•••

Spike huddled close to Xander, trying to hide some of his fear. The tortured dead in this circle cried and howled until the vampire's ears hurt from it. He couldn't help but wonder if perhaps this was his fate; after all, he was known for both his wrath and his sullenness.

"Nothing here is going to hurt you," Xander whispered, holding Spike more tightly. "Remember; Tara's watching out for us."

"Right," Spike murmured. For some reason, the presence of Xander's arms around him was more reassuring than the boy's mention of their benefactor.

Doyle placed a firm hand on both men's backs and guided them around the tower, which stretched high into the air. At the top were two flickering lights. "What's that?" Xander inquired, peering into the sky.

"You'll see soon enough," Doyle replied.

Spike's eyes widened as he saw a silvery swamp buggy fly towards them, pitching the wrathful around like leaves in a blowing wind. "I've got you now, my pretties!" A dry, crackling voice shouted. The vampire turned away from the sight of the disgusting demon who guided the boat.

"Sorry, Phlegyas, but we're on a mission. Tara gave us free passes across the Styx, so you've got to take us," Doyle said, halting the ferryman's tirade.

"Fine," Phlegyas grumbled, looking over the three men. "What's with him?" He asked, pointing to Spike. "He trying to decide which of our lovely suburbs he's gonna be moving into?"

Xander's eyes narrowed. "Stuff it, dead guy. Some of us still have souls, you know. Unlike you, we don't *have* to come here when we die." Even as he said the words, Xander wondered where they came from. Soulless or souled, he didn't make a habit of standing up for Spike. Of course, taking a day trip through Tartarus was as good a reason to engage in a bit of male bonding as Xander could think up.

Spike jerked a bit when Xander came to his defense. It wasn't what he'd been expecting, but neither was it unwelcome. Actually, hearing Xander speak up for him, while the boy held him in those strong, warm arms, made Spike's wounded soul turn over in interesting though not uncomfortable ways.

Doyle led Xander and Spike onto the boat. Phlegyas guided it into the murky waters, careful to hit a body here and there. Xander kept one eye on Spike and the other on the passing corpses. "Hey, you!" One mud-covered glob shouted. "I know you! Meatloaf special with mashed potatoes, every Wednesday for four years."

Xander craned his head to look at the woman. "You!" He hissed. "I know you. You tried to poison all of us!"

Doyle frowned. "She did what?"

"She was the lunch lady at our high school. Put poison in the chow one day, but we stopped her." Xander turned to look at the ranting, raving woman.

"Pigs, all of you! Disrespectful, foul-mouthed animals! At least you're down here getting what you deserve!"

Spike shuddered slightly as the woman screamed. "Can we watch her get torn to shreds? Can we, please?" Xander asked Doyle. "'Cause she's more than deserving of it."

"Yer not going to have to wait for long," Doyle warned. Just as he finished speaking, a throng of the wrathful came down on the lunch lady, tearing her into tiny pieces.

"Right," Spike whispered, looking away.

"Ok, ride's over. Everybody out," Phlegyas muttered, stopping the boat. Doyle led Xander and Spike onto the shore, where they could see the entrance to Dis. Xander thought it looked a bit like a science fiction movie; the city glowed a dull red, as though on fire, and a dark haze of soot hung low over it. They walked towards Dis, avoiding the deep ruts and iron railings that scarred the landscape.

Spike was the first to spot the mass of beings that stood between them and Dis. He was about to point them out to Xander when the wretched creatures began to speak.

"Who is this, who is not yet dead, who dares to enter our city?"

Doyle stepped to one side and motioned to the leader of the wraith-like beings. He spoke softly to it, while the others peered curiously at Xander and Spike.

"This one, he could stay," One said, pointing at Spike. "Dead, he is."

Xander moved to stand in front of Spike. "Doyle, man, how are those negotiations going?"

Doyle grimaced and shook his head. The raging, screaming wraiths gathered together and stormed into Dis, slamming the heavy gates behind them. "Not good, Xander. They're not going to just let us in; they don't want the living inside and they say that if I go in, they won't let me out again."

Spike whimpered. "What're we gonna do?"

Doyle cocked his head to one side and glanced up. "We'll wait here for Tara to send some help. Shouldn't take too long."