Chapter 3
It had been three weeks before Buffy and Spike saw each other again.
"Giles, I-" Buffy stopped in mid-sentence as she walked into the Magic Box with Dawn when she saw who all was in the shop.
"What are you doing here?" she asked Spike, who was sitting across from Giles.
"He was just telling me what happened when you two fought a-" Giles looked down at a book and read off a name, "- bleu Salvavidas Matanza demon. It's blood is blue, hence the bleu, matanza means massacre. You and Wi-ah, Spike killed the demon…"
"Yeah, and was does salima-"
"Salvavidas." Giles corrected.
"Ok, whatever, what's so special about it?" the slayer asked as she felt the first pangs of an oncoming headache.
"Salvavidas, translated, means…life preserver."
Spike, who had been staring at his hands the whole time Giles explained the demons name, nervously look up at Buffy.
"You see, the was it works is, the one who slays the demon-Spike-, if he mixes his blood, the blood of the demon, and the blood of any living human- you, Buffy - it will preserve, or give back, the life of the slayer of the demon, not concerning if it's a dead human, or a…" the shop owner looked over at Spike.
"…a vampire," Buffy finished.
Taking all of this information in at once, the girl flopped down in the nearest chair, staring into space.
In a whisper, Buffy spoke to the floor and to whoever was listening,
"I think I'm going to be sick."
And with that she ran off into the direction of the bathroom.
"Well, that went well," cracked Giles.
"Not exactly the reaction I was hoping for," replied Spike.
"Does that mean Buffy, like, basically gave you your life back, that you're human again, Spike?" Dawn questioned, having been forgotten.
Startled, the younger* male looked at Buffy's little sister,
"Oh, well, that sounds about right. Guess I should thank her for that, huh, Niblett?" Spike said with a small smile, "And, you can call me William if you like, pet. Seeing as that's my name."
"William? Ooooh, I like-"
"Come on, Dawnie, we're going home," having come back from the bathroom, Buffy grabbed the brunette by the arm and pulled her out the door before she could say anything more.
· (Author's note)- you know that I mean
"What's wrong with you Buffy?" Dawn cried while being dragged home by her older sister.
"What's the matter? What's the matter? Spike - human! That's the matter! He's even more dangerous now then he was before! He can walk around during the day, fight humans, and oh jeez, he can even come into out house whenever he wants!" Buffy exploded.
"Dangerous? He didn't seem all that dangerous to me in the shop. He even told me to call him William!" Dawn retorted quickly.
"William? W-William?" the slayer stuttered, "We are SO not having this conversation right now!"
Shoving Dawn into the house, she slammed the door behind her. Buffy pushed Dawn toward the stairs and walked into the living room where she sat down in an easy chair with her head between her knees. Watching the floor spin around her, she took deep breaths until she heard someone in the doorway.
"Buffy? Are you ok?" Dawn whispered.
"I'm fine. Just peachy," Buffy replied without looking up. She cringed when she heard a familiar voice.
"Buffy? Will you talk to me?"
Hearing no reply, the voice continued.
"Will you at least listen?"
Sighing, Buffy looked and stared into blue eyes. Breaking away, she looked at the girl next him.
"Dawn, will you excuse us?"
Muttering an agreement, Dawn walked up the stairs.
Making sure she was gone, Spike - now William - walked into the living room and sat across from Buffy.
"About that night…"
"No," Buffy interrupted, her eyes filling with tears; "I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear that it was a mistake. I don't want to hear that you need space or time. I don't want to hear that we should back off. And, especially, I…" feeling the first tear slide down her cheek, she continued, "I don't want to get hurt again, by anyone," she paused and looked into his eyes, "by you."
Feeling his newly beating heart wrench at the sight of her pain, Spike swallowed the lump in his throat.
"Buffy," he started, his voice hoarse, "don't think for one minute that night was a mistake," not noticing the shadow that had crept down the stairs at the beginning of their conversation, "don't think I need space. Or time; don't think I want to back off. And don't, not even for a second, think that I would EVER hurt you, in ANY way possible."
His speech finished, he got up, sat down next to Buffy, pulled her into an embrace and his lap, he held a sobbing slayer while the eavesdropping shadow moved silently up the stairs.
Having cried herself to sleep, Buffy woke up lying in Spikes arms on the floor. Listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat that she hadn't ever heard before, she looked around the darkened room, wondering how long they had been asleep. Not worrying about it, she felt the oncoming waves of wariness envelope her, and drifted into a dreamless sleep.
Waking up for the second time, Buffy saw that it was morning. Peering out over the comforter that now covered herself and Spike, she saw she was now in her bedroom. Guessing that Spike had carried her up the stairs sometime during the night, she was about to forget about getting up that morning when nausea swallowed that feeling as she bolted for the bathroom.
Waking up and not feeling Buffy next to him, Spike looked around her room. Hearing the bathroom door open, he watched as Buffy stepped into her room and stare into his eyes with an unreadable expression in her own eyes.
"I'm late."
It had been three weeks before Buffy and Spike saw each other again.
"Giles, I-" Buffy stopped in mid-sentence as she walked into the Magic Box with Dawn when she saw who all was in the shop.
"What are you doing here?" she asked Spike, who was sitting across from Giles.
"He was just telling me what happened when you two fought a-" Giles looked down at a book and read off a name, "- bleu Salvavidas Matanza demon. It's blood is blue, hence the bleu, matanza means massacre. You and Wi-ah, Spike killed the demon…"
"Yeah, and was does salima-"
"Salvavidas." Giles corrected.
"Ok, whatever, what's so special about it?" the slayer asked as she felt the first pangs of an oncoming headache.
"Salvavidas, translated, means…life preserver."
Spike, who had been staring at his hands the whole time Giles explained the demons name, nervously look up at Buffy.
"You see, the was it works is, the one who slays the demon-Spike-, if he mixes his blood, the blood of the demon, and the blood of any living human- you, Buffy - it will preserve, or give back, the life of the slayer of the demon, not concerning if it's a dead human, or a…" the shop owner looked over at Spike.
"…a vampire," Buffy finished.
Taking all of this information in at once, the girl flopped down in the nearest chair, staring into space.
In a whisper, Buffy spoke to the floor and to whoever was listening,
"I think I'm going to be sick."
And with that she ran off into the direction of the bathroom.
"Well, that went well," cracked Giles.
"Not exactly the reaction I was hoping for," replied Spike.
"Does that mean Buffy, like, basically gave you your life back, that you're human again, Spike?" Dawn questioned, having been forgotten.
Startled, the younger* male looked at Buffy's little sister,
"Oh, well, that sounds about right. Guess I should thank her for that, huh, Niblett?" Spike said with a small smile, "And, you can call me William if you like, pet. Seeing as that's my name."
"William? Ooooh, I like-"
"Come on, Dawnie, we're going home," having come back from the bathroom, Buffy grabbed the brunette by the arm and pulled her out the door before she could say anything more.
· (Author's note)- you know that I mean
"What's wrong with you Buffy?" Dawn cried while being dragged home by her older sister.
"What's the matter? What's the matter? Spike - human! That's the matter! He's even more dangerous now then he was before! He can walk around during the day, fight humans, and oh jeez, he can even come into out house whenever he wants!" Buffy exploded.
"Dangerous? He didn't seem all that dangerous to me in the shop. He even told me to call him William!" Dawn retorted quickly.
"William? W-William?" the slayer stuttered, "We are SO not having this conversation right now!"
Shoving Dawn into the house, she slammed the door behind her. Buffy pushed Dawn toward the stairs and walked into the living room where she sat down in an easy chair with her head between her knees. Watching the floor spin around her, she took deep breaths until she heard someone in the doorway.
"Buffy? Are you ok?" Dawn whispered.
"I'm fine. Just peachy," Buffy replied without looking up. She cringed when she heard a familiar voice.
"Buffy? Will you talk to me?"
Hearing no reply, the voice continued.
"Will you at least listen?"
Sighing, Buffy looked and stared into blue eyes. Breaking away, she looked at the girl next him.
"Dawn, will you excuse us?"
Muttering an agreement, Dawn walked up the stairs.
Making sure she was gone, Spike - now William - walked into the living room and sat across from Buffy.
"About that night…"
"No," Buffy interrupted, her eyes filling with tears; "I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear that it was a mistake. I don't want to hear that you need space or time. I don't want to hear that we should back off. And, especially, I…" feeling the first tear slide down her cheek, she continued, "I don't want to get hurt again, by anyone," she paused and looked into his eyes, "by you."
Feeling his newly beating heart wrench at the sight of her pain, Spike swallowed the lump in his throat.
"Buffy," he started, his voice hoarse, "don't think for one minute that night was a mistake," not noticing the shadow that had crept down the stairs at the beginning of their conversation, "don't think I need space. Or time; don't think I want to back off. And don't, not even for a second, think that I would EVER hurt you, in ANY way possible."
His speech finished, he got up, sat down next to Buffy, pulled her into an embrace and his lap, he held a sobbing slayer while the eavesdropping shadow moved silently up the stairs.
Having cried herself to sleep, Buffy woke up lying in Spikes arms on the floor. Listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat that she hadn't ever heard before, she looked around the darkened room, wondering how long they had been asleep. Not worrying about it, she felt the oncoming waves of wariness envelope her, and drifted into a dreamless sleep.
Waking up for the second time, Buffy saw that it was morning. Peering out over the comforter that now covered herself and Spike, she saw she was now in her bedroom. Guessing that Spike had carried her up the stairs sometime during the night, she was about to forget about getting up that morning when nausea swallowed that feeling as she bolted for the bathroom.
Waking up and not feeling Buffy next to him, Spike looked around her room. Hearing the bathroom door open, he watched as Buffy stepped into her room and stare into his eyes with an unreadable expression in her own eyes.
"I'm late."