Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a product of Mutant Enemy. I am in no way affiliated with it, the show, or any of the characters.

When Buffy woke up again, Spike still was next to her. Only he wasn't asleep. He just laid next to her in the same position he was in when she fell asleep. She sat up to look at him. He stared up at the ceiling, and he blinked so quickly it almost looked like he wasn't blinking at all. His face was expressionless, until she called out his name. As quick as his blink, his lips twitched into a smirk.

"You sleep like the dead, pet," he said. His voice was soft and gentle. Buffy just wanted to hear him talk all day. His voice was soothing and beautiful, and flowed like the water in rivers.

"You'd know." She cupped his face in her hand and pressed her lips to his. His arms wrapped around her to keep her to him but eventually she stopped for air. "I should get home."

"When are you coming back?"

"I don't know. Not soon, since I stayed out all last night. But I'll meet you on patrol, okay?" He nodded reluctantly. Neither said anything and soon she was gone.

Spike patted his chest for a cigarette, only to come in contact with bare flesh. He forgot he wasn't wearing a shirt, and he forgot he didn't even have any cigarettes left. It was going to be a long night before he got to go out on patrol.

~*~*~

The lights were on at her house when she arrived, so she assumed it was still a reasonable hour. It was night and sunset was after 6:30, so it couldn't be that late. Could it?

Buffy glanced at the clock on her way in. It was only 8:24. She looked around to see if her sister and best friend were around.

"Dawn? Willow? I'm home!" she called out.

"We're in here," Willow called back.

"And here would be where?" Buffy asked to herself quietly. She found them in the dining room, seated at the table-along with Riley. "Hi, guys. What's goin' on?"

"Oh, we were just talking and catching up. Turns out Riley is staying right here in Sunnydale," Willow replied.

"You are? Here? Well, what about Sam?"

"Sam is going back to Central America for a couple months. They have a special mission for her, but they didn't say anything about me, so here I am," he answered. "But she'll be back in a matter of weeks."

"Oh," Buffy said softly. "Have you guys eaten?"

"We ordered some pizza. Actually it should be here really soon," Dawn said to her older sister.

"Hey, Buffy, can I talk to you for a second?" She shrugged and followed him into the loving room.

"So what's up? Is it about Spike? 'Cause I told you, he helps."

He spoke with a hushed voice. "No, no, this isn't about Spike at all. All right, Willow and Dawn told me about your debts and the DoubleMeat Palace, so I contacted my supervisors and pulled some strings to do this. How would you like a job with the Initiative?"

"The Initiative? Oh, Riley, I don't...I mean after our experiences last time..."

"It's the now new-and-improved-Initiative though. No killing and brainwashing and medicines and chips and whatever. Well, we still have the chip program for captured demons, but not for our employees."

"Still, it's pretty risky. The Initiative is so...secretive...like some sort of conspiracy, you know?" He looked at her confused and she went on. "No, I guess you don't know. Well, uh, if I took the job, what would I have to do?"

"You'd only have to help capture the subjects. It's very simple."

"Simple? So it doesn't...pay a lot?"

"It's $1500 per demon captured. And it being Sunnydale, I don't think it's a little. You may catch 20 a month, Buffy, and you'd be paid $30,000.00. From what I understand, that's more than you make in a year at the DoubleMeat Palace." She widened her eyes in surprise. This job would combine her salary situation and her Slayer duties. She'd basically be getting paid for slaying...well, minus the killing. The job was starting to look very appealing.

"God, thirty thousand...and there's no catch?"

"Well, you can't tell anybody about it. Not your friends, not your family, no one. As far as they know, you'll still be working at DoubleMeat Palace. Now this thing is a night job, so you can tell people you were assigned night shifts, and hen you can get your rest during the day," Riley explained.

"So it's still with the secrecy then?"

"I'm afraid so. You can talk to coworkers about it, but that's it."

"Do I capture every demon and vampire I see?" she asked apprehensively.

"Buffy, Riley, the pizza's here!" Dawn called from the kitchen.

"Okay, Buffy, I'll give you the specifics on Thursday...if you take the job. Do you want some time to think about it?"

"It's okay. I already know my answer. I want the job. That's a lot of money, and there are always lots of demons in Sunnydale. I accept your job offer, Riley Finn, and do I start on Thursday?" He nodded and they walked into the kitchen.

~*~*~

Spike stalked through the cemetary, hitting Buffy's usual spots. He had to keep busy to fight his nicotine cravings since he couldn't afford any cigarettes just yet. When he fought and staked two fledgling vamps, he took a break and decided to wait for her in one place. He went back to his crypt and sat down by a tree. The rough bark scratched his back unbearably but his upright posture made his sore muscles feel better. He kept a lookout while he waited, for anything mysterious moving around and for Buffy, but nothing. There was nothing. God, how boring. And he really needed some smokes.

Spike waited, and waited, and waited. He got up to stretch around a bit, but activity was slow. There weren't any other vamps. For a few brief moments he considered taking some of the longer cigarette butts and relighting them, but then when he reached for it he realized he was mental and had far too much time on his hands. Speaking of time, where the hell was Buffy? She was late. She was never late, not for patrol at least. Spike waited some more, and finally decided that if she really wanted to see him, she'd find him in his crypt.

He really didn't understand it. This was what she had to do. She went on patrol every night. But why not tonight? If there was something that popped up at home, he understood. But she wasn't here and there didn't seem to be any special circumstances. She did love him, he could see it in her eyes when she said it. He really, really didn't understand it. He walked the short distance to his crypt agitatedly. Only more than angry, he was sad. He wanted to see her before she went to sleep, he wanted to kiss her and tell her good night. He didn't when she left. It was weird.

~*~*~

The sun shined brightly through the blinds. She sprawled out on her bed contently with a small smile and opened her eyes. Now Buffy was aware of her surroundings. She was in her bed, in her own room, without Spike. She forgot to meet Spike last night. How could she have not gone out to patrol? Spike must've thought...well knowing Spike and his defensive nature, he wasn't going to be happy. But it wasn't like she intentionally didn't go out because he was there. She wanted to spend time with her best friend and Dawn and lost track of time. And she was really tired from her lack of sleep lately.

Her first instinct was to get out of bed and go to him, but the tantalizing warmth of the blankets drew her back to slumber. But it was okay. He'd understand if she explained it to him tonight, right? He was understanding. Oh, no he wasn't. He was quite stubborn actually. But at that moment, Buffy couldn't think. She was tired and comfortable and somehow, it was so easy to fall asleep even when she had to go to work. But that was okay too because she didn't have to work there for much longer.

~*~*~

Spike was sitting on his duster in the middle of the floor. He wore it outside, and then set it back down. He hadn't slept, and it showed in his face. He ached to lay down and just sleep the day away but he still had hope that she'd come in. She would, wouldn't she? Because she loved him, and wanted to be with him and around him. She wouldn't forget that she said she'd meet him. It wasn't a promise though. It wasn't like she promised him she'd be out there and they'd fight together.

He knew it was daylight. He knew because he counted the minutes that turned into hours. She wasn't going to be here today, because she had work. She had to support Dawn and save their little family. There was no use in continuing to stay awake. There was no use in waiting for her now. Now he could sleep.

When he laid down, his eyes only closed to blink. He was so tired. He was so tired that he couldn't even think straight. He couldn't sleep though. He tried, he really did, but he could only think about Buffy. Spike wasn't obsessed, he was upset and confused and really, really uncomfortable. Things were beyond abnormal in Sunnydale. Maybe it was just the extreme fatigue but it almost felt like his mind was being messed with.

Suddenly he felt a shock in his head, similar to when he hit a human. But obviously, there were no humans around. Intense, searing pain followed it. He clutched his head in a reflexive attempt to stop it but the pain wouldn't stop. He thought he heard someone else's voice and he soon acknowledged that it was his own.

Finally it started to let up, but he was already beginning to black out.

~*~*~

"Sir, there's some new information," reported Agent Anderson. "We've followed your orders and shut down the vampire's chip."

"How did he react?" the same man from before asked.

"Badly, sir. The vampire had very negative responses. The chip was imbedded deeply into the subject's brain, and when it was shut down, it send electric impulses through the nerves. We can't really say for sure what happened to him, but we believe that the impulses may have given him a seizure, and it's possible there may have been some minor brain damage. We do know for sure though that he experienced a great deal of pain from it." Agent Anderson took out a new manila envelope and showed his boss the pictures that were inside.

Some pictures showed Spike's face contorted with anguish, some showed him shaking on the floor, and some showed him lying down unconscious. "Is he dead or just knocked out, Agent?"

"He's a vampire, sir, we're not really clear on that. It's hard to tell since he doesn't require air and doesn't have a heartbeat. We'll be keeping a close eye on him though." The man went through the other pictures.

"What's going on here?"

"Ms. Summers falls asleep next to him, and he stays awake. She leaves, he's still awake even after that. Three hours later he goes out into the cemetary-probably looking for her. She's always in the cemetary around 11. He kills two vampires, and waits outside of his crypt for a few hours, then goes in. He still doesn't fall asleep. Then we shut off his chip, and now he's resting."

"Are you positive he doesn't know what happened to him?"

"Just about. He was led to believe that the only way to stop the chip was to get it taken out, and even if he knew we could shut it off, he'd think there'd be no reason to."

"Keep up the good work. Only next time, I want specifics. I want times and whereabouts for him and the Slayer."

"Sir, you knew the whereabouts of Ms. Summers. You were..."

"I may not next time. Dismissed." Agent Anderson nodded and went upstairs. The man sighed and sat down at his desk. The first two phases of the plan were complete. The Initiative had shut down the last remaining subject's chip and recruited the Slayer. Day Two had already begun, and there were still many things to complete with only about five days left. Maybe things weren't going as successfully as he first thought. They needed to speed things up.

~*~*~

"Spike? Spike?" Buffy was shaking him, trying to wake him up. "Spike? Open your eyes!"

"Shh. No need to yell." He lifted his eyelids, which now felt like such a tedious task so he let them close again. It was easier this way. "I knew you wouldn't let me down, Slayer. I knew you would finally go out on patrol."

"No, Spike, I didn't go out on patrol last night. You've been asleep all day."

"There was a thing...in my head. It was like fire in my brain, and it hurt so bad and it wouldn't stop."

"Maybe you should eat. When was the last time you ate?"

"You didn't meet me last night? I was awake and I was waiting for you." His eyes still felt heavy when he tried to open them again. He decided not to even bother. "Why didn't you meet me?"

His speech was starting to get more clear. Before, it was more slurred. She assumed he was drunk and had a hangover. "Were you drinking last night?"

"No. I was waiting. And you never showed."

"I'm sorry, Spike."

"Buffy. Where were you?"

"I forgot, okay?" she answered coldly.

Finally he opened his eyes. "You forgot? You forgot about slaying, and keeping this town safe? You forgot after doing this night after night for seven years? You forgot...about me." She looked down at her hands and began to wonder how she could forget. He brought up really good points. But it happened, and she couldn't change that. She got up and got him the pig's blood from the refrigerator.

"Here."

"I'm not hungry."

She tried to sit him up, but he kept swatting her hands away. "You need to eat, Spike. Just stop being difficult for a minute and drink it!"

"I told you! I'm not hungry!" He hit the jar and it flew to the wall and broke. "I don't need you to feed me, Buffy."

"You are being childish, Spike. I was just trying to help."

"I didn't want your help. I wanted to see you again last night but hell, you 'forgot.'"

"I thought that you would understand. I spent a whole night and day with you. I needed to see my friends and my sister. And it's not like I promised you or anything. I don't get why you're so mad."

"Go away."

She stared at him, angry that he could be so selfish and get drunk about it. Buffy sighed and left. She had better things to do at the moment then deal with him.

~*~*~

Thursday

He hadn't seen her since she came into his crypt last night. He was finally feeling better and thought it best to apologize to Buffy. He hated being on her bad side. And she was right. He was being childish and mean and he should have understood why she didn't meet him. It still hurt that she didn't though. She forgot. He laughed sadly. That hurt, too.

Spike walked to her house once it got dark, only to see a familiar black SUV in their driveway. He hid behind some bushes across the street. Wasn't that Finn's? But why would he be there? Wasn't he supposed to be back in Central America or wherever the hell he was?

He saw Buffy wearing her stealth-army gear when she snuck out from her bedroom window. She smiled and waved to the SUV, then got in on the passenger side. What the bloody hell? Was Buffy working for the Initiative again? She wouldn't though. She knew that those were the wankers who took away his freedom. She knew he was against them. She wouldn't take a job that he was against. Would she?

The SUV left and Spike went back to his crypt. Everything felt...muddled together into a tight ball inside his chest. Buffy didn't understand him. She didn't understand why he was upset when she didn't meet him, didn't understand that the Initiative was evil, didn't understand at all. He was beginning to have his doubts about the way he read emotions in her eyes. Maybe it wasn't love that he saw?

He was close to the cemetery when he saw a vampire about to bite a woman next to the mausoleum. Why tonight? He wasn't up for any stakings tonight. Hey, he wasn't the Slayer, what did he care? He looked back at them, shrugged and moved on. No, that wasn't right. Spike still loved Buffy, even if she was forgetting about him. He still wanted to be better for her.

He ran to the vampire, and threw a couple of punches. Spike switched to game face. It always made the fight feel more natural. The woman stared in fear when he did it. She started screaming and the younger vampire turned to tell her shut up. She didn't.

Spike punched the vampire again...but he ducked. Spike's fist connected with the woman's face and she fell to the ground unconscious. He awaited the migraine, but there was nothing. There was no pain at all, not for him at least. So then he did the first thing that came to mind. Spike ran.