Willow trudged home in the late afternoon, her thoughts turned inwards as she thought about Buffy, and Spike, and the way that everything had gone horribly, horribly wrong in such a short time. She still couldn’t understand why the Master Vampire had let her live, or why he had treated Buffy with such tenderness as she died.

It had been all she could think about since Buffy’s gruesome death only three days before. Even coming back to school hadn’t helped...she’d missed her best friend in every class they'd shared.

And the way people stared at her...

Even Giles, Xander and Oz had been different, acting as if she was made of glass or deathly ill. In all honesty, she had done nothing to dispel the notion, sitting like a mannequin, her mind turning in on itself as her friends watched...

But all she could see was the tiny Slayer slipping away in Spike’s loving embrace.

It didn’t make any sense...

Willow was so caught up in her internal musings that she didn’t even see the man in her path until she ran into him. Bracing herself against the solid form to keep from falling, the young Wiccan shook her head, forcing herself to focus on the outside world as she looked up at her hapless victim.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t watch...ing... Oh God.”

“Hello, pet.”

Willow stumbled through the sewers, barely able to keep up with the vampire whose hand was clamped like an iron band around her wrist. She hadn’t screamed since the moment Spike had pulled her underground, but her mind was working furiously to find a way out of her predicament. Even if she managed to break away from him, she had no idea where she was or how she could get out. And there were worse things in the Sunnydale sewer system than vampires...

“Don’t worry, pet, I’m not going to kill you today”, Spike commented conversationally, striding surely through the tunnels. “I just need you to do me a bit of a favor and you’re free. Promise.”

“A little...spell bit of a favor?” Willow gasped, her legs burning as she followed him. “I hope this isn’t something icky...” Inside her mind, she raged at herself for making conversation with the evil vampire who’d kidnapped her, but she was just too dazed to really care. It was better, far better, than thinking of...other things...

Before long, the vampire stopped at a rickety wooden door that was discreetly placed in an alcove, well out of sight. Spike quickly produced a key unlocked the thick padlock that hung from the latch, ushering Willow inside hurriedly. Curious, the redhead examined the small, rough stone room on the other side. To her right stood an obviously rotten staircase that led upwards, possibly to the first floor of one of the older houses in Sunnydale. Directly in front of her, there was a second door, this one settled firmly into place and constructed of thick iron. From behind the door, Willow faintly heard screaming. It sounded like an extremely angry tiger...or a demon of some kind. Shuddering, Willow finished her visual survey with the small, round table that stood between the iron door and the stairs, the objects on its surface covered by a thin sheet.

Made wary by the sounds emanating from the iron door, Willow looked to Spike nervously. “So...what’s the favor”, she asked anxiously. “It doesn’t involve playing with your kitty, does it? ‘Cause I think I’m allergic to cats... Or at least that one...”

“Not quite”, Spike admitted with a smirk, closing the less solid door to the sewers behind himself. “We’re just going to de-claw the poor kitten.” Willow regarded him in confusion, and he shrugged. "I liked the Slayer better before”, he admitted.

For a single instant, Willow didn’t comprehend the meaning of those words. And then she was throwing herself against the door and ripping it open to see if he was telling the truth...to see if Buffy was somehow alive.

From out of the darkness beyond the door, before Spike could do more than curse, the female vampire leapt at Willow, fangs and claws extended to rend and tear. It was futile, of course, and the chains in which the fledgling was bound her pulled her back, but her struggles never stopped. In the instant before Spike intervened, Willow could do more than see that the rabid demon was indeed wearing Buffy’s body, still dressed in the ragged, dirty remains of the dress she'd been buried in. Then a strong cold arm snatched the Wiccan about the waist and sent her tumbling to the floor in the safety of the other room. Within seconds, the door was closed on Buffy’s raging cries, and Willow was again alone with Spike.

“You shouldn’t have done that, pet”, Spike admonished uncaringly. “She hasn’t fed since she’s risen, and she’s pretty damn hungry.”

“You made her a vampire” Willow accused, beginning to cry the tears that hadn’t come at the funeral or in the days since. “How could you?”

“I’m the bad guy, remember?” Spike pointed out in irritation. “Come on. It’s not like you didn’t know this was a possibility. Hazard of the job, I’d think.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this”, Willow insisted through her tears, kneeling where she’d fallen. “It was supposed to be over.” She looked up at Spike with eyes like open wounds and demanded, “Why did you do this?”

“I got reasons”, Spike snarled. “Now you play your bloody part, and no more messing about or to Hell with the whole thing and I’ll set the Slayer loose on all your little friends.” Stalking away from the red-head, he threw off the cloth on the table and revealed a crystalline orb, herbs and a book. “You can do it. Did it to Peaches.” As Willow gaped uncomprehendingly, he set to getting things ready for the en-souling spell, muttering under his breath.

“You...you want me to restore her soul?” Willow stared at the vampire in disbelief, unable to figure out his motives. “But why?”

Spike cursed and turned away from the preparations with irritation. “Because I bloody can’t stand her fawning over me like one of my idiot minions. I want her to fight me. I even miss it. She’s the best enemy I ever had, and that deserves some consideration. Like a clean death, you see. I would have given her that.”

Willow blinked a few times and admitted, “That’s kind of...sweet...in a really scary way. I guess.”

“Yeah, whatever”, Spike growled. “So let’s get this done so I can get out of this bloody town. Can you do the spell?”

Spike watched the redhead carefully as she began the spell, sitting cross-legged on the floor with the orb in front of her. He swung the burning herbs idly, keeping one ear tuned in on the rabid animal sounds coming from the former Slayer’s prison. Willow seemed oblivious to it, and he hoped it would stay that way.

The power of the spell palpably thickening the air around her, the witch shuddered as she rasped, "Gods bind her, cast her heart from the demon...realm...return her...I call on...I..."

Willow faltered and a tremendous convulsion ran through her body, but even as Spike reached for her, she snapped into a stiff and hunched position, her head bent, her eyes fixed on the star-like orb as she chanted in a stranger's voice...

Spike shielded his eyes as the orb went Nova, his senses reeling with the power that vibrated in the air and the piercing sound of the former Slayer’s agonized scream. All the light went out of the world as the glow guttered out and the orb vanished. The entire house shuddered as the pressure hissed free, sending a light rain of plaster to dust the inhabitants of the room.

“Shit”, Spike whispered, sitting up slowly in the gloom, his supernaturally keen senses allowing him to see the red-headed witch hunched over and trembling beside the orb, shaken by the power that her slight body had channeled. Other than the girl’s gasping sobs, there was no sound but the occasional patter of plaster chunks dropping from above. Carefully, Spike stood and strode to the girl. Looming over her, using his demonic presence to his advantage, he growled, “Did it work?”

Willow whimpered at the sound of his voice, but she was far too intelligent to take chances with the Master Vampire’s infamous temper. With a sniffle, she painfully uncurled her body and choked out an affirmative.

Spike smiled slightly as the little witch kept her head bowed. He had always known the chit was clever, but he hadn’t given her credit for spunk. As weak as she was, most mortals would have passed out from sheer terror had he looked at them cross-eyed. Maybe one day he’d come back for this one. But for now...

Spike picked his way carefully to the heavy steel door and unlatched it, pulling the portal open cautiously. Inside, in the dark, the fledgling Slayer lay on her side, shivering in reaction. At the sound of his footsteps grating the sandy mess on the floor, she pushed herself up unsteadily, trying to climb to her feet. Spike smiled humorlessly when she slumped down onto her hands and knees, too weak from not feeding and the spell to try again. Quickly, he wiped the grin off his face as his new Childe looked up at him through a curtain of grimy blond hair, hatred making her eyes dark and narrow.

After a moment of tense silence, Spike became bored with the silent hostility, and asked, “Well?”

“You bastard”, the Slayer growled, refusing to back down, “if you’ve hurt Willow, I’ll…”

Spike let out a sharp bark of laughter and kicked her good-naturedly in the chest. “You’ll still bow before me, just to keep your Mum and your Watcher safe. Gods, Slayer. It’s good to have you back.”

Buffy snarled pitifully as she was thrown against the wall, her chains rattling, and she stared up at her sire with a deep desire to torture him burning in her hazel eyes. “I hate you.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever”, Spike replied brusquely. “I see you got your human face back. Good for you, takes most vampires weeks. Means you’re one of the smart ones.” A thoughtful look crossed his face and he mused, “Guess that doesn’t say much for the species in general, does it?”

“Buffy?” Willow asked tremulously, stumbling over some debris as she stepped into the small room. “Are you okay?”

“Willow...”, Buffy raked her eyes over her friend, searching her for injuries. “You gotta run...”

“And what good would that do?” Spike inquired derisively. “I can catch the chit again, you know. It isn’t hard.”

“I’ll kill you if you hurt her”, Buffy insisted, weakly tugging at the chains that bound her wrists. Spike laughed outright, not even bothering to dignify the threat with a response, and threw an arm over Willow’s shoulders companionably.

“Here’s how we’re gonna play it”, the elder vampire said cheerfully. He pointed a finger at Buffy and enunciated clearly as he began, “Angel took my girl away, and I’m bloody well going to return the favor and take his. You, my Childe, will play nice and do as you’re told, or She--” He indicated Willow, “will die. And so will the Watcher and your mum, and all your other little friends.” At Willow’s stifled whimper, he patted her shoulder comfortingly and released her, crouching down in front of Buffy. “And when I say die, I mean replace you. I’d like to steal Angelus’ little pet, but if you won’t cooperate, I can learn to live with a Demon Witch. Got it?”

Buffy nodded dumbly, her eyes wide but no less furious. She was holding her tongue for once, Spike realized, and it amused him to no end. “I know, luv”, he soothed, raising a hand to brush her hair out of her eyes. “You’d like to kill me, but you’re too weak. Newly risen, never fed...” His eyes hardened and he stood, smirking a bit as she looked away at the thought of feeding. “You owe me for that, pet. At least you have your soul and no guilt to speak of. It could have been worse.”

Willow looked between Sire and Childe with wide, frightened eyes and ventured, “So we can go now, right? It’s almost dawn...” She gestured at the Tweety watch on her wrist almost desperately.

“‘We’?” Spike repeated questioningly. “Not ‘we’, pet. You can go. The Slayer stays with me.” Buffy shuddered at his feet and remained silent. “See, I’m going to make my Sire pay for taking Dru away and killing her. After tonight, Red, you never see the Slayer again.”

“But that’s not fair”, Willow argued weakly. “You can’t...”

“I can”, Spike insisted. “And you’re not telling anybody, are you? ‘Cause if you did, I’d be happy to give you a very long, painful death...you and every man, woman, and child in your entire bloody family. You will take this secret to your grave, pet. Or it’ll take you.”

Willow trudged home in the in the pre-dawn darkness, her thoughts turned inwards as she thought about Buffy, and Spike, and the way that everything had gone horribly, horribly wrong in such a short time....