1.1 A/N: The next two chapters of this story are now up! The big long
story is also just about finished too, but I want to read it over again and
stuff before putting it up. Sorry it's been taking ages, this real world
nonsense sometimes interferes with fanfic…
1.2
1.3
1.4 Once more with feeling
"Ok, so I missed it." Spike said. "Like I bloody care anyway." Giles, Buffy and Willow looked at him, amusement crossing all of their faces.
"So I shouldn't bother telling you what happened, seeing as you don't care." Willow suggested. Then she started humming a tune, as she looked around the room 'innocently'.
"What… no, forget it. I don't care." Spike sat down, suspicious but determined not to be provoked into asking. They'd tell.
"Spike's right." Giles told Willow and Buffy. "You don't have to tell him what happens in every episode of that programme. He's not interested… just let it rest in peace." And with that, everyone burst out laughing. Spike scowled. Laughter about him was annoying, and especially so when he didn't know why. But he wasn't going to ask them. No way. Humans have no sense of patience, unlike immortals, who could wait *forever* if they wanted.
Suddenly the door burst open. With a look of fury, Xander stormed into the living room.
"That is *it*!" he exclaimed. "I'm sick of letting those idiots run our lives like this!"
"What idiots?" Giles asked Xander, who was pacing the room in anger.
"Well, duh. The TV people." Xander said. "That *ending*. God, Spike, aren't you pissed?"
"Didn't see it, and I don't…" he fidgeted, trying with all his might to resist the urge… "Oh, fucking hell, just *tell* me. What happens?"
"Here, Spike." Willow tossed him the video in her hand. "Don't worry, Buffy's just as upset about this as you will be?"
"As I will…" Spike marched out of the room to play the video immediately. Buffy put an arm around Xander's shoulders.
"It's hard, I know." She said. "Let's just hope it's not going to go too far in the near future. I mean, it probably took you a long time to work up towards anything else… right?" Xander smirked. Then his face fell.
"I'm not watching that show ever again." he swore.
Spike walked through a short while later, and opened up the fridge, taking out a blood bag and quickly popping it into the microwave for a minute. He didn't look to be taking things so badly. Xander sighed with relief, maybe it didn't really matter at all what the TV people said. It was horribly wrong, but if Spike could control his temper, *anyone* could.
"You saw it?" Buffy asked, delicately.
"Uh, lot of singing and stuff, very funny." Spike said. "Dawn summoning a fake demon that looks like the Mask, etcetera. Nothing too bad."
"How can you say that?!" Xander asked, hurt. He could at least show a little recognition of the wrongness of it all. Xander looked questioningly at Spike. Spike frowned.
"I paused it… it's not quite finished yet, a few minutes left to run. There's something bad going to happen?" Xander nodded gravely. Without another word, Spike grabbed the blood and ran through to finish watching the episode.
"I knew it was too good to be true." Giles said. "Spike staying calm through adversity? Not bloody likely."
"I'm sure he'll be able to handle it." Willow said, fooling nobody – not even herself.
Spike stood at the door, game-faced and angry as all hell. "Slayer…" he managed to vocalise one word through his clenched fangs. Buffy looked suddenly alarmed. She might be the Slayer, and Spike might be chipped, but with that look, she had little doubt he'd manage to somehow kill her. And he was stepping towards her.
"Hey!" she exclaimed. "This is just as bad for me, remember? Not my fault. I didn't write it."
"Spike…" Xander said, from behind him. "Don't blame her. It's the writers, they…"
"WRITERS!" At that word, Spike whirled around and roared, and then fell to his knees, clutching at his head.
"There, there." Xander knelt down and kissed him on the forehead softly. Buffy, Willow and Giles smiled.
"Aww." Willow said out loud what they were all thinking. Buffy felt a fuzzy feeling inside, before she remembered who the two of them were, and she frowned.
"Okay, boys. Enough." Buffy told them. Reluctantly they separated, and stood up. Spike still looked sullen, as did Xander and Buffy.
"Hey, guys!" Tom breezed in cheerfully. "Willow, I got the stuff here, want to try that spell?" he paused a second, seeing the three moody faces. "What's wrong?"
"Spike's just seen something on TV." Willow said, and smiled. Tom cocked his head, curious.
"Seen what?"
"The vision of power gone mad!" Spike looked wild and unhappy. Xander petted his shoulder in a comforting gesture.
"Don't worry." Tom told them, trying to look on the bright side. "They can't keep things going this way forever. Even the viewers can why this is wrong."
"Yes." Giles spoke up, the voice of pessimism. "But I think we all know it's going to get worse, before it gets better."
1.2
1.3
1.4 Once more with feeling
"Ok, so I missed it." Spike said. "Like I bloody care anyway." Giles, Buffy and Willow looked at him, amusement crossing all of their faces.
"So I shouldn't bother telling you what happened, seeing as you don't care." Willow suggested. Then she started humming a tune, as she looked around the room 'innocently'.
"What… no, forget it. I don't care." Spike sat down, suspicious but determined not to be provoked into asking. They'd tell.
"Spike's right." Giles told Willow and Buffy. "You don't have to tell him what happens in every episode of that programme. He's not interested… just let it rest in peace." And with that, everyone burst out laughing. Spike scowled. Laughter about him was annoying, and especially so when he didn't know why. But he wasn't going to ask them. No way. Humans have no sense of patience, unlike immortals, who could wait *forever* if they wanted.
Suddenly the door burst open. With a look of fury, Xander stormed into the living room.
"That is *it*!" he exclaimed. "I'm sick of letting those idiots run our lives like this!"
"What idiots?" Giles asked Xander, who was pacing the room in anger.
"Well, duh. The TV people." Xander said. "That *ending*. God, Spike, aren't you pissed?"
"Didn't see it, and I don't…" he fidgeted, trying with all his might to resist the urge… "Oh, fucking hell, just *tell* me. What happens?"
"Here, Spike." Willow tossed him the video in her hand. "Don't worry, Buffy's just as upset about this as you will be?"
"As I will…" Spike marched out of the room to play the video immediately. Buffy put an arm around Xander's shoulders.
"It's hard, I know." She said. "Let's just hope it's not going to go too far in the near future. I mean, it probably took you a long time to work up towards anything else… right?" Xander smirked. Then his face fell.
"I'm not watching that show ever again." he swore.
Spike walked through a short while later, and opened up the fridge, taking out a blood bag and quickly popping it into the microwave for a minute. He didn't look to be taking things so badly. Xander sighed with relief, maybe it didn't really matter at all what the TV people said. It was horribly wrong, but if Spike could control his temper, *anyone* could.
"You saw it?" Buffy asked, delicately.
"Uh, lot of singing and stuff, very funny." Spike said. "Dawn summoning a fake demon that looks like the Mask, etcetera. Nothing too bad."
"How can you say that?!" Xander asked, hurt. He could at least show a little recognition of the wrongness of it all. Xander looked questioningly at Spike. Spike frowned.
"I paused it… it's not quite finished yet, a few minutes left to run. There's something bad going to happen?" Xander nodded gravely. Without another word, Spike grabbed the blood and ran through to finish watching the episode.
"I knew it was too good to be true." Giles said. "Spike staying calm through adversity? Not bloody likely."
"I'm sure he'll be able to handle it." Willow said, fooling nobody – not even herself.
Spike stood at the door, game-faced and angry as all hell. "Slayer…" he managed to vocalise one word through his clenched fangs. Buffy looked suddenly alarmed. She might be the Slayer, and Spike might be chipped, but with that look, she had little doubt he'd manage to somehow kill her. And he was stepping towards her.
"Hey!" she exclaimed. "This is just as bad for me, remember? Not my fault. I didn't write it."
"Spike…" Xander said, from behind him. "Don't blame her. It's the writers, they…"
"WRITERS!" At that word, Spike whirled around and roared, and then fell to his knees, clutching at his head.
"There, there." Xander knelt down and kissed him on the forehead softly. Buffy, Willow and Giles smiled.
"Aww." Willow said out loud what they were all thinking. Buffy felt a fuzzy feeling inside, before she remembered who the two of them were, and she frowned.
"Okay, boys. Enough." Buffy told them. Reluctantly they separated, and stood up. Spike still looked sullen, as did Xander and Buffy.
"Hey, guys!" Tom breezed in cheerfully. "Willow, I got the stuff here, want to try that spell?" he paused a second, seeing the three moody faces. "What's wrong?"
"Spike's just seen something on TV." Willow said, and smiled. Tom cocked his head, curious.
"Seen what?"
"The vision of power gone mad!" Spike looked wild and unhappy. Xander petted his shoulder in a comforting gesture.
"Don't worry." Tom told them, trying to look on the bright side. "They can't keep things going this way forever. Even the viewers can why this is wrong."
"Yes." Giles spoke up, the voice of pessimism. "But I think we all know it's going to get worse, before it gets better."