Mimic

Prologue

Spike pulled the black De Soto over to the side of the road about 10 miles outside of the town limits. He got out, moving around to the back he perched himself on the trunk and lit a cigarette, slowly dragging back on it he looked down towards Sunnydale, *his* Sunnydale. Dru was still unconscious in the passenger seat of the car. Spike hoped that she would stay that way, at least until after dawn and he'd got them into some nice dark motel room where she would beat the merry hell out of him for being a traitor. He expected very little else from his little princess, he just hoped that he would be forgiven in time.

Spikes suddenly had the strange feeling that he should get into the car turn around and drive back to Sunnydale. He had no idea why. Angelus was probably dead by now; he hadn't waited around to see if the Slayer had finished him off. The fact that the world hadn't been sucked into hell gave him hope.

Spike took one last drag on his cigarette before tossing the butt away and moving back to the driver's-side door. He opened the door and turned for one last look back at the place he'd called home for the past year. He made a half smile and muttered one final statement into the night before climbing in and speeding off.

"Be seein' ya"

Part one

Sunnydale was relatively quiet these days. It had been a year since Buffy had sent Angelus to hell. With Spike and Dru gone, and no Master vampire to take Spike's place absolute havoc had become a thing of the past. The minions that had been left behind fought amongst themselves for over control of Sunnydale and the title of Master.

After the authorities cleared Buffy of Kendra's murder she was accepted back to Sunnydale high much to the chagrin of principle Snyder. Now they were in their final year at Sunnydale high and Oz was studying music at Sunnydale College. They all helped patrol on most nights, even Cordy eventually gave in and started to work less on her nails and more on he combat techniques being a fully fledged member of the Scooby gang!

Willow, Buffy and Xander sat on a bench in Sunnydale cemetery.

"Is this Vamp gonna be long?" Xander groaned, "talk about sleeping in much!"

"It's the extra lax vibe from the other vamps," Buffy explained, "It gets everywhere"

"Well, hey at least less vampires means more Bronze time!" Willow enthused "Oz is playing tomorrow night, wanna come?"

"Giles says that there isn't any vamp dusting to be done tomorrow night, so I suppose it's a Bronze night, again" Buffy said with a small smile at the thought of more free time for a normal life.

"Count me in for crazed dancing, and where *has* Cordy got to with that coffee?" Xander frowned.

"Ooh, Buffy, I was wondering if I could borrow some clothes for tomorrow?" Willow asked, and then added quietly, "I wanna look good for Oz." Buffy gave a small smile at her not-quite-so-innocent-anymore friend.

"Sure Will, Oz will like you whatever you look like, but if you want then why..."

Buffy was interrupted as the new vamp burst from the fresh grave in front of the bench.

Buffy slowly raised the cross bow from her lap and shot a single bolt at the vamp piercing its un-dead heart.

"... Don't you come over at about seven o'clock and I'll sort you out with something ravishing?" Buffy concluded

"Hey Spandex!" Xander suggested hopefully. Buffy and Willow gave him scathing looks as Cordy walked up with the coffee that they had sent her for twenty minuets ago.

"Hey did I miss something?" Cordy asked looking at the disturbed grave and the dust on the floor.

"Nope. Ooh Ho-Ho's!"

The four friends didn't notice themselves being watched from across the other side of the cemetery. A lone figure stood leaning back against a tree smoking a cigarette. A true Master vampire, not like the young wanna-be Masters that filled the town. Those with barely enough experience of un-dead life to survive their first night. The Vampire stayed and watched the Slayer and her friends until they left the cemetery, then retreated to the darkness and away from the impending dawn.

Part two

"You had a-a-a successful hunt at the, er cemetery la-last night?" Giles Inquired as he carried a pile of books to the cage from the table.

"Problem free, in fact you could call it boring!" Buffy sighed, "I haven't had a decent fight in months." She and Willow where sitting on the counter looking oddly alike for some reason that Giles couldn't put his finger on and thought best not to comment about.

"Well Buffy you for one, should be happy that the vampire situation is-is under control for once" Giles frowned.

"Giles, you've just jinxed us big time!" Willow squeaked.

"I-er, oh dear," Giles flustered. "I've what?"

"To change the subject, are there any demons dark beings yadda, yadda on the horizon?" Buffy inquired.

"No it er l-looks like you're free to take your leave for to-tonight."

"Great!" Willow bounced up and down on the counter for a second. "We're going to the Bronze to watch Oz play!" She explained.

"Will, *I'm* going to the Bronze to soak up the atmosphere and relax," Buffy corrected.

"*You're* going there to watch Oz play!"

"Well y-you should go down and er take your rest, build up your strength f-for training tomorrow night." Giles informed.

"Ok, See you tomorrow Giles," Buffy waved as the duo jumped down and headed for the door.

"Bye Giles," Willow called.

Buffy and Willow entered the Bronze to the strains of Dingo's ate my baby, and the song Willow had heard Oz practicing when she woke up on Sunday morning. They took their seats at their usual table and Willow became instantly fixated on Oz as he played, Grinning like a big cat. Oz was just as equally fixated on Willow to the point that he almost missed a chord. Buffy smiled at her friends affectionate display and wished for a second that she had something like that, but just for a second she stopped mid-point at the hard memories of her and Angel before he lost his soul.

Buffy asked if Willow wanted a drink and then went to get herself a cappuccino. She walked up to the bar then stopped dead in her tracks. At the bar with his back to her as a tall brown-haired man, he was wearing black jeans and a leather jacket. Buffy could see the collar of a maroon shirt just above the neck of the jacket. Buffy found herself totally unable to move until he turned round, meeting her with a confused blue-eyed stare. Buffy smiled shyly and returned to her table.

"Where's your drink?" Willow inquired as the song ended.

"Huh? Oh I, er, changed my mind" Buffy explained. Willow shrugged and noticed Xander and Cordy heading their way.

"This place is busy tonight," Xander frowned as he and Cordy took their seats at the table.

"Yeah," Cordelia cast a suspicious eye around the club. "I know most of the people in Sunnydale, but I could point out half of the people here that I've never seen before in my life."

"Is there anything on the radar Buff?" Xander asked. Buffy closed here eyes for a second already aware that there where no vampires close to them she let her Slayer sense wander the room and beyond before supplying her answer.

"Nope, skies are pretty much clear," she smiled *and so is my night* she thought silently. Oz walked over to the group as tonight's second band took over for a couple of songs.

"Hey guys," he greeted as he came towards them. "Willow, you wanna dance?" Oz already knew what the answer would be it was just a little more polite to ask rather than to just drag her away. *Not that she is ever really against a bit of dragging* He laughed to himself.

"Yeah sure," Willow beamed brightly and wondered why he had bothered to ask, *He's probably just being polite* she thought as they walked out on to the dance floor together. Cordy and Xander joined them leaving Buffy alone at the table watching.

"I'm gonna become a voyeur, I just know it" she muttered quietly to herself so that only she and the un-dead could have heard. Little did she know that the un-dead where listening.

Out on the dance floor the two couples where dancing closely. It had been along time since Xander had paid close attention to Oz's movements around Willow, but tonight Willow and Oz where doing a little more than just a close lovers dance. Oz held his arm tightly around Willow's waist as they moved together his other hand gently exploring her face and neck. They were as close as two clothed people could get. Willow was about ready to get down and do the dirty right there. *I'm gonna have to find those two a closet, and quickly* Xander smiled. Before he could comment on this to Cordy his thoughts where interrupted by a scream from close by on the dance floor.

One of the dancers had suddenly found herself in the arms of a vampire instead of the *human* she had walked onto the floor with. He glared viciously at the girl, before having to pick himself up from off of the floor after an unsuspected roundhouse kick to the head from the Slayer.

The occupants of the Bronze scattered save the Slayer and her fan club. Buffy gave the vamp another flick kick to the jaw knocking him backwards. He burst into dust as Oz rammed a drumstick from the stage into his back, looking pleased with his work as he dusted himself off, twirling the stick in his hands. Suddenly Buffy's spider sense went through the roof, just as five more vamps came through the roof.

The five friends closed ranks standing back to back with each other ready to fight as vamps appeared from all around. For about five seconds no one moved, then Buffy let fly with a powerful punch to a vamp standing just a little too close and the fight was on. Buffy and the Slayerettes fought with grim determination and power winning through excellent team work, but Buffy knew that the vamps were pretty sure to take this round as more seemed to appeared from the wood-work. The Slayerettes fought on through their exhaustion when the fighting somehow suddenly stopped. The vamps backed away taking defensive postures out of the line of fire. Buffy and her friends fell back in quiet confusion breathing deeply from the exertion.

No one moved for what seemed an eternity. Buffy's super-human hearing caught the sound before the others. Her senses honed on it in a second like she was on autopilot. The sound of footsteps reached the others ears. The sound itself was nothing new but the silence that surrounded it caused an eerie chill to creep up their spines as they listened. They were the cold calculated steps of a predator.

The threat came into view as it shifted out of the shadows and under a spotlight on the dance floor. Small shocked gasps came from the Scooby gang as they watched. Buffy felt like she had fallen through into another dimension as the vamp gracefully hoped up so that it was sitting on the stage and lit a cigarette.

The movements the posture the *feel* of the vampire was exactly the same, thought Willow. The humor mixed with strength, violence and power that seemed to control its actions. It *was* Spike to the point of almost absurd certainty, but this Spike had short black hair, almost green eyes, and was by far shorter than its counterpart. Most of all, this Spike, was a she.

Part Three

The She-Spike looked around the room then made a small movement with her head. The vampires that filled the room pulled back silently heading for the door and spilling out into the night. Buffy felt the minions leave and knew instantly that this vampire had Spike's confidence too. There was hardly a vampire in the vicinity when Spike's double finally spoke.

"I thought it best to level the playing field," she stated simply. "Can't start off a game with foul play. That comes later!" She smiled taking flicking the remains of her cigarette onto the floor. Her accent was a total contrast to what the team where expecting. It was mixed to the point that it couldn't be distinguished as anything but odd. Some American, some English, French and others not so common.

"Why don't you tell me who you are and what you think you're doing here, before I send you to hell." Buffy asked finally regaining some strength after their encounter.

"Me? I'm the new master in town, but you can call me Abbie. As for my plans for this place well," Abbie looked around for a second. "Some new drapes maybe. A splash of color, I think blood red would work well." She held a cheeky grin for a moment as she mulled over the idea. "Oh!" she snapped her fingers in mock realization. "You mean, what are my plans for, mass destruction and murder, well I'd love to tell you but I do watch the TV and the worst thing I ever saw was the evil villain of the piece getting cocky and telling the hero the entire plan so I think I'll just leave you to work it out."

"Why here?" Buffy asked before realizing that it was a dumb question.

"Its the Hellmouth, it attracts all sorts of weirdo's" Abbie smiled "I did have ideas of killing you now, but that's no fun, I can wait. And if you want answers then so shall you"

With that Abbie jumped down off of the stage and disappeared into the shadows before anyone could stop her. Her voice rang out to them before she left. "Have fun!"

"A-and she just er left?" Giles clarified. The group where sat around the table in the library. Willow was looking through the web, and Giles was looking through past watcher diaries in search of anything that they could find on a vamp named Abbie.

"Yeah, but Giles you should have *seen* her" Buffy shook her head.

"She radiated Spike. It was the girl of his dreams." Xander said as he leafed though a volume on demon history.

"Yeah, that's if you like to go out with your twin." Cordy rebuked.

"And thank God for us all that you can't speak from experience on that subject." Xander threw back. Cordy was about to toss a zinger when Giles spoke up to quiet them.

"There is only one er f-female master mentioned that I can find," He reported

"Why only one?" Oz looked up from his place behind Willow at the computer.

"Well, Vampires have a tendency towards ,er, sexism. Female vampires have much harder times winning title because they are thought of as too weak, ironically this actually makes them stronger." Giles replied. "The only female master is one called Abigail, er t-there I-is very little written a-about her, apparently she's French, and over 500 years old. Oh." Giles removed his glasses for a second.

"What, what is it?" Willow asked looking up.

"Well I-it would seem that she is D-Darla's sire." Giles returned his glassed.

"Which kinda makes her Angels grand-mother." Cordelia thought out loud, "and Spike's great grand-mother, eew" Cordy looked at Buffy her expression one of hurt "Oh, Buffy I'm-I didn't mean to...."

"That's okay. No biggie" Buffy lied, no one commented.

Part four

The factory had been empty since Spike left over a year ago, there were holes opened up in the roof letting the sun shine in, but there was enough darkness to last the vampires through the day until they could get up to fix them. Abbie lay on the bed in the room that Spike and Dru had occupied during their stay. She was having very little success in sleeping so far. She sat up as some one knocked at the door

"Come in." She said wearily. She watched as the door opened and a figure entered.

"You've been out there a long time. I hope that you've done you're your preparations."

"I'm ready, I've collected everything I need." He replied.

"You still think that you can do it?" The figure stepped into the light of the candle. He removed his glasses, cleaning them with a cloth from the pocket of his tweed coat.

"She's as good as dead."

Giles walked up the steps and into Sunnydale high carrying books under each arm. Xander was walking past in the hall.

"Oh, er Xander could you h-help me with.... these er books, please" Asked Giles glancing around to guard against eavesdroppers. Xander picked up on the watchers non-too subtle message.

"Er yeah sure, why not" he shrugged taking half of the books Giles was carrying and following him down the corridor. "So I'm guessing librariiiie...." Xander let out a startled cry as the librarian yanked him into an empty classroom "Hey! What's with the..." Xander didn't get to finish his question as Giles hit him around the head with a chair.

"I'm sorry Xander, but I'm afraid that you're going to have to lay low for a while." Giles explained to the dazed teen as he pulled up a few pre-prepared floorboards. Giles produced a roll of duct tape and used it to gag and tie Xander then dropped his semi-conscious form into the gap in the floor. "You'll be OK in here for now, its not you I want, just your face." The watcher smiled then let himself melt away into a puddle quickly reforming into a carbon copy of Xander. Xander watched horrified as the new him closed down the boards and he was sealed in.

"Xander what are you doing?" Xander turned from his place on the floor of the classroom to see Cordelia glaring at him her hands on her hips. Xander paused unsure of what to say and do.

"Haven't I told you that plaid looks bad on you?" She stated looking exasperated, but ultimately waiting for a smart Alec comment that would start of another war of the words raging across the classroom and half the school, ending quietly in a closet somewhere.

"Yeah, whatever" Xander shrugged and walked straight past her out of the classroom.

"God Xander!" Cordy exclaimed before following him out.

Buffy punched the kick boxing pad viciously but being sure to use only half of her strength. Giles recoiled painfully from the blow but remaining silent. He knew that after a while the feeling of pain would go away, along with all the other feeling in his body. Xander and Cordelia wandered in from the corridor if Giles had been able to focus on anything but checking that all the appendages that he couldn't feel where still there he would have noted that Cordelia was desperately attempting to start up a verbal war with Xander, but was quickly losing to Xander's silence tactic.

Buffy was having her own problems. She suddenly began noticing that her control over the strength of her punches was dropping. Cordy looked up at Buffy finally giving up on Xander for good, and winced.

"Buffy don't you think your being a little hard?" Cordy could feel the punches herself.

"Buffy?"

Buffy could hear Cordelia but all her concentration was going in to pulling her punches as her hands began to take on a life of their own. She spun round giving a flying kick to Giles's unprotected head sending him flying across the room into a bookshelf.

"Giles!!" Buffy screamed, she was suddenly able once more to control herself. Cordy and Xander where already huddled around the unconscious form of the watcher. Buffy slid across the floor.

"Buffy what were you doing?" Cordelia gasped at her.

"I-I don't know! It was a-an accident." Buffy stood up backing away.

"Yeah, big accident" Xander replied sarcastically "He looks alright we might be best to get him to he hospital though, Cordy you drive" Xander ordered.

"Who died and put you in charge?" Cordy remarked.

"If we're not careful he might," Xander pointed to Giles.

"He's not that bad is he? I thought you said he would be alright." Buffy panicked.

"I said I *thought* that he looked alright to *me* I'm no doctor. Lets just focus on getting him to hospital."

"I'll go get changed." Buffy turned to leave

"No," Xander fixed her with a cold glare. "You stay here. I think you've done enough."

With that Buffy ran out into the corridor. Cordelia was to involved in checking Giles to see Xander smile as the library doors swung to.

Part Five

Xander and Cordelia dropped the contused watcher off at his house on their way home from the hospital making sure that he was okay before they left. Cordelia looked at Xander as he sat quietly in the seat beside her. She'd never seen him this quiet before, and he'd been staying away from their little arguments all day.

"So where do you want to go then?" she asked hopefully.

"I was thinking home would be a good idea." He stated plainly.

"Wouldn't your parents mind about that?" Cordy frowned. "I know mine would."

"What me going home at night?" Xander confused.

"No, us making out in your bedroom." Cordy gave him her best talking to a two year old voice.

"Who said anything about making out?" He shook his head. "I just wanna go to bed..."

The words were hardly out of Xander's mouth before the car screeched to a halt in the middle of the road. Causing him to nearly hit his head on the dash.

"What!?" Cordy spun round in her seat to face him "Do you honestly think that because you agree with everything I say for one day, one day! That it'll make me want to have sex with you?" Xander looked at her blankly for a second

"I think I'm gonna walk home." He explained then slipped quietly out of the car walking away into the night leaving Cordelia still staring at the empty seat beside her.

"God Xander!"

"Where's Giles, is he ok?" Buffy rushed into the library. Willow looked up from where she was sitting at the computer.

"He's not here, he took the day off." Willow explained.

"Giles? He took the day? Hyper research guy Giles took the day?" Buffy clarified and

Willow nodded solemnly. "Oh God, I've killed Giles!" Buffy sat heavily in one of the old oak chairs.

"Buffy don't over react." Willow said moving around the table to sit next to her. "He's fine. Xander told me what happened yesterday, wanna talk?" Buffy could see Willow's "nurturing friend" role clicking in to place and smiled as much as she could.

"I don't know what happened, its just like I lost control of my body for a second and the next thing I knew I hit Giles, hard." She explained.

"Well, this is good. Right?"

"Will, where have you found good in this scenario?"

"Well its good that your admitting that its all your fault, Xander said that you wouldn't even do that yesterday." Willow smiled slightly.

"Willow what do you mean? It was an accident. It wasn't, strictly speaking, my fault."

"You said yourself *you* lost control *you* hit Giles. Who else is to blame here? Xander and Cordy were the only other people there, and they sure as hell couldn't have done that"

"Done what? What do you mean?" Buffy asked suddenly paling. "I thought you said that Giles was okay."

"He will be in a week or so," Willow had lost almost all the niceness in her voice. If Buffy had realized she would have thought she was speaking to a complete stranger. "I went to see him before school today, Buffy, he's really beaten up."

"But I- I didn't mean to...."

"Yeah, no one means for these things to happen." Willow turned round and went back to her computer. Buffy ran.

"Well this is fun!" Xander quipped as he worked against the ropes around his hands.

"Locked in Giles's basement, tied to a chair, while some lava guy wanders around pretending to be me. What's he going to be doing to my reputation?"

"I hope that my double remembered to hand in my computer sciences homework." Willow said worriedly.

"I shouldn't worry Willow, I think we have more pressing concerns at the moment." Giles told her.

"Yeah, like working out why our doubles didn't just kill us if they wanted us out of the way" Willow nodded.

"Actually I was voting on working out how the hell we're going to get out of here."

Xander rocked about on his chair until it fell over and he gave up. "But before anyone else tries this isn't the way, and God Giles, how long has it been since you painted your ceiling?"

"How's your head?" Asked Willow ignoring Xander.

"Oh I-its alright now, the double visions cleared and the throbbing has gone down but its still painful."

"That's a point." Said Xander from his position on the floor. "Where's Buffy?"

"I-I don't believe that I, er follow," Giles confused.

"Well you said that Buffy kicked your ass, I'm assuming double here. So shouldn't we be worried about the original?"

Buffy wandered through the courtyard still reeling from Willows words. She was so lost in her misery that she didn't see Harmony and her minions sweeping through the crowed until it was too late.

"Hey watch it!" Harmony scowled as she collided with Buffy. "I thought it was your boyfriend who'd need the white stick, oh sorry forgot, you're a wall flower."

Giles, Willow and Xander watched the scene unfold from the shadows. Buffy didn't realize what was happening until her fist connected with the cheerleaders face in a punishing round house punch. Harmony hit the floor blood pouring from here nose. The three watchers smiled at the show turning to leave. Their work was almost done, Buffy would take care of the rest herself.

Harmony's sheep skittered away from the blond slayer. Buffy noticed Snyder's approach and ran.

Part Six

The De Soto's Driver stopped as he saw the sign. Such an invitation couldn't go un-answered. He smiled as the car sped forward knocking the sign flat leaving tire marks across the lettering. *So she said to leave, * he thought, * but since when have I done anything she said? * But if what he'd heard were true then she'd need him around anyway. Whether she wanted him there or not.

Buffy sat in the cemetery fiddling idly with a stake. She felt like all of a sudden she'd lost control. *I'm a danger to everyone,* she thought as she sat on the ground staring at the fresh grave in front of her, *even my friends*.

The first thing that latched on to the vampire behind her was her Slayer sense warning her of the danger. The second was her fist. Buffy spun round recognizing the vamp quickly.

"Abbie! Nice of you to drop by but I'm not dressed for company." Buffy smashed a flying kick into Abbies face and was about to follow it up with a right cross, when Abbie disappeared.

"Slow, Slayer." Abbie chided as she swept Buffy's feet from behind. "Too slow."

Buffy swung round on the floor to knock Abbie down too. She saw vamps feet leave the ground as Abbie jumped to avoid the sweep, but Abbie was gone again. Buffy pulled herself upright. She looked around her but the cemetery was empty. Her Slayer sense suddenly went wiggy as she dropped to the floor, avoiding Abbies roundhouse by millimeters.

"How the hell do you move so fast?" Buffy frowned then kicked out to where Abbie was standing. Only to hit thin air. Buffy spun around to see Abbie sitting on top of a mausoleum with a lit cigarette.

"Vampires get stronger, faster, sharper and well, better with age. Although very few get to live that long." Abbie smiled "I only know of one other vampire older than me and I haven't seen him in a long time."

"You sired Darla?" the question came without a thought, and Buffy wondered from where.

"I've sired many, I don't tend towards memorizing all of them." Abbie shrugged "But I do remember Darla." she said with a small smile then added, "I remember Angel too." Buffy gasped at the mention of her old loves name. "I wish I could have been around when he was turned. He really knew how to have a good time!" Abbie winked. Buffy clenched her teeth.

"What are you doing here?" She asked finally.

"Taking in the sights, the sounds, thought I might go out get myself a little Chinese later." She grinned.

"You're killing me" Buffy said rolling her eyes at the oldest vamp joke she'd ever been told.

"Not yet," came the reply that seemed to echo around the cemetery from no fixed point. Abbie was already gone.

Buffy knocked on Giles door. She needed his help now and hoped that he'd be able to forgive her. Willow opened the door.

"Will, I..."

"Buffy what are you doing here?" Willows voice was harsh

"Will, I'm sorry, but I need to see Giles, this is important."

"Buffy?" Buffy heard her watchers voice and pushed past Willow.

"Giles!" Buffy looked down at the bruised, yet still tweed-clad librarian. His lip was cut and he had a dark bruise on his left cheek, he had a collar around his neck and was obviously in pain. "God are you alright?"

"I'll heal, in time. You said something was important?" Giles winced a little as he shifted on the sofa and motioned for her to sit. Buffy felt guilt streak through her as she sat. She looked shyly up at Willow but found no sympathy.

"Abbie." Buffy stated quietly "You wouldn't believe how fast that girl is. I can hardly even see her move."

"Well at over five hundred years I'm not surprised, but she shouldn't be too much of a challenge."

"What do you mean?" Buffy frowned "One second she's standing next to me about to get a stomach full of size five, the next she's sitting on top of a mausoleum smoking a cigarette with hardly a hair out of place. And by second I mean second here." There was a knock at the door and Willow let Xander in. He stopped and glared at her when he saw the petite Slayer sitting on the couch next to Giles. He glanced at Willow who just shrugged in defeat.

"Buffy what are you doing here?" Xander spoke up.

"I needed Giles's help." Buffy explained.

"Don't you think that you should be somewhere a long way from other people?" he asked. Buffy had never seen her friends act this way.

"Xander, what are you talking about?" Giles frowned at the teen. Willow jumped in immediately.

"Well, we didn't really want to tell you because we didn't want you to worry but Buffy broke Harmony's nose today, and nobody knows why."

"Buffy?" Giles turned and looked at her questioningly.

"I-I broke her nose?" Buffy didn't realize she had done any real damage. Snyder would have her out of school for this for sure.

"Buffy, maybe Xander is right," Giles said slowly pushing his way up from the couch wincing as Willow helped him. "Maybe you should stay away from human contact for a while." Buffy watched heart broken as her best friends visibly distanced themselves from her.

"Yeah." She said quietly "I suppose I should go." Buffy left quickly heading home. She turned the corner into Revello Drive and stopped. Home was the worst place she could think of going. Even though the only thing she wanted right now was a shower and a tub of chocolate chip ice cream, she didn't want to risk hurting her mom. She didn't trust herself. Not like this. She turned and walked away.

Part Seven

Abbie lay back on the couch in the old factory watching TV. It was getting close to dawn and the minions where returning from the hunt. Food in Sunnydale was much harder to come by. Not so many people walked the streets late at night but they had probably learned from living on the Hellmouth. Suddenly a familiar sound permeated the air.

"Hello mate," came the English accented voice. The peroxide blond vampire appeared from the shadows as if they where an extension of himself.

"Spike!" Abbie greeted. "I didn't think that you where coming back, not after what happened with Angelus."

"Yeah, well this is home you know." Spike shrugged falling down onto the couch next to her. "You really got the place nice, especially after that fire an' all. Glad you didn't move into that old mansion."

"I was thinking about it, but there where too many windows, as much as I'd like to work on my tan I'm afraid of getting skin cancer." Abbie explained.

Spike smiled remembering for a moment how fun it had been destroying things with the young looking vamp next to him. She was the one who first called him Spike (she was the first to find out why). Now he was going to switch sides on her, a short burst of emotion flooded through him at that thought. It almost scared him to think that he was capable of that feeling. He felt guilty.

"So I hear you planning the demise of our beloved Slayer then," he said conversationally.

"I've got the Mimic out in the field already" she smiled. *Bloody hell* Spike thought. *This is worse than I thought.* Spike lifted himself off of the couch.

"I'd better get back before sun rise or I'll be crispy by the time I get home."

"You're not staying?" Abbie sounded disappointed.

"No. I've got along way to go and I want to get there by tomorrow." He lied.

"Dru has you so whipped." Abbie smiled, Spike managed a small smile in response.

"You have no idea." He replied as he left.

Buffy didn't know where she was going until she looked up to find herself in front of Angel's basement apartment. She forced the lock and wandered in. It had been untouched since she last saw it. She took in a deep breath closing her eyes. "Angel," she whispered as if she was expecting a reply. Her eyes felt heavy she kicked off her shoes and threw her coat onto the couch sliding into the bed she closed her eyes and lost herself in memories.

It was past mid-day when Buffy woke. She looked around remembering where she was and standing. Her coat was on the floor behind the couch. She went to retrieve it and froze. Looking over the back of the couch she saw Spike, curled up on the cushions surrounded by his duster. He had come in not long after Buffy, finding the place unlocked. Buffy had fallen into an exhausted sleep when he got there, he'd been looking forward to a night in a soft bed after having huddled in his car and in cargo ships out of the sunlight for the past few months. *Who's been sleeping in my bed? * He'd thought comically when he saw the blond Slayer.

Buffy moved around the couch pulling a stake from her coat she crouched in front of the sleeping Spike. He hadn't been there when she got in, and he must have seen her when he arrived. Why hadn't he killed her when he had the chance? She put her stake away realizing that there must have been a reason he hadn't drained her on sight. He looked almost cute.

Buffy went out a little later to get some food she'd picked up some pigs blood as well while she was out, but wondered why she was bothering. She sat watching Spike as she ate and came to the conclusion that, when asleep, Spike was definitely cute. If only for the reason that he talked in his sleep.

Buffy noticed Spike mumbling to himself for about five minutes, picking up stray words here and there.

"Spike?" Buffy said finally.

"Umm, Slayer?" Spike kept his eyes shut and didn't move. Buffy realized he was still asleep. She smiled and continued.

"Why are you here?"

" 'Cause they is chasing me." Buffy sat confused by his answer for a second then realized he was talking about his dream.

"Who?"

"Them."

"What are they?"

"The spiders." Buffy smiled wickedly wondering if she should ask the next question or not but the suspense was killing her.

"Spike, are you afraid of spiders?"

"Yes." This was priceless. Spike, William the Bloody, scared of spiders!!

"Where are they now?" she asked trying to keep down a laugh.

"I don't know." Buffy carefully put the tips of her fingers on his cheek.

"SPIKE THERE'S A SPIDER ON YOUR FACE!" she shouted.

Spike jumped so high he almost hit the ceiling. He fell off of the couch almost taking a hysterical Buffy with him. He was standing almost in the same move. He looked at Buffy holding her sides with laughter and narrowed his eyes.

"What's going on?" Spike asked. Buffy composed herself.

"Nothing not a thing" she said grinning. This meant blackmail.