I Need You
Buffy was deep in thought. A knock at the door interrupted her. She thought moodily. KNOCK KNOCK BANG BANG
"Slayer!! Open up! I know you're there!" A brit accent came through the panels of the door, making Buffys heart lurch. "Just a minute!" She yelled as she grabbed a stake.
She opened the door. "What do you want Spike?" she asked tiredly, walking back into the room.
Spike stood uncomfortably at the door."You gonna invite me in Slayer?."
"Willow invited you ages ago."
"I do have manners sometimes, slayer."
"Okay Spike." said Buffy, holding up the stake. "Come on in."
"Now, don't go stakin' me or nothin', but-" WHACK! Spike punched Buffy on the chin. "Ah, that feels better. Sorry Slayer, just 'ad to see if Dru really *had* got that bloody chip out me 'ead." He explained.
"Are you apologising to me? This is *Spike* I'm talking to, right? Did Willow do another spell that went whacky? Or am I really talking to...Spike?
The vampire ignored the comment.
"Wait a minute," said Buffy, picking up the stake she had dropped when he punched her. "Drusilla..is *back*??" Spike nodded.
"..And you're..*chipless*? So how come you haven't tried to kill me yet?"
"Well..I..uh..." Spike rubbed the back of his neck. "I...I need your 'elp slayer."
"You're asking *me* for help. Your mortal enemy. Haven't you got some demon friend that can help? I'm the *slayer* for Gods sake! I *slay* vampires, I don't *help* them!"
"You went and *shagged* Angel, unless you count that as staking. *He's* a vampire." Spike said sulkily.
Buffy froze at the mention of Angels name. "That was different. He had a *soul*."
"But it didn't take 'im long to lose it, did it?"
"Willow gave it back to him"
"Yeah, and *now* look what's happened. It's all your fault y'know slayer."
"You *know*??"
"course I know. Bloody hell slayer, I was the only sober one *at* that party. I 'eard you call 'im, I heard *everything* you said to him. *Everything*." Spike whispered the last word, sending a chill down the slayers spine. Buffy had turned a little pink at the mention of the phone call. She blushed even more as she thought it, glad tht vampires couldn't read minds.
"Well, *what* is it Spike?" Buffy sighed, trying to change the subject. "How can I help?"
"Angelus. Hes taken Dru again."
"Yeah Spike, I'm *really* sorry to hear that." Buffy said, shocked at the own heartless sarcasm.
"Slayer - you're a slayer. You slay. So slay Angelus."
"It's not that easy, Spike, and you know it."
A heavy silence fell between them.
"It's hard, Slayer." Spike broke the silence after a few minutes.
"What?"
"It's hard. To let go. It hurts and you think it will *never* go away, but it does. When Dru left me, I thought I'd die all over again. But the pain wore away." He took a step towards her, and looked deep into her hazel eyes.
"You'll hurt, Slayer, and you'll cry. And you'll think you can't go on without him, but you *can*." Another step towards her. "Every *time* I get over Dru, everytime I move on, she comes back into my unlife. It's almost like she *knows*..she comes back, again and again. I can't deal with that, slayer. She has to decide if she'll be a part of my life. And all the time Angelus is around, she won't be...You're lucky you know."
Shocked at Spikes speech, Buffy stuttered "I'm..*lucky*??"
"Yeah, you can kill Angelus, and he's out of your life forever. He won't keep coming back to you. I can't kill Dru. I love her."
"Spike, didn't you know.."
"Know what Slayer?"
"Wesley called me an hour ago." she began. Seeing the quizzical look on Spikes face, she continued. "Wesley's another watcher. He's just translated this old script..an ancient prophecy. It tells of a vampire with a soul, battling evil. Angel is never gone forever, I sent him to hell, he returned. I can't change that. I can kill Angel- Angelus over and over, he'll still come back, until the prophecy is fulfilled. I'm sorry Spike. I can't rid him from my life - your unlife - forever. I can't help."
"Oh." It was the first time Buffy had ever seen Spike speechless. She tried to fight back the tears - everything had happened at once - The battle with Adam, Riley two-timing her, Angel becoming evil again, all thanks to her, now Spike was asking for her help, and it hurt inside because much as she'd like to, she couldn't help him. All the recent stress became too much, and to Spikes horror, she started crying.
Tears streaming down her face, Buffy threw herself onto her bed, sobbing her heart out.
Spike walked quietly over to where Buffy was lying, and sat on the edge of her bed. "Slayer?" No answer. He gently put a hand on her shoulder. "Buffy?"
Red-eyed, with a tear-stained face, the slayer turned around to face him. "What did you just call me?" she asked quietly.
"Slayer."
"No, after that."
"Look, Buffy, I-"
"There. You said it again. You called me Buffy. Why? You haven't done that since we were under Willows spell."
Spike looked at the floor and refrained from answering. He thought to himself.
He looked back at Buffy, who had started crying all over again.
He bent over the sobbing form of the slayer. "I'm sorry slayer. I upset you." He said, stroking her hair. "Maybe you *should* stake me, then *everyone* would be happy." He got up. "I'd better go. I've caused enough upset today."
Buffy looked up. "No, Spike."
Spike turned back to face her.
"Stay."
Buffy was deep in thought. A knock at the door interrupted her. She thought moodily. KNOCK KNOCK BANG BANG
"Slayer!! Open up! I know you're there!" A brit accent came through the panels of the door, making Buffys heart lurch. "Just a minute!" She yelled as she grabbed a stake.
She opened the door. "What do you want Spike?" she asked tiredly, walking back into the room.
Spike stood uncomfortably at the door."You gonna invite me in Slayer?."
"Willow invited you ages ago."
"I do have manners sometimes, slayer."
"Okay Spike." said Buffy, holding up the stake. "Come on in."
"Now, don't go stakin' me or nothin', but-" WHACK! Spike punched Buffy on the chin. "Ah, that feels better. Sorry Slayer, just 'ad to see if Dru really *had* got that bloody chip out me 'ead." He explained.
"Are you apologising to me? This is *Spike* I'm talking to, right? Did Willow do another spell that went whacky? Or am I really talking to...Spike?
The vampire ignored the comment.
"Wait a minute," said Buffy, picking up the stake she had dropped when he punched her. "Drusilla..is *back*??" Spike nodded.
"..And you're..*chipless*? So how come you haven't tried to kill me yet?"
"Well..I..uh..." Spike rubbed the back of his neck. "I...I need your 'elp slayer."
"You're asking *me* for help. Your mortal enemy. Haven't you got some demon friend that can help? I'm the *slayer* for Gods sake! I *slay* vampires, I don't *help* them!"
"You went and *shagged* Angel, unless you count that as staking. *He's* a vampire." Spike said sulkily.
Buffy froze at the mention of Angels name. "That was different. He had a *soul*."
"But it didn't take 'im long to lose it, did it?"
"Willow gave it back to him"
"Yeah, and *now* look what's happened. It's all your fault y'know slayer."
"You *know*??"
"course I know. Bloody hell slayer, I was the only sober one *at* that party. I 'eard you call 'im, I heard *everything* you said to him. *Everything*." Spike whispered the last word, sending a chill down the slayers spine. Buffy had turned a little pink at the mention of the phone call. She blushed even more as she thought it, glad tht vampires couldn't read minds.
"Well, *what* is it Spike?" Buffy sighed, trying to change the subject. "How can I help?"
"Angelus. Hes taken Dru again."
"Yeah Spike, I'm *really* sorry to hear that." Buffy said, shocked at the own heartless sarcasm.
"Slayer - you're a slayer. You slay. So slay Angelus."
"It's not that easy, Spike, and you know it."
A heavy silence fell between them.
"It's hard, Slayer." Spike broke the silence after a few minutes.
"What?"
"It's hard. To let go. It hurts and you think it will *never* go away, but it does. When Dru left me, I thought I'd die all over again. But the pain wore away." He took a step towards her, and looked deep into her hazel eyes.
"You'll hurt, Slayer, and you'll cry. And you'll think you can't go on without him, but you *can*." Another step towards her. "Every *time* I get over Dru, everytime I move on, she comes back into my unlife. It's almost like she *knows*..she comes back, again and again. I can't deal with that, slayer. She has to decide if she'll be a part of my life. And all the time Angelus is around, she won't be...You're lucky you know."
Shocked at Spikes speech, Buffy stuttered "I'm..*lucky*??"
"Yeah, you can kill Angelus, and he's out of your life forever. He won't keep coming back to you. I can't kill Dru. I love her."
"Spike, didn't you know.."
"Know what Slayer?"
"Wesley called me an hour ago." she began. Seeing the quizzical look on Spikes face, she continued. "Wesley's another watcher. He's just translated this old script..an ancient prophecy. It tells of a vampire with a soul, battling evil. Angel is never gone forever, I sent him to hell, he returned. I can't change that. I can kill Angel- Angelus over and over, he'll still come back, until the prophecy is fulfilled. I'm sorry Spike. I can't rid him from my life - your unlife - forever. I can't help."
"Oh." It was the first time Buffy had ever seen Spike speechless. She tried to fight back the tears - everything had happened at once - The battle with Adam, Riley two-timing her, Angel becoming evil again, all thanks to her, now Spike was asking for her help, and it hurt inside because much as she'd like to, she couldn't help him. All the recent stress became too much, and to Spikes horror, she started crying.
Tears streaming down her face, Buffy threw herself onto her bed, sobbing her heart out.
Spike walked quietly over to where Buffy was lying, and sat on the edge of her bed. "Slayer?" No answer. He gently put a hand on her shoulder. "Buffy?"
Red-eyed, with a tear-stained face, the slayer turned around to face him. "What did you just call me?" she asked quietly.
"Slayer."
"No, after that."
"Look, Buffy, I-"
"There. You said it again. You called me Buffy. Why? You haven't done that since we were under Willows spell."
Spike looked at the floor and refrained from answering. He thought to himself.
He looked back at Buffy, who had started crying all over again.
He bent over the sobbing form of the slayer. "I'm sorry slayer. I upset you." He said, stroking her hair. "Maybe you *should* stake me, then *everyone* would be happy." He got up. "I'd better go. I've caused enough upset today."
Buffy looked up. "No, Spike."
Spike turned back to face her.
"Stay."