A/N This chapter is for Nessie, who is celebrating her 16th birthday today! Lots of love to you, and to everyone else who has reviewed, it means a lot to me!

Chapter 4

"Oh, I've missed you so much…" Buffy whispered to Spike.

Spike smiled and tried to answer, but failed miserably. His voice didn't seem to obey him. He coughed and Buffy let go of him, rubbing soothing circles on his back. He smiled weakly, and fell back against the pillows that Buffy had gotten for him.

Buffy frowned a little. "Are you okay, Spike?"

He shook his head and managed to get out a harsh whisper.

"Don't think so, pet… Feel… Weird." He coughed again and took Buffy's hand and put it on his forehead.

Buffy gasped. "Oh, my god! You're burning up!" She turned around and called out to Giles, who she knew was standing just outside. "Giles! Could you please come in her?"

Giles came in through the door with raised eyebrows. "Yes, Buffy? Is there a problem?"

Buffy grasped Spike's hand and held on to it for dear life. "I think he's sick."

Spike squeezed Buffy's hand and whispered. "Jus' gonna close my eyes…"

Buffy nodded and sighed as his eyelids began to flutter and he succumbed to sleep.

"Giles, feel his forehead…"

"Buffy, I do not think that is necessary…"

"Giles! Please… There's something wrong with him… I just know it."

Giles gave up and felt Spike's forehead. "Oh, dear lord… Yes, you're probably right… I've never heard of a vampire having a… Well having a different temperature than room temperature. I will get Willow, and we'll look into it right away…"

Buffy hugged Giles. "Thank you…"

Buffy turned back to Spike as Giles went out from the room and she caressed his cheek. He sighed contently in his sleep and she couldn't stop the smile that formed on her lips. 'Oh, Spike, don't you dare leave me again…'

She sighed. "You remember the last night we had, Spike? I should have told you that I loved you then…" She stared into the wall. "I should have made you believe me…" She hadn't noticed that Spike had opened his eyes. He smiled faintly.

"Believe what, pet?" He asked, his voice still a hoarse whisper.

She jumped in her chair and laughed a little.

"Spike… You scared me!"

He raised his eyebrows. "What was I suppose to believe?"

"Oh…" She drew a shaky breath. "That…" She swallowed.

Spike took her hand and looked her straight in the eyes.

"'S okay, pet…You don't 'ave to tell me…"

She smiled a little. "Go back to sleep…" She caressed his forehead and frowned at the way his skin felt burning hot.

She watched his eyes once again flutter close, and she whispered quietly. "I love you, Spike…"

And she felt her heart burst with joy as he smiled in his sleep and mumbled. "Love you too, Buffy…"

Giles sat opposite Willow at their temporary research table, looking through the few books that they had. Willow had even run back to the shop where they'd found Spike's amulet and bought even more books.

Willow yawned and rubbed her eyes. "I'm getting some coffee, do you want anything?" She grabbed her purse and looked at Giles.

"Oh, Willow, that's kind of you… Coffee, too, please…"

She nodded and went down to the local coffee shop.

Giles quickly read through the book he had been reading for the past two hours, and went to get another one, when something hit him.

He ran down the stairs and out onto the sidewalk, where he spotted Willow stepping out of the coffee shop.

"Willow!" He called to her and smiled in thanks as she held out his coffee to him.

"Hey, you couldn't wait, huh?" Giles shook his head.

"No, no… It's not about the coffee… You remember the lady in the shop?"

Willow nodded and he continued. "She said something about the jewellery, coming from a cursed ship…"

Willow nodded furiously. "Yes… It was cursed with some kind of disease…" She trailed off. "You don't think that… That Spike has gotten it? I mean we did a protection spell!"

Giles frowned. "I don't know about him getting the disease, but I know that we did do a protection spell, but it was supposed to protect us from the amulet. If Spike was inside of it… I don't know how it might affected him."

Willow sighed deeply and drank some of her coffee.

"Do you think that we should tell Buffy?"

"I don't know, Willow… I don't know…"

They walked back to Giles' hotel room, and continued their research, only this time they looked for information about cursed ships.

Buffy was beginning to feel worried for Spike. He seemed to grow paler and paler and she could swear that he hadn't felt this hot last time she felt his forehead. She reluctantly let go of his hand and began to pace.

She hated this feeling, the feeling of not knowing anything, and not being able to help. She hadn't ever seen him this weak, not after Glory's torture, or the First's, not even after she had… She winced as she remembered what she had done to him in the alley. She told herself that it would be plenty of time to forgive and forget as soon as Spike got better. 'If he gets better…' Her traitorous mind reminded her. She felt sick and she sat down next to him, clutching his hand.

As she looked at Spike where he lay sleeping in her bed, she couldn't help to wonder when she had started to love him. Not just to want him… She had always wanted him; she had always had the need to be near him, if not touching, then fighting. She felt a tear slide down her cheek. 'Well, it doesn't matter when I started to love him… Because I do now, and there's nothing in this world that's going to stop me.'

Then Spike began to couch and she tried to get him to sit up. She gave him a paper towel and he coughed into it.

"Thanks, pet…" He whispered before going back to sleep.

Buffy took the paper towel from his hand, and she winced slightly when she noticed that it was covered in a thick crimson fluid.

She took a deep breath and stood on shaking legs, and she kissed Spike's cheek before racing down the corridor to Giles' hotel room.

"Giles!" She announced as she walked through the door. She held up the bloodied paper towel. "I think he's getting worse."

A/N Hope you liked it! Happy Birthday again Nessie, and everybody, review!