Spike stared at the blood on his fingers. He really had tasted blood! The question is, where did it come from?
Spike threw the sheet off of him and sprang out of bed looking for his pants.
Bloody hell! Spike cried as he thought of the nightmare. It had been so realistic! He had felt everything--the warmth of the slayer's body against his own cold corpse. The coppery blood had trickled down his throat and soothed his hunger. It was a dream! God, let it be a dream! Spike screamed towards the higher power or powers above.
The vampire tugged on his pants and grabbed his shirt on the way up to the door of his crypt. Spike didn't even think to grab his duster that hung over the arm of his tv chair. Instead he flung himself out into the crisp air and ran without looking back.
***
Buffy tried to fight urge to close her eyes but they were too heavy for her to hold open any longer. The will to hold on began to fade away as the call for eternal sleep took over. The slayer silently wished she could call out and say goodbye to her friends, and to Dawn. Slowly her hand slid from it's death grip on the corner of her night table and her arm fell to her lap. Buffy's head leaned against the soft mattress of her bed. After the real life nightmare she had just been through, this is how she was going to finally go. A nightmare.
A sound caught the slayer's attention and she listened through the dying beat of her heart. A soft thud forced Buffy to raise up all the energy she had left, the tiniest morsels of strength that still clung to her passing soul, and turned her head to the window. Tears of fear and of relief welled up in her eyes as Spike ducked through the half closed pane.
Spike cried and rushed to his slayer's side.
Buffy smiled ever so slightly and tried so hard to speak his name.
Shhh, don't speak, luv. Spike tried a reassuring smile as he gently removed Buffy's hand from her own neck and replaced it with his cold hand. Sure enough, two tiny puncture holes dotted her beautiful, smooth neck. Spike swallowed and frantically began to search with his eyes for something to revive his precious slayer. I-I have to get you out of here I have to get you to a hospital! Spike whispered fiercely.
Buffy could only utter a soft moan as any source of emotion or thought. She wanted so badly to tell him how glad she was that he was here and that she forgave him.
Spike, ever so carefully, lifted Buffy up into his arms and headed to the bedroom door which led out to the hall. Quietly, yet quickly, he raced down the hall to the stairs and then descended to the front door. A horrendous sound called behind the vampire and his heart sank far beneath his feet.
Spike! What are you doing? Xander stood in the darkness of the living room, his hair a disheveled mess implying his slumber on the couch.
I-I have to go! Spike tried to ignore the carpenter and reached for the door handle, careful not to jog Buffy too much.
What the hell are you doing here? Xander's voice was cold, hard, full of anger and hate.
You don't understand! Spike cried, I have to go! The doorknob jingled in his fumbling hand and stubbornly refused to cooperate.
Suddenly Xander's eyes became fully used to the dark and for the first time he saw the limp heap in the vampire's arms. Oh my god! What did you do to her?! The words stuck in Xander's throat and he struck out at Spike with a large fist but the vampire ducked and Xander flew into the wall.
Spike tried desperately to open the doorknob but it wouldn't turn! Instead he decided to exit through the back door in the kitchen. Spike turned and made for the dining room which led to the kitchen and his escape. However, a very large Xander stood in his way.
You can't take her! Xander screeched and lunged for the vampire once more.
All three fell to the ground with a thunderous crash and Spike fought to get away from Xander and get to Buffy and the kitchen door--his only way out!
You don't understand! I have to take her! Get off me! The emotions began to grow inside the vampire again, like a storm gathering over its unaware victims. Thick, hot tears flooded his face and he flung at the carpenter with all his might. Let me go!
At once, light flooded the room and choked cries of surprise echoed through the flailing mass of vampire and carpenter below! Spike finally tossed Xander off of him and stared into the horrified eyes of Tara, Willow and Dawn.
Oh my god! What's going on? Tara asked, obviously shaken. Willow and Dawn just stared in terror.
Spike glanced at Buffy sprawled on the living room carpet before he turned and fled.
Xander jumped up and chased the vampire through the kitchen, out into the garden, and down the street before having to stop and catch his breath. Spike was gone.
Back at the house, Dawn had run down the stares and now held a very limp Buffy in her arms. Tears streamed down the young girls face as she looked to the young witch and asked,
Tara had no idea what to say and could only shake her head in sorrow at the slayer's baby sister.
Xander reentered the room huffing and puffing and immediately made his way to Buffy.
What on earth happened down here? Willow asked in shock. She tried to move to her friend, to see if she was all right, but the slayer was so still that it scared her. Please tell me what's going on! she begged as she clung to Tara.
Xander ignored his friend for a moment as he searched Buffy. There had to be something! Why was Spike sneaking out of the house with the slayer?
The answer came all too quickly as one of Xander's hand passed over the tiny puncture wounds in the side of the slayer's neck.
Oh god! Xander turned Buffy's head to the side and exposed her neck before he shrank back in horror.
Willow cried out in alarm as Tara tightened her grip on her lover. Dawn choked on her tears.
Sh-She's dead! Xander spat the words through his clenched teeth! The bastard drank her dry! Xander rose in hatred and rushed to the weapons chest where he grabbed a giant sword and a large, thick wooden stake.
What are you going to do? Willow asked, her voice heavy with grief and unbelief.
What do you think I'm going to do? I'm gonna shove this stake through his ruthless heart and I'm going chop off his worthless head! Xander shouted in fury!
Tara tried to calm everyone down, Don't you think we should wait till we know for sure what happened? You know Spike can't hurt Buffy because of the chip.
Xander's eyes narrowed, Right. The chip. I'm so sick of everyone using that as an excuse! Spike is a vampire! He's a ruthless, disgusting, pathetic killer! He has always tried to get close to Buffy so he can have his way with her and then add her to his precious list of dead slayers! Well I won't let him get away with it! Xander's voice shook with rage.
I'm not making excuses for him! I'm just saying that maybe we should wait until the right time to catch him in another act. We should wait, let him simmer before we try and take him. In this state he'll be way too strong for us! He did kill two slayers and right now he's on a high from a possible third! We can't touch him now. Tara tried to make Xander understand before he ran off and did something stupid.
Xander thought for a second then slowly began to nod. You're right. We need someone else--someone with his strength and speed! I gotta make a phone call! Xander threw the weapons back into the chest and headed for the phone.
Wh-who are you going to call? Dawn asked meekly.
Another killer!
***
Spike fled for his unlife! The torrent of tears had failed to cease and the vampire ran in blind fear---not for his unlife, but for his slayer's life!
What have I done!
Spike ran around a corner and slammed into an alley wall. Regaining his balance, the vampire shook the fogginess from his eyes and continued his speeding crash course through the rain that had begun to fall. He slipped through the mud and new torrent of rain and fell many times only to pick himself up and force himself forward again and again until finally he couldn't sprint anymore. Leaning against a brick building inside another alley, Spike gasped for air. He didn't need to breath, but he felt as if something has grabbed his dead heart and was squeezing it tighter and tighter every second! Spike slid down the wall into a heap on the cold, hard pavement below and wept.
What have I done? What have I done? Tons of new and old emotions burned inside him, tore at the demon within him, and tempted to rip his sanity to shreds! He held his head in his hands and pressed at the pain within, pulling at his hair and crying out for an explanation. WHAT HAVE I DONE?!?!?! His eyes began to glow with a red fire and his vampire face appeared against his will. He suddenly grinned. I killed her! Then he laughed a laugh more evil and more grating that any ever heard in any hell dimension! He had killed his third slayer, and it felt good!
