showme

"Spike?"

It was whispered. He heard it. It whispered.

"Can you hear me? Are you in there?"

So soft a voice. And fingertips on the edge of his hairline. He knew the voice. He'd tell it stories.

"I yanked her out of the coal bin and ripped her tiny little throat out. She had big blue eyes like yours." Then he
broke down. "And curly blonde hair."

Something right in the center of his chest ached. Had he been staked? No, it was a different pain. It had to be. It
burned and itched, and if he could move his hands, he'd scratch it out.

"Spike..."

"Don't say that. I can't... be..."

"Please don't cry." But she was crying too.

"My heart expands, tis grown a bulge in it. Inspired by your beauty, effulgent."

"And I wonder what possible catastrophe came crashing down from heaven and brought this dashing stranger
to tears." Came the whisper of Drusilla.

"Burning baby fish." He replied with a loud chuckle.

Then his vision cleared, and he could see Dawn leaned over him and scowling.... with blue eyes filled with tears.
He didn't want her to cry.

"Dawn?"

Dawn ground her teeth. She'd been leaned over him for almost a half hour, and now he decided she was
actually there? Spike was not allowed to be crazy. It was not happening.

"Little one?" Drusilla whispered. "Little one of the one?"

Dawn turned and looked at Drusilla slowly. Chills were running down her spine.

"Yes, Drusilla?"

"Please, call me Dru. Most do. That or crazy murdering vampire bitch, but I prefer Dru. Oh, that sort of rhymed a
bit. Dru Dru bloodletting coo-coo."

Dawn was just staring.

"Do I frighten you, dearie?"

"Maybe just a little."

Drusilla laughed. It wasn't maniacal or evil. It had a bubbly giggle quality. In the barest threads of her sanity,
Drusilla decided she liked the girl's honesty and would never eat her.

"I see lightening."

Dawn looked at her.

"And fevered flesh."

"Ok, now you've gone a little creepy."

"Something is awake in me, little one. It swirls and spins. If I can but hold it still, I'll have such a moment that the
world will notice. I see, you know."

"See?"

"Things as they will be."

"Oh?"

"You as you will be, hands in his hands and little hands all over the both of you. They will have everything you did
not."

"Wh-what?"

"You're important, dearie."

"Dawn?" A different voice called.

Dawn jumped at the sound of Buffy's voice. She had not realized that she'd sat on the edge of Dru's bed at
some point during their 'talk'.

"What are you doing?"

"I was just... we were... I... well, I'm not really sure."

Buffy moved quickly and pulled her sister back from Drusilla. She remembered all too well about what Giles had
once told her about Dru's ability to get inside someone's head and hypnotize them in a way. If Kendra, a slayer,
had not been able to resist, what chance did Dawn have?

"Come on." Buffy said. "Xander wants to say bye, and I need to tell you some stuff."

"Is the sex talk? Because you don't have to. Really. Anya already-"

"Anya!? Oh I shudder to think. Let's go." Buffy pulled Dawn off.

Amy slipped silently through the curtains drawn around the beds of Spike, Dru, and Alex. She crept carefully to
Spike's bed and somehow managed to situate herself in between his strapped down ankles. She put her feet
on either side of his hips and leaned forward, propping her arms on her knees. She was thankful for the
pajamas that Minerva had gotten for her. A nightgown just wouldn't have made this seating arrangement
possible. They were a sturdy flannel. A nice red plaid.

His eyes were open, but Amy wasn't certain he was awake. Those eyes suddenly darted to her.

As Drusilla spoke. "The mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck one. The mouse, she ran.... and found she
wanted Spike's-"

"Whoa!"

Drusilla looked up as Draco stepped through the curtains.

"No dirty rhymes, luv."

Amy smiled at Draco.

"What do you see in Uncle Spike, Amy? Tell us all."

She scowled at him.

"Oh that's right. We're still not speaking."

Amy's glare intensified.

"Oh don't be like that. At least your mother isn't sticking around to torment you while everyone else goes off and
works."

Amy's face showed shock.

"Oh yes. She's staying here.... to keep an eye on her son. The EVIL eye."

She looked at him with an exasperated face.

"She tried to kill me."

Amy folded her arms across her chest. "Whose mother hasn't tried to kill them?" Her voice cracked horribly
from disuse.

Draco's jaw dropped open in shock. Amy looked just as surprised.

"You spoke." Spike said.

Draco looked at him in alarm. "Uncle Spike."

"Hola, chico! Alimentaremos los monos hoy?"

Draco's eyes went wide. He knew a bit of Spanish because of Dawn. The only words he could pick out were
hello, boy, and monkey. At those words, Draco was uncertain if he WANTED to know what else was said.

"I think my Spike's a little crazy." Drusilla muttered.

Draco exchanged a look with Amy.

*~*~*~*~*

Something else entirely was going on in Spike's head though.

He was having a hard time filtering through the endless screams to get to Dawn. Or Amy. Or Draco. He could
hear Drusilla's voice. It was all slippery in his brain. The screams clouded it.

The room went on as normal with talking, but Spike heard a different voice.

"What ARE you doing, William?"

"Edward?"

"And what have you done to your heart, dear boy?" Edward, or was it Edward, said as he picked at a bleached
lock on Spike's forehead.

He looked so much like Lucius Malfoy it was frightening. Except the hair being a bit shorter, he was every
picture Draco had ever showed Spike of Lucius. How could Spike have let Edward's appearance fade so in his
memory? His own brother... that he had tried to kill so many times.

"What are you doing here?"

"I've come to haunt you, of course."

"Fan bloody tastic."

"You've got to snap out of this one, old boy."

"Who in the bloody hell are YOU calling old, you tosser. You're the eldest brother. You were always are great
ruddy arse about THAT fact. Edward was the elder, William the younger. The middle child."

"Enough of the Jan Brady syndrome, brother. Fact is, you just do not have time for the nervous breakdown you
deserve."

"What?"

"Soul? As in yours. So what. You're always talking about how much tougher than Angel you are. Prove it. Come
out of this cloud you're in."

"Oh that's easy for you to say, haunty boy. You aren't the bloke who's killed lots of people."

"Well, no, I'm not. As I'm sure you recall, I had a habit of rescuing stray kittens and setting them up in good
homes."

"Oh shut the hell up, Eddie."

"I don't think I like that deplorable nickname or your tone... Willie."

"Bugger off."

"Sorry, chap. I'm with you until you snap out of this."

"Why?"

"To change the cards of the Malfoy tarot table. We used to be a good set. Draco's leaning back that way, but
that mother of his will have to be watched. She's like Lucius."

"Don't get cryptic."

"Malfoys used to fight evil, you dolt. I want it back that way again. I'm tired of rolling over in my grave every time
Lucius does something so typically 'Malfoy' of now."

"You want I should lead the goody two shoes brigade?" Spike said, affronted. "I'm evil, dammit!"

"You weren't always, William, and even without that soul that's nicely nestled in you again, you loved.
Passionately. You cared for Draco and Tara because they were of your line. You fell in love with the enemy of
your demonic kind, and have grown to care for her sister. I'm not sure you realize how much Dawn would risk for
you. The creature that inspires such feelings in one made of such purity of spirit can not be a wholly evil entity.
You may not have the love of the ones you want, William, but you do have love. Go back to it."

"Just go back? That easy, is it?"

"I never said the word easy."

"Then why should I bother?"

Edward smirked at him. That damned Malfoy smirk. "Why indeed. Because they don't think you can. Not yet at
any rate. So what will be your reason?"

"What?"

"Your reason to be."

"My..."

"Go back to them. Deal, but find a reason. Is it her?" Edward motioned to Amy.

"No."

"You think it's that blonde slayer? No, William. Be reasonable. The thought of her was able to break you free,
but the rest is with someone else."

"She isn't... Amy is not..."

"Should be. You should exist for one as her. Tarty little Draco liked her."

"Draco's not tarty. That's a girl trait, thank you."

Edward snorted. "All Malfoys are tarty. Especially the men, and especially him. I certainly hope that redhead
holds his attention long enough. He has the great potential to be a manwhore."

"I'll be sure to tell him you said so."

"Look... Drusilla's always going to be bit... off. She was off before she was turned, but you were smart, William.
Squib or no, you've got that Malfoy stubbornness. There are things for you too, William. Things you'll need that
great thinking brain of yours for. Why do you think they've tried to disable you with your guilt? They know you'll
play a role in their demise. Do not let them puppet you, boy. Be defiant. You can not allow them to win. So wake
the hell up!"

Spike gasped.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Draco had been getting Amy to work out her greatly under-used voice when Spike gasped loudly and arched
his back.

His blue eyes landed on the two of them.

"Look who's home." Drusilla whispered.

"Spike?" Amy asked.

"You're talking."

"A little."

"That is the most pleasant sound I've heard in a long while."

Amy blushed and looked away. Draco rolled his eyes, and Drusilla snorted.

"Get me out of this." Spike said tugging at the magical bindings that had him strapped to the bed.

"Madam Pomfrey will need to have a look at you."

Spike growled at Draco for that. The boy actually managed to scoop Amy up off the end of Spike's bed and
back away with her rather quickly.

"Truth is we don't know what this did to you. We don't even know if it WAS a soul. What if it was something
else?" Draco asked in even tones.

"Don't feel like it was something else. Besides, Edward said-"

"Edward?"

"Edward Malfoy. Keep up. He said-"

"Your brother? The Edward Malfoy that's very dead?"

"Well, yeah."

Draco just gave him a look.

"I'm not crazy."

Drusilla started cackling.

"I'm not."

"Look, I know it was touch and go for a few there, but it's me. Honest. All the marbles in the noggin here. And..."
He looked down and noticed the pajamas he was in for the first time. "I am feeling strangely like throttling
whoever put me in this."

They were green pajamas with little froggies on them.

"Obviously Red and Chameleon haven't seen this."

Amy made a face.

"Frog fear, an' all."

Draco finally set Amy on her feet. "Are you really you?"

Spike shrugged. "What do you think?"

"I..."

"Bloody hell!" He started fighting his bonds again. "Get me out of here! I can't stand this! Plus there are things I
need to do!"

Draco looked at him warily, but then quickly moved and unstrapped and unmagicked him. Spike shot out of the
bed like a spring. Draco shouted in alarm when he found himself engulfed in a hug.

"Oh shit! He's going to drain me dry! Amy, help!"

Spike pulled back and looked at his relative in exasperation. "Like I'd bite you with Amy standing right here. I
know she'd taste a whole lot better."

In a flash, Spike was away from Draco and had snatched Amy off her feet. She shouted in surprise and a bit of
fear, but he had hefted her so high. His arms were locked under her rear, his face even with her belly, so unless
he planned to drain her by way of fanging her bellybutton.....

Poppy dropped a vial of sleeping potion when Spike burst through the curtains she had drawn around her three
vampire patients' beds with Amy in his arms. He was spinning her around dangerously fast. It wasn't just Spike
laughing and shouting that startled her. It was Amy's giggling. Draco stepped out behind them with his arms
folded across his chest, a smirk on his face. And not a nasty one either, a pleased smirk.

"What is Spike doing loose?" Cordelia asked aloud. "I thought he was...." She twirled her finger near her
temple in the universal sign for loony.

Everyone helping or sitting awake in the infirmary that morning paused. Cordelia and Fred, being the
bandagers of AI, were actually fairly helpful. Connor, not having classes, was there. Lily was still in bed, as was
Cassie, though Lily was sitting up and fidgeting because she was antsy to be out of bed. Draco and Dawn, who
Buffy had dragged off somewhere, had volunteered. As had Ron and Ginny, anything to get out of class. Harry,
Hermione, and Neville were supposedly coming after their classes. Harry had tried to get out of his, but
Hermione had protested very loudly about it. Far be it from Hermione to miss schoolwork. Anne and Gwen, with
nothing better to do before leaving back for LA, had offered to help. Faith had taken off as soon as Poppy had
pronounced her well enough to do so though. She said she'd had enough of hospital beds.

Of course, Lorne was still there being Poppy's little helper, but many suspected that was just because he liked
wearing the nurse's apron.

Currently they were all on pause while looking at Spike.

"I think he's all right." Draco said.

"What ARE you doing?" Edward asked.

Spike jerked to a stop and set Amy on her feet. Of course no one else save Spike could see old Eddie boy.

"I thought you said..."

"Oh like you're going to snap out of this in one day, chap." Edward said drolly.

"Oh fabulous. Would you mind not talking to me while everyone else is about?"

Everyone was looking at Spike like he was crazy. They saw him talking to air.

"Great. Just great, Ed. Straight jackets and crazy flakes, anyone?"

Edward started laughing.

"If you don't leave off, they're going to strap me back to the bed." Spike muttered through his teeth while
gesturing to the bed.

When he looked back up, everyone who owned a wand in the room had said wand pointed at him.

"Bloody hell. Or they'll just hex the piss right out of me."

He turned and ran from the infirmary, having no idea how he managed to dodge and duck as many hexes as
were thrown at him. He even stumbled and fell once, not used to running in socks.

All he knew was that they weren't strapping him back down to that bed unless it was for sexual experimentation
purposes.

*~*~*

end part

Hola, chico! Alimentaremos los monos hoy?

equals...

Hey, boy! Do we feed the monkeys today?