Special

Disclaimer: Don't own anyone but Jake and Susan.

Summary: Don't know how to describe it.

Reviews: Yes, please. Love everyone who reviews. Readers Rock but REVIEWERS RULE!!!

WayWard Childe: I don't expect a ficlet with each chapter I just love the fact that you read my rambles. I'm totally looking forward to more of your writing. (More of 'The Next Mission! Yay! Happy dance!)

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Jake slammed the phone down in angry frustration. He knelt next to Will and lifted him gently up to the sofa. He was facing the door to Will's room and noticed the glow that was waning. 'Odd.' He thought. 'It looks like the glow from the amulet just before Will made his appearance.' He made a mental note to check it out later and went back to the task of making the unconscious vampire comfortable. As before it wasn't long before a low moan marked the return to wakefulness.

"Will?" Jake asked gently, softly. "Come on Buddy. Talk to me."

Dark lashes fluttered. "Light." Will whispered painfully. Jake quickly turned the dimmer switch on the lamp. "Thanks, Mate." Will tried to sit up. Sheer stubbornness being the only reason he succeeded. He rested his aching head against the soft cushion backing the sofa.

"Do you remember what happened?" Jake questions softly.

A short pained nod. "Talked to Suzy-Q. There were people there…who knew me. A girl, young. Misses me. Wants to see me." Short gasps of air punctuated each part. "A man…no…vampire said my name. It hurt."

Jake nodded. That was pretty much all he knew as well. "I'll get you some blood. Want some painkiller in it?"

Will nodded slightly. "Not too much. Don't want to sleep long. Have to figure this out. Making me bug-shagging crazy, it is." He draped a muscular arm across his eyes and didn't notice the Spikeism that had crept into his normally precise speech.

Jake gave him a puzzled glance at the term. He knew Will hadn't but he'd noticed the odd words and phrases that were beginning to creep into Will's vocabulary.

He left the vampire on the sofa and rushed to prepare a mug of blood with a couple of Tylenol Migraine in it. He brought the heated concoction into the living room and held a straw up to Will's lips. The vampire sipped gratefully. He finished it quickly with a sigh as the blood and painkillers worked with his vampire healing to banish the pain from his head. He drifted into a light sleep, falling over as his body relaxed. Jake straightened him out and covered him up with a blanket.

The artist wandered into his studio and distractedly picked up his pallet. He chose fresh brushes and began to work on the final portrait. It was nearly finished and clearly, in his opinion, the best of the lot. He painted a couple of hours before he heard the familiar crunch of tires on the driveway. Hearing a door slam, he dropped his brushes in a cup of turpentine and moved into the kitchen to meet Susan.

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As soon as Wesley left, Susan quickly drove back to her apartment and changed clothes. She grabbed the keys to her Jeep and hit the road for Jake's house. Wesley's final revelation rang in her ears as she drove.

'Spike may have been a vampire but he had a soul. He went out and earned it back. Why he did that is a long story and I don't have all the details. But I can tell you that six months ago Spike gave up his existence, his life, to save the world.'

Two hours and one stop for chicken wings later, she burst through the kitchen door.

"Jake! Is he okay? I got here as soon as I could. Oh God, I'm so sorry. If I'd known…" Susan babbled the second she saw her cousin.

"Suzy-Cutie, it's okay. I'm okay. Where's my hug?" Will stood leaning against the kitchen doorway. She rushed over and flung her arms around him, tears leaking out to dampen his t-shirt. "Hush now, Luv. None of that." He tipped her face up with one finger. "Hey, where're my wings?"

She giggled through her tears at his silliness. "On the table." She pointed at the bag that Jake was inching toward.

Will let out a mock growl when he noticed what his friend was up to. "Better share, Mate."

Jake grinned and got out some paper plates and napkins. "Only if you get here in time." He challenged. Both humans blinked when Will used vampiric speed to reach the table and snatch the prize from Jake.

"Whoa. Where did that come from?" Jake shook his head in wonder.

Will stilled and the smile disappeared from his handsome face. "I don't know. Guess maybe its part of the whole vampire thing. Never needed it before now, I suppose." He shrugged after a moment, apparently deciding wings were more important than enhanced vampire abilities. "So, tell me about these people who know me. What are they like?" He trained his sapphire gaze on Susan.

She nibbled on a wing and thought about the people she'd met earlier. "There are two sisters, Dawn and Buffy. Dawn is the younger one. You talked to her. She's cute and almost as tall as me. She has big blue eyes and has obviously taken lessons from you in using them to get her way. Buffy…" She broke off at the snicker from the vampire.

"Buffy? What kind of name is Buffy?" Will chuckled.

Susan smiled. "I don't know, maybe it's a nickname. Anyway, she's pretty, petite and blond. She has green eyes and she was supposed to talk to you but that guy interrupted. I'm not saying his name or anything but I think you know what I mean."

Will nodded soberly. "Don't really want to explore that yet, Pet."

Jake remembered what he'd seen. "I noticed after you passed out that the amulet seemed to be glowing. It was fading when I saw it but it was the same light it emitted just before you appeared. I wonder if it has anything to do with the pain you feel when we mention that guy."

Will looked thoughtful. "Could be. I don't want to test it right now, though. I think my brain is just a little fried at the moment." The cousins nodded in agreement.

The three of them ate and talked about other things for a while before Susan stifled a yawn. "I'm whacked. I'm staying over."

Jake grinned. "You know where your room is." She nodded and kissed both men before leaving the kitchen. She was a frequent visitor and kept quite a few items in the smallest bedroom the house offered.

"I finished the new paintings. Want to see?" Jake stood up to throw away the rubbish from their snack.

Will nodded. "Sure." He followed the human through to the studio and gaped when he saw the portraits. He pointed at the smaller interior scene. "Don't show that one." He instructed. Indicating the larger one, he smiled. "That one's good. Did I really look like that?"

Jake showed him the snapshot. "Got the proof right here." He claimed.

Will took the paper from his friend. Studying it for a few minutes, he looked up with confusion in his sapphire eyes. His voice was quiet. "What kind of vampire am I? I read Shakespeare. I don't want to bite people. I don't want to go out and kill. What does that make me? I've read the Internet sites about vampires. They're evil, soulless creatures that torture and kill humans. The thought of that makes me feel sick." He began to pace in agitation, careful to avoid the drying canvases. He indicated the paintings. "That doesn't look like a vampire. Jake, what am I?"

Jake stopped Will's pacing by placing a hand on each shoulder. He looked down into the shorter man's dark blue eyes. "Special, Will. It makes you very special." He said firmly.