Chapter 12: 'Dum Du Dum Dum DUMMMM!'

"Well this is fun" Spike said. Opposite him, Willow peered through the gap nervously, listening carefully for any sound of a hairy demon.

"Can you hear anything?" She asked.

"Hear what luv?"

"The demon"

Spike raised his eyebrows, and looked around for a moment. He pursed his lips.

"Nope. Can't hear a sodding thing. Though perhaps that's because we're locked in the ladies toilet"

Willow turned round from her position at the door, her eyes indignant.

"You're the one who decided to come in here"

Spike smirked, and got up from his seat. "Perhaps I did luv. What I didn't plan on was spending the next three hours with only toilet roll and the smell of bleach for company"

"Where are you going?"

"Out"

"What?"

"I plan on taking a stroll between the frozen chips and picnic sausages" He pushed past her, opening the door of the cubicle. "Don't worry, I'll be back"

"Great" Willow murmured. She watched as the vampire opened to door that exited onto the shop floor, and then disappeared.

Cautiously, Willow also left the cubicle. The room was lit with ultra-violet light, and it made her hair look green. She grimaced. Turning the tap on, she splashed some cold water on her face, then dried her hands on her uniform. This was getting boring, and tedious. No more boring and tedious than any other normal day at Tescos, but it was starting to worry her. She was trapped in a supermarket with a demon. Maybe more than one. And there was Spike, just to add to the fun.

Willow sighed. She was connected to everything, she was addicted to tea, and her life was once again in danger. Hell, she might as well be back in Sunnydale.

She wished she was back in Sunnydale.

"Spike!" Willow called out, opening the door, and creeping back out onto the shop. The Vamp raised his eyebrows, and looked up as she emerged. He was sat on one of the benches provided for past-it customers, looking as if he didn't have a care in the world. The laid-back image was spoilt slightly by the anorak he was wearing.

"There's no demon around here" Spike called out. "Not for the moment anyway";

guessing what she was going to ask.

Willow frowned, and looked cautiously from side to side, before scurrying across the shop towards him. They were near the entrance, and outside cars were parked in endless queues, a major tailback.

No, not parked. Frozen.

"Looks like this thing's spreading" Spike observed.

"Yeah" Willow watched silently out the window, as the people inside the vehicles did absolutely nothing. They were frozen too, just like everyone inside the supermarket. Everyone was frozen, stopped in time. It was like a disease, an inky blackness that crept inside and over everything and everyone. Everyone except them.

"Spike, we have to figure out what this is!" She cried in frustration.

"We do?"

"Why are we the only ones still movable?"

Spike thought. "Because we're American?"

"You're not!"

"Well spotted pet" Spike paused. "Well I'm dead…"

"But I'm not!" Willow argued. She looked down at her torso, hidden beneath the stripy uniform. "Or at least, I don't think I am"

"You're not"

"Good" Willow licked her lips nervously. "So?" She demanded.

"So?"

"What is it?"

"Don't have a clue" Spike got to his feet. "But what I do know is that our demon friend is back"

Willow whirled around to see a large hairy-looking demon making it's way towards them. It's beady evil eyes stared out from underneath a head of hairy hair.

"We, we have to fight it!" She stammered.

The demon roared, showing rows of yellow, pointy teeth. It pushed over a couple of stationary customers, a little old lady with a basket full of cat food rolling halfway across the shop floor.

"Fight it?" Spike looked dubious. It roared again, and shouted:

"Argh Gamax, gamaxk!"

"Do you speak demon!?" Willow cried, as both she and Spike started backing off. Spike looked at her.

"Ok, so you don't" Willow looked back at the demon, who was advancing steadily. "Did involve something about letting us go?"

Spike rolled his eyes.

"We have to get out of here" He told her.

"Ok"

Spike looked around, before seeing a vacuum cleaner, still in it's box. A fat English dude wearing an odd hat, was halfway towards the door, holding it out in front of him. The vampire pulled it out the customer's hands, grabbed the end and swung it towards the glass of the window.

The box bounced back, and Spike staggered to one side.

"RARRGHH" Roared the demon, very originally.

"Spike!" Willow squeaked. She waved her hands. "Break it now, if you're going to break it!"

Spike grunted, and swung the heavy box again. The window stayed stubbornly put.

"Can't you do a barrier spell or something?" He yelled. "You're the one with the magic-fingers – stop the demon!" He heaved the box at the window again and then flung it aside in disgust. When this place had been a brothel there hadn't even been any windows. Why'd they have to put some in place now?

Willow stared at the demon, wide eyed.

"I can't" She whispered.

"Well, you're gonna have to" Spike stormed over to stand by her side, rolling up the sleeves of his anorak. "Because I don't happen to have a hammer with me"

"Ryull, martak retupop" Spat the demon. It was taking its time, enjoying the walk, the air, the scenery. Nothing like cornflakes and the smell of bottled milk to make a good day out. "Tutfy Ralloppz"

"May you go freely?" Willow translated hopefully. Spike's look of disdain and the flexing of his fists persuaded otherwise. "Oh, ok" She sighed. "But if we end up in the dimension with no daytime television, don't blame me"

Taking a deep breath, Willow closed her eyes, summoning powers and dodgy special effects.

"Muscipula!" She cried, directing one open palm at the demon. It screamed in pain, and collapsed on the ground, before ravenously chomping on a large piece of cheese.

Spike and Willow stared at it incredulously.

"You put it in a giant mousetrap?" Spike asked. Willow stared some more.

"I didn't mean to…" She said slowly. The Demon twitched a little, its torso crushed beneath the giant metal bar. It had eaten all the cheese by now, and instead lay trapped, unable to push itself free.

"You're a weird-ass Wicca, Red. No wonder people think you're evil"

"I'm not evil!" She cried. Willow looked again at the demon trapped in the giant mousetrap. Giant mousetrap. Giant mousetrap.

"My Latin's a little rusty, that's all" She added indignantly.

Spike rolled his eyes.

"Right, well I don't know about you, but I'm going to get out of here" He sniffed. He strolled over to an empty till, and picked up a three-legged stool. "Ah, this'll do"

Then he ran back and swung it at the window. This time the window did break, indeed it shattered, glass raining down around him.

The summer air drifted through from outside.

"Right, well, I'll be off then" Spike hopped onto the window ledge, and then paused as he felt the angry eyes of Willow 'I'll put you in a mousetrap' Rosenburg burning into his back. "What?" He called back, without looking.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to my crypt" He replied. "Well, it's more of a summer holiday house, actually…"

"Spike, you can't just ignore this"

Sighing, Spike swung round and sat on the window ledge so he could look at Willow face to face.

"Why not?"

"Why? Because it's spreading. We have to do something to stop it!"

"I don't. I'm evil remember"

Willow marched up to him, arms crossed.

"Yeah? Well think of this, Mr 'Evil-As-It-Suits-Me'. Pretty soon, the world's going to be frozen, all of it, and we're going to be the only two left walking"

Spike grinned. "That's not so bad – you're pretty hot, especially since you became a - "

Willow's glare stopped him.

"Sales Assistant?" He added lamely.

"I'm going to be stuck with you!" Willow said. "You can't just go home!"

Spike looked as though he'd just been told he was going to have to eat his own eyeballs.

"Fine" He said, grudgingly. "But I'm not doing this just so Buffy loves me"

"I never even mentioned Buffy!" Willow exclaimed, confused, and then stopped as something struck her. "Oh, but Buffy. And Xander – they're all going get frozen! You see now why we have to do something?"

Spike held up his hands. "Ok, Red. I got the message. So what do we have to do?"

"The Watcher's Council" Willow said decisively. "And fast"

"Fine" Spike swung his legs back round, and jumped out the broken window onto the pavement on the other side. He watched as Willow followed behind him.

"I hope I don't get sacked because you broke the window" She said, eyeing the broken glass.

"Ah, someone'll fix it" Spike said.

They set off walking down the frozen street.