David raced to follow Lorne, only to trip and fall. What the hell? He thought as he went to stand up. The woman with the glass in her eye was back. “It’s your turn David,” she said as she pulled the glass out of her eye and sliced at him. He jumped back reflexively and let himself drop through the floor. Bloody hell, he thought as he spun around and came face to face with another lawyer. This one was a man; when he turned, David could see that he was missing half his face. He shook his head to dispel the image, but when he opened his eyes, the man was still there, just as gruesome as ever. “You’re going to follow William,” the lawyer said. “You’re up next.”

  “The hell I am!” David shouted as he ran down the hall. The lights went out, and he slowed down, looking around. He paused to try and catch his breath. He knew these hallways. He’d been wandering them for months, hadn’t he? Two more ghosts appeared at either side him, and he dropped down another floor. “Not gonna bloody well get me,” he said as he ran into an office. The ghosts appeared again. Can’t keep dropping, or I’ll end up in the basement again, he thought as he looked around for an idea.

  “Sod off, would you? Tired of your games,” David spat at them and climbed up on a desk, then took a leap onto a filing cabinet, his head sticking through the ceiling. He pulled himself up through the floor, and back to his feet and ran again. Ghosts kept trying to come at him, and reach for him, but he slipped away each time. The woman without any arms appeared in front of him again.

  “Please,” she started to beg.

  “I said …. Piss. Off!” he said and shoved her hard. To his great relief and surprise, she flew through a wall and disappeared. David was feeling pretty good. Maybe if he could fight off these ghosts, he could do something about this Reaper. Then again, if it actually was some fire and brimstone kind of bloke, he wasn’t sure what kind of a chance he stood. Seasons don’t fear the reaper, nor do the wind, the sun, and the rain. We can be like they are, Come on baby, Don’t fear the reaper. He sang to himself in his head, as he ran past the ghosts.

  “We’ll be able to fly. Don’t fear the reaper. Baby, I’m your man,” he sang aloud and smiled to himself. He’d made it back up to the lab, but it was empty. The building seemed empty, aside from the ghosts. “La, la la, la la,” he kept singing as he ran back down the hall towards the lobby. “La, la la, la la.” He heard steps on the stairs and hoped it wasn’t a ghost. As he came out of the hallway into the upper lobby, he saw Spike running down the stairs.

  “No!” Spike said to the woman ghost, then spun around. “I’m not talking to flunkies anymore! You hear that?” He shouted angrily, his frustration boiling over, just as David ran towards him relieved to have a familiar face. Spike nodded to him, then yelled again. “Got your number, don’t I? You’re sending in third-rates to rattle my chains. You’re just some little twit of a spirit trying to have a go at me, aren’t you?”

  “That’s what I reckon too,” David agreed. “Thinks it’s funny to give the other ghosties the willies, yeah? Show yourself already, you wanker!”

  Spike scoffed and nodded. “Big bad Reaper come to take me to hell. Not bloody likely.” Spike suddenly shouted in pain and fell to his knees. David frowned, then felt himself squeezed by a painful sensation like razor blades cutting him on all sides. He shouted in pain and collapsed too. A man’s voice started chuckling eerily. Spike continued to grunt in pain, while David felt like he was getting cut up from the inside and someone was twisting his intestines all about. He groaned, and tried to roll away, but it didn’t help. He kept getting blasted by pain, either inside his body or what felt like his skin being cut up. He had a flash of watching Angelus torturing his victims and imagined this is what they must have felt like. But he hadn’t hurt anyone like this. Wasn’t hell supposed to give you a taste of your own medicine?

  “Oh yes, take you screaming,” the voice gloated. “An eternity of suffering for your sins. But first, I get to play.” Spike looked up to see another ghost, presumably the Reaper this time, standing above him in a dirty 18th century greatcoat with a white ruffled shirt sticking out, and darker pants matching the jacket. David looked up, confused. The Reaper was playing with a knife in his hands and David’s blood ran cold. He’d seen that kind of look before from other monsters. That was the look of a man who delighted in torturing his victims, who took pleasure in the pain of others. Seasons don’t fear the reaper, nor do the win, the sun or the rain, his brain offered. Come on, baby, don’t fear the reaper. He closed his eyes. Having a little trouble with that right now, he thought to himself. “Let’s get started then, shall we?” The man said. David pressed his eyes closed. Baby take my hand, don’t fear the Reaper, we’ll be able to fly, don’t fear the reaper, baby I’m your man.

  We’ll be able to fly, he thought again. I could fly. I could … can’t leave Spike, damn it. He was having a hard time thinking straight and kept feeling the razor blades cutting him. Spike was crawling away but kept crying out as the Reaper kept cutting him again and again. David shook his head as the Reaper grabbed him by the collar of his sweatshirt and dragged him along as he followed Spike. “You’re not going anywhere yet,” he said and David felt choked as he kicked to try and keep up. “Vampire soul. Watch it struggle,” he said to Spike. “More fun than the others.”

  “Go to hell,” Spike spat back. David groaned and looked up at the man. Don’t fear the reaper, we’ll be able to fly. David let his sweatshirt disappear and the choking sensation stopped. The Reaper scoffed at him.

  “We’ll be able to fly,” David whispered and dropped through the floor. He had to get back to Spike somehow. He wasn’t sure if he dropped all the way to the basement if he’d rubber band back up again, but he decided he didn’t want to risk getting caught in the basement. He groaned as he rolled over and went to stand up. He had cuts all over himself. That was no ordinary reaper, unless he was hired a couple hundred years ago, David thought to himself. He was on his feet and started stumbling back towards an office he could manage to climb up through. Suddenly the Reaper was standing next to him.

  “I didn’t say you could leave yet,” he announced, sounding annoyed as he gripped David’s arm tightly. David blinked and they were back in the lab again. “I think I’d like to keep the pair of you together, since you seem to enjoy it so much.” David grunted as the Reaper twisted his arm and shoved him down next to Spike.

  “Who said I enjoy it?” David spat back.

  “Well, you certainly seem quite attached though, don’t you? Pull on this one, and you come running,” the Reaper said, gesturing towards Spike. A light turned on behind them, and the Reaper turned. “Oh, the pretty. Still trying to save you.” Fred had gone into the lab. David grunted again, feeling rage well up inside of himself. “Such passion. So wet and sweet. Perhaps I’ll have a taste one day,” the man said as he admired her standing in the window. David’s blood began to boil as he went to stand. Spike had already beat him to it, however and went to punch the man but his hand went through the Reaper’s head. The man started laughing as he watched the hand go straight through his head. How come he can hurt us, but Spike can’t hit him? David wondered as he finished standing. “Still thinking like meat and bone,” the Reaper chided. “There’s none here, boy,” he said as he spun to face them. “In this place, all the rules are mine.” David frowned as the lights went out around them and they were standing in the basement again. “Reality bends. My desire. The way it was meant to.”

  “Bending reality,” Spike said as he started to walk. “I didn’t just fade away. That was you. That’s why they can’t see me anymore.” Seasons don’t fear the reaper, we’ll be able to fly. Bugger, David thought as he followed Spike. If he’s moving us around and making us invisible, is he going to split us up too? Bloody hell, can he split us up?

  “Parlor tricks, to amuse,” the Reaper said. “Like your blood.” Suddenly the cuts and pain were gone. Spike reached up to feel his face, and noticed it was smooth. David looked down at his arms to realize the cuts had disappeared from his own arms too. “Oh yes,” the man laughed. “Nothing here without the will. Your voice, your body.”

  “Clothes you think you wear,” said the woman with the glass in her eye from behind them.

  “William the Bloody. Scourge and destroyer,” the Reaper’s voice said. David looked at Spike and realized the man was completely starkers, then his gaze dropped as he looked down to see he was as well. Spike turned to look at him and David went red as he closed his eyes. His dirty secret on display for all to see. The only thing left on him was his necklace and the tattoos that covered his entire body from the neck down, but now his breasts were also exposed, as was his lack of the typical male part most men had between their legs. Spike looked him up and down, realization dawning on him at exactly what David might be in store for as well, as the man’s voice began laughing in a delighted way that chilled them both to their core.

  “Well, well, well. Little David’s secret is out now too. You can’t hide from me anymore, now can you. Think we’re going to have a little more fun together than even William and I will. Fancy yourself a boy, do you? I’ll show you exactly what you are.” David felt like he was about to cry and swallowed hard. At least when he could manifest his own clothing, he could hide his body. Make his chest flat. But standing here naked, his secret was out. Spike knew. This man knew. Hell, any ghost that was around knew now too. He hadn’t been born like the other men. David opened his eyes and looked at Spike with a pained expression. Spike just blinked at him, unsure what to do or say, and David looked away, still fighting the urge to cry.

  “I’m a man, same as you, you twat,” David finally spat out, his anger beginning to override his embarrassment and sorrow. The man laughed.

  “A little nancy boy still crying for his mother and a little girl playing dress up,” the ghost without arms taunted them and she walked by, looking them up and down her face full of judgement and derision.

  “Know all your hiddens. Dirty red things you’ve done,” the Reaper said, talking about Spike now, and David frowned. The Reaper had been surprised to realize he wasn’t like other men, hadn’t he? “Then fell in love. Won yourself a soul. No more dirty things. Think yourself special.” Don’t fear the reaper. We’ll be able to fly, the lyrics continued to loop through David’s head like a broken record.

  “Thinks it matters,” said the ghost with the glass in her eye.

  “Well, maybe it ought to,” David spat out at them. Something didn’t feel right here.

  “Don’t get me started on you,” the Reaper said menacingly. “Hiding away from the world. Pretending to be something you’re not. Playing dress up like a little girl and chasing the big kids around. Following a vampire around like he might actually care. Getting lost in old memories like they matter.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  “He doesn’t care. Nobody does. Nobody even has time for you,” the woman ghost taunted him. David frowned. When had anyone actually paid him any attention besides Dru in over 120 years? Why should this bloke get to put him down? That wasn’t news to him. Don’t fear the reaper. He’d done just fine entertaining himself all that time, and plenty of famous actors and artists wore costumes too, damn it. Like Freddie. We’ll be able to fly... Like in the dreams he used to visit. Bending to his will. That’s it. Just like we do in dreams. It’s a matter of will. Imagination!

  The ghosts had continued to taunt them, but David had tuned them out.

  “You killed them,” Spike accused.

  “No. Died themselves. Here, in service of Wolfram and Hart. Little ants, scurrying from the flames.”

  “Their spirits hung on. Tried to keep from tumbling into hell. Until you gave them a shove.” Spike spat out.

  “Burning now. Screaming forever, like you’ll scream,” the Reaper said.

  “Spike!” David suddenly called as he turned to him. “It’s all about the imagination,”

  “If they’re in hell, they can’t be here then, can they? Just more of your tricks,” Spike said coming to the same conclusion David just had.

  “They aren’t real, are they?” David added as he looked at them. Figments of that other man’s twisted imagination.

  “Real enough,” the Reaper said and laughed as two ghosts attacked David and Spike at the same time. “Hell always hungers for the wicked, boy. This vampire soul has done plenty of wicked things, so I think we’ll send him in first. Keep the girl to play with a little longer.” David gulped.

  “Don’t think so mate. No girls here. Must be your imagination,” David corrected him as the man appeared next to David and backhanded him so he flew and hit the wall, his head making a loud cracking sound. David slumped to the floor, unmoving. Spike gasped.

  “Oh, don’t worry. Can’t kill her. She’ll wake up soon enough. I expected more from the soul of a vampire though.” He bent down over Spike. “Too much conscience perhaps, weighing it down.” David groaned as he started to move around, and the Reaper glanced over at him. “Impressive little girl. That should have kept you out longer.”

  David opened his eyes to see what almost looked like water spreading out through the air, as a hole in the fabric of reality seemed to be opening above Spike. “Told you already,” he grunted. “I’m not a girl. Never was.”

  “Look,” the man said. “Hell knows you’re ready,” he spoke into Spike’s ear. “Plump and ripe. Beginning to understand, aren’t you? The soul that blesses you,” the Reaper whispered and Spike grunted in pain and shuddered. “Damns you to suffer forever”. David felt helpless, looking around as he tried to move but feeling dazed. Baby take my hand, and she ran to him, then they started to fly. David pushed himself up. Imagination. Power of will. I know how to do this. I’ve been little more than a bloody ghost for over a century. David stood up and looked down at his naked body, then did what had become like second nature to him already. He brought his jeans and shoes back, then grinned as he created a new t-shirt over his once-again flat chest with a cartoon figure of a Grim Reaper complete with scythe and holding his own head in his hands. Can do a hell of a lot more as a ghost than this bloke thinks I can for sure! The man grabbed Spike’s head and yanked it back as Spike gasped. “You go now, William, so I can stay.” And right now, I want to kick this bloke’s sodding arse!

  “Not today, mate,” David said as he swung his fist into the side of the man’s skull. His hand hurt like hell, but he also heard the shocked grunt of the man as he let Spike’s head go. David was angry. He’d been toyed with, tortured, stripped down naked and emasculated. Now this bloke was going to try and throw Spike into hell to keep his own skin out for just a little longer? He grabbed the man’s jacket and tried to yank him back and further away from Spike, who was gasping and staring at the opening of hell. The man wriggled out of David’s grip and David stumbled back, as Spike pushed himself up off the floor.

  “I might deserve to go to hell, but today’s not that day,” Spike said as he stood up.

  “You dare!” The Reaper said as he looked at first David and then Spike.

  “Quite a bit, mate,” Spike said forcefully and the opening to hell behind him closed rapidly. “Reality bends to desire.” David walked back over to the man and wrapped his arm around the man’s neck as he stared in shock at Spike. “That was it, right? That was why I could touch Fred. Write your name in the glass.” David gave Spike an impressed look. “All I had to do was want it bad enough. Seems David here got the memo too,” Spike smirked at the man and David squeezed his neck tighter, locking his arm around his other arm to hold him tight. Spike looked down at himself and his clothes reappeared. The man grabbed at David’s arms, trying to pull them away from his neck. Then he slammed his head back and into David’s face who let go in shock and pain as he fell backwards.

  “Well, guess what I want to do now, you prissy son of a bitch?” Spike asked, anger dripping from every word. David smirked as he rubbed his face and watched Spike stalk over, every inch the Big Bad. The man started sputtering in shock that not just one, but two ghosts had overcome his tricks. Spike kicked the man hard through the wall, then reached out a hand to David and helped him up. “Nice shirt.” They walked through the wall and found themselves in an office. “Cute little racket you’ve got carved out for yourself. Prying off spirits and sucking ‘em down the chute,” Spike said as the man crawled backwards across the floor away from them. “Kept your own toasties out of the fire, didn’t it? Till now.” The man had managed to stand and then stared surprised at David’s t-shirt before looking back at Spike right in time to see a fist slam into his face. David watched as the two of them threw punches at each other, but Spike seemed to have much more practice than the other man did and continued to punch and kick him into another office. “Not as much fun when we hit back, is it?” Spike started to taunt him, then threw another punch. The man caught his fist.

  “It’s starting to be,” he said menacingly and punched Spike hard, sending him flying through a wall. David roared and launched himself at the man, catching him off-guard. The man fell backwards but managed to catch himself quickly and swung back. David ducked, and swung in low into his stomach, sending him back several feet. The man grinned. “Sorry, little girl,” he taunted, as he moved towards David. “But you’re just not good enough to fight me.” He swung, and David dodged several swings. The man frowned.

  “I told you, you arse, I’m not,” David said as he swung and missed, then managed to duck another incoming swing and put all his rage into his next punch, “a girl!” The man flew through the wall in the direction Spike had gone. “Not gonna bloody say it again,” he spat out and stormed through the wall after the man. Spike watched the man fly through the air and across the lobby, and his eye widened in shock as he watched David come through the wall, looking furious.

  The man grunted as he landed. “Learned a few of my tricks, I see?” He rolled over and stood up quickly. “Means nothing, though, does it? I’ll still be sending the both of you to hell.”

  “Oh yeah? Like to see you try,” Spike swung but the man dodged it. David walked over to him.

  “We are so gonna kick you arse, mate,” David spat out. The man grinned evilly at them.

  “I don’t think so. I’ve cheated hell for hundreds of years,” he said as he managed to land a punch on Spike, sending him flying several feet, as Spike grunted as he landed on his back. “Fed it other dirty little souls. Left me alone. Let me get stronger. Now, in this realm. I am God.” David moved in next.

  “Well, I’ve had a little practice in the ghost world too mate,” David taunted the man, who swung at him. David caught it, and the man looked at him perplexed.

  “Well, well, well. Seems the little girl has more secrets now, doesn’t she,” the man said. David scowled and squeezed his hand hard, then pulled on it and punched the man’s face. The man fell backwards and twisted his hand out of David’s grip.

  “Might not have been around for hundreds of years, but I’ve definitely had time to build up my strength. See, I figure if it’s about imagination, then I got that in spades, mate,” David said as he moved towards the man, who swung and stumbled as his hand went right through David. The reaper looked at him, perplexed. “If it’s about will, well, I got that too,” David said as he kicked hard and the man fell backwards. Spike watched as David followed him and kicked him hard between the legs, as he lifted a few feet off the ground. “Had about enough of your pathetic, misogynistic arse for more than a few lifetimes,” he said as he punched him again. The man was ready for his next swing, though and dodged it, despite still struggling in pain.

  Suddenly an energy pulse rushed through the building. David and Spike stopped in surprise and the man punched David who went flying across the floor. The reaper took off towards the source of the pulse as Spike chased him. David got to his feet and followed. When he came rushing through the wall he saw Angel, Wes, and Gunn on the floor, and his sweatshirt immediately rematerialized. David turned and saw that the man was holding Fred by the neck, choking the life out of her. “Decisions,” the man started, as he chuckled. David roared. “The girl, or the flesh. There’s no time for both.” David was already in motion barreling straight for Fred. Spike stood for a moment, watching as David dove for the man only to be struck by the man’s fist and knocked down. It was just the distraction Spike needed, as he appeared on the other side of him.

  “Not really a choice, mate,” he said as he punched the man, knocking him into the circle. A force wrapped around the man, and David realized in horror that the sadistic ghost had been made flesh in their place. They’d lost their shot.

  “No! Defilers,” the man called out to them. Wes and Gunn raced to Fred to check on her and help her up, while the man started shouting at them. “I’ll cut you into nothing! I’ll feast on your brains! I’ll swim in lakes of your own blood!” Angel walked up behind him and punched him hard in the face, sending the man flying. This time he landed with a satisfying crack as he collided with the wall.

  “You’ll shut the hell up,” Angel said as he walked over to the man.

  “Stop!” David called out, as Spike ran over.

  “Don’t kill him. If he becomes a spirit again, we’ll never stop him.” Spike warned Angel.

  “Fine. No killing. Just a whole lot of bruising.” Angel turned to the man and punched him hard in the face, knocking him out.

  ****

  Angel and a couple security guards helped remove the man, who David found out was named Pavayne, to a special storage area that Eve told them about in the basement of Wolfram and Hart. It would keep Pavayne in statis, permanently. Where he couldn’t hurt anyone else again. Fred, Wes and Gunn worked to clean up the machine, while Spike and David lingered in Fred’s office watching. David was holding his breath, waiting for Spike to say something to him. After several minutes of Spike continuing to ignore him, David’s anxiety got the better of him.

  “I’m not a girl,” he said softly.

  “Never said you were,” Spike replied.

  “It’s just …” David started, searching for the right words to express himself properly, and Spike turned to him.

  “I get it, mate. You don’t have to worry about me. I know you’re a man,” Spike reassured him. “And you got a pretty mean punch there too.” David smiled and he exhaled as he realized he’d been holding his breath. Spike studied him. David’s secrecy was starting to make a lot more sense, even if he didn’t know what the whole story was. Living as a man in a female body could be a dangerous business in most of the world, especially in places that didn’t understand. It was a veritable death sentence in some places. He could appreciate the man wanting to keep his past secret. Spike’s own past didn’t exactly line up with how he wanted people to see him either.

  “Thanks, mate,” David said with a soft smile. Fred walked in just then looking defeated.

  “Don’t suppose you built a spare,” Spike said.

  “Most of the pieces I used on this one were practically nonexistent to start with. Even if I could replace them, the chances of finding another power source… I’m sorry,” Fred said. David sighed and walked over to her smiling.

  “Don’t be, luv. Made my choice,” Spike said reassuringly. David nodded. “Wouldn’t change it for the world.”

  “There are other things we could try. They’re a little riskier, but …”

  “No. I’m not going to end up like Pavayne,” Spike said. “Cheating hell any way he could, no matter who it hurt.”

  “Nor I,” David added.

  Fred nodded and looked at Spike. “Just proves what I’ve been telling everybody.”

  “That I’m a handsome devil who brightens up the place?” Spike asked, and David laughed softly and rolled his eyes. Spike smiled at David, then turned his grin towards Fred. Fred grinned back.

  “That you’re worth saving,” She clarified, as David nodded to himself. That he is, luv. That he is.

  Spike sat with that for a moment, taking it in. “Don’t have it so bad really. Plenty of room. Good company,” he said as he smiled at Fred, then David. “Even picked up a few new tricks.” He concentrated on a cup next to him and managed to lift it up off the table. Fred laughed in surprise as he held the cup out in front of him. “I guess there’s worse things than being a ghost.” David smiled and nodded approvingly. He reached out and took the cup out of Spike’s hand, then grinned wide as Fred laughed again.

  “Nifty,” David said appreciatively, then he smirked. “Can’t wait to try out these new tricks.”