Only the Good Die Twice
"Where's Roman?" Spike asked as he ambled into the apartment dangerously close to daylight. He had a habit of disappearing by himself for long periods of time. No one ever questioned it, but they sometimes speculated amongst themselves.
"Jack's got a gig," Nell replied, only her eyes visible over her copy of Kerrang. Jack was Roman's buddy since high school and a newly made vampire. Roman himself was pretty new to the vampire scene. He had only been dead for 23 years.
"A gig? Where the hell do they have a gig?"
"At the Deep End," Nell said with a "duh" tone of voice.
Spike huffed. "Jesus. So what do they do for an encore? Bite the head off the bartender?"
"I think they've sort of adopted a don't ask don't tell policy when it comes to our kind, man," Davis observed. "At the rate this town is going we'll wind up being covered under affirmative action."
Spike shook his head in amazement as Roman suddenly burst through the door. "Guys," he said panting fiercely, his pale skin even paler than usual. "Jack's dead."
The entire population snapped to abrupt attention. "What?" was the unanimous response.
"He's dead…I can't explain it. It's like he…he…"
"Was he dusted?" Dawn asked.
"No. Just…just come with me," he grabbed Nell's arm and led her out of the apartment.
Spike and Davis exchanged worried glances. "What is he talking about?" Davis asked, fear permeating through his usually blissed out voice.
Spike shook his head and then snapped his fingers at Dawn. "Come on."
"Me? I don't think it's appropriate if I…"
"If something's killing vampires, you're presence is plenty appropriate," Spike cut her off, earning curious glances from his roommate. "Come on."
If the sight of a dead human is unsettling, the sight of a dead vampire is even more so. Vampires were used to flying in the face or mortality. To see one of their own staring glassy eyed into space was the emotional equivalent of being run over by a fleet of Mac trucks. They simply weren't used to this, and the scene Dawn found when she finally found the courage to enter the room was all too familiar. They had seemed to inadvertently circled themselves around the body, each one of them intentionally occupying themselves with something else. Nell was biting her fingernails, Roman was pacing back and forth, and Spike was flicking his Zippo like a mad man. Dawn took a deep breath and knelt besides the body, post mortem panic threatening to set in for what seemed like the umpteenth time in her life. After she inspected it briefly, she announced, "There's no wound of any kind. Did anyone see what happened?"
Roman raised a shaking hand. "Yeah…we just came back from the bar. He walked in and complained that it was cold in here, which didn't make any sense. And then only like a few minutes after that, he just started shaking and passed out. And that was it. Like that," he snapped his fingers to illustrate.
"I honestly have no idea what this would be," Dawn turned to Spike.
"Why would you?" Nell asked. "You a doctor or something?"
Dawn shook her head. "I just have some experience in this sort of thing."
Roman gave Spike a questioning look, which he ignored. "Well, did anyone notice anything odd?" Spike attempted to divert attention.
Suddenly, Davis sprung to his feet. "Jack ate last night!"
Everyone stared blankly at him. "So…"
"So, no one else did. We all bagged a few the night before when he was booking a gig. I helped him take one down but I didn't have any cause I wasn't hungry."
"Whoa," Dawn butt in. "Are you suggesting food poisoning?" This sounded utterly ridiculous to her.
"Well…I don't here anyone else coming up with anything," he said defensively.
"Dawn, could I talk to you for a second?" Spike suddenly asked, but he already had her by the arm and was dragging her outside.
"Spike, what the hell…"
"I think Davis is right."
"What?"
"Think about it," he yanked a cigarette out of his pocket and started puffing furiously. "If there was something in that body that could make a vampire sick, then basically it's conceivable that there could be some sort of a…a vampire vaccine."
"Spike…"
"I'm serious. Maybe it's a coincidence. But maybe it isn't. And who would be the only group on the planet with the resources to come up with something like that?"
Dawn gasped and covered her mouth. "The Initiative? You really think they would so something like that on purpose?"
"Do you even doubt it? I know they're capable. But we can't very well get a bloody autopsy now, can we? This is so typical," he threw his butt on the ground and stomped on it violently. "It's never enough to just fucking kill us, is it? They always have to have some elaborate plan. Think they're flipping James Bond or some shit. Listen, you need to call your sister."
Dawn shook her head. "No way."
"Hey, it's not like these people are regulated by the FDA. They let some ape shit Frankenstein on the loose, God knows what they've put in those people."
"I'm telling you, she won't come. She's retired," Dawn was getting visibly uneasy.
"Retired?" Spike scoffed. "What, did she get a gold watch and Slayer pension? She's not a used car salesman."
"Spike, I can't call her. Drop it."
"Dawn!"
"Spike!"
"What the hell are you two yelling about?" Roman stuck his head out the door. "Do you two know something about this? Who are you really?" he asked, indicating to Dawn.
"I'm no one. I assure you," she said weakly.
Roman's eyes narrowed. "This is some serious fucking shit, Spike. If I find out you knew about this and didn't tell us, I swear to God I'll kill you 6 times before you hit the ground," Roman threatened without much real malice. He knew he was no match for the old man.
"Relax. I'm about as baffled as you are. This does sound like the MO of some chits I've dealt with before but I'm not a bleeding NARC."
"Both of you, shut up," Nell piped up from behind them. "You two can have a pissing contest tomorrow. Right now, just zip up your damn trousers and let's go home," her usual tiny voice was showing its age for the first time since Dawn met her. She stormed off ahead of them in the direction of the house. Davis slunk by them almost apologetically as the two remaining men shook their heads and followed the rest of the group.
"Where's Roman?" Spike asked as he ambled into the apartment dangerously close to daylight. He had a habit of disappearing by himself for long periods of time. No one ever questioned it, but they sometimes speculated amongst themselves.
"Jack's got a gig," Nell replied, only her eyes visible over her copy of Kerrang. Jack was Roman's buddy since high school and a newly made vampire. Roman himself was pretty new to the vampire scene. He had only been dead for 23 years.
"A gig? Where the hell do they have a gig?"
"At the Deep End," Nell said with a "duh" tone of voice.
Spike huffed. "Jesus. So what do they do for an encore? Bite the head off the bartender?"
"I think they've sort of adopted a don't ask don't tell policy when it comes to our kind, man," Davis observed. "At the rate this town is going we'll wind up being covered under affirmative action."
Spike shook his head in amazement as Roman suddenly burst through the door. "Guys," he said panting fiercely, his pale skin even paler than usual. "Jack's dead."
The entire population snapped to abrupt attention. "What?" was the unanimous response.
"He's dead…I can't explain it. It's like he…he…"
"Was he dusted?" Dawn asked.
"No. Just…just come with me," he grabbed Nell's arm and led her out of the apartment.
Spike and Davis exchanged worried glances. "What is he talking about?" Davis asked, fear permeating through his usually blissed out voice.
Spike shook his head and then snapped his fingers at Dawn. "Come on."
"Me? I don't think it's appropriate if I…"
"If something's killing vampires, you're presence is plenty appropriate," Spike cut her off, earning curious glances from his roommate. "Come on."
If the sight of a dead human is unsettling, the sight of a dead vampire is even more so. Vampires were used to flying in the face or mortality. To see one of their own staring glassy eyed into space was the emotional equivalent of being run over by a fleet of Mac trucks. They simply weren't used to this, and the scene Dawn found when she finally found the courage to enter the room was all too familiar. They had seemed to inadvertently circled themselves around the body, each one of them intentionally occupying themselves with something else. Nell was biting her fingernails, Roman was pacing back and forth, and Spike was flicking his Zippo like a mad man. Dawn took a deep breath and knelt besides the body, post mortem panic threatening to set in for what seemed like the umpteenth time in her life. After she inspected it briefly, she announced, "There's no wound of any kind. Did anyone see what happened?"
Roman raised a shaking hand. "Yeah…we just came back from the bar. He walked in and complained that it was cold in here, which didn't make any sense. And then only like a few minutes after that, he just started shaking and passed out. And that was it. Like that," he snapped his fingers to illustrate.
"I honestly have no idea what this would be," Dawn turned to Spike.
"Why would you?" Nell asked. "You a doctor or something?"
Dawn shook her head. "I just have some experience in this sort of thing."
Roman gave Spike a questioning look, which he ignored. "Well, did anyone notice anything odd?" Spike attempted to divert attention.
Suddenly, Davis sprung to his feet. "Jack ate last night!"
Everyone stared blankly at him. "So…"
"So, no one else did. We all bagged a few the night before when he was booking a gig. I helped him take one down but I didn't have any cause I wasn't hungry."
"Whoa," Dawn butt in. "Are you suggesting food poisoning?" This sounded utterly ridiculous to her.
"Well…I don't here anyone else coming up with anything," he said defensively.
"Dawn, could I talk to you for a second?" Spike suddenly asked, but he already had her by the arm and was dragging her outside.
"Spike, what the hell…"
"I think Davis is right."
"What?"
"Think about it," he yanked a cigarette out of his pocket and started puffing furiously. "If there was something in that body that could make a vampire sick, then basically it's conceivable that there could be some sort of a…a vampire vaccine."
"Spike…"
"I'm serious. Maybe it's a coincidence. But maybe it isn't. And who would be the only group on the planet with the resources to come up with something like that?"
Dawn gasped and covered her mouth. "The Initiative? You really think they would so something like that on purpose?"
"Do you even doubt it? I know they're capable. But we can't very well get a bloody autopsy now, can we? This is so typical," he threw his butt on the ground and stomped on it violently. "It's never enough to just fucking kill us, is it? They always have to have some elaborate plan. Think they're flipping James Bond or some shit. Listen, you need to call your sister."
Dawn shook her head. "No way."
"Hey, it's not like these people are regulated by the FDA. They let some ape shit Frankenstein on the loose, God knows what they've put in those people."
"I'm telling you, she won't come. She's retired," Dawn was getting visibly uneasy.
"Retired?" Spike scoffed. "What, did she get a gold watch and Slayer pension? She's not a used car salesman."
"Spike, I can't call her. Drop it."
"Dawn!"
"Spike!"
"What the hell are you two yelling about?" Roman stuck his head out the door. "Do you two know something about this? Who are you really?" he asked, indicating to Dawn.
"I'm no one. I assure you," she said weakly.
Roman's eyes narrowed. "This is some serious fucking shit, Spike. If I find out you knew about this and didn't tell us, I swear to God I'll kill you 6 times before you hit the ground," Roman threatened without much real malice. He knew he was no match for the old man.
"Relax. I'm about as baffled as you are. This does sound like the MO of some chits I've dealt with before but I'm not a bleeding NARC."
"Both of you, shut up," Nell piped up from behind them. "You two can have a pissing contest tomorrow. Right now, just zip up your damn trousers and let's go home," her usual tiny voice was showing its age for the first time since Dawn met her. She stormed off ahead of them in the direction of the house. Davis slunk by them almost apologetically as the two remaining men shook their heads and followed the rest of the group.