"Oh yeah, pet…that'll show him…", Spike mocked darkly, lips sculpted in a smirk. Vampires arose as darkness fell, taunted by pulsing hearts and the smell of fresh blood enclosed in young veins. This time one had dashed after Willow. The night was disturbed by the sounds of a breathless struggle for life. The girl had been rushing home after an unusually late study session in the library. The blond vampire had silently persecuted her out of deep-rooted habit, mind coming to blows with the fact that he couldn't have her. It was not long after his first glimpse of the anxious redhead that his senses awoke to the fact that they were not alone. A sneaky, dark-haired fledgling lurked in an unlit corner within Spike's visual range. The vampire froze, coolly surveying the other's moves. Willow's hearing did not deceive her either. Her arm slid to the back of her waistband, as she quickly claimed some means of defence. Spike's brows arched in reluctant admiration. Sliding nearer, he concealed himself thoroughly, curious as to further developments. The girl braced herself for the assault. Books were dropped.

"So is this gonna take all night, 'cause I kinda have a date…y-yeah, a d-date!, a-and-" The time for quivering flippancy was up. With a furious growl, the fledgling lunged at her. Brutal contact sent her crashing to the ground with a shriek, yet a short temper was summoned in her aid. Without warning, she punched her attacker, rolling to the side. The duster-clad bystander in the shadows grinned, toying with a lighter, yet his eyes darkened at the girl's every motion to thwart the bloodthirsty creature. Willow was fighting off a gelid hand clutching her foot, desperately dragging herself away. Breath was scarce and her heart screamed with the effort not to rupture. To Spike, it was distracting. He averted his eyes briefly, lighting a cigarette. Smoke was swiftly spewed out as his eyes widened once more. The girl's first attempt to dust the fledgling had been fruitless, earning her a vicious blow to the face. For a moment, it seemed all was lost, yet Willow was driven by something strong. Legs kicked out against the other's stomach while he clawed at the clothes protecting her skin. With a violent sweep of his arm, the stake went flying into nowhere. Spike rolled his eyes. Willow wondered the same, green eyes choked with fear. In a split second decision, her teeth sank into the claw squeezing her throat. The fledgling yelled, releasing her neck. Blue eyes glinted, as a very entertained hand beat a casual rhythm against leather. Before the fanged one could strike her again, she had found her second stake and crawled backwards towards a tree, brushing a cleansing palm against her tongue. Now was the time to try again. Hiding the piece of wood from livid black eyes, she leaned against the tree trunk, adopting a lounging attitude she was far from feeling, a terrified but obstinate young woman. The stunned fledgling considered his options, refusing to accept that dessert was leaving a bewildering taste of hell on his tongue. Spike scanned the other's face, biting his lip with relish. Willow waited, looking everywhere for an exit in case Plan A fell through. Her fingernails dug into the stake. Her blood cast a spell on the crazed aggressor making him charge blindly against his prey. With a quick flick of the wrist, she stabbed him through the heart, flinching as he burst into ashes. Silence reigned. Spike trapped the girl under a blue gaze, enmeshed in his own fight. She slid onto the ground with a small sob, arms circling raised knees. Red hair sunk into her lap as she cried long and hard. The blond vampire witnessed the young girl's collapse, pacing in the dark, unable to take his eyes off her. Her head rose sharply to the sound of footsteps on concrete.

"Easy, pet, I'm not gonna bite." She stared at him.

"Spike?…what…where…" A harsh cloud of physical pain made speaking unbearable.

"Just got here. That was…impressive.", Spike remarked in a sardonic tone.

"You s-saw m-me…?", she was incredulous, "and-"

"Saw you dust the bloke.", he interrupted. Willow scrambled to her feet, deciding to make sense of the episode later on. "Yeah…I kicked ass…", she whispered brokenly, touching a bruised left cheek with shuddering fingers. The vampire's eyes narrowed.

"He had his fun, I see."

"Fun…? What fun…oh, this. Bad case of the angries…"

"Put some ice on it."

Willow was too baffled to register his words. Turning away, she decided the conversation was over. The intensity of his staring unsettled her. There was something profoundly strange about it, yet she was in no condition to find out what. A leather-clad arm grasped hers, causing her to jump. "I'll walk you back." Green eyes frowned, then gave up. Blue ones brooded.

"No Slayer tonight?" Willow glanced at him in a daze.

"No. Just me." Spike nodded as if to himself. The lighter flared up against his fourth cigarette. "A bit late to be out alone." The girl's lips trembled into the beginnings of a smile.

"What, is there a curfew I should know about?", she asked. The vampire at her side shrugged. "No. What were you doing?" The smile turned into puzzlement. "Studying…in the library." Spike suddenly shoved his hand inside an inner pocket and took out something. "Here." She shook at the sight. Her first stake. "Thanks." His fists clenched at her caginess. Willow wished for nothing more extravagant than a shower and her bed. A non-biting undead escort was the last thing she needed, safety be damned. Her mind sought for an excuse to say goodnight right there and then. Nothing. She decided that making small-talk might take the edge off the unforeseen.

"It flew right out of my hand…I thought I was dead."

"Not surprising." His voice sounded guarded.

"Yeah…", she sighed, "I mean, I deal with this everyday, but-"

"Not like that.", he cut in. Willow stared at him, eyes dark.

"No.", she agreed, "he was out of his mind. I've never felt so scared…", she finally admitted, shoulders sagging. Spike crushed a lifeless cigarette underfoot, smirking.

"He was fresh from the grave, the twat." There was ice in his tone. "Should've stayed there." The girl was frozen by this remark. The words should have been hers, not his.

"He was a person once.", she reacted defensively. "I mean…he did try to kill me and all, but…", she paused for thought, "someone killed him first." Green eyes were turned to Spike's, trying to reason with his callousness. "Maybe he went to lectures with me and I never knew him or maybe he worked, like Xander and-", her voice was appalled at what her reasoning had led to. It silenced itself.

"He had an unlife and he tossed it! The end.", Spike snapped, perplexity stamped on his face. Willow shook her head vehemently. "No! Not the end! I killed someone who was a human being once! My age!", she insisted. "It was self-defence…but I still did it.", she finished, "I did it." Spike was staring at her as if she had suddenly grown two heads. "Red, he smacked you around, he tried to bite a chunk outta you, HELL!, he would've done a lot worse…", he was drowning in disbelief. "Willow…" Her name on his lips startled her, yet she was still thrashing against herself. "Not if someone hadn't done it to him first!" Spike's hands brushed through bleached hair. She wasn't looking at him. A lost tear tumbled down her sore cheek. Cold fingers reached up to touch it. It scalded. She winced. He dropped his hand, still rapt, a misshapen smile leaping to his mouth.

"Let's go, pet."

THE END