"Tell me again, Spike" Drusilla sighed as they lie together in his bed, his arms around her, "Tell me the pretty story of how it’ll be"

Spike smiled at her childishly innocent tone, and kissed the top of her head. This was the first night in a long time when Dru had managed to get away for a decent amount of time. Angel had taken Darla out, something he hardly ever did, but it was a fair assumption that they wouldn’t be back til the early hours of the morning, giving Drusilla and Spike a good amount of time together. On nights like this they would go to his apartment and after they’d made the most beautiful love she would often ask for the story of their future that he painted so brightly.

"We’re going to leave here, Dru" he told her, "I’m going to get the money and we’re going to go anywhere you want to start over. I’ll treat you like the princess you are, luv" he promised her "And we’ll go where we want and do what we want..."

"We’ll have parties" she grinned, "With streamers and songs"

"That we will, my love" he said as he kissed her tenderly, "You and me Dru, the world will be ours"

"Princess wants to go now" she said, suddenly looking sad, "Daddy asks to play too much" she looked away and Spike hated knowing she was stuck in this awful situation. That Angel bloke was a prize git but Dru was too afraid to tell her mother how he tried it on, and even more petrified of mentioning Spike to her.

"Soon, pet" her boyfriend promised her, "Won’t be long now and we’ll escape"

"Fly away on fairy wings?" she asked with tears in her eyes that it almost killed Spike to see.

"Yes, luv" he nodded, pulling her body close to his, "On fairy wings"

- - - - - - -

On the third floor of an apartment building, two people sat either side of a table, both with stone cold coffee mugs held in their hands and tear stains on their faces. The sun had risen an hour ago, but neither one had noticed the change from dark to light. Despite the bright rays of day that came in through the window, a dark cloud still hung over them alone.

Buffy felt almost numb after the events of the night before. Too many tears spilt and too many emotions felt, she thought she’d run out of feelings and salt-water to cry after so many hours. Her world had been turned on it’s head in the past few weeks, but last night had been the final straw. William Blood, who’s police file told of violence and murder, had so far turned out to be nothing more than a man who loved a woman. Her life had ended too abruptly, but at whose hands was as yet not completely clear.

Buffy was filled with this terrible mixture of feelings. She wanted and needed to know what happened next in the terrible tale from his past that Spike told. At the same time she hated the pain and tears all this was causing him and herself. Like a news report on some huge highway traffic accident, you don’t want to watch but something you can’t understand fixes your eyes to the bloodied bodies of the injured and the twisted metal that proved how much destruction had been caused.

"It wasn’t easy making money" Spike was suddenly talking again, his voice cracking with more feeling than he should have left and hoarse from crying so much, "That part of town, unqualified as I was, it was all I could do to pay my rent, clothe myself and eat each day. I waited tables, worked as a bar tender, and helped out at a garage, spending any spare time I could with Dru...nearly killed myself trying to save her, and it wasn’t enough" he shook his head, looking down at his fingers, tracing patterns in the wood of the table top.

"What happened next?" Buffy knew she had to ask, and immediately Spike’s hands stilled their movement, before nails dug into the wood hard enough to leave marks, "Spike?" Buffy said worriedly, noticing the angry expression on his face now.

Though he knew he had to tell her, Spike had trouble finding words as fury almost strong as it had been then surged through his veins. A memory he wished he could lock away settled in the front of his mind and two empty coffee mugs sailed from the table, crashing onto the floor.

Buffy was on her feet in seconds, trying to hide how startled she was but failing miserably. When Spike looked up at her, his anger was subsiding. He realised how his behaviour affected her and felt sorry for it. Desperate to be calm for her sake if not his own, he took a couple of deep breaths with his eyes closed before he spoke again.

"It got worse" he said, swallowing hard, "after Darla died..."

- - - - - - -

"Dru, sweetheart, please don’t" Spike begged as she sobbed into his shoulder. He’d suffered many a physical and emotional blow in his time but nothing hurt so much as the sight of his darling girl’s tears.

"She was mean and nasty to Princess" Drusilla cried, her words somewhat muffled by the leather of Spike’s coat, "but she was Mummy, and there’ll never be another"

"I know, pet" he said softly, holding her tight to him and rubbing a hand on her back. Despite Darla’s terrible behaviour towards her daughter, the young woman was mourning as if her greatest friend had just passed away. Spike felt awful for her naturally, and though he hated it, he knew that he understood why she cried. His parents were not the best in the world but when he received the news of their deaths he still mourned, still felt some kind of loss, even though it was several years since he’d last seen them.

"Daddy cries" Drusilla’s voice brought him back to the present and Spike tensed at the mention of O’Connor, even if it was not yet by name, "He cries and tells me I am all he has now Mummy chose to be with the stars"

"You are not his to have, luv" Spike told her, pulling away til he could see her face and wiping tears from her cheeks with his thumbs, "You’re my precious, dearest, darling, princess, Drusilla" he emphasised each word with a kiss across her face until his lips landed on hers.

"Make it stop, Spike" she whispered between kisses, "For a little while, make it stop"

"Whatever you want, baby, it’s done" he promised her, as he began to make love to her. It was all he could do for her right now, though there was so much more he wished he could do.

Now Darla was gone he had no doubt Angel’s advances would only become worse and more frequent towards Dru. He’d offered her to come and live with him but Spike knew she wouldn’t leave unless they were getting out of town. It was a complete break or none at all, she knew she’d never be free just down the street in another apartment. Angel would find them and Drusilla had got it into her head that he would kill Spike for sure.

Though he swore he had no problems fighting off his enemies, Drusilla still refused to hear of her ‘brave knight’ taking on ‘Daddy’. If she lost Spike she would truly have lost everything, whether it be in death at Angel hands or emotionally broken from committing such a crime as murder himself.

"When we leave this place" Spike told her as he lay her down on the bed, "It’ll be a new start for us, and our lives will be whatever you want them to be"

"The world will be our oyster" she smiled, unbuttoning his shirt, "and all the bells will ring, ring, ring..."

- - - - - - -

"She said the weirdest things sometimes" Spike smiled in spite of himself as the memories washed over him, "but she loved me, Buffy" he said, painfully serious again as he looked over at her, "She loved me and she trusted me and...I let her down"

"I don’t understand" the blonde shook her head slightly.

She remembered all too well the various stories she’d been told were the truth about Drusilla Walkers demise. It couldn’t be all Spike’s fault she knew that now, and Angel, despite all that he’d done had so far not seemed so very violent in Spike’s version of the past. That only left suicide and surely Spike couldn’t feel this guilty if Dru took her own life. She wanted to ask if it were true, wanted to just get it over with, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead she urged him to proceed with the painful tale.

"Eventually you got out of LA" she said slowly, "You came here?"

"We did" Spike nodded once, "but it didn’t do any good"

The look on his face when his eyes met hers made Buffy phyically shudder and when he spoke his tone was so cold and lost in the deafening silence that she could hradly breathe.

"There are some things that are impossible to outrun"

- - - - - - -

"I didn’t mean it, Princess didn’t mean it" Drusilla cried, as she ran from the doors and down the street. Spike was stunned when he saw her and she fell into his arms sobbing.

"Drusilla, luv, what the bloody hell’s happening?" he asked with a frown.

"Didn’t mean it, Spike, Princess is sorry, she didn’t mean it" the young woman continued to ramble on and on and Spike tried to make sense of what she was saying. He’d been on his way to meet her, around the corner from her home as planned, after Angel went out for more alcohol supplies. He guessed O’Connor was behind Drusilla’s wild behaviour. If he’d hurt her, Spike was not going to be responsible for his actions...

"Pet, what did he do?" he asked, pushing her away enough to see her tear stained face.

"Bad Daddy. Bad Princess. All bad and dark..." she continued with her incoherent run of words and Spike knew he was going to get no sense from her til she was calm again. He cared more for her welfare right now than pummelling the one who might have harmed her.

"Come on, luv, home with me" he said gently, wrapping an arm around her and checking no-one followed as they set off towards his apartment.

"He knows, Spike" she whispered after a while, "He knows my knight watches over me"

"You told Angel about me?" the young man was surprised and not entirely sure whether he should be glad about her confession or not.

"He held so tight" Drusilla said, almost guilty, "Said if baby couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t scream..."

Spike’s blood started to boil in his veins as he realsied what his woman’s devil step-father had tried to do to her, but there was a slight releif in that the bastard hadn’t succeeded.

"I remembered what I saw, my Spike" she said, ceasing walking and turning to look up at him with wide, dark eyes, "Remembered how the ruffians in the street fight their battles...and I lashed out, lashed and bashed, til Daddy bled all rosy red" she smiled slightly at the thought before turning deadly serious again, "I did scream, Spike, I screamed and said I loved you, I love you, I love you" she repeated over and over as she reached up to kiss him deeply, "I love you and he knows it now" she whispered.

"It’s okay, kitten" Spike told her gently, pushing her hair from her face, "We have enough money to get out of here now" he decided, already doing calculations in his head, altering their plans to fit, "We can’t go as far away as we wanted but, it’ll be alright"

"My sweet boy will protect me" Drusilla smiled, hugging him tight out of pure love and pure relief combined.

"Always, pet" Spike swore, holding her close and breathing in the scent of her hair, "I promise"

Buffy poured another two coffees for herself and Spike. She’d been running on pure adrenaline for a while there, but now she felt so exhausted and emotionally drained the caffeine was all that was keeping her functioning. She could tell Spike felt equally bad if not worse than she did. Recounting the worst events of his life was the most painful thing in the world for him, she knew it, and it was only set to get worse.

She estimated the time he spoke of now was just a few weeks before Drusilla died. There was little of the story left to tell and a couple of hours, maybe just a few minutes before she must hear the tale of that woman’s murder, if in fact that was what happened.

She took a deep breath as she walked back over to the table and put one mug of steaming black coffee down in front of Spike, keeping the other in her hands as she took a seat opposite him again.

"Thanks, luv" he said absently, though Buffy wasn’t certain he was even aware of her anymore. He was knee deep in painful memories, reliving such trauma that she felt she could’ve been anybody, but on the other hand would he really tell this tale to anyone but the woman he’d come to love like he never thought possible?

"Spike?" she tried to get his attention as he seemed to be staring at something that wasn’t there. He glanced up at her then and nodded as if to confirm he was still awake and there with her.

"We didn’t get far" he said, voice hoarse from so much prior talking and crying, "That night we planned our escape to be in less than twenty four hours" he explained, "I just had to wait to get the last of my cash from one of my jobs and we were gonna try to sneak back to Dru’s and grab some of her clothes and stuff if we could...but it all went wrong" he trailed off, staring down at the mug of coffee he now held between his hands.

Buffy felt awful for asking him to carry on but they’d come this far, she had to know the rest. She reached across the table and pulled his hand into hers, squeezing it in a reassuring gesture.

"What happened?" she asked him, gently as she could, and somehow in that moment she’d given him the strength to tell her.

- - - - - - -

"I don’t want to leave you here alone, Dru" Spike complained, "but I can’t risk taking you back to your place either" he said frustratedly, hands balling into fists at the thought of Angel and all the trouble he’d caused for them so far, and how much more he could cause given half the chance.

"It’s alright, my darling" Drusilla told him, as she came to stand in front of him, wrapping her arms around his neck, "Miss Edith will take care of me until my knight returns" she smiled, gesturing with her head towards the china doll that sat on the bed looking at them both with unseeing eyes.

Spike couldn’t help but smile at the childish innocence his girl possessed. He pushed from his mind the vague thoughts that the crazy things she said were getting even more strange, and more frequent of late...

"I’ll be as fast as I can, baby" he swore, putting his hand to her face.

"And I shall be waiting" Drusilla grinned, leaning in to kiss him passionately, "You are my sweet, my little Spike" she said as he forced himself to step away and head for the door.

Drusilla waved as he finally left before turning back to the bedroom. She was going to finish packing for Spike but something made her stop and turn back towards the door as if she sensed some kind of presence. A moment later someone knocked and she stood completely still, hardly daring to breathe for fear it might be Angel that waited beyond the door.

"Open the door, baby" the familiar voice called to her, "Come on Dru, you know if you do as you’re told I won’t hurt you, not my precious girl"

"Go away" she called, voice cracking as tears ran down her cheeks and she backed up against the wall. There was nowhere to run and no-one to protect her now.

"Drusilla" his tone grew icy cold and his fist hit the door with a force, "Open. This. Door" he said with growing frustration at her inability to obey orders.

"No, no, no, no" Dru covered her ears with her hands and sobbed uncontrollably as she herd him yell threats to knock the door in. It wouldn’t take much effort, she knew, he was so big and strong, and Spike was not here to protect her.

Just a few moments later, the door swung open with such violence it almost snapped clean off it’s hinges and Drusilla tried to hide herself in the corner of the room, an impossible task. Angel breathed heavily from the exertion of knocking the door in, but he was grinning manically as he stalked across the room towards her.

"Where’s your darling Spike now, eh Dru?" he asked her as he dragged her up from the floor by her arm and pinned her against the wall.

"Right here, you git" said an angry voice behind him and Drusilla was so relieved to see Spike in the open doorway, "You take your hands off her" he yelled, "or I’ll make sure they’ll be finding your body for weeks" he threatened. Angel only laughed.

"You know how long you’d go to jail for assaulting a police officer, boy?" he asked him and for a moment Spike looked stunned. He’d had no idea Dru’s evil step-father was a cop, she’d never mentioned it, not that it would stop Spike from tearing this guy limb from limb if he didn’t soon let go of Dru. She meant more to him than life itself.

"I’m going to say this once more and if I were you I’d pay bloody good attention" Spike told his enemy, the tears he saw on Dru’s face only making him feel more violent against the bastard that held her, "Let go of her, now!"

"Okay, William" Angel smirked, pushing Dru away into a chair. She landed with a thud, wrapping her arms around herself and crying still, as her step-father stalked towards her lover.

"I know more about you than you could ever imagine" he said with a self-satisfied look on his face, "You’ve got some dangerous friends, Blood"

"Yeah" he nodded once, "Got some bleedin’ dangerous fists too. Want me to introduce ‘em to your face?" he asked, readying himself for some kind of attack, but Angel stood scarily still. The only sound in the room was Drusilla who began to whisper Hail Mary over and over as she rocked back and forth in the chair, eyes closed and hands clasped together.

"What’s the matter?" Spike asked at length, more worried than he was letting on by Angel’s silence, "Afraid you might break a nail, you ponce?" he spat.

The brunette started to smile once again as in a flash he pulled his gun from it’s hiding place and levelled it at Spike’s head.

"Who’s afraid now?" he asked in a low voice as the bleached blond swallowed hard.

"You wouldn’t dare" he managed to say like he meant it and Dru’s eyes sprang open when she head the click of the gun being prepared for firing.

"No!" she wailed, flinging herself at Angel, knocking him off balance but not quite off his feet.

"Stay back Dru, or I swear to God..." he yelled as he pushed her away but it gave Spike vital seconds he needed to wrestle the other man to the ground and kick the gun away from him.

Angel threw a punch at Spike but he moved away and struck out himself, catching the brunette in the face and making his head swing violently to the side.

"Get out!" Spike all but screamed as he used the other man’s moment of confusion to throw him out the open door, "And don’t ever come near me and Dru again!" he added with some force as he closed the broken door as best he could. He turned to lean his weight against it as Angel thumped on the other side.

"This isn’t over!" he swore before he ambled away. Spike heard him clatter down the stairs and let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.

Drusilla was still sprawled on the floor and Spike went straight to her side, helping her to sit up.

"Oh pet, I’m so sorry" he told her as he pulled her to him, "He was never supposed to find you, I didn’t know..."

"Sssh" she silenced him, her fingers to his lips, "You saved me as you always do, as you always will" she said, managing a slight smile, "You suffer for me like no-one else would" she winced at the sight of blood on his cheek and moved her hand to wipe it away, "I am grateful, Spike" she assured him, "I would die without my precious boy"

"Don’t say things like that, Dru" he begged of her, holding her tight in his arms, "You and me, we’re gonna be okay now. We’re getting out of here tonight, lack of cash be damned, we’ll find a way to live somehow" he promised her.

"You will protect me, Spike" she said nodded against his shoulder, believing the vow he made, "Look after princess, til death do us part"

"Forever, luv" he swore, "Forever and always"

- - - - - - -

"We took the first bus out" Spike choked on his words as he turned his mug of now cold coffee around on the table. His fingers were itching for a nice calming cigarette but he had no inclination to move and find one. There were much more important things to consider right now than his nicotine withdrawal.

"We could only afford as far as here if we were going to have enough cash to survive very long" he said sadly, "Should’ve been further, then we might’ve..." his expression was one of pure frustration as he recalled that time. He slammed a fist on the table, making the mugs upon it jump up and down, as well as Buffy who bounced in her seat, startled by the sudden noise.

"I promised to protect her, Buffy" he said with tears in his eyes once again, "but I ended up killing her..."

- - - - - - -

It was a little less than a month since Spike and Drusilla had arrived in Sunnydale. The first few nights they’d spent at the cheapest and possibly most disgusting motel known to man. Spike managed to get a job waiting tables and serving drinks in a trendy cafe/bar, and miraculously was granted a small advance on his wages, he figured because the couple that owned the place felt bad for him.

They seemed desperate to help in any way they could when he’d begged for extra cash. Whilst he didn’t tell them why he and Dru had run from home, he was quite happy to tell the kindly lesbian couple, Willow and Tara, about his darling girl and how all he wanted to do was look after her.

They were barely ten years older than him, Spike guessed, but the two women seemed to want to be his mothers within days of meeting him. Their help meant he and Dru soon had enough cash for the deposit on an apartment that was by no means a palace, but still a good couple of steps up from the motel.

What Spike never told his bosses was what else he used the money he earnt for. With a sizeable portion he got himself a gun. He didn’t like it but it was a necessary evil after the run in with Angel back in LA. If he did happen to find them again, Spike was determined to be able to defend himself and more importantly Drusilla. He left the gun in her not-quite-so-capable hands whenever he had to leave her home alone. She hated violence and loathed being given such a weapon to use, but Spike had told her it was the only way to ensure her safety.

As the days went by life seemed to be improving and the pair saw nothing of Angel O’Connor. They hoped against hope he’d given up on chasing Drusilla, but in the back of their minds both she and Spike knew they were not so lucky.

"I’ve got to go to work now, sweetheart" he told her one fateful Friday night. She hadn’t been feeling so good the past couple of days and despite the fact it was barely six in the evening she was already half-asleep in their bed.

"Here now" he tried to get her attention and make her aware of him sitting beside her as he placed the gun in the top drawer by her head, "You’ll remember where it is?" he checked she was listening and watching, glad when she nodded in response to his question.

"I shall be sleeping when you come home again" she said too seriously as she put a hand to his face, "I feel like I could sleep forever"

He took hold of her hand in his and brought her knuckles to his lips to kiss them.

"You rest up, luv" he told her, tucking her in like a child, "and I’ll be back in a few hours"

Spike leant over Drusilla to place another gentle kiss on her forehead, before leaving the room as silently as he could. He had no idea that was the last time he’d see her alive.

"Hey Spike. Right on time as always" Willow grinned as he came at the door. He flashed her a half-smile but it was less than genuine.

"Are you okay, sweetie" Tara checked, "You don’t look so happy"

"M’alright really" he shrugged off his coat and hung it up behind the counter, "Dru’s not feeling so good is all" he told them and they were sympathetic as always, saying that maybe he could leave a little earlier than usual if he wanted to. He thanked them but said he was sure his girlfriend would be fine when she’d got some rest as she was doing now.

Work was busy as always, the cafe was very popular both day and night and the staff were often run off their feet. Spike was glad when his break rolled around and was heading out for a cigarette when a girl on a stool by the bar claimed his attention.

"Here" she said, holding out a bourboun to him, "You look like you could use it"

"How’d you know?" he frowned slightly as he walked over took the glass from her hand and sat down on the stool beside her.

"I come in here a lot lately, saw you drinking this stuff a couple of times" she admitted, "I don’t suppose you even noticed me" she said shyly, ducking her face behind her hair.

"I’m sure I’d’ve remembered you if I’d seen you, pet" he smirked, forever the charmer. Of course his heart belonged to Drusilla but a little harmless flirting never hurt anybody, and this wasn’t the first pretty girl to notice him. He was fairly certain she wouldn’t be the last either.

"I’m Amy by the way" she said, holding out a hand for him to shake.

"I’m Spike" he told her taking the offered hand, "but if you’ve been watching me so much I figure you already knew that" he smiled.

"Kinda of, yeah" Amy giggled, in no hurry to let go of Spike’s hand yet. He pulled his fingers from her grip and sighed.

"Look, luv, it’s not that I’m not flattered" he told her kindly, "Honestly if things were different I’d probably date you in a heartbeat, but I’ve got a girl at home, girl I love, I’m not interested in anyone else" he got up to leave but the brunette caught him by the arm.

"I get it, I do" she nodded, "It was pretty obvious you’d have someone, I mean, look at you" she smiled, "but you could still sit here if you want, have the drink I got for you. It’ll only get wasted if you don’t"

"So long as you understand" he checked, sitting back down again when she nodded that she did.

He spent another ten minutes chatting to her, before downing his drink in one and stepping out for the cigarette he’d planned to have a while ago. Willow and Tara either hadn’t noticed he’d spent five minutes more on his break than he ought to or they just didn’t say anything about it because they were too nice.

It was about an hour later when Spike realised something was wrong. He bent down to get a bottle from under the bar, pitched forward and almost hit his head. Willow saw it happen and looked understandably worried.

"You okay, Spike" she asked when he straightened up, looking both dazed and pale.

"Dunno really" he admitted, "Sort of feel a bit wobbly, hazy in my head, y’know"

"You think you might have caught whatever Drusilla has?" the red-head asked, putting a hand to his head to check for a fever, "You feel a little warm" she frowned.

"Think I’m hot now do you" he joked, but he looked far from well, "Don’t think Tara’d like it"

Willow rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Well, your ego and sense of humour are still working just fine, maybe you’re not sick after all" she told him, making him smirk.

"I’ll probably be fine in a minute I just..." he closed his eyes and opened them again, trying to focus and finding it difficult.

"No, I don’t think you will be fine" Willow shook her head, "At least not here and working. I’ll call Xander or Harmony, see if one of them can come in and cover, I think you should go home and get some rest" she advised. Spike shook his head but found that was a really bad idea as the world tipped and rippled before his eyes in a most disconcerting fashion.

"I can’t just go" he protested, "I need the money, you know I do"

"And you’ll get it" Willow promised him, patting him on the arm, "You work hard enough and it’s not your fault you got sick. I’ll still pay you for tonight"

"You’re a diamond, Will" he smiled, "S’not another one like you in the world, ’cept for Tara of course"

"Go home" the red-head ordered him with a girlish grin, beginning to blush the colour of her hair at the compliment, "and don’t come back til you’re feeling better, money be damned" she told him, "We’ll figure something out"

"Thanks, Red" he grinned at her kindness, kissing her on the cheek before fetching his coat and getting ready to leave. He felt very woozy and not at all himself. If he’d had anymore to drink he’d blame it on the booze, but there was simply no way two bourbons had done this to him.

"I’ll probably see you tomorrow" he told Willow as he stumbled towards the door.

"Not if you don’t feel better" she replied in full mother tone, making him smile slightly.

"Here, let me help you" Amy, the girl from earlier offered, catching up to him and grabbing the door as he faltered.

"I dunno whats the matter with me" he almost laughed at himself, really not understanding what had come over him, "Must have caught whatever my girlfriends got"

"Where do you live?" she asked him, "My car is right over here, I’ll drive you"

"Thanks, pet" Spike smiled, "but I’m fine really, I just..." he attempted to walk a straight line but started wavering within moments.

"Come on" Amy urged him, taking hold of his arm, "I’ll take good care of you"

-

Spike’s first thoughts when he woke up were related to the nauseous feeling he had in his stomach and the hazy peculiar feeling in his head. It was almost like a mild hangover, but he only remembered having two drinks the night before. It then occurred to him that there was very little of last night he did remember. Beyond leaving work it was hazy at best and even completely blank in places. He figured he’d got himself home pretty much on auto-pilot, fallen into bed beside Dru and allowed sleep to claim him as soon as his head hit the pillow.

What puzzled him was that as his eyes began to focus, the wallpaper he saw was not the dark shades of home, but lilac and girlish. The bed felt wrong beneath his body and the window was on the opposite side. The worst discovery was when he turned to see the woman beside him and realised it was not his Drusilla at all that he was lying with, but Amy.

"Oh bugger, bollocks, bloody hell..." so began the whispered trail of curse words as he realised what must have happened. The random pieces of his and her clothing strewn about the room alerted him to the fact they were both naked beneath the silken sheets and he hated himself when it became all too clear what that must mean.

A lot of things could be said about William Blood, he wasn’t straight-laced and perfect like some blokes, he’d got into a few fights in his time, maybe partaken of a couple of dodgy deals, but when it came to Drusilla, the woman he loved, he was a man of honour and decency, until now it seemed.

Carefully he pulled himself out from under the covers and off the bed, fortunately not disturbing the sleeping woman there. He retrieved his clothes and pulled them on in silence, grateful when he made it out of the bedroom without Amy even stirring once. He moved quickly and quietly out of the apartment and down the stairs, hoping he’d be able to figure out where he was when he got to the street. Of course he had to go home, but facing Drusilla after what he’d done, how could she ever forgive him for this?

Spike was so deep in thought of how he should explain his terrible mistake to his girlfriend, that he almost didn’t notice the cop car and ambulance outside the building where he lived, at least not until a stretcher was brought out of the front door right beside him. The figure upon it was not an injured person but clearly a dead body with blankets pulled up over it’s face. Spike grimaced at the sight, wondering vaguely who the poor unfortunate under there might be. Maybe the old lady who lived across from him and Dru, she was getting on in years, and a bit sack of hammers if truth be told. Perhaps it was the bloke on the first floor who seemed perpetually doped up no matter what time of day or night you saw him. Nothing could have prepared him for what he heard next.

"Yeah, ID in the purse on the counter said Miss Drusilla Juliet Walker" one official said to the other.

Spike couldn’t breathe. There had to be some mistake, not his Dru, not when he’d sworn to protect her.

"I’ll never understand it" one of the older ambulance workers shook his head, "Pretty young girl, her whole life ahead of her. What makes someone like that wanna shoot themselves in the heart"

Spike swallowed hard, the nausea he’d felt before multiplying to the point where he slipped down by the side of the apartment block and spewed up everything he’d eaten for the past few days. Tears poured from his eyes as he sank to his knees half way down the alley, feeling almost completely numb now. His entire world had just ended, his precious girl was dead and whilst she was suffering, he’d been shagging some whore he only met a few hours ago. He felt worse because he knew there should be more pain in him than this, but he couldn’t take it in enough for it to hurt. He was somewhere between denial and horror right now, his instincts urging him to run like hell and escape the nightmare he found himself in. He pulled himself up on shaky legs, glancing up at the window of the apartment he and Dru had shared, the apartment she took her own life in. He did the only thing he felt compelled to do - he ran.

-

"It was my punishment" Spike cried openly as he explained to Buffy, "She saw things, Dru did, it seemed like she was crazy sometimes but she knew things...she must’ve known what I’d done to her and she..." he couldn’t go on, the emotions still too raw to deal with when such memories must be recalled in so much detail.

Buffy’s heart broke for him as he cried like a child and she wrapped her arms around him, letting him cry into her shoulder. She breathed a gentle sigh of relief as she held him to her and tried to calm him. As awful as the tale he imparted was, as much guilt as he felt for what happened to Drusilla, it was a huge comfort to realise he hadn’t held the gun that night. Though Buffy had wanted to believe him incapable of such a crime for a long time now, there was no way to know for certain what kind of man he used to be. Even if he hadn’t meant to do it he might have caused the death in an accident with the gun he’d bought, but no. It seemed the original theory of suicide was the most likely, but how could she convince her boss that Spike was innocent, when he was the man who was framing him, and the only evidence to prove Spike’s innocence was his own word. Against Angel and with his psychiatric history, Buffy knew it would mean next to nothing, and her own opinion would be just as useless when it became common knowledge that she’d fallen for the man she was supposed to convict for murder.

What Buffy really couldn’t understand was why Angel would set up Spike for the crime, when the correct verdict of suicide had already been reached. Surely he was risking his own name being dragged into the equation, though she doubted he ever expected her to fall for the suspect. Indeed he probably thought she would have succumbed to his own charms before now. Though one might think he wanted Spike to suffer for keeping Dru from him, locking him up was not going to bring her back. Unless of course it wasn’t suicide at all, but murder as the case said.

"Spike, I know this is hard for you" she said gently, grateful that he seemed to at least have stopped crying so hard now, "but I can only think of one reason why Angel would try to set you up for this"

He brought his head up from her shoulder and looked so lost. She wiped tears from his cheeks and almost cried herself at how upset he was.

"He had to have something to do with it Spike" Buffy continued, wary of making matters worse, "There’s a possibility it wasn’t suicide..."

Spike began to frown at the realisation. When Angel couldn’t have Dru for a lover he started to get violent with her. With all the guilt and loss he’d felt, he’d never really considered what Buffy was now suggesting, but they were now faced with the real possibility that perhaps the man trying to set up Spike, was in fact the guilty party himself.

It was a couple of hours since Spike had finished telling Buffy the awful tale of his girlfriends demise, and the sun was setting in the sky once again. He’d more or less cried himself to sleep, sheer exhaustion taking over after so much physical and emotional stress. Buffy was sitting on the couch with his head in her lap as he slept, but despite the fact she felt almost as tired as he did, the land of dreams could not take her.

Buffy Summers’mind was in over-drive as she went over the story she’d been told by the man she loved. As stupid as some might say she was, she believed every single word and she loved him still despite his indiscretion that he himself believed to be the cause of Drusilla Walker’s death. Buffy was just so relieved to know Spike hadn’t been holding the gun that took that woman’s life to care that he had betrayed said woman with another, although there was something that didn’t quite add up there either.

All would become clear, Buffy promised herself that, and she would promise Spike the same when he awoke. Somehow they were going to prove his innocence in all this and if she could, Buffy planned on bringing Angel down for what he’d done. She wasn’t sure whether she could prove he killed Drusilla, it was still a possibility that she shot herself that night, but if O’Connor drove her to it he still deserved punishment, and he was going to get everything he deserved, Buffy would see to that.

Spike stirred a little, waking up at last.

"Buffy?" he asked groggily, enjoying those couple of seconds between asleep and awake where he couldn’t remember how awful things had gotten last night, the terrible memories he’d had to dredge up again.

"It’s okay, Spike, I’m here" his sweet angel’s voice told him softly, her hands caressing his face and his hair. Though he could have happily stayed that way forever, reality was seeping back in through the cracks of his conscious mind and he knew there were things that needed to be said and done, things that couldn’t wait.

"Buffy" he said as he pulled himself up to a sitting position beside her, but before he could say anymore she interrupted.

"Spike, I’ve been thinking" she told him, "I have access to records, information that could help prove you’re innocent, we might even be able to prove that Angel..."

"No, Buffy" he interrupted her instead this time, a sad smile on his lips as he ran his fingers through her hair, "I’m not worth risking your job, maybe even your life for" he told her, "You don’t even know me, not really"

"How can you say that?" she said, looking hurt, "It doesn’t matter that I’ve only known you a few weeks, I know that I love you and that’s all I need to know" she assured him, getting hold of his hand in hers and kissing his fingers, "I believe everything you told me, because I know you wouldn’t lie to me"

"Don’t think I could if I wanted to do, pet" he admitted, "I’ve fallen for you so hard and fast...I didn’t know I could feel love like this again"

Buffy had tears in her eyes when she leaned in to kiss him. What started off soft and sweet soon intensified, both of them needing to show their love and trust for the other, as well as feel that which the other was giving to them.

"Do you want me?" Buffy whispered in his ear as she lay on top of him on the couch, uncertain if they should do this now, whether he’d want to after all that had happened.

"I do" she was relieved to hear him answer, but less happy when he pushed her away slightly, "Buffy, I want you and I love you but...how can you feel the same now that you know what I did?" he asked her, looking truly upset and confused.

"I can’t care about what you might have done" she told him huskily, "What I feel for you is too strong, I need to be close to you, I want to show you how much I love you" she told him, pressing her lips to his once again. He couldn’t fight her, he didn’t want to and they tenderly made love right there on the couch. The where and the why didn’t matter, they both just needed to feel the love and trust they had for each other. Afterwards sleep claimed them both and despite the deep, dark nature of the night before, they slept soundly in each others arms until the next morning came.

-

When Spike awoke the next morning it was to the sweet sensation of being kissed by the woman he adored.

"Hey" she smiled when his eyes opened, "I didn’t want to leave you sleeping but I have to go" she told him sadly.

"I wish you could stay" he said softly, holding her tightly, "I wish we could both stay here forever so none of it mattered anymore"

"Me too" she agreed enjoying the feeling of being in his arms for a little while longer before she really had to move. He reluctantly let her go and she gathered up her things, realising she should be at work in an hour and she still had to go home, shower and change and make herself presentable before then. How she would deal with seeing Angel after all she’d heard about him she had no idea, but face him she must.

"I’m going to fix this" Buffy promised her lover as they stood on either side of the doorway, "I swear, I am going to do everything I can, and we are going to prove that you didn’t do this"

Spike nodded that he believed her, before taking her in his arms and kissing her tenderly.

"I don’t know what will happen next, but I do know I love you" he swore, "I don’t ever want to lose you, I don’t think I could bear it"

"You won’t lose me" she promised him as her hand caressed his cheek.

One last kiss and she finally left, a woman on a mission as she strode down the stairs and headed home. She washed, did her hair, and changed her clothes, arriving at work just ten minutes after she should’ve, and it seemed that no-one really noticed anyway.

She’d been at her desk just half an hour, moving through files on the computer, when she found the information she was looking for. She saved all the files to a disk which she stuffed into her purse, before going back over all the vital pages on the screen in front of her.

There had to be something she hadn’t seen before, especially since she was now looking at this from a different angle. Before she was so sure Spike was guilty, now she was out to find solid evidence that he couldn’t be.

"No. No. No..." she muttered to herself, skipping down lists of reports and records, "Bingo!" she said suddenly when she caught sight of something that might be of use. If Angel had been at Spike and Dru’s apartment the night she died, surely someone must have seen him. Here she had possible witness statements which she printed out and quickly filed away in a folder. She checked her watch and realised she had meetings to attend and other work to do, it’d look suspicious if she spent too long digging over old information like this. At least tonight she could check over what she’d found again and with any luck she’d have some semi-good news for Spike.

-

He’d paced the apartment so many times he was surprised there wasn’t a visible mark on the flooring, but still William Blood couldn’t not make himself be still. His world had been turned upside down by Buffy Summers and whilst he was thrilled to have her in his life, the true magnitude of what had happened the night before was finally sinking in and it was worrying him intensely.

He’d told her everything, every detail of his past life with Drusilla. How they lived and how she’d died, all about Angel and Darla. If perchance she was an actress, and she’d have to be an incredible one, the nightmare might be far from over but only just beginning. He knew he couldn’t be locked up for sharing another woman’s bed on the night his lover died, but there was no way to tell if Buffy was who she claimed. Anything could happen now, the worst scenario being that her promises of love might be a lie and he might never see her again. Spike was almost certain that would kill him, as he finally sat down on the couch and stayed there a few moments. Here she had proven just what she felt for him. Indeed she might be a very talented actress but no-one could fake the look he saw in her eyes as they made love. God, if only those moments could last forever, when they were together in every possible sense of the word. The rest of the world just melted away then and she was the only thing in his mind and heart. Nothing lasts forever, that he had learnt the hard way and as much as he wished he and Buffy might have something long-lasting, he could not allow himself to fantasise too much.

Still, she had promised to help him prove his innocence, something Liam O’Connor seemed determined to take away, but how was someone so evil and powerful ever to be brought down, without sinking to the same devious levels and becoming the thing you hate the most?

The answer, though he didn’t know it, lie beyond the door.

-

Buffy stood outside Spike’s front door, looking around nervously and clutching a file of paperwork to her chest. He cautiously opened the door until he realised it was her and opened it fully, immediately pulling her into a hug.

"I have good news" she told him, "At least it could be"

They sat down at the table and she opened up the file, showing him the list of names she’d got, all the people who were living in the apartment block where he and Drusilla used to reside. Also she had the witness statements, one of which quite clearly said a dark haired man of Angel’s build had been seen on the night in question. Unfortunately, as Spike pointed out, old Mrs Jennings from across the corridor was not exactly of sound mind most of the time. Her word would hardly stand up in court.

"It seems most people were out that night" Buffy sighed, "All except your less than sane old lady friend and...oh, maybe this one" she frowned as she came across a name with no information next to it. Most of the people of the list had a note by their name, giving some idea of where they were the night of the murder, all except one.

"Resident of apartment seven" she read aloud and it was Spike’s turn to look puzzled.

"That was the place just round the corner from ours" he told her, "but no-one ever lived there"

"Guess again" Buffy told him, passing the piece of paper over and pointing to the name, "Rented by Miss Illyria Martinez for six months up until two weeks after the mur...after that night" she amended, mentally kicking herself for being so thoughtless.

"That’s impossible" Spike frowned, "I never saw anyone go in or out the place"

"Maybe she worked weird hours or something" Buffy guessed, "The point is she might have seen something, we’d be crazy not to check it out"

"Think you can find her?" he asked and the blonde nodded firmly.

"I’m a cop Spike" she shrugged, "It’s kind of my job to find her if it’ll help solve a case"

"Is that was this is really about?" he looked affronted by her comment, "Are you only doing this for your job?" he asked wide-eyed unable to believe what he’d heard. She should have been offended by his lack of belief in her, but after all that he’d suffered, she couldn’t find it in her to be mad at him for that.

"I’m not going to lie" she said looking down at her hands on the table, "It’d be good for my career if I pulled this off, and proved Angel guilty" she admired, "but Spike, you know this is for you" she said looking up again and taking hold of his hand in hers, "You know I love you, you have to, there are only so many ways I can find to prove it to you"

Spike looked into her eyes, and saw the truth and love within in them. He sighed.

"I’m sorry, pet" he said, picking up her hand and kissing it, "This isn’t the easiest thing in the world for me, probably one of the bloody hardest actually" he told her. She got up from her seat and walked round the table, putting herself on his lap and hugging him.

"I know it’s hard for you" she said as they held each other, "but we’re going to work this out. Angel will suffer for what he did"

"I believe you, Buffy" Spike assured her, glad that for the first time in so long he actually had someone and something in his life worth believing in. Buffy was the light at the end of a very long, dark tunnel that he’d been stuck in, but only the proof of Angel’s guilt, and that same man’s suffering, would truly set him free from the tortures of the past.

Two days after her talk with Spike about the mysterious woman who lived across from him and Dru last year, Buffy Summers stood outside a huge building with a sign that said Wolfram & Hart, Attorneys at Law.

She knew of their reputation. They’d been decidedly dodgy lawyers for decades, but they had fingers in more pies than just those related to law. Of course it was near impossible for her as a cop to bring any kind of justice upon the employees of a supposedly evil law firm, their job was to get others out of trouble, they had no problem hiding their own double-deals and the like.

Buffy shook her head as she pressed the button at the front door and waited for someone to answer. She wasn’t here as judge and jury for the company, she was only here to see one woman who masqueraded as Miss Illyria Martinez.

"Wolfram and Hart, please state your name and business" a voice said through the speaker.

"Detective Elizabeth Summers, LAPD" she said crisply, "I’m here to see Winifred Burkle"

There was a moments silence before the buzzer sounded and the door unlocked, allowing Buffy to go inside. A woman at the front desk told her to take a seat whilst she called down to the lab. The blonde waited, fingers drumming impatiently on the arm rest of her chair.

It had taken a while to figure out why Miss Martinez was so elusive - she didn’t actually exist. She was simply a pseudonym of one Winifred Burkle, head of the Science Department at Wolfram & Hart’s LA branch. What Buffy wanted to know was why this woman needed an apartment in a fake name, and more importantly if she’d see anything on the night Drusilla Walker died.

"Hi" said a voice and Buffy looked up to see a slim, willowy looking woman with a large white coat and glasses slipping down her nose, "I’m Fred, Winifred Burkle" she corrected herself, "You wanted to see me, Detective Summers?"

Buffy nodded as she got to her feet.

"Is there somewhere private we can talk?" she asked and the other woman led her to an empty office where they both sat down in silence.

"I have a few questions for you, Miss Burkle" Buffy told her immediately they were sat down, "Or should I call you Miss Martinez?" she added with a look, a little surprised by how pale Fred became.

"I don’t...you can’t..." she stumbled on what she meant to say as all the blood drained from her face and she felt sick in her stomach, "I never meant to break any laws, I never meant to break anything, I swear.."

"Miss Burkle" Buffy interrupted, "I’m not here to arrest you" she smiled slightly, proving her lack of malice, "I just need to ask you about the apartment you rented during this time period" she said, pulling a piece of paper from her bag and handing it to the other woman who stared at it blindly.

"Miss Burkle?" Buffy prompted some kind of reaction, "How often did you use the apartment. A source tells me he live nearby but barely saw you"

"We...I didn’t use it much" she said, stumbling on her words again, "I stored things in it"

Buffy frowned as the piece of paper was shoved back into her hands by Fred. The way she couldn’t meet her eyes when she spoke, how her fingers never stopped fidgeting in her lap, made Buffy wonder...

"Storage?" she echoed, "Storage of what?" she pressed, "Furniture? Books?...Secrets?" she asked with a look. Fred stared at her for a second before glancing away.

"I don’t know what you mean" she said, and Buffy was almost certain it was a lie. She just wasn’t sure why yet.

"I think you do" she said as she put the papers back in her bag, "Let’s look at this objectively, Miss Burkle. A young woman in LA rents an apartment for a few months, in which time the neighbour across the hall never even sees her. A couple of weeks after a possible murder has been committed, the rental on the apartment is cancelled. Wouldn’t you say that looked a little suspicious?"

Fred’s eyes were wide as dinner-plates as she looked up at Buffy in apparent shock.

"Murder?" she repeated in a whisper, as if she were a little kid saying a curse word she didn’t want her mother to hear, "No, I didn’t even know...Someone died?" she asked, looking too genuinely shocked for her to be faking.

Buffy felt a little bad for being so short with her, she seemed like a nice enough person but appearances could be deceiving. Angel was living proof of that it seemed. Still, despite the fact it seemed abundantly clear Fred knew nothing of Drusilla’s death, something seemed odd about a woman going to all the trouble of renting an apartment in a fake name and never going there.

"Who is Illyria Martinez, Miss Burkle?" Buffy asked her, off her worried look she added, "It’s very important that you tell me the truth now"

The young woman twisted her hands in her lap, looking everywhere but at the police officer at her side. She was silent so long that Buffy almost repeated the question but suddenly Fred spoke softly.

"Do you have a man in your life, Miss Summers?" she asked, making Buffy frown. She had thought she was the one asking the questions, but if this was going to get to some sort of point that’d help with the case, she’d go along with it for now.

"Yes" she replied warily, "Why do you ask?"

"Being in love" Fred smiled painfully, "finding that one person who makes you feel...things you could never imagine until you actually experience them, that’s something so rare and special" she paused for a brief moment before continuing, "But when I found that, the right man that made me feel all those things, I was too late. He’d already found the woman for him"

"I’m sorry" Buffy said sympathetically, "but unless this has anything to do with what I asked you I don’t think..."

"Oh, but it does" Fred interrupted, "See, he realised that the woman he’d found maybe wasn’t what he wanted after all, and that maybe I was. He couldn’t leave her, it would have caused so many problems for everybody..." her voice trailed away and as she looked over at Buffy, something clicked in the blonde’s mind and she realised what was going on.

The apartment Miss Burkle rented under the false name was where she conducted her affair with another man, that was why she’d lied. No doubt if this guys wife found out he’d dump the poor girl and it seems she couldn’t live with that.

"Miss Burkle, were you at the rented apartment on the night of the murder?" she checked, "It’s important that you tell me"

"I..." Fred hesitated before answering, "I was" she admitted, "We were"

"And did you see anybody go in or out of the apartment across the hall?" came the next question. Buffy was practically holding her breath waiting for the answer.

"Yes" she said almost in a whisper.

"Could you give me a description?" the blonde asked next and Fred looked away, "Please, Miss Burkle, this is so important" she pressed.

"He was kinda tall, with dark hair and dark clothes...Kinda handsome too really" she admitted. Buffy felt equal parts relieved and sick at a description that could easily fit the image of Angel.

"Miss Burkle, I need you to come with me to the police station" she said, unable to hold back a slight smile, "I need you to make a statement saying exactly what you saw and..."

"No, no, I can’t" the other woman exclaimed, looking petrified as she jumped from her seat, "You don’t understand what could happen...if she found out..."

Buffy rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"You’re worrying about nothing" she pointed out, quite angrily, "If your secret affair gets found out, okay, a couple of people might get a little hurt emotionally. If you don’t do what I’m asking now an innocent man could be convicted of murder" she explained, tears forming in her eyes as she thought of Spike, how much he had already suffered, and what more may come if she couldn’t prove his innocence.

"Fred?" Buffy heard a male voice behind them and turned to see a man coming into the room, looking worried, "I heard yelling from the corridor, is everything quite alright?" he checked.

"I’m fine, Wesley, honestly" Fred smiled shakily and Buffy watched a look pass between them.

"Perhaps I should leave you two alone then" Wesley suggested but Buffy stopped him.

"No, stay" she said, "This involves you too" she said, glancing at Fred, "doesn’t it?" she checked. The other woman look away, confirming Buffy’s suspicions.

"I don’t think we’ve been introduced" the man narrowed his eyes at her as he approached, "I am Wesley Wyndham-Pryce"

"Elizabeth Summers" Buffy shook his hand, "LAPD" she added, showing her badge.

As the three sat down together, the blonde realised what the big problem was. Wolfram and Hart was known for it’s dodgy deals but moreover for it’s ability to make problems disappear. If those problems were people they’d disappear too and half the unsolved murder cases in LA were thought to be somehow mysteriously connected to that firm. The latest CEO of this town’s branch was the most ruthless and scheming so far, and here sat Buffy opposite the boss’ husband. Lilah Morgan, who still went by her maiden name, was not a woman to be trifled with. If she found out her precious Wesley was sleeping with the hired help, Buffy had no doubt at all that Fred would be the next employee to mysteriously vanish.

Though she took the time to explain the situation to Wesley, and practically begged him and Fred to come forward and say what they’d seen, she knew they would say no. She couldn’t force them to be witnesses. If she got them as far as the station they could just deny seeing anything, and she’d end up looking a fool.

"I know you’re both scared of what could happen" she sympathised as they showed her the door, her one last ditch attempt to get their help, "but we could protect you, I promise we would"

"I’m sorry, Miss Summers" Wesley shook his head, "I know you’re only doing your job but...we didn’t see anything" he lied on purpose, pressing the point that if she ever asked them in front of others they would deny all.

Buffy fought tears and had to take a deep breath before she could speak. Another lead had become a dead end and she was running out of time to prove Spike’s innocence and Angel’s guilt.

"Here" she said, pulling something from her pocket and pressing it into Fred’s hand, "If you change your mind" was all she said as explanation before she left.

Fred turned the card over in her hand and showed it to Wesley. It had Buffy’s name and private number printed on the front and her cellphone number hand-written on the back. Despite feeling terribly guilty, both of them knew they’d never call her.

-

Buffy felt awful as she made her way home. She wracked her brains for another idea, at least then she could cushion the blow when she was forced to tell Spike this lead had turned into a dead end. He was innocent she knew it, and she only wished that was enough, but they needed real evidence if they were going to bring Angel down and prove that Spike was not a killer, just a man that loved a woman and got caught up in someone else’s tragedy.

"Oh, hi" Buffy was surprised to find the very man she’d been thinking of sitting on her doorstep.

"Hello, pet" he half smiled as he got to his feet and stepped towards her. He hesitated a moment before putting his lips to hers and kissing her softly, "Couldn’t stand it at home" he admitted, still standing close to her, "Too bloody quiet, too much time to think about things"

She nodded that she understood, feeling even worse now than she had before.

"How did it go?" he asked, trying not to sound too hopeful just in case, "Did you find this Illyria person?"

"I..." Buffy began before changing her mind, "No, I didn’t find Illyria" she said semi-truthfully. She couldn’t tell him she’d found the girl who went by that name, and her boyfriend too, and that both had seen what seemed to be Angel leaving the apartment on the night of Dru’s murder. How could she build up his hopes so high only to dash them when she ended the narrative with the fact of their insistence on not coming forward in the case.

She watched his face cloud with disappointment before he forced a smile.

"Doesn’t matter" he lied, trying to be braver than he felt and she knew it, "I have faith in you, Buffy" he told her, holding her in his arms, "No-one ever believed in me like you do, ‘cept maybe..." his voice disappeared at the mere thought of his dark princess and Buffy felt awful for him.

Whilst most women might be offended at being compared to their man’s former love, Buffy felt honoured to know he loved her as much as he had Drusilla. That was a level of affection she could only wonder at, though she was certain she loved Spike more than she ever knew it was possible to love anyone.

"I love you" she said suddenly and so sincerely. He looked a little surprised as they stood their outside her front door in each others arms.

"I love you too, you know I do" he assured her, wondering what the sudden declaration was for, fearing the worst, that she might be about to say she couldn’t be with him for some reason. She looked too serious for a moment before she led him into her apartment and they both sat down in the couch.

"I had another idea" she told him, holding onto his hand, "There’s someone else we can talk to, maybe get more evidence from" she explained, "Do you trust me?" she checked, almost certain he did but needing the assurance right now, just as she’d needed the conformation of his love a moment ago.

"With my life" he answered solemnly, eyes never leaving hers.

"That’s a good thing" she nodded once, "because you’re not going to like what I’m about to say" she warned him, "I think we need to go back, trace your steps almost...Spike, I need you to take me to see your old friends, your bosses Willow and Tara" she told him, "From there we might be able to track down the girl from that night" she paused before saying what she knew she must "Spike, if we’re going to bring down Angel, I think we need to find Amy"