"Ahhhhh," Spike yawned. He stretched and looked around sleepily. Small TV in front of him, old ragged couch and chair in there place.yes, everything was just like it was supposed to be. Everything.Perfect.Then his still half asleep eyes rested on the empty seat beside him, and after a second of recognition, he jumped up, now fully awake.

"Shit!" he cursed, "Where could it have gone?! I could have sworn I said for her to stay right there-"

"CREEK!" The open door swung freely. That's when the truth dawned on him. The Buffybot was gone.

He paced back and forth quickly, imagining all the things that could of gone wrong, and all the havoc she could now spread, lost as she was. Not to mention, trying to clear his mind and think of what to do next. Then he remembered, the remote! Of course! He looked in every inch of his home, but there weren't too many places it could be. He looked under the tv, on the couch, in between cushions, even in his little hidden place under his home, beneath the trap door. Finally, he found it, or I should say what remained of it, for the smashed remote was sprawled everywhere under the couch. He looked at his watch. Three hours until sun rise. That's how long he would have to search for her. It wasn't much time.

Taking big strides, he marched out the door.

Meanwhile, our favorite vampire slayer was doing her daily-before-bedtime patrol. It was an unusually boring patrol, too. "*Sigh* Where's the action?? This is soooo boring, I wish there was at least some vamps out for me to dust... just to give me something to do...keep me busy...get my adrenaline running..." She thought this way to herself for an hour and a half. When still no vamps showed up, she decided she might as well go home. Just when she was about to turn in the direction of home, she heard a rustling in the bushes. "Oh, of course, now they decide to show up." She thought to herself, annoyed at the nerve of the creatures of darkness. Would it kill them to be punctual for once?

She turned and walked closer to the bushes. Oddly, although she was certain someone, or something was nearby, there seemed nothing vampire-like about it. For one, she didn't have that slayer feeling she always had when one was around, and also, vampires almost always just came out and attacked her, or tried to run away, when they knew they were caught, but not just stand there. She took a couple more steps, and was only a few strides away from the bushes when she heard someone call her name from behind her.

"Buffy?...Buffy??...Buffy!" Spike shouted, desperate to find the robot before someone discovered it.

"What?!" An irritated Buffy asked while turning to face him.

The Buffybot turned around, also, to face him from behind the bush.

Spike stood there with his mouth open a second, completely bewildered and not knowing what to say, just knowing that if the slayer turned her head at that very moment she would be face to face with the 'Bot, and it would be the end of Spike for sure!

"Uh, um, B-Buffy? I, I, saw some vamps down that way,"(he pointed in the direction behind him,) "and there seems to be a whole mess of them, and-"



She looked at him suspiciously. "A-And you a-are stuttering because...?" She mocked.

"Look!" he said, finally getting back to his old self, agitated by her little comment, "Countless. Vampires." (Pause)"Need. Slaying." (Pause) "Do you want me to spell it out for you???"

She crossed her arms and gave him one of those looks. "Fine."

"V-A-M-P--"

"No!! I mean fine, which way are the vampires?? I might as well stake something if it can't be you."

He was tempted to tell her to take her best shot, but then he remembered the robot, which he amazingly had forgotten about, and bit his tongue.

She left. Once she was far enough away he let out a sigh of relief.

The robot, following, started a confident walk behind Buffy in identical paces. Buffy, hearing someone walk behind her, turned around. Completely caught of guard, jumped in between them, blocking Robo-Buffy from the real Buffy's view.

She looked at him questioningly. He, not knowing what else to do, shrugged and looked away. So Buffy slowly turned around and continued her walk. "That vampire's getting stranger and stranger." She thought. "No point trying to figure him out now. There's slaying to be done!" She thought in mock enthusiasm.

She continued on her way. When Buffybot tried to push Spike aside and follow her, Spike grabbed her and put his hand around it's mouth so it couldn't scream, and jumped behind a near by bush with it.

When Buffy was far enough away he yelled frustrated, "What's wrong with you?! You're mine, you hear?! You're supposed to do what I tell you to, and nothing but! What the hell-"

Spike was cut off by the buffybot trying to run away again. He tried to grab her by the arm and roughly pull her down again, but she had her robo- strength, and managed to get away.

"Oh!" Spike said frustrated beyond means, "Bloody great. Just bloody great!!"

*******

TO BE CONTINUED