The trees flew past Spike and he leapt over tombstones. A doe appeared beside him and he was surprised to see that he paced her as she sprinted along. His head felt heavy and he realized he was a stag. He gave a deer honk and cleared the cemetary fence.

Lightning raked above them and the immediate thunder deafened them. Golden lances were thrown and sparked on the pavement near their legs, causing them to dodge. He couldn't look back, but he followed Dee down alleyways and up streets, trying to lose them. She stopped under an emergency fire escape and they watched Apollo on his chariot with Minerva driving go past.

Then, sides still heaving, they ran back until Dee was sure they had lost them. She changed them back into their bodies and Spike saw the sky was getting lighter.

"I need to get back," he said.

"They know where you sleep."

"Right."

"I want to show you one last thing before I go. Come on."

They climbed into the clock tower and Dee opened the east facing window. Spike moved to the shadow beside it, feeling very uncomfortable, even though the glass was white-washed.

"Come here." She pulled him to the window and leaned against his chest and put his arms around her.

"I'm not exactly into the suicide pacts," he said, getting nervous as the light blue sky turned cream.

"My blood is still in you. You'll be fine. It won't be permanent but-" the sun broke the horizon and though the light hurt his eyes for a moment, he didn't burn. "I wanted to give you something to remember me by. I figured I had time for a sunrise."

He had seen sunrises, the pretty clouds going from gold to orange to pink from safe angles. He had been out in the sun, carefully protected, and there was that brief time with the magical ring. But it had been ages since he'd seen the heart of a sunrise.

He held her tight and they watched it together. It felt so natural that he was kissing her ear and her cheek even before realizing it. She turned into him and there it was, that sweet kiss. He took her bum and pulled her tight and it wasn't sweet anymore. He kissed her neck and her fingers were in his hair and he said, "I love you."

Dee laughed and he stopped to look at her, a little hurt.

"That's not nice," he said.

She stroked his cheek and tried to suppress her smiling. "I'm sorry. But it's not true. Thanks for trying. Maybe... maybe when Buffy is gone. Old age, of course. I can wait. Come find me. And maybe it'll be true someday."

He knew she was right and they went back to watching the sun rise.

"This is the most beautiful sunrise I've ever seen," Spike said.

"Apollo put in a lot of effort. This might be his way of apologizing."

"Do you forgive him?"

Dee sighed. "Should I?"

Spike shrugged against her shoulders. "It's up to you."

"The last time, he didn't say sorry and my bitterness led to the Sundering. Maybe it's better for everyone if I just accept his apology."

"Sounds good."

"You need to get back to the others before my blood wears off."

"Where will you go?"

Dee shrugged. "I hear the hunting is good in the Andes."

When they transformed into deer and ran from the cemetary Zeus ran to Pan and Apollo conjured his chariot to chase the doe and stag.

Minerva jumped up with him and the others gathered around the body.

Eris found a tombstone that gave her the perfect angle to see the tableau and held up her fingers as a frame.

Then she started her applause. "Bravo! Well done! Such drama!" She hopped down to sit on the edge of the stone and continued talking as the others stared at her with shock or disgust. "Now, you might think this is a tragedy, but give it a few minutes to sink in and you'll be laughing with me."

Hera grabbed the handgun from Minerva's holster and shot Eris off the tombstone.

"Ow."