Title: The shell without Humanity
Rating:PG-13
Disclaimer:Not smart enough, or enough money so it ain't mine. DAMN YOU WHEDON!
Summary: AU on Grave. During, not after so it's more original than most.

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There was nothing. No furniture, no candles. Nothing that could testify he had been here. For some reason her heart twitched at the site. It was almost like he had been erased. When she entered she had expected to find him lounging in his chairs like so many times before. It almost made her do a double take when she found nothing.

Course she had came with the purpose of confronting Spike, but it had been so familiar coming into his crypt that it was a shock to have it disrupted. She frowned when she realized she had hoped to see him. Talk about weird. So engrossed in her revelry that the slayer almost didn't catch the faint humming coming down from below.

She caught herself and stopped from smiling. But she was somewhat relieved when it was obvious he hadn't left again. Shaking her head didn't seem to shake the odd thoughts that ran through her mind.

Realizing that she had been standing there for about a minute Buffy strode over to the hatch and climbed down. She caught a whiff of something burning. She hadn't ever smelt anything like it before. And that was saying something considered her dealings with fire and explosions.

Like upstairs it was empty, but well lit. Candles were everywhere. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of Spike. Or who she thought was Spike. His back was to her, but she could see obvious changes. He was standing there humming wearing only a pair of black jeans. Scars crisscrossed his back. His hair had returned to its earlier length but was still pitch black. The scars continued down his arms.

She had seen them before, but at the time he had been covered in mud and dirt, also she had been a bit distracted what with her friend trying to kill them. But now she saw them in all there horrifying clarity.

Some she could tell were made from a knife and a whip, others were burns. But a few looked like they were made by finger nails. Her eyes traveled along his arms to his hands. Buffy took a step back once she saw what his hands were occupied in doing. His fingers were covered in a black liquid, she didn't know what, and it seemed with it he was burning a huge mural into the cave wall.

The mural itself was huge, spanning the length of the room. Intricately detailed but formed a spiral which he was working on in the middle. In the middle there was a pentagram with a half finished goat head in the center. She could hear the faint sizzle as the liquid burnt into the stone.

She kept stepping back until her foot hit something. Looking down she saw a newly deceased Amy sitting against the wall. Her eyes wide with terror frozen. Buffy couldn't see any marks on her other than the black paint on her forehead, and if she looked closely she could see that the stuff had also burned into the witches skin. Catching something in the corner of her eye Buffy turned her head to see a very ugly demon in some weird robes. The same markings on his head as Amy. The slayer could only label the expression on the demon as one of terror. Buffy rotated fully to notice there were a total of twelve dead bodies in the crypt. Some human, some demon. All with the same markings and facial expressions.

Her eyes led her around the room till they fell back on Spike. He hadn't apparently noticed her, and she wanted to keep it that way, thinking that maybe she shouldn't be there at this time. Maybe the others could help.

Course that was the moment that he apparently finished the mural and turned.

Her body tensed ready to fend off the humming vampire. But he did not let on if he noticed her. Something was off. Her eyes searched his for any hints. But found none, probably because he had no eyes. The slayers hardened face melted into one of horror. From the looks of the scars around his face he had clawed out his own eyes.

The view scanned down his torso. It was worse than his back. It had the same amount of knife, whip, and burn scars as his back. But it stood to reason that his hands couldn't reach behind him as easily and his front.

Tracks of five ran down his chest both ways crossing in some horrible X on his heart. His throat seemed to be one huge scar. Stuck in a trance by the horrible site before she didn't notice he had stopped humming. But she did notice that he had gone across from her. What was a bit more disturbing was that the black liquid was coming from a cut on his other hand. Bending down to place a dagger in a box his voice startled her.

"You know slayer it's not nice to barge into someone else's home. Should learn to knock."

His tone was flat. But his voice was a bit rougher than what it had been. His tone did nothing to snap her out of her trance.

"Spike, what…"

She couldn't finish. Her voice was a whisper. He turned to face her. He looked at her for a moment, which was odd considering he had no eyes. Instantly he morphed into the image he had left back at the shop. His tone was a tinged with malicious teasing.

"Don't worry that little head of yours, little glamour covers everything up. You know all about that. Covering up what's really there. Can't really blame you though. If I were them and I saw what my friends were hiding. I don't think I would handle it well either."

That certainly snapped her out of it. Her horror turned to anger. It was easier to be angry at Spike when he wasn't covered in scars that testified to years of torture.

"Really mister "I'm hiding demon eggs as a part of a evil smuggling ring" I don't think your allowed to judge me!"

The bastard had the gall to start laughing. His face was the picture of warmth, but she could see the coldness that lied beneath.

"Not judging, just digging."

She hadn't notice that she had stomped up to face him. He was circling her now. Following him with her eyes lead her to catch something on the floor. It was covered in markings similar to the ones on the wall. In the center of a spiral directly in front of the pentagram on the wall. The center circle was lined with a weird writing. It seemed that each body sitting against the wall was circled and connected to the center. Fortunately Buffy wasn't standing in the center, so she wasn't totally panicking, but pretty close. He continued to speak.

"Digging, revealing all the things you bury. All those dirty little secrets and feelings. I almost can't stop laughing at all the stuff that you have buried involving Spike."

She felt his words start to crack the shell. But she held fast.

"Your not Spike."

It was a statement more than a question. That made him chuckle.

"What you thought I was? Did you think a thousand years in one of the worst hell dimensions would leave Spike intact or resembling anything of his old self?"

That caught her attention. A thousand years. He had to be exaggerating . She hoped he was exaggerating.

"No I'm what's left of Spike."

He grinned at her pained expression.

"What's left after every inch of his body and mind was violated and ripped apart. After feeling his humanity slowly being torn away. I'm what's left. The shell. Not even the demon is in here. Just what's left of the mind."

His grin faded when her face changed into one of puzzlement. Something was nibbling in the back of her mind. The demon wasn't there. The soul? Buffy didn't realize she had said it out loud until she saw his pensive expression.

"You know I don't really know what happened to the poet. Course can't really remember half of it what with me being insane most of the time and all."

Feeling drained and a little defeated Buffy sighed.

"So what now, going to destroy the world and everybody."

He smirked at her guts.

"Nah, kinda like it here, beats a hell dimension."

That brought a little laugh out of her. But she remembered what she was standing on.

"Then what's with the ominous ritualing and Satan mural?"

It brought a scowl down on his face. He began moving to the center circle on the floor. Once in the middle he looked back at her. For the first time since he appeared, his face held some emotion that made him look like the Spike she knew.

"I have instructions."

With that his hand shot out, black fire enveloped her.

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A/N: Well here is the other chapter I promised. Depending on whether or not my life allows I will try and continue to write more chapters.

But there will probably be another long wait.

Please review if you read my story, I'd like some proof that people might read this. Pretty please?