Chapter 12

Buffy reached out for William when she awoke, only to find his side of the bed empty. She sat up, pulling the sheet with her.

“William, are you here?!” she called out, but got no response. Buffy saw that his clothes were missing, wondering where he could have gone in such a hurry, but she was really starting to get worried. What could have happened to him?


* * * * *


“Poor Daddy, we’ll make him pay for hurting our family. Grandmother would want that.”

Angelus jerked away from her. “Screw getting your family back, Dru. I want him dead.”

“Now, is that nice? And here I was thinking you missed me, my mistake.”

The dark haired vampire turned to glare at the intruder. “You must have a death wish, William.”

He grinned, getting into his sire’s face. “It’s Spike now, William is long gone.”

Drusilla smiled, clapping her hands. “My boy has returned.”

Angelus raised his eyebrows. “Is that true?”

Spike nodded, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it, taking a long drag. “The soul is no more. I feel like a new man.”

“Excellent, it was getting nauseating to see you as the Slayer’s lap dog. How did this happen?”

He shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. If I had to make a wager, I would say the Slayer fucked it right out of me.”

Angelus laughed. “Even more perfect, she’ll be all devastated and vulnerable. We’ll go after her as soon as the sun sets, not all of us have a magical ring.”

“No,” Spike chimed in. “The girl is mine. No one is to touch her, you got that? She needs to pay for turning me into a sodding pansy.”

“And how do you intend to make her pay?”

Spike flicked his cigarette to the ground, giving his sire a look. “To hurt this girl, you have to love her.”


* * * * *


Buffy was beyond worried when she got to school later that day. William never came back home, and he wasn’t in the library. Her insecurities were starting to shine through, maybe she wasn’t good enough and he couldn’t stand to be near her anymore. She glanced down at the ring on her finger, tears forming in her eyes. She couldn’t lose him now, he was all she had.

She dozed off at the table, jumping up when a man burst through the library doors. It took her all of a second to recognize him. “Giles? What are you doing here?”

He hurried over to her. “Buffy, it’s good to see that you’re doing well. Is William around? I need to speak with him. I’ve been calling all night, but never received an answer.”

She shook her head. “I haven’t seen him since last night. What’s going on? Do you know what’s happened to him?”

Giles sat down across from her, taking in a deep breath. “I need you to tell me the truth, Buffy. Has anything happened between you and William? I know this must make you uncomfortable to talk about, but I need to know if there is more going on between you two than just a professional relationship.”

“We’ve been seeing each other for nearly a month now. Yesterday was my birthday, and I decided that I was ready to take our relationship to the next level. William was all for it, but when I woke up this morning, he was gone. I haven’t seen him since.”

“Oh, dear, I was afraid of this. I suppose William has told you about himself,” Giles continued.

Buffy nodded. “I know he’s a vampire that was cursed with a soul. It bothered me at first, but I wasn’t going to let that stop us from being together. I love him, and he said that he loved me.”

“I’m very certain that he did, but there is something you need to know. I am acquaintances with a woman who belonged to the clan that cursed William. If he is ever to receive a moment of pure happiness, the soul would get taken from him.”

Her eyes widened. “You think that’s what happened? No, I won’t believe that. A soul doesn’t even mean anything. He should still be able to love me without one.”

“I am very sorry, but before the soul, William was a vicious monster. He didn’t care about anyone. We need to find him before he causes too much harm. My guess is that he’s already joined up with Angelus, and the fact he has that gem makes me even more concerned. He would be unstoppable.”

Buffy stood, moving away from him. “No, he wouldn’t do that to me. I know he wouldn’t. He’ll come back and I’ll prove that you’re wrong.” She ran from the library, not looking back once.


* * * * *


She walked all over town, but found no trace of William. A part of her knew Giles was telling the truth, but she refused to believe that her William would go back to the cruel vampire he used to be, not after being with her. The way he looked at her, touched her, it was like she was the only woman in the world. If she lost that feeling, Buffy didn’t know what she would do.

“Well, what do we have here?”

Buffy shuddered at the familiar voice, turning to meet the eyes of a vampire she never cared to see again.

“I was hoping you would show up. We have some unfinished business,” Angelus stated.

She clutched the stake in her hand. “I’m a lot stronger now.”

He laughed. “I suppose you are, but you’re once again without a Watcher.”

Buffy felt a chill down her spine when William appeared next to Angelus, a sadistic smirk on his face. This was not the vampire who loved her, and she felt her heart break in a million pieces. “God, no,” she whispered, shutting her eyes at his harsh laughter.

“God can’t help you now, sweetheart. I wanted to thank you for bringing me back, Slayer. I really couldn’t have done it without you.”

She shook her head. “You can still fight it, William. I know you’re in there. Please, don’t do this.”

He growled, barreling over to her and grabbing her roughly by the shoulders. “It’s Spike now, bitch. You’ll do well to remember that. Your William is dead, and you’ll be joining him soon enough.”

The tears were streaming down her face, but she had to stay strong. She couldn’t let them win. “Fine, you wanna kill me? Take your best shot.”

Spike was surprised by her answer, taking a step back. “You forget that I taught you everything you know.”

“I’ve been fighting since before I met you. I think I can hold my own.”

“Enough with the chit chat,” Angelus claimed. “Just kill her already, or I’ll do it for you.”

“There will be plenty of her to go around. Keep your bloody pants on,” Spike snapped.

She rolled her eyes. “Is your great plan to bore me to death?” He smiled, and Buffy could almost see her William looking back at her.

Angelus had enough. He jumped Buffy, catching her off guard and causing her to drop her stake. “You’re mine, Slayer; I’m not waiting any longer to taste you.” He ripped her shirt open, raising her arms above her head and holding them there, while his fangs attacked her neck.

Buffy screamed at the pain, but it was short lived as Angelus exploded in a cloud of dust. She coughed, gazing up at her savior to see Spike standing there, her stake in his hand. The look on his face was full of hatred, but it wasn’t directed at her.

“No one messes with my girl.”