"Spike?"
"Yeah?" Spike closed the door and looked over to the teenage girl who was lying on an operating table. He walked over to her and she turned her head to him.
"Am I going to die?"
"Would you care?"
"A little."
"Slayers should accept death," he told her and sat down on a small stool. He took her hand and she winced.
"I'd miss you," she mumbled. Race Buffy Williams had been in a fatal attack only an hour ago and had just been bandaged and prepped for her coming operation. She had asked to see Spike before it happened.
"I'd miss you too, Ray."
"I'd miss you a lot."
"I love you," he said avoiding her whole of increasing 'a lot's. "And I'm sure you won't die, Ray. You're strong."
"I'm not as strong as you thought," she mumbled. "I had my stomach slashed open."
"If I weren't a vampire, I'd show you my battle wounds" he said. "Got my stomach slashed open too once."
"I don't believe you."
"When you come out of the op, I'll tell you the story."
"If." Spike sighed and shook his head.
"Don't be stupid. You're one of the strongest slayers I know, Ray. And trust me, I know a lot of them."
"You're just saying that to make me feel better," she mumbled and turned her head. Her silver eyes glazed in the bright op light. The single trait she'd earned from a very distant demon relative had given her the ability to stare directly into light and still have everything clear.
"I ain't. You've never died before have you?"
"That's stupid."
"At least there's someone who hasn't been brushing up their Slayer History," he said with a grin. Race stared at the light and raised her other hand upwards.
"She died supernatural deaths, Spike."
"You're not dying, Ray."
"If I survive…"
"And you will…"
"Can I have puppy?"
"A puppy?" Spike was taken aback by this request. None of the current slayers had ever thought of having a pet and the ones before would never have wanted a puppy.
"Yes. He'll be my anchor."
"What about me?"
"Love goes beyond death, Spike."
"What's the puppy for then?"
"The puppy needs me to feed him," Race explained. "Because only I'll be able to save him." The door opened and the doctors came into the room. They were all ready and a nurse had taken Race's other hand and inserted a needle into it.
"Can't other people feed him?"
"No one will know how. My puppy will need me and only me. Spike." Race turned too look at him. Her eyes flickered and he knew they'd close at the next. "When I'm awake, can we get my puppy." She squeezed his hand and then let it go because the anaesthetics had taken hold of her body.
"All right, undo the bandages and begin blood intake," one of the doctors said.
"What kind do you want?" Spike mumbled.
