After helping Spike chain Darla to the wall, Buffy turned and headed for the door. Spike looked after her, the confusion was plain on his face.

"Hey... what are you doing?"

"I'm leaving."

"Right. I got that--- but why?"

"Because I did what I came to do. There's no reason to stay." She told him quietly. Regret was strong in her voice. He knew it. **Why does she have to be so damn stubborn** Spike asked himself.

He stared at her. "You could stay... stay with me. Buffy.... I know I hurt you. And... it was wrong. I shouldn't have."

"Damn right."

"Bloody hell, will you let me finish? I was going to say that I'm sorry. But the truth is, I don't know if I really am. Yes, it was selfish. Yes, I'm sorry that it hurt you. But I can't say I'm sorry that I did it."

"No, I guess you can't. You're an evil demon. It's in you to be a killer. Never anything more than that."

Anger flitted across his face and he grabbed her arm in a vise-like grip. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? Being able to label everything, stick it in a nice box. Have your whole world make sense, just the way you want it to. But you and I both know that it doesn't work that way. I'm in love with you. Accept it."

"Never."

Just then, there was feminine laughter from the wall. They turned to see Darla snickering at them. "Jeez" she began. "I'm starting to see why you like soap operas so much Bleach Boy. Pretty damned entertaing."

He glared at her. "You can just shut your fat mouth or I'll do it for you."

Darla just grinned. "No, I don't think that you will."

"Yeah? Well, seeing as your chained to a wall, what's going to stop me?"

Darla looked behind the two younger vampires, to a large demon holding a long wooden staff. "Him." A bright light surrounded Buffy and Spike, and they seemed to tumble into a vast darkness. When Spike awoke, he was on the cool, hard floor of a cave. Buffy was nowhere to be seen.

**************

"Xander where do you think she could be? I mean she's been gone for hours. What if Angel can't find her?" Xander shut the book he was pretending to read and slid closer to his childhood friend. "Don't worry Wil. If anyone can find Buffy its going to be Angel. As much as I hate to say that its true."

Willow sighed. "Yea I guess your right. Her and Angel have that connection. You don't really think she's drawn to Spike do you?"

Giles came from around the counter holding an old leather bound book. "And the childe shall come calling on the sire in its time of need. The calling shall out weigh anything the childe deems important to his/her self. Examples:feeding, killing, ect---So Angel was right. There would have been no way to stop her from aiding Spike. It would have been futile to think we could have."

"Even if we were going to try and stop her, she would just push us out of the way right?" Xander asked curiously. **Not like I don't know they answer to this one** Xander thought.

"Precisly. So now we can just hope Angel reaches her before Spike does."

******************

"Spike are you in here?" Angel called out as he stepped inside the dark crypt. There was a feeling of desertion in the air. No one had come or gone for quite some time now. Feeling frustrated Angel turned to leave. A heavy sigh escaped his lips. It was then he noticed it. Buffy. Her smell. He would know her anywhere. Along side of that was the faint smell of someone else familiar.

"Darla." He cursed. Angel picked up his pace along the graveyard pass. **I've got to get to Buffy** The darkness enveloped him, and he faded into the shadows.

*************

"BUUUUUUUUFFFYYYYYY!!!!! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?????" Spike was bellowing at the tops of his lungs. He scanned the inside of the cavern, and noted a tunnel leading off to the left. Since the only other way to go was into the sunlight outside, he decided to take the tunnel, and see where it led him. Reaching into his duster pocket, he withdrew a box of toothpicks. He'd stick them into small cracks in the wall to mark his way. With that, he headed into the unknown.

A groggy Buffy lifted her head from the cold stone floor of a cave.

"Oh great, the perfect ending to my day. What more could go wrong?"

In the distance she could hear Spike bellowing out her name. She rolled her eyes and got up. "There's my answer. Time to get moving." Every which way she looked there were entrances. Accompanied to them were long tunnels. "Great, what ever happened to caves with one way in or out?" Her tummy rumbled, she tried to ignore it and started walking down one of the corridors. They had to lead somewhere.

*************

"Giles, we have to find Buffy fast. Darla is in town and that's not going to be good for Buffy."

Giles jumped slightly as the dark vampire spoke up from behind him. "You know Angel, you've really got to stop sneaking up on people..." The watcher removed his glasses and polished them. "Now, what's that you were saying about Darla being in town?"

"I went to Spike's crypt, and her scent was in the air. If she's in town, and she finds out about Buffy, there's going to be some trouble."

Giles sighed. "Oh dear... as if we didn't have enough worries..."

Just then another worry strode in the door. Complete with black heels and a mini skirt.

"Cordy? What are you doing here?"

The brunette frowned. "Every time you go running off by yourself to save the day, something bad ends up happening. I decided that this time I was going to be along for the ride. Oh, and before you protest, I'm saying that you don't get a choice in all this."

Angel looked at her face, set in that familiar stubborn expression, and sighed. There was no way he was going to be able to persuade her to go home. When she got like this, no power on Earth would change her mind. Not even an offer of a present from Tiffany's, although that had come close. Angel let out a deep sigh. "Fine, you can tag along. But you stay in the car." Codrdellia narrowed her eyes at the vampire. "Alright fine, you can follow me. Just be careful alright? Stay behind me."

Cordellia grinned from ear to ear. She'd won again. Angel had given her that smile that said he didn't mind as much as he was letting on. Inside the butterflies fluttered rapidly. She quickly scolded them, reminding them and herself that Angel was off limits. Which was really a pain in the ass sometimes. She'd have loved to have a chat with the Powers about that...

*****************************************************************************

Buffy sighed. She was convinced that she had come this way already. It was all starting to look exactly the same to her. She growled in annoyance, and frustration. Well, at least Spike had not caught up to her yet. That was one bright spot in all of this. She did not need him hanging around.

Suddenly a huge demon slithered around a corner. It was at least 15 feet tall, had masses of slimy tentacles with sharp tips, and a mouthful of razor-like teeth. It lunged at her with incredible speed. Ok, so maybe it would be a good thing to have Spike around right now after all. �You know my day has been pretty bad already. How about we just do this later?� The demon slithered towards her and snarled, baring its teeth with a sizable amount of drool hanging from its lips. Buffy let out a sigh and took a fighting stance. �I guess that�s a no.� She began a series of kicks and punches on the beast that gave as well as he got. Buffy started to wonder if there was no end to its stamina. Buffy leaped on it�s back trying to subdue the creature by strangling it. Before she could wrap her arms around its massive neck, there was a whoosh in the air and an arrow through the creature�s chest. Standing over in the corner with cross bow in hand stood Spike. He was obviously proud of himself. She could tell by the smirky grin he wore on his face. I am not giving him the satisfaction that he just saved me a lot of grief, she told herself.

Spike strode over to her, kicking the demon a good shot in the stomach for good measure. �That was fun eh luv?� Buffy soundly punched him in the nose. �Don�t call me luv Spike. I could have handled that one on my own.�

�Sure you could have Slayer. Is it you�re too good to need the help or you don�t like who�s dishing out the help?� Buffy waved him off with her hand. �I�m not in the mood Spike. Besides, this is no place to discuss any of our problems.�

Spike slammed his hand against the stonewall. He stared deep into her eyes. A coldness about them was always going to be there. He knew there would always be a coldness that comes from witnessing life too fast. The life of a Slayer always was that way. Beneath it all, there was a frightened woman that begged to love and be loved. Angel may have seen that light, but Spike was the only vampire with the stones to do anything about it he told himself.

�Buffy look, I know making you a vampire was not the best thing for our relationship.� She snorted and Spike bit back the anger building up in his throat with a signature turn of his head to the right and a clenched jaw. �You have two choices luv. You can run from what you are and up lonely for the rest of your life. Trust me ducks, the more you fight it the more it�s going to consume you.� He took a breath before continuing. �Or me and you could get out of this place together. Now I�m not saying we start dating or any of that, but we can learn to get along like we can stand each other and see where it leads us. I�ve all you got now pet, and I�m not leaving you.� His orbits emanated compassion and love while he ran one loving hand through her long blonde hair.

Buffy stared back at him with eyes large as the picture he was painting for her. It was too much in one night. Too much to handle, too many decisions to make. She could just go with Angel to Los Angelus. She would be safe there with him and his friends in that huge hotel. She could stay here in Sunnydale to stay close to mom and Dawn. That would only hurt them and her. How many trips to the mall would she miss because of the sun issue she now had? How long would her friends have to make excuses for not being around her during the day? Spike promised to stay with her always. Even with the notion that she hates him to the core, he has offered to stand beside her until her dying day.

�Lets get out of here Spike.� Buffy gave him a warm smile, which Spike answered with one of his own. It melted her heart towards him. Genuinely convinced that Spike was being sincere Buffy took his hand in hers. �Right then, lets get out of this bloody cave.�

tbc