"Spike?"
"Spike?"
A hand touched his shoulder. "Spike,
wake up."
"Buffy?" he murmured. "Luv?"
Willow's eyes filled with tears. "No Spike. It's me and Dawn."
"Go away." His eyes shut in his swollen
and deformed face.
"No."
He raised himself up from the stone floor
and looked Willow in the eye menacingly. "You don't want to be here."
"Spike, you have to . . ."
Spike pushed Willow away, causing her to
fall in a misshapen heap. He clutched his head as the blinding pain
punished him.
Willow's eyes turned dark. "That's
enough you selfish bastard." Her spell sent Spike slamming into the
wall of his crypt.
"Willow, no!" Dawn went to Spike's
side. "Don't you see? That's what he wants." Gently she
grasped his hand. "Spike. Buffy told us to take care of each
other."
Spike could feel the sob well up in the
back of his throat. "Buffy also made me promise to protect you. Look what a brilliant job I did of that."
Dawn smiled as the tears streamed down
her cheeks. "Well you're kind of sucking at it right now. I
haven't seen you for weeks. How can you protect me when you're not
even around?"
"Nibblet, I . . ."
Willow interrupted. "Spike, listen. What happened was horrible. But remember what guilt did to Buffy? She believed she'd killed Dawnie and she went all coma-girl on us. We need you."
Spike's shoulders slumped. The silence
stretched on for many moments. When he finally responded, his voice
was a whisper. "Buffy made me feel like a man, but we all know what
I really am."
"What is that Spike?" Willow asked.
Spike heard her pulse increase as she waited
for his answer, saw the life rushing through the artery in her neck. "A monster."
"Oh God." Dawn pulled Spike into
her arms. "No Spike. It's not true."
Spike completely dissolved into tears. "Yes . . . yes it bloody well is." He looked at Willow. "I
was the one who introduced Dawn to Doc. And then he showed up and
I couldn't stop him. It's all my fault."
Willow sighed. "Dawn told me about
your little resurrection adventure. You might have been misguided,
but you were only trying to help."
"But that's the problem Will. I don't
have anything to guide me anymore. Buffy showed me what was right
and even when she was around I bollocksed it up. She was my bleeding
soul. Now she's gone . . ."
Dawn squeezed Spike's hand excitedly. "But Spike, that's why we've come to see you. We think we've figured
out a way to bring her back, and we can't do it without you."
"Huh?"
END PART ONE