FOOLS FOR LIFE:

CHAPTER 22:

"So...how DO you know Hallie?"

Spike's jaw tensed up a bit. They'd been walking through alleyways for an half an hour already and found no sign of the invisible entrance to Rack's place. His mood was dropping and this was one conversation he was not exactly dying to have.

"Oh well....you know.." He turned in another alley. "Let's try this one."

Anya raised one eyebrow. "No, I obviously don't know. Which you could tell by my asking about it." Spike turned and gave her a look as she stood in the opening of the alley. She wasn't fazed.

"Come on, I'm curious! What, we can rub organs together, but you can't tell me this??"

"Oh now.!" Spike looked at the sky for a second and still didn't reply, but Anya wouldn't be stopped.

"So tell me already! Was Buffy right? Did you know her before you were a vampire?"

At that Spike looked up. Buffy really had been playing detective alright. "How...how'd she figured that?"

Anya shrugged. "Well you know, you are about the same age, got all demonic around the same time, both English....and I told her Vengeance Demons don't really hang with vamps as a rule."

Spike sighed and dropped his cigarette. As he stepped on it he quietly said: "Yeah, I knew her. Before my Big Bad days. Or hers."

Anya smiled with glee and clapped her hands. "Oooh, tell me! I'd love to have some dirt I can tease her with!"

Spike shrugged. "Don't have much. It was the days of 'ole Queen Vic. Lots of big dresses, waving fans, long gloves, polite chatter and boring parties after the opera."

Anya nodded. "I remember. And I didn't look bad in those dresses myself. Hard to get blood out of them though."

Spike walked out of the alley and they continued on their way. "Yeah, I bet, never really had a reason to try and get blood stains out of them myself." He grinned. "Put a lot ON'em, but.."

"I know what you're doing. You're switching topics. It won't work, living with Xander taught me all about that. Get back to you and Hallie."

He shrugged again, uncomfortably. "Nothing else to tell really, I knew her. Same social circles and whatnot.."

Anya looked at him intently. "You are lying. I can tell because you're clearly uncomfortable."

"Thanks for noticing, luv." He grumbled.

"Were you lovers or something?" she prodded.

"Not really."

"Did you WANT to be..?" she added, sensing something.

Spike stopped walking and turned. "Look! I knew her, and yeah I had a..bit of a thing for her okay?"

Anya gave him a look. "What thing would that be? And how 'bit' was it?"

Spike sighed in frustration. Anya nodded again. "I don't think it was a 'bit' thing at all. I'm thinking it was a bigger thing. Admit it, you had a bigger thing for her!?"

"Alright! Bloody hell, look, I was a different guy back then. And yeah she had me all hot and bothered and I was trying with the wooing. And when she found out, she basically told me to sod off, aright?! Happy now?"

"Hm, yes I am. Very interesting." Anya nodded with a smile.

They walked on in silence for a while, checking alleys. Then Anya broke the silence again.

"You must have been pretty mad. Men don't take that sort of thing well, usually."

Spike half-shrugged. "At the time, yeah, I s'ppose. Didn't have long to dwell on it though. It was right after that I got vamped, and then life just seemed a little different."

He thought for a moment. "Besides, looking back I can't say I blame her completely. Was a bit of a wanker in those days."

"Really?" Anya said.

"Let's say there were poems...." he sighed.

"Poems?? For Hallie? My, my..."

Spike shook out of his thoughts. "Hey, if you even THINK of telling.."

Anya raised her hands. "Geez, take it easy! Fine! I won't tell anyone. Hey, I'm hardly even a Scoobie anymore. Besides I'm more interested in Hallie. She always brags on about how she was this modern independent woman, ahead of her time...."

Spike laughed. "Cecily??"

Anya looked up. "What? Who?"

Oops. Oh well, he shrugged. Doesn't matter now. "Cecily Underwood, that was her name."

"Reaaally." Anya laughed. Spike grinned and continued.

"Yeah, and let me tell you she was one dainty, spoiled, pampered little rich girl!"

"I knew it!!" Anya cried out.

** **

"But..what are we planning to do then?" Tara asked.

"Well, like I said, Anya got me thinking. If the spell's energies are not that focused, they are also not as rigid in their effects being completely...well, etched in stone. We can't lift it, and I think we can safely assume it's also most likely still working."

"Like Anya said, no clear end goal." Tara nodded. Then she thought for a second. "You know I've been thinking about it and if you ask me, Spike probably said something along the lines of wishing that Buffy..well,."

"That she could see what it's like to see life from his side of the fence?" Willow finished.

"Yes." Tara nodded, looking at Buffy on the couch. "So who knows how far that goes if the spell is really still an ongoing process."

"Exactly. Now what I'm thinking is, whatever happens we don't want her to go off again. And she's sleeping soundly now, but when she wakes..." Willow thought for a moment. "..well, she'll have a very bad hangover, so probably not too active yet, but she'll still won't know what's wrong with her."

"And she still won't believe us."

Willow flipped through a book on her lap. "Nope. So, what I want to try is..."

Understanding dawned on Tara's face. "Aahh. I see, if we can't lift the spell itself..."

"Maybe we can make her aware of it at least." Willow finished. "And it should make her cooperative in what we're doing, and heh, well, save us the trouble from having to chain her down after all or something."

"That one still has my vote." Xander said, when he entered the room with fresh coffee. "At least as long as you let me take out my camera.."

Willow smiled and gave him a look. "Down, boy. Gimme my coffee."

"Yes, your ladyshipness." Xander said. "Think it might do Buffy some good?" he nudged his head in the direction of the couch, where Buffy was still sleeping it off.

"No, just let her sleep. We don't actually want her awake right now. Just check if she's doing okay."

Xander walked over to the couch.

"So can we do it? The spell I mean." Tara asked.

"Well I think so, there was something in the writings of Azulu that reminded me of something like this. We'll need three of her hairs....hmmm...."

"Uhm, guys?" Xander said from the couch.

Both Willow and Tara looked up.

"I just ...hope Spike and Anya hurry.." he said, looking kind of pale.

"Why? Is something wrong? Or...more wrong?" Willow corrected herself.

"I think so." Xander hesitated and held up Buffy's hand. "It's just...she's still snoring away and stuff, and her heart still beats, but...her skin. It's....cold."

Willow and Tara got up and hurried over.

"Cold? How cold?" Willow asked, really worried now. "Cold as in 'oh, the airco is right on me and now I'm cold' or..."

"No," Xander said. "More like 'vampire-cold'."

** **

TBC! (But you knew that right?)