"You don't have to do this, ya know." Spike said looking over at Buffy in
the driver's seat.
"Do what?" Buffy questioned.
"Take me under your wing again."
"I couldn't leave you there with Angel."
Spike sighed. "Yeah but I don't think I could take you feeling sorry for me again. I don't want you to feel like you have to take care of me."
"Spike, please stop questioning my motives. I want to help you. I'm not taking you home with me because I pity you. I'm taking you home with me because I care for you."
This bout of honesty made an uncomfortable silence fall between them. Spike couldn't help but be touched by her words. No matter how many things changed between them, he just could never bring himself to accept the fact that Buffy no longer hated him.
"So, where do you live now?" Spike broke the uneasy tension with a question.
"Uh, I live in an apartment with Willow, Xander and Dawn."
"Oh. Look, Buffy, I just need your help in finding a place to stay. It sounds pretty crowded at your place as it is. I don't wanna get in the way."
Buffy let out an aggravated growl and quickly pulled off to the side of the road.
"What are you doing?" Spike said, turning in his seat to face Buffy.
Buffy turned toward him as well. "I want you to stop this."
"Stop what?"
"This whole idea that you are some kind of a burden to me. Stop questioning everything I do and say and just let me help you! Please?"
Spike stepped out of the car and walked along the gravel stretch along side the highway. Buffy walked quickly to try and catch up.
"Where do you think you're going?" Buffy asked angrily.
"I can't do this. I can't just go home with you and pretend like nothing happened. Everything's different now." Spike stopped walking and faced Buffy.
"You're right. A lot has changed but we'll deal with it. You are human now and you are gonna have to adjust to that. The Powers may have let you keep your advantages and strengths but you haven't been training. You are out of practice and that's something you need to work on. So would you please just swallow your pride and let me help you!"
"I don't need you protecting me, Slayer."
As if on cue, a green and scaly demon with sharp claws interrupted their argument. It appeared behind Spike and he was completely oblivious to it. Buffy's eyes widened as the demon lowered a razor sharp appendage toward him. Spike saw the look on her face and started to turn around and as he did so, the demon sliced into his right upper arm.
Spike fell to the ground, clutching his wound. He tried his hardest to apply enough pressure to stop the bleeding but it wasn't quite enough and blood trickled down his hand onto the gravel below.
The sounds of fighting filled Spike's ears. He knew that Buffy was in a battle with the demon that had injured him but he couldn't take his eyes away from the blood that was pooling beneath him. He knew she could take care of herself and he wasn't in any position to help her out anyway. He'd just be in the way. For the first time since he came back, a realization had suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks. He was going to die. Someday he would die and if he didn't start training to keep up his strength, someday was going to be sooner than he'd like.
A loud cracking sound had pierced the air and Spike looked up at his slayer to see that familiar look she had on her face every time she defeated a demon. That look only lasted a few seconds before Buffy turned to Spike and crouched down before him to make sure he was ok. She gently looked into his eyes before grabbing his arm and putting pressure on his wound. The amount of blood that was oozing from him startled her. Her chin trembled slightly as she thought about losing him during the fight against The First. This wasn't nearly as serious but a harsh truth has wormed its way into her brain as she looked at all his blood. He was going to die and next time it would be forever. The thought sickened her but at the same time it made her even more determined to help him whether he wanted it or not.
Buffy once again looked up into his eyes and she could see the fear that they held. She knew he had probably realized the same thing she had. Death was staring him in the face just like it did to every living thing that dared to take a breath.
By the look in her eyes, he knew that she would do everything in her power to prevent that mortal fate, but more importantly, he would let her.
To Be Continued..
"Do what?" Buffy questioned.
"Take me under your wing again."
"I couldn't leave you there with Angel."
Spike sighed. "Yeah but I don't think I could take you feeling sorry for me again. I don't want you to feel like you have to take care of me."
"Spike, please stop questioning my motives. I want to help you. I'm not taking you home with me because I pity you. I'm taking you home with me because I care for you."
This bout of honesty made an uncomfortable silence fall between them. Spike couldn't help but be touched by her words. No matter how many things changed between them, he just could never bring himself to accept the fact that Buffy no longer hated him.
"So, where do you live now?" Spike broke the uneasy tension with a question.
"Uh, I live in an apartment with Willow, Xander and Dawn."
"Oh. Look, Buffy, I just need your help in finding a place to stay. It sounds pretty crowded at your place as it is. I don't wanna get in the way."
Buffy let out an aggravated growl and quickly pulled off to the side of the road.
"What are you doing?" Spike said, turning in his seat to face Buffy.
Buffy turned toward him as well. "I want you to stop this."
"Stop what?"
"This whole idea that you are some kind of a burden to me. Stop questioning everything I do and say and just let me help you! Please?"
Spike stepped out of the car and walked along the gravel stretch along side the highway. Buffy walked quickly to try and catch up.
"Where do you think you're going?" Buffy asked angrily.
"I can't do this. I can't just go home with you and pretend like nothing happened. Everything's different now." Spike stopped walking and faced Buffy.
"You're right. A lot has changed but we'll deal with it. You are human now and you are gonna have to adjust to that. The Powers may have let you keep your advantages and strengths but you haven't been training. You are out of practice and that's something you need to work on. So would you please just swallow your pride and let me help you!"
"I don't need you protecting me, Slayer."
As if on cue, a green and scaly demon with sharp claws interrupted their argument. It appeared behind Spike and he was completely oblivious to it. Buffy's eyes widened as the demon lowered a razor sharp appendage toward him. Spike saw the look on her face and started to turn around and as he did so, the demon sliced into his right upper arm.
Spike fell to the ground, clutching his wound. He tried his hardest to apply enough pressure to stop the bleeding but it wasn't quite enough and blood trickled down his hand onto the gravel below.
The sounds of fighting filled Spike's ears. He knew that Buffy was in a battle with the demon that had injured him but he couldn't take his eyes away from the blood that was pooling beneath him. He knew she could take care of herself and he wasn't in any position to help her out anyway. He'd just be in the way. For the first time since he came back, a realization had suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks. He was going to die. Someday he would die and if he didn't start training to keep up his strength, someday was going to be sooner than he'd like.
A loud cracking sound had pierced the air and Spike looked up at his slayer to see that familiar look she had on her face every time she defeated a demon. That look only lasted a few seconds before Buffy turned to Spike and crouched down before him to make sure he was ok. She gently looked into his eyes before grabbing his arm and putting pressure on his wound. The amount of blood that was oozing from him startled her. Her chin trembled slightly as she thought about losing him during the fight against The First. This wasn't nearly as serious but a harsh truth has wormed its way into her brain as she looked at all his blood. He was going to die and next time it would be forever. The thought sickened her but at the same time it made her even more determined to help him whether he wanted it or not.
Buffy once again looked up into his eyes and she could see the fear that they held. She knew he had probably realized the same thing she had. Death was staring him in the face just like it did to every living thing that dared to take a breath.
By the look in her eyes, he knew that she would do everything in her power to prevent that mortal fate, but more importantly, he would let her.
To Be Continued..