Buffy was fast asleep, her head resting on the bed. She had been adamant that she would stay with him until he was conscious, because, according to her, 'It's my fault he's like this in the first place. I shouldn't have left him to fight that thing alone.'

Spike also seemed to be more settled, and had now had all of his wounds tended to.

Willow was sitting with him on the other side of the bed, the first aid kit beside her.

She was just beginning to nod off, when Spike started to come round.

His eyelids flickered open and he reached out for her hand and whispered, "That you Red?"

She squeezed his hand and said yes. That is when he started to cry silently, his shoulders shaking with sobs. "Red. Red. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," he sobbed.

"Why Spike? Why are you sorry?" she asked, bewildered at what he had said, but glad that he had come round to start with.

"I'm so sorry that I couldn't save her. That demon, it -it let her go. I ran all the way up the cliff when I saw it had her, but when he saw me...it let her go! She's dead! Buffy's dead! I can't believe she's dead! I'm so sorry!" he whispered to her between his sobs. But before Willow could reassure him that Buffy was not dead, he slipped into unconsciousness once again.

At that, Willow quietly slipped outside, and told Xander and Giles about what Spike had said.

At several different times during the night, Spike repeated this scenario with both Xander and Giles, mixed up with half-conscious mumblings:

"Stupid bloody poof! Giving the PTB the idea of giving a vampire a soul!...Stupid damn humanities! Bloody feelings! Stupid damn bloody soul!!....Damn that Bloody Slayer!" and repeated "I love you" several times.

These outcries had woke Buffy a couple of times, and the guys eventually convinced her to go and have a rest elsewhere.

The other guys decide to stay with Spike, and Giles - ever the observationalist, had taken notes of what Spike had been mumbling.