Title: Secrets & Lies: The First Lie
Author: Kylia
Email: kylia_bug@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Nobody belongs to me, unfortunately. They belong to Joss & Mutant Enemy, and a few other people I don't know.
Rating: Starts out PG-13 but will eventually be NC-17
Spoilers: Welcome to the Hellmouth, The Harvest
Category: Willow/Spike
Summary: Okay, think of this as an alternate reality. Some of the events of the series will happen just as they did on the show, others won't.
Distribution: Fire & Ice, WitchFanFic, Of Sire & Childe, anyone else, ask, and you shall receive
Author's Notes: Something new; This is the first part to a series that will span the length of the show.
Dedication: Stasia, Inell, Elka, and Ann. I finally quit talking about it. :)

Spike stepped out into the night. He took a look around. There was something in the air. The vampires were out in force tonight. He could sense them everywhere. Something was happening. Whatever it was probably had something to do with Darla and the reason she called them here. To be more precise, she had called Druscilla. She had told her they were planning on sending the word to hell, and wouldn't it be fun? Of course Druscilla, in all her insanity had thought it sounded like a splendid idea. When Miss Edith had agreed, she seemed to think it was unanimous.

He groaned as he thought of Druscilla and that bloody doll she was always talking to. There was a time when he would have liked the idea of sending the world to hell, or burning the Hellmouth to the ground at the very least. But things had changed. When his sire had gone poof and left him to take care of Druscilla, things had changed. It the beginning he was glad to have Angelus gone. Or more accurately, he was glad to have Druscilla to himself. It was a nice unlife, for awhile, but for the last decade or so, he was growing wearier of taking care of her. Her sane moments seemed to be less frequent, while she constantly talked about her 'daddy' and how soon, they would find him. And then that mess in Prague. She had been attacked, nearly killed. Now she was not only crazy, but extremely weak. He had thought, on more than one occasion, that it might have been better if she had died.

He smiled to himself as he headed towards the Bronze. It was what passed for a hangout in this small town. Lots of ignorant teenagers flailing about, begging to become some vampires next meal.

Willow smiled shyly as she followed Thomas out of the Bronze. She had decided to take Buffy's advice about 'seizing the moment' when he had asked him to go with her to get some ice cream, but now she was having second thoughts. She didn't know this guy. She had never seen him before, and it was dark. If you lived in Sunnydale long enough, you learned to be very careful outside at night.

"The ice cream bar is this way. It's past Hamilton Street." Willow stopped hesitantly, and pointed in the opposite direction of where Thomas was leading her.

He grabbed her hand. "I know a shortcut."

She was getting more nervous by the second, but was unsure what she should do.

"Okay. This is nice… and scary. Are you sure this is faster?" She asked nervously as he led her through the cemetery.

"Hey, have you ever been in one of these?" Thomas asked pointing to a mausoleum.

"No. Thank you." She suddenly realized that she was in a very dangerous situation. She didn't know what he was planning, but she was sure it couldn't be good.

Spike had been about to enter the club when he saw a young girl exit with a vampire. There was something about the girl, which caught his attention. He didn't know if it was her long red hair, or the shy way she held herself, or if it was something else entirely, but he had the sudden desire to protect this girl. So he followed at a safe distance.

He watched as the fledgling took the girl through the cemetery. He could tell she was getting frightened as they stopped in front of a mausoleum. He approached them from the shadows.

"Come on, what are you afraid of?" He heard the fledgling ask.

"That would be you." Spike's accented voice pieced the silence of the cemetery, causing the girl to look up at him, startled.

Thomas grabbed a hold of her shoulders roughly, eliciting a low snarl from Spike. He growled as his true face came forward. He noticed with mild interest that while Thomas seemed scared, the girl just stared at him. He had expected her scream, or cry at the very least, instead she was just looking intently at him. For a moment he was lost in her green eyes. What he saw there intrigued him. Curiosity instead of fear. That wasn't something you saw everyday.

"It's an offering for the master." Thomas told him weakly, as he gripped the girl's shoulders tightly, causing her to squeak. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you had a taste."

Spike chuckled at the fledgling's ignorance. "If you believe that, you're stupider than you look." His eyes glowed in the darkness as his took a step closer.

"Let. The. Girl. Go." He didn't wait for Thomas to comply. In one swift moment, he stepped around the girl and grabbed Thomas around the throat. In his shock, he let loose his grip on her shoulders, allowing her to step away from the two of them.

Spike pushed Thomas into the mausoleum and up against one of the walls.

"You go back, and tell them this one is mine."

Noticing the fear in Thomas' eyes, Spike sighed. Turning slightly, he caught sight of some splintered shards of wood. He picked one up and aimed it at the boys' heart.

"On second thought, don't" He stabbed the wood into the place where his heart used to be and smiled as he watched him turn to dust.

Willow watched in stunned silence as a figure came out of the darkness. Her breath caught in her throat as the moon lit the man's features in a strange glow. She had never seen anyone so…beautiful, in a dangerous sort of way. He had breached blonde hair and the most exquisite blue eyes. He was wearing a pair of black jeans that seemed to mold themselves to his body, and a red shirt unbuttoned over a black T-shirt. He also had a long black trench coat, which seemed to sway slightly with him movement.

She knew she should be afraid. He exuded a kind of dangerous power. But she wasn't scared. She just stared intently at him. She looked into the bluest eyes she had ever seen. Then, they changed. Not just his eyes, but his whole face changed. His eyes glowed golden, while his face took on ridges and she could see the hint of fangs protruding from his mouth.

At that moment, Willow knew with utmost certainty that he was a vampire. She had heard rumors since grade school about the creatures of the night, which roamed Sunnydale. But she had never seen one in person. At least she didn't realize she had. She now knew that Thomas was also a vampire. But for some reason she couldn't fathom, she didn't fear the blonde like she did Thomas. She felt that he wouldn't hurt her.

She watched in awe as the blonde moved with lightening speed and pushed Thomas into the building. She moved out of the way, and hesitated briefly as she tried to decide what she should do. Rationally, Willow realized she should run, as far away as she could, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Spike was surprised to find the girl still there when he left the mausoleum. She was staring at him curiously.

"You're a… a vampire, aren't you?" She asked hesitantly.

He looked at her closely for a second. She was nervous, but she didn't seem to be afraid. He grinned at her. "Yes. Does that frighten you?"

She looked up at him with wide green eyes. He could almost see the wheels turning in her head as she thought about it. "No." She told him.

Spike looked at her, disbelieving until he saw the truth in her eyes.

"Well then, Red, you won't mind if I walk you home." He grinned as he held out a hand for her to take.

She took his hand as she spoke. "No. I'm mean yes." He looked at questioningly as she explained. "No, I don't mind. But I need to go back to the Bronze. I left a friend back there. She'll worry."

Spike nodded his understanding as he walked her back to the Bronze.

About halfway out of the cemetery, they heard a scuffle. When they reached the source, Willow gasped.

"That's my friend." She told Spike pointing a blond girl fighting off a couple of vampires. As he watched her dust them, Spike realized that his redhead's friend was the slayer. Not wanting to dwell on this new peace of information, he disappeared into the shadows as his redhead ran towards a boy who had fallen in the fight.

After making sure that Xander was okay, Willow turned around to thank her savior, only to find that he had gone. She was slightly disappointed. She didn't even get his name.

"Willow! Are you alright?" Buffy asked when she noticed her standing there, looking into the shadows. "What happened?"

Willow turned around and smiled slightly. "I'm fine. I'm good. Really." There was this guy. I think he was a…" She lowered her voice to a whisper, "Vampire." When Buffy looked at her surprised, she continued, "And then there was this other guy. He saved me."

"Really? What did he look like?"

"Who? The vampire? Or the other one?" Willow asked realizing that could be a misleading question.

"The other one. Was he talk, dark, and cryptic?" She asked with a strange tone to her voice.

Willow looked at Buffy curiously, but then nodded. "Yeah, that sounds about right, but it was dark, so… I, uh, didn't get a good look."

When Buffy turned back to Xander, Willow breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't know why she had lied to her new friend about the man who had saved her, but she had felt it was the right thing to do.

Spike watched from the safety of the shadows as his redhead's friends made sure was all right. She smiled slightly when he heard her lie. But there was something about the slayer's description that bothered him. He shook off his concern as he headed back to the lair, and Druscilla. Tomorrow he would go see his grandsire and find exactly what was going on.