Part 3
Hilary's eyes followed the demon around the room, waiting with bated breath for his answer. She had pulled a lot of strings to get him here in the first place. Now she just hoped her efforts hadn't been in vain.
"This is a very unusual request, Hilary," he finally said. "The only reason I'm here at all is out of respect for your father."
"I know," she replied. "And you have my word that once I have what I want, you will never hear from me again. It's just I need Spike to-"
The demon inhaled sharply. "Spike?"
Hilary nodded and Doc's eyes glinted. "This changes everything. Spike and I have a little bit of unfinished business. Alright, I'll help you."
Hilary smiled and kissed his cheek "Thank you."
With a gasp Spike bolted upright in bed, a sheen of cold sweat covering his whole body. He'd been dreaming again. For once it hadn't been about Hilary though. This time it had been that night two months ago, the night the world had almost ended.
He had been standing on top of a huge platform. Dawn was there and so was Doc, the demon he had taken Dawn to when she wanted to bring her mother back. Just as before, Dawn was tied up, about to be cut by Doc. But unlike that dreadful night, in his dream Spike had been unable to stop the demon, and Dawn had died as red ribbons of her blood opened Glory's gate.
"It was just a dream," he muttered to himself, running his hands through his hair and wincing when he encountered the still healing lump on his forehead. In reality he had managed to beat Doc and had pushed him off the platform before he had been able to hurt Dawn. It had been this that had sealed the friendship between him and Buffy. Things could have been so horribly different if he'd failed to save her.
Deciding not to dwell on his thoughts he climbed out of bed, quickly dressed, and made his way out into the cemetery. Hopefully Buffy would be patrolling tonight.
"Try not to knock yourself out this time, you wanker," he grumbled to himself as he made his way through the headstones.
Buffy had been kind to him at the time, had taken him back to his crypt, put him to bed and had even brought an ice-pack for his head. However, now that he was better he had a feeling there was going to be a lot of laughter on her part and that it was going to be directed at him.
Best get it over with I suppose, he thought as he made his way to the area where Buffy normally started her patrol.
Halfway there he stopped and sniffed the air. He could sense a demon, and there was something strangely familiar about the uneasy feeling he was getting.
"Hello, Spike." A voice behind him said, causing Spike to whip round with fists raised. He let out a low, feral growl when his eyes met those of a seemingly innocent man.
"You're stupider than I thought, Doc," he snarled. "You should have left when you had the chance."
Doc didn't seem fazed by the threat and merely smiled at the vampire. "Well, I couldn't go without thanking you for your help. If you hadn't brought that little girl, the key to me, I'd have never even known it was her. Too bad the bleeding didn't go according to plan, but I suppose you can't win them all."
Spike flinched as the demon's words stung him, but he did his best not to let it show. "So, are we going to fight or not? I've got places to be."
Doc sighed. "Well, I'm afraid it's not that simple. You see, as much as it would please me to kill you, I madenow what were your words. a promise to a lady."
With one fluid motion he pulled a small 6-inch pipe from his pocket and blew into it sharply. Spike barely had time to feel the dart sting into his neck before everything went black.
Doc smiled as Spike crumpled to the floor, giving it a minute before nudging him with his foot. Getting no response, he bent down and easily hefted the unconscious vampire over his shoulder and began to make his way back to Hilary's.
A huge smile spread over Hilary's face as Doc entered her apartment with Spike draped over his shoulder.
"You did it. You're amazing!" She clapped her hands with an almost a childlike glee as Doc placed Spike on her bed.
"Do you have the other thing I asked for?" she inquired hopefully.
Doc reached into his pocket and pulled out a long, thin box, which he handed to her.
"This brings our arrangement to a close. I don't expect to hear from you again."
Hilary nodded, still looking at the box. When she finally raised her head to thank him, he was gone.
Part 4
Hilary frowned as she fastened the manacles around Spike's wrists and ankles. She wished that they weren't needed, well, not involuntarily anyway. But she knew that as soon as Spike woke he was going to try and escape. Thankfully the drugs Doc had used were strong and she was pretty sure the vampire would be out for at least another couple of hours.
Sitting on the side of the bed she gently caressed his cheek, noting how sweet and almost innocent he looked when sleeping.
"Buffy doesn't know what she's missing," she whispered tenderly.
A split second later her hand slapped his face hard as she was assaulted by an image of Buffy watching her man sleep.
"You think you can just leave me?" she hissed. "You think that tramp deserves you?"
A cold rage filled her soul as she remembered the last time she had seen Spike. He'd been with Buffy and they'd looked happy. He has been dazzled by the slut. Blind to how she used him. It was time to put a stop to that for good.
"I've been going about this all wrong," Hilary mused as she cut Spike's shirt open. "Getting rid of Buffy wasn't the answer. I just need to make you see what she really is."
Deciding to give Spike a little reminder of just where his heart really belonged, Hilary pulled out a small jar of holy water and a paintbrush. As she gently began to paint the letters on his chest, she wrinkled her nose at the hissing sound and the smell of burning flesh.
When she was done she sat back and waited for him to wake.
As Spike slowly drifted back into consciousness the first thing he became aware of was that he was rather uncomfortable. Not only did he hurt in several new places, but also he found that his hands and legs had been tied somehow. Wherever he was, he knew it wasn't going to be good.
Finally he opened his eyes and groaned, "Oh God, not you again."
Hilary pouted. "Aww, baby, that's no way to speak to your old flame now, is it?"
"Yeah, well you taught me better than anyone that flames burn. I don't suppose asking you to let me go is going to achieve anything."
She shook her head and smiled. "Don't worry, this will all be over in a minute."
Spike blinked as another figure came up behind Hilary and laid a hand on her shoulder. It looked just like him. Hilary giggled at the stunned expression on Spike's face.
"Not a bad likeness is it? Too bad Warren died before I got the chance to commend him on his fine work."
It began to click into place in Spike's mind. She was going to replace him with the robot.
"Do you really think the Slayer will buy it?" he asked with a dry laugh. "She's known me long enough to tell the difference between the real thing and a machine."
Hilary smirked. "Funny, she didn't seem to be able to tell the difference last night."
Spike-bot leant down and kissed Hilary on the cheek. "I have to go and pick Buffy up from the hospital now."
Spike bolted up as far as his chains would allow him. "Hospital? You bitch, what have you done to her?"
Hilary patted his arm reassuringly. "Relax Spike, she's fine. In fact, you saved herwell, the robot did, but as far as she's concerned it was you. You should be thanking me really."
Spike shook his head and sank back down. She was completely insane, and there was no doubt about it.
Hilary turned her attention to the robot.
"Alright, from now on you're Spike, ok? You don't even come back here. You don't mention my name, you don't do anything to arouse suspicion."
He nodded and with one final kiss to her cheek, he left. Hilary turned back to Spike.
"Alone at last." She smiled. "I have a little something for you."
Reaching into the front of her dress she pulled the box Doc had given her out from where is had been hidden between her breasts. Spike raised his head and eyed the box with suspicion.
"This time you'll stay mine," she said, half to him and half to herself. Opening the box she pulled out a hypodermic needle filled with a bright green substance. Spike's eyes widened and he began to struggle. The chains were strong, and wouldn't give. Hilary grabbed hold of his arm and quickly injected him.
Almost instantly Spike's mind began to cloud. He knew he was lying in a bed, but he had no idea where. He could make out the blurred image of a girl seated beside him, and although she seemed vaguely familiar, he couldn't recall her name.
"Where am I?" he asked, his voice strangely slurred and weak. "Who are you?"
"Shh." The girl placed a gentle finger on his lips and shook her head. "I'll explain later. Right now you need to sleep."
Almost as soon as she said this, he found that his eyelids were unbelievably heavy. He allowed them to close and he soon drifted back into the darkness.
He had hoped that when he next woke things would be clearer, but unfortunately, when his eyes opened everything was just as muddled as it had been before. The familiar looking redhead was still sitting at his bedside. She reached out and brushed a gentle hand over his cheek, concern in her eyes.
"How are you feeling?"
"I don't know," he said honestly. "Ido I know you? Everything feels mixed up."
The girl nodded with understanding. "Why don't you tell me what you remember? We'll start with the basics. Do you know who you are?"
He nodded. "Spike."
The girl smiled. "That's right, good. Do you know what you are?"
He really hoped she wasn't going to think he was crazy when he answered her. "I'm. vampire?"
She smiled again. "Got it in one. But you don't know who I am?"
Spike shook his head.
"And you don't know how you got here?"
Another shake of the head.
"Alright," she said. "Let me fill in the gaps. About a week ago you were attacked by a demon. It was pretty bad. I got worried when it was getting close to dawn and you hadn't come home, so I went looking for you. I found you lying unconscious in the cemetery; I think I must have scared it away. Anyway, I brought you home and called a friend of mine, he's a demon doctor. He fixed you up, as best he could, but said when you woke there would be a chance of amnesia. You took some pretty bad blows to the head."
Instinctively Spike reached up and encountered a tender lump on his forehead. It seemed to make sense.
"And youI mean us, are we?"
"I'm sorry, yes. My name is Hilary, we've been together for over a year now."
Spike nodded. No wonder she seemed familiar. It must be killing her to have him not remember anything about their relationship.
"Will I get my memory back?" he finally asked. "I feel terrible for not remembering you."
Her brow creased into a frown. "We don't know. There is a chance it could be permanent. But don't worry, I'll be here to help you."
Spike smiled his thanks; he was already starting to like this girl. No wonder he'd fallen for her. She was dealing with this so well.
Hilary reached into her pocket and pulled out a photograph, showing it to Spike. It was a picture of a petite girl with shoulder length blonde hair. There was something familiar about her too.
"Do you know her?"
"She looks familiar, but I can't remember."
Hilary nodded grimly. "Her name is Buffy. She's the demon that attacked you."
Spike stared at the photo; it was hard to imagine the pretty girl looking back at him as a demon.
"She's one of the few pure-blooded demons left on this earth," Hilary explained. "Although she chooses to take on human form so as not to arouse suspicion about her nature. She spends her night killing lesser demons such as vampires."
Spike nodded, feeling a familiar twinge in his stomach.
"There's more," Hilary said. "Buffy isn't very stable. She's got this insane fixation with you which is why she tortured you instead of just killing you. It was her who did that to your chest."
Spike raised his head and looked down. The word MINE had been burned into his chest.
"Bloody hell," he whispered softly.
Hilary nodded. "I think as soon as you're strong enough we should leave Sunnydale and go somewhere safe. Buffy's probably looking for you right now.
Spike sighed and nodded. "Alright."
TBC
