"Hey

"Hey! I've kept that bloody leather thing in mint condition for about thirty years...if you get a hole in it..."

"You'll do what?"

Spike bit his lip, drawing blood with anger. He'd only been at large for a few miserable days and the Slayer had already got him. Well, she'd got him, but she hadn't killed him.

Why the hell hadn't she killed him?

Soldier Boy's fingers dug into the vampire's arm. It was uncomfortable to say the least. He grinned. Maybe it was time to make the ponce a little uncomfortable. Spike spoke in a whispered voice, eyes on the petite blonde leading the way.

"So, Riley...why hasn't your girlfriend done me in? Don't suppose she's got herself a little crush? Wouldn't blame her...it's happened before."

The younger man's eyes were narrowed, and his mouth a thin line. Still he said nothing. Spike continued.

"Yeah, the last Slayer I nearly got...she fancied me something rotten. Let me go instead of dusting me. Didn't have the heart to go try do her in again."

He registered the look of mild surprise on Riley's face and timed the animated delivery of his final words perfectly.

"So I broke both her legs and let the fledglings finish her off."

******
"Why do I have to be here?"

The Watcher rubbed his forehead and snapped a reply.

"I told you. Your mother's gone to the gallery, Buffy and Riley are looking for Spike, Anya, Tara, Willow and Xander are looking for William leaving me with the rapturously exquisite pleasure of looking after you. And attempting to find some way to reverse this spell."

Dawn sighed, and started picking up various objects around the shop. She didn't really get what the whole problem was. Why didn't Buffy just kick Spike's ass, make him leave town, and let William stay? Although he was a bit wimpy, he was nicer than Spike.

Well…sort of.

Thud.

Both heads turned to look at the door. A woman in a red dress held William roughly by the neck. When she spoke, perfectly manicured red nails tapped against William's skin. He looked frightened.

"I'm getting bored. Very bored, very quickly. So tell me."

She dug her fingers into his neck and pulled his face close to her own. Spat the words out.

"Where's my Key?"

Giles and Dawn exchanged puzzled looks. William wished he could exchange a look with someone, anyone but her. She scared him, and although many things did scare him, she scared him more than anything. He wished Miss Buffy were here.

"One last time, little man. Where is it?"
_______


The Toth Demon laughed inwardly. This was going to be too easy. Vampire was all trussed up; the Slayer was an easy target. He wasn't concerned about the human.

Aiming carefully, he inhaled the Slayer's scent. Sweet and vanilla.

Spike was silent now. Slung over the soldier's shoulder, he made his body go limp. The ground was wet, puddle after endless puddle. He would have once seen his reflection in the water. Something gnawed at the edge of his mind. Then it dawned on him.

At some point in his vampiric life, he had wanted to see his reflection.

Vampires, as a rule, don't miss their reflections. Even the vain ones, because they automatically assume that they look gorgeous. He didn't want to see it now…but he used to. Badly.

Staring at the water, he saw something. Strained his eyes, tried to see if somehow that was the face he'd forgotten staring back. It came again. He looked up slowly.

"Riley?"

"What is it now?"

"Don't go and wet your knickers…but something's following us."

To his credit, the boy didn't shout out or turn around or slow down. He just kept walking, and called out to the Slayer.

"Buffy?"

"What?" She sounded distracted, and Spike was surprised she wasn't gloating over his capture. Surprised and the smallest bit hurt.

"Um…Spike's getting a little heavy. Could you help some?"

She sighed, and rolled her eyes. "Sure."

As soon as she reached his side, Riley whispered in her ear.

"We're being followed."

Immediate attention.

"By who? Or what?"

"I have no idea. He saw it."

Spike scrunched up his face indignantly.

"I have got a name, you know!"

"Quiet! What did you see?"

"Just some…some thing."

And the something came barreling out of the shadows, yelling in a foreign language, firing at the Slayer with a large sort of gun. He fell to the floor and everything went black.

* * * *

"Whoever you are, put him down and get out of here."

Giles had a crossbow aimed at her heart. His hand shook ever so slightly, through concern for both William and Dawn. This woman was obviously mad, and probably supernatural…still, even supernatural beings were scared of something. Death.

She laughed. "Whatcha gonna do? Shoot me or something?"

William started to choke as her grip tightened. So he shot her.

* * * *

The thing ran straight at Riley, knocking both him and Spike to the floor. She had no time for concern, only action. Moving swiftly, Buffy jumped straight over the thing's head.

Recognized it as the Toth demon.

"Oh great. Just what we need."

It carried a large metal tube that reminded her of a gun. And it was shooting at her.

"Even better. Two Buffys. Much nicer than two Spikes."

She aimed a kick at the demon's midriff. It caught her foot and held her upside down. As she struggled, the Slayer grabbed a stake from the ground that had fallen from her coat. She pushed it into the demon's keg. It howled in pain and dropped her hard. She rolled near the unconscious vampire, and saw his eyes flicker.

"Spike, get up and help. Spike!"

The demon grabbed her by the throat and squeezed hard. She was choking, seeing flashing lights, blue and red.

Riley stood up shakily. Drew his gun. Shot it.

* * * *
She calmly pulled the crossbow bolt from her heart and looked in disgust at the ragged hole.

"So. You ruined my dress. My brand new dress."

William's hands were clawing wildly at the air, and Dawn was staring open mouthed. Giles remembered the prophecy and ran at the woman in red. She was knocked backwards with the force and lost her grip on William.

He fell to the floor gasping for air.

* * * *

The demon staggered backwards, dropping the Slayer. She fell to the floor, gasping for air.

Smiled at Riley, then saw Spike standing behind him.

* * * *


Glory frowned, annoyed.

"Look. You can't kill me just like that. Where's the fun? Anyhow, I really need that Key."

Giles stood protectively in front of William and Dawn.

* * * *

She saw his arms rise slowly to Riley's neck, and screamed.

"No!"

Then the demon leapt over her head and scratched at Riley's neck. Or where his neck would have been if Spike's hands weren't clasped around it. She jumped to her feet and grabbed a long sword tied to the demon's back. It turned around, puzzled.

"Guess who?"

With one stroke she lopped its head off and stuck the sword into the ground. A huge gash on her left arm made itself noticed. Spike let go of Riley's neck, and she watched her boyfriend slump to the floor, lifeless. Everything suddenly seemed to slow down. It was like being inside a red bubble.

He started to walk towards her, hand outstretched.

Like he wanted her to dance.

* * * *
"I need the Key, but it obviously isn't here. Tell the Slayer the next time we meet, someone dies."

The Watcher frowned.

"Aren't you…er…going to fight? Try and kill us?"

She scrunched up her nose.

"Nah. Too easy. Anyway…that one's nearly dead. Much longer without his other half and he'll just fade right away."

And with that, she left. Dawn helped William stand up, and Giles just stared.

Not only had the woman been immensely strong, she had known of the Slayer, mentioned this same Key Spike was destined to protect and had entirely dismissed them all as weaklings.

He felt small.

"Um...excuse me, kind sir.."

He turned and saw William rubbing the bruises on his neck gingerly.

"Yes?"

"I…I don't mean to impose, but the lady said something about my other half? Whom may she be referring to?"

Giles sighed.

"It doesn't matter. We just need to find Buffy."

"Miss Buffy?"

The younger man's face lightened, and Giles felt awful at having to return him to Spike. In a way it felt like betrayal. No. It felt exactly like kicking a small puppy.

The door burst open again and all three of them jumped.

"It's us, we didn't find him…what happened?"

Xander's eyes widened at the marks on the former vampire's neck, and Giles grabbed his coat.

"To cut a long story short, we have to get to Buffy. Now."

* * * *

He wasn't really sure quite what he was doing. It seemed like the right thing to do…once. They should dance, first. Now all he wanted to do was kill her.

She couldn't move, like being stuck in treacle. Even though she wanted to hit him and cry and scream and kill him, she couldn't. Felt ice cold finger wrap around her writs, pull her towards him

* * * *

William wasn't at all sure what was going on. All he knew was that he wasn't very fit, and it was hard to keep up with the others. They were all running, yelling instructions, directions. It was all very confusing.

"May I…inquire…as to where…we are…going?"

No one answered. He followed their footsteps.

* * * *
Ballerina twirls.

Pretty dresses and hair all in a bun, the ballerina twirled towards him. Twirled and swirled and lay in his arms, strong and fragile at once.

She lay in his arms, head to one side, and didn't even struggle. Must have been a few hours, they stood like that. Seemed like forever, and she could wait there forever.

This was the dance.

* * * *

"Spike! Get away from her, or I'll shoot!"

Giles voice was shaking with panic. The others formed a semi-circle around the vampire and Slayer, watching. Waiting for him to drop her. Waiting for her to push him away.

There should have been some dramatic overture, Beethoven or Bach. Instead there was the sound of traffic.

No one moved. Until him.

He didn't understand. Finally he understood that. Throughout this entire thing he had known nothing. The only memory was that of her face, Cecily's face. And Miss Buffy. She was always there. Everything came back to her, and this man wanted to kill her.

That wasn't a possibility.
* * * *

Something grabbed his arm, stopped the slow descent of fangs to neck. With a growl he whirled around and saw his reflection.

"Stop!"

It was undeniably him. Human. Before this had happened. And for the slightest sliver of time, he thought perhaps this was a mirror and it was a time of innocence. Before he had killed and maimed and tortured. The scars were the same, the face and the body and the voice…save for the eyes. He was over a hundred years old. Those eyes were young.

"You…you're me."

"Well mate…that seems about right. Can't have two of me walking around can we?"

"I suppose, sir, that should be true."

"So I'll kill you."

"No."

This voice was new. It was new and old at the same time, spoken from the human's lips. Sounded like him, anyway.

"No. You can't kill me, Spike. However hard you try, you just aren't strong enough. You want me."

As the two circled Buffy, Willow signaled to the others to light their candles. They started to move into the shape of a pentagram.

"You want me. You need me."

"Look, what the hell's going on?"

"Every time you felt something? That was me. Every time you fell in love, or admired a beautiful painting, read poetry, every single time you fought the Slayer, I was there. You know why?"

And William leaned close, whispered softly, for Spike's ear alone.

"Because I am you."

"Let the spell be ended."

It was.

* * * *

Three Days Later

Buffy curled up on the bed with a magazine. Her back still ached from the fight with the Toth demon. Asides from that, she was okay. Riley had been complaining about the bruises on his neck, where Spike had tried to strangle him. Luckily, he'd blacked out before the job was finished.

She turned the page. Dresses.

It had been a blur, really. She couldn't remember anything after Riley had fallen. Xander had told her that the vampire nearly drained her…until William stepped in.

Next page. Make up.

William. She missed him, a little. He'd just been so…well, so completely different to Spike. It had been strange to think that such a person existed within Spike. She'd known him for a long time, and there had never been any sign of…

Okay. There had. Spike felt things. And it was slightly reassuring to know that William was inside there, somewhere. Because as long as William was there, he wouldn't let her die. She knew that now, at least.

"Slayer? Can I come in?"

"Oh. No."

"Why not?"

Why not. Reason one, he wasn't a friend. Or a foe, really. Reason two, he'd tried to kill her. Too many times to count, but once very recently. The vampire part, anyway. Reason three, she didn't trust him. Reason four, she didn't like him. Reason five…she was just a little scared. He'd made her forget herself. That hadn't been a part of the spell, and it hadn't been concussion or anything like that. It had been him.

"Because I'm busy."

Next page. Celebrities.

His voice became dangerously low, and she thought she heard a slight grinding of teeth.

"All right then. You're busy. I'll tell you from out here. I'm here to…."

Internal struggle.

"To…tell you that I…um…"

Sorry?

"That I'm sorry."

She sat up, and listened harder.

"Because I nearly killed you and went on a wild rampage and drank up a load of people who were actually bloody tasty and to tell you the truth I wanted to kill you just not like that because it seemed a bit tacky and I remember the bit about holding the door for you like a prat and you don't have to worry 'cus it isn't going to happen ever again but I was wondering if you wanted to go and get some ice cream because I liked the raspberry flavour and I also wanted to say thank you for being nice to me when half of me was a wimpy little human."

There was a long silence.

"You want to take me for ice cream?"

"What? I didn't say that. You're out of your mind, Slayer. Why the hell would I take you out for anything?"

The door opened and she raised an eyebrow.

"Must have misheard. Anyway. You should be going."

"That's it? I just said I was sorry!"

She shrugged and shut the door. He turned away, exasperated, and started to walk back home. To the graveyard. At the edge of hearing the door creaked open the smallest crack, and he thought, very faintly, he heard a voice.

"Riley's out of action, thanks so not very much to you…so I'm patrolling alone tonight. I might pass by the ice cream place. And because you obviously can't hear this, I'll come and beat up on you a little in your tomb because I'm still angry. So I hope you're there."

And very faintly she heard six words.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."