A Much Belated Birthday Story for the Goddess of Dyslexia

[Taryno-Goddess Rex]

God of Dyslexia and xxdiamondheartxx

Paranormal Party: 2017

It had been but a few months into their relationship when Spike caught his girlfriend, Kira, watching a certain TV show.

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer? You watch this garbage?” he asked, picking up the DVD box set as though it were literal trash, and not being too careful with it when he set it back down.

“Yeah. It’s good! You know, there’s a character in here who looks an awful lot like you.”

“Yeah, I’m aware,” he replied, not bothering to conceal his eye roll. He plopped down next to her on her sofa, folding his arms across his chest. He had vowed to never lay eyes on this series, and here he was about to watch it. All for the sake of getting laid. She was lucky she was worth it.

“You know, his nickname is also Spike? But his real name is William Pratt, not-”

“He kept my first name?! I told him to change it!” Spike cried, exasperated.

“I KNEW it! That’s you, isn’t it?” Kira exclaimed, excited to finally have confirmation of the theory she held ever since she first met the bleach blonde dreamboat she was lucky enough to call her boyfriend. Spike sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. He knew there was no way out of this. He was going to have to tell her the truth.

“Yes, all right? Yes. Joss Whedon and I are… Well, I wouldn’t go so far as to call us friends. Acquaintances?” He went on to explain how the pair of them met, and the drunken nights spent around the billiards table where Spike regaled the creator with stories of his past. The vampire was consulted on a script for the pilot, that would be told from “Buffy’s” perspective (name changed for protection, obviously. I mean, who names their child Buffy?). When the show was picked up, he was further consulted here and there as the story progressed. When fans of the show in the area where Spike was living started asking questions, he asked Joss to kill off his character. He was resurrected for the spinoff series, but that didn’t seem to have as big of a following, so he wasn’t bothered nearly as much. He looked at Kira as he wrapped up his explanation, and she was staring at him with her mouth agape.

“You don’t believe me, do you?” He asked, shaking his head. Here he was, spilling his deepest darkest secret, and she was looking at him as though he had tried to convince her that Santa Claus was legit.

“No! I mean, kinda… It’s just. It’s sort of incredible. I mean, what are the odds that you grow up crushing on the hottest fictional character of all time, only to later end up dating the actual vampire who inspired said character? I mean, you ARE Spike! You actually are! It’s pretty unbelievable. Any second now, I’m going to wake up to discover this was all some crazy dream!”

Spike shook his head and laughed. It was embarrassing but in the best way. At least she wasn’t laughing in his face, even though her face was red from blushing. He had never before told another being about his relationship with the show. He had been so ashamed of it for so long. He was very lucky to have Kira, and for her to be so accepting and understanding. Even if she could be a bit of a fan-girl at times. That was why he supposed it should’ve come as no surprise to him when she invited him to go away for a weekend, and attend some nerd convention.

“Paranormal Party: 2017?” He looked up from the brochure she handed him, one eyebrow raised. She couldn’t be serious.

“Yeah! It’s a gathering of fans of all sorts of paranormal TV shows. Just to name a few there’s Constantine, Gotham, Supernatural and, of course, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. You’ll fit right in! People will think you’re just another cosplayer, especially if you go with your bumpies!”

“I don’t know, love. It seems rather risky,” he said, scanning the brochure once again. “And for little to no reward,” he muttered under his breath, seeing nothing offered at the event that he would particularly enjoy. In fact, the only thing about this party that would bring him pleasure would be spending extra time with Kira.

“C’mon, Spike! Pleeeeease do this with me! It will be fun, I promise!” She begged, throwing herself into his lap, and hugging him around his neck. “Plus, there's always hotel sex,” she sang into his ear, before nibbling on his lobe suggestively. How could he resist? He relented, and they made plans to attend the convention.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The weekend of the event finally arrived. After packing their suitcases for the weekend, they drove to the next town over to check into their hotel. They decided to get there the night before the convention so that they would have plenty of time to get acclimated. Their first night in the hotel was spent in fluffy bathrobes, ordering in room service, and of course making love. Now this was the kind of vacation Spike could get behind. He slept peacefully and easily during the night, even though it wasn't his typical sleeping schedule. And even though he was already thoroughly enjoying himself, Kira assured him that the real fun would begin in the morning. He highly doubted it.

The night flew by as fast as it always does whenever you're dreading something the next morning. Spike awoke to the buzzing alarm in his ear, and shut it off groggily as he sat up in bed. "Kira. It's time to get up." He said, less than gently shaking her awake. She awoke just as groggily as him, but slumped out of bed to start getting into her costume. He did not understand this cosplay nonsense, but it looked like he would have to participate whether he liked it or not. Otherwise people might mistake him for the actor that played him in his TV show. He sighed, getting out of bed to grab a shower.

It didn't take Spike very long to get ready, not that it ever did. After his shower he slicked back his hair, brushed his fangs, and dressed. Shirt, pants, boots, and leather trench coat. His style had not changed in quite some time, but he was ok with that. His ensemble didn't stand out as dated yet in this time period, even if it did stand out for other reasons. Once he was ready to go, he plopped down on the bed to wait for Kira. Even though it was more expensive, the couple had booked a room in the hotel above the convention center. This way Spike wouldn't have to travel outside in daylight and run the risk of a deadly sunburn. The couple just had to go downstairs. The convenience was well worth the additional cost, especially to Spike.

Some time later, Kira emerged from the bathroom in full costume. She had a blue wig atop her head, a skeletal prosthetic attached to one side of her face, a white jacket lined with black fabric, and a matching white hakama tied with a black sash. Her jacket was open at the front, which caused Spike to raise an intrigued eyebrow. She had explained how she was going to achieve what was called "open-binding" in cosplay circles, but he never thought it would've worked. She didn't have the most endowed chest he had ever seen, but she definitely had curves in all the right places. It was strange to look at her now with her chest so... masculine. She had also painted a scar across her chest, and a black hole over her belly button. On her feet she wore black socks with white sandals, which was typical of Japanese style. She asked Spike for his help with the black hole and number six tattoo on her back, which he was happy to do. And when that was finished she attached her weapon to her hip.

"Well? How do I look?" Spiked looked her over head to toe. She gave him a new appreciation for the hobby. He smiled, nodding as his eye reached her feet, and started making their way back up. There was only one element that was distracting from the rest of the ensemble. The green-blue eyeliner she was wearing didn't come out quite right.

"Pretty good. Just need to fix your eyeliner a little. Let me." Spike retrieved the turquoise eye pencil that was purchased just for this occasion, and proceeded to define the cat-eyed look of this character. "Unfortunately, the 80's afforded me an entire decade of practice with this stuff," he muttered as he concentrated on getting the lines just right. "There. Tell me what you think." He said, capping the cosmetic, and putting it back with all of her other makeup supplies.

"It's perfect! Thank you. You ready?" Spike sighed, patting himself down to make sure he did indeed have his wallet and phone.

"As I'll ever be." The two made their way downstairs.

On the elevator ride down, Spike morphed into a bumpier, more aggressive vampire which earned him an encouraging pat on the arm from his girlfriend turned temporarily boyfriend. He didn't know why he felt so nervous all of a sudden. The elevator doors opened to reveal the convention floor already buzzing with crowds of people, most of whom were also dressed up in a costume of some kind. Spike hesitated in the elevator, feeling suddenly overwhelmed by all of the people, but lucky for him he had Kira by his side. She grabbed him by the hand, and lead him over to will call so they could retrieve their badges. With that out of the way, Kira turned to him.

"Ok. What do you wanna do first?"

"Oh, no. None of that. I'm here for you. We're doing whatever it is you want to do. I'm just along for the ride." Spike corrected, looking around at the throngs of people and trying to take everything in. There was quite a lot, and it was pretty over stimulating. Not to mention overwhelming.

"Ok, well, let's start on the show floor." Once again she took him by the hand, and lead him straight into the crowds of people to walk among the booths and look at the wares and art.

As they were doing their shopping, many a passer by commented on Spike's "costume."

"Nice prosthetic, man!"

"Cool vampire!"

"I like that you went for the aggressive look, and not the pretty look. Awesome job!"

"Hey, can I get a picture with you?"

Spike found himself posing for quite a lot of pictures with random passersby. Lucky for him, his character wasn't known for his winning smile, and he was able to let his true mood show. Which was quite grumpy. But everybody loved it. In spite of himself, he was starting to have fun.

Kira was also stopped for pictures. She got way into it, posing like her character did in the reference photos she showed Spike in the days leading up to the convention. It was very cool to see her come out of her shell. Not that she was shy, by any means. Just that her passion for her hobby really showed, and watching her pose with for people from her same fandom... Well, it was quite the turn on.

They were about to move on from the latest photographer, when suddenly Kira tugged on his coat sleeve. "I'm getting pretty hungry." Spike had not wanted to be the first to say anything on the hunger front, but he was feeling ravenous himself. Being around so many humans at once was nearly as bad as being on a diet and trapped inside a bakery. He had made sure before coming here to get as full as possible, which should've lasted him a good week at the least. They had of course packed some blood, just in case, but that was upstairs in the hotel room. Plus, it was animal blood, and that stuff just wasn't the same.

"All right. Let's get you something to eat," he said, ignoring his stomach's own growls and making his way over to the food carts. He grabbed them a table while Kira purchased her lunch, and watched people walking by. He knew that all he had to do was ask, and she would let him feed a little off of her. But he hated doing that. No matter how many times she told him she didn't mind, it still made him feel like garbage. He tried to avoid having to ask, even if it meant ignoring his own hunger pains. It was worth it. She was worth it.

After her meal, Kira was ready to resume the fun. "All right, I guess we should start heading to the anime meet-up."

"Anime meet-up?" Spike inquired, confused.

"Yeah. Any and everyone who dressed up as a character from an anime is going to be gathering in one designated area for photos. And that would be me, so we better head over there," she explained.

"All right. Lead the way." The pair of them made their way to the grand staircase, where a crowd of other people with brightly colored wigs were gathering. Spike himself had never been much into the bug-eyed cartoons. But Kira watched the stuff pretty regularly, and it was all thanks to her that he recognized the few characters that he did. If he had known the shows as well as his girlfriend, he would've noticed that all of the cosplayers were from anime dealing with the paranormal and occult. He snapped photos of Kira and her new found friends as the organized themselves into groups. They posed by show, individual character, and finally one large group photo. After the meet-up was over, Spike was pounced on and asked for more pictures by Buffy fans who all though his costume was, "SO cool." He acquiesced, but not without an eye roll, and stood there for another fifteen-twenty minutes getting his picture taken.

After the meet-up they attended some panels on cosplay. There was one on special effects makeup, crossplay, making your own weapons and costumes, and even one on cosplaying with confidence. Spike certainly enjoyed learning about it, even though he couldn't personally put the information to good use. He was definitely glad that Kira could, and he enjoyed watching her soak it all in. When the panels were over, the show floor was closing, and it was time for them to go back upstairs. The first night of the convention was over.

As they rode the elevator back to their room, Spike's stomach growled audibly. He nearly doubled over in pain, but managed somehow to hold it together. But the sound could not be ignored in the small compartment where it was just the two of them.

"Are you ok?" Kira asked, concerned. Spike knew that re-heated animal blood was not going to do the trick for the hunger he was feeling now. He was going to need something larger, something fresher. Something human.

"Yeah, I'll be alright," Spike replied, waving off her concern to mask his own. He walked Kira back to their room to make sure she got safely inside. But he lingered in the hall. When she turned to look at him, he was pocketing the room key. "I'm just going to go out for a quick walk," he explained, by which they both of course knew he meant hunting.

"Spike," Kira said with obvious disappointment, her hands on her hips.

"It will be fine. I'll be careful." By being careful he meant that he would be selective about his victim. He had long ago abandoned his selfish, blood lustful behavior and had recently been more prone to a personal brand of vigilante justice. He exclusively selected victims that society would be much better off without. And his system hadn't failed him yet. "I'll be back in ten minutes or less." In a city this large, with a plethora of darkened alleys, he would have no trouble finding himself a snack.

"You better be. If I'm still in the shower when you get back, join me," Kira teased, her eyes glinting mischievously as she began to push the door closed.

"Promise," Spike replied, devilishly as the door shut with a snap. He whirled on his heel, and flew down the hall. He was starving.

Just as he had suspected, he didn't have to walk long or far to find a criminal to feast upon. He passed a woman, who practically ran into him, not paying attention to where she was going in her distress. Immediately after, he passed a man who had a laser focus on the woman he wasn't too far behind. Spike had tried to stop him to ask for the time, after seeing the look of fear on the woman's face, but her predator was so distracted that he couldn't be bothered to give Spike an answer. So he decided to follow, just in case the situation turned hairy. Sure enough, she tried to cut across an alley to the next street in an attempt to lose her tail. The only problem was, the alley she turned down was a dead end. The man went running after her when she turned, obviously more familiar with the area than she was. Luckily for her, Spike was not too far behind. When he rounded the corner and looked down the alley, he saw the woman up against the dead end, trying in vain to keep as much space between her and her predator as possible. She was begging him to let her go. Spike could see the shine of a blade in the man's right hand.

"Hey! When someone asks you for the time, it's good manners to give an answer!" Spike bellowed, fearlessly making his way down the alley towards the would-be crime scene. "You know. Like, the time. Or, 'Sorry buddy - I don't have a watch.' Or even a 'Fuck off,' would've been preferable to just being ignored." Spike was close enough to touch the man now. He pretended to just notice the woman. "Hey, whoa. Am I interrupting something? You weren't about to hurt this poor woman, now were you?" He asked, feigning ignorance.

"This doesn't concern you, Sir Douchebag. So why don't you hop back across the pond, or return to wherever it is you came from, and leave us the hell alone." The man refused to break eye contact with Spike. The poor girl looked frantically between her enemy and her hero, as helpless as a deer in headlights.

"Hmmm... Yeah, I suppose I could do that. Or-" he kicked the man in the stomach as hard as he could, causing him to drop the knife and double over in pain. "RUN!" Spike commanded the girl, who didn't need to be told twice. She was gone as fast as Spike put his cosplay back on. He had to scrap with the spineless pig for a few minutes before finally subduing him and gaining access to his jugular. Spike sank his fangs deep inside the man's neck, and drained him of his sweet life force in mere moments. That should last him the remainder of the weekend. As he stood up from his kill, he could hear sirens in the distance. The girl who escaped must have called the police. He struggled to lift the man's dead body into the nearest dumpster, but managed to do so before the sirens got much closer. He made a quick escape, and somehow managed to not see any cops on his way back to the hotel. That was a little too close.

When he got back to his room, Kira was indeed still in the shower. He shed his clothes and joined her, where he told her the story of what he had done. She was the only one who knew about his feats of heroism. And the primary reason he even bothered telling her about them was so that she could assure him that he had done the right thing. They made love - once in the shower, and once in bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The alarm went off the next morning, blaring in Spike's ear. He felt as though he had only just gotten to sleep moments ago. His eyes did not want to stay open, but he forced himself out of bed. He shuffled over to the in-room coffee machine and got the caffeinated beverage brewing before walking to Kira's side of the bed and gently waking her up.

"Morning, love. Time to get up. It's another day of Paranormal Party and you don't want to miss it." She grumbled at him from under her pillow, which always ended up over her head instead of under it. "Come on, Kira. You said last night you needed to get up to have time to get ready. Remember, Leah is going to be here any minute to do your makeup?" Waking her up on time was always his least favorite part of the day. Not only did she look so adorable asleep that he hated to ruin her dreaming, but he was always met with such resistance. No matter how much she assured him that she appreciated his help in the mornings, he always felt bad. And whenever he could, he always let her sleep in. The coffee pot beeped to indicate that it was done brewing, and Spike returned to it to make himself a cup. By the time his beverage was poured and ready for drinking, Kira had made it to the bathroom to start getting ready. Spike was relieved. He sat down on the edge of the bed to enjoy his coffee, but before he could even take a sip there was a knock on the door. Sighing, Spike got up to allow entry to Kira's friend who had promised to help her with her cosplay makeup.

"Hey there, come on in," Spike said, opening the door. It always amused him whenever he was the one giving some human permission to enter a space. "She'll be right out. There's coffee." He went back to his own cup, pretty much ignoring the girls while they did their girly things. There wasn't much he needed to do by way of getting ready. He didn't have a different costume planned for each day as his girlfriend did. He put on the same jeans, same boots, same jacket. He wore a white t-shirt under a opened, red button down shirt, and slicked his hair back with gel. Once he was done, it was just a matter of waiting for Kira before they could be off.

"Well, it took quite a lot of product, but I believe I did the best I could. What do you think?" Leah asked, exiting the bathroom before her friend in order to announce her properly. Kira followed close behind, only the girl who stood there looked nothing like Kira. Her hair was up under a short but scruffy brown/black wig. She wore a full black suit - slacks, shirt, shoes, vest and jacket, with a blood red tie. But what was most remarkable was her face. Leah had managed to chisel his girlfriend's features into much more masculine ones. She even had five o'clock shadow! With nothing but contouring, highlighting and makeup, Kira's cheeks, nose and chin looked entirely different. And a lot more like-

"Crowley. King of Hell. I bow to you, m'lord," Spike said, bending at the waist before the perfect cosplay representation of one of their most beloved characters on Supernatural. Kira was delighted, and Leah clapped at her accomplishments.

"Alright, I'm off to get myself ready. We're still on for lunch, correct?" The girls finalized their plans to meet up, and with that finished Leah was gone. Once again, Spike had been ready long before his girlfriend. All that was left was for Kira to gather her things, and then they were off back downstairs to the convention.

The elevator doors opened, and it was immediately apparent that there weren't as many people present as there had been the day before. This was particularly strange since typically the Saturday of a weekend long convention was the busiest and most crowded. Of course, it was still first thing in the morning. Maybe people were just taking their time or sleeping in. Spike didn't bother to say anything, certain that the crowds would pick up as the day wore on. He accompanied Kira to a photo shoot - she had hired a professional photographer to snap some shots of her in her cosplay. They even posed together for some fantastical crossover shots that only a true fan-girl could appreciate. After that, they stood in line for some autographs. Some of the Supernatural cast were there, including Mark Sheppard who not only delighted in Kira's cosplay, but Spike's as well. They got his autograph on a purchased headshot, posed for a picture, and left to move onto the next thing. But as they were walking away, Spike noticed how furrowed his girlfriend's brow was and knew something was off.

"Something the matter? I would've thought after meeting your hero you'd be a lot happier." Spike asked, holding the special sleeve they were given to keep their picture from getting crumpled.

"What? Oh, I am. It's just..." she stopped mid-sentence, her brow crinkling even more if that were even possible.

"Just what?" Spike asked, wrapping a protective arm around his girlfriend's shoulders. He hated to see her so distressed. If there was anything to be done to solve whatever her problem was, Spike would stop at nothing to make it right so she could be happy.

"That line didn't take very long at all. It's easy to move about, and we were able to get everyone's signature and photo in less than two and a half hours. Is it just me, or does it seem like there are a lot less people than there were yesterday?" Spike felt a chill crawl down his spine, which was an impressive feat for a vampire whose body temperature was already just below freezing. She had noticed it too. He hadn't wanted to say anything, not wanting to worry over nothing. But as he looked around at the faces of the people who were present, it was clear that the same thought was on everyone's mind.

"I'm sure that it's nothing to worry about. If it was, someone would've said something by now, right?" Spike said, rubbing Kira's arm reassuringly, even though he was just as concerned as everyone else.

No sooner than he had spoken did a sound of feedback erupt from the PA system. The volume was at max so that the announcement could be heard over everyone on the floor. As annoying as the loud screeching was, it served as an effective way to get everyone's attention.

"Is this thing on? Ok. Attention! May I please have everyone's attention!" Spike held Kira tighter. "We are certain that most of you have undoubtedly noticed a severe lack in numbers so far as attendance goes. While some may consider this a happy coincidence to have a more leisurely and relaxed Saturday at convention, we have also received some complaints that artists and vendors who were supposed to be back again today, aren't. We want you to know that it is being looked into, and that the police are involved. We have increased security on the show floor, so if you feel unsafe for any reason there will be staff nearby to assist you. If anyone in your party is missing, or you have any information as to why anyone you know personally isn't here today that was supposed to be, please report to any information booth on the show floor.

"Lastly, we urge you to stick together. If you must go into the city for any reason, travel in groups. Do not wander alone, and do not stay out too late. Stay safe. That is all - enjoy Paranormal Party." There was another sound of feedback as the PA system turned off, and a second at most of silence before everyone started talking at once, panicking about what could've happened to all the people who were supposed to be there. Spike looked around at all the faces, hysterically speculating with whoever they were with about what disaster could've struck to effect so many people at once. Of course, the atmosphere likely didn't help at all - at a convention that celebrated the occult, the theories of what may have taken place ranged from the insane to the impossible. Spike could only hear a few conversations, but he did hear mention of monsters, ghosts and even vampires.

"People will freak out of the smallest things, huh love?" He asked, looking down at Kira who had pulled out her phone. She had her text messages open, and looked back up at him with fear in her eyes. "What is it?"

"Leah hasn't answered any of my texts since this morning." Kira had been texting her periodically to coordinate a good spot to meet up before lunch. They had been planning to treat as a thank you, but it seemed their plans had changed. Spike dismissed his fear and replaced it with bravery, taking Kira by the hand and leading her to the nearest information booth. They had overstaffed the booths in preparation to receive throngs of people. There were even staff with clipboards, wandering around in the areas in front of the booths, and it was one of these who stopped Spike and Kira.

"Hello, may I help you?" They greeted, poised with their pen over their paper, ready to take down their information.

"Yes, my friend was supposed to meet us and we haven't seen her and her phone is off." Kira answered. Spike turned to her, an eyebrow raised. "I tried to call on our way over here. It went straight to voicemail."

"What is her name?"

"Leah Peterson." Spike wrapped a protective arm around his girlfriend, kissing the top of her head. He looked around at the other groups talking to the other staff at the same booth as them. It seemed that there were a lot of people who were missing someone or other. If it had been caused by some sort of foul play, he wondered who could've been foolish enough to think that no one would miss their victims. Or maybe they just didn't care...

"Ok, so we got her name, phone number, your info for an emergency contact, and can you tell us when was the last time you did hear from her?"

"Yes. She came to my hotel room this morning to do my makeup. She left right around ten to go get herself ready - she lives in the city, and we had planned to meet up at the con for lunch."

"All right. That's all the info we need for the authorities." The staff person clicked their pen closed and gave the couple his most winning, customer-service smile.

"What's going on? Why are the police involved?" Kira asked, obviously dissatisfied.

"We aren't at liberty to say," the man answered, holding up his hands defensively. Clearly, he had been getting asked that question a lot. "But, if you want to know what I think-," he lowered his hands, and looked around as though to make sure no one else was listening. Especially not a supervisor. "Catch the 10 o' clock news later tonight. I'm sure it will still be being talked about." He looked at them conspiratorially before motioning to the next person in line to take their info. Spike and Kira walked off.

"I wonder what they're showing on the news. Why haven't we heard anything?" Spike wondered, thinking as they wandered around the floor. He wasn't exactly glued to the networks, but he and Kira both had smart phones and engaged in social media activities. It sometimes served as a reliable news-source, at least for the important stuff. Especially on a local level.

"Spike, I wanna go home." Kira said, stopping where she was and looking down at her feet. It was clear she was worried about her friend. He walked up to her, and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"Hey, now. We can't let this craziness keep us from having our fun. That's how the baddies win, right?" He said, kissing the top of her head and rubbing her back as comfortingly as he could. "I know it's scary, but we've already done all we could. Besides, we shouldn't think the worst. For all we know, her phone could've died and she just didn't notice. We should just have our fun, and wait and see." Not only did he want to pay the fee for checking out of their room a day early, but he dropped quite a lot of coin on the tickets for the convention as well. He knew he shouldn't care so much, especially at the expense of Kira's feelings and comfort, but he did. He knew the convention would be reluctant to give him a refund also, or else they wouldn't be going to all the trouble to make what remained of their guests feel safe. "Come on, let's make the most of it while we're here." Spike said, taking Kira by the hand and leading her around the show floor.

They walked around the floor doing some more shopping, but Spike could feel Kira tense up every time they passed a booth with a sheet spread over the displays because the vendor never showed. They walked around looking at the goods and art, making purchases here and there until it was time for the Supernatural meetup. Much like the anime meetup, it was mostly taking group photos and trading excitement over their mutual fandom. There were a lot of people showing off autographs and telling the stories of what happened when they met the actors. Kira actually became one of the most popular in the room, since she had been to meet the actors on multiple occasions and had many stories from the times she had gotten to meet them.

As they stood around talking, and taking turns posing for pictures, a cheer erupted in the room as the actors who were present for the convention surprised them all with an appearance at the meetup. They then posed with the cosplayers in the group photos, Dean with Deans, Sam with Sams, etc. Kira was the only Crowley present, so she got to pose alone with Mark. But that didn't stop complete strangers from snapping their picture, as they stood in front of the room looking as evil as possible. Kira was also able to snag another hug from the actor, and Spike pushed aside his jealousy as he snapped a photo of the moment. They did couples next, like Sam and Dean, Dean and Cas, Crowley and his mum. And at the very end, they did a good vs. evil which was Spike's personal favorite. There were mostly good cosplayers, and only a smattering of evil ones. But they were just as determined as the good guys, if not more so. And the picture came out looking like an action shot, caught just before the commencement of an epic battle.

As the actors were getting ready to leave, the organizer of the meetup took the opportunity to thank the actors for the surprise on behalf of everyone in the room, and Spike found himself clapping along. It often moved him whenever powerful and influential people humbled themselves in a manner like this. The actors were cheered and applauded as they left waving to their fans. The cosplayers stuck around for a few more conversations, and Spike had some more people ask for a picture of his cosplay. By the time all of that was over, the show floor was closing and it was time for he and Kira to go back upstairs to their room. They walked hand in hand, discussing what they were going to do for dinner. It took them a lot less time to get to the elevator today because of the thinner numbers. Neither of them bothered to point this out as they got into the cart and punched the number for their floor.

They were still going back and forth about their dinner options when they reached their hotel room. Once they were inside, however, Spike kicked off his shoes and flopped onto their bed. He suddenly didn't want to move.

"What if we just order in some room service? That way we can both order whatever we want, and we don't have to leave." Spike said, sitting up on the bed, and bouncing up and down as he waited for Kira to agree. He was very excited about this grand idea. Kira rolled her eyes at his obnoxiousness, but relented as she kicked off her own shoes.

"Fine." Spike scrambled to get up and put in their order, but before doing so he gave Kira a kiss on the cheek. She went to shower while Spike ordered their food. There was time for Spike to shower after Kira before their food finally arrived. They were both sitting in their bathrobes watching TV when there was a knock on the door.

"Finally," Spike muttered, as he got up to let them in. He opened the door, and a cart was wheeled inside.

"Sorry for the delay. Room service seems to be a popular option for our guests this evening so we've been a bit backed up." Spike felt a twinge of guilt as he realized this was likely because people didn't want to roam the city after the announcement at the convention.

"No worries, mate," Spike said, giving the bell boy a hefty tip and asking him to bill the meal to the room. He would settle it at check out tomorrow. The bell boy left them to their meal, which they ate in front of the TV on the edge of their bed, using the cart as a table.

By the time they finished eating, there was still an hour or so before the news was supposed to start. Neither of them had mentioned it, but they didn't have to to know that they both wanted to catch it.

"We should go check out the pool," Spike suggested before turning off the TV. "We don't have to get our hair wet, so that way we can just rinse off when we're done. Plus, I bet they have a spa. It will be nice and help us relax. What do you say?" Kira gave the suggestion some thought before agreeing to go along. They changed into their swimsuits, and headed downstairs.

The pool was on the seventh floor, which Spike thought was interesting and exotic. He had never been in an indoor pool that wasn't on ground level. They walked in to the pool room to find that he had been wrong about a jacuzzi, but they were pleased to discover that it was only the two of them in there. Spike looked around the room conspicuously before sliding his trunks down his legs and stepping out of them.

"Guess I won't be needing these," he said, before running into the pool. The water was a perfect temperature - not too cold, but not like bath water either. He looked up, waiting to see what Kira was going to do. She didn't disappoint as she peeled off her bathing suit as well, and followed him into the water. They swam to each other and embraced. The passionate love-making that followed was almost good enough to make them forget their worries from earlier that day. Almost.

The pool closed at ten, which was fine since they had to be back in their room by then anyway. They covered themselves with towels and carried their dry suits back to their room, giggling whenever they passed someone in the hall. They rinsed off in the shower back in their room, and got back into their bathrobes to watch the news. They lay in bed, Spike holding Kira to him, and waited for the story that would hopefully provide them with some answers.

"Our top story tonight: Officials are still working to discover the criminals behind the massacre discovered at the old Wilton's warehouse on Franklin. For those just tuning in, police were tipped off yesterday and discovered hundreds of corpses discarded in the decrepit building. Police have been able to close a handful of missing persons cases that had cropped up over the years, but a majority of the victims have yet to be identified." Spike shut the TV off - he couldn't hear any more. He and Kira sat together in silence for a long time, holding each other and drawing comfort from one another. Minutes went by in silence, and they still hadn't broken it by the time Spike reached up to turn the light off, and they laid down to go to sleep. They each held onto the other the entire night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, they both had a difficult time getting out of bed. Neither one of them had slept very well during the night after hearing the terrible news. Spike shuffled about, and enjoyed multiple cups of coffee before bothering to get ready. Kira didn't say a word to him as she lumbered into the bathroom to get ready for their last day of convention. She had told Spike over the past few days that her last costume was a surprise. He imagined that probably meant she was dressing as a character from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but he had no guesses as to which one.

Spike was drinking the last sips of his third cup of coffee when the bathroom door opened and out stepped his girlfriend. Only now her girlishness was once again completely hidden. She had slicked her hair back into a low ponytail. She was able to use some tricks she learned the day before for her makeup. It was subtle, but she had used the products to accentuate and define her more manly features such as her jaw and brow. She had even given herself a Y-shaped scar on her left eyebrow, much like the man who stood across from her.

They both wore identical clothes. They had the same leather trench coat, the same red, button down shirt, opened to reveal a black t-shirt underneath. They both wore black jeans and biker boots. Spike looked her over, baffled. He never would've thought she would choose to honor him in this way. Even though he wished at times his lover was more girly, and seeing her now dressed up as him and so effectively was somewhat strange, he couldn't help but also be flattered at her cosplay. It was perfect, down to the fanged grin she was giving him now.

"Do you like it?" She wondered aloud, looking down at herself as she suddenly second-guessed herself and her abilities.

"Like it? I love it! It's like being with myself. And I am damn sexy." He took her in his arms and kissed her deeply. He could feel the prosthetic fangs behind her lips. He broke the kiss and looked down at her. "You just might have to wear this get up to bed later," he said with a wink.

"Why later and not now?" She replied, looking down sadly. She was not making a come-on, she was trying to avoid the event. "We could have our own fun, here. We don't have to go downstairs," she clarified, still saddened by the events of the last two days. She rested her forehead on Spike's chest, eyes shut tight against the world and its terrors.

"Hey now. Remember what I told you yesterday? We can't let them, whoever they are, spoil our fun. If we do that, the terrorists win." Spike joked, kissing the top of Kira's head to comfort her. "Come on, love. It's our last day. Besides, I want to go show off my girl- er, boyfriend." He winked at her, and took her hand in his. He made sure he had money for their food and souvenirs and the key to get back into the room. He lead her out into the hallway, and then to the elevators that were waiting to take them to the convention floor. He was determined to show his beloved a good time.

As the elevator doors opened to reveal the show floor, Spike realized just how difficult that was going to be. The crowds were even scarcer than they were the day before. They didn't even have to wait in line to get in, although they were patted down by security. When the event staff realized they weren't carrying anything threatening, they were permitted entry. They walked around, looking at the booths and remaining cosplayers. Where they would've had to push their way through people only days before, now there was more than enough space for everyone. As they walked along, they noticed more booths and artists' tables covered with tarps or sheets. They wouldn't be here today to sell their wares.

"Maybe we should do our shopping first," Spike suggested. He had had his eye on a figurine all week and he wanted to make sure that the vendor hadn't been forced to shut down, either by backing out of the show or by grisly death. Kira didn't agree, nor did she protest, so Spike took that to mean silent acquiescence. He took her to the booth he had in mind, which was luckily still there, and made his purchase. Afterwards, he took her around, pointing to things he thought she would like, offering to buy her anything she wanted. But she stayed quiet.

As they wandered around, people stopped them for their photo. Spike gladly consented on behalf of both of them, and he tried to get into character for the poses, hoping it would inspire Kira to do the same. But she mostly just stood there. They were thanked for the pictures, and were two of the most popular cosplayers there that day. But Kira did not seem to be enjoying any of it.

They took a break to have lunch, which was yet another battle trying to get Kira to decide what she wanted to eat. They ate their food in silence, and when the meal was over, Spike picked up the program and began looking it over.

"So what shall we do next? We could go see some panels, or I bet the line for autographs won't be too long today..." It was the wrong thing to say. He could tell by the expression of horror on his girlfriend's face. He hadn't meant for it to sound so insensitive, just matter of fact. But before he had a chance to apologize, two security guards stood behind him and asked him his name.

"William Pike?" Spike turned at hearing his birth name and looked up at the two officers before him.

"Good day, gentlemen. How may I be of service?" Spike asked, fully willing to cooperate with the law these days.

"We need you to come with us for questioning. Your girlfriend too." Spike looked at them, thoroughly confused. Kira just looked mortified, but she gathered her things. Both of them followed the event staff. They were taken to a secluded room off the show floor, and were asked to wait there. The room was plain and empty, save for two chairs. They decided to stand while they waited, which didn't even last long enough for the two of them to speak. Two detectives entered the room. One of them asked Kira to go with him, while the other walked in and sat in a chair. The door closed, and Kira was gone.

"Would you like to sit down?" The officer asked, inviting Spike to take the empty chair.

"I'll stand, thanks. What's going on?" Spike demanded. He did not like that they had separated him and Kira.

"One of the bodies that was found in Wilton Warehouse had your fingerprints and some of your DNA on it. Now, it was only the one out of countless others. But we were wondering if you had any leads or information." It was at this time Spike noticed the manilla folder under the officer's arm. He pulled out an 8x10 photo and handed it to Spike. It was the man he had fed from the other night.

"My God..." Spike gasped, collapsing into the empty chair. He knew better than to lie. It would be better to go with a half truth. "Ok, yeah. I went for a walk in the city the other night. Just for a bit of fresh air, you know? And I saw this creep pursuing a woman. He cornered her in an alley, and I followed. I know I should've called the police, but I figured I could handle it. I roughed him up a little, you know. Taught him a lesson about preying on the helpless, but that's all. The girl got away, and he got tired out, and we parted ways." Spike's blood was boiling. Who would pull the corpse out of the dumpster and drag him to the warehouse just to make him a suspect?!

"And your girlfriend can corroborate this?" The officer asked, taking the photo back from Spike and putting it back in the folder. Luckily, Spike and Kira always coordinated their stories just in case of this exact situation. He felt confident in telling the man that, yes, she absolutely could. Before anything else was said, the other detective and Kira walked back into the room.

"We'll just see. Please, wait here," Spike's interviewer said and stepped out of the room with the other officer. The door shut, and Spike rushed to Kira's side.

"Oh, pet, I am so sorry! Are you ok? He wasn't too hard on you, was he?" Spike asked, hugging her briefly and then looking her over.

"Don't talk to me," Kira hissed, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. Before Spike could even ask what she meant, the detectives reentered the room and told them that their stories checked out, and they were free to go. But if they remembered anything else suspicious from that night to give them a call. They were escorted back to the show floor, and from there the officers went on to question some other guests. Once they were alone, Spike turned back to his girlfriend.

"Kira, I-"

"Save it!" Kira spat, infuriated. "You promised that in spite all of the safeguards we put in place that I would never have to go through with that. They questioned me like I was a criminal! They tried to get me to say terrible things about you! I told them your story about the predator, and how you're a hero because you saved that woman's life! And then they let slip that all of the warehouse victims had puncture wounds on their neck." Kira sobbed, believing the worst. Which couldn't be further from the truth.

"Kira, it wasn't me." Spike said pleadingly, reaching out to touch her shoulders, but before he could Kira flinched away.

"Don't touch me!" Kira cried, causing some nearby guests to stop and look. But Spike took no notice. He was too distracted by his own feelings of betrayal.

"You can't honestly believe that I had anything to do with this?!" Spike demanded, incredulously. But Kira didn't answer. She just looked away, which in itself was answer enough. "I can't believe this! How? How could I have done something like that? In one hour apart from you, how could I have managed to drain so many people?! It doesn't even make any sense!" He had to yell at a whisper so no one would overhear, which is a lot harder than it sounds. But she was being unreasonable. The evidence wasn't there. And besides, ever since being with her he was a changed vampire.

"I just can't be sure," she whispered, tears cascading down her cheeks. "I just... I need to be alone." She whirled on her heel, and practically ran away, managing to hit a few patrons even though they were few and far between. They all looked at Spike as though he were scum for making her cry, which if he wasn't so furious he would feel all on his own.

"Fine! Go!" Spike cried after her, shaking with rage. How could she not believe him?! Did she not know him at all?! He felt the need to hit something. Instead, he stormed off to the nearest restroom where he splashed some cool water on his face in an attempt to calm down. How was he going to fix this?

He continued to walk the show floor, trying to come up with a way of convincing or proving to Kira that he had nothing to do with the massacre. He was deep in thought when suddenly there was a loud scream from a few rows over. Spike whirled in the direction of the scream just in time to see a popular booth that was selling Buffy merchandise come crashing down. The sound of the structure collapsing was drowned out by more screams, and all around him people were fleeing towards the exits. But Spike knew that if he could put a stop to this, he could prove to Kira that he was not responsible for the deaths! He ran down the aisle, making his way towards the commotion.

The collapse of the booth left it clear on all sides in the middle of the show floor. And there in front of the mess stood a figure from Spike's past. "Diabolus?" Spike gasped, hardly daring to believe it. It had been centuries since the pair had last seen one another.

"Diabolus? Don't you mean Angelus?" The creature asked, slowly turning to face his friend turned enemy, smiling evilly at the blonde vampire.

"I should've known you were behind this!" Spike yelled, hoping Kira had gotten away safely. The only reason that he hadn't suspected his oldest friend and deepest enemy was because Spike had long believed him to be dead. Clearly he had just been buying his time.

"Yes, well, you were always a little slow on the uptake. Like you were with Juliessa." Diabolus stood there coolly, looking at his fingernails while Spike felt his fists involuntarily clench and his face grow hot with rage.

"You leave her out of this!" Spike cried.

"Oh, my apologies, you're right. I meant to say Drusilla." The vampiress heard her cue, and stepped out of the shadows. She lead two bound and gagged prisoners on leashes, both of whom were struggling against their restraints and trying to yell for help.

"Hello, Spike," cooed the beautiful yet dangerous Juliessa. Spike turned in her direction, and was horrified to see Leah being pulled along on her right. And on her left, his heart sank to see Kira. He felt his body surge with adrenaline. He would get the girls to safety if it was the last thing he did!

"Ah, Juliessa. I should've known you'd end up with this poor excuse for a vampire," Spike returned, shooting her his most evil glare.

"Oh, please call me Dru. I do like it oh so much better," she teased, proving to Spike that she was just as crazy as ever. Spike rolled his eyes and turned back to Diabolus.

"What do you want, Diabolus?" Spike demanded.

"Isn't it obvious? I want a piece of the pie," he replied, gesturing around the area. In spite of the collapse, there was still fragments of remaining Buffy merchandise. Spike raised an eyebrow.

"You... You want your licensing commission?" Spike asked, hardly daring to believe it.

"You're damn right I do. That's my image that's being used, I think I've earned it. Drusilla too!" Diabolus replied, gesturing at his accomplice.

"Drusilla is a fictional bloody character! Her name is Juliessa!" Spike corrected.

"Yeah, but... She really does like it better." Diabolus explained with a shrug. Spike scoffed, and put his hands on his temples, shaking his head in utter disbelief.

"No, no, this is crazy. You killed all those people. The last thing you deserve is to be rewarded for it."

"YOU SOLD US OUT!" Diabolus cried, taking a Buffy coffee mug he had picked up and smashing it on the ground. "You stole our image, our story and sold it to the highest bidder! And you didn't even ask our permission!"

"How you can possibly think that justifies what you've done here is beyond me. Besides, I've never seen a pretty penny from Joss! I wasn't all too worried about it, considering how it's a story about vampires and humans have long been convinced that we don't exist!" Spike exclaimed. He would've thought that such a concept would be obvious, but apparently Diabolus was operating at the mental capacity of a two year old. All he focused on was "mine, mine, mine!" "Even if I was, I wouldn't go on a bloody rampage to go about getting my royalty check! Seriously, what were you thinking by killing all those people?!" Spike demanded.

"I needed to eat, plus a way of getting your attention. It was a win-win." Diabolus explained with a shrug.

"Oh, was it?" Spike inquired, nodding along in mock agreement. He was about to attack, when all of a sudden he heard a yell from behind.

"Spike! Look out!" Kira had managed to get the gag out of her mouth and warn him just in time. Jul-, rather Drusilla, had been sneaking up silently behind him with a stake. Luckily, Spike was able to turn around just in time and fling the wooden weapon out of her hands. He was able to incapacitate her with one punch, knocking her unconscious and onto the floor. He whirled around to face the man who inspired Angelus, but he was gone. Spike looked around, fists raised and ready, but he was tackled from behind. Diabolus had flanked him. As the vampires engaged in combat, some of the braver guests came to help Kira and Leah out of their bindings.

After a brief scuffle with Diabolus on his back, Spike managed to knock him down. He kicked him in the side a few times before the vampire got to his feet, which he only managed to do because Spike had stopped to search for the stake. After picking it up, Spike went to use it on his foe, but was meant instead with a punch to the jaw. It dazed him, but he managed to hold onto his weapon. They took turns punching one another for a while, Spike biding his time, waiting for the perfect moment to use the weapon against his enemy. The fight continued with the vampires landing blow after blow upon one another. Finally, Diabolus left his chest wide open, and Spike drove the stake deep into his heart. He laughed gleefully in his victory, and stood back to watch his enemy's death. It was about damn time.

A couple of seconds passed, and Diabolus was still standing. The death was supposed to be instant. What was going on? Diabolus looked just as confused as Spike, but reached down and pulled the stake out of his torso. He looked down at it, and laughed upon seeing a "made in China" sticker.

"You moron! This is plastic!" He chided, tossing the stake aside. Spike looked at the ground. The real stake, wherever it was, had gotten mixed in the toy ones that were being sold at the Buffy booth. The plastic had been molded to resemble wood, but to kill he was going to need the real thing. As Diabolus inched closer, Spike looked around desperately trying to find the wooden stake that Drusilla had almost used on him. He only looked away from Diabolus for a second, but when he looked back at his enemy he saw fear in his eyes. Spiked turned, and at his back he saw a large group of Buffy cosplayers. Each of them were armed with their own, hand carved "Mr. Pointy." Kira and Leah were among them. The one nearest Spike handed him her stake, and winked at him. Spike turned back to face Diabolus.

"Let's get him!" He cried, and the Buffies swarmed the enemy. Drusilla was out of her daze at this point, and she joined the fray. But she was dispatched by one of the cosplayers in no time. Diabolus held his own for a few minutes longer, knocking attackers off of him left and right, but he was getting tired and the swarm just kept coming. He kept his chest protected, but the girls took any stab they could get. Even tough they weren't lethal, they still hurt and Diabolus could be heard crying out in agony.

The girl who had given Spike her stake kicked one of the strays on the floor, only it made a hollow sound. Like wood on tile, nothing like plastic. She picked it up to discover it was the one that Drusilla had dropped earlier. Grinning, she lunged at Diabolus, and she was the one who made the killing blow. Groaning in anger and pain, the vampire fell to the ground, dead. Cheers went up around the floor, the Buffies hugging one another as police arrived and started assessing the scene. Spike looked around for Kira, and upon finding her ran into her arms, embracing her tightly and kissing her as though he feared he would never get to kiss her again.

"I am so sorry!" he gasped, running his hands through Kira's hair and holding her tightly.

"No, I'm sorry. I can't believe I accused you," she said, shaking her head.

"All is forgiven. I'm just so glad you're safe." They hugged again as more police came in, pulling aside various patrons for questioning. As they stood holding each other, Kira looked around the floor and was surprised to see their enemies still there.

"Uh, Spike? How come they haven't dusted yet?" She asked, genuinely confused. Spike looked down and saw the bodies of Diabolus and Drusilla still laying on the show room floor, stakes still sticking out of their chests with blood pooling around their wounds.

"Oh! That doesn't actually happen. That was just an elegant solution Joss came up with in order to keep the show PG." He explained, chuckling to himself.

"Eeeeewwww!" Leah whined, shivering with disgust.

"Gross," Kira said, taking a step sideways to avoid some blood that was seeping her way. Luckily, they wouldn't be around much longer as paramedics were arriving to take the bodies away.

"Well, this was fun," Spike said, looking around and feeling proud and fatherly towards the fandom he helped create. "Next time maybe we'll be able to kill the real Crowley, huh?" Kira broke the hug, and slapped Spike on the arm.

"Don't even joke about that!" She threatened, before hugging him again. Spike just laughed and rubbed Kira's back. He'd have to remember tell the King of Hell all about this when they got home.

The End