Freedom Fighter
Author's Note: The poem in this chapter is titled "Insomnia I" and is by Howard Nemerov.
Chapter 2
(That night)
Geia ran down the short hallway from her bedroom to the living room before the answering machine clicked on and she missed the call. She picked up the phone on the last ring and took a deep breath before answering.
"Hello?"
"Hey Geia, it's Buffy. I just wanted to make sure you were still coming to the Bronze."
Geia pushed her wet hair out of her eyes and moved to the refrigerator. "Definately. If this place is as awesome as you and Willow made it out to be, I wouldn't miss it. Plus now I can meet Xander and Anya."
Buffy smiled at the positive sound in Geia's voice. She remembered what it was like when she had first moved to Sunnydale-wanting to meet people and make new friends. Being lonely was awful, and she didn't want Geia to feel that way. Geia's naive, yet funny nature was sort of uplifting after all the seriousness and sense of dread Buffy's everyday life served up. "Okay, so see you in an hour or so. Bye."
"Bye." Geia walked back into the bedroom of her average-sized house. It had been her uncle's house until he left it and a good portion of his wealth to his favorite niece in his will. When she found the time, she'd redo some of the wallpaper, paint, and carpet in the house, but it was fine for now. California was a big change from Michigan, but now that she had met some people, it seemed better. She definately hadn't expected to meet such open and friendly people as Buffy and Willow right away, and now she had the chance to hang out with them and their friends at the local hot spot.
By the time Geia had to leave, she had assured herself over and over again that she was going to enjoy herself at the Bronze and not get too nervous. Constant nervousness in new situations was a very bad tendency of hers, no matter how much she tried to stay calm. It bugged the hell out of her that she got that nervous, but there wasn't a whole lot she could do. The Bronze was only about fifteen minutes from her house, so she wasn't in a big hurry when she left.
About ten minutes after Geia had left, a warning light went off in her car and Geia noticed the temperature meter was past the normal-her car was overheating. "Great, this is just what I don't need right now." She pulled off to the side of the road and reached for her cell phone in her purse, and then panicked when she remembered that she had never taken it out of the charger. With a sigh of defeat, she got out of the car and began to walk the short distance to the Bronze, since it was just down the road. Her heels clicked as she walked quickly down the sidewalk so she could get past the cemetary on her right. Cemetaries were just fine in the day, but Geia had seen one too many horror movies to be a fan of the resting places of the dead at night. A few cars passed as she walked past end of the cemetary, and she stopped to see if she could hail one and see if they had a phone.
A sixth sense tingled through Geia just before two cold hands grabbed her from behind and pulled her backwards toward the dark and misty cemetary. She struggled against the person who held onto her, but they only tightened their grip, and pain shot through Geia at the pressure. The hands forced her to stand up and she was turned around. Numbing fear was the only thing Geia knew as she stared into the large eyes of a vampire. The vampire grinned as only one could when it knew its meal was terrified to the point where they were frozen to the spot.
"What's the matter, honey, can't scream?" The vampire leaned in closer and Geia forced her eyes shut, trying to block out the horrific sight. "I'm not going to go away, if that's what you think closing your eyes will do. Won't you give me one scream before I kill you, just to satisfy me?"
Geia's snapped open in a sudden burst of anger, despite the overwhelming dread and sense of death she felt. "I'd rather go to hell then scream so that you can satisfy some sickening desire of yours." The vampire was taken off guard by her blunt and very angry response, and Geia took the opportunity to knee him in the *right* spot.
The vampire keeled over in pain, and Geia ran as fast as she could, knowing her life depended on it. A few seconds later, she heard the vampire's heavy footsteps behind her, and she ran out into the street, screaming for help.
The vampire was bigger and faster than she was. He caught up to her and jerked her back by her arm, causing her back to slam against the front of him. "Now normally I don't do my killing in the view of the public, but seeing as how there's no public around...." He pulled her hair to one side and admired her neck. "You, my dear, are a meal worthy of savoring, seeing as how you actually challenged me to catch you. But I'm hungry, and I simply don't have the time to torture you before eating you."
Geia closed her eyes and felt all of the air leave her lungs as the vampire's fangs sank into her neck. The pain was like a red-hot nausea that took over her entire body, and she felt herself slipping away into the darkness that was overcoming her.
The vampire was too busy enjoying his meal to realize there was someone behind him before it hit him. Literally. A fist crashed into the back of the vampire's head, forcing him to release Geia and turn around to defend himself. He heard someone moving to the right of him and he lashed out blindly, still seeing spots from the force of the punch he had received. The vampire's vision returned too late as he was knocked down onto his back by a blunt metal object and the last thing he saw was a wooden stake aimed right at his heart.
Spike dusted himself off and turned around to see Geia lying in the street. He shook his head and grabbed the crow bar he had used on the vamp. "Where is the slayer when someone needs her? I can't always do her job. I'll be bloody damned if I do more than I have to. Can't make me be a good guy and save the pathetic from the bad guys."
He saw that the girl the vamp had attacked was lying completely still in the road and hurried over to check her pulse. She was alive, barely, her breathing a quiet whisper that Spike could hardly hear. He picked her up as gently as he could and took her over to his car. He had been passing by, on the way to where he lived, when he saw the vamp chasing after some blonde girl in the middle of the street. Spike had figured that it wouldn't be good if he didn't stop and help the girl, since Buffy would find out some way or another. He laid Geia in the backseat and jumped into the driver's seat. Spike chanced a glance back at the girl to see if she was still breathing-he could barely make out her chest rising and falling ever so slightly. She was pretty enough, but pale as hell.
The closest hospital was only ten minutes away, luckily for the girl. Spike knew she had lost a lot of blood, but that didn't mean he was going to go in the hospital. Hail down an emergency medical worker or a doctor and make sure she'd get taken care of, then he'd bail. Hospitals were just too tempting for him--all that blood and the people, even though he couldn't do anything to them. Damn that chip in his head.
Ten minutes to the hospital was five with Spike's erratic yet necessary driving. He parked in the back of the hospital where the ambulances pulled in. Another stroke of fortune for this girl- there was an ambulance that had just gotten its charge into the hospital and was loading back up.
Spike lifted Geia out of the car and yelled to the emergency workers. "Hey, can I get some help here? She's lost a lot of blood."
A worker came over and took Geia from Spike's arms, laying her on a stretcher that two other workers had brought over. "Do you know what happened?"
Lying was easy for Spike. "No. I was driving home and saw her lying in the street, so I brought her here."
The two workers took Geia into the hospital and the one who Spike had hailed stayed behind. "Did she have any identification with her, a purse or wallet, since I'm assuming you don't know her."
Spike thought for a moment and then ran back to his car. He came back with Geia's purse in his hand. "This was with her when I found her. And no, I don't know her."
The worker nodded and took the purse. "Okay. She's lucky you found her. Much longer and she would have been dead." He shook his head and looked at Spike. "You're more than welcome to go in there and wait if you want to see how she turns out."
The blonde vamp held a hand up. "No, that's okay. I think I might know somebody who knows her." Spike took off, not wanting to stand there with the emergency worker any longer. He just wanted to go home, but now he had to go track Buffy down so that he could tell her what happened. He didn't HAVE to find Buffy, but he wasn't going to take the chance of her finding out what had happened and get chewed out for it later. She wasn't his bloody boss.
Since he wasn't sure where Buffy would be and he'd be damned if he was going to drive all over Sunnydale to find her, Spike decided to check with Giles. He knew Giles would still be at The Magic Box since it didn't close until late on Fridays, and it was only 9:15.
With a loud screech, the car stopped in front of the shop and Spike moved swiftly to get inside before he was seen. He might have a chip in his head that prevented him from hurting mortals, but that didn't mean he still wasn't like a cat-swift and silent. Giles looked up from one of his pricing books behind the counter when he heard the door open. The smile he put on for customers faded when he saw Spike.
"I thought you usually came in the back."
Spike shrugged. "Free country, last time I checked. Besides, I was in a hurry." He went over to the front counter and leaned forward. "Do you know where Buffy is?"
The librarian's eyes narrowed in confusion. "You're looking for her? Isn't that strange. She was supposed to stop by your place to talk to you about the Boxer Rebellion after patrolling, but I'm assuming she didn't show up. What do you need to see her for?"
"Well, I only had to save some broad from a vamp who was making her a meal. I took her to the hospital and figured Buffy would want to know. The girl's going to be bloody confused when...if she wakes up. She was barely alive when I found her."
This surprised Giles. "You took someone to the hospital on your own accord, without hesitation?"
Spike's eyes widened and his voice and stance became defensive. "So what? I figured leaving a vamp victim in the street wouldn't look good on me if Buffy found out, and I'm not about to get bitched out for something that wasn't my fault. The best thing was to take the girl to the hospital."
Giles closed the book and nodded. Although it was Spike's reasoning he was dealing with, it made sense. Almost too much sense to credit Spike for. "Yes, most definately. Um...oh yes, the whereabouts of Buffy. I imagine since she didn't find you at home that she went on to the Bronze. She was meeting Willow, Xander, and Anya there, along with this girl she met in one of her classes. I guess the girl just moved here and Buffy was trying to show her that Sunnydale isn't as dull as it seems-at least to the normal eye."
Spike's voice didn't hide his annoyance. "Alright. I'll see if I can find her and let her know what happened." Spike turned to go, but then stopped mid-stride and turned back around. "Did this new girl have blonde hair, about 5'7" or so, light complexion?"
Giles thought for a moment then nodded emphatically. "Yes, she did...oh no. Her name is Geia-if you tell Buffy that, she'll get over to the hospital right away." He leaned on the counter and sighed. "This is terrible-her first week in Sunnydale and she gets attacked by a vampire."
"So I'm going to have a pissed off slayer on my hands. Wonderful. Just bloody great." With that, Spike left. Once in his car, Spike couldn't help but be bitter. "Yes master, no master, three bags full master. Why don't they just employ me as their slave and treat me like crap? Do this, go here, talk to this person, when all I want to do is go home! I knew I was love's bitch, but not Buffy's. There are just some things that aren't right in this world, and that's one of them."
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Willow looked around the Bronze for the upteenth time and sighed. "She's still not here, Buffy. Why don't you try calling her again?"
Buffy shook her head. "No. If she was home, she'd answer. I just hope nothing happened to her."
Xander looked up from his drink and put a hand on Buffy's shoulder. "I'm sure Geia's fine, Buf. I mean, you'd have to have pretty awful luck to get attacked by a vamp the first week in town. She probably got lost or may have even fallen asleep and just hasn't heard the phone."
Anya nodded in agreement with Xander. "I don't think she'd not come here on purpose. The cool thing to do is hang out here, so I'm sure she'll show.
Xander shot Buffy a warning look as he spotted Spike coming up behind them. "Undead lover boy coming your way Buffy."
Buffy sighed and turned in her chair. "What do you want Spike?"
Spike gave her a contemptous look. "Well hello to you too, Slayer. I came here, Lord knows why, to tell you something Giles and I figured to be important, but if you don't want to know then-"
Buffy grabbed Spike by the collar of his coat and pulled him down eye-level to her. "Talk, quickly."
He shoved her hands off his coat and stood up. "Fine. To be blunt, as if I really do care, which I don't...Geia. In the street. Vamp attack. In hospital. Here to tell you."
Buffy jumped out of her chair and grabbed her coat. "I've got to get to her. Which hospital?"
Spike sat down in her abandoned chair. "Sunnydale East. She was still alive when I found her, but barely. The vamp had taken quite a bit of blood by the time I got there." He saw Buffy's next question before she asked. "And yes, I killed the vampire. Do you think I'd let him get away with the chance of you finding out and giving me hell?"
"Aren't you sweet? It's a good thing you slayed the vamp, because you're right-I'd not only give you hell, but send you there as well." Buffy turned to the three at the table. "I'm going to see her. See you guys later."
Willow hopped out of her chair. "I'm going too, Buffy. We were both with her today, and I think she's going to need the moral support when she wakes up."
Buffy started to walk past Spike then stopped. She grabbed him by the collar again and forced him to follow. "You're coming with us. I think Geia would like to know who saved her, and since you can't see her during normal, DAYTIME hours, you're going with us."
Spike tried to get away, but he knew Buffy was determined to torture him by making him go in the hospital. "I'll follow you there."
Buffy dragged him out the door and to her car. "No, you won't. You'll sit in the backseat of my car, and if you try anything, I'll let Willow introduce you to Mr. Pointy's brother and then I'll finish you off with Mr. Pointy." She opened the side door and literally threw him in the backseat. "And don't worry about your car-nobody will steal it because it's a junk heap, and you can get it later tonight if we're not at the hospital too late." She got in the driver's seat and glanced back. Buffy couldn't help but smile at the obvious anger on Spike's face. "You better look more cheerful than that. Geia is going to want to see her savoir in a good mood because she's not dead. So perk up.. and make sure you buckle your seatbelt. I'm going to see how fast I can get there."
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Some nights it's bound to be your best way out,
When nightmare is the short end of the stick,
When sleep is a part of town where it's not safe
To walk at night, when waking is the only way
You have of distancing your wretched dead,
A growing crowd, and escaping out of their
TIme into yours for another little while;
Then pass ghostly, a planet in the house
Never observed, among the sleeping rooms
Where children dream themselves, and thence go down
Into the empty domain where daylight reigned;
Reward yourself with drink and a book to read,
A mystery, for its elusive gift
Of reassurance against the hour of death.
You order your heart about: Stop doing that!
And get the world to be secular again.
Then, when you know who done it, turn out the light,
And quietly in darkness, in moonlight, or snowlight
Reflective, listen to the whistling earth
In its backspin trajectory around the sun
That makes the planets sometimes retrograde
And bring the cold forgiveness of the dawn
Whose light extinguishes all stars but one.
Geia awoke to the sound of the heart monitor beeping at an even, slow pace. Her vision was blurred to the point that she could only make out shapes and some color, but she was pretty sure the three shapes closest to her were people.
This became even more apparent when she recognized Buffy's voice. "She's awake. Geia, can you hear me?"
Geia's throat was parched and her voice came out as a croak. She managed a weak "Yes" before reaching out to the tray beside her bed. Willow poured her a glass of water and Geia accepted it with a grateful look.
Buffy saw that her skin was practically white compared to her normal ivory complextion and she waited until Geia had drank the entire glass before speaking again. "How are you, I mean, for what happened?"
Geia's eyes floated around the small, plain room until they rested on Spike. "You were the one that saved me--I remember seeing you while I was lying in the street. You killed that...what was it?"
Spike and Buffy exchanged glances and Spike stepped forward to lean down to her. "I-"
Geia shook her head as well as she could, and Spike saw her eyes change from their dark green to a lighter shade. "Don't. I owe you my gratitude and my life. You have both."
Spike backed away from the bed and gave Buffy an unreadable look. Willow saw the look and decided to try to explain what had happened. "Geia, what attacked you was a vampire. Big, ugly, scary looking things with huge eyes and fangs that suck blood out of people."
Spike turned his look to Willow in slight anger when she had called vampires "ugly", but Buffy stepped between them. "You know Count Dracula, Geia? That is exactly what vampires are like. Vampires are all over the world, but the majority of them arise from the grave in Sunnydale because this is the Hellmouth. All evil, demonic power is centered here."
Geia closed her eyes and sighed. "So you're telling me I just moved to the most evil town in the world, on top of the fact that my car broke down AND I was bit by a vampire. Next you're going to tell me that you're the one who is supposed to kill vampires."
Buffy's eyes widened. "Actually, yeah. I'm the Slayer, the Chosen One who fights all things evil and-" Buffy was cut off by a doctor who came in to check on Geia.
The doctor looked at the chart on the bed and smiled at the three visitors in Geia's room. "Geia will be fine, she just lost a lot of blood." He pointed to the bandage on her neck. "She had two puncture holes in her neck when she came in, and I'm still not sure of the origin of the wound. But I don't think she is in any real danger, she just needs to stay here for the night and then she can go."
Buffy thanked the doctor as he left and then turned to Spike. "I think she needs to know, Spike. She deserves to know."
Geia's face showed her confusion as she looked back and forth between Buffy and Spike. "What? Please don't leave me hanging. I think I can handle whatever it is, with everything else that has happened."
Spike looked at Geia and knew he had to tell her. "I'm not a normal person, Geia. I'm a vampire, but not one who, unfortunately, can hurt people. I have this chip planted in my brain that prevents me from doing a bloody thing to humans." And he waited for her reaction.
The silence was thick before Geia began laughing. "Oh my gosh, that's a good joke..Spike. Now tell me that you're hundreds of years old and you'll live until someone stakes you like you did the vampire that attacked me."
Spike threw Buffy a mocking glance. "Alright, Slayer, what do you suggest? You're the one who thought I should tell her, and she doesn't believe me."
Buffy shrugged carelessly. "So prove it."
"Fine." Spike moved to the side of her bed.
Willow went to stand on the other side of Geia's bed. "Just a warning--Spike's not a very pretty vampire, as far as they go."
The smile faded on Geia's face as Spike's face transformed into what she saw when she had been attacked earlier that night. Her body again became paralyzed with fright when she saw the real life nightmare standing before her, but as quickly as it appeared, it vanished. The person who had saved her life was back, the monster gone.
Spike saw how frightened she had become through the killer pain the chip delivered when he had transformed, and he backed away from the bed, but his sarcasm in his voice was thick. "I wasn't lying about it. And now I've got a bloody wonderful headache for it."
Buffy sat down on the edge of Geia's bed. "He's not one of the bad guys, Geia. He's been like this for a while now, and he's adjusting to it just fine, aren't you Spike?" She received a grunt from the other side of the room. "Like I said, just fine."
Geia relaxed when she realized that Buffy meant what she said. "So let me add all this up again-I've moved to the mouth of Hell, been attacked by a vampire and almost killed, then saved by a vampire who is actually a good guy . This night just gets better." She eyed Spike on the other side of the room. "Well if Buffy says you're a good guy, then I believe it. And you did save my life--I thank you for that."
The vampire moved closer to her bed. "Like I needed your approval, but at least I know I'm not going to scare you."
"Thanks for that very positive input Spike. She's been through enough." Buffy stood up and gave Geia a small wooden cross. "Not that I think anything is going to happen, but this may help protect you later on. Do you think you'll be alright here alone tonight?"
Geia took the cross and laid it on the table beside her bed. "Yeah, I think so. But could you do me a favor?"
"Sure."
"They told me I'll be released tomorrow around one. Could you or someone else maybe come get me? I don't want to go home alone, even though it will be daylight."
Willow spoke up from the other side of Geia's bed. "I don't have anything to do tomorrow, so I'll come get you."
Geia smiled appreciatively. "Thank you Willow." The three visitors moved to leave, but Geia's voice stopped them. "Thank you, Spike. I'd be dead if it wasn't for you."
Spike stopped mid-stride at her words. He turned around, and for a split second, Buffy and Willow saw a somewhat more gentle, possibly even human side to Spike. He went back in the room and stood beside her bed. "You're welcome." And he left the room, leaving Buffy and Willow in his wake.
That night, Geia dreamt of the attack and Spike rescuing her over and over again, exactly the way it happened. But every time, the dream became a little more muddled, and a little more scary.
Author's Note: The poem in this chapter is titled "Insomnia I" and is by Howard Nemerov.
Chapter 2
(That night)
Geia ran down the short hallway from her bedroom to the living room before the answering machine clicked on and she missed the call. She picked up the phone on the last ring and took a deep breath before answering.
"Hello?"
"Hey Geia, it's Buffy. I just wanted to make sure you were still coming to the Bronze."
Geia pushed her wet hair out of her eyes and moved to the refrigerator. "Definately. If this place is as awesome as you and Willow made it out to be, I wouldn't miss it. Plus now I can meet Xander and Anya."
Buffy smiled at the positive sound in Geia's voice. She remembered what it was like when she had first moved to Sunnydale-wanting to meet people and make new friends. Being lonely was awful, and she didn't want Geia to feel that way. Geia's naive, yet funny nature was sort of uplifting after all the seriousness and sense of dread Buffy's everyday life served up. "Okay, so see you in an hour or so. Bye."
"Bye." Geia walked back into the bedroom of her average-sized house. It had been her uncle's house until he left it and a good portion of his wealth to his favorite niece in his will. When she found the time, she'd redo some of the wallpaper, paint, and carpet in the house, but it was fine for now. California was a big change from Michigan, but now that she had met some people, it seemed better. She definately hadn't expected to meet such open and friendly people as Buffy and Willow right away, and now she had the chance to hang out with them and their friends at the local hot spot.
By the time Geia had to leave, she had assured herself over and over again that she was going to enjoy herself at the Bronze and not get too nervous. Constant nervousness in new situations was a very bad tendency of hers, no matter how much she tried to stay calm. It bugged the hell out of her that she got that nervous, but there wasn't a whole lot she could do. The Bronze was only about fifteen minutes from her house, so she wasn't in a big hurry when she left.
About ten minutes after Geia had left, a warning light went off in her car and Geia noticed the temperature meter was past the normal-her car was overheating. "Great, this is just what I don't need right now." She pulled off to the side of the road and reached for her cell phone in her purse, and then panicked when she remembered that she had never taken it out of the charger. With a sigh of defeat, she got out of the car and began to walk the short distance to the Bronze, since it was just down the road. Her heels clicked as she walked quickly down the sidewalk so she could get past the cemetary on her right. Cemetaries were just fine in the day, but Geia had seen one too many horror movies to be a fan of the resting places of the dead at night. A few cars passed as she walked past end of the cemetary, and she stopped to see if she could hail one and see if they had a phone.
A sixth sense tingled through Geia just before two cold hands grabbed her from behind and pulled her backwards toward the dark and misty cemetary. She struggled against the person who held onto her, but they only tightened their grip, and pain shot through Geia at the pressure. The hands forced her to stand up and she was turned around. Numbing fear was the only thing Geia knew as she stared into the large eyes of a vampire. The vampire grinned as only one could when it knew its meal was terrified to the point where they were frozen to the spot.
"What's the matter, honey, can't scream?" The vampire leaned in closer and Geia forced her eyes shut, trying to block out the horrific sight. "I'm not going to go away, if that's what you think closing your eyes will do. Won't you give me one scream before I kill you, just to satisfy me?"
Geia's snapped open in a sudden burst of anger, despite the overwhelming dread and sense of death she felt. "I'd rather go to hell then scream so that you can satisfy some sickening desire of yours." The vampire was taken off guard by her blunt and very angry response, and Geia took the opportunity to knee him in the *right* spot.
The vampire keeled over in pain, and Geia ran as fast as she could, knowing her life depended on it. A few seconds later, she heard the vampire's heavy footsteps behind her, and she ran out into the street, screaming for help.
The vampire was bigger and faster than she was. He caught up to her and jerked her back by her arm, causing her back to slam against the front of him. "Now normally I don't do my killing in the view of the public, but seeing as how there's no public around...." He pulled her hair to one side and admired her neck. "You, my dear, are a meal worthy of savoring, seeing as how you actually challenged me to catch you. But I'm hungry, and I simply don't have the time to torture you before eating you."
Geia closed her eyes and felt all of the air leave her lungs as the vampire's fangs sank into her neck. The pain was like a red-hot nausea that took over her entire body, and she felt herself slipping away into the darkness that was overcoming her.
The vampire was too busy enjoying his meal to realize there was someone behind him before it hit him. Literally. A fist crashed into the back of the vampire's head, forcing him to release Geia and turn around to defend himself. He heard someone moving to the right of him and he lashed out blindly, still seeing spots from the force of the punch he had received. The vampire's vision returned too late as he was knocked down onto his back by a blunt metal object and the last thing he saw was a wooden stake aimed right at his heart.
Spike dusted himself off and turned around to see Geia lying in the street. He shook his head and grabbed the crow bar he had used on the vamp. "Where is the slayer when someone needs her? I can't always do her job. I'll be bloody damned if I do more than I have to. Can't make me be a good guy and save the pathetic from the bad guys."
He saw that the girl the vamp had attacked was lying completely still in the road and hurried over to check her pulse. She was alive, barely, her breathing a quiet whisper that Spike could hardly hear. He picked her up as gently as he could and took her over to his car. He had been passing by, on the way to where he lived, when he saw the vamp chasing after some blonde girl in the middle of the street. Spike had figured that it wouldn't be good if he didn't stop and help the girl, since Buffy would find out some way or another. He laid Geia in the backseat and jumped into the driver's seat. Spike chanced a glance back at the girl to see if she was still breathing-he could barely make out her chest rising and falling ever so slightly. She was pretty enough, but pale as hell.
The closest hospital was only ten minutes away, luckily for the girl. Spike knew she had lost a lot of blood, but that didn't mean he was going to go in the hospital. Hail down an emergency medical worker or a doctor and make sure she'd get taken care of, then he'd bail. Hospitals were just too tempting for him--all that blood and the people, even though he couldn't do anything to them. Damn that chip in his head.
Ten minutes to the hospital was five with Spike's erratic yet necessary driving. He parked in the back of the hospital where the ambulances pulled in. Another stroke of fortune for this girl- there was an ambulance that had just gotten its charge into the hospital and was loading back up.
Spike lifted Geia out of the car and yelled to the emergency workers. "Hey, can I get some help here? She's lost a lot of blood."
A worker came over and took Geia from Spike's arms, laying her on a stretcher that two other workers had brought over. "Do you know what happened?"
Lying was easy for Spike. "No. I was driving home and saw her lying in the street, so I brought her here."
The two workers took Geia into the hospital and the one who Spike had hailed stayed behind. "Did she have any identification with her, a purse or wallet, since I'm assuming you don't know her."
Spike thought for a moment and then ran back to his car. He came back with Geia's purse in his hand. "This was with her when I found her. And no, I don't know her."
The worker nodded and took the purse. "Okay. She's lucky you found her. Much longer and she would have been dead." He shook his head and looked at Spike. "You're more than welcome to go in there and wait if you want to see how she turns out."
The blonde vamp held a hand up. "No, that's okay. I think I might know somebody who knows her." Spike took off, not wanting to stand there with the emergency worker any longer. He just wanted to go home, but now he had to go track Buffy down so that he could tell her what happened. He didn't HAVE to find Buffy, but he wasn't going to take the chance of her finding out what had happened and get chewed out for it later. She wasn't his bloody boss.
Since he wasn't sure where Buffy would be and he'd be damned if he was going to drive all over Sunnydale to find her, Spike decided to check with Giles. He knew Giles would still be at The Magic Box since it didn't close until late on Fridays, and it was only 9:15.
With a loud screech, the car stopped in front of the shop and Spike moved swiftly to get inside before he was seen. He might have a chip in his head that prevented him from hurting mortals, but that didn't mean he still wasn't like a cat-swift and silent. Giles looked up from one of his pricing books behind the counter when he heard the door open. The smile he put on for customers faded when he saw Spike.
"I thought you usually came in the back."
Spike shrugged. "Free country, last time I checked. Besides, I was in a hurry." He went over to the front counter and leaned forward. "Do you know where Buffy is?"
The librarian's eyes narrowed in confusion. "You're looking for her? Isn't that strange. She was supposed to stop by your place to talk to you about the Boxer Rebellion after patrolling, but I'm assuming she didn't show up. What do you need to see her for?"
"Well, I only had to save some broad from a vamp who was making her a meal. I took her to the hospital and figured Buffy would want to know. The girl's going to be bloody confused when...if she wakes up. She was barely alive when I found her."
This surprised Giles. "You took someone to the hospital on your own accord, without hesitation?"
Spike's eyes widened and his voice and stance became defensive. "So what? I figured leaving a vamp victim in the street wouldn't look good on me if Buffy found out, and I'm not about to get bitched out for something that wasn't my fault. The best thing was to take the girl to the hospital."
Giles closed the book and nodded. Although it was Spike's reasoning he was dealing with, it made sense. Almost too much sense to credit Spike for. "Yes, most definately. Um...oh yes, the whereabouts of Buffy. I imagine since she didn't find you at home that she went on to the Bronze. She was meeting Willow, Xander, and Anya there, along with this girl she met in one of her classes. I guess the girl just moved here and Buffy was trying to show her that Sunnydale isn't as dull as it seems-at least to the normal eye."
Spike's voice didn't hide his annoyance. "Alright. I'll see if I can find her and let her know what happened." Spike turned to go, but then stopped mid-stride and turned back around. "Did this new girl have blonde hair, about 5'7" or so, light complexion?"
Giles thought for a moment then nodded emphatically. "Yes, she did...oh no. Her name is Geia-if you tell Buffy that, she'll get over to the hospital right away." He leaned on the counter and sighed. "This is terrible-her first week in Sunnydale and she gets attacked by a vampire."
"So I'm going to have a pissed off slayer on my hands. Wonderful. Just bloody great." With that, Spike left. Once in his car, Spike couldn't help but be bitter. "Yes master, no master, three bags full master. Why don't they just employ me as their slave and treat me like crap? Do this, go here, talk to this person, when all I want to do is go home! I knew I was love's bitch, but not Buffy's. There are just some things that aren't right in this world, and that's one of them."
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Willow looked around the Bronze for the upteenth time and sighed. "She's still not here, Buffy. Why don't you try calling her again?"
Buffy shook her head. "No. If she was home, she'd answer. I just hope nothing happened to her."
Xander looked up from his drink and put a hand on Buffy's shoulder. "I'm sure Geia's fine, Buf. I mean, you'd have to have pretty awful luck to get attacked by a vamp the first week in town. She probably got lost or may have even fallen asleep and just hasn't heard the phone."
Anya nodded in agreement with Xander. "I don't think she'd not come here on purpose. The cool thing to do is hang out here, so I'm sure she'll show.
Xander shot Buffy a warning look as he spotted Spike coming up behind them. "Undead lover boy coming your way Buffy."
Buffy sighed and turned in her chair. "What do you want Spike?"
Spike gave her a contemptous look. "Well hello to you too, Slayer. I came here, Lord knows why, to tell you something Giles and I figured to be important, but if you don't want to know then-"
Buffy grabbed Spike by the collar of his coat and pulled him down eye-level to her. "Talk, quickly."
He shoved her hands off his coat and stood up. "Fine. To be blunt, as if I really do care, which I don't...Geia. In the street. Vamp attack. In hospital. Here to tell you."
Buffy jumped out of her chair and grabbed her coat. "I've got to get to her. Which hospital?"
Spike sat down in her abandoned chair. "Sunnydale East. She was still alive when I found her, but barely. The vamp had taken quite a bit of blood by the time I got there." He saw Buffy's next question before she asked. "And yes, I killed the vampire. Do you think I'd let him get away with the chance of you finding out and giving me hell?"
"Aren't you sweet? It's a good thing you slayed the vamp, because you're right-I'd not only give you hell, but send you there as well." Buffy turned to the three at the table. "I'm going to see her. See you guys later."
Willow hopped out of her chair. "I'm going too, Buffy. We were both with her today, and I think she's going to need the moral support when she wakes up."
Buffy started to walk past Spike then stopped. She grabbed him by the collar again and forced him to follow. "You're coming with us. I think Geia would like to know who saved her, and since you can't see her during normal, DAYTIME hours, you're going with us."
Spike tried to get away, but he knew Buffy was determined to torture him by making him go in the hospital. "I'll follow you there."
Buffy dragged him out the door and to her car. "No, you won't. You'll sit in the backseat of my car, and if you try anything, I'll let Willow introduce you to Mr. Pointy's brother and then I'll finish you off with Mr. Pointy." She opened the side door and literally threw him in the backseat. "And don't worry about your car-nobody will steal it because it's a junk heap, and you can get it later tonight if we're not at the hospital too late." She got in the driver's seat and glanced back. Buffy couldn't help but smile at the obvious anger on Spike's face. "You better look more cheerful than that. Geia is going to want to see her savoir in a good mood because she's not dead. So perk up.. and make sure you buckle your seatbelt. I'm going to see how fast I can get there."
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Some nights it's bound to be your best way out,
When nightmare is the short end of the stick,
When sleep is a part of town where it's not safe
To walk at night, when waking is the only way
You have of distancing your wretched dead,
A growing crowd, and escaping out of their
TIme into yours for another little while;
Then pass ghostly, a planet in the house
Never observed, among the sleeping rooms
Where children dream themselves, and thence go down
Into the empty domain where daylight reigned;
Reward yourself with drink and a book to read,
A mystery, for its elusive gift
Of reassurance against the hour of death.
You order your heart about: Stop doing that!
And get the world to be secular again.
Then, when you know who done it, turn out the light,
And quietly in darkness, in moonlight, or snowlight
Reflective, listen to the whistling earth
In its backspin trajectory around the sun
That makes the planets sometimes retrograde
And bring the cold forgiveness of the dawn
Whose light extinguishes all stars but one.
Geia awoke to the sound of the heart monitor beeping at an even, slow pace. Her vision was blurred to the point that she could only make out shapes and some color, but she was pretty sure the three shapes closest to her were people.
This became even more apparent when she recognized Buffy's voice. "She's awake. Geia, can you hear me?"
Geia's throat was parched and her voice came out as a croak. She managed a weak "Yes" before reaching out to the tray beside her bed. Willow poured her a glass of water and Geia accepted it with a grateful look.
Buffy saw that her skin was practically white compared to her normal ivory complextion and she waited until Geia had drank the entire glass before speaking again. "How are you, I mean, for what happened?"
Geia's eyes floated around the small, plain room until they rested on Spike. "You were the one that saved me--I remember seeing you while I was lying in the street. You killed that...what was it?"
Spike and Buffy exchanged glances and Spike stepped forward to lean down to her. "I-"
Geia shook her head as well as she could, and Spike saw her eyes change from their dark green to a lighter shade. "Don't. I owe you my gratitude and my life. You have both."
Spike backed away from the bed and gave Buffy an unreadable look. Willow saw the look and decided to try to explain what had happened. "Geia, what attacked you was a vampire. Big, ugly, scary looking things with huge eyes and fangs that suck blood out of people."
Spike turned his look to Willow in slight anger when she had called vampires "ugly", but Buffy stepped between them. "You know Count Dracula, Geia? That is exactly what vampires are like. Vampires are all over the world, but the majority of them arise from the grave in Sunnydale because this is the Hellmouth. All evil, demonic power is centered here."
Geia closed her eyes and sighed. "So you're telling me I just moved to the most evil town in the world, on top of the fact that my car broke down AND I was bit by a vampire. Next you're going to tell me that you're the one who is supposed to kill vampires."
Buffy's eyes widened. "Actually, yeah. I'm the Slayer, the Chosen One who fights all things evil and-" Buffy was cut off by a doctor who came in to check on Geia.
The doctor looked at the chart on the bed and smiled at the three visitors in Geia's room. "Geia will be fine, she just lost a lot of blood." He pointed to the bandage on her neck. "She had two puncture holes in her neck when she came in, and I'm still not sure of the origin of the wound. But I don't think she is in any real danger, she just needs to stay here for the night and then she can go."
Buffy thanked the doctor as he left and then turned to Spike. "I think she needs to know, Spike. She deserves to know."
Geia's face showed her confusion as she looked back and forth between Buffy and Spike. "What? Please don't leave me hanging. I think I can handle whatever it is, with everything else that has happened."
Spike looked at Geia and knew he had to tell her. "I'm not a normal person, Geia. I'm a vampire, but not one who, unfortunately, can hurt people. I have this chip planted in my brain that prevents me from doing a bloody thing to humans." And he waited for her reaction.
The silence was thick before Geia began laughing. "Oh my gosh, that's a good joke..Spike. Now tell me that you're hundreds of years old and you'll live until someone stakes you like you did the vampire that attacked me."
Spike threw Buffy a mocking glance. "Alright, Slayer, what do you suggest? You're the one who thought I should tell her, and she doesn't believe me."
Buffy shrugged carelessly. "So prove it."
"Fine." Spike moved to the side of her bed.
Willow went to stand on the other side of Geia's bed. "Just a warning--Spike's not a very pretty vampire, as far as they go."
The smile faded on Geia's face as Spike's face transformed into what she saw when she had been attacked earlier that night. Her body again became paralyzed with fright when she saw the real life nightmare standing before her, but as quickly as it appeared, it vanished. The person who had saved her life was back, the monster gone.
Spike saw how frightened she had become through the killer pain the chip delivered when he had transformed, and he backed away from the bed, but his sarcasm in his voice was thick. "I wasn't lying about it. And now I've got a bloody wonderful headache for it."
Buffy sat down on the edge of Geia's bed. "He's not one of the bad guys, Geia. He's been like this for a while now, and he's adjusting to it just fine, aren't you Spike?" She received a grunt from the other side of the room. "Like I said, just fine."
Geia relaxed when she realized that Buffy meant what she said. "So let me add all this up again-I've moved to the mouth of Hell, been attacked by a vampire and almost killed, then saved by a vampire who is actually a good guy . This night just gets better." She eyed Spike on the other side of the room. "Well if Buffy says you're a good guy, then I believe it. And you did save my life--I thank you for that."
The vampire moved closer to her bed. "Like I needed your approval, but at least I know I'm not going to scare you."
"Thanks for that very positive input Spike. She's been through enough." Buffy stood up and gave Geia a small wooden cross. "Not that I think anything is going to happen, but this may help protect you later on. Do you think you'll be alright here alone tonight?"
Geia took the cross and laid it on the table beside her bed. "Yeah, I think so. But could you do me a favor?"
"Sure."
"They told me I'll be released tomorrow around one. Could you or someone else maybe come get me? I don't want to go home alone, even though it will be daylight."
Willow spoke up from the other side of Geia's bed. "I don't have anything to do tomorrow, so I'll come get you."
Geia smiled appreciatively. "Thank you Willow." The three visitors moved to leave, but Geia's voice stopped them. "Thank you, Spike. I'd be dead if it wasn't for you."
Spike stopped mid-stride at her words. He turned around, and for a split second, Buffy and Willow saw a somewhat more gentle, possibly even human side to Spike. He went back in the room and stood beside her bed. "You're welcome." And he left the room, leaving Buffy and Willow in his wake.
That night, Geia dreamt of the attack and Spike rescuing her over and over again, exactly the way it happened. But every time, the dream became a little more muddled, and a little more scary.