It was the middle of May in Paris.  Spike loved the month of May.  It seemed like the actual beginning of spring.  Besides, nothing happened in April.  Drusilla had returned to him, especially since he brought her Miss Edith.  Miss Insanity had forgotten her little friend in SunnyHell.  And though Spike did think he felt a hugely strong affection for Dru, now, she was just boring him.  He dropped her off in Toulouse and told her that Miss Edith's sister and brother were calling to him.  He told her that she had to find them.  The gulible woman believed him.  At least Spike could have a bit of a vacation.
 

"Bonjour, mademoiselle."  Spike said smoothly, sitting himself down in the chair next to her.
"I don't speak and French.  Je suis Americaine."  she spoke confidently, but softly.
Spike laughed and replied, "Well, pet, you speak enough to say your Americain.  My name is...William.  What would
yours be?"
The young women offered her hand to shake his, and said, "I'm Rebecca.  It's nice to meet you."
William took her hand and slowly brought it to his lips, giving her ample time to snatch it away.  He kissed it softly, delighting in the smile and blush that appeared on her face.
"Would you allow me the pleasure of a walk in the presence of your beauty, Rebecca?"
She let out a laugh that sounded like chimes in the wind.  "As long as I can come to, William."  Taking a slight break to continue laughing, she added, "I'd love to take a walk with you."  William smiled, took Rebecca's arm in his, and led her out to the Parc de Fleurs.
 

William listened to Rebecca's gentle chatter about herself and her life.  He enjoyed listening to the words roll off her tounge and lips.  He ached to be with her...to have experianced her life with her.  He abruptly stopped, laughing to himself.  *Falling into a little crush, Spike?  She's a human...though a bloody good looking one.  Maybe you could turn her...to be with you.*

He put his attention back on Rebecca when she asked him, "Am I boring you, William?  I'd hate to do that on our first meeting.  Usually something like that waits until the second or third date.  This is a date...right?"  Rebecca laughed softly, then gave Spike a hug when he responded,
"I'd like to think of it as a date, pet.  Truly I would."  Then the two of them stopped over a bridge and watched the cream-white rosebuds float on the water underneath.
 

Spike knocked gently on Rebecca's door.  He stepped back a moment and looked at the apartment which she was currently calling home.  It was awful...the windows were mostly broken, paint was chipping, and the wood was rotted and falling off.  He sighed and looked down, then heard the door open.  He slowly brought his eyes up, examining the beauty that was causing him to fall in love again.  She was wearing simple black heels, a long black skirt, and a silk red shirt.  It wasn't a
bright red, though, more of a deep, blood red.  Blood ... he had to remember to eat soon, other wise he might put her in danger.

Before he went back to home ... maybe the doorman.

"You look absolutely stunning, pet."  Spike said in a low, almost whisper of a voice.  Rebecca blushed and looked Spike over.
"You don't look half bad yourself."  She smiled, taking in every detail of the man before her.  He dressed up quite a bit tonight.  Wearing a suit of the softest fabrics, he had on all black, except for a red rose in the lapel.  He gave Rebecca his hand, which she took, and the two began their walk through Paris.

There were musicians all around, playing violins, violas, and cellos. A juggler entertained them for a few minutes, and then they moved on to a woman painting the portrait of a couple.  Soon after, Rebecca announced that she was hungry, and the two went to "Chex Francois", a very exclusive and expensive place to dine.  Rebecca had objections at first, but the orchestra, ballerinas, and waiters dressed in tuxedos made her change her mind.  Neither noticed a young women with long, red
hair following behind them.  A woman who had been following since Spike had left his hotel to go to Rebecca's apartment.

"So, that's about all I've done since I left college.  A couple years ago my parents died, my brother vanished, and so I moved out here.  I always wanted to come to 'Old Paris', so I decided that now, or rather, then was as good as any other time."  Rebecca's eyes had misted ever-so-slightly, but Spike noticed that she became rigid when talking about her parents and brother.  He smiled comfortingly, and stood up.

"Let's get out of here...maybe go to a store or some place."

Rebecca's face turned from sadness to glee instantly, the reaction Spike was hoping for.
"That sounds wonderful, William.  It truly does."  Together they walked out of the restaurant, into the street, and towards the center of the city.

Half-way there, a person ran into Rebecca and took her purse.  Then the person ran into an alley.  Rebecca fell into Spike's arms, surprise overcoming her more than fear.
"I'll go and get your purse back, Rebecca.  Just hold on a bit."  His voice was hard and angry ... Rebecca could have gotten hurt.  Whoever it was would pay.  'But they must be incredibly stupid.  That alley is a dead-end, and only a vampire could get over that wall.  Stupid bloke.'  he thought.

Spike walked into the alley, muscles ready to attack and defend. Suddenly, a person kicked Spike in the back, causing him to fall.  The person jumped on top of him and raised a stake over his heart.  'A slayer...so it was a trap.'  Spike knocked the stake out of the slayer's hand and pushed her up against the wall.  He took the black ski cap off her head, revealing a mass of red hair.

"Isn't it a bit hot for a ski cap, dearest?  Hmmm?  And to put a human's life like that in danger.  Tsk Tsk.  You must be a new slayer, otherwise, you would have known about me."  The slayer kicked and squirmed, but she couldn't break his grip on her.
"If you kill me, another will be called.  And then another, and another, and -"  her little speech was cut off as he back handed her face.
"I know the drill, sweetie.  However, I don't care extremely much.  I'll kill you anyway."  Her face grew pale and sweat broke out on her forehead.
"You really shouldn't be frightened of death. He's very approachable, really, not at all aloof, never passes by on the other side of the street simply because he's not been introduced. He makes no distinction of class ... a flea-bitten rat or a beautiful
princess, it's all the same to death."

With that, he snapped her neck with a flick of his wrists.

As she slid to the ground, he reached down, got Rebecca's purse, and walked back out to meet her.
"You found it!  Thank you, William."  She smiled happily, but then her face showed wonder and worry, reflecting the worry on Spike's face.
"What's wrong?"  Spike wiped the worry from his face and smiled.
"Nothing,pet.  Let's get you home."  She nodded and walked alongside Spike as they returned to her apartment.
 

Spike knocked on the apartment door again.  He had been out here for about ten minutes and no one had come to answer it.  Suddenly, he growled.  There was a window near-by that was completely shattered, as if someone had broken in.
He kicked the door open, completely in vamp mode.  He looked at the trail of roses, deep red in color.  He followed them, and soon was in the bedroom.  The trail continued into the bathroom.  He stopped there, struck silent by the view before him.

Rebecca was in the bathtub, fully dressed, ready to meet someone. Her eyes were closed, both wrists slit, along with her throat.  In her lap was a doll with piercing blue eyes and ruby red lips.  The lips were in a grotesque smile, as if saying,

"You were naughty.  Princess is back"

The roses that he had first thought of as red were in fact white, they had been drenched in blood.  A few cream-white rosebuds were place delicately in her hair, which was neatly combed.  The doll smiled at him.  The rosebuds lay in her hair.