Disclaimer: All characters are owned by Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.

Differences

Spike took another swallow of his blood and looked at the empty glass. He sighed and just tossed it on the floor. He got up and changed the channel. It was the middle of the day and he couldn't go out so he turned on Passions.

About halfway through the show he felt an oncoming presence in his crypt. He quickly got up and turned off the TV, listening carefully. In a matter of seconds, a tall, skinny, vengeance demon was standing in front of him with a smug grin on her face. It was a demon that he had only met once or twice, but a woman he knew all too well.

"Bloody hell! Halfrek, is it now?"

"That's right. And Spike? Such a charming name," she said as she walked around his crypt.

"Look, it's early, I'm tired. Did you have something nasty you wanted to say that you forgot to 120 years ago?"

Spike turned his back to her a walked over to the stone tomb and sat on it.

"Well, no. I, uh, I came to, well…you know what never mind."

"Oh, what now. Don't get all prim and proper with me, Cecily. I know you better than you think," Spike smiled as she flinched to hear her true name, "out with it then."

"It's just, I wanted to see how you were. You, I thought you wer dead, It was kind of a big deal when you were found in that alley."

"Yeah, well, I imagined that you'd be dead too by now. And oh, what a pleasant thought that was."

Halfrek smiled at the platinum blonde vampire who was once the boy she grew up with. He had changed so much.

"Your accent has changed," she sighed as she tilted her head and sat down in his chair.

Spike laughed, "and yours. You sound like a bloody Yank."

"I know, isn't it horrible. I just, I spent most of my time doing justice here because I really didn't want to go back to England. I, I couldn't."

"And why's that, pet," inquired Spike, his voice beginning to soften.

1 "I… I found my fiancé sleeping with another-"

"Woman," Spike interrupted.

"No, actually, it was another man."

At that, Spike burst out with laughter. "So, you wouldn't love me because I was 'beneath you', and you fiancé wouldn't love you because he was a poof." And he continued to laugh.

"Yeah, well it was funny until I cursed him and made his penis explode. That's how I got my gig as a Justice Demon." She smiled as Spike immediately stopped laughing. "So your obviously not human anymore. How'd you become a vampire?"

Spike sighed. He had told this story just over a year before to Buffy, but this time he wouldn't have to preface with the back story.

"Well, after you shattered my heart into a thousand tiny jagged pieces, I ran out to the streets ripping up all of my poetry. I went into a alleyway to cr- uh, think, and along comes the most enchanting woman I had ever seen. I stood up, I little apprehensive but completely enthralled. She spoke softly to me, kindly, comforting, and asked me if I wanted something, effulgent. I told her yes and she made me what I am. I spent 120 years with that woman…" Spike trailed off as he thought of Drusilla, though he was now in love with Buffy, he often thought of Dru, and some of their happier times.

"And you loved her very much?" Asked Halfrek, tearing up a little.

"Yes." Said Spike as he looked at the floor.

"Will-uh-Spike, about that night-"

"You don't need to say anything, I've put it all behind me."

"No, I haven't so just listen. I'm sorry. I really am. I thought you were a wonderful man, really. All I cared about was my stupid stature. And though I never would have admitted it, I truly enjoyed your poetry. And, I'm sorry. God-I was such bitch!"

"Yeah, you really were," stated Spike with a smile. Cecily only laughed. She deserved it.

Now the two ex-humans sat in silence, both looking at their feet until Halfrek broke the silence.

"You love her, don't you?" Halfrek asked, "The girl, uh, Buffy? Anya's friend."

"The slayer? Yeah, I got it real bad."

"And Dawn too. You love her," Halfrek stated this more than she asked it.

"Yep, and the Little Bit. But not like, in love, love-you know what I mean."

"I do. She really loves you too. When she was, when I could hear her pain, almost as much of it was about you as it was about her sister. She misses you. She thinks you don't care about her anymore now that Buffy is back. She wants to see you."

Spike just stared at Cecily. He had no idea.

"I just, it's not that simple. I'd love to go visit the Nibblet more often but, I don't think Buffy would like me coming to the house so much."

"I think it's more important to do what's best for Dawn, rather than give in to Buffy's every want," Halfrek stated.

"Yeah."

"Yeah. Well, William, it was nice to see you again but I must be off," She said as she walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek, "I'm glad we could work out our differences."

Spike smiled at her and just waved as she disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Spike lit a cigarette and took in a voluntary breath. He decided that's he'd smoke all he wanted now rather than later. He didn't like to smoke around Dawn.