A/N: Both Jimmy, my pyromaniac elf muse, and myself appreciate all the comments, support and suggestions. It means I actually keep writing this fic. Now, only 3% of readers leave reviews, so all you people who are reading and not reviewing, just leave a little something, a message stating whether you like it, whatever. I need your love people. Gimme!
Disclaimer: All of this is mine, except for the bits that aren't. I'll testify to that in a court of law.

Last time, on Crushed: William woke up with cracked and fractured ribs. He nearly had apoplexy when he realised he was in Buffy's bedroom. Poor, virginal William. Spike was tortured by Glory. Poor Spike. Buffy stumbled onto one of Glory's minions, which accidentally blurted out that Glory had Spike. Buffy got Giles then they left to find and kill Spike. Spike mouthed off so much that Glory kicked him out of the apartment. What's going on?

The difference time makes

Buffy looked from one injured man to the other. She and Giles had arrived at the ex-gods apartment to hear Spike tell Glory she'd never "get her sodding Key" and to catch him as he was consequently kicked out of the aprtment. The severity of his injuries told Buffy he had not betrayed her or Dawn to Glory like he had sold out to Adam.

Giles had dragged the vampire out to the car while Buffy fought the minions, prepared to run if Glory made an appearance. Surprisingly, the air-head ex-god did not show up at all, allowing Buffy and Giles to escape the four minions that were in the place. On the way back to Buffy's house, she had nearly cried from the release of tension that she felt from knowing that Dawn was still relatively safe. She studiously ignored any thoughts that wanted to ask why Spike had suffered so much without betraying them.

Arriving at the Summers home, Buffy and Giles had dragged the prone vampire through the front soor as quietly as they could but it wasn't wuiet enough. Joyce had come running down the stairs, taken one look at Spike, then demanded that he be taken into the living room.

Not that Buffy blamed her. Spike looked awful. His face was swelling and already severely discoloured. His shirt was in tatters, and it revealed deep sores and gashes that crossed his pale torso.

Then Buffy had stumbled into her bedroom, fully intending to go to sleep only to realise that an injured William was already in there. He reacted the instant she had opened the door, so clearly he was having trouble sleeping. His injuries were probably chafing him, if he was anything like Spike he hated to be inactive.

Buffy had quickly related the tale, leaving out the part where Dawn is the Key, and he had immediately demanded, in an incredibly polite way, that he wanted to both see the vampire version of himself and to sleep somewhere else, as he felt incredibly uncomfortable taking her room from her.

That had led to an hour of painfully slow relocation, as William refused to be carried but he had to stop every two or three steps to catch his breath. Eventually though, he has settled in the living room on a little fold out bed while Spike slept on the couch.

Buffy had gone to sleep at close to 3:00 AM that morning. She had slept through until 10: AM, when she woke up. She had gone down stairs to find Spike awake and staring intently at the just waking William. She had explained to Spike who William was, which had started the argument between the human and vampire. Spike had said something in British speak and William had become offended, then they began to argue like children. They were still at it.

"I am bloody evil, you git!"

"Yes, you're so evil you endured torture from a god so you did not betray Buffy."

"Bollocks! I just knew the Slayer would stake me if I betrayed her again."

"So you don't love Buffy?" William smirked in a very Spike-like way. Spike was silent, as William had known he would be. Dawn was a very willing ally, perfectly happy to fill William in on what actually went on around here. "Face it, Spike. You have more of me in you than you'd like."

"Why don't you face it, you bloody pillock? I'm not a pathetic wanker like you! The only person alive who is anywhere near as pathetic as you is Harris!" It was at this point that Buffy decided she had to step in. They'd been arguing like that for close to fifteen mintues and it was getting annoying.

"Okay, look you two. You will both stay here, and you will both behave. My mother is in this house and if you annoy her, Spike, I will stake you. If my little sister learns any British swear words, I will stake you." The vampire looked at her sullenly.

"What if she learns British swear words from him?" He asked with a weak head jerk towards his human self. Buffy couldn't help it. She really couldn't. She tried to, but she just couldn't hold back. She burst out laughing. It was almost as bad as the time when she heard Harmony had her own gang. Through her slightly blurred vision and her deep laughs, she noticed William stiffening in indignation, and quickly following that, in pain.

"I'm sorry." she managed to get out after close to five minutes of laughter. "I'm sorry. It's just the thought that William teaching my little sister to swear..." she trailed off into giggles agai. It really was funny. Buffy hadn't even heard William swear as much as Giles. Not even a single bloody hell or an oh dear Lord. He was more Giles-like than Giles, and to think he became Spike...

William and Spike watched as Buffy backed out of the room and out the door, fresh laughs bursting forth. William turned towards the television and noticed he- Spike had a savagely amused smirk on his face. He turned more fully, so he was facing the vampire, but carefully to protect his ribs.

"What?" the young man asked in irritation and disgust. Spike had been a terrible disappointment. Apparently, if William were to remove his soul he would take to wearing nothing but black clothes and poisoning his head in order to make it white. And he would become incredibly annoying.

"Do you even realise they don't respect you at all?" Spike asked, his bruised and cut face twisted into a hideous sneer.

"That's utterly ridiculous. They have been nothing but nice to me. You should not project their feelings for you onto me." William scoffed stiffly.

"Oh, yeah. They really respect you. You are a stupid git, you know that? They don't respect you, they pity you. Christ, they only took you out for clothes because you embarrassed them. They dressed you like the bloody poof for Christ's sake! The Slayer doesn't even think you'd swear in front of lil' sis. Hell, she probably thinks you don't even know how."

William look at the vampire uncomfortably. Too much of this rang true with his past experiences. Buffy and her family and friends were very nice people and they hadn't known William for very long so they were probably holding back their true opinions. It probably wouldn't be long before everyone started to mock him like they had in his own time. He was so pathetic people stared at him, not even reacting when he spoke to them. William sighed despondantly.

"They don't respect you either" the young man answered with more vigour than he felt. This was almost as bad as the time he had attempted to speak to Cecily and all the other people at the party had laughed so much at his outdated clothing that he had run off in embarassment before she could see him.

"Oh-ho, looks like our little punching bag has some fight in him after all. Maybe you aren't a complete nance after all. And they do respect me. They may not like me, they may not even fear me much, but they all respect me. They know that, if I got this bloody chip out, I am a vampire to be feared. You are just as pathetic as the Watcher, but at least he's useful because he knows things. What are you going to do for them? Help them if a demon requires bad poetry to kill it?"

William stonily turned on the television and started flicking through channels. The vampire may have had a point,. but William would be damned if he were to show weakness in front of him. So intent was he on watching the images on the screen, he completely missed the vampires gleeful grin at his human self's discomfort.

Dawn sat cross legged on the floor, staring avidly at the two people on the couch. It was amazing. Not only that, it was pretty great too. Spike and William. William and Spike. Dawn almost shivered at her good fortune.

William was adorable, his hair curling slightly despite the new shortness and gel, his face all soft curves and those glasses made him look dignified and smart and probably a lot of other stuff. His whole personality was so nice it drew you in, even if he did treat Dawn like a tiny little child a lot of the time.

Spike, however, was a very different story. Just as handsome as the other, but where William had brown curls, Spike's hair was bleach blond and slicked back. His cheekbones, even while slightly discoloured and swelling a little, were obviously high and very attractive. His face seemed to be all harsh angles but it also seemed soft as well. Plus, the clothes? Very nice.

What was even better was, that both of them looked identical. Well, almost identical. You could never mistake one for the other because their body language was so very different, William showing his timid kindness and restraint where Spike oozed confidence and sexuality. But there was something not quite right. Aside from the obvious damage of course.

"Spike! You have a scar!" Dawn exclaimed in shock. He gave her a little grin.

"Yeah. I do. You've known that for a while now, Nibblet."

"Yeah, but he doesn't" she rejoined with a pointed look at William. "Did you get that in the week before you were turned?" Spike shook his head.

"I got this in 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion. It was when Ibagged my first Slayer. She and I were fighting in a temple. She throws a punch at my head and I-"

"Do we really need to listen to this?" William asked in a pained voice. "I've heard this story four times already and I've only known you for a day. Besides, I hardy think it is suitable for a young lady like Dawn." Dawn flushed, her emotions wavering between frustration at being seen as a child and pleasure at being called a lady.

"Bollocks. The little bit isn't a bloody child. She's seen worse than me in her time. Besides, I've only told you the story four times because you turn such an interesting shade of green. I'd forgotten what a ponce I used to be." Spike finished with a mirthful grin.

"And I should absolutely adore the fact that you killed an innocent girl and drank her blood, should I?" William asked him acidly. Dawn's eyes widened as Spike's face darkened with anger and decided to cut this off before they started bickering again.

"So Spike, how did you get that scar again? I mean, I know a Slayer and all that, but why didn't it heal up like all the wounds Buffy has given you in the past?"

"Because the Slayer doesn't use a blessed sword that has been doused in holy water. Stung like buggary, let me tell you that. It might heal up eventually though. Wounds made from something holy always take the longest to heal." the bleached vampire replied in an offhand tone, so very apathetic it was obvious to Dawn he was incredibly proud of his scar.

Dawn continued to watch the men on her couch, now oblivious to her prescence, as they argued over what they should watch on the television. Spike seemed to be arguing for the Exorcist or something, probably just to mess with poor William some more, and William seemed to want to watch something about World War I.

"Give me the sodding remote!"

"A most emphatic no. I'm not going watch some show with a possessed little girl when I could be finding out about the hundred years I've missed."

"I lived through it, trust me. You didn't miss much. World Wars I and II, lot's of blood, death, violence and suffering. It was actually quitew a bit of fun. Woodstock was great, but I missed a lot of that. Eating flower people tends to warp your sense of time. Basically, it was a gay old time until Prague." This final comment caught William's attention. It appeared to be the one thing the vampire hadn't wanted to talk about at great length. He determined to press the vampire and make him uncomfortable for a change.

"Prague? What happened in Prague?"

"Dru got hurt. I came here, made her better. End of story."

"And who is 'Dru'?"

"Dru is Drusilla. She and Spike were, like, totally in love for 200v years or something." Dawn added excitedly, finally able to contribute to the conversation. Both man and vampire stared at her, startled by her sudden participation. Spike recovered first.

"200 years? I'm not that bloody old. I'll have you know I'm only 123 years dead, thank you very much" Dawn giggled at his indignation. It was exactly the same with Giles. They both seemed to be really worried about being old. William looked at the vampire.

"You fell in love with a common vampire instead of our Cecily?" he asked in curiosity, unable to recompense his feelings for Cecily with the vampire's lack of love for his love. Becoming a vampire shouldn't change him so much he ceased to love his gleaming goddess.

"Our Cecily? You are a right pillock. Our Cecily said we were beneath her." Spike's voice turned to a fake, high pitched imitation of a girl. "'But I do see you William. That's the problem. You're beneath me'. Stupid bitch never saw my potential. But Drusilla, my dark beauty, she saw. She brought it out of me. The passion. The fire. First time I was truly alive was after I'd died. I made that bitch scream. She took the longest to die"

Both Wiliam and Dawn stared at the vampire, surprised at the savage bitterness in his voice.

Spike, Dawn and William all sat on the couch watching some teen movie that Dawn insisted they all had to watch. Spike snorted softly as he noticed both Dawn and William staring at the screen avidly. The ponce agreed to anything the girl suggested. He was more whipped than Spike, but he'd never even had a snog. At least Spike was not as pathetic as that.

Spike rolled his eyes at the two figures to his right. They were both childish, but only one had the excuse of being a child. Spike had almost decided that he hated William when the front door burst open. The Slayer, the witch and her blonde lover all came through the front door at once.

The blonde witch seemed to be holding her hand and murmuring quietly, while the redhead floated around her worriedly while the Slayer just looked angry. Spike decided it had nothing to do with him until he smelled the dried blood that heralded internal bleeding.

Worried about the Slayer, the vampire stood, wincing when he felt the pull of his wounds and took a few faltering steps towards the kitchen.

"Slayer? What's going on?" Buffy looked at him from the kitchen, her eyes haunted.

"Glory got Tara. She brainsucked her."

A/N: Sorry about the delay with this chapter people. I had some life stuff come up. Forgive any spelling or grammar errors in this chapter, it was really hard to write and in the interest of my public, which is not too many people but still some, I decided to post now rather than later. Keep the reviews coming, thanks to all who have reviewed.