She didn't answer. Didn't even glance down as the puppy rubbed its nose against the white fabric of her skirt. Already whining for attention.

"The minute I saw it," Spike continued, "I thought of you." He reached out to rest one cold hand against the warm one that rested atop the arm of the chair. Thinking that, a week ago, he would have felt a twitch. Or he would have felt her stiffen at the contact. Something.

Now, her fingers remained completely still beneath his.

His jaw clenched. The frustration that had become his familiar started a silent purr deep in his chest, somewhere near his silent heart. His hand tightened around hers. Not much. Just enough to hurt.

Not a twitch. Not a tremble.

Sighing, the vampire lifted her hand, each nail perfectly shaped, fresh with the pale peach polish he'd applied just yesterday. He laid her hand against the squirming bit of life still whining in her lap. Then, hands resting on her knees, he kneeled at her feet. And waited.

At first there was nothing, even as the puppy turned to butt its head against her palm. Then, just as Spike was about to take it away as a waste of time, her hand began to move. Across the runt's head. Down its back. Back and forth through the russet coat. Back and forth.

And, if he'd had a heartbeat, it would've jumped a little right then.

The vampire studied her face with narrow, ice blue eyes. Hands tightening into fists in her lap, he searched for something, anything. The slightest change in her placid expression. A flicker in her summer blue eyes. When he got nothing there, his gaze went back to the hand stroking the dog. This was proof then, wasn't it? That she was still there, aware of what was going on around her. That she hadn't escaped him completely.

Or was it reflex? Touch the puppy. Feel the puppy. Pet the puppy.

It didn't mean anything, did it? Any more than when she'd turn towards the window and seem to be looking out at the night sky. Or when she'd cry out for her sister in her sleep.

Did she even see what her blank eyes were staring at now? The cracked wall. The chipped paint. The crumbling fireplace.

Did she even know he was here?

"Bloody hell," he mumbled. And the purr of frustration in his chest became a muted rumble. A perfect match for the bitter taste of disappointment in his mouth.

He leaned forward, rested his chin atop one clenched fist. As the scent of her surrounded him, he allowed his eyes to drift shut. Some things were still there. The freshness. The innocence. Purity and light.

Some things were gone. The energy. The excitement she seemed to expel with every breath. The uncertainty and confusion that made her buzz like a raw nerve, heating her blood until the air was thick with the scent of it.

Eyes opening, he stared at the puppy. Those things were gone. But he could bring them back. Bring her back.

He just needed to find the right...something.

In one swift motion, he snatched the puppy out of her lap.

She didn't flinch when the yelp of startled pain. Didn't flinch when the crack of a tiny neck snapping filled the silence.

She didn't flinch when he tossed the body across the room. When it slammed into the wall and dropped to the floor. Twitching, twitching, before finally going still.

Her hand hung there for a moment, in mid-stroke where the puppy had once been. Then, she simply let it drop into her lap.

In his chest, the rumble of frustration became a roar. His fists twisted in the fabric of her skirt, wrinkling her pristine, white dress. And his demon pushed at him. Pushed so hard, the ridges appeared on his forehead. His eyes flickered gold.

But no. When he took her, he wanted it to be more than her body he was touching. He wanted her to know what was happening.

He wanted to collect her screams, like gems. Keep them safe in his memory. Take them out whenever he wanted and admire how pretty they were.

Lost in thought, he almost didn't see it. The single tear, trickling down her cheek.

The vampire jumped to his feet. Rose like a golden phoenix. Grabbing her chin with brutal fingers, he forced her head back. Smiled as he stared into her vacant eyes.

"I told you, Nibblet," he said. "You can't hide from me forever."

She didn't flinch. Her gaze remained distant and unfocussed. Her face placid. Serene.

But she had given him a tear. And it was enough. For now.