~~~~
The man pulled out a set of handcuffs. "You have the right to remain silence. Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in the court of law."
Spike couldn't believe the looks on Angel and Xander's faces. They were about to take this shit. Knowing he was the only one who'd do it, Spike wrapped his cold pale hand around the officer's neck, "Yeah, well, use this against me: You have no bloody idea who you're messing with."
Angel Hesitated, "Spike, don't."
"Why the hell not? Little fucker thinks he's so smart."
"Spike, don't make this worse." Xander jumped it.
Spike released the skrawny man's neck. "Well then what are we bloody well supposed to do? It's not like he's going to leave us gravediggers alone."
"Gravediggers?" Angel asked. "Nah, we were planting flowers... at night... with no flowers around..."
"I think he's buying it." Xander mocked.
"What the hell do you need night watchmen for anyway?" Spike asked the man who just kept looking smaller and weaker to him. "And what's your name?"
Angel mouthed the words "His name?" at Xander, without letting Spike see he was questioning his messed up brain.
Xander just shrugged.
"To protect the dead from people like... you." The man choked, "I'm Felix Charleston."
Spike couldn't help but laugh, "Felix? Well, Flixy, we have a little predicament here. See, you're walked in on something that's an untouchable subject in most people lives. See, to you, We're a susperstition."
"Huh?" Felix stared straight at Spike, trying not to look afraid.
Spike laughed again, and changed his tatics. "Alright Felix boy, you see that grave? Right there?" Spike pointed the half-dug-up grave. "Do you have any idea who's burried there?"
"Jerry Springer?" Felix made a sorry attempt at a joke.
"Funny. Now, you're a straight man, right Felix?"
"Yeah." Felix replied. Spike could see the fear in his eyes. He could also see the gun in his belt he hadn't even reached for.
Angel and Xander were both quiet, waiting to see what Spike had to say.
"Her name is Buffy. Buffy Anne Summers. She's the most beautiful girl in the whole world." Spike was crying again.
Felix rolled his eyes. "Look, this happens to a lot of people. It'll get easier in time. You guys go home right now, I'll fix this up and we'll pretend it never happened, ok?"
Spike laughed a little through his tears. "I think you've misunderstood, little Felix. I spoke in present tense. It's going to be past tense if we don't get her back tonight."
Felix loooked a little disturbed, and felt pity for the three crazy men digged up one of their girlfriends, or whores, or whatever she was to them. "She's dead, man. Get over it."
Spike grabbed Felix's right hand and pulled it towards the left side of his chest. Felix didn't say anyting, just lightly touched the black cotton that made up Spike's tank. "So am I. I think I turned out alright, don't you?."
"Your heart isn't beating..." Felix gasped, and pulled his arm back and started to shake it around.
"Yeah, well, that was the point." Spike rolled his eyes.
Felix finally drew his gun and pointed it right straight at Spike.
"C'mon. I dare you. Just pull the trigger, fucking coward." Spike jeered.
Felix shoot two bullots straight into Spike's right shoulder.
"Bloody Hell!" Spike screamed in pain for just a second, but looked up with his trademark smile. "Hurts. But if I'm not breathing, you don't really think that will kill me, now do you?"
"You're scared." Angel butted into the conversation that had become deeply about just Spike and Felix. "There's no reason not to be. We just told you that we're dead."
Xander raised his hand and prepared for what looked like another cheesy joke, "I, for one, am alive."
"They just keep gettin' worse and worse, Xan. We'll work on that when we get back to the magic shop, ok?" Spike matted.
Spike's mind suddendly darted back to the reason they were all there. "Now, Felix jr, if you're bloody going to be trying to stop us from doing this, It'll be you in that grave."
Felix still had his gun in hand. "You," He shot Xander a look. "You said you're... alive?"
Xander nodded.
Felix cocked his gun and shoot a bullet into Xander's side before anyone could stop him.
"Mother fucking-" Spike started, but just tightened his clamp on his shovel and rammed into straight at Felix's head. "You're going to die tonight. I suggest you prey."
Unaware of what Angel and Xander were doing, Spike hit Felix again over the head with the shovel that was covered in red blood by then. Spike stared into the poor man's eyes, and felt pity only for a 100th of a second, but banished it away. "I want you to remember you fired first."
Spike raised the shovel and took his finishing blow, litterally smashed Felix's head into tiny pieces of nothing.
"Call 911." Angel called to Spike. "This doesn't look so good."
Angel took Xander by the shoulder and helped him to sit next to the grave.
Spike shook his head. "Can't. First of all, I'm up for muder one, and second of all, It's pretty obvious we've been digging at this grave. We have to do this tonight. Can't from the hospital."
Angel's eyes narrowed. "So what, you're saying we should just take the risk that maybe Xander's gonna die?" Angel hadn't meant to use to word. Xander was hurt, not deaf.
Spike pulled out a cel phone. Since when does he carry a phone?
"Will, you gotta get out here. To the graveyard. Hurry. Bring whatever candle shit you need to heal someone, ok?" Spike hung up after what could have only been time enough for Willow to have gotten out five or six words.
"Will's coming." He confirmed to the Angel and Xander, who looked suddenly twice as pale as Spike.
Spike tried not to look concerned, and twitched back sereval times before he said anything. The silence was killing him. "Are you... ok?"
Xander took five hard, deep, breathes before answering. "I... think."
Spike didn't say anything more, but Angel and Xander both knew whether he admited it or not, he was was feeling guilty. Angel was busy tied something around the mark.
It was silent until Willow arrived. It was an awkward situation for Spike, and Angel and Xander knew that. He cared, felt bad beyond thinking of Xander as Buffy's friend and not wanted to hurt Buffy. But as thinking of Xander as Xander and not wanted to hurt Xander. And of Angel as Angel, and not wanted to hurt Angel. Thinking of people as people, and not wanted to hurt people. They'd thought it was leaving - that side of it - but it was stronger than it had ever been just minutes after he'd shattered a man's head open. Spike thought it was leaving - and he was confused. They could both see it on the expression on his face.
Just after Willow arrived, she opened a package of something sparkly, like gliter, and scattered it onto Xander.
She chanted what sounded like a haiku in Japanese, or Chinese, or maybe German, but no one really cared. Point is the wound healed almost instantly.
It hit Spike for the first time then, as Xander started regaining his strength. "Luv, if you have that kind of power, how come you didn't heal Giles back when the apcolypse was nearing?"