Bury me deep inside your heart

Winner of

Menzione d'onore allo

Nominated at

AUTHOR: Joyce19
E-MAIL: joyce19@libero.it
SUMMARY: Aw...I suck at them...suffice to say, there's a new baddie in town...and whackiness ensue;-)
RATING: NC17 (for violence, sex and my potty mouth), A, *AU*
PAIRINGS: B/G, W/S, X/Anya
SETTING: It's my universe ...the one of I Still Miss the Sun. Set after the fourth season...no Riley, no Tara and no Dawn...;-)
DISCLAIMER: All things Buffy belong to Joss Whedon, ME, WB and Fox. No copyright infringement is intended. Eric and Electra belong to me, instead.
DISTRIBUTION: Just ask and ye shall receive.
FEEDBACK: Please...please, please...but no flames...they're not healthy.;-)
NOTE: After I finished writing I Still Miss The Sun, I realized there were so many things I still wanted to write about Spike and the Eletti. I had grown quite fond of the universe I had created for it...then other ideas kept coming in my mind, a bigger plan began forming in my head so it's official: this is a series now...and tada! It has a plot!! A real plot...some things could not make sense to you, now...but trust me, they will! I do realize Spike is out of character, but this is an AU series...I can't stress it enough!;-)

NOTE2: I use as the date of William's turning November 14th ...ahem...the air date of Fool For Love (how much can I love an episode I still haven't seen?). I don't know whether is accurate or not...but I couldn't come up with anything better!

NOTE 3: (don't worry this is the last one:-) this fan-fiction hasn't been betaed, please forgive me for any grammar or spelling mistake you might find in the fan-fiction....oh, and I've tried my best, to use a proper English especially in some of the parts of the fan-fiction...but, alas, here it is where language got in the way

To Maria...see? I couldn't help myself! You're my muse, honey...and I'm thankful for our friendship.

*~~*~~*
And it will come the star that will disown the sky.
the human soul worst of the demon.
The woman that will play with the destiny
and that will have in her hands the light and the darkness.

The night was hers, hers alone. She moved in the deserted road as if she owned it. She slowly walked, looking around, there was something extremely exciting in the night especially when she could smell the fears and hopes of its creatures, like in that moment.

She didn't like to remember what her life had been like before she had been freed...especially when she could feel the powers she had always kept at bay freely flowing through her.... filling her, inebriating her.

There had been a time, when everything in her life had been about duty, responsibility, honor. Things had changed.

Patience was what had led her to the truth, what had helped her seeing things under a whole new perspective, where a failure could be a victory.

A car slowed beside her and stopped. Its occupant called her saying, "Honey, do you need a lift somewhere?"

The woman smiled and approached the car, she leant out of the window, showing her generous cleavage and said smiling at the man who was on the driver's seat, "Yes, thank you..."

"What a great coincidence, it's just where I'm going...get in the car, hon...what's your name?"

The blond haired man, who had picked her up, smiled back at her and asked, "My name is Bruce, it'll take a while, hon...just relax...why are you going to Sunnydale?"

"William? Oh, he'll be ecstatic..." she said. She rested her head against the headrest and closed her eyes, " just ecstatic..."
-1-

A slice, that's what the clouds let see of the moon, that night. A big, reddish slice. Many people wouldn't have probably even noticed it, many people perhaps, but not the two lovers who were walking hand in hand in the graveyard. They were slowly walking, relishing each odor, observing how the reddish light of the moon played with the headstones and the trees creating shadows.

Willow Rosenberg thought with a smile. She softly sighed and squeezed tighter Spike's cold hand in hers. Their relationship was still new and they were learning to really know each other, although at times she almost felt like they had known each other forever.

The truth about Spike's real identity had been surprising to say the least, but she was learning to live with it. She was learning to live with a vampire who happened to be a spy.

They had been patrolling together, that was one of the things she loved more about Spike. He didn't treat her like a china doll, he didn't treat her as if she was fragile. He knew where her frailties were, but he knew she had learned to take care of herself

"And besides, you took me down with a lamp once, Red...you're full of surprises..." he had told her once.

"I almost miss the failed heta7tanatos, this patrol is duller than a headstone, pun intended..." he mumbled.

"Perhaps Buffy and you didn't leave any demons ..." she replied, she grinned at him and said, "and I so don't miss heta7tanatos..."

Spike smiled at her and pulled her tighter at him, saying, "I know luv, but I don't like all this quiet..."

Spike shrugged and looking around said, "Habit, I guess...they taught us to fear moments like these, and now that you make me think about it, it's quite sad that their methods haven't changed since I was human..."

Willow shook her head and smiled circling his waist with an arm. Spike didn't often talk about when he was human, and she cherished each information, each piece of his past he decided to share with her. She rested her head against the crook of his arm, and smiled when he grazed her hair and whispered, "I'd say we should leave...I'll take you to the dorm..."

She raised her head and playfully batted her eyelashes at him saying, "My hero...will you even tuck me to bed?"

They stopped walking and looked at each other for some long seconds, while Spike's fingers kept grazing her neck and face's skin with a feather-like caress. She circled his waist with both her arms and whispered, "I won't be a good witch if you keep..."

She didn't finish her sentence, though, Spike gently tilted her chin up with a finger and silenced her with a kiss. It was a long, lingering kiss that soon grew with intensity. Her hands roamed through his back and went up to caress his hair. She could feel Spike's hand on her waist gently pulling her at him.

She almost couldn't believe they were together. She had silently loved him, desired him, for so long, without even hoping he had noticed her...and she still had troubles believing Spike really loved her.

When they lightly pulled away from each other and she could look into his eyes, her doubts faded, in his look she could just read love for her. She smiled at him and huskily said, "What were you saying about taking me to the dorm? I know a Slayer who was going to spend the night with her honey..."

"I'd say we'd better hurry, then..." he said in a low voice, his hand was still on her waist, under her shirt, drawing little imaginary circles on her soft skin.

"Wanna make a run for it?" she happily asked, taking a step back and squeezing his hand in hers.

Spike rolled his eyes but couldn't help smiling at her. For the first time in longer he cared to remember he was truly, blissfully happy, granted, his dreams had been quite upsetting lately, but they were just dreams.

He had talked both to Eric and Giles about them, and they both thought they were just side effects of the failed heta7tanatos. Giles had told him even Buffy and Xander had still nightmares about it.

What were a few stupid nightmares if he felt more loved than he ever remembered being? Yet while he ran with Willow and heard her joyous laughter, he chose to ignore the voice in the back of his mind that reminded him that such a happiness usually had a very high price to pay.

He squeezed tighter Willow's hand, feeling a ferocious surge of protectiveness toward the young woman he was in love with.

He felt something was coming for them, but he knew that when the moment would come, he would fight...

None of them noticed, the figure coming out from the shadows. The young woman leant against a tree. Her long blonde hair framed her face, giving her an almost angelic look, that contrasted with the sharp expression in her green eyes, She was dressed in large black trousers and an emerald green thin strapped top, a long black leather jacket hung on her shoulders. She crossed her arms over her chest and let out a soft chuckle, "So she's the one, uh, William?"

She raised her head to the sky, her beautiful, angelic smile slowly faded into a demonic mask. She let out a coarse laughter and said, "Things are going to get quite interesting..."

Buffy was panting, a light veil of perspiration covered her face and torso, but she couldn't stop. Her movements grew with intensity .

She was feeling full of energy and strength, she felt like her heart was about to burst with it.

"Ow!" Giles' voice made her stop. Buffy tucked away some damp locks from her brow, then knelt to help her lover on his feet.

If someone had told her a month before that a session of training could be such an erotic and exciting experience she would have probably laughed out loud, that was before Giles and she got together. Their new intimacy had helped their training, there was a familiarity and a confidence in each gesture and movement that added on her strength.

Giles smiled at her and said in his best watcher voice, "You did a remarkably good job, Buffy..." then with a twitch of his lips added, "Alas I'm afraid I shan't be able to move a single muscle for days... "

She rolled her eyes then said, "Aw, my poor old watcher, whatever can I do to ease the soreness in your muscles? I'll tell ya what, your precious, terrific, cunning, drop-dead gorgeous ..."

She arched an eyebrow at him and said, "Don't interrupt me, mister...as I was saying, your mega-fantabulous Slayer is going to use a less known power of hers..."

"That would be?" Giles asked crossing his arms over his chest. They were in Giles' living room, the furniture had been moved around the room, to give them space to train.

Buffy happily smiled at him and exclaimed with her infamous ta-da, gesture, "I'm Buffy masseuse extraordinaire!"

Giles chuckled and shook his head at her words. Buffy didn't ever cease to amaze him. She could be more mature than any person he knew one moment, and a moment later could be as carefree as all the women of her age.

He had to admit to himself, though, that he had been almost afraid of her while they had been training. Since they had returned from Sunnydale's tunnels, her strength seemed to have improved and her senses were much more honed.

She had trained more diligently and with more passion than ever. She had told him she wanted to learn more about the Slayer's powers. He suspected it had something to do, with what had happened when he had been taken, she hadn't told him a lot about what had happened in the galleries, except that never had she felt her powers as strongly as during those three days. Giles had decided to have a long talk with Spike about what had happened.

He already knew, though, that Spike wasn't going to tell him more than what Buffy had already done. Both Spike and Buffy were adamant in keeping what they had experienced in the galleries for themselves.

They had become very good friends and Giles, who had sometimes observed them while sparring, or training together had been surprised by how well they were able to read each other's minds, seeing them training together was always remarkable sight.

He still had troubles seeing Spike not as the enemy they had known for years, but as a full fledged ally...a friend to all of them.

"Hey, watcher o' mine, you still there?" Buffy's voice made him start. He looked at the woman and smiled at her saying, "Yes, love...I got distracted"

"You think?" she said, getting close to him and circling his waist with her arms. She placed a kiss between his shoulder blades then said in a low voice, "Get on the couch, Rupert..."

He dramatically sighed and mumbled under his breath, "The things I do for you, luv..."

He laughed and turned around, he looked into her eyes, and caressing her hair said, "I have a better idea, would you care to join me in the shower?"

Buffy grinned at him and said, "I like your ideas tonight...unscheduled training notwithstanding..."

She circled his neck with her hands and whispered, "I'll tell you what, you wash my back and I'll kiss all those bruises better...deal?"

He surprised her scooping her up in his arms. She laughed and said, "didn't you say you couldn't move a single muscle?"

She rested her head against his, while he headed toward the stairs and sighed, happy. She closed her eyes and said, "It's been ages since the last time you took me in your arms..."

She opened her eyes and lightly tilted his head on her side with a hand, "I stopped being afraid when you told me everything was going to be fine...I told you that day, do you remember? You were my god..." she grinned at him and added, "and I'm getting insufferably mushy, ain't I?"

Buffy's laughters echoed in the house, even after Giles closed the bathroom's door and it was the laughter of a woman deeply in love.

# They were again in the graveyard, just like the night before, Willow looked at him, her eyes full of love and trust

He evilly smiled at her, while he felt his face stretching, changing into that of the demon that lived in his body, "Yes...run, little girl..."

Willow tried to run away from him, bur he grabbed her. He laughed when he heard the bones of her wrist cracking. She cried out while he pulled her tight to him, forcing her head on a side, exposing her white, delicate neck.

He laughed harder when she said that, and sunk his fangs in her neck. He felt her heart furiously pumping in her chest and her blood...warm, as sweet as honey, flowing in his throat, feeding him, filling him.

He felt Willow weakly writhing under him, her hands hitting his shoulders, her voice, begging him to stop.

He pulled away from her, her body went limp in his arms, and he knelt tightening her to him, while he realized what he had just done, when he realized he had let his demon taking over. Blood red tears rolled on his cheeks, yet he could hear himself laughing at her when she weakly asked him, "Why? I thought you loved me..."

Spike laughed at the young dying woman, he laughed although he could feel a sob forming in his throat, there was amusement in his voice, yet he felt like breaking when he said, "Never trust a demon, pet...didn't I ever tell you that?"

Just when he was snapping her neck, he heard a female voice in the background whispering to him, "You can't fight your nature, what you really are...be yourself...let it free...let it live.." and her laughters joining his cries. #

Spike awoke with a start from Willow's arms. He didn't realize he had screamed, although he could still feel the sob that had formed in his throat during the nightmare. He swallowed, feeling breathless, which was in itself weird since he didn't have to breath, yet his body didn't seem to remember that, he felt like what was left of his lungs were on fire. He irrationally took a deep breath. He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.

He rested his head against the headboard and sighed. In the darkness of Willow's room, his mind's eyes kept reliving his nightmare. He shook his head and stretched a hand to tun on the lamp's switch

<You're a creature of the night, you ponce...since when are you afraid of darkness? Get a grip! It was just a dream...>

Spike sighed, again. What had scared most about the nightmare, hadn't been Willow's death...it had been the feeling of utter impotence he had felt...it had been the feeling of being ripped in two...by something...or someone.

~ You can't fight your nature, what you really are...be yourself...let it free...let it live.." and her laughters joining his cries. ~

"Bloody hell!" he mumbled. He knew that voice. He hated what it had been telling him. He hated the fact that, that voice had been talking to him in all of his dreams, lately.

"Yes, luv?" he said, looking down at her. She was so incredibly beautiful and her eyes were always so full of love and trust for him, that he was tempted to look away.

Willow sat on the bed and rested her shoulders against the headboard. She looked at him for some long seconds then hugged her knees to her chest and said, "Not until you tell me what's going on...it can't be indigestion...unless the cow's blood you drank before patrol wasn't good and sorry, shutting up, now...so what's the what?"

"It's nothing, Red...just a bad dream...get back to sleep, now...I'll go and smoke a fag outside..." he said getting up from the bed.

"Naked...and you're not going anywhere Spike...please" she crawled toward the end of the bed and continued, "You woke up screaming...and you made a heck of a rumba while you were asleep...remember? We told each other no more secrets...please... "

Spike looked at her, she really looked worried for him, that was something Spike wasn't used to any more. No one had ever worried for him for a long time.

< What in the bloody hell can I tell her? Oh, it was nothing, luv... just me dreaming of draining you and snapping your neck...get back to sleep now... >

He shook his head and sat next to her sighing. "It was just a really bad dream...nothing to worry your pretty head about..."

"When the man I love wakes up from a dream and he's a basket case, vampire or not I worry...and besides, you've been having bad dreams for weeks...c'mon you can tell me, I'm some kind of authority in bad dreams, by now..." She sought his hand and squeezed it in hers before saying, "I'll tell you what, if you're a good vampire and tell doctor Willow about your bad dream, I'll make hot cocoa with those little marshmallows you like so much...."

Spike smiled at her and gave a little squeeze to her hand before saying, "My demon...took over...and ... I killed you..."

A short silence fell in the room, a silence Spike didn't like, then she covered their joined hands with her other and said, "Bummer..."

He sadly chuckled at her words and asked, "I killed you in my dream and all you can say is 'bummer'?"

"It was a dream, Spike...granted, it sucked, it was horrible...and I'm really sorry it's upsetting you, but it's over, now..."

Spike weakly shook his head and said, "It felt so real..." he didn't tell her about the voice he had heard. He didn't tell her how scared he had been of himself...of losing the tight control he had on his demon.

She circled his shoulders with her arm and said, "It wasn't Spike...listen, would you ever hurt me?"

Spike raised his head and looked at her and without hesitate he answered, "I'd rather take a bath in holy water, Red..."

She wrinkled her nose and said, "Eew...bad image, not you taking a bath, 'cause I like that...and I'm rambling again, sorry..." she squeezed his shoulder with a hand and said, "That's all that matters...Spike, I fell in love with you long before even suspecting you hid a soul somewhere under all that bleach...and besides you told me, I already hit you with a lamp, in this very room once..."

They smiled at each other, Willow rested her head against his shoulder, and sighed against his bare skin. Spike closed his eyes. He could hear Willow's heart beating, had he ever heard such an exciting sound?

He brushed the skin of the back of her neck. it was incredible how soft her skin was, how tiny was she. He squeezed his eyes shut, when details of his nightmare vividly replayed in his mind

~ Her face was in his hands, with no effort he twisted it, snapping her neck, its sound mingled with his cries and that sinister laughter ~

Spike jerked his head up and opened his eyes, barely containing the urge to snarl. He lightly pulled away from Willow and tilting her chin up with a finger he said, "I want you to promise me something, Willow, promise me you will never, ever, hesitate to kill me if something bad happens..."

"I can...I am...look Red, I'm not a saint...sacred duty and pesky soul notwithstanding I've killed human beings... and I've let my demon taking over...but I've never hurt someone I loved...well, except that time I almost choked Dru when Angelus was opening Achatala...and I don't really fancy pulling an Angelus with you...so promise me"

Spike noticed how cracked her voice was. He pulled his hand free from hers and circled her waist with his arm saying, "Red, I may look alive, I may love life...but I'm dead...and I've been dead for a long time.."

"I know that" she whispered. She had heard that phrase so many times when she was under the spell, yet that time it sounded different. There was an intensity in Spike's words that had always lacked before.

She looked into his eyes, she could see the sincerity of the words he had told her, and what he hadn't voiced out loud. She could see it wasn't death he was afraid of. She swallowed and said, "I promise you, Spike...but this doesn't mean I like it..."

Spike shook his head and said, "I'd better come back to my crypt, there are too many windows in this room, and the you killing me part was just a worst case scenario"

She pouted at him, yet her eyes were smiling when she complained, "Men! First they ask you to kill them, then they leave your bed!"

He snorted at her words and tickled her belly. She giggled and tickled him back on his lower back. They soon fell back on the bed, laughing.

Spike just loved the feeling of Willow's tiny body pressed against his. He marveled at how she perfectly fitted in his arms, he loved the feeling of her warm silky skin against his cool one.

He loved her with an intensity that it kept surprising him. He took her face in his hands and long looked at her before saying, "I will never hurt you, Willow..."

She stretched a hand and grazed his soft lips with a finger. She smiled at him before saying, "I know...and I will never hurt you, either, Spike..." she maliciously grinned at him and added, "Unless you ask me very nicely..."

When he finally managed to pull away from her he whispered, "I'd better go, unless you want me to fit into an ashtray"

"Tzk, tzk...pet, watch your language..." he teased her while looking for his jeans that were half hidden under the bed. He shunned his shirt, that Willow threw at him and took it from the floor. He quickly dressed smiling at Willow's appreciative glances and couldn't help asking, "See something you like, luv?"

Spike snorted while he put on his duster. He hated leaving Willow like that, but truth was, she was much safer in her dorm room than his crypt.

He got to the door and opened it, then turned toward the woman and said, "Get back to sleep, luv... "

She was kneeling at the center of the bed, dressed only in one of his shirts, her hair was tousled, her lips were slightly swollen and her eyes bright with the afterglow of their lovemaking and the tears she was adamantly refusing to let fall. Spike's non-existent breath caught in his throat. He smiled at her feeling like the biggest poof on the face of the Earth and not caring about it.

She nodded at him and whispered, " I will...but try to get some sleep, as well Spike..."

He smiled while he exited her room, closing the door behind his shoulders, but his smile quickly faded when he heard Willow's sigh and her muffled sobs.

He wished he could get back in her room, but he could already smell the dawn. He had to hurry, but first he had a phone call to make.

The man's head hung on his shoulders. Strong chains bound him to the wall. He could feel eyes on him, how many creatures were watching him?

How many creatures were waiting for his death, ready to feed on his body like buzzards? He didn't know. He didn't want to know. He just hoped that pain was eventually going to stop.

"Bruce?" a soft female voice called. The man sighed and opened his eyes, he tried to raise his head to look at the creature that had been calling him.

"Are you tired?" the creature said getting close to him. She was beautiful...the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Even when her face changed, shifted in the visage of the demon that kept her body alive, she was still beautiful.

The woman...Electra...that's how she had introduced herself what it looked like a lifetime ago, got close to him, swaying her hips.

She pressed her cool body against his and traced with her tongue a fresh scar on his chest, lapping the blood away.

Had she whipped him? He couldn't remember...he had discovered there was a limit to the pain a body could take before slowly going into oblivion. He had reached it.

Her tongue was licking blood and sweat away from his chest. He tilted his head up and tried to get away from her, the iron of the chains rubbed against his already bruised wrists. He let out a hiss and couldn't help shivering when she let out a delighted chuckle.

She raised her head. Yellow met blue. There was humanity in those eyes. He could see it, she was different from the others...the others that had tasted his blood.

She circled his waist with both her arms and whispered against his face, "Please what?"

"Do you want me to stop the pain?" she asked pulling back from him. She had morphed back in her human visage.

He slowly nodded, not caring about the tears that trailed down his cheeks, taking away some of the blood on them.

She stretched her hands toward him, idly brushing the skin of his bare abdomen with her fingertips.

"Ssh...." She shushed him, she brushed his lips with hers before kissing him, hard.

He felt something ice cold against his chest. He closed his eyes, but wide opened them when a sharp excruciating pain in his chest dazzled him. blood filled his mouth.

While his body went limp that woman held him in a strong grip against her thin body. She avidly drank that blood while her hand sunk in his open chest extracting with a swift movement his heart.

She stepped back. Blood smeared her pale face, rivulets of blood trailed down the hand that was still holding the heart.

She turned and looked around. Vampires were looking at her, dozens of them. She shrugged licking away some blood from her lips with the tip of her tongue and said smiling, "Well, what can I say? I liked him!"

She smiled at the other vampires and pointed at one of them with her eyes. The vampire got close to her he held a silver box in his hands. He opened it and waited as Electra carefully placed the heart in the box.

She took the box from his hands and without even looking at him said, "Ditch the body where I instructed you..."

She got past the other vampires, not even waiting for his answer. She knew they were going to obey her, all of them.

She half hoped, though, that some of them questioned her methods. It had been ages since the last time she had played with a vampire...that if she didn't count, the Eletti she was going to pay a visit to.

"Let's put this show on the road, William...." she whispered, a smile creeping on her lips.

"So, how are things in watcher's heaven?" Willow asked Buffy It was a warm afternoon. They were in the campus cafeteria. Both Buffy and Willow had realized they hadn't spent much time together lately, apart from research and studies, and they had both agreed to spend some time together for serious best friend's talk.

The Slayer grinned at her best friend and said, "They're of the good...more than good, they're perfect!"

"I see..." Willow replied smiling. She was so happy for Buffy and Giles. She didn't know two people who deserved more to be loved and happy than her two friends. She had known the truth about Buffy's feelings long before her best friend even acknowledged them.

After all one couldn't spend half of her life in love with her best friend without learning to notice even the little details other people usually overlooked.

"And how about you? How are things going with the bleached wonder?" Buffy asked smiling.

"Too much information, Will...I'm glad I've been spending my nights at Rupert's" she joked before sipping her latte.

There was and edge in her voice, though, that didn't go unnoticed on Buffy, who asked, "What happened?"

"He's having nightmares, a few nights ago he dreamed he had killed me...since then well, he's been acting strange" she said shaking her head.

She was used by now to Spike's vivid dreams. She hadn't ever suspected vampires dreamt so much. She was beginning to really worry about them, they were getting more frequent, and uglier, although Spike wouldn't have ever admitted that, she was sure he was frightened by them.

"Let's see he dreamed he killed you and he wigged out? Gee, I wonder why..." Buffy's remark, distracted from her thoughts. Willow arched an eyebrow at her and Buffy rested her elbows on the table softly saying, "Will, Spike loves you so much it's not even funny...when we were in the galleries ...I saw, I felt how much he loves you. He would never hurt you..."

"I know, but I feel like he didn't tell me anything and there's something else, when he woke up from that nightmare... he asked me to kill him, should something bad happen...he claims he doesn't want to pull an Angelus with me..."

Buffy blinked at her friend's words, images of Angel coming up in her mind. She closed her eyes. Although he had learned to trust Spike and was now friend with him, she couldn't shake away her fear for her best friend. She knew first hand how such a relationship could be painful. She swallowed and said, "He still doesn't pull punches, does he?"

Willow shook her head and tiredly rubbed her eyes with her hands, before saying, "Watching him die while I was under that spell, almost killed me, Buffy. I don't know whether I could make it in real life"

Buffy stretched a hand on the table and lightly squeezed her best friend's and softly said, "That won't ever happen. He had a few nightmares and he freaked out..."

"Way to go with the understatements, Buff...." Willow said. How could she explain to her, how slowly but unceasingly those nightmares were consuming Spike? More than once for the last days she had surprised him watching her with an unreadable expression in his eyes. More than once, she'd woken up finding her bed...their bed empty, only to find Spike smoking outside, his face, paler than usual.

He looked like he was afraid of himself...of what he could do to her...yet she hadn't been afraid for herself, she trusted him with her life, she knew he wouldn't ever hurt her. It had been the haunted look in his eyes that had frightened her.

"Will?" Buffy said shaking Willow from her thoughts "Look, having nightmares in our line of job is one of the sucking side effects...and as Eric told me, under all that bleach there's a good heart..."

Willow grinned at her best friend and said, "You know, Buff? If it wasn't that you're *so* taken I would be almost jealous...you bonded waaaay to much in the galleries...."

Buffy grinned back at her, while with her mind's eyes she saw herself being hesitantly comforted by Spike after she had almost killed that woman.

"One day, I'll tell you all the gory details of our bonding trip in the galleries..." she checked her watch and said, "But not today, Rupert is waiting for us home in less than a hour...by the way, we could talk to him about Spike's nightmares"

Willow nodded, feeling the weight on her shoulder less heavy. She smiled at her friend, relieved.

They were at the cafeteria's door when arching her eyebrows at her asked, "Buffy, do you realize, you called Giles' apartment home?"

"I know, I know...I've got it bad for my watcher...." She said, happily sighing.

Buffy stuck her tongue at her and together they left the cafeteria. They didn't notice, the car with painted windows and the woman inside it looking at them, with a predator smile on her face.

"Rise and shine, William..." a female voice said, shaking Spike away from his drowsiness .

"You're getting old, William...didn't they teach us to be always alert?" the female voice said. The woman came out from the shadows of his crypt.

"Electra?" Spike said surprised. Last time he had seen that woman, it had been in Rome, almost a century before, but he would have recognized her everywhere. He was surprised the Eletti hadn't ever asked him to stop her, since she was one of the cruelest vampires he had ever met.

The woman smiled at him, while getting close to him "The one and only..." she said. There was amusement in her voice. Spike blinked recognizing in her voice, that of his nightmares.

He narrowed his eyes and looked at her. The woman was looking around, there was laughter in her emerald green eyes, she moved with grace around his crypt, yet her movements had always reminded Spike those of a predator, a dangerous predator.

"Aren't you going to ask me why am I here, William?" the woman said turning to look at him. Spike noticed she was holding her hands behind her back

Electra shrugged and sitting next to him on his makeshift bed she said, "Don't you remember Rome, William? What was it 1910? Your lovely Drusilla told me, your house was always going to be mine if I needed it...and besides you are technically dead, I don't need to be invited in..."

"Are you going to tell me what are you doing here, or are we just going to talk effin semantics?" Spike hissed.

"Oh, William is that the way to greet an old friend? A peer?" the woman said pouting at him.

"Aren't we?" the woman asked. "By the way I came here even to tell you, you did a very good job with the heta7tanatos..."

"I don't know what are you talking about" Spike said looking straight in her eyes.

Electra laughed at his words and shook her head, "What was that lesson number three? Learn to tell blatant lies, looking your enemies straight in the eyes? I hated that part..."

He snorted and opened the box. Surrounded by what it looked like vampire's ashes there was a human's heart.

He didn't even realize he had morphed in his game face, he had to resist the urge to take that heart in his hands and drain it from the blood she could still smell in it.

He shook his head. He had been so surprised, both by the macoachre gift and by his first reaction to it, that he didn't even notice that Electra had gotten up from the bed and had headed toward the door, her voice made him start.

"Poor Bruce...he kept begging for life until I just ripped his heart out of his chest....it's been fun...see you around, Spike!" she happily quipped and turned her back at him, she took some steps then turned again, she had morphed in her game face, she practically growled when she said, "You stopped me once, try that again and next time it will be your bitch's heart...and your gheraious' ashes...in a silver box"

If Spike had had a heart it would have stopped beating when she softly added, "Unless you want to stop denying your nature, what you really are. Don't you remember William? Be yourself...let it free...let it live.."

She winked at him and left his crypt, laughing. The clinch of her heels ticking on the floor, the only sound in his crypt.

Spike closed his eyes, tightening his grip around the box, he didn't even realize he had morphed in his game face.

But first he had to have a long talk to his gheraious, Eric, it was time he explained some things to him.

Giles' living room was crowded with people. His house was now, more than ever their hang out place, or as Xander always called it, "The Scooby's Central" it was there they researched, trained or simply relaxed.

They were all sprawled in various places in the living room, all of them waiting for Giles to come back from the kitchenette.

Xander and Anya were on the stairs, already with books in their hands, Willow and Spike were both sitting on the couch , Willow cross legged was typing on her laptop, while Spike was reading on a big tome. Buffy was working out on the floor but when Giles returned in the living room, they all stopped their activities and as one looked at the man, Buffy gracefully rose on her feet and helped him with the tray.

Giles nodded at her and sat on an armchair, while Buffy sat on the floor at his feet hugging her knees against her chest.

"So, G-Man, what's the what? We've been pretty quiet since the failed hetawhatever"

"Heta7tanatos Xander, and don't call me that..." Giles said, he looked around, Spike was looking at him. He had been the first one to arrive at his house, and he hadn't uttered a single word, he had just logged on the net, using Willow's laptop and had worked on the computer, until the red-head had arrived.

Giles arched an eyebrow at him and Spike silently nodded at him before saying, "I think I know, why the watcher called us here..."

"An article on this morning's newspaper caught my attention" he took some sheets from the coffee table and handed them to Willow who passed them to the others.

"So, a guy has been killed...and that's supposed to regard us how?" Xander asked, after he read the sheet.

"His heart has been ripped out from his chest, am I right, Rupert?" Spike asked.

Giles looked at Willow who nodded at him, then at Spike and said, "How do you know that?"

"Her...it's a woman." He got up from the couch and started pacing the room before saying, "Six months ago, one of the Eletti, a woman, was sent to France, she had to contact a dangerous master vampire and stop him from opening one of the Hellmouths, three months ago she disappeared just after stopping him, since then strange things happened...things that led to the failed heta7tanatos we faced last month. Two weeks ago, this...creature, has been spotted by one of our agents, last week her gheraious..."

"It's a term we use for our trainers...it means elderly, anyway, her ghearious disappeared...word is among the Eletti that she has lost her soul...her name is Electra...there should be something in the Watcher's diaries..."

"Electra is an Eletti?" Giles asked surprised. He had read about her while he had been training, she was one of the cruelest vampires known in history.

"I was as surprised as you are when they confirmed it...I met her once and wondered why she hadn't been stopped by one of us..." Spike said.

"You...you said she has lost her soul, is it possible? I thought it was permanent..." Buffy asked. to say she was surprised meant using an euphemism.

Spike shrugged, "It looks like it isn't after all..." he swallowed, forcing himself not to look at Willow although he could feel her eyes on him, that wasn't the moment to let his feelings cloud his judgment.

"Because I know her, because that's her style...and because she paid a visit to me this afternoon..."

He took from the floor his backpack, and extracted from it, the silver box Electra had given to him and placed it on the coffee table.

"Her ghearious' ashes and that man's heart" Spike said. He looked around at the people in the room, who were very quiet and exchanged glances.

It was Buffy who broke the silence saying, "Well, ok she isn't very sane, but she's a vampire, Spike...she shouldn't be that difficult to kill..." she shrugged and added, "a stake through the heart, beheading...take your pick...and I'm your girl!"

Spike smiled at her words. He wished things were that simple. She wasn't just a vampire...she was the vampire who currently held him for his balls, screwing with his head...pushing him on the edge.

"What did she tell you?" Willow asked raising her head from the sheet she had been observing.

"She told you something...and there is something else, I think she's targeting you...that guy's body was found near the factory...and take a look at that man's picture, there's a slight resemblance..."

Spike nodded at her, he had reached the same conclusions. He looked at her and didn't catch any trace of fear or doubts on her face, she just seemed concerned about him.

Spike turned and looked at Giles, the man looked back at him before asking, "What do you think she will do, next?"

"She'll gather as many vampires as possible...she'll build an army and attempt to do what she failed last month..."

"Duh much?" Buffy mumbled. She looked at Spike and said, "she could expose all of you..."

Spike just nodded at her. He didn't worry about his cover. The local demons in Sunnydale already knew he was working with the Slayer, although they probably thought it was because he had fallen in love with a human...he feared for the other Eletti...he didn't even want to imagine what could happen if Electra exposed the existence of the Eletti.

He got at the center of the living room and looked at all of them before saying, "Red is right, Electra has targeted me...but I'm not her only target, we all are. All the people who stopped heta7tanatos are...it goes without saying...you'll all have to be extremely careful in the following days..."

"Are you talking about your dreams? Spike they were just dreams!" Willow exclaimed getting up from the couch and approaching him.

Spike took a step back, not letting her touch him and said, "I know they were dreams...it's the fact she's using them to get me which worries me...it looks like she learned some neat tricks from the demon that kidnapped you..."

Willow opened her mouth to say something, but closed it and shook her head when they heard a knock on the door. They were looking at each other, totally oblivious of the other occupants of the room, until Xander said, "I'll get it...."

Only then did they glance away, Spike nodded at Xander, feeling he already knew who it was at the door.

Spike shook his head, "Yes, but they had already decided to send him here...they think I'm too emotionally involved, and they're right..."

Willow was about to say something when Eric approached them, he was wearing jeans and a grey sweater.

Willow blinked. She had never met Eric, when she had been under the spell, the closer contact she had had with the vampire had been through Xander. From what her friends had told her about him she had expected someone completely different, not that young looking man, with a gentle smile and soulful almond-shaped brown eyes.

"William, it's good to see you, again...." The vampire said. He smiled at Willow and said, "It's good to finally meet you, Willow"

Willow looked at both Spike and Eric and smiled, her smile quickly faded, though when she said, "Do you know what's going on, don't you?"

"She came to my crypt this afternoon and brought me a present" Spike said in a low voice, pointing with his eyes at the silver box on the coffee table.

Eric nodded at him and approached the coffee table, he knelt and opened the box. He didn't even flinch. He just cocked and eyebrow and turned to look at Spike saying, "I presume those are her gheraious' ashes..."

"Well, at least we now know what happened to him...hmm....any idea to whose heart is this?"

"Let me guess, did he have a remarkably resemblance to our William?" Eric asked.

Spike nodded at Willow then turned toward Eric saying, "It's her, Eric...she told me..."

"It figures, she likes playing these games..." Eric said getting on his feet, "what did she tell you?"

Spike looked briefly at Willow then at Eric and said, "Oh, you know the usual...don't deny your true nature, let your demon free...let it live...try to stop me again and next time it will be your bitch's heart and your gheraious ashes you'll find in a box..."

Eric just cocked and eyebrow at him and shook his head, "What a honey..." he mumbled. Eric looked at Spike and said, "Well, the orders are clear...we have to stop her, she hasn't spread the word yet, but it's just a matter of time..."

Spike interrupted him asking, "Speaking of which...may I know why in the bloody hell didn't you tell me it was Electra the Eletti who had blown her cover?"

"Oh, sod off! We were facing a heta7tanatos...our covers had already blown with the Slayer and her chums but you couldn't tell me that crazy bitch was an Eletti?"

"Well guess what? She wasn't! You know what, Eric? I'm sick of being left out...I had to be informed there was a heta7tanatos in motion by a sodding trainee!"

"What do you want to know, William?" Eric asked, he didn't seem concerned about Spike's outburst.

Xander was looking at both of them, he had seen Spike furious, or at least he had believed he had, he wasn't prepared to the cold fury that exuded from the bleached-blonde vampire. He hadn't raised his voice, he hadn't even morphed in his game face...but for the first time since he had been chipped Xander was scared of him. It was the look in his eyes, the coldness in his voice that scared him.

He knew about his real identity as all the Scoobies did, but he had never had a glimpse of the real Spike, of the Eletti, who had carried a double identity for more than a century...he was seeing it now...and he was scared by him.

"I want to know everything, Eric...I want to know who her gheraious was, who was the master she had been sent to stop, what she had written in her last report. I want to know how in the bloody hell she's getting into my head! I swear it to you, Eric...if any of them get hurt because of the sodding rules....the next on the list is going to be you!"

Spike pursed his lips and lightly nodded. He had clenched his hands in fists while talking and both Xander and Eric noticed the blood that was spilling from them on the floor, Spike though didn't even seem to notice that.

"Look William, if punching me is going to make you feel better, and help you focus on the task on hand then go ahead....but I'd suggest we focused our energies on other less trivial things, don't you agree?"

Willow looked at Spike. The blonde vampire looked shaken, his jaws were clenched, she resisted the urge to get close to him and touch him, she stifled a sigh when he nodded and said , "Of course, you tosser...what do you suggest?"

"Well..." Buffy said interrupting them, "I say we should find her and stake her..."

She looked around they were all looking at her, the duh, although not spoken, was clearly heard in the room, she shrugged and said, "Do you have a better idea?"

Eric and Spike looked at each other, then at Buffy and shook their heads. Eric looked at Spike and asked, "Do you have any idea about her whereabouts?"

"Here in Sunnydale? It shouldn't be that difficult...one of the abandoned factories...or warehouses" Buffy said, "Vampires usually hide there..."

Giles who had been silent during all the exchange said, "I agree...if I recall correctly, she has always preferred much more luxurious places to live in..."

Spike nodded at Giles and said, "She has probably settled in a house, one in the upper class side of Sunnydale..."

"What about we tried to locate her with a spell? It's much simpler than keep wondering where she could be" Willow said.

Eric nodded at Willow's words. Spike had informed him over the years about Willow's progresses in Witchcraft and he could feel how powerful she was becoming. he smiled at her and said, "Good idea, I'd say we should start, then...we have to stop her!"

"I can't believe it...a mansion? How is that for living the cliché?" Buffy wondered aloud.

Willow and Eric had just completed the location spell. They had been surprised when they had found out Electra's hiding place ...a mansion.

Spike couldn't help smiling at Buffy's words. They were loading bags with weapons, ready to go and fight Electra. They had already established much to Willow and Giles' disappointment that Eric, Buffy and he, were going to be the only ones to go to that mansion.

He took a look at Eric, he was lightly frowning while looking at the map they had laid down on the floor.

"What is it, Eric?" Spike asked, although he already knew the answer, he had been thinking the same things.

"The Slayer is right...it's too cliched...too simple. It just smells like a trap..." Eric looked at him and shrugged, "I don't like it...Electra probably knows protection spells, yet we haven't had troubles in tracking her..."

Spike nodded, "I know...it's just like she wants us there..." he shrugged and added smiling, "and we don't want to disappoint that cow, do we?"

"Am I the only one who's wigging out seeing the two of them smiling? " Xander asked looking first at the two vampires then at his friends. He was still sitting on the stairs, he had barely been able to hide his disappointment when Eric hadn't asked for his help, especially after what had happened a month before.

Buffy and Giles were next to Spike, they were looking at each other, it looked like a silent conversation was going on between the two of them. Willow was putting away the components of the spell, a strange frown marring her brow.

Anya who had been silent 'til that moment said, "Oh, I don't know Xander, they look kinda cute..."

Xander shot a look at her girlfriend, she smiled and added, "In a wigging out kinda of way..."

Willow smiled at her friends' words, but her smile faded when looking at Spike said, "You are going to fall for her trap, aren't you?"

"We have to stop her, Red...I should have staked her, when she got in my crypt this afternoon..." Spike said matter-of-factly.

Spike didn't answer her, he swallowed and turned his back at her, closing one of the bags. From the corner of his eyes he could see Buffy looking at him.

He couldn't tell them, he had been so surprised by his reaction to her macoachre gift and by what she had told him that he hadn't had the chance to do anything.

Buffy though, seemed to feel that because she said, "It doesn't matter now, don't you think? She wants us there, and we'll happily oblige!"

Eric looked at Buffy. He could feel her power, he was getting strange vibes from her.

He thought. He could feel Spike's eyes on him, he turned and looked at him, he shrugged at him, deciding he was going to talk to him about the Slayer after they stopped Electra.

"I guess it's time to go..." Buffy said closing her bag. She turned toward Giles, the man was next to her, she smiled at him but didn't say anything. Giles smiled back at her. He stretched a hand and took hers in his, squeezing it. he looked at her for some long seconds before saying, "Do be careful, Buffy..."

Buffy nodded at him. She could see in his eyes, how worried he was for her. She knew they had willingly chosen to fall for Electra's trap, but she felt they had to stop her, not matter what. It wasn't just for the possibility she could expose the other Eletti...Spike's words about his dreams, and the look in both his eyes and Willow's had scared her.

Eric nodded at her, then looked at Spike, the younger vampire was looking at his red-head. He wasn't talking and neither was she. They were just looking at each other, their feelings evident on both their faces.

He could almost hear the words they were silently exchanging. Although Spike was trying his best to keep up his facade, he could clearly see how scared he was both for himself and for the red-head.

He barely resisted the urge to unnecessarily sigh and shook his head. He turned toward Xander asking, "How do you feel about helping us?"

Xander blinked, surprised, but nodded and got up from the stairs, he looked down at Anya and asked, "Is that ok for you, An?"

The former demon shrugged and stretched her hand, squeezing Xander's before saying, "I know you want to...just be careful..."

Xander nodded and smiled at her, wondering for a second when Anya had changed so much, he was so proud of her, he knelt next to her and softly kissed her lips before saying, "I love you..."

Spike looked at them. He knew Eric and how he'd been impressed by Xander's potential and by the courage showed by the young man, during the attempted heta7tanatos. He made a mental note to himself to talk to Eric about it when they were alone.

Eric headed to the door, followed by Xander and Buffy. Spike stood still at the center of the living room, oblivious of Giles and Anya's eyes on him. His gaze was still locked with Willow's. The red-head smiled at him but he could feel how worried and afraid she was...for him.

He smiled back at her then turned, heading to the door, wondering why just like in his dreams, he felt like he was being ripped in two.

He swallowed, steeling himself. He looked at Eric, the older vampire nodded at him and whispered, "Block anything else out, William...we have to stop her..."

Eric nodded and said, "Alright...oh, how do you feel about having me as your room mate for a while after we stop our honey?"

Spike snorted and almost growled, "Oh, joy! First the threats to the Eletti, then to my girlfriend, then to me and now you're going to live with me...Electra is going down...that's a promise...and Eric? Gheraious or not you're sleeping on the floor!"

"I hoped you were more of a challenge, William...I'm deeply disappointed!" Electra said shaking her head while looking at Spike and his friends through the Solomon's Mirror.

It was one of the first things she'd learned from her European friends, a simple iron plate, adjusted with two or three words repeated like a mantra for a while could work magic....literally. She was surprised that none of the magic users among them had noticed it. She let out a chuckle, they had been so busy in trying to locate her...they were right about one thing, though.

It was a trap...she smiled when she thought that none of them had the faintest idea about what was going to happen, though.

She covered the mirror with a blue velvet sheet and began to pace her room, thinking, waiting.

She'd always felt the strength of those hidden powers, the sheer joy of manipulating the facts, the objects, the people. The strength derived from saying few words, which contained a power able to bend the four elements. She hadn't used them, though. She had relied on her strength, on her training as Eletti. She hadn't dared using her powers...until she had been freed. Only then had she really felt them for the first time, they had engulfed her, they had made her see things, things she had never noticed
before.

She had been utterly surprised when she had discovered Spike was one of the Eletti. When she had known him, almost a century before she hadn't been able to sense it. She had just wondered at why she hadn't been asked to stop him, she had been surprised just by how one of the more sadist vampires she had ever known could be such a caring lover for his mate.

She had spied on him since she had arrived to Sunnydale. She had known about his love for the red-headed human. He had defied the orders and blown his cover to save her.

She had been told about them, but she had wanted to see it with her own eyes...only then she had been able to make sense of things.

He had power within him, the power of an utter, soulful love which wrapped him up like an armor

She had sensed the tight control he kept on his demon, she had sensed the nobility of his soul and had marveled at the idea to bend it.

"From an autumn at the end of the century a knight will be borne. His armor will be blood, his condemnation, duty, his faith, lies." she whispered, smiling. The words as melodious as music
on her ears.

A loud thud echoed in the mansion. Electra smiled while she approached a table in her room. She took a little oak box from it and opened it smiling at its content.

A thought kept echoing in Buffy's mind while she was fighting and she could feel it was what they all were thinking.

Not that the vampires they were fighting, hadn't been giving them a hard time, on the contrary, but she was surprised they hadn't found yet a big banner with the word trap written in capital letters all over it.

She dusted the vampire that had been attaching her and couldn't help saying, "Ok, enough with the waiting already!"

She turned toward Eric, she hadn't seen him fighting while they had been in the galleries and she had to admit she was impressed by his fighting style. He easily moved, dusting vampires without effort, his face the very picture of calm, Buffy realized she had never seen his demon face. If it wasn't for the fact that he didn't have a heart beat and had super-human strength she wouldn't have ever believed that young looking man was a vampire. Eric dusted another vampire, beheading him, covering at the same time Xander's back.

She looked around, they had dusted almost all the vampires in the hall, some of them had been able to run away.

She looked around, Spike was still fighting one of the vampires. He had just dusted him when from behind his shoulders seemingly from nowhere appeared a woman.

It all happened so quickly she didn't have time to move. The woman threw something at Spike. she glimpsed a little blue stiletto piercing Spike's neck.

She turned toward him, he had knelt on the floor. A rivulet of blood was trailing a path down his neck, the blue stiletto had disappeared, a blue liquid was flowing together with blood, creating a violet nuance.

Spike raised his head, he was paler than usual, his lips were livid, he opened his mouth to speak but only a cry came out, Buffy couldn't help gasping when she noticed that blood poured out from his mouth.

Buffy raised her head with a jerk, meeting the woman's green eyes. She took a step forward toward her, but was thrown back and fell on her shoulders, she was next to Spike, now. She quickly rose on her feet and turned, Eric was next to her, he took a step toward the woman and asked, "What did you do to him, Electra?"

She evilly smiled at him and shrugged before saying, "Ever heard of the La mort au soleil poison?"

Eric was about to answer, but Electra stopped him saying, "As much as I wish we got acquainted with each other, I suggest you brought him to his red-head..." she paused then added with a smile, "to say good bye to her..."

Eric looked at her and cocked and crossed his arms over his chest, ignoring Spike's weak cries and asked, "What game are you playing, Electra?"

She laughed at his words and shook her head, "Wouldn't you like to know? See you around, gheraious..."

She took a step back without turning her back to him and just as she had arrived some minutes ago, she disappeared.

"Why didn't you fight her?" Buffy asked. She was kneeling next to Spike, she had put his head on her thighs, he was curled up in a fetal position, he was shivering.

"It doesn't matter now, we'll think about her later...right now, we have to take him back to the Watcher's" he said, kneeling next to them. He took Spike's face in both his hands

Spike's eyes opened, he swallowed and said, "Tell me, there is a...an antidote..."

Spike let out a weak chuckle and whispered, "Y...you know, Eric? To be an Eletti you are...a terrible...l...liar..."

Spike shook his head no, he closed his eyes but Eric forced them open saying, "Don't close your eyes...do you hear me, William?"

"Don't you dare closing your eyes William Appleton, that's an order!" he said in a firm voice. He looked up at Buffy and Xander who had got close to them and said, "We need to bring him out of here...now!"

Buffy and Xander took Spike for his arms and quickly carried him outside the mansion, Eric slowly rose on his feet, he looked around and said in a low voice, "I know you can hear me, I know you're still here...I can feel you...I don't know which game are you playing Electra, but I warn you, you're not going to win..."

He turned and quickly headed outside the mansion. He couldn't see Electra coming out from a corner and saying, "That depends, my boy...that depends... "

"What the hell happened?" Willow asked when Buffy and Xander entered Giles apartment, carrying a barely conscious Spike in their arms.

"That cow poisoned him" Buffy explained, helping Xander in settling Spike on the couch.

"Poisoned? How?" Willow asked, kneeling in front of the couch, taking Spike's ice-cold hands in hers.

"There was a stiletto she threw it at him...it was poisoned..." Xander said in a low voice.

"She had some kind of shield around her, I was thrown back...when I charged her... " Buffy said shaking her head, she felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned around, Giles was next to her, he weakly smiled at her. She shook her head, never had she imagined she could be that worried for Spike.

It was like that poison was weakly burning him from the inside out. Never had she seen him that weak. She could see he was trying to fight whatever was happening to him, but it was evident he was losing.

Buffy shook her head and said, "He's outside, he's taking something from his car...."

"Which kind of poison was that?" Willow asked, touching Spike's face. He was in his game face, his eyes were wide open, his pupils were fully expanded, he was growling.

Willow shot her head up and flashed him an angry look before hissing, "Which kind of poison did she use?"

"She said something in French...something about the sun" Buffy said shaking her head.

"Death ...in t...the s...sun..." Spike weakly growled. He shook his head fighting to morph back in his human face, he tilted his head on a side and said, "H...he's right...s...stay away fr...from me, Red..."

Spike shook his head and swallowed hard, Willow turned when she heard the door opening, Eric quickly approached them, Willow looked at him asking, "Which kind of poison did she use?"

"It's called La mort au soleil...it takes from twenty four to thirty six hours to kill the vampire...it slowly burns the body from the inside out" Eric explained getting at the center of the living room.

"Do you have the antidote?" Willow asked. She refused to think there wasn't an antidote to that poison. She refused to consider the possibility of Spike's death.

Eric nodded, they all noticed the grim look on his face, he knelt next to Willow and touched Spike's forehead saying, "There is only one antidote..."

"It's not that simple...the only antidote to this poison is William's blood" Eric said in a low voice.

"Uh?" Xander said blankly, he looked at his friends and continued, "That's it? Couldn't he just cut his wrist and drink from it?"

"Again I go with a uh? What do you mean his *human* blood? How the hell can we give him his human blood?" Xander asked.

"Sending someone back in time to retrieve it, I think." Giles said in a low voice.

Eric looked up at him and murmured, "Exactly...and I've been given precise orders, not to do anything about it..."

"You're telling me you're going to obey these orders?" Buffy asked looking at him.

Eric swallowed but didn't say anything. He kept looking at Spike, on his face was evident the pain he was going through, he was fighting the pain, he could see he was fighting the urge to close hie eyes and give up.

He had to squeeze his eyes shut trying to get away from the images that were forming in his head. He could still see the blood, could still hear her labored breath and her words.

Eric swallowed, blocking away his memories. Spike hadn't been the first Eletti Eric had trained, he hadn't been the first he had become friend with, but he was the only one he would lay down his life for. He was the only one left for him. He turned to look at Buffy and said, "Not on their unlives..."

Eric and Giles looked at each other, Eric arched an eyebrow at him, Giles slightly nodded, Eric shrugged and said, "Rupert and I are going to cast a spell and send one of you back in time"

"Because I need you here, and because you're the Slayer, we're supposed to protect you, not the other way around"

Buffy arched an eyebrow at him, she got close to him and looked at him for some seconds before saying, "I bet you're good at poker, ain't you, Eric? Yet, why do I feel you're not telling me everything?"

"We don't have time for this, Slayer...one of you is going to go back in time, and it's not going to be you....and besides" he added with a half grin, "I bet, William wants you to kick Electra's ass "

"I'll go..." Willow said, she started when Spike's hand that had been lightly squeezing hers went limp, "Oh, God..." she whispered, "Spike? Can you hear me? Spike?" she raised her head and looked at Eric, "Do something, please..."

Eric knelt in front of Spike, he grabbed his shirt and pulled its scruff down, the exposed part of his chest was covered in burns, he shook his head and turned toward Giles saying, "We don't have much time left, we need to cast the spell now...." he stopped talking when he heard Willow exiting the living room, and opening the door that led to the terrace.

Eric shook his head and said, "Don't worry about that...Xander? Could you please, take my bag from my car?" he rummaged in his jeans' pockets and tossed the keys at him, then turned saying, "I'll go and talk to Willow...."

Eric jerked his head on her side and for an instant Buffy could glimpse the demon behind his cool exterior, it lasted just a second because Eric softly said, "No...you help Xander, please...."

Buffy nodded and followed Xander outside, Eric looked at Spike for a second before shaking his head.

They would save him...and Electra was going to pay for what she had done to him...for what she was doing to all of them...even if that was the last thing he did.

Willow was sure she had been sucked in one of her nightmares. When she had seen the burns on Spike's skin and the pain that had etched his face she had run away.

She was in the terrace, sitting on the table. She looked around, recalling for an instant a part of his nightmare...Spike and she had made love in that terrace, once...and a few nights before, they had kissed, while sitting on that very table.

It couldn't be true...it couldn't be possible. She felt like she was going crazy. She sighed, hiding her face in her hands. She had volunteered to go back in time to take William's blood. Eric hadn't told her anything about it, but she knew in her heart that no one would stop her.

She was afraid, though...she had researched a lot on spells about time while she had been stuck in her worst nightmare...and she knew that even a word, a gesture could change history.

Willow started, jerking her head on her right, toward his voice. Eric was sitting next to her. She sighed and said, "I didn't hear you coming...."

Willow shook her head, "I don't want him to die...and he's in so much pain...I can feel it..."

"I know..." Eric said in a low voice, "I don't want him to die, either...but are you really sure you want to go?"

"How can you ask me this? Of course I'm sure...I'd give my life for him!" she exclaimed, blinking at her own words.

Eric nodded, "I know...and William would do the same for you...and that's my point...do you realize what's going to happen? He loves you now...and he will probably fall in love with you in the past...you could change history...you could change him..."

"I was thinking about that..." she said in a low voice, she looked at him and said, "do something...I don't want to jeopardize him...and his calling...I just want to save him...help me"

Eric looked back at her for some seconds, he pursed his lips then said, "There is a way....there is a spell...but I won't lie to you, it's dangerous, Willow...I might not be able to undo it..."

She shook her head and said, "It doesn't matter, whatever it is, I'll take the risk..."

Eric closed his eyes for a second and shook his head, when he opened his eyes said, "Alright...we'd better go, then..."

They both got up, Willow quickly headed toward the door, Eric's voice stopped her when he said, "Wait..."

Willow turned, Eric got close to her and said, "I have to give you something..."

He stretched his hand toward her and opened his palm, there was a silver chain nestled in it with a little heart shaped bottle at its extremity, "It's a perfume-case...well, sort of...William will have to willingly give you his blood...keep it in there... "

Willow nodded taking the chain from Eric's hand and said, "Keep him alive...sort of...until I come back"

While she went back in the living room he couldn't help whispering, "I hope you can forgive me...."

He was burning from the inside out. Not even his training, Angelus' tortures had prepared him for that kind of pain. It was slowly consuming him. He could feel the poison flowing within him, slowly burning anything it found on its way.

He could hear voices, there was a strange edge in Eric's deep one. If he hadn't known him better, he would have said he was scared.

....if Eric was scared, things were going to hell in a hand basket. Yet, he didn't seem to mind...the only thing he could focus on was his pain...and the way to fight it....the way to stop feeling it.

He knew he was losing that battle, but that didn't mean he was going to stop fighting...he just wished he had the strength to open his eyes and tell to all of them to shut the hell up.

He lightly started when he felt moisture on his face. someone was sponging his face, washing away blood and sweat.

"I'm here" Willow said. He could hear tears in her voice. He could feel her little hand squeezing his.

"I know, love...I know..." she said in a nasal voice, he could hear her gasping for breath and adding, "but it's going to be okay, I promise you..."

Spike nodded, managing a weak smile, through his chapped lips. He wanted to open his eyes...why it was so difficult for him to do so? He wanted to see her.

Willow seemed to sense his feelings because she said, "Don't give up...do you hear me, Spike? Promise me you won't give up!"

Spike forced his eyes open, although his sight was blurred, it was like he was seeing her for the first time.

She was kneeling in front of him...and she was beautiful, he didn't have other words to describe her. Had her hair always been of that glorious red? Had her skin ever been so perfect, so pale? Had her eyes ever been so bright green? In her eyes he could clearly see all the love she felt for him.

Willow smiled at him, she stretched toward him and brushed his lips with hers, whispering then against his face, "I love you..."

She let go of his hand and slowly rose on her feet, Spike though, lightly grabbed her wrist saying, "Willow?"

She smiled at him, through the tears and nodded, she took his hand in hers for a second and said, "I know...now just rest..."

Spike closed his eyes, the last thing he heard before, pain once again engulfed him was Willow's voice telling Eric, "I'm ready..."

They had drawn a circle on the floor, Willow was at its center, she looked at Eric and nodded at him. the dark haired vampire weakly smiled at her, and handed her a white envelope before saying, "Should you meet me... "

Willow nodded taking the envelope and putting it in her jeans pocket, "I'll give it to you..."

The air in the circle filled with electricity, slowly at first then growing in intensity, a golden whirlwind engulfed Willow.

Giles blinked while he heard Eric's chanting. He didn't lose concentration, though, he kept chanting, helping Eric sending Willow back in time...in 1880, the year William had been turned.

The light in the whirlwind seemed to expand lighting all the living room in golden light. Flickers of blue and green were seeping through the golden light. They all closed their eyes, but Eric and Giles kept chanting.

The air in the living room became still. They all opened their eyes. The space within the circle where Willow had been was empty.

*~~*~~*~~*~~*
Willow had felt her skin burning during the spell. She had been breathless for some seconds, then had closed her eyes and let the spell work.

She had expected to fall out of the blue, and landing on the ground, instead when she had opened her eyes she had found herself...in a graveyard. It was dimly lit both by some street lamps and by the full moon.

She opened her mouth to speak aloud, but soon found out she couldn't utter a sound.

<Well? What did you expect? It's London, Willow...it's probably winter...and you're only wearing a shirt and a pair of jeans...>

She took some steps taking from the back pocket of her jeans a cross. She looked around, she had to go out from that graveyard and look for Spike

< William...you've got to remember that...now if only I don't meet any vampires everything it's going to be perfect>

She gasped when she heard a low growl coming from behind her shoulders. She sighed and quickened her pace, looking around for ways of escape

She kept repeating to herself. The creature grabbed her shoulders, she felt her bones dangerously close to cracking.

The creature turned her around. She was face to face with him. Four years of experience on the Hellmouth told her two things.

She steeled herself, and pressed the cross she had been holding in her hand over the vampire's stomach.

He let go of her shoulders, hissing in pain. Willow fell on her back and quickly scrambled on her feet, her shoulders hurt but she didn't even seem to care, she started to run, trying not to let the panic swallowing her.

One thing was running for her life in Sunnydale's graveyards, with Buffy or Spike...or even Xander, in the twenty-first century, in graveyards she had gotten to known as her own palms...another matter altogether was running for her life in a graveyard in the Victorian England, alone

She could hear the vampire running after her, he was closer, she turned to a curve on her right only to find a huge mausoleum which obstructed the passage.

She silently swore. The vampire was behind her. She sighed, taking in deep breaths.

"I say" the vampire spoke for the first time, half growling, "this is where you stop..."

Giles looked at Eric, he was very pale, it looked like he could barely stand on his legs, he turned toward Xander saying, "Take some blood from the fridge...Eric needs it"

"*You* will need it more...especially if you don't tell me why the hell did you cast that spell on Willow!" Giles hissed taking a step toward him.

"I really don't have time for this, Rupert" Eric said in a low voice. He should have expected the former Watcher would have recognized the spell.

"Interestingly enough, I don't care about it..." Giles replied, his voice pure Ripper

"Uh-oh...why don't I like the sound of this?" Buffy asked, stepping between the two of them

"She can't talk, can she?" Anya asked. Eric turned toward the former demon arching an eyebrow at her, Anya shrugged and continued, "I recognized the words..."

"How thoughtful of you using that spell...have you any idea how difficult it is to undo it?" Giles said.

Eric nodded and said, "She was willing to take the risk..." he paused then swore under his non existent breath, "oh, bugger it!"

In the same moment Spike wide opened his eyes and turned to look at Eric, gone was his weakness, replaced by a look of pure anger, he all but snarled when he said, "Someone is attacking her, you bastard!"

"Can you hear that noise?" William Appleton asked in a low voice, turning to look at Eric.

The vampire just cocked an eyebrow at him, William shook his head, half smiling at his question. They had been patrolling together. William couldn't remember when last time he had been with him during his nightly patrol had been.

The fact that the vampire was patrolling with him, meant he was being tested...William knew he was going to be activated soon, very soon.

He was glad Eric was with him, though. The graveyards could be very boring, he preferred following vampires around, to find out their hiding places.

William lightly leant forward, they had been hiding behind some bushes, he blinked when he saw, a young red-headed woman, being grabbed by her shoulder, by the vampire. The vampire turned her around, so that they were face to face.

He saw the red-head, stiffen for a second then pressing her hand again the vampire's stomach. He could clearly hear the vampire hissing, and some smoke coming from his stomach. The vampire let go of the young woman, who quickly rose on her feet and began running.

"He will catch her..." William said in a low voice. That wasn't the first time he saw such a thing. He was curios though, the red-head, didn't seem scared, although pain was clearly etched on her face, she kept running, he barely resisted the urge to scream at her that she was turning to the wrong direction. He shook his head and got up from behind the bush.

"William..." Eric said in a low voice, grabbing his arm, forcing him to turn and look at him.

William looked down at his gheraious. He cared about him, he really did. Eric was his mentor, his friend...but at times he hated his cynicism. How could he kept claiming he wanted to help saving the world when he didn't move a muscle while seeing innocent people being drained by vampires? Was he going to become like that once he was activated?

Eric seemed to sense his feelings because shaking his head said, "You can not risk being seen...I shall take care of that..."

He rose on his feet already in game face, his yellow eyes sparkling in the night and William couldn't help the little shiver that ran through his body. He had seen him fighting, and his bones, still hurt for the tortures he had put him through during their training

The dark-haired vampire nodded but smiling said, "Methinks the boy doth protest too much..."

Eric tilted his head up, sniffing for a second the air then said, "We'd better hurry...he is too close to her."

"Aren't you going to scream, child?" the vampire asked Willow getting close to her. He was baring her fangs at her.

~ And besides, you took me down with a lamp once, Red...you're full of surprises...~

Willow smiled when Spike's words came up in her minds. Panic had momentarily clouded her judgment, but she had a mission to accomplish and sure as hell, she wasn't going to be stopped by a newly risen vampire, that didn't look much older than her and that had called her *child*

Her smile widened and she shook her head stretching a hand toward the vampire gesturing at him

The vampire blinked at her and in other circumstances perhaps she would have found that occurrence almost funny, she opened her mouth and slowly mouthed, "Ignis incende"

She had never tried that spell on a vampire, just on inanimate objects, she had just to hope it was going to work.

She all but jumped when the vampire abruptly burst into flame, soon turning into dust, just as she heard other footsteps approaching.

She swallowed, she stretched her hands ready to repeat the spell but her arms went numb when she saw who it was.

Her heart began pounding in her chest, as the moon revealed more of their faces and bodies.

Eric's hair was longer, it brushed his neck. He was dressed in black, from head to toe

His hair was ash-blonde, longer than she was used to seeing. He was dressed in brown, a long leather brown duster hung on his shoulders.

On his face there weren't traces of his usual cockiness. She swallowed, taking some steps toward them.

Willow nodded, then gestured at her throat and shook her head, trying to explain she couldn't speak.

Willow nodded again, and shrugged weakly smiling at him. She couldn't believe she was next to William ...she couldn't believe he was alive ....really alive. She meekly raised her head to look at him and met his eyes in the half-darkness.

She silently wondered. Eric's voice shook her from her thoughts, though, when he said, "I can feel magic on you"

"I presume she did set that vampire on fire with magic. " William said and Willow noticed how his accent was different. It wasn't yet the accent she was used to hearing....it vaguely reminded her Wesley's or Giles'.

Eric shook his head and said, "No...I'm referring to much powerful magic...am I correct?"

Willow nodded again at him and took another step toward them, she was tempted to roll her eyes when both Eric and Spike took a cautious step back.

She rummaged through the pocket of her jeans and took the white envelope Eric had given her from it. She then handed it at the other Eric.

< Why don't you just open it? Just my luck...I've just met Fox Mulder's vampire alter ego! >

She silently wondered, with an irritated shake of her head. She heard William trying to suppress a chuckle, she looked at him, he was smiling at her ...and Willow felt that human William hadn't smiled a lot.

William got close to Eric and asked in a low voice, "Couldn't you just open the envelope?"

Eric though, wasn't listening to him, he had noticed the chain that was hanging on Willow's neck. He got close to her and grabbed her by her shoulders before asking, "Where did you take this chain?"

Willow tried to break free from his grip, but winced in pain when it strengthened

Eric looked at her and abruptly let go of her shoulders. He took a step back before repeating, "Where...did you get this chain?"

Willow sighed, pointing first at the vampire, then at the white envelope he was still grasping in his hand and mouthed, "Just Read It"

Eric nodded at her and opened the envelope. She noticed how he frowned and turned his back at him while reading the letter.

Willow looked at him and nodded. William shrugged and said, "I'm sorry, my friend does not realize how strong he is"

Willow just arched and eyebrow at him. William smiled at her but asked, "May I know what were you doing here?"

She shook her head no but weakly smiled at him. Willow saw his face hardening and the gentleness in his eyes disappear.

She knew that look. She had seen it just a few hours before when he had gone to face Electra.

"William?" Eric's voice called. He had turned, the white envelope had disappeared. He was looking at her with a strange look in his brown eyes.

William turned toward the other man, Eric smiled and said, "She can be trusted, I say we should all exit the graveyard...don't you agree?"

They all nodded, Eric led the way outside the graveyard, they had been walking for a while outside it, when Eric stopped and said, "William? Take her in your room"

The vampire nodded and said, "Yes, I am...we shall meet tomorrow morning to define the details..."

Eric looked around before nodding. He took a long look at Willow then said, "I do not mean to be impolite, but you do look quite tired...and cold, please, let me..." he took off his black coat and carefully put it on her shoulders.

Willow nodded her thank you, again Eric looked around then looking at both of them said, "I must go now...be careful..." he paused, and looked at Willow for some instant then added, "both of you..."

He turned and quickly walked away. William and Willow looked at each other for some seconds before starting to walk again. William couldn't help looking at the young woman, taking in her outfit. A tight, very tight shirt and trousers. Her hair was short....she definitely was dressed in an eccentric way. She looked at him as if she was trying to read him, his thoughts, he had noticed how she had been studying his features, how she had always looked for eye's contact.

He noticed gooseflesh on her face, and how her lips were almost livid from the cold. She looked very pale and tired and in pain, there were deep circles under her eyes.

Willow stopped as well and weakly nodded at him. Truth was she wasn't feeling alright. Her shoulders hurt like hell, and there had to be some residual effect of the spell Eric and Giles had cast on her, because she could barely stand on her own legs.

"The room where I live in...is not very far from here...may I suggest you to put the coat on?" he pointed at her jeans and shirt and said, "To hide your outfit..."

Willow nodded and with some effort managed to put the coat on. William was looking at her arching an eyebrow, he pursed his lips then said, "Your shoulder is probably dislocated..."

She nodded at William, but had to lean against a wall when her head began spinning. She could feel blood buzzing in her ears.

She closed her eyes and began taking deep breaths. She heard William getting close to her saying, "I do not think staying here is very wise of us"

Willow just cocked an eyebrow at him then tightened Eric's coat around her tiny form, and took some tentative steps, her vision blurred, she blindly looked for a support, William was immediately by her side and she held back a gasp, when he effortlessly scooped her up in his arms. Willow blinked, when she felt one of his arms around her waist while the other was supporting her shoulders, making sure not to hurt her dislocated one, she noticed he was wearing a ring on his left pinky finger. It had a sapphire on it.

Although it was a cold night, William's body was warm through the fabric of his shirt. Willow had to close her eyes when she felt his breath against her hair. She rested her head against his chest, although he didn't have any smell, she inhaled to full lungs, wanting to savor that moment, she wide-opened her eyes, though when she heard his heart beating in his chest. Its sound was very slow, almost inaudible...but she had heard it.

Silent tears rolled down her cheeks, she closed her eyes letting them fall, feeling all the weight of the last hours on her, while she slowly drifted into sleep, lulled by William's breath and heart-beat, she couldn't help fearing things were going to get more complicated than she had expected. When she had volunteered to go back in time, she had just thought about Spike...about taking the blood to save him, she hadn't considered the impact that seeing William would have had on her...she hadn't considered the hypothesis she couldn't be strong enough to go on.

~ He had woken her up, after he had entered his room. He had placed her on his bed, then had lit a few candles. She had looked around, then once again her eyes had been on him and he had barely resisted the urge to scream at her. He had shaken his head. Why that girl kept looking at him?

She had nodded at him, then had gestured at him to get close to her. He hadn't understood at first, then when she had pointed at Eric's coat he had nodded and helped her out of it.

His fingers had brushed the skin of her neck. He had closed his eyes, silently cursing his lack of sexual activity. Eric hadn't kidded when he had told him, that he was going to give up on everything accepting to become an Eletti.

He had sat on his bed, and had been surprised when she hadn't even flinched. "Turn...it will hurt, I am sorry"

"Could you...er...take your shirt off? I do promise my intentions are honorable"

She had turned toward him, and he had been taken aback by the look of absolute trust in her eyes, yet she had shaken her head no.

He had frowned, not understanding at the beginning then had sighed and said, "Of course...you can not move your shoulder"

He had hesitated just a second then without warning had pulled at her shoulder, setting it back in place.

She hadn't screamed, of course and he had been surprised when she hadn't passed out for the pain. She had turned toward him flashing him an angry glare.

"You h...hurt her" Spike weakly said turning to look at Eric. The older vampire didn't turn, he was sunproofing the windows, with Xander.

"The tosser...hurt Red..." Spike said. There were some burns' wounds on his hands and his throat. Although the pain was still excruciating, he was feeling more lucid than when he had been injected the poison.

He had been forced to drink blood, that had given a bit of strength back to him...he had read though, in both Giles and Eric's eyes, how that blood was just a mere palliative...it was only postponing the inevitable outcome.

He wasn't giving up, though. He refused to give up. He was relying on his strength, on every once of it he still had.

He had got up from the bed and had gone to his desk, taking some sheets and his pen. He had handed it to her saying, "Can you write?"

She had rolled her eyes at him and had nodded, taking the objects from his hands. She had sat cross legged on the bed and Had slowly written on the sheet, handing then it back to him.

She had nodded. William had smiled at her and had said, "You are very welcome, Willow."

She had frowned for a second then had gestured at the sheet and the pen. He had given it back to her. she had quickly written something on it and handed the sheet.

"14 November 1880" he had said, wondering why she had closed her eyes and shaken her head.

She had sighed and had laid down on the bed, curling on a side of it, giving her back at him.

He had shaken his head and turned, sitting then at his desk to write his report. ~

Eric was looking at Spike, his eyes were open, a strange expression on his face. It was evident he was in pain, but the recollections that were forming in his head and the herbs he had added on the blood were making it bearable.

He looked around. Anya was asleep on one of the armchairs, Xander was sleeping on the floor, a blanket covering him. Giles was in the kitchenette, heating some blood, much on his insistence Buffy had gone to sleep.

They were planning to go to Electra, as soon as the sun set...as much as he hated to admit it, they were too tired and angry...they had already fallen once for her trap, they couldn't afford to make the same mistake twice.

He knew she wasn't going to run away...that wasn't her style. The fact that she had injected William with that poison showed that. She was going to wait and see the outcome.

"You got half of the minions dusted...you didn't kill the Eletti, his gheraious or the blonde bitch...how can you be so calm?"

A deep male French accented voice, startled Electra. The vampire covered the Solomon's mirror and turned toward the voice. She crossed her arms over her chest and took some steps toward him.

She had been ordered to stop him, she had been ordered to stop his plans...and she had...in a way, but first he had freed her, helping her see things, helping her discovering her powers.

"Alain, you took your sweet time to come here, didn't you?" she calmly replied, getting close to him.

"I came here, sure to find to greet me the head of the Slayer on a table...instead all I found was just ashes...and a few scared vampires...is it just my impression or you've failed...as you did last month?"

Electra shook her head and got closer to him, circling his broad shoulders with her arms, she grazed for some seconds his soft, long, brown curls and whispered, "You don't trust my judgment, Alain...I know what I am doing..."

He abruptly pulled her away from him and looked for some seconds into her green eyes before hissing, "Why should I? You know what we need...yet you're just wasting time... "

She smiled and shook her head saying, "That's the problem with you, Alain, you're too impulsive...relax and enjoy it..."

"Enjoy what, Electra? This is not a game..." Alain said, taking a step toward her, he grabbed her shoulders and continued, "You specifically asked for that poison...I gave it to you, is the Eletti dead? Why am I not seeing him crying in pain in the torture chamber?"

"Oh, please Alain! Do you really think I'd have used that poison just to torture him? I hoped you knew me better than this...what do you think torture would do to William? "

He took her cool hand in his and followed her to a side of the room, she uncovered the mirror and whispered against his face, "What do you see?"

Alain looked at the images displayed on the mirror, images of the Eletti and his friends in a living room, talking in low voices, he turned toward Electra and asked, "What am I supposed to see?"

Electra squeezed tighter his hand in hers and said in a low voice, "Look at them...really do that...don't you see how tired, yet how adamant in saving William they are? Look at the Eletti...can't you see how valiantly is he fighting against the poison's effects?"

Alain looked blankly at her, Electra smiled at him and said, "Everything is going according to my plans.."

Electra silenced him by covering his lips with a finger, she softly kissed his chin, scraping its skin with her teeth, lapping then his blood with her tongue, she lightly pulled back from him and slowly dragged him to a big bed placed at a side of the room, she turned toward him, in full game face, smiling at him through her fangs and said, "You're right, cherie...yet, believe it or not I accomplished what I wanted to..."

She sat on the edge of the bed, and pulled her at him. they both fell on the bed, his large body covering her thin one, she draped her legs around his waist and slowly pushed against him whispering, "We'll get what we want, cherie...but this doesn't mean we can't have fun while we're at it..."

William slowly closed the door of his room. It was a gloomy November Sunday. He hadn't got much sleep the previous night, an unexplainable restlessness had filled him He got close to his desk, and placed the bags he had been holding in his hands on it, he opened the window and inhaled to full lungs the wet air. Some lukewarm rays of light crept in the room, slightly lightening it..

William watched the sky for some seconds and sighed, he turned when the girl on the bed tossed and turned, she was still dressed as the night before, Eric's coat was barely covering her, she was curled in a fetal position, from where he was, he could see a deep frown marring her face and some tears rolling down her pale cheeks. He took a step forward, tempted for an instant to get close to her and waking her up from whatever she was dreaming about, but then changed his mind. He suspected that if he had got too close to her, he would have lost himself and he couldn't afford that.

He hadn't liked the way she had looked at him, he hadn't liked the way her smile had attempted to go right through his heart.

Who was that strange girl? What did she want from him? Why did she look like she tried to read into his very soul?

<Soul? That is a nice word, William...do you still have a soul? Will you really keep it when they active you? >

He shook his head, and took a big, green apple from one of the bags on his desk, he sat on it and kept looking at that young woman. He took in her eccentric outfits and the way her short, tousled hair framed her face.

He had his theories about her identity, he had spent part of the previous night thinking about them....deciding he was losing his mind.

He didn't have time to think about a weird red-headed girl...although she was really pretty. Perhaps if he had met her in other circumstances, he would have stopped and thought about her expressive face and how smart her eyes looked...but that was not the time.

He had to remind himself that now more than ever he was living on a borrowed time, he was breathing borrowed air...at times he hated that constant weight that kept hanging over his head...he was beginning to suspect that he wasn't going to be really free until he was activated.

He took a bite from the apple, relishing its sweet taste, and looked at the box that he had found on his doorstep. It was a large, white box, there was anything written on it, he already suspected though, what he was going to find inside it.

He turned toward the bed, when the red-head awoke with a start and he wasn't surprised when he found her looking at him wide eyed.

He swallowed and smiled at her politely saying, "Good morning, Willow...did you sleep well?"

She nodded at him and looked around, and William had to force himself not to tell her to stop looking at everything as if there was some kind of relic. He took a deep breath and asked, "Does you shoulder still hurt?"

The girl turned and looked at him surprised, then nodded her head, she looked down at the floor then stretched to pick some sheets and silently asked for a pen. William took it from the desk and handed it to her, Willow quickly wrote something on one of the sheet then handed it to him

She shrugged her shoulders and lightly winced in pain, then shook her head and got up from the bed, taking some steps in the small room and looking around, tightening around her shoulders Eric's coat. William had to force himself not to look at her, he looked down at the box on his desk, cleared his throat and said, "This is probably for you"

Willow raised her head and blankly looked at him, William took the box and some sheets in his hands and got up from the desk, he placed the box on the bed and said heading toward the door, "If I do know my friend, there ought to be a gown in that box...I'd wager you are hungry, there is some fruit in that bag, please help yourself...I shall wait for you outside"

He nervously smiled at her and left the room, and Willow couldn't help scratching her head at his behavior.

She thought. She had spent a horrible night. when she had discovered she had been sent back to the day William had been turned, for an instant she had been tempted to throw herself at him to never let him go...Eric's words, had stopped her.

She had to admit William was puzzling her, when she had opened her eyes she had been surprised to find him near the window, she had looked at him while the sun lit his face, ironically in that moment he had looked so much as the Spike she had known and fell in love with, that she had been forced to look away... because as much as they were physically similar, she was beginning to realize William was a different person than Spike, there was a hardness in his features she had never noticed in Spike, the look in his ice blue eyes, although sad, held a deep resolve.

She looked around approaching the desk, the room where William lived in was poorly furnished, there wasn't any indication of the man who lived in, just a few books on a chair and some sheets on the desk, she shook her head and opened the white box. She arched an eyebrow when she saw what was inside of it, she took a creamy envelope, and opened it.

<< Willow,
if what you claim in the letter you gave me yesterday is true, I believe it would be more appropriate for you to wear these outfits. I shall help you, but I do not think I have to warn you, to be very careful.

Willow silently sighed, and took from the box a blue outfit Eric had chosen for her, holding it in her hands, she couldn't help the little smile that crept on her lips, it was indeed a beautiful outfit, although very simple, she shrugged and placed the outfit on the bed, then quickly undressed, shivering at the cold morning, she put the dress on, managing to button it by herself, not wanting to get too close to William...one thing was the same in whatever time they were in, his touch was like fire on her skin...and she knew it was the same for him. Willow looked around in the room, noticing there weren't any mirrors in it.

She combed her hair with her fingers, and took a deep breath, then took one of the apples from the bag and steeled herself from what was about to come, she fingered the little silver bottle that hung on her chest, wondering for some instants how Spike was doing, hoping she was going to go through it....hoping she wasn't going to lose both of them in the process.

"I was a twerp..." Spike said letting out a weak chuckle. He couldn't believe how clear the recollections of the time he had spent with Willow were, only some of them were blurry, but he recalled with extreme clarity the way he had treated her...it had been the way he had treated all the people who had gotten close to him. He had almost hated her, for entering his life so late, he had almost hated her, for liking her so much.

"Were? You're quite generous to yourself, William" Eric said in a low voice, raising his head from the tome he had been reading, Spike noticed Giles' lips twitching in a smile.

"Gotta agree with Eric on this one, Spike..." Buffy's voice said from atop the stairs, they all turned to look at her, and Spike couldn't help snorting at her words and mumbling, "That's it...kick the vampire when he's down..."

"That's what friends are for, Spike" Buffy said, going downstairs, she got close to Eric and Giles and looked around, she circled Giles' shoulders with her arms and kissed his hair whispering, "I'm sorry, I was more tired than I thought"

Giles raised his head to look at her, she was pale, yet her hazel eyes, gleamed with a light he had never seen before, he smiled at her and said, "Are you feeling all right?"

"No, not as such...." Giles said, looking at Eric, the dark-haired vampire shrugged and closing the tome added, "As soon as the sun sets, we will attack her..."

"And what about that shield thingie? " she asked, stretching her hand toward the coffee table and taking a donut from a tray, Eric looked at her arching an eyebrow and said, "That shouldn't be a problem, she took me by surprise yesterday, this won't happen again..."

"What if she's gone away?" Anya asked, she was sitting in front of Spike and was sprinkling his face with a balm Eric had given her.

Spike hissed when Anya covered his neck with it, but weakly said, "She hasn't...that cow is going to stay and gloat"

Anya nodded, but turned to look at Eric and Giles and both the vampire and the former Watcher were surprised to see a look akin to terror in her eyes, she got up and excused herself and went to the kitchenette.

Buffy and Giles looked at each other then at Spike, noticing that the burns on his body were gradually increasing, yet he looked very calm, the only thing which was giving away the pain he was going through was his voice, it was huskier, and was losing the cockiness they were used to.

Buffy swallowed, she wished she could put her hands on that Electra...she clenched her jaws and shook her head, squeezed Giles' hand in hers for a second then got up and went to Anya, the former demon was washing her hands under the running water, a deep frown marring her brows, she started when Buffy touched her shoulder and said, "He is burning..." she raised her hands and showed her fingers to Buffy, they were reddish, as if she had burned them.

Buffy handed a washcloth to Anya, the former demon shrugged while she dried her hands but didn't say anything at first, then slowly repeated, "He's burning...soon the balms won't be enough..."

Anya slowly nodded, her gaze was on the floor, never Buffy had seen the former demon so worried, she nibbled her lower lip and said, "There's got to be another antidote...what if William won't give his blood to Willow?"

"He will..." Eric's voice made them start, Buffy looked at him, although his face didn't show any emotion, she could glimpse through his eyes the concern for Spike and a deep tiredness.

Eric shrugged and said, "I'll order him to...my younger self, at least will order him to..."

Buffy shook her head, from what she had seen of Eric and Spike...and from what she had learnt of the blonde vampire for the past month, she knew he wasn't going to refuse. "He won't" she said in a low voice.

None of them, questioned out loud what had been in their minds? Was Willow going to come back there in time to save Spike?

Electra couldn't stop watching the fire cracking in the fireplace, there was something hypnotic in the irregular flames, there was something exciting in the way the wood burned, was consumed by the fire, she knelt and was tempted to take in her hands one of the burning brands, she shook her head and almost smiled at the craziness of that thought. She rose on her feet and turned, the hall of the mansion was empty, she didn't need the Solomon's mirror to know that as soon as the sun set, the Slayer and the gheraious were going to come to her, to stop her.

She was waiting for them, waiting for them, to seek revenge for what she had done to William. She smiled as some sparks flew...thinking about she was really eager to see how far would they go for William.

Alain hadn't been able to see the things she had seen, Alain didn't know the things she knew

~ When the apocalypse will be reflected in the mirror, the blood and the oath will unite in the purple of death ~

...just like her mind had conjured his image, she felt him getting close to her, he circled her waist with his strong arms and pulled her at him, she closed her eyes while he asked, "What are you waiting for?"

She didn't turn, she didn't even open her eyes, when she whispered, "The Eletti's friends..."

"You do know what's going to happen if you fail, don't you?" he asked in a low voice wile kissing the side of her neck.

"I do really hope so...I want the head of the Slayer as my new center piece, Electra" Alain said, turning her so that they were face to face.

The blonde vampire opened her eyes and had to resist the urge to smirk at Alain's words. She happily smiled at him and circled his neck with her hands, she softly kissed his full lips, he had no idea, about the Slayer...he had no idea about her plan.

~ and their blood will feed the darkness and their triumph will be their deceit. Reflection of the purple mirror. ~

Willow kept looking around, she had read a lot about Victorian London, yet seeing it first hand filled her with wonder. She was trying not to look at William, who on the other hand tried hard to avoid her...none of them seemed to notice, yet, how close to each other they were walking, unless their hands or arms brushed ...only then did they move away from each other .

When she had got out from William's room she had found him, waiting for her in the half-darkened hallway, he hadn't said a word, but when they had exited the bleak building he lived in, she had seen how he had taken in her outfit, and for a second the look in his eyes had reminded her of the way Spike sometimes looked at her...with so much longing that it took her breath away. That look had soon faded, though, replaced by a cold one.

They walked for a while, and entered an alley, at the end of it they found a black coach waiting for them, its coachman recognized William and silently greeted him with a nod of his head, William just raised his hand to greet him, then turned toward Willow and stretched a hand toward her, silently inviting her to take it, she hesitantly placed her hand on his and was surprised when William gallantly helped her to get in the coach. His hand had been so warm, and had held hers, for longer than it had been necessary, yet when he had realized that, had abruptly pulled it away, that look in his eyes had returned, but had been replaced, once again by the coldness she was getting used to.

She had never been on a coach and was surprised when it began moving by how solid it was, she attempted to look at the window, but William forbid her to do that saying, "Do not let anyone see you, Willow..."

Willow nodded, she wished William told her something, anything, but his face was unreadable, he didn't look at the window, he was reading something from some sheets he had taken from his duster's pocket, she realized he was steeling himself for what was about to come. She wondered whether he felt he was going to be called very soon, she noticed how he kept fingering the gold ring he wore on his pinky finger, while reading.

She rested her head against the headrest, touching the little silver bottle on her chest, she hadn't noticed before how cold it was, she wondered how she was going to get William's blood, just on the day of his turning.

She looked at William, he had stopped reading from the sheets, and had his eyes closed, his head lightly tilted back. He looked so lonely and so very tired. Spike had never told her why he had accepted to become an Eletti, from what Buffy had told her, William had been a watcher, a very good one.

"It has stopped raining" William said in a low voice. he opened his eyes, Willow just smiled at him. the lukewarm sun that had greeted her when she had woken up, had been replaced until that moment by a light, cold rain. William shifted his gaze from her to the window, and commented, "I hope it won't start again..."

Willow swallowed feeling her stomach twisting in a painful knot, the only thing Spike had ever told her about his turning had been its date and that it had been a rainy night. The sun was beginning to come out from the clouds, and some rays, hit the window, making the rain drops almost glimmer, like crystal shreds. William tightened in his duster, a shiver running through his body, and Willow felt her eyes filling with tears, Spike had told her once he still missed the sun, only now was she beginning to understand why.

The words Giles had told her shortly before they had returned from the galleries, suddenly came up in her mind.

It had been the first time they had been alone, since they had been freed. Buffy and Spike had been out together patrolling. The truth about Spike, had been still very new, and she had had still troubles understanding it.

~ Giles had nodded, he had shrugged and added, "They told me who the Eletti were, what they did... their goal..." ~

She had been surprised by Giles' admission, but even more so, by what he had told her

~ I felt honored to be asked to be one of them...but...as much as I loathe Evil...I honestly don't know whether I would have willingly chosen to die, Spike did. He chose to die because he loathed Evil *that* much...~

His words had kept echoing in her mind for hours afterwards, and just like in that moment, she had felt her heart wrenching in her chest. She blinked the tears away, and looked at William, he was still watching at the window, while half-hidden by the thick curtain. The sadness in his eyes had disappeared, she could see tension building in his lean body and a deep resolve.

<He's about to die because he wants to make a difference...he's accepted his destiny...so get a grip, and quit being such a poof!>

She almost smiled at her thoughts, realizing how much Spike's slang was becoming hers as well, she blinked the tears away, a look of deep resolve, which mirrored William's formed in her eyes. She wasn't going to let her feelings for both Spike and William get in the way, she was going to do whatever she could, whatever she had to, to help them...to help both of them.

A heavy silence was hanging on Giles' leaving room. Its occupants, avoided to look at the vampire who was lying down on the couch, he wasn't uttering a sound, but it was evident to all of them, that he was going through a lot of pain. Boils and burns covered almost all of his face and hands, the balms and the herbs Eric was giving him weren't enough anymore. Spike's eyes were open, yet it was as if he couldn't see anything. He was still conscious, but none of them dared getting too close to him.

None of them wanted to see how the poison he had been injected with was destroying him, none of them wanted to contemplate the possibility that Willow could be too late, so they kept themselves busy, Buffy and Eric planning the attack to Electra, she had surprised them the first time, but they were making sure, that wasn't going to happen again.

Giles, was already setting up the components of the spell, that was going to bring Willow back to them, Anya was still next to Spike, tending his wounds, often forcing him to drink blood, while Xander was sharpening the stakes.

"I say we should go to her now...she expects us to go to her after the sun sets..." Xander commented looking at Eric.

"There's something which doesn't ring a bell about her..." Buffy said in a low voice. she turned to look at Eric, they were sitting next to each other, Eric arched an eyebrow at her, puzzled and asked, "What?"

"I...it's more painful..." Spike's weak voice answered her, making her start. She looked at Spike, he was resting his head against a pillow, he wasn't even looking at her, he swallowed hard and added, "T...trust me on this ducks...."

"To me she doesn't look like she wants to spread the word about you guys...she looks like she's on a personal vendetta" Xander added in a low voice, toying with one of the stakes in his hands.

Eric looked at the young boy, nodding, he had reached the same conclusions, if Electra had really wanted to spread the word about the existence of the Eletti she would have already done that, instead she had come to Sunnydale...first messing with Spike's head, then poisoning him.

"I agree" he finally said, he looked first at Buffy, who seemed to sense his thoughts and nodded at him, getting up from her chair and then at Xander who almost grinned at him, then quickly collected the stakes he had sharpened and got up from the armchair he was sitting on.

Eric slowly got up from his chair and got close to Spike, he knelt next to him, observing for some instants, the burns on his face and neck, observing how, just like he had taught him was focusing on it, searching pleasure in it to stop it. He barely resisted the urge to swallow and steeled himself, before saying, "William? Everything is going to be fine..."

Spike just nodded, he didn't even look at him when he asked, "A...are you going to her?"

Spike nodded, he swallowed and asked, "Eric? Why did you send her back...to that day?"

"To protect you...to protect history..." he simply said. It was the truth, he had chosen to defy the orders from the Eletti, but had made sure not to mess with time. The spell on Willow, a spell which prevented her to talk, had been just one of the precautions he had taken, the other, had been sending her back to the day William had been turned.

"Tosser" Spike mumbled, yet his lips were attempting to stretch in a smile. Eric noticed as how some blood was seeping from his ears, Spike tilted his head up and clenched his jaws, morphing for some instants in his game face. he emitted a low, prolonged growl, before morphing back in his human face saying in a husky voice, "I'm...tired"

Spike nodded, closing his eyes and whispered, "She's so beautiful dres..sed in blue..."

Was the only thing he thought, the only thing he wished. The only thing he had wished for a long, long time.

Eric's big house was dipped in obscurity, heavy black curtains covered all the large windows of that huge Victorian house, Willow had kept looking around while she had followed William. There weren't portraits on the walls, and the furniture was Spartan, to say the least

She wondered, following William through a darkened hallway, she could breathe magic in that house, and the weight of time. She didn't know how old exactly was Eric, yet, the more she knew him, the more she started to think, he had to be indeed very old.

William stopped in front of a door, he hadn't looked at her since they had gotten out from the coach, even now, he wasn't looking at her, she caught hesitancy in his gestures, but that hesitancy only lasted for an instant, because he knocked at the door.

William opened the door, and gestured Willow to get in first. Willow was surprised by some of his gestures, he didn't talk to her, he didn't even look at her most of the times, yet he surprised her with gallant gestures, typical of the men of his age. She sensed, though, that it wasn't just something he did out of habit, his gestures were instinctive.

She found herself being curios about who he had been before becoming a watcher, before accepting to be an Eletti.

She shook away those thoughts, and her mouth almost dropped open, when she saw the room they had entered in, it vaguely reminded her of her high's school library. It was very large, filled with books, the only window in the room, was covered with a thick black curtain, blocking out the sunlight, yet the room was lighted by a huge chandelier that hung from the ceiling.

On a side of the room Willow noticed a big fireplace, fire was cracking in it, Eric was sitting cross legged on the floor in front of it, as usual dressed in black, his eyes were closed and he was tilting his head up, he didn't acknowledge their presence at first, then quickly rose on his feet saying, "Please, do take a seat, both of you. We have some important matters to discuss..."

William gestured Willow toward a desk, there were two chairs in front of it, William took that on the left, he placed the sheets he had been reading in the coach on the desk, while Willow slowly sat beside him.

Eric approached them, then sat behind the desk, he took the sheets William had placed on the desk and quickly read them, he then placed it in a drawer before asking, "Anything to add to your report, William?"

Willow noticed how William almost imperceptibly pointed at her with his eyes, Eric shook his head and said, "Do not worry, William. I already told you, she can be trusted..."

Eric just nodded at him, and rested his back against the chair saying, "Do tell me whether there is something to add to your report...."

William pursed his lips before saying, "I have noticed an increased number of newly risen vampires for the last month. I did not notice a precise scheme, though. I do believe, however that some of the vampires of the Clan of Aurelius could be involved. I did spot some of them, on various occasions..."

Willow blinked at those words, vague recollections about her researches coming up at William's words. Hadn't been Darla, Angelus and Drusilla part of the Clan of Aurelius?

Eric crossed his arms over his chest and said, "Very good, William, since you are telling the tale, I can be reasonably sure, you haven't been spotted by any of them"

Willow had to bit the inside of her cheek from laughing, when William smirked at Eric, in a gesture incredibly Spike-like. She could see the seeds of the vampire he was going to become, when he talked about his job. There was passion in his eyes, although he hadn't moved, the tension in his body had been evident.

Eric almost smiled at his words, but didn't comment, he looked at William, then at Willow and asked, "How do you feel, Willow?"

Willow nodded at him and smiled, Eric smiled back at her, then turned to look at William saying, "Willow is here for a precise reason, William..."

William blinked and turned to look at Willow, puzzled, then asked, "Does this reason concern me, somehow?"

"Yes it does, William...she is here, because she needs your blood" Eric simply said.

Eric shook his head, he was about to say something when they heard a knock on the door. He shook his head and said aloud, "Come in"

A young, red-haired man, entered the room. He was totally dressed in black, Willow noticed Eric and William exchanged a glance when the man got close to them, the young man didn't say anything, he just placed an ivory envelope on the desk, then took a bow and left the room.

Eric took the envelope in his hands and looked at them for some instants then opened it, he quickly read from the sheet then closed it, he got up from the chair and went to the fireplace, he knelt in front of it, and carefully burned the sheet, Willow followed his movements, ignoring the knot that was forming in her stomach, she suddenly felt sick, she turned to look at William, he had lightly paled, and his hands were almost gripping the arms of his chair.

She silently said, she swallowed when Eric returned behind the desk, his face was totally expressionless, he looked at William for an instant then said, "You have been activated."

The mansion was empty, that didn't surprise Buffy, Xander and mostly Eric. He could feel magic in that place, it was stronger than the previous night. The sun had just set, it hadn't taken long for them, to dispatch the few remaining vampires at the entrance of the mansion, since then they had been looking for Electra.

They all knew, she was observing them waiting for the right moment, to come out.

"Are you really sure, she's still here?" Xander asked looking around. He was gripping a stake in his right hand and a cross in his left one. He didn't like that quiet, although he couldn't feel magic...or didn't have a spider sense, as Buffy called her ability to sense evil, he had a gut feeling something was going to happen, and that none of them was going to like it.

"I'm positively sure..." Eric said looking around. He turned to look at Buffy, she was walking lightly apart from them, holding a crossbow in her hand, again he was getting strange vibes from her, there was something he couldn't exactly put his finger on about her.

He thought, he unconsciously got closer to her. She looked at him puzzled, but Eric didn't say anything. He was almost tempted to call Electra aloud and end that stupid charade...but he knew that she wasn't going to answer them, she wasn't going to make things easy for them. She enjoyed the waiting, the game.

She was waiting for them and relying just on her strength and her knowledge... the perfect Eletti, turned.

He swallowed. The previous day they had willingly chosen to fall for her trap in order to stop her, and what they were doing in that moment wasn't very different.

He looked at Buffy, the Slayer had stopped, she was at the center of the hall, her eyes narrowed, she almost reminded him of a predator.

She tilted her head on a side, meeting his eyes, and Eric knew, she was reaching his same conclusions. She had something big hid in her sleeve.

They heard her steps approaching them. Buffy turned toward the voice, the woman who was in front of her didn't look much older than her. She slowly walked toward them, her eyes on Buffy, she seemed to ignore the others.

She was dressed in large black pants and a lilac thin strapped top. They all noticed that although she was in her game face, she didn't have any weapons with her, she looked calm, controlled, as if she owned all the cards in her hands

"What are you looking at?" Buffy asked. That woman was giving her the same strange vibes Spike had always given her.

"I'm just thinking....you're going to be my first Slayer...." the female vampire said.

"Yeah, yeah....you've no idea how many times I've heard this line....yet, as you can see I'm still here..." Buffy said rolling her eyes .

The female vampire nodded at her and smiling said, "You have been very lucky, Slayer....that's all"

"Nah, I'm just stating the facts..." Electra said, she didn't move, she crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for Buffy's move.

"There are no shields, Slayer, I'm just waiting for you...are you gonna make a move any time soon?" Electra asked, she sounded amused by the situation.

Eric moved toward them, but Electra's voice stopped him. Her eyes were still on Buffy, she didn't turn toward him when she said, " Stay here, gheraious...it won't take long... "

Buffy aimed her crossbow at Electra, and fired a bolt, Electra though, effortlessly caught it, and broke it, throwing it on the floor, she shook her head and said, "What did I tell you? You have been lucky, Slayer...now let me see whether you have learned something for the last month"

Buffy blinked, surprised, while Electra's voice taunted her in the darkness saying, "Where am I Slayer?"

Buffy felt cold fingers brushing her face. She shivered, that wasn't mere darkness. It was so thick, she couldn't see anything through it. She couldn't hear Eric or Xander.

She took a deep breath, Spike's words came up in her mind. She closed her eyes, sighing. She focused on the vibes she was getting from Electra.

"Tzk, tzk...be careful with that crossbow, you might end hurting someone..." Electra said, her voice soft and full of amusement.

Buffy blinked her eyes open and just like it had happened the month before under the galleries, she was able to see through the darkness. Electra was in front of her, she wasn't very far from her, and still didn't have weapons...or so Buffy thought, since she was hiding her hands behind her back.

Electra tilted her head on a side and smiled at Buffy saying, "Just you and me, come and get me..."

"Electra? Shut up!" Buffy exclaimed. She aimed the crossbow at the vampire and fired another bolt but it seemed to hurt against a solid wall.

"That's correct...I said just you and me, Slayer...Come and Get Me" she softly said. she raised her hands and said, "I want to bag my first Slayer with my bare hands..."

"You guys are getting lamer and lamer" Buffy said under her breath charging Electra.

The vampire didn't move. A kick in the stomach from Buffy sent her to the floor, Electra couldn't help laughing while she quickly got on her feet and said, "Very good..."

Buffy spin kicked her, with blows almost too quick for the eyes to see. She threw Electra against a wall, the vampire shook her head and looked at her smiling.

Buffy got closer to her, taking from the waistband of her trousers a stake, "I say this is the end, Electra, don't you agree?"

Electra didn't move, even when Buffy threw the stake at her, Buffy blinked when the vampire just grabbed the stake with her left hand. She hadn't even flinched.

"I don't Slayer..." Electra said, shaking Buffy away from her recollections. There was a light blink in Electra's eyes, then she threw her stake back at her.

It was so quick Buffy didn't even have time to move. The stake pierced with deadly precision the soft skin of her right shoulder.

Buffy fell on her knees. What had surprised her the most, was that Electra had purposely aimed at her right shoulder. She lowered her head in pain and swallowed as she heard her steps approaching. Electra grabbed her by her hair and tilted her head up saying, "Definitely not. Lesson the first, a Slayer shouldn't *ever* give potential weapons to her opponents, because, you see? "

Spike nodded, "They told me who they were...what they did...they only choose the best among the watchers..." ~

Buffy swallowed again, Electra lightly tilted her head on a side and whispered tightening her grip on her hair, "Bad things happen"

That was the last thing Buffy heard, Electra's knee, solidly connected against her face, sending her in a dark space, where the only thing she could feel, the only thing she knew was pain.

Four words. he had been waiting to hear them for months, since he had left Eric's house, the house where he had trained for three years.

Part of him, the part that had been forged under Eric's severe training, was eager to begin...yet why did he feel so breathless?

William noticed how Willow looked surprised by the coldness in Eric's voice, his face didn't betray any emotion, any feelings, it looked like he didn't care at all about him, about what he was going through, William, though, knew better. Yet, he couldn't help wondering whether he was right in that moment, how could he be so cold while condemning a person to die?

William nodded and got up from the chair, he was almost at the door, when Eric's voice stopped him saying, "William?"

William turned, and the restlessness, the tension in him was almost palpable, he narrowed his eyes and said, "Is there something else?"

He started at those words almost as if he had been slapped. He slowly walked toward the desk and placed the ring on it saying in a low voice, "To stand against the darkness. To be the light within the darkness...to aid the Slayer in her never ending.... battle against the darkness...to lighten her burden...to fight by her side and die for her...to protect the world ...always"

He raised his head to look at Eric, and he vaguely noticed Willow, she looked as if she was expecting Eric to say something, anything, but the vampire didn't talk, he just took the ring and said, "You are dismissed..."

William nodded and went out the room without saying a words, he chose not to consider the fact that Willow had blinked when she had noticed the trembling in his hands. He took a deep breath, there was only one place where he could go, in that moment, there was only one place where he could regain some of the resolve, that he was feeling shaking within him.

Electra let go of Buffy and snapped her fingers and the lights around them went on, she turned toward Eric shrugging and said, "Told you, it wasn't going to take long, gheraious"

Eric stepped toward her, he lowered his head and looked at Buffy. She was on the floor, a stake was emerging from her right shoulder. He pursed his lips, the vibes from Buffy were stronger...he turned toward Xander, saying, "Take her to the hospital, now..."

Eric stretched a hand toward her, and Electra was thrown back, hitting a wall, she slowly rose on her feet and shrugged saying, "I guess I will..."

Eric nodded, without looking at him. His eyes bore into Electra's, she wasn't moving, she just kept looking at him, unafraid.

He didn't turn when he heard Xander taking Buffy in his arms, and taking her away from the mansion. Only then did he take a step toward her. He didn't morph in his game face, and his voice was calm when he said, "I'll rip your heart out of your chest with my own hands, Electra..."

"Oh, yes please...by all means let me taste your darkness..." Electra said smiling.

Willow had looked at him wide-eyed for some instants, after William had left the room, and Eric almost hadn't had the courage to look at her. He knew he had been cold to William and he knew that, that young woman, who had willingly chosen to go back in time to save the man she loved, was probably thinking he was a heartless bastard, but that was part of the training, from that moment on, William was on his own.

The red-head, got up from the chair, making it fall. Eric raised his head, green fire was coming from her eyes, she looked outraged....furious...she looked beautiful.

"I know what you are thinking, Willow" he said in a low voice. She surprised him getting close to the desk and grabbing a pen and a sheet, quickly writing something on it

<<Do you? I don't think so! You have just condemned him to die and the only thing you could worry about was a ring?>>

<<Being his friend...just when he needed one the most...that's the last time you'll ever see *William* , doesn't he mean anything to you?>>

"Bastard" she mouthed, tears filling her eyes. She turned her back at him and went to the door.

Eric stopped her saying, "He will probably be in the meditation room, it is on the first floor. He always goes there when he is upset..."

Willow turned toward him, while her hand was still on the doorknob, she took a deep breath and nodded at him, he saw her lips stretching in her tiny, almost shy smile, then mouthed, "Thank you"

She left the room, leaving him alone, and Eric had to sit, while he whispered, "You're welcome"

Spike had his eyes closed, he somehow felt that even if he had opened them, he wouldn't have been able to see anything, and what scared him the most, was that he didn't mind. The drowsiness that for a while had taken him away from the pain, had faded, he wondered why he hadn't died, yet. He was beginning to see death as a liberation.

He had always been a fighter, never had he given up, it wasn't in his nature...yet, that pain was worse than anything he had ever experienced.

The memories were keeping him alive, he realized. The clouds around them were slowly dissipating, revealing more details. It was strange how they were part of him now...as if Willow had always been there. She had been there when the messenger from the Eletti had arrived with the news he had been activated. Even if he had chosen to ignore her in that moment, he recalled now the look in her eyes and how she had felt for him.

He had trained for that moment for years, yet when Eric had uttered those four words, he had felt breathless. Millions of thoughts had crowded his mind, millions of small recollections, of tastes, smells, sights...and in a blink of an eye, he had bid farewell to them, then that hot restlessness had filled him, and he had gone out from that room, from those words, and the tiny voice in his head that had kept telling him, he needed some more time, he had run to the meditation room. That had been the only place he had found peace during his training.

He had spent countless hours in that large room, full of windows, that were usually covered when Eric was there with him. He had spent countless hours in that room, studying, or simply relaxing, letting the sun bathing him, how many sunrises had he observed from those windows?

Spike shook his head, trying to shake away the memories, trying to focus on the pain and on Anya's hands, that kept sprinkling balms on his tortured skin. He wished he had the strength to tell her to just stop, because it was useless...the poison was winning

~ The room was dipped in obscurity, but William knew it as his own palms, he quickly headed toward the first window, and pulled the curtain down, then repeated the action with the others, the sky was of a pale blue, and even the sun didn't shine brightly, but that was enough for him. He tried to rationalize the emptiness he was feeling...he was trying not to feel so damned alone...and desperate.

He didn't have second thoughts...he believed in what he did. He had felt honored to be chosen, and still felt that way...he just wished that pounding in his chest wasn't so deafening. He took some deep breaths, he filled his lungs with air, but it looked like the more air he breathed, the more breathless he felt.

He closed his eyes when he heard her steps. He knew it was her, he didn't need to turn to see her. since the night before, wherever he had turned, whenever he had closed his eyes, her face, her smile, her bright green eyes had been there.

"You...wanker...she...couldn't speak..." Spike rasped shaking his head. He felt Anya's hand on his hair, he swallowed and said in a low voice, "Quit this, Anya..."

"Bugger ...him..." he huskily said, but arched his head, gritting his teeth, when a new throbbing wave of pain hit him. he was almost glad Willow wasn't there with him, he was glad she couldn't see what that bitch was doing to him.

~ He felt her small hand on his shoulder. How dared that woman to touch him? He had fooled himself, thinking it was him she was interested in...but it had been a lie, it was his blood she was after, just like the Eletti, just like all the sodding world.

He dragged her to a side of the room, there were some knives, neatly disposed on a table. Eric had used them during their training, to test his reflexes and cold blood.

He let go of her wrist and took off his duster, he then rolled the sleeve of his shirt up to his elbows then took one of the knives, he toyed with its blade for some seconds, then hissed, "Do you want my blood?"

A passing thought came in his mind, but he shook it away, again he grabbed her wrist, and part of himself enjoyed the fact he was hurting her, hurting her as much as *he* was hurting.

"Look..." he ordered as the blade cut his elbow, a thin vermilion line, appeared on his white skin, he stretched his arms toward her saying, "Take it...take all the blood you need...do not forget to leave some for the ponce that will kill me, though"

He was taken aback, when she raised her head and looked at him, he could catch hesitancy in her eyes, he could catch sorrow in her eyes...but not pity, not accusations.

He silently wondered. She took a deep breath, then raised the little bottle that hung on her neck, she uncapped it, then placed the bottle on his wound. William blinked as all the blood that was seeping from his wound was absorbed by the little bottle. When she finished, the scar was still there, although it seemed old.

She capped the bottle, then looked at him for a second before mouthing, "I'm sorry..."

She turned her back at him, and quickly headed to the door. his feet were quicker than his mind, than his heart. He reached her to the door, and stopped her, grabbing her by her shoulders and pulling her at him.

He needed that woman...needed her more than he had needed anything else in his life. He had unconsciously desired her since the night before, when he had seen her running in the graveyard. He had pushed away that thought, as he had gotten used to.

"Don't go...please...not yet" he whispered, against her hair. The woman turned and looked at him, there were tears in her eyes, but he could read something else as well...something he couldn't exactly pinpoint, and if he had to be honest he didn't care.

The only thing which mattered to him was her body, close, so close to his, the only thing which was keeping him in that moment from crumble down upon the heartache, the fear, was her skin, a skin he wanted desperately to touch, to taste, to make his.

She raised her hand to touch his face, and he leant in her caress, he felt her fingertips tracing his lips, and he kissed them, all of them. he lowered his hand to her waist, pulling her at him. ~

"Oh...bloody hell..." Spike said in a low voice. What had he thought? Had he really been so desperate, so blinded by fear, by that fire, that hadn't left him, until Drusilla had killed him under that pouring rain to use Willow like that? He wished he could fool himself saying he had loved her then...but he hadn't. he hadn't cared about her.

~ He crushed his lips to hers, she didn't resist, although a part of himself told him, she had opened her mouth much out of surprise than for passion. Her mouth tasted of apples, mint...and tears.

He tasted her, ravishing her mouth with his, grazing the flaming red of her hair, digging his fingers in it. He felt her hands gripping his shoulders. He moaned in her mouth, when with her fingertips, she tickled the nape of his neck.

His hand left her hair and grazed her cheeks for some seconds, then her neck. his other hand was still on her waist, he raised it, brushing her back. He pressed her against the huge wood door. She lightly pulled him back from her, grasping for air. Her face was flushed, and her eyes so bright, although he couldn't say whether for unshed tears or passion.

He searched her eyes for approval...as much as he desired her, needed her...he knew in his heart that he couldn't have ever forced her, although he chose to ignore that part of him that was screaming at him to stop treating that young woman like a whore.

"Tell me to stop...and I will" he said, surprised by how husky his voice was. Never in his life had he felt so aroused, her taste was like a drug

She shook her head, and raised her hand to brush his hair, again his mouth almost brutally descended on hers, she responded to his kiss with all her might, his hands went under her gown, to her bosom, cupping it, pulling her at him, toward his erection, he felt her legs wrapping around his waist, he vaguely noticed, she wasn't wearing corsets, just a thin garment. ~

Spike blinked his eyes open trying to shake away those memories, but it wasn't enough. He could feel as if it had just happened, her hands circling his neck, and the look in her eyes, the acceptance, the love in it. He could feel the cold metal of the little bottle, pressed between them, and that fire inside him, that had almost blinded him. He had shagged her to feel alive, not to feel so numb, and she had understood that, she had given herself wholly to him, had accepted his sorrow, trying to giving back to him peace

~ He wasn't sure, how they had gotten on the floor, he chose to ignore the fact that their bodies seemed to fit perfectly. He was only aware of her legs wrapped around his hips, of her skin he couldn't stop touching, tasting, wanting, of her face so close to his, of her lips on his neck, tasting him, of her heat, that he could feel through the fabric of his trousers.

His hand went on her inner tights, and she arched her back in anticipation, she seemed to know his touch, his body, he could feel her fumbling with the buttons of his shirt, and moaned when her small hands touched his bare skin, lightly pinching his nipples, his fingers traced the outlines of her labia, through the fabric of that thin garment. She quivered in his arms and he kissed her, hard, their tongues, meeting, battling against each other.

He ripped the soft fabric of her panties, and started rubbing her already swollen clit. She tore her mouth away from his and arched her back, seeking release.

She shuddered in his arms, and he twisted her clit in his fingers 1, she silently climaxed, tugging the fabric of his shirt, searching for his lips, William touched her face with his hand, gently forcing her to look at him.

His eyes told her, he smiled at her, and his mouth was again on hers, teasing her, tasting her, claiming her. He couldn't help shivering in anticipation when her hands went on the fastening of his trousers, helping him out of them.

His eyes bore into hers, even when he supported his weight on his elbows, and with one quick thrust entered her hot, slick channel. He didn't move, giving her time to adjust to him, she arched her back, wrapping tighter her legs around his hips, only then did he start to move inside her, with aching slowness at first, their movements soon grew with intensity, and William lost himself in her.

He didn't love her, he didn't even know her...he just knew he needed her, to reassure himself his flesh was still alive, that his heart was still beating in his chest.

He closed his eyes and held his breath, when he felt her tighten around him, her hands went on his hair and she pulled him at her, hungrily kissing him, while a wave a sheer pleasure, engulfed them both, he thrust inside her one more time as he felt the walls he had so painfully build around him, collapsing for some instants, he let out a cry, hiding his face, in her shoulder, as he climaxed.

He rested his head against the soft skin of her shoulders, taking deep breaths, inhaling the mixed scents of their sweats and the sex they had just had, Willow's heart was pounding in her chest, he could clearly hear it.

He squeezed his eyes shut, thinking that soon, he was going to be able to effortlessly hear heartbeats, and that the sound of the blood flowing in the veins, was going to arouse him...

The words Eric had told him so long ago, when he had accepted his offer echoed clear in his mind, as if he was hearing them for the first time.

He shook his head, and slowly slid off Willow. She was looking at him, understanding in her eyes, he swallowed, as he refastened his trousers and buttoned his shirt, he looked at her saying, "I still have things to do..."

She just nodded at him, slowly shifting in a sitting position. William put on his duster, and said, "Forgive me..."

He thought taking in her swollen lips, and tousled hair. he couldn't help smiling at her. she shrugged and mouthed, "Good luck, William..."

He turned his back at her, and quickly exited the room. He rested his head against the door, perhaps it had been just his imagination, but he was sure he had heard her sobbing. He closed his eyes and sighed, steeling himself for the incoming hours.

Hidden behind a corner in the hall, Alain was watching Electra and the gheraious fighting. Electra had expressly asked him not to intervene in any fight he was going to see. He had witnessed as Electra had snapped her fingers, and a black dome had engulfed both the vampire and the Slayer.

Electra was powerful, extremely powerful, when he had met her she didn't even realize how strong her hidden powers were.

She had stopped him from opening one of the Hellmouths, in the process, they had found something else, something incredibly powerful.

It was her who was stopping him, from spreading the word about the Eletti in the vampire community.

"Do you want a civil war? Do you want us to be so distracted that it wouldn't take a Slayer to eliminate us? I don't think so, cherie...we have knowledge and we have power..."

She always said things like that. her mysteries didn't worry him, she could have been and Eletti, and she was indeed very strong...but she loved him, Alain was sure about that. He shook his head smiling at the sight which was displaying in front of him.

Electra and Eric were still fighting, each blow was viciously given with the precise intent to weaken the other. Alain noticed that, despite what they had told before starting fighting, none of them was in game face. It was a fascinating sight.

He wondered why none of them had used magic, the answer surprised him, they were relying on their knowledge and mind to fight.

Electra kicked Eric, the dark-haired vampire caught her foot in his hand and twisted it, making her fall on the floor on her back. Alain saw as Eric getting close to her, ready to hit her again, but Electra quickly rose on her feet, kicking him in the face.

The dark haired vampire staggered, but shook his head and spin on himself, kicking Electra in the solar plexus, with enough force to threw her across the room. Electra hit her head against a wall. She went limp on the floor, unmoving.

Eric approached her, slowly, he bent taking from the floor one of the bolts Electra had dodged.

Alain thought, taking a step forward. He was still partially hidden. He didn't give a damn about Electra. She was a traitor, but she looked like she was on to something. She had his same goal and mostly the means and the knowledge to achieve It.

He was about to intervene when Eric turned, from the waistband of his jeans he produced a stake, he threw it at him, piercing his left shoulder, just a inch above the heart.

Alain couldn't help stepping back, grimacing in pain. His demon recognized Eric's as a much older one, he realized, though, that the soul wasn't the only thing that kept it at bay.

She practically jumped on her feet saying, "Nice kick, but it would have been much more effective if I had actually needed to breathe. You told me you wanted to rip my heart out of my chest, didn't you? Well, what if I do that?"

Giles was kneeling on the floor, drawing the signs they needed for the spell that was going to send Willow back to the present. The former Watcher raised his head and met Anya's eyes.

"Giles, we don't have much time left" Anya firmly said, she got up from her chair and got close to him, kneeling on the floor next to him.

"Have you ever seen a vampire dying from this poison?" Anya asked, she turned her head to look at Spike, the blonde vampire was lightly squirming on the couch, some of the boils on his face had erupted, and pus was coming out of them.

Anya couldn't help notice that although Spike looked like he had lost consciousness his hands were still closed in fists. Blood was staining the couch. Over the last eighteen hours Giles and her had constantly turned his body, not to let the burns on his back worsen.

She couldn't say whether Spike was in his game face, since it was almost too burnt to distinguish his features any more. She knew that if Willow came back in time to save him, those burns were going to vanish immediately...she was afraid, though, that the red-head wasn't going to make it.

"We have to start the spell now...what if that Electra chick dusts Eric? We can't take this risk..."

Giles sighed, tempted to ask Anya since when she was so fond of Spike or so selfless ...the answer that came up in his mind surprised him. It had all changed the previous month. It had all changed during those four days, since then they had all got closer to each other, even Anya.

He lightly pinched the bridge of his nose before saying, "I can bring her back, but Eric did cast another spell on her, don't you remember?"

Giles raised an eyebrow surprised, Anya shrugged and said, "Don't be so surprised, I've been around for a long time, remember?"

Anya nodded, but surprised Giles saying, "Willow has been willing to take the risk because she didn't want to lose him, we'll take care of that spell, when she comes back...color me wearing her resolve face, Giles...we have to bring Willow back..."

"I...did" Spike's voice was but a whisper, yet both Giles and Anya started, turning to look at him. he was unmoving, his jaws clenched.

He didn't open his eyes, and his voice was very weak, yet Giles couldn't help being relieved, the very fact that the vampire had been still listening to them and had found the strength to talk, showed how he was still fighting, how adamant he was in refusing to give up.

He had heard Spike promising Willow not to give up...and he was trying very hard to keep that promise.

He thought about Willow, who had chosen to bear on her shoulders a huge responsibility going back in time. She had taken a big risk, she was still risking her life...to help the man she loved.

Anya's voice interrupted the train of his thoughts when she said, "Giles we have to decide very quickly, we can't waste time..."

Giles couldn't help the lump which formed in his throat when Spike chimed in a weaker voice, "Don't...c...call him t...that"

The temptation was strong...so strong, a temptation emphasized by the tiredness he was beginning to feel. It would have been so easy to let his demon taking over and finish that bitch, yet despite how dangerous and strong Electra was Eric couldn't let himself to.

He couldn't let his demon taking over...he didn't have the courage, he couldn't, not even to save the world...not again.

He kept fighting her, and was surprised that she hadn't morphed in her game face, either. He was puzzled by her behavior.

More than once she had had the chance to dust him, since they had begun fighting...yet each time she made stupid mistakes, giving him the chance to get free.

Once again Electra charged him, she hit him in the stomach, with a kick, Eric punched her with all his might, throwing her against a wall. Electra shook her head and leant against it almost panting, "Ok, gheraious I got it, you're strong and you like me against this wall, wanna give a shot at it?"

Eric stretched his hands toward her and while green iridescent light poured out from his hands and it wrapped around her body he smiled saying, "Thanks, but no thanks. I say we shouldn't waste any more time "

~ Willow's lips were swollen when he saw her. She was slowly walking down the hallway, her hair tousled, and from where he was he could see tears, glistening in her eyes. ~

He looked around while he got close to the blonde vampire, ignoring the recollections that were forming in his head. Ignoring that old...but at the same time new heart-ache he was feeling. He bent and took from the floor one of the broken bolts Electra had dodged from Buffy.

"What...are you in a hurry? Life is too short?" she quipped, resting her head against the wall.

She started and turned toward him. He was leaning against the closed door of his study. She shot him an angry look, but nodded.

He knew what had happened, he could smell sex and blood on her, he could smell tears and fear...and rage...and it was intoxicating. ~

Pain was evident on Electra's face, yet she sounded amused when she added, "Is this the part where you rip my heart out of my chest? With your bare hands? C'mon get it over with it..."

~ Why his future self, had send that girl back in the past? She looked so frail, so young. She slowly got close to him hugging her arms over her chest, she wasn't looking at him. yet when he attempted to touch her shoulder, she shot her head up. Her eyes were full of tears, yet she adamantly refused to let them sleep down her cheeks, her green eyes bore into his, and in them he saw a strength, a fire that surprised him. She wasn't frail, she had gone against time to save William. ~

Eric frowned , how did Electra know about what was going on? Why could he still smell Willow? Why did he feel the urge to close his eyes and shook away the memories? Why could he see himself having done that for years after that day?

He was surprised realizing he was almost envious of William....of what he had had with her...of what he was going to have, one day.

"I apologise for my behavior" he said somewhat meekly. Since when did he feel the need to apologise?

She smiled at him and shook her head. She mouthed something he didn't understand, and suddenly wished to know her voice.

Electra wasn't struggling to break free, she let out a chuckle and said in a low, almost hypnotic voice "Oh, you disappoint me, gheraious, I wanted you to let me taste your darkness..."

~ What was happening to him? Since when a woman, a human woman he had known for less than twenty four hours mattered so much to him?

"I..." he started, and for the first time in longer he could remember he was at a loss for word. She was arching a delicate eyebrow at him, and he couldn't help smiling at her, his smile quickly faded when she mouthed, "I want to go home..."

She had come from a very distant future, to retrieve William's blood. She had come from a very faraway place, from a different kind of life...and had forbid herself to rewrite history accepting a spell that could damage her brain ...

She was probably in love with William...and he was sure that if William had let himself to, he would have fallen in love with her, as well...

Eric shook his head both at Electra's words and at his recollections. How had he fought them, afterwards. He raised his hand, ready to stake her, but almost let the stake drop when the events replayed themselves in his mind, as if they had just happened.

~ He didn't want her to leave....ever again. Yet when, he looked into her eyes, he couldn't help smiling at her and say, "Of course...come with me..."

She smiled at him, and impulsively circled his neck with an arm and kissed his cheek.

Without wanting it, without even realizing it...he had fallen in love with that woman from the future. ~

His makeshift stake dropped on the floor and he took a step back, shaking his head, losing concentration. Electra pulled free, Eric didn't see her little smile, she spin kicked him, sending him to the floor.

"I guess it will be for the next time, see you around gheraious...." She said. Eric heard a sharp popping sound, and when he raised his head Electra had disappeared.

"They're going to kill her...it's too soon..." he said through clenched teeth, quickly heading toward the door.

He had to hurry, neither Anya nor Giles could bring Willow back...without killing her in the process The story might have just changed, yet he felt like he had loved her forever...burying that love deep inside his heart...trying to forget her...loving and losing again.

He felt his face stretching, morphing, and for an instant he was afraid he wasn't going to be able to control his feelings. He closed his eyes and forced himself to block out his anger and rage, he forced himself to block out his feelings.

Willow silently wondered, looking around. Eric had scared ten years out of her life, casting a relocation spell. One moment they had been in Eric's study, within a circle, a moment later they had appeared in William's room.

"No one can see, hear or feel us, we have to follow him" Eric said, as if he had read her mind.

Willow stopped him, by raising a hand. As if her life hadn't been already complicated, she was now going to see William die.

She looked around, the room was dark, the sun had set, and William wasn't there. She was seeing the room, through a greenish light. She was inside some kind a shield. She sighed, noticing that her jeans and her shirt had disappeared...and so had the few books that had been there that morning.

They were erasing William from the face of Earth. As if he had never existed. she started when the door of the room opened.

William got in, holding a sheet in his left hand, quickly heading toward his desk, lightening then some candles.

He looked down at the sheet he had been holding in his hand and read it, for what it looked like hours.

"He has been given his assignment." Eric calmly explained, without looking at her.

Willow wasn't listening to him, though. she kept looking at William, although he looked calm, she could see that the restlessness, the tension that had built in his body since that afternoon hadn't disappeared, not even the sex had helped him.

His hands were still trembling. The same hands that had touched her that afternoon, that had longed for her skin. She swallowed and took a step toward him, but stopped when with a quick gesture William, threw the few sheets that were still on the desk on the floor.

His face hardened, she saw him steeling himself, he closed his eyes, and Willow wished she could go close to him and touch him....she wished she could give him strength.

William shook his head and opened his eyes, and Willow almost took a step back, seeing how cold his eyes had become. His face had become a mask. There weren't regrets, there weren't doubts anymore...just an air of restlessness and eagerness.

He tightened in his brown duster and turned taking a look outside the window. It was raining...so hard that it was almost impossible to see what there was outside.

They both knew though. The things that went bump in the night, the thing...in the visage of a dark haired woman that was going to steal his life and his heart.

William turned and looked around in the room, probably noticing how poorly it was furnished. There was a crumpled sheet on the floor, not very far from where she was, Willow took a step back, brushing Eric's chest.

William knelt on the floor, taking the crumpled sheet in his hands, lowering his head toward it. he closed his eyes.

Willow turned toward Eric, the dark haired vampire had a serious expression on his face. perhaps William's impending death was affecting him after all.

William slowly rose on his feet, letting the sheet fall on the floor, he shook his head and let out a laugh....and Willow was surprised noticing that wasn't the laughter of a mad man....perhaps a desperate man...but not a mad man.

William knew what he was doing...he had given up everything to embrace that mission. He took another look at the window and shrugged, heading then toward the door.

Willow nodded without looking at Eric, she took a step forward, and knelt on the floor, unable to withstand temptation, she took the sheet in her hands and quickly read what was written on it, feeling her eyes filling with tears while she grazed the words written on the sheet with trembling fingers

<< We defy augury. There is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow.
If it be now 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not
Now, yet it will come. The readiness is all. since no man of ought he leaves,
knows aught, what is to leave betimes? Let be>>

She swallowed while raising on her feet, clutching the sheet in her hands, "I hope you will find peace" she mouthed. She turned toward Eric and nodded, the dark-haired vampire stretched a hand toward her and she took it. She closed her eyes when the vampire began chanting.

She hoped to be strong enough....strong enough to watch the man who was going to become the man she had fallen in love with, die.

Spike knew he didn't have much time left. The recollections were all there, now...he recalled everything. How he had come back to his room, only to find it devoid of the few things that had belonged to him.

Spike wished he had the strength to tell them to stop talking, he just wanted to rest...the only reason he still hadn't given in to the pain, the only reason why even now, was still fighting against the poison, was because of Willow. He wanted to see her...explain why he had left her...explain her why he hadn't loved her.

"Oh, Chronos god of time we invoke thee" Giles started, ignoring the ringing of the phone.

Time... Spike recalled how the words on that sheet had seemed to blur ...and how he had wished he had had more time.

For the umpteenth time, pain gripped him, corroded him...and for the umpteenth time, Spike gritted his teeth, fighting back the pain, knowing he was desperately hanging on the last vestiges of his strength.

He recalled now, how he had forgot about Willow, about that young red-head, who had tried to give him peace in the darkest hour of his life. He recalled how he hadn't recognized her, when they had met...and how the recollections of those twenty-four hours, had returned only when they had really known each other...and how he had refused them, burying them so deep inside himself that he had almost started to believe it had been a coincidence

The telephone was still ringing, but neither Giles nor Anya paid attention to its shrill sound. Spike realized that Willow hadn't changed history...not the main events...but he now had recollections of staring at her, trying to figure out something, something he hadn't exactly been able to pinpoint....not until now.

"You can't do the spell now...they aren't ready in the past..." Eric voice announced.

"I know, but killing the red-head is not going to help William, and it's what you're doing!"

The rain was pouring down the streets, but both Willow and Eric were protected by it. They were following William, he was slowly walking down the scarcely illuminated streets, looking around, as if he wanted to engrave each detail in his mind, in his heart.

"They are beginning to cast the spell in your time. I can feel it" Eric announced.

Willow briefly looked at him, he was next to her, paler than usual, his marble complexion emphasized by his black outfit.

She shook her head and focused on William, he was shivering under that pouring rain. What was he doing?

"Angelus and Drusilla have been spotted here, for the last weeks" Eric said as if he had been reading her mind.

She looked around, there weren't many people on the street that night, and the few that were seeking refuge under gutters were as helpless as they were. An air of death seemed to permeate those streets.

Willow watched as William with an angry gesture wiped away some moisture from his face with the back of his hand...yet she couldn't say whether it had been rain or tears.

"I'm going insane" she heard him whisper. He stopped on his tracks and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths, without even realizing that Willow took deep breaths too, although it was difficult for her to do so, her stomach was tied in a painful knot, a lump formed in her throat...and she was glad she couldn't utter a sound, or she would have sobbed aloud.

Willow turned her head, noticing for the first time that someone was following William. She tugged at the sleeve of Eric's coat, and the dark-haired vampire turned.

She silently prayed, turning to look at William, he was oblivious of the woman that had been following him.

Drusilla was beautiful. That was the only thing she couldn't think about. The vampiress slowly walked, following William, her head was tilted up, yet she could see how blood smeared her face and her neck

She was soaking wet, yet she didn't even seem to realize that. William turned hearing the footsteps, Willow noticed the startled expression on his eyes. She attempted to take a step forward, but Eric stopped her, by putting a hand on her shoulder.

She freezed and nodded, yet tears filled her eyes, when she saw him swallowing...when she saw his face harden, when she saw the tension in his body leave him, replaced by a cold resolve.

Willow hugged her arms while William slowly got close to her, she dimly heard Eric's chants. He was already casting the spell that was binding William's soul to his body. She didn't recognize the words, she didn't even want to listen to them. Every cell of her being was mesmerized by the scene that was playing under her eyes.

Willow saw Drusilla starting at his words, she long looked at him without talking. Willow unconsciously got closer to Eric, tempted to just close her eyes...knowing what was going to happen.

"Are you hurt?" William asked and Willow could hear a strange edge in his voice, could see a bit of his resolve shatter. Willow was seeing the seeds of the love Spike was going to feel for Drusilla, the need to protect her, even knowing what she really was.

William's sharp intake of breath, made her start. Was he already falling in love with her? She shook her head and lightly squeezed in her hand, the little silver bottle that hung on her chest.

~ Take it...take all the blood you need...do not forget to leave some for the ponce that will kill me, though ~

Tears slowly trailed down her cheeks as William's words repeated themselves in her mind...she was hearing William talking to Drusilla, and had to admit he was convincing. There weren't traces of the man she had briefly known....for the last day...and he wasn't Spike either. She was seeing the man who had chosen to stand against the darkness, being almost engulfed by it.

Eric was still chanting, and Willow couldn't help noticing how still the air was becoming, how the colors of the night assumed a spooky nuance through the greenish light which was filtering them.

Drusilla circled William saying, "He said I have to come back before dawn...he doesn't want the sun to kiss me"

"You are so lonely" the mad vampire continued and Willow couldn't help starting when she heard William's whispered reply, "I am..."

"The stars are singing to me. The stars say you have fire in you, you have power, you have darkness...but you have a heart."

Willow thought, shaking her head, the lump in her throat was making it difficult for her to breathe, she was feeling her heart almost bursting in her chest...she could taste tears and adrenaline in her mouth.

"What are the stars telling you?" William asked, gently taking Drusilla by her shoulders.

Eric's quiet words, mingled with the tickling of the rain and Drusilla's words, she asked him to go away, William didn't comply and Drusilla almost growled when she said, "You want to taste the darkness..."

Willow saw the man kneeling on the wet pavement beside the vampire and gently placing his hands on her shoulders, "I want the loneliness to stop...can you understand that?" He said...and Willow knew that he had said the truth.

Eric's voice was louder now, he had his eyes closed, she could see lights around William, they were glowing and she wondered how Drusilla couldn't see them...she knew how powerful the spell Eric was chanting was, she could feel it, her skin was itching with the power she was sensing all around them.

"You can still save yourself...the stars are begging me to spare you from the darkness..." Drusilla said in a child-like voice.

Willow thought closing her eyes. she blinked them open when she heard William saying, "Please, save me..."

Drusilla raised her head, she was in her game face, "Do you still want to be saved?" she growled.

Willow felt her heart skip a beat when he nodded, she had to force herself not to go out from the shield, without stopping his chants, Eric circled her shoulders with an arm, and Willow buried her face in his chest while she heard William's words.

She didn't have the courage to see what was happening. She was hearing the slurping sounds Drusilla was making, as she drank from William...and his moans. She heard her whispering, "drink from me and be like me..."

"So mote it be" Eric calmly said. Willow raised her head, she could see how bright Eric's eyes were. She followed his gaze and looked at William, he was lying on the pavement in Drusilla's arms, his face pale, his eyes closed, an almost serene expression on his handsome face.

He was dead. William...the coy, lonely man she had met. The desperate man who had kissed her as if his life depended on it, the man whose skin had been warm against her, that afternoon. William, the man who had loved the sun and gave up to it to embrace his mission.

William, whose skin had been so soft against hers that afternoon, reminding her he was a different man than the vampire she was in love with...a man she had started to love nevertheless.

She had tried to give him peace...she hadn't realized until now, that William had given something as well...the gift of knowing him, knowing his essence even if for a little while.

She had felt his life spilling inside of her... and a lone tear sliding down his cheek, dampening her skin.

William was dead, and he could still feel Willow's body against his, while she silently sobbed for the man. He recalled how he had hurt for William's death. He hadn't realized he had cared so much for him, until Drusilla had drained him and made him drink her blood.

"In thy name we break through the blanket of time" Giles continued, there wasn't hesitancy in his voice, although he knew about Buffy, Eric had informed him.

A pale golden light began forming within the circle they had drawn on the floor.

He looked at the red-head, her eyes were red and puffy with tears, not very far away from them, Drusilla was still holding William's lifeless body. ~

Eric gestured at Giles, and he slightly nodded, continuing the spell on his own, while he started the other spell.

~ The light of the golden circle glowed brighter. Eric swallowed and turned to look at Willow, "I guess it is time for you to go"

The red-head nodded and swallowed, and he could see how tempted she was to turn her back to see William for the last time. ~

~ He rummaged through the pockets of his coat and said, "I want you to have this"

He stretched his hand toward hers and opened his palm revealing the ring William wore on his pinky finger.

~ She put on the ring, on her left ring finger and Eric was tempted to look away. She belonged with someone else...and he had to learn to accept that...

She was surprised by his words. She couldn't see Drusilla, and only a few meters separated her from the future.

She thought. She turned around to make sure no one was seeing her, and her heart almost stopped in her chest when recognized a figure on the other side of the street.

Angelus. The vampire with the Angelic face...the only vampire who still haunted her nightmares. Panic engulfed her, thick as a blanket, paralyzing her legs.

He was moving toward her, and Willow knew that this time, no one was going to save her....not Xander, not Buffy...and she was sure Eric wasn't going to move a muscle...not that night.

The image of Spike, as she last had seen him, weak, but adamant not to give up, was enough to shake the panic away. She started to run, and could clearly hear Angelus hissing, "Yes, run little girl..."

Eric's voice was broken, as the recollections of Angelus charging Willow filled his mind. He recalled how he had screamed through the shield at Willow, urging her to move, to run....before that monster caught her.

She had been still under that pouring rain, dazzled by panic, and Angelus probably puzzled by the sudden apparition of a young red-head in a deserted road had crossed the street, his hair wet with rain, his face a cold mask of cruelty.

It had only lasted a second then she had started to run, the golden circle, her only safe place.

She couldn't run fast enough...the golden circle had seemed so close to her, yet it now looked like it was unreachable. She heard Angelus' heavy footsteps. He wasn't running, he knew he was faster than her, he didn't need to.

She knew she couldn't do anything about it. She couldn't stop and set him on fire as she had done with that newly risen vampire the night before. She couldn't change history...she didn't even have time to.

She had just to run, ignoring the pounding of her heart against her chest and the fear bitter and blinding, that threatened to engulf her whole.

"Let the sand of the eternal sandglass flows as it has to...let the child flows it back with it..." Giles said.

~ She ran, faster and faster but Angelus was at her heels, a cruel smirk was playing on his lips.

He wanted to run to her, wanted to stop him, but knew he couldn't. never had Eric hated his calling more. ~

The golden light was dazzling, but Willow didn't care, she could feel Angelus cold breath on her neck, she could feel the evil that permeated every cell of his being close, too close to her. She jumped in the golden circle, letting the light burn her, welcoming it, actually.

She felt Angelus cold hand almost gripping her shoulder, but with a strength she didn't even suspected she had she pulled away.

"So mote it be" Eric echoed Giles' words. How had he studied on the Philomela spell, after Willow had left. It had been one of the few things he had written to his younger self in the letter he had given to Willow.

There was a loud, shrill noise, Giles' living room was lit by an intense, blinding golden light which forced them all to close their eyes. They all heard the glass of the bookcase shatter The air in the living room became still.

They all opened their eyes. Willow was within the circle, her hair and her blue dress soaking wet, she was panting. Giles was immediately by her side, but Willow was already exiting the circle, and getting close to the couch.

She looked at Spike, taking in his burned face and hands. He wasn't moving, steams was starting to come out from his skin.

She fell on her knees and looked at Anya saying, "Please, tell me it's not too late"

The former demon shook her head. Willow sighed in relief, she uncapped the little bottle that hung on her chest saying, "Spike, please...open your eyes...open them for me..."

Spike didn't or couldn't hear her, Willow turned to look at Eric, the vampire nodded at her, and she instinctively knew what she had to do.

She leant toward him, and supported his head with her arm, "Drink it, Spike...please, love...I can't lose you again..."

Willow smiled when the blonde vampire lightly parted his lips open, ignoring the tears that filled her eyes and brought the little bottle near Spike's lips. Blood poured from it and Spike out of instinct began drinking from it.

Under their eyes Spike's skin began to heal, slowly at first, then quicker and quicker, it almost looked like that little silver bottle was absorbing all the poison and its terrible effects on Spike's body.

Willow grimaced when the bottle became too hot to bear, but didn't stop, Spike's eyes flew open and they locked gazes.

She smiled at him grazing his hair with her free hand, and leant out kissing his damp forehead

Willow nodded and let the bottle drop on the floor, she felt Spike's weakly raising his hand to brush some damp locks away from her face.

She smiled at him and shook her head, "It's over...it's the past...doesn't it matter now... rest I'll be here..."

Spike smiled at her and nodded, closing his eyes, she placed a kiss on his forehead.

Only then did Willow look around, noticing that Giles had disappeared and so had Anya.

"Is she going to be fine?" Willow asked, slowly getting on her feet, she bent and took the little bottle from the floor.

Willow nodded, and shrugged, she looked down at her outfit for some seconds, then turned to look at Spike, who was resting, really resting for the first time for the last twenty four hours, she then turned to look at Eric and said, "There's something, I've wanted to do since 1880..."

"Believe me, this is gonna hurt me more, but..." she stopped talking and surprised him, punching him in the face with all her might.

She turned when she heard Spike's weak chuckle, she steeled her shoulders and smiling said, "Thank you *so* much! "

~ She had gone. The golden light had swallowed her, and closed and its wave had sent Angelus flowing on his shoulders. Eric watched as the tall vampire slowly rose on his feet, in game face, a cold fury seeping through him.

Eric smiled letting his face changing in his human visage and whispered, "Not at all..."~

A smile crept on Eric's lips while he rubbed his jaw. Willow had come back to Spike, and was sitting on the floor next to him taking his hands in hers.

It was Xander who greeted Giles at the ER, he was sitting on a chair, his green shirt was stained with blood, and Giles instinctively knew it was Buffy's.

The young man stood up and got close to them saying, "She's fine, Mrs. Summers is with her..."

Giles let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, he smiled at the dark-haired boy, and said, "Thank you, Xander"

"That Electra is hiding something...she didn't want to kill Buff...she told me" Xander said.

Giles nodded without looking at him, he got close to a nurse asking, "I'm looking for a Buffy Summers...can you tell me where she is?"

"I'm her...fiancé" Giles said. it was the truth. they hadn't ever said the words aloud, but both Buffy and he, they were going to stay together, no matter what.

The nurse cocked an eyebrow at him, but didn't comment, she just said, "She's with her mother ...room 1802"

Giles nodded at her, he turned toward Xander, who was hugging Anya, his face was buried in her shoulders. He smiled at his young friends and quickly headed toward the room.

He hesitated before entering. He hadn't seen Joyce since Buffy and he had got together and he knew Buffy's mother didn't know about the two of them.

He entered the room. Buffy was lying on the bed, a huge bruise on her face yet never had she looked more beautiful to him, as in that moment.

He smiled back at her and nodded before saying, "I'm so sorry, Buffy...I wish I could..."

She shook her head and stretched a hand toward him. Giles glanced at Joyce who was looking at them open mouthed.

He thought taking her hand in his. He sat next to her on the bed and asked, "How do you feel?"

"I haven't heard from them, still...Electra didn't hurt me that much, I could have come back home, but they've insisted to keep me here..." Buffy explained with an irritated shrug of her shoulders. They knew how much Buffy hated hospitals.

Giles glanced at Joyce, she looked worried for her daughter and puzzled by the scene that was displaying under her eyes.

He was about to talk, when they heard someone knocking at the door, he exchanged a nervous glance with Joyce and had to clear his throat before saying, "Come in"

A middle-aged doctor came in, he wasn't very tall, he greeted them jovially and stopped in front of Buffy's bed saying, "Good evening, Buffy...I take you've had quite a night, uh?"

The doctor smiled, as he checked her files, he closed it and said, "I think, we should talk alone...perhaps both your father and your mother should..."

"He's not my father and they both can stay..." Buffy stopped him, she crossed her arms over her chest and said, "I feel fine, why can't I go home?"

"We want to make sure you didn't get any concussion...especially in your condition"

"My what?" Buffy asked. She unconsciously sought Giles' hand and squeezed it, not too painfully, but with enough strength to make him start.

The doctor briefly looked at them before, shifting his gaze on Buffy saying, "You're pregnant, Miss Summers. "

"Pregnant as in...I'm having a baby?" Buffy asked, looking owlishly at him. She shook her head and turned to look at Giles who had a matching owlishly expression on his face, "Rupert?"

"Yes luv?" he asked, his grip on her hand would have been painful on another person, but Buffy didn't even seem to notice it.

"We're pregnant..." she said, in her voice were evident mixed feelings, surprise, worry...and mostly happiness

"W...wait a moment...you're pregnant...with Rupert's baby?" Joyce asked, almost shouting.

Both Buffy and Giles nodded at her, then Giles turned to look at Buffy and slowly asked, "We're having a baby?"

The doctor looked at the three people, deciding it was probably a good idea to bail. He cleared his throat and said, "Ahem...we'll keep you under observation for the night, Miss. Summers, but there shouldn't be complications, you're a very strong woman..."

"Yes, it is...I'd suggest you, to take it easy from now on...unless you want to consider the options..."

Buffy and Giles exchanged a glance. Both of them had given up the possibility to have children. None of them was prepared to that ...yet there weren't doubts in their eyes, they both wanted that baby. They smiled at each other, then Giles turned and said, "No options for our baby..."

The doctor nodded, nervously smiling at Giles. the former librarian hadn't even realized his voice had dropped and it had a lightly 'Ripperish' edge on it.

"Gee mom, thanks for the vote of confidence!" Buffy said through clenched teeth.

"No, Rupert...we're setting some ground rules here..." he turned toward her mother saying, "Mom, Rupert and I love each other, I didn't think I would have loved again...and since Slayers often don't even have the chance to fall in love, I consider myself pretty damn blessed... "

"Hello? Mom, I haven't been young for a long time...mom, someone told me tonight I've been very lucky so far...well, for all we know there could be major luck shortage sooner or later... " she swallowed and continued in a nasal voice, "Please don't make me choose...I want this baby, and I want you to be the betest granma it could ever have, please mom..."

Joyce let out a sigh and whispered, "You're getting a bit too strong with guilt trips, honey..."

Buffy smiled at her and turned to look at Giles, there was a serious expression on his face, she raised a hand to touch his face and whispered, "Rupert? Did you change your ..."

He silenced her, by putting a finger on her lips and shook his head saying, "There won't be any ...how did you call it? 'Major luck shortage' no one will hurt our baby...I promise you, luv "

Buffy nodded and rested her head against his chest, while Giles slowly brushed her hair.

As she closed her eyes, lulled by her mother and her baby's father quiet whispers, she touched her belly.

A life was growing within her. A life she was going to protect, with all her might.

She buried her face in Giles' chest. She knew in her heart that the battle against Electra and the other threats the Hellmouth was going to threw at her, hadn't ended. Yet in Giles' arms she wasn't afraid.

Her thoughts went to her old friends...the Scoobies...and her new friends...Spike and Eric.

"Let me guess, you didn't kill the gheraious" Alain's voice greeted Electra as she entered her room.

The blonde vampire looked around taking in her trashed room. She pursed her lips and looked at Alain.

He was giving his back at her, he was looking at Giles' living room through the Solomon's mirror. The red-head was grazing William's hair, she was watching him rest.

She thought with a smile. She got close to Alain, saying, "And you almost got dusted...I told you not to enter this story..."

Alain turned hiding his hands behind his back, he tilted his head on a side and said, "You know? I was wondering at your behavior, you kept repeating me that everything was going according to your plans...but you see, mon ami, a stake tends to make me nervous...so when I came back here, I looked around...and look at what I found."

He produced some sheets, Electra got closer to him saying, "Gee, Alain did you find my secret diary?"

"No, but it made for an interesting reading all the same..." he placed the sheets on a table, next to the mirror and asked, "Do you want me to read some of its more interesting passages to you?"

"I know it by heart, cherie...you don't need to. It took me long to translate it...it took me long to decipher it...I was bound to learn it by heart" She got past him and looked at mirror, watching as Willow and Spike quietly talked to each other, she smiled and said in a low voice, " When the sacrifice will be reflected in the mirror, the future will be woven by fire's warp and love will become a puppet. Reflection of the red passion"

Electra turned and smiling at him said, "Did you read the prophecy, cherie? My plan is a bit bigger...and much more funny..."

"We? Did you hear me talk about us? Sorry cherie, as much as a part of me loves you, this isn't an amateurs playground..."

The brown-haired vampire looked at her puzzled, and said, "Oh, you wound me, Electra...have you already forgotten who freed you? Who put together the demons for your little experiment last month?"

"I haven't and part of me will be always grateful, but you see, cherie?" she said getting close to him, "You couldn't help me even if you were able to, because I'm the only one who knows about the prophecy..."

Quicker than eyes could see she produced a stake from the waistband of her trousers, Alain didn't even have time to move, for Electra staked him, with deadly efficiency right trough the heart .

The look on Alain's face, as his body quickly turned into dust, was one of disbelief, Electra couldn't help laughing at it.

She shrugged and got past Alain's ashes, she took a look at the mirror, and grazed it with a finger saying, "Look at them.... how lovely they are...their joy as sweet as poison on my lips...my little, darling puppets..."