Part 6

I land with a soft thud on the ground below the fire escape. That was handy. My heart is pounding and my breath comes heavily. My feet take off at a run. I don't know what I'm doing or where I'm going.

But I don't really care. I just couldn't stay in that apartment. Not one more second. Not knowing that that mindblowing kiss meant nothing to Spike when I thought my world would collapse with the power of it. God…what is wrong with me? How could I have let that happen?

I just need to be someplace else. I need time to think. It's not anywhere near being dark yet so I'm safe to wander the streets of Sunnydale aimlessly. Or at least one might think that. But then I go and find my way to Crawford Street- the 'creepy mansion' district- into possibly the creepiest mansion of them all. Smart, Jade. Real smart.

The tacky red wallpaper is peeling off the walls. The floorboards creak and groan beneath my feet. Cobwebs suspend in the corners of the great rooms and the windows are covered in boards, bathing the whole interior in darkness, despite the noon time sunshine outside.

I freeze when I hear a sound behind me. A mouse. Only a mouse. These houses are full of creepy crawlies. I breath a sigh of relief, only to jump about a mile in the air when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I scream and whirl around. My eyes widen and I gasp.

"Lestat."

*****

I glance at the clock. It's almost one in the afternoon. Where is she? I'm going bloody insane stuck in here. After I discovered her empty room, I decided to give her her space, give her a bit of time to herself. She probably didn't want to be around me anyhow. Not after what happened. Not after what I did.

Cor…I know I've bollocksed everything up but…I keep feeling her lips on mine. So soft and so warm. She tasted spicy sweet, like cinnamon, like I always imagined she would. I want to know what the rest of her feels like. Tastes like.

I growl as her glaring absense in the apartment reminds me of why I can never find that out. I'll just give her time. She should be home soon. Soon. But not soon enough.

It's light out so I know she's not in danger, but there's this itching, nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach. I grab the cordless phone off the wall and stare at the buttons. OK…now Jade programmed this thing with all the Scoobs' numbers…what button was the slayers' house?

After a few moments of fumbling about with the keypad, I finally am successful in dialing Buffy's number. Dawn answers.

"Is Jade there?" I demand.

"Spike? No. No. Jade's not here. What's wrong?"

"She hasn't been by at all?"

"No. Spike, what's going on? You're scaring me."

I sigh, running my fingers through my hair. "She left. And I don't know where she went and I've got this feeling…"

"Did you tell her how you feel?"

"What? No."

"But I thought that's what you were going to do!"

"Yea, well when the bloody trollop went and shagged another vamp in my bed, it kind of put a hamper on any declarations of love."

"Oh my God," she gasps. "Is that why she left?"

"Well…no. Listen, I don't have time for this, Nibblet. I'm worried about her. I need to find out where she is."

"It's still light out. I don't think you have anything to worry about. She probably went for a walk or something. I'm sure she'll be back soon."

"Yea…" I hang up the phone. The anxiousness in the pit of my stomach just got worse. I've got to find her. Something's wrong. I know it. I've got to find her.

The sewers.

TBC….

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