Spike rubbed his eyes. Why was everything so blurry? 'Oh Bloody Hell! Not again!' Spike felt himself disappearing again. It was like his body was being lurched from one dimension to another. Pulled and shoved in so many directions. He felt his body being torn, or rather ripped, apart.

When the world had stopped shifting in front of him he was in room. A girls room, and it was still night. He knew that much. She started to stir.

'Edward?' Said the girl sleepily.

'Why not? Go back to sleep, love.' He told himself to think logically but this hadn't happened for over a year. Was he a ghost again? Oh, God. He bloody hoped not!

'I thought you were hunting with your brothers and Carlisle tonight,' the girl sat up.

'Er, yeah. Forgot my, urm… gun.' Spike leant against the wall substituting an answer which seemed to fit. Thankfully, he didn't fall through the wall which meant he hadn't gotten zapped back into a ghost. This time he didn't have Fred.

'What are you talking –' Said Bella sitting up. He noticed her name in wooden letters above the bed, one of which, he could have sworn, was about to be thrown at his face. 'Who the hell are you?!' She shouted, flicking the light.

'Quite possibly the ghost of bloody Christmas past.' Spike stomped to the window, still not convinced by the fact he hadn't toppled through the wall, that he wasn't a ghost again. Hey, it'd happened once.

'W-what?'

'Never mind, I'll just be leaving.' He waved a salute to the girl in the bed quite naturally considering the circumstances, then he looked out the window. 'Never gotten this far from home before.' The house, he noticed, was completely surrounded by a forest of trees. 'We're not in Los Angeles, are we?'

'No. Forks. Look, who are you?' Bella snapped, embarrassed to be in her pyjamas but still very angry.

'Oh that's just fantastic! It's er, Spike…'

'What are you doing in my room?'

'Absolutely no idea.' He answered honestly. 'I'm sorry – Forks?'

'I think you should leave, now.' She stood up, bravely. He didn't look like a vampire, but she was still pretty convinced she couldn't take him. Charlie might be able to but putting him in danger again, didn't seem very wise to Bella. This man was making no sense whatsoever.

'I don't think I can,' Grinned the blond haired intruder. 'Sorry, pet, what did you say your name was?'

'I didn't,' she mocked

'Don't get smart with me,'

'It's Isabella Swan.' Unsure of why she was telling him this, Bella laughed uncomfortably.

'Issy-'

'Bella.' She automatically interrupted.

'Bella,' Spike repeated, 'Has anything strange happened recently? In the last few days, like?'

'No. Well, no stranger than usual,' Bella muttered. 'I'm dating a vampire, of course it's a little strange.' Adding the last part in her head. 'I'm sorry, I ramble.' She added another little uncomfortable jitter for good measure. She really should kick him out already. What was it with Bella having strange men in her room?

'You remind me of a friend I had once, dead now, poor Fred. Aren't they all?' Pondered the very odd bleach blonde stranger, 'You said "Than Usual," what did you mean by that?' He questioned, catching onto what she had intended as a harmless rant. Now she was in trouble. Or rather he was.

There stood, or somewhat back flipped, her knight in shining armour. Metaphorically speaking, of course – he looked fantastic simply in a navy T-shirt and jeans and no amount of shining armour could perfect that level of beauty further. Or that's what Bella though anyway. 'Ponce!' Laughed Spike. 'Edward!' Bella murmured. Her lips seemed to instinctively murmur his name. Edward flitted through the window punching Spike extremely hard in the mouth. Hard enough to knock him straight into Bella's desk, confirming he was not a ghost. Despite the inevitable bruising this revelation made him smile, if only momentarily.

'Oi! Watch it!' Wow, was that unexpected! There was no way that wanker was human, way too strong. Brushing himself off in fear for both the girl (who looked in awe and slightly terrified) and himself, Spike morphed his face into that of a Vampire, exposing his inner demon. He was glad to see it didn't scare her to much but quite confused at her interested gaze. Clearly she'd seen a lot, maybe even vampires, but if she was a Slayer, he'd know straight away. He always knew Slayers, killed two of 'em. Spike prepared himself for a head on charge.

'Bella, get behind me! Alice saw him in a vision. I won't let him hurt you!' Commanded the other demon,

'Bullocks! Spike shouted, realising Edward was her protector. 'I wasn't going to hurt your bird we were just talking!' Edward shifted his eyes to the extremely innocent girl. She nodded.

He moved his body protectively around her but some of the tension lifted, although it occurred to spike that this geezer was still in a stance that suggested a lot more violence. They each assumed the role of predators, looking over their prey.

Edward, as far as Spike could see was just a normal looking high school student, if you pardon the strange, even by Spike's standards, brown, floppy hair, ripped body and even in this light intensely golden eyes and whiter-than-his skin. This concerned Spike, quite a bit. The whiteness of his skin was definitely oh-so not human. And the super-strength; sort of a no brainer.

In Edward's opinion, he couldn't see why Bella hadn't just let him snap this guy's neck. Actually he could, and that's why he loved her. But Spike, even without the deformed brow, did not seem okay, especially alone with Bella. He cringed at the thought. It made Edward horrifyingly sick to think what Spike could have done while he was hunting. Alice, Esme and Rose would have protected her but that was completely beside the point.

Spike had peroxide blond hair, which Edward deemed as 'not a very good look,' pale white skin, black clothes and a long leather coat. The monster face he had shifted had left Edward slightly stunned. He didn't know what to think or even how he could possibly describe it. The Brow was enlarged, bulging even, and the teeth had turned to (how ironically cliché) fangs. 'Vampire wannabe.' He thought, although not in those exact words.

In order to sooth the painful situation, Bella placed a hand on Edward's tight, knotted shoulder and spoke very calmly and softly to him.

'Edward, it's alright, anymore fighting and I think you'll wake Charlie! This is Spike and I think he's lost.'

'Well, are you? Lost?' Asked Edward, after a long silence. He stepped forward smoothly. 'Arrogant ponce.' Spike thought.

'I'm lost, yeah. You could say that.' He answered. 'This is fantastic! He's just like fucking Angel, now we're going to have two of them mucking about.' 'You've got to meet my friend Angel right, you're just like him. Well, sort of. Well, I say friend. To be honest he's just the bastard I work with.' He supplied instead, not caring that it grew to become an insult.

Bella, deliberately slowly, leant across the bead to switch on the other lamp displaying the mess of clutter her room had now become more clear. Glinting in the light, Spike noticed something fantastic around her neck. The amulet.

'That necklace! Where did you get it?'

'Does it matter?' Edward asked before Bella had time to respond. It never really sounded like a question so Spike waited for him to continue. 'I gave it to her, this morning.'

'Well I think I'm going to need it back,'

'Back?' Bella asked this time, although to Spike it still seemed like he was letting her talk, this time. Lover boy looked equally confused although he wouldn't let his porcelain-like face move.

'A few years ago, me and Buff- a friend of mine closed this portal called a hellmouth,' Spike went on to explain everything from destroying Sunnydale and saving the world to become a ghost and finally to the amulet.

'Wow, this friend of yours, she sounds pretty amazing. And you – saved the world. Would never have guessed.' Bella grinned.

'Oh stop,' Spike teased. 'or someone might get jealous.'

'Your amulet, you said it was destroyed.' Edward interrupted, till his voice was unruffled. 'You think this is a copy?'

'Well, maybe,' Spike continued. 'Not an exact one but I think that's the reason I'm here.'

'I was holding it, in my sleep,' Bella contributed, 'I do that sometimes, with the things you give me.' Her face turned to the floor, flushing crimson. Edward smiled at her. To Spike, that seemed a little patronizing although he didn't consider it as relevant as the retching noise he was making, mocking them. If he had gag reflexes, Spike thought he would have actually been sick.

'Oh great! When you two are done being all cutsey-wuetsy can we please as the question: What the hell is wrong with me? Am I a fucking Gene, or something now?!' He kicked the wall in frustration and a second time out of pain he'd just caused himself in doing so.

'Why should we believe any of that?' Edward spat, his voice ripe with sarcasm. 'You don't exactly seem the type to save the world.'

'Take a chill pill, Eddie.' Spike replied defensively.

'Speaking of, what are you?' Bella mused, once again playing the peace maker.

'It's not obvious?' Spike laughed, 'Vampire!'

'HA!' Edward snorted, able yet unwilling to control his amusement.

'OiI! It's not that funny. Heard of me have you?' Spike boomed. 'Soul boy!' he said in a mocking tone. 'I didn't choose this you know. Well actually, I did…'

'Wait, are you serious?' Bella asked in amazement.

Before Spike could retaliate once again, Edward interrupted.

'Oh he's serious. At least he thinks he is.'

'What are you some sort of mind reader?' Spike stood dangerously close to Edward.

'Got it in one. Vampire.' Edward professed, shocking Spike completely. He staggered backwards, trying to catch a breath he hadn't had in over one hundred years.

'You're enjoying this, aren't you?' was all he could muster as he paced across the room.

'What did you mean by 'Vampire'? Are you in a cult or something?' Bella asked, intrigued.

'I mean; one hundred and twenty five year old, pigs blood drinking, demon fighting, has-to-be-invited-in vampire! Alight? He stopped pacing and looked into her eyes.

'Alright.' Bella whispered, softly. She and Edward share a glance.

'You really believe that's what you are?' asked Edward icily.

'For God's sake! Yes!' Spike was growing tired of repeating himself although it was a lot to ask people to believe in. But it then occurred to Spike what Edward had referred to himself as. 'You! You said you were a vampire?'

'Yes. I am.'

'Well you have a soul, so I doubt it.' Spike hissed.

'I… I have a soul?' It was Edwards turn to fumble now, even though then news equally startled Bella, she found herself calming him.

'I can smell it in you. Were you cursed?' Spike asked, calmer now, after noticing their reactions.

'Feels like it sometimes.' He said chuckling although his smile contradicted his words.

'Is it possible there is more than one type of vampire, Edward?' Bella asked, laughing.

'I don't know.' He'd stopped laughing. 'Why should we trust you?'

'You shouldn't. You never even invited me in. I wasn't… invited! I wasn't invited in! Invite me in! Tell me I'm invited!'

'Errrmm… You're invited!' She gushed quickly.

'Nothing… happened.' Spike added uncomfortably after a long silence.

'What did you expect?' asked Bella.

'I don't know. Pass me the amulet.' She pulled it from around her neck in order to toss it to Spike. Edward snatched it from her hand to give it to him instead.

'Someone's protective.' Spike slurred to himself, he was pretty certain Edward still heard him.

'You have to be invited in?' It didn't seem like a question but this time Spike decided to answer for himself - with another question, naturally.

'You don't?'

'No.' Edward replied. It amused him, the vampire-like traits, this 'Spike' had, he considered them almost primitive.

'And sunlight?' Spike inquired.

'He looks like diamonds,' beamed Bella, entranced just thinking about it. 'And you?'

'You lucky basted! I get turned to dust! Let's see… what else? Stakes?'

'Wooden?' he laughed. 'Would break the second the hit me!'

'Figures,' Spike was becoming very jealous. 'Beheading?'

'Would kill me. If I was set on fire afterwards,'

'Seems like a hell of a lot of effort to kill you guys. Shame.' This made Bella tense. Turning away from them slowly, Spike tossed the clear, sparkling amulet to the ground and crushed the crystal under his boot. Crunch. The jewel shattered.

'You destroyed it!' Wailed Bella.

'Don't worry, love, I'm sure super-vamp over here'll get you a new one.'

A bright golden light, encased Spike. Like fire, it surrounded him completely. He grinned.

'Where are you going?' Bella stared at him.

'Home, I guess,' he smiled.

'See you around some day, Spike.' Edward added reluctantly.

'Oh I doubt it.' Spike winked. The light grew brighter and shimmered with glitter. Followed by a near blinding flash, Spike was gone.

Revelling in the confusion that they had just experienced, Edward led Bella by the hand to her bed, and turned off the lights

'Do you think he's really gone where he wanted to?'