The sun glared blindingly across the waves as they lapped onto the shore in lazy rhythm. An infectious and glorious laugh rose above the pounding of the sea, making the vampire smile in delight. Spike watched as Buffy played in the foamy surf, enjoying the sight and sound of her antics. They had planned this outing for so long and surprisingly nothing apocalyptic had surfaced to mar the beauty of this day.

‘A perfect day with the perfect woman,’ Spike thought while placing the final touches to the picnic. This time alone had been long in coming. They were finally free to be together, away from the annoyance of having a bunch of adolescent girls and over-the-hill librarians underfoot.

“Though I like nothing better than to seeing you prancing about in that bikini, luv, lunch is served,” Spike said with an appreciative leer on his face.

Buffy approached the red and white checked picnic cloth with an extra
sway to her hips. She glanced towards Spike with a wicked grin and stood just beyond the reach of his arms. Lightly tracing her fingertips down the side of her neck, she lingered on the fresh bite marks he’d left the night before. The marks were still sensitive and sent pleasant tingles throughout her body. Knowing what caressing the marks did to him Buffy tilted her head to allow Spike a clear view of her play.

“Do you wanna guess what I’m thinking about right now?” she asked, looking deeply into the sapphire depths of his eyes. As always, there was so much feeling there; trust, love, understanding. His eyes were definitely a window into his soul.

Whoa, where am I? This is so not right.

“Hmm…let me see. You want to have your wicked way with my hot body in this incredibly romantic setting,” Spike answered, gesturing to the deserted beach and bright blue sky. Catching her hand, he pulled Buffy down to sit beside him and arranged her comfortably between his spread thighs.

“Well that, of course,” she said with a delighted smile. “But there’s more, Spike.”

Spike! Spike, can you hear me? How can he not feel what’s wrong?

“I give up, love. What are you thinking about?” he asked, nuzzling his claiming mark and closing his eyes in bliss.

“I was thinking that I would love nothing more than to have you here
with me. I need to feel you surrounding me, like only you can. I want
you back, because no one knows me like you. I want you to know how much I need you and want to be with you,” Buffy answered fading slightly in and out of focus.

Spike! C’mon, Spike! Can’t you feel me?

“What do you mean, love? I have you right here, wrapped up nice and
tight.” Spike emphasized his words with a quick squeeze to her midsection.

Slowly the ocean began to turn black, along with the dimming of the sky to a dull grey. The waves sped angrily towards the shore, almost touching them with hurricane force swells. The food that Spike had so lovingly placed out began rotting slowly as it washed out to sea. Oblivious to the changing scenery, Spike continued to lightly stroke Buffy’s arm with whisper-like sweeps of his fingers.

“No, you don’t Spike. But don’t worry, I’m coming for you. Be strong and remember; I believe in you. Please don’t give up.”

He must’ve heard me. Spike!

Buffy’s last words faded, leaving Spike with an armful of air and a
bereft expression on his face. He tried to open his eyes and found it
difficult to do. Then he realized why. The First had him tied like an
undead sacrifice to the cave wall, his arms immobile. He felt the
swelling in his face and knew that it was worse than the time Glory held him captive. The dark and dank cave had become familiar to the
confined vampire. He didn’t even flinch when the Turok-Han snarled at him every few minutes. Spike’s bruised face was only outlined more in the shadows cast by the sconces set throughout the cavern.

Straining to take in his surroundings, he wished he was still having his
wonderful vision of Buffy in the daytime. Thinking back on the importance of his vision, Spike shook his head with a start. Filled with certainty, he smiled as wide as his painfully battered mouth allowed and began to whisper to himself.

“She will come for me.”

********
Buffy screamed Spike’s name and opened her eyes abruptly, startling Willow out of her trance. They had decided to see if they could get a lock on Spike’s whereabouts. Willow was apprehensive at first about using magic, not wanting a repeat of the previous year, but at the Slayer’s urging, she decided it was well worth the risk. They had gathered the necessary ingredients for the spell and sent Dawn, Andrew, and the Potentials to stay at Xander’s for the night. Willow wasn’t sure what might happen and decided they definitely didn’t need an audience.

“Buffy, are you okay?” Willow asked, unsure as to what had caused her friend to scream the way she had. The only term she could find to describe it was blood-curdling.

“You didn’t see him?” Buffy questioned while trying to control her sobbing breaths. She shook slightly from the aftereffects of the spell and the idyllic vision she was pulled from.

“No, this was a journey so YOU could find Spike. I guess it worked, huh?”

Buffy wanted to cry. She could still feel the heat of the sun on her body and hear the pounding surf. While she knew it was Spike’s vision that she was pulled into, it had felt so real.

“Yeah. The First has him in a cave about a half-mile from where I fought the ubervamp. I can find it easily. I was able to see that the big ugly and some Bringers are guarding him,” Buffy replied, still unsure of how much she wanted to share with Willow about where she had been.

Coming to a decision, Buffy raised her head and looked into Willow’s eyes so that there wouldn’t be any confusion over her next revelation. “Spike was having a hallucination, or a vision, maybe. I’m not sure. We were at the beach and we were happy. I’m thinking it’s what he wants us to be like. Oh, Willow, it was so beautiful. It was daytime and he brought a picnic and we were holding each other. I want him back. No, I need him back. I love him.” Buffy became uncomfortable with the impassive look in Willow’s eyes and with a sigh of defeat she looked away, imagining the trouble her friend could cause with this knowledge.

Willow reached out to hug Buffy. “I understand, Buffy. I was just a little surprised by how deeply you feel about him. If Spike is what makes you happy, then don’t let anyone stop you, but we may need to tie Xander and Giles down after you get him back, you know…just to make sure they don’t get stake-happy,” Willow joked. She tried to calm the almost inaudible sobs coming from the Slayer. Something told her that they were going to be okay, maybe even closer than before.

With a last sniffle, Buffy raised her tear-stained face and wiped the
last lingering wetness away. She knew that things would be rough, but
Willow was right. If she wanted Spike badly enough, she’d better be willing to fight for him.

“Call Xander and the rest of the gang. I have a plan. I’m going to kill the Turok-Han and get Spike back.” Buffy smiled. “He’s needed here.”