AN: Thanks for the continued feedback...I had a bit of trouble posting last night...sorry for the mix up!

Chapter 18

Spike stood again in front of the mirror. She took a deep unneeded breath as she contemplated what she was about to do. The blond vampire was pragmatic enough to realize that she did not have a lot of options. Spike had no money and she needed to leave Toronto quickly; but she did not want to call back to LA for help. As much as she felt that the members of the Fang Gang were her friends, they would certainly inform Angel of her plans. She was on her own.

She stared at her face for some time. She attempted to memorize every line and every feature of her new visage. It would likely be another 125 years, if ever, before she would see her reflection again. And if she never returned to her previous form, she wanted to remember what she looked like.

Spike stomach fluttered as she had to acknowledge to herself what she was willing to do to leave this town. Her arm reached over to peruse the free cosmetics the hotel made available to the patrons. She grabbed a tube of lipstick and opened it. 'Good thing I did Dru's makeup for so long' she thought to herself as she slowly painted her luscious lips a red hue. She reached for a hairbrush and methodically primped her long blond wavy locks. She took another deep breath as she looked at the results. She forced a smile to her face; but it did not last long. 'I can get through this.' She thought. 'I've been through worse.' She scowled into the mirror and found herself chuckling slightly at the image.

She spoke aloud. "Don't want to scare him off, Spike. Might go for the demure approach." She saddened her eyes. "That'll work. Not like I'll be fakin' that." She dropped her head for a moment but forced herself to look up again. She thought back to all the heartbreak she had endured. Angelus left without a word. Drusilla broke up with him. Twice. And Buffy? Well, that was over before it began. The Slayer made sure of it. "You're walkin' away this time." Spike said with pride and this caused a genuine smile on her face. Things would get better. She nodded her head and turned around. She grabbed her suitcase, took one last look at the room, and left.

She walked slowly towards Julian May's room. She kept telling herself how bad of an idea this was, but she had no other alternative. As she raised her hand to knock on the door, she had to steady it to keep it from shaking. When there was no answer immediately, she began to turn away. Suddenly the door opened and there he stood. Julian was an extremely handsome man. The Immortal stood over six feet tall; his skin was well tanned which caused his green eyes to stand out immensely. His hair was impeccably coiffed and was dark in color. He smiled warmly. "Come in, Spike." He said as he stepped aside to allow her to enter his suite. She hesitated for a moment but then walked in.

"Why don't I get that for you?" He said after he closed the door. He walked up to Spike and took her suitcase from her and placed it by the door. "Shall we have a seat?" He asked as he gestured towards the sofa. Spike nodded and took a seat. They sat in uncomfortable silence for a few moments. "So. Spike. I was certainly shocked to get your call." He continued when Spike raised her eyebrow. "Shocked, but pleasantly surprised." He smiled widely as he stared at her. Spike fidgeted in her seat. He made her extremely nervous.

"Yeah. Well. 'M sorry to bother you and all..." She dropped her head.

"Well, it's not a bother. How can I help?"

"Well, you talked about the Wolfram and Hart family, so I figured I could ask a favor. You know, with me being part of said family...in a way." She shifted again as his unrelenting gaze continued to bore into her. "Well, if you have access to a plane, I need to leave Toronto tonight." She sat back a bit while she awaited a response.

Julian's eyes widened slightly, he was obviously surprised at her request. "And what of your Grandsire? Certainly he could accommodate your request." He watched as she turned away and stood abruptly.

"You know what?" Spike said as her eyes watered. "I made a mistake coming here." She turned quickly and scurried towards the door. As she reached down to grab her suitcase, she felt Julian grasp her arm.

"Wait, Spike!" He said as he placed her luggage down. "I did not say I would not help you." He gently continued to hold her as he led her back to the sofa. "I was simply surprised that you would ask me." They sat back down. He sat for a moment mesmerized by her beauty. Her eyes appeared so sad and lost. "It is probably none of my business what transpired between you and Angel."

"That's right." She said quietly as she looked intently at the sparkling green eyes.

"It must have been terrible if you were willing to come to a stranger for help." He watched as Spike turned her head away again. The emotional wall she had built prior to coming in the room was slowly crumbling.

"I can help you, William." He responded as Spike looked at him, eyes wide with shock at the use of her given name.

"How did you..." She said as she sat perplexed.

"This is Wolfram and Hart, Spike." He said without malice in his voice. "We know many things about Angel and his family." He paused as he gazed upon her face again. He reached up and stroked her cheek and was happy to see that Spike did not withdraw from the touch. "I bet you are just as beautiful as a man," He said quietly as he wiped a tear that was forming in her azure colored eye.

He leaned in and captured her lips in a soft kiss. For a moment, Spike was nearly lost in the warmth of Julian's touch. She slowly broke the kiss and whispered as she opened her eyes. "No...please...'M sorry. I can't do this." She said as she looked at him sadly. "I can't sleep with you..." She trailed off and stood. Julian followed suit.

"I won't ask that of you, Spike." He said with small smile. He walked over to the phone and dialed. "Yes, Johnson. Mr. May here. Please ready my jet to leave within the hour. A Ms. Spike will be the passenger...She will inform you of her destination...Take her anywhere she wants to go...Is that clear...Okay, then." He hung up the phone. He joined a dumbfounded Spike near the door.

"Why are you helping me?" Spike was a bit suspicious. "I mean, no offense. But you're evil." She said with a slight grin.

Julian chuckled. "Maybe. But, perhaps this is my good deed for the century. When you've lived as long as I have, on occasion I will do something nice." He opened the door. "Shall we?" He gestured for her to walk through. "Allow me to walk you to the lobby. There are many cars available that can take you to the plane."

"Thanks, mate." Spike said with some hope in her voice.

"And Spike? Keep my card. If I can do anything else to help, let me know."

"I will." She smiled as they walked towards the elevator.

TBC...