Buffy Summers and her roommate Faith Lehane sat at their kitchen table, eating breakfast and reading through the Sunnydale Times newspaper. Faith sighed and shook her head, folding it up once she finished looking at it.

“Another girl found dead near the beach,” she said. “Police think she was a prostitute.”

“Wasn’t that girl they found dead over the weekend a prostitute, too?” Buffy asked, and Faith nodded. “I’d assume it’s coincidental, then.”

“Looks like there’s a guy out there trying to stop the world’s oldest profession,” Faith said, eating her cereal.

“Have they released the names of either of the women?” the blonde asked, and Faith looked at the newspaper, skimming to find the answer.

“It says the one from before was named Amy Madison,” Faith said, and Buffy froze, staring at her friend. “What’s wrong?”

“Amy went to high school with me,” she said quietly, tears beginning to form in her eyes. “She was a cheerleader with me.”

“Oh,” Faith said before shrugging. “Sorry.” Buffy stood up and took her dishes to the sink, setting them down before wiping off her eyes. “Were you close to her?”

“I haven’t seen her since we graduated, which is kind of odd considering-” she began to say before cutting herself off. “She was a really nice girl, never had problems with anyone. Her mom was kind of weird, but Amy was sweet.”

“Well, your ‘sweet’ friend is in a body-bag right now in the local morgue,” Faith said, and Buffy’s jaw dropped in shock.

“Jesus, Faith! You really don’t have a heart, do you?” she asked, upset. “An old friend of mine was murdered, and you don’t even try to show any compassion towards her… or even me!”

“We’re taught early on not to let our emotions into things,” Faith replied, standing up and taking her empty bowl to the sink. “Or have you forgotten that?”

“We’re supposed to cut off emotions when we work, not during the rest of our day,” Buffy said sternly, crossing her arms. “But even then, that doesn’t mean you’re supposed to lack sensitivity to things like this.” She turned and began to walk away, but Faith grabbed her arm and turned her around.

“I’m sorry,” she said apologetically. “You know how I can be sometimes.”

“No, you’re not like this sometimes,” Buffy replied, correcting her. “You’re like this all of the time.”

“Call it a defense mechanism,” Faith said, shrugging. “I’d rather not focus on the reality of things in life. You’re supposed to enjoy yourself, do what you want, right?” Buffy looked away, frowning. “Come on, B- lighten up.”

“Amy is dead, Faith,” Buffy said blankly. “Any of us could be next.”

“What? You mean prostitutes?” Faith asked, and Buffy nodded. “Well, we’ll just stay in tonight then, won’t we?”

* * * * *

William ‘Spike’ Brooks sat at his desk, across from his partner Lindsey McDonald, at the police station, looking through a file.

“Amy Madison was only twenty,” he said, skimming through information. “The girl they found last night was younger than that.” He looked at Lindsey. “Did they ID her yet?”

“Kennedy Stevens,” Lindsey said, looking at a different file. “About nineteen years old, from Seattle.” He looked up from the report. “No idea why she was in Sunnydale.”

“A runaway, maybe?” Spike suggested, and Lindsey shrugged. “Would make sense, what with her selling herself for money and all.”

“Harris is looking into it,” Lindsey said, shutting the file on Kennedy. “He’s on the phone with her parents as we speak.”

“Xander’s working on the case with us now, right?” Spike asked, and Lindsey nodded. “Good. We need all of the help we can get.”

“We don’t even know if the two murders are related,” Lindsey said, and Spike raised an eyebrow.

“Both girls found near the beach, both prostitutes, both young- you don’t think the same person is killing them?” Spike asked, and Lindsey sighed. “Don’t be daft, McDonald.”

“For all we know, it could be more than one person,” he said. “And both of which might be taking a page out of Jack the Ripper’s book.”

“Not this again,” Spike said, running a hand over his face. “I haven’t slept in nearly thirty hours and don’t have time to listen to that garbage.”

“Fine,” Lindsey said, standing up. “Maybe it’s ‘garbage’, but you can’t avoid the facts- we don’t know who killed these girls or why he or she did it.” Spike nodded, grabbing another file. “Did Rupert tell you about the meeting he scheduled tonight?”

“What meeting?” Spike asked, confused. “I thought we were free to leave after lunch.”

“You can go home, but we have to meet with a group of women tonight who are known for prostitution,” Lindsey said.

“Wait- we know they’re prostitutes?” Spike asked, and his partner nodded. “So why aren’t they locked up? Or being fined?”

“They agreed to help in exchange for not being brought in and ticketed for solicitation,” Lindsey said. “Seven o’clock at O’Donnell’s Pub.” Lindsey walked away, and Spike shut his eyes, wishing the day would be over.

* * * * *

“I can’t believe we agreed to meet up with cops,” Faith said as she and Buffy entered O’Donnell’s a little before seven o’clock that night.

“Not like we were going out on the streets tonight, anyways,” Buffy said, shrugging. “Besides, maybe we can help them crack the case or something so we can go back to our normal lives.”

“Our lives aren’t normal, B- I’m fairly positive on that one,” Faith replied, spotting several of their friends at a couple of tables in a back corner. They walked over and sat down amongst the group, noticing how afraid everyone else seemed.

“Hi,” Buffy said quietly, looking around and recognizing Willow Rosenberg, Tara Maclay, Darla and Drusilla Daniels, and Winifred Burkle, better known as Fred. Everyone met up on the weekends sometimes to talk and discuss rate changes for their services, but unlike their usual gatherings, this one was more somber.

“Are the police here yet?” Faith asked, and Darla motioned to the door, where two uniformed police officers now stood. “Wow. Can we say ‘gorgeous’?”

“I’ll see your ‘gorgeous’ and raise you a ‘delicious’,” Willow said, in awe. Buffy looked at the two men and noticed one looking at her, their eyes locking. She felt a chill run through her before looking down quickly. Faith smirked as she noticed her friend blushing.

“The blonde one is undressing you with his eyes,” she said quietly, nudging Buffy. “Maybe he’s thinking of giving you a ride. I bet he’d be a stallion.”

“Will you shut up?” Buffy hissed, and Faith grinned, looking at the two policemen as they sat between Buffy and Willow.

“Hello, boys,” Faith said, practically purring. “What can we do for you tonight?”

“I’m Officer Brooks, and this is Officer McDonald,” Spike said, looking at the girls. “We’d like to ask you a few questions.”

‘Of course,’ Buffy thought. ‘The scrumptious one has a British accent- fantastic. The gods above must be toying with me, knowing damn well that I love men with accents.’ She noticed that he was still talking and instantly pushed all her thoughts aside, focusing on how marvelous his voice was.

* * * * *

Throughout the two-hour meeting, Buffy was extremely conscious of what she said and how she acted in front of Officer Brooks, who eventually told them to call him Spike and his partner Lindsey instead, trying to keep the mood light despite the dismal subject matter.

Whenever Spike would inadvertently get too close to her, or when their fingers brushed when she took a piece of paper from him, she felt a strange emotion go through her and couldn’t figure out what it was.

‘Maybe you’re just depressed over Amy,’ Buffy thought. ‘Your odd behavior tonight has nothing to do with the attractive cop beside you.’

“So, that about wraps up everything,” Lindsey announced, packing up the files he brought with him. “If anyone has questions or concerns, you can call the police station and ask for either Officer Brooks or myself.”

“And be aware of everyone you come in contact with,” Spike said, standing up. “We don’t know anything about the murderer… or murderers, so be very careful who you talk to.”

“We can’t tell you to stay in every night because I have a feeling a lot of you depend solely on the money you make from your jobs,” Lindsey said, standing up, too. “But if you don’t need to go out unaccompanied after dark, I would refrain from it. We’re doing our best to protect you all, but we can only help those who are willing to cooperate and are mindful of the situations they’re putting themselves in.”

“If any new information comes in, we’ll be sure to alert you,” Spike said. “Until then, though, try to lay low and don’t be reckless.”

“Thank you for your time, ladies,” Lindsey added. “And have a good night.” With that, the two men walked away from the table, and Spike allowed himself a fleeting glance of Buffy before he left the bar.

“Anyone else need a drink?” Darla asked, and everyone vigorously nodded their heads. “On me.”

“What’s the special occasion?” Faith asked, and Darla looked at her.

“I’ve never been so depressed and horny at the same time.”

The next morning, Buffy woke up screaming, covered in sweat. Faith ran into the room, terrified, and saw her friend bolt up in bed, putting her hand over her heart in an attempt to calm herself down.

“Are you okay?” Faith asked, worried. “You were screaming bloody murder.”

“Bad… dream,” Buffy managed to say, taking several deep breaths. “Not even a dream- more like a nightmare. A scary, horrifying nightmare.”

“What happened?” Faith asked, and Buffy looked at her.

“I dreamt that I saw Amy be killed,” Buffy said quietly, her chest heaving for breath. “That she was raped and stabbed to death.”

“It was just a dream, B,” Faith said, and Buffy shook her head.

“No, it wasn’t,” she replied, beginning to tear up. “Because Amy’s really dead and was murdered- all of it happened.”

“I’ll go get you a glass of water,” Faith offered. “Just try to calm down, alright?” Buffy hesitantly nodded and looked down at her sheets, tangled around her legs.

‘Why did I have that dream?’ she asked herself. ‘Is it an omen? Is it supposed to help me find the killer?’ She paused and frowned. ‘You’re not a psychic, Buffy- you had a nightmare about Amy’s death because it’s been on your mind for the last twenty-four hours. Don’t read into it.’

Faith came back, holding a glass of water, and handed it to Buffy, who eagerly took it and began gulping it down. Faith sat beside her on the bed and looked at her.

“You’re really taking this hard, aren’t you?” she asked, and Buffy nodded, putting the empty glass on the table beside her bed. “I’m sorry.”

“Did you hear that Fred and Drusilla left town and went to L.A.?” Buffy asked. “Darla’s still here- she didn’t want to leave- but it could be one of us next, you know.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Faith said. “But I’m not letting some psycho keep me from making money. We both know how much debt I’m in.”

“You’d rather risk your life over financial problems than stay in and protect yourself?” Buffy asked, and Faith stood up, sighing.

“It’s what I have to do,” she replied. “I’ll be five-by-five, okay?”

“Just please be careful,” Buffy said, watching her friend look away. “I worry enough whenever you go out, but it’s worse now, considering the fact there’s someone out there who obviously has a penchant for killing prostitutes.”

“Then I’ll just have to arm myself with my trusty knife,” Faith said, smirking, and Buffy looked down. “I promise you I’ll be fine, Buffy.” She walked out, and Buffy laid back down, pulling the sheets up around her neck in an attempt to comfort herself.

“I just hope that’s a promise you can keep,” she whispered before shutting her eyes.

* * * * *

That night, Buffy heard the phone ring and got up to get it, remembering that Faith had left a few hours earlier.

“Hello?” she asked, mindlessly flipping through a magazine as she sat on her bed again.

“Hello, this is Officer Brooks,” a man said, and her eyes widened, realizing who it was. She tossed the magazine aside and took a deep breath.

“Hi, Spike,” she said, hoping he couldn’t tell how excited she was to hear from him. “How may I help you?”

“Is this Buffy?” he asked, and she grinned, happy that he could tell her voice apart from Faith’s.

‘Plus, the way he says my name is so sexy,’ she thought, feeling as if she was melting inside.

“Yep, it’s me,” she answered. “Is something wrong?” She paused. “Oh god- something didn’t happen to Faith, right?”

“Not that I know of,” he said, confused. “I was calling to make you aware of some new information we’ve discovered.”

“About the killings?” she asked, almost wishing he would be calling her to set up a date or another meeting.

‘But this is purely about solving a case,’ she reminded herself. ‘He’s a cop- he’s not interested in you.’

“About the murderer,” he said. “We have a witness who saw a brunette man approach Miss Madison only an hour before the time we think she died. This witness told us that she saw both Amy and the man walk away somewhere together, which was in the same direction as the beach.”

“So all we know is that it’s a man who’s brunette?” Buffy asked, and Spike sighed.

“Well, he’s the main suspect right now,” he replied. “He has a lean build, is about six feet tall… and that’s really all we know.”

“Well, I’ll tell Faith when she gets home to be on the lookout, then,” she said.

“She’s out on the streets tonight?” he asked, and she raised an eyebrow when she caught the worry in his tone.

“Yeah,” she answered. “She’s not one to abide by the rules. She needs money, so she went out.”

“And you didn’t go with her?” he asked. “I thought we made it clear that going anywhere alone after dark is a good way to get yourselves killed.”

“I don’t know if you realize this, Spike, but a lot of customers won’t approach more than one girl at a time because they know they’ll have to pay for both of them,” Buffy said, somewhat annoyed at his tone of voice. “That’s why a lot of us walk around alone.”

“We can only do so much to protect you,” he replied sternly. “If you don’t take the proper precautions, don’t be surprised if you wind up like Miss Stevens and Miss Madison.” Her jaw dropped in indignation.

“We’re just trying to do our jobs,” she said, upset.

“So am I,” he said, equally as irritated. “Although, yours isn’t exactly a noble one, is it?”

“Whatever you say, Mr. I’m-Superior-Because-I’m-A-Cop,” she replied sarcastically. “You don’t know me or how I live, so don’t you dare judge me.”

“Didn’t call to quarrel,” he said calmly, and she frowned. “Just make sure Faith knows the details I told you about the suspect, and if you two have anything to report, make sure you call either Lindsey or myself.”

“Ay ay, captain,” she said, retrieving her magazine. “Thanks for the heads-up.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied. “And Buffy?”

“Yes?” she asked, curious to hear what he’d say.

“Be careful,” he said before hanging up. She looked at the phone for a minute before hanging up, too.

She returned to reading the magazine for a while before realizing she should probably call Faith. She dialed Faith’s cell phone number and listened as it continued to ring, no one picking up after at least ten rings. Buffy raised an eyebrow but hung up the phone, figuring Faith was probably in the middle of servicing a customer and wasn’t able to answer it.

---

When The Spuffy Realm shut down for a while, I continued to update the chapters on my LJ, so instead of continuing to post the fic on here when it went back to normal, I opted to post the finished product at Captive Souls. That site has since shut down, so in the interest of not posting the other chapters here and taking up room, feel free to e-mail me and I'll send you the fic in its entirety - wicked_testy@yahoo.com Sorry for the inconvenience!

~ Allison