Author's Note: I basically decided to write this because I was thinking about what Joss could hit us with now. And the thought came to mind- dusting Spike.

Chapter One

Death

Spike sighed and shifted uncomfortably on the tombstone he was sitting on. He was bored as Hell- he hadn't seen any vampires- and more importantly, he hadn't seen Buffy- for the entire, long, night.

"So, you gonna just sit there, or are you gonna patrol?"

Spike jumped and sprung to his feet, twirling around to face his adversary. It was-

"Willow."

The redhead nodded and shot him a lopsided grin. Spike sighed and brought out a cigarette, lighting it and taking a long drag from it.

"Buffy's sick… she has a really high fever, so I'm patrolling in place of her. Xander and Tara are supposed to meet me here soon, but I suppose it's all okay if you're here until then."

Willow sent Spike a cheerful smile that lightened Spike's dark mood. Willow was one of the Scoobies that never tended to piss him off.

"Well, let's go patrolling then… wouldn't want all those nasty vamps to get away, now would we?"

Willow grinned and Spike jumped off the crypt. He then proceeded to help Willow down, hugging her waist so that she wouldn't fall. As he did this, Willow's cheeks rose to a blush.

Spike not- so- immediately let go of Willow, making her blush rise from a slight rose colour to a bright, beet red. Although she was gay, she was also still- aroused by males- and Spike was, well, a really hot male.

Spike began to walk ahead and was nearly to the next to the newer graves, when a scream erupted from behind him. Spike spun around and saw Willow- who was knocked to the ground, a vampire on top of her. Spike ran back to Willow, and pulled the vampire away from Willow. He recalled later that he had seen a small amount of blood on willow's throat… he supposed that's what made him pound the vampire so badly- how anyone but himself could attack her, he didn't know.

"Lay." punch. "Off." kick. "You pansy."

The vampire retaliated with amazing fury, by gripping Spike's wrist and snapping it. Spike growled with pain, and kicked the vamp in the groin. The vampire hissed and bitch-slapped Spike, dragging his nails across Spike's cheek, creating a flaw on Spike's pale and once flawless face.

"That hurt!" Spike growled, and vamped himself up. The vampire stared uncertainly for a second, and then laughed.

"You are one crazy vamp, fighting other vampires." the vamp said and shook his head in disgust. He glanced behind Spike for just a moment, and then lunged for Willow, who was trying to pick herself up.

Spike ran after the vampire, and caught him about the waist, just as the vamp was going to dive for the kill. Spike heaved the vamp up, when Spike saw Buffy, standing above Willow. She looked a little run down- hell; she looked like she was dying. Her nose was running, and her eyes were watering. Her naturally blonde hair (which Spike absolutely loved) was stringy and dry looking. She was wearing a coat over her pajamas.

"Who the Hell are you?" the vampire (who was still in Spike's grasp) said, voice emitting just a trace of confusion and fear.

"The Slayer." Buffy said and sniffed.

The next few actions happened in slow motion. Afterwards, Willow and Buffy would stand in the graveyard, shocked into silence.

Buffy pulled out a stake and dived at the vampire in Spike's grip. The vampire twisted himself from Spike and yanked himself away, taking off. Buffy's stake (Mr. Pointy), sank into Spike's flesh and pierced his heart.

Motion returned to normal, and in shock, Buffy pulled the stake away from Spike's heart. Spike stood there for a moment, staring in shock at the wound, and then looked back up at Buffy. Willow stood behind her, equally shocked.

"Always thought I'd go in a fight." he murmured, and then turned to ash.

***

It was a year since Spike's demise. A full year. Today would mark the day of his ultimate death. Buffy was unable to sleep, so she sat motionless in her room, thinking of that day.

Dawn peeked into her room, and saw that her sister was also wide-awake. Slowly and carefully, she opened the door and came into the room, and sat next to her elder sister.

"I miss him too." Dawn said, and cuddled with the blonde. Buffy wrapped an arm about the brunette and sighed.

"I never really noticed how used to him I got."

Dawn nodded, and snuggled closer to her sister's warm skin.

"It's not your fault. Heck, maybe he's happy, like you were. Maybe he's in heaven."

***

Spike was in Hell. Spike was in pain. He was in agony. He was alone.

For one whole year, he had been in this dimension. It was black. Like a tomb. And he was scared. He had never been more scared in his life.

When he first got there, he had called for hours for Buffy. And then for Drusilla. And then the Scooby Gang. And then, almost giving up hope, voice hoarse with his cries, he called for Angel, his Sire.

Eventually, he lost all hope. He tried to live, to be happy, but all he could do was cry. There was nothing but silence in the black space he was confined to. He lay in a corner in a fetal position, sobbing like a baby, all alone with only his memories.

He remembered the worst points of his life- when he was depressed, when he first tried to kill himself, the days during his obsession with Cecily, and then his days with Drusilla and the rest of the "Fab Four".

Spike was no one now.

"No one… I'm no one."

Author's Note:

More to come! I somehow suppose I'm going to receive flames for this chapter ^_^;