Chapter One

"Do you think I haven't tried?" Casey asked repeatedly. His mind raced with thoughts and he could hear the voice screaming at him like this was his entire fault. "I've tried time and time again! Can't you see I'm in pain?" He said, raising his injured arm barely so not to make the pain increase."

The voice evened out calmly and serene. This thing was impatient but not insane.

"You've failed the task I have assigned you! You should be punished. By what orders did I give to make you act in this way? I told you specifically to kill her right away, not lag around while she makes us weaker!" The voice paused as it transformed into its demon self with flashing blue eyes and a fierce circular mouth. "We'll never get anything done with you on the job. Every day this girl gets more powerful. She learns things that some of us will never figure out in our whole lives. She's smart, she's skillful, and she's creative. She's able to take us out in ways that only a resourceful young girl could handle.

"Now you listen to me. I don't want you or your little vampire friends to disappoint me again. You get the slayer killed and you do it fast. No dawdling." He ended his speech and sat back down on a chair.

Casey nodded. He didn't want to be beheaded by this creature. This demon Mokor was 10 times stronger than him and smarter as well. "We will not fail you again sir. We'll give you the slayer chopped up for your dinner." He knelt down on one knee as he bowed to his leader, and then quickly ran out the door.

Mokor laughed as he looked down at the picture of the blonde girl in front of him. He caressed her digitized hair and smiled, "How tasty."

"Ow." Buffy groaned as she looked at the splinter protruding from her skin. "The only bad thing about slaying with a stake is dealing with these things afterward." She exclaimed sadly as she began to tug at the white sliver poking out of her thumb.

Spike snickered, "Yeah, but you gotta admit, it's worth it after watching the stupid ones dust. Every vampire these days think they're gonna do a slayer in. They never have but they rant on about it. Some even brag about how they did kill a slayer when they never really did. I've killed two Slayer's but I've never gotten past you." Spike smiled and Buffy returned it with an eyebrow raise.

"Why cause you couldn't take your eyes off me?" She joked before turning her eyes back to the frustrating work in her thumb.

Spike shrugged, "Never understood it back then." He admitted. He placed his hands in his pockets as he moved slowly down the path, "Its not like I didn't think you were gorgeous or anything. I was just more interested in the killing back then." Spike remarked.

Buffy smiled as she thought about it. As she looked back up she could see 4 vampires starting to make a circle around them. She recognized them all instantly. "Aha. Come back to get your other arm injured?" She joked looking up and down at the injured vamp with his 3 followers.

Casey snarled as he drew nearer to the girl. "It's not broken slayer. Just injured." He looked over at the other bleached vampire, "Spike. It's been a century man. I never figured you'd be fighting with the slayer. And by the way I heard about the soul. Very strange, I have to say. I wouldn't expect you to be the type to earn his soul because he wanted to. You were always squeamish when it came to stuff like that."

Spike walked to Buffy's side, ready to fight this dud. "You never had more than a dapper bit of brain Casey. Is that why the slayer always seems to injure you no matter how close you get to strangling her neck?"

Buffy shot Spike a look. "Spike could you just let me kill this thing?" She wasn't about to let the two spat insults back and forth. She wanted to kill this vampire once and for all.

Casey turned back to Buffy, examining her neck, "You know, my leader said you would have a smooth neck. I bet it's tasty too." He inched towards her and Buffy held up her stake to protect herself. Casey moved away from the stake. "You think I'll just let you kill me? I've been alive for longer than Spike. I think I know how to protect myself from a slayer."

Buffy smirked, "What you faced one before? Please! I've injured you three times already." This vamp was pathetic. He was all talk, like all vampires.

Casey couldn't help himself. The slayer always had her faults. He'd seen it many times, "But you haven't killed me." His eyes dimmed to slits and turned to yellow. His features had changed and the demon showed it's true colors. "If you're all that powerful, kill me. I dare you too."

Buffy hesitated. Spike could tell and he charged first at the vampire sending Casey flying into a gravestone. The three followers emerged from the shadows and tackled the Slayer, sending her to the ground as each one punched her. Spike kicked one in the back, and watched it fall into the stake in Buffy's hands. Spike kicked the other two away from the slayer with all the power inside him.

He looked down at the unconscious body of the slayer, who had now dropped her stake. He noticed that the other two vamps had managed to sink their teeth into both sides of her neck. The panic in his stomach increased as he sat down besides Buffy, holding her in his arms. "Buffy." He shook her slightly, trying to wake her up.

Buffy's eyes began to flutter and she looked up at the blonde vampire with longing, "Spike?" She choked out. She had lost a lot of blood and was beginning to feel dead herself.

Spike stroked her hair, "Don't die Buffy." He held her tightly, desperate to keep her there forever. "We're nothing without you."

Buffy smiled, "I won't." She took her hand and ran it along the side of his face. "I'm not going to." She dropped her hand to his and squeezed it gently. "You have to kill him for me. I'm too weak. Don't let him win this."

Spike nodded. He could sense the vampire recovering so he quickly kissed her on her forehead and rubbed her cheek gently before he stood up, ready for battle. "So, Casey. You're wanker pals scampered off. I guess they finally realized how much of a ninny you really are."

Casey laughed, "I'm afraid of nothing. Now was just a bad time to drop by. Tell the slayer I'll see her when she's alone." He said as he disappeared into the darkness.

Spike yelled in anger. He had let him get away. He could have just grabbed the stake off the floor and threw it at the dud, but he hesitated, just like Buffy did.

He turned around and scooped up Buffy in his arms. She leaned on him, the blood on her neck dripping onto her snow-white shirt. He wished he hadn't frozen like that. If he could have made things right he would kill him for her. But there was no way to know where this Casey guy lived. And if he wanted to kill him, there would need to be a trap.