Ch.1 E-bay and one suspicious sarcophagus

Fred studied the sarcophagus with mild curiosity. Well, it might have been a little bit more then mild - in fact she was itching to find out more about this mysterious delivery.

"I couldn't find any invoice on it," said Knox from the other side of the room. "Thought that maybe you got crazy on E-Bay."

Fred quickly assured him that she had not been shopping on E-Bay and walked around the thing that held her attention.

"Did you run a spectral analysis?"

"Yeah. Everything was bouncing off of it - which doesn't thrill me."

"Yeah? Let's not be hasty in opening it," Fred decided. "It's probably just a mummy, but…"

"Mummies can be a lot more trouble than you think." Knox smiled vaguely. "And you're seeing Spike now," he said out of the blue.

"Ohm… Oh…Okay…" mumbled Fred taken aback. "Er… That's not connected to mummies in some way…?"

"No. I just wanted to get it out in the air." Knox sighed. "And I'm totally good with it. I, I know that I've made advances…"

Fred felt just a tiny bit embarrassed.

"I'm sorry."

"Ohm…No! I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable," he hastily assured her. "I love working with you, and that's plenty - for me."

Fred gave him the sweetest smile in her repertoire.

"You're sweet."

"Who's sweet?" an enthralling voice asked behind her and she swung around with a little happy 'eek' sound, throwing herself in the vampire's strong embrace.

"Spike!"

The vampire kissed her passionately, before putting her down.

"You are a saucy wench," he smiled and then he saw the sarcophagus and was thrilled.

"A mummy! Long time I saw one of those," he mused and took a step closer to the thing.

"We're not exactly sure that it is a mummy," Fred declared and pressed herself against his back. "It could be anything for all that I know."

"Aha." Spike gave her a quick smile, but it was clear that his focus was mainly on the sarcophagus - which made Fred feel just a little bit jealous of that old, dusty thing.

"You shouldn't be touching that, man," said Knox with a hint of anxiety in his voice.

But Spike wouldn't be Spike if he actually had listened. Next thing he touched the lilac stone that looked like a jewel. And started coughing, to Fred's surprise.

She watched anxiously as he stepped back from the sarcophagus with his hand to his mouth and still coughing like a madman.

"What happened?"

"I don't bloody know!" the vampire said behind gritted teeth. "It opened, and there was air."

"Are you okay?" she laid a hand on his cheek and looked him deeply in the eyes.

"I think so. Man, that was odd!" He eyed the sarcophagus suspiciously. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you absolutely sure?" she asked, concerned for his sake. Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly noticed the grim expression on Knox's face. "Knox? Is there something we should know about this?"

The other men meet her gaze and shook his head.

"No. None that I know of. But I will get right back on it. See what it truly is."

"You do that." Fred dismissed the scientist and turned to Spike that seemed to look a little better. "Shall we get out of here? I promised Lorne that I would meet him for coffee."

"Sure thing, pet."

Fred was looking bewildered.

"It doesn't make any sense," she concluded.

"Just calling it as I see it," the green demon shrugged.

"But the cavemen have fire, that's what they live with in their caves. The astronauts should at least have some sort of weapons…" she ended her tirade when she suddenly came face to face with Spike. "Hey, there," she fired of a mega watt smile.

"I was actually just on my way to see you, luv." He returned her smile and leaned in for a kiss. "You taste like raspberry and chocolate."

"Oh…" She giggled and blushed all at the same time. "You like it?"

He leaned in for yet another kiss that took its time and when he draws back, Fred had a dreamy look on her face.

"It's the best taste ever," he assured her.

"How are you feeling, Spike?" she was still concerned over the nasty cough from earlier.

"Feeling just fine, duckling. I was planning on taking you out for a nice dinner tonight and I can assure you that I have no plans to turn up all wrapped in bandages."

Fred laughed at the mental image, as did Lorne.

"Take me out were?"

"Can it be a secret?" Spike gave her a cocky grin and she slammed him on the shoulder.

"Stop with the teasing!"

"I'll stop when you quit thinking it's funny," the vampire shipped.

"I don't…" The protest was quickly silenced with yet another kiss.

"Oh, cheez!" said Lorne and pushed right through them. "Get a balcony you two!"

Fred turned her head in his direction; "You still see me later, right?" she asked.

"I just look for the sunshine's," he mused. "You're my sunshine," he sang as he made his way down the stairs. "My only sunshine…"

Fred smiled and then focused on Spike that seemed to be in a very good mood.

"You make me happy…" the vampire serenades her.

Lorne's head whipped around just in time to see the vampire spit out blood.

Fred screamed when her lover suddenly started to descend from the stairs. He got caught up by a worried Lorne and when Fred finally reached them, the vampire had passed out.

"Get medical!" she screamed between uncontrolled sobs. "Someone get medical now!"

They had all assembled in the medical room and were now looking down at the weak vampire that quietly lay in his bed between white sheets.

"Look at you," he said coughing. "All here to see the fallen hero. I'm still a hero, right?"

"You'll always be." Fred strokes his tousled hair.

"Then I'm not a mummy?"

"Well - if you were you certainly must be the best looking mummy in history."

"'S' that right?" He gave her a hint of a smile before he coughed again. "Can anyone tell me what's really wrong with me? It feels like I'm burning from the inside…" He gazed over at Angel, who actually seemed worried about Spike's status. "Are you thinking that I'll burn for my sins? That I had this coming?"

Fred stared at the dark haired vampire, challenging him to say anything that could upset her fragile lover. Wisely, Angel chose to approach the problem with firm coolness.

"That's not what I think, Spike. And I can assure you that I have pulled all strings possible to find out what's wrong with you. Hopefully we'll have the answers in a short while."

Spike coughed and shivered. For some reason he meet the gaze from Knox and immediately knew that the bastard had something to do with his currant state. And as he was looking into the other man's eyes, he suddenly came to a awful conclusion; he was going to die.

"Don't bother," he managed to say between clenched teeth. "I know what's wrong with me. Look it up," he looked at Wes. "It's called Illyria."

"Illyria?" Wes seemed curious and somewhat shocked that Spike knew what's wrong with him. "And how do you know this, Spike?"

"I can feel it. It's gutting me from the inside so that it can be reborn into this world. And I don't have much time left…"

Fred shook her head and they saw warm tears trailing their way down her pale cheeks.

"Spike… Don't say that. We will find a way to help you."

"Actually, we will get right on it," Angel said and left the room with his team close behind. Only Fred remained and the vampire felt sad to see her obvious pain. He only wished that things could've been different. That he could be different. Always hurt the ones he loved.

"'S' my fault, really," he sighed. "I should stop being so got damn nosey." He petted her on the shoulder. "There, there, my love," he whispered slowly to her. "I don't want you to worry about me." He gave her a broad smile and delighted in her response. "Can you do me a favor, pet?"

"Anything," she promised.

"Can you take me home? To your apartment? I would like to be there."

"It's as good as done."

Spike coughed and gave her a weary look.

"It's so hot in here. To bloody hot, luv. The light... It hurts my eyes…"

She made an attempt to flip the switch, but was stopped by his grip.

"But I don't want you to turn it off. But it hurts my eyes… Everything is so bright and hollow." The vampire was rambling. "The darkness wins. Of course the darkness wins."

Fred laid her arms around the shaking figure and kissed his hot cheek. He felt so warm… Like he was burning from within. And suddenly he started convulsing - almost pushing her off the bed.

"I'm burning, Fred! Oh God, I've sinned! I'm being punished for my sins!"

Fred tried to hold him down so that he wouldn't hurt himself as his body kept shaking.

"I don't know what's wrong! I'm a bad, bad man. Spike's a bad, bad man. Oh God, don't hurt the girl - don't ever hurt the girl!"

"Spike!" Fred was scared. Afraid that she actually was losing the man she loved. It hurt her to see him in such pain. It was as if her mere touch made it worse, but she couldn't let go of him. She could never let go of him.

"I'm sorry," he chanted. "Sorry, I'm sorry… Please, Fred, make it stop!" he cried out.

"I can't… I'm so sorry, my love… I can't!" Fred was on the verge of loosing her mind. But the fact that Spike needed her right now kept her going. She wouldn't abandon him.

"I shouldn't have done it," the vampire blamed himself. "And why did Angel and the others… And you… Think you could beat it? It's evil, Fred. It's bigger than anything." He coughed more viciously.

"How do you know this?"

"I can feel it; Fred. Clawing its way back through me. Gutting me like a pig." He draw in air that he didn't need and meet her sad gaze. "You won't leave me now? Fred?"

"I will never leave you, Spike." She leaned in to kiss his burning lips. "I love you."

"I love you too, Fred. And I…" He got this look about him; as if he'd lost track of something very important. "Wait. I know I had something to say…" He coughed and then looked at her questioning. "You won't leave me?"

"I won't."

He seemed contempt with that and gave her a weak smile.

"I'll hold you to that, luv."

"If you promise that you won't leave me." She caressed his warm cheek. "What was it?"

"What?"

"That you were going to say, when you forgot. What was it?"

Spike coughed yet again and looked dizzy. Then he smiled.

"And cavemen would win over astronauts any time."

Fred rolled her eyes and thought that only Spike could make a joke in a time such as this.

He laughed at her expression, but soon after he shivered and moaned in pain.

"Am I a hero to you? Am I a hero to anyone?"

"You're a superhero," she assured him.

"And this is my power," he shivered. "To not let them take me. Not me!"

"Spike…" Her voice drifted off as he laid his hand over her chest.

"Listen to that. It beats so steady…" He smiled in awe. "It's so beautiful…"

Fred gently pushed him down on the bed and lay down by his side. She wrapped her arms around him one more time and buried her head against his neck. Then she raised herself so that she could look down on his beautiful face.

"I am very angry," she told him in confident.

"Me too."

"We had good times."

"Wouldn't change it for the world." He coughed. "You make me a better person."

She gave him a sad smile. "That wasn't hard. I love you. So much."

"And I love you…" His coughing was getting worse and she tried to put up her bravado - but knew he could see right through it.

"Spike… You need to rest."

"Yeah…" He agreed. "Hey, don't worry about me. I've never felt better…"

Fred looked down at the sleeping vampire and finally let the tears trail freely.

"I love you, Spike…"

Angel silently gazed down the endless pit and felt something inside him bristle and crack. He guesses that he felt Spike dying. Blood calls out to blood. His grand-childe was dying. And he was in terrible pain.

I'm sorry…

"You made the right decision," said Gunn as he came over to where Angel was looking over the side of the bridge into the Deeper Well.

"I know it doesn't seem like it now, but believe me, you did the right thing."

"Then you can explain it to Spike when we get back," said Angel between clenched teeth as he turned and headed out of the Deeper Well.

"Explain what?" asked Gunn.

"Explain to him how we had a chance to save him and we chose not to!" spat Angel angrily. "Explain to him how I let him down. How I let him die – again."

TBC