Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Whedonverse. I wish I did, but alas, I'm not as clever as him. I'm just borrowing them for this here piece of work. I hope you like, Please review. I'm working on the next installment now. 

"Well that's the last of them, they're all dead now." Spike said as he headed towards the road. "Was great doing business with you Angel. But, I gotta girl I go to go find and win back." He watched as his grandsire clearly fought back the urge to run after him and dust him right there, right then. "Cheers peaches!" He said as he exited the alleyway that he, Angel, Illyria and Gunn had just killed the entire Senior Partners death patrol. Illyria had done some weird mojo to them, making them all invincible. Something Spike and surely the others were truly grateful she had kept hidden until then. She was a mystery. Spike knew he'd be back to LA, if so just to check up on the blue one. Spike found the closest taxi and directed the driver to the International Airport. If Wolfram & Hart had still been on their side, then he'd be halfway to Europe already. All of a sudden his phone started ringing. He accepted the call.

"'Ello?"

". . . ."

"Really, you understand? Well, if you feel the need."

". . . ."

"Okay, when I see her, I'll tell her you'll be on your way soon."

". . . ."

"Bye."

He finished the call and put the phone back in his duster pocket. It had been Angel. He had decided to go for a trip to Europe too. Once he had organized it with Connor and the others. Not for the same reasoning that Spike was going for, but just to get away and catch up with the scoobies now that he was free of Wolfram & Hart, maybe they'd treat him a bit differently.

When he reached the tickets desk, he smirked at the girl behind the computer. In the old days, he would have jumped the desk and drained the life from her via her neck and then followed by doing the same to everyone else in the international terminal. But he was different now. He was a different Spike. He had a soul, he had a mission, he had a girl to sweep off her feet, and he felt kind of queasy. He held his stomach as it rolled around uneasily. He shook it off – probably something to do with the huge battle that he had just fought. His body was probably still regaining its normality. It was the least of his worries, considering he could have been dust instead of being here.

"Ello luv"

"Good evening, how may I help you?"

"Me, I'm after a ticket to Rome"

"Was that a one way or return ticket?"

"One way luv" He wasn't going to be heading back here in a hurry.

"And was that a seat in Business or First class?"

Spike thought for a minute. "First class thanks" He smiled mischievously. He still had his Wolfram & Hart Unlimited Staff Credit Card with him.

"No worries, now all I need is your passport"

Spike pulled out a passport shaped book that was a bit worse for wear.

"Here you go luv"

"Thank you Mr. William" she said, noting his surname.

After a few minutes, she handed him back his passport and his crisp, still warm from the printer, airline ticket.

"Thanks pet"

"Thank You Mr. William, have a safe flight"

He nodded to her and smiled to himself as he made it towards the departure gate. In a few short hours he'd be able to go and see her again. The last time he'd spoken to her was a year ago. Underneath the High School back in Sunnydale, just before he'd turned into a big pile of dust. She had told him that she loved him, and he hoped that she still felt that way. Of course, he'd sighted her a few weeks back, dancing on some random Roman dance club's dance floor, when he and Angel were sourcing the Immortal. It had taken all his might to stop himself from ripping her away from that bastard. How dare he try to take his girl? Spike had to stop himself. He was getting very worked up about her being with that ponce. He had by now made his way to the departure gate. He handed the hostess his ticket and boarded the plane.

Once he had found his seat, he quickly sat down – scared he was going to fall over. He felt worse now than he had before at the desk when he was getting his ticket. It was like he had felt before the big dusting incident last year at the school. He couldn't let anything happen before he was reunited with her. He felt as if someone had shot him with a poisoned arrow and the poison was washing over him in waves. The next one made him pass out in his seat on the plane. The next thing he knew he was being woken up by on of the flight attendants.

"Mr. William, we've just landed in Rome. You're the last passenger left on the plane."

"Oh, thanks luv" He tried to get up, but failed all of his muscles were aching.

"Are you okay Mr. William? You don't look too good"

"Yeah luv, right as rain, thanks" He said in defiance of how he really felt. He didn't want to look like a ponce. He managed a smile towards the caring attendant and gained enough focus to walk off the plane. His brain was in a mess. He made his way out of the arrival lounge and found his cell phone. He managed to pull out a piece of paper with a phone number on it. He shakily dialed the number.

". . . ."

"Ello luv"

". . . ."

"I'm at the Airport"

". . . ."

"Rome Airport"

". . . ."

"Well just now. Look, I'm not feeling too well at the minute and was wondering if you could swing by the airport and pick me up."

". . . ."

"Okay, I'll see you in a few luv. Arrival lounge number seven."

". . . ."

"Bye bit"

He shook his head to try and clear it and headed to one of the sofas back in the arrival lounge. He'd never felt like this before, not since before he had been turned. He remembered vaguely, back when he was a human, he had had pneumonia, his mother had been worried sick and it had looked like he wasn't going to make it at one point. Many people died back in the day from pneumonia. But he knew that it wasn't that. Vampires couldn't get sick from human diseases. But he truly felt sick. He decided to close his eyes and rest in the hope that he would soon feel better, he had to, for her.

"Spike" she whispered in his ear, shaking him ever so slightly. She had noted that he looked run down, weak and in need of a good serving of blood. She hadn't seen him this bad since the Initiative had first put the chip in his head. It was then that he started to stir. He opened hi eyes and set his sights on her. She had grown up so much in the last year. She was now ever much the woman he imagined she would grow up into.

"Nibblet" he forced out. He then realized that he had passed out for the second time today.

"Hey big bad, what's happening? What's wrong with you?"

"I haven't a clue pet. I've been like this since just before I left Los bloody Angeles"

"Well, lets get you back to the house and we'll work out what to do from there. Get you back on your feet."

"Fine by me 'bit. Tis good to see you"

"Good to see you too" she smiled at him as she helped him in getting up off the sofa. His legs felt like Jell-O. But he managed to make it to the taxi rank and into the first available taxi, with Dawn's help.

When Dawn was finally in, she said something to the taxi driver that he was unable to understand. Not that he cared much, he trusted her to get them back. She could have been talking in Ancient Sumerian and he wouldn't have cared. He was so close to seeing her again he couldn't fade to black just yet.

About fifteen minutes later, well that's what it felt like to him, they arrived at the little place that he recognized as being the place they had come to a couple of months previous and been fronted by the boy. He'd helped himself and Angel, so he couldn't complain. He was waiting for him to come out and fuss over him like mother duck.

Dawn helped him out of the cab, paid the driver and helped Spike up into the house. Buffy wasn't home at the moment, and it seemed like the boy wasn't even, which was possibly a good thing, considering the current condition he was in. He didn't want Buffy to get upset and didn't want the boy fussing over him like he was Yoda. Dawn helped him get comfortable on the couch and headed into the kitchen. She moved over to the phone on the wall and picked up the receiver. There were a couple of people that might be able to help that she had to ring to try and get this mess with him sorted out, and before Buffy got home. . . . .