Thanks with Tears

Author: Janet Lynn

Parts: 31 - 40

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~Part: 31~

Spike stared at his sire after he found the strong steel rings imbedded in the wall behind the large bed in Angel's room.  "Something you want to tell me, Peaches" he asked without the normal sarcasm that would have normally accompanied the remark.  Angel, however, didn't smile at the attempted joke.

"I had them installed after we moved in here" he replied softly.  "At the old place, Angelus got out once, so I put the restraints in just in case it became necessary.  I really hoped I wouldn't have to use them."

Spike turned away from the obvious pained expression on his sire's face.  He quickly picked up the heavy chains and ran them through the solid rings, pulling on them violently to make sure they would hold.  Once he was satisfied, he turned to see Angel moving to the end of the bed to expose the rings hidden in the floor as he pulled another length of chain through before dropping the manacles on the bed.

"I'll want Wes or Willow to put a charm on the chains, just to make sure I won't break them" the dark vampire said as he sat down on the end of the bed and began to take off his shoes.  Once he was comfortable, he lay back on the bed and lifted his arms above his head.  He turned his head to his childe and nodded to let him know it was time to restrain him.

Spike reached over and clamped the first manacle around Angel's right wrist. "Too bad we couldn't put these to better use, eh pet?"

Angel chuckled at the remark.  Spike always did have a bit of kink in him. "Yeah" he whispered quietly, still feeling anxious about the upcoming events.  He lay motionless while Spike continued to lock the manacles in place.  Once he was done, Angel said, "Maybe we should find some more chain to wrap around my chest and legs."

The blonde looked down at the restrained vampire.  "Are you really that worried about Angelus?"

Chocolate eyes met blue.  "Aren't you?" Angel asked.

Slowly Spike nodded.  In all honesty, he was terrified about what Angelus would do or say now that Spike had a soul.  His sire always tormented him about his remaining humanity, but what would he do now that he had his soul.

Angel smiled at his childe, trying to impart some sort of comfort to the scared man.  "Let's get this over with" he said quietly.  Soon, one way or the other, this would be done.

Willow and Wesley walked in, arms heavily laden down with supplies.  The redhead was smiling brightly, excited to get things started.  "Are we ready?" she asked when she saw the vampire properly restrained, waiting for the next step to having his soul restored.

"Yeah" he replied quietly.  "What do we need to do?"

"Well" the young witch started.  "First, Wesley and I are going to set up the circle and perform this ritual to remove your soul.  You'll have to drink a potion and then I have to chant an incantation to send your soul out into the ether.  Then we will have to clear the area and prepare another circle.  It's kinda like different intent requires different magical fields. I also might be a little weak.  I know that I was a little drained last time when I did the restoration spell, so I may be weak from the first spell. It might take me a little while before I can do the restoration spell, so I might have to go and rest.  I hope you don't mind being Angelus for a while."

Willow had smiled down at him at the last remark.  Angel tried to return it, but was unable to.  "Not a problem" he said with more confidence than he actually felt.  "Whatever we need to do to get this done."

"Great" Willow replied, apparently not noticing the vampire's dark mood. "We'll get started then."

The redhead and the watcher began to set out different supplies.  Once Willow was sure they had everything they needed, she started preparing her sacred circle.  Once all the candles were lit and herbs were shredded in the bowl and set aflame, the young girl centered herself in the circle and began to chant quietly.  Once she got to the appropriate place in the incantation, she nodded to the watcher who leaned over the dark vampire to offer the potion.

Angel sighed with a heavy, unneeded breath before opening his mouth to allow the sickly sweet liquid to pour into his mouth.  He swallowed slowly and let the magical liquid start to work.  First he felt a warmth start in his stomach before it began to seep outward until he felt almost alive with the heat.

Willow's chanting began to increase in volume and Angel felt his entire body begin to vibrate.  At first the feeling was pleasant, almost erotic, but as Willow's chanting became more frantic, it began to become painful.  Soon, a strange keening sound began to come from Angel's throat as the pain became too much to handle.  Willow was shouting as her hair bled to black. Simultaneously, Willow and Angel screamed a terrifying, high pitched wail and promptly passed out.

Spike and Wesley stood staring at the two immobile figures.  "Was that supposed to happen?" Spike asked, refusing to take his eyes off his sire.

"No" Wesley said, thoroughly in shock.  "Maybe we should."

He was cut off by the soft chuckle coming from the bed.  The chuckle soon turned harsh before transforming into maniacal laughter.

Spike felt the hairs stand up on the back of his neck as he watched the normally serene face of his sire turn into a perverted version of evil.

"Now that hurt" Angelus said once his laughing fit had passed.  "Now what, Will?  I know what always used to follow pain with us."

Spike jerked back, almost as if he was hit physically.  He thought he was prepared to see this version of his sire, but now that he was face to face with Angelus, he realized that he was not.   He decided that instead of confronting him now, he would turn his attention elsewhere.

Both Spike and Wesley turned to the still unconscious form on the floor. They both knelt down outside the circle and Spike gently called out to the young witch.  Having called her name several times with no response, Spike reached towards the redhead, breaking the circle.

As soon as sand was parted, Willow jerked up with a gasp of shock.  "What happened?" she asked, confused.

"You brought the big bad wolf out to play, Little One" the silky voice came from the bed.  "I appreciate it.  I may not kill you when I get out of here."

"Shut up" Wesley snapped as he helped the girl stand.  He and Spike helped the shaken girl across the room to sit down in a chair.  "Willow, are you alright?  What happened?"

"I'm not sure" she replied quietly.  "Maybe the spell was more difficult than I thought.  But it worked right?"

"Oh yeah baby" Angelus replied smugly.  "It worked just fine."

"Great" she whispered, her pain and weakness showing through her voice. "Wes, I think we need to get the other spell ready."

"I think you need to rest, Willow" the watcher said as he helped the girl to her feet.  "Let's go downstairs and get you something to eat."

"I could use something to eat too" Angelus said with a hint of laughter. "How about a nice toddler.  Or maybe that lovely Fred.  She's a little skinny for my tastes, but all that innocent southern charm should be delicious."

The three people took one last look at the dark vampire chained to the bed as they left the room to regroup before the next stage of the plan.

Angelus laughed at them darkly as they left the room.  "You won't get rid of me so easily, you know" he yelled after them as they door closed behind them.

***

Two hours later, Willow felt as though she had rested long enough and was ready to try the restoration spell.  Wesley again gathered the supplies and Spike went to find Lorne.  The host was asked to come along to make sure that the spell worked correctly and Angel's soul was indeed returned.

As they approached the door to Angel's suite, Spike put out his hand to stop the others.  "Let me go in first" he told them as he turned the doorknob. Stepping in the room, he could hear his sire singing cheerily.  Spike froze when he recognized the song.  It was an Irish lullaby that Angelus would sing to William when he tortured him during his first year as a vampire.  He would never forget that song, and apparently, neither would Angelus.

"Come in, me boy" the dark vampire called to his childe.  "I've been waiting for you."

Spike peeked into the bedroom and once he was satisfied that Angelus was still properly restrained, he called to the others to come in.

"Oh, you want an audience Will?" Angelus teased.  "I knew you were a narcissist but that's still a little kinky even for me.  Ah, hell, what am I saying?  Nothing is too kinky for me."

The four people ignored the taunts coming from the restrained vampire and began to set up for the second spell.  The continuous talking from the dark vampire was getting to them and Spike finally snapped.

"Don't you ever shut up?" he yelled as he turned and stalked toward his sire.

"Do you have a problem, boy?" Angelus asked, his face a mask of calm, but underneath his muscles are pulled spring tight, just waiting for an opportunity to strike.

"I'm just waiting for you to wear yourself out and maybe we can get this done and over with" he said with a snarl as he leaned over the restrained man with a smirk on his face.  "Soon you will be locked up tight inside your little prison and you'll never get out again."

"What's the matter, boy?" Angelus smirked back at the blonde.  "Don't you like having me around?  You seemed to like me just fine the other day."

The anger poured off Spike and he struck the dark vampire across the face. "You don't get to do this" he growled.  "That was Angel."

"You don't get it do you?  I am Angel."  Angelus began to chuckle as his childe turned around and stalked away from him.  He missed tormenting his favorite childe.  He was so much fun.

"Leave him alone, Spike" Willow called to the frustrated vampire.  "I need quiet to concentrate on the spell."

Willow and Wesley again went about setting up for the restoration spell. Once they were ready, Willow sat down into the circle and motioned for Wesley to hand her the Orb of Thesula.  Once it was in the proper place, Willow motioned to the former watcher that she was ready to start the spell.

Wesley began to burn the herbs, circling the young woman and chanting in time with the young redhead.  Once again, Willow's voice began to rise as the power began to surge through her.  Spike and Lorne looked on in awe as the sphere slowly began to glow, lightly at first, but soon reaching the point that it was so bright they had to look away.

Willow's voice continued to rise until she was shouting.  An inhuman shriek was heard just before the glowing ball shattered into a million pieces. Once the deafening noise died down, the three men turned to look at the redhead on the floor.

"Did it work?" Spike asked as they watched the unconscious girl.

"There's one way to find out" Lorne said as he walked over to the vampire on the bed.  "Sing something."

The dark haired man on the bed smiled and began to sign the Gaelic lullaby with a crooked smirk on his face.  Spike and Lorne both took a step away from the bed as the realization hit them full force.

Angelus was still in control, maybe this time for good.

~Part: 32~

Feeling dizzy and slightly nauseous, Willow slowly raised her head from the couch she was lying on.  She tried to remember what had happened last and gasped as the memories hit her.

"What happened?" she asked as she slowly tried to sit up.

"Willow" Wesley said, quickly coming to her side and helping her up.  "Are you quite alright?"

"Yeah Wesley" she replied.  "Just a little sick to my tummy is all.  Did it work?  How's Angel?"

Spike walked out of the kitchen with a bottle of water for the redhead.  "It didn't work, Red" he said mournfully, sitting next to the shocked girl.

"What do you mean it didn't work?" she shouted.  "We did everything right. We checked that translation five times.  Wes, what went wrong?"

"I honestly don't know Willow" the watcher replied with a sigh.  He was just as frustrated as Willow.  They had worked very hard on the translation and verified that it was correct.  The spell should have worked, but it didn't.

"So he's still Angelus" Willow said.  It was a statement, not a question, but Spike answered it for her anyway.

"Yeah, he's still Angelus" the blonde whispered as he laid his hand gently on the girl's leg.  He squeezed lightly, trying to give her some sort of comfort.

"What are we going to do?" the redhead asked, completely at a loss for what to do next.

"We call for back up" Wesley said, headed for his office.

***

Angelus lay on the bed, testing the strength of the chains restraining him. He was sure they had taken no chances, but he had to check.  As he thought, the chains were not only strong, but magically charmed.  <I guess I'll have to find another way out> he thought.

The sound of a nervous heartbeat began to move closer to the room the dark vampire was held captive in.  He smiled to himself as he relaxed against the silken sheets and waited for his visitor.

Slowly the door to the suite opened and Willow poked her head around the door.  She checked to see what Angelus was doing.  Once she was sure that the vampire was still restrained, she slid into the room as quietly as possible.

She squealed when she heard the man say "Willow, Willow, Willow.  Have I told you thank you for letting me out yet?  I don't think I have. Well, thank you, Little One.  Once I get out of these chains, I'll be sure to thank you properly.  Would you like that?"

This incarnation of her friend terrified her, but Willow wouldn't let him know that.  She lifted her chin and walked over to the bed to look down at Angelus.  "How are you doing?" she asked stonily.

"Feeling a bit.tied down right now, Willow" he said with a smile, rattling the chains at her.  "Think you could help me here, lover?"

"I am not your lover" she snapped.

"So I had my face between those lovely thighs tasting that delicious pussy and I'm, what, you're gardener?" he asked with a smirk on his face.  "So what does that make Spike, you're brother?"

"That wasn't you" Willow hissed at the laughing man.  "It was Angel."

"Yeah right" the vampire replied.  "Soul boy can't even pull one off without brooding for days.  What makes you think he could do anything that he would make that exquisite body of yours tremble in pleasure like it did when I made you scream?"

"You are unbelievable" Willow said, shaking her head.  "How did you ever get any when you were out before?"

Angelus merely scowled at the redhead.  He wanted to get under her skin, but she only brushed off his taunts.

"I came in here to find out what you did to mess up the spell" Willow demanded.

The dark vampire chuckled at her.  "I didn't do anything, Little One. You're the one who decided to play with things you don't fully understand."

Willow was so mad she felt the power surge through her body and she had to concentrate to keep herself calm.

"Someone's got some power" Angelus teased.  Inside, however, he was intrigued.  He knew that the little witch was strong, but now his interest was peaked.  He could really use someone like that.  What could they do together if he could harness her power?  He would have to look at the little redhead differently now.

"I'm not trying to play nice with you, Angelus."  Willow's patience was beginning to wear thin.  She was tired and upset that the spell didn't work. She just wanted answers to her questions.  "So you're saying that you don't have any idea why the spell didn't work."

"Nope" he said, settling back against the bed.  "Maybe the soul was tired and just didn't want to come back."

Willow just stared at the vampire as he lay laughing at her.  Finally disgusted, she turned and left.

***

Walking downstairs, Willow saw Spike and Wesley standing next to one another, quietly talking to one another.  They both looked upset as they argued over the notes in front of them.

"What did Giles say?" she asked as she stood behind them.

"Well" Wesley began.  "He was very upset that we took the chance to not only remove Angel's soul, but to put Willow in danger by having her perform the spell as well.  You have apparently misrepresented the extent of your problem to us, according to Mr. Giles."

"Giles is just concerned" Willow explained quickly.  "You saw how I handled myself.  That is not the issue here.  What about the spell?"

"Well, he is checking into that now and will be calling us back, hopefully very soon" the former watcher replied.  "He has some reference material we do not that may shed some light on the subject."

Just about that time, the phone rang and Wesley put the call on speakerphone.  "Hello?  Mr. Giles?" he asked.

"Yes.  Hello Wesley" Giles answered before quickly launching into his lecture.  "Well, I have found some very disturbing information.  It appears that the fact that you altered the spell is the reason it did not work. After Jenny.Ms. Calender was gone, a small book explaining some of the intricacies of the Kalderash tribe was found and given to me.  I have not looked at it before now."

He paused for a moment to catch his breath.  Because of the situation, he was doing his best not to break down, but now that he had mentioned Jenny's name, he was having a difficult time keeping his emotions out of his voice.

"The gypsies have a special curse put upon all of the spells in case anyone tries to alter their wishes" he continued quickly before Wesley could ask him any questions.  "When you changed the spell, you cancelled out it power."

"So what does that mean?" Wesley asked, not sure of the repercussions.

"It means that not only did you not restore Angel's soul, but you ensured that you will not be able to use the original spell either" he explained quickly.  "There is no way that I know of to restore Angel's soul."

The three people standing around the phone were in shock.  Willow had decided that if they couldn't find a solution, she would just use the original spell and they would have to find another way to make it permanent. Now they had no spell, no back up plan.

Giles waited for a response.  When he did not get one, he proceeded.  "You will have to keep Angelus restrained until we can find another solution.  I suggest you find another form of containment in the meantime, since we don't know how long this might take.  I will continue to look and I will contact you tomorrow."

"Very well" Wesley responded mechanically before hanging up the phone.  He turned to look at his companions.

"What are we going to do now?" Spike asked.  He was embarrassed at the tremble he heard there, but he didn't fight to keep it at bay.  He knew they were just as scared as he was.

"We'll figure something out" Wesley said quietly.  "But first I think we should do as Mr. Giles suggests and find a new way to restrain Angelus. Then we need to get to work to find a way to return his soul."

Spike and Willow looked at each other before nodding their agreement.  This was going to be interesting.

~Part: 33~

Spike looked across the table when he heard the quiet sound of Willow snoring.  He smiled slightly at the young redhead, before standing to walk over next to her.  Wesley had left over an hour before to check on some reference material at home, leaving the witch and the vampire alone to research while Fred and Gunn took vampire-sitting duty.  Cordelia was at home sleeping so she would be ready for her turn watching the dark vampire and Lorne was checking out some of his demon sources, hoping for an answer to their dilemma.

"Red" the blonde vampire whispered in the young girl's ear.  "Wake up, luv. Let's get you upstairs."

Willow slowly stirred and looked at Spike with a small smile.  "How long have I been asleep?"

"Not long" he replied, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet.  "But I think you've researched enough for one night.  I'm going to put you to bed."

"But we have so much to do" she whined.  She was frustrated by the lack of progress they were making.

"Yes, and you won't be able to do anything even if we find something if you are exhausted" he reasoned.  "Besides, if you are too tired, you might miss something important.  So you're going to sleep now and look for more later, yeah?"

"Ok" Willow conceded.  She was feeling very tired.  The combined affects of both spells she had performed earlier along with the disappointment of the second spell not working had exhausted the redheaded witch and sapped her of all her energy.

Spike wrapped his arm around her waist and led her up the stairs to her room.  As they passed the door to Angel's suite, they both stepped back as Fred came tearing out of the door in tears.  Gunn soon followed calling out for the retreating brunette as Angelus continued to taunt the shy Texan.

Spike stepped in the door to find out what was going on.  Angelus remained restrained on the bed, but he was covered in quickly cooling blood.

"What the hell happened?" he raged at his sire.

"I just wanted a little taste" Angelus replied, feigning innocence.  "I can't stand this bagged shit you've been feeding me so I just took a little nip.  But Fred apparently didn't appreciate the comment about her lack of feminine purity."

Spike was livid.  He had a soft spot for the shy physicist and he was not going to let the dark vampire terrorize her.  He stalked over to the side of the bed and grabbed his sire by the lapels of his now soaked shirt and growled, shifting into game face.  "Leave the humans alone, Angelus.  This is a group you don't want to mess with."

Angelus simply chuckled at his childe's outburst, before leaning up and capturing Spike's lips with his own.  Spike jerked away in surprise.  The action was something he had not expected, but was not entirely against.  He looked down at the restrained vampire and quietly said, "Don't do that again."

"It's my right, boy" Angelus growled back with a dangerous look on his face. "Don't you tell me what I can or can't do."

Willow walked into the room to break up the potentially volatile scene in the bedroom.  "I think that's enough testosterone for now boys."

"Willow, you're looking.well, you're looking bad.  Is Spikey here not treating you right?" Angelus teased.

"Well, I was going to suggest that we should clean you up" the redhead snarled, walking confidently over to the bed.  "But if you're going to be an asshole, you can just sit in that mess."

"Such language" the dark vampire gasped.  "I always knew you had a dark side, little one.  Why don't you let me show you what real darkness is."

Willow  was about to say something to Angelus when Spike stopped her. "Don't, luv" he whispered.  "This is just what he wants.  Let's just get you to bed, yeah?"

"Come on, boy" he complained.  "You're spoiling all my fun.  You used to be so much fun."

The blonde vampire restrained himself from responding to the older vampire. Without a word, he reached over and grabbed the redhead's hand and led her from the room.  As he closed the door behind them, they heard Angelus call out, "But what about my dinner?"

Spike quickly pulled Willow into her room and closed the door behind them. He led her over to the bed and let her sink down onto its soft comfort.

"Don't let Angelus get to you, pet" he said as he turned away to get her something for her to wear out of her dresser.  He stopped when he realized that she was quietly crying.  "What's the matter, luv.  Don't let the pillock get to you."

"It's not that" the redhead sobbed.  "This is all my fault.  If I had researched this better then this wouldn't have happened."

The blonde vampire quickly came over and pulled the young witch into his arms.  He softly began to stroke her hair as he let her weep into the soft material of his shirt.  "Shh, Red" he whispered, trying to give the crying girl some comfort.  "It's alright.  We'll figure something out, luv.  It's not your fault."

"No, it is all my fault" she protested as she pulled away slightly.  "If I hadn't done the spell, Angel would be fine right now."

"Stop it, Willow" the blonde commanded.  "We all had a part in this.  We all should take responsibility."

"No, Spike!  You don't understand" she complained, pushing the vampire away slightly.  "I wanted him.  That's why I wanted to do the spell so bad.  God, Spike, I did this because I wanted to have sex with him.  He'll never forgive me for this."

The revelation brought a new set of racking sobs from the young girl.  The blonde vampire took the girl back into his arms and began to rock her gently.  After a few moments, he placed a gentle finger under the witch's trembling chin and lifted her face to force her to look him in the eye.

"Willow" he whispered. "You were trying to help a friend.  You didn't do this just to have sex with him.  You wanted to help him be happy.  That makes you a great friend."

They were so close together Willow could feel Spike's cool breath against her lips.  She glanced down to look at the tempting, pouting flesh.  Spike caught the motion of her eyes and stuck out his tongue to moisten his now dry lips.

In an instant, the minute distance between them was closed and their mouths were joined together in a crushing kiss.  The kiss was harsh and desperate as they tried to dominate each other.  Tongues ran over lips and thrust into mouths, trying to obliterate any feeling, needing to feel nothing but this person, this moment.

Spike leaned into the redhead, slowly pushing her down onto the bed.  He stretched out on top of her prone form, never releasing her questing mouth.

Willow was desperate to feel anything but the pain she was feeling in her heart.  The distraction of the hard body pressing into hers made her brain shut down and her body began to move on autopilot.  Her hands began tear at the fabric separating her from the cool flesh above her, trying to touch more of the vampire.

Spike was quick to comply with the demands the girl was making of him.  He twisted and lifted as she tugged and pulled until first his shirt, then his pants were removed and tossed to the floor.  Needing to feel the warm skin against his, Spike began to slowly strip the redhead of her clothing.

"Now" Willow panted, not willing to wait for the vampire to take his time.

He was quick to comply. Soon, her shirt and pants followed his and she lay below him in the soft silk of her bra and panties.  Looking down at the beauty before him, Spike moaned softly before wrenching the girl's arms over her head and holding them tightly in a punishing grip.  He dipped his head down to take a silk covered nipple between his teeth.

Willow gasped and arched into the torturous mouth.  "Please" she whispered, pleading with the vampire for more.

Spike quickly released her hands and removed the offending piece of material before returning to suck the taut nipple into his mouth.  Warm fingers tangled in his hair to hold him firmly in place.

Willow was quickly becoming desperate, needing more than this needy groping. She reached down to firmly grasp the vampire's straining erection that was pressing into her hip. She began to quickly stroke him, hoping he would understand her desperate need.

The blonde arched into the warm touch.  He knew if he let her continue, things would be over before he wanted it to.  He reached down and stopped the stoking fingers.  Willow moaned and tried to continue her ministrations. Spike forced her to look at him and he quietly asked, "What do you want, luv?"

"You Spike please" she begged, not caring how wanton she sounded.

"Tell me what you want" he demanded.  "I need to hear it."

"Fuck me" she moaned.  "I want you to fuck me, Spike.  Please."

That was all the motivation Spike needed and he blindly ripped the remaining piece of clothing from the redhead's body.  Quickly, he positioned himself at the warm, wet entrance and paused, looking to Willow of permission to continue.  Not willing to wait, Willow reached around to grasp the vampire's buttocks and harshly pulled him forward, forcing him to breach her warm body.

Spike gasped at the heat that suddenly surrounded him.  Both lovers gasped at the sudden intrusion, but Willow was not willing to wait.  She began to rotate her hips, trying to demand more friction.

Feeling the girl's need for control, Spike quickly flipped them so that the redhead was now on top.  After a moment to catch her breath, Willow began to rock her hips in a punishing rhythm.  She moaned at the feeling the new angle gave her as she moved.  She placed her hands on the hard chest below her for purchase and stared down into the cerulean eyes watching her.

Spike was struck by the beauty of the woman above him.  She looked so perfect.  Her skin was flushed, giving her a beautiful pink hue and her eyes reflected the pure wanton need she was feeling.

"Willow, luv" he began to moan.  "So beautiful.  Need you.  Need you to cum. Please Willow.  Need you."

The sound of the normally proud vampire lying beneath her, begging for her was just too much for the young witch.  She gasped as she threw her head back, grinding herself even harder against the unyielding flesh beneath her.

Spike reached up and tightly grasped the hips thrusting above him.  He tried to help guide her movements, but Willow was lost in the feelings flowing through her.  She felt the fingers tighten around her hips and she knew that she would have small, finger shaped bruises in the morning, but she didn't care.  She needed release and she would do anything to achieve it.

Suddenly, Willow lunged forward; taking one of Spike's hardened nipples into her mouth and biting down hard.  Spike arched up harshly, forcing himself even deeper inside the girl's tightening warmth.

"Fuck!" he screamed as he felt Willow's inner muscles began to pulse and squeeze him impossibly tight as her climax flowed over him.  Unable to hold back with the feeling her juices soaking him and the pain from her bite, Spike growled loudly as his balls tightened up and he emptied his cool seed deep within her tight warmth.

Exhausted, Willow collapsed on top of the gasping body.  She lay still for several moments, simply enjoying the oblivion she felt after the powerful orgasm.

Slowly, the reality that she had been trying to escape began to creep back into her mind.  Quietly she began to weep.  Spike gently rubbed her back before rolling her over to her side.  He tucked her head beneath his chin and allowed her to curl herself around his cool form as he let her cry.

Soon, he felt tears of his own begin to fall down his cheeks as he felt the desperation of their situation.  He felt the girl slowly calm and fall into a restless sleep.  As he felt himself following her, he kissed the top of her head and hoped they wouldn't regret their actions in the morning.

~Part: 34~

Willow woke to the distinct feeling that someone was watching her.  She slowly opened one eye and looked slightly over her shoulder.  She was immediately met with concerned blue eyes staring at her.  Even though she knew she was being watched, she couldn't stop the squeak that escaped her lips at the shock.

Spike chuckled quietly at her.  He slowly trailed a single finger over her soft cheek before tucking a stray piece of the red locks behind her ear. "How do you feel, luv?" he asked quietly, intently searching her face for any sign of apprehension or guilt.

Slowly, the redheaded witch stretched and turned in the loose embrace the blonde vampire had her in.  "Strangely enough, I feel much better than I did yesterday" she answered with a smile on her face.

Spike sighed and visibly relaxed.  He was so afraid that Willow would be upset with him, even though he never forced her to do anything.

Willow snuggled down into the vampire's chest and smiled as he tightened his hold on her.  "Thank you" she whispered quietly.

"For what, pet?" he asked, very confused.

"For helping me forget my whiny little problems for just a little while" she answered.  "I was so upset, but I'm not sure if I was more upset for Angel or myself.  Pretty petty, huh?"

"Not at all, Red" Spike said, gently rubbing her back in small circles. "It's a tough situation, for everyone.  We didn't want anything bad to happen, but there was always that possibility.  I don't think it's a bad thing to want the best for your friends, even if you're the one who will benefit from it."

Willow sighed.  He had done it again.  She just couldn't understand how Spike continued to make her feel better.  "Well, I guess we had better get up and see what we can find today.  Maybe we'll be lucky and we'll find something that will really work."

"I sure hope so" the blonde whispered as he slid out of the bed and began pulling on his jeans.  He stopped to give the young witch a gentle kiss on the lips as she passed him on her way to shower.  He waited until she closed the door before he slipped out to head to his own room.  He needed a shower badly and he couldn't wait to get into some clean clothes.  He had a feeling that today was going to be another long day.

***

The entire Angel Investigations crew sat sprawled around the lobby of the Hyperion Hotel, with exception of the dark vampire who was still shackled in his bedroom.  Since the first member of the team had shown up just after dawn, they had assembled and prepared for another day of fruitless researching.

Hours and hours spent searching book after book in hopes of finding something to help their fallen leader was causing the group to become increasingly frustrated.  Everyone was quiet with the exception of Fred, who would squeal every time she thought she had found something, only to be disappointed when she continued reading which ever passage she suspected would be of help.

After taking a quick lunch break, the group went right back to researching. After another hour of following endless leads, Gunn slammed the book his had been skimming closed and rested his head in his hands.  "This is going nowhere fast, man" he grumbled.

"I quite agree" Wesley said.  "But there has to something we can do for Angel.  There must be another way to restore Angel's soul."

"Yeah" Fred whispered quietly.  "If only we knew someone who got their soul back without a curse and ask them."

Everyone froze and looked at Fred for several long moments.  Then, they all looked frantically around the lobby shouting, "Spike!"

***

After the humans had returned to researching after their lunch break, Spike decided he needed to feed.  He hated feeding in front of the humans unless he had to.  Willow had told him that it didn't bother her and Cordy had assured him that they had all watched Angel feed on several occasions, but it still made him feel self-conscious.

After he had downed the contents of his mug, he decided that Angel would probably be hungry too.  He really didn't care if Angelus went hungry or not.  In fact, as far as he was concerned, the bastard could starve, but it was Angel's body.  As strange as it seemed to the blonde vampire, he didn't want anything bad to happen to Angel.  He had been so kind to Spike through all the craziness and Spike was interested to see where their relationship might be going.

Sighing heavily, Spike prepared a mug of human blood and slipped upstairs to feed his sire.

Slipping in the door to Angel's suite, Spike paused to see if he could tell if Angelus was awake or not.  As he walked into the bedroom, he heard a soft chuckling from the man on the bed.

"Come back for another round, boy?" the silky voice floated over to the blonde who was waiting for a sign from the supine man that he would acknowledge his presence.

"I brought you something to eat" Spike said quietly.  "I thought you might be hungry."

"That was thoughtful of you, childe" Angelus replied, smiling sweetly at the younger vampire.

"Don't call me that" Spike snarled.  "You are not my sire.  Angel is."

"No, William" the darker man purred.  "You are mine.  I was the one who brought you across.  It's my blood that makes you who you are.  He may say he has claimed you, but do you really think that the soul would really accept you.  The only reason he did it was because you have your own soul now.and he wanted a piece of the redheaded witch."

Spike was on the bed in an instant.  "Don't you say that about him!" he snarled at the grinning face before him.  "He claimed me because he loves me."

Angelus laughed deep and hearty in the blonde's face.  "You honestly believe he could accept you when he doesn't even accept himself.  But I accept you, childe.  I know who and what you really are and I don't want to change you. Let me comfort ye.  I know it hurts.  Let me help take yer pain away."

As hard as he tried, Spike could not block the seductive voice.  It rolled around him like a fog, dulling all his senses so that all he knew was the man below him. The touch of Irish brogue that lilted in that familiar voice made Spike long for the days before souls and curses.  He wanted to believe that this man, his sire, truly accepted him and wanted to help him.

"Come here, childe" Angelus whispered, trying to hide the triumphant smile hiding under the surface.

Spike moved without thinking.  He found himself straddling the dark vampire's hips and laying his head on the broad chest.  He sighed when he felt the soft purring coming from below his cheek.  He felt tears begin to prick behind his eyelids.  He didn't want to cry in front of his sire, but the feeling of being with the man he missed so much was overwhelming.

"Shh, don't cry childe" the dark vampire whispered.  Now was the time to set his plan into motion.  "I wish I could hold ye, boy.  Remember all those nights when I would hold ya' for hours?  Everything was so much better then, before the soul took me away from ya'.  But I can't."  Angelus shook the chains connecting him to the wall.

Spike lifted his head to look into the dark brown eyes.  He searched for any sign of deception.  He saw a coldness there, but he attributed that to being Angelus.  Behind the cold, he saw concern and caring.  "But if I let you go, you'll kill everyone" Spike whispered.

"No, Will" Angelus smiled reassuringly at the smaller man.  "I just don't want to be a prisoner anymore.  I promise you, I won't kill the humans."  He paused for a moment before continuing.  "Ok, I might kill the bald guy.  He really rubs me the wrong way.  He thinks he's better than me.  But no one else.  Let me hold you.  Let me love you."

The temptation to give in to the seductive man was very strong.  William had never been able to resist Angelus, before or after he was turned.  A part of him was screaming to ignore the words of the dark vampire, but he wanted to believe him so badly, he caved to the temptation.

The blonde leaned over and reached into the dresser drawer next to the bed. Once his fingers found the small piece of metal he was looking for, he pulled the key from the drawer and looked questioningly at his sire.

Angelus bucked his hips up against the body above him, rubbing his erection against Spike's and pulling a moan from the younger man.  Spike settled himself back fully onto the larger body and smiled.  He leaned forward and tentatively brushed his lips against the tempting lips of his sire.

Angelus moaned into the kiss.  Not quite what he was expecting, but he wasn't going to let such a delicious opportunity pass him by.  The dark vampire leaned up as far as his restraints would let him to deepen the kiss. He whined in disappointment when Spike broke away.

Spike smiled at his sire.  He leaned up and placed the key in the manacle covering Angelus' right wrist.  As he turned the key and the metal fell away, the dark vampire reached up and grabbed Spike roughly around the throat.

"That's my boy" he snarled viciously in the startled man's face.  Spike was shocked.  He had trusted his sire and now he knew it was all just an act. He tried to pull away to keep the traitor from reaching the key, but Angelus only tightened his grip.  "Give it to me boy, now!"

Spike continued to struggle in vain, until he heard Angelus cry out.  He was surprised to see that he was frozen, as if he were paralyzed.  He turned his head to see Willow and Wesley standing in the doorway.  Willow's eyes were solid black and Wesley was trembling slightly.

"Reattach the restraint" Willow commanded, her voice an octave lower than normal.  Gunn moved around behind her and locked the manacle into place. Once they were sure that Angelus was secure, Willow and Wesley released the binding spell they put on him.  The dark vampire slumped onto the bed, exhausted from struggling against the magic.

Spike slumped onto the bed.  "I can't believe I trusted him" he whispered.

"Don't worry about it" Willow reassured him as she walked over to him. "He's locked up again and no one got hurt."  She reached down and placed her finger under his chin to force him to look at her.  "Besides, we may have a solution to our problem."

Spike smiled lightly at the redhead.  He hoped she was right.  He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.

~Part: 35~

Willow found Spike standing in front of the microwave in the kitchen, heating up a mug of blood.  She silently walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.  She pressed her warm cheek against his back and sighed.

The blonde appreciated the comfort from the small girl.  She really was something.  "Did anyone feed Angelus" he asked quietly.  "I never got the chance."

"Wesley is doing that now" she answered, not moving from the embrace.  "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really" he whispered.  The microwave dinged, letting Spike know his dinner was done.  He reached in and grabbed the mug and drained it quickly. As soon as he was done, Willow grabbed the mug and walked over to the sink and rinsed it out before setting it in the dishwasher.

The redhead walked back over to the blonde and took his face in her hands. "It's ok, Spike.  Nothing happened and we are all alright."

"I just feel so stupid" he whispered sadly.  "Should have known better."

"Yeah" Willow teased, leaning against the vampire again.  "But I don't know that I would have been able to resist Angelus' charms.  Well, except for the fact that he scares the crap out of me, so that makes the whole seduction a little tough."

"He could do it though" Spike whispered with a small smile on his face.

"Probably" she said, answering his smile.  "Do you feel better now?"

"Yeah" he sighed heavily.  "Did you say that you all had something figured out?"

"Actually we did have an idea.  We were going to meet in the library."

"Let's go" Spike said with more enthusiasm than he really felt.

As they entered the room, Spike noticed that everyone was there waiting for the them.  He smiled in apology at Wesley as he passed him before sitting in an empty chair.

"So, you all figured something out to get us out of this mess" he asked to no one in particular.

"Actually we had some questions to ask you first" Wesley asked, automatically taking charge.

"Ok" he agreed shakily, looking to Willow for support.  She smiled and nodded her head in support.  "What do you want to know."

"As far as we know, your soul is permanent, is that correct?"

"Yeah, no curse means no clause" Spike replied.

Everyone waited a moment for the blonde to catch on.  When it took him a moment too long, Cordelia shouted out, "Don't you get it, Blondie?  You got a soul, Angel needs a soul?"

"You want me to give Angel my soul?" Spike shouted, extremely upset by the thought of giving up a piece of himself he fought so hard to get.

"No man" Gunn interjected.  "We need to get Angel to get himself a soul like you did."

"Oh" the blonde said slowly realizing the situation.  "But you do know there is no way Angelus is going to go and get himself a soul.  He hates everything that humanity stands for."

"We understand that" Wesley replied.  "You see, when Darla came back, she was returned as a human.  Because she was dying before she was turned, the disease that was killing her returned to her human body.  Angel fought to save her life.  Maybe you could go through the trials and request to have Angel's soul returned for him."

It made sense to the blonde vampire.  The demon in Africa had told him he could have any wish granted if he passed all the tests.  All he would have to do would be to wish for Angel's soul instead of his own.  Then his sire's soul would be as permanent as his own.

"Ok" he said.  "I'll do it."  We looked toward Wesley.  "Do you and Red want to try and do a teleportation spell so I don't have to spend all that damn time trying to get to Africa again?"

"Actually, buttercup" Lorne interrupted.  "Africa is an unnecessary trip. There's a guy just outside of town that runs a little wish granting establishment.  That's where Angel went when he was trying to help Darla."

"Bloody hell" Spike yelled.  "You mean to tell me that I went all the way to bleedin' Africa when I could have just driven a few hours. Do you have any idea how hard it was to get there?"  Spike stood and began to pace around the room during his rant.  "Rode my bike all the way to god forsaken Florida and then had to hop on a boat for two weeks.  Two weeks!  Do you know how bloody awful that thing smelled?  And I rode on a camel for Christ's sake."

Fred tried to suppress a giggle at the thought of the blonde vampire on top of a camel.

Spike turned and glared at her before returning her smile.  As he sat back down, he grumbled, "Stupid demon network.  Nobody mentioned it to the 'Big Bad'."

"He's very exclusive" Lorne explained.  "You have to know somebody on the inside to get in and I'm about as inside as you can get."  When he looked around at the snickering faces he added with a smirk, "Don't ask, don't tell."

"Well, how do we get a hold of this bloke so I can get this over with."

"That anxious to do the whole suffer and trial thing again, Blondie?" Gunn asked with a smirk.

"Nah" Spike smirked right back.  "Just ready to get rid of the bastard upstairs.  Got a problem with that?"

"Nope."

The group sat down around each other, happy to start making some plans to help restore Angel's soul.  They couldn't wait to have the man they all knew back where he belonged.

~Part: 36~

Spike had been ready to head out right then, but everyone talked him out of it.

"You haven't fully recovered yet" Fred reasoned.

"You need to feed before you go" Gunn interjected.

"And you really should rest" Wesley piped in.

"All right, all right" Spike moaned.  "I get the hint.  I'll rest up, but I want to go tomorrow."

"Ok" Willow conceded.  "Let's get you something to eat, and then you can go upstairs and get some sleep before tomorrow night."

Spike followed the redhead into the kitchen and sat silently as she prepared him a large mug of blood.  She pulled three bags of blood from the fridge and sat them on the counter to prepare after he finished what he was eating.

Slowly the rest of the Angel Investigations crew filtered into the small kitchen area.  Everyone was curious and nervous about what was going to happen.  Wesley was back in full watcher mode and began to fire off questions at the feeding vamp.

"So, Spike" he asked.  "What were your trials like in Africa?"

Spike contemplated the question for a while.  Sometimes the trials he suffered seemed as though they happened a lifetime ago and other times it felt as though it had just been yesterday.  How could he adequately describe the pain and sheer exhaustion he felt after every challenge that was designed to make any vampire buckle under the pressure?

The blonde vampire sighed as he thought how best to answer.  "First there was a demon with fire hands.  Not easy to fight a bugger like that when you're highly combustible.  Then there were bugs that got under my skin, literally.  A kinda spider like demon that tried to eat me.  A challenge where I was lost in the cave and I had to translate this horribly decayed wall that had a puzzle on it in Faryl."

"You speak Faryl?" Wesley interrupted in surprise.

"Read, speak, yeah" Spike replied before continuing.  "I was kind of a bookworm before I was turned so I spent a lot of time learning anything I could after.  It's hard sometimes to be stuck inside during the day.  It came in handy."

"I'm sure" the former watcher commented.

"Anyway, finally he decided I had passed and he touched me.  Hurt like a son of a bitch.  I thought he was going to get rid of the chip, bastard. Instead, he gave me the soul."

"So you didn't know you were going to get the soul?" Cordy asked.  "That had to suck."

Spike snorted.  "I asked to be made whole so I could give Buffy what she deserves.  Blighter didn't do what I asked."

"Actually he did vanilla bean" Lorne piped in.  "The guy who runs the place here can scan minds and he not only devises the most appropriate trails, but he can tell your hearts desire.  That's probably what the demon in Africa did.  He saw what you really wanted and gave it to you."

"Bloody hell" Spike muttered to no one in particular.  "I'm an idiot."

Scattered around the room, snickers began to erupt.  Soon the snickers turned into chuckles, until finally everyone was overcome by laughter. After several long minutes of soul cleansing laughter the group pulled themselves together.  They had all been through such an emotional rollercoaster lately that the mirth that rolled over them seemed to tie the group together.

Looking around at the smiling faces, Spike asked, "So does anyone know what kind of things Peaches had to go through when he was trying to save me grandsire?"

The group looked warily at each other.  Wesley was the first to speak. "Angel didn't talk very much about it when he came back."  He sighed heavily before continuing.  "That time was a very difficult time for all of us. Angel had a hard time dealing with what happened to Darla."

"So he went to this guy to try and save her life, yeah?" the blonde vampire asked.

"Yes" Wesley sighed.  "It wasn't until after he was successful that the proprietor told him it couldn't be done."

"Why the hell not?" Spike shouted.

"Well, mood swing boy" Lorne interjected.  "Seems that Darla got her life back one too many times and it was beyond their means to restore it again."

"Oh" Spike whispered.  "Well I guess I'd better check and make sure they can work the mojo on Angel before I start then, aye."

"Sounds like a smart idea" Wesley replied.  "If it is of any help, what I got from Angel about his trials was mostly physical trials.  He had to defeat a demon who could reattach its body, so he had to.separate the pieces."

This drew an 'ewww' from both Fred and Cordelia.  Gunn just snickered at the girl's childish reactions.

"Then he was faced with a room full of crosses and the only way out was to retrieve a key from a bowl of holy water."

"Easy enough" Spike said.

"Then he was faced with a wall of stakes."

"What?" Spike shouted.  "But he's still alive.or undead.  You know what I mean."

"Yes, well, he had to choose Darla's life or his own."  Wesley shifted uncomfortably under the vampire gaze.

"Stupid poof chose himself over the bitch, didn't he?" Spike asked, although he already knew the answer.

"Of course" Wesley replied.

"Now don't go thinking this is a blueprint, sugar cookie" Lorne said, leaning in toward the blonde.  "Every trial is customized to the seeker.  He will work very hard to make sure that your trials are extremely difficult for you.  You may have been able to withstand some of the things that Angel could not.  He had a real hard time with the crosses and holy water because he was denying himself as a vampire.  So anything that reminded him that he is one made it that much harder on him.  You will probably have a whole new set of problems."

"Great, just what I need" Spike mumbled.  "More chances to learn more about myself."

"I think that's enough for tonight" Willow added quickly.  "You need to rest if you are going to be leaving at sunset.  I think we all will."

Everyone agreed and they headed off for bed.  As the redhead and the blonde began to walk slowly up the stairs toward their rooms, their hands brushed against other and their fingers intertwined without a second thought. Pausing in front of Willow's door, Spike turned to face the young girl.

"Thank you" he whispered.

"For what?" she asked.

"For coming up with a way for me to help make this right."  He didn't know why this was so important to him, but he had to get Angel back.  He had always thought he hated the souled version of his sire, but now he couldn't wait to get him back.

"You're helping me, Spike" she said pouting.  "I'm the one who screwed up and got rid of Angel's soul with that stupid spell."  She felt tears welling up as she remembered how she had destroyed her friend.

"Stop that" Spike chided.  "We'll get him back and he'll be good as new with a shiny new permanent soul, ok?"

"Ok" Willow answered with a small smile.  "Do you want to come in?"  She tried raising one eyebrow in a seductive way, but couldn't quite pull it off.

Spike smiled back at the adorable redhead.  "I don't think so, Red.  I really do need to get some rest and I have a feeling that if I'm around you, that won't happen.  Is that ok?"

"Of course.  Good night Spike" she called as she walked into her room.

Spike watched the door close and he stood motionless; listening to make sure the girl was indeed getting ready for bed.  Once he was sure she wasn't going to come back out, he turned and faced the door to Angel's room.  He sighed heavily before pushing open the door.

The blonde vampire crept quietly into the room keeping his senses trained on the figure on the bed.  He knew the instant that Angelus had sensed him. The dark vampire went from tense and alert, to calm and almost indifferent.

Knowing he was caught, Spike walked the rest of the way into the bedroom and stood silently by the end of the bed.

"Spike" the dark vampire called out silkily.

"Angelus" the blonde answered in the same tone.

"Come back for more, boy?" Angelus asked with a huge smirk across his beautiful face.

"No" Spike replied, mirroring his sire's smirk with his own.  "I came back to show you just what you're messing with."

The blonde slowly lifted himself up onto the bed and began to crawl over the restrained vampire.  Settling himself to straddle the other man's crotch, Spike lowered himself so that their now matching erections were touching. Angelus let out a unnecessary breath as the hardness of his childe brushed against him.

"I'm not a childe anymore, Angelus" Spike started to speak, keeping his voice in that silky, seductive tone.  "I'm not your boy or your little one." As he was talking, he began to thrust gently against the matching hardness. "I am a master vampire, just like you trained me to be."  He sped up the thrusts, pulling a moan from the dark vampire.  "I survived on my own when you left and I did it in style."

He leaned over so that they were touching from cock to chest.  He placed his lips by the dark vampire's ear and licked it slowly.  Angelus moaned wantonly now, trying to thrust harder against the tempting blonde above him.

"And now I'm going to go and get you a soul of your own and shove it down your throat!"

Angelus looked at him with all the hate he could muster.  "You wouldn't dare" he growled.

Spike just smirked at him.  He leaned over so that their lips were almost touching.  Slowly, Spike's pink tongue slipped out and licked his own bottom lip.  Angelus groaned again and fought to arch up into his boy's body.  He was so close he just needed just a little bit more friction.

Recognizing the look in his sire's eyes, Spike vaulted off the bed and headed for the door.  "See you later, Angel" he called out, emphasizing the name.

"Spike you little shit!" Angelus yelled infuriated.  "You get back here and suck me off, boy!  Get back here!"  As Spike walked out the door into the hallway, he heard Angelus call out, "At least unchain one of my hands!"

Spike laughed out loud as he walked to his own room.  <Now that was fun> he thought.  After a shower and a nice wank, Spike slipped into a peaceful sleep thinking about his frustrated sire and the look on his face.  It may have been a small victory, but it was one that Spike desperately needed.

~Part: 37~

Spike woke slowly, realizing that it was just a few minutes before sunset. He couldn't believe that he had slept so long.  As he tried to open his eyes, he felt another presence in his room.  Slowly focusing, he recognized the young redhead sitting in the chair by his bed.

"Evenin', Red" he whispered, stunned by the hoarseness of his own voice.  He noticed the guilty look on the witch's face and asked, "A spell?"

Willow blushed as she ducked her head slightly.  "Yeah" she whispered.  "I figured you needed a good night's rest, so I did a little spell that should've let you get a deep healing sleep without any dreams."  She paused and looked at him through her eyelashes.  "You're not mad are you?"

The blonde tried to scowl at the pouting redhead, but ended up grinning at her like an idiot instead.  "Not mad luv.  Just a little surprised.  I thought you were trying to lay off the mojo?"

Willow thought for a moment.  "That's what I thought I needed to do" she started.  "But after talking to Angel, I think maybe its part of what I am and I need to learn control."

"Makes sense" Spike said nodding his head slowly.  He was still feeling a little groggy from the affect of the spell.  He pulled down the covers next to him and gave a little nod to the redhead, indicating that he wanted her to fill the empty spot.

Willow's grin split her face as she jumped up from the uncomfortable chair she had sat in most of the night and slipped in next to the blonde vampire. Spike lifted his arm for her to slide in next to him and she rested her cheek on his sleep warmed muscular chest.  As she got comfortable, she sighed.

"Did you sleep in the chair all night?" Spike asked her quietly as he began to card his fingers through her red locks.

"Yeah" she whispered tiredly.  "Didn't do much sleeping though.  I wanted to make sure you didn't have any nightmares.  Plus I didn't want the spell to go wrong, you know."

Spike smiled before placing a gentle kiss on top of her head.  "I know, luv."

They lay like that for several minutes, just enjoying each other's comforting presence.  Spike thought for a moment that Willow had fallen asleep.  But suddenly she started giggling.

"What's so funny, pet?" he asked.

"What did you do to Angelus?" she questioned back with laughter in her voice.

The blonde smiled, thinking about his last encounter with his soulless sire. "Nothing much" he drawled.  "Just showed him who he was dealing with.  Why?"

"I went in to feed him and he was pissed" she giggled.  "He kept saying I needed to get you back in here so you could take care of what you started. I could see what he was upset about.  He was quite.aroused."

Spike smiled, thinking about the state he left the dark vampire in.  He couldn't help but tease the normally shy girl.  "You mean you didn't help him out with his little problem?"

Willow looked up at him in shock.  "I wouldn't" she protested.  "He's gross!"

Spike looked down at her with a single quirked eyebrow.  "You didn't think he was so gross just a few days ago.  As I recall, there was quite a bit of 'Yes, Angel! Now please!' coming out of these pretty pink lips of yours."

The redhead sat up and looked at him indignantly.  "That was Angel!" she protested.

"And the difference is.?" the blonde questioned.

"They are so different" she answered.  She saw Spike about to respond and she covered his lips with her fingertips to silence him.  "I know they coexist" she continued.  "But Angel is the one I'm attracted to.  Angelus may have the whole sexy pants and confident attitude going on, but he's an asshole.  It's not the body I'm drawn to, it's the person inside."  She was quiet for a few moments before continuing.

"I think that explains you."  She noticed the blonde was staring at her, waiting for an explanation.  "I always thought you were good looking.  I mean, damn, look at you.  But you scared me and sometimes you were mean." She noticed the guilty look on his face before she continued.  "Then I noticed how much you could love.  The way you took care of Dawn and helped all of us after Buffy was gone and then came back.  You became a friend."

"So when did all that change, luv?" he asked quietly.

"Sometime between Africa and here" she whispered, leaning back down to rest her head on his chest.  "And it wasn't just the fact that you got the soul. You helped me see that I'm not the only one in pain, in need of love. You've helped me more than anyone else in Sunnydale because you still believe in me, even after everything I did after Tara died.  You remind me of her sometimes."

Spike snorted at the thought.  "I remind you of your shy little bird?"

Willow giggled at his confusion over her remark.  "Just in the fact that you both are different when you're alone with me than when you are with the group.  Tara always came across as scared and shy, but when it was just the two of us, she was brave and outspoken.  She never missed a thing that happened.  You're the same way.  All you show is the Big, Bad image that everyone expects, but no one has ever been as caring and gentle with me as you have been."

Spike didn't move for a long time after that.  He thought about what she said.  Finally he asked, "So you care for me?"  He buried his face in the girl's hair, almost afraid to see her expression when she answered.

"Of course I care for you, Spike" she said as she began to gently stroke the chest beneath her fingers.  "I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

At her words, the blonde reached down to lift her chin so he could look her in the eyes.  "You mean that Willow?" he asked with a shaky voice.

"Of course" she answered, the honesty shining in her eyes.  "See" she smiled as she leaned in for a gentle kiss.  "You are like Tara.  It took her a while to believe me too."

As Spike stared into the emerald green eyes, he decided that being compared to the redhead's former lover wasn't such a bad thing.  He smiled at the thought and leaned in for another kiss.

Willow sighed as the cool soft lips brushed against hers.  The lay next to each other just gently enjoying the feeling of the other.  Willow felt the need to increase the kiss.  She wanted more of the man with her, but he pushed her away gently.

"No, luv" he whispered, slightly panting.  "I want you, but it would seem too much like goodbye, ya' know?"

Willow sighed.  He was right.  She smiled at him and said, "Ok.  You ready to go and kick some ass?"

"I am, Red" he said jumping out of bed.

Willow shrieked and covered her face in the sheet she had been clutching to her chest.  "Pants!  Pants!" she yelled at the laughing vampire.

"You're no fun" he sulked playfully as he pulled on a clean pair of jeans. "You can come out now, luv."

Once Willow pulled the sheet down, he teased, "You know, I've been inside you.  There really is no need to be so shy."

The redhead simply hit him with the pillow before standing up and scolding him.  "Hurry up and finish getting dressed.  I'm sure everyone is wondering where we are."

The blonde quickly pulled on a tight black long sleeve T-shirt and socks and his black boots.  He pushed up the sleeves and turned to face the young witch with his arms out, asking for approval.

Willow was practically drooling, but she responded, "I guess it will do. Come on."

As they passed the door to Angel's suite, the blonde vampire stopped.

"Do you want to go in before you leave?" Willow asked.

"No" Spike said with a little too much venom in his voice.  "I want to leave it like it was.  He'll have had time to think of what would be perfect to torture me with for the last little stunt I pulled.  This way, I go out on top."

"You're not going out at all Spike" the redhead snapped at him.  "You'll win, just like you did last time."  She took his hand in her own and began to drag him away from the door.  With her back turned, she missed seeing the man reach out and gently caress the door before following her down stairs.

As the two people headed down the stairs to the lobby, they found the remaining members of the Angel Investigations crew waiting for them.  Willow smiled at the anxious faces watching them.

"You think you're up to this, Blondie?" Cordelia asked the vampire now standing in front of her.

"As much as I'll ever be" he replied with a smile.  "What's the plan here?"

"I'm going to take you to the arena, Sugar Bee" Lorne said with a smile.

"I want to go too" Willow said as she squeezed the hand even tighter.

"Not the best idea, luv" Spike said as he squeezed back.

"Yeah" Lorne jumped in.  "Tall, dark and soulless is still here and I would feel better knowing there was a powerful witch here to make sure he doesn't try to go anywhere."

Willow smirked at the green skinned demon.  She knew that he was trying to flatter her so that she would stay at the hotel.

Before she could protest, Wesley jumped in.  "I agree.  Lorne and Fred are going to go with Spike to make sure he makes it back in one piece.  No one can go in except the one facing the challenges, so it is pointless to have us all go.  This way we have a strong force here in case something happens with Angelus."

The redhead sighed.  She knew she was being overruled but she didn't have to like it.  "Fine" she snapped.  "I'll stay, but I'm going to give Fred my cell phone and I going to call every hour."

"Ok" the brunette smiled as she took the small device being thrust at her.

"We better get going children" Lorne said as he made a sweeping gesture toward the front door.  As they all stepped outside, Spike gasped as he saw the large, black convertible sitting in the street just waiting for them.

"We're taking Angel's car?" he exclaimed.  "Can I drive?"

"No!" the group shouted before bursting into laughter.

"Just thought I'd ask" Spike grumbled.

As they began to load into the car, Willow reached over and grabbed Spike's hand.  He turned slowly to look at her.  He didn't say anything; he just pulled her close and gently kissed her, trying to give her strength through the kiss.

Once they pulled away from each other, Wesley walked over and patted the blonde on the shoulder and said, "We'll see you soon."

"Kick his ass" Gunn said as he walked over and punched the vampire on the shoulder.

"And no wishing for anything stupid, Spike" Cordelia said with a smile.  "No matter how hard you try, that hair is not going to come back into style."

Spike was in shock.  These humans, Angel's humans, were treating him like he was their friend.  He smiled to himself before he ducked into the passenger seat next to Fred.  He leaned his head out and said, "Keep an eye on him. He'll have something planned.  He's not stupid."

They all just nodded and Lorne started the car and began to pull away. Spike watched the hotel as they pulled away and he sighed.  The three companions in the car sat in silence as they headed to the arena.  As they approached, Lorne looked at the vampire sitting tensely against the car's door.

"Here we are Vanilla Bean" he said just a little too cheerfully.  "Are you ready for this?"

Spike jumped out of the car as Lorne was still putting it in park.  Looking around at the unassuming place, he took a deep breath to calm his jumpy nerves.  He looked at the human and demon that were staring at him.

He began to walk to the entrance and said, "I was made for this".

~Part: 38~

After Spike left with Lorne and Fred, Willow turned to the remaining members of the AI team and sighed.  "Let's get inside" she said to her friends.  "We need to feed Angelus."

Everyone grumbled a bit before following the redhead back inside the towering hotel.  Everyone was worried about Spike, but no one was willing to say anything out loud.  As they filed into the lobby, the crew waited for someone to take charge of the situation.

Wesley, of course, ended up with the dubious duty.  "Well, since there is nothing else we can do at the moment, I would suggest that we try to get some sleep" he suggested.  "Why don't you all go to bed and I'll go up and feed Angelus."

"Are we going to do the rotating vamp sitting duty thing?" Gunn asked.

"I don't believe that will be necessary" Wes answered.  "I'm not sleepy right now and I have some research that still needs to be addressed.  I'll keep an eye on Angelus while I research and one of you can take over in the morning."

Everyone agreed with Wesley's plan and Gunn and Willow began to climb up the stairs toward their rooms.

"Would you mind if I went to my apartment tonight?" Cordelia asked, not wanting to look like a neglectful friend.  "I haven't seen Phantom Dennis in ages.  He's going to think I'm ignoring him and start hiding my shoes again."

"Go home, Cordelia" the former watcher replied with smile.  "If anything happens, we'll be sure to call.  Otherwise, we will see you in the morning."

The former cheerleader smiled as she picked up her things and walked toward the front doors.  She turned to look at the Englishman before she left and said, "Be careful, Wes.  Angelus has a way of getting to people.  Just remember, he lies with the truth.  He'll use everything Angel knows about you against you."

"I know" he said with a sigh of exasperation.  He knew that she was just concerned, but he felt like she was treating him like a child.  "I have faced Angelus before as you should well remember, Cordelia.  I believe I am well prepared to handle whatever he will throw at me."

Cordelia smiled again at her friend.  His words were pleasant, but his tone stung her as though she had been slapped.  "I'll see you in the morning" she replied quietly as she turned to leave him alone in the lobby.

Wesley let out a frustrated sigh and ran his hands through his hair.  He didn't mean to be so snappy with her, but he was on edge with everything that had been happening over the last few days.  He knew that everyone was feeling the tension, but he needed to do this.  He needed to confront Angelus again.

He turned and walked into the kitchen.  He pulled out two units of blood and warmed them up in the microwave.  Once the blood was heated he poured it into a large mug and walked upstairs to the room that held the restrained vampire.

Standing outside the closed door, Wesley took a deep breath before reaching for the knob.  Slowly twisting the metal in his hands, Wesley slipped in the room to confront the vampire who had frequented his nightmares since their first meeting.

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

Spike turned to look at the two people watching him trying to gather his courage to do face the challenge yet again.  He stared Lorne in the eye and asked, "How will you know if I did it?"

"You'll come out of the arena the victor" he replied as a bright smile graced his face.

"And if I don't" Spike asked quietly.

"I'll know" Lorne whispered.

Spike turned to Fred and smiled slightly.  He had grown to like the shy physicist.  "Keep him out of trouble" he said indicating to the green demon. "He might sing you to death."

Fred smiled at the blonde vampire.  She walked over to him and placed a small kiss on his cheek.  "Don't forget to make sure there's no clause on the soul, all right?"  Spike nodded slightly.  He was in shock at the sweet gesture.  "And make sure they actually can restore it before you do anything.  I'd hate for you to be all butt kicky and then not have it work because of some stupid clause.  And watch out."

"Texas" Spike interrupted the girl with his chosen nickname for her.  "I'll be fine."

The blushing girl simply nodded.  Spike took off his beloved duster and handed it to the small brunette.  "Keep that safe for me, yeah?"

Fred could only nod.  Tears filled her eyes and threatened to spill over.

"Wish me luck" he said as he turned to face the challenges ahead to bring back the man he loved.

"Luck" Lorne said quietly as he watched the blonde disappear into the unassuming building, hoping that he was strong enough to fight for a soul one more time.

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

Spike looked around as he entered the arena and sighed.  It was nothing like what he was expecting.  He thought the arena would look something like the cave he had fought in when he was in Africa.  Dark and dank and extremely intimidating.  But this was so nondescript, Spike was sure he was in the wrong place.  It appeared more like a hotel lobby than the place where he was about to possibly get his ass seriously kicked.

"Hello?" he called out, starting to get nervous about having to wait so long.  <Maybe I'm in the wrong place> he thought.

"Oh, you're in the right place, William."

Spike let out an unmanly squeak when the man behind him spoke.  He spun around and shouted, "Bloody hell, don't do that!"

The man looked at the vampire and chuckled.  Spike took a moment to assess the man watching him with amusement.  Like the place he was standing in, he looked completely unremarkable.  He reminded Spike of a hotel concierge.

"I'm sorry, sir" the man said with a smile.  "I didn't mean to startle you. I assume you are prepared for the challenge."

"Yeah, mate" Spike said, trying to adopt the 'Big Bad' attitude he missed so much.  "But before we get this thing started, I have a few questions."

The man look startled, but nodded his head as he waited for the vampire to speak.

"I'm here for."

"Angel, yes I know" the man interrupted.  "You wish to restore his soul.  A very noble venture that.  Almost as noble as his quest to save the human version of his sire.  It is odd to me that this line of vampires is so willing to help those of their blood.  It is most odd."

Spike watched the man with a smirk.  "So if you know all that, then I'm guessing you know what I'm going to ask."

"Yes" the man replied.  "First of all, you can simply refer to me as the host.  I am merely a liaison between you and the beings who are able to fulfill your wish.  Secondly, yes they can restore your sire's soul without a clause.  It was an oversight that his request was unable to be honored."

Spike nodded at the host and asked quietly, "Is that how you pick the tests?"

"Yes" a replied again.  "We are able to tell what you're thinking, fearing, desiring.  It is how you're trials are determined.  We don't just give rewards away, you know.  They must be as challenging as possible for each seeker."

Spike sighed.  <Figures> he thought ruefully.  "Let's get this over with."

"Before we get started there are a few.legalities that need to be addressed" the host said with a smile.  "This is the contract" he said, showing the clipboard he was holding to the antsy vampire.  "The completion of the trials will net you the soul of one, Liam, also known as Angelus, the current head of the line of Aurelius.  The soul in question will be bound without clause.  If this is satisfactory, I will need you to seal this contract."

Spike sighed and brought forth his game face.  He sliced his right thumb and pressed the bloody digit to the contract before him.  "What if I fail?" he asked and thought maybe he should have asked the question first.

"You will dust and we will have possession of your soul" the host stated simply.

"Yeah, figured that" Spike replied quietly as he put the demon away.  He removed his shirt and began to stretch.  He knew that it was time.

"Well" the host said, sweeping away the sealed contract.  "Since you are so eager to begin, I guess the trials have started."

Spike watched as the man sank back into the shadows and he saw a light go on in the next room.  As he walked through the threshold, the lobby melted away and Spike was in a cave illuminated only by two torches burning brightly on the walls.

"Great" Spike whispered, immediately recognizing where he stood.  It was an exact duplicate of the cave in Africa.  He heard a noise behind him and spun around to see the muscle bound man staring at him.  Spike grimaced and shouted, "Can't fight humans, asshole!  Chip in me head.  You should know that!"

Once the words were out of his mouth, the man slammed his fists together and they began burn.

"Bloody hell!" Spike shouted.  "Not you again!"

~Part: 39~

Wesley stopped before he entered the vampire's suite.  He was carrying two large volumes he wanted to study and a large mug of warmed human blood.  He collected his courage and opened the door quickly.

As Wesley made his way into the room he looked to see if the vampire was awake, or simply pretending.  Unable to determine that, he placed the mug down on the bedside table and turned to place the books on the leather, high backed chair by the window.

"Wesley" the silky voice called out to the watcher.  Wesley tried to hold back a shudder and failed.

Angelus chuckled lightly at the man's reaction.  <This is going to be good> he thought wickedly.

The former watcher turned around quickly.  He stared at the restrained vampire and willed himself to be strong.  "Angelus" he said coolly.  "I brought you some blood.  It's human so I expect you will take it."

"You want me to take it from you, Wes?  Is that it?"  Angelus loved to use human's words against them.

"Nice try, Angelus" Wesley said as he walked around the bed to retrieve the mug of blood for his tormentor.  "Do you want this or not?  The only reason I'm doing this is because of Angel."

Angelus smirked at the nervous man.  He simply nodded slightly and waited for him to approach the bed.  Wesley slowly sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned forward to put the mug up to the vampire's mouth.  Angelus brought forth his demonic visage and slowly drank down the warm blood.  It tasted horrible, but at least it was better than the animal blood they tried to give him earlier.

Wesley watched the soft lips part and pull in the warm blood.  To his disgust, he felt himself begin to harden.

Angelus noticed the change in the demon hunter's scent.  <Interesting> he thought.  He couldn't wait to see how far he could push this little game.

When it became obvious that the vampire was done, Wesley pulled the mug away and tried not to moan as he watched the tip of Angelus' tongue sneak out to seductively lick his bloodstained lips.  He quickly turned away and placed the mug back on the table.

Trying to ignore the rush of blood to his groin, Wesley stood and walked to the chair, picking up the large books before sitting down.  He dropped the larger of the two to the floor and began to browse through the tome on his lap.

Angelus watched with interest as the former watcher continued to ignore him.

"Wesley" the dark vampire sing-songed, trying to get his attention.  When he was unable to divert the Englishman's attention, he used his 'Master's voice' and yelled, "Wesley!"

Wesley's eyes shot up.  <That's what it is> Angelus smirked to himself. <Wesley was turned on by a Master.>

"What?" Wesley finally snapped back at the vampire, trying to sound irritated.

"I'm still hungry" he pouted.  Trying not to lose the hold he had on the former watcher, he let his fangs drop to show him his need.

"Well, I'm working right now" Wesley stated simply.  "I'll get you some more later.  Now be quiet."

The vampire was impressed by the restraint the human was showing.  His talent at seduction was a little rusty since soul boy refused to be with anyone but the witch and his childe and they really didn't need much convincing.

"But I'm hungry now" the vampire said softly.  "And the bagged stuff just isn't the same as blood fresh from the vein.  There something about sinking my fangs through warm flesh, feeling the hot blood as it pours over my tongue.  Do you know where that blood goes first, Wes?  I swear it all goes straight to my cock.  I just get so hard when I feed."

Wesley knew what the vampire was doing and he was trying not to fall for it, but he was so hard to resist.  Ever since the first confrontation with Angelus, Wesley had been plagued with illicit fantasies of the evil vampire. He didn't have any feelings for Angel.  The man was his friend and employer and he would never dream of trying anything with him, but Angelus intrigued him.

"Shut up" the former watcher snapped.  "I'll feed you again once I have finished here.  Now let me get back to my work."

Wesley was relieved when Angelus once again fell silent.  Maybe he could actually get some work done tonight, and maybe by the time he had to feed the vampire again, his erection would have listened to his head and gone away.

He doubted it.

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

Spike was exhausted.  <This bastard went down easier last time> he thought ruefully as he dodged another blow aimed at his head.

The demon with the flamey hands continued to fight and was showing no signs of tiring.

"What the bloody hell do I have to do?" Spike yelled to his invisible host.

"You have to get to the next room" the disembodied voice answered.

"That's all?" Spike groused.  Every time he made his way toward the entrance, the demon got in his way.  Spike was starting to get very frustrated.  As he faced off with his opponent again, he happened to glance around at the walls of the cave they were fighting in.

Smiling, Spike noticed something he had failed to see before.  On the wall hung a rather large sword.  <I wonder?> he thought.  The blonde quickly made his way over to the wall and pulled the weapon off the wall.

"Come on, Bitch" he shouted triumphantly, feeling a jolt of new energy shoot through him.  "Let's dance."

The vampire launched into a vicious attack, hacking at the demon with a vengeance.  Soon, both the hands of his opponent were gone and Spike could see that he was tiring.  All he had to do was get past the bastard and get into the next room, but every move he made was matched by the demon.

"Just can't give up can you?" he asked his silent companion.  Deciding that whether he liked it or not, Spike was going to have to kill this man to complete his mission, he stepped up his attack.

A few harsh parries and a good swing and soon the head of the demon was bouncing across the floor of the cave.  Spike smiled as the host became manifest in front of him in the entrance to the next room and his next challenge.

"Excellent" the man said with a huge smile on his face.  "Do you wish to rest or are you ready to continue?"

"Let's do this" Spike growled.  He was growing impatient.  He walked toward the doorway but stopped short as the host would not allow him to pass.

"You must leave that behind" he said, indicating the sword still clutched in the vampire's hand.  "Every challenge has their own opportunity.  That one has past."

Reluctantly, Spike lay down the sword and sighed.  <Oh well> he thought. His next challenge would have something else he could use to win.

Once the weapon was placed on the ground, the host moved to the side and allowed the blonde to pass through the entrance before disappearing again.

Spike looked around and gasped.  It seemed this entire challenge was going to be flashes from his past.

He instantly recognized this place.  He had been there a lifetime ago.  Back when he was still William the Bloody.  Back before he had a soul or two slayers under his belt.  He was in China during the Boxer Rebellion and this young girl was the slayer he killed.  And now he had to do it again.

~Part: 40~

Angelus watched as the former watcher tried to stay awake as he continued to read the text on his lap.  He decided it was time for him to put his plan into action.

"Wesley" he called, trying not to startle the Englishman awake.

Wesley slowly opened his eyes and peered at the reclined vampire.  "What?" he asked grumpily, his voice still sleep heavy.

"I'm hungry" he said, keeping his voice deep and seductive.  "You need to come over here and feed me.  Come to me Wesley."

Wesley dropped the book to the floor as he stood slowly.  Without his knowledge, his feet began to propel him toward the bed.  As he approached the vampire, Wesley's brain desperately tried to stop his traitorous body, but the former watcher was caught in the vampire's thrall.

Angelus smiled as he watched the young man make his way toward the bed. <Too easy> he thought.  He was glad he waited until the former watcher began to doze before calling to him.  Humans were so much more susceptible when they were sleepy.

Wesley reached the edge of the bed and stood, waiting for further instructions.  Angelus smiled looking at his prize.  "Unbutton your shirt, Wesley" he purred.  A huge smile spread across his face as the man obeyed immediately.

The dark vampire looked at the exposed flesh appreciatively.  He noticed some silvery scars crossing under the light dusting of curly chest hair.

"Faith did quite a number on you, watcher" Angelus whispered.  "I could have shown her a thing or two.  You would have liked that, wouldn't you?"

"Yes" the dazed man whispered.

"Good" the dark vampire smiled.  "Come feed me, Wes."

The young man moved slowly forward until his legs brushed the edge of the bed.  He moved up to kneel on the bed and braced his hands on the vampire's shoulders.  Angelus licked his lips in anticipation as he watched the former watcher began to lean in toward the vampire's hungry mouth.

Angel sighed as the warm skin pressed against his soft lips.  His human mask slipped away and his fangs descended, quickly piercing the warm flesh.  Both men moaned as the warm blood transferred from one to the other.

Angelus growled as his warm prize was suddenly wrenched away from him.  At first he thought that Wesley had somehow escaped his thrall, but then he saw Gunn standing next to the bed, cradling the panting man in his arms.

"Willow, Cordy!  Hurry!" the young man yelled as he pulled the dazed watcher away from the bed.

The dark vampire licked his lips, trying to taste every last drop as the two young women ran into the room.

"What's going on?" Cordelia asked as she surveyed the scene before her.

"Just having a little snack" Angelus said with a huge, shit-eating grin on his face.  "Right, Wesley?"

"Yes Angelus" The Englishman whispered, eyes still glued on the vampire.

Willow walked up the former watcher and slapped him harshly across the cheek.

Wesley's head flew back from the force of the blow and struck Gunn's shoulder heavily.  Slowly, he shook his head to clear the fog that had been clouding his mind.  "What." he started quietly.  "What happened?"

"Looks like Drac here used his vamp mojo on you, Wes" Gunn said as he moved the confused man over to the chair he had previously vacated.

"Dracula's a pussy" Angelus said, testily.

"Silence" Willow said as she waved her hand toward the restrained vampire. Angelus instantly felt the magic paralyze his vocal chords.  The redhead turned towards her friends.  "Ok, from now on, no one comes into this room by themselves.  Safety in numbers people."

Cordelia and Gunn both nodded and they all turned to Wesley.  He nodded as well, placing a hand over his still bleeding wound.

"We should take care of this" he whispered harshly as he pulled away his hand to see the blood stained fingers.

The former cheerleader walked over and helped her friend lift the dazed man up from the chair and headed out of the room.  Willow turned and began to follow them until she heard an angry rattling of chains.  She turned back toward the vampire, watching as his mouth formed words, but now sounds came out.

"Speak" she called, releasing the spell.

"Bitch!" the upset vampire yelled at the retreating back of the witch.

Willow turned around slowly, her pupils bleeding to black and obscuring all green.  She flashed a smirk that Angelus was sure she had stolen from Spike and blew him a kiss before slamming the door behind her.

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

Spike fought the slayer with all his remembered skills.  It was so long ago that he faced this girl, but it all came back to him as though it had only happened yesterday.  Suddenly he remembered how the girl had died, drained, impaled on his own fangs.

As the fight rounded toward that moment, Spike began to panic.  When he had killed this girl, he reveled in the strength and power of her blood, but now the thought of draining her only made him nauseous.

He watched her come at him with an intricately carved stake and he easily disarmed her.  The beautiful piece of wood clattered to the ground and Spike grabbed her and clutched her tightly to his chest.  As he pulled her shoulder down, he felt his previously hidden fangs descend so fast it was almost painful.

He looked down at the tempting piece of flesh stretched out before him, but before his sank his fangs in, he gripped her tightly around the neck and waited until her breath ran out.

Feeling the lifeless body in his arms, Spike released the young girl and watched as she sank to the floor.  He took a deep breath to steady his nerves and wiped his face with the back of his hand.  He started to turn away to head toward the door that would lead to his next challenge when he saw the dead girl twitch.  He watched in horror as the Chinese girl morphed into a young black woman with a large afro and beautiful leather duster.

"Holy fuck" he whispered.  This was one of his worst nightmares.

The slayer stalked towards the blonde vampire as he tried to back away.  He wasn't prepared to do this again, but the girl's quick attack left him with no choice.  She lashed out at him with a style that rivaled his own.  While the Chinese slayer was pure skill, Nikki was street-wise and powerful.  She didn't mind playing dirty and neither did Spike.

The fight was fast and brutal.  Spike felt his nose break on a particularly good punch before he recovered and broke one of the girl's ribs.  Normally, the satisfying crunch would have brought a smile to his face, but now he grimaced and hoped it slowed her down.

Kicks and blows where traded with increasing speed and voracity.  Spike tried to remember what had happened when he had defeated her before.  He watched her carefully as she threw and dodged punches.  He noticed that her left side seemed to be her weak side.

Spinning in a move he had seen Buffy use once, Spike kicked at the left side of her head and watched as the slayer slumped harshly on the ground.  The blonde quickly straddled the girl's chest and gripped her head firmly.  He looked into her eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry" before snapping her neck.

He stood and slumped his shoulders.  He hated having to kill these girls, but now he was done.  He began to head to the door once more when he froze, staring as the girl began to morph once more.  As she changed, Spike gasped. Her skin lightened, but only slightly.  Her hair lengthened and became braided on her scalp.  She shrank a few inches so she was only slightly shorter than the vampire himself.  He remembered this girl.  She was the one that had helped Buffy the night she broke his back.

The girl looked at Spike and practically growled, "Vampyre".  Her accent seemed to be Jamaican or some form of island accent.

She quickly launched herself at the blonde.  Spike felt like crying.  He was so tired.  He didn't want to fight this girl, but as she attacked him, it was apparent that she had no problem trying to kill him.

Unlike the last battle, the attack was planned and careful.  This slayer was obviously trained to fight by a master.  She fought well, but with no passion.  Spike tried to analyze the style to find her weakness.

Eventually, Spike noticed that she was afraid not to play by the rules. Spike had lived by the credo that every rule needed to be broken or at least bent, so he used every trick he knew against her.

The slayer began to tire under the brutal attack by the vampire.  Spike kicked out at the side of the slayer's knee, hearing a wet crunch and watched as her leg completely collapsed to the ground.  Kendra quickly rolled over and lashed out with her good leg.  The blonde caught it easily and flung her easily into the wall.  She slumped in a heap, but continued to try to rise.  Spike kicked out viciously, connecting the tip of his steel toes boot with the slayer's nose.  The cartilage shattered and the splinters pierced her brain, killing her instantly.

Spike sighed and prayed this trial was finally done.

His knees went weak as he watched the girl transform into her another.  As she stood, she shook out her hair as it went from black to blonde and the braids fell away.  Her skin lightened to a pale pink and the brown eye melted to green.

Spike felt his knees grow weak as tears fell from his eyes.  "Not Buffy" he whispered as the slayer he had once loved launched into an attack.

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