"So you want to make a deal, vampire? I usually don't make deals." The demon said harshly.

"But there's something I need." Spike explained.

"I understand but no one has ever had the nerve to return a second time. Although, not many have survived my tests to be able to return."

"I survived." Spike said proudly with his chin up. "I did quite well and if you give me what I want, you'll never have to see me again."

"You do understand, vampire that If I accept your deal, you will have to go through my trials once again and this time they will be even more difficult to conquer." The demon said as his green eyes glowed brightly.

"I get it. I can handle anything you throw at me."

"Very well. Since you did so well with the trials last time, I will grant you another chance to get what you need. However, this is the last time so you better make sure it's worth it. Stay alive and I will grant your request. Are you still sure that you want to go through with this?" The demon asked and waited patiently for Spike's response.

"I'm sure. I need to do this." Spike replied. "Now, let's get this over with."

***************************************************************

"I can't wait to get out of here." Buffy said as she violently started throwing her belongings into her duffel bag.

"At least you only had to stay 4 days." Willow replied. "I thought the doctor was gonna pass out when he saw how quickly you healed. He called you a 'medical miracle' when he looked at your scar."

"I know. I just told him that I got lucky this time by healing so quickly. It's not like I could tell him that it was my amazing slayer healing power that did the job. I'm just thrilled that I can finally go home. These four days have felt like a month to me." Buffy groaned.

Buffy walked around her hospital room in search of the rest of her things. She looked in the closet once more and checked the drawers, in which she slammed closed so hard that Willow knew there was something bothering her.

"Buffy what's wrong?" Willow asked. "You seem so angry."

Buffy stopped cleaning out the room and sighed deeply.

"It's just...it's Spike." Buffy admitted

"What about Spike? Did you have another fight again?"

"No. He left again." Buffy said in an irritated tone.

"Left? Left where?"

"That's the thing. I have no idea. He wouldn't even tell me. He just took off knowing that I couldn't chase after him. I can't believe he did this to me just when things were starting to get better between us." Buffy said, her voice wavering.

"Do you know why he left?" Willow asked sympathetically.

"No." Buffy sighed again. "He just said that there was something he needed to do."

**************************************************************

The green-eyed demon led Spike toward a door within the cave. It looked so out of place within the darkness of the cold and damp cave. It was a huge white door placed within a wall of jagged rocks.

"In this room is where the trials will take place," explained the demon. "The entire test will consist in this room only. In the end, when I return, if you are still alive I will give you what you came for."

The demon opened the door and Spike walked toward the threshold. He ducked his head inside the room to see nothing but white throughout it. The floor and ceiling was white as well as the walls, which were padded. It resembled a room in the hospital made especially for mental patients.

"What the bleeding hell am I supposed to do in here?" Spike questioned.

The demon did not answer him. Instead, he pushed Spike inside and slammed the door closed. Spike heard the door lock behind him.

*************************************************************

Buffy returned to the comforts of home. She walked in the door and dropped her duffel bag to the floor.

"Finally!" She exclaimed as she walked over toward the couch and collapsed onto it.

She took in the comfort of the couch and stared up at the window while she thought of Spike. She wondered where he could have run off to. She wondered what the big secret was. After all she had told him and after all they had just been through, how could he leave her like this again? He had told her not to worry but how could she not? He takes off to some mystery destination without any explanation except for a vague time limit of how long he would be gone.

"Get out of my head!" Buffy yelled out loud to an empty house.

She wanted to be alone for a while so she left Dawn to hang out with Willow after they had dropped her off. She had a hard time trying to assure them that she would be fine by herself but they eventually got the point that she just didn't feel like having company.

She was so frustrated with herself that she couldn't stop thinking about Spike. He wouldn't leave her thoughts no matter how hard she tried to get rid of him. It was actually ironic because he'd entered her thoughts just like he had entered her life. Even when she wanted him to leave her alone, he would always find an excuse to be around her. Now that she actually wanted Spike around he decides to do a disappearing act. Why isn't she surprised?

She got up off the sofa and headed upstairs to her room. The only way she could clear her mind is if she crawled into her warm comfortable bed and drifted off to sleep. Although something told her that even in sleep she wouldn't be able to get rid of Spike. She would just end up dreaming about him.

She opened her closet door to find something more comfortable to change into and groaned loudly when she spotted Spike's leather duster, which was still hanging in her closet. She was surprised that he had never asked for it back. She would have returned it but so much had happened since he came back and there had been so much on her mind that she had just completely forgot about the coat that he could never seem to live without.

She took the black duster off of the hanger and wrapped it around her body just as she had done before Spike had returned. She collapsed back into bed with the duster once again wrapped around her small form and continued to miss him all over again.

***********************************************************

Spike looked around the bright white room wondering when his tests were going to begin. He couldn't figure out what kind of torture could possibly befall him in such a small ordinary room.

He suddenly heard an extremely loud humming noise. It sounded like a giant motor but he couldn't figure out where it was coming from. He was starting to think that he had been tricked and was just being held prisoner because it had been a few hours already with no sign of the trials the demon spoke of.

The motor continued to hum and he started getting nervous. He spun around and observed the room once more and waited for some beast to jump out at him. He had no idea what to expect.

Spike felt a burning pain on his arm and noticed wisps of smoke rising up in the air. He realized that his arm was beginning to start on fire. He lifted his head and glanced up at the ceiling where a panel had opened up to let in the morning sun. He quickly moved his arm away before any flames had appeared on his skin.

He ran into a darkened corner to get away from the sun but the first panel closed and another one had opened right above him letting in more sunshine. He ran to the opposite side of the room to try and escape the light once again.

He continued to run around the room and into the padded walls on all sides to try and escape the sunlight coming in from above him as panel after panel opened and tried to burn him.

He quickly and successfully dodged the beams of sunlight. He sped gracefully away from certain death as he mentally assumed that this test was almost over. He was proved wrong as he felt a burning on his skin once again and looked around the room to notice that sprinkler heads were peaking out of the padded walls spraying him with holy water.

Spike ran, dodged and jumped around the white room continuously to avoid bursting into flames. This continued for another half an hour until Spike was so weary that he thought his muscles would collapse from exhaustion.

All the panels finally closed and the sprinkler heads hid within the padded walls. Spike huddled in a corner trying to find at least an ounce of strength that he still had within him. His weary muscles could barely move so he continued to crouch in the corner and lean his body against the wall.

Spike was terrified that this wasn't the end. He didn't think he could take anymore of the demon's tests since he could barely move.

The door opened and Spike stood on shaky legs. The demon looked inside the room and an evil grin spread across its face as he noticed the exhausted condition that Spike was in.

"There is one more test you need to pass, vampire." The demon said smugly.

He shoved the monster through the door toward Spike and a low and evil laugh escaped the glowing-eyed demon's throat.

"I believe you've met before." The demon stated before he closed the door, leaving Spike alone with the monster.

Slithering before him was the Lorac demon that Buffy had fought against in the cemetery surrounding his crypt.

The Lorac demon slid toward Spike, trying to pierce his skin with its sharp blades. Spike quickly moved to the side and just barely missed getting sliced into.

The black snake-like demon hissed at him and made a swift move toward Spike cutting into his leg through his black jeans.

Spike howled in pain as blood rolled down his leg onto his bare foot. A round pool of blood formed and added color to the gleaming white floor below him.

Spike thought about the chance that he may actually lose this fight and suddenly felt a new found strength coursing through his veins. The thought of not being able to return to Buffy was more than he could stand. Through Buffy he had finally found the power within himself to be ready for this fight.

Spike spun around and kicked the monster with all his might and watched it fly against the wall with a loud thud. It barely phased the monster as it flew toward Spike once again and tried to slice through his midsection. Spike ducked as he saw it coming toward him. He grabbed onto it's huge tail and flipped it onto the ground. With every ounce of strength he could muster, Spike grabbed onto one of his sword-like arms and snapped it in two. Despite the pain that was now in his hands and the blood that ran down them toward his wrists, he copied the same maneuver and snapped its second sword in half as well.

The huge snake monster cried out in pain and Spike watched as its arms flailed around wildly trying to cut into his legs with the short unsharpened stubs that it had left.

Spike bent over and reached out toward the demon's head with bloodied hands. He wrapped his hands around its neck and squeezed with forceful pressure. Spike twisted its neck until he heard the satisfying crunch of death.

Spike stood up and looked down at his blood filled body. He panted tiredly despite the fact that he was among the undead and had no real need to take a breath.

The door opened and the green-eyed demon stood there and scanned the scene before him.

"I'm impressed, vampire. No one before you has ever made it through these set of tests."

"So that's it then?" Spike asked. "If we're all finished here can I get what I came for so I can get the bleeding hell away from you and this cave for good."

"Yes. Since you have passed, I will follow through with our deal. I will allow you to trade your soul!"

To Be Continued....





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