The Peruvian boomslang only paralyzed Anais and she was pretty much back to normal in a month. But, there was one problem. Some of the medications counteracted with the snake's venom and it poisoned her. Anais was dying.

I went to see An after she got her mobility back, She was still in the hospital, although she wanted to go home. I sat on the bed, taking her hand in mine.

"I'm so sorry, Spike. I should've told you," she apologized, her voice raspy. I could tell she was in pain. And scared. She coughed harshly.

"It's okay, Love." She smiled softly.

"Buffy still doesn't believe you about killing my mom when she was a snake, does she?" An asked. I shook my head. "I'm sorry." Again, An coughed.

"Don't be, Love." I looked at her, her stark green eyes piercing mine. It pained me to see her this way.

"I'm so scared, Spike," Anais admitted.

"Why?"

"I don't know what's going to happen when I die. I'm an Atheist, you know. So, I don't believe." Wow. I didn't know that. I thought she was a witch. Like Willow. I kissed her fingers. "I don't know if this is too out of line, Spike, but I love you." Dammit. Now I was on the verge of crying.

"No. It's not too out of line. I love you too." Her face started to glow. Now, she looked like a human being. "Now, tell me why your mim was after you." Anais sighed heavily.

"It was because I left. I knew her secret and she knew I was going to wind up in Sunnydale, because she was psychic, too. She also knew about Buffy, because my father was killed by her." Anais coughed.

"Was he a changling, too?"

"No. A vampire." I was confused. An coughed again. A few blood droplets appeared on her hand. She quickly wiped her hand on her nightgown, hoping to hide it from me. But, it didn't work. Remember, I'm a vampire so I can smell the damn blood.

"So, wouldn't you be one?"

"No. You of all people should know it doesn't quite work that way," she told me. "Actually, I'm a changling, too. I just choose not to use my 'ability.'" Anais did the finger quotation marks when she said 'ability'.

"I'm sorry about your mum."

"Don't be. We never got along. She hated me. I wouldn't change. She wanted me to be just like her and use my ability and change. But I refused to. I have never used it, so I don't even know if I could change. And then, there's the piercings and tattoos. She hated them. More than anything. So, I'm actually kinda glad." An sat in thought. "I'm really glad she won't be at my funeral." Then, she started crying and coughing, so I took her into my arms. After a few hours, she fell asleep, never to wake again.

A/N: Well, the whole thing on how Anais got her mobility back after a month or so was also taken from the Stephen King story, because that's what happened to the main character. (If anyone's interested in the Stephen King story, it's in one of the story collections called Everything's Eventual and the story is called "Autopsy Room 4" or something of that sort. Very good...) I also made up the whole venom-counteracting-with-meds thing. I don't know if that's even possible. So... on to the next - and final - chapter!