Two weeks later

Spike hung from a chain dangling from the ceiling. The restraints cut into underside of his wrists. His feet barely touched the concrete floor - not near enough to alleviate the pain in his hands. Nor to ease the pressure on his torso. His clothes had long been stripped of him, so he remained exposed to the grungy workers who kept appearing and disappearing.

Still, this was the first actual attention he'd received since his arrival. Spike would enjoy it for that.

After a few seconds of swaying, a high-pressure water hose hit him with the force of a freight train. Any cry he may have released was swallowed by the raging water. His body bounced and buffeted, caught like a twig in a rapids. He had absolutely no control. Any force he attempted to exert was overwhelmed by the deluge. All he could do was keep his mouth shut and wait it out.

The water did its job, scouring away the grime and blood that had collected on his body these past few weeks. It felt like it was pummeling his insides, too. Already, Spike could sense bruises developing. Just when it hit the point where Spike felt the water would punch a hole right through him, it stopped.

His ears thrummed in the absence of the water's roar. His body spun, and water dripped off him. Spike kept his eyes closed when the lights came on.

"Much better, though I'm still going to need you to scrub him down." Lyle said. Spike squinted his eyes open, trying to see. He'd been in complete darkness ever since he'd gotten here. The brightness seared his retinas.

Somebody prodded his bruised stomach. Spike swung back and forth.

"Also, get him some food. He looks like a fucking skeleton."

* * * * *

Dawn's foot tapped an irregular beat on the concrete floor. The staccato faltered every time someone walked by her table. She'd take a sip of her drink - some bile they had on tap - and then recover her antsy rhythm.

The message had said to meet here thirty four minutes ago. Dawn prided herself on her punctuality. She hated it when other people didn't meet her own standards in that area.

She was about to give up and leave when one of the passersby paused at the table. With only a cursory inspection, he slid into the booth across from her. Definitely human, with dark hair and prominent eyebrows. Dawn tilted her head, attempting to give him her best exasperated look.

"You're Dawn Summers?" His voice rumbled like it had a mound of gravel laying underneath.

"You're late."

"It happens." Without any apology, he fished around in his grubby jacket pocket until he pulled out a crumpled flyer. He scooted it across the table to Dawn. "There you go."

Dawn grabbed it.

FOR SALE: ONE VAMPIRE W/ SOUL

Join Lyle Mackson for a night of dinner, drinks, and entertainment as he auctions off Spike aka William the Bloody. Spike is a former master vampire who volunteered to get his soul back. Old enemy? Old friend? Curious stranger? Come and make a bid! If you win, Spike is yours to do with as you will! Bidding starts at $100,000.

"$100,000?" Dawn said.

She'd heard about the auction, but she hadn't realized that Spike would be worth so much. She bit her lip. Her informant across the table started to fidget. Instead of keeping him waiting - as he'd done to her - Dawn reached into her purse and pulled out a one hundred dollar bill. She stealthily handed it off to him. With no more than a curt nod, he was up and gone.

It had taken a lot of work to insinuate herself into the right demon circles to get this information. She'd kept it quiet. Buffy was busy grieving. With Angel. Dawn didn't want to alert her until she had absolute proof that Spike was still alive.

The bottom of the flyer had the date, time, and location of the event. Tomorrow night. It was by invitation only. Fortunately, Willow had taught Dawn enough magic to conjure up a reasonably passable invite for herself.

She'd just have to buy herself a dress before then.

* * * * *

Angel shrugged off his jacket and tossed it onto the chair. Buffy smiled at him.

"Hard day at the office?" she asked.

"Same as always." He sat down in his usual seat across from her. He turned his head to admire the view of the city that she'd been taking in. "Still haven't gotten used to office work."

Buffy shrugged. "That's why I never did it."

"Smart."

Buffy shifted to look back out the window. She felt that the armchair must have a permanent impression of her ass on it. She'd been spending so much time here. Staring out the window. Talking to Angel. Only occasionally seeing Dawn. She knew she'd have to get up and go home eventually. For now, though. It felt like a vigil or something. She never used to have this sort of luxury. When a loved one died, she still had to fight vampires and save the world the day after. Now, though, she could pause and reflect. She could honor them. Quietly. Privately. It was nice. She knew Spike would have wanted that.

"What are you thinking?" Angel asked.

Buffy's attention snapped back to him. "Just about how nice it is to be able to deal with Spike's death like this."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Like, when my mom died, I still had to dust some vamp in the morgue. It didn't end. It couldn't cause it was just me. Tara's death? Oh, hey, Willow's out to end the world." She sighed. "But now? I just get to rest. And find a peace with it. By myself."

"By yourself?"

"Well, with you." She kicked his foot. "Which is nice."

He leaned forward, elbows on knees. "I can't complain much, either. Buffy, you've been so amazing through this whole thing."

"Angel - "

"No, wait. I just...want you to know that I still love you. I guess it sounds silly saying it now after all this time. But being with you like this this past week has just reminded me of how much I care about you. Still. And if there's any way that we could make a try of it...I'm willing."

Buffy looked down at her lap. She wasn't sure how to respond. She wasn't sure what she wanted. She had wanted Spike. More than anything, she had wanted to be with him. But he was gone now. Did that mean she wanted Angel? No, that didn't follow. Still, she knew she wasn't in the best place to make that sort of decision. She couldn't rule it out entirely.

She looked back up at Angel, who was staring at her with that intense gaze of his that used to bore right through her teenage heart. Her heart was older now, and harder. Scarred, as well. And yet, he still managed to penetrate it.

"We'll see what happens, Angel."

* * * * *

Dawn's fake invitation had worked without a hitch. The evening found her in a bustling crowd of demons and morally questionable humans in fancy dress. Even though Dawn had splurged more than she had intended to on her dress, she felt severely out of place. She kept expecting someone to mistake her for the help.

The event was being held at Mackson's estate. Dawn was used to suburban houses, not sprawling rural behemoths. She felt engulfed by the building itself, even as she was herded in to the main event room. Though some chairs decorated the sides, people were clearly supposed to be standing and mingling. Refreshments were available on long tables or via uniformed servers. Everybody was huddled together in groups, speaking quietly with only an occasional burst of laughter piercing the din.

Dawn kept to the edges of the crowd, drink in hand. She coolly inspected the gatherers, wondering who would go home with Spike. Names were important. She had to get as much information as possible so she could pass it along to Buffy. Dawn wasn't stupid enough to think she'd be able to rescue Spike on her own. Her initial plan had been to bid on him, herself. However, the price tag was way too high for that.

"I don't believe we've met," an older man said while approaching her. He was the age of her grandpa, though he looked like he'd popped out of the wrong century. He wore a handlebar mustache and white gloves. She expected him to produce a monocle, as well.

"Dawn Andrews." She extended her hand in greeting. She'd opted to go by a pseudonym on the off chance that "Summers" might ring some alarms.

"Dominic Mowat," he said. He took her hand in a firm handshake. "Collector of antiquities. Though I'm afraid the specimen tonight is a bit too modern for my tastes. I'm still interested to see who'll win the bidding."

Dawn nodded. "Me too. I mean, I don't think I'm gonna bid. Where would I put him - it? It would just be in the way. But I just had to see who was here, you know?"

Dominic frowned at her. "Are you the new attorney at Wolfram & Hart?"

Crap. Dawn hadn't thought much about a cover story. She'd been relying on skirting under the radar. However, this guy was giving her an easy out. "Yeah," she said. "Brand new. Haven't even really started."

"I thought you looked familiar."

"I hear that a lot." Dawn nervously glanced down at her drink. "So, who do you think is gonna take home the vampire?"

"Well," Dominic said while straightening his suit. He turned to peruse the crowd. "That's a good question. A lot of familiar faces here tonight. Collectors. Of course, there's also some decidedly unfamiliar faces. I suppose demons that are holding a grudge against the vampire. I have not a clue about them. But if I were to place my bets on who'd win just out of my crowd? I'd put my money on Lady Amelie Yates over there."

Dawn peered through the partygoers to see a short blonde woman in a sparkling gold evening gown entertaining a host of older men. She had dimples and a smile that swallowed her entire face. Everything about her screamed 'money'. Dawn sighed.

"Course," Dominic continued. "I wouldn't rule out Dick, either."

Dawn blinked. "Dick?"

"Ward. Richard Ward. He's been almost violently ambitious as of late. He almost bested Lady Yates at the previous auction. He could come out ahead on this one." Dominic indicated a young man across the room. Despite his youth, he had gray hair around the temples.

Dawn sipped her wine. "Interesting."

* * * * *

It had been an agonizingly long mixer, but the host finally herded people into an auditorium. It was fairly modest as far as auditoriums went, but, then again, it was in somebody's house. Dawn took a seat near the back so she could keep an eye on the bidding. Though she'd been given a bidding number, she stuck it in her handbag. Instead, she perched herself at the edge of the plush seat cushion and prepared to watch the action.

Dominic had lost interest after about a half an hour once he realized that she was not keen on being the pretty young thing to his Hugh Hefner-type wealth. This was no loss, as Dawn had already gotten what she wanted from him. From her vantage point in the back, she kept an eye on the two main contenders: Dick Ward and Lady Yates.

"Ladies, gentlemen, intersexed and non-sexed individuals, welcome!" The host, Lyle Mackson, threw up his hands to polite applause. He held the microphone as he paraded around the stage. "I'm so, so happy to have you all here tonight. And what a special occasion!

"As you may know, I've been running the Mackson Brothel for well on thirty years now. I've managed to acquire a wide array of specimens that I've offered up to the community, but this - this is, by far, the grandest. A vampire who's lived for over a century. He's killed not one, but two Slayers in his time. Kin to the legendary Angelus. William the Bloody, whose reputation lives up to his name.

"But that's not all, folks. What you may not be aware of is that William the Bloody, Spike, obtained his soul some years back."

Dawn fidgeted in her seat as a swarm of whispering settled over the auditorium.

"That's right. This wasn't any curse. He purposely sought out his soul and fought for it. Some vampire, huh?" Mackson paused for the scattered laughter. "This makes him only one of two vampires in the world with a soul. Yes, my friends, this is a collector's dream. And I have him here for you tonight. Make the right offer and he could be yours to do with as you please. Do I really need to list the myriad of uses he could be put to?"

A chill traveled down her spine and lodged in her stomach. It only grew worse when she noticed that nobody else seemed at all put off by any of this.

"I'll not waste your time any further. Bring it out!" Mackson gestured to someone off stage.

Dawn leaned forward to try to see better as Spike hobbled onto the stage. He was naked, wearing only chains that bound his hands together then joined with a chain around his neck. His gaze was cast downward, and apart from a general weariness to his posture, he didn't look injured. Mackson must have been trying to keep him in good condition.

"Okay, I'll start the bidding at $100,000," Mackson clapped his hands together. "Anybody? $100,000?"

Somebody in the front raised a paddle.

"$100,000 to the highly-esteemed Chancellor Gnor! How about $125,000? $125,000?"

And so the bidding began. It went fast and the amount rose higher and higher. Both Lady Yates and Dick Ward kept their paddles still until one million dollars had been reached. Dawn nearly jumped when Ward's hand shot up.

"Excellent! Mr. Ward for $1 million. Do I have $1,000,100?" Mackson shouted.

Lady Yates' paddle rose.

"Ah, the beautiful Lady Yates. Anyone for $1,000,200?"

The other contenders had dropped out, and a bidding war between Lady Yates and Dick Ward commenced. Dawn had to sip her wine to keep her jaw from dropping as the amount rose past two million - three million.

Her attention was so focused on the two known bidders, Dawn almost missed the single hand rising just down the row from her. Mackson's eyes lit up.

"Why, sir! Sold for $10 million to the gentleman in the back! Thank you, everybody!"

The audience erupted with noise. Dawn wasn't the only one attempting to see who had won. With the throng of people, Dawn had to inch to the front of her seat and conspicuously lean forward. It was a vampire, if her intuition wasn't mistaken. He looked straight out of a 70s cop film, complete with shaggy hair and tight jeans. Dawn frowned. She didn't know him, but she needed to.

Hoping she wouldn't be noticed, she drew her cellphone out and snapped a quick shot of the auction winner. Then she turned and got a picture of Spike just as he was being shuffled off stage. If only she could get a name, she'd consider this a successful run.

Dawn stood as everybody else did. Her plan was to tail the guy. Somebody had to call him by name eventually. She was turning to take position on the opposite end of the auditorium when Dominic appeared. Dawn jumped back, hand on her chest.

"You startled me!" she said.

"I imagine so. Did I see you taking pictures?" Dominic had a wide frown on his face.

Dawn tried to laugh it off. "I promised a friend I'd send pictures of any eligible bachelors. She's so silly about this stuff."

"Seems a little suspicious. A Wolfram & Hart attorney snapping photos at a Lyle Mackson auction. Could seem like some potential blackmail against what I thought was a partner."

Okay, so the guy wasn't going to be put off so easily. Dawn clammed up, affecting her best authoritative face. "What concern is it of yours how Wolfram & Hart conducts its business?"

"Well, I am a shareholder."

Shit. Out of the corner of her eye, Dawn noticed the winner being led into the back. She stifled the urge to just run after him. She had to get rid of Dominic somehow first.

"Mr. Mowat, what makes you think you're privy to the inner dealings of Wolfram & Hart just because you own a few shares of stock in it?"

Dominic's eyebrows shot up, and he stepped back. "Now see - "

"I don't answer to you, Mr. Mowat. I answer directly to the CEO. Now if you'll excuse me." Dawn turned and walked away.

She fought to keep her legs from shaking while doing so.

Dawn made double-time across the auditorium and into the side exit where she'd seen the auction winner taken. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching. The exit led to a small hallway backstage. Voices carried across the distance.

"A fine purchase, Mr. Best." That was Lyle's voice. Dawn removed her shoes, hyper-conscious of the fact that the heels would make a noticeable noise. In her stockings, she crept forward to one of the dressing rooms. The door was closed, but she was able to hear everything very clearly.

"Am I going to wait much longer?"

"Not at all. My men are just preparing the vampire for you."

"I don't need him gift wrapped."

Lyle laughed, though Dawn had a feeling that Mr. Best wasn't smiling. "Good man. Now tell me, what do you plan to do with the vampire? Are you a collector or - "

"I plan to kill him."

Dawn's stomach dropped.

"Oh?" Lyle also seemed put off by this.

"Don't worry. It'll be a slow death. I plan to take my time. Years, if need be."

"I see. Bad blood?"

Mr. Best was silent.

Through the door, the muffled static of a walky-talky interrupted the conversation. After a beep, Lyle replied. Spike was being delivered. Dawn knew she'd have to get out of there now.

"Well, Marvin, I'm happy to have helped you."

Dawn smiled as she left.

* * * * *

Buffy opened the door to find Dawn sitting, back straight, in the chair by the window. As soon as Buffy stepped foot in the room, Dawn jumped up and started to approach. Buffy smiled, hoping to ward off...whatever was bothering Dawn. She'd accidentally stayed the night at Angel's. Not like that! Just talking. In any case, it had put her in a good mood.

Dawn's dour expression threatened it, though.

Buffy kicked off her shoes. "What's wrong?"

"We need to talk."

"Okay, but then I'm gonna take a shower. Angel and I sparred some last night, and I still feel sweaty." Plus, wearing the same clothes she'd had on yesterday.

"Buffy, Angel lied to you."

Buffy froze. Dawn had crossed her arms and was gracing her with a no-nonsense stare.

"Dawn, we went over this before - " Buffy said.

Without any hesitation, Dawn reached into her pocket and pulled out her cellphone. She thumbed a couple buttons before holding it up for Buffy to see.

"Look," Dawn said. "I saw him last night."

Buffy grabbed the phone from Dawn's hand. On the tiny screen was Spike. Naked and chained on a stage. The picture was taken from a distance, but Buffy would recognize him anywhere.

"What is this?" Buffy asked.

"An auction. Angel must have sold him to some guy who would auction him off. I got the name of the guy who won the bidding: Marvin Best. He's a vampire, and he's gonna torture Spike. We need to find him and rescue him."

"Why would Angel - "

"Because he's CEO of the Evil Overlord Corp?" Dawn said. "Who cares? He did it."

Buffy shook her head. "Maybe he didn't know. Maybe something happened - "

"Buffy," Dawn said.

Buffy tore her eyes away from the cellphone and looked at her sister. Dawn was right. Trying to figure out Angel's part in all this could wait. Spike was alive.

Spike was alive. And she had to save him. It was only the latter thought that kept her grounded from her reaction to the former revelation.

Buffy nodded. "I'm gonna change clothes. And then we're going to find Spike."