"Do you think she'll be okay?"
Spike looked up at the innocent voice across from him. He nodded gravely. "She'll be fine. She'll be up on her feet in no time. I'm sure of it." But the confidence in his voice was lacking in volume. "There's no need to worry Dawn. Buffy won't die anytime soon."
The others stared at Spike in pity. He had become an emotional wreck ever since the whole thing started. Willow especially was moved to empathy for the poor fellow. She did feel the same way as him about Buffy. She loved Buffy to pieces. Of course only as a best friend, or at least a close sister, but there was no doubt in her mind that Buffy was in big trouble at the moment and it was only going to get worse.
Willow spoke up. "You don't need to be brave Spike. We're all on the same boat as you. Buff's the best thing that's happened to us. Now that her life is in danger again, it's like having a piece of you torn out."
"It's not like she's dying Willow. She'll be fine." Giles tried to put in. "Maybe we're all dreaming and we'll wake up with a silly little memory crouching over our brains."
"Or maybe Buff's just had a bad cold like before and she'll get better and kick more demon but." Xander announced with a hopeful amount of glee.
Dawn nodded, "Or she's giving us a hard time about everything and she's actually as healthy as a fresh penny."
"Or maybe you all are idiots trying to think up ways to please yourselves so you don't have to feel so bad. You know in your right minds that she's in trouble but you don't want to admit it because you've already lost her twice…almost a third. Yeah you can be brave and hope she'll be all right but at least give the whole prancy fairy tail gag a rest. She deserves more than what you nitwits imagine up in your mind. She deserves a helping hand." Spike and his emotions trailed away and the others could see the pain he was feeling inside. He stood up and started for the door.
"Where are you going?" Giles yelled after him.
Spike turned to the others. "To kill the git who did this to my girl."
"So you've come to tell me what exactly. You'll cut off my head if I come near her again." Casey said with a laugh to the imbecile standing in front of him. "Please. You're not even that bad."
"I am Casey. That's not the point. You hurt her now fix it. She means as much to me as the job means to you." The vampire answered.
Casey chuckled. "That's a shock. The girl's just a human. A vampire in love with a human, that's so cute…and pathetic. Listen Mr. Williams, I'm not in for negotiating and all I can say is your toy got what she deserved. You know humans aren't supposed to trespass on this property. If they do they end up dead or in her case a coma."
The vampire gritted his teeth. "I hope you get what's coming to you Casey. Danielle will be fine. And when she's alive and standing maybe then I'll forgive you."
"Well that makes one of us." Casey glared at the vampire with disgust. "Maybe you'll learn to treat your master with more respect."
The vampire scoffed. "Like you do with Mokor? I'm surprised he hasn't chopped your head off yet or sent a stake flying through into your heart."
Casey nodded, "True, but my latest achievement has given him much pleasure therefore erasing all my misdeeds and failed conquests from before. So if you'll please exit to your left and maybe come back when you actually have something good to tell me."
The vampire glared and took off to the left. Casey watched him with divine pleasure. If only he had been the king of the joint it would've been even more pleasurable to watch such fury leave under his command. He loved being in authority and if he continued to please his master he'd get the chair right next to him.
Casey had almost followed the man out with his eyes until he saw the vampire had blown up into dust. He saw a familiar tall bleached-hair vampire standing in front of him, stake aimed threateningly right at him. "What's your trouble young fellow?" He asked happily.
The vampire's eyes turned to slits. "You." He emerged more into the light so you could see him completely. "You and your black magic."
Casey smirked. "Oh really. Girl troubles hey? I think I've had about a million other lovesick vampires come to me today. Please I'd rather you save the trouble and just leave now before I get the master."
"Because you have no power or because you know I could kill you?" The blonde vampire said angrily.
Casey glared at his enemy. "Spike, you couldn't hurt me if I was a human. Although I'm sure your soul would go into effect if I were a human. Now, indeed you have a problem with me and I wouldn't blame you. Asking my fellow vampires to suck your slayer's blood and powers right out of her might be a reason for you to kill me."
Spike's nostril's flared like a bull's. "So you did take away her powers?"
Casey laughed nonchalantly. "Yeah, it was fun too. Remember how easy it was for you to do things like that. Kill slayers? Make them your meat? I remember when you made me it was all you taught me. 'Go for the kill and never pity their feeble little hearts.' Boy those were the days Spike. I could bring you back to them. You could finally be on the side you've always dreamed of being on…in your undead heart."
"I have a soul."
"Ah sure." Casey said raising an eyebrow. "But it's not really you. You know that. You love to kill. It's your passion. Kill, live, and thrive. That's what you always taught me. I used to think of you as a master. Someone I could always look up to. Now look at you. A vampire with a soul and a human that he's fallen in love with, like many of my other customers, you're pathetic."
Spike shook his head. "No, you are. You're just a vampire with no brain. I can see into everyone because of the gift Buffy gave me. And I am not going to let you just take that away from me. You may be cool in the world of vampires and demons but in our world, you're an idiot."
Casey tilted his head. "Really? Explain how."
Spike smirked, "You'll find out. Meet me at the graveyard tomorrow night. I'll show you exactly what I mean."
"That's supposed to scare me?"
Spike shrugged, "Beats me, but there's no way a git like you'll ever get away with hurting my girl." And with that he disappeared in the darkness leaving Casey to watch the spectacle in complete stupidity.