The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.
No words can describe how life is for me and my family this week. RL has been hell for me but I decided to still post this because I want to feel good about something. Thank you all for the favs and the follows as well as for enjoying the story so far. Please continue to enjoy this story with this new update.
(O.O)
It took the group thirty minutes to reach the campus park where the two women said they saw the meteor fall. They continued their trek into the dense forest surrounding the park in silence, by Steve's request, so they wouldn't alert any hostiles to their presence.
In the back of his mind, Steve hoped that this was just an ordinary meteorite and not something dangerous like what S.H.I.E.L.D. found in New Mexico, or something that can cause another incident like the one in New York. He knew he and Spike could easily handle a couple of hostiles by themselves, but he was with untrained civilians, who, according to his friend, fought demons on a regular basis, which he found hard to believe.
"Oh! There it is!" The redhead, Willow, exclaimed while she pointed at a trench a few meters from the group.
"Alright, stay close and behind me," Sgt. Finn told everyone. "We don't know what it is yet or if there is something dangerous lurking nearby."
"You might not know, but I do," Spike said from the back of their group, surprising everyone.
"What do you mean?" Steve asked, turning to his friend.
"In case you lot have forgotten, I actually have a wonderful sense of smell and hearing so I can give you a hundred percent guarantee that nothing living is in that trench," his friend explained.
"Well, that's a relief," Mr. Giles said as he slowly approached the trench together with the rest of them.
Steve didn't miss the annoyed look Sgt. Finn sent toward his friend. He parked the information for later though, because he also wanted to check the meteorite with the rest of the group. He went down into the trench after Finn and explored the large meteorite in the center of the crater. It was emitting smoke or some sort of steam.
"Is it hot?" Anya asked when she saw Steve touching the rock.
"It's not hot, it's warm," the super soldier responded.
"And broken," Finn added, staring at the hollowed opening on the side of the rock.
The Scoobies shared a concerned look.
"So, uh, we're all thinking the same thing, right?" Anya asked, looking at her friends.
"Festive pinata? Delicious candy?" Xander suggested, earning an annoyed look from Steve.
"Something evil crashed to Earth in this and then broke out and-," Willow added, "slithered away to do badness."
"In all fairness, we don't really know about the slithering," Mr. Giles said.
"Oh, no. I'm sure it frisked about like a fluffy lamb," Anya sarcastically responded.
"Whatever it is, it won't do us any good standing here talking about it," Steve said, finally joining the group's discussion. "Let's look around. Maybe we can figure out where it went."
"That's not necessary. I already know what it is," Spike suddenly announced as he walked towards the group from another part of the woods.
"What?!" everyone exclaimed, surprised by what the vampire just said.
"I smelled something off a few meters from here and found a stiff by a bush."
"You found a dead body?" Rogers asked, looking alarmed.
The vampire nodded. "That's not all. I'm also pretty sure that a Queller got him," he told the group.
"A Queller?"
"Nasty buggers. They like to target mentally unstable individuals by regurgitating slime into the person's mouth, closing off their airways until they die from asphyxiation," the vampire explained.
"They target mentally unstable people? You mean crazy people?! But why?" Xander asked, looking sick.
His friend shrugged. "There's never really been a study on their behavior, only that they are summoned by someone on this plane to quell humans who are unfit in the mind."
"Wait, summoned? This thing was summoned here by someone?!" Steve asked, looking horrified at this new revelation. "Who on Earth would summon something so vile that would target mentally unstable people?"
"Who else? My money's on Glory, our resident beastie summoner," Xander answered.
"Glory?" He and Spike asked simultaneously.
"That's right. I forgot you were not there when the shop was attacked by Glory's giant snake," Giles said, looking at the vampire.
"Glory's the new Big Bad?" his friend still looked clueless.
"Yeah, and I also think that she's causing the rise in the number of the mental patients at Sunnydale Memorial," Willow said before gasping after realizing something. "Maybe that's where the Queller went!"
Steve was still missing information about this Glory individual as well as why she decided to summon a demon who targeted insane people, but he put that thought away for later inspection. Instead, he chose to focus on the Queller. He was certain that if they didn't stop this creature, more people would fall victim to this monster's hands.
He turned to his friend, giving the vampire a look, asking if he was allowed to interfere with this demonic matter with these people. His friend nodded, understanding his desire to help before he turned to the rest of the group.
"Right. Since we know that the hospital's the place it will most likely go to, that's where we will go next," Steve said. "But first, we need to wrap things up here."
He turned to Riley. "Sgt. Finn, are you able to call someone to dispose of the meteorite as well as get someone to take care of the body that Spike found?"
"I can, sir," the former Initiative soldier replied.
"Good. I'll leave that to you," he said, before turning back to Spike again. "Do you know how to kill this Queller thing?"
"No special way of killing it. You can stab it with a sharp knife or break its neck. It'll die either way."
"That's good to know," he muttered before turning back to the rest of the group. "We're going to need weapons though."
"I got a machete and a crossbow in my car," Spike offered.
"We can stop there on the way to the hospital. However, we still need to arm the others," he said before addressing the Scoobies. "You guys know where we can get those?"
"Oh! Our dorm is nearby! Buffy has a weapon's chest! We can go there and get a couple of swords or axes!" Willow said excitedly.
"Great! I want you, Tara, and Anya to get the weapons we might need for this," he told the redhead. "Mr. Giles, Harris, Spike, and I will stop by Spike's car and then head to the hospital and try to locate this thing. If we can stop it from claiming its next victim, that would be great."
He paused to check if anyone had questions and was surprised to see that the goofy group he was with earlier was no longer present. In front of him were a team of determined men and women who looked ready to enter a battle.
Spike was right. These guys are no inexperienced amateurs. They all look like they've seen their fair share of wars.
Steve was amazed at them because of this.
They've seen what a real fight is like and yet they can still laugh and smile. They are stronger than most veteran soldiers I've met, he thought with a smile.
"Well, let's go and get this thing," he said to everyone with an equally determined look.
(O.O)
Buffy signed the last of the papers that needed signing so they could bring her mother home and let out a sigh of exhaustion.
Who knew leaving the hospital took more work than staying there?
It's not that she was not happy that her mom was leaving the place, but she never knew that there were so many things to consider when one checked out from the hospital. She had to sign different forms and receipts, mostly they had something to do with her mom's insurance and hospital bills. Then she had to see her mom's doctors three times to get the clear from them that she was allowed to take her mother home. Then she had to memorize different prescriptions given by them, as well as what they wanted her mother to do once they got home.
It was just a lot for her to handle.
But she will handle it. It's for her mom, after all.
After talking to her mother's primary care physician, Dr. Kriegel, one last time, the three Summers women went towards the parking lot where Joyce's jeep was parked.
"Since Buffy's driving, I'm staying in the back so if we crash, I might still live through my 15th birthday," Dawn announced.
"Why don't you just stay here and walk all the way home?" Buffy responded to her sister, who stuck her tongue out at her.
"Girls, don't fight," her mother chided them, but the mirth in her voice conveyed that she was enjoying her daughters' usual banter.
Buffy took great care as she exited the parking garage, she didn't want to hit anyone and prove to her sister that driving and her were unmixy, no matter how true it was.
As the jeep exited the parking lot's driveway and was on its way to the road, she suddenly hit the brakes as someone jumped in front of their car.
"Buffy!" Joyce shouted.
"Get out of the car!" the person in front of them yelled.
Buffy immediately recognized who the person was.
"Spike! What the heck are you doing?!" She yelled at the vampire who was still in front of their car.
"Get out of the car, Slayer," he repeated.
Buffy was getting angry. What the heck did this vampire want? Her mother didn't need this!
Regardless, she got out of the car to confront the vampire.
"I swear, Spike, you are dust after this stunt," she told the vampire as she approached him.
But he ignored her and instead went to the side of the car where her mom sat.
"Joyce, pet, you need to get out of this car," he told the elder Summers gently, before turning to Dawn. "You too, bitty Buffy."
Both women, though confused, did as they were told.
"Hey! Don't ignore me!" Buffy yelled, reaching for her stake.
But before she could even start threatening to use it on him, he suddenly pulled out a machete from his coat and handed it to her.
"Use that to protect your mum and sis," he told her, before turning to the other person at the back of their jeep. "You ready, Whelp?"
"As I'll ever be," a voice, whom she recognized as Xander's, said.
It was then that she realized that this was a serious situation and grabbed the machete from Spike and held it with a tight grip.
"It's under the car!" Xander cried from behind.
A swishing sound, which Buffy recognized was from a crossbow, was heard before a squealing noise resounded from the bottom of their car.
Suddenly, a strange, bug-shaped creature crawled out from under their car to the front of it at great speed.
She heard Dawn and her mother scream. Immediately Buffy rushed after the creature.
This thing was under their car. It was planning to go home with them and most likely try and hurt her family. She wasn't letting it live after that.
The monster was running across the street so fast that Buffy knew she wouldn't be able to catch it in time. But she was resourceful. With all her might, she used the machete as a projectile weapon and threw it at the creature's back.
Another squealing sound was heard as the beast crashed to the sidewalk. She didn't waste any time as she sprinted after her fallen prey. When she reached it, she pulled the machete out of its back before swinging it down, decapitating the monster without hesitation.
Spike stared at the scene in admiration. He always thought that this Slayer was the best. But seeing her in action got him hot and bothered. She looked glorious taking out that beast on her own. It's no wonder he fell in love with her! She was amazing in every way and he always did love a woman with power.
"Wow," he heard Steve's voice from behind them.
Earlier, the men had split up upon arriving at the hospital. Steve and Giles had gone inside the psych ward to check if the Queller was there, while he and Harris followed the Queller's scent to the hospital's parking garage.
It had been pure luck that Spike had caught its scent in time before the Slayer and her family took the demon home with them.
"Alright, I'm going to need an explanation on what that thing was and why did it try to come home with us," the Slayer asked, glaring at him and pulling him out of his musing.
"That was a Queller, pet, a demon that was most likely summoned by this Glory bint to take care of the insane patients she has been sending to the hospital," he explained. "It goes after mentally unstable people, although, I don't know why it would go with you. Unless it smelled your bitchiness and mistook it for insanity."
He smirked at his own joke, but instead of getting angry at his insult, the Slayer looked scared before turning to her mother.
It was then that he realized that the beast was after Joyce.
Fuck, I should've had a go at that thing! He thought angrily.
"Mom, are you okay?" Buffy asked her mother.
"I'm okay, sweety. Although, I do wonder why the sun hasn't gone up yet? Weren't we supposed to go shopping?"
Buffy and Spike winced as it became fairly obvious why the Queller wanted Joyce.
Whatever it was that's affecting her health, it's making her act this way, he realized.
"Buffy, I think it may be prudent that you take your mother and sister home. We can talk about this matter further in the morning," Giles said gently.
The Slayer looked lost but nodded.
"Sure, Scooby meeting tomorrow," she told her Watcher.
She gave a nod to Harris and Spike, which surprised him, before ushering her mother and sis back in the car.
"So, the Queller's dead, how're the patients inside?" Xander asked the ex-librarian and his friend.
The two shared a grim look.
"Dead. The Queller got to them before we even got there," Rupert said.
"It killed five people and I am not seeing any cops being called because of it. Heck, I just saw a young woman throw a machete at a big bug-like creature before beheading it and no one even stepped out to take a picture or check what the commotion was about," Rogers said before turning to him. "Is this because of that spell you told me about?"
He nodded. "The cops will come probably within the next 30 minutes before they'll declare that there was some kind of poison in the water in the psych ward that killed those folks."
"But that's not what happened," his friend said, looking frustrated.
"No, but that's just how it is here in this town," Harris explained.
"It's better to give a rational explanation to the public than the truth, which will result in nothing but panic," added Rupert.
"And you are all alright with this?" Steve asked, dawning an incredulous look.
"Mate, I already told you, this is how it is in Sunnydale. Yes, five people are dead because of that demon, but we stopped it from getting to more victims, which is what's really important in all of this," the vampire said.
"But it doesn't seem right," the young Captain said with a sad expression.
"People dying is never right, Captain Rogers. But if we take to heart every death in this town, every life we fail to save, then it will simply hinder us from saving the next person who needs our help," Giles said to his troubled friend gently.
Steve nodded, understanding what the Watcher meant. Spike knew that it still saddened his friend that five people died, but at least the man now knew that letting it affect him would only prevent him from helping those he would need to save in the future.
"Well, since we are done here, I think we should get on with our plans and get totally wasted at Willy's," he announced suddenly.
"Wait! Captain America visits you and your plan for a good time for him is to get him drunk in that demon hellhole?!" Xander asked, giving him a look of disbelief.
"Well, I was also going to take him to the back rooms so I can introduce him to my other demon friends and play a few rounds of kitten poker. But then this happened, so that plan is out," Spike replied.
"Kitten-No! How could you take Captain America to such a place and teach him that, of all things! That's just wrong!" Xander exclaimed.
"Oh, and I suppose you have a better idea of how we should spend our evening, Whelp?" he sneered.
"No… But I'm sure whatever I came up with is better than that."
He rolled his eyes at this. "I highly doubt that. But let me make a guess: you'll take him to your new apartment and show off your old comic book collection of him?"
"What?! Of course not!"
"You're lying," he said, smirking. "Don't forget, I lived with you for a while. I know how big that collection is."
"Wha-!" Harris glanced nervously at Steve. It was obvious that the Whelp didn't want his friend to get ideas about how weird he was.
Too late, Spike thought. He already knew Steve was uncomfortable with the boy.
"Actually," his friend said suddenly, "I accepted an invite from Mr. Giles and I thought it'd be alright if we spent the rest of the evening at his place."
"Wait, what?!" Spike exclaimed before turning to his fellow Brit with a glare. "You! What did you bribe him with?"
"I assure you, I did not bribe Captain America. I merely asked if he wanted to learn more about demons and this town. He said yes, and I offered to tell him about it while sharing a bottle of Glenfiddich that I have at home," the ex-Watcher said.
"Dammit! That's low, Watcher. Offering the man information and a drink? Of course, he'd say yes," he said in begrudging admiration.
"If it makes you feel better, he agreed to share his drink with you too, Spike," Steve informed him.
He smirked at this. "Did he now?"
"As long as you are willing to talk as well, I have no problem sharing a couple of bottles with you," the ex-Watcher hurriedly explained.
Spike laughed. He knew that the man was curious about his relationship with Rogers. He just hadn't expected him to pull this kind of stunt to get some answers from the both of them.
He couldn't help but admire the man for it.
"Alright, I'll take you on that offer, Watcher," he said.
"Uh, what about me?" the Whelp asked, obviously feeling a little left out because they were already making plans for the evening without him.
"Oh! Um, I think you should go and meet up with the girls and let them know that the Queller has been disposed of and that they are no longer required to bring any other weapons," Giles told the young man.
Xander felt put out by this. He didn't mind seeing the girls and letting them know that everything was already handled. But he really would rather stay with Giles' group because he knew that the Watcher was planning on grilling Spike and Captain freaking America about how they became friends, and that meant there would be awesome stories about the past and what happened between them that made them friends, and most likely it would include the Howling Commandos and-God! He wanted to go with them!
Fortunately for him, he had a perfect solution to this.
"I don't have to go meet up with them. I can text Will and let them know that everything is alright," Xander said, pulling out his phone. "With this, I can join you guys."
Giles winced. Damn, he had forgotten about that. Mobile phones are such annoying devices.
"Unless you want to sleep on the couch, Whelp, you really should meet up with the girls. Or did you forget that your girlfriend is with them and that you two live together?" Spike asked. "I highly doubt Anyaka would appreciate being sidelined just so you can fanboy over my friend."
This time it was the boy's turn to wince. Anya. He forgot about her.
Xander knew that if he went with the other three, then Anya would react badly to being left behind and they could end up fighting, and fights with her always ended with him not getting laid and a few nights on the couch.
With a sigh of disappointment for his missed opportunity, Xander said goodbye to the three men before making his way back to Sunnydale University, where the girls were.
Once Harris was out of sight, Spike turned to the Watcher.
"My car's nearby. We can take it to get us to your apartment," he said, gesturing to the other two to follow him.
Spike let out a sigh as he resigned to the thought of spending his evening answering the Watcher's questions and reminiscing of his shared past with the Captain.
(O.O)
He found himself in a car, beside a familiar brunette lady that he once fancied.
"I know this neighborhood. I got beat up in that alley. And that parking lot. And behind that diner," he told the pretty woman next to him.
"Did you have something against running away?" She asked.
"You start running, they'll never let you stop. You stand up, push back. Can't say no forever."
The scene then changed, and now he found himself in front of his long-lost friend, who was strapped to a chair in a Hydra lab.
"Steve," the captive man called to him.
"I thought you were dead," he said to his friend.
"I thought you were smaller."
"Come on," he said as he helped the other out of his bonds.
"What happened to you?"
"I joined the Army."
"Did it hurt?" his friend inquired, giving him a worried look.
"A little," he answered.
"Is it permanent?"
"So far," was his final reply before the scene changed again.
"Bucky! Hang on!" he screamed at his friend, who was about to fall off the train. "Grab my hand! NOOOOO!"
He watched his childhood friend fall into the abyss, then blinked, and found himself in another location. This time he was in front of the controls of a plane.
"Please, don't do this. We have time. We can work it out," he heard that woman's voice on the radio.
"Right now, I'm in the middle of nowhere. If I wait any longer a lot of people are gonna die. Peggy, this is my choice," he said to her as he forced the plane down towards the water. "Peggy?"
"I'm here," her voice cracked.
"I'm gonna need a rain check on that dance," he told her with a sad smile.
He heard her sob as she tried to give him a response. "Alright. A week, next Saturday, at the Stork Club."
"You got it," he lied, knowing this was nothing but a false promise from a dying man to the woman he loved.
"Eight o'clock on the dot. Don't you dare be late. Understood?"
"You know, I still don't know how to dance," he admitted with a genuine smile this time.
"I'll show you how. Just be there."
The water's surface was coming into view, but he didn't end the conversation.
"We'll have the band play somethin' slow. I'd hate to step on your…"
Crash!
Everything went black.
"Steve?" He heard someone calling him from the darkness. "Mate, wake up. You're having a bad dream."
He felt someone shaking his arm.
"Rogers, wake up!"
This time the voice was louder, and it jolted him awake. He sat up and checked his surroundings. He had been lying on a sofa in a small apartment that was littered with several old books. He turned to the side and saw his vampire friend, looking at him with a concerned expression.
"You alright?" Spike asked him.
It was then he remembered his dream. Peggy, Bucky, and his last moments before being frozen on ice.
He didn't think of those things often, mainly because he chose not to dwell on the things he lost. However, last night he was drunk with Spike and Mr. Giles, the man who owned the apartment where they were, and spent a great part of the evening reminiscing of the past.
It was no wonder he had that dream. His activities from the night before triggered his memories.
"I'm alright," he replied while staring blankly at one corner of the apartment.
"Bad dream?" his friend asked with a raised brow.
"Not a dream, it was a memory-well, more than one memory, that is."
Spike nodded in understanding. He had a memory or two that would often get him out of sorts just like it happened to his friend. However, unlike him, who had the option to shut down his own emotions by letting his demon take over, Rogers didn't have the same luxury. The man looked run down and haunted and he felt bad for him.
Best give him something else to think about.
"So, our plans yesterday were botched up because of that bloody Queller making an appearance. But we still have a few more days before you would have to go back to DC or New York or wherever S.H.I.E.L.D has you located nowadays. Do you have any particular things you'd like to do in our small town?" he asked, bringing his friend out of his musings.
"Huh? I mean, I don't know much about this town, but I was hoping that you'd show me more about demons and their lifestyles. Back in the war, I know you used your demonic contacts to get us through half of Germany and other parts of Europe, so I was hoping you would be able to let me meet with some good demons or for you to educate me on which ones are hostile and which aren't," Steve answered with a small smile.
Spike gave him a curious look. He already knew that his friend was interested in his kind and demons in general, but to think that he would like to spend his free time trying to learn about the demonic community was quite surprising for the vampire.
"And don't worry, this is just for my curiosity. S.H.I.E.L.D won't be informed about what I learn unless we are faced with a life-threatening situation."
Spike nodded approvingly.
If he was honest, he still wasn't ready to trust the Secret Organization that Peggy once founded. Even though that said organization had taken the chip out without much of a fuss, he still kept his suspicions about them. This was because his demonic instincts told him not everyone could be trusted.
When Spike negotiated with the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. about his chip's removal, he merely gave Fury an ultimatum that he was only willing to work with them if they faced problems that were under his domain of the demonic category. He didn't agree to give S.H.I.E.L.D any information on demons other than what the Initiative already knew, which wasn't much. Those idiots were clueless about demons despite having dissected and experimented with so many of their kind.
So, it put him at ease that his friend was willing to keep what he'd learned as a secret from S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Well, us demon folk do our business at night. So, we have an entire day to waste. I suggest that after breakfast we go back to my crypt and you can watch a movie or three while I get some kip."
"You didn't sleep earlier?" Rogers asked.
"I dozed off for a couple of hours but I'm a vampire, mate. We tend to sleep during the day and be up all night."
"I see," Steve said. "Okay, so that's our plan." He looked around the apartment. "You mentioned breakfast?"
The vampire smirked and led his friend to Rupert's kitchen. The man invited them, after all, so he was certain the Watcher wouldn't mind if they ransacked his supplies to feed themselves.
(O.O)
Giles woke up with a massive headache. He should've expected it after the night he had.
He didn't do anything wild. He just got drunk with Spike and Capt. America!
He regretted that now.
Last night, he thought that if there were drinks, he could get both his guests' tongues to loosen, and maybe they'd give him some information on how their unique friendship had formed. He saw the night before that Captain Rogers cared about Spike enough to defend him from both Xander and Riley and had witnessed the trust the vampire placed in the man when he allowed him to take lead in their excursion against the Queller.
So he got curious and thought it was a good idea to let both men into his secret stash of expensive alcohol.
But he made a mistake in that assumption.
Apparently, it took more than a couple of bottles of expensive Scotch and whiskey to get the super soldier and vampire tipsy enough to speak about their shared past.
And what Giles got wasn't even worth the money he paid for their drinks, not to mention his plan backfired, and he ended up giving up too soon before the two could answer any of his important questions, like how they met or how they became friends.
"Stupid sod," he muttered to himself as he dragged himself out of bed.
He needed medicine for his aching head and maybe some tea to ease his upset stomach.
He slowly walked downstairs to the bathroom where he kept his medical supplies, so he could get a bottle of aspirin when his nose was assaulted by the smell of bacon.
"Ugh!" he grunted, covering his nose and mouth. The smell of cooked meat didn't go well with his hangover. Staggering a bit, he rushed to the bathroom.
At the table, Steve glared at his friend.
"That wasn't very nice," he said to the vampire.
He knew Spike only cooked bacon with the sole purpose of making their host sick, and from what he could hear from the bathroom, his friend was successful.
"Oh, lay-off, Rogers. You won't let me kill people. The least I can do is annoy the shit out of them," Spike told him with a grin.
Steve merely shook his head and took another sip of coffee. His friend had a mean streak, but he would rather have the vampire do harmless pranks than kill someone for fun like many of his kind did.
They heard the sound of the toilet flushing before their host emerged from the room.
"I'm terribly sorry about that," the Brit apologized to him before aiming a glare at Spike. "I wasn't ready to get a whiff of cooked meat after the night we had."
"Don't worry, Watcher, we won't tell the Scoobies about your little display this morning," the vampire said with a shit-eating grin.
"I see you helped yourselves to my stock," Mr. Giles said to Spike who had turned back to the stove to take out the bacon from the frying pan.
Upon hearing this, Steve apologized on their behalf since he was certain Spike wasn't planning on doing so. "It was rude of us to ransack your kitchen without permission to feed ourselves," he told their host.
The Watcher became flustered at his apology and started to explain himself, saying that he didn't mind if Steve ate breakfast in his kitchen. He also explained that his comment was merely addressed to his vampire companion and not to Captain America himself.
Steve frowned at this. He didn't like seeing his friend treated differently from him.
"We ate the food together. It doesn't sound fair that you're only reprimanding Spike for it. If it would make you feel better, we'll pay you back and buy groceries for you."
Giles was flustered by this. "That's not what I-"
"Here," the vampire said, stopping him from explaining further.
He stared at the steaming cup that the vampire was offering him for a few seconds before he accepted it. He checked to see what it was and was surprised to see that it was-
"Chamomile tea. It's good for that hangover, Watcher," was the only explanation he got from the vampire.
That was very considerate of him, the ex-Watcher thought, still giving the vampire a surprised look.
He turned to the Captain and saw that the man was giving the vampire an approving look.
It seems that his friendship with the heroic captain is a good influence on the normally rude vampire, he thought.
This new information shocked him so much that he made a mental note to continue observing the interaction between these two.
Perhaps I was too hasty judging their relationship. Maybe the good Captain is not as naive as I thought and perhaps the vampire is truly genuine in seeing the man as his friend. He thought before taking a sip of the tea. His eyes widened. It's good.
"Don't look so surprised, Watcher. I'm a Brit too. I know a thing or two about how to make a good cuppa when I feel like it."
"Of course. Thank you," was all that he could say.
He didn't see any reason to antagonize the vampire over such a little thing. He much preferred if he remained in this pleasant version of himself. Instead, the ex-Watcher turned to the super soldier, who was enjoying his meal.
"So, do you have plans for today, Capt. Rogers?"
"Please call me Steve," the young captain said.
Steve would've told everyone from the night before that he preferred to be addressed by his name rather than his military rank, that that was merely given to him for publicity's sake. However, he was angry at the group last night because of what they tried to do to his friend, so he didn't want them to address him so casually.
Since he was no longer upset with Giles and those young people from the night before, he was willing to be civil with them and allow some of them to call him by his first name.
"And yes, I asked Spike to show me around town and introduce me to some of the nicer demons he knows," he answered the earlier question.
Giles looked surprised at this. He didn't expect that the famed Captain America would request to see demons in his spare time. The man even seemed open to the idea that there were nice demons. Once again, he was worried about the young captain for having such unrealistic thoughts on demons.
"If you wish to know more about demons, I have some books in my shop that you can check and read that will give you more information on demons and what they are capable of," the ex-Watcher suggested, hoping the man would accept his offer.
He needed to correct the man's naive thinking as soon as possible, after all.
Steve looked contemplative before turning to Spike.
"Do you think we can stop by his shop for those books? I mean, no offense, I can watch a movie or two alone, but I don't think I will enjoy it much compared to reading books on demons," he told his friend.
Spike looked hesitant at this but acquiesced to his friend's request.
"Wonderful! We can go there after breakfast," Giles exclaimed before diving into the food that the vampire prepared.
(O.O)
Buffy left her house early to go to the Magic Box for the Scooby Meeting but promised her mother that she would be back before lunch. She wasn't quite comfortable with the idea of leaving her ailing mother alone with her annoying sister for too long.
When she neared the shop she was surprised to see a familiar car parked out in front.
"What's Spike doing here?" She asked out loud as she approached the entrance.
Sure, he sort of helped her yesterday and a few times in the past, like with the Lei-Ach demons, as well as telling her about the secret to how he killed those other Slayers, but she didn't remember inviting him to the meeting. She was still uncomfortable with the idea of being nice to the vampire, even though lately he had done nothing but being helpful to her. She just couldn't shake the feeling that there was something amiss with him and he had ulterior motives and that's why he acted the way he did.
Buffy made a mental note to be careful around the vampire.
The shop's bell rang, announcing her arrival to everyone. She was quite surprised to see that all her friends were already there, including her boyfriend, who was busy glaring at Spike, who was standing next to Giles, and an unknown man by the stairs.
"Buffy! You made it!" Willow cried, approaching her and giving her a hug.
"Yeah, but I can't stay long. I just wanted the 411 on the demon I killed last night," she added before turning to her Watcher, who seemed to be preoccupied with entertaining the customer besides the vampire.
"Giles, I think we should start the meeting and get uninvolved people out of the way," she told her Watcher while eying the stranger beside him.
"Oh, yes, right," her Watcher said before turning to face her. "We should start the meeting indeed!"
"Shouldn't you get rid of any stragglers before we start?" she asked, still eying the man next to Spike.
"What? Oh, no, I requested that he joined at least for the first part of this meeting," her Watcher replied.
"What? Why?" Who the heck is this guy?
If her Watcher wanted him there, he might be of use to her. So, she stared at the man and tried to see if she recognized him.
He did look familiar but Buffy couldn't place where she saw him.
"I think you best introduce him to your Slayer, Rupert," Spike said, earning a glare from her.
Who does he think he is, ordering Giles around like that?
She turned to her Watcher and saw that the man agreed with the vampire.
"Buffy, I would like you to meet Captain Steve Rogers."
The man approached her and offered his hand.
Buffy alternately stared at the hand and the man offering it in confusion. It took her exactly a minute before the man's name finally clicked in her head.
"Get out of here!" She said to Steve, surprising everyone in the room.
"Buffy!" Giles looked horrified at her.
"What?" Buffy turned to him, before realizing what she just said. "Wait! No! That's not what I meant! I mean, I can't believe you're here! What are you doing here? Did I just say get out? I mean, I don't mean get out, get out. It's just an expression and I don't really want you to go. Wow, you look good, and god! Someone stop me from babbling!"
Fortunately for her, Riley, her boyfriend, took pity on her and squeezed her shoulder before turning to Captain freaking America and apologized for her behavior. He led her to a chair and sat her down.
"You okay now?" her boyfriend asked.
She nodded. She still couldn't believe Captain America was here!
Why was he here?
She turned to her friends in the room and she realized that they weren't too surprised to see the man, who was practically a legend during the Second World War and a hero during the alien invasion in New York, in the Magic Box.
What the heck did I miss these past few days while I was busy with mom? She couldn't help but ask herself.
"Ahem. Now that Buffy is introduced to our guest, we can start with recounting what happened last night and give her an update on the Glory situation," Giles said, getting everyone's attention back to the true purpose of the meeting.
Buffy shook off her earlier embarrassment and turned her attention to the people in the room, listening as they gave a rundown on what happened the night before. She was surprised that none of them called her regarding the situation with the meteor thing but was grateful that they considered her situation. Her eyes did widen though when they explained how they met Captain America.
He's friends with Spike? Spike has friends who are good people? Since when?
She couldn't shake the incredulous look off her face and maybe it helped because it made the vampire explain how he met the great hero.
"We fought against Hydra during the Second World War, if you really want to know how I met him," Spike said.
"Really?" Xander perked up at that new information.
She eyed her friend. He knew more about what happened during the war than she did. He also had an extensive collection of Captain America comics that he used as a reference for study materials back in high school when they tackled WWII. So, it wasn't a surprise for her that he would look excited.
"It's true. I met Spike while we, the Howling Commandos and I, were traversing through Austria to get to a Hydra bunker there," Captain Rogers told them.
"And you helped them because-?" Riley asked, giving the vampire a suspicious look.
"Hydra took Dru for her ability to see the future. I was already on my way to that place when I ran into Rogers and his men. They were being surrounded by a small squad of Nazis and were hiding in a rundown building while being shot at from all directions," he answered.
"So, you saw Captain America and his crew in trouble and decided to help them?" Willow asked, looking in awe at the vampire.
Spike scratched the back of his head and looked as though he was contemplating whether to tell her what happened or not. It was obvious that he was trying to save what evil reputation he still had left and was hesitant to reveal the entire story.
"I didn't decide to help them. I got roped into saving them," Spike finally admitted.
"Roped?" Tara gave him a questioning look.
This time it was Rogers who answered for him. "Spike was part of another group at the time. A small group of resistant fighters, who were local in that city. They were there to gather supplies and he was supposed to be their escort."
This newest information surprised everyone in the room.
Spike was already helping other people before he ran into the Captain?!
"Those men wanted to kill Nazis and help my men and me. So, they got Spike to agree to distract the German soldiers that were shooting at us," Steve continued his tale.
"A funny way of saying they asked me to attack the enemy in the front, while they killed the ones in the back," he added.
Steve took over the story again. "We heard screaming from where we were hiding and I volunteered to check what was going on outside. I left our hiding spot and went out just in time to see Spike rip the throat of the last Nazi soldier."
He paused as he let the memory of Spike's bloodied appearance enter his mind.
"It was terrifying, seeing him in his vampire visage, bathed in the blood of the enemy in the fire-lit streets of a crumbling city. I thought that the actual devil came up from Hell to reap retribution to the evil Nazis and nearly pissed my pants when I heard him talk to me."
Steve laughed at the last part.
Are you a Yankee? He remembered his friend's first words to him.
He had stuttered his response and took a step back when he saw that the monster from earlier took the face of a man. Later that evening, Spike introduced himself to Steve and his men, then agreed to go with them to the Hydra bunker and helped them take over the place. In exchange, they agreed to help the vampire save his girlfriend who had been Hydra's prisoner in that same bunker.
It was because of the vampire's contributions that Steve and his men were able to reach the bunker and seize the place without casualties. They were also able to gather valuable information that greatly helped their efforts in the war. Once Drusilla was rescued, Spike left Steve and the Howling Commandos.
However, that wasn't the last time the soldiers saw the two vampires. As Steve and his men roamed about Europe trying to locate Hydra and the Nazis, they often met up with Spike and his paramour. However, not once did the two demons attack their group.
Instead, the vampires always volunteered to help them. Spike showed them the best routes to take to their destinations and also assisted in killing Nazis and Hydra operatives - his way of contributing to the war, he would always say. Drusilla, on the other hand, provided them accurate information on where German soldiers would attack and where some of their Allied men were being held captive, using her visions. She did her part to help and Spike got her to behave during the times she was with them.
Both vampires provided great assistance during the war, along with many other demons who helped to stop the war from escalating any further. This is why Steve came here, to Sunnydale, so he could learn more about demons and at last show his gratitude to demons similar to those who helped them back then.
Steve told the group all of this. All of them had different expressions on their faces. Willow, Tara, and Xander continued to look at him and Spike with admiration, while others like Anya and Giles merely sent them curious looks. Buffy seemed to look uncertain. But it was Finn's expression that concerned him most. It looked akin to jealousy. He was jealous. Whether it was of him or Spike, he wasn't certain, but he didn't like that look one bit.
"Well, we told you all about my history with the man and I hope that this doesn't escape this room," Spike said, eying Xander and Finn.
Xander nodded, but Finn merely scowled.
So Steve decided to add his own warning. "Trust me that if this gets out, S.H.I.E.L.D will make your lives a living hell," he said, glaring at the former Initiative soldier.
After getting a nod from Finn that he would keep the information a secret, Steve turned to Giles.
"I'm thinking about borrowing these two books if you don't mind," he said, holding up the copies of the Demonic Customs and Lifestyles and the Compendium of Demonic Species in his hands.
"Of course. You may take them with you and if you're done reading them, I have other books that you can borrow as well," Giles said.
"Thanks. Since the rest of what happened last night can be explained by everyone else here, Spike and I will take our leave now," he told the group before turning to his companion.
"Right," Spike responded, giving a quick nod of thanks to the Watcher.
Steve watched as Spike removed his coat and used it to cover his body before he rushed out of the shop to his car. He said his thanks to Giles before going out to follow his friend.
Everyone stared at the departing pair until their car drove off. Once they were out of sight, Xander was the first to react.
"I can't believe that the same vampire that tried to kill us a few years ago saved a bunch of people in the '40s!"
"It just goes to show how bad things were back then," Giles stated, but he too felt a tad of admiration for the vampire. After hearing Captain Rogers' tale, he was beginning to reconsider his current view on the bloodsucker and demons in general.
"We don't even know if what they said was really what happened," Riley commented. "I mean, this is Spike we're talking about here. Maybe he manipulated Captain Rogers into thinking he did all those things or something. Who knows?"
Willow gave him a disapproving look. "It didn't sound like Captain America was being manipulated."
Riley merely shrugged. "Like I said, we don't know what he did. But we know Spike, and he's not the type to do a good deed out of the goodness of his heart. I mean, he's a vampire, for Pete's sake!"
"Well, I don't think Spike did anything to Capt. Rogers. I mean, him saving the world? He's done that here in Sunnydale too, even before he got the chip," Buffy said softly.
"What?" Riley asked, surprised that his girlfriend was defending the vampire.
"I said, he's tried to save the world here in Sunnydale as well. I mean, he told me he was doing it for dog racing and Manchester United, and that he liked the world as it is. That's what he said when he first approached me for a truce to help me save the world," Buffy recounted.
"When was this?" Giles asked, clearly curious about this latest information.
"Well, it was when Angelus was about to open Acathla."
Most of the people in the room gave her a surprised look. They remembered that time well.
"Spike saved me from a cop who caught me at the time. Then he told me he was willing to have a truce with me and help stop Angelus. When I asked him why he said he liked the world and he wanted Dru back. When I agreed, he promised he'd make sure Giles didn't die by Angelus' torture and Drusilla was kept away from me long enough to stop Acathla. I'm pretty sure he also killed several vampire minions under Angelus' care."
"Buffy, why didn't you tell me this before?" Giles asked.
"Well, I didn't think much of it at the time. I mean, like Riley said, it was Spike, and I always thought him to be evil and selfish. I never pictured him really wanting to save the world."
"No, I guess he never gave us that sort of impression," the ex-Watcher agreed.
"I think it's amazing. I mean, he puts up this Big Bad persona, but actually he's not that bad," Willow said. Her girlfriend nodded in agreement.
"Well, he's not actually the only vampire to do good. There are countless others who are like him. Not all demons want to destroy the world. Some just want to live in it, since it's better than their home dimension. Those demons are usually pretty decent," Anya added her two cents to the conversation.
"Perhaps," Giles said. "But this is something we can all reflect on some other time. Why don't we continue the meeting and let Buffy know what else happened last night so she can go back to taking care of her mother."
Buffy smiled at her Watcher. She appreciated his concern so she asked everyone about what else happened the night before. The Scooby meeting continued, but everyone's thoughts still ventured to their resident chipped vampire.
After learning more about his past and what he did during the war, it was getting harder for some members of the group to still see him as the same vampire who threatened to kill them years ago.
TBC
(O.O)
Thanks for reading.