No point in struggling any longer; even if I had the will, my arms are numb...can't feel my legs. May as well be back in that bloody wheelchair. But, back then I was sustained by thought of revenge. Revenge for the long weeks of humiliation...for the loss of my love.
Drusilla...the thought of her brings on a wave of anguish far greater than the pain caused by the beatings. After all I've done to restore her- to bring her back to health and strength- look what she's done to me.
It started in New York- where I'd fled with Dru when the vortex opened. For three nights she'd stayed in bed- face turned to the wall, refusing to speak or to feed. On the fourth night she went out alone. I was frantic; but when she finally returned, just before dawn, she seemed much calmer.
I thought she seemed...content.
I thought wrong.
She never mentioned Angel...I figured she'd forgotten him.
I figured wrong.
Word eventually filtered through to us that Sunnydale was wide open- both the Slayer and Angel had disappeared. Every vampire with a rep was heading there now- to cash in on the miasma of evil that was pouring from the Hellmouth.
Dru began demanding to return.
"Please, Spike," she pleaded, "please take princess back? Princess wants her happy home again. And Miss Edith is crying...I can hear her in the night."
The whines and whimpers nearly drove me mad- but still I resisted. Instinctively I knew that I had to stay far away from the Hellmouth; and from the Slayer. I tapped my usual sources for information; they came up empty.
And then- Drusilla was gone. I knew where immediately, of course...and I followed.
I think I secretly wanted to go back as much as she did.
But things had changed in Sunnydale...there were almost as many vampires as humans. And- Nathaniel was there.
He's known as Magistrate among other vampires- because of the strict code of discipline he enforces among his followers. But when we meet, he is polite, even helpful. And promises to reunite me with Dru.
He keeps that promise- at the trial.
I wonder whose grave it is that I'm bound to...the graveyard really is as quiet as a tomb tonight. There's almost a full moon...soon it will be dawn.
I struggle again; but Magistrate knows his job. I can't loosen the bonds- even a little bit. I wonder if it will hurt much. But I can't be hurt more than I already have been.
The trial...Magistrate read the indictment against me. How I deliberately attacked a vampire who was opposiing the Slayer.
I argue that the other vampire and I had a long-standing grudge because of Drusilla; that my actions were in no way intended to aid the Slayer.
I lie through my teeth.
And then Drusilla enters; and sits beside Magistrate like some sort of bloody consort. Her words make my skin crawl- so often have I heard them before. But never applied to me.
"Kill him, Nathaniel! Princess wants him to die...poof!" She pretends to blow away something in the palm of her hand. "He's been so mean to me; kill him for princess?"
Magistrate has never been known to smile- not ever. But his expression lightens as he looks at me.
"Yes, Drusilla, I will," he assures her. "He deserves to die for any interaction with the Slayer- intended or not."
"And the Slayer, too? Bring her here- so princess can kill her!"
Dru's voice is sweetly imperious; but Magistrate isn't that easily led.
"The Slayer shall die, Drusilla," he vows, "but I intend to kill her myself."
His cold visage shows a sudden avid gleam. "Don't worry...when I finish, the Slayer will beg to die."
There's so many stories about Magistrate- and I believe them all. He has a taste, so they say, for necrophilia...and the finest collection of medieval instruments of torture ever seen outside of a museum. He uses them frequently.
The sky is brightening; my guards disperse. They've had their bit of fun knocking me about- but they know better thna to linger when the sky looks that way. Reluctantly they leave me, heading down into the tunnels beneath Sunnyhell. Once again I test the bonds- hopeless.
It's almost time. I wonder how long it will take, and why I even care.
But I do care; I'm terrified.
There's a definite reddening on the horizen.
Red Sky at night- vampires' delight.
Red Sky at morning- vampires take warning.
This will be my first sunrise since I became a vampire. And my last.
There's no sign of a cloud...the light is creeping toward me. I scream out loud as it hits me....my chest is beginning to smolder. Then...darkness closes in.
All I am is dust...just dust whirling around Sunnyhell.
Whirling...
There's a softness around me- then the pain hits like...a sledgehammer. Or an axe wielded by an angry mother.
I force open my eyes, trying to hold them open against the glare- but there isn't any glare. Instead, there are curtains drawn against the light.
I'm naked in a bed...in a room I don't recognize. There are bandages on my chest, and an unbearable ache in every bone in my body.
"Oh good, you're awake," says a familiar voice. "I was beginning to worr...wonder."
The Slayer is there, curled up in a chair and looking quite at home.
Fortunately, before I can make a fool of myself, my surroundings finally register and I see that I'm not hallucinating- she IS at home; and I must be in her room. In her bed.
Wonderful...at least now I don't have to ask that inane question, "Where am I?"
But the variation I come up with isn't much better: "What happened?"
Buffy takes a deep breath. "I was ...in the neighborhood, when I heard you scream."
Something about this doesn't ring quite true. "You don't usually patrol for the entire night, " I object. "Don't you have school or something?"
"It's Saturday; and I was...visiting a friend. Lucky for you- or you'd have been fried."
"So why the rescue?" My head's starting to clear- what is she up to? The thought enters my mind that she might have been with a lover- but I dismiss it at once. In a way I'd rather not dwell on, the idea annoys me. But- she's up to something, I can tell. I'm beginning to know her.
"I figure...Giles owes you his life," Buffy says quietly. "Besides, if Nathaniel wants you dead- then I don't."
"My enemy's enemy is my friend?" I quote. Well, we used it once before -to bring down Angel.
"Where's your mother?" I suddenly remember Mrs. Summers; and wonder how she'll react to me turning up again.
"Don't worry; she's away on one of her art-buying trips, " Buffy reassures me.
I wonder if that means...we're alone together?
"Where's your Watcher, pet?" I ask.
"He had to make a run for supplies."
Supplies? What on earth...
"I sent him to get some blood for you," Buffy explains. "Not from Willy- I don't want Nathaniel to find out you're not dead. Or that I'm back in Sunnydale. So, Giles is also going to dump some ashes from the fireplace on that grave."
"Was Giles also the one who...." I find it curiously hard to ask what I want to know.
"What?" Buffy is puzzled by my hesitancy.
I touch my chest. "Put these bandages on?"
"Um-hmm."
I'm not sure if what I'm feeling is relief...or disappointment.
She pauses in the doorway; she's smiling such a wicked little smile. "AFTER I cut those burned clothes off you, and put you to bed."
My vampire healing ability is working already; I feel better, stronger. I can take an interest in my surroundings- it's a pleasant room, this. The private space of a girl poised between child and woman.
Has Angel been here? Did he stroll about this room, touching her things? Did he sleep in this bed?
This room smells of Buffy; and, not for the first time, I try to identify the scent. Drusilla always smelled of some musky French perfume, but Buffy's scent is lighter, more pleasing... Suddenly I make the connection- vanilla! It's the faint scent of vanilla which clings to the Slayer's skin, her hair. I feel a peculiar sense of achievment.
Buffy returns, carrying a wineglass.
"Good vintage?" I inquire sarcastically, as she helps prop me up. Yes- definitely vanilla.
"Giles got it from a butcher's shop. It's sheep's blood."
I take a sip. It's not bad...I try not to drink it too fast.
Buffy watches me; I wonder what she's thinking.
Suddenly I feel quite chatty. "Actually, I do drink wine," I tell her. "It's quite palatable for vampires- if some blood is mixed in." Why did I say that? For some reason, I don't like the idea that she must find me disgusting.
But she seems interested. "Do you drink coffee, too?"
I never have; but I quite enjoy the smell of it brewing. One of the better scents....though not as good as vanilla, of course. My mind jerks away from that thought.
I notice that gradually it's been growing darker...Buffy glances at the time and frowns. "It's almost sundown."
"Vampires can't come in unless they're invited," I remind her.
She shakes her head. "It's not vampires I'm worried about."
Before I can process this thought, she's gone. And I hear voices down in the living room. Soon Buffy comes back- this time, accompanied by her Watcher.
"Spike," she begins, "we're having a..sort of..."
"Strategy meeting," puts in Giles, in that rather pompous manner of his.
"So- do you need anything? Because I won't be back for awhile."
I study her with interest- a wisp of a girl...a featherweight seven stone. And, I contemplate the irony of my fate- that the girl who'd said she hated me had nevertheless saved my life; while the one who'd professed to love me had betrayed me, and abandoned me to a torturous death.
"I think," I suggest, "that I should sit in on the strategy meeting. After all, we now have a common enemy. We may have to work together again...for our mutual interests?"
Giles considers this; I can tell he is reluctant to accept me.
Buffy has no such qualms. "He should, Giles. He could be a big help."
He frowns. "But...there's Oz." He makes up his mind. "Very well, but we'll have to hurry." He heads back down. I wonder what the rush is.
Buffy holds out a pile of clothing. "Giles's," she explains. "I'll get you something else tomorrow, but for now..."
I look at the clothes with a definite lack of enthusiasm. "He goes in for tweeds, doesn't he?"
Buffy laughs. She has a rather infectious laugh...makes Dru's seem a bit shrill. Funny- I used to think of Dru's as silvery....
"I suspect he wore tweed diapers as a baby," she says. But she is fond of him, I can tell.
She studies me. "Need some help?"
I'm startled. I do need help; but..."You?"
She shrugs. " I could get one of the guys, if you want to be sexist...but I've already seen everything there is to see."
God, the thought of that....
I tell her I can manage but she demurs. We compromise...I drag on the pants while she turns her back; but the shirt is too much for me and she has to help. She has a deft yet gentle touch.
She'd make a good nurse.
There are at least six people in the living room- and I've seen all of them before. Now, though, there are names to put to the faces: the slim redhead with the anxious expression is Willow; the voluptuous brunette is Cordelia; the scowler is Xander. The other one, Oz, looks somehow off; and I wonder if he's going to be sick.
Giles is eyeing him with concern. "Oz, do you think that perhaps- you should go downstairs now?"
Downstairs? But we are down. Down cellar? What is going on here?
Oz shakes his head, "I'm fine. There's time."
Time? Time for what?
Xander catches my eye. I've seen humans who looked at me with hostility before- but never as intense as this.
He's not shy about sharing his feelings, either. "Isn't there a door policy here? Why is that vampire included on the guest list?"
"Slumming?" I suggest sweetly. I'll be damned if I'm going to put up with anything from this little toad.
But he's not about to quit. "How do we know the other vampires really meant to kill him? Maybe this is all a trick?"
"If so, Xander, they went a bit far with it," Giles explains reasonably.
"But Xander has a point," whines the brunette, "This is the same vampire who sent that Order of Terraka after us- ewww! Remember that wormy guy? Yuck!"
"Nevertheless, it won't be easy to overcome Nathaniel," Giles says judiciously. "And Drusilla will be quite a powerful ally for him."
I keep my face impassive- refusing to show how much it hurts to hear her name. Dru...strange to think of her as my enemy. She'd betrayed me- oh, but she's like a child; she'd never understand that her actions would really cause me harm.
It's Buffy who comes up with a plan for tomorrow night; a very risky plan,
but still...we decide it's worth a shot.
Our goal is clear- we are agreed that Nathaniel must die.
But- Dru?
Suddenly the boy, Oz, lurches to his feet. "I think...I have to..." The red-haired girl, Willow, is instantly at his side. Buffy follows them out.
None of the others seem surprised, though. Xander, who's even more annoying than Angel once led me to believe, is still objecting- loudly- to my presence. Giles finally loses patience and shuts him up; but Xander still stares at me with more than dislike...is it jealousy? Angel once said that Xander was jealous of any other man near Buffy.
Well, I have no interest in her...absolutely none. So- I should find Xander amusing; instead, I find myself almost wishing he'd run into Nathaniel on the way home.
Willow returns without Oz; this seems to be a signal for everyone to depart.
"Unless," Xander tells Buffy, "you'd like me to stay? I'd be happy to sleep across the doorway into your room- like they do in the movies."
Cordelia settles that brainwave by hauling Xander out the door. Giles follows with Willow.
"Alone at last," I grin at Buffy.
She ignores me to turn on the telly; so I decide to go back to bed...since
I still don't feel all that frisky.
But then...a ridiculous horror film begins- which Buffy apparantly intends
watching.
"Look at that wanker," I sneer at a young actor doing his best Dean impersonation, although he is no James Dean. Believe me- I know.
"I think he's cute," Buffy retorts.
"Cute? He looks like a girl! Even your little friend Xander could take him!"
I expect this to provoke an angry response- instead Buffy just grins. "Maybe he's a lover- not a fighter."
I'm somewhat taken aback. "You mean...but I thought he and that flashy brunette..."
"I MEANT the actor!" She is choking with laughter. Almost I feel like smiling at her- so I turn my attention firmly to the screen.
"That girl looks a bit like you," I point to an actress about to be eviscerated.
She smiles. "I wouldn't run from the killer though."
"No...he's the one who'd need help."
The silly film is oddly absorbing; it's partly because of the novelty of it and partly because I'm watching with the Slayer. It's fun to listen to her comments and respond with some of my own. When the film finally ends, I'm actually sorry.
Back in her bedroom, I can't settle down. Instead I look at her things; unlike Dru, she hasn't much jewelery....mostly a collection of crosses. And several rings...
I hear a noise down the hall and decide I'd better investigate. The door to her mother's room is slightly ajar- Buffy is there, dressed in exercise clothes and wearing headphones...
I cough; and she looks up. She slips off the headphones. "Sorry..." she turns down the music.
"Training?" I hazard a guess.
Buffy nods. "I don't feel sleepy."
"Me either." I slide cautiously into the room. "Want me to play deadly vampire enemy?"
She looks doubtful. "Are you recovered enough?"
I smirk, "Why don't we find out?" And launch myself at her.
She evades me easily; but in the confined space I soon close with her- she has a powerful punch but is careful not to hit my burned chest. This throws her slightly off; and I'm pleased when I take her down and pin her to the floor.
That is- I am until she flips me over her head. I'm surprised, not hurt- but before I can get up she's straddling me, her hand on my throat.
"Give up?" She taunts.
I raise my hands in pretended surrender- then grab her arms and roll her onto the floor, pinning her down.
"I'm impressed," she says quietly. She's smiling at me- and suddenly I feel....
I pull away, scrambling to my feet. "Too bad we can't go outside," I 'm rambling, "where we'd have room to manever."
"Better not...we'll save the surprise for tomorrow night," she says nonchalantly, getting up.
"We could go downstairs where we'd have more room....the cellar, maybe?" I am watching her narrowly.
"No!...Uh...I mean, I've had enough. I think I'll go have a snack or something." She edges toward the door.
There's something odd about her behavior...I wait until I hear her go down and then follow softly. The telephone rings- Giles' special signal. While she's on the line I ease open the basement door...and creep down the steps.
Something stirs in the shadows- a huge shaggy form growls; and I see the gleam of fangs that would put mine to shame.
Then Buffy is there, pushing me aside to reach the wolf. It drops onto its haunches like an eager puppy- its tongue flicks out to lick her wrist.
"It's ok," she murmurs softly. Then- a ray of sunlight spills through one of the high windows. I withdraw hastily into the shadows. But when I look again a naked young man- Oz- is there in place of the wolf; and Buffy is covering him with a blanket.
I can't think why I'm surprised- this is, after all, the Hellmouth.
Buffy is making coffee- it really does have a good smell. The werewolf sits at the kitchen table, smiling.
"It's getting easier," he tells Buffy; and she pats his shoulder affectionately. I can't believe she's so comfortable with a werewolf- some of them are considered monsters. I'm a bit more broad-minded than that, of course- but still I don't understand why Buffy needs to pat his shoulder.
Darkness falls- the others gather, bringing with them the items we need.
I'm stronger now, and thoughts of revenge consume me. Revenge against Nathaniel...I'll enjoy watching the Slayer kill him.
Revenge against Drusilla?
Buffy has said that Drusilla is mine- to deal with as I wish. And I know she'll keep her word. But- what is it I wish? I can't destroy Dru; I can't even imagine my world without her. Yet- she's no longer the love I cherished beyond anything else....
We're ready now; Buffy in short skirt and long dark wig- me in black turtleneck and cap to cover my pale hair.
I look at Buffy, smirking. "You look like a ho," I comment. It still rankles- that word she once applied to Dru- even though I'm beginning to accept that she was right.
"Well, you look like a cat burglar," she retorts. "Are you sure Nathaniel will show?"
I nod. Magistrate is a creature of habit; he thinks that a vampire that doesn't hunt every night soon grows stale.
At the Bronze, I watch from above while the Slayer dances. I've done this before, often- without her knowing. I watch the covert glances from the young men in the crowd...soon one of them nerves himself to approach her. She usually refuses these overtures- but tonight things are different...she's on the hunt. And- she draws all eyes to her.
There's vampires in the crowd- I can sense them. But Buffy is looking for bigger prey tonight. She finds him- Nathaniel enters. Alone.
She waits until she catches his eye...then heads for the door. If her luck is in, he'll follow her; if not, she'll simply lie in wait until he eventually leaves.
Looks like her luck is in- Magistrate is so eager he can barely wait. He follows her lead into the dark alley- his pace quickening- he's focused on the kill.
I close in behind him like a shadow. And then...
They come from everywhere, seeming to rise out of the ground- vampires swarming around me, around Buffy...she has her stake and she fights hard; but there are too many.
And there is Drusilla.
She stands in my path, smiling at me....I hesitate...and I know nothing beyond her smile.
I wake within the old house where Nathaniel has made his lair. He is there, with Dru beside him...and she has never looked more beautiful. They separate- and I see the stone slab behind them.
Buffy lies there motionless. For one instant I fear she's dead.
"Spike," Dru's voice is as sweet, as intimate as ever. "We waited for you to wake up- so you could watch...the end of the Slayer."
Nathanial steps forward and picks up Buffy...then deliberately he sinks his fangs into her neck.
And I'm trussed up so tightly I can't move a finger.
He's finished draining her now- he lets her fall back onto the stone slab- a discarded rag doll. For one minute.
Then- slowly, eyes fixed on me, he slashes his wrist.
And- forces it into her mouth.
I almost feel...like the earth has stopped spinning. I've dreamed of doing what Magistrate did- so many times; yet now I feel a curious ...regret. Because he succeeded, where I failed?
Or because- for her, this truly is a fate worse than death.
"What a vampire she'll make," Nathaniel murmurs, studying Buffy.
Dru smirks at me. "A pity you won't see it, Spike. But don't worry, love, we'll take good care of your little friend."
The others force me to my knees- and a huge vampire hoists an axe above his head...
And I hear the crash of breaking glass as a snarling werewolf leaps straight at him!
The vampire screams and goes down; and then Xander is there with a flame-thrower.
I hear Dru's cries as she flees with Magistrate- the other vampires are scattering or burning.
I drag myself to my feet to reach Buffy; but Giles is already there, lifting her in his arms- tears streaming down his face as he sees the marks of the fangs in her neck.
For three days, I've waited...here in this burned-out warehouse that nobody remembers but me. For three nights I've searched Sunnyhell, hoping to find...what?
Giles made it clear that night that my assistance was no longer wanted.
"We were betrayed," he insisted, deaf to my insistence that Drusilla's visions had probably been the reason for our downfall. I should have guessed that she'd anticipate our plans- that she'd know I was still alive. But Giles won't listen; he has no thought to spare for anything other than the Slayer.
Her house is empty; I know, I keep going back there again and again.
I know better than to approach Xander. Willow? Perhaps; but she'll do nothing without Giles' sanction. Cordelia? Too eager for the others to accept her...she won't risk aiding a vampire.
In the end I go to Oz. He's hesitant; but he knows more than anyone what such changes portend- and he's willing to give me the benefit of the doubt. He takes me to a small hotel on the outskirts of town.
At first she won't even answer the door. Finally- she does, and I push inside quickly.
"I didn't invite you," she protests.
"That doesn't apply to hotels," I tell her.
I've never seen her look so beaten. Not even when Angelus held the sword to her throat.
She can't even look at me.
"Buffy..." I take a step toward her.
"Don't!" It's almost a plea. "Just...don't...touch me."
"I wasn't going to." I hold my hands out, showing her that I'll keep my distance. "I've come to help you."
"Help me? You can't," she says bleakly.
Natural that she should feel that way. I still remember when I 'came over'- the unspeakable sense of violation.
"Listen to me...you need someone to talk you through it. I know how you feel..."
"Do you?" her voice is as cold as ice.
"Yes, I bloody well do! You think I didn't feel the same, when your precious Angelus made me...what I am? But...I got over it."
"Good for you."
She's behaving like a proper little bitch; but I keep my temper. "Listen, girl...you need me! I'm all you've got! I can help you figure out what to do."
"I already know what I'm going to do." Her voice is defiant; and suddenly, I know too.
Because I can see it on the floor- her Slayer's kit, with the weapons spilling out.
And I know that she's going after Nathaniel- and Drusilla.
"Alone?" I keep my voice under control. "You can't take them both."
"I can't endanger my friends," Buffy insists.
"But they're the ones who saved us," I point out.
She hesitates. "I'm a greater danger to them...than Nathaniel ever was."
There's nothing I can say- except the truth. "You're going to have to feed," I tell her. "Otherwise, you'll feel the bloodlust."
She begins to shake. "What if...what if I kill..."
"That won't happen!" I grab her shoulders- even though she flinches away. "I promise you this...I won't let you kill the people you love...no matter what."
She lifts her face to mine; and then the tears come- already tinged with blood.
I pick her up and sit down with her in my lap. She cries and cries; and it's all I can do not to kiss away the tears. Instead I just sit there, holding her and stroking her hair...and finally the sobbing stops. But- she still doesn't try to get up. And- I know what I must do.
Her friends arrive after that- and if they're surprised to see me they don't reveal it. Buffy gathers her things; she looks almost the same- except for one difference. She no longer wears a cross.
"I'm ready now."
"You're not," I say firmly. "Listen to me- if you don't feed, you'll be overtaken by the bloodlust. Then- there'll be trouble."
"I...can't."
"He's right, Buffy," Giles says gently. "Do as he says."
Xander steps forward, unbuttoning his shirt. "C'mon, Buff," he says, "you're not going to deny me my favorite fantasy, are you? I always wanted you to nibble on my neck."
This makes her laugh, shakily. And I look at him with new respect. Annoying as he is, the boy's got courage.
Buffy glances at me; and her face goes vamp. I walk over and put my arms around her.
"Go ahead," I instruct. Instinctively she arches her back and sinks her fangs into him. He sighs- and goes limp as she drinks.
There's no force on earth harder to stop than a feeding vampire.
It takes all my strength, and Giles'...but she stops, she leaves him alive and none the worse.
Willow is the next volunteer- and this time Buffy barely tastes her blood before she wills herself to stop.
Willow smiles at me, timidly. "Would...you like some, Spike? Buffy hardly drank any of my blood."
It's a handsome gift; so I have a bit...not enough for Willow to feel the loss, but enough to make me stronger.
Cordelia offers next- with clenched teeth and closed eyes, but she offers.
We've had enough though...it's time to go. We load the van and drive to the mausoleum....the way down....
"Seems like old times," Xander murmurs, hoisting the flame-thrower. Giles picks up the gasoline, Willow takes the crossbow, Cordelia clutches the holy water. We wend our way down...into the place where the Master once reigned....
Buffy's face is blank- does she recall the time she 'died'?
At first it seems no one is there...but then I see her, sitting on the Master's elevated throne. Drusilla.
"Hello, Spike," she purrs, "I knew you'd be coming...voices in my head told me my boy would be home tonight."
"Dru." My voice sounds weak in my own ears.
Nathaniel enters, and stands beside Drusilla...his game face is a fearsome sight.
"Spike," Dru coaxes, "won't you come back to me? I'm not angry anymore. And there's no place for you, with the humans. You know that."
Am I tempted? Perhaps, for an instant. For an instant I think of how I've spent the years, dancing attendance on my dark goddess- using every iota of my wit and will to carry out her every whim.
What a waste.
Magistrate's minions are pouring into the cavern...they are ravenous for us. We must be outnumbered six to one.
Then- from somewhere quite close...I hear the howl of a wolf.
No other sound invokes such terror. A few of the vampires exchange glances, shifting uneasily. Magistrate frowns at them...and they stand still.
He turns as Oz enters from the tunnel.
"So...you brought a werewolf along, have you?" he looks at Oz. "This is not your fight."
"Yes, it is," Oz says firmly. "And- just to make sure nobody leaves the party early... I brought along some of my family."
The pack explodes through the tunnels- howling savagely, scattering the assembled vampires like autumn leaves in a gust of wind.
Oz catches my eye, just before he changes. "What can I say?" he shrugs. "Lucky for me...I have a large and devoted family."
Then I have my own worries, as Buffy closes in on Magistrate.
"There's no need, child," Nathaniel says seductively, holding out his hand to her. "I am, after all, the one who made you. You are one with me."
She kicks him- hard- in the groin. "In your dreams...Jaws!"
Magistrate actually looks surprised- one second before he collapses in agony. Buffy's stake is in her hand...she's intent on Nathaniel, her back turned to Drusilla.
But Dru has a stake as well....concealed in the folds of her dress. She starts down the steps toward Buffy....
There's a whistling sound in the air, as Willow fires the crossbow. She misses the mark- it's imbedded in the Master's chair. Willow...shooting not at me, not at Dru- but where the wooden shaft is ready to my hand...a makeshift stake.
Buffy drives the stake into Magistrate's heart and rises to her feet. Drusilla draws back her arm to strike- and then the stake is in my hand and Dru is falling.
As she goes down she looks at me in disbelief...then...then there is only a pile of ashes on the floor.
And the pack is gone, chasing after the few remaining vamps...and Giles touches a match to the gasoline. The place goes up in an inferno...but I hold my ground.
"Better go, Buffy," I tell her. "Take the tunnel up to the mausoleum- the fire won't reach there."
She looks at me. "What about you?"
"I'm not going." I stare at the ashes. "Not much point."
She nods. "Goodbye, Spike."
I'm shocked; she isn't going to bother to talk me out of it? A flicker of anger touches me....
The smoke is thicker...she heads towards the steps leading up out of the lair...then ducks through the passageway, not even looking back. She's gone...and left me behind.
"That little bitch!" I exclaim. Fury fills me...I killed Drusilla, my love over a century, for that girl- and now...
"Bloody hell!" I kick over the Master's throne- already burning. I storm towards the tunnel. "When I get my hands on that girl, she'll wish she'd never been born! She won't be..."
I nearly fall over her, huddled on the bottom step.
"Buffy! I thought...you'd gone after your friends."
"Not without you," she sobs.
I sit beside her; and lift her chin to gaze into her tear-filled eyes.
After a minute I ask her, "How did you know I'd come out?"
She dries her eyes and faces me squarely. " I didn't, " she confesses. "But...if you hadn't...I was planning to go back in."
I can't help it, I begin to laugh.
"What a girl you are! I wonder if I'll ever be able to predict what you're going to do?"
She looks at me; and slowly her mouth curves up into a smile.
"Well....look at it this way, William. You've got centuries...to try."