I Hate to Love You 10
Author's Note: This is a challenge posted by Persistence of Memory. It involves Spike, Angel and a confession about a well-kept secret. Set in the holiday between Buffy season 4 and Buffy season 5, as well as Angel season 1 and Angel season 2.
Rating: definitely M for low-level coarse language and low to medium-level sex scenes and/or references.
Chapter Ten: Healing Buffy
"Unconscious?" Angel cried. "She was awake just a minute ago."
"Perhaps I should take a look at her." Giles offered. As he turned to head down the hall, Angel grabbed his arm and spun him around. They exchanged fierce gazes for a few seconds before Giles spoke. "Let go of me."
"Help her. Tell me what's wrong with her." Angel whispered. In his voice were tones of fear and anxiety. Spike approached just as Angel sat down on the edge of Giles' desk and took hold of Angel's hand.
"Hey, I'm sure she'll be all right." He sympathised. He didn't really, but Angel fell for it. He wasn't entirely with it because of his worry for Buffy.
Giles found her lying unconscious on his bed, a warm cloth on her forehead and a bucket by her side. Willow had entered the room with him, and the two could only look down at the Slayer as she lay helpless and vulnerable.
"We have got to find that antidote." Giles said to Willow. "I don't know how much longer Buffy will be able to last."
"Do you even know what it's doing to her?" Willow asked. Giles looked up at her, waited a few seconds then answered.
"No."
Out in the living room, Angel had picked up one of Giles' books and was researching the Gn'ashmcklav demon. As he flipped through the few pages in one book, he noticed another lying open on the desk. He picked it up and scanned quickly through the text, discovering a way to cure Buffy.
"Giles!" he shouted loudly. Giles and Willow emerged at the kitchen arch and Angel jumped up, running over with the book in his hands. "It's here." He pointed to a spot in the text.
"The antidote." Giles removed his glasses and looked up at Angel.
"Cure her." Angel commanded. "Don't let her suffer."
"Willow." Giles turned to the young redhead beside him, scribbling down some things on a piece of paper. "GO and get these things from the Magic Box. Quickly." He handed her the piece of paper and she left immediately, grabbing her coat on the way out the door.
"Giles, how long is it going to take to make her better?" Angel asked.
"I don't know. I'll work as quickly as I can. Angel, I know what Buffy means to you but you have to remember that she is no longer with you." Angel was silent. "Buffy has moved on, and clearly, so have you." He was referring to Spike, yet the blond took no notice.
"Giles, that doesn't mean I can't still care for her. She will always be a part of me, no matter what." Giles nodded, understanding but not really caring. He was only focussed on Buffy and nothing else.
45 minutes later…
Willow returned with all the ingredients on the list. She burst through the door, reaching up to hang her coat back up on the stand but missing and not even taking notice as it fell to the floor.
"Giles, I got everything." Willow told Giles as she handed him the ingredients and he spread them out on the kitchen counter.
"Good. Thankyou, Willow." Giles picked up the book and read the 'recipe'. He placed the objects into the order they were mixed together and then got a large pot out of the cupboard. It was black, rusty and looked almost as old as Spike and Angel. He glanced back down at the book, paused, and turned to look at Angel.
"What?"
"There's one more ingredient." He announced.
"So what? Get it then."
"All right." Giles reached into the kitchen drawer and pulled out a knife.
"What the heck is that for?" Spike asked.
"The blood of an impure is the last ingredient." Giles told them. "That is, a demon. Angel, Spike or Anya; who's it going to be?"
"Me." Angel quickly spoke before anyone else had a chance to speak, even before Giles had finished talking. He knew that he was the one who had to give the blood. He had to do it for Buffy.
"Hold out your arm please." Giles instructed. Angel did as he was told and watched as Giles sliced into his flesh and tilted his arm so the blood trickled out. He held Angel's arm over the pot and waited until a sufficient amount of blood had been added. Angel drew back his arm and looked down at the wound, wondering how he could stop the bleeding without grossing anybody out.
"You got a towel?" Angel inquired. Giles knew what he could use and grabbed the tea towel sitting on the cupboard. Angel pressed it on the wound and held it there, waiting for the bleeding to stop.
"Willow, I need you to read out these words while I add the ingredients." Giles instructed the redhead. She nodded and took the book. He began adding ingredients as she read out the words on the page.
"Souvall menialla schlami outoosoo." Willow continued as Angel, Spike, Xander and Anya gathered around to watch. "Brouvai lamere thygaen auck. Shuvai thalmine xubero shivaltyo. Ghurna fyarl smivdo visofed." Willow finished reading the text and Giles added the last ingredient, stirring the mixture until combined. When the antidote was made, everybody sat in silence for a few seconds before Anya spoke.
"Is that it?"
"That's it. Willow, grab a cup from in the cupboard please." Willow handed him a glass cup, tinted blue. He poured some of the mixture into the cup and wiped the side of it before taking it in his hand.
"You're just going to feed that to the lady?" Spike asked.
"Yes. This is the antidote Spike," Giles explained. "Do you have a better idea?" Spike shook his head and watched as Giles, Willow and Angel headed into the bedroom. Buffy still lay there, unconscious. Willow and Angel exchanged worried glances. Giles sat on the edge of the bed and held the cup close to her face. How would he get her to drink it?
"Giles, how can she drink if she's not conscious?" Willow asked, voicing Giles' fear. He thought for a moment.
"Could we maybe try and wake her up?" he suggested.
"How?" Willow responded. Angel stepped forward and leant down. He had one idea and one only, and he hoped that it would work. He inched his face towards hers, his lips ready for the kiss. He figured that if that didn't work, he didn't know what else would. As he got closer, he realised that Buffy's eyes were open and quickly withdrew.
"Buffy?" He whispered.
"I…" she wheezed.
"Buffy, drink this." Angel grabbed the cup from in Giles' hand and held it up to her mouth.
"What…" Buffy feebly protested before accepting the cup and taking several sips. She downed the mixture and coughed a few times before her head rolled to the side. Angel cupped the side of her face gently and supported her head before letting it rest on the pillow. Her eyes slowly closed and Angel sat back.
"Will this make her better?" Angel asked Giles.
"I believe so." He replied softly. "We can only hope it doesn't take too long. Come on, we should let her rest." He gently pushed Angel and Willow away, despite Angel's protests. In the end he knew that it was best for her to sleep it all off.
"Are you going to do anything about the demon that did this to her?" Angel demanded as everyone took a seat in the living room.
"Eventually."
"And how long until you do? What if it attacks someone else and they end up like Buffy?" Angel put forward the idea that this demon may be potentially dangerous to everyone else in Sunnydale.
"Angel, I can't do anything." Giles told him. "I wish I could, but I can't. I don't know where to find this demon let alone how to kill it."
"Maybe if we did a little research to find out where it lives, what sort of demon it actually is and what its weaknesses are, then we'd be able to do something about it." Angel suggested.
"Maybe, but what then? What 'something' are you planning to do? Kill it?"
"Of course." Giles answered.
"Wouldn't that be a pretty obvious solution, Giles?" Angel scoffed. "How about Spike and I hunt for it later tonight." He heard Spike sigh in annoyance beside him and slapped the blond vampire on the knee. "We'll research it now and hunt it later."
"I don't normally agree with you on much, because… well, I don't really like you very much." Xander spoke up. "I have to agree with you though, that sounds like a pretty good plan."
"Thankyou." Angel was unsure what to reply. "I think."
"All right. It sounds like a plan then." Giles agreed. "Everyone grab a book and uh… start reading."
A/N: Yeah I know, going off the original storyline… but hey, it's working out okay isn't it? A little plot twist never did a little story any harm? Besides, when I started writing the excuse for Buffy never being around was because of a demon. When it came to a demon attack, it soon developed into Buffy actually being attacked and seriously affected by it. Hmm… so how's it all sitting with the readers? Feedback is much appreciated.