Crashing

Before Spike really lost it with the bot, Giles and Xander came down his ladder too.

"Is it possible to get any privacy in my unlife?" he said, exasperated, before noticing the spell book in Giles' hands. "Hey, what are you doing with that?"

Giles held it up and shook it at him, shouting, "I could ask you the same question!"

"Don't shout at Spike, you'll make him upset!" said the Buffybot and everyone else groaned.

"Look," said Spike, taking a deep breath to calm himself, "Xander, why don't you get that thing out of here so I can have a nice little chat with the ex-watcher here? Get things straightened out."

"Yeah right, Blondie. We're not going anywhere until we know just what kinda evil you're brewing up. How could you do it? I mean, I get how you could turn against us, it's in your nature. But to lie to our faces, saying you wanted to help when really you're stealing dark magic books to, what? Curse us in our sleep?!"

"Hold on a second-"

"No, you hold on!" Giles interrupted him. "Do you deny that you stole this book?"

"Well, no, but…"

Xander shook his head in disgust. "I knew it, I knew we shouldn't have trusted him. Why does no-one ever listen to me?"

"Because you don't know what you're talking about you half wit, that's why!"

With that Xander clocked Spike, right on the jaw and the vampire reacted, knocking the carpenter to the ground before clutching his head in agony as the chip fired.

The Buffybot started making crying noises and suddenly all attention was drawn back to her.

Giles spoke up again, saying, "That's enough, all of you! Xander, take her back to the Magic Box. I'll follow after you in a minute."

Reluctantly he agreed, but not before giving Spike one more disgusted look. When they were gone Spike sat down again and tried to reason with the watcher. "Look, Ripper," he said. "I'm not exactly having the best day. For the love of all things holy can you give me a break and believe I wasn't up to anything underhand?"

Now it was Giles' turn to look disgusted at the vampire. "Do you really think I give a shit about your day? I have no reason to give you a break, or the benefit of the doubt, when I spent all morning listening to Dawn cry her eyes out because you shouted at her."

"No," Spike said as a rush of guilt ran through him. "I didn't shout. I was upset is all. Wait – let me get this straight. It was Dawn told you where your missing book was, wasn't it? Brat must have been snooping. I swear, I could string her up!"

Giles punched him too then, in the same place Xander had, but this time the vampire took it. "Figure of speech!" he said in his defense. "You know I wouldn't hurt her."

"Haven't you been listening, you pitiful, ridiculous creature? You've already hurt her!"

"But, I didn't mean-"

"Save it. Just give me the pendant." Giles could barely stand to look at him. Spike glanced down at his chest where it hung and panic overcame him.

"No," he said. "You can't. You can't take it. You can't take her away from me!"

Rage overwhelmed the watcher as he reached forward and snapped the chain from around Spike's neck. "I don't know what game you're trying to play here, but I'm officially not interested. Stay the hell away from all of us!"

With that, he was gone, and Spike sat in shock - rocking himself back and forth, with eyes wide. "Shit," he said to himself, over and over again.


Later, after the sun went down and Spike's anger had time to fester, he did exactly as Giles had forbid him and headed directly to the Magic Box. He was ready to let rip. Ready to tear the place – and anyone getting in his way – apart until he got the pendant back. He didn't care about potential migraines. He didn't even care about the book, now that he knew the appropriate section off by heart. But as he got close to the store he saw Dawn, on her own, approaching it from the opposite direction. Just like that his plan changed. He walked up behind her and gently grabbed her arm, guiding her into a nearby alleyway. She tried to scream but he put his hand over her mouth. Finally realizing it was him she shoved it away and kicked him in the leg before launching a full verbal attack on the vampire.

"You stupid jerk. You scared the crap out of me. What are you even doing here? No-one wants you, not after what you did. Just go away and don't come back, okay? I hate you!"

All of his anger dissipated at her words. He felt like shit. Had a real talent for hammering her message home, just like her sister.

"Dawn, you've got it all wrong," he said, pleading with her. "I didn't take the stuff to do evil, I promise. I-"

"No," she said, cutting him off. "I'm not talking about that. Don't you even know what you've done?"

He stared blankly at her and she broke down crying in front of him.

"You promised!" she said. "You promised to always be here for me and I've been going through everything myself these past few weeks. Spike, how could you leave me all alone?!"

"Shit," he said again.

To be continued...