As Spike stood strapped to the wall his beautiful slayer disappeared before him. The last thing he saw of his lover were her hazel eyes filled with tears, for him. If someone had told him when he had come to Sunnydale for the first time, all those years ago, that William the Bloody and the vampire Slayer would have fallen in love, and that she would be crying over him as he sacrificed himself so that she would live, he would have probably broken their neck before they could breath another word of it to anyone. But now, he didn't care about any of that, not his reputation as the slayer of slayers, the big bad, none of it. All he cared about was Buffy and that she was safe in Rome, just as Wolfram had promised.

He had no regrets, other than the fact that he would never again touch her smooth, soft warm skin or hold her close, feel her heated breath on her skin as she kissed him softly or ran her hands over his body. Never again would he be able to look deeply into her eyes and see all the love and compassion she held for him as she lay beside him in his arms.

He closed his eyes to hold back the tears and leaned his head back against the wall and clenched his teeth to stop himself from screaming as these thoughts washed over him.

'That was so touching' Wolfram mocked as he placed a hand over his chest.

Spike opened his eyes and stared angrily at Wolfram, the vampire within threatening to overcome him and beat the shit out of Wolfram for taking Buffy away from him just as they'd found each other once more. He had to control himself, for Buffy's sake. If he didn't follow through with the deal he couldn't even begin to imagine the terrible things they could do to Buffy.

'Broke my heart. Not that I have one of my own. Have to borrow one you see, and after a while it needs replenishing, and that's where you come in.' He said to Spike.

'I thought you wanted to kill me. Taking away my hearts not gonna do that, or do you need to brush up on your knowledge of vampire destruction just a little bit? There's nothing there, just a few dried up tendons, muscles. Not really in working order I'm afraid.' Spike retaliated.

Wolfram just looked at Spike with a bored, humoured look on his face.

'Seriously, take a look.' Spike told Wolfram sarcastically.

'OK' Wolfram replied and waved a hand in front of him. The creepers shrunk away from his chest and a large rip appeared in his shirt. Before he could decipher what was going on the skin covering Spike's heart tore apart leaving a gaping gash across it. Spike screamed in agony as he looked down at his open chest. Wolfram admired it. Spike's heart resembled beef jerkey, the same stuff you give to dogs. The hundred plus years he had been dead had meant that his heart no longer had blood running through it. It looked exactly as Spike had described it.

'Your right.' He waved his hand again and the hole closed up again and the creepers resumed their place over Spike's upper torso, although the rip in his shirt still remained. 'But appearance isn't everything dear boy. A heart doesn't have to be healthy and full of blood to be of value to us. A vampire's heart can retain the necessary properties for up to 1000 years.' Wolfram stated in a manner of fact sort of way.

'And what properties are these?' Spike questioned

'Ah now that would be telling, and we don't want to share everything on the first date now do we?' Wolfram replied. 'No that's better kept till we move on to third base.' His tone was mocking and sarcastic. Wolfram stood up from the desk and moved slightly closer to Spike. 'Are you up for a threesome?' He asked.

Just as Spike was about to ask what the hell was going on his attention was turned towards the door as it flung open and a bruised and bloody Angel was dragged through it by a demon that resembled 'the beast' that he had fought with not so long ago. The beast threw Angel at Wolfram's feet.

'Thank you. That will be all.' Wolfram said, and the beast disappeared like a light retracting in on itself.

Angel groaned as he opened his eyes to see Spike held to the wall. 'Spike? What's going on, what are you...Oh' Angel stopped and groaned in pain as he tried to get to his feet but found it too painful and rolled back onto his side.

'That's what I want to know.' Spike asked Wolfram. 'What's peaches got to do with this? I thought this was a deal between me and you.'

Angel turned over and saw Wolfram towering over him. 'You!' he groaned

'YOU know HIM!' Spike asked Angel. Angel managed to get to his feet with difficulty, but still couldn't stand properly so he slouched slightly.

'YOU made a deal with HIM?!' Angel asked Spike angrily. 'What the hell do you think your playing at? He's Wolfram, you know of Wolfram and Heart, the big bad we've been trying to get rid of! We don't make deals with him' Angel shouted weakly and pointed at Wolfram. 'He NEVER keeps his word!'

Spike felt as though a hand had been thrust inside of him and had ripped out his insides, leaving him hollow and fear and horror filled the emptiness. He looked up at Wolfram with terror and anger in his eyes. Wolfram glared and a small smile played across his lips.

'You...no. You can't' Spike babbled as he fought with his restraints. He didn't care about the deal anymore. If it had all been a lie, Buffy could be anywhere, having ANYTHING done to her. 'You promised she'd be safe!'

'Who'd be safe? What IS going on?' Angel asked. Then it clicked. 'Buffy' he breathed. Even though he didn't love her in the way Spike did he still cared for her and the thought that she could be being hurt at this very moment chilled him to the bone. Just as he was about to launch himself at Wolfram, it was as though he had read his mind. The same type of creepers that held Spike launched at Angel and he dodged a few of them but they were too quick for him and he was pulled back and strapped to the wall opposite Spike.

'She is safe.' Wolfram replied. 'For the moment...'

Buffy lay on her bed with Xander at her side stroking her hair softly. She slept a dreamless sleep, unknowing of the danger she was in. The figure laying next to her changed from Xander to a muddy green colour and took on a totally different shape. It's hands changed to two pincer type claws that continued to stroke Buffy's hair. All around her the walls changed to black and the furniture in the room disappeared to be replaced by devices of torture. The demons posing as Willow, Giles, Dawn and Andrew all changed to their demon form and resembled the demon that was with Buffy at that very moment. The apartment faded, and darkness and emptiness filled its place.

Buffy lay quietly on the bed as a cold breeze lifted the hair from her face and she shuddered slightly, but was none the wiser.

Buffy sat on her couch late one night watching some old romantic movie that had such cheesy lines and music it made you want to vomit, but she was a romantic girl at heart so she sat with a tub of ice cream wrapped in a blanket watching the movie intently. Dawn was staying over at Janice's and wouldn't be home till late the next day. She had been patrolling and staked a few vamps, but nothing too eventful. Just as she was really getting into the movie the doorbell rang. She placed the tub of ice cream on the coffee table, wrapped the blanket around her (as she was wearing a black short nightie) and went to answer the door. Who would be calling at this hour of the night bewildered her. She opened the door and the sight that met her eyes made her breath catch in her throat. Spike stood at her door, dressed in black leather pants and a black shirt that was unbuttoned and revealed his beautifully sculpted abs and pecs that gave off a slight silver glow in the moonlight. His hair had that 'just been shagged' look and he was without his duster but held a red, long stemmed rose in his left hand. Their eyes locked, his deep baby blue eyes bore intensely into hers. As he handed her the rose he took her hand in his and rubbed it gently with his thumb. He brought it up to his mouth and kissed it softly.

With Spike standing there looking like he did, and the way his lips felt on her hand, she couldn't hold back. She pulled her hand from his and dropped the blanket. She wound both arms around his neck, and pulled his head down into a passionate kiss letting the rose fall to the floor. Spike sucked on her bottom lip and she quested entrance into his mouth with her tongue as he moved his hands to her waist and lifted her up. She immediately wrapped her legs around his waist as he granted her access and she slipped her tongue in. Their tongues duelled as they caressed the other, never breaking contact as Spike stepped over the threshold and Buffy kicked the door shut. Spike turned them around and pushed Buffy against the door as she closed her eyes, trying to take in all the sensations flooding her body.

When she opened her eyes she looked down to her hand and found there was a stake in it. 'What the hell' she thought to herself. All of a sudden it was as though she had no conscious control over her arm. She raised the stake and her gaze fixed on Spike. She thrust the stake deep into his heart and he arched forward in pain. 'No' she gasped. 'God no, Spike NO!' She pulled the stake out of his heart and blood tricked from the hole.

'Buffy' Spike breathed as he started to dust. All around her voices echoed. 'Why did you do it Buffy?', 'You killed him', 'It should have been you', 'He died for you'. As she reached out to touch him he exploded into ash.

'SPIKE' she screamed.

Buffy woke with a scream. As she opened her eyes she found she wasn't in her room. She was lying on the floor of a cold granite like room that was dark.

'Where am I?' she thought. 'Spike' she cried. As she stood up she was pulled back. She looked up into the staring eyes of a demon that resembled a bug. It turned into a snarling demon dressed in some sort of armour, complete with plumed helmet. The demon had lots of pointed teeth and wrinkly yellowish-grey skin. It took one of the implements from the wall. A spiked pole. 'Lets see how your boyfriend earned his nickname shall we?' It rasped. It ripped open Buffy's shirt and stuck it into her stomach. A blinding pain ripped though her body and she screamed in pain.

As Spike stood strapped to the wall a scream echoed through the building. He knew who that scream belonged to and it chilled him to the bone. He knew that was a scream in pain. Buffy, his Buffy was being hurt and he was helpless to do anything.

Another scream was heard and he tried with all the strength he could muster to get out of the restraints, but the more he struggled, the more they tightened.

'YOU BASTARD! MAKE IT STOP!' Spike screamed at Wolfram.

'I will.' Wolfram said, and turned to walk out of the room, an evil glint in his eye. He stopped at the door. 'After I've had a little fun with her.' He walked out of the room as another of Buffy's scream reached Spike's ears.