Title : Timelessness
Author : Zer0 Signal
Category : Drama, Song-fic, angst
Rating : TV-PG
Spoilers : Up to and including "The Initiative" (Season 4)
Disclaimer : Joss owns all things Buffy. Roadrunner Records owns all things Fear Factory. I am but a pawn in their cosmic game of chess.
Distro : Fanfiction.net, www.buffyguide.com…anyone else, just ask and it's yours
Content : W/S, angsty
Dedication : To my two favorite actors on BtVS, Mr. Marsters and Ms. Hannigan, I bow to your superiority J
Feedback : Always appreciated. Author's commentary at bottom
The wooden board propped against the entrance to Spike's mausoleum nearly broke in two as the blond vampire's combat boot kicked it dead-center. Leather duster flapping in the wind, the demon sprinted to his crypt, his arms full with a bloody, whimpering girl. Placing her gently on the cold stone surface, he stared intently, as if he could open her eyes by burning a hole through her very eyelids. After what seemed like an eternity, her eyes fluttered open, their heavenly green shade shining bright as a star. Panting and gasping for unnecessary breath, Spike brushed a strand of red hair out of the injured girl's eyes, silently pleading for her to show some sign of coherence. Her lips parted slowly as she struggled to speak.
"Spi..ke?"
He fought back the tears welling in his eyes with every fiber of his undead being. Caressing the side of her pale face, he cringed at the amount of her blood on his hand. Never before had he been sickened by the sight of human blood. Staring deeply into her eyes, he answered in a low, gravelly tone of voice.
"It's me pet. You're safe now."
"I'm cold Spike."
"It's usually drafty in these crypts," he tried to joke, if nothing else but to soothe his own tattered nerves, "I can't afford that bloody central heating you humans are blessed with."
"S..sorry to hear it," she replied, trying to sit up. A wave of dizziness brought her back down and she coughed violently. His eyes trailed down to the side of her neck, where his makeshift tourniquet was now a blackish crimson color. He rushed over to a table to get a fresh compress, bumping into his stereo on the way back. The compact disc changer whirred to life, and a song began to play.
I've felt darkness…closing in on me
Bloody marvelous, the blond vampire thought with a frown. The music that had begun to play was the last thing either of them needed to hear. He tried to think about anything else in the world, but his mind kept replaying the events of the last few minutes. Still heartbroken from Oz's departure, Willow had taken to wandering the campus alone at all hours. Even armed with her stake and holy water, Spike knew that all it would take is one powerful demon to overtake her. He cursed himself every night as he watched over her, skulking in the shadows, ready to destroy anything that would harm her. With all his valor, he still lacked the courage to make his presence known to the hacker. Until tonight, when it all fell apart.
Chilling shadows…surrounding me
A fledgling jumped out at her from behind an announcement board, and she began to back away warily, hands in her pockets fumbling for a weapon. The agitated vampire lunged at her, but she used his momentum to hip toss him to the side. He sprung up quickly, and almost instantly had grabbed her, trying to push her down. They struggled, both still on their feet, as Spike coiled in the background, ready to strike the instant she lost the upper hand. He should have sensed the figure 20 feet to his left, but he didn't until it was too late. A shot rang out into the cold night air, and the force of the projectile sent the redhead sprawling backwards into the grass. Spike roared and began charging towards the girl. The confused demon, realizing the shot was meant for him, turned tail and fled, an Initiative soldier hot on his heels. The human stopped briefly and turned towards the fallen girl. He stared coldly for a second, before continuing his pursuit. Spike ran and collapsed next to Willow, who had been stunned unconscious by the bullet which had hit her in the neck.
I've had the poison leak into my skin
Spike blinked out of his trance. The rest had been a blur anyway. Now he was in his dank crypt, while the young redhead…the girl who meant more to him in these past weeks than he had ever imagined…was bleeding to death. He recognized the heady aroma her wound was giving off. The bullet had pierced the coratoid artery. It wouldn't be long now.
And it corroded my heart away
"Red…" he choked out.
"Shhh…" answered the weakened Willow. "I know. It's over for me. But you…I didn't know you…you.."
"Cared" he replied, almost growling with sorrow. "I do care pet. I wish I had the courage to tell you sooner." If his human soul was still dominant, the smile she beamed at him would have lit it up like a Christmas tree.
"You're very brave, Spike. You tried to protect me. Take care of me…"
"Don't talk, love." He pleaded, tears again threatening to flow freely from his yellow eyes. "You need your strength.."
Bled away…
"I want to take care of you too.." she continued. "I want you to…to turn me." Spike was taken aback, but not completely shocked. He expected the hacker to be selfless to the bitter end.
"But it won't be you, pet. Your soul will leave this place," said Spike, a hint of despair in his voice. She coughed again, her eyes fluttering as she tried to speak.
"That's not what I believe." Her eyes burned through his with conviction. "My soul will be dormant, but it will still be here. I'll still be here. With you." Spike let a loud sob escape his lips as he gripped Willow's hand tenaciously.
"I don't deserve you, love"
Cut away…
"Please, Spike." Her voice was fading. It was now or never. He leaned in close, planting a soft kiss on her trembling lips. She found the strength to remove the bandage from her neck, blood trickling down the side of the crypt. He swallowed hard, lowering his mouth to the wound, never letting go of her hand.
"Please…"
Gently as he ever had in his 120 years of existence, Spike began to feed, lapping at her neck. He felt an enormous amount of energy from the hacker's blood. Second only to a Slayer's, the demon inside him muttered to himself.
Dark night of my soul…
Willow's free hand caressed the back of Spike's neck, and he lifted his head from her wound. Without hesitation, he bit into his wrist, exposing his own demonic blood. Slowly he lowered it to her mouth, and with what little strength she had left, Willow swallowed the viscous liquid. She coughed and sputtered as he removed his wrist, her green eyes again meeting his.
Dark night of my soul…
Once more, her lips curled into a smile. With her last breath, the mortal Willow uttered one final statement to her soon-to-be Sire.
"We…and our love…will be timeless." And with that, her chest fell for the last time, and her head slumped to the side.
Dark night of my soul…
Spike turned to the opening of his dwelling. The night sky never looked more beautiful. The mournful cello of the song played on, as he stared hopefully to the heavens, all the while never separating her hand from his. Sighing, he made a silent vow to himself. He would never let go.
Fin
Author's Commentary : As is usually the case with me, this story came to be in about an hour and a half. I tend to have a song in my head pretty much every day, and this time it was a beautiful, heartfelt song by an otherwise hardcore, heavy metal band. I didn't know they had it in them, quite frankly. I went on the posting board this morning and read all the posts about Willow and Spike and how right they are for each other. As much as I'd love to see W/X (and B/S), I can't deny the chemistry these two have. Henceforth, I wrote this story. Yes, I realize I'm taking certain things on faith here. I'm assuming that Spike is capable of drinking her blood (w/o biting) and not getting burned by the implant. I'm also assuming that the bite isn't necessary in the whole demon transfer thing. All I know is if this ever happened on the show, I'd be too busy bawling like a baby to worry about semantics. So there :P. Please please PLEASE give me feedback, I'm very insecure and therefore thrive on what people think of my work J. The song is called "Timelessness" (duh), and it's the final track on Fear Factory's latest, "Obsolete". None of the other songs are even remotely like this one, so unless you're a fan of extremely hard rock, don't go getting this album cuz of one mushy song. Thanks for reading.
PS : I swear to G*d I'll finish Souled Torture someday. I'm majorly writers blocked on that one, bear with me ;)