A/N- Sorry it's a little late. But I hope you enjoy anyway! Again Thanks to Dramionelurver for the excellent Beta work!

Last Time

"It's Oz... seems he's gone through a few changes. And not the normal grown pains either."

"Yeah, Aunt Maureen? It's Oz... Um, what? Oh! It's, uh... actually, it's healing okay. That's pretty much the reason I called. Um, I wanted to ask you… uh, Jordy, is he a werewolf? How long?" Oz frowned. "Yeah, last night... No, a friend knew what to do so no one got hurt...Well, I guess now you know he can... No, it's okay, I'll be fine... really. Look, I gotta go now. Yeah, me too, bye." Oz slowly hung up and placed his phone on the table. Taking a slow sip of his coffee he sighed. "I guess my cousin Jordy's a werewolf. My aunt didn't know he could infect people when he was in human form." Oz paused then looked hesitantly at Spike. "I guess this is where you tell me to stay away from Willow ."

Spike tilted his head in confusion. "Why's that, mate? The way I see it, it'd be pretty hypocritical of me to look down on someone getting turned without their consent..." He couldn't help smile at the relief in the young man's eyes. "But that is, of course, under the condition that you take every precaution to keep wolfie under control."

…

Buffy froze and turned sickly pale. Spike followed her line of sight and saw a violin leaning against her front door with a white handkerchief tucked in the strings.

Slowly approaching it, Buffy reached out with a shaky hand and pulled out the handkerchief to find writing on it. After reading it, she dropped the fabric and ran inside. With a frown on his face, Spike picked up the handkerchief and read the message written in red marker.

Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

If he could, Spike would have gone pale himself. Suddenly, he wadded up the handkerchief and threw it on the ground before grabbing the violin and beating the ground with it as he let out a primal roar. He didn't even realize he slipped into game face until a firm but gentle hand gripped his arm, diapering his rage. He tossed away what remained of the violin and turned sad eyes on Buffy.

…

They barely made it into the first graveyard when Kendra decided she didn't want Spike around, feeling she could take care of herself and didn't need some lowly vampire to watch her back.

"Sorry, Slayer Jr., but that is not going to happen. You have your Watcher's orders..."

"He is not my Watcher. When my Watcher sent me, he did not know this Slayer had already been corrupted by William the Bloody! Yes, I know who you are! Your lies do not deceive me. You are lower than all other vampires. You are a pretender and a betrayer and I will not fall for your trickery. You are beneath me..."

She did not get any farther than that when Spike could not hold his tongue any longer.

"You blood bitch! You know nothing about me! You want lies, look no further than your precious council. I saved Nikki from being their toy! You stupid little girl, you'll see when you turn 18. They will take away your strength and lock you up with a vampire, for no other reason other than they can!"

"You lie! You took that Slayer..."

"She left! And I went with her! You know what? I don't care what you think, you stupid bint! You want to go off on your own? Fine! I don't care!"

Kendra just raised her chin defiantly and stalked off.

…

They spent hours looking for any sign of the missing Slayer but found nothing. They went by Giles house and visited all of the Scoobies. They got small groups together in cars to look but still came up with absolutely nothing. As morning approached, Buffy had to literally drag Spike in doors.

"You're not going to do anyone any good burned to a crisp!"

Spike growled, "It's my fault..."

"Stop it, Spike. She's a big girl. She knew she wasn't supposed to go off on her own. She started the fight with you..."

"Still, I should have known better..."

"STOP!" Buffy yelled. Then her voice got gentler. "We'll find her. Right now you need to get some rest. There is nothing more you can do, it's almost daylight." At that, she saw Spike's shoulders sag, showing he was giving in. "Now, let's clean you up... No whining, you need to clean up and rest. I'm not taking no for an answer!" Buffy proclaimed, her hands on her hips, face in resolve mode.

Spike, too tired and sore to argue further, let Buffy help clean his wounds before she directed him to her bedroom, since the guest room was full of boxes from her mom's most resent acquisitions for the Gallery. Buffy was going to bunk with her mother. But even as he laid down, Spike could not find sleep. His mind kept going back to earlier, when he stupidly let Kendra wonder off by herself. The moment Drusilla showed up, he should have known something wasn't right. But he didn't and now another member of their group might just pay for his mistakes.

Continuing…

Blood, Ash, & Death

"Spike?... Spike?"

Spike found himself on a large grassy hill. Being it was day time, a spark of panic ran through him until he registered the state of the sky as gray with heavy overcast. A soft rumble of thunder whispered in the background. A moderate yet invigorating wind whipped almost playfully around him. Spike took in his surroundings and saw nothing but gentle grassy mounds that reached far out into the distance. A compellingly familiar voice called to him again, "Spike...?"

He slowly turned in a circle, scanning the vastness for the owner of the voice and found nothing but softly rolling hills. "Megan?"

"Spike? Can you hear me?" the voice seemed to whisper just behind his left ear while retaining a far away quality that had him turning and scanning the area around him for her presence.

"Hear but don't see, luv," he responded with a note of disappointment.

"This is the best I can do. I fought to get this much... Now listen, for my time is short."

"But-"

"No! Listen. Something is coming, something big. It's time you made a final choice. Where you go, how you fight, who you are... I believe in you, Spike. I do. You have been so conflicted and unsure, but I know you, ALL of you. I believe in you Spike - so do they... so does she... But it's time you believed in you, too. Trust yourself to embrace all of you. It's all the parts that make the whole. All are needed. Remember that. You will only get one shot, choose with your heart and I know you'll choose right! I love you, Spike. I must go now..."

"No wait! Don't go! Not yet!" But the wind turned harsher the sky darker, making it hard to see as the heavens above opened up and rain poured down. "Megan? … Meagan!" Thunder crashed and lightning flashed. And in the light of the flashing lightning, the hills again lit up. But now, instead of rolling hills of grass, they were covered in tombstones as far as the eye could see. "MEGAN!"

Spike shot up in bed. Taking a moment to take in the girly surroundings, he realized he was still in the Slayer's bed. Just as that realization sunk in, the Slayer burst through the door.

"Spike?! You okay? I heard yelling."

Spike ran a hand over his face, taking a moment to collect himself. "Sorry, luv, just a bloody disturbing dream..." Then, as he recalled the reason he was there in the first place, he looked earnestly at Buffy. "Junior Slayer?"

Buffy shot him a sympathetic look as she solemnly pressed her lips into a thin line and slowly shook her head. His disappointment must have shown, because she quickly moved and crouched next to the bed where he sat and took his nearest hand.

"It's not your fault, Spike. We'll find her! We will!" She quirked a small smile. "In case none of the Scoobies warned you, I can be a little stubborn."

Spike let her ease the tension of the moment by quirking an eyebrow and smirking. "A little stubborn? Funny, 'cause that's not what I've been told..." He purposely just let the statement fade off.

Slayer got a fire in her eyes. "And what have you heard?" she demanded. "And from who?!"

"Too easy, Slayer." Spike chuckled at her 'mature' response as she stuck her tongue out at him. Dropping his hand, she stood back up.

"Dinner is almost ready if you want to eat. Giles even dropped some blood off if you need it. After dinner, the sun should be down enough for you to be outdoors."

Spike nodded, trying not to think about the small feeling of loss that shot through him when she'd dropped his hand. "Sounds good. I'll be down in a bit."

Buffy nodded and left Spike alone. He sat there thinking of his dream, wondering what if Megan's warning was real or just a creation of his mind. Finally he pushed it away as he rose from the bed. Only time would tell. And if it was true, he wouldn't have long to wait from the sound of it. He just hoped he proved worthy of Megan's confidence in him.

After dinner, they hit the streets to continue their search for the lost Slayer. Not far into the evening, they happened across a rather loud-mouthed minion obviously sent by Angelus to taunt them about the lost Slayer, probably figuring they would just dust the bastard. Which the Slayer almost did before she was stopped by Spike, who instead just knocked the demon out.

Slinging their baggage over his shoulder, he started to carry his burden towards his home as the Slayer called Giles to meet them there.

Giles was there when they arrived and looked just as surprised and confused as the Slayer as Spike entered his house carrying the still unconscious minion. Placing him in a wooden chair from his dining area, he handed the Slayer a rope and asked her to tied the minion down. Then he placed a bottle of holy water, a sharp knife, a hammer, a pack of matches, and some other wicked looking objects on a nearby table. Slowly, a look of understanding crept into the Watcher's eyes. When they met Spike's, a silent communication took place.

Buffy missed the look as she worked on, making sure the minion was securely tied down. She just finishing said job when the Watcher cleared his throat.

"Uh, Buffy, Willow and I had been working on finding if perhaps there is something useful in the pages of scanned material she took from the journal of Je- Miss Calendar... She was to meet me at my place, but it looks like we might be working from here tonight. Could you perhaps go and collect her?"

Buffy looked confused, then grew suspicious. "What is going on?"

"Buffy, please..."

Buffy's eyes narrowed not on her watcher, but on the silent vampire that refused to meet her gaze. Her eyes bored into him, willing him to look at her. When he still refused she just threw up her hands in exasperation.

"Fine! But I want explanations when I get back!" With those words she spun on her heel and stormed out the front door, slamming it on her way out.

The slam awoke their guest, who immediately began to squirm under his restraints.

"What the hell?"

"Gonna have a little chat, you and me..." Spike informed his prisoner. He looked at Giles as if to signal him he could leave, but the Watcher just shook his head, letting the vampire know he planned on staying. Not going to argue about it, he turned his attention back to the captured minion.

The guy looked at Spike with a superior sneer. "I'm not sayin' anything to you. I've seen what Angelus does to someone just for fun, much less to a traitor."

Spike smirked as if completely unconcerned. "You know... we're from the same line... Wonder if it runs in the family." Spike casually picked up the pack of matches and lit one.

"What do you think, mate?" he asked, dropping the match onto the vampire's lap, catching the vampire on fire.

"Oh dear god, you're on fire," he remarked casually. "Let me get that!" He then opened the holy water and poured it over the flames, putting out the fire while causing the now exposed skin to sizzle.

"And the great thing, mate? Just a few cups of pigs blood and you're healed enough for us to start all over." He flashed the vampire a feral grin, letting his fingers run over the objects on the table as though selecting his next tool.

The minion pulled at his restraints. "You're...you're supposed to be the good guys... you're not..."

Spike went game face. "Do I look like a saint?! My demon thirsts for blood and carnage, too." He snarled for effect as the minion tried hard not to whimper. "I got me a legitimate toy now to take out those... cravings."

The minion looked desperately to the Watcher but found no help there. "Fine! I'll talk! But you gotta let me go..." Spike nodded. "Mansion, Crawford Street . They only keep a few others for perimeter guards but other than that it's just them. Now let me go!"

Spike smirked. "As soon as we confirm... and if your lyin'..."

"I'm not, I swear!"

"We'll see."

And with that Spike knocked him out. He then lifted the minion – chair and all – and headed down to the basement where he locked him up in the cage they used for Oz's transformations. He came up and began to clean up the table, not saying a word to the Watcher. He was wound so tight, he almost felt like he was going to snap in two.

Knowing where Spike kept his liquor, Giles poured a glass of whiskey. Breaking the silence as he handed Spike the glass, he told him, "You did what you had to."

Spike paused and took the offered liquor, downing it all in one go. Only then did he make eye contact with Giles. The Watcher paused at the raw emotion that turned in Spike's eyes. "S'not the problem,"

Giles replied, not breaking eye contact, "I know. Everyone has their dark side. It's human nature..."

"Not human," Spike reminded the Watcher. Therein laid the problem. It wasn't so much he just got ready to torture someone; he'd been fully prepared to go as far as need be to get the information he wanted. The problem was how much he enjoyed exuding force over another. The control... the taste of the victim's fears. It was intoxicating. He really was a monster inside.

Giles sighed. "Before I got to know you, I would have agreed. However, I've come to see you are quite human. If not in body, then in spirit."

Spike looked at him with disbelief. "After what you just saw..." He shook his head in self -hatred. "Besides, if you knew how it felt..."

Giles looked at him with an understanding that only came from experience. "I do know...and unlike you, to my own shame, my regret did not come till much later."

Spike closed his eyes briefly as if to deny what the Watcher was saying. "But..."

"The fact you know what's wrong with it should say enough, don't you think?"

Spike looked at him wide-eyed and opened his mouth to argue but no words came out. What could be said? Finally resignation set in and Spike let it drop.

None too soon as Buffy then came barging in with Willow in tow. "So what's the what?" she asked as she scanned the room for their prisoner.

"I locked him up downstairs. We got a location." Spike still could not meet her eyes, despite the Watcher's words. The action did not go unnoticed by either girl.

Willow stepped forward, her voice full of concern as she questioned, "Spike?" She laid a gentle hand on his arm. His eyes met hers briefly. She gasped at the shame in them.

"What did you do?" There was no accusation in her tone, but he flinched away all the same.

"I would have done it myself if I'd thought of it," Buffy spoke up, guessing what it was he felt so ashamed of; she knew before she left. She only left because she knew it would just waste precious time arguing.

"Maybe the point is you wouldn't have thought of it," Spike spat stubbornly.

"Obviously someone forgets a cross and a Cordeila stand-in at the Bronze..." Buffy retorted, crossing her arms. Both of them remembered Buffy using her cross to extract information of her friend's location from the vampire who'd posed as Cordeila. "I would have done anything to find them, why should you feel guilty to do the same?"

The remaining tension eased in Spike as their arguments finally hit home. He smiled shyly. "Been actin' like a right pillock, haven't I?"

Willow, already been filled in on Buffy's suspicions on their way there, smiled warmly. "But our pillock," she replied warmly, offering him a sisterly hug which he accepted.

Giles cleared his throat. "We still need to figure out what we are going to do with this information."

Buffy shrugged. "Easy, Spike and I will check it out. Try and determine if Kendra is still... If we can get to her."

Spike nodded his agreement. Willow held up her laptop. "Meanwhile, Giles and I can see what we can get from the journal pages."

Spike nodded and went to his weapon's closet and pulled out a sword for the Slayer and a large ax for himself. They then took off while Willow and Giles settled down at his dining room table and got down to research.

True to what had been told to Spike, other than a handful of minions guarding the perimeter, there was very little difficulty getting into the mansion. Easily taking out what minions they did come across, they swept the mansion for any signs of the missing Slayer.

Coming across a locked door, Spike made quick work of the lock, allowing them access. They found Kendra naked, curled in a ball in the corner of an otherwise empty room. Buffy shrugged off her coat and wrapped it around the girl as she helped her to a sitting position. Kendra's body was completely covered in bruises and cuts. There was even blistered burnt skin that looked like it was starting to become infected.

"Can you walk?" Buffy asked. Kendra responded with a nod. Buffy helped the girl to her feet and they moved for the door. Spike said nothing, not wanting to upset the girl. She'd obviously been through enough at the moment.

They moved as quickly as they could with the injured slayer in tow. Unfortunately, before they could make their escape, they were discovered.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Angelus' mocking voice cut through the room. "You came all this way and don't even bother to say hello."

Spike took up a defensive stance. "What can I say, just got what was ours and didn't want to disturb."

"Tsk, tsk, no manners, my boy."

Darla's voice cut in as she appeared holding a dagger, nonchalantly cleaning her nails with it. "What do you expect from classless mongrels?"

"Says the harlot..." Spike tossed back, "You want mongrel, I'll show you mongrel. I'll piss on your ashes after I stake you!"

She sneered back but before she could retort she was cut off by an animalistic scream as Kendra pushed away from Buffy and rushed her. Kendra stopped short as Darla slid the dagger into her gut.

"Oops," Darla mocked, only for the sneer to slip from her face as it was replaced with a look of shock. Kendra's body hit the floor, revealing the stake in Darla's chest moments before she disintegrated.

Angel let out a roar as Buffy moved to attack. Spike followed to back her up when he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head and everything went dark.

"Wakey, wakey, my sweet knight. Mummy is here to make everything all better..."

Spike opened his eyes despite the dull pain that seized his head. Upon opening them, he was met with the realization he was lying down on a bed with his barmy sire cooing over him.

"It's ok my child, I shall make you what you were meant to be. The world shall bleed such pretty colors. First I shall make your heart mine..." With that, she went game face and began to drain him.

'No!' William screamed inside as he felt the weakening effects of Drusilla's endeavors. 'No, please pull away!' His soul pleaded with the demon. Realizing the demon would still not move against its sire he gave in. 'Just... leave them... don't care who else you kill... just leave them.' The demon knew who the soul was referring to. He didn't want them hurt either. They became his... his to protect. But without the soul, would he feel the same? Would he be able to spare those lives? A burning tearing feeling ripped through him as the soul faded. Images of faces of those he was to protect flashed before him, ending with Willow , then Buffy...

With all his remaining strength, he pushed his sire away. "If you want my heart, it's only fair I have yours in return."

"My knight?" was all she got out before Spike plunged his hand into her chest and ripped out her heart. "Miss Edith lied again..." she whispered sadly as her body turned to dust, his soul very weak but still there.

He barely had time to mourn his sire before he heard Angelus' roar; reminding him Buffy was here somewhere and needed help. He rushed to find her and just as he was coming to the room that contained her, he heard an anguished cry.

Spike was not expecting what he saw. Buffy was chained to the wall, stripped down to her undergarments. But what was strange was the look of confusion and horror written on her face. Following her line of sight, he saw Angleus huddled in a ball whimpering; beside him lay a poker with a red hot tip forgotten on the floor.

He quickly moved to release Buffy, finding her chains solidly held.

"He has the key in his pocket," Buffy told him. He moved quickly over to the huddled mass and kicked the poker away. He then pushed Angelus down and pinned him roughly as he fished out the key. Key in hand, he let the quivering, whimpering vampire go. Angelus immediately returned to the fetal position. Spike took the key and unlocked Buffy's chains only then taking in her state of undress.

He shrugged quickly out of his trench-coat and gave it to Buffy to shield herself with. "What happened?"

Buffy shook her head "I-I don't know. One minute he was telling me how he was going to mark me." She motioned to the hot poker. "Then he let out a roar and I swear he was going ballistic, then all the sudden his eyes began to glow then he started blubbering like a 12 year old girl!"

At that moment, the Scoobies minus Willow and Oz came rushing on the scene armed to the teeth. Spike sighed.

"Sorry, guys, party's pretty much over... I don't know what you want done with that." He nodded over to the huddled mass that once was Angelus. "But I for one could use a shower and some kip."

Giles looked at the blubbering vampire with interest. "Is that?"

Buffy nodded. "We don't know what happened, he just went ballistic then started bawling..."

Giles nodded. "I may have the answer to that. But it will take some time, what should we do with him till then?"

"What's the problem? Stake the bastard," Xander said, raising the crossbow in his hands.

"I would like to do some more research before we, uh, make any permanent decisions."

Spike quirked an eyebrow but walked over to the crying vampire and dragged him over to where Buffy had been chained and placed the restraints on him. "Not permanent, but it'll work for now."

With a nod to the others, they started to leave Spike bringing up the rear. He couldn't help looking at the muttering, emotional vampire one last time. Maybe after his soul regained its strength, he would be able to muster up some sympathy for the creature, but at the moment he could only look at it with mild curiosity and a whole lot of contempt. His demon sneered at the weaker one and turned to join his chosen family, having completely rejected his vampire one.

A/N - Well I think Buffy fans know where this is going. Why? Well for no other reason then I loved the LA crew too. Sure the dynamic will be different and reasons for leaving will not be the same, still I think certain pairs in that group had a great chemistry all their own and I couldn't just not have them happen. Anyway, please review and let me know what you think. As hard as it was getting it the way I wanted it I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I really would like to know what my readers thought of it. Thanks!