Understood Pain
Spoilers: Spike still has his chip but NOT HIS SOUL!
Disclaimer: Not mine! I just borrow them from the wonderfully generous Lord Joss.
Summary: Xander knows too much about pain to ignore someone else's.
Chapter1- I've been in his shoes too often
What I don't get is: WHY!
Why- would she say that?
Why- was she being so knowingly cruel?
Why- is this affecting me?
Why- do I suddenly want to find and punch her before offering him a room at my place and big mug of cocoa?
The first two, I don't know the answers to and don't really know if I want to find them out. The second two are easier to answer. It's because I've been in his place too many times not to empathize. I have wished too often that someone would be there with me not to want to help him. Okay, that didn't come out quite the way I meant it to. What I meant was: Whenever I've been treated like dirt by someone I care about, I've wished I had someone who could understand how I felt and would just talk to me and help me forget. I've never had anyone do that but, maybe, I can make sure Spike can't say the same. Anyway, even fangless bleached psycho's deserves better than how she treats him.
"Spike?"
Great! Just what I need. The slayers pet's decided to make my bad day absolutely bloody HORRIBLE.
"Come to add you're two cents worth? Don't bother. I'm leaving. You and your little friends can have a nice laugh. When I come back- WITHOUT THIS BLOODY CHIP!- I'll do my laughing over your rotting bodies."
"Are you thirsty?"
"WHAT?"
"I'm heading home to make some cocoa, wanna join me?"
Bloody hell, the whelps lost it! But who 'm I turn down a bit of cocoa... so long as it's got marshmallows.