Chapter Four

Sunburn

"Hey, Living Dead!" Xander called out across the beach to the lone figure walking in the surf of the beach. The figure turned, and made no move to greet the two that approached him.

"Wow, you aren't quite as blonde as I remembered you." Xander said and walked over to Spike.
"Yeah, yeah." Spike muttered and turned away, starting to walk again.

"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, we both have problems with the broody boy!" Cordelia called to him. Just as she had hoped, Spike stopped and turned towards them. Cordy saw a gleam of the former Spike in his gaze.

"Now that's more like it."

***

Amy snickered and looked around Spike's old crypt. It was full of cobwebs, and there had obviously been no effort made on the Scoobies part to keep it clean, or at least take care of Spike's heirlooms.

"Now, if I was a vampire, where would I hide my most valuable stuff?" she said aloud, pondering. "Ah, screw the wondering, I want to know."

Amy said something in Latin and then strung a couple phrases together, and then she sprinkled some herbs on the ground. Her eyes closed for a moment, and then they shot open.

"The basement."

Amy opened to door to the bottom of the crypt (which no doubt eventually led to the sewers), and immediately cast a light charm. Searching around silently for several minutes, she found what she was looking for; a big black chest.

Carefully, she opened it, and searched gently through what was inside. At first she was disappointed. On the top were just a couple of photos of Buffy, some of her clothes (Amy raised an eyebrow when she glimpsed a pair of panties), but after removing those articles, she was quickly pleased once more.

Underneath were the diaries. Spike's diaries. She smiled with pleasure at the prospect of blackmail, but pushed that aside. What she wanted was information about all Spike's vampire friends. Perhaps one of them or more would offer to turn Spike into a vampire again.

Amy was so preoccupied with what was in the chest, that she did not hear the thing that came up behind him. With a swift and calculating move, it struck Amy on the back of the head, and smiled as she fell, limp to the floor.

"No body goes through my Spikey's things."

***

"He did WHAT? You have got to be kidding!" Spike threw back his head and let out a sharp yell of pure laughter. Xander smiled and exchanged a look with Cordy. They both rather liked the new Spike rather than the old one.

"God, he is such a poof. Even I wasn't as much as a poof as him when I was huma-" Spike immediately stopped talking and sat silent. Cordy and Xander's smiles faded, and they each looked concerned at Spike.

"Sorry, Spike."

Xander sometimes amazed even himself- he never dreamed that he would be trying to comfort his worst enemy before.

Suddenly, something heaved Spike up. Cordelia and Xander scrambled to their feet, and saw what held Spike. It was a-

"EWWW, that is one yucky demon." Cordelia said and grimaced.

"YOU! YOU BASTARD OWE ME!" the demon said in a loud and rich voice that gargled like a broken coffee maker.

"Xander, you go get Buffy and the gang. I'll stay here."

"What makes you think-"

Cordelia shot him a look and glared. "I've fought demons A LOT since I've left Sunnydale. It's my profession now. I think I know how to handle myself. Now GO!"

Xander looked at her in a new way- the last time he really saw her, she was a snot and she was someone that not many people would like. But now, she was very different. He looked at her eye, which were glistening with anger and fury. Well, maybe not that different. He took off running as fast as he could, partly to reach Buffy so she could save Spike, and partly because he wanted to get as far away from Cordy as humanly possible.

***

"Where is he? He should have been back by now! Oh, what if he and Cordy are having sex!?"

Anya sat on the beach, Buffy and Willow sitting next to her, tired of listening to her worried rants about Xander. She had been off five minutes after Xander and Cordy had left, looking for Spike.

"I'm sure they aren't having sex." Willow said in monotone. Tara sat next to her, head resting on her lap. She was snoring lightly. Willow unconsciously ran a hand through Tara's long blonde hair.

Almost as if on cue, Xander came running up, screaming bloody murder. Everyone immediately leapt to their feet, and Dawn (who was talking to some really hot guys in her grade) wandered over to them.

"What wrong? What happened?"

Xander took a deep breath. "Spike. A demon has Spike." he managed to get out before he was embraced by Anya.

"I'm so glad it wasn't sex!" she cried. Xander looked at her strangely.

"Come on, we need to help him."

***

After she was sure Xander had left, she turned back to the demon, who was shaking Spike violently. He then threw Spike face first into the sand. He raised a large foot above Spike's head.

"Oh no you don't." Cordelia muttered and marched over to the demon. She shoved him violently over, and then kicked him between the legs. The effort didn't seem to phase the demon. Instead, he lunged towards her and grabbed an arm tightly.

"Perhaps you'll pay with this vixen's blood," the demon said.

"Okay, not a vixen here, I'm a woman." Cordelia said, before the demon struck her across the face. She fell to the ground and landed with a thud, but stood back up after a split second.

"Is that all you've got. My grandma could do better than that."

***

When the Scooby Gang arrived where the fight was taking place, they saw that Cordelia was struggling against two demons, while the largest one was choking Spike.

Buffy grabbed the larger demon, while Willow and Tara dealt with the other two.

"Let go of him!"

Buffy managed to pull the Spike away, and began to fight the monster. She managed to back it into part of the rocky shore, and knocked him unconscious with a large boulder.

Turning, she saw Spike gasping for breath, waist deep in the surf. Cordelia was wiping slime from her arms and complaining about her grime-covered clothes. Willow and Tara were helping her as best they could.

"Who was that Spike?" she asked as she pulled Spike up, and supported his weak frame. It struck her as very odd that she was the one helping HIM after a demon wasting.

"Owed him money. I suspect that there'll be more coming after me." Spike managed to make this sound light and nothing to worry about, but Buffy knew otherwise. Spike was weak, and human. If more demons came after him, he would be a dead man before nightfall.

***

"Well, if I'm gonna stay at your home for that long, I'm gonna have to get some of my stuff from my crypt." Spike said and folded his arms across his chest.

Angel sighed and closed his eyes. Buffy leaned back into the couch and looked at Spike wearily.

"Fine. I can't argue with you." Buffy said finally, and Spike nodded. He spun on his heals and waltzed out of her place, slamming the door behind him.

"He may be human, but he's still a pain in the ass."

***

Spike hesitantly opened the door to his old home. Looking around, he saw that everything he valued had been left in incredible disarray.

"Bloody Hell. Stupid gits."

/don't call them that, they're helping you! / his subconscious reminded him.

Spike gingerly touched his crypt and then removed his fingers as if he had been burned. There were too many memories. Carefully, he made his way down into his basement and looked about.

There was something there that he couldn't quite place- something different. But without his strong vampire sense of smell, the thought was useless. Still, he thought it best if he make the whatever-it-was aware of his presence.

"Get out you bugger."

Slowly, he saw a shadow move. Following it, he saw a figure of a person. It moved with amazing grace, and swayed slightly as if it was being stirred by a gentle breeze. Spike's eyes widened as the figure moved into the candlelight.

"Dru…"

Dru smiled reached out towards him. She brushed a strand of light brown hair away from his face, and Spike instinctively jerked away from her touch.

"Mmm, my little poet- don't be afraid."

Dru's delicate features began to change and Spike's heart almost froze with fear. Before him was a creature of the darkness.

"Mummy's here."

Author's Note:

hehe, I just love cliffhangers, don't you?

love always,

Luna