Chapter Two

"Buffy, are you okay?"

Buffy shut her locker door, revealing a worried-looking Willow on the other side. She shrugged and walked down the hallway. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

Willow trailed after her. "Well… you've been acting kind of strange since last night. I-I mean that Spike guy gives me the heebie jeeves, too." Willow shuddered. "But… but you're the Slayer. You're usually all with the butt-kicking and not so much with the avoiding… Except sometimes you do that and—"

Buffy sighed and turned towards Willow. Should she tell her? Willow already knew what had happened to her after she had died. She was the only one who knew. And she could trust Willow. But, if she told her, that would mean he was here. Her mysterious stranger—Spike—was here and real and evil. She wasn't ready to admit that. She would much rather go back to him being a fragment of her imagination. But she didn't think she could keep this secret any longer. It was eating at her.

"Will… you're right."

"Oh, good," Willow said and then frowned. "Right about what?"

"About me avoiding you… That vampire we saw last night; I've seen him before."

"Really? Did you fight him already? Or-or have another Slayer dream?"

"No and no," Buffy said. "You remember when I told you about that guy I met when I died?" Willow nodded. "Well, it was… him. It was Spike."

"Oh," Willow said, her eyes widening. "Oh!"

"Major 'oh,''" Buffy replied, then turned down the hallway towards the library.

Willow followed. "What are you going to do?"

"Shove my stake into his chest and watch him go bye-bye."

"Really?" Willow asked. "Not saying that you couldn't! Because you could… but…"

"If I don't, he'll kill me."

He was a vampire. He didn't love her. She saw the hatred in his eyes as he looked at her the night before. The second he had the chance, he would suck her dry.

"Buffy," Willow said, grabbing her arm before she could enter the library. "You said it could've been the future. And you had already suspected that he could be a vampire."

Suspecting was a long way from knowing. And she'd been dead when she met him. She hadn't known if he was real. He was just a fragment of her imagination. So, she'd gotten comfortable with him being her hot mysterious stranger; she didn't want him to be an evil vampire who wanted her dead. And she hadn't imagined he'd show up in Sunnydale.

"What are you trying to say, Will?"

"He's a vampire… but you knew that when you were all goo-goo-ga-ga over him," Willow pointed out. "What's so different now?"

"What's so different?" Buffy stopped walking and turned to her friend, appalled that she would even ask that question. "The difference is the man I saw after death loved me. The things he said… the way he looked at me… That vampire I saw last night didn't. He wants to kill me."

"Well, obviously, he doesn't love you! He doesn't even know you! It's a gradual thing, Buffy. Maybe he falls in love with you later... or he becomes a good vampire like Angel."

"Maybe he does. But what am I supposed to do until then? Let him keep killing people? Let him kill me?" Buffy asked incredulously as she continued her walk towards the library.

"I never said that!" Willow looked offended.

"Let's just," Buffy said, taking a deep breath before continuing, "Let's tell Giles about him first and see exactly what I'm dealing with. Then I'll decide what to do about him."

Willow nodded, agreeing with Buffy's answer. Together, they headed into the library.

The gang had been trying, unsuccessfully, to research Spike for hours.

Giles looked pensive. "Spike is an odd name. A little unorthodox, isn't it?"

Buffy doodled on a piece of paper, hiding it in a book while pretending to research. "Maybe he's reformed."

"Perhaps he went by another name in times past," Giles said, face buried in a book.

Buffy wondered what his real name was. It couldn't be Spike… could it? The name fits the look, but not the man she had met months ago after death. And only an insane person would name their son that. Maybe his real name was… Robert? Thomas? Harry? Buffy scrunched her nose. No, he didn't look like a Harry.

"Well, whoever he is," Jenny said, "we'll need all the help we can get this Saturday."

"So," Xander piped up, "this night of Saint Vigeous deal. If they're going to attack in force, aren't we thinking vacation?"

Willow shook her head. "We can't run; that would be wrong. Could we hide? That way, Buffy doesn't have to kill him."

"Why wouldn't Buffy want to kill him?" Xander asked curiously.

Buffy gave Willow a cautioning glance.

"Oh… I didn't mean she wouldn't want to! I meant she… couldn't! Yes, she couldn't kill him because he'd kill her first and I'm shutting up now." Willow gave Buffy an apologetic look.

Buffy continued doodling on her paper, a little amused.

"Well," Giles reassured, "he can't be any worse than any other creature you've faced."

"He's worse." Everybody turned to look at Angel, who had suddenly appeared. "Once he starts something, he doesn't stop until everything in his path is dead."

"Hmm. So, he's thorough, purposeful," Xander said, clearly trying to ease the tension.

Buffy glared at Angel. She wanted to call him out for the previous night for not showing up at the Bronze like he had said he would but decided against it. It was pointless anyway. Everything involving him seemed pointless lately.

"Angel, do you happen to know another name this Spike creature could go by?" Giles asked.

Buffy could feel Angel's eyes on her, but she didn't look at him. Instead, she continued doodling.

"William," Angel answered.

Buffy looked up.

William.

His beautiful blue eyes, sharp cheekbones, plump lips… He looked like a William. His all-black attire, scar, black nails… He also looked like a Spike.

"William, you say. Do you have a last name? Another nickname? I'm afraid that doesn't make my research any easier…" Giles trailed off. He looked over to the empty spot Angel had occupied only seconds before.

Xander pointed at the spot. "Okay, that's it. I'm putting a collar with a little bell on that guy."

Buffy rarely agreed with Xander on things when it came to Angel, but decided on this one that she did. She pushed down the anger that began to build inside her at his constant vanishing act and focused on her other vampire issue: Spike.

"Uh, we do have more urgent matters to discuss," Giles said, exasperated.

"Yeah, like keeping my mom away from Principal Snyder tomorrow night," Buffy said. With the Spike situation and Angel bailing on her last night, she had almost forgotten about the biggest problem of them all, not to disappoint her mother.

"And not dying Saturday," Jenny added.

That was also another major problem.

The next day, Buffy went straight to the library. "Find anything yet?" she called, setting her bookbag on the table.

Giles walked out of his office and sat in the chair opposite her. "I'm afraid I have… Buffy, it's not good."

"That bad, huh?" Buffy sighed. She was not disappointed. Not at all. She hadn't been hoping that Spike would turn out to be not that bad so she could justify the feelings she was having towards him. Nope.

Giles polished his glasses on his shirt and put them back on before beginning. "Our new friend Spike… He's known as 'William the Bloody.' Earned his nickname by torturing his victims with railroad spikes. Very pleasant. The good news: he's barely two hundred. He's not even as old as Angel."

At least she now knew how William got the name Spike… she just wished it weren't such an unpleasant way. And he was old. Like, way old. Which… so was Angel, but she tried not to think about his age too much on account of the major wiggage it gave her.

"And the bad news?"

"I think Xander's suggestion of running away this Saturday might've been a good one. Spike has fought two Slayers in the last century, and… he's killed them both."

"Oh."

"Buffy— "

She put her hand up. "I… Were they good Slayers? I mean… did he kill them when they were just Called?" Buffy knew she was grasping at straws but couldn't help it. Two Slayers… not just one, because there were vamps out there that had gotten lucky before and had killed one Slayer, but two? Had anyone else ever done that?

As if reading her mind, Giles said, "He's the only vampire in recorded history to defeat two Slayers."

"You're avoiding my other question."

Giles sighed and looked down at the book. "The first one was during the Boxer Rebellion in China. She was the Slayer for two years… She is considered to be one of the best. The second was in New York in the seventies; she had been the Slayer for six years before her death."

Okay, so they weren't amateurs when they died. Was she a good Slayer compared to them?

Did she stand a chance?

"Buffy, aren't you a little worried about Saturday?" Willow asked.

"Worried? I'm not worried," Buffy said, pouring lemonade into a cup. Willow gave her a skeptical look. "Okay, so I'm a little worried. But only a teensy-weensy bit."

"Do you know what you're going to do about Spike?"

"I'm not doing Spike." Buffy's eyes widened. "...I'm not doing anything about Spike," she corrected.

"You can't kill him."

"What? Of course I can," Buffy said hesitantly. She thought back to what Giles had said: Spike has fought two Slayers in the last century, and… he's killed them both.

Willow sighed. "I didn't mean you're not capable… I meant you couldn't kill him, Buffy. I know you. I can see it in your eyes."

The possibility of what he could be in the future, of the love he could have for her, did make her a bit hesitant. But if she had no choice, she would kill him. She knew she would.

"I can't think about it right now. Tonight is too important. I've worked way too hard to impress Snyder and, if it doesn't go well, Spike won't have a Buffy to try to kill Saturday because she'll already be dead by her mother."

Willow looked like she wanted to say more but stopped when Joyce arrived. "Hi, Mrs. Summers."

Joyce walked over. "Hi, Willow. Hi, honey." Turning to Buffy, she asked, "Did you, uh, do all this?"

"Yeah! Um, Willow wanted to show you the French room. I have to stay here and be hostess." Buffy gave Willow a look.

Willow put her arm around Joyce's shoulder. "Great, French class."

Just as Willow ushered Joyce away, Snyder stalked up behind Buffy. "Was that your mother?"

Buffy grabbed a cup and a spoon full of lemonade and turned toward him. "Here." She faked a spill. "Oh! Oh, sorry! Um, yeah! Yeah, I would introduce you, but, um, she wouldn't have said much. You know, she doesn't speak a word of English."

Snyder gave her a dirty look and headed after Willow and her mother.

Buffy let out a worried moan and looked up at the clock.

6:15

If she could only keep her mother away from Snyder for two more hours…

Buffy looked up at the clock.

8:45

Just another fifteen minutes. Sighing, she continued doodling on a napkin.

"Buffy!"

Buffy looked up to see Willow running towards her.

"What is it?" Buffy stood and asked, then noticed Willow was alone. "Where's my mom?"

"Snyder got to her before I could pull her into the science lab. I'm sorry."

Oh no. This was so not good.

"It's okay. I'm not freaking. I'm not," Buffy said, sitting back down.

9:00

Buffy sat, nervously ripping the napkin apart. Willow elbowed her side, and she looked up to see Snyder walking back towards them with her mother… who did not look happy.

"In the car, now," Joyce said angrily.

Willow gave Buffy a concerned look.

Buffy knew she wasn't the best Slayer ever, but she tried to be a good daughter. She couldn't do anything right. Shoulders slumped; Buffy followed her mother out.

Suddenly, the window shattered, shards of glass flying into the air, and a pack of vampires streamed into the room. Screaming in panic, the crowd tried to run. Hearing the commotion, Buffy turned around and took a few steps forward, scanning the vampires that littered the darkroom. Among them was Spike, standing in the middle with a smirk on his face.

But… it wasn't Saturday… Why would he be here now?

"What can I say?" he said. "I couldn't wait."

Buffy's felt her heart drop as she realized that her mysterious stranger was here to kill her.