"That BITCH!" Spike threw his glass at the wall and it shattered into thousands of tiny fragments. He ran his fingers through his peroxide blonde hair, then in a burst of renewed fury punched the wall with his fist until it began to bleed.

His evening had started off well. He'd gone to the Bronze, stalked over to a girl with a beautiful, slender neck, and asked her what her poison was.

"People like you..." she had replied, a glint of flirtation in her eyes. Spike, with his intense blue eyes, razor sharp cheekbones and the general air of someone who could show you a really... bad time had never had any trouble with the ladies.

"What am I like then, pet?" he asked her, finding her deep brown eyes with his piercing blue ones.

"You're sexy as hell, and you know it. And you know I know it, and you only want one thing from me. That sound about right?" she took another sip of her drink.

About right, Spike remembered thinking. Although I don't want what you're thinking of. Not from you, anyway. A hint of a smile played on his lips.

"Another drink then, love? What'll it be?"

"I'll have a gin and tonic."

"Gin and tonic for the lady." Spike called to the barman.

"You're not having anything?"

Spike's smile grew, and he lifted his hand and rested his fingers lightly on her cheek.

"No need."

The girl smiled back at him, clearly enjoying the attention he was giving her, and the jealous looks some of the other girls in the club were shooting at her.

"I haven't seen you around before. What's your name?"

"Spike."

"I'm Louisa. God, it's cold in here. Your fingers are freezing." she wrapped her own around his, and slowly led his hand away from her face. She leaned in close to him. "How about we get out of here?"

"Thought you'd never ask."

She led him to the exit, still holding on to his hand. "Where shall we go?"

"How about we stay right here," he said, and delivered a punch that could shatter bones into the side of her face. She recovered quickly, and the face now looking back at him was an ugly shadow of what it had been previously. She was a vampire.

"I'm going to make you pay for that" she said, her now yellow-green eyes alight with rage. He blocked her punches easily, and kicked her hard in the stomach, sending her flying onto the ground. He then bared his own true face, and grabbed the stake he had concealed in his leather trench coat and held it above her heart.

She looked up at him, terrified, but with a confused look in her eyes.

"But you're one of us..."

"Wrong again lo-" Spike began, when someone grabbed him and threw him to the ground. Slayer.

"He's been neutered." Buffy smiled at the vampire she'd torn Spike from. "Nice to meet you, by the way." she plunged her own stake into the girl's heart before she had a chance to venture a reply.

"I was getting there, Slayer."

"Yeah? Well I got there first."

He looked at her. Really looked at her.

"What do you want, Spike?"

"Nothing. I just appreciate a bit of violence. And since they put this sodding chip in my head, the only way I can get my rocks off is by fighting demons and bloody vampires. So you'd better accept the fact that I'm on your side now."

"What do you know about my side, Spike. You have no soul. You could kill all the vampires on earth and you still wouldn't be on my side. You know why? Because if you had the choice, it would have been a human you'd brought at here tonight, and you would have tried to kill her just the same."

"You don't know that. I've changed, Slayer. You've changed me."

"Oh don't start that again." She looked at him with a hatred in her eyes that hurt him more than he would have liked. "You don't love me Spike. You couldn't possibly. You're just an empty shell."

"I know what love is Buffy. I know I love you. And I'll do what it takes to prove it to you."

"Do what you want Spike. You know what? It doesn't matter. Because I could never love you. Never."

"I'd die for you Buffy."

"You're already dead."

And at that moment, he wished he was. Properly dead. Dust dead. Just because he knew that she wished it too.