A Buffy & Spike fiction | ROUGH LOVE
Title: Rough Love
Synopsis: Spike pondered on sacrificing evil for love. A
post-'Tough Love' episode B/S fic.
Note: I'm supposed to include the love poem
'Dearest..." in its entirety but changed my mind, maybe
later ;) I have no idea what to write next as post-epi fic, so
just bear with me. I don't read spoilers nor early bird reviews,
so all my post-episode fictions are pure speculations (actually,
I have no spec at this time :D).
Rating: G
Date Written: Tuesday, 01 May, 2001 : 11:26 PM
Author: The Resident Web Vampyr © 2001.
Credits: Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a property by Joss
Whedon and the powers that be. Click here for more.
Characters in play: Buffy Willow Dawn
Tara Giles Spike
part one.
Spike laid awake on his
concrete slab recuperating from his injuries. He still had a few
bones left to mend in addition to a badly beaten face. He agreed
to look after Dawn even though he hadn't fully recovered yet. He
felt he had to do it. Not because Dawn was Buffy's sister, but
because it was his duty, as a friend and hopefully, as someone
special.
Maybe he had changed. Maybe
all this giving up the whole evil thing for the one he loved was
finally taking shape. Who knew what else he would do for Buffy?
Give up his life? He'd do it in a heartbeat. It wasn't a question
of if, but a question of when.
Spike got up and opened the
coffin he had been laying on. The box containing all his Buffy
possessions was inside. He took one of her sketches and looked at
it lovingly.
Perhaps I could write her
some poetry? I bet she would love to read one. He smiled. But no!
I don't even know if she likes poems. Perhaps she doesn't, Spike
shook his head. Perhaps she might think that I'm still obsessing
over her. But I'm not. What I'm feeling for her... is real.
Dearest...
Spike drew his love poems in his mind and yet, everything felt
vague. He knew that mere love poems were not enough for Buffy, at
least that's what he thought. He had to show her that he was
ready to sacrifice everything. He said it to her that he would
"...for the right person. The person I love..."
Getting rid of his
collection was a good start. It was a bad idea anyway. It wasn't
real. He didn't have to pretend anymore because he'd proven once
that he could do something real. Real for him and real for Buffy.
Spike took the box and
proceeded to walk to the crypt's underground cave. These have to
go, he said to himself. He limped at every step going down as he
clutched the box. It was the same cave where he hid most of his
stuff. The same cave where he chained Buffy months ago, and the
same cave where he, Buffy, and Dawn shared a few hours yesterday.
Spike gathered his Buffy
collection, including all the pictures, the clothes, and the
dummy. He lit a fire and let everything be consumed.
"This will be a new
beginning for us, Buffy. No more obsessions, no more stupid
shrines, no more robots. Evil doesn't live with me anymore. I
swear it upon my life."
part two.
Giles had been worried about Buffy and Dawn. Dawn seemed to be
having trouble at school. So serious that the school's principal
notified the proper authorities about Dawn's case and was
considering taking her away from her only family--Buffy. Giles
felt for Buffy, for she considered him not only their friend but
their guardian. But what could he do? It was a fact that he acted
more of a paternal figure to them most of the time, emotionally
they could count on him, but legally?
They've weathered so much in
so little time, yet it seemed scores of problems were still
headed their way. Yesterday, Tara became a victim of Glory's ire.
It was an awful thing, having her brains sucked out and not
remembering anything, anymore. It didn't have to end that way,
but it did. No one felt more guilty than Willow, but nobody could
blame her. Especially Dawn, who believed it was her own fault.
Giles let out a sigh of
frustration. He understood how Willow and Dawn might have felt.
If only they could do something. If only they knew how to stop
these terrible things from happening. If only they knew how to
stop Glory. What was next for them remained unseen.
Giles decided to call Willow
and ask if everything was okay with Tara. He knew Buffy was with
them but he had the overwhelming desire to make sure. Maybe it
was just a hunch or maybe it was pure instinct, but he knew he
had to call. Giles waited for someone to answer the phone. It
rang once, twice, thrice. No answer.
"This isn't right.
Something is going on..." Giles came to a conclusion.
part three.
Buffy, Willow, Tara, and Dawn shrieked in terror. In front of
them was Glory; her eyes glittered wickedly. Finally, the Key.
***
Also by The Resident Web Vampyr
eXposed (a LoneGunmen series), Against One,
Stronger than Desire, Sweetness Follows, Glorious, No More, An
Ode to Spike and Buffy, Checkpoint, Blood Lies, Crushed/I was
made to crush you, I was made to love you too, The Bloody/Misere
Mani, Forevermore/The Gnosis, Divine
Intervention/Pure&Precious, Rough Love. Visit www.vampyrslayer.cjb.net for more.