Lizzie looked down on her lover’s face and sighed. He looked so peaceful; she didn’t want to disturb him. She lightly traced his features with one finger over the defined cheekbones, the closed lids of his brilliant blue eyes, and the curl of his lips.

“I love you,” she whispered. As the words left her mouth, she froze. William stirred slightly at the sound of her voice, but slept on.

She kissed William gently and whispered, “I’ll save you, William. Somehow. I’ll find out how I can do it, and then I will. I promise.”

Her eyes were itching, and she didn’t want to go to sleep. She would just rest them for a moment, she told herself. Just a moment …

-----

Sunnydale, Present Day

Buffy woke up with only one thought in her mind: that she had to save William. There was no way she could sit back and let her boyfriend become a vampire.

Not getting kicked out of school took a back seat as she wracked her brain during class. At lunchtime, she headed towards the library where Willow and Xander were already there with Giles, knee-deep in books.

“Spike,” Giles was saying. “That's what the other vampire called him? That's a little unorthodox, isn't it?”

“I don’t care,” Buffy stated clearly. “Just find out everything you can about him for me. His habits, his past. Everything.”

“Guy gave me the creeps,” Willow said, shuddering.

“I will do my best, Buffy, but we don’t have a lot to go on. He can't be any worse than any other creature you’ve faced.”

“He's worse,” said a voice from behind Buffy. She whirled around to see Angel standing there, and the vampire continued to speak, “Once he starts something he doesn't stop until everything in his path is dead.”

“Hmm,” said Xander. “So, he’s thorough, goal-oriented.”

“You know him?” Buffy asked Angel quietly.

Angel chuckled darkly. “We’ve met.”

“Might seem a pointless question, but …” Buffy swallowed, dreading the answer. “What year was he made a vampire?”

There was silence for a moment.

“You’re right, that does seem like a pointless question,” Xander said.

“She wasn’t asking you,” Willow said, “and I think it’s valid. I mean, the longer a vampire’s lived for, the more dangerous they are, right?”

“Well, that’s usually the case -” Giles began.

“Angel,” Buffy cut across him, “can you just answer the question?”

He nodded. “1880. Can’t remember the exact date.”

Two years to go.

“Thank you,” she said quietly.

“Is there anything else useful you can tell us about this Spike fellow?” Giles enquired.

Angel considered. “He may be young for a vampire, but don’t let that fool you. He’s very good in a fight.” He hesitated. “Buffy -”

“Yes?”

“I don’t want to scare you, but -”

“But what?”

“There can only be one reason why he’s here, and that’s because of you.”

For a moment Buffy thought he knew about William, before he added, “You’re the Slayer. He’s here to kill you.”

Buffy’s heart turned cold, but she laughed it off. “He’ll have to join the queue. I think most vampires around here are.”

“No, you don’t understand. Buffy, Spike has faced two slayers before, and – he’s killed them both.”

This time, her stomach turned horribly. A moment later, she clamped a hand to her mouth and ran to the bathroom.

Giles removed his glasses. “Oh, dear.”

-----

London, 1878

William sat bolt upright. “Lizzie?” Her side of the bed was empty. “Lizzie, where are you?”

There was no answer. He pushed back the covers, climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom. She wasn’t there. Frowning, he saw that nothing was there. It seemed Lizzie didn’t even keep her washing items unpacked. Wondering if she had gone downstairs for some reason, he returned to the bedroom to find his clothes and froze.

Lying on the floor, exactly where she’d left them, were Lizzie’s clothes, shoes and jewellery. All where they had been dropped.

“Lizzie!” William called louder. “Are you playing a trick?”

He found his shirt and trousers, pulled them on, and started hunting around the en-suite, even checking inside the empty wardrobe. When he ran out of places to look, he sat down on the bed, wondering what else to try, and it suddenly occurred to him that he had not found a single case. Lizzie’s only possessions in the en-suite were her discarded clothes.

And my heart, he added silently.

Suddenly his mother’s words rang in his head: You shouldn’t have told me that!
Now it won’t happen!

“It’s just superstition,” he said out loud, trying to convince himself. Still, he couldn’t help but wish he had proposed before now, or that he hadn’t told his mother his wish. Where was she?

Suddenly determined, William finished dressing, left Lizzie’s things where they were, removed the table from against the room door and headed down to the foyer, where he rang the bell at the reception desk.

“Has Miss Elizabeth Winters checked herself out this morning?” he asked.

“Just one minute, sir.” The receptionist looked up at him. “What room is it?”

“Room 109.”

The receptionist frowned. “Are you certain, sir? That room is not occupied this week.”

“Pardon?” William had checked the room number before coming down. “Yes it is, it’s Miss Winters’ room. There must be some mistake.”

“One moment please, sir.” The receptionist ran a finger down the list of guests. “There is no Miss Elizabeth Winters in this hotel.”

“I’m telling you, there is,” William said, starting to get angry.

Another receptionist murmured in the first’s ear, and he nodded at him. “Would this Miss Winters be the young American lady in pink?”

At last, success. “Yes, that’s her.”

The receptionist snapped the book closed. “Well then, I cannot help you. She does not stay at this hotel.”

“I – she – what?”

-----

Sunnydale, Present Day

Buffy returned to the library, feeling rather shaky. The others all looked up as she entered. “Buffy! Are you all right?” Giles asked in concern.

“I’m fine, thanks,” she lied and looked around for a change of subject. “Where’s Angel?”

“He left,” Xander said.

“But his information has been very useful,” Giles said, turning back to his books. “We’ve found our new friend Spike in here at last. He earned his nickname by torturing his victims with railroad spikes. Very pleasant …”

Buffy clung to a table for support and took a few deep breaths to try to stop herself from throwing up again.

“He’s also known as ‘William the Bloody’.”

Buffy couldn’t help it; she exploded into giggles. Giles and the others stared at her in astonishment, but she knew that if she stopped laughing, she would burst into tears instead.

“Buffy, I hardly think this is a laughing matter,” Giles said in his sternest voice.

“I-I know,” Buffy choked out, struggling to control herself. If only they knew how that name had really come about, they would never be able to take Spike seriously. “I’m s-sorry.”

“He may well have something planned for this Saturday,” Giles continued once she had calmed down. “This is going to need some preparation.”

Buffy just nodded.

-----

London, 1878

It was dull and grey outside. William had lost track of where he was walking several hours ago. Rain had started to fall, and there was a distinct rumble of thunder. He took no notice.

Lizzie had gone, and he had no idea where she was or why she left, or why she had lied to him while she was there. He’d tried interrogating the hotel guests and people who lived nearby, but the only ones who didn’t tell him to go away said the same thing: they had seen him and Lizzie together, but had never spoken to her, or even seen her on her own. It was as if she only existed when she was with him.

The rain soaked him through, but he didn’t care. Eventually, he came to a stop by the Thames. For a long while, he just stood there, letting the world go on around him, watching the patterns the rain made on the water and trying to stop his heart from aching. But the more he tried, the more thoroughly miserable he became.

“Why did you do it, love?” he murmured to his rippled reflection. “You promised you weren’t leaving.”

William dug in his pocket and pulled out the velvet box. He opened it and stared at the glittering diamond inside. It had been expensive, but it wasn’t the money. He stretched his arm out over the water, intending to drop the ring into it. Just one throw and Lizzie Winters would be out of his life forever.

But he couldn’t let go.

He threw it to the ground beside him and let the tears come. He didn’t care who saw him. The rain running down his face and dripping off his eyelashes would hide them anyway. William just needed to let it out, or he feared he would burst.

As he cried, only one clear thought came to him – that he couldn’t go on like this. It was over. He had lost his love and, without her, what was the point? William just wanted his heartache to end. He’d had enough. This was it.

William only took a moment to whisper goodbye to the world, before jumping into the Thames.

-----

Sunnydale, Present Day

“Honey, it’s time to get up.” Joyce pulled her daughter’s covers off her. “Come on, sleepyhead, or you’ll be late for school.”

“Huh?” Buffy emerged sleepily. “Mom?”

As her brain woke up, she realised with a jolt just what felt so wrong.

There had been no dream that night.

TBC …