A/N Again, Thankyou all for r/r! Some helpful suggestions....I don't know what's going on with all the big breaks, but I've reverted to txt instead of html, so that should be sorted...

And I'm using ~ things to indicate thoughts. If anyone knows how to do italics in txt files, please tell me. Enjoy!


Written in Charcoal


Dawn looked through the door of the Magic Box. She could hear Anya, Xander
and Giles' voices.

"I just can't seem to get the hang of it."

"It's easy....you obviously aren't trying hard enough."

"Look, G-Man, I wouldn't worry about it too much...as long as you employ Anya,
you'll be fine."

Dawn pushed open the door, and saw them all crowded around the cash
register.

"Hi. Um, Xander, could we talk?"

"Hold on a minute Dawn."

"It's about Buffy."

She had everyone's attention now. Inwardly Dawn felt a prick of jealousy that it
only took the slightest mention of her sister's name to make them all listen. But
concern for Buffy won over, and she told them about what she'd said last night.

*****

As it was still light outside, and would be for some time, Spike had cautiously
suggested that they take the sewage route to his tomb and wait there until
nightfall. Buffy rejected the idea, and wanted them to split up. She would hide out
in the basement at home, sorting out a weapons bag. Spike disagreed, wanting
to be involved in every stage of the plan. So they walked in uneasy silence
through the sewage tunnels that would eventually end outside the Slayer's
house.

"I hate the sewers."

"I suppose the smell doesn't do anything for their popularity."

"And the bad memories."

"You have bad memories which involve sewers? Do they also involve getting
completely pissed, because I don't see how..."

"Angel broke up with me in a sewer."

Spike gave a bitter little laugh.

"He really knew how to make the moment special, didn't he?"

Buffy felt a small flame of indignation on behalf of her ex.

"And where would you break up with me, if you were him?"

The peroxide blond turned to face her, eyes looking straight into hers. The
expression on his face was one of complete honesty.

"I wouldn't break up with you at all."

He carried on walking, and she stood still for a moment. For a few seconds she'd
seen something deeper, something that was lying just beneath the surface of
Spike's skin.

~ It couldn't be love. Not from him, not for me. ~

She quickened her own pace to catch up with him.

~ And even if it was, if it wasn't just obsession or fixation or something less...real,
then what? How would it change anything? I don't love Spike...I can barely stand
him. He's beneath me. He's evil and he doesn't care about anyone but
himself...everything he does is selfish. This whole prophesy thing involves him
too. He needs me to help him, and that's all there is too it. Nothing further.
Nothing deeper. ~

The memory of him pushing her to the floor, probably saving her life, resurfaced
and played on what felt like a never ending reel in her mind.

"Spike? Where are you..."

She ran a little way ahead, sure that she'd see the familiar blond head, smell the
once hated scent of cigarettes and leather.

"This really isn't the time for hide and seek, you idiot. Come on, my feet are
getting cold. Spike?"

There was something crumpled on the floor in front of her.

It was an old leather duster.

*****
Giles pulled off his glasses and rubbed his forehead. Anya's eyes widened, and
Xander made a small choking noise.

"She said....what?"

Dawn sighed. "She said, don't tell Giles or any of the others about this. It's
something Spike and I have to do...I don't know why him, or why me....it just
happened. That really sounds like she and him are...like.."

"Involved in a sexually fulfilling relationship?"

"Anya...please.."

Xander just stared straight ahead.

"Buffy....and Spike? I just can't see...how?"

Dawn shrugged. "Well, he has kinda been hanging around a lot lately. Outside
the house, inside the house, all hours of the night..."

"Inside the house? When?"

"Well, last night, after this demon totally trashed her room, they said they'd go
and fight it together."

Giles looked up. "Demon? What did it do?"

"Burn everything."

"Oh dear...she was concerned about this fire demon...this 'relationship' with
Spike can't help...she must be very confused.."

"What about Riley?" Anya stated. "He only left a few days ago. They must have
got in on pretty quick, unless..."

"She was going behind Riley's back? That's hardly likely. They simply must have
'got it on', as you so eloquently put it, fairly recently."

They all turned to look at Xander. He continued to mouth three words.

"Buffy and....Spike."

Anya tilted her head to one side thoughtfully, and spoke.

"It sounds like a Saturday morning cartoon."

*****

Buffy wrinkled her nose as she picked up the duster. It was heavy, slightly moist
from the sewer, and had a distinct smell.

~ Cigarettes and alcohol. Distinctly Spike. And I bet if I was a vampire, I'd smell
blood. Ick. ~

She sighed, and slipped it on over her thin jacket. It was too heavy to carry. Buffy
pulled the leather around her, surprised at how soft it was, considering that the
bleached blonde wore it constantly. The smoky scent made her nostrils flare at
first, but after a while she didn't notice it.

"Right. Clues, clues where are the clues?"

She scanned the floor of the sewer, and frowned.

"No clues. There's always clues!"

Cautiously she worked her hands along the brick walls either side, wincing
whenever she touched something that was decidedly....sticky.

"Okay. This is now officially gross," she remarked, plunging her hands into the
sewage slime beneath her feet. "I hope you appreciate all of this when I find you."

~ Spike's not exactly the appreciative type. ~

Grimacing, Buffy was about to withdraw her hands when she felt something. A
heavy metal ring, attached to a small iron square.

"A trapdoor. Great. This is so Phantom of the Opera." Buffy grabbed the ring, and
pulled. It opened with a splash, spraying the dirty water over her face and hair.
There was no ladder, just a black hole beneath her feet. She took a deep breath,
and tried to wipe some of the slime away from her face. "I just hope there's a
bathroom down there. Because I'm starting to look like I belong in a B-movie. As
the monster."

Buffy jumped.

*****

Spike's eyes opened. They didn't flutter open. He didn't groan, and he didn't put
his hand to the growing bruise on his forehead. He didn't swear, even though he
really wanted to. Spike opened his eyes and listened.

*****

She fell. It had started as a controlled jump, and had stopped being controlled
when her feet didn't touch the floor. The duster fanned out behind her, and for a
dizzy moment it occurred to her that she must look like a dark angel, flying
through the blackness to find him.


*****

He listened, and all he heard was the sound of silence. Then he looked up.
Something black was falling towards him, with a halo of golden hair. It was like
an angel falling from some kind of broken heaven, and it was going to hit the
concrete floor.

*****

Spike yelled.

Buffy hit.

*****

They walked to Giles' house in silence. Willow was still trying to understand what
had happened to her best friend, and the others were simply deep in thought.
Dawn had gone home, had promised to call if Buffy returned. She wasn't at
home, hadn't been to the university, the bronze, the town, the magic box. They'd
even tried Spike's tomb. It was also empty. Which had suggested that they were
together. Somewhere.

"Maybe we should stop looking." That was from Tara.

Four heads turned to face her.

"If...if she and Spike are...together, together, then she should be safe...right?"

Giles sighed. "You're quite right...he can't hurt her anyway. I'm just worried..."

"That he'll take advantage of her when she's at her most vulnerable and leave
her a wreck who's unable to slay so if this fire thing comes back it'll kill us all and
kill her and Spike will once again have managed to ruin our lives?" Xander took a
deep breath. "Well?"

Four heads nodded.

****

She hit with a sickening crunch of bones and flesh. He inhaled the scent of
freshly spilled blood, her blood. It was intoxicating and distracting, but he fought
against his instincts.

Spike crawled over to her body. The first thing he noticed was that she was
wearing his duster. ~No time to think. Just do.~ Her eyes were shut, and she lay
in a twisted position on the floor. The vampire slid his hands up her top, ran them
along her spine, almost caressing the bones underneath her soft skin. No
damage. He moved on to her legs and her arms.

"Shit."

Her left leg was broken, and she was losing blood from it. The bone was poking
through the skin, ivory against crimson. He laid his hands nervously on the break,
and hoped that she could heal quickly. He also hoped for the first time that she
was unconscious. No-one should have to feel this.

There was a moment of...unpleasantness. ~Don't think. Just do.~ Then he tore a
strip of material from his shirt and bound the wound. She seemed to be otherwise
okay, apart from multiple bruises and scratches.

~Stupid Slayer. Shouldn't have come after me. Should've left me here.~

Spike rested her head on his lap, and absentmindedly stroked her forehead.
They were in a large cavern, which stretched out around them for what seemed
like miles. Spike knew he should be trying to find a way out, but he couldn't leave
Buffy. Wouldn't leave her.

Buffy came back into the conscious world, and was greeted by unmentionable
pain from her left leg.

~Probably broken.~

She didn't open her eyes immediately, because she was momentarily soothed by
the cool hand on her forehead.

~Did they find me? Am I at home, with Mom?~

That was just wishful thinking. The hard, wet floor told her otherwise. Still, it was
nice to pretend, for a little while. So she just lay there for a few seconds, letting
Spike comfort her.

~But I have to wake up. And I don't like him, I don't...so I have to push him
away.~

It took every ounce of her strength to do so.

"Slayer! Don't move...your leg.."

"It's my leg Spike, I think I know it...."

She bit her lip to keep from screaming, and fell back against the floor. He moved
towards her, but she rejected him again. They were both quiet for a moment.

"Why did you jump down the hole? Bloody stupid thing..."

"I was looking for you!"

"You should've gone to get a ladder.."

"You might have been...dead, I don't know....I just know that we...need each
other, now."

"So let me...help you."

Another uneasy alliance formed. His touch was more gentle than she had ever
imagined it could be, and she was forced to lean heavily on him. They moved
slowly across the cavern. It was so dark that any regular person would have
been instantly lost. As it was, her Slayer enhanced eyesight could only make out
dim shapes in the darkness, vague suggestions of rocks and walls and...some of
them seemed to move...Spike stopped. Another few seconds and she could tell
why.

The fetid stench of death filled their nostrils. Buffy thought she saw Spike
momentarily vamp out, before regaining control. He looked at her.

"Do you want me to go on? Leave you here, hop-a-long?"

She scowled.

"Not likely. Let you have all the fun?"

They walked hesitantly towards the source of the smell. It increased in its
intensity, and Buffy felt nauseous. It all seemed to stem from a small opening in
the cavern wall. Small, that is, compared to the rest of the place. It was a hole
about six foot high.

"Well, looks like neither of us are gonna have to hunch." Buffy said brightly.

Spike glared. "Good job I'm not some great hulking lunk like Captain Cardboard
or the Poof then, isn't it?"

Buffy smiled, knowing she'd struck a raw nerve. "I never really understood the
male preoccupation with size."

"Stop quoting Titanic at me and shut up."

"I don't believe it...you saw Titanic?"

*****

Giles shook his head in despair. The door to his house was still horizontally on
the floor. It should be vertically in the doorframe. Willow shrugged. "Nothing
seems to have been stolen."

"Guys! Look!"

Xander seemed to have come out of his mood when he saw the damage at
Giles' place. He was currently waving a book at them. "Look! It's a book...all
about....duhduhduh...William the bloody."

Giles snatched it. "Why would they be reading up on him?"

Anya rolled her eyes. "Maybe it was Buffy? Seeing as how they're..."

"Yes, alright, enough with the continued imagery, thankyou.."

"Xander, she didn't say anything..."

"She made a hand gesture."

"Oh."

Tara cleared her throat. "Um...there's another book...Watcher's Diary...Elizabeth
Scott." Giles looked up. "Oh, we won't need that. It probably just fell out of the
bookcase. She died when she was approaching twenty, some kind of fire....fire."

"As in fire demon?"

"As in fire demon."

There was a long moment of silence as everybody considered what Giles had
just said. A Slayer. Dead. And a fire demon had been involved.

"I still don't see what the William the Bloody book has to do with anything..."

*****
Dead bodies lined the walls. Some were bone, others covered in fleshy remains.
Spike felt uneasy, and he supposed the slayer found it distasteful, to say the
least. He had decided that the sweet distraction of her body pressed against his
had to be ignored if they were to stand any chance of making it through alive.

~She still hates me. Pushed me away, didn't want my help. I'm stupid, and I was
right the first time. I don't stand a chance. Not now, not ever, and I've been a
right idiot. Thinking she could ever let me be with her. Could ever love me...I
should go back to what I was. Her enemy. Hating her. Then it'll be easy, after all
this is over, to just leave.~

Spike abruptly moved Buffy further away from his body. She looked at him.

"What?"

"Getting a bit too close for comfort, Slayer. We hate each other, remember? Not
exactly snuggle-buddies."

"I know! And I wasn't snuggling..."

"Yes you were. Only to be expected I suppose."

Spike readied himself mentally. ~I hope this works.~

"I mean, I was right, telling corn-boy you liked your men a little bumpy in the head
area."

Silence. A few drops of water splashed to the floor. Each drop sounded loud as a
drum in the all consuming silence.

"You stupid idiot!"

She pushed him hard and he fell back against the wall. Buffy moved towards him
stiffly, her eyes shining with anger.

"You....you made him do it...made him let them all drink from him...he wanted it
for me...I hate you!"

~Believe whatever you like, luv.~

Then she hit him, hard in the face. Turned away, arms folded. Spike had to really
try and restrain himself from hitting her back, from making her bleed...a trickle of
blood ran from his split lip. Spike licked it away, and spoke again.

"Bitch. You hate me? Old news Sla...."

"Don't talk to me. Ever. Again. I really do hate you. I despise you. You're the
lowest of the low. Too pathetic to be staked."

And her words were so filled with venom they stung. Leaving him speechless,
frozen. If the chip wasn't there, he couldn't have snapped her neck then. Those
words had cut. Right to the bone.

Buffy started to walk again. Her leg was still stiff, but it had already begun to heal.
Hurt like hell without him to prop her up. She felt like spitting at him.

~Riley felt he had to be something darker to be part of my life....god, why did
Spike say that...he just likes causing trouble for everyone. But...it isn't all his
fault. I suppose...I've been trying to find out more about who I am...am I
something dark? Something rooted in darkness? Because it just seems like
everyone I ever loved I...destroyed.~

Filled with self-loathing, the slayer barely noticed the tunnel forked into two
directions. She mindlessly took the left fork, caught up in her own thoughts.

Spike lay against the wall.

~She's right. I am pathetic.~

Well, the first step in not being pathetic was to stop feeling sorry for himself and
do something. Spike decided to get up, go after the Slayer, and tell her that he
loved her.

~Then it'll be off my chest. And she'll still hate me, but I won't have any reason to
stay...oh yeah. The bloody prophecy, dragon thing. Damn.~

Oblivious to the outside world, Spike speculated over the different meanings of
the prophesy. And took the right fork.

*****

Xander splashed along the sewers.

"Tell me again why we had to enter the Tunnel of Twisted Spike and Buffy Sewer
Love? Because it smells...really bad."

Giles wrinkled his nose at the smell, and pressed on.

"Because it's daytime, and Spike obviously can't walk around without drawing
attention to himself. How many people theses days look like Billy Idol?"

"And the spontaneous combustion things just a minor side effect, right?"

Giles and Willow glared at Xander. Anya waved at them al from further down the
sewer.

"Giles, did you bring some rope in that bag?"

"Yes....why? Have you found something?"

"I think they went down there."

The other four crowded around the open trapdoor. Floating in the sewage gunk
next to it was a cigarette butt, and a faint vanilla smell that was masked by the
sewer.

Willow shrugged. "That's all the leads we've got. So I guess it's abseiling time.
How far down is it?"

Tara picked up a sizeable rock, and threw it into the trapdoor.

They waited for it to hit.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Xander moved from foot to foot, uncomfortably. "Do you think anyone'll mind me
taking a leak in the sewers? It's just like...cutting out the middle man, I
suppose..."

"Quiet!"

There was a dull thud. They all exchanged looks, and with a resigned sigh Giles
began to unload the climbing gear.