Warren sighed after Katrina hung up on him for the twenty-eighth time and he went to hang up the line on his phone. He turned round with a start and gasp of shock when he saw Spike standing behind him, holding a box.
"How, how'd you get in here?" Warren asked suspiciously.
"Your mum let me in." Spike simply replied "I'm placing an order."
"Oh, no, no, I'm not making any more girls."
"Sure you are." he said shoving the box into Warren's hands "Here's your specs."
Warren stared at Spike and then down at the box. A picture in the box caught his eye and he was shocked by the beauty of the young woman captured in it.
"You're gonna make her real good for me." Spike continued with a smile.
"There's a lot of data here." Warren said reading a sheet. "Twelve languages, fencing and combat mastery, weapons mastery, knowledge of literature, childhood memories, likes, dislikes, phrases, facial expressions, personality traits. I-I don't know if I can do this."
"Sure you can." Spike smiled dangerously.
"You want her to have a vamp-face?"
"Yup."
"In really don't think…"
"I'll see you in two weeks Warren."
"But…"
"Two weeks!"
Spike stood staring at the completed robot. Warren hovered nervously behind him but couldn't help but smile proudly at the beauty he had managed to reproduce so perfectly.
"Some say it's better'n the real thing." Spike commented absentmindedly, knowing that this could never be true about his lost love.
"Better than the real thing." Warren repeated anxiously.
Brodybot stood stock still with a slight smile playing across her exquisite features. She was wearing a simple midnight blue gown, reminiscent of a Victorian day-dress that was hemmed by delicate black lace. The bodice was a form-fitting corset top and the neckline was sweetheart shaped. The gauzy sleeves ended at her elbows and she wore old fashioned dancing shoes. Her pale, almost white hair was half pinned up with the rest curling in tendrils about her face.
"She looks good, but what about the rest?" Spike queried.
Spike still stood staring transfixed at the image of his long gone childe.
"A little walk, a little talk..." he prompted Warren.
Warren stood behind Spike stuffing books into a backpack in his parent's living room.
"…perhaps quote Byron…" Spike continued.
"Hey, she's, uh, great. You'll be real happy, I swear, she's got everything you asked for. All the extra programming, tons of real-world knowledge, the profiles you gave me about her family and friends, memories, school studies, intelligence, huge battle aptitude, adorable mannerisms…" Warren assured him.
"All the extra programming, right?" Spike pressed.
"Ah, the, the stuff that you wanted, the, uh, scenario responses, you know, the, uh, uh, special ... skills ..." Warren said with a nervous laugh "All of it. Now, you said that I could leave-"
Warren tried to get past but Spike grabbed at his arm.
"Wait. I'm not sure I'm a satisfied customer. She looks a little shiny to me, you know, uh…...touch of plasticine..."
The Brodybot's eyes fluttered open and widened in delight when they spotted Spike.
"William!" she said in Brody's lush voice and refined accent. Spike was thrilled, she was so like the real thing, her tone was besotted and sweet with the mirth and good humour twinkling in her blue-grey orbs that had always been present in his love.
Brodybot moved quickly to Spike and encircled him lovingly in her arms. Spike kissed the top of her head and she snuggled closer to his chest with a contented moan.
"She'll do." Spike stated with a look of joy on his face.
Spike lifted the necklace from his pocket and held it up so that Brodybot could see it. She gasped.
"You kept it after I deserted you like a stubborn bint." Brodybot breathed.
"Mum always wanted the love of my life to have it." Spike responded.
"Oh, William. I love you!" Brody allowed him to fix the necklace around her slender neck and place a chaste little kiss on her creamy shoulder.
"I love you, too. For far too long have I missed you, my love." Spike declared sadly.
"I am sorry. Don't be sad, my sweet William." Brody implored.
"Not anymore, I shan't. Come, let us celebrate. Do you want to get something to eat?"
"And can we go slay afterwards?" Brody asked.
"Sounds great, love."
They continued to stroll down the promenade in a shopping district of Sunnydale. Comfortable silence sat between them as Brody leaned her head on his shoulder and he breathed in the smell of passionflower from her hair. So engrossed in her he didn't notice the two witches walk out of a bookshop in front of them and they walked past.
"Spike?" Tara's voice called.
Spike whipped around and he stood still. He didn't want the damned Scoobies to know about Brodybot. "That woman knows you." Brodybot said, nudging him in Tara and Willow's direction.
Spike allowed Brodybot to tug him over to the two girls and cursed inwardly.
"Hello!" Brodybot greeted them. "William! Don't be so rude."
"Yeah, sorry, my love. Um, nice to see you, Red, Glinda." Spike nodded at them. Tara gave him a friendly smile and Willow glared, she hadn't forgiven Spike for the Buffy incident weeks before. But she was nosy as to who the beautiful woman with him was.
"He's awful!" Brodybot said with a giggle and smacked his chest playfully "I'm Broderique St. James but everyone calls me Brody."
"It's nice to meet you!" Tara said shyly.
"You must be Tara and Willow." Brodybot commented, scanning her memory banks.
"Yes, that's us." Willow confirmed "How do you know Spike?" She was worried that this sweet girl would get hurt.
"Oh, well his mother and mine were friends; in fact, Anne was my Godmother. Then William disappeared when I was seven. Then when I was seventeen, in 1890, William turned me. I was still good and pretended to be evil but Angelus figured it out and revealed my secret. I decided then to leave my vampire family for fear that their evil actions would force me to stake one of them. Now I'm back!"
Willow and Tara looked at the girl. She certainly didn't look over a hundred years old, and yet neither did Spike. "You're Spike's childe? I didn't know that Spike sired anyone." Willow said, thinking of the information she'd read on Spike in the past.
"Didn't speak much about her after she left, Red. Was too painful" Spike revealed sadly.
"But I'm here now, please don't fret, William." Brodybot beseeched of him. She traced a hand across the angular, beautiful features of his face and smiled encouragingly at him. Spike's misty eyes cleared and he beamed in a truly delighted way that neither Tara nor Willow had ever seen before. Spike gripped Brodybot by the waist and pulled her flush against him. She cuddled against his chest and mumbled some Shakespeare, aptly describing her happiness.