Chapter 16

"Hey." Madison walked into Spike's office holding a piece of paper.

"Hey." He replied looking up from his work.

"I have something I need to talk to you about." She said sitting down on a chair opposite him.

He looked up knowing he was not going to like the topic. Ever since they found out he had been avoiding talking about it, almost like it had never happened.

"I have made a list. Of things I wana do before I die."

"Oh." Spike said. It was all he could say.

"I want you to help me with it."

A cold shiver went down Spike's back; he knew she was going to die. He didn't want to accept it but he had to, for her.

"Okay, what's first?"

Madison and Spike stood outside on the streets peering through a shop window.

"You sure you still wana go through this?" Spike asked.

Madison nodded. She was scared.

As they walked in they heard the needle making a buzzing noise, Madison's eyes widened. The first thing on her list was to get a tattoo. She had yet to pick one out, but when she saw it, she knew it was the one for her.

It was a small rose with a love heart on the stem. It was beautiful.

Madison grabbed Spike's hand when she was in the seat, the man leaning over her with the needle was a fat guy with a grey beard. He had loads of piercings all over his face and even one between his nose. It was a big bull ring and if he hurt her Madison sure as hell would pull it out of him.

Madison and Spike walked out of the tattoo shop laughing. Well, spike was laughing at Madison because she was in pain. She even cried when the needle touched her skin.

"It's not funny." She slapped Spike's arm.

"I'm sorry." He said pulling her towards him and kissing her lips.

"Mmm." Madison said after they pulled apart.

"So, what's next?" Spike asked.

"This one may take a while. I wana travel the world." Madison's eyes were filled with hope that Spike would somehow make that happen.

"I have an idea." He smiled and pulled her towards the car, the soon were speeding back to Wolfram and Hart.

"So does this work again?" Madison asked as Willow moved around her inserting the remaining wires in the right place.

"Well, you put on this helmet and you can actually see the places you wana see." She put the helmet on Madison's face. "It feels like your actually there." She added.

The first place Madison went was back home, she was in Mexico. It was a sunny day, as usual, and the sky was blue. She walked along the beech and threw a stone into the crystal blue water; it traveled along the top of the water for miles. Madison could remember the first time she did that, it was sunset and she sneaked out of the house to meet her dad when he returned form work, her dad was a fisherman and came back home about sunset. Her mum didn't let her go meet him.

When she saw her dad she ran towards him and he picked her up and spun her around.

The two of them walked along the beech and he picked up a stone and threw it. Madison was so impressed and begged him to teach her, he did. That was the last memory she had of him.

Madison took the helmet off a while later. Spike was asleep in a chair next to her so she woke him up.

"Hey." He said stretching.

"Thank you." She said and held him in a tight embrace.

Spike hugged her back and kissed the top of her head. "Anything for you." He said and they went back to their apartment.

When Andrew woke up Dawn was gone. He was worried about her lately, she hadn't been herself. Every time he asked her what was wrong she ignored him and mostly went into a different room. He hoped it wasn't something he had done. He couldn't bare the thought of hurting the one he loved. He did love her, and was going to prove it. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and placed them onto the soft cream carpet. He opened the draw at the side of the bed and pulled out a box.

He opened it and admired the ring inside. It was diamond and sparkly. He wanted nothing more than to watch her open it and her face light up. He wanted nothing more than to marry her, Mrs. Andrew Wells.

Faith, Andrew, Dawn, Giles and Willow gathered in Spike's office. Apparently he had an important announcement to make. Willow and Dawn already knew what it was about, Madison.

"As you may know, me and Madison are a couple." Spike began, suddenly the door opened and Gunn came rushing in.

"Sorry." He said out of breath.

"Okay, well after the explosion. The doctors found that…. Madison…." Spike found it hard to get the words out.

"She has cancer. She's dying." He finally said after a moments pause.

Everyone gasped and looked shocked.

"I'm really sorry." Giles was the first to say.

Spike didn't want their pity; all he wanted was them to take over a while for him.

"I want you guys to look after this place for a while. I'm going to take some time off to care for Madison." Everyone nodded.

"And, Madi doesn't want anyone else to know."

The slayers gathered in the gym waiting for Faith. Madison felt nervous, she was paranoid that everyone was looking at her differently, like they knew. It was just in her head of course, she had kept it silent now for almost four weeks. A month out of her three months left on earth. Two months left, she kept telling herself in the mirror. She wasn't prepared to die. Not like this.

Faith walked in and disturbed her thoughts. She looked at Madison and Madison then knew that she knew.

Madison found training the hardest; she had a tight knot in her chest. At the end she began to walk out, Faith called her back.

"I'm very sorry." Faith sad and held a reassuring hand on Madison's arm.

"I don't need you pity." She said and walked out.

When Madison walked into her apparent, Spike was waiting for her.

"What he got planned for tonight then?" he asked his tone soft.

"Promise you won't laugh?"

He held his hand up mockingly. She laughed and pulled the list from her pocket. Spike tried to take a peek form it but she wouldn't let him.

"I wana sing. On stage." She placed the paper back in her pocket.

"Done."

Spike sat in Lorne's club. He had found the keys in a box of Angel's stuff he found in a cupboard. Spike didn't know the name of the club, so when he found the keys just after Angel's death he named it 'The Green Room' after Lorne himself.

Madison stood in front of a microphone and began to sing. Spike was the only one watching, so he thought, and smiled when she sung to only him.

She had the sweetest voice and it took his breath away. Of course Spike didn't have a breath to take away, but if he did it would have.

When the song finished a clap came from the back of the room.

"Fabulous." A familiar voice shouted over his own clapping.

"Lorne!" spike shouted when he turn around and ran over to his old friend.

The two hugged as Madison made her way off stage.

Spike turned around to face Madison and introduced Lorne to his girlfriend.

Madison suddenly didn't feel well, she held her chest.

"You okay?" spike asked full of concern and worry.

"Yeah, I'm…" then it all went black.