Chapter 3

Erimoir was growing weaker. His ability to follow the scent of his prey was waning. Erimoir needed to send a creature to hell – to suck its life force inside his body every few hours at least. Four hours had passed and Erimoir had been following their trail over a deserted road. But he had not been able to catch up with them and he needed to get more energy. Soon. Knowing he could not go on much longer, Erimoir turned to go back to his master.

"Eww! Gross! Get off me Spike! I'm so going to stake you!" Buffy shot up from his lap, grabbing her stake.

"What? What?" Spike looked around, startled. "What?"

It slowly dawned on Buffy that Spike had actually been asleep as well and that he had no idea what the hell she was talking about, or what he had been doing. She began to blush madly and covered it up by saying, "its night now. Go and fix the car so we can get moving."

Spike gave her a weird look, but got out anyway. Buffy let out a whoosh of air. How the hell had they ended up in that position? She desperately wished she was at home, with her stuffed pig Mr.Gordo, watching movies with her friends, or even slaying vampires in the graveyard.

Spike came back then.

"Fixed?" she asked.

"We'll see in a moment." Spike said as he turned the key in the engine.

"Wohoo!" Buffy cheered as the engine roared back to life.

For a little while things were quiet, Buffy still uncomfortable with how she had woken up. Although his hand stroking my hair did feel nice. Oh my god. I did not just think that! Stupid brain! Shut up, shut up, shut up!

But after a while, as before, they seemed to forget that they were supposed to be mortal enemies and they chatted, like normal people.

Buffy found herself telling him about the vampire poem she had written for her English class and how the teacher gave her an A for it. Spike found himself telling her about when he was human and the "bloody awful" poems he had written.

Wow, Buffy thought. There's a lot more to Spike than I would ever have guessed. It really is a shame that he is a vampire, otherwise I might – might what? I am not really thinking this! Ok, I am, but I'm only being nice to him until this is over. Then I'm staking him. Yep. That's what I'm going to do.

Meanwhile spike was having similar thoughts. It will be a pity to kill such an amusing slayer, and I can think of better things I would like to do…

Spike lit up one of his cigarettes, troubled. He should only be thinking about Drusilla. She was his dark queen, and he would get her back. Somehow. Buffy was a bitch. But until now, Spike hadn't thought about Drusilla once since they had parted. Not once. And that troubled him a lot.

After driving long into the night, Buffy was relieved when houses started to appear, and then shops, and larger buildings. They stopped at a gas station and while Buffy went to the bathroom, Spike went to find something to eat. He was starving.

"Hello Cutie."

The young girl standing by the phone booth turned around to see a gorgeous young man with hair so blond it was almost white. "Hi!" she said fluttering her eyelashes.

Spike glanced sideways. No one nearby. Slayer out of sight. His face morphed into demon form, and before the young girl could scream his fangs were buried in her neck.

Spike drank greedily, savouring the taste of her warm, rich blood flowing through him. But then he thought he better be careful. Had to make the slayer trust him and all. Besides if she caught him like this, a stake would be shoved through his heart so fast he wouldn't even have time to blink.

So Spike forced himself to withdraw before the girl was dead and he set her limp body against the phone booth. For some reason he felt bad using her like this. "You'll be alright," he whispered before walking away.

Spike parked his car outside a motel. "I have enough money for us to stay hear for a few days and for food. Four days at the most. Don't know what we will do after that. As soon as your friends come back we will return to Sunnydale, right? Fight this evil, and then I will go." After getting Dru back and killing you for making this all happen.

"I still can't believe I'm agreeing to this."

"You know what I think slayer? I think it's 'cos you're afraid of being alone."

"You think I would rather be with you than by myself? Hardly! Anyway stop rambling. Let's get inside, the suns coming up soon, so you probably want to cover the windows. And make sure we get two separate rooms, pl-ease." Buffy grumbled and they walked inside.

"I'm sorry we only have one room left." The lady at the front counter smiled sweetly and handed them their key. "Enjoy your stay."

"Great. This is just great. I bet you snore," Buffy muttered.

Spike ignored her.

But none of them had been expecting what was behind door number 44.

It was a bed. But not just any bed. A double bed. And there were no other beds in the room. Sure it was a nice little room, there was a reasonable sized bathroom, and a little kitchen type thing with an electric kettle, toaster and a fridge. But there was only one bed.

"He he." Buffy laughed nervously.

"Looks like you're sleepin' on the floor slayer." Spike said as he walked to the window, drawing the curtains.

"NO! There is no way I'm sleeping on that floor Spike. You should!"

"Me?" Spike protested. "I paid for the room!"

"So!"

"SO, I'm the one who gets to sleep in the bed. You can join me if you like –,"

"Eww! Gross Spike you're a pig!"

"Oink, Oink"

She punched him in the face to shut him up. "Why are there no gentlemen left these days?"

Buffy ran down the stairs back to the entrance. "You MUST have another room!" she shouted, panicking. The lady looked up, blinking. "No, I'm sorry Miss, but I'm afraid we don't," she replied politely.

Buffy slammed her fist down on the counter.

But slayer strength would not help her this time.

"Stop smirking!"

"I'm not smirking slayer; I just wanna get some sleep."

"Ok. You see this line? Do not pass it." Buffy drew an invisible line across the bed with her hand. "I hope your not one to toss and turn and roll around in your sleep. Stay over your side and I will stay away from your heart." She made sure he noticed the stake that she still had with her, ready to use if necessary.

Spike nodded and began to slip of his boots. Then came his duster . . . and his shirt . . .

For a moment all Buffy could do was stare. She had never seen anything so good looking. That perfect marble chest, those sculptured muscles, those powerful arms . . . her mind began to fog over. But Buffy tore her eyes away and gained control of her mind again.

"Hey! Just what do you think you're doing? Clothes stay ON!" she yelped.

"Slayer, I'm not gonna sleep in my clothes. Now stop being a baby and shut up."

Buffy turned away, slightly embarrassed about her overreaction. Then she realized something. "I don't have any pajamas! I don't have any clothes! I don't have a toothbrush, hairbrush, razor, deodorant, makeup, spare shoes…"

Spike interrupted after five minutes had passed and Buffy's list was still being recited with no end in sight. "Just sleep in your underwear, ok? We will by some clothes and whatever else you need tonight, or tomorrow."

"I'm not taking my clothes off in front of you!"

"Slayer, get over it ok? Do what you like but I just want to sleep. I'm not going to try anything. Like I would want to anyway."

Buffy turned back around. Spike was already in the bed, turned sideways, preparing to sleep.

Blushing furiously, she slipped out of her clothes and got into the bed in her matching maroon bra and panties. Spike turned over a bit but before he got to get a peek at anything interesting, Buffy yanked the covers up to her neck and lay stone still.

"Goodnight slayer," he said pleasantly.

"Good night Spike," she stiffly and closed her eyes.

Spike lay there, his mind racing. He did not like spending so much time with the slayer. She was a health hazard. For some reason when he was around her for long periods of time, Spike forgot why he hated her so much, why he wanted to kill her. He forgot about Dru, and that worried him the most. She's still mine, he thought. When I return to Sunnydale I'll get her back. Some how. But right now? I have to keep myself away from that demon thing. Very powerful, I can't fight it if I don't know how or what will kill it, especially with Angel and his entire swarm of minions against me.

Spike pondered for a moment more. This whole thing Angelus managed to get him involved in was changing his nature. He should have drained the slayer of her blood long ago. If I can't get enough money from my victims, I'm going to have to find another way. Forgot how expensive humans can be just to live. How to get more money? Hmm… The last choice is the only choice. Spike decided before drifting off to sleep.

Buffy took longer to fall asleep. She could see the glow of the rising sun behind the curtained windows. She had been lying still on her back stiffly for 15 minutes.

I think spikes asleep now. She relaxed and turned on her side as sleep tried to take over. Just before she closed her eyes Buffy saw Spikes black jeans folded neatly with his duster and other cloths. Her eyes snapped back open. Is he wearing anything??? Relax, Buffy, he's probably wearing boxers or briefs. Hmm. I always wondered what kind of underwear Spike wears.

Slyly Buffy slowly lifted up a corner of the sheets they were under and had a peep. Almost immediately she quickly dropped it, breathing heavily.

"Oh!"

"Angel . . . can we go to Prague? Please daddy!" Drusilla purred, stroking Angel's hair.

Her sire grinned at her. "We have to stay in Sunnydale so I can finish some unfinished business. Till Buffy's friends return." He spat her name. "We kill them, then we can go anywhere you want . . . I've had a soul for way to long, there's a lot of catching up to do."

"But what if the naughty slayer kills our new pet, Angel?" Drusilla whispered.

"I don't think we have to worry about that. Erimoir is much stronger than he looks. The slayer may be strong, but she is no match for the power, which Erimoir contains in his eye."

At that moment the doors to the factory burst open and Erimoir came stumbling inside. Angelus watched open mouthed as the demon rushed in, grabbed the nearest minion and destroyed it.

"What are you doing back so soon? Have you killed the slayer already?" Angelus demanded.

Erimoir looked ashamed. "N-no Sssir. I could not follow her path anymore until I had more energy . . . there was no one around … I will go now . . ." He rasped.

"Have you ever heard of taking a car??? And taking a handful of my minions with you?" Angelus snapped.

"But, marssster I cannot fit inside of a normal car. I am too tall…"

Angelus sighed. "I thought you were suppose to be real smart or something. Why do you think I would have bothered raising you again? Look, steal someone's convertible bring some of my minions and go kill the slayer!!!"

"Wow!" Willow exclaimed for the forth-hundredth time. Giles had taken her for an "excursion" to the watchers council and it had the largest amount of books on the occult she had ever seen. "Wow." Willow spun around in circles in the library, looking around in awe.

"Willow, would you please focus here? The council does not know about Angel and its best they don't find out. So we have to find something quickly," Giles insisted.

30 minutes later.

"But shouldn't we tell Buffy first?" Willow asked.

"I've already phoned her house. She's not home. We don't have time to lose. Angelus could be planning something horrible and huge. Now that we have found the spell we must restore Angel's soul.

Willow looked nervously at Giles. "Do you really think I can do it?"

"Yes Willow, I do. Now let's restore Angel's soul."