Spike collapsed to his knees, gasping in pain. Buffy watched as instinct
moved his hands, gripping the wodden shaft tightly, before ripping it out of
his chest with a sickening sucking noise. He fell on his side, wrapping his arms
around his chest and curling into a fetal position, trembling.
'He's not dust, he's not dust...' was the only thought that was passing
through Buffy's mind. As he had fallen, the whirlwind stopped, abruptly,
the magic ended.
Behind them, the battle waned. Giles finished his spell, and the last ten
of the minions burst into flames, falling to dust. The wary Scoobies looked
around, rejoining each other in the center of the room, gathering around
Buffy. Xander held a hand to his side, limping slightly. Willow and Giles
were unharmed, thanks to the witches' wall of force. Angel stood, stumbling
slightly. Various wounds covered the vampire, but nothing more threatening
than his burnt arm. They were all silent, watching Buffy and the blond
vampire laying before her.
She sank to her knees, tentatively putting out a hand, laying it on Spike's
shoulder. He flinched away from her touch.
"Spike?" she asked, her voice trembling.
He didn't respond. He didn't even appear to have heard her. His eyes were
squeezed shut, tears of pain leaking from behind them.
"What...happened?" Angel gasped, joining the others.
"I...staked him...I..." Buffy said slowly, the memory of him crumbling to
dust already fading, slipping away because now, it had never really happened.
Without even looking up, her eyes still locked on her lover, she spoke again.
"Faith's hurt. We need to get out of here."
Angel nodded, bewildered, watching his grand-childe suffer, and moved over
to where Faith lay, crumbled like a broken doll. Blood pooled around her, a
deep gash on the back of her head from where she had slammed into the wall.
Buffy swallowed, and reached out, pulling Spike into her lap. He resisted,
whimpering, trying to push her away.
"What's wrong with him? I mean, aside from the sucking chest wound...."
Xander asked, kneeling with some trouble beside Buffy.
Buffy shook her head, watching as Spike finally opened his eyes, looking
around wildly. He studied her face for a moment, before he flicked his gaze
to Xander, and back again. He drew a breath and hissed in pain.
"Wha...Who..?" he managed, before passing out.
Buffy bit her lip, disconcerted by the way he had looked at her. As if he
didn't know who she was. The love she was so used to shining from his blue
eyes hadn't even flickered.
///
The doctors said Faith's chances weren't good. She had suffered serious
head trauma. They had operated to relieve the swelling in her brain, but
they weren't hopeful she would ever wake up.
They had finally allowed Buffy to vist her, after the Slayer had explained
that she and her friends were Faith's only family. She ran her fingers through the
girl's dark hair, listening to the beeping of the monitors, the steady rise and fall
of her chest as machines breathed for her. She felt guilty, for putting Faith
in this position once again. Sure, she hadn't shoved a knife into her gut, this time,
but it was her doing. In a way.
She leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on the other Slayer's forehead,
brushing away some of her hair.
"I'm so sorry, Faith." she whispered, hoping she could hear her, somehow.
They said it might help if she talked to her. "We're all here for you now.
And we will be. Stay strong. I know you can get through this...."
She sighed, and turned away, wiping a tear from her cheek. She left the
hospital. She had another patient to visit.
///
Consciousness was slow in coming. First, there was the dull, aching pain,
spreading outward from his chest, running slowly to his fingers and toes.
He didn't know what had happened to him. But he felt he was getting better.
He was lying on something soft, and sweet smelling. Bandages were wound
around his chest, a patch of the same taped to the wounds on his neck. He
must have been through something awful.
He opened his eyes, squinting, staring up at the older gentleman standing
over him. The man smiled. The look in his eyes told him he HAD been through
something horrible. He wished he knew what it was....
"Spike..." the man said. "Can you hear me?"
Spike? He closed his eyes again for a moment, wondering if that was his
name. What a strange name it was, if it was true. He finally managed to
nod, opening his eyes again, watching the man.
"Good. How do you feel? Buffy's been terribly worried for you.
We..ah...all have."
Spike swallowed. Buffy? Who's all? He shook his head, trying to clear
it.
"Where...am I?" he asked, looking up at the man.
Giles smiled, relieved Spike was well enough to speak.
"You're in Buffy's room. We couldn't very well take you to the hospital."
"Buffy...?" Spike asked, wondering why that name kept being brought up.
"She's fine, she went to check on Faith. She will be overjoyed you're
awake." Giles replied, mistaking the meaning of Spike's question.
"What..." Spike looked around the unfamiliar room, frowning. "Who are you?
Who...am I?"
Giles's face fell.
"Spike...You are Spike, and I am Rupert Giles...You don't remember?"
Spike shook his head, frowning. Apparently this man cared for him. He was
frightened, of course, and confused. But the man seemed to bear him no ill
will.
"Rupert..."
Giles nodded, his high hopes swiftly crashing.
"Yes, Spike. But you all call me Giles most of the time." He cleared his
throat, and sat on the edge of the bed. "Buffy is...your girlfriend," Giles managed
to blurt out. "You...love her very much, and she you." The watcher sighed. "This is
going to break her heart...."
Spike coughed, trying to sit up.
"What happened? Why can't I..."
Giles shook his head.
"I don't know. You were involved in a...battle. Perhaps it's due to your
injuries, and will be only temporary."
Angel stepped into the room, followed swiftly by Cordy. Spike watched as
they entered, frowning, trying to spark some sort of memory.
"What, no 'Hey Peaches?'" Angel asked with a grin. Cordelia chuckled.
Spike furrowed his brow, and looked to Giles.
"I know them, too?"
Angel frowned, and Giles nodded.
"Yes, this is Angel, and Cordelia Chase."
"He can't remember anything?" Angel asked, still frowning.
Giles shook his head.
"No, apparently. He didn't even know his own name until I told him. Would
you go downstairs and tell the others? I will need to...introduce them to him,
one at a time..."
Angel nodded, still frowning, and stoically left the room to bear the ill
tidings.
Cordelia lingered.
"You don't remember me?" She asked Spike, who was watching her.
"No..." he said slowly.
"Do you even know what you are?" she continued.
"Cordelia, now is not the time." Giles interrupted. She gave a little
half smile and left the room, following Angel down the stairs.
"What did she mean...?" Spike started, but was cut off as a teary-eyed
blonde girl entered, barely holding back sobs.
"Is it true?" Buffy asked, looking at the two most important men in her
life.
TBC
moved his hands, gripping the wodden shaft tightly, before ripping it out of
his chest with a sickening sucking noise. He fell on his side, wrapping his arms
around his chest and curling into a fetal position, trembling.
'He's not dust, he's not dust...' was the only thought that was passing
through Buffy's mind. As he had fallen, the whirlwind stopped, abruptly,
the magic ended.
Behind them, the battle waned. Giles finished his spell, and the last ten
of the minions burst into flames, falling to dust. The wary Scoobies looked
around, rejoining each other in the center of the room, gathering around
Buffy. Xander held a hand to his side, limping slightly. Willow and Giles
were unharmed, thanks to the witches' wall of force. Angel stood, stumbling
slightly. Various wounds covered the vampire, but nothing more threatening
than his burnt arm. They were all silent, watching Buffy and the blond
vampire laying before her.
She sank to her knees, tentatively putting out a hand, laying it on Spike's
shoulder. He flinched away from her touch.
"Spike?" she asked, her voice trembling.
He didn't respond. He didn't even appear to have heard her. His eyes were
squeezed shut, tears of pain leaking from behind them.
"What...happened?" Angel gasped, joining the others.
"I...staked him...I..." Buffy said slowly, the memory of him crumbling to
dust already fading, slipping away because now, it had never really happened.
Without even looking up, her eyes still locked on her lover, she spoke again.
"Faith's hurt. We need to get out of here."
Angel nodded, bewildered, watching his grand-childe suffer, and moved over
to where Faith lay, crumbled like a broken doll. Blood pooled around her, a
deep gash on the back of her head from where she had slammed into the wall.
Buffy swallowed, and reached out, pulling Spike into her lap. He resisted,
whimpering, trying to push her away.
"What's wrong with him? I mean, aside from the sucking chest wound...."
Xander asked, kneeling with some trouble beside Buffy.
Buffy shook her head, watching as Spike finally opened his eyes, looking
around wildly. He studied her face for a moment, before he flicked his gaze
to Xander, and back again. He drew a breath and hissed in pain.
"Wha...Who..?" he managed, before passing out.
Buffy bit her lip, disconcerted by the way he had looked at her. As if he
didn't know who she was. The love she was so used to shining from his blue
eyes hadn't even flickered.
///
The doctors said Faith's chances weren't good. She had suffered serious
head trauma. They had operated to relieve the swelling in her brain, but
they weren't hopeful she would ever wake up.
They had finally allowed Buffy to vist her, after the Slayer had explained
that she and her friends were Faith's only family. She ran her fingers through the
girl's dark hair, listening to the beeping of the monitors, the steady rise and fall
of her chest as machines breathed for her. She felt guilty, for putting Faith
in this position once again. Sure, she hadn't shoved a knife into her gut, this time,
but it was her doing. In a way.
She leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on the other Slayer's forehead,
brushing away some of her hair.
"I'm so sorry, Faith." she whispered, hoping she could hear her, somehow.
They said it might help if she talked to her. "We're all here for you now.
And we will be. Stay strong. I know you can get through this...."
She sighed, and turned away, wiping a tear from her cheek. She left the
hospital. She had another patient to visit.
///
Consciousness was slow in coming. First, there was the dull, aching pain,
spreading outward from his chest, running slowly to his fingers and toes.
He didn't know what had happened to him. But he felt he was getting better.
He was lying on something soft, and sweet smelling. Bandages were wound
around his chest, a patch of the same taped to the wounds on his neck. He
must have been through something awful.
He opened his eyes, squinting, staring up at the older gentleman standing
over him. The man smiled. The look in his eyes told him he HAD been through
something horrible. He wished he knew what it was....
"Spike..." the man said. "Can you hear me?"
Spike? He closed his eyes again for a moment, wondering if that was his
name. What a strange name it was, if it was true. He finally managed to
nod, opening his eyes again, watching the man.
"Good. How do you feel? Buffy's been terribly worried for you.
We..ah...all have."
Spike swallowed. Buffy? Who's all? He shook his head, trying to clear
it.
"Where...am I?" he asked, looking up at the man.
Giles smiled, relieved Spike was well enough to speak.
"You're in Buffy's room. We couldn't very well take you to the hospital."
"Buffy...?" Spike asked, wondering why that name kept being brought up.
"She's fine, she went to check on Faith. She will be overjoyed you're
awake." Giles replied, mistaking the meaning of Spike's question.
"What..." Spike looked around the unfamiliar room, frowning. "Who are you?
Who...am I?"
Giles's face fell.
"Spike...You are Spike, and I am Rupert Giles...You don't remember?"
Spike shook his head, frowning. Apparently this man cared for him. He was
frightened, of course, and confused. But the man seemed to bear him no ill
will.
"Rupert..."
Giles nodded, his high hopes swiftly crashing.
"Yes, Spike. But you all call me Giles most of the time." He cleared his
throat, and sat on the edge of the bed. "Buffy is...your girlfriend," Giles managed
to blurt out. "You...love her very much, and she you." The watcher sighed. "This is
going to break her heart...."
Spike coughed, trying to sit up.
"What happened? Why can't I..."
Giles shook his head.
"I don't know. You were involved in a...battle. Perhaps it's due to your
injuries, and will be only temporary."
Angel stepped into the room, followed swiftly by Cordy. Spike watched as
they entered, frowning, trying to spark some sort of memory.
"What, no 'Hey Peaches?'" Angel asked with a grin. Cordelia chuckled.
Spike furrowed his brow, and looked to Giles.
"I know them, too?"
Angel frowned, and Giles nodded.
"Yes, this is Angel, and Cordelia Chase."
"He can't remember anything?" Angel asked, still frowning.
Giles shook his head.
"No, apparently. He didn't even know his own name until I told him. Would
you go downstairs and tell the others? I will need to...introduce them to him,
one at a time..."
Angel nodded, still frowning, and stoically left the room to bear the ill
tidings.
Cordelia lingered.
"You don't remember me?" She asked Spike, who was watching her.
"No..." he said slowly.
"Do you even know what you are?" she continued.
"Cordelia, now is not the time." Giles interrupted. She gave a little
half smile and left the room, following Angel down the stairs.
"What did she mean...?" Spike started, but was cut off as a teary-eyed
blonde girl entered, barely holding back sobs.
"Is it true?" Buffy asked, looking at the two most important men in her
life.
TBC