Spiked Ch. 01-05

******* Spike shifted restlessly in his cool porcelain prison. He could hear the muffled voices from the other side of the door. It was his other self and the red haired witch. They were discussing someone named Dawn.

Spike shook his head in annoyance, wondering what was wrong with this version of himself. He so obviously wanted the witch, why didn't he just take her? Spike's face broke into a wicked grin. Well, it was his loss then. Because he'd take Willow right out from underneath his nose. And no one would be able to stop him.

Spike entered the bathroom and looked down at his counterpart with loathing mixed with envy. Seeing this other Spike brought to mind his past and the kind of vampire he used to be. He remembered the clarity he used to have, the only thing that really mattered was the hunger. The feeling he got from the hunt and the kill. There was no nagging bit of conscience, no thought at all about his victim. Only blood. And his lust for it. The only other being he'd ever cared for was Drusilla. But even his emotions for her were bound up in his need to be needed by someone. She was special to him in many ways but she had always been his doll, his possession. Something precious that he coddled when he felt like it. Other than Dru, Spike had been virtually carefree and so powerful.

Now, he cared for all the Scoobies, even droopy boy, Xander. He now had priorities other than his own needs and desires. Like Willow. He had longings for something that Spike knew he would never be able to quench. Like Willow.

"What are you lookin' at, mate?"

"Not a thing." Spike said averting his eyes and strolling over to lean against the wall.

The other Spike clanked his chains together. "I've had enough of this. These are starting to get uncomfortable."

"Yeah, I remember."

"This happened to you too?" Spike asked incredulously. His twin merely nodded. He had previously thought that the witch was this Spike's objective. He wasn't so sure anymore. Maybe there was something else at work here. Spike #2's grin was sly, "Why don't you tell me more about yourself, mate. Last night I did all the talkin'."

"Sod off! I don't feel like talking right now."

Spike sniffed the air knowingly. Willow's scent had floated in with the other vampire. He could smell the perfume she wore, her potent blood, and a shimmer of magick in the air. "Feel like shagging, don't you? I know you want her."

"You don't know a thing!" Spike snarled, game face coming into place. What the hell was wrong with him? Bad enough that he'd had a 'thing' for the Slayer. Now, her body was barely cold in the ground and he was lusting after her best friend. So much for true love and all that rot. So which feelings were real? The ones he had for the Slayer or the ones he had for Willow? Bugger.

Spike raised a scornful eyebrow. A new plan began to form. A much better plan. "Oh, really? Look, mate, you can fool those humans out there with your goody two shoes act, but we both know what you really are. A demon. As a matter of fact, I can see it on your face right now. You might have the same packing but you aren't human, got that? So stop trying to act like one, you pillock!"

"I know I'm a demon." Spike said quietly, ashamed. For the first time, he could be honest with himself. . .and his other self. "She deserves better than me. I'm just a monster." The Slayer rejected him. No reason the beautiful witch wouldn't. Though, he bet she'd try to let him down easy. She wouldn't punch his lights out.

"Piffle." Spike made a disgusted noise. "You're telling me that a fiery, powerful witch wants. . .what? A boy? Some stupid sod like that Dander?"

"Xander."

"Like it matters. No, she wants a demon! Someone who can stand up to her, someone who could be her equal, her mate."

"She likes women." Spike said doubtfully. His other self was very convincing. Hmmm. . . .maybe it was possible, Willow could be his.

"And that's a bad thing?" Spike 2 smiled provocatively. "But she also likes men, I've seen the way she eyes us."

"What are you getting out of this?" Spike asked curiously.

"I want her too. Together, we can have her."

"I don't share."

"I don't either, under normal circumstances. " Not that we'll be sharing once I take her back to my dimension with me. Witch like that, she can probably whip up a spell and poof. . .we're back in my Sunnyhell. Spike spread his hands, trying to look reasonable. " Besides, who would you rather share with than yourself?"

He had a bloody good point there. Once his other half helped him seduce Willow, he could cheerfully send him back where he came from. Willow would be his. "Fine, let's do it. We'll seduce Willow. She can be ours." Temporarily, ours. Then, she'll be just mine.

"Right, ours." Temporarily.

********

Willow stood on the other side of the door, listening with rapt attention to the vampires. Seducing her? What the hell? She fought the urge to open this door, let loose with her magick and let the dust fall where it may. Arrogant vampires! So typically male. And they all wondered why she'd 'switched teams', as Anya put it. Spike 2, she understood. Being an evil vampire, his thoughts were pretty much. Blood. Shag. Smoke, etc.

But her Spike? Wait a second, 'her' Spike? She shook her head to clear it, the Spike from this world knew better. He'd grown so much in the last year. His love for the Slayer had changed him. She was barely in the ground and he was planning to seduce her? He didn't even like her, though he had a fondness for her blood. This had to be some cruel demon joke or something. Well, she had a plan in store for both of them. They wanted to seduce her? Well, she'd let them. Only they'd be dealing with Vamp Willow! She smirked as she walked over to the phone to call Anya. The ex-demon was going to help her get in touch with her other self.

******** Willow stared at her other self with an appraising eye. Vamp Willow was younger, her hair was longer, and she wore a little girl pout on her dark red lips. Anya had reluctantly agreed to help bring her here. The vampiress was currently imprisoned behind the same kind of barrier the other Spike had been. "Oh, its you again." Vamp Willow smiled seductively at her human counterpart. "Change your mind?"

"Good, you remember me."

"I just left."

"I guess it would seem that way to you. What was that about my mind? Oh, about being a vampire? Nope, I like being human. I do need a favor though."

"Short hair now." She tilted her head to the side, thinking. "Like it." Willow cleared her throat. "So? Tell me." Then, Vamp Willow crossed her arms over her chest and sighed dramatically as if listening to the proposition would be an extremely difficult and annoying task.

Willow took a very deep breath before she began her very long winded request. As she finished it, she smiled hesitantly. "Well?"

Vamp Willow gave the human her most salacious grin. "Mmm. . .Spike. I know him, he's yummy. And I thought your world was no fun." She sighed dramatically once more. "I'll do it." She cast a critical eye towards Willow's clothes. "But I don't want to wear pink, fuzzy things."

"Too bad, Spike likes me in pink fuzzy sweaters." Willow gave a small, secretive smile. Anya, who was watching the exchange with bemusement, looked at Willow with respect. Willow and Spike had a history, who knew?

She wrinkled her nose. "He does?" Then, she rose one perfectly plucked eyebrow as she caught Willow's drift. "Knew you could be bad."

*******

Spike stood at the foot of Buffy's grave plot. He knew that the Slayer wasn't really buried there but it gave him her name to look at when he spoke. "I never really loved you, Slayer." He began to space, needing to move as he began to let everything out. "Don't get me wrong, I was bloody well obsessed for a while. Running around, collecting bits of stuff that was yours. Acted like one of those bleedin' body band groupies. Gettin' all excited about your picture. But's it was the kind of thing I felt for Cecily, it wasn't real. Not like what I felt for Dru. I liked the idea of you, forbidden fruit I guess. Put you on a bloody pedestal, I did. Look, but don't touch, y'know. Probably cause you belonged to my sire. With Red, it's different. She's mine, knew it for a long time. She just doesn't know it yet. She'll accept me, warts and all." Spike shuddered at the accidental toad reference. " She likes the darkness, it doesn't frighten her. She's a part of me."

Spike stopped then and reached out a hand to brush some dirt from the tombstone. "Doesn't mean that I won't honor my promise to you. Dawn is mine, I'll take care of her as long as she lives. Nibblet is almost like my own sister now. Did I ever tell you about that, Slayer? I had three little sisters. Dawn reminds me of the youngest, Bess. She was a little princess, a real beauty with her brown hair in ringlets. Dawn is safe with me, I'll protect her with my life. Don't you be worrying about that, or Willow either. I'll be good to both of my ladies." He stood up again. "Bye, Slayer. Rest in peace, you bloody well earned it." Spike lit up a smoke as he picked up his bag of weapons and made his way out of the graveyard. He felt free, released from his burdens. Spike had said his goodbyes and it was time to move on, time to find Willow.

*******

Willow surveyed her handiwork and grinned. Vamp Willow was wearing a pair of faded black jeans and a silver tank top, around her throat was a beaded choker. Willow had cut her hair so that it matched her own style, flowing in a riot of bright red curls. She had let the vamp keep her trademark dark makeup. "You look great." The two of them were sitting in Xander's bathroom.

The vampiress grin was wicked. "You too." In a flash, she was on her feet with Willow pressed against the wall. Her cool tongue slipped out to lick an icy path along Willow' s exposed neck. "Time to be bad." Her fangs extended, eager to taste the rich blood of her other self when a rush of pain, exploding in her head staggered her.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Willow said, not without some sympathy.

"What did you do?" The vampiress growled.

"Gave you a mental chip, so to speak." She opened a drawer in the small bathroom and produced a bloodied black t-shirt. "Spike's shirt, he got hurt by a V'losh demon last night. Using his blood, I made a mental link of the synapses in your brain with a spell. That way you are non-bitey during your brief stay in Sunnydale." Vamp Willow scowled, she didn't understand exactly what a 'chip' was but it hurt something fierce and she wasn't eager to repeat the experience. "You didn't think I 'd let you roam around, biting as you pleased, did you? I'll undo it right before you go home." Willow knew her vampire self couldn't be trusted so she had been forced to find a quick solution.

"Hungry." She said in a plaintive tone.

"How about some bagged blood?"

Vamp Willow rolled her eyes, she was hoping for an offer of witch blood. "I'll eat at home."

*******

Xander smiled as he walked in the door of his apartment, like he always did. He was coming home to the woman he loved and would one day marry. Sometimes, life could bring you the biggest joy as it brought you a tragedy. Xander was finally coming to terms with Buffy's death. He now hoped that she would find peace in heaven with her mother. He loved both Summers' women dearly and knew that they were reunited once more and it was a comfort to him. It seemed as if Buffy's life was always a struggle here, he was glad that she wouldn't be forced to make painful decisions or fight terrible demons anymore. She deserved to be rewarded for her good works.

Shaking off his thoughts in typical Xander fashion, he affected an thick accent. "Lucy, I'm home." He called. No answer. "Anya?"

"Xander." A soft voice said, he turned to see Willow emerge from the other room. She practically slunk in the room, hips swaying slowly.

"Uh, Wills, whatcha doin'?"

"Nothing." She held out her arms to him. "Hug."

Xander frowned but moved forward and hugged his friend in a perfunctory manner. "Where's Anya?"

"In the other room. " She moved closer to him, running a hand down his chest. "I'm bored, Xander. Wanna make it go away?"

"Wills, what are you doing? We stopped this a long time ago. I'm in love with-"

"Me. Always and always." She poked a cool finger in between the buttons on his shirt, grazing the soft hair on his chest. "Missed you."

"You did? Well, that's. . .uh, nice. Missed you too, because you're my friend. Yes, my very best friend. And friends don't touch engaged male friends in naughty ways." He pulled her hand from his chest and found it cool to the touch. Wait a second! That pouty expression, the skin tight clothes, and the sudden Xander-lust! "You're a vampire!" He screamed out as he stepped back. "What did you do with Anya?"

"Nothing, Xander." Anya's voice said, she stepped out in the living room. "I'm fine." She was followed by another redhead. Two of them? God, at this rate, there would be an annual Sunnydale 'bring your evil twin picnic'. "Willow, what's going on?"

"I'm going to teach the Spikes a little lesson." Willow said, smiling. She looked at Vamp Willow. "I'll do a spell to fix the cold problem."

"Okay, not gonna ask for that story cause that might be scary. And, plus, Spikes and Vamp Willows . . .eww." He looked at the vampire. "Why aren't you biting?"

"Long story." The live and undead versions of his best friend answered.

Anya smiled. "It's a plan worthy of a vengeance demon." She beamed at Willow. "I'm so proud. We needed to test her on you, thank you for participating." Then, she remembered Xander's colorful entrance. She narrowed her eyes. "Who's Lucy? And why does she want to know you're home?"

*******

Spike finished off the last V'Losh demon with a blow to the neck with his battle ax. The buggers had attacked him last night in a huge group and now they were paying the price. He wiped the blade on the grass. Spike had refused to let Willow take the patrol because he knew the demons would be out in large numbers. It was far too dangerous to risk having her hurt by them.

"That was messy." Spike whirled to see his Red standing underneath a lamp post.

"What are you doing out here, luv? You could have been hurt."

"Lonely." She lowered her eyes from his intense gaze.

"You missed me, then?" Spike was flush with pleasure. Was she seeking him out now? This might be easier than he thought.

"Very much." Vamp Willow tried to look shy. "Are you done patrolling? We could have a drink and. . .I don't know. . talk?"

"I'd like that, pet." Spike walked over and put an arm around her as he escorted her back to the Watcher's place. Other world Spike, eat your bleedin' heart out.

*******

Willow stood in Giles' bedroom watching the two vampires walk in the apartment together. She'd given her vampire self an magickal invite already, since she was the defacto resident. For some reason, she almost felt jealous. Jealous? She had Tara, didn't she? She'd taken on a goddess to save her. There was something about Spike though. She couldn't define it. But it was almost impossible to take her eyes off of him somehow.

Too bad that he'd had eyes only for Buffy. His talk of seduction the other night had to have been a cruel joke. True, the other Spike wanted her, but not this Spike. No, he wanted only the Slayer. The blond haired, hazel-eyed, perfect Slayer. Not the silly red haired witch that he thought her to be.

Willow shook her head. She shouldn't think that way about Buffy. She loved Buffy. She had almost been a sister to her. Though, sometimes Willow identified with Dawn. She felt like the younger, awkward sister who would never measure up. Not that she didn't miss the Slayer. A part of her would always miss Buffy, but she wished her friend well in her new existence, knew that one day she would rejoin her.

But that still left the Spike problem. The vampire stirred up some feelings in her that she thought she had ceased to have for the male sex. Willow needed to know how she felt about Spike.

*******

Spike watched Willow sipping a cup of tea with obvious distaste. He had a mug of blood in his hand and her eyes kept straying to it. "Does this bother you, pet?" Odd, since the Slayers death head had often ate around her and he got the impression that she didn't mind anymore.

"Yes." Vamp Willow was so unbelievably hungry. She shook her head. "No. I'm distracted."

Spike was confused, normally his Red was a regular chatterbox. Tonight she was oddly quiet and childlike. It unnerved him, he enjoyed Willow's cheerful conversation, the way her eyes would light up as she told him something funny. "Something wrong?"

"Hungry."

"Want a pizza? I like the crust and blood makes a good dipping sauce."

"Mmmm. . .dipping sauce." Her face changed as the hunger over took her.

"Willow?" He backed away in horror. No, someone had taken his Red from him. She was HIS, dammit! Who did this to you?"

"What?" Vamp Willow eyes the half-eaten red liquid in the cup.

"Who did this to you? You were supposed to be mine. I was going to be your bleedin' sire, the only vampire you'd ever know."

"Spike!" Willow said from the stairwell."

"Willow?" Spike looked at the other human, redhead and he began to rapidly approach her. "I played a trick on you. I was angry that you and -"

Her words were cut off as his mouth descended. Spike crushed her against the wall as his mouth established his hunger and his claim on her. He broke away when she was nearly boneless. "Wow."

"Wow, indeed." Spike said smugly. He turned to look at her vampire counterpart. "Where did she come from?"

"This hell world that Anya created."

Spike was interested. "Tell me that story another time, pet." He looked at the replica with a more discriminating eye. "She's a bit younger, isn't she?"

"Bored now." Vamp Willow intoned. "Didn't get to play either." She scowled at Spike fiercely. "Bad puppy."

"Send her home, pet. I'm no one's bleedin' puppy."

"You were my puppy."

"What?" Willow said. "You mentioned something about a puppy last time you were here."

Vamp Willow nodded. "Angel and Spike were my puppies for a while." She turned her head to the side. "The Master gave them both to me. But Spikey was bad one day so I punished him."

"Let me guess? I didn't survive it?"

"No. I was disappointed." In the distance, chains clinked together.

"I forgot about the other Spike." Willow said softly. Poor vamp hadn't eaten in a few hours because she'd been busy with the vampiress.

"He's chained up?" Vamp Willow could hardly contain her excitement. "Puppy!" She called excitedly.

Spike watched the vampiress make a bee line for the bathroom with a smirk. You wanted a Willow, mate? Well, you've got one now. He smiled at his flesh and blood Willow. At least he didn't get to kiss the real one yet.

"Bloody hell! What are you doing with that match, you crazy bint?" Came a cry from the other room.

Showing how far, her talents had really come, Willow put her hands in the air. "The show is over, put out the lights. Send the creature back to the darkness, back to the night. Three time three, the power of nine, send her back to her own place, her own time. So mote it be." A bolt of power issued from her hands and sought out the red vampiress. They ran into the other room in time to see her vanish in a haze of light.

"You didn't need Anya to do that?"

"No, I just didn't remember the spell that she had used."

They both looked at the chained Spike. He had a nasty burn on his chest, his black shirt hung in strips. He was pissed. "Who, the bleedin' hell, was that bitch?"

"Me." Willow said sweetly. "Still wanna turn me?"

Spike 2 smirked. "If you were my child, luv, I'd be the one doing the discipline. But I guarantee you'd enjoy it."