Disclaimer: I don't own them

Summary: Spike (and William) came back to life to pay some unpaid debts. Pretty much ignores the (wonderful!) things happening on Angel

William stared at Angel.

Angel stared at William.

Buffy alternated staring at Spike and staring at William.

Willow stared at Spike.

Spike closed his eyes. "What a bloody poor time for a bloke to have his ribs stove in by his ex. Bloody poor!"

William stepped closer, stepping between the trio and Spike. "Now would be a good time to get up." He whispered.

Buffy stared at him. "You're William?" She said. "But. . . that's Spike."

"You're repeating yourself." William told her.

"No, no, I'm not." She replied. "Will?"

"Yes?" Said William, just as Willow said the same thing. For a second the two Wills stared at each other. Then Buffy spoke again.

"Willow. Is that.. . is that his soul? In its own body?"

"Hey! I am not an it, and I can prove it!" Said William. Spike rolled his eyes.

"Just get me some blood. We only have an hour or so before sunrise."

"Blood all over, just right there." Said William.

"Hey!" Said Spike. "What happened to we don't drink human blood?"

"He's dead, he won't mind." Said William blithely.

"That's Spike's soul all right." Said Buffy. Angel glowered.

"What is this? Some kind of shanshu?" He asked.

"No." Said William. "We're going to leave again at sunrise. We have work to do, Spike. Just drink his blood."

Spike grabbed the corpse. "Bet they don't like this." He said, sinking his fangs into the corspe's open neck.

"Hey!" Said Buffy. She started forward, but William stopped her.

"Don't." He said. "You have no idea what the stakes are, here. Failure is not an option."

Angel shook his head. "This is ridiculous." He said. "There's no way you're his conscience."

"But think of how much it explains." Said Buffy.

"What're you lot doing here, anyway?" Asked William.

"We felt you." Said Willow. "Well, I did. When you tore apart the fabrics of reality."

"We'll fix it." Said William. "We're here to fix it all." He glanced at Angel. "Buffy, you might want to restrain him. He's got that killer look in his eye again."

Angel turned his head, and Spike stood up.

"Oh, I forgot how invigorating blood could be!" He said, morphing back into human face. "Everybody ready to go hunt Dru down like a sick dog?"

"Drusilla's here?" Asked Angel, snapping to attention.

"What, couldn't smell her?" Asked William. "Too distracted by your least- favorite scent? Yeah, she's here. Let's do this right, eh? You lot get back in your chopper. We'll go play rescue."

"No way!" Said Buffy. "We do this right. I want a piece of her."

"Fat. Chance." Growled Spike. He stepped closer. "I owe her a debt. One I intend to pay in full."

"I think I'm the one who owes her a debt." Said Angel. "There's no way-!"

Spike shot forward and punched Angel in the chin, sending him flying to the ground. "Easy way, hard way, we're doing this alone!" He growled. "I have less than an hour left!"

"No mercy." Whispered William. "Do you want the fight?"

"I want it!" Whispered Spike, staring at Buffy while Willow went to help Angel to his feet.

"Do you need the fight?" Asked William.

"More than ever."

"Yeah!" Whispered William. "Now get out of our face!" He yelled at Buffy.

"Whoa. You're Spike's good side?" She questioned.

"Never said that." He smirked. "Just his soulful side. I'll keep them here. You go."

Spike turned and started running. Buffy moved to chase after, but William grabbed her wrist, leaning closer to her. "Now, don't do that." He whispered. She froze, and he grinned.

"Oh, lord." Muttered Angel, moving to run after Spike. William blocked his way, flashing a stake in the taller vampire's face.

"I wouldn't." Said William. Then he turned and began running flat out.

"What's going on?" Asked Willow.

"I'm afraid to ask." Said Buffy, starting forward. "Angel, follow my lead. He's doing some macho bull just like you would."

"I would do it a little differently." Protested Angel, running beside her. Will started floating forward beside them, flying. "No fair!" Said Angel.

"Oh, and you two super-men leaving me in the dust is? Er, super-people." Said Willow.

They crested a hill, and stared into the valley below, under the bridge, where Spike was fighting Drusilla, attacking her viciously.

"Remember that? Eh?" Asked Spike viciously, grabbing Drusilla by the neck. She clawed at his face, but he didn't let up. "Now do you remember why I'm the big bad?"

"Spike!" Roared William. "Hold her!" He charged forward.

Spike shifted, turning Drusilla to face the charging William. He pulled her close, into a deathly embrace. "Remember this part?" He crooned.

"No!" Screamed Drusilla.

William threw the stake from about five feet. It slashed right through Drusilla, lodging in Spike's chest. Spike shifted to game face, letting out one last roar, while Drusilla stared at William in surprise.

"See you on the flip side." Said William.

The two vampires exploded into dust, which hung in the air a second before slowly descending to the ground, a thin layer settling over the top of everything.

William flipping a packet of cigarette's out of his pocket, lighting it and tossing the full package to the ground as the others joined him.

"You dusted Spike!" Said Buffy.

"Yeh." Said William, taking a long drag off the cigarette. He glanced at the lightening sky. "Better take cover, Angel."

Angel cursed and ran for the helicopter. William glanced at Buffy. "You know, we loved you. A lot."

Buffy stepped back, uncomfortable. "Um, cookies, and uh,"

"Don't worry." Said William. "Not the way this is going. Just wanted to say, if we look down and you're not happy and everything, we'll be mighty mad. So, you know, get over us already. Move on. Just, uh. . ." He coughed, tossing the cigarette into Spike and Drusilla's ashes. "Please not with the poofter." He begged.

Buffy laughed. "Uh, right. Why'd you dust Spike?"

William grinned. "He's back." He said softly.

"Spike?" Buffy turned, and stared into the face of death.

He was balding and overweight, and carried his scythe with the blade dragging behind him. "I never thought you could do it." He told William.

"Yeh. I know." Said the soul. "But we knew we could."

"How'd you know to dust the vampire?"

William grinned. "It's the blood, mate. Always the blood."

"What?" Said the Reaper.

William stepped closer. "You didn't have me fooled for a minute, mate. Some Reaper you are. Not even grim! You thought you'd have us, trick us. Well, time's up! You're deader than dead! How's it feel?"

"Pretty bad." Grimaced the Reaper. "I'll ask again, how'd you know to kill Spike?"

"She needed him." Sniffed William. "Needed him real bad. In life, in death. She just never knew it. Besides, you cheated."

"What?" Said the Reaper, surprised.

"You cheated. He had you at chess." Said William, leaning forward. "Now, howsabout my eternal reward?"

"Well, uh. . ." The Reaper grinned, leaning forward. "Loophole. They both died, so they're in my jurisdiction. They're onward and upward. You aren't dead. No longer my jurisdiction."

"Oh, another loophole." William said. He stepped forward, his boots crunching the dust that had been Spike. "Guess again." He arm whipped out and he grabbed the Reaper by the throat. "We had a deal, and I don't care about your silly arguments and loopholes! Let me through now, or I'll eat you!"

"You-you're human!" Stuttered the Reaper.

"True. But I can still chew." Said William. "Just won't keep me alive."

"You're nuts!" Said the Reaper.

"Give. Me. The. Reward!" Snarled William.

The Reaper whirled, slashing him with the scythe.

William smiled, vanishing in a blast of light. "Whew!" Said the Reaper, rubbing his forehead nervously. "Oh, hi." He said to Buffy.

"Hi." She said warily.

"I keep seeing you." He noted. "That's just not right." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" Said Willow. "What happened? They just came down here to kill Drusilla?"

"No." Said the Reaper. "They gambled."


"A soul and a demon against a soul and a demon. I nearly had all four, there! But he saw me cheating at chess earlier. . . he's good." Said the Reaper. "Knew my weak spots."

"Two to one-what?" Said Willow, confused. The Reaper sighed.

"They wanted her soul back. Redeemed. And her, the demon, too. So they gambled their own lives again hers. If they lost, well, they were goners. But they won redemption for her, with their own."

"What?" Said Willow. "That's nuts!"

"Not so nuts." Said Buffy. "Not for Spike. He always was one to promise a girl the world." She glanced from the Reaper to her best friend. "And he always kept his promises."