Chapter Three – Bad Dreams

Against her better nature, Buffy allowed Spike to stay over. She hadn't intended on it but once Dawn and Willow had gone to bed, it just seemed too late to go patrolling and Spike just didn't want to walk back to the crypt. As she turned the bedroom light off and jumped into bed with Spike, she realised that it was the weirdest thing ever. Not even Angel had actually slept in her bed, that kind of thing was reserved for girlfriends at sleepovers and proper boyfriends, not 'cradle-snatching, creature of the night boyfriends'. Despite her post-coital, mid-afternoon nap, Buffy fell asleep almost immediately while Spike just lay next to her, absorbing the fact that he was actually in the Slayer's bed, sleeping between her sheets as if they had a normal relationship. The thought that she had accepted him made him happy and he soon fell asleep although as the dreams started, he wished he could wake up.

The room was lit up in red and orange from the flames outside. He stood over her lifeless body, tasting her blood on his lips as Drusilla walked in to the room. He turned to face her, her eyes were wide with excitement and desire, her words were filling his head; slayer… naughty… wicked… He picked her up and kissed her, her tongue finding the blood in his mouth and devouring him. The fire raged all around as he and Drusilla walked down the crowded streets, people were fleeing in terror as their homes and belongings were engulfed. It was chaos and they were ecstatically drowning in it, the two lovers soon met up with Angelus and Darla at the end of the street. The blood of the slayer was spent but Drusilla's overwhelming pride made him more excited. She couldn't help but tell Angelus and Darla what had happened but Angelus had not cared, Spike ignored him. Dru was all that mattered now, Dru and the kill.

" Who are you?" she asked, wiping her flour covered hands down on her dark skirt. Spike remained silent as he watched her make herself presentable for him; she looked up and asked again. "Are you supposed to be here?"

" Yes, I was sent for by your master's servant-boy. Apparently he is quite ill, I would have gone through the main entrance but the lady of the house is throwing a party. I was asked to use the workman's entrance," he smiled, the lie flowing from his lips. He enjoyed weaving stories to gain entry to people's homes, to make them trust him before he ripped their throats out.

" Oh, well you'd best come in then," she smiled. Spike entered the kitchen and stood next to the table where lumps of dough sat amidst a sea of flour. "Shouldn't you go straight upstairs?" she asked as she went back to kneading more dough.

" I should but you look a little peaked yourself. Are you feeling well?"

" As well as I can be inhaling this flour all day. They say it's a poison, you know," she said. Spike stepped forward and pressed the back of his hand to her cheek, then her forehead before running his fingers through the loose hairs at the nape of her neck. He looked at the girl, her eyes were closed and her head tilted back at his touch, it was almost too easy. He smiled as he leant down and kissed her gently beneath her earlobe before biting down hard on her throat, draining her of blood before dropping her corpse to the floor.

" Thank you, sweetheart!" he laughed as he walked out of the door and back onto the streets.

Buffy woke up suddenly but didn't open her eyes, she was sure that she had heard something. She forced herself to blearily open her eyes and look at the clock, three o'clock in the morning, she cursed herself for sleeping so lightly and shut her eyes again. She heard the noise again, she opened her eyes and turned to Spike, it was definitely coming from him, what was he doing? She stared at him, daring him to do it again, his eyes were shut tight but Buffy could see the tears surrounding them, sealing them shut. She frowned and wiped the tears from his cheeks but he still didn't open his eyes.

" No… don't…" Spike cried in his sleep, bringing his hands to his face and covering his eyes, it was almost as if his dreams were scaring him. Buffy couldn't understand what was going on, she grabbed Spike's shoulder and shook him but he still didn't wake up.

" It's just a dream," she cooed into his ear. No change. "Spike?"

" I brought you a present, pet," smiled Spike as he pushed a crying ten-year-old boy into Drusilla's arms. Her eyes lit up at the gift and she curled her long fingers into the boy's hair.

" Are you scared?" she whispered. The boy nodded and started to calm down, Spike sat out of sight in the corner of the room ready to watch her play. "I was scared once, but Miss Edith said that the moon doesn't play with scaredy-cats. Can you see the moon?"

" I want my Mommy," cried the boy, reaching up to Drusilla for some form of comfort. Spike sat back and laughed to himself, they always wanted to be held and comforted.

" My mummy's dead," said Drusilla, matter-of-factly. She viciously grabbed the boy's head and ripped it backwards, hungrily biting through the young skin and greedily draining his blood. She dropped his body and looked up at Spike who was walking towards her. "Oh Spike, he was wonderful. I'm sorry I didn't save you any but he was just so yummy in my tummy,"

" He was all for you, luv. All for you," grinned Spike, kicking the boy's body away and kissing Drusilla.

Even through the drunken haze he could see that he had hurt Xander badly. Willow kept glancing over to him as she spoke, trying to figure out if he was going to be okay. Spike didn't care, Willow was going to get Drusilla back for him and that was all he cared about. She was talking and acting strongly but he could smell her fear, it was sweet and exciting. He smashed his whisky bottle and held the jagged edge to Willow's throat, she screamed and cried at him. They were so much easier to control when they were scared. The smell of Xander's congealing blood was confusing his already drunken brain and he was becoming far too tempted to just have a little taste. Nothing would please him more than to drain the whelp no matter what he had promised Red.

Buffy climbed out of bed and knocked on Willow's door, she moaned in reply and Buffy entered the room. Sitting on the end of the bed as she had done the previous morning. She waited in silence as Willow woke herself up and sat up.

" What's the matter?" she yawned, rubbing her eyes with her balled up hands.

" I can't wake Spike up and he's yelling in his sleep. He sounds really scared, he keeps calling people's names. He's just shouted to you and Xander," frowned Buffy.

" Wait a minute, Spike is here?" asked Willow, Buffy frowned, "Okay, I'm sorry. I don't know what to say. If you've tried to wake him up then he's obviously in a deep sleep, why the hell is he shouting my name?"

" I don't know but I'm getting really freaked out,"

" BUFFY! NO!" Spike shouted from Buffy's room, she ran to him followed by Willow. He was thrashing around her bed, crying and moaning and calling Buffy's name. Dawn appeared half-asleep in the doorway, woken up by Spike's sleeping hysterics. Buffy climbed onto the bed and grabbed Spike by both shoulders, shaking him violently. It still wasn't working, she looked at Willow in despair but Willow just signalled her to try again. Buffy shook Spike so hard that she was scared she would break his arms and suddenly he opened his eyes and looked frantically around the room. He didn't seem to recognise any of them; his eyes darted back and forth from Willow to Buffy.

" Spike, are you okay?" asked Buffy, stroking his arm.

" I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he said, moving back from Buffy and curling up against the wall at the top corner of the bed. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt any of you, I'm sorry,"

" What's wrong with him?" asked Dawn, she was more than a little freaked out by Spike's behaviour. She had never seen him act like this, she had never even heard him apologise but neither had Buffy or Willow.

" We need to call someone," said Willow.

" Giles?" said Buffy, sitting on the edge of the bed wringing her hands. She didn't know what she could do for Spike, he wouldn't listen to anyone, he couldn't hear anyone.

" No, I was thinking more of Angel,"