Sunnydale had two major problems now. The First was threatening the end of the world at every turn. Now, the strongest of the white-hats had joined forces with The First, Drusilla and was bossing around a local squad of vamps, fresh from turning and hungry for a fight.

Noone wanted to believe that Buffy had turned, least of all Spike.

He tracked her and her cronies down and addressed her. Buffy sat atop a makeshift throne of old furniture in a decrepit crypt under the town. She waved away the vamps who were ready to throw down and sauntered up to Spike.

"Hey Spikey. How's it hanging?" She said, flirting unabashedly with him.

"It's not, Pet. It's all-over rotten, and your little trip to the wild side isn't helping. Get your shit together and come back to the house."

Drusilla entered from behind the wings, floating over to Buffy and resting her head on the slayer's shoulder.

"He's a grumpy puppy. Probably needs some milk."

Buffy smiled eagerly. "Yes. Oh lackies?" She called out. "You have a fresh one back there, don't you?"

"What of it?" One of them called back from the darkness.

Buffy turned and made a stern face. "We have guests! Now bring me one of our newest kills. Unless you want to end up like your brother?"

With that, she motioned to an urn sitting on a nearby shelf, seemingly full of ash. She smiled and turned back to Spike. Behind her a dead, lifeless body was thrown into the open. The bite marks were visible on the neck and the thigh. The vamps had already gone to town on this corpse, almost nothing left.

"Now, Spike. Where were we? Oh yes! You want me to come home. But clearly, I'm quite comfy here. And besides," she vamped her face, making Spike wince slightly, "you'd have to invite me in."

"What? How on Earth?"

"It's quite simple Spikey. I was slow, I got bit, and you weren't there."

"I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry love. But I know what you'd want. You'd beg me to do this." Spike revealed a stake from the sleeve of his duster and thrust it towards Buffy. She dodged it easily, grabbed his wrist and flipped him to the floor.

She stared down at him with that same cheery smile.

"Now this is how it's gonna go. You're gonna go home, have a big cry and tell everyone about how right they were. They'll assemble their forces and try to take me out. If you think that'll work, go for it. But don't forget, I know how each of you work, and I've fooled you all before. Consider this, bring me Willow, let me turn her and then the town really is ours. She can steal your soul again and it can be a party. You, me and Dru. It's what you always wanted, right?"

Spike was speechless. Deep down he suspected she was right. But he was better now, he had a soul, he fought alongside the bleeding hearts for long enough to know a bad chick when he saw it, and here she was. Badness. Big badness.

Spike knew how to deal with big bads.