Spike wakes up some time later. He sits up. Buffy is gone, but he's positive she was there. He sighs, resting his head in his hands.
Hours earlier, the demons had knocked him out and brought him here. When he woke up, someone had been in his room. An elderly man, or at least he assumed it was a man, had been sitting in the chair. He had explained to Spike why he was there. Angel had caused a war of sorts among the formerly peaceful demon nations. A revolution had occurred. Anyone who had anything to do with Angel was being punished. After all, they were all considered guilty.
The door of his cell opening snapped Spike out of his reverie. He looks up. Two huge demons enter. Roughly, they grab him and pull him up and out of the cell. Spike fights, but only injures himself in the process.
The demons drag Spike out of the cell and down a long corridor. Spike slumps, realizing it's useless to fight. The demons carry him into a large room. Sitting on the throne in the middle of the room is Illyria. But she looks strange, as though she isn't quite aware of her surroundings.
Spike is thrown at her feet. He looks up at her. "What is going on, Blue?"
"My pet." Illyria says, something almost like compassion in her voice. But it was strange. Illyria never had compassion. With shock, Spike looks up at her.
"What is going on? You seem different." Illyria stood up and rushed him, grabbing him by the throat.
"You are worthless. You are nothing. Do not tell me how I am. You could not possibly understand."
Spike gasps. It appears that, although he doesn't feel entirely human, he needs air. Instead of making her release him, however, his gasps make Illyria tighten her grip. Spike begins to see black spots dancing across his line of vision. Then, the blackness takes over, and for a moment or two he is aware of nothing.
When he wakes up again, something has changed. He isn't in the Hell dimension. He's not sure how he can tell that, however. His eyes adjust to the light, and he finds himself looking down at Buffy's sleeping form.
I was having a weird dream. In it, images of Spike in the sunlight made me ache for him. I must have been crying in my sleep, because I wake up with damp cheeks. Weirder than that is the face staring down at me that makes me squeal. I jerk up out of bed in panic, nearly headbutting the figure standing over me.
"Bloody hell, Slayer!" Spike nearly collapses to the ground.
"Spike? What in the name of Mr. Gordo is going on?" I move to him, just as his knees buckle.
"I really wish I knew, love." He sinks to the ground. I touch his cheek. His voice seems hollow, and seems to grow fainter the more he talks. "Love, I don't know how long I have but I want to tell you that I love you. More than anything, Buffy." After saying my name, he disappears suddenly. It's as though he evaporates. Shaking, I grab hold of the bed to steady myself. Tears stream down my face.
For the first time in a long time, I'm beginning to wonder if I might be going insane. After all, seeing your dead vampire 'boyfriend' who sacrificed himself to save the world cannot be healthy. Still, I know I can't tell anyone. No one knew how I felt about Spike. Heck, in truth I didn't know how I felt about him. Not until it was far too late, anyway.
I sit down on the bed with a heavy sigh. He had felt so real. Both times I've seen him. I lay back down on my bed, curling up. It's still very early. Maybe I can get some more sleep before the Council meetings in the morning.
It would seem that there has been a disaster in LA. We're not sure what exactly happened, and Giles hasn't been able to contact Wesley in nearly two weeks. So, he had decided to send a group of Slayers and Coven members to LA. And, of course, I was selected to go with them. I want to stay behind, and spend time with Dawn. Especially if, as I suspect, Angel is somehow involved.
I manage, finally to doze off. It feels like I've just fallen asleep when there's a knock on the door. Groaning, I get up to answer it. Willow stands on the other side.
"We're leaving for LA this afternoon. It's all been arranged." I nod, feeling like there's a weight in my stomach.
"Let me get my things, and I'll be ready." Willow nods, and leaves me to pack a bag. Quickly, I throw things into a bag, making sure to take the lighter and skull ring. It seems silly, but I feel like they've become a part of me. When I'm done, I head down to find Willow. I gladly take on the distraction of preparations as a reason to not ponder whether or not it's possible that I am going insane.