"What?" Willow cried. "Where is he?"
"In the living room," Amy answered, practically dragging the redhead downstairs. Spike lay on the couch, a nasty gash on his abdomen.
"Spike!" Willow exclaimed, kneeling beside him. "Someone call an ambulance."
"Um, Will, he's kinda dead already, he'll heal," Xander assured his friend. Willow sighed with relief, she'd forgotten.
"Oh, right," she whispered. "Could I at least have a wash cloth to clean him up?" Buffy tossed the redhead a wet cloth and Willow took off his shirt. "There...you'll be good as new soon enough." She gave him a crooked grin and he returned the smile as she applied pressure to the wound. She frowned as the blood kept flowing.
"Thanks, Red," he answered, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his hand lingering on her cheek a few seconds longer than necessary before his hand fell limply to his side as he slipped into unconsciouness. His fingertips had been warm, the blood that soaked into the rag was warm. Willow's hand flew to his neck and she nearly passed out as she felt weakening pulse against her fingers.
"We have to get him to a hospital. Now!" she ordered.
"Vampires heal up by themselves," Buffy sighed.
"He's not a vampire," Willow answered. "He's human."
"How?" Xander demanded.
"I don't know but I won't let him die!" Willow growled.
A half-hour later and Willow paced the waiting room, trying to figure out how Spike had become human, that and she worried if he'd live through his first day of humanity. Amy entered the waiting room with a pouch on a string. "Thanks, Amy," Willow said, putting the necklace into one of her pockets. "He's going to need this."
A doctor came up to the two witches. "Mr. Williams is going to be all right but we need to keep him overnight for observation," she said.
"Can I see him?" Willow begged.
"Of course," the doctor said, smiling reassuringly at her. Willow wasted no time in racing to Spike's room, he lay on a bed, looking very angry, confused and in pain. "Hi, Spike," she said shyly.
"I'm human," he said, trying to wrap his brain around his problem.
"You are," Willow answered, not sure what else she could say.
"How?" he demanded.
"W-we don't know..." Amy said softly. "It can't be that bad, Spike."
"It is!" he growled. "I'm one-hundred and twenty-eight years old! I've been a vampire longer than you've been alive! And now I'm as useless as Chubs! This chip and whatever the hell this is..." he gestured toward his now very-living self "...has made me as helpless as a bleeding kitten!"
Willow perched herself on the edge of his bed. "Spike, you're not helpless," Willow answered, running a hand over his cheek.
"Hey, not-so-deadboy," Xander chirped as he entered the room with Anya and Amy, a taunting grin on his face. He moseyed over to the former vampire and Spike smacked Xander upside the head, preparing himself for the pain but it never came. "The chip!"
"Is gone..." Spike smirked as he tried to morph. "Damn it!"
"And you're human, so nyah!" Xander stated, sticking out his tongue. Spike glared at Xander. "Ooh, I'm frightened...not!"
"Xander," Amy scolded. She hugged Spike and he gave her a little grin. "How are you coping with mortality?"
"It sucks," Spike pouted.
"Oh, the big bad vampire can't handle being human," she teased.
"You two stop now, I won't have you squabbling like children," Willow said, grinning. "Especially now that Spike's defenseless..."
"I'll show you defenseless, witches," he said, glaring menacingly at the two witches. "You do remember that I was William THE Bloody--"
"Awful Poet," Buffy supplied as she and Dawn walked into his room.
Spike pouted. "I'm human, everyone's pickin' on me, Slayer's in my room, how can this day get any worse?" he bemoaned.
"Oh, Spike," Willow said.
"We still love you," Amy and Willow chorused as they hugged Spike.
"Is anyone else disturbed by them?" Xander asked, raising his hand and Buffy raised hers.
"I think it's sweet," Dawn grinned.
Xander looked at Anya and she shrugged. "What? I think they should have sex," she answered and Buffy clapped her hands over Dawn's ears.
"Ixnay on the exsay alktay around the Awnsterday," Xander sighed.
"Guys, I am fifteen, I know about sex," she sighed, rolling her eyes.
Willow blushed as she unwrapped herself from Amy and Spike. "We're not going to have sex!" she said.
"Aw, come on, pet...you know you want to," Spike purred.
"Like she'd ever want you like that. No-one would ever want to have sex with you," Buffy stated, rolling her eyes. Amy and Willow exchanged the briefest of looks.
"You're just jealous 'cause you can't ri--" Spike started and any other things he said were muffled by Amy's hand over his mouth.
Dawn stared in shock at Spike, turning bright pink. "That's my baby sister you're talking around!" Buffy growled. "Dawn, honey, go get a snack." Dawn nodded mutely before heading out to the snack area. "You're beneath me!"
Spike removed Amy's hand from his over his mouth. "I bet you'd like..." Spike's voice trailed off as Willow's lips met his.
"Go, Willow!" Anya cheered.
"You were saying?" Buffy said, trying not to grin at Willow.
"Huh? What?" Spike asked, wrapping an arm around Willow's waist.
"Nothing," Amy said. "Took you long enough, I was beginning to wonder if I'd have to tie you together," she whispered in Willow's ear and the redhead's eyes widened.
"You know what, pets, mortality might not be so bad after all," he answered. "What say, Red, after I get the out of this hell hole, we go out on a date?"
Willow grinned. "I'd love to," Willow said.
"Without me?" Amy pouted playfully.
"WOULD YOU TO STOP COMING ONTO SPIKE, IT'S GROSS!" Xander answered.
"I think Chubs is upset," Spike sighed melodramatically.
"Yes. Because we got you chocolates. And you know how Xander is when food stuffs are involved," Anya answered, handing Spike a box of chocolates. "Xander said hospital food is disgusting."
Spike grinned at Xander. "My, didn't know you cared," he smirked.
"We don't but we didn't want you to die on your first day as a human," Xander stated. "Because then we can't pester you."
"I think that's the closest to Xander admitting he likes you as you'll ever get," Amy stated. Spike shrugged then looked at Amy and Willow.
"What did my two favorite witches get me?" Spike asked sweetly and the girls rolled their eyes.
"I don't know if we should give it to him, Wills," Amy said.
"Oh, come on, Mouse," Spike answered.
"Okay," Amy said at the hated nickname, "we shouldn't."
"Please?" Spike pouted, giving her puppy-dog eyes.
"Sure, use the puppy-dog eyes," Amy sighed in defeat. "Give the guy his present."
Willow grinned widely as she handed Spike the sachet, he sniffed it. "Cool Water?" he asked.
"It's a protection spell Amy and I made earlier before you, uh..." Willow answered, blushing. "Scented with Cool Water 'cause we know it's your favorite cologne." He put on the sachet, giving the girls a smile. "But now it's sort of a 'welcome to humanity' thing."
"Thanks, girls," he said before looking at Buffy. "Did you get me a prezzie?"
"No," Buffy answered. "I don't like you."
"Oh, you stake me with your words," Spike stated, placing his hand over his heart.
"The only reason I'm not staking you now is because you're human," Buffy stated sweetly before leaving.
"What got the the Slayer's knickers in a knot?" Spike asked innocently.
"I wonder," Amy asked, smacking Spike in the back of his head.
"OW!" Spike whined.
"Poor baby," Willow smirked.
"Damn straight, remember I am the injured one here, Mouse," he chided.
"Stop calling me that!" Amy pouted and Xander rolled his eyes.
"This is seriously disturbing," he answered.
"I think it's interesting, I'm thinking of getting popcorn and watching...it's better than a soap opera," Anya replied.
Xander sighed. "Anya, you're strange but I still love you," he answered, kissing her on the cheek and leading her out of the room.
Amy watched them leave and Willow looked at Spike. "You have to stay overnight," she whispered.
"Bollocks!" Spike muttered. "It's just a flesh wound."
"I'll watch over you," she said.
"No Willow, you should help the gang find out what made him human...that leaves me watching the Q-tip," she sighed. "Wait...maybe you should stay."
"You were right, Amy. I should help research...only if you promise not to kill each other," Willow said.
"We promise," Amy and Spike chorused. Willow smiled softly and kissed Spike lightly before leaving.
Spike and Amy exchanged a look. "Let's see what's on the telly," he stated and she sat on his bed.
"I saw a demon like the one Spike and I were fighting that Thanksgiving when I went to tell Angel to stay out of my town. But I'm glad he didn't," Buffy answered. Willow gave her a 'go on' look. "It had this jewel in its forehead. Angel smashed the jewel and it died. Spike and I were fighting it and it clawed Spike and Spike stabbed it and its blood spurted all over my cute Gucci top...and on Spike. Then the demon sliced Spike on his stomach and I broke its jewel and it was dead. I think it was a Mothra Demon."
Willow entered the description into the computer and came up with a match. "Mohra demon. Their blood when mixed with a vampire's kills the demon and makes them human."
"And Angel had to go and kill it? We could have been together, grown old together, had children," Buffy whispered.
"Spike...and I..." Willow smiled. "I'm going to go talk to him."
"That's a good idea 'cause him and Amy are probably killing each other," Xander answered.