Chapter 13:

Admiral Finn knew his men thought him mad to order such an extensive search of an island that seemed to be deserted, but he knew his darling Elizabeth was there. And when they stumbled upon the small shelter, complete with evidence that someone had recently dwelled within, he became even more firm in his belief.

He stood inside the shelter, surveying the tiny room. His stomach turned as he noted signs of what most likely had occurred there, and his need to find Elizabeth intensified. The thought of how terrified the poor girl must be in the hands of such a ruthless man as William the Bloody chilled him to the very core. No, not a man… His pure, innocent Elizabeth had been at the mercy of a monster. Finn could only pray that anything that may have been done to her had not driven her to insanity.

"Admiral?"

Admiral Finn looked up as his first Lieutenant, Graham Miller, walked into the shelter. "Yes?"

"They still cannot be located, sir."

"Keep looking! Elizabeth has been here, in this very spot!"

"Sir, if I may…are you certain that it was indeed Lady Summers? Then men, well, they've found the bones of a man, sir. It could have been he who was living her, not the lady."

The admiral turned a cold gaze on the lieutenant. "My fiancée is at the mercy of a cruel, heartless pirate. I do not want to hear anything but a promise that every inch this island will be searched, that no man will rest, until she is returned to me. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Admiral Finn, sir."

"Then go."

Lieutenant Miller gave a terse bow, leaving Riley alone in the shelter again. The admiral's eyes came to the make-shift bed, then narrowed. "Mark my words, William," he said aloud. "You will pay for daring to touch my Elizabeth."

*** *** ***

Elizabeth's entire body ached. She'd been running with William for hours she knew, and yet, she refused to stop. They had heard voices a few times, and she knew their pursuers weren't far behind. Any wasted second could be just what it took to tear her away from William.

However, her steps were getting slower, her body not responding as quickly as she wanted it to. She was moving now by sheer force of will alone, and she wasn't sure how much further that could take her. She clung to William's hand, giving herself a tangible reminder of why she had to push forward.

Suddenly, she was falling forward, her foot snagged on a tree root. William caught her before she could hit the ground. "Elizabeth?" He frowned, seeing the exhaustion clearly written on her face. "You're tired, my love."

"We can't stop. If we do, they'll catch us." She clutched tightly to his strong arms.

"I could carry you."

"That would only slow you down! We have to move quickly or…"

"Or I may just find ye."

Elizabeth felt cold fear grip her as she turned and met the cold eyes of Angelus. "No…" she gasped.

William moved her behind him, attempting to shield her with his own body. "I will fight to protect her, Angelus," he informed his old rival.

"I'd love fer ye to, Willie. Would mean my new friends here would get to shoot ye." Angelus grinned brightly as several British naval officers stepped forward, their bayonets trained on William.

"You're working with the Navy?" William asked in confusion.

"Told ye I was before ye went and kidnapped the lass off me ship. I was tryin' to bring the girl back to her lovin' fiancé."

"You were not!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "This man is a scoundrel! Don't believe his lies!" she implored the soldiers.

"Life on the island must've made her crazed," Angelus said with a shrug. "Best be gettin' her back to the admiral."

"No! Just let us go!" Buffy pleaded. She clung to her lover in desperation. "William, please, make them leave us alone!"

William swallowed hard. With the number of weapons pointed at him now, he didn't have a chance to fight his way out, even if he had been armed. Still, if Elizabeth hadn't been there, he may have tried, but he would never put her in that kind of danger. "I can't," he said, a helpless expression in his eyes that Elizabeth had never seen before.

And that's when she knew it was over. They couldn't escape, couldn't keep running. Her only choice was to let herself and William be led to the person who would tear them apart—and quite possibly kill the man she loved. With tears in her eyes, she made her way through the woods and back to the beach, William by her side for what she knew could be the last time.

*** *** ***

"Admiral Finn! I've got the lass and that villain William the Bloody!"

Before Elizabeth could even begin to protest Angelus's words, Admiral Finn had grabbed her, embracing her tightly. Elizabeth's eyes widened. Her fiancé had never shown her such affection. "Riley?" she managed to say, his beefy arms almost squeezing the breath out of her.

Riley pulled back slightly then. "Oh, Elizabeth! My darling! How I have feared that I should never see you again, my heart!"

Elizabeth had never before noticed how cold his terms of endearment left her. They held none of the passion of William's, nothing there to make her feel as if her heart and body were aflame. "No danger befell me," she replied. "William took care of me."

Riley's eyes widened, and his arms dropped to his sides. "Whatever do you mean? William, he's…he's the filthy pirate who kidnapped you!"

Elizabeth winced. "That was before. Things have…changed, Riley. You must understand. I've fallen…"

"No!" Riley snapped, not allowing Elizabeth to finish that sentence. His men were present—what would they think of such a thing? "No, Elizabeth. It's…it's the heat! It's made you go mad!"

Elizabeth felt the urge to roll her eyes, and a small voice in the back of her mind told her to inform Riley that he was a "totally lame freak who needed to turn down the wigging factor," whatever that could mean. Maybe she had gone mad from the heat if she was thinking such nonsensical things… However, she instead looked at Riley defiantly and said, "William is a good man, to whom I own my life!"

"He's a pirate, Elizabeth! Pirates can never be good men!"

"He's right there, lass. We're a mean, cruel lot, we pirates."

Elizabeth turned slowly towards Angelus, the look in his eyes making her shudder. "Why are you working with him, Riley? He tried to kill me when I was aboard his ship!"

"I did nothin' of the sort, Admiral! The chit's gone mad, just like ye said."

"No! Riley, please, listen to me!"

William watched the scene in front of him with a heavy heart. He knew the overgrown admiral would never accept what Elizabeth was telling him. He also knew that nothing he could say would help her. They could both plead all they wished, but Admiral Finn would never allow them to be together. William had lost the woman he loved. The inevitability of losing his life as well seemed to pale in comparison.

Riley glanced between Angelus and Elizabeth before settling his gaze on William. "Take this blackguard to the brig."

"No!" Elizabeth yelled again. She tried to run to William as the Navy men brought him back towards the ship, only to have Riley grab her, pulling her back.

"He's a pirate, Elizabeth," Riley said, his tone a harsh whisper. "A lowlife and a scoundrel. Do not embarrass me by forgetting that."

"You know nothing about him, Admiral," Elizabeth replied angrily. "I owe him my life! He has done nothing but keep me safe since that animal attacked us!" She pointed to Angelus.

"I tried t'save her!" Angelus insisted. "Got the lass off his ship. Tried t'get her back to ye before Willie jumped ship with 'er."

"No! That is not at all what happened! Angelus is lying!" Elizabeth said, her voice almost hysterical.

"Angelus is in my employ," Finn said tersely. "His task has been to help save you, which he has done."

"But he's a pirate, too!" Elizabeth exclaimed, clearly exasperated. "If you won't trust William, why will you trust him?"

"We will discuss this no more!" Finn snapped, grabbing Elizabeth's arm tightly and dragging her off. "We are going to the ship, and you will speak no more of this nonsense."

Elizabeth struggled as best she could, but she had no chance against Riley. Eventually, she slumped, resigning herself to the loss of her paradise.

*** *** ***

Elizabeth sat in her cabin, her features tired and drawn. Riley had locked her inside, making it impossible for her to get to William. She'd never been frightened of her fiancé before, but the way he'd been treating her since the island changed that.

She was terrified now, for both herself and for William. She knew Riley would have him hanged, and that thought made her feel cold inside. Where would she be without William? How could she survive without the man she loved so deeply?

Elizabeth heard someone at the door and looked up sharply just as Admiral Finn came striding in. "Riley…"

"I want to hear nothing from you, save for the answer to one question—did you willingly lay with the pirate?"

Elizabeth paled. What she had done with William had seemed right on the island, but now Riley was looking at her as if she'd been tainted by the vilest sin imaginable. "I…I love him," she said, her eyes begging Riley to understand.

Finn's expression darkened, and he slapped Elizabeth across the face. "Whore!"

Elizabeth pulled back, shocked. "Riley…"

"You will address me as Admiral Finn," he said coldly. "I will not take such a dishonorable woman as my wife. You have shamed yourself, and you have shamed the memory of your parents."

Elizabeth's eyes filled with tears at the mention of her parents. What would they have thought of her now? "I love him," she said again, her voice soft this time.

Riley sneered. "You disgust me." He stormed from the cabin, leaving Elizabeth alone.

*** *** ***

"Did ye just find out the lass is less of a lady an' more of a trollop?"

Admiral Finn turned, his eyes narrowed at Angelus. "I should throw you off this ship."

"Ye should, but if somethin' were to happen t'me, well, certain secrets might find a way of gettin' out."

"Don't speak of that on my ship," Admiral Finn replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Then ye best be rememberin' out deal, Admiral. I'd hate to see anythin' bad happen to a business partner such as yerself."

The admiral's jaw was tight. "I won't forget our deal, Angelus. I will honor my end of the bargain." He left then, Angelus watching him as he did.

"Oh, I won't be forgettin' it either, Admiral," Angelus said once he was sure Finn was out of earshot. "Only problem is, I'm not one fer honor…"

*** *** ***

"Okay, now that sounded sinister."

Xander frowned as he picked his head up from the table and glanced over to where Dawn had joined Anya in the book reading. "What are you doing, Dawnie?" he asked. "Didn't we establish that that thing isn't exactly G-rated?"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Okay, for one thing, I'm old enough to up the rating from 'G.' Secondly, Spike's in the brig, and Buffy's locked in her cabin, so I don't think there's going to be any hanky panky goin' on."

"Spike's in the brig, huh?" Xander said, perking up a bit. "Well, that's good news at least."

"Why are you so dense sometimes?" Anya blurted out, managing to surprise everyone else in the shop. "William is the hero in this." She shook the book at Xander. "And he loves Elizabeth. Therefore, she is safer with him. Duh, Xander."

Xander looked offended. "Look, I don't care what sort of wacky notions that book has, Spike is nothing but bad news."

"Actually, it looks more like Riley and Angelus are the bad news," Dawn said. "They've got some secret evil deal that Angelus plans to be all dishonorable about." She turned to Anya. "How come there are scenes without Spike and Buffy? I thought the book was supposed to chronicle their actions inside of it."

"Because the further they slip into character, the more book-like it becomes. Besides the plot needed to be moved along, and Angelus and Riley certainly wouldn't have had that conversation in front of Spike or Buffy," Anya explained.

"Good point," Dawn replied.

"I've got it!"

Dawn, Anya, and Xander all turned towards the sound of Willow's exclamation. "What did you get, Will?" Xander asked.

"The answer to how to get Spike and Buffy out! This spell will be perfect! It's meant to pull people out of dimensions created by mystical enchantments. It's exactly what we need."

"Yeah, unless it manages to only bring back their toes, or turns them inside out, or something," Anya muttered.

Willow shot Anya a dirty look. "It'll work. I just have to get the ingredients together, and Buffy and Spike will be home before you know it!" Willow grinned as she started getting what she'd need off the shelves of the Magic Box.

*** *** ***

 

Chapter 14:William rattled the bars of his cell, though he knew it would do him no good. Even if he could manage to break through the iron, he was still trapped on a ship—from the British naval fleet, no less. He saw no chance of freedom.

Though William would be willing to accept his fate if only he knew that Elizabeth was safe…

"Stop the racket, you pirate scum," the soldier guarding him snapped. "We're not letting you out until we've reached land—and the gallows."

"I need to know about the lady," William said. "I need to know she is safe."

"She's away from the likes of you," the guard sneered.

"That doesn't answer my question," William replied, his patience nearing its end. "Where did Finn take her? Is she away from Angelus?"

"I've been given permission to rip out your tongue should you give me any trouble," the guard said, a cruel glint in his eyes.

William shoulders slumped, his hands falling from the bars. He was helpless here, unable to even be told of the welfare of his beloved. He hoped that Admiral Finn would be able to keep her safe, but the sinking feeling in his gut told him otherwise. That man was fool enough to trust Angelus. Not to mention the obvious ire in his eyes back on the island when he seemed to realize what may have occurred between William and Elizabeth.

William knew his love was in trouble.

And he was helpless to save her.

*** *** ***

Angelus prided himself on being a patient man. Nothing was quite as sweet as the rewards you had to wait for. Had to work for.

And nothing was quite as pleasing as seeing a plan in its final stages, when everything fell into place.

The ship was quiet, still, aside from the gentle rocking of a calm sea. Admiral Finn had, of course, ordered some of his men to stand watch, but not nearly as many as would be around during the day.

Not to mention the members of his crew Angelus had managed to hide in the hold combined with the number of Finn's men he had in his pocket, which would more than tip the scales. He'd have this nice ship all to himself within an hour. And the admiral had practically handed it to him on a silver platter…

Angelus chuckled as the time came to set his plan in motion. There weren't many things better in this world than taking advantage of a gullible, desperate man.

*** *** ***

Elizabeth had not slept since Riley had left her. She had been able to do nothing but cry, feeling her heart break for the man she loved so desperately. The fear that she would never see him again wrapped around her like a vice, and she could not bear to face the thought of the inevitable end of her darling William, swinging by his neck in the gallows.

As night fell, the ship grew silent like the grave, the only sound Elizabeth could hear being that of her own sobs.

Then it started. A scream pierced the night, followed by a gun shot. From that, a great commotion broke out, and Elizabeth knew something was happening on deck. She feared to think of what it might be, wondering in a panic if she was going to have to suffer yet another pirate attack.

As the noise above her grew, Elizabeth clutched her head, wanting to block out the horrible sounds. She wished even more to have her William. She knew that no matter what was happening outside the room, with his strength and love she'd be safe.
When the door to her cabin flew open, she thought for an instant that maybe she'd been lucky enough to have her wish granted.

Instead, she found herself staring into the cold, dark eyes of Angelus.

He grinned at her like a predator. "Miss me, wench?"

Elizabeth scrambled backwards, only to find herself against the wall. "You…you get away from me! You're a vile creature, and I won't have you touching me!"

Angelus chuckled. "Vile creature? I love it when ye talk pretty." He advanced on her, pinning her to the wall with his meaty arms on either side of her. He leaned in, licking the column of her neck and making her shudder in disgust. "Yer quite a delicacy, ye know that? I'm gonna have quite a time takin' ye." He pulled back, grinning like the Devil. "But first, I think we should go thank our good friend William fer breakin' ye in so nicely."

Elizabeth gasped in horror. "No…please. Do what you wish to me, but don't hurt William!"

"Well, aren't you the loyal lass? Sorry it won't do you any good. I've been waitin' too long to see the end of William the Bloody. Ye're just a bit o' extra fun." Angelus grabbed her arm. "Come on now, I want to kill yer lover so I can get around to rapin' and killin' ye. Be a good girl and don't make me wait."

Elizabeth screamed as she struggled to break his grip. "No! I won't let you!"

Her attempts to escape only made Angelus laugh again. "Don't see how much say you have in it, darlin'. Seems like ye're at me mercy—which is somethin' I don't have much of." He started dragging her out of the cabin.

Elizabeth knew Angelus was right. He had easily overpowered her, and she had no way of breaking his grip. Desperate, she did the only thing she knew to do.

She called for help.

"Riley!" Elizabeth screamed, hoping that her former fiancé would hear her and that he wasn't so disgusted with her that he'd leave her in the hands of Angelus. "Riley, please! Help me!"

Angelus laughed yet again, his tone mocking. "The Admiral's not gonna come fer ye, girl. See, it seems like the boy got himself in a spot of trouble a while back. Was takin' money from pirates, lettin' them line his pockets in exchange fer their freedom to roam certain areas o' the sea. Only problem was, he ran into one that wanted somethin' other than his gold." Angelus grinned. "I wanted this very fine ship here. And it looks like I'm gonna get it." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "And killing that lover of yours will be just the perfect thing to top off a perfect day."

Elizabeth struggled as Angelus took her to the brig, though she knew she had no chance at freedom. Angelus was going to kill William and then do things to her she couldn't even begin to think of. Her stomach turned, and she had to fight to keep down its meager contents.

"Oh Willie boy!" Angelus called as they entered the brig, the guard long gone in order to assist in the fray above deck. "Look at what I brought ye."
William snarled at the sight of Angelus's hand wrapped around Elizabeth's delicate arm. "You get away from her."

"If you insist," Angelus replied, throwing Elizabeth hard against the wall, smiling in satisfaction as she slid down, moaning in pain.

William grabbed the bars of the cell. "I'll bloody kill you!"

Angelus pulled out his sword, the blade glistening in the dim lantern light. "Will ye now? Seems t'me like that'll be a little hard since I'm the one with the weapon, and ye're the one in the cage." Angelus approached the cell, poking the sword through the bars and chuckling as William jumped back. "Scared, boy?"

"I've never been scared of you, Angelus."

"Well, maybe it's time you should be."

Elizabeth groaned, lifting her head up as best she could with the pain Angelus's blow had caused. She could see him now, using his sword to taunt a caged William. She watched as Angelus was able to draw blood, laughing as the red liquid began to show through William's shirt.

"That smart a bit, lad?"

William snarled, trying to move away from Angelus's blade, only to be nicked again. The cell was too small for him to really maneuver, and he knew as well as Angelus did that he was trapped prey.

Elizabeth saw the glint of a sword only a few feet away from her. Her only thought being to save the man she loved, she crawled slowly towards it, careful not to attract Angelus's attention. When she had the sword in her hands, she rose to her feet, feeling the weight of it against her palm. Despite the fact she never remembered handling a weapon before, it felt strangely right, familiar somehow. "Hey, Angelus," she called. "Why don't you come over here and pick on someone armed, you big bully."

Angelus turned, the sight of Elizabeth upright and with a sword obviously taking him by surprise. Soon, however, he seemed to decide the whole thing was amusing. "Do ye wish to play, too, wench? I suppose ye'd still be good t'me if ye were all bloody."

"I don't think that's going to what happens here, Angelus." She attacked then, lashing out with a skill Elizabeth didn't know she possessed. Angelus faltered for a moment, but quickly regained his footing, coming after Elizabeth. She blocked with ease as something instinctual seemed to take over, a sense deep inside of her that told her when and how to move.

"I see you have trainin' in the blade," Angelus said, his breathing heavy. "That's…surprisin'."

"As surprising as this?" Elizabeth quipped as she found her opening and plunged the blade into his gut. She frowned, a strange sense of déjà vu washing over her as she watched him slide to the ground.

Angelus choked and sputtered, blood coming from his mouth. Elizabeth wrinkled her nose as she watched him, gasping for breath as he clutched the mortal wound. She gave him a good kick, taking a moment of pleasure in his pain. "Who's all weak now, huh Angelus?" she asked with a grin.

Angelus looked up at her, groaning in pain. He flailed his arm out towards his dropped weapon, only to have Elizabeth kick it away from him. "Nope," she said. "You're gonna just sit there and die now. How's that for a perfect ending to your day, wench?"

"Um, darling? A little help here? We can taunt the dying man later."

Elizabeth turned, blushing a little as she realized that she'd almost forgotten about William in the excitement of the battle with Angelus. "Right. Keys?"

"On that wall, love," William said, pointing weakly. He winced in pain at the wound Angelus had given him on his arm.

Elizabeth ran and got the keys, freeing her lover. She threw her arms around him as he emerged from the cell. "Oh, William! I thought I'd never see you again!"

William held her close, the elation at feeling Elizabeth again allowing him to ignore the pain. "We have to get out of here," Elizabeth said when they finally broke apart. "Angelus's men have taken over the ship."

"We're in the middle of the open sea," William pointed out. "Where will we go?"

"Lifeboat?"

"We wouldn't last long, kitten."

"We won't last long here, either, William. We have to take our chances. Maybe we can make it back to the island…"

William knew their chances of a successful escape were less than slim, especially since that he had wounds that needed tending to. But he also knew they wouldn't last long on the ship either. Even with Angelus dead, Riley would still pose a problem—if he'd managed to survive Angelus's mutiny, that was. The way William saw it, he would either be faced with pirates or naval soldiers who wanted him dead if he stayed here—and neither of those outcomes let him stay with Elizabeth.

"We'll try to escape," William said. "But our chances aren't good, Elizabeth."

She took hold of his hand. "We're together, William. I know we can make it as long as we have each other. Our love is that strong."

William looked into her eyes, and the hope and love he saw there almost made him believe her words. "Come on, kitten. Hopefully we can use the chaos up there as cover."

Elizabeth nodded, clutching tightly to his hand. She glanced back at Angelus once, watching him as he struggled to take his last breaths. She knew she should feel guilt for killing a man, but she had none. Instead, she felt relief knowing that such a creature was no longer in the world with her.

"By the way, luv," William said as they crept out of the brig, "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"I didn't," Elizabeth replied. "It just…came naturally to me I suppose."

William raised his scarred eyebrow, but said nothing in response. As they left the brig, he noticed that the ship had grown quiet again, and his stomach clenched with dread.

"Going somewhere, are you?"

William heard Elizabeth gasp beside him as they walked out onto the deck only to come face to face with the pistol of one Admiral Riley Finn.

*** *** ***

"Um, Willow, you might want to hurry up with that spell," Anya said with a frown. "Angelus is dead, but Riley's got himself a pistol, and I doubt he's afraid to use it."

"Angelus is dead?" Xander asked. "How did that happen?"

"Elizabeth skewered him."

"Huh. Go Buffy," Xander replied.

"Well, she did it before," Dawn said. "And this Angelus is even nastier than the other one."

"Okay, all set," Willow announced cheerily, sitting in front of a circle composed of strong-smelling herbs. In the middle were three crystals, leaning against each other to form a pyramid. "Tara?"

Tara sat across from Willow, reaching out to take the other witch's hands. They both closed their eyes, chanting in unison.

Anya, Xander, Dawn, and Giles looked on as the three crystals began to glow, first dimly and then so brightly that they had to shield their eyes.

Suddenly, the crystals burst into flames, and Tara and Willow jumped back to avoid getting burned.
"That wasn't supposed to happen!" Willow exclaimed as Xander ran for the fire extinguisher. She coughed and sputtered as he put out the fire, then looked up to catch Giles's not-so-pleased expression as he looked at the burned spot on his floor. "It wasn't! It was supposed to create a portal that would pull Buffy and Spike back into this dimension."

"Maybe they're not in another dimension," Anya said. "Maybe the book simply creates a pocket within this dimension that allows them to both be here and not here at the same time. Which would make sense, considering the results we got from the locator spell."

"I thought you said the book created an alternate dimension," Willow said.

"Yes, but I never said it created a dimension outside of this dimension," Anya said, rolling her eyes.

"So let me get this straight," Xander said, rubbing his temples. "Buffy and Spike are trapped inside a dimension that's in this dimension?"

Anya nodded happily, glad someone was finally getting it. "Exactly!"

"That makes no sense!" Xander exclaimed.

"Yes it does, sweetie," Anya replied. "See, the book has to create a new dimension in order to allow Buffy and Spike to travel through it, yet due to its temporary nature, it doesn't get its own plane of existence. It has to exist here while not existing here. Makes perfect sense."

"In crazy land!" Xander said.

Giles's glasses were in his hand as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Willow, do you think you can find a spell that would allow you to pull someone out of one of these pocket dimensions Anya's speaking of?"

"I…I could try. It's going to take some more research."

"Fine. Let's get started then." Giles put his glasses back on, sighing heavily as he looked down at the burned spot on the shop's floor. "And do clean that up. It looks atrocious."

*** *** ***

 

Chapter 15:

Elizabeth gripped William's arm tightly, her fear plain on her face. "Riley, please. Don't do this."

"Do what? Dispose of a pirate and his whore? Tell me, Elizabeth, did you have a part in what just happened? Did you help these pirates try to take over my ship?"

"No! William and I weren't working with Angelus. He was evil, Riley! William's a good man."

"Pirates are scum."

Elizabeth held her chin up high. "Is that why you take their money, let them free to roam the seas as long as they meet your price?"

Riley's eyes flared with anger. "Shut your treacherous mouth! It speaks lies."

"You speak lies, Riley. I know the truth about you. I know your secret. Angelus told me."

"Silence!" Riley cried, cocking back his gun. "Or I will silence you."

"I don't think that's going to be the way of things now," said a voice that Elizabeth recognized but couldn't quite place. Suddenly, an arm was around Riley, a knife at his throat. "Stand down!" the man yelled to the soldiers, "Or the admiral will die."

Finn trembled. "Unhand me," he snapped, though his fright was evident. The blade moved closer to his skin, a trickle of blood appearing. His eyes bulged. "Do what he says, men!"

Finn's men stood down, giving the admiral room. William blinked, the reality of what was happening hitting him. "Xander?"

"Aye, captain. Didn't think that I'd let ye die, did ye? What sorta first mate would that make me?"

"I'm here, too!" piped up a voice from beside Xander. "We snuck on the ship with Angelus's men together."

William grinned. "Glad to see you, too, Jenkins." Jenkins grinned, obviously proud of her part in rescuing their captain.

"So how about we get out of here, then?" William said, taking Elizabeth's hand. "You two do have an escape plan, don't you?"

"Aye, sir. The ship is docked not far from here. We can make it."

"You're not getting away!" Riley said. "Kill them!"

Xander dug the knife in deeper. "Just so ye know, my dyin' act will be to cut off this big head of yours."

"Don't kill them!" Riley amended.

William led Elizabeth behind Xander and Riley as they backed away from the armed men. "Well, gents, it's been fun," William said with a smirk, feeling for the first time since they were captured that things were finally going his way. "Everyone just stay right where they are, and we'll let your admiral stay in one piece." He shrugged. "Or at least alive anyway."

Once at the edge of the deck, William and Jenkins prepared a lifeboat as Xander kept his blade at Riley's neck, glaring at the soldiers, daring them to move. Soon, they were in the water, rowing away from the naval vessel.

"You won't get away with this," Riley sneered. "I will kill you all!"

"Big words for a man with a knife at his throat," William said smugly. Did he ever love having the upper hand…

"You know, we're far enough from the ship now that we don't really need him," Elizabeth said. "Why don't we just dump him overboard for the sharks?"

William shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

"Wait! No!" Riley yelled. "Don't do that! I'll do anything, just don't kill me!"

William and Elizabeth shared a glance. "What do you think, kitten?" William asked.

Elizabeth trained her steely gaze on Riley. "Will you leave us alone? Let William and I be happy?"

"Yes! Just let me live. And…and don't tell anyone what Angelus told you…about…about the bribes."

"You are seriously pathetic," Elizabeth said with disgust.

William jerked a thumb towards Finn. "And you were going to marry him?"

"Was. I wised up." Elizabeth grinned, running her hand down William's arm. "And I found something much better."

William leaned in, capturing Elizabeth's lips for the first time since they'd been taken from their island paradise. She tasted even sweeter than ever, and he remembered what she'd said to him as they'd left the brig.

We can make it as long as we have each other. Our love is that strong.

And it was. In that moment, he knew it. Their love could overcome anything. In the arms of this woman, he'd found where he belonged.

Admiral Finn made a sound of disgust, and William broke away to glare at him. "Sharks," he said, his tone dark with warning.

Finn shifted. only to hiss in pain as Xander's knife pressed into his skin again.

William felt Elizabeth's hand on his chin, and he turned, letting her pull him into another kiss.

*** *** ***

William breathed a sigh of relief as they pulled ashore, his ship in his sights. Elizabeth took hold of his hands, her excitement almost palpable. "We did it, William," she said softly. "We made it."

"That we did, my love."

"I told you we would."

"I know. And you were right." Looking at the smile on her face, William was unable to stop himself from leaning in to kiss her again.

"Um, Captain? What should I do with the Admiral?"

William reluctantly broke away from Elizabeth. "Leave him here."

"What! You can't do that! I'll die here!"

William shrugged. "Possibly. Although Elizabeth and I survived an island just fine…" He winked at Finn and wrapped his arms around Elizabeth's waist.

"You are slime," Finn spat. "You will pay for this. If not on earth, then in Hell."

"Oh, whatever," Elizabeth said, rolling her eyes. "Honey, can we go back to the ship now? I think I've already had my fill of this place."

"Whatever you wish, my darling." William grinned back at Riley. "And here's to hoping this is the last I see of you, Finn."

As William, Elizabeth, Jenkins, and Xander walked away, Finn yelled at them angrily. "You'll never get away with this!"

"You already said that!" Elizabeth tossed over her shoulder, taking hold of the hand of the man she loved as she walked away from her past.

*** *** ***

William took a deep breath from the deck of his ship, watching the island where they had left Admiral Finn grow smaller and smaller. He was home, finally back where he belonged.

So why didn't he feel that way?

He glanced at the woman beside him and knew why.

"Xander?"

The other pirate turned. "Aye, Captain?"

"How would you like your own ship?"

Xander blinked his one visible eye. "Beggin' the captain's pardon, but I wouldn't want to leave yer employ, sir. I'm quite fond of this ship."

"I'm offering you this ship, Xander. I'm looking to retire."

"William, what…" Elizabeth began, only to have William give her hand a tight squeeze, signaling for her to wait to hear what he had to say.

"Captain, I…"

"It's time for me to settle down. I've gone and fallen in love, and I'm going to do right by the lady. I want you to be the one to take over my ship—on one condition."

"What's that?" Xander asked.

"That your first act as captain is to marry me and my ladylove." He smiled down at Elizabeth, taking in the shock on her face, followed by the tears glistening in her eyes.

"You…you really mean that, William?" Elizabeth asked softly.

"I do, my love. If…if that's what you want, that is."

"Oh, William!" Elizabeth exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. "Of course it's what I want. I love you!"

William held her close to him for a moment before turning back to Xander. "So will you do it, mate?"

"Aye, I will. Just as soon as the two of ye are ready."

"Elizabeth?" William asked. "When…"

"Now. I don't want to wait another moment to be your wife, William." She frowned suddenly. "Although though I do have one question."

"What's that, darling?"

"Where's Lord Rupert?"

William looked back at his former first mate. "Xander?"

"Oh, he's…um… Jenkins?"

Jenkins sighed, walking over to a man sleeping against the side of the deck and shaking him hard. "Hey, you, wake up! Elizabeth is here!" She shook him harder. "Wake up!"

Lord Rupert's eyes popped open, and he swung the rum bottle he had clutched tightly in his hand. "Huh? What…"

"Elizabeth is here," Jenkins shouted, loudly enough to make the older man wince. "She wants to see you."

"Elizabeth? She's all right?"

"She's fine. Come on, get up," Jenkins said, helping Lord Rupert to his feet and over to his ward.

"Elizabeth! You're alive!" Lord Rupert exclaimed, falling towards her in an attempt to give her a hug. Elizabeth grunted, fighting to keep the man upright. Seeing her distress, William jumped in, helping Rupert to his feet.

"Yes, I'm alive. And you're…drunk?" She turned to Xander. "What happened to him?"

Xander shuffled his feet nervously. "Well, ye see m'lady, he was right distraught over your disappearance, and we gave him a little rum to calm him—and he took to it."

"I see," Elizabeth said.

"It's quite nice," Rupert slurred. He held the bottle out to Elizabeth. "Would you like to try some?"

"No thank you," Elizabeth said, gently pushing it away. "Actually, I'm getting married now."

"Oh? Not to the overgrown ape of an admiral, I hope." Lord Rupert turned to William, who he was still using for support, and whispered conspiratorially, "I never liked him."

"Me either," William whispered back, a small grin tugging at his lips.

"I'm marrying him," Elizabeth said, putting her hand on William's arm. "I'm marrying William."

Lord Rupert attempted to pull himself upright. "Well, young man, I am her guardian, you do know. I would have to give con…con…" Lord Rupert frowned, his brow wrinkling. "Consent! Consent to such a union."

William cleared his throat. "I love her very much, sir. And I will take good care of her."

"Do you have money?"

William smirked. "Tons. I'm really quite rich. I plan to retire with Elizabeth someplace nice and warm where she never has to worry about anything ever again."

"Well, then in that case, on with the wedding!" Lord Rupert exclaimed, raising his bottle of rum into the air before he stumbled back, breaking out into song.

"Is he always this way?" William whispered to Elizabeth.

"A really big no," Elizabeth replied. "This is…different."

"Right then. Xander? The wedding?"

"Aye." Xander frowned. "Captain, I don't know anything about weddin's."

William shrugged. "Make something up." He took Elizabeth's hand and led her to stand with him in front of Xander. The rest of the crew had gathered around, watching the proceedings with fascination. Lord Rupert grew silent again, leaning against Jenkins for support, who sighed heavily, muttering under her breath about filthy, drunken men.

Xander cleared his throat. "Do you, William, wish to be wed to Elizabeth?"

William glanced down at the woman beside him, surprised at the tears that formed in his own eyes at the question. "I do," he replied, caressing her hand with his thumb.

"And you, Elizabeth, do you wish to be wed to William?"

"I do," Elizabeth said softly, her voice choked with emotion.

"Well, then…um, Cap…er, um, William?"

William looked at Xander. "Yes?"

"Shouldn't there be a ring?"

"I don't have a ring," William replied.

"I do!" One of the pirates exclaimed. He rushed forward, placing the ring in William's hand before wiping a tear from his eye. "I just love weddings, cap'n," he said. "They're so beautiful." He stepped back.

"Thank you, Larry," William replied, looking down at the gold ring with a bright green emerald setting he held now. "Almost as beautiful as your eyes, love," he whispered to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth found herself without words, her voice choked with emotion. All she could manage to do was hold her trembling hand out for William. He slipped the ring on slowly, finding it to be a perfect fit.

"As captain of this ship, I declare ye married!" Xander exclaimed. "Kiss yer pretty wife there, William."

"Don't have to tell me twice," William replied, taking Elizabeth into his arms. He kissed her softly first, trying to pour all of his love for her into the act. But soon, the feel of her against him was too much, and the kiss grew in passion.

When he finally pulled away, William and Elizabeth were panting, both from lack of air and arousal. He scooped her up in his arms and announced to the crew, "Xander is your captain now. Obey him like you did me." He gave Elizabeth a heated gaze. "Right now, I'm going to exercise my marital rights."

The crew cheered and catcalled as William carried Elizabeth below deck, but the newlyweds barely heard it. Instead, they stayed wrapped in each other, ready to begin their life as husband and wife.

*** *** ***

"Nervous, wife?" William asked, glanced down at the woman spread out on his bunk.

"No."

William smirked. "Well, you aren't exactly a blushing virgin."

"Does…does that bother you?" Elizabeth asked, sitting up.

William mentally kicked himself for putting that worry in her eyes and sat down beside her. "No, my love. For one thing, despite how you come to me on our wedding night, I know no other man has been with you except me." He pushed her hair back from her face. "But Elizabeth, even if you had lain with a thousand other men, it would make you no less desirable in my eyes. I love you. I'll love you until my dying breath—and beyond."

"And I you, husband," Elizabeth replied, stroking his cheek.

"Let me show you how much, Elizabeth—my treasure." William lowered her back on the bunk

"I was afraid we wouldn't have this, William. I was so afraid, when you were taken away from me that…that I'd never get to feel you again."

William saw the tears spilling down her cheeks and wiped them away with his thumb. "Shh… I'll never leave you again, dove. We're bound together now. Forever. Nothing can change that."

"I know, my sweet William. Now love me, please. I need to feel you."

William said nothing in response, only moving to remove her clothes and then his own. When nothing lay between them any longer, he pressed the length of his body against hers, slipping his hand between her thighs to find her wet and ready for him. "Elizabeth?"

"Now, William. They took you away from me for so long…"

William smiled. "It was only a day, my love."

"Too long… I never want to be away from you, without you. I ache, William. Fill me again, and make the aching stop."

"As you wish," William replied, settling himself between her legs and entering her in one stroke.

Elizabeth cried out, wrapping her arms around him, feeling as if she could never have him close enough. "William…I love you. Oh, my husband, I love you so much."

"I love you, too, my wife."

Elizabeth had never felt as close to anyone as she did in that moment. He moved inside of her, their bodies entwined, but it went so beyond the physical. Their hearts were joined as well, a bond that no one could ever break. He was her husband, now and forever, his arms the one place in all the world where she belonged. Where she felt warm, safe, loved.

They rose and fell together, time and space melting away until nothing existed but them, their love. When they reached their peak, it was in unison, climbing and falling together in perfect harmony.

William rolled over, bringing Elizabeth with him. She lay nestled in his arms as they drifted to sleep, content.

*** *** ***

Elizabeth woke to find her husband still sleeping beside her. She slipped out of bed silently, pressing a kiss against his forehead before dressing and stealing out of the cabin.

As the sun rose above the horizon, the upper deck was nearly silent, most of the crew below in their cabins. She rested her hands against the edge of the ship, closing her eyes and taking in the fresh sea air. She thought about how quickly and how much her life had changed. Only a short while ago, she had thought she'd known her path, known what the future held for her. But when a man by the name of William the Bloody had come crashing into her life, she had found everything she'd thought she'd known turned upside down. No, her life wasn't how she'd ever imagined it would be.

It was better.

She knew he was there even before he wrapped his arms around her, and she sighed happily, leaning into the embrace.

"I woke to a cold bed," he rumbled in her ear. "Not what a man expects the morning after his wedding."

"I didn't wish to wake you," Elizabeth said, opening her eyes.

"I could've worn us both out again, kitten," he replied, nipping at her ear.

"Mmm…I'm sure you could."

William slid his hand down to run it over her ring. "Forever," he said softly.

Elizabeth turned in his arms so she could look into his deep blue eyes. "Forever."

William leaned in, sealing their promise with a kiss.

The world seemed to spin around them both, and she was gasping for air when she broke away. "Spike…"

"Buffy…"

And then it all came crashing down around her. They were back in the Magic Box, her friends staring at her as she stood wrapped in Spike's embrace.

It wasn't real. None of it had been real. It had all been an illusion, and now she was back in Sunnydale. She broke away from Spike with a cry.

"Buffy?" he said, his tone soft, so much like William's had been.

But he wasn't William. Not the William from the book anyway. And she wasn't Elizabeth. The loss of it all tore at her, and Buffy did the only thing she knew to do.

She ran.

*** *** ***
 

Chapter 16:

Spike stood for a moment, in shock. He'd been with Elizabeth…no…Buffy. He'd been with Buffy, and they'd been…

It was over. The sense of loss he felt was acute, tearing at him from the inside. He'd had the woman he loved in his arms, and now she was gone, running from him—running from what they'd had.

Without thinking, Spike went after her, out of the Magic Box.

And into the sunlight.

As he began to smoke, he heard a high-pitched scream, and then felt arms wrap around him and pull him until they stumbled backwards into the shop.

"Spike…you think maybe you could get the hell off of me?" a familiar, male voice grunted from beneath him.

Spike got up, dusting himself off. He looked down to see Xander on the ground, wiping his brow. Xander had just saved him? Maybe they were still in Bizzaro World. He held his hand out, helping the other man up. "Um…thanks."

"Yeah, well, I didn't feel like having to clean your dust up from in front of the store," Xander muttered, letting go of Spike's hand the second he was upright.

Suddenly, Spike felt something hit him, and looked down to see Dawn clinging to him. "You scared me, running out there," she said.

"Sorry, nibblet. Where your sis and I were, I could go out in the sunlight. I guess I just forgot that I'm not really supposed to do that." With those words, Spike felt an overwhelming sense of despair fill him. He couldn't go out in the sunlight anymore, and he'd wager that he no longer had a heartbeat. He'd never thought he'd really care about those things, but now that he couldn't give them to Buffy anymore…

And Buffy had run into the sunlight. Back into her world, a place where he couldn't go.

"I have to go," Spike said, pulling away from Dawn. "I have to…" He needed to get away. He couldn't go after Buffy, and he wasn't even sure that he should. His mind was racing, his thoughts everywhere.

"Are you okay?" Dawn asked, her big, soft eyes looking too much like Buffy's for Spike at the moment.

He looked away. "Yeah, I'm… I have to go," he said again before hurrying out of the Magic Box, this time using his usual sewer exit.

"Well, he was acting weird," Xander said. "Even for Spike."

Anya shrugged. "Well, a few minutes ago, he was hanging out on a pirate ship after just marrying Buffy. Now he's here, and she ran away. Gotta be disorienting."

"Marrying Buffy!" Xander exclaimed. "When did that happen? And why didn't you tell us?"

"I didn't tell you, because it was the end of the book, and I knew they'd be out soon," Anya said. "But it was a nice little ceremony, even if Rupert was drunk the whole time. You conducted it, Xander."

Xander's exclamation of "I what!?" managed to drown out Giles muttering, "Well, I'd have to be drunk if Spike and Buffy were getting married."

"You conducted the ceremony," Anya said, patiently, as if speaking to a child. "Or the version of you in the book anyway. See, he was Spike's first mate, and…"

"Spike's first mate? What sort of insane book is that?"

"He…or you…whatever…Anyway, that Xander was his first mate and William made him captain, so he married them." Anya frowned. "I'm not sure that ceremony was entirely legal. I mean, they were out of England, so I don't think they needed to post the banns, but…"

"Of course it wasn't legal! It was in a book! This is all insane!"

"Um, you guys? Do you think maybe we should check on Spike and Buffy?" Tara asked, everyone turning to face her as she did. "I…I mean, they have to be reeling from what just happened to them."

"Spike won't want company," Dawn said. "He'll be drinking, and possibly breaking stuff. But I'll go see if I can find Buffy."

"Okay Dawn," Giles said. "And have Buffy contact us later, would you?"

"I will," Dawn said with a nod before leaving the Magic Box.

"How did they get out anyway?" Willow asked. "I didn't do a spell…"

Anya shrugged. "The book was over."

*** *** ***

"Buffy! You're home!"

Buffy stopped in front of the stairs as he mother came rushing towards her, enveloping her in a hug. "Yeah, I'm home," Buffy said, weakly returning the gesture.

Joyce pulled away from her daughter. "Mr. Giles said you were trapped in a book? With Spike?"

"Yeah."

"I've heard of a lot of weird things since we moved to Sunnydale, but… Are you okay, Buffy?"

"I need to lie down for a bit, okay?"

"Sure, honey. Let me know if you need anything, all right?"

"I will."

Buffy walked up the stairs and to her room, sitting down on her bed. She knew she should be happy to be home, happy to be back with her family and friends. So why did she feel this way? She felt empty and lost, the pain welling up inside her almost unbearable. She hadn't felt this way since…

Since Angel moved to LA.

She picked Mr. Gordo up off her pillow, holding the stuffed pig as she curled into a ball on her bed, tears spilling from her eyes before she could stop them. Something inside her was screaming for her husband, for the man that she'd pledged herself to for all eternity, and the pain of knowing there was no real person to answer that need tore her apart.

She closed her eyes, but all she could see was William, looking at her with so much love. But none of that was real, that it all had been the product of a fantasy. She didn't have William, and she never would again.

Buffy barely registered the knock on her door right before Dawn peeked her head in. "Buffy?"

Dawn watched her sister for a moment, noting how her only movement was from the sobs wracking her body. "Do you want to talk about it?" Buffy was silent, staying curled in a ball on her bed. Dawn's thoughts were drawn back to not so long ago, when Riley had left. Buffy had been upset then, too.

But she hadn't been this upset…

Dawn sat beside Buffy, reaching out tentatively to touch her arm. "What happened, Buffy? Why did you run out of the Magic Box like that?"

Buffy's only response was to cry harder.

"Spike tried to go after you. He ran outside and…"

Buffy sat up suddenly, her eyes wild. "It was sunny out there! He…oh, god…"

"No! He's okay, Buffy. Xander pulled him back in."

Buffy's shoulders slumped forward in relief. "He shouldn't have done that."

"Xander?"

"No! Spike! He shouldn't have…he shouldn't have run after me like that."

"He seemed upset, too, Buffy."

"Well, of course he was," Buffy said, her tone suddenly bitter. "If you were a vampire, and you'd just been forced to be all lovey-dovey about a Slayer for days, wouldn't you be bitter, too."

Dawn frowned. "Buffy, I don't think that was it. He looked…sad. Sorta like you do now, only with less hysterical sobbing." She cleared her throat. "Anya said the two of you got married…in the book?"

"William and Elizabeth got married."

"But you were William and Elizabeth, right?"

"No. Not really. It wasn't…" Buffy doubled over, clutching her face in her hands. "Oh, Dawnie, none of it was real! I was so happy, and so in love, and then it was all taken away from me. I lost the man I loved."

Dawn wrapped her arms around Buffy, trying to soothe her. "But Spike is still here. I'm sure he went back to his crypt. You could…"

Buffy pulled up, shaking her head. "No. I…I can't. Spike can't love me, not here. He's…he's a vampire. He doesn't have a soul. He can't love me. The book only made him think he did, and now he'd…" Buffy's voice trailed off into another fit of tears.

"But…but he loved Drusilla. You know he did, Buffy. Couldn't it be possible for him to love you now?"

"No! It was just the book. He can't love me outside the book."

Dawn managed to meet her sister's eyes. "Do you still love him?"

Buffy said nothing, but the flash that Dawn saw in her eyes was all she needed to know. Buffy fell forward, and Dawn held on to her, trying her best to comfort her sister.

*** *** ***

Spike sat in a chair in his crypt, whiskey bottle in hand. He'd been taking one long drink straight from the bottle after another, hoping that it would dull some of the pain.

It didn't.

Over and over again, the memory of watching Buffy run from him played in his mind. He remembered the look in her eyes when she realized where and who they were, and knew what she had to be feeling.

Hate. Loathing. Disgust.

He knew she'd be angry at herself as well as him, but knowing Buffy and her holier-than-thou attitude, she'd quickly make it all about him. She'd dismiss all the whispered words of love, all the passionate touches, and go back to hating him with a blind fury.

Just like she had after that bloody engagement spell…

Spike took another drink from the bottle and sneered. Who was she to think that she was better than him? That she hadn't felt it just as strongly as he had? Self-righteous little bitch, always assuming that no soul meant no feelings. Wasn't his fault that her Great Ponce of an ex had been a bland, emotionless wanker.

The door to his crypt slid open, and Spike looked up sharply, blinking as he wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him. "Buffy?"

Buffy willed herself to keep her distance from him. She wasn't even sure why she'd come here, knowing that it couldn't possibly go the way she wanted it to go. He wasn't going to sweep her into his arms and love her the way William had. But Dawn had encouraged her, told her she had to go talk to Spike now, before too much time had passed. And honestly, she wanted to see him. After everything that had happened between Elizabeth and William, being separated now hurt, even if she knew that things weren't the same.

"We have to talk," Buffy said, pulling herself up straight.

Yeah, Spike had seen this coming. Now it would be time for the threats. If you tell anyone about this, I kill you, etc. "Save it, Slayer," he growled. "I have no desire to hear a sodding thing that comes out of your mouth."

Buffy's lip trembled at his harsh words, but she refused to start crying again. Instead, she surveyed the litter at the bottom of his chair. "You've been drinking?"

"Well, yeah. Had to get the Buffy taste out of my mouth, didn't I?"

Buffy felt like she'd been hit. She'd known that he'd be cold to her now that they were back in the real world, but this… "I hate you," Buffy said before turning and running from the crypt.

"Yeah, mutual!" Spike yelled back. Spike glared down into his whiskey bottle before throwing it against the wall.

*** *** ***

 

Chapter 17:

Dawn couldn't sleep. Despite the fact that walls and closed doors muted the sound, she was keenly aware of her sister's heartbroken sobs. She hadn't known Buffy to be this upset in a long time.

"Or ever, really," Dawn muttered to herself. "Since I didn't actually exist yet the last time."

Dawn still couldn't quite wrap her head around that concept. She was mystical energy and her memories were all fake. Even for the Hellmouth, that was weird.

And she'd done nothing but cause problems since she had been put into human form. Glory was after Buffy, and Dawn knew that was all her fault. Things would be hard enough for her sister without a hellgod to contend with, and Dawn had brought that down on her.

She wondered, too, if she'd had anything to do with her mother's illness. What if she was radiating some sort of energy that had sparked a tumor in Joyce's brain? She knew if she voiced that fear to anyone, they'd tell her it was insane, but she couldn't help feeling it. It had all started after Dawn arrived, after all. Who better to blame than herself?

Buffy's crying was getting worse. Dawn felt an overwhelming urge to comfort her, to help her. She had to bring something beneficial into their lives, be something other than a destructive force.

Dawn crept out of her room and into Buffy's, climbing into the bed next to her sister. Buffy looked up at her, her eyes red and puffy. "Hey, you," she said hoarsely.

"Hey," Dawn replied, smiling as she pushed Buffy's hair back from her face. Buffy thought in that moment Dawn looked older than her age, almost as if she could see part of her real ancient nature shining back in her eyes.

"Was I keeping you up?" Buffy asked. "I'm sorry, I…I wanted to be quiet, but…"

"It's okay. I'm glad I'm awake. You look like you could use some company." Dawn paused for a moment, then said, "And don't worry about Mom. She's asleep. She's still taking those pills the doctors gave her post-op. I think she could sleep through World War III."

Buffy chuckled lightly. "Probably. Dawnie?"

"Yeah?"

"How long was I gone?"

"About a day," Dawn replied. "Not long at all. I'd only been out of school a couple of hours when you got back."

"Oh. It seemed a lot longer for me. Weeks…maybe even months. I don't know how long we were on the island…"

"Island?"

"Yeah…Spike…er, William and I…or Elizabeth…well, we were on this island together. And at first I was afraid, because we were stranded there, and then there was this skeleton of a man we found, and I thought that we'd die, but we didn't…and…and then it was nice."

"Nice? What did you do?"

Buffy turned bright red. "Things you don't discuss with your little sister."

Dawn blushed, too. "Oh. So…so you and Spike were, um, pretty close, huh?"

"Yeah. We were. I loved him. Or she loved him. I don't know. It's all so confusing."

"Why don't you tell me about it?" Dawn suggested. "It might help."

"There's no reason to. It wasn't real."

"Neither were the first thirteen years of my life, but I'm not going to say they didn't exist. I have the memories. It's like I lived them. I can still taste the cookies grandma used to bake. I can still remember the smell in the kitchen of our old house after the…incident." Dawn smiled a little at the way Buffy's mouth quirked at that. "I can remember running around the backyard with you when we were kids, and how Dad would always yell at us about how we were going to fall and break out necks. I can remember so much from those thirteen years, and in that way, they're real."

Buffy sat up, and for a moment, Dawn thought she was going to bolt. She didn't. She pulled her knees up to her chin and took a deep breath. "I woke up on the pirate ship. Giles was there, only it wasn't Giles. It was weird, book Giles. But then Spike was there, and he was the pirate captain. And then there was Angelus, and he wanted to kill us. We ended up on this island, and then somehow…we fell in love. We kept switching back and forth between ourselves and our characters, and I want to say that it was Elizabeth loving William and that was it, but Dawn, I felt it even when Elizabeth wasn't there. And then it was just Elizabeth, but…but I still knew everything that was going on. And I know I was still affecting her. Or me. Elizabeth was in control, but…but I was Elizabeth, too."

Buffy grew silent again, and Dawn mulled over what she had just said. Granted, it was confusing, trying to sort out the whole Buffy/Elizabeth thing, but if Buffy had still felt like she was herself when she was her character, even if the character was technically in control… "I bet it was the same for Spike. With William. If William loved you, then Spike would have to, too."

Buffy looked at her sister, and Dawn saw the tears reforming. "He doesn't. I know he doesn't."

"What did Spike say when you went to talk to him tonight, Buffy?"

Buffy's gaze fell to the bedspread. "It didn't go well."

"I gathered that much. Details?"

"He was just…mean. He said he didn't want to talk to me, and that he had to drink to get my taste out of his mouth."

"And?"

Buffy ran her finger over the bed, tracing out her own pattern. "I said I hated him."

"Buffy!" Dawn screeched, sitting up. "Why did you do that?"

"Because I do! He's an evil vampire, and…"

"Oh, stop right there. I mean, sure, he's evil, but he's also…well, sorta good. You and I both know he's not like other vampires, Buffy. You think Angelus would've gone with me when I broke into the Magic Box to make sure I didn't get hurt?"

"He should've brought you back inside the house."

"And then I would've snuck out again. Spike knew that. He kept me safe that night, Buffy. That's not an evil thing to do. And what about last week, when he let me and mom stay in his crypt? He let me paint his nails."

"Spike paints his nails anyway."

"Yeah, but still… an evil vampire sitting still while a teenager does his nails? Not exactly of the norm."

"I… It doesn't matter, Dawnie. Spike and I can't have here what William and Elizabeth had in the book. It isn't possible."

"How do you know? You haven't even given it a shot."

"Spike doesn't have a soul, Dawn."

"He has a chip. Same dif."

"No, it isn't."

"I think he loves you, Buffy. I mean, have you seen the way he looks at you? It's like you're the only woman in the world." Dawn's eyes lit up, as if suddenly getting an idea. "And you know, I bet that's why he's been all big about helping you on patrol lately. It's sorta romantic."

"That he wants to kill things for me? Ugh, no. And he only helps me on patrol so he can get his violence on. Nothing romantic about that at all."

"You are so stubborn. Like when we were younger, and you insisted for months that you could teach the dog to talk."

"He was right on the verge of speaking, I swear!"

"See. Stubborn. And Buffy, you obviously want to be with him. Otherwise you wouldn't be in here sobbing your eyes out."

"What I want and what I can have are two different things. I've been down this road before. I know where it leads."

"You have? Refresh my memory and tell me when you've dated Spike before."

Buffy gave her sister a dirty look. "I've dated a vampire before, Dawn. It's the same thing."

"It is not!"

"Yes, it is! You just need to understand that, okay?"

"Do you know what it would be like to date Xander?"

"Huh?"

"Answer the question, Buffy."

"Well, no, I guess. I mean, I can speculate since I know him, but I don't know exactly what it would be like to date Xander."

"But you dated Riley."

"They're two different…" Buffy stopped, realizing where Dawn was going with this. "Oh. Clever."

"See? Saying you know what it would be like to date Spike because you've dated Angel and they're both vampires is just like saying you know what it would be like to date Xander because you dated Riley, and they're both humans. My English teacher is always going on about not making overgeneralizations, and that's just what you're doing."

"I'm not writing an essay."

"No, you're making important life decisions. I have a few hints from my guidance counselor about those…"

"And you can save them. But I get what you're saying."

"So go talk to Spike? Possibly when he's not drinking?"

"I've already talked to Spike. He's not William, and he doesn't want me. End of story."

"Argh! There it is again! Stubbornness! Do you really want to just stay here by yourself and be miserable?"

Buffy's eyes clouded over. "I don't have a choice, Dawn. Spike and I just can't be together in this world. I have to deal with and accept that."

Dawn stood up. "Fine. But you're making a mistake."

"I'm not."

Dawn sighed. "I'm going back to bed, Buffy. Try to get some sleep."

"Good night, Dawn."

"Good night." Dawn walked out of the bedroom, frustrated, but with no intention of giving up. If she couldn't talk any sense into her sister, well, then she'd just have to come up with something else.

*** *** ***

Spike was used to waking up with a headache the morning after a night of heavy drinking.

What he wasn't used to was having that headache coming from something smacking him repeatedly in the head.

He opened his eyes to see a very angry looking Dawn Summers, her hand poised to hit him again. He jumped up. "Bloody hell, woman! What are you doing?"

"I was trying to knock some sense into you," Dawn said, hands now perched on her hips. "Oh, and I wanted to hurt you for making my sister cry. Did either one work?"

"Well, you hurt me all right, you little…" Spike stopped abruptly. "Buffy was crying?"

"Yep. Sobbing her heart out all night. Said it was all your fault."

"My fault. My fault?" Spike chuckled humorously. "She's the one who ran off. And the one who said she hated me, I might add."

"She didn't mean that. You know Buffy, make her mad enough, and anything's liable to come out of her mouth. But she doesn't hate you. She loves you."

Spike stared at Dawn for a moment. "You're cracked."

"It's true. She told me last night during the sobfest. Oh, and that's what she was coming to talk to you about when she came to your crypt last night."

"She….what?" Spike sat back down.

"She wanted to know if you still felt what William felt. And judging from what I saw last night, she's thinking you don't. So…" Dawn walked over and smacked him hard on the side of the head again.

"Ow! Would you bloody cut that out! Evil lil' chit…"

"Hey, I'm trying to help you. I want my sister to be happy. She's had a hard enough time as it is, and if you can make her happy, then I want you to be with her. That, and you're way cooler than any of those lame losers she's dated before. Anyway, you've gone and messed things up big time, so it's going to take some serious work if you want to convince Buffy that you can love her, and that you can, you know, give up all the evil stuff."

"What! I'm not giving up any evil!"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Please, Spike. You haven't been the Big Bad for a while, and you know it. So give it a rest already."

"I am so! It's just this chip!"

Dawn crossed her arms in front of her and arched an eyebrow. "Oh, really? So if the chip stopped working right this very second, you'd drain me dry."

"You bet I would."

"Liar. Anyway, I know you're totally in love with Buffy, and she's totally in love with you, so we're going to have to make this work."

"You do know you're insane, don't you?"

"Spike, would you focus? I'm sure between the two of us, we can wear her down. It's just going to take some work. You know how Buffy is, and she's got that whole no soul equals bad programming we're going to have to deal with. Any suggestions?"

"You stop skipping your meds?"

"Spike! You are being no help. Come on, do you want Buffy or not?"

Spike sighed, looking down at the stone floor of his crypt. "I'm never going to get Buffy, bit."

"Ugh. You are just as stubborn as she is. So you're gonna what, sit around here moping and drinking, and feeling all sorry for yourself. That really is pathetic. You're less of the Big Bad than I thought."

Spike's head shot up. "Oi. Watch it. I told you I'm still the Big Bad."

"So prove it. You want something, you take it. Stop being a big baby, and get Buffy."

Spike looked almost hopeful. "You really think I can?"

"I know you can. With my help of course."

"So what do we do?"

Dawn plopped down in front of Spike's chair, sitting cross-legged. "We plan."

*** *** ***
 

Chapter 18:

Spike wasn't sure why he'd agreed to do this. Personally, he'd thought his plan of chaining Buffy up until she agreed to listen to him would work just fine, but Dawn insisted that would get him, at best, a punch in the nose, and he'd be damn lucky if that was all.

So instead he was standing on the Summers' front porch with flowers. Dawn had said he had to be romantic. Give Buffy flowers. She liked that apparently. He had to prove he was in love with her by being romantic… Spike took a deep breath, feeling the air hit his dead lungs. He could do this.

Buffy threw the door open then paused in shock. "Spike?"

"Um, hi, Buffy," he said, his tone reminding her scarily of a teenager on his first date. "I, um, brought you these." He thrust the roses forward.

"Thanks," Buffy said warily as she took the bouquet. The last time she'd seen Spike he'd been drunkenly yelling at her. Now he was bringing her flowers? What was he up to?

"Buffy, honey, who's at the door?" Joyce asked, coming in from the kitchen.

"It's Spike," Buffy replied. "With…roses…"

"Oh, how nice," Joyce said with a smile. "Come on in, Spike." She took the flowers from Buffy. "I'll go put these in water."

When Joyce had left again, Buffy faced Spike, her arms crossed. She wanted to run to him, to beg him to hold her the way he had when they were Elizabeth and William, but she wasn't about to open her heart just to get it broken even more. Instead, she kept her stance defensive, kept her guard up. "Why are you here?"

"To bring you the flowers. Oh, and to ask you to go out with me tonight."

"Go out with you? Like on a date?"

Spike shuffled his feet. "Yeah…If…if you want to."

"What about what you said before? In your crypt?"

"I'd been drinking," Spike said. "I wasn't thinking clearly. Didn't mean any of it." He met her eyes. "Just like I know you didn't mean what you said either."

"Spike, I don't…"

"Spike! What a pleasant surprise!"

Buffy and Spike both turned to see Dawn bounding down the stairs. "Uh, hey there, nibblet. Just came by to try to talk your sister here into going on a date with me."

"Really? That's so sweet. And romantic. Buffy, don't you think so?"

Buffy glanced between her sister and the vampire, who were now standing side by side. "I think you've both gone a little insane."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "You should go. You need to get out of the house more anyway." She grabbed Buffy's jacket from the coat rack and thrust it at her before all but pushing her out the door.

"Dawn, what are you…" Before Buffy could finish her sentence, Dawn had guided Spike out, too, and was in the process of shutting the door.

"You kids have fun!" Dawn called right before the door closed and the lock was bolted.

"I…she…I don't have my keys," Buffy said with a frown.

"They'll let you back in later," Spike said, offering Buffy his arm. "Are you coming with me, pet?"

Buffy eyed his arm skeptically for a moment before accepting it. "This better be worth the trouble, Spike," she muttered as he led her off the porch.

Back in the house, Dawn smiled brightly, barely able to contain her excitement as she saw the pair walk off together. Things were going perfectly. Just like she and Spike planned.

"Where's Buffy?" Joyce asked, walking back into the living room.

"She's out with Spike," Dawn said happily. "On a date."

"A date? With Spike?" Joyce asked, surprised. "I guess that would explain the flowers…"

"So he did bring the flowers, huh? Roses?"

"Yes… Dawn, do you have some part in all of this?"

"Just a little. Isn't it wonderful?"

"I'm not sure 'wonderful' is quite the word…"

"It is, Mom. Trust me. Spike is a totally great guy, and Buffy loves him a whole bunch. They'll be such an awesome couple!"

Joyce frowned, thinking about the reasons why she'd wanted Angel out of her daughter's life. Spike should invoke the same feelings in her. It would be her daughter getting involved with another vampire… But she couldn't seem to find the same dislike she had for Angel. Maybe it was because Buffy was older now, and Spike seemed more like someone her own age as opposed to the letch she'd felt Angel to be. But still, the general idea of her daughter dating a vampire didn't sit right with her. "I don't want to see Buffy get hurt again," Joyce said.

"She won't. Spike totally loves her, too. He'd do anything for her, I know it."

"I just…I wanted Buffy to have a normal life, with someone…"

"Um, Mom?" Dawn interrupted. "Your kids are a mystical Key and a vampire Slayer. Normal isn't happening. Come on, let's pop some popcorn and watch corny movies on Lifetime."

Joyce glanced out the window once before following her youngest daughter into the kitchen.

*** *** ***

Buffy looked down at the spread in front of her. "We're having a picnic. In a cemetery. Could you possibly be any creepier?"

Spike clenched his jaw for a moment, trying to keep himself from snapping at her. Dawn had said over and over that he had to be nice to Buffy, no matter how much of a bitch she was being. He hated this whole thing. He felt anxious, out of place, even though he should feel right at home there in Restfield. "Have a seat, Buffy." He gritted his teeth. "Please."

Buffy gave a dramatic sigh. "Fine." Spike started to walk off, and she sat up straighter. "Where are you going?"

"Just here," he said, kneeling by a tombstone and pulling a bottle of champagne and two glasses from behind it. "Drink?"

"God, yes," Buffy replied as Spike sat down and poured her a glass. She downed it almost as soon as he handed it to her, and Spike quirked an eyebrow.

"Thirsty, kitten?"

"Yeah. Another?"

Buffy drank the second glass quickly, too, coughing as the bubbles threatened to go up into her nose. She hoped the alcohol would help to calm her frazzled nerves and twisting stomach. Being this close to Spike was sending her into overdrive. Her mind and body were both a wreck, her emotions sent into turmoil. She wanted to be with him again, wanting things to be like they were in the book.

"You look really beautiful tonight, Buffy," Spike said softly. Dawn had told him to compliment her, but he didn't have to force this one. It was true. Bathed in moonlight the way she was, she looked almost ethereal.

Buffy looked up at his words. He was looking at her so intently, so much like William… "Spike, I… Demon!"

"Demon?"

"Over there!" Buffy said, pointing.

Spike jumped up, turning to see a large, snarly beast coming right for them. "Great, a ludash demon. Just what we needed," he muttered, falling into a battle stance. Buffy stood beside him, the look of the Slayer back in her eyes.

The fight itself was over quickly, the ludash no match against Slayer and vampire. However, Spike knew the aftermath would not be something so easily dealt with…

Buffy tried in vain to shake off the green goo that covered her. "You've fought these things before, Spike?"

"Um, yeah."

"So you couldn't have thought to maybe toss out a warning like, 'hey, Buffy, punch it real hard in the stomach, and it'll explode into green slime?'"

"Sorry… I forgot about that little part." Buffy glared at him, and Spike added, "But you killed it, so that's a good thing, right?"

"When it gets me dripping in demon guts, no." She turned around, walking off.

"Wait!" Spike called, going after her. "Where are you going?"

"Home. I need a really, really long shower."

Spike tried to ignore the images that immediately conjured in his mind. "Buffy, I know tonight was a bust, but…"

Buffy stopped, turning around on her heel. "Look, I don't even know what you were trying tonight, but it's not going to work. We're not in that damn book anymore. We're in the real world, and here, we're not in love. So no more flowers or moonlit picnics, okay? Just…just stay away from me."

Spike looked down at her, tilting his head slightly, and the pain Buffy saw in his eyes made her heart break. "Buffy…luv…you can't really mean that."

"I do, Spike. It's what's for the best. At least…at least until we can get rid of whatever weirdness that book stirred up."

"Buffy, I can't do that. I can't stay away from you. I love you."

A part of Buffy wanted to believe that. She wanted Spike to love her more than she could ever even admit. But she also knew that it couldn't happen. "You can't love without a soul," she spat at him.

Spike took a step back. "I loved you in the book. I didn't have a soul then either, and I loved you."

"The book made you. It was just…part of the script."

"No! Dammit, Buffy… I love you. And not because of some stupid book. I love you because you're you. I can stand here and look at you covered in slimy demon guts and still think you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. You're all I think about, all I dream about. You're on my mind all the bloody time! You're everything to me, Buffy. Everything."

"Stop it! Just stop it! You're a vampire—a soulless vampire. You can't feel that way for me. You can't. Just let me go." She turned around and started to walk away again, not wanting Spike to see the tears that were forming in her eyes.

He ran after her again, grabbing her shoulder. "Buffy, please…"

"Leave me alone."

"I can't. You have to listen to me. You have to believe."

Buffy grabbed his hand from her shoulder, throwing him off her. When he came towards her again, she struck, punching him hard enough to knock him to the ground. He looked up at her in shock, blood coming from his nose. Buffy's hand went to her mouth as she saw what she'd done. "Spike…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…"

He reached out for her. "Buffy…"

It was too much. She wanted to believe that the love he said he felt for her was more than an after effect of the book, but she couldn't. She knew that would only get her hurt again. "I'm sorry," she said again before running back home.

Spike sat in the grass, wiping the blood from his face.

Apparently the romantic approach wasn't going to work with Buffy after all…

*** *** ***

Buffy pounded on the door to her house until her mother finally opened it. "Honey, what happened?" Joyce asked as she looked at the tear-stained face of her slime-covered daughter.

"I don't want to talk about it," Buffy said. "I just want to take a shower." She pushed past her mother, running up the upstairs to the bathroom and slamming the door.

Dawn came in from the living room. "Date didn't go well?"

"She was crying and covered in slime," Joyce replied.

"Oh. Yeah, those would be bad signs." Dawn sighed. "I guess Spike and I are going to have to come up with something else."

"Dawn, I want you to stop meddling in your sister's life."

"But, Mom! I'm not meddling! I'm helping."

"I really don't think you are, sweetheart." Dawn started to open her mouth to speak again, but Joyce didn't let her. "I know you're trying, and you just want Buffy to be happy, but things are not going to work out between her and Spike. They're too different to ever have anything real."

"She loves him, Mom. I know she does. And it's breaking her heart that she thinks she can't be with him."

"Honey, you're just too young to understand. Being in love isn't that simple."

"I'm not too young!" Dawn snapped. "I'm what, a few thousand years old?"

"Dawn…"

"No! I'm going to bed."

"Dawn, sweetie…"

Dawn ignored her mother, storming up the stairs and slamming her bedroom door behind her.

*** *** ***

Buffy could hear her mother and Dawn fighting downstairs, and though the words were muffled, she knew it was about her. It reminded her too much of when her parents had fought all those years before.

She turned on the water as hot as she could stand it, discarding her ruined clothes before stepping into the shower. She sighed as she felt the slime washed from her body, closing her eyes and letting it all rush down the drain.

She knew Spike had genuinely tried that night, and she couldn't help but feel bad for him. He had done the best he could, she was sure, but, seeing as he was who he was, he hadn't been able to quite get it right. Still, she'd been touched by the gesture, even if she didn't want to admit that to him.

But that wasn't what mattered. Whatever was going on in that bleached head of his now, it was only temporary. Some sort of hangover effect from the book. He'd gotten so used to loving her as William that he thought he still did now that they were back in Sunnydale. He'd be over it soon, and then where would that leave her? Dumped yet again? She couldn't go through that, not now with so many other things weighing down on her.

Knowing that didn't make her stop longing for him. She wanted to go to him, pretend for a little bit longer. She wanted to be wrapped in his arms again, even if it was just for a moment. She wanted to feel what she'd felt as Elizabeth, that all-encompassing love that she knew she'd never have to doubt.

Buffy sunk to the bottom of the shower, her tears falling even long after the water had grown cold.

*** *** ***

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