Evil Things

~1~

Anya sat, contemplating all that had happened. One minute, she had been happy. She had been engaged. She had found a purpose. She was living a dream…a human, mortal dream. And then suddenly, in the blink of an eye, it was all taken away. She had lost everything…her lover, her best friend…her reason for being. The blonde felt foolish. She had seen it happen a thousand times before. A woman would lose herself in a man, only to have him crush her heart and her dreams. It was pathetic, it was mortal and it was something she would no longer be.

In her prime, she had been notoriously brutal with the wishes she granted; pain and gruesome torture left in her wake. She had wielded the power of the wish for over one thousand years, and then, in one moment, it had ended. She had been forced to walk the earth as a human, feeling pain and sadness and every other horrible, mortal emotion. Anya had felt lost and alone, and then she had found Xander. She should have known better than to allow herself to love him. She should have known better than to give her heart to a man.

A once powerful demon, reduced to a speck of the mortal coil, Anya had once again been elevated to a position of power and control. She was Anyanka once more, the vengeance demon she was born to be. She held power over the wish, she brought justice to wronged women, tormenting men in the most creative ways. And they did deserve it. Every last one of them deserved whatever they got.

There was one problem with her newfound power and freedom. Anya was unable to cast her fiery vengeance on the one man that deserved most of all-Xander. Unable to grant her own wish, she had turned to her friends, angered to find that they would not wish badness on him. Heaven forbid they hurt their precious Xander. Forget about the fact that he shredded every hope and dream she had ever known. “He’s hurting,” they said. “He’s in such pain,” they told her. Well, until he lay in a bloody heap, writhing on the ground, begging for death, it would never be enough. Anya was creative. She was resourceful, and if her so-called friends wouldn’t help her, she would just have to find someone who would.

“Hi, Anya,” Willow greeted, as she walked up to the small table at the coffee shop, slipping onto a stool. “How are you?” She had agreed to meet the woman for a drink after her last night-class had ended, still worried about her friend.

“How do you think?” Anya replied.

“We’ve been worried about you,” the redhead told her. “You disappeared and we weren’t sure how to find you.”

“I was with a friend,” Anya told her.

“Oh…oh, well…that’s, um, good,” Willow responded, wondering what friend she could have been with. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m moving on,” the blonde told her, shrugging her shoulders. “I went off and collected my thoughts, regrouped, and now I’m better than ever. I mean, I had my still beating heart ripped from my chest and all, but lucky for me I don’t need it anymore.”

“What?”

“Oh, nothing…never mind. Let’s talk about you. Anything you wish was different?”

Willow gave her a weary look. “Anya, I told you that there will be no wish making. I’m sorry about what happened, but I just…I can’t do that.”

“Yes, yes…Xander’s a saint. We can’t cause him pain, blah, blah, blah,” Anya stated, rolling her eyes.

“No, what he did was wrong, but…but he’s paying. He is.”

“Is he? Is he really? I mean, look at you. You made one little mistake and look what you went through. You dragged your best friend out of heaven, got addicted to magic, lost your girlfriend, went through withdrawal, and let’s face it, you’re not looking so hot these days.”

“Hey!”

“I’m just saying…Look at how much you had to pay for what you did. Shouldn’t Xander have to pay too?”

“Well, I didn’t make just one little mistake,” Willow reminded her. “I…I was like my vampire self…I ruined everything I touched.”

Suddenly, a thought struck Anya.

“Actually, you were much worse than her. She didn’t have the whole magic problem. I bet you wish you could switch places with her sometimes…Still be all strong and powerful, but without the magic?”

Willow thought for a moment. “Well, sometimes I wish I could be like that, be in her place, but…”

“Good enough,” Anya interrupted.

“What?”

“Done.”

Willow’s eyes widened as Anya’s face suddenly changed. “Wait, what…” Before she could say more, there was a bright flash of light, and Willow was gone.

~*~

(Wish-verse)

A red haired vampire looked up and saw Xander jump back, just before exploding into dust. She was back in her own world, a world ruled by vampires, a world where she was in charge, and before she could even rationalize what was happening, Xander, her mate, was dusted. She was gone from that world…the one with the slayer, where everyone was still human, including her, and back where she belonged. Looking around, she saw that boy, the white-hat who had been talking to her in the Bronze earlier. He was coming at her, pushing her backwards. Just as her back was about to hit the wall, there came a flash of light. Suddenly she found herself on a hard, tiled floor, still very much undead.

(Sunnydale – 2002)

Looking around, trying to understand where she was now, Willow suddenly got the very distinct feeling that she was back again, in that world that she had just left, the one that she didn’t like so much.

“Not again,” she grumbled, rolling her eyes and standing up. Looking around the unfamiliar surroundings, the redhead saw that girl…Anya, grinning widely at her.

“Oh, good,” Anya said, walking toward her with a bright smile. “I was afraid that I was going to do that wrong. You know, normally you can’t do something like that with just one person, but what with me being a demon again and all…Happy to see that my powers are back and ready to go.” She grinned proudly, apparently talking more to herself than to the vampire before her.

“Why did you bring me back here?” Willow growled, taking a few steps toward the demon. “This world is no fun. We already discussed this. My world, much better.”

Anya’s agitation grew as she saw the vampire moving toward her.

“Look, I saved you. You were about two seconds away from becoming a pile of dust!” The blonde told her. “I think that it’s high time you show a little gratitude. And besides, I need you for something.”

“What exactly is it that you ‘need’ me for?” The redhead asked, eying Anya carefully.

“Well, I want to exact a little vengeance, and I thought that you would be the perfect person to help me do that. See, Xander…”

“Xander’s gone,” Willow interrupted, remembering what she had seen a few moments ago. “Dusted.”

“Yes, well THAT Xander is gone,” Anya explained impatiently, “but remember Xander in this world? He’s still alive and just waiting to be destroyed. So, I’m thinking that you could be the one to do that, after you torture him and kill all of his friends, of course.”

Willow smiled a wide, evil grin, thinking about this new prospect, before a thought struck her.

“Wait. You were friends with Xander. How come you want me to kill him?”

“Well, it’s a long story, but basically, he left me at the altar, and he deserves to be severely punished for that.”

“Punishment can be fun,” Willow stated with a feral grin, “and I can have Xander back.”

“Yes,” the blonde nodded, “right after you kill all of his friends, driving him insane.”

~2~

(Wish-verse)

"That was weird," Willow mumbled as she stood up, looking around and
not recognizing her surroundings. "Where the hell am I?" She had
been sitting at the coffee shop, talking to Anya, and then suddenly
there had been a bright flash of light, leaving the redhead dazed
and disoriented.

Hearing a clanking noise, she spun around, her eyes widening as she
took in the vampire behind bars.

"Angel!" She yelled, running forward. Willow stopped when she saw
the vampire jump back, shaking slightly and cowering toward the far
corner of the large cage.

Willow's face scrunched up in confusion. "Angel?" She called
softly. "It's me, Willow."

The dark haired vampire wondered for a moment at what new, sadistic
game she was playing, and then he heard it…a heartbeat.

"You're human," he whispered hoarsely.

"Aren't I usually?" She asked, giving him a nervous look.

Angel shook his head. "You were a vampire a minute ago."

Suddenly, Willow's eyes widened in comprehension and she jumped a
little, causing the vampire to tense and shift backwards.

"She…she didn't! I can't believe she would do this," she told him,
beginning to pace back and forth. "She did something and I must have
shifted realities with HER!"

"Who?" Angel asked, not understanding.

"Her!" She said impatiently. "Er…me."

"You?"

"Well, other me. Vampire me. Anya…a vengeance demon…she said
something about wishing to switch places with the vampire, a-and she
did it!" Ignoring the look of confusion on Angel's face, Willow
continued to pace the room, deep in thought.

~*~

"Spike, how lovely to see you," Darla purred, contempt in her eyes
and a smirk on her lips. She watched as the blond vampire stalked
toward her, glancing back innocently at her sire.

"Yeah, right, whatever," Spike replied dismissively. "Let's make
this real simple. I'm looking for Angelus and I've been told that
here is where I'll find him."

"He's here," the Master told him with a nod. "He's being punished
for his sins."

"Right, well I need his blood for a little ritual to…"

"Save Drusilla," Darla supplied, rolling her eyes. "You always did
dote on her far too much."

"Look, I'd love to sit and argue with you for hours about who's the
better vampire, Darla, but I need his blood, now. I need to drain
him before she dies!" Spike yelled, quickly loosing what little
patience he had.

"A bit late for that," Darla told him, a wicked grin on her
face. "We heard that the two of you were coming to town, and I
thought I'd send a few friends to greet her. It seems that they
weren't very interested in hearing what the stars had to say, and
they came back all covered in dust. Made a terrible mess." The
vampire pouted, mocking the blonde as he took in her words. As a
smile slowly crept across her lips, she pulled out a small,
porcelain doll. "They did bring me this little present though," she
said in a sugary sweet voice. "I think her name is Miss Edith."

"You bloody bitch!" He shouted, lunging at her. "I'll tear you…"
Before he could reach the older vampire, three large demons ran out,
easily holding him back.

"Now, now, we'll have none of that. Drusilla was always more trouble
than she was worth," Darla told him, tossing the doll aside. "Come
to think of it, you were always a bit of a pain in the ass as well,
weren't you, William? But…you have a chance to help your family, and
I'm sure that you'll be happy to do so."

Spike glared at her with seething hatred, growling through clenched
teeth. "The only thing that I'd do for you is help you into a holy-
water bath."

"Oh, well, aren't you the kinky one?" She purred. "The Master has
only just risen, and we are poised to take over the town. We need
the strong to lead the weak, and as much as I hate to admit it, you
have come a long way."

Spike said nothing, continuing to only glare and growl.

"You may still go see Angelus," the Master told him, his tone
conveying his boredom. "Feel free to torture him all you like, just
no killing him. He's meant to suffer, not die, and of course, you'll
meet my newest childe, Willow."

"Now she's something!" Darla told him with an indulgent smile. "As a
human, she was meek and quiet, but the potential for darkness…She
reminds me a lot of you, actually. Just what the family needs."

~3~

(Sunnydale, 2002)

“Where are we?” Willow asked, looking up at the large house.

“This is where you live,” Anya told her. “Well, this is where the other you lives.”

“The fuzzy, quiet me,” Willow stated, remembering her other self.

“Yes, only she isn’t really very fuzzy anymore. More like a very powerful, gay witch in recovery.”

“Gay?” The redhead asked in surprise. “Well, a lot has changed in only a few hours.”

“Oh, no!” Anya explained. “It’s actually been several years here. Oh, yeah, a lot has changed. Yeah. We blew up the school, and Angel left, making Buffy all mopey and desperate. Spike got chipped, Buffy got a sister and then the world almost ended…well, a couple of times, actually, and then Buffy died…”

“The slayer is dead?” Willow questioned, a broad smile on her face.

“Well, she died, but then she came back. Actually, you brought her back. Well, not YOU you, but the other you brought her back from the dead. Caused a lot of trouble. This is her house. You live here with her. Other you.”

“Fuzzy me and I are going to have to have a nice, long talk about a couple of things,” Willow told her with a frown.

“Actually, that Willow isn’t here right now. I sent her to your world so that I could bring you back. Of course, I couldn’t send her right to the time I took you from, since you were about to be dust and all, so I sent her back a few years earlier, but I’m sure she’s fine.”

“Why are we here?” Willow asked, ignoring the confusing explanation and looking up again at the house.

“It’s time to start that whole plan that I told you about. You need to get some of Willow’s clothes, because if they see you like that, they’ll recognize you in a second and that just won’t work. We’ll just familiarize you with everything, and…” Anya paused, looking up for a moment, toward the sky. “Oh, crap. Now is not a good time!” She shouted toward the sky, before looking back at the confused vampire. “My boss is calling,” she explained. “I have to go. Just…go inside and stay out of trouble until I get back.”

“How will I get inside?” The redhead asked.

“Dawn should be home. Just knock on the door and get an invite. She’s young and easily impressionable, so you should be able to trick her easily enough, and hey! Feel free to take a nibble, if you’re so inclined.” With that, Anya disappeared in a small puff of smoke.

Willow sauntered up to the door and rang the bell. A girl, around 15 or 16 years old answered.

“Hey, Willow,” Dawn greeted her, eyeing Willow’s outfit. “Did you forget your key again? Come on in, and what’s with the outfit? It’s different, but kinda cool, in a skanky sorta way. If you’re trying to win Tara back, that’s not the way to do it.”

“Tara?” Willow questioned, looking the girl up and down and smiling a little.

“Oh, are we still not supposed to be talking about her? I can’t keep up anymore. I thought after the wedding that wasn’t, you two were on the mend.”

“Uh, yeah…we’re just dandy now,” Willow told her. Dawn was beginning to feel like hunted prey as the redhead stared her down.

“Okay, well, I’m going to meet some friends at the mall. Buffy’s working a double, again, so I’ll see ya later,” the younger girl said before heading out the door, leaving Willow alone in the house.

After wandering around for a little while, she made her way upstairs and decided to take a shower before finding some different clothes. She was feeling kind of tense from all the dimensional travel and seemed to be a little dusty.

~*~

(Wish-verse)

“Willow,” Angel called, trying to get the redhead’s attention. “Listen, you have to get me out of here before…”

“Angelus! Long time no see!” Spike shouted as he reached the bottom of the stairs. Angel could feel the anger and grief flowing from his grand childe and he looked nervously toward Willow.

“Spike!” She squealed, unwittingly calling attention to herself as she backed up against the cage.

“Have we met?” He asked, walking toward the young woman. “Let me guess. You must be Willow. Right, well I’ve come to have a little fun with your puppy.”

“Spike, I know that you’re upset about Dru,” Angel began, hoping to calm the vampire down a little, or at least turn his attention away from the redhead.

“YOU don’t know a bloody thing!” The blond shouted, grabbing an axe from the wall and throwing it across the room, embedding it in a wooden beam. Moving toward the cage door, he was stopped by Willow, who jumped between him and the metal bars.

“You can’t hurt him!” She shouted. “He’s…he’s…well, he’s mine, and I don’t like to share, so there.”

“Yeah, well the Master said that I could play for a while. You got a problem, you take it up with him. Now be a good little vampire and…” Spike paused for a moment. “Wait a second…” Leaning in, he seemed to be listening for something. “You’re human!”

“What?” Willow scoffed nervously, taking a step back. “No! No, I am not. A…a human? How dare you…”

“I can hear your heart beating and see you breathing,” he told her.

In a feeble attempt to trick him, the redhead sucked in a deep breath and held it. After a few moments, Spike rolled his eyes and sighed.

“You’re turning blue, pet.”

Feeling as though her lungs were about to burst, and knowing that she wasn’t fooling anyone, Willow let out the breath she’d been holding.

“That old bag of bones up there said that you were a vampire,” Spike told her, growling deep in his throat.

“I…I was. Something happened.”

“Damn right it did. Tables have turned a bit. They took Dru from me, so I’ll take you from them.”

“You can’t take her, Spike,” Angel told him, gripping the bars of the cage angrily. “Willow, let me out.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Angelus. Red and I, we’ll have a grand old time.” At that, he grabbed the redhead’s hand and led her up the stairs.

As they reached the top, he turned, putting a finger to his lips. “Not a sound, got it? Trust me when I say that you don’t want to let anyone around here know that you’re human, and if you try to run, I’ll snap your neck before you can take so much as a step.” Biting her lower lip and fighting the urge to scream, Willow nodded weakly and followed him quickly out of the building.

~4~

(Sunnydale-2002)

Spike knocked on the front door and waited. No one answered. After a few minutes, he turned the knob, happy to find that the door was not locked. He had seen Dawn leave a little while earlier, and had decided to surprise the slayer, maybe talk her into one last romp in the hay. Walking in, he called out, but no one answered. As he shrugged off his coat, he heard the shower running upstairs and smiled slyly as he made his way up to the master bathroom.

Silently, the blond opened the door and crept into the steamy room. He closed his eyes and inhaled for a moment, smelling the soapy scents filling the room. It didn’t exactly smell like the slayer, but he supposed that she may just be using different products, masking her natural scent. Suddenly, he grabbed the shower curtain and yanked it open. As he yelled and jumped back, the figure on the other side simply turned her head, pulling her red hair back to rinse out the shampoo.

He started to divert his eyes. “Oh, Red! Sorry, I…”

“Who are you?” She asked, still rinsing her hair and looked back at him.

“…thought you were Buffy, and…wait, what?” He looked back at her again, noticing that she wasn’t even slightly blushing as he stared at her.

“Oh! Were you coming to kill the slayer?” She asked, smiling happily at the thought. “’Cause I don’t like her very much.”

“What?” He still stood, staring at her, dumb-founded.

“Well, you are a vampire, evil and…” Suddenly, her face vamped out, “all grrrr, right?”

He jumped for a second time. “Red! Who did this to you? And when? And how? And…oh bloody…you’re a vampire!”

Her face changed back to the human mask and she scowled at him. “You just figuring that out?”

“Who did this?” His voice was deep with anger.

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?” She said, sighing. “Look,” she pouted, “I’m all drippy and naked. Can I finish my shower before we have this conversation? Then, if you want, maybe we could play a little. I know lots of fun games.” She smiled coyly at him.

“Yeah, sure, love. I’ll be wait’n in your room,” he said, backing out of the bathroom.

“Right,” she called out. “Um…which one is that again?”

~*~

(Wish-verse)

“Can we stop soon?” Willow asked as she tried to see out through the painted car windows. It was dark outside and she had no idea where they were.

“Little tip, pet,” he replied, not bothering to look at her, “the longer we drive, the longer you get to live.”

“Oh, well, you know…I like nice, long drives…really,” she told him with a forced smile, reminding herself that this vampire did not have a chip and was not an ally. “Are we going anywhere in particular?”

The blond vampire simply glanced at her, rolling his eyes. “You’ll see when we get there,” he mumbled.

Willow fidgeted in her seat. “Ok, well, why don’t I go ahead and tell you a little about myself,” she suggested, seeing Spike roll his eyes and pull out a cigarette, lighting it. “Let’s see…I’ve lived in Sunnydale all my life. I’ve been fighting demons and helping to avert apocalypses for six years…”

“Never thought I’d hear a human usin’ the plural of apocalypse,” Spike interjected with a chuckle. “Guess you’re just full of surprises.”

“You have no idea,” she mumbled, before continuing on. “I’m really good with computers and always got straight As in school. I attend the University of Sunnydale and up until recently I was studying magic. I dated a werewolf for awhile, and then a witch. Oh! And I’m from another dimension.”

The last part made Spike turn his head sharply, looking at her with a mixture of disbelief and surprise. After contemplating it for a moment, he finally shrugged, his eyes turning back to the road.

“Guess that’s pretty typical for the hellmouth,” he told her. “How did you end up here?”

“I haven’t figured that out yet,” she admitted. “I only just got here.”

“Well, you’re a witch, right? So you can just do a little magic and pop yourself right back to where you belong, can’t you?”

Willow shook her head. “I’m off the magics,” she told him. “I got addicted, had too much power, not enough control. It was bad, so I stopped before I lost it completely and destroyed the world or something.”

“Now that sounds like fun,” the blond said with a grin. “Go on, give into the dark side, let loose with the mojo…Just don’t let it loose on me.”

Willow rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I can’t. If I go there again…I don’t think I’d be able to come back.”

“Right, whatever,” he grumbled.

A thought struck Willow. “What year is it?” Spike gave her a questioning look. “Well, I’m starting to get the idea that it’s not the same time here as it was where I came from.”

“1998,” he told her, watching her eyes widen a little in surprise. “What year did you think it was?”

“2002,” she told him, frowning a little. “I don’t get it. Everything seems more or less the same, you know, except for Angel being in a cage, and Darla still being alive, and The Master being in control, and me being with you, but why am I four years in the past? If I’m where I think I am, why isn’t it the same time?”

Spike shrugged, looking bored. “Dimensional travel doesn’t usually coincide with timelines,” he told her.

“But, the way Anya had explained this place to us, everything was exactly aligned, down to the minute.” A few more moments of contemplation led the redhead to another thought. “Um, Spike? Where’s Drusilla?”

Willow jumped as the vampire yanked the steering wheel to the side, the tires squealing in protest as the car swerved off to the side of the road and screeched to a halt. Looking up, she found herself staring into angry, golden eyes, the vampire now leaning over her menacingly and growling.

“YOU don’t say her name!” He shouted, moving in a little closer.

“I’m sorry,” she replied. “I didn’t mean to…”

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t just go ahead and kill you right now, drain you dry and leave your body to rot.”

“I…well…Oh! Well…because…once I figure out how to get back to my world, I can take you with me! Yeah, and see, there…The Master and Darla are both dead and Drus-uh…She…She is alive, so…so you could be with her again.”

The blond backed off a little, considering what she had just told him. “How is that possible?”

“Well, Buffy…s-she never came to Sunnydale in this dimension, but in mine, she did. She killed The Master and Angel killed Darla.”

“Angel?” Spike asked. Willow simply nodded, watching as he sat back, slipping back into his human mask. “Angel killed Darla?”

Again, Willow nodded. “He killed her for Buffy. Of course, things didn’t really work out for them, what with him being a vampire and her being a slayer.”

“Slayer? Your friend is the slayer?” He yelled, his anger quickly returning.

“Did I forget to mention that part before?” She asked with an innocent tone.

Spike frowned. “Anything else you’re forgetting to tell me about this other dimension?”

The redhead thought for a moment, considering the many other differences: Angelus losing his soul and taking Drusilla away, Drusilla leaving Spike for a slimy demon, Spike getting the chip put in his head, helping the gang and falling in love with Buffy…

“Nope, nothing else,” she said quickly, averting her eyes.

~5~

(Sunnydale-2002)

Spike looked up as the door opened and a dripping Willow walked in,
wearing nothing but a big, blue towel.

"Look, I'm all fluffy again," she said, glancing down at the towel
and laughing at the joke that only she was going to get. Looking
around, she saw the closet and headed over to find something decent
to wear.

Spike stood up and took a step toward her. "Look, Red, whoever did
this to you, they're gonna pay. Now tell me what happened. Who did
this?"

She turned back around and stared at the vampire for a moment,
looking him up and down with an appraising gaze. Finally, she looked
up again and smiled.

"The Master," she said simply. "Turned me and Xander together."

"What?!" Spike couldn't believe it. "The whelp? He's a vampire now?
Just last week he was leaving his bride at the altar, and now he's a
vampire?

Willow shrugged, looking over the contents of the closet. "Well, at
least the wardrobe has improved a little. Not all leathery and fun,
but at least it isn't all fuzzy anymore."

"Wait a minute," Spike said, ignoring her latest comment as
something she had said earlier suddenly hit him. "Did you say The
Master?" He began to remember hearing stories about when he had been
out of town, trying to get Dru back, stories about a vampire Willow
from another dimension. This HAD to be her.

"You're not from here, are you?" He asked, moving a little closer to
her.

"Mmmmm…blondie's a smart boy after all," she purred, turning toward
him, running her hand along his cheek and across his forehead,
before reaching around and running her hands down his back, leaning
her towel-clad body against him.

"You're not really Willow," he said, eyes narrowing as he took an
unneeded breath.

"I am," she whispered. "I am Willow. I'm all that your innocent,
little Willow could be, if you were to just sink your fangs into
her."

Her mouth was getting closer and closer to him, her tongue darting
out and quickly licking at his lips as her hands reached down and
grabbed his ass. He jumped out and away from her grasp,
yelling, "Hey! Hands…watch it!"

"Don't wanna play with Willow?" She said, pouting, taking a step
closer to him as he took another step back.

"Well, it isn't that, love. Spike always wants to play, but I'd
sorta like to figure out what in the bloody hell is going on here,
first."

"Spike? You're Spike? As in William the Bloody? As in grand-childe
of Puppy?"

"Puppy? You mean…Angel?"

"Yeah, Puppy told me all about you. You sounded like you would be
fun to play with." She smiled up at him, running her hands around
and over his back again. Spike nearly fell down laughing as he
realized who Puppy was. Stepping back and slipping the towel off,
the redhead pulled on a short denim skirt and a low cut, black tank
top, frowning slightly and glad that she couldn't see her reflection.

"Ah, so good old Angel told you all about me, did he?" He asked,
trying again to remove the hands that were wrapping around him. "And
what exactly did he tell you?"

Willow grinned, before suddenly shoving him backwards, watching him
stagger a little, catching himself before falling. "He said that you
talk a big game, but that you're all words and no action," she told
him with a sneer, turning away.

"Listen, pet, you may be able to make some noise in your parts,"
Spike began, before reaching out and grabbing her wrist, suddenly
tossing her to the floor in one quick movement. Straddling her hips,
he pinned her arms over her head. "But I'm still the Big Bad, and
you'd do well to remember that."

"You think you're bad?" She asked, struggling slightly beneath him.

"I'm the baddest, baby. I could give you a few lessons in pain and
pleasure."

"Is that right?" In a sudden flash, he blinked and realized that she
was now on top, straddling him.

"Thanks," she purred, before leaning over and nipping at his lower
lip, "but I've already had those lessons." Leaning in a little
further, she whispered in his ear, "Got straight As."

Standing up, the redhead turned and sauntered out of the room,
leaving Spike to stare after her, his eyes wide and his lips curling
in an amused grin.

~*~

(Wish-verse)

"Uh, Spike, where are we?"

"A motel."

"Yeah, I got that part, but…um…where exactly is the motel?"

"On a road," he told her impatiently, "and before you ask, the road
is in a town." Clearly he was not in the mood to give her a straight
answer. Walking through the small room, the redhead looked around,
grimacing at the old, dingy furniture and stained carpet. The
vampire was attempting to hang blankets over the windows, while
trying to avoid lighting them on fire with the cigarette dangling
from his lips.

Looking down at a table, Willow saw a few sheets of paper with the
motel's letter head, recognizing the town as being not too far
outside of Sunnydale. Glancing around the room again, she noticed
the fact that there was only one bed.

"Uh, Spike, couldn't we maybe ask for a room with two beds?"

Finished hanging the blankets, the vampire turned around and glared
at her. "This was the last room they had. You'll live."

Willow wondered just how true that last statement was. "Will I?" She
questioned quietly as she moved to sit on the edge of the bed.

Spike arched an eyebrow. "That a problem? Because I could always
change my mind." Grabbing a bottle of whiskey he tipped the bottle
back, letting the burning liquid pour down his throat. He was almost
finished with his second bottle, and Willow began to wonder how much
it took to get a vampire drunk.

The witch shook her head. "No, no. Living is good. It's just…um…why
exactly is it that you're letting me live?"

"What you said earlier, about the other dimension…Didn't sound half
bad," he told her before finishing the bottle and tossing it across
the room. Grabbing his cigarettes, he stumbled across the room,
flopping down beside her on the bed. "No other strange little
differences, is there? Still got Manchester United and whiskey? No
access of shrimp or anything like that?"

"Oh! That…no…no other differences. Just as soon as I find a way to
get back there…"

"And how exactly is it that you plan to do that?" He asked.

"Well, I'm not sure," she admitted. "I thought that maybe I could
talk to Giles. He's…uh…he was Buffy's watcher. I'm not even sure if
he's here, but I figure that would be the best place to look. He's
always good at the whole researching and problem solving thing."

"You want me to take you to see a watcher? Are you mad?" Spike
yelled. "Even if we got past Darla's little minion army, what are we
supposed to do, ring the bell and say `vampires calling,' waiting
for him to run out with a stake?"

"Well, no," Willow replied. "I mean, I'm not even a vampire, so I'll
just explain to him…"

"Explain what? That you've been kidnapped by the evil undead and
you'd like his help? How stupid do you think I am?"

Willow rolled her eyes. "Sure you want me to answer that?"

Spike growled under his breath, the room beginning to spin a
little. "And how do you propose that we get through the town
undetected?"

Willow frowned. "I'm not using magic, if that's what you're asking,
so just forget it. I can't do it."

Spike let out an unnecessary sigh, and Willow watched as the vampire
kicked off his boots, pulling his shirt up over his head, baring his
pale, chiseled chest to her gaze. Pausing, he looked toward her, a
serious expression on his face.

"If it comes down to liven or die'n, I'm willing to bet that you'll
pull out the mojo without even thinking about it." Standing up, he
began to undo his pants. Willow quickly turned her head toward the
wall.

"Uh…where am I sleeping?" She asked nervously, her eyes darting
around the room.

Spike let out a sigh as he slid his belt through the loops of his
jeans and tossed it to the floor. "Well, ya got your choice of the
floor or the bed, and to be quite honest, pet, I'd go with choice
number two. I wouldn't sleep on that floor, and I'm a demon. Looks
like the carpet's been around longer than I have."

"But, um…then where will you sleep?" She questioned, her voice
sounding more child-like than she remembered it being.

Rolling his eyes, the blond removed his pants before sliding down
under the covers, smirking at her. "We're all grownups here," he
slurred. "Just go to sleep. I promise I won't bite." The twinkle in
his eye led Willow to wonder once again just how true that statement
was, and she finally opted for the small, hard wooden chair across
the room. Pulling her coat over herself, Willow could hear the
vampire chuckling as she tried to make herself as comfortable as
possible.

~6~

(Wish-verse)

“Stay back!’ A voice yelled from behind the door.

“Yeah, Red, this was a real swell idea...”

Willow scowled at Spike before looking toward the door again. “Giles, it’s me…Willow!” She yelled.

“I know who you are,” the watcher replied as he pulled the door open, making sure to stay back behind the threshold, a stake held high in his hand. “I’ll dust you immediately, if you take one step closer.” His hands trembled slightly, and Willow was surprised at his weary appearance.

"Well, it wouldn't be very smart to put your hand through the barrier with two vampires...I mean, not that I'm...I'm not..."

“Brilliant plan, love,” Spike grumbled. Willow smacked his chest lightly, earning a warning growl.

“Wait! Giles, I’m human! Look, feel…pulse.” She held out her hand, startling the watcher as it went through the invisible barrier, meant to keep vampires from the home. He cautiously reached out, feeling for a pulse. She saw his eyes widen when he felt it.
“See? No vampire. Can we come in?”

Giles thought for a moment, before nodding his head. “Yes, yes, both of you, come in. Now, who is this?” He asked, gesturing toward Spike.

“Oh, well he’s a vampire,” Willow replied.

“What?!”

“Oh! But…he’s helping me. Spike…he…he’s a good guy.”

“I am not!” The vampire shouted. “You take that back right now!”

“Spike? As in William the Bloody?” Giles asked, taking a step back.

“Heard of me, have you?” Spike asked, a smug smile on his face.

“Giles, I know that this is going to be hard to believe, but I’m actually from another dimension, where Buffy came to Sunnydale and killed The Master, and…and…we actually win fights,” she told the older man.

Giles pondered her words for a moment, before shrugging. “That’s not all that difficult to believe,” he told her.

“Told the witch that before,” Spike added. “Didn’t believe me.”

“O-kay. Well, I need help getting back.”

“Dimensional travel is a bit out of my league,” he told her, removing his glasses and cleaning them. “What kind of spell did you do?”

“Well, it wasn’t really a spell, exactly,” the redhead explained. “A friend of mine, Anya…er…Anyanka, sort of tricked me into making a wish.”

Giles gasped. “You’re telling me that you are friends with a vengeance demon? What were you thinking?”

“Well, hey!” Willow yelled. “I don’t need a lecture right now, Giles. A-and besides YOU trusted her, too. You gave her your magic shop.”

“I gave her my…I’m a shop owner?” The watcher smiled proudly and the witch rolled her eyes, glancing toward Spike who looked as though he were growing bored and restless.

“Research!” Willow shouted, startling both men slightly. “You’re, like, the king of all research, with your dusty old books. You live for it! You’re like the poster child for research…except…you know, older.”

“Yes, well I’m afraid that we have quite a lot to deal with right now,” he told her. “The Master has just risen and…” Seeing the look on her face, he let out a sigh and nodded reluctantly. “Give me a day and I’ll see what I can do.”

~*~

(Sunnydale-2002)

Spike caught up with the redhead just a few houses away as she stalked through the streets.

“Where do you think you’re going?” He asked.

She didn’t bother to look toward him as she answered. “Hungry. Looking for a bite to eat.”

“Not the smartest idea, what with the slayer around and all,” he told her.

“Afraid of a little slayer, Spikey?” She asked with a wicked grin.

“Hey, she’s outlived the rest of them. Something to be said for that,” he told her.

Willow’s grin only widened. “And I suppose the fact that you’re fucking her has nothing to do with anything?”

The blond vampire’s eyes widened. “How did you…”

“You’ve got the scent of the slayer all over you,” she told him, disgust in her voice. “It’s sickening and wrong.”

“Hey! Don’t tell me what’s…”

The redhead stopped, turning and facing him. “You’re telling me that it’s normal and natural for a vampire to be sleeping with the slayer? It doesn’t get much wronger than that! Tell me, Spikey, how short is the leash?” At that, she turned and continued walking.

Hearing a loud growl behind her, Willow felt him grab her arm, yanking her back toward him, and saw that his demon visage was now firmly in place. “Watch what you say, little girl,” he told her in a low, lethal tone. “No one tells me what I can or can not do.”

“Oh really? When was the last time you sank your fangs into a nice, sweet neck, huh? When was the last time you felt warm, hot, human blood sliding down your throat? When was the last time you felt someone writhing beneath you as you slowly sucked the life from them?” Startling the older vampire, Willow pulled her arm away from him, her own face now in true form. Spike stared at her for a long moment, shocked at what a beautiful vampire she made. “You can’t tell me that she fucks you and allows you to kill at will,” she told him. “You’re worse than Angel. At least he has a soul to blame.”

Once again, turning to continue her walk, Willow felt a strong, hard body collide with hers, just before finding herself pinned up against the side of a building. She could feel the cold, harsh brick rubbing against her back through her thin shirt, and the redhead couldn’t help but wriggle a little against the other vampire, giggling softly.

Spike growled. “I do what I want, when I want,” he told her, his hands gripping her shoulders tightly as he held her against the wall, his mouth only inches from hers, “and I take as I please.” At that, the blond leaned forward, claiming her lips in a rough, passionate kiss. He could feel the other vampire responding to him, her fangs scraping his lips, traces of blood flowing across their dueling tongues. Her soft, lean body writhed against his own as Spike wrapped one hand tightly in her red tresses, the other running up and down the length of her body. Willow slowly trailed her hands up to his shoulders, squeezing tightly before shoving him backwards, watching him stumble, surprised at the sudden loss of contact.

“I’m not as meek and willing as you may think,” she told him, shoving him aside and quickly heading toward The Bronze.

~7~

(Sunnydale-2002)

“Xander, hey!” Buffy called, as she made her way through the crowded bar.

“Thought you had to work,” he told her, barely looking up from the beer he was nursing.

Buffy shrugged as she sat down. “Got off early. Thought I’d swing by and see just how badly you were wallowing. God, you look like crap.”

“Thank you. I now feel much, much better.”

“You know, Xander, I know that the whole Anya thing…”

“Buffy, can we just…not? I really don’t want to talk about this right now.”

“Okay, yeah, I get that,” she conceded.

“Slayer,” a voice hissed from behind.

Buffy jumped up and whirled around, sighing as she saw Willow standing before her. “Gosh, Will. I thought for a second that you were a vampire. I was about ready to stake you,” she said with a chuckle.

“Wouldn’t want that,” the redhead replied. “Might make me all cranky.”

“Are you feeling okay?” Buffy asked.

“Never better,” she said, eying Xander. Buffy glanced over at the moping man, wondering why Willow was looking at him so strangely, and then back at the redhead.

“Hey, Will,” Xander mumbled with a wave, not bothering to look up at her.

“Still moping over Anya?” She asked, not sounding the least bit sympathetic. “Get over it.”

“Harsh much?” Buffy asked. “I mean, it’s only been a few days. Give the man some time to heal.”

Willow rolled her eyes. “He’s the one that left her, right? And it’s about time, I say. She's nothing but a…”

“Red! Hey, fancy meeting you here.” Everyone turned and looked up at the blond vampire joining them. “Buffy,” he said softly.

The slayer looked around uncomfortably. “Spike, what are you doing here?” She asked.

“Free country,” he told her. “Open club, I can come in if I want to, whether YOU like it or not. Might even kill me a treat or two, and there’s nothing YOU can do about it.” He gave Willow a pointed look, scowling as she rolled her eyes and looked around with a bored expression.

Xander rolled his eyes as well. “She doesn’t have to do anything, fangless, unless that sweet, little chip in your head has suddenly stopped working.” Willow looked from Xander to Spike, seeing the way the vampire frowned and wondering exactly what Xander was talking about. For the time being, though, the redhead had more important things to think about, like the fact that she could and would feed at will.

“This has all been really…neat,” she said, rolling her neck a little, hearing it crack, “but I’m gonna try and find a group that’s a little more…lively.” Spike and Buffy both watched as the redhead turned and sauntered off into the crowd.

“What’s up with her?” The slayer asked.

Spike shrugged. “She’s not feelin’ like herself, these days. Sort of dead to the world, you might say.” At that, he turned and followed the retreating vampire, much to Buffy’s relief.

“So, do you come here often?” He watched as the redhead chatted up a cute blonde girl, amused at her technique.

“I’m kinda new in town,” the girl told her, looking slightly uncomfortable at the way that Willow was seductively running a finger up and down her bare arm.

“Well, hey, maybe I could show you around,” Willow told her, licking her lips. “I’m sure we could get to be real good friends.” The vampire leaned in a little further, looking the girl up and down.

“I…I…I don’t know. I’m not really sure if…”

“Aww, come on. I won’t bite, unless you want me to.” That said, Willow let her demon visage slip into place, her hand quickly covering the girls mouth before she had a chance to scream. She began to lean in, ready to sink her teeth into the blonde’s neck.

“Willow!” The vampire’s head jerked up and she rolled her eyes, letting the blonde go and watching with a pang of disappointment as the girl quickly ran away.

“Anya. Nice to see you again,” she said lazily, letting her human mask slide back into place. Spike stayed off to the side, in the shadows, curious as to what exactly was going on.

“What the hell were you doing?” Anya yelled, grabbed the redhead’s arm.

Willow quickly pulled away, glaring at the vengeance demon. “I got hungry. Just wanted a little bite to eat,” she said with a pout.

“I did not bring you back here so that you could drain random strangers. We had a deal. You kill the Scooby gang, slowly and painfully. Remember? Nowhere in that plan did it say that you snack on innocents.” Anya stood before her, her hands on her hips, tapping a foot angrily. “And besides, what if Buffy or Xander had seen you? It would have ruined everything!”

“Well when DO I get to start with the killing?”

“As soon as I can get Buffy away from Xander, go for it. I thought you would have started with Dawn, but I happened to notice on my way here that she was still alive. She should be small and fairly tasty. Or you could go after Tara, although I haven’t really seen her around much lately. I don’t care, just as long as you stick to the plan and kill them.” Glancing over at the table where Buffy and Xander had been sitting, Anya realized that they were no longer there. Looking around, she did not see them anywhere in the bar. “Great! Now they’re gone. Look, I’m going to find Xander. You…go kill your friends. And remember…stick to the plan!”

Willow watched as Anya left the building. She was hungry, and not really in the mood to be used as someone else’s revenge at the moment. Spotting another tasty looking girl up on the balcony, the redhead quickly made her way up the metal staircase. Just before she was about to step up behind the girl, she felt a hard, strong arm wrap around her waist.

Grabbing the offending arm, Willow quickly spun around, punching the man in the stomach and slamming him back against a hard, metal wall, pinning one of his arms painfully behind his back. Turning around, she let out an aggravated sigh as she saw the rest of the patrons quickly leave the balcony.

“Look,” she pouted, “you made all the yummy boys and girls run away.”

Spike coughed and tried to pull his arm free. “You punch like a girl, you know that?”

Willow growled. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now,” she demanded.

“Well, because…I can help you,” he told her.

“You think that you can help me?” She asked. “Sorry, but I don’t need the slayer’s little lap dog lending a hand.” She let him go with a hard shove and watched as he turned around, glaring at her.

“Whether you’d like to believe it or not, you need me, pet,” he told her. “I heard your little conversation with Anya. She wants you to kill the slayer and all her pals. How exactly do you think you’re going to do that? Won’t take them very long to figure out that you aren’t the real Willow.”

The redhead thought for a moment. “How come you wanna help me anyway?”

Spike shrugged. “Sick of pussy-footing around the slayer, sick of bein used when it’s convenient for her. She doesn’t want me? That’s fine, don’t need her anyway,” he told her. Willow didn’t look entirely convinced. “Besides, I gotta admit, I’m a bit intrigued by you. This is a side of Red I never thought I’d see.”

“Oh, I bet there’s a whole lot more of…Red…that you’re just dying to take a peek at,” she whispered, leaning up against him, running her tongue up his neck.

Spike shivered and reached out, holding onto her shoulders, keeping her at arms length. “Got the full show earlier, remember?”

“Right, that. Trust me, Spike. You have no idea the things I’m capable of,” she told him, leaning in again and nipping at his ear. He felt her arms move around him, and this time did nothing to stop her. “The places that I could take you…”

“I’ve been around a bit longer than you, love. I’m sure I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve that you’ve never even dreamt about.”

“I’ll show you mine,” she whispered, “if you show me yours.” At that, she leaned in, her lips over taking his in a passionate kiss. Tongues dueled for dominance, as strong hands roamed over tight bodies. Willow felt his cool hands slip in, under her shirt, and she arched her back as she felt him palm both breasts, his thumbs flicking at her hardened nipples. She closed her eyes, her head falling back as her hands slid under the back of his shirt, her nails digging into the pale skin found there.

Slowly, the redhead began to slide down, until she was on her knees before the older vampire. Looking up with a sly smile, she quickly pulled his belt loose, yanking it from the loops and tossing it to the floor. “Might have some fun with that later,” she murmured, before undoing his fly and slipping his jeans a little lower on his hips. Spike hissed as he felt her hand slip beneath his pants and pull his cock free, and he looked down through glazed eyes as she slowly let him slip into her mouth.

Willow felt him shudder slightly and heard him moan as she wrapped her lips around his swollen member and slowly began to run her tongue in circles around the tip, purposefully driving him crazy. It didn’t take long for Spike to feel as thought he was going out of his mind. Glancing down at the redhead before him, he saw her grin wickedly as she let him slip from her mouth, lapping at him lightly, as if he were a lollypop.

With a growl, the blond grabbed the vampire’s arms and hauled her up, spinning them around and pinning her to the wall, both of her hands held against it with one of his. She squirmed and moaned a little as he pressed his body against hers.

“No more teasing, pet,” he whispered, just before a knee forced her legs apart and she felt him hoist her up. Willow instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist as she felt him plunge into her. Her head fell back as she moaned loudly. Spike leaned in, covering her mouth with his own, swallowing her moans and screams as he began to pound into her.

Willow felt him release her hands, and they quickly dropped down, sinking into his soft hair, gripping the short strands tightly as she rode him. All too soon, they were both climaxing, keening and shuddering as they came, Spike’s fangs buried in her throat. A moment later, he stepped back a little, letting the disheveled redhead slip down from around his waist. Both were panting unnecessarily, trying to smooth out their hair and clothes.

“Not bad,” she said, finally.

Spike arched an eyebrow. “Not bad? That was a lot better than not bad,” he told her. “That was…it was…”

“Mind blowing,” she supplied. Spike simply nodded. Bending over, Willow retrieved his leather belt from the floor and folded it in half, snapping it once, smiling at the loud sound it made. “Why don’t we go back to your place for another round?” She asked.

Needing no further prodding, Spike quickly grabbed her hand and led her out of the bar.

~*~
(Wish-verse)

“Where are we going?” Willow asked as Spike led her down a dark, deserted street. “I thought you were afraid of running into Darla.”

Spike stopped and turned, glaring at her. “I’m not afraid of running into Darla,” he insisted. “Just don’t want any unnecessary trouble. I’m not afraid of the bitch. Besides, chances are, unless Angel opened his big mouth, they don’t even know that you aren’t who they think you are, or that I’ve taken you.”

“So what are we doing here?” She asked.

“I need to feed,” he told her, continuing to stalk down the street. This time, it was Willow that stopped.

“Feed? As in drinking from a human? You’re going to kill someone?”

“Several someones, if I’m lucky,” he told her with a grin.

Willow shook her head. “No, you can’t. I can’t let you. It isn’t right. You can’t just kill innocent people.”

Spike growled, reaching out and holding her arm in a bruising grip. “You volunteering instead?” He asked with a sneer, delighting in the mixture of anger and fear that came from the girl.

Willow pulled her arm free and gave him a hard look. “Listen, Mr. Bully-Man, I’ve been through way too much to let you try to scare me. I dated a werewolf, I faced down Angelus, I dealt with an Internet demon that was in love with me, mutant demon eggs, fear demons, you all drunk and love-sick, a crazed government agency, a lunatic hell god AND Cordelia Chase at her worst. Plus, I’ve worked some heavy-duty mojo in the past, including raising someone from the dead. So if you think that you can just push me around and tell me what to do, you’ve got another thing coming.”

“Except for the fact that you won’t use any of that magic now,” he reminded her in a deadly calm voice, “and I may be angry and a little love-sick, but I’m not drunk right now, unfortunately. One wrong move and I’ll snap your neck in a heartbeat.”

“You keep saying that,” she told him, crossing her arms defiantly, “but you won’t do it. You can’t afford to right now.”

Reaching out, he grabbed a hold of the girl again, shaking her as his fingers dug into her bruising flesh. “Listen up, little girl. I’m keeping you around for the ride right now, because I feel like it. Piss me off enough, and it won’t matter where you come from, I’ll make you wish you’d never met me. I don’t have to kill you to shut you up.”

Willow shivered a little and bit her lower lip as Spike released her and continued to walk. Seeing two girls up ahead, turning a corner, Spike turned back and glanced at Willow. “Stay right here. Don’t move so much as an inch from that spot, and don’t even think about trying to help them, got it?” Willow simply swallowed hard and nodded, watching him stalk off down the street and around the corner.

Sitting down on a nearby bench, Willow worried her lower lip with her teeth, guilt flooding her. She should be trying to help those girls, keeping Spike from killing them, but she felt as though she was caught between a rock and a hard place.

A sudden, distant scream floated to Willow and she winced, immediately bowing her head down and covering her ears. She was shaking a little, trying to drown out any sounds of the slaughter that she knew was taking place. Her eyes tightly shut, she continued to sit, shaking her head back and forth, her ears covered. She had no idea how long she had been there. Seconds, minutes, hours, days, it was impossible to tell. Feeling something suddenly touch her shoulder, the redhead jumped up and screamed, gasping for breath as she turned and saw Spike smirking at her. He said nothing, simply taking her by the hand and leading her back to where they had parked the car. The ride back to the motel was a silent one, as Spike smoked, apparently deep in thought, and Willow tried to keep herself from throwing up.

Once back at the motel, Willow quickly ran into the bathroom, throwing the door shut behind her and empting the meager contents of her stomach. She was disgusted by what had occurred, and by the fact that she had sat by, doing nothing to stop it.

When she emerged from the bathroom, Willow was surprised to see the blond vampire leaning against a wall, his leather duster still on, smoking a cigarette.

“Finished with the theatrics, are we?” He asked with a smirk. She didn’t bother responding. “You made the right choice, you know. Nothing you could have done to help them. Only would have made things worse for yourself.”

“You’ll have to excuse me if that thought doesn’t make me all warm and fuzzy inside,” she told him as she sat on the edge of the bed, her shoulders slumped forward. A moment later, she found him sitting next to her, leaning over as she sat back, fishing something out of the nightstand drawer.

“What are you doing?” She asked. “Like to read the Bible after a good slaughter?”

Pulling back, Spike grinned as he dangled a pair of handcuffs before her. Willow’s eyes widened at the sight.

“What…um…what are those for?” She asked.

“Guess,” he replied, just before grabbing one of her arms and fastening it to the headboard. Before she could stop him, he had the other arm also bound to the strong wood, and he sat back, surveying his work. “That should do,” he mused to himself, standing up and heading for the door.

“Where are you going?” She shouted. “You can’t just leave me here like this!”

“Got a few errands to run,” he told her, opening the door and looking back at the struggling redhead. “Wouldn’t want you running off while I’m gone.”

“Didn’t kill enough people before?” She asked through clenched teeth. “Gotta go out and drain a few more innocents to make you feel all manly?”

Spike simply smirked before walking out and closing the door.

~*~

(Sunnydale-2002)

Willow slipped in through the back door just a few minutes before sunrise, looking around cautiously before heading toward the stairs.

“Willow?” Hearing Buffy’s voice behind her, the vampire saw the slayer sitting on the living room sofa, watching her. “Where were you? I was worried.”

The redhead shrugged. “Didn’t know you were playing mother now. You shouldn’t have worried. I was fine,” she told her. “Out with a friend.”

“Who? I mean…not to pry, but…you know me, I’m curious-girl.”

“Curiosity killed the cat,” Willow told her, beginning to climb the stairs.

“Yeah, okay, well, I was just a little worried, Will. You didn’t seem like yourself tonight.”

“I’m fine, trust me,” the vampire told her, disappearing up the stairs. The slayer heard the door slam shut a moment later and she sighed, wondering what was going on with her friend.

~8~

(Sunnydale-2002)

"Look, I had Xander occupied for hours last night! I had to sit and
talk to him and listen to him beg and plead over and over. It was
awful, and you couldn't even drain one of his friends. Not one!"

"Chill out. I'll do it when I'm ready," Willow told her in a bored
tone, flopping down onto the couch. Glancing out the window, she saw
that she had a few hours before the sun would be down, feeling her
skin tingle slightly, her stomach growling.

"Listen, missy, this isn't a little vacation for you. We had a deal!"

"Deal, deal, deal," the redhead mocked, rolling her eyes. "What is
it with you and that word? It wasn't really a deal, as I recall. You
brought me here, against my will, and told me to kill people. I had
no say in it whatsoever."

"You wanna go back? Fine," Anya told her, raising up her arms, ready
to send the annoying vampire back to her own dimension.

"Hang on, now, hang on," Willow said quickly, jumping up and
grabbing the demon's arms, pulling them down. "Let's not be hasty.
I've just been feeling my way around, getting ready, picking my
moment."

"Well, pick it already and let's get to the horrible killings!" Anya
shouted, before disappearing with a puff of smoke. A moment later,
Dawn walked into the room, looking around.

"Were you just talking to someone?" The younger girl asked.

"Me? Ah, nope, not talking to anyone. You must have been hearing
things," Willow told her. "So, um…where's your sister?"

Dawn shrugged, walking out into the kitchen, Willow
following. "Working again, I think," she told her.

Willow smiled behind the girl, quietly slipping into game face and
creeping forward. She was just about to sink her fangs into Dawn's
neck, when the back door flew open, a burst of light filling the
room. Willow hissed and backed away, covering her face and shielding
her eyes. When she looked up again, her human mask was back in
place, and she glared at Buffy as she walked in.

"Hey, whacha doin?"

"Going to a sleepover," Dawn reminded her. "I told you about it
weeks ago."

"Oh, yeah, right…of course. I remember," Buffy lied. "Well, the
sun'll be setting soon. What do you say, Will? Wanna go out on
patrol with me?"

The redhead thought for a moment before grinning slyly. "Sure.
Sounds like fun."

~*~

(Wish-verse)

It was several hours before Spike returned. Stumbling into the dark
motel room, he glanced over, seeing that the redhead was asleep on
the bed, snoring softly. Smirking, he dropped the bags he was
carrying onto a small table with a loud thud.

Willow jumped up, wincing as her wrists pulled against the hard,
cold metal of the cuffs. Sitting up, she watched the blond vampire
uncertainly.

Walking across the small room, Spike sat down on the hard, wooden
chair, lighting a cigarette and staring at the redhead. Glancing
over at the table, she saw two bags and a couple of emptied liquor
bottles. She sighed. A drunken Spike was never a fun Spike. Far too
unpredictable, his moods could shift in the blink of an eye.

"Have fun maiming and killing?" She asked in a sour tone.

The vampire's expression remained stoic, giving her no indication of
his mood or what he'd been doing. "Problem with that?" He asked.

She just gritted her teeth and looked away.

Spike stood up and grabbed one of the bags he had brought in,
tossing it onto the bed. "Got you some food," he told her. Grabbing
another bottle of whiskey and downing a good portion of it, he moved
to the bed, pulling out a key and undoing the cuffs, leaving them
hanging from one of her wrists.

Willow looked up, a little surprised, before cautiously peering into
the bag. Reaching in, she pulled out a box of crackers, a bag of
chips and some Twinkies. She gave him a questioning look.

"All I could find," he told her, sitting back down in the chair as
he watched her quickly devour the food. Grabbing a bottle of water
from the bag, she drank greedily, not having realized how hungry and
thirsty she was until then.

When she was finally done, the redhead looked up shyly. "Thank you,"
she said softly. Spike simply nodded, silently regarding her. Willow
watched him, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze.

"What was it?" He asked finally, taking another sip from the bottle
in his hand.

Willow looked at him in confusion. "What was what?"

"What was it that you did that was so terrible that you stopped with
the magic? Slaughter a bunch of kids or skin a cute little kitten or
something?"

Willow shook her head, looking down at her hands. "Nothing like
that. It was…a whole bunch of little things. I dragged my best
friend out of heaven, and then I did a spell, messing with my
girlfriend's memories…it wasn't pretty."

"That it? That's what you've been beating yourself up about? Please,
I've done much worse than that."

The witch gave him a pointed look. "You're a demon. You do evil
things. It's, like, your thing. It's what you're good at."

"Damn right it is," he responded with a proud smile. "And you're a
witch. You do magic and if you were able to pull off the things
you've mentioned, you must be pretty powerful. You can fight it all
you like, but if that's what's inside, the deeper you bury it, the
more violently it'll come tearing out of you."

Willow regarded him for a long time, surprised at how much sense the
vampire could make when he was drunk. "What now?" She eventually
asked.

The vampire exhaled a large puff of smoke, before standing up
again. "Now, we go to bed," he told her, removing his jacket and
tossing it onto the chair.

"I meant…um…what do we do…now...a-after sleep," she tried to
clarify.

Spike sighed, kicking his boots off and pulling his shirt over his
head. "We lay low and wait to see if the watcher comes up with
anything," he told her.

Willow watched as he moved to the bed, sitting down, his back to
her. The redhead quickly began to scoot away, ready to go to the
chair she had slept on the night before, but the vampire reached
out, quickly grabbing her arm, stilling her.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked.

Willow shook her head, not sure what to say.

Without another word, Spike grabbed the handcuffs, reattaching one
arm to the headboard. Willow struggled and pulled at the cold metal,
wincing as it bit into her soft, slightly bruised flesh.

"I'm not sleeping in this bed with you," she told him, a defiant
tone in her voice.

"I'd beg to differ," he replied, slipping his pants off and sliding
under the thin covers. The redhead inched as far away from him as
possible, letting out a squeak as she felt an arm wrap around her
midsection, pulling her back against a cold, hard body. "Relax,
pet," he cooed, "you're in good hands."

~9~

(Sunnydale-2002)

Willow trailed behind the slayer as they trudged through the cemetery, glaring at the back of her bouncy blonde head.

“You know, I’m glad we get to spend a little time together, just the two of us,” Buffy told her. “We’ve been kinda drifting lately, you know? Not as close as we used to be.”

“The further away from you the better,” Willow grumbled.

“What was that?”

“I…I said…yeah…this is much better.”

“You seem out of sorts lately. Anything up? I mean, besides the fact that Tara’s gone and magic has become a big no-no…which, by the way, I have to tell you, I’m really proud of how you’re handling that. Most people…they can’t let go of addictions so easily.”

“So it would seem,” Willow replied. Buffy stopped and glanced at her friend with a questioning look. Not in the mood to play the good girl, Willow rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. “I know what you’ve been doing,” she told the slayer.

Buffy’s eyes widened as a look of horror came over her face. Willow couldn’t help but smile. “What…um…what exactly have I been doing?” She asked.

“Spike, mostly,” Willow told her with a cruel grin, thoroughly enjoying the slayer’s discomfort.

“Wh-what? Did he tell you that, because…”

“He didn’t have to tell me,” the redhead explained. “It’s obvious.”

“Oh, god, Will…What you must think. I…I…”

“I think it’s disgusting,” the vampire admitted. “It’s sickening and bad and wrong...and full of…wrong badness. It’s unnatural. I can’t even imagine allowing it to happen.”

“I know! I know, you’re right!” Buffy continued to speak as she turned away, unable to look at her friend. She began walking again, keeping a few paces ahead of Willow. “It’s just that…well…after you brought me back, things were a little dark, you know? Not that I’m blaming you, but it’s just…Spike was there, and…and I used him and…but it’s over. It’s finished.”

“Is that right?”

“Definitely. You don’t know how horrible it made me feel.”

“Oh, tell me,” Willow said with a bounce and a snicker, happy to hear about any unhappiness in the slayer’s life.

“I…I felt awful, lying to you guys, and sleeping with that…that thing…I mean, he’s not even a person. He doesn’t have a soul.”

“You know there’s something to be said about not having a soul,” Willow murmured.

“He just had this power over me, and I couldn’t say no, and the way he made me feel…” the slayer continued.

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Willow mumbled, running her hand over her throat where twin puncture wounds had already healed.

“But you’re right. It’s wrong and disgusting and…and over. I’m the slayer. I fight vampire, I don’t make with the snuggles.”

“That’s a good policy,” Willow told her, just before silently shifting into her true face, creeping up closer behind Buffy. Leaning in and baring her fangs, she was just about to bite down on the slayer’s neck when a noise off to the side startled them both. Willow jumped back and they looked over, seeing two vampires coming out from behind a few bushes. Willow rolled her eyes at their bad timing, shifting back into her human mask before Buffy noticed her.

“Oh look,” Buffy stated, “it’s tweedle-dumb and tweedle-dumber.” The two vampires looked at each other in confusion, not understanding. “Oh, give me a break. That was a great quip!” Buffy complained, just before one demon lunged at her, the other going after Willow.

Willow dodged a left hook followed by a right jab, grabbing the vampire’s hand in a bone crushing grip, before sweeping her leg out, dropping him to his knees.

“You have no idea who you’re dealing with,” she told him in a low, dangerous voice.

“Why don’t you show me?” He challenged, his eyes widening as Willow shifted back into her true form.

“Gladly,” she said with a smirk.

“Willow!” Buffy yelled, kicking her attacker back and trying to make sure her friend was alright. She could only see the back of Willow’s head, the vampire hidden behind her. “Just hold him off, I’ll be right there!” She yelled.

“Don’t worry about me, Buffy,” Willow called out in a sweet tone, before twisting the vampire’s arm harshly, hearing the bones crack and the demon howl. “Oops, did that hurt?” She asked with a grin. “Let momma make it all better,” she cooed, gripping his neck tightly and lifting him up before throwing the larger vampire several feet. Before he was able to stand up, Willow was towering over him, a stake suddenly in her hand.

“You shouldn’t have gotten in my way,” she told him, just before plunging the stake into his heart.

Turning around, the redhead saw that Buffy was still battling against the other vampire, and not doing very well. The large demon had her pinned up against the side of a mausoleum, both of his hands around her throat, squeezing the breath from her. Willow felt a twinge of envy. If anyone should be destroying this slayer, it should be her.

Storming up behind the vampire, she grabbed his shoulder, yanking hard and throwing him back, off of the blonde. Buffy fell to her knees, clutching at her neck and gasping for breath as she looked up to see Willow fighting the vampire.

“Back off, bub,” Willow growled. “She’s mine.” After landing several kicks and punches, Willow finally staked the vampire, watching him burst into dust. Turning back around, she regarded the slayer carefully. The truth was, taking down the two vamps had been fun and had momentarily sated her bloodlust.

Buffy stumbled to her feet, more than a little shocked and surprised. She was a little confused by what Willow had said. Did Willow have a crush on her?

“Will, I had no idea you could fight like that. You were incredible, and without any magic,” Buffy told her with a proud smile.

Willow simply shrugged. “I learned from the best,” she told her, not bothering to explain exactly who that was.

Buffy shifted a little uncomfortably as Willow looked her up and down, licking her lips as her eyes trailed over the bloody gash on her upper chest. The redhead took a step closer, watching in amusement as the blonde stepped back. Glancing down, she noticed the small wound.

“Oh, that, don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine.”

“Pity,” Willow mumbled, sounding bored. “I could help you with that, if you like.”

“I’ll be fine,” Buffy told her, sounding a little uncomfortable. “Uh…maybe we’ve had enough patrolling for one night.”

Willow thought for a moment before shrugging. “I’ve got better things to do anyway,” she told her, before turning and strolling off alone, leaving one very confused slayer behind.

~*~

(Wish-verse)

Willow had been up and showered hours before Spike. Enough whining and wriggling in the bed, and the vampire had finally released her, issuing a warning that involved killing everyone else at the motel should she run out into the sunlight. As he suspected, that was enough to keep the redhead with him. Of course, she didn’t really have anywhere else to go for the time being, and wasn’t exactly keen on the idea of wandering the demon-infested town come nightfall.

Now, they were both sitting in the small, dim room. Spike was lounging against the headboard, sipping from a whiskey bottle and smoking as he flipped through the television stations.

Willow was sitting a safe distance away in the uncomfortable chair, wracking her brain for a way out of the current situation. Feeling her head begin to ache, and with no solution in sight, she turned her attention to the sulking vampire. He had moaned and yelled his way through an hour of Passions and was now back to drinking himself stupid.

“So…do you…um…wanna talk about it?” She asked timidly.

“’Bout what?” He questioned, not bothering to look at her.

“Drusilla?” A deep growl from the vampire caused Willow to shift a little further away. “Ok, bad idea. No talking about that,” she agreed. Spike nodded and closed his eyes, sighing deeply when he heard her speak again a moment later. “It’s just that, you should talk about it, you know? It helps. It sort of…it takes some of the badness away, makes you feel a little better. Don’t you want to feel better?”

“No,” he told her with a pointed look, tilting the bottle of whiskey up and downing a large mouthful. “I want to sit here and wallow in my misery, and I can’t do that with you yappin away!”

Willow scowled. “What kind of a vampire sits and wallows? I’ll tell ya what kind…a pathetic kind.” That simply earned her an angry glare and another deep throated growl. “I just think that you should talk about it. The stuff that’s upsetting you? You should just let it all out. Sitting here like this, you kinda remind me of Angel, with the brooding and all.”

Suddenly, Spike jumped up, moving toward her and smashing the bottle against the wall behind her, small shards of glass raining down over her head. Willow tensed and pulled her knees up, hugging them to her body like a shield. The blond was now standing over her, yellow eyes glaring at her as he growled, baring his fangs.

“I…um…You know what? Never mind,” she said quickly. “All that stuff I said? I don’t know what I was thinking. Talking about your feelings? Bleh. Nobody wants to do that. A-and Angel? You’re nothing like him. Coloring’s completely different.” She looked up with a mixture of fear and hope.

Spike took a step back, still staring down at her, running his tongue over his teeth. “No,” he told her, “I think you’re right. Well, not about the Angel thing. I’m nothing like that poof, but I think that all this anger and pain? It’s bad for me. I really should let it out.”

“You should?” She asked.

“Definitely,” he told her, lunging forward and grabbing a fistful of red hair, holding it tightly and yanking back. Willow let out a shriek as her head was wrenching backwards, and she was all too well aware of the fact that her throat was now bared to him.

“You want to know what I’m feeling?” He growled. “I’m feeling anger. I’m feeling red-hot, seething, murderous rage at the loss of my sire. She was my everything,” he told her, his fist tightening in her hair as he leaned in closer, hearing the woman whimper. “She was my world. She was my salvation. She delivered me from mediocrity, into a world of blood and terror. She made me strong and powerful, and I couldn’t even protect her! Those bloody bastards just stepped right in and dusted her, just like that!” Removing his hand, Spike slapped his palms together with a loud crack, just in front of her face, causing the redhead to jump. Willow tried to back away from him, but the vampire simply reached out, grabbing her upper arms tightly and hauling her from the chair.

“That bitch, Darla,” he yelled, his fingers digging tightly into Willow’s arms as he spoke. Spike didn’t even seem to really see the woman before him, or notice the pain he was causing her. “She always had to ruin everything. Always had to be the queen of the castle. Couldn’t stand anyone having more attention than her. I’ll make her pay! I’ll give her pain like she’s never felt before!”

“Spike,” Willow whispered, her tiny voice shaking and desperate, “please, you’re hurting me.”

Her words seemed to pull him from his rage-induced haze, and the vampire focused on the redhead before him, his expression unreadable. His grip loosened slightly, though he did not let go. Willow watched as he teetered back and forth.

“And you, you say that you can change it all, make it all the way it was before…or…even better. You can bring her back to me, right?”

“Uh, yeah,” Willow replied, nodding her head. “Sure…I can…”

“You aren’t lyin to me, are you?” He asked suddenly, his voice dropping a bit, sounding much more menacing. Willow bit her lip as she looked up nervously, feeling his grip tighten again. “You wouldn’t do that, right pet?” His tone was deadly as his eyes bore into hers.

Willow shook her head. “No…no, of course not.”

In a blur of motion, Willow suddenly found herself spun around and thrown down onto the bed, an angry, drunk vampire looming over her. Her position reminded her of when he had attacked, just before finding out about the chip, but this time, she knew, he was far more lethal. She was mentally kicking herself for suggesting that Spike deal with his emotions, not realizing that he would take his anger out on her. She should have known better.

Pushing at the vampire, the redhead fought off the urge to defend herself with magic. She had come so far, she couldn’t give in.

”Feel it? Bubbling just below the surface?” He asked. “All that magic, all that power…I can smell it, Red…begging to be set free. You know that if you lie to me, I’ll kill you in I heartbeat,” he stated, his tone cold, his words slightly slurred.

“Um, yeah, I think you mentioned that once or twice,” Willow replied, her voice shaking.

“You’ll give me back what’s mine,” he murmured.

“Yeah, if you could just…” Willow’s voice trailed off as she felt Spike lean in, inhaling deeply. Moving in further, she felt his nose brush against her neck.

“That scent…your blood…the power flowing in your veins…You’d make such a magnificent demon, pet,” he whispered as his fangs skimmed across her throat, just hard enough to leave light, red welts in their wake.

“Trust me, Spike, I make a much better human than vampire,” she told him, still trying in vain to push him away.

“That’s debatable,” he informed her. Willow shuddered as she felt his tongue trail up along her neck, his teeth nipping playfully at her ear lobe. She turned her head away from him as much as possible and sucked in a deep breath. “Sure you don’t wanna give it a go, Red?”

Willow looked as he pulled back a little, golden eyes staring down at her with an intensity she had never known before. Finally, she gave him a hard shove, seeing him wobble a little on his knees, and pulled herself up into a seated position.

“Listen,” she told him in as commanding a tone as she could muster, “I’ll help you, I’ll get you back to Drusilla, b-but you can’t keep threatening me and hurting me a-and licking me.”

“I think you might like the licking, Red.” The vampire inhaled deeply, grinning at the faint yet unmistakable scent of her arousal. Again, he leaned in, his tongue swiping at her throat.

Willow closed her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply, trying to ignore what he was doing. She could smell the alcohol on his breath and knew that he was far more drunk than she had ever seen him before. Feeling a cold, strong hand slip up under her shirt, running along her bare skin, the redhead was pulled from the haze he had created, and scrambled back away from him, trying to keep him at arms length.

“No more!” She yelled, her voice high pitched and slightly frantic. She gasped when the vampire lunged forward again, gripping her already bruised shoulders tightly, holding her down on the mattress, his body looming over hers.

“You don’t make the commands, pet,” he told her, his tone again cold and menacing as he slurred his words. “I say when we start and I say when we stop.” Standing up, the blond began to undo his belt, fumbling with the buckle, his vision blurred, his head spinning. Willow watched nervously as he attempted to pull the leather strap from the loops on his jeans, teetering back and forth unsteadily. Finally removing the belt, he looked up, shaking the doubled over leather at her. “I’m the one in charge here,” he told her. “I’ve got everything under control.” At that, he dropped the belt onto the floor and promptly followed it, landing face first, and out cold.

~10~

(Sunnydale - 2002)

Willow stalked through the cemetery, looking for someone to eat. She was hungry. In fact, she hadn’t had a good bite since she’d arrived back in town, and at that point she figured she’d eat just about anyone who came along. Noticing a young couple walking a little ways ahead, she crept up behind them.

“I’m telling you, at night, monsters come out from the cemetery,” the young man told his date.

The girl slapped his chest playfully. “Shut up, Tony. Monsters aren’t real.”

“Oh yeah? Then how do you explain the things that go on here?” Tony asked. The girl shrugged, frowning a little. Willow looked on in amusement. “After the sun goes down, ghosts and ghouls leave their graves, ready to kill anyone they find. Vampires will come out and bite you, drinking your blood until there’s nothing left.”

“Iw, Tony, stop!” The girl squealed when he reached around and squeezed her from behind.

“It’s true, Mary. It’s a good thing you have a strong, handsome man here to protect you. Maybe I should take you back to my place.”

Mary smiled at him. “You’d protect me from the big, bad monsters?” She asked in a coy tone, twisting a bit of long, blonde hair around one finger.

“You know it, babe. They’d have to rip my throat out before I’d let them touch you.”

“That can be arranged.” Hearing the female voice behind them, the young couple turned around, surprised to see the redhead standing before them.

“Do you mind?” The girl asked. “We’re in the middle of a date.”

Willow smiled sweetly. “I don’t mind at all.” The couple began to turn back around, stopping as she spoke again. “I was wondering if you could help me with one little thing though.” They gave her a questioning look. “I’m a little hungry.”

“Look, we don’t have any spare change,” Tony told her. “We can’t help you.”

“Oh, I think you can still help me,” Willow told him, “if you really want to.”

Becoming more aggravated, Tony took a step toward her. “Beat it, geek” he ground out through clenched teeth.

“Don’t really wanna,” the redhead told him. “I’m having enough fun right here.”

Taking another step toward her, he hissed, “bite me.”

“Thought you’d never ask,” she purred, just before reaching out and grabbing his neck, pulling him closer and vamping out, sinking her sharp teeth into his throat, gulping mouthfuls of warm, flowing blood.

A woman’s screams faintly registered with the vampire, and she looked up, just as she dropped the dead body on the ground, grinning wickedly at the terrified woman, wiping blood from her lips.

“Well, he was true to his word,” Willow told her, slowly walking toward the blonde as she began to back up. “He said someone would have to tear his throat out before getting to you. I guess he was right.”

“Please,” the girl whispered, tears trailing down her cheeks, “let me go.”

“Awww…look at the pretty tears,” the redhead purred as she finally reached the girl, Mary backing up against a mausoleum. “All for me?” Gripping her neck in a tight, but not painful grip, Willow leaned in, licking at the tear tracks.

“Please…please don’t hurt me,” the girl whimpered.

Willow cocked her head to the side, grinning slyly. “I promise you’ll like it,” she whispered, just before lunging forward and sinking her fangs into the girl’s throat, the scream dying on Mary’s lips.

A few moments later, Willow dropped the second body onto the ground and returned to her human features. Without turning around, and before he could say a word, she called out, “Hello, Spike.”

The blond vampire stepped out from behind the mausoleum, grinning at her. “Have a nice dinner, pet?”

Willow nodded, giving him a pouty smile. “Great dinner,” she told him, “but I didn’t get any dessert.”

“That right?” He asked, walked toward her. “Well, I wonder what we could do about that.”

“I have a few ideas,” she told him as he reached her, placing his hands on her hips. Willow licked her lips slowly as she glanced up at the older vampire. “But there’s only one thing on the menu that I want right now.” Leaning in, she ran her tongue up the center of his throat, capturing his lips, her tongue running along the edge, begging for admittance. Allowing his lips to part slightly, Spike felt her tongue slip in, wrestling with his own as the taste of human blood hit his senses.

Willow felt his features shift and heard him growl as Spike tightened his hold on her, pulling the redhead closer and ravaging her mouth with his own.

“Mmm…Spikey likey,” she purred with a giggle. The older vampire pulled back a little, glaring at her before looking around.

“You made a bit of a mess, pet,” he told her, “and you didn’t leave any for me. Might have to punish you for that.”

“Can’t get your own meals?” Willow asked with a smile. She watched as the blond tensed up and his eyes looked away from her. “The slayer really did put you on a leash, didn’t she?”

Willow felt Spike grab her arms roughly, his fingers digging into her arms, causing her to laugh softly, despite his angry stare and growling. “It’s got nothin to do with the slayer,” he told her.

“What was Xander talking about?” She questioned. “The other night, at The Bronze…”

Spike sighed in aggravation. “Got a chip in my head. Military bastards put it there. Won’t let me feed.”

Willow gasped and looked appalled. “How long?”

Spike shrugged. “A few years.”

“And you never asked anyone to take it out?”

“Asked just about everyone I could find. Either couldn’t or wouldn’t.”

“And Willow? The other Willow? She was all big with the magics, from what I hear. Why didn’t she remove it?”

Spike released a bitter chuckle. “Red would have sooner staked me than removed the chip.” The younger vampire didn’t look convinced. “She’s a smart girl. She knew what would happen if she took the chip away.”

The redhead nodded. “A big, happy blood bath.”

Spike nodded, running his tongue over his teeth, craving the taste of warm, fresh, human blood again.

“Well, I’m a smart girl, too, Spike,” Willow told him, leaning in, her lips mere inches away from his. “I just might know someone who would be more than happy to take care of your little problem.”

Spike’s eyes widened as he gave her a questioning look. Willow simply gave him a sly smile, grabbing the collar of his leather coat and pulling him closer, capturing his lips in a demanding kiss.

~*~

(Wish-verse)

Spike woke with a start, sitting straight up and immediately grabbing his head, a small marching band playing inside. Giving himself a moment, the vampire closed his eyes and ran his hands over his face, before looking up and glancing around the dim room. All at once, everything from the past few days came back to him. Drusilla was dead and he was hiding in a motel room with an annoying witch from another dimension, who had a tendency to talk too much.

Speaking of said witch…

The blond sat up a little straighter, seeing no sign of the redhead and hearing no heartbeat in the room. Glancing down, he realized that he was laying on the floor, an old, worn blanket covering him. Spike smirked. The witch must have covered him up after he passed out.

Slowly pulling himself to his feet, he glanced toward the window, knowing that the sun was about to set. He had slept the day away, and Spike couldn’t believe she had actually left. The girl had seemed smarter than that. As soon as the sun was down, the town would be swarming with demons, and none of them had his incentive to keep her alive. Trying to recall the events of the previous day, the vampire admitted to himself that he might have roughed the girl up a bit, but then, she had seemed more than capable of standing up for herself. Again, he had to smile. The girl might have been annoying, but she could be damn amusing when she got angry. Of course, he reminded himself, he could be amusing when he got angry as well, though she might not agree, and running from him was certainly not a smart thing to do.

~*~

“You checked everything? Are you sure?” Willow looked toward Giles, a pleading expression on her face.

“I’m positive, Willow. Short of calling on Anyanka and destroying her power source, there’s little else that can be done. There is a spell, but it would take an extremely powerful caster, much stronger than myself.”

“Will…will that kill her? Destroying her power source?” She might not agree with what Anya had done. In fact, truth be told, she was more than just a little miffed, but she didn’t want her dead. After all, they had all made poor, irrational and sometimes destructive decisions in the wake of having their hearts shattered.

Giles shook his head. “It won’t kill her. It will simply eliminate her power and destroy the consequences of your wish.”

“And I’ll be back home?” Again Giles nodded. Willow thought for a moment, glancing toward the now darkened windows and then down at the faint bruises on her arms. “Let’s do it, now.”

It took only a few minutes for Giles to gather the ingredients. “Spike said something about you being a witch. Would you rather…”

Willow quickly shook her head and backed away. “No! Uh…no, I’ll let you do it. You’re already holding the cup, and I…uh…wouldn’t want to spill anything on your carpet or…” She trailed off, hoping he would drop it.

Giles gave her a skeptical look. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

Willow was about to shake her head in denial, but looking into the watcher’s eyes, she felt her shoulders sag and her resolve slip.

“I can do magic, strong, powerful magic, but I…I don’t really have the control I need. I sorta quit, cold turkey.”

“Dear lord, that must have been incredibly difficult for you,” Giles replied, remembering hearing of witches that had tried to stop in the past. “You know, Willow, it may not be entirely wise to just stop altogether like that. If you are a natural, if the magic is a part of you, it will always be there.”

This time, Willow quickly shook her head. “I’m fine, really,” she insisted. “I just…I can’t give into the temptation. As long as I don’t, I’ll be fine.”

“Right, well then, let’s begin,” the watcher said, grabbing a handful of herbs and dropping them into a large goblet.

“Oh, Anyanka, I beseech thee…Uh…In the name of all women scorned…” Giles paused, adding more herbs to the cup. Willow could feel her entire being tingling, just being so close to the magic, and something stirred deep within in her. Just as Giles opened his mouth to continue, the door burst open, causing him to jump, his elbow catching the goblet and knocking it over.

“Forget to invite me to the party?” Spike asked with a calculating grin, glaring directly at Willow.

“Spike!” She greeted him nervously. “I…uh…would have told you where I was going, but you were pretty out of it, and…uh…what with the sun being up and all…”

“Save it, Red. Why don’t you tell me what exactly it is the two of you are doing?” The vampire asked.

“A…uh…a spell,” Giles told him, “to summons Anyanka and force her to reverse the wish.”

“Is that right?” Spike took a few steps toward Willow until she was backed up against a wall. His face was cold and stony and the lack of emotion in his features unnerved her. “And where exactly would that leave me?”

His eyes, flickering between blue and gold, bore into her as Willow nervously bit her lower lip. She had no idea what to say.

Grabbing her arms tightly, the vampire shook her a little before slamming the redhead against the wall. Willow’s head began to spin as she tried to clear her blurred sight. Not bothering to turn around, Spike held a hand up, halting the watcher that he knew was moving up behind him, stake in hand.

“Another step closer and I snap her neck,” Spike warned him. “This is between me and Red. Stay. Out. Of. It.” Giles backed off, looking at the floor shamefully.

“I asked you a question,” he reminded Willow. “Where does that leave me?” Again she had no answer for him, and she winced, feeling his fingers bite further into her already tender flesh.

“Right here in this fucking hell hole!” He shouted, causing the redhead to shake a little in his grasp. “Isn’t that right? Should have known better than to trust a witch. We had a deal! You help me, I let you live.”

Willow began to shake her head in denial. “I…I wasn’t trying to deceive you, Spike. Giles…he said there was no other way, and…”

“Not exactly what he said, is it, pet?” Spike interrupted, letting her go with a hard shove, and turning toward the watcher. “You said something about another spell?”

Giles nodded reluctantly. “There is a spell. I…I have no way of knowing if it will actually work, but it’s very difficult to cast and would require a great amount of power.”

“Well, lucky for us that Red here is such a strong, powerful witch,” he said with a smirk.

Willow shook her head. “Spike, I told you, I can’t do it. I…I’ll lose control.”

In the blink of an eye, the vampire was in front of her again, nearly nose to nose with the witch. “You will cast the spell,” he told her, his voice deep and commanding. “You lose control, that’s not my problem. Destroy the whole fucking world, for all I care, but I will not let you leave me in this forsaken hell. Understand?”

Willow simply noddedher head, looking down in defeat, unsure of what more she could say or do.

~11~

(Sunnydale-2002)

“I thought we talked about this,” Anya complained as she looked at the two dead bodies on the ground. “You are supposed to be killing people you know, not random strangers.”

Willow rolled her eyes. “I didn’t call you here to give me a lecture,” she told the vengeance demon.

“Why exactly did you call me here?”

“I have a proposition,” Willow told her. Anya raised an eyebrow skeptically. “I want you to remove Spike’s chip.”

“And why exactly would I bother doing that?”

“Well, for one, it would piss Xander off,” Willow told her. Anya seemed to think about that for a moment, before frowning a little, looking up toward the empty sky. After a minute, she shook her head and shrugged.

“Thought someone was summonsing me, but then it stopped,” she told them. “Anyway, it would upset Xander to have Spike running free, but he’ll be dead soon enough, so why should it matter?”

“Well, you take care of Spike’s chip problem, and I’ll finally take care of your little problem,” Willow told her.

“This is extortion!” Anya whined, stomping her foot.

“Yeah, isn’t it fun?” Willow replied with a grin.

“Fine,” Anya said, rolling her eyes and waving her hand in the air and then looking at them expectantly.

“What…That’s it?” Spike asked. Anya nodded. “It’s gone? It’s really gone? I can bite again? I can inflict pain and torture?”

Again, she nodded. “Inflict as you please,” she told him with a dismissive wave of her hand. “And you,” she added, pointing at Willow, “get to the maiming and killing already.”

Willow turned and looked up at Spike, smirking. “Gladly.”

~*~

(Wish-verse)

“You know exactly what we need to get, right?” Spike asked as they walked down the quiet street, heading toward the magic shop.

“It’s all on the list that Giles gave me,” Willow told him, her voice soft and deflated.

“Cheer up, pet! Soon enough you’ll be home, and I’ll have my dark princess back.”

Willow rolled her eyes and sighed. “Or I’ll destroy the world and everything in it, including us.”

“Or that,” he agreed with a grin, clearly not worried about what was to come. Willow considered explaining to him that Drusilla had actually left him for another demon in her dimension, but then thought better of it.

After breaking into the shop, Willow quickly began to move around, gathering the ingredients for the spell. Just being inside the store made her skin tingle, causing an uncomfortable current to flow through her body.

“You know, Spike, this really isn’t a good idea. I got really addicted before, and coming off of it…It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

Spike glanced up, pulling some kind of root from a jar and shoving it into his pocket. “Well, like they say, pet, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Or in my case, it was kill’n me that did make me stronger.” He smirked at his own comment. Willow simply scowled at him, resenting his cheerful attitude.

“I just think that we should wait until we find a better way,” she told him, turning around and letting out a startled squeak, finding the blond demon now standing right behind her, his eyes flashing gold, his features hard and unreadable.

“You want to stick around this place? By all means, stay,” he told her, his tone low and lethal, “but I want out, and that’s the only thing keeping you alive right now.” Willow took a step back, bumping into the shelves behind her and swallowed hard. “Or maybe it’s just that you like being here, with me,” he whispered, a small, lazy grin appearing on his face, his eyes remaining cold and angry. Leaning in, he sniffed at her neck. “That it, pet? Enjoying the Big Bad’s company?”

Willow closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to ignore the sultry sound of his voice.

“Spike, don’t, please,” She whispered, desperate to block him out.

“Come on, luv, you’re alone, I’m alone. Don’t tell me you’ve never thought about it. I’m sure that my other self would have been keen on givin’ it a go, if I hadn’t been with Dru, of course.”

Willow felt a twinge of guilt. “Spike, I should tell you that…”

“Shhhh…" he stopped her, a finger on her lips, leaning further in, “no more talking, pet. Just let go, let it all go and feel…Feel what you’re meant to be, what stirs deep inside.”

Placing his hands on the wall, on either side of her head, the vampire effectively boxed her in, before leaning further toward her, his lips lightly grazing hers. Willow’s eyes flew open at the slight contact and she gasped. Taking advantage of her parted lips, Spike plundered her mouth, his tongue sweeping in and demanding control. Despite herself, Willow found her arms wrapping around the lean vampire, her small hands digging into the soft, worn leather of his coat.

“So sweet, so soft, so familiar,” he murmured, the words swimming in her head, drifting through the haze settling there. “Let go, pet. Let it all go.” He smiled against her mouth as he felt her melt further into him, deepening the kiss.

“Well, well…what do we have here? Spike’s found a new playmate so fast? Drusilla’s ashes are barely blowing in the wind and already…” The vampire was cut off by a growl, as Spike moved faster than could be seen, grabbing the intruding demon by the throat and slamming him against a wall.

“Spike,” Willow called out. Both of the male vampires turned and looked at her.

“Willow?” The minion asked in confusion. “You’ve been missing for days. Darla has been looking for you. When she finds that you left with Spike…” He was cut off once again as Spike’s grip tightened on his throat.

“Then I suppose we’ll have to make sure that no one is left to tell her,” he stated.

“Go ahead and stake me,” the vampire ground out. “Soon as you do, twenty vampires will be in here, turning you to dust before you can blink.”

Snarling, Spike threw his head back, baring his fangs, just before lunging forward. The minion winced and closed his eyes, surprised to not feel his throat torn out. Cracking open one eyes, he looked nervously at the other two vampires.

“Spike, do we really want to fight off twenty of them?” Willow asked softly, a hand on the blond’s arm.

Spike rolled his eyes. “Wanker’s probably lyin’ through his fangs,” he told her.

“What? Uh, no…I swear man, twenty more waiting just outside,” the minion told him, suddenly sounding much more nervous than before.

“I let you go and you’ll just run back to Darla like the good little puppy you are,” Spike commented.

“No, I wouldn’t do that, Spike. Really, I…I wouldn’t.”

Spike shoved the vampire hard, watching him fall backwards, shaking his head in disgust.

“You’re pathetic, you know that? Should do you the favor of staking you, put you out of your misery,” he told the minion, before turning his attention back to the redhead. His eyes widened when he saw that she was no longer standing behind him.

Fumbling with the lock on the back door, Willow let out a scream as she felt a strong arm wrap around her midsection and yank her back. Hauling her back out to the main room, glancing at the vampire that was still sprawled on the ground, he dropped her roughly onto her feet, gripping the witch’s shoulders and shaking her.

“Are you completely daft?” He shouted. “Twenty vamps waiting out there and you were going to just run right to them! You got more of a death wish than I thought, Red.”

Shoving the vampire away, Willow glared at him. “Like you said, he’s probably lying,” she pointed out. “A-and anyways, he thought I was a vampire, so they would, too. Seems like they like me a lot better than you these days.”

The blond growled, taking a step toward her and watching her back up a little, resolve-face still firmly in place. “First of all, it took me all of about a minute to realize that you weren’t a vampire, Red. This moron might have been a little slow on the up-take, but that doesn’t mean that the rest of them would be, and secondly, if they did actually believe that you were a vamp, they’d take you back to Darla. I’m sure she’s just waiting for her baby girl to return home so that she can punish her good and proper. You think you’re up for that?”

Willow shuddered and looked away, biting her lower lip.

Reaching out, Spike grabbed her arm and shoved her toward a shelf full of jars. “Get what we need, now. The sooner we get this done the better. I want out of this place once and for all. And you,” he added, turning and pointing to the vampire that was now crawling to his feet, “I’d love to have a good rumble with you and your friends, but I have something more important to take care of, and I can’t afford to let one of you morons kill the girl.”

The vampire just nodded, maintaining an ignorant expression as he mentally processed the conversation he had just heard.

After gathering everything they needed, Willow and Spike headed toward the basement door, ready to head back through the tunnels. Just as Willow grabbed the doorknob, pulling, she heard the other vampire let out an ear-splitting wail. Spinning around, she saw Spike standing over the now settling pile of dust, a smirk on his face.

“Are you insane?” She hissed.

“The wanker was askin’ for it,” Spike insisted, tilting his head to the side, cracking his neck. “Felt damn good to dust ‘im.”

“Well is it going to feel good when his friends come in here and tear you apart?” She shouted.

“Like I said before, he was probably lying through his…” Spike was cut off as the front and back door both flew open, along with the basement exit, vampire storming in. Willow simply glared for a moment before backing up behind Spike.

“Any more bright ideas?” She asked.

“I throw you to the wolves and run while they’re distracted?” He suggested.

“Then who will be able to do your spell?” She questioned as they slowly moved in a circle, back to back, staring down the growling vampires.

“Right, good point. Well, I could fight them all off.”

“And die a horrible, painful death,” she added.

“Right again. Well, guess that only leaves choice C. You pull out a little magic and get us out of here.”

“Spike, I told you that…A-and besides, teleporting takes a lot of energy. I don’t know if I even could if I wanted to…which I don’t.”

Spike watched as the vampires moved further in toward them, now nearly nose to nose with their prey.

“Well, I’d say now is the prefect time to find out,” he told her. “Come on, Red, show me what you got!”

“I…I can’t,” she whispered, her resolve wavering as she took in the sharp fangs before her.

“This is what the magic’s for, right?” He shouted. “Saving people. So do it already!”

Seeing one of the vampires lean in, fangs bared, Willow let out a scream, feeling Spike step away as several vampire’s attacked at once. Before she knew what was happening, the redhead was on her back, a snarling demon hovering over her. Just as she felt his fangs graze her throat, she closed her eyes, centering herself and quickly mumbled the necessary words. Opening her eyes, she focused on Spike, who was fighting across the room, and felt the magic surge through her, before they both disappeared.

~12~

(Sunnydale - 2002)

Falling in through the crypt door, just a few moments before sunrise, Spike spun around, pinning the vampire in his arms up against the cold, stone wall. Attacking her mouth with his, he attempted to devour her whole, Willow melting into the older vampire. She could still taste the fresh blood on his lips and tongue, feeling the demon with in him reveling with new found freedom.

When the blond vampire finally pulled away, two sets of yellow eyes met in an intense stare, his full of gratitude and lust, hers dancing with mischief.

“I haven’t felt this free and alive since…well, since I was killed, I’d wager,” Spike announced, wrapping his arms around the redhead and spinning her around again and again.

When she finally felt her feet touch the ground, Willow looked up with a sly smile. “So, you’re pleased?” She asked.

“Words can not describe just how pleased, luv,” he told her honestly.

“Then, maybe you’d like to help me kill the slayer and her friends?” She asked, licking her lips, her tongue running over sharp fangs.

Spike paused for a moment, a tiny, nagging memory tugging at him. The slayer. Buffy. The love of his…No. He wasn’t in love with her. He had been obsessed with her. Spike had been rendered helpless and went after the one unattainable thing he might be able to control. Now, though, now he was back. The Big Bad was leashed no more, and with the return of his power, the return of his strength, came the realization of exactly what he had been and exactly what he was. He had lowered himself, allowed himself to become nothing more than a pathetic shell of what he had once been, groveling at the feet of that which he once would have destroyed. We had been pathetic and disgraceful and a mockery of all he had accomplished in the last century. Now, though, he was a fierce killer, once again, and who better to go after first than the very slayer that had knocked him from his perch.

A slow, feral smile spread over his features as Spike looked down at the grinning redhead.

“I would like nothing more than to help you take that lot out, one gruesome death at a time,” he told her, before once again leaning in and capturing her lips in a bruising kiss. “As soon as the sun goes down, we’ll have ourselves a feast.”

~*~

“Buffy, we have a problem.”

The blonde slayer looked up as Xander walked toward the counter. She was leaning on the cash register, looking both bored and tired.

“Don’t worry, Xander,” she mumbled with a roll of her eyes, her fingers lazily playing with a few straws sprouting from a glass container. “We still have the double meat breakfast bagels available. It’s not even ten a.m. yet.”

“What?” The young man asked, momentarily confused. “No, that’s not…” He paused before shrugging his shoulders. “Well, as long as you have them, I’ll take two. But actually, that’s not why I came here. We have a real problem. A…uh…” Leaning in, he lowered his voice to a harsh whisper…”demony problem”

At that, the slayer’s eyes widened. “What kind of demony problem? Demon cult kidnapping people? Trying to take over the world? Destroy the human race?”

Xander looked around as Buffy’s voice continued to grow louder and louder, several of the patrons now staring at her oddly.

“No, it’s nothing like that,” he told her. “Vampires. Two, actually, from what witnesses said.”

Buffy’s shoulders slumped forward. “Oh, is that all? Ih, vampires have become so passé these days.”

“It’s kinda more about WHO the vampires are,” he told her, “or one of them, in particular. From the descriptions, it sounded like Spike. Apparently he and another vampire went on a little feeding frenzy last night.”

Buffy shook her head. “That’s not possible,” she told him, refusing to believe that the person she’s been sleeping with until just recently could be a killer again. “He has the chip, Xander. He can’t kill.”

“Maybe it malfunctioned. Maybe he got it out. Buff, the description matched him perfectly.”

Untying her apron, she tossed it onto the counter and came around from behind it. “You know where the bodies are?” Xander nodded. “We’ll start there, then head to Spike’s crypt.”

As she turned to storm out of the building, Xander grabbed her arm, stopping her. When she looked up, she was startled to see worry and pain etched in his features.

“There’s one other thing,” he told her, his voice barely a whisper. “The vampire he’s with…she matches Willow’s description.”

“Xander, don’t even think it,” she insisted. “I was with her earlier last night. There’s no way…”

“But if his chip isn’t working, and if he really can kill, you know he’d be coming after us first.”

Shaking her head in denial, the slayer turned and left, Xander following close behind.


~*~

(Wish-verse)

“It was fun and you know it.”

“Shut up, Spike.”

“Oh, come on. It felt good.”

“I said to shut your mouth.”

“Why don’t you make me, witch?”

Giles looked up, hearing the arguing couple enter his home. Spike seemed to be in good spirits, and the watcher couldn’t help but notice that Willow’s tone had dropped about an octave and sounded considerably angrier than it had before.

As they walked into the main room, Willow spun on the vampire, glaring at him with hate-filled eyes. “Don’t tempt me,” she said in a low, lethal tone.

Giles’ eyes widened as the redhead turned back around. As she looked toward him, he took in her completely blackened eyes and stony expression.

“Dear lord, what happened?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Red here took on a room full of vamps, showed them who’s boss,” Spike told him, his tone a mixture of adrenaline fueled excitement and pride.

“Willow?” Giles asked, stepping toward her. “You used magic. Are you alright? I think that…”

The older man stopped as Willow held up a dismissive hand. “I’m fine, Giles.” She glanced toward Spike as she continued to address the human. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Willow, I really think that…”

Again, she held up her hand, this time closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths, feeling her entire frame shake as she reigned in control. Giles watch as much of her strength seemed to fade from the young woman, and when she opened her eyes again, they were back to their natural, albeit pain-filled green.

“I just want to go home,” she whispered, looking away from him and sucking in a ragged breath.

“Right then, let’s get to it,” Spike announced, rubbing his palms together and licking his lips in anticipation.

~13~

(Wish-verse)

“I beseech thee, god of time and space, bend fate to my will,” Giles called out, feeling an unnatural wind pick up. They had gone out to the woods, just at the edge of town, hoping to avoid calling attention to themselves. Willow stood off to the side, breathing deeply and trying to ignore the buzzing energy surging through her body. The magic was too close to the surface, leaving her to feel dazed and dizzy. Spike kept glancing toward her, hearing her heart pound in her chest as she took one deep, ragged breath after another.

“Hear my plea, break down the walls, tear open a gateway, that we might pass through, from this world to the one before! We are but humble servants of time, and wretched thieves of space…”

“Well, ya got that right.” Looking up, Giles saw a blonde woman standing before him. He watched as Willow took a step away from her and Spike took a step forward. Suddenly, her face shifted, enlightening him to her true nature, and she let out a feral growl.

“You shouldn’t have come here, Darla,” Spike informed her, fist clenched at his sides as a small army of minions stepped up behind her.

“Not happy to see your grand-mummy, Spike?” She cooed, her voice deceptively sweet and sultry. She let out a sigh, as if she were bored. “You took something of mine and I want it back.”

“You took what was mine, first,” Spike reminded her. “What’s fair is fair.”

“Fair? Oh, please. We’re vampires, or have you forgotten. We don’t play fair, and we don’t chase after our insane sires as if we can’t exist without them. You always were pathetic.”

“Like you’re one to talk,” he responded through clenched teeth. “Your boy became an ensouled poof and you follow after that hideous lump of flesh and bone you call a sire.”

“Well, that hideous lump of flesh and bone is going to lead us to world domination, and when he does, I’ll stake him and take my rightful place as queen.”

“Queen of the damned, luv? Sounds a little too Anne Rice for my tastes.”

Darla let out a warning growl, her nails digging into the palms of her hands. One of the minions stepped forward, ready to tear the throat out of the insolent vampire, but a raised hand stopped him.

“There will be no need for that,” she explained, “just yet, at least.” Her head slowly turned, her eyes settling on Willow, whose long red hair was blowing around her face like flames in the still strong magical winds.

“My sweet girl,” Darla cooed, beckoning for Willow to come closer. The redhead simply stayed in place, trying desperately to hold in her fear and ignore the magic pulsing through her, screaming to be released. “I’ve been hearing some very interesting rumors about you, Willow. Come here, let Darla have a little taste.”

Despite the voice screaming in her head to stay still, Willow found her legs unable to obey as she slowly moved closer. As she stepped up the female vampire, Spike lunged forward, ready to pull her back.

“Red! Don’t…” Before he could say more, two minions rushed forward, holding him back against a wall. He yelled out, though his voice was barely heard over the now howling winds.

Once the redhead had reached her, Darla gently stroked her cheek for a few moments, looking deep into the human’s eyes. She could hear her heart pounding, smell the humanity, mixed with magic. It was intoxicating and sickening all at once.

Suddenly, Willow felt her grip a fist full of hair and yank back sharply, tears stinging the witch’s eyes.

“Where is my girl?” Darla hissed. “Where did you come from and where did my girl go?”

Willow tried in vain to pull away, whimpering as the vampire only tightened her hold. Spike watched, struggling against his own captors, a low rumble emitted from his throat. Giles simply stood, terrified, unsure of what to do.

“Answer me!” Darla shouted, before her tone dropped again. “I promise that if you don’t tell me what I want to know, I’ll have lots and lots of fun dragging the information from you,’ she purred, feeling the redhead shiver.

“I came from another dimension,” Willow told her, her voice shaking and uncertain. “The other me was sent there, I think.”

“So you’re telling me that there are two of you?” Darla asked. Willow nodded. “And you’re still human.” Again, Willow nodded, though she knew it was a rhetorical question. “So we could still bring back my girl, and I could keep you all for myself.”

Again, Willow began to fight against the vampire, feeling Darla pull her closer and yank her head to the side, baring her neck. She winced as the vampire leaned in, licking her from collarbone to ear, giggling wickedly.

“Mmmm…you taste just like I remember, only with more magic. Now, isn’t that interesting.”

“Leave her be, Darla,” Spike shouted.

“I don’t recall giving you permission to speak, Spike,” she replied, barely sparing him a glance. “And since when did you become the champion of humans. Thought that was Angel’s deal.”

“Not a champion,” he told her. “Just need the girl alive. After our spell is finished, kill her for all I care, but until then, she lives.”

“I don’t think you’re in any position to be making demands or negotiations, William,” Darla told him. Looking toward the watcher, she saw him suddenly raise his hand, a large bottle of holy water held firmly. “Stop him!” She shouted, sending several minions toward Giles.

“Giles, no!” Willow shouted, trying to pull away, feeling the small thread of control breaking.

Two vampires moved quickly, one grabbing the watcher’s hand, wrenching the bottle from it, the other punching him hard, knocking the man out cold. Darla laughed as she saw him hit the ground, the wind immediately dying down.

“Awww, looks like I ruined your little spell. Now whatever shall you do?”

~*~

(Sunnydale- 2002)

“I’m sure that there is some other explanation.”

“I’d really like to believe that, Buff, but come on? You saw those bodies.”

Buffy closed her eyes at Xander’s words, shivering slightly at the recent and all too vivid memory of what they’d seen. More than just a few bodies scattered through out the town, torn apart and drained dry. It had been sickening, repulsive, and it held Spike’s scent all over it.

“Willow, she wouldn’t….she couldn’t…”

“I’ve been trying to call her cell phone all morning, still no answer,” Xander told her, worry filling his voice.

“We’ll find her,” Buffy assured, “and she’ll be our same, old, human Willow. Just wait and see.”

Xander simply nodded as they continued to walk through the cemetery.

“What are you going to do when we find him?” He asked.

Buffy shrugged. “I’ll ask him for the truth.”

“Right. That’ll work. ‘Cause he’s such a trustworthy, upstanding guy. Why don’t we just stake his ass once and for all.”

“We’re here,” Buffy announced, ignoring Xander’s last comment and taking a deep breath before pushing the door open.

“Spike?” She yelled, not seeing the vampire. “Spike?” Turning toward Xander, she motioned toward the opening in the floor. “He’s probably down stairs.”

The young man followed her down as she slowly descended into the basement of the crypt. As her feet hit the hard ground and she turned, Buffy let out a gasp.

“What? What’s…” Xander stopped cold as he looked up at the scene before him. Across the cave, on the large bed, he could see a naked Willow sitting up, straddling an equally naked Spike, her head thrown back, her eyes closed tightly as she moaned and moved rhythmically over him.

“What the hell is this?” Buffy shouted, capturing the attention of the two vampires.

“Do you mind? We’re sort of in the middle of something,” Willow complained.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do mind,” Buffy told her, walking toward them. Xander just continued to stand still, his mouth hung open in shock. “Spike, how could you…”

“Give me a break,” Willow said with a roll of her eyes. “Your little puppy seems to have slipped his leash.”

Spike let out a growl at being referred to as a puppy.

“Willow, what the hell is wrong with you?” Buffy shouted, grabbing a hold of the vampire’s arm and yanking her off of the blond, hauling her to her feet.

“Naked Willow,” Xander muttered to himself. “I’m seeing naked Willow, with naked Spike, oh god.”

As soon as she gained her balance, Willow let her true features slip forward and growled, shoving the slayer away. “Get off, bitch.”

Buffy staggered backwards, staring at her friend in wide eyed horror. “Will…You’re…you…”

Before she could say more, Xander let out an inhuman shriek, suddenly launching himself at Spike, stake in hand. The blond vampire easily sidestepped him, shoving the man headfirst into a wall with a feral grin.

“Did I forget to mention? Spike can fight back now,” he announced.

“It was you?” Buffy whispered, looking toward Spike. “You killed those people? I though that…”

“That what? As long as I was your slave I would be a good little vampire? Sorry, luv, I’ve moved on.”

“And why…why Willow? Why would you…”

“Now hang on just a second there,” Spike interrupted. “This little vixen found me. I had nothin’ to do with turnin’ her, not that I wouldn’t have loved the chance.”

“What are you talking about? Who did this?” Xander demanded, looking toward Willow.

The redhead simply shrugged and smiled. “Don’t recognize me? I know it’s been a few years here, but come on…we had so much fun playing together.” As her lips curled into a pout, her yellow eyes sparkling, both Xander and Buffy suddenly understood.

“How did you get back here?” Buffy asked.

Again, Willow shrugged. “I’m not supposed to tell.”

Pulling out a stake, the slayer moved with lightening fast speed, pinning the redhead against a wall, stake held over her heart. The blond cocked her head to the side, waiting for a different answer.

Willow rolled her eyes and sighed, looking bored. “Anya brought me back. Said she wanted help destroying you,” she explained, pointing toward Xander.

“Anya? She wouldn’t…Would she?”

“We need to find her,” Buffy stated. “Now.”

~14~

(Sunnydale-2002)

“He’ll be begging for mercy any minute now,” Anya insisted as she sipped her mocha, sitting across from Halfrek.

“Well, I think that’s great, honey. You deserve a little vengeance of your own, after what that _man_ put you through.”

Anya nodded with a smile, before scowling, feeling someone summonsing her.

“Ah, crap, not now,” she muttered.

“Duty calls,” Halfrek said with a shrug, before Anya stood up, threw her arms into the air and disappeared.

When she reappeared again, she found herself standing in Spike’s crypt, surrounded by Buffy, Xander, Spike and Willow.

“Well, this is very interesting,” she stated, glancing toward Willow. “They’re still all alive!” She whined, before looking back toward Buffy and Xander. “Why exactly did you call me to this little pow-wow?”

“Undo it,” Buffy demanded.

“I don’t know what you’re…”

“Anya,” Xander interjected, taking a step toward her. “How could you do this? I mean, after…”

“After what, Xander? After you left me at the alter? After you stomped on all of my hopes and my dreams? After you crushed my soul and humiliated me? Did you really expect any less?”

The young man winced at her words, looking away.

Buffy let out a sigh. “Anya, send this Willow back, and brings ours home.”

“Uh-uh, no way,” Anya replied, crossing her arms and shaking her head. “She made a wish, I granted it, end of story. You can’t just take back a wish because you change your mind. There ARE rules you know.”

“Undo the wish or I’ll force you to undo it,” Buffy stated, her tone low and lethal. “As long as Willow is in that dimension, who knows what could be happening to her. She could already be dead!”

“Well, if she’s lucky. More likely, she would have been taken prisoner and tortured for hours on end,” Anya stated, matter-of-factly.

Reaching out, Buffy gripped the demon’s throat tightly, looking her right in the eye. “Undo the wish, now.”

~*~

(Wish-verse)

“I’ll make you sorry for that, Bitch,” Spike growled, seeing the smashed remains of the spell ingredients strewn across the floor.

“Come on, Spike, you were never one to play with magic,” Darla reminded him.

“Things change,” he told her coolly.

“That they do,” she replied, looking back down toward the girl in her arms.

Willow both heard and felt Darla shift into her true face, trembling slightly in her grasp.

“Let me go,” Willow whimpered.

“Sorry, honey, I can’t do that,” Darla told her. “You belong to me now.”

“I don’t belong to anyone,” Willow insisted, feeling Darla lean in and scrape her fangs along the redhead’s neck. “I just want to go home.”

“You are home,” Darla insisted. “You’ll learn to love it here.”

At that, the blonde vampire reared her head back, her mouth opening wide.

“No! Darla!” Spike shouted, as her fangs descended on Willow’s throat. A moment later, he was blinded by a white light flashing brightly. When he was able to see again, the vampire stared in shock.

Willow was now standing before Darla, her hair and eyes having gone completely black, her hand wrapped tightly around the vampire’s throat. She was holding her several feet off of the ground and Spike could see as well as feel the power now radiating from the witch.

“I think you made a very big mistake,” Willow informed her, squeezing tighter, feeling the vampire writhing and fighting in vain. “You pissed me off.”

With barely a flick of her wrist, she sent the vampire flying several feet in the air. As soon as Darla landed, Willow was once again standing over her, stake now held over her unbeating heart.

“Time to say goodbye,” she whispered, just before plunging the stake down into the vampire’s heart, watching in satisfaction as she burst into dust. Looking around, she saw the rest of the minions quickly retreating, and finally settled her eyes on Spike.

“Knew you’d be marvelous,” he told her. “If I have to be stuck in this world, at least I can be stuck here with you.” Stepping toward her, Spike wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close.

Willow closed her eyes, trying to calm herself and catch her breath. The magic was now surging through her, wrapping around her soul, strangling it. She could feel her will-power slipping away, strong magic fighting her lethargic muscles, demanding to be let loose. Her head hung forward in defeat. There was no going back now. It was too late.

“You were right,” she told him in a low, pained voice, a single tear slipping down her cheek.. “This is what I truly am…a dark, evil thing.”

Releasing his hold on her and stepping back, Spike smiled broadly. “Damn right you are,” he confirmed in a proud town. “And you’re all mine. Don’t be ashamed of what you are, love. Together, we’ll rule this world.”

Reaching out to grab her hand, he was suddenly thrown back by a blast of air. Slowly pulling himself back to his feet, he looked around in shock. The witch was gone. She seemed to have completely vanished out of thin air. Anger surged through him. How dare she leave him now!

~15~

(Wish-verse)

Hearing a noise not too far away, Spike moved to investigate, shocked to see Willow, her hair once again Red and shorter, a completely different set of clothes on. She was sprawled across the ground, her head slowly lifting and looking around.

“What happened?” She asked quietly, before her eyes settled on Spike. “This isn’t the same time,” she murmured to herself.

Listening for a moment, Spike was surprised at what he heard, or to be exact, what he didn’t hear. Taking a step forward, he held out a hand, pulling the redhead to her feet.

“Willow?” He asked. “You’re a…a vampire.”

“You catch on real quick, don’t you, Spike,” she replied, rolling her neck, hearing it crack.

“You know who I am?” He questioned, watching as a sly smile slipped across her lips.

“Oh, yeah, I know who you are and what you are,” she told him, leaning in and letting her tongue dart out, lapping at his soft lips. “You’re an evil, evil thing.”

~*~

(Sunnydale 2002)

Spike sat in his crypt, alone, sucking down his last bottle of whiskey. She was gone. He couldn’t believe that they had just sent her away, just like that. The vampire version of the redhead disappeared, adn the rest of the gang set off to collect their long, lost friend. Buffy had made it clear that he was now considered, once again, an enemy. One more step out of line, one more dead body left in his wake, and he had been promised a long overdue appointment with Mr. Pointy. The vampire smiled. He couldn’t wait for that fight.

A soft knock came at the door and the vampire slowly pulled himself to his feet, yanking it open. He was startled to see Willow standing on the other side, her face drawn and her frame weary.

“Red?” He had no idea why should would be there now.

“Spike, I…I wanted to ask you something,” she said, slowly walking in, her arms hugged tightly to her body, her breathing heavy and ragged.

“What might that be?”

“You…You were with the…the other me, right?” He simply nodded, wondering where this was leading. “Did you think…Did I seem…strong? Powerful? In control?”

Again, he nodded. “You were magnificent,” he told her. “Never seen anything like it.”

“That, her…what she was…is…That’s me…That’s what I’m meant to be,” she told him.

Spike shook his head, throwing a dismissive wave at her. “Not likely, luv. You’re one of the good guys. You’re not like her. Even beat that whole magic addiction and everything, right?”

Willow looked down at the ground, shaking her head. “I gave in to it,” she whispered, “and I felt what it was like, to truly give in, to truly be what I really am…”

“And what might that be, luv?”

“Evil,” she told him.

Spike raised a suspicious eyebrow. “Why did you come here, really?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I just…I didn’t know who else to talk to.”

“You’re not evil, Red,” he insisted, standing before her and holding her shoulders firmly. “Not yet, anyway.”

At that, he vamped out, his grip tightening as he lunged forward, sinking his fangs into her neck, her blood splashing across his tongue, flowing into his mouth. When he had finally taken enough, he pulled back and bit into his own wrist, holding it to her mouth until he felt her begin to swallow. Spike watched as her eyes closed, slightly surprised at the resignation and lack of fight he saw there.

“You're not evil, but you will be. You’ll be powerful and deadly, just like me. In the end, we’re all just evil things.”