"Yeah, okay. Come on then, Scrum. You're right." I wasn't going to turn down an extra set of muscle, even though I was sure I wouldn't need it. I didn't want him to think I didn't appreciate his skills or loyalty.

I walked out into the hallway with the two guys, and before the door was even shut, I was struck with an idea.

"Before we go back to my room, I need to make a quick side trip."

"A side trip? Where?" asked Aidan, sounding suspicious.

"To the dungeons. I want to see the demon-Spike. The imposter."

"Uhhh, Jayne, I'm not so sure that's such a good idea," said Scrum.

I patted him on the shoulder as I pa.s.sed him. "I know. That's why you're such a good daemon. Come on."

I continued down the hall, imagining the dungeons where I'd once met a buggane posing as my guardian angel.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE.

WE ARRIVED AT THE DOOR and voices were coming from within. I put my ear next to the wood, trying to determine if it was one person going bonkers from being alone too long or if there was more than one person inside. I was sad when I realized the only voice I heard was Spike's, and he seemed to be having a conversation with himself.

I looked at Aidan and Scrum, pulling away from the door. "I think he's lost it."

"What do you mean?" asked Aidan.

"He's talking to himself."

"Maybe he's not," said Scrum.

Scrum's weird answer along with the strange expression on his face caused me to abandon the conversation and knock.

"h.e.l.lo?" I said.

I heard footsteps and then a voice. Spike's voice.

"Jayne? Is that you?"

"Yes. Is that you, Spike, or is it the other Spike? The demon-Spike?"

"It's really me." I could hear a loud sigh. "What are you doing here?"

He didn't sound happy to hear me outside his door which did nothing but confuse me more. "I came to check on the j.a.c.k.o.f.f Spike. I didn't expect to find you here. Why are you in prison? I'm coming in."

"No! Jayne, just stay outside."

I stepped back, alarmed. He sounded angry. Or upset.

"Why?" I asked, my voice lacking strength and conviction. My confidence in his feelings for me was quickly ebbing.

"I don't want you to see me like this."

Bad hair day? This, I can handle. "Listen, Spike. Nothing you say is going to stop me from coming in, so just step away from the door."

"Please, Jayne, don't come in."

"Shut up." I stepped back, getting ready to bring The Green into me.

"Uh, Jayne? Maybe you should just try the handle first," said Aidan.

I laughed. "Yeah, right."

Aidan wasn't laughing with me.

"Are you serious?" I asked, looking at him, but stepping back to the door and grasping the handle.

Aidan nodded.

I pulled on it and the door started to open. But then it was yanked out of my hand and slammed shut again.

"What the h.e.l.l?" I said, mostly to myself.

I pulled on the handle again, but was only able to get it to move about a half-inch before it shut once more. I put two hands on it and yanked hard, getting it to separate from the frame for a fraction of a second before it was pulled out of my hands.

"Spike! Let the d.a.m.n door go!"

"No! I told you to go away!"

"Motherf.u.c.ker," I said, totally bemused about him being so desperate not to see me that he'd hold the door closed on me. I turned to Scrum and then Aidan. "I need you two to open this door."

"I'm not sure that's the best course of action, Jayne," said Aidan.

I fixed him with a steely glare. "Open this door, or I'm going to do something really mean." This was a big step for me, giving out warnings, so I hoped he appreciated it.

He smiled. "Like what?"

"Like using The Green to send your werewolf ears into crazyland."

Aidan frowned. "You wouldn't."

I smiled. "You'd better bet your hairy a.s.s I would."

He sighed loudly at me, his disapproval clear. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

I shrugged. "Whatever. Just open it, please."

Scrum stepped back out of the way and Aidan grasped the handle, putting his back into it, pulling with everything he had and causing it to fly open. The door swung out, bringing a body along with it.

I was tackled by something that had come from the cell, a smelly, black, leathery body landing on top of me.

I struggled desperately to get away. "Aidan! Scrum! Help! It's on me!"

The laughing caused me to freeze in place. My struggles ceased completely as my brain fired and misfired, trying to make sense of what I was seeing and hearing.

Aidan and Scrum stood off to the side, smiling like idiots.

"Hey, Jayne. How's it going?" asked the nasty demon lying on top of me. And I swear, he had Spike's smile.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO.

I PUSHED HIS LEATHERY HIDE off of me, sickened at the idea of rolling around on the floor with a nasty creature who'd stolen my friend's voice.

Scrum helped me to my feet, his face totally blank.

"Thanks for the warning," I said, brushing myself off. I wasn't as alarmed about the idea of a demon in front of me as I probably should have been, but he had Spike's voice which made him seem harmless. I also had a bada.s.s werewolf standing to my right who'd sworn to protect me and a daemon on my left who looked like he could be ready in a hurry to hug the s.h.i.t out of somebody if need be. But just in case, I brought a little of The Green into me. I felt the warm tingle as it filled my body.

The demon lifted its head up off the floor and sniffed. "Oh, man, I've missed the way you smell and look when you have The Green in you."

I stepped back, a little freaked out about how much this creature sounded like the real Spike. And then I leaped back farther when another voice came from inside the cell, also sounding exactly like Spike. "Do get up from the floor, would you please? That is my body you are abusing, you know."

I grabbed Aidan's and Scrum's arms, prepared to throw a shield up around all three of us. "Guys, there's some seriously next-level s.h.i.t going on here, and I'm about to go ballistic."

"It's really not that next-level, Jayne. It's a simple possession," said Aidan.

"Simple my b.u.t.t," said the demon, getting to his feet. "Someone screwed up somewhere. When I get my body back I'm going to find out who it is and suck the life out of them."

I dropped my bodyguards' arms and stepped cautiously towards the demon, understanding finally dawning. "Spike? Is that you in there? The real Spike?"

He was on his feet now, using his clawed hands to brush the dirt off his knees. "Yeah, unfortunately it is." He stood up and put his arms out. "How do you like my new look? Pretty handsome, eh?" He did a slow turn.

I smiled. "I've seen you look better. Like, much better."

"G.o.d, I hope so," he said, sounding sadder than I've ever heard him. His arms dropped to his sides and his shoulders sagged.

I leaped at him, hugging him so hard around the neck, I cut his air supply off for a few seconds; but he didn't seem to mind.

"Missed you," I said into his nasty ear.

"Missed you, too, punk."

I pulled back, looking into his demon-red eyes. "Why am I a punk?"

"Because you took advantage of the situation and picked my brain when I wasn't there to protect it from your questions."

I squeezed him one more time before letting go and stepping back. "I didn't have to ask. Blabbermouth over there just wouldn't shut up."

The real Spike turned to the demon-Spike and said, "You and me are going to battle this out when I get back where I'm supposed to be. What you did was wrong, dude."

I snorted, unable to control the laughter that rose up as a result of hearing a demon talk like my tattooed musician friend.

"I am afraid to disappoint you, but after we are put to rights, I will be leaving this realm. Therefore, you will not get the opportunity for retribution. But trust me, it is not worth the potential aftereffects. Stay good, Spike. Do not, as they say, come over to the dark side. It is quite ... lonely." He looked pointedly at me.

"Yeah, Spike," I chimed in, "don't murder anyone, because the Underworld totally sucks. And since I don't plan on going there, I'd appreciate you not going there either."

His demon lips pulled back from his sharp yellowy teeth in what I think might have been a smile - but it was so ghastly, it made my heart skip a beat in fear.

"Awww, Jayne. Did you miss me while I was gone?" The demon reached out to grab me.

I stepped back out of his reach, and Scrum moved forward to intercept him, ready to start hugging if the demon got out of hand with his affection.

"Listen, Spike. I want that hug and all, but until you're out of that demon body, I think we'd better just wait." I shuddered once, unable to help myself.

His head dropped to his chest, and he looked down at the ground. "But what if I can't ever get out of it? What if I'm stuck in this costume forever?"

"What? That's ridiculous." I looked at Aidan. "Get a witch in here, would ya? This guy didn't do anything wrong."

"They've already tried," said Aidan softly.

I looked at the two Spikes, confirmation of Aidan's words on their faces.

"Are you friggin kidding me?" I asked, not believing it. "The witches can fix anything. They fixed pixelation and made this compound invisible to humans, even with its size and number of occupants. No way could they be stumped over this one."

"It is true, I am afraid," said the fake demon-Spike. "Several witches have already tried."

My suspicious nature took over. "Any chance one of them was Samantha?"

Demon-Spike looked up at me. "She was the first, as a matter of fact."

I narrowed my eyes in anger and looked over at Aidan. "How much you want to bet she f.u.c.ked something up? On purpose."

Aidan gave me a patient smile. "Come on, Jayne. You can't really believe she'd do that."

Scrum joined him with the whole disbelief thing. "Sam's really nice. I don't think she'd do something like that, Jayne."

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that."

I grabbed the demon's hand and pulled him next to me, looking into the cell at the imposter. "Fake Spike? Come on. We're leaving." I began dragging the real Spike with me down the hallway.

"Where are we going?" asked the real Spike, sounding hopeful.