Disclaimer: I own nothing but this chapter of the challenge started by Zekkers. Everything else belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and the WB.
Finished: April 30, 2001
~~ A Dose of Her Own Medicine ~~
This wasn't very fun. Spike sat on the couch, full of boredom and frustration. It had been an unsuccessful day in the 'Buffy department' and sundown was only a few minutes away. He'd tried everything from ticking her off to being helpful around the house to sucking up, whereas she'd gone from belittling him to just ignoring him. He sighed loudly staring at the blank TV screen. Spike felt a presence in the room yet he could hear no heartbeat to accompany it. He stood up and spun around. Seeing a mysterious black stranger now in the house, he took a fighting stance. The man may have looked human, but it wasn't, so that meant that he could fight it if it threatened him or Buffy's family.
"Who the hell are you and how'd you get in here?" Spike asked sharply, he slowly moved around the couch, keeping his fists raised, watching the man cautiously.
The man raised his hands and smiled at Spike. "There's no need for violence," he said calmly. "I've come on behalf of M'ferver to help solve your problem."
"The only problem I have is with you being in this house," Spike replied. "Get out before I throw you out...or worse."
"Now, now Spike, I'm sure you could use a little luck in the 'Buffy department', couldn't you?" he asked. "I heard you calling for help."
Spike stared at the intruder with a disbelieving look. "I didn't call for any bloody help, but I'm thinking you might be about to unless you leave."
The man walked past Spike and sat down on the couch. "So, let's see: you're in love with her, she found out, you tried to prove it, she flipped you off, broke your unbeating heart, yet you keep trying to get into hers. How's that?"
Spike sat down across from the man, still keeping a watchful eye on him. "Creepy." he replied.
"Well, if I were to give you a wish, what would it be?" the man asked, watching Spike intently.
Spike thought to himself for a few seconds while the man sat waiting patiently. He had a chance to completely forget about Buffy and start things over with Dru. A chance to get the chip out of his head. "Here's an idea," Spike began. "If you're the almighty wish-granter, you'll let me have a test wish to prove that it won't backfire."
"I only give wishes to those in need of them; they're not party tricks," he said. "And I don't intentionally screw them up, people just need to be specific about what they wish for."
Spike figured that if he wished for something small and if it backfired, then there wouldn't be any huge consequences...like the chip removal. Or he could wish for what he really wanted and not give a rat's ass about the consequences. "Alright then, I wish that Buffy loved me as much as I love her."
The man stood up. "Is that it?"
Spike nodded and stood as well. "Wait," he said suddenly. If it goes wrong, can I 'call for help' again?"
The man just smiled. "We'll just have to see about that," the man replied.
Just then Buffy came running down the stairs, directing Spike's attention toward herself and not the man, who was no longer standing in front of him. She wore a huge smile on her face and looked over at Spike. "There you are!" she exclaimed. Spike turned to where the man was standing, but he was gone. He spun around, searching for where the man went, but saw him nowhere. When he turned to face Buffy, she was standing two inches away from him and he jumped back a little. "I've been looking everywhere for you!" she said with a smile.
Spike smiled back. He could get used to her smiling at him. Suddenly she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. His mind swirled as he returned the kiss. She pulled away from him and smiled. "You wanna come patrolling with me?" she asked sweetly, picking lint off the front of his black shirt.
He stared at her with amazement. The wish-master had actually made his wish come true. He was in Heaven! Well, as close as a soulless demon can get to it. The sun was gone now, so he quickly agreed and grabbed his jacket as they made their way outside.
They stepped out into the crisp night air and Buffy immediately grabbed Spike's hand. As they made their way to the nearest cemetery, Buffy babbled about how much she loved Spike and what she loved about him; his strength, his hair, his old car, his jacket, and even his boots. Spike had enjoyed hearing about it at first, but after a while she reminded him of Harmony. A road he definitely did not want to walk down again.
Finally they reached the cemetery and after a few minutes encountered four vamps. They each took on two, punching, ducking and kicking until the fledglings were dust. Buffy looked over adoringly at Spike. "Are you okay, honey?" she asked, rushing over to him.
"Yeah, I'm fine." he replied.
As she stood in front of him she began to smile. "Well I'm not. I still have a lot of energy left," she said slyly. "Why don't we go visit another cemetery where a certain sexy, bleached-blonde vampire lives...well, unlives."
Spike thought for a minute. This was his obsession. This was Buffy. The Slayer to top all Slayers. The one he'd been wanting for months. He grinned to himself. Maybe another stroll down 'the road' wouldn't hurt anybody.
They made their way to Spike's crypt, stopping behind trees for a quick kiss every now and then. When they arrived at their destination, Buffy promptly removed his jacket and shirt while kissing him hungrily. Spike tried to ignore the voice in the back of his head telling him this wasn't real, but he couldn't. He managed to tear Buffy away from him and look into her shining eyes. Seeing the adoration and need in her eyes made it harder to do what he was about to do, but he had to. This wasn't what he wanted. He wanted her feelings to be true and honest, from her heart, not from some stupid wish.
"Buffy, wait." he said.
"What's wrong?" she asked. "Am I not bad enough for you? I could find handcuffs, or chains or--"
"No, Buffy, it's not that," he said, interrupting her. "I can't do this. Not here, not now, and not like this."
"Like what?" she asked, pulling away from his grasp. "I thought you loved me, Spike. Less than twenty-four hours ago, you were ready to stake Dru for me and now you're telling me you don't want me? I'm sorry I told you off. I was confused and drunk and when I made that wish it was only because I wanted you out of my way. But I realized that I need you in my way. I need you, Spike. I love you."
"No, you don't!" he yelled back. "It's a lie. It was just a stupid--wait, you made a wish?"
Buffy nodded, tears stinging her eyes. "I wished you to fall in love with someone else. Then I saw you at the Bronze with her last night and I got very drunk and realized I wanted you. But maybe I was wrong." She glared angrily at him.
Spike couldn't believe his ears. He didn't remember falling in love with anyone else, just a drunk Buffy and he didn't even remember how he got to the Bronze. He recalled seeing Buffy talking with a man outside and then he found her drunk. The scenes in between were complete blanks. Then it clicked. She had been talking to the same man who granted his wish. "I made a wish too, Buffy," he said quickly as she began storming out of the crypt. She stopped in her tracks and turned around to face him. "I met the same man you did and I wished for you to love me. But I know now that it isn't real. I don't want this. I want to earn your love for being who I am."
"But I do love you for you." she said quietly.
"Maybe you should go home and think about it for a minute," he said. "This afternoon you weren't even speaking to me, now you can't wait to shag me. Doesn't that seem weird to you?"
She shook her head with a smile. "You're all I've ever wanted, Spike," she said. She walked up to him and held his face in her hands. She looked into his eyes. "Tell me you don't feel the same way about me and I'll walk out of here without looking back."
Spike stared at her serious expression. He knew she was scared; he could smell it radiating from her...among other things. She was scared of his answer. She didn't want to lose another love; to have another relationship checked off in the 'failed miserably' column deep in her head. "Say it," she coaxed him. "Say you don't love me."
"Buffy, I...I can't," he sighed. She wrapped her arms tight around his neck and kissed him. He pushed her away more forcefully this time. "I can't say it because it's not true. I love you, Buffy. And I want you so bad it's tearing me in two. But I still can't do this to you," he said. "I think you should go."
"No, Spike, I'm not leaving you," she yelled as tears streamed down her face. "I love--"
Her words were cut off as Spike stormed up to her and grabbed her wrists. "Look, you stupid bint," he said harshly. "You don't love me. You only think you do. Like the bloody spell Red put on us last year. It's fake. Now get out!"
He pulled her to the door and opened it. He tried to push her outside but she was stronger than he was and wouldn't budge. When Spike had had enough, he picked her up and threw her outside. Pain ripped through his brain as Buffy sat up on the grass crying. He gripped his head and howled in pain. "You tried to hurt me," she said through her tears. "Why?"
"Leave." he said quietly before slamming the door of his crypt. He watched through a dusty window as Buffy ran home. He felt terrible having to treat her like that, but she wasn't herself and that's what pissed him off. He wanted the Buffy the Slayer, not Buffy the Whiney Bitch. Things weren't going well at all.
Finished: April 30, 2001
~~ A Dose of Her Own Medicine ~~
This wasn't very fun. Spike sat on the couch, full of boredom and frustration. It had been an unsuccessful day in the 'Buffy department' and sundown was only a few minutes away. He'd tried everything from ticking her off to being helpful around the house to sucking up, whereas she'd gone from belittling him to just ignoring him. He sighed loudly staring at the blank TV screen. Spike felt a presence in the room yet he could hear no heartbeat to accompany it. He stood up and spun around. Seeing a mysterious black stranger now in the house, he took a fighting stance. The man may have looked human, but it wasn't, so that meant that he could fight it if it threatened him or Buffy's family.
"Who the hell are you and how'd you get in here?" Spike asked sharply, he slowly moved around the couch, keeping his fists raised, watching the man cautiously.
The man raised his hands and smiled at Spike. "There's no need for violence," he said calmly. "I've come on behalf of M'ferver to help solve your problem."
"The only problem I have is with you being in this house," Spike replied. "Get out before I throw you out...or worse."
"Now, now Spike, I'm sure you could use a little luck in the 'Buffy department', couldn't you?" he asked. "I heard you calling for help."
Spike stared at the intruder with a disbelieving look. "I didn't call for any bloody help, but I'm thinking you might be about to unless you leave."
The man walked past Spike and sat down on the couch. "So, let's see: you're in love with her, she found out, you tried to prove it, she flipped you off, broke your unbeating heart, yet you keep trying to get into hers. How's that?"
Spike sat down across from the man, still keeping a watchful eye on him. "Creepy." he replied.
"Well, if I were to give you a wish, what would it be?" the man asked, watching Spike intently.
Spike thought to himself for a few seconds while the man sat waiting patiently. He had a chance to completely forget about Buffy and start things over with Dru. A chance to get the chip out of his head. "Here's an idea," Spike began. "If you're the almighty wish-granter, you'll let me have a test wish to prove that it won't backfire."
"I only give wishes to those in need of them; they're not party tricks," he said. "And I don't intentionally screw them up, people just need to be specific about what they wish for."
Spike figured that if he wished for something small and if it backfired, then there wouldn't be any huge consequences...like the chip removal. Or he could wish for what he really wanted and not give a rat's ass about the consequences. "Alright then, I wish that Buffy loved me as much as I love her."
The man stood up. "Is that it?"
Spike nodded and stood as well. "Wait," he said suddenly. If it goes wrong, can I 'call for help' again?"
The man just smiled. "We'll just have to see about that," the man replied.
Just then Buffy came running down the stairs, directing Spike's attention toward herself and not the man, who was no longer standing in front of him. She wore a huge smile on her face and looked over at Spike. "There you are!" she exclaimed. Spike turned to where the man was standing, but he was gone. He spun around, searching for where the man went, but saw him nowhere. When he turned to face Buffy, she was standing two inches away from him and he jumped back a little. "I've been looking everywhere for you!" she said with a smile.
Spike smiled back. He could get used to her smiling at him. Suddenly she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. His mind swirled as he returned the kiss. She pulled away from him and smiled. "You wanna come patrolling with me?" she asked sweetly, picking lint off the front of his black shirt.
He stared at her with amazement. The wish-master had actually made his wish come true. He was in Heaven! Well, as close as a soulless demon can get to it. The sun was gone now, so he quickly agreed and grabbed his jacket as they made their way outside.
They stepped out into the crisp night air and Buffy immediately grabbed Spike's hand. As they made their way to the nearest cemetery, Buffy babbled about how much she loved Spike and what she loved about him; his strength, his hair, his old car, his jacket, and even his boots. Spike had enjoyed hearing about it at first, but after a while she reminded him of Harmony. A road he definitely did not want to walk down again.
Finally they reached the cemetery and after a few minutes encountered four vamps. They each took on two, punching, ducking and kicking until the fledglings were dust. Buffy looked over adoringly at Spike. "Are you okay, honey?" she asked, rushing over to him.
"Yeah, I'm fine." he replied.
As she stood in front of him she began to smile. "Well I'm not. I still have a lot of energy left," she said slyly. "Why don't we go visit another cemetery where a certain sexy, bleached-blonde vampire lives...well, unlives."
Spike thought for a minute. This was his obsession. This was Buffy. The Slayer to top all Slayers. The one he'd been wanting for months. He grinned to himself. Maybe another stroll down 'the road' wouldn't hurt anybody.
They made their way to Spike's crypt, stopping behind trees for a quick kiss every now and then. When they arrived at their destination, Buffy promptly removed his jacket and shirt while kissing him hungrily. Spike tried to ignore the voice in the back of his head telling him this wasn't real, but he couldn't. He managed to tear Buffy away from him and look into her shining eyes. Seeing the adoration and need in her eyes made it harder to do what he was about to do, but he had to. This wasn't what he wanted. He wanted her feelings to be true and honest, from her heart, not from some stupid wish.
"Buffy, wait." he said.
"What's wrong?" she asked. "Am I not bad enough for you? I could find handcuffs, or chains or--"
"No, Buffy, it's not that," he said, interrupting her. "I can't do this. Not here, not now, and not like this."
"Like what?" she asked, pulling away from his grasp. "I thought you loved me, Spike. Less than twenty-four hours ago, you were ready to stake Dru for me and now you're telling me you don't want me? I'm sorry I told you off. I was confused and drunk and when I made that wish it was only because I wanted you out of my way. But I realized that I need you in my way. I need you, Spike. I love you."
"No, you don't!" he yelled back. "It's a lie. It was just a stupid--wait, you made a wish?"
Buffy nodded, tears stinging her eyes. "I wished you to fall in love with someone else. Then I saw you at the Bronze with her last night and I got very drunk and realized I wanted you. But maybe I was wrong." She glared angrily at him.
Spike couldn't believe his ears. He didn't remember falling in love with anyone else, just a drunk Buffy and he didn't even remember how he got to the Bronze. He recalled seeing Buffy talking with a man outside and then he found her drunk. The scenes in between were complete blanks. Then it clicked. She had been talking to the same man who granted his wish. "I made a wish too, Buffy," he said quickly as she began storming out of the crypt. She stopped in her tracks and turned around to face him. "I met the same man you did and I wished for you to love me. But I know now that it isn't real. I don't want this. I want to earn your love for being who I am."
"But I do love you for you." she said quietly.
"Maybe you should go home and think about it for a minute," he said. "This afternoon you weren't even speaking to me, now you can't wait to shag me. Doesn't that seem weird to you?"
She shook her head with a smile. "You're all I've ever wanted, Spike," she said. She walked up to him and held his face in her hands. She looked into his eyes. "Tell me you don't feel the same way about me and I'll walk out of here without looking back."
Spike stared at her serious expression. He knew she was scared; he could smell it radiating from her...among other things. She was scared of his answer. She didn't want to lose another love; to have another relationship checked off in the 'failed miserably' column deep in her head. "Say it," she coaxed him. "Say you don't love me."
"Buffy, I...I can't," he sighed. She wrapped her arms tight around his neck and kissed him. He pushed her away more forcefully this time. "I can't say it because it's not true. I love you, Buffy. And I want you so bad it's tearing me in two. But I still can't do this to you," he said. "I think you should go."
"No, Spike, I'm not leaving you," she yelled as tears streamed down her face. "I love--"
Her words were cut off as Spike stormed up to her and grabbed her wrists. "Look, you stupid bint," he said harshly. "You don't love me. You only think you do. Like the bloody spell Red put on us last year. It's fake. Now get out!"
He pulled her to the door and opened it. He tried to push her outside but she was stronger than he was and wouldn't budge. When Spike had had enough, he picked her up and threw her outside. Pain ripped through his brain as Buffy sat up on the grass crying. He gripped his head and howled in pain. "You tried to hurt me," she said through her tears. "Why?"
"Leave." he said quietly before slamming the door of his crypt. He watched through a dusty window as Buffy ran home. He felt terrible having to treat her like that, but she wasn't herself and that's what pissed him off. He wanted the Buffy the Slayer, not Buffy the Whiney Bitch. Things weren't going well at all.
