Chapter 22
I Love You To Death

"Becoming a vampire is a profound and powerful experience."
- Spike, 'Fool For Love'

Spike waited until they were some distance from the Watcher's flat before he voiced his opinions.

"Are you out of your mind?" he bellowed, turning to glare at Willow. "Why did you tell them I could kill again?"

Willow looked indignant at that. "They were trying to bully you into leaving me alone. I wasn't about to let that happen."

"No, now you've just made them want to stake me. That's perfect. And what's all this about you becoming a vampire, anyway?" he questioned disbelievingly.

"That, at least, should be perfectly clear," she replied flatly, stopping to stare at him in a way he didn't like. "It's been your goal ever since we started dating. You want to turn me into a vampire, and I've decided to let you."

Spike was beginning to question the wisdom of his plan. Truthfully, he found himself missing the shy, innocent, young woman that he'd begun cultivating all those weeks ago. Now he stood next to his dark, sexy, leather-clad goddess, and he found that she wasn't what he wanted after all. He still loved her, of course, he just wished she was a little more like the old Willow.

She was still staring at him, waiting for a response. He thought quickly, hoping to stall for time.

"We'll need to swing by your place, then," he said briskly, "We won't have time to pack after I've turned you. The Slayer will be after blood, and we'll need to head straight for Mexico."

"And what would I pack, Spike? There's nothing there that I want to keep," she scornfully retorted.

"What about that schoolgirl outfit?" he coaxed, "And there were quite a few other naughty little numbers I wouldn't mind seeing again."

"Fine, whatever," she grumpily conceded.

"That spell of yours is going to last, won't it?" Spike asked cautiously. The last thing he wanted was to be interrupted by the Slayer, unannounced.

"Until I choose to break it, or die, they're stuck right where I left them," Willow confirmed airily, dismissing any threat from the Scoobies with a wave of her hand.

Spike thought hard on the way to the dorm. Denying Red her request would do nothing except alienate her. That much was certain. Every time one of her Scooby friends had opposed her of late, Willow had responded by instantly becoming entrenched in her stand. He'd used that for his own ends time and time before. Now it was Spike that wanted to prevent Willow from getting her own way, and he didn't know how to go about it.

The only other option that he could see was to give in to her request. Drain her, and turn her into a vampire. Spike had to admit, there was still a certain amount of appeal to the idea. Willow would make a powerful partner, and there was no end to the sorts of evil they could get up to together. They would surpass anything that he and Drusilla had ever done.

They reached the dorm room, and Willow pulled out a bag and started stuffing clothes into it. Leather pants, leather skirts, leather boots, anything that was black and leather. Spike dawdled while she packed, poking around at the items on the top of her dresser. A familiar heart-shaped box caught his eye, the very box that held the 'Princess' necklace he'd bought her.

"Here, love, don't forget this," he said, handing it to her.

She took the box and shrugged, tossing it carelessly into her bag. "I just figured you'd steal something better for me once we're out of this town."

In that moment, Spike knew what he was going to do. The whole plan blossomed in his mind, and he knew it was the right one. No running the chance of alienating her, no risk that some other vampire might do the job instead. Spike was going to bite Willow. He would bite her, and drink from her, and then they would see what would happen.

Spike took the now-full duffel bag from Willow and guided her out the door. They made their way swiftly through campus and across town. Sunnydale lay quietly as they traversed the streets leading to the graveyard. They made a quick detour to Spike's car to drop off Willow's bag, then continued on to the crypt.

"Time to turn me," Willow demanded, once they were safely inside.

"First things first," Spike said, taking her into his arms and kissing her passionately. "I want to make love to you."

"You're just stalling," the redhead accused, pulling away a bit.

"I'm not. I promise you, I will bite you tonight. But it is a very different experience, when both partners are vampires. I want to make love to your human self one last time," he said earnestly.

"Alright," she finally agreed, "I have something I want to show you, anyway. Wait here."

With that, she climbed down the stairs to the lower level. It was a few moments before Spike heard her call out, "You can come down, now."

Spike descended into the crypt cavern slowly. There on the bed lay Willow, clad only in lingerie, a lacy black creation that revealed more than it hid. Spike admired it, but still found himself longing for the floor-length, cream colored satin she'd worn on their first night together.

"So, which one of us gets tied up," Willow said teasingly.

"No, no games tonight, princess," he replied firmly, "I said I wanted to make love to you, and that's what I meant."

Willow pouted a little bit, then conceded as Spike began gently caressing her body. He took his time, slowly worshiping every curve and line. The lingerie was quickly discarded, and Spike's clothes soon followed. His lips ghosted across the surface of her skin, tantalizing and teasing her. He took her in his arms and kissed her deeply. Their naked bodies twined together as they moved closer and closer to completion.

Finally, they broke apart, and Willow lay panting in Spike's arms. He regretted that it was the last time he'd ever hear her do that. Tonight was the last night for a lot of things.

Spike looked down into those dazzling, hazel eyes, tracing a hand down Willow's cheek and across her lips.

"I love you," he stated simply, with all the conviction and sincerity he could muster.

"I know," was her startled reply, before she glibly responded, "I love you, too."

It was a lie, and Spike knew it. It didn't dissuade him from his path, though. As long as she knew that he loved her, everything was fine.

"Now will you turn me?" Willow asked, somewhat petulantly, still irritated by the delays.

"We'd better get dressed first," Spike countered, going to the dresser drawer where Willow kept some of her clothes. "Here, wear this."

He offered her a white sundress that she'd left behind quite some time ago. She eyed it dubiously.

"You're kidding, right?"

"It'll symbolize your break with your past," he quickly invented, not wanting her to know the real reason he'd chosen it. "Plus, you don't want to ruin any of your good outfits. I might drip while I'm feeding."

Willow took the dress from him with a look of resignation. He had a feeling that he wasn't fooling her about his choice for her wardrobe. She put it on without further complaint, though. Spike quickly dressed as well, before resuming his seat on the bed.

Now for the tricky part, Spike thought.

"Willow, I want you to release the spell holding the Scoobies in place," he asked gently, but firmly.

"What? Why? The spell will break as soon as I'm dead, anyway," she argued.

"I've never tried to turn a witch before. I don't know what will happen if I do it while a spell is still active," he explained, then added for good measure, "Plus, I feel like I should give the Slayer a sporting chance, at least. Old adversaries, and all that."

"That's a really lame excuse to be able to face Buffy again, Spike. I won't have you trying to kill her one last time. I don't want her messing this up for me."

"No, she won't, I promise you that. I just like a challenge, that's all."

Willow just looked at him, arms crossed, clearly disbelieving.

"Humor me, pet," he wheedled, before adding, "Humor me, or you're not getting turned at all."

She sighed in exasperation. "Fine, I'll break the spell when you start to bite me. Deal?"

"Deal," he agreed, with a sense of relief.

Spike took Willow into his arms, cradling her in his lap. He carefully brushed the hair back from her neck and inhaled her unique, spicy scent. He was going to miss that smell. No time for regrets, mate, he told himself firmly.

Spike vamped out, and paused only a moment before plunging his fangs deep into Willow's neck. She cried out, but he held her steady as a warm rush of flavor spilled over his tongue. She made a gesture with her right hand, breaking the spell, and Spike knew the race was on. He drank deeper, needing to be finished before the Slayer could reach him.

On and on he drank. Suddenly, Willow began to move feebly, and then to struggle against him in earnest.

"Spike, wait!" she cried out, pushing against his chest. "Spike, no, stop!"

He ignored her, tightening his grip as he fed.

"Spike, please, stop it! Please! No! Let me go, Spike!" Her pleas and movements were panicked, now. She squirmed and writhed in Spike's arms, drumming her fists against his chest.

He reveled in how good it felt. Warm blood and a struggling victim in his arms. He shifted his grip again, taking a firmer hold of the squirming girl.

"Spike, let me go, please! I've changed my mind! I want to live! I want to live!"

Panic and loss of blood combined to make it almost impossible for Willow to concentrate enough to use her magic. All she could do was strain against the vampire's arms and beg for mercy.

"No, please! Please let me go! I don't want to die!"

Willow's cries grew fainter, and her struggles weakened as she slowly slid towards unconsciousness.

And still, Spike drank.