Disclaimer: I own nothing.

This is bloody insane, is what this is.

Angel promised Wolfram & Hart would deliver a full-on bloody wrath, and they didn't disappoint, gotta give them that.

Even with the damn dragon switching sides, they've got the numbers, just four of us against...

...Wait. No, three.

"They've got-" Spike gasped, morphing out of game face, "Charlie?"

What...?

"Oh" He mumbled.

Right. Then. Spike thought, In hell. Looking over at the ruined city, he saw demons, everywhere. Hell, even some demons in buildings; in fact, there was probably one in every condominium.

Looking up, Spike saw something very unusual...

...The sun and the moon, right beside each other.

"Heh." Spike snorted.

It was like he opened a floodgate, all of the sudden, Spike was laughing like he'd never laughed before.

"Two times, Los Angeles! Two times Spike survives the Big Bad!" The vampire roared to the city, "Not just the Big Bad! The Biggest Bads! The Biggest goddamn Bads since Eve bit the apple."

"And look at me!" he continued, "I stared down evil and laughed in its big ugly mug! And I'm staring right at the dawn and I'm not smoking!"

"You hear that? Screw you, dawn!" Spike yelled happily, giving dawn the two-fingered salute, and then he frowned. "Hope that's not taken out of context."

"Two up, two down. I earned my rest. I've proven myself." Spike told no one in particular, ignoring the slight twinge in his soul and fishing up a cigarette. "Not that I had to," he added in an undertone, "I mean, I fought for my soul back, what more do you want from me?"

"Yea," The champion agreed, warming up to the idea, "Spike is officially...out!" he grunted, smacking a demon.

"Get the word out, Flyboy, when you reach the bottom" Spike yelled at the demon falling towards the ground. "No one talks to Spike unless Spike talks to them. And Spike doesn't talk to anyone who isn't a fairly open-minded damsel-"

"Aw no..." He groaned, spying someone on an opposite roof.

Gotta move Spike thought, running towards the elevator, maybe I shoulda jumped off the roof instead of taking the elevator. Nah, Spike dismissed the thought, this is safer. Actually, is the bloody elevator safer? Now that everything is helled out, you never know. That's the thing. Gotta stay on top of these things.

Can't be her, though. Spike thought, reaching the top of the roof, can't be that lucky.

"Fred?" He called out tentatively.

There she was-curled up in a ring of fire, shaking in fear.

"Is it over?" She asked, scared. Not wanting to hear the answer, not if it's bad.

"I think so, love." Spike soothingly told her, "But-why are you here? Why are you near me? Also, why are you Fred?" he wondered, hoping he didn't hurt her in anyway.

"Makes sense, I guess." He rambled, trying to reassure himself. "My wounds are healed, my duster is pristine. You're back to normal. Maybe Wolfram and Hart only had a beef with Angel."

"Wesley..." Fred murmured.

"And Wesley, sure. And probably Gunn. Point is, not us." Spike pulled Fred to him in a hug, feeling an odd warmth and a stirring in his chest he hasn't felt in...How long was it anyways?

Doesn't matter, I get it. It's a "meant to be" thing. Fine, I can handle it, just me and Fred. It's not like I have feelings for her...not romantic ones, anyway.

"ARRGHH!"

Come on! Spike thought, he was just beginning to get used to this.

No ...just get away. Get Fred to safety. They don't matter. Its hell, this is probably happening on every block. What can a retired twice-champion do? The said retired twice-champion jumped down from the roof, carrying Fred in his arms.

There were three spider demons. They were chasing two girls and a woman; a brunette and a woman following her.

"Feast" the spider demon hissed.

"Please, no!" The brunette girl screamed, the woman-her mother? - Pushing the girl back. To protect her, no doubt.

Hell.

Hell.

Hell.

"This is an one-time thing, understand, I-" Spike jumped into the fray, killing a spider demon.

"Fred!" he yelled, seeing Fred walking towards him, "Get back! I just have to some championing and then we'll be off-" He stopped abruptly.

Fred...wasn't Fred. She was Illyria; Illyria was changing back to herself. Illyria killed a demon by ripping him in half.

"Damn it." Spike mumbled; he knew it was too good to be true, he knew it.

So why does it hurt so much, to be proven right?

"What happened?" the frightened woman asked. "What's going on?"

"I seriously don't know." Spike said in a soft voice.

He closed his eyes. Idiot, Spike scolded himself, you should have known. Smelt it. What was Illyria thinking, doing that, anyways? How was she so bloody good at it?

"Can we...stick by you? It's not safe-" The woman's voice jolted him out of his brooding thoughts. Great, now he was brooding. It's all Angel's fault. If he didn't provoke the Senior Partners, this whole thing wouldn't have happened.

"Yeah. Yeah, I was retired, but to tell you the truth, it got boring after awhile." Spike lied.

"What about her?" the girl asked, "is she coming...?"

He opened his eyes to see Illyria, her hands and arms covered in blood, reaching down to the demons again.

"Doesn't look like she needs protection."

Spike didn't know if he was supposed to be relived, furious, or depressed; in one hand, he should be glad that Fred was actually Illyria-Fred could get hurt. Oh god, what if Illyria became Fred again and she get hurt? What if she dies? Could he take that again?

"Yeah, lady. She really does."

I need a Beta. Preferably one that's read the comics. PM or review me if you want that position.

This follows all of the comics, even Season Eight. However, changes will come.

I will update weekly.

R&R