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We ran through the hallways, Angel and I in the lead, Spike and Cordy bringing up the rear. After running down a steep concrete staircase, we came to a room with green laser beam things crisscrossing the floor.

Spike spoke, seemingly taking the words from my brain. “What the bloody hell is this?”

Angel looked at us and said calmly, “Lets find out.” He walked forward into the laser net, triggering a blaring alarm. Red lights started blinking from the ceiling as men walked out form alcoves I hadn’t noticed before.

Angel knew what they were instantly. “Zombies. Oh, swell.” We stood sizing up the six creatures in front of us. Angel sighed, “We don’t have the time for this.”

Spike leapt at the closest zombie and knocked it to the ground with a roundhouse kick. “Go on, I’ll hold them back.” As we ran for the door leading farther into the basement, I heard Spike taunt his assailants. “Come on, lads. No need to be shy. We’re all dead men here.”

What the hell was I doing? I wasn’t going to leave him there alone. I pushed Angel and Cordy through the door. “Go on,” I shouted. “I’m going to help Spike. We’ll be your second front.” I slammed the door and ran back to my vampire.

Swinging my sword, I decapitated one of the zombies. “Hello, my love. Is this a private game, or can anybody play?” I watched proudly as Spike ripped the head off a zombie with his bare hands, throwing the body to knock down another of the shambling fighters.

“Not gonna help Captain Forehead then, pet?” he asked as he punched another zombie away.

As I swung my sword with deadly accuracy toward the neck of another assailant, I replied, “Nope. What happens if whatever this failsafe thing is gets past Angel? We’re the second front. The last chance to stop it before it gets loose, or whatever.” I kicked another zombie to the ground before claiming its head. “And besides, I didn’t want to leave you.”

Spike tore the head from another zombie and together we converged on the final opponent. I handed Spike my sword and watched as he expertly twirled the large weapon. I kicked the zombie and Spike severed its head with ease. I grabbed his hand and led him to the stairs. We sat down next to each other. He put his arm around me and I snuggled into his comforting form.

“So…” I began slowly, “what is claiming really? And I don’t want the half assed Angel answer.”

He ran his hand lightly up and down the skin of my arm. “Claiming is a big deal, luv. Say we were to do it. I would bite you and say something like ‘mine’ and you would accept it by saying ‘yours’ and ‘forever.’ Then you would bite me and we go through the same whole deal. It binds people…well vampires for eternity. I’ve seen it done a few times with humans, but never with a Slayer, much less an immortal one. Sometimes the pair becomes telepathic, sometimes they can feel the others physical pain, most the time they can feel the others emotions. I’ve even seen pairs where one dies and the other didn’t survive it. It’s different with everyone.”

“So you and Drusilla never…” I trailed off.

He shook his head. “She was always waiting for her ‘Daddy’ to come back. I was just a pastime and a glorified caretaker, not mate material,” he replied bitterly.

I turned in his embrace to face him. He was looking studiously at the floor. I put my hand on his cheek and turned his face to me. “I think you are. I can’t imagine spending eternity with anyone else.” I watched as emotions played behind Spike’s eyes, but he was careful not to show too much. ”Is it something you would want?” I asked quietly.

He squinted at me a little, searching my eyes as if the answer…well…what he thought I wanted to hear, would be spelled out there. I tried to keep my eyes as neutral as possible, even though my head and heart were screaming for him to make me his. But, of course, he had to make his part of the decision on his own. I knew what my answer would be, but I wasn’t going to try to influence him one way or the other. I could see why he wouldn’t want to chain himself to someone like me for all eternity. I remembered all the times I had beaten him and called him a monster. God, I had been such a fool. I knew I didn’t deserve him, but if he’d have me, I’d spend the rest of my life making it up to him.

“Do you know what it is you’re asking, kitten?” he asked me solemnly.

“Not completely,” I answered honestly. “But that doesn’t really answer my question. I know that you wouldn’t let me do something that could hurt me and if it’s something you want, then I want to give that to you.”

Without warning his lips crashed down over mine. His tongue darted out and licked my bottom lip as he tangled his long fingers into my hair. He was kissing me frantically, plunging his tongue into my mouth. I climbed into his lap, closing all distance between us as the front of our bodies molded together and our tongues fought for dominance. I could feel his long hard cock pushing against the denim beneath me. When air became a problem, I broke away from his mouth, panting.

“You still haven’t answered my question, Spike,” I smirked at him.

“My demon wants to throw you down and pound you into the ground right now and claim you as his. The man…” he trailed off.

I took my chances. “The man…what?”

He didn’t meet my eyes. “The man wants to do it the right way. The human way. Ask you to…you know,” he finished, embarrassed. I didn’t know why he was so nervous about wanting to be a gentleman, so I decided to change the subject to something I had been wanting to ask for a long time.

“What were you like as a human?”

He looked startled at the question and embarrassed again. This man, who was confident to the point of arrogance, looked shy. It was adorable. He softly began to speak. “I was bookish, like Giles only more so. I was a soddin’ ponce. I was well educated and brought up to be a gentleman.”

“What was your last name?” I couldn’t believe I had never asked before.

He looked panicked. “I…uh…legally had it changed a few years ago.”

“From what to what?”

He sighed, realizing, I think, he wasn’t going to be able to avoid answering me. “From Pratt to Sanger.”

“Sanger…isn’t that French for something?” It sounded awfully familiar.

He smirked at me, that old Big Bad persona slipping easily back into place. “You just have to figure it out. I’m not going to tell you.” He cocked his head to the side, listening to something. “Two sets of footsteps, but only one heartbeat. I’m gonna venture a guess that the failsafe has been stopped, yeah?” He lifted me to my feet and moved to stand beside me. I looped my arm around his waist and we waited, watching the door.

Angel and Cordelia emerged. “So?” I questioned.

“Cordelia shut down the thing while I got to fight Lindsey. Wesley’s spell must have worked because all his tattoos faded off. The senior partners took him. Sucked him into a big portal. That might be the last we see of him,” Angel finished.

“Guess it’s not a good day to be a bad guy, eh?” I grinned.

We walked up the stairs together.


The rest of the gang had converged in the lobby. Eve had been duct taped to a rolling office chair. Lorne used the dagger he had gotten from Angel’s wall to slice the tape off. Cordy and I both grabbed an arm and drug her to the elevator.

“It’s been a pleasure. Let’s never keep in touch,” Cordy quipped.

“It’s a new game, Eve. If I were you, I’d start thinking strategy,” Angel said.

Eve glared at him. “And here I am thinking revenge.”

“And what do you think the senior partners are thinking?” Angel asked.

I’m not sure if it was the loss of her lover, Lindsey, or the retribution of the senior partners looming over her, but I could see the tears welling in her eyes as the elevator doors closed. My heart clenched for her a little, but I forced it from my mind. This woman had tried to hurt people. Never empathize with the bad guys.

My thoughts were silenced by Lorne’s voice. “Well, I’m thinking seabreeze, compadres.” He looked at each one of us in turn.

“Well, I’ve been prancin’ around thinkin’ I had a destiny. Love to drown my sorrows in a few pints,” Spike agreed.

“We should all go get a drink. We haven’t done that in…ever,” Fred said excitedly.

Gunn nodded as he pressed the elevator button. “I’m in. Cat and Fiddle?”

“Yeah,” Wesley confirmed. “Angel?”

Angel smiled. “A drink sounds good. I’ll go get my coat.”

We all piled into the elevator except Cordy. “You guys go ahead. We’ll catch up.” She winked at me as the doors closed.

We started walking down the street in silence. Apparently the pub was only a few blocks away. As we walked, I got an idea and turned to Wesley.

“So, you speak French, right?”

Spike whipped around. “Oi, Slayer, that’s cheating.”

“No, it’s not,” I admonished, shaking a finger at him. “You said you weren’t going to tell me, you never said I couldn’t ask someone else to tell me.”

He shook his head at me and lit two smokes, handing one to me. I turned back to Wesley and raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, I speak French,” he answered wearily.

“Doesn’t ‘Sanger’ mean something?” I asked him.

“Well, ‘sang’ means blood,” he ventured.

I turned to Spike and smiled incredulously. “You changed your name to William Blood? You know, maybe I don’t say this enough, but you are a genius!” He smirked at me. “But why change it anyway? Do vampires really need last names anyway?"

“Bank accounts, luv.”

“You have a bank account?” I asked.

Spike chuckled, taking a long drag from his cigarette. “Sure, pet. You didn’t think the Gem or Amara was the only thing I found in that tomb, did you?”

I stared at him, shocked. “You mean all those time I had to pay you for information…you mean to tell me that when you came to the Doublemeat Palace that time, and told me that if I left with you, you would get money, you were serious? You even had the money already!” I exclaimed. “Oh, you really are evil.”

He just smiled at me. We were in front to the bar, so he opened the door and ushered everyone through it. I was last. As I passed him, he whispered, “And don’t you forget it, baby.” Mmmm, nummy.





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