Buffy thought the truth about her new relationship with Spike would come out in a blaze of glory but one day when Willow was at her house she slipped up by accident and it led to big trouble she never expected.
Willow was talking about how she was alone now because Tara had left her and Buffy was alone too since Riley was gone. Buffy laughed and said, "What about me and Spike, don't forget him." Buffy stopped with her mouth wide open. She couldn't believe she had given away her big secret just like that.
Worse, unknown to both her and Willow, Xander was standing just outside the doorway and heard every word. Xander stood there in shock, not knowing what to say but knowing what to do. Quivering with anger, he quietly turned and tiptoed away. Twenty minutes later, he arrived at Spike's crypt. He was armed to the tooth with weapons even though Spike couldn't fight him. He wanted to make Spike see he couldn't take advantage of his friends.
Xander went inside to where Spike was sleeping and knocked him unconscious, then quickly tied him up with thick rope so he was spread on his back and helpless. Then Xander stared at him till Spike felt the burn of his gaze like holy water and woke up
"Whelp, what are you doing here?" Spike whined and he tried to move, only to find he couldn't because he was tightly tied on top of his own bed.
Xander set up his supplies so Spike could watch and his eyes grew bigger until Xander explained, "Spike, this is all about Buffy. It has always been all about Buffy, you see."
Spike sneered in Xander's direction. "Buffy loves me, whelp, deal with it."
"We'll see how long she loves you when you're all full of holes like demon swiss cheese." Xander said. He grabbed a stake and threatened Spike with it. "We are going to have a lot of fun, vampire."
"I'm not afraid of you, you useless zeppo," hissed Spike. To intimidate Xander he flashed his teeth in a snarl.
Xander did not back down and walked up Spike with the stake in his hand. "You should be ashamed of yourself for touching Buffy with your cold, evil demon hands. You took advantage of a girl who was confused because she got pulled out of heaven by accident." Xander struck Spike in the side with the stake. "This one is for telling me my friends wanted to join the army. " He struck Spike in the side again. "This one is for taking Adam's side and almost getting us killed." Another blow. "This one is for telling Buffy you love her."
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Back home, Buffy looked at Dawn, Giles, Anya and Willow with worry. "I wonder where Xander is. We should go look for him and explain things to him before he finds out some other way." They all nodded and split up. Everyone was worried about what Xander would do when he found about Buffy and Spike. None of them liked the situation either but Xander would go ballistic when he learned of it.
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Meanwhile, Xander was still torturing Spike. He wanted him to feel all the pain he had made Xander and his friends feel for years. Finally Xander had enough and planned to finish Spike off. Xander raised the stake high above his head and listened to Spike cry and beg for his life.
"Please," said Spike. "If you don't kill me I will be in your debt forever. I don't want to die."'
Xander watched, disgusted, as tears of blood flitted down Spike's cheeks and turned his face red. He couldn't believe he was standing holding a stake over a demon who was crying and begging him. Then a thought hit Xander and he lowered the stake away from Spike.
Spike looked at him curiously. "Aren't you going to kill me?"
"No, I am not," Xander decided. "I am better than you are and I won't stoop to your level and commit murder. Instead I'll let you live with the idea that I could have killed you any time and I made you keep living. Spike, you're a waste of skin but scum like you isn't worth my time or effort to kill." Xander put away his stake and untied Spike and left him lying helpless in a pool of his own blood.
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About an hour after they started looking for Xander, all of the gang except for Giles met back at Buffy's house with no luck to report. Then the door opened while they were all sitting around talking and in walked Xander.
Anya ran up and hugged him. "Xander, we were all worried about you!" she cried. "You were missing so long!"
"I was fine!" Xander told everyone. "Just give me a minute." Xander walked into the kitchen and got a can of pop from the fridge, then went back to the living room, acting as casual as he could so they wouldn't suspect anything. "Now what were you all worried about?"
"Well, Xander," said Willow. "Buffy and Spike were together for a few months while she was confused and she just told us."
Xander pretended to looked shocked even though he already knew. "Buffy, how could you? Spike is evil."
"I was confused," said Buffy. "I know it was wrong and a really stupid thing to do but I was just so mixed up. Can you forgive me?"
Xander thought for a few seconds, then nodded. "I guess so," he said. "I know things have been hard for you."
They hugged and Anya asked, "So where were you while we were hunting for you, Xander?"
"I was at the Bronze for a while," Xander lied. "Then I went to the store and for a walk. Nothing special."
Before anyone could ask another question, the door burst open and Giles ran inside, breathing heavily. "Spike is badly injured. I found him in his crypt with multiple stab wounds. He's out in my car now and I need help to get him inside!"
Buffy swayed and almost collapsed, but luckily, Xander was there to steady her. "I knew it would happen someday. I mean, Spike is evil but I still feel bad."
"You shouldn't, he's a demon," Xander blurted before he could stop himself.
"Speaking of Spike's injuries," Willow said suspiciously, "who attacked him?"
TBC
