Author: Gabrielle Collins (Gabby Spike)

Story: Old Love, New Love: 2 of 3

Series: n/a

Rating: PG-13

Pairings: Spike/other

Summary: My take on Spike's past.

Spoilers: Uhm... the first couple seasons maybe?

Category: General/Romance

Setting: none given

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Buffy peeps, though Gabrielle and Josephine and Spike's dad are all mine. No copyright infringement is intended to the people who actually own this stuff. Don't hurt me!

Distribution: Anyone who has my fic, anyone who wants it and asks.

Notes: Gabrielle isn't my real name. I wasn't just putting myself in the story. I'm nothing like the chick in the story, save for shared music tastes and a love for the Lettuce King. Just so ya know ;) I just love the name.

Feedback: Yes, please? Especially constructive. gabby_spike5@yahoo.com

Webpage: http://www.oocities.org/gabby_spike5/index.html

William strolled down the street, whistling softly to himself. He was on his way to see the most wonderful woman in the world. Absently, he kicked at a cobblestone that had cracked. It clattered ahead of him and came to a stop before a stunningly beautiful woman who stood beside a tree, looking like something out of an artist's rendering of paradise. //In fact, there she is now.// "Hello, ducks!"

"Will!" Josephine rushed forward and threw her arms around the young man's neck. She ran her fingers through his short brown hair. "I thought you would never arrive!"

He wrapped a single curl of her flaming red hair around one long, thin finger. "Sorry. My father decided to dress me down for not going to work yesterday." Will's frustration was clear. "When will he realize I don't want to inherit the bloody accounting firm? What could possibly be more dull?"

"I know how you feel about the prospect, but can you blame him for wanting to give you a good, stable life?"

William sighed. They'd had the same discussion a million times. "I know, Luv, but... it isn't for me. I'm more the adventurous type."

"Don't I know it!" she giggled.

For a moment, Will simply looked at her. The intoxicating floral fragrance of her perfume floated through the air. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes sparkled, and a smile played across her full lips, lighting her features with the brilliance of the brightest star. "God, I love you."

"I love you too. Always." Their lips met. Each knew, at that moment, that everything would be okay. They would be together forever. Her parents wouldn't find out about their affair and the fact that they'd already spent more than one night asleep in each other's arms until they were married and safely on their own. His father would give up on running his life and let him do what he wanted. Everything would be just fine. "When are we going to get married, Will?" Josephine queried as the kiss ended.

"Soon, Luv. I want to earn a little more money, then we'll go away like we planned. It will be wonderful to see you whenever I want, not to have to sneak in through the servant's entrance anymore." He laughed, a deep rich sound that filled Josephine with mirth.

"Oh? Why, has the cook been giving you odd looks again?"

"Funny. Very funny."

"I thought so." She seemed suddenly nervous. "I know mother will be looking for me. I promised her I'd return within the hour."

"I suppose you must go, then. But we shall see each other again soon." Another long, electric kiss and she was on her way. Will watched as she crossed the street and headed for her home. //Her mansion,// he corrected himself silently. //I can never give her anything like that. Will she really be happy to be a poor man's wife?// Then he thought of their secret rendezvous and knew she would. //After all, love conquers all... doesn't it?//

"William is that you?" He cringed at the sound of his father's voice booming through the small apartment behind the store. //I wonder if mum would have put up with it if she'd stuck around.//

"Yes, Father. It's me."

"You lazy, good for nothing bum! Again, you skip out early! How am I to teach you the business if you never show up?" Jonathan's round face and bald head glowed red with his anger.

"I told you father; I don't want to learn the business! That isn't who I am."

"Well, it will be someday, mark my words. I won't have you pulling something like this again, Will. If you do, I'll cut you off and throw your lazy bum out on the streets!"

"Yes, Father." //That's what you said last week, and here I am. You want an heir too badly to throw me out.//

"Good. Do you want supper?"

"No, thank you. I'm going to bed. I don't think I got enough sleep last night."

"Humph. Too much time drinking and not enough sleeping's what it is. Very well." Jonathan left the room in a cloud of self-righteous fury.

//Drinking. I've never touched bloody alcohol, and he knows it. But it doesn't matter what he says anyway. Jo and I are going to get married, and then I'll be able to call my own shots. I'll run my own life instead of having someone else run it for me.//

Late the next evening, after a full day of number-crunching, William walked down the darkened streets attempting to clear his mind. Josephine had been forced to attend one of her family's parties, so it would be at least another day before he could see her. //I hate being away from her, even for a little while.//

"Hello, stranger," a voice called from the alleyway.

"Uh . . . hello," William replied hesitantly. //Shit. Just what I need, some drunk wanker trying to get me to fight or something.// He quickened his pace. The man matched it effortlessly.

"Something on your mind?"

"Nothing that concerns you, mate, thanks just the same."

The man grabbed William's shoulder and jerked him up short. Will turned to him, angry that he had to put up with the other's hang-ups when he had enough problems of his own to deal with. "I think it does concern me."

"Look, friend, I don't want any trouble."

The man's dark brown eyes laughed at William. "Trouble? Far from it." Will noticed the slight Irish lilt to his voice. "I want to help you."

"Do you now?"

"Yes. I want to give you that freedom you're striving for. It's not so hard as you think to become your own man."

//What the hell is this, some kind of sick offer for sex?// "I think you have me mistaken. I-"

"You want to get out from under your father's thumb. You want to be able to spend eternity with that cute redhead. You want adventure. Am I right?"

Despite himself, William was intrigued. "Yes, you're right..."

"I can give you that. I can give you power, freedom, and you can give your lover eternity... Your love can truly last forever."

"How? What-" Before he could finish the question, the man's face mutated into that of a terrifying monster. His iron grip prevented Will from running, and the teeth embedded in the young man's throat kept him from screaming. Will could feel his life ebbing. //And this is how it ends? I get jumped by some demon in an alley?// Suddenly, he felt something warm and wet spilling into his mouth. The taste was familiar and at the same time completely new. His mind finally caught up with his gut instinct to take in the nectar. //Blood! That's what it is! It's blood! Shit!//

William threw himself back, almost passing out as he tried to stand up. He wiped the blood from his mouth with the sleeve of his jacket and glared at the man/demon who had just fed him blood. //Not just blood,// Will corrected, //*his* blood.// "What the hell are you?"

"You don't know?" The man reassumed his human form. "My name is Angelus. I'm a vampire."

"Vampire..." //Oh, God. This can't really be happening!// "And now I..."

"You, my dear William, are a vampire too. Don't worry about those little pangs of conscience. They'll go away soon. Very soon. And you're so much better off without them."

William knew with complete certainty that he had to get out of there. The sensation could only be described as calm panic. He simply knew that he had to go, had to flee... something. "I... I need to go . . ." he mumbled.

"The sun. You know the sun's coming. Come with me. I have a room rented. You can stay the night there."

"I need to go home. My father-"

"Won't be too thrilled to see his son walk in the door covered with blood. Come on!"

The next evening, William awoke feeling a hunger he'd never experienced. It gnawed at his insides like a living thing. "Ow!"

Angelus laughed from a nearby chair. "Hungry? You should go out and hunt. That's the only thing that will help it."

"Hunt? You mean go kill some innocent person?"

"Exactly! You catch on quick."

A wave of nausea made Will stagger slightly. "I can't believe this is happening..."

"Well, it is. Get used to it. Now go feed. I really don't fancy spending the rest of the night listening to you moan and groan about being hungry when we could be doing something productive."

In a daze, William crossed the lavishly furnished room and walked out the door. He barely noticed the biting cold. //This hurts! Hungry? Feels more like dying! But I suppose I've already done that.// Somehow the idea of feeding off some hapless passerby didn't sicken him quite as much as it had a few moments before. Unconsciously, he made his way to the tree where he and Josephine usually met. He was so shocked to see her sitting beneath it that he nearly got run over by a buggy that was coming up on them. "Jo?" he asked in an awed voice.

"Will! Where were you? I waited all day! I went home for lunch... but then I came back here. I've been worried." She walked up and snuggled against his chest.

Absently, he petted her hair. "It's alright, Luv. I've..." //You know you can't lie to her. She knows you better than you know yourself.// "Something's happened to me... I... I changed."

"Changed?" She pulled back a little and gazed at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

"I mean... God, this is going to sound crazy..."

"You know I trust you. If you say something, I'll believe you."

"I... I'm a vampire."

"You're kidding me, aren't you?" she tried to laugh, but it came out as a strangled sort of cry.

"No. You don't know how much I wish I were, Jo. I'm not. It happened last night. Some guy... Angelus... attacked me in the alley, attacked me and made me this..."

Unsure of what to do, Josephine wrapped her arms around William's waist. "It doesn't matter, Love. We'll be fine. It'll all work out just fine."

//Will it?// "Course it will. Always does." //Always..."You can give your lover eternity... Your love can truly last forever."// Under the smell of her perfume, William suddenly became aware of the smell of her blood, far more enchanting than the flowery scent. He could hear her heart beating in her chest. Will took her face in his hands and kissed her rosy lips, savoring their taste with his newly-sharpened senses. He kissed her lips, her chin, then her neck...

The desire to feed suddenly reached a fever pitch. William found himself unable to control the new urge...

Josephine's blood was sweet, the taste of beauty. "Will!" she gasped before speech became impossible and the blackness overwhelmed her. It was over so quickly... too quickly. He let her body fall to the ground.

Suddenly it dawned on him exactly what had taken place. "Oh, my God!" Will knelt by Josephine's side and desperately felt for a pulse. There was none. Her blushing cheeks were ashen, her rosy lips pale. "Jo, no! I'm sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen! I can't do it without you!"

The sound of amused laughter made him rise and spin quickly. "William, I'm proud of you! Found your first kill without any help at all... and such a prize! Tell me, how was it?" Angel taunted. "What was it like to kill the woman you love?"

For a long moment, William found himself completely unable to speak or move. "I... I couldn't have killed her... She can't be dead." But he knew she was. He pushed past Angelus and ran down the street. Several other pedestirans further down the street yelled at Will for bumping into them or pushing them down, but their angry shouts never reached his ears. //Josephine is dead. I killed her. I'm a bloody monster. And I'm alone. Forever.//

The realization that he was standing in front of Angelus' apartment jolted him back to reality, such as it was. //I'm a monster, and a monster is all I have left.//

He and Angelus travelled for awhile. As time passed, more and more of William's soul was taken over by the demon. People in several countries came to know him as William the Bloody. Some days he awoke vividly remembering the time he had gone to visit Josephine's grave. The thought of her ethereal form decaying in the ground made him ill. Other nights he would wake up sure she would be laying by his side. She never was, and each time William retreated further inside himself and the demon could whittle away another piece of his soul.

After a number of years alone with Angelus, who Will considered his only friend, he saw a divine creature walking toward him on the street. Her simple beauty made him recall how lonely he really was, how long it had been since he experienced love. She had long, lush brown hair and eyes like deep pools of muddy water. "Hello," he greeted the young woman.

"He-hello, Sir."

//She's scared half out of her mind to talk to me! Priceless!// "My name is William. What's yours?"

"Dru-Drusilla," she stammered.

"A perfect name for a perfect beauty."

Even in the heavy shadows, he could see her blushing. "Thank you," she whispered softly, her body visibly relaxing.

"Would you like to see my apartment? I just redecorated."

"I-" He used every bit of willpower he possessed to make her come, staring intensely into her eyes. "I would like that." Her eyes had glassed over and her tone was dull. //I got 'er!//

Drusilla sat quietly on a red, plush velvet couch, then smiled up at William. "It's nice."

"Thanks, Luv." Will sat down beside her on the couch. "Glad you like it." //Her eyes... they're so beautiful! God, I've never seen anything like them!//

"I just want you to know," she almost whispered, "that I am not used to doing things like this. I'm a good girl."

"Oh, I could tell." He inched closer to her, his face mere inches from hers. "I haven't been so close to a good girl like you since... for a long time."

"I... I... should go."

"But you won't." William leaned over and captured her lips with his. From her sudden tense pose and the fact that she tried to pull away, he surmised that it was her first kiss. After a few moments, she relaxed. Her lips were soft and warm. She wore a vaguely floral perfume. //So much like Jo.// It felt good to be with someone without killing them. He had forgotten...

Dru suddenly pulled away. She stood and backed up, almost tripping over an end table. "I have to go. Now."

"Wait! Please," he added quietly.

She halted, but didn't approach him. "Why? I'm not going to do anything. I won't."

"I know." He closed in on her. "I know. It doesn't matter. I just want to have you here. Talk to ya maybe? What do you say?"

Dru thought for a few seconds, then nodded, a tiny smile making her eyes shine. "All right. But I have to leave soon."

"Fine." //But not before I convince you to come back again.//

A week passed and Drusilla did not return. Will tried hard not to be disappointed, but he had grown quite fond of the girl. She was beautiful, intelligent... beautiful. //Yeah, I quite liked her, really.// Angelus had been in and out of the apartment, but the two men had hardly spoken. //I just don't care for him. He thinks he's the only one who can torture somebody worth anything. I'm a hell of a lot better at it then he'll ever be.// To support his mental point, Will drew a rusty railroad spike he had picked up out of his inner coat pocket. The metal was cold and the rust made metal flakes fall onto the floor, dusting his velvet jacket as well.

He spotted a prime candidate for torture across the street. Quickly, he crossed over. "Hello, mate."

"Uh, hello," the man replied.

"Today's your lucky day."

"Why's that?" He quickened his pace markedly.

"It's the last day of the rest of your life." Will pulled the man into a nearby alley and plunged the spike into the man's left leg, then his right. He screamed in agony. "Scream all ya want. You think anybody's gonna want to get involved even if they *do* hear you?" He then used the spike to carve his name into the man's chest. Blood soaked his torn shirt and his screams subsided into ragged whimpers. Will smiled slightly as he prepared for the final blow. "Sweet dreams!" The spike plunged into the man's forehead. Thinking it a lovely artistic touch, Will left it there. //Didn't help quite as much as I would've liked. Still thinking about Dru...//

A bit later the same night, William sank into the velvet couch and closed his eyes. //Tired, bored... lonely. Yeah, it's been a great day.// A noise in the hallway derailed his train of thought. "Angelus?" he called, half expecting that the other vamp had discovered the mutilated body and wanted to congratulate him.

The voice that answered him was soft, light, and had a thick English accent. "Not quite."

"Dru?" William shot up from the couch and ran to her. "I'm so glad you came! I-" Suddenly he noticed that there was something changed in her manner, a slightly unbalanced look in her incredible eyes. "Luv, what's happened?"

Angelus sauntered in. "You already know... Spike." He laughed. "This way she'll be around forever. You won't be able to kill this one."

Rage seeped from every pore of Spike's body. "You bastard! You had no right to do this to her!" Will wrapped his arms around Dru protectively. "You had no right."

"Oh, yes I do. I kind of felt responsible after killing her family in front of her and all. This was to make up for it."

Will could hear the echo of Angelus's cold laugh long after he'd exited the room. "Dru, pet, are you alright?"

"I'm better than I've ever been! I feel like I could fly!" She danced around the room with her arms outstretched. "He made me a goddess," she whispered conspiratorially to Will. "I can live forever."

"Yes, Luv, you can." Will sighed. //He killed her. She's still alive, but he killed her. And someday he's gonna pay for it.//

Spike sighed. He still couldn't believe Dru had dumped him. //For a bloody chaos demon! God, that's just... sick!// He'd set off to find her, but was glad that he'd turned around and headed back to Sunnydale instead. On the way into town, he'd demolished their stupid sign again. //I hate that thing!//

But Dru was part of his past now. She had chosen her path, and he had chosen his. His path was asleep in his arms at the moment. Spike watched as Gabrielle shifted slightly, laying her head on his bare chest. With each passing day, he loved her more. //She's so sweet, so pure... like Jo was... But nothing like that's gonna happen to Gab. I'm going to protect her. I won't lose her like I did Jo. Not ever.// He enfolded her in his arms and listened to the soft sigh of her breathing.

Outside the mansion, a cloaked figure stared up at the window. She could sense Will. She could also sense the young human in his embrace. She tilted her head and a tight red curl escaped from the black hooded cape. After a moment of indecision, she headed for the door, memories of the past echoing through her mind.