Nothing Gold can Stay -- part 4 of The Island of Galleno (Only a man who has felt ultimate despair is capable of feeling ultimate bliss.)

by Isabelle

Rating: R (for cursing, mild nudity, adult situations and violence)

Disclaimers: BTVS belong to Joss Whedon, ME, and UPN they are being used for entertainment, I don't own them. The Count of Monte Cristo belongs to Alexandre Dumas--Spike's journey was taken from the idea of the book and is used in the skeleton of the Series. Lyrics belong to The Proclaimers, 500 Miles.

Summary: The moment that Spike finally has Buffy he is vamp-napped by Riley and a new officer, Jack Marshall and sent to the Island of Galleno off the Moroccan coast where all the leftovers of the Initiative are being placed. Buffy frantically looks for Spike but gets news that he was 'accidentally killed' by Jack, who decides to make Sunnydale his residence. The whole thing is Spike trying to get back to Sunnydale and Buffy thinking he's dead. It's filled with exotic places, tons of Original Characters, mysticism, enchantment, magic and love. It takes him years to find out who he is before he can find the one he loves.

Spoilers: Set after Normal Again, Season 6

Feedback: bih80reviews@yahoo.com

Archiving: Carnal Sins, DeathMarkedLove, and Only Time--all others please ask.

A/N: Special thanks to Heller for the Beta. Also--I'm typing like a maniac cause this story is just flowing through me I hope you all like--please please tell me what you think I don't bite *eg*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What power has love but forgiveness?"

William Carlos William

She pulled away abruptly and stared at him in amazement of her own actions. For a moment she was almost seeing bleached blond hair and pale blue eyes... but it wasn't him. It wasn't Spike. She knew above the physical was the burning warmth in her lips.

Spike always left her cool and refreshed. Like ice cream on a hot Summer day... this was hot tea...

She gave a little cry and started running.

She could hear him behind her but he was no match for Slayer speed. Because that day she ran with all she had left and with all she was feeling--even those feelings she had bottled up since her mother died and she didn't care if people thought it weird that a pregnant woman was running faster than a marathon Olympian--all that mattered was that she getting away... away from something.

She ended up in his cemetery towards his place.

His scent hit her like one thousand blocks of concrete. She ran quickly to the bottom part of the crypt. Not noticing that is was half destroyed--only seeing and sensing that this was their place.

She didn't stop to see if the bed was approachable she simply buried herself in his covers and inhaled what was left of him. Almost 3 months later and she could still smell him in those sheets.

She buried her head in his pillow and sobbed.

"I'm so sorry..."

She sobbed until her chest felt like it might explode. There was raw feelings and emotions just scraping themselves against what was left of him.

Like a pendulum against fine skin, scraping and tearing what was left of her.

"I miss you..."

And she could see him smirking and touching and saying something completely inappropriate but it was ok--since it was him that was saying it.

She didn't care, she didn't care about anything except that he wasn't here anymore and he was never coming back and all that was left of them was the tiny little boy growing inside of her. And right now she couldn't decided whether to hate it or love it because the child had more of Spike than she had ever accepted.

And it hurt her--burned almost. It was an ungraspable need that she couldn't define. This need...

Small faint hours before the dawning of the sun was all she had given to him while he had showered her with love that she threw away like last Tuesday's garbage.

She had been living these past few months with a faint hope that he might still show up...after all Angel died and came back. Why couldn't Spike?

This only made her cry more at the big pile of wasteland that had always been her love life.

Only this time--the man she hoped for so long to leave her really did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I wake up yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who wakes up next to you
When I go out yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you

"Back straight!"

Spike groaned and glared at the man. "I don't know why I have to learn sword fighting! I know how to handle a sword good and proper."

"Handling the sword is one thing, handling it like a gentleman is another," Archie snapped and tapped his hand against the counter, signaling for Spike to start over. "Lesson the third: when one is a gentleman one receives more respect just because you seem to be what you are."

"A gentleman! That's for poofters and nancy boys--not the likes of me!" He protested but automatically straightened his back and positioned himself in front of the dummy.

Archie counted. "1 to the right, 2 to the left... good, 3 turn around and strike on 4... no, no, no!!"

Spike growled and chopped the dummy's head off.

"He's dead," he stated.

Archie nodded. "And if he would've been real he would've gutted you before you chopped off his head."

Spike glared at the coconut head.

"I have an idea," Archie said excitedly and went back into the hut. He walked out with one of his bowls and filled it with sea water from the makeshift bucket by the door that was filled to the brim.

"Here," he said and walked to Spike. "Place this on your head, it's an ancient Chinese trick."

Spike stared at him with a scowl on his face as the filled bowl was placed on his head.

"How am I supposed to move with this thing on my head?" he asked sarcastically.

Archie went back to sit down on his rocking chair. "I guess you're going to have to learn to move with it."

Spike took three deep breaths to control himself from ripping the man's head off.

"En garde!" Archie said.

Spike went into position, making the bowl spill all over him. The wet vampire glared at the older man as wet hair dripped on his forehead.

"Fill it up again, we have plenty of sea water."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A soft knock on her door brought Willow away from her mid-term studying for her final in Physics II.

"Come in," she said, placing her pink highlighter down. She smiled gently when she saw Buffy come in then frowned when she saw her appearance.

"Buffy, what's wrong?"

Buffy shrugged and sat at the edge of what used to be her mother's bed.

"Did Jack turn out to be a Dr. Hyde?" she asked perkily.

The blonde frowned and laid herself on her best friend's lap.

"Buffy? What's wrong?" Willow asked concerned, gently running her fingers through her hair.

"I kissed Jack today..."

Willow nodded. "That's good... right?"

Buffy swallowed. "I wanted it to be Spike."

"Oh..." Willow had been shocked when Spike had died but had been never more shocked when the whole Buffy sleeping with Spike for months came out.

If it had been any other time she would've ask Buffy what the hell was she thinking when she had been with the vampire. But seeing how Buffy had taken his death she had opted to wisely keep her mouth shut--as had Xander. At this point all she could do was be supportive.

"Do you... I mean did you... love him?" Willow asked quietly.

Silence passed between the two friends as Buffy stared at the wall. This was the moment she would chose. She could come straight and say the whole truth--and nothing but the truth.

But there were no Bibles before her.

"He meant a lot... but I don't think I loved him, Will. I guess I just miss him."

The red head nodded. The painted lie was better than the truth and deep inside she knew her friend loved him.

"Of course you should miss him--plus, pregnant, tons of hormones. You're probably confused..."

"Yeah... it's the hormones."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If I get drunk yes I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who gets drunk next to you
And if I haver yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's havering to you
But I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who walked 1,000 miles
To fall down at your door

"Lesson the fourth: the concept of relativity," Archie corrected Spike.

"I know about this bloody concept... I just don't remember it."

Archie nodded and starting writing on the rock that was their blackboard. "Then we learn it again."

Spike rolled his eyes but continued taking notes.

"Think of it this way. The moments that you held Buffy in your arms before they took you... how long did it seem to you?"

Spike frowned--thinking of those short hours. "It seemed like seconds... in reality we stayed all night."

"Exactly," Archie wrote furiously in the board. "Now... how long have you been away from her?"

Spike looked down. "107 days yesterday, 108 days today." He bit his lip. "It seems like years."

Archie sat in front of him and nodded. "Exactly, the law of relativity. Time goes by faster doing things you like, enjoy, being with people you love."

Spike stood up and started pacing, and Archie noted that his back was completely straight. The bowl exercise had worked.

"I miss her ... I never though I'd miss her so. I guess is 'cause--"

"Because," Archie corrected.

Spike glared at him. "Because, happy now?"

Archie nodded.

"Because I know she's waiting for me... last time she was just dead and there's no coming back from that," he smiled. "Unless you're Buffy Summers."

"What's she like?" Archie asked.

Spike looked out the small hut window as the sun slowly set in the horizon. "She's amazing... she doesn't realize how amazing she is."

Archie grabbed his pipe and listened to him.

"I mean... when I first met her is was like an all consuming addiction to just... watch her... and that never went away. Even when she was sleeping next to me I just had to watch her. The way she breathed the way her hand curled right under her chin and she sighed in her sleep."

Spike lit a cigarette made out of local weeds and self rolled. "She can be the most beautiful when she's mad and she can be the most deadly when she's in love."

"Is she what you're going back for?"

Spike smirked and then frowned and his fast-consuming cigarette. "It's the whole silly gang of hers. The whole lot--made me want to hurl at times but apart from you they were the closest friends I ever had."

Archie stood up next to him to watch the sunset. "You want to know why I stay here?"

Spike looked at him. "There's way out?"

Archie nodded. "There's always a way out of everything... but where else would I see the sunset?"

Spike gaped at him. "You know a way out?"

The older vampire smiled and placed his pipe back on his mouth. "Come with me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike held the torch away from himself as he followed Archie down the steep rocks inside the cave.

"I found this back in 1985, I think and I went down here last year and it was still in pretty good condition so I know whatever is wrong with it can be fixed."

Spike nodded and ducked as a bat flew out of the cave and almost took off his head. "Nasty buggers," he commented.

Archie chuckled. "They're family, William."

Spike would've glared at the older vampire but he stopped and gaped at the sight before him. If he could have jumped up for joy he would have.

It was a boat! A yacht actually, a small one with probably only a small kitchen and a couch inside but it could protect them from the sun!

Spike cried for joy and hopped off the rock. The yacht was stationed as if trapped inside the cave. A small pool of water holding it in for years.

"How did this get here?"

Archie shrugged and smiled. "Back in the early eighties there was a nasty storm that hit the island. I found two dead bodies in it back then and I dumped them back into the sea. But it was messed up pretty badly in the storm. It'll take a lot of work, William."

Spike was grinning from ear to ear. "I have the time! I can fix it..." he looked at the boat in awe. "This is my way home!"

Archie nodded. "We shall go to town tonight, we need supplies."

"Wait... how do we get past the barrier?" Spike asked, his shoulders slumped at the obvious barrier.

Archie laughed and patted his back. "Worry not, my friend. I have a way past that too."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was the Sodom and Gomorrah of the island. Where in the jungles, nature rules, in these streets was the greed of men transferred into demon.

If you were to ask Spike it looked like an old western town--you could hear fights and drunken songs, merry piano rhythms as women danced to the can-can.

"Puerto de Tierra, nowhere near a port yet as perverted as an American Town," Archie commented as Spike followed him like a master leading the trainee.

Spike looked around wearily--he hated this place. He'd only come here when he needed smokes and blood.

"Hardware store should be up ahead... if it's still owned by Collins Gregor we're in luck!" Archie said excitedly.

"Collins Gregor? The Fumare demon?" Spike asked as he blew out his smoke.

"Yes, yes--decent demon if you ever found one," Archie stopped to avoid the man being thrown from the two story window who landed at their feet. Well it was more of a serpent type creature but regardless.

"Fuck you, Sinaga!" the serpent snarled and stood back up as if nothing had happened.

Spike shook his head and continued to their destination.

"Well, well, well, if it ain't Obi Wan and his Luke."

Spike turned to glare at the men who were all piled on top of what looked like a new shipment of rice.

Varro smiled at them. "Teaching him how to wield the force, old man?"

Archie continued, ignoring them.

"Give you a hint, young Skywalker--there's no way off the island!"

The men and demons laughed and Spike just ignored them while he boiled inside. He seriously wanted to decapitate the man with his bare hands.

"Lesson the second, William..." Archie reminded him.

His back straightened automatically and he could feel his demon calming.

They reached the hardware store and were greeted by a plump demon with four arms, round body and hair-less head.

"Archiebald DeLuca! What brings you here?"

Archie smiled at old demon. "Collins--I see you're still around."

Collins laughed. "Well if you wouldn't separate yourself from civilization and live up in the jungle like some ogre then you'd know for sure."

"Resentment, old boy?" Archie asked.

Collins shook his head and nodded to them. "What brings you to town?"

Archie pointed back at Spike who was eyeing the contents of the small store. "Me and my friend here were looking for wood--good wood. Waterproof."

Collins eyed him carefully. "What would you be needing the wood for, friend?"

Spike eyed the demon carefully--he didn't trust anyone on the island except for Archie. But Archie was more wiser than he could've ever imagined.

"I'm teaching the younger one about physics and chemistry--I need the wood to do it."

The demon knowing nothing of either quickly eased off and nodded. "I have some spell that will protect wood better than any lining ever would."

"Really?" Archie asked, innocently.

"Sure! I'll give you a copy as a bonus for years of service."

They left the store with their arms filled with wood planks.

"Sure this will be enough?" Spike asked the man beside him.

Archie nodded. "Positive--we'll just have to make the best of it. Funny how a little tobacco and ale can trade for large amounts of useful material."

The wind was picking up--floating dirty papers from the street up and gushing. A particular paper landed smack on Spike's face, making him stop to take it off.

But something caught his eye as he pulled it off...

The Annual Cage Tournament
October 18th at the Cage

Come all that can fight and win 25 gallons of ale along with the map for the
lost treasure in the Black Lake!

2 gold tablets to enter tournament

"What's this?" Spike asked Archie. Archie stopped and placed his panels down.

"They're still having the Cage tournament? Hah! The first one was started in 1985--the year Mad Max's Thunderdome came out. The men and demons here built a cage out of bamboo and metal linings... the cage of death if you ask me."

"How about this prize? The lost treasure of the Black Lake?" Spike asked as he picked up his panels and walked along side of Archie.

"I believe it's been told that in 1352 a very rich man named Atmazul became so wealthy that he buried his treasure in the Black Lake of the Moroccan desert. But when he was burying it he was killed by the lake."

Spike smirked at him. "Killed by the lake, ha bloody ha--nice kiddie story."

"The lake is black because the vapors that come from the earth, can kill humans since the air is a poisonous gas and vampires loose their strength--becoming as weak as kittens." Archie shrugged. "Even if it were true no one can retrieve the treasure."

More laughing was heard as the two vampires stopped to glare at the same crowd of men who were still crowded around the rice.

"I challenge you, William the Bloody--if Master Splinter has taught you so well I bet you can defeat the Groker," Varro laughed.

"The Groker?" Spike asked with a look of boredom on his face.

"No one can defeat the Groker!" a companion of Varro said laughing.

"Come along, William--spare them no time," Archive urged.

Spike stood still for a moment... but in reality this place was temporary. All that mattered was getting back to Buffy--this place will then be long gone. Another dream in his one hundred years.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Soft blue blankets and little cookie monsters adorned the small crib. She ran her fingers softly through the soft material, letting it tingle her fingertips.

"You must be really tiny about now, right?" she asked her belly. She walked around the crib and ran her finger tips along the walls of what used to be her room. Willow had moved out and she had moved all her stuff to her mother's room.

Her room was being decorated to be William's.

Xander had installed a few corner shelves and brought the crib that he bought for his 'nephew' over. Dawn bought the sheets and the little toys and Willow and Tara had helped her paint the walls baby blue --they also bought her some newborn clothes and baby books for the shelves.

What was foreign was becoming more and more real.

She looked over at the rocking chair they had dug out from the basement. It was the rocking chair her mother had used for both Dawn and her... some of the parts needed to be replaced since the flood but Xander was able to fix it. Anya had gotten her a colorful pregnancy guide book and tons of diapers... even at six months she was already getting diapers.

She sat in her rocking chair that was now painted white. "I guess it's just you and me now, William."

She placed her hands on her large belly as if protecting it. "What do you think of your new room?" She looked around the over emphasis of blue, yellow and white. "It's definitely a boy's room, right?" She smiled. "You daddy would've hated it--all the pastels... he would've wanted to introduce you to the Ramones before you were two..." she chuckled sadly. "I hope you look like him... I really do..."

She rocked her still unborn baby back and forth, staring off into the window. A soft knock broke into her thoughts.

"Hey, baby..."

Jack walked around the rocking chair and kissed her forehead. "Enjoying quiet time?"

Buffy smiled at her boyfriend and nodded. "Yeah... he was restless all morning so a little quiet time is of the good."

"How about you... feeling better?" His dark blue eyes shined at her.

She gave him a tight smile. "100% better." She lied.

He extended his hand. "C'mon, the play starts in an hour--we want to get good seats."

She took his hand, careful not to rip the brand new gown Jack had bought her and followed him out of the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(3 months later)

He put all his strength behind his hammering as he restored the side of the boat--everything must be sealed so that it would sustain any storm they might encounter. The tournament was one month away and the island had been sizzling with activity--making sneaking off to the boat harder and harder.

"This your poem, William?" Archie asked as he went through his pupil's notes.

Spike frowned and stopped hammering. He grabbed his discarded shirt to dry himself off from the sea water. His hair had outgrown it's bleach, it was now a bit long--so that it curled along his ears and light brown--almost blond with the sun's rays.

"It's private, mate," he said angrily.

Archie arched his red eyebrow at him. "Like I don't know whom they are for... mate."

Spike sat down next to the older vampire and took the papers from him. "They're no good, anyways... always was a bloody awful poet."

Archie took the papers back from Spike. "Actually you have the skeleton done right... you just need..." Archie closed his eyes to make his point. "Feeling. The pure raw emotion behind poetry--good poetry."

"I do try that... it's just that..."

"No! You're trying to rhyme emotions. That would make a poem sound like one large lullaby. Now, if you just say what you're feeling words will simply flow through your mouth and onto the paper... like tears upon the night at it's darkest hour."

Spike blinked at him. "That's not bad, mate. So you're a swordsman, a physicist, a chemist, a carpenter, a trainer, philosopher... what else do you do?"

Archie smiled and handed Spike back his hammer. "After you've been alive as long as I have you find out life is much more complex than what you think."

They were interrupted by a loud booming type of sound. Coming ... from the sky.

Archie lit up and too the flashlight. "Come on, William--new arrivals to the island!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The time for new arrivals was a time of change... it was usually when they got news of the outside world. Was the world in it's third World War? The newbie would usually tell.

The demon, human and vampires hunted for the newbie for as long as it took. Spike had hid well, it had taken them some time to find him. But this Hualty demon was large... and generally not smart. Facts were facts with him--there was no critical thinking.

They found him about five hours after he had been dropped off. He was hungry, cranky and scared.

It took the coaxing of a few other Hualty demons to convince him that this place was safe for creatures like him--they after all had plenty of ale and outdated Playboys to last a lifetime.

So it was back to the dying fire by the beach--Spike stayed away from the crowd and clung to Archie. They simply listened as the newcomer talked about what was happening in the outside demon world.

It was a good night to take off. Sipping beer...

"The news from the east is that an entire clan of Unganites was taken out by the army boys, along with Tary --their king for over five hundred years," the newcomer said.

"The army is asking for it!" A vampire roared. "One of these days all demons will unite and take over this stinking planet!"

Spike rolled his eyes as did Archie at the naive talk of taking over the world.

"The Slayer wouldn't let you, idiot!" a spiny demon told the vampire.

Spike tensed at the mention of Buffy... he would kill anyone here who said a word against her.

"He's right, the Slayer wouldn't let you," another vampire agreed while he gulped down his whiskey.

The newcomer laughed and Spike glared at him. "What of it, mate?"

The demon laughed again. "Oh just that I forgot the biggest news of all. The Slayer's dead, man--she died last month, some vampire gang joined up and sucked her dry over in Sunnydale."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TBC...