AN: Hard to summarize this, so I'll just let it flow.

Revenge chap. 15

"Honey, I'm home." Angel said softly, a grin plastered on his face, as he opened the front door of Buffys house. He had buried the body of Riley in the dept of the forest near the cemetery, where he was sure nobody would look for him. He was not even sure if anyone would really looked for the boy. Riley was not from around here, or so he had been told in his search for information about the new lover of Buffy.

"I hope the two of you have been good."

His voice changed to a low grumble as he realised nobody was in the living room upon his arrival. Although… someone sat in the nearby chair, close to the fireplace. As he turned, Spike sat there, his hands behind his back and a sad expression on his face.

"Where is she?"

"I couldn't follow her… she was too fast, I couldn't keep my balance."

"Spike, I'm not kidding here… I would have shot you a long time ago if it wasn't for her always hanging around you. Where is she? I'm not going to ask twice!"

"You have made her this way, you know."

Angel turned towards the other young man and was quite startled. The tough Spike had left the body of the young man in front of him completely and there sat a broken man, one who had just lost everything he lived for.

"What do you mean?"

"You drove her so far. You have made her insane. She thought you would not come back, that she had done something wrong. I have done everything I could do keep her from going down to the basement, but she was sure she would find rope there."

"No!"

"What would I gain by lying to you? I've already lost."

Spike sighed and in that sigh laid the weight of an entire world. Angel hurried towards the stairs to the basement, unaware of Spike loosening the cords around his wrists and silently following him.

"Buffy? Where are you? Come here, hon."

Angel called into the dark of the basement, but no sound erupted from the cool area. He wanted to switch on the light, but it seemed it was not working any longer. Spike was closing in on the dark-haired man, wanting to close this once and for all. He was no longer satisfied with locking this man up… no, he had caused them too much grief.

In the mean time, Buffy had woken up in her own bedroom and did not understand what was going on, until she remembered what Spike had done to her. Now that she was not under Angels influence, her mind was more clear and she knew what Spike was up to.

"I have to stop him." She whispered before trying the doorknob which of course would not open. Spike obviously had forgotten that she could escape at any time she wanted in the earlier days by climbing through her window and that was her means of escape this time as well.

She landed near the tree by her window and right in front of the small window of the basement, next to Angels eyes.

"That lying rat!"

Angel exclaimed. Spike was surprised as well by the sudden landing of Buffy, but he wouldn't back down now. Taking the kitchen knife from behind his back, which he had gotten from the kitchen before Angels return, he planted it into the other mans back, right underneath his ribcage.

Angel hissed in pain but managed to turn around.

"Did you think it was that easy to get rid of me, boy?"

He grumbled, but he was wavering and Spike could feel this.

"No, I never thought that… I just wanted to get rid of you, by any means. Goodbye, Angel."

With that, he dealt a powerful kick to the chest of his attacker and Angel went sailing down the stairs, landing flat on his back. The loud sickening noise of bone being broken sent Spikes stomach into his throath, but he managed to swallow it down.

"Spike!"

Buffy flew through the kitchen door and into his arms.

"What did you do? You killed him!"

"It was either he or us, Buffy… I had to do something."

"What will they do to you when they find him? You are going to prison, just like him! I can't stand loosing you again, Spike… I've been without you for so long."

Spike had expected a tantrum, a hysterical Buffy hanging onto him, but the girl remained still and said her words in the same tone as before. No, this was not his Buffy talking to him, that one would have slapped him several times over before even saying anything to him.

"Why don't you let me take care of that, love? I'll call Willow and the others so they can take you in for a little while."

"Why can't I stay with you?"

He moved closer to her and laid his arms around her, enclosing the young woman in his arms and wanting to keep her safe from all the harm in the world. He had never felt so protective over anyone until now… it had taken a dead threat to realise what Buffy really meant to him.

"It won't be for long, love, I promise." He kissed her on the lips and leaded her towards the couch, where he had seated just a few hours ago, bound at his hands. He dialed the number for Willows dorm.

"Hello?" A sleepy voice of an equally sleepy Willow sounded through the telephone.

"I killed Angel."