Disclaimer: Just borrowing some charactersfor a bit

An AU look at a time in Spike's life pre-Sunnydale.

A PAST LIFE FORGOTTEN
by angelwings

New York

The park was silent as he walked through it contemplating the turn that his life had just taken. Dru had left him. Drusilla, his whole world, the woman that defined his very being had left him. Had said that he was too soft. But he wasn'the had killed many people. He had killed them and danced in their blood with her. Had killed just to see her smile and clap her hands. And she had left him; said he didn't relish the kill like he should. Which was absurdhe was William the Bloody after all. But, she had left him and now he didn't know what to do.

A sound in the distance drew his attention. Someone was in the park.
'Well, he would show her about relishing the kill,' he thought, narrowing his eyes.
Quietly he moved forward until he could see a figure sitting on a bench. It was a womanmedium build, average looking with aubourn hair falling to her shoulders. As he got closer, he noticed something else, she was was crying. Made no matter to him though. He was just about to grab her when a loud "Gaah!" startled him. The woman sniffled, and looked over her shoulder at him with a gasp. That was when he noticed the toddler in her lap. The toddler who had a wide smile on her face and was reaching out her arms to him in obvious delight. For a moment he was too surprised to do anything. Small children did not like him as they can usually sense when something dark is about. But here was this child smiling at him...The child was obviously daft, he decided.

"She likes you," the woman said, wiping the tears from her eyes and giving him a shaky smile.
Her eyes were brown he noticeda fairly average color, yet on her they didn't seem to be average at all.
"She's usually a very good judge of character," the woman continued, nervously when he didn't respond.
Well, she's obvoiously wrong about this one, he wanted to say. After all, he had came here to kill her...So, why was it that the words out of his mouth weren't that at all and instead he found himself asking her what was wrong.

He found out that her name was Carol and that her daughter, Maggie, had just been diagnosed with a rare skin condition. Little Maggie was allergic to sunlight, even some light bulbs would make her skin break out in an ugly red rash and too much exposure would kill her. The woman told him in tears how her little girl would never be able to play outside during the day, never know what it was like to feel the sun on her face... He could certanly relatenot that he told her so. In fact, when he left the two that night, he hadn't even told her his name.

He convinced himself that he had just been depressed about Dru and that was why he had stopped and listened to the woman and why he hadn't killed them. But, the next night, he found himself at the same spot again. Carol smiled when she saw him and Maggie babbled at him happily. And he found himself talking to her again. In fact, night after night, he found himself back there. Talking to Carol and even holding Maggie. But, the only thing that he told her about himself was that his name was Spike.

Should I continue this?
(For a hint of where this is going, who can remember when Spike was in NY?) ;)