I’ve got exams tomorrow and Monday, have no clue what’s going on with my magic, and have turned into some sort of cosmic coloring book, and you get one annoyed witch! Did I mention that I had to drive three hours in a car with windows that have been spray painted black?"

"Spike’s here?" Cordelia squeaked and dove for the crossbow she kept within reach of the desk.

"He’s in the car, but you won’t need that. At least, not for a while."

"What’s that mean?" Fred shrugged guiltily when everyone focused their attention on her. "The stories I’ve heard are scary. Why wouldn’t she want to be armed?"

"Because that’s Spike’s blood." Angel strode across the lobby quickly, only to flinch and jump back when he hit the sunlight streaming through the front door.

Willow managed to throw a blanket over Angel’s head before he gritted his teeth and threw himself out into the courtyard. "He’s in the front."

"Am I to believe that Buffy has hurt him badly?"

Willow turned to the ex watcher and nodded before moving to hold the door open for the returning vampire. "He was taken from my house last night. I found him at the mansion on Crawford Street this morning. Buffy lied to me about being with her sister yesterday, and I only figured it out this morning when I ran into Dawn."

Angel hurried through the door just as the blanket slipped from the crown of his head and moved to climb the stairs leading to his room. "Gunn, Wesley, you two go get his things from the car."

Willow handed over the keys to Wesley with a sad smile. "It’s all in the trunk. The coolers need to come upstairs so I can wake Spike up to feed him again."

Willow moved to Angel’s apartment, following the soft sound of Angel’s voice into the dark vampire’s bedroom. The smaller blonde rested in the arms of his sire on the bed, Angel petting the platinum locks of his childe softly. Willow fought down the sobs that once again threatened, not even caring that tears spilled over her cheeks.

"I tried my hardest, Angel."

Angel’s head snapped up at her voice and he motioned her closer. "It wasn’t your fault, Willow. You’ve been a better friend to him in the last two years than I’ve been a sire in the last eighty." He chuckled darkly to himself. "Wasn’t much of one before that."

"You can’t change the past, Angel." Willow rested a hand on Angel’s arm as she sat beside the two vampires on the bed and watched as Wesley and Gunn placed two coolers on the floor beside her feet. "You can only try to make things as good as they can be from here on out."

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