Slip Of Mind, by Trisha H.
Chapter 6
Rating: R to be safe. I don't really know.
Distribution: Whoever wants it. Just email me and ask.
Feedback: PLEASE! Dragolyn@hotmail.com
************************
Buffy heard them before she saw them. The footsteps of Warren's group marched to an even beat, as precisely as if they were puppets whose strings were being pulled at the exact same time. Fifty or so zombie people against the seven of us, Buffy thought, moving into the middle of the street. Fantastic odds. Especially when they can kill us and we really shouldn't be killing them. Tapping the end of her tazer gun against her thigh, she stood her ground and watched as the mob approached. She craned her neck, but couldn't see Warren or Spike. That didn't surprise her. Warren would be safely ensconced in the middle of his people, where he wouldn't be hurt. With a final nod to her friends hidden the shadows of the buildings that lined the street, Buffy called out into the crowd.
"Warren! If you don't get out here and face me, I swear, I will come in and get you. This'll go a lot easier on you if you don't make me do that."
"You'll come in and get me, Slayer?" Warren said, calmly stepping through the thickly positioned rows of people. "Isn't that interesting. You'll get me… and my little dog too?"
He pulled Spike out from the crowd, and watched Buffy's face with obvious enjoyment. She forced herself to blank out all expression, a difficult feat considering the emotions she battled at the sight of Spike's neck. The collar hung with only an inch of slack, giving Buffy a glimpse of the sharp spines that lined the leather and rested against Spike's skin. When Warren pulled on the leash, the collar constricted, causing the spines to impale Spike's neck. Had he been wearing a shirt of any color other than black, she knew it would've been stained red from bottom to top with his blood. As it was, his shirt clung damply to his chest and abdomen. She stared into his face, searching for some sign that he recognized her. There was nothing in his eyes but fierce wildness.
I know you'll never love me. I know that I'm a monster. But you treat me like a man. The words he'd given her shortly before she died rushed back at her as she studied him. If he hadn't been a monster before, he certainly was one now. Warren had changed him, had taken all of Spike's humanity from him and allowed only his demon to remain. But this monster on his knees before her, this beast who growled and snarled and spat, this wasn't Spike. If Warren was trying to show how much of a monster Spike was, he'd failed utterly. All Buffy learned was how much of a monster Spike was not.
Play it cool she told herself. The last thing she wanted was to expose her weaknesses to Warren. Clucking her tongue, she stepped closer. "Yes Dorothy, your little dog too," she said, relaxing her shoulders deliberately. "We've got a bit of a situation here, don't we?"
"You do, at least. I'm pretty much in the clear. I've got my Dampener," he said, patting his coat pocket, "and my slaves, just waiting for a word from me to tell them to attack you. And I've got someone who belonged to you." He gave Spike's leash a vicious tug, ignoring the vampire's howls of pain. "Wanta see something neat?"
"No, that's okay," Buffy said, "I've seen enough of what you think is neat."
"Oh, but this is my new toy. It's a lot of fun." Warren opened his hand and showed her a tiny gadget. "One press of this button, and… well… actions do speak louder than words, don't they?" He pushed the button with flair, and held it down while the collar electrocuted Spike.
Buffy ground her teeth. Stay cool. Stay calm. Stay focused. This is the plan. She repeated the words to herself silently as Warren continued Spike's torture. This is the plan.
Finally, Warren released the button and watched as Spike fell to the ground. The vampire moaned in agony, hugging his arms to his chest. "What's wrong, Slayer? You don't have anything to say to me? I thought you took better care of your people than this. Leaving a poor, helpless vampire to my mercies… that's not very heroic, you know."
"You said it yourself. He's a vampire. A monster. I'm the Slayer. What did you think, that I'd come running to his rescue?" She smirked, taking another step towards them. Three steps away, that's all. Three more steps and you're safe, Spike. "You didn't take one of my people- he's not a person. But I have a person who belongs to you."
She raised her hand, waving into the darkness of the alley. Andrew hurried towards her, his shoulders hunched. Standing slightly behind Buffy's back, he shivered and carefully avoided Warren's eyes. "Hi," he said softly towards the pavement.
Warren's jaw dropped. "Andrew!" he said. "Dude, did she take you? Kidnap you?"
"Uhm… no. I came to her. She's protecting me." He inched closer to Buffy.
"Protecting you! You're her arch nemesis! Who could she be protecting you from?" He walked closer, his face a portrait of confusion. "If you needed protection, you should have waited for me at the lair. I was coming right back!"
"Actually… you're the one she's protecting me from. You and your stupid pills," he said, anger making his voice and hands shake. He pulled the bottle of pills from his pocket and threw it towards Warren. It bounced harmlessly off of the slave standing next to him. "You think you're so smart, but you're not. You trusted us. You never thought we'd betray you."
"Us?" Warren went pale. He looked past Buffy uneasily, searching the sidewalks. "Where's Jonathan?"
"Boo," said a voice behind him. Warren started to turn around, but found himself trapped by the hands of Jonathan and Xander. Jonathan glared up at him. "We came through your sick-o mob from the back," he said. "Never thought of that, did you smart-guy?"
Warren started to call orders to his slaves, only to find a cloth gag being forced into his mouth. Looking at Spike desperately, Warren released the vampire's leash.
Before Spike could move, Buffy was on his. She jumped forward and kicked him in the rib cage. He struggled to his feet, and she punched him in the face, hard enough to knock him unconscious.
"Tara, bring the tranquilizers!" she shouted, leaving him in a heap on the street and grabbing Warren from the boys. Dipping her hand into his pocket she pulled out the Cerebral Dampener. "You keep calling this a toy," she said, waving it in his face. "A toy. But it's not. Toys are for playing games, and what you did with this was no game. Katrina is dead. You told me you loved her. How could you kill the woman you loved?"
Warren rolled his eyes above the gag. He couldn't answer her questions with it in.
"Oh. Um… hmm. Here's what's going to happen. I'm gonna take off your gag and you're going to tell your victims to turn around and walk back to their homes. And to make sure you do that, I'm going to keep my hand on your throat. Got it?"
At his nod, she pulled the cloth from his mouth and squeezed his throat just enough to let him know she meant business. He did as she asked and when the mob had gone, seemed to deflate. She released her grip, and he sunk onto the edge of the sidewalk.
"How could you kill her, Warren? If you loved her?"
"She wouldn't have me! And I'd do… I mean, I would have done anything to get her back. And I did, I did something drastic and crazy, and it worked! I had her." He paused, watching Buffy lift Spike's body into her arms and carry him out of the street. He snorted, finally understanding. "He's a vampire. You don't care about him. Riiiiight. Good game, Slayer. You played a good hand. I'm impressed. But whatcha gonna do now?"
"What do you mean, what am I going to do?" She pillowed her coat under Spike's head and left him in Tara's care. Standing beside Warren, she pointed to the police station. "That's a jail. You're a criminal. I think it's pretty obvious that I'm going to do."
"You toss me in jail and you'll never get your vampire back. I'm the only one who can fix the remote controller. The longer it buzzes his brain full of chemicals, the more difficult it will be to reverse the effects. Trust me, you don't want to wait much longer."
"You're not just going free. You killed Katrina. You… you did terrible, terrible things. I would never let you get away with that. Never."
"Not even knowing that letting me go is the only way to save Spike?"
Jonathan grinned at him. "You moron, she's the Slayer. Slay-yer! Of course she's going to do the right thing and toss your psycho ass in a cell. Have fun playing footsie with Bubba the serial killer for the next fifty years."
Warren didn't respond. He simply waited, holding Buffy's gaze with confidence.
Everyone stared at Buffy, who stood as if frozen above Warren and Spike. She closed her eyes, fighting her conflicting emotions with all she had. She thought of Katrina's dead eyes, and of Nathaniel, and of the pain and fear Warren had caused everyone she loved. You're the Slayer she told herself. Act like one. Do what you have to do.
She opened her mouth to tell Warren he was going to jail, but no words came out. She couldn't do it. She just… couldn't. In her mind, she heard the voice of her Watcher, faint with injury but strong in her memories. What I've always admired… being able to place your heart above all else….
"Put Warren in your car, Xander," Buffy said, slumping her shoulders. "Take Jonathan and Anya with you. We'll bring Spike and meet you at my house."
Xander shook his head. "But Buffy…"
"But nothing! Put him in your car and take him to my house! There's nothing to else to talk about. Just do it." Kicking Warren in the shin, she said, "You'll fix Spike. When he's back to his old self, I'll give you the same deal I gave Jonathan and Andrew. One bright, shiny, get-out-of-town- free card. But only when you fix Spike. And only if you stay away from Jonathan and Andrew. Agreed?"
"Agreed," Warren moaned, clutching his leg.
"Fine. Let's go." She picked up Spike and walked with him into the shadows.
***************
The first thing Spike noticed when he woke from unconsciousness was that he was laying on a bed that smelled like Willow. This is not where I'm suppose to be, he thought, forcing his eyes open. That witch better not have started up with her sodding magic tricks again. Least I know my name this time around. He blinked in the harsh light of the overhead lamp and tried to sit up. "Buffy?" he said, his voice quiet and hoarse. There was something wrong with his neck… something very wrong. There'd been a collar… but he couldn't quite remember. He needed help. Coughing, he tried his voice again. "Buffy? Are you there?" Falling back against the pillows, he winced from the pain in his ribs.
"Buffy's not here right now. She's on the phone in her bedroom. Has been for a long time now. How does your head feel?"
Recognizing the voice, Spike quickly sat up, no longer caring about his pain. "Warren?" he said, incredulous and wary that Buffy would let him in her house. "What the bloody hell are you doing here? And why are we in Red's bedroom alone?"
"How's your head," Warren repeated, rocking forward slightly from his seat beside the bed. "Feeling… lighter?"
Glaring at him, Spike swung his legs over the side of the mattress. "I don't know why Buffy let you in here, but you're not staying. She wont kill you and I can't kill you. But I bloody well can find someone to do the job!"
"Your head?" Warren repeated, unfrightened.
Spike rubbed a hand through his hair. His head did feel different, he noticed. Not lighter, but there was an emptiness, a loss. "The chip. You took out my chip." He stared at Warren, trying to process the idea. "How? Why?"
"I didn't take it out. I just made it so it can't detect the signal it was receiving from whoever put it in you to begin with." Warren smiled, a small, devious smile. "You're free. And you're welcome, by the way."
"I'm free," Spike repeated, still processing. His eyes widened. "Buffy. Does she know?"
Snorting, Warren shook his head. "No, of course not. You think she'd let me give you your weapon back? Not likely."
"So why then? Why'd you do it, mate?" He leaned back onto the mattress, dizzy. "What do you want from me in return?"
"Just do what you do naturally, vampire. I let you loose because I couldn't kill the Slayer myself. You'll kill her for me."
Spike rested his head on the bed weakly. "You're wrong. I'd never kill her."
"Why, because you love her? Oh, let me tell you buddy, that's exactly why you'll kill her. Take it from someone who's been there. She'll find out something about you that she can't live with- that you're free to kill again. And she'll dump you cold. She'll break your rotten heart and spit on the pieces. Then you'll want to kill her. Trust me, you will. After you dream about her every night, after you watch her from a distance, so close, but never able to touch her… you'll kill her, and you'll love it." Warren licked his lips, his eyes gleaming. "I did."
Watching as Spike closed his eyes, Warren stood up. "See, you know I'm right. You're a lucky guy, though. Buffy saw you as I made you- she saw Spike, the disgusting monster. Yet, you're still alive. She made me save you. Guess she has a soft spot for evil creatures. You never can tell what gets a girl hot."
With a growl, Spike started to jump towards him, but the pain in his ribs stopped him cold. "You don't know the first thing about Buffy," he snarled, "and you never will. But I'll tell you something about me. I could have killed Buffy all along, you stupid git. My chip hasn't worked on her for months. All you did was set me free to kill other humans." He rose himself on one elbow and stared Warren down. "Humans like you. I'll remember this, Warren," he said, tapping his head. "And I'll never forgive you for it."
"That's enough," Willow said, walking in the door. Her face was pale and deadly calm. Tara followed her into the bedroom, a pan of warm water in her hands. "Warren, get out of here."
Without another word, Warren left the room. Willow helped Spike lay back against the pillows. Picking up a pair of scissors, she carefully cut off his blood-soaked tee shirt. Surveying the damage to his chest, she winced. "You're a mess," she said, keeping the scissors on her lap.
Spike noticed her fingers nervously stroking the makeshift weapon. "You heard all that nonsense, did you?"
"Yep," Willow said casually. She reached into the pan of water and pulled out a wet cloth, casting him a suspicious sidelong look. "Let me clean you up, okay?" Holding the steaming rag above him with one hand and the scissors tightly in the other, she met his eyes, her question obvious.
"Clean me up, then," he said, and winced as the hot cloth touched his bruises. "I'm not going to eat you, Red. No worries there."
Glancing at Tara, Willow sighed and nodded. "Okay then. Good. But what are you gonna do?"
Spike closed his eyes and clenched his fists. The misery on his face was so obvious that Tara nearly stroked his cheek, but Willow stopped her.
"Spike?" she said, wringing out the cloth. The vampire's blood stained the water red. "What are you going to do now?"
"What I should have done long ago. I'm leaving town. Farewell Sunnyhell, hello… wherever. You happy now Red? You get your friend back, as squeaky-clean and shiny as she ever was. No more nasty undead bloke polluting her mind and body."
Not rising to the bait, Willow dabbed the cloth along Spike's collarbone. "When?"
"As soon as I can walk. Tonight sometime. I've petrol enough in the DeSoto to get to L.A. before sunrise. That's as good a place as any to start from."
"L.A.?" Dawn asked, walking into the bedroom. "Why're you going to L.A. Spike? You don't look well enough to drive but… hey, while you're there, could you bring me back…"
"I'm not coming back, Little Bit," Spike interrupted, covering his eyes with one hand as Willow scrubbed harder to clean a deeper wound on his neck. "Sorry."
"What?" Dawn's eyes widened with shock. "But why? Is it… is it because you're embarrassed? 'Cause we all took care of you like you were a baby? We had to, Spike. You were totally out of it. But, it's okay. Really! I… I still look at you the same. I mean, you're… Spike. The Big Bad." She took a step towards to bed hopefully. "I'm scared of you. I mean, really scared. I swear!"
With a groan, Spike shook his head. "Nice of you to say so, Bit. But run along now. Red here's gotta finish doctoring me up, then I'll be on my way. I'm not much of one for goodbye scenes. You'll get along just fine. Go on now."
Dawn's chin quivered. "Fine!" she shouted. "I didn't want you to stay anyways! You're a stupid… a stupid… a stupid evil guy…. with stupid hair… and I hate you!" She turned on her heel and fled. A second later, Spike and Willow heard the sound of her bedroom door slamming shut.
"She didn't mean that. Any of it. Well, maybe except for the hair part." Willow started to clean his face. "And that's understandable."
"I know." Spike watched Willow as she finished caring for him and dumped the bloody rag back into the pan of water. "Red… look, I don't want you telling Buffy about my chip. Warren messed with it to hurt her, and… well, that bloody prick has hurt her enough, don't you think?"
"Spike… I have to tell Buffy. Without your chip, you could hurt people. Buffy needs to know."
"So- what? She can decide whether or not to kill another of her lovers? You saw what she went through when Angelus turned all rabid-puppy on her. And she was strong then! Now, you know she's weaker, and you know *why*," he said pointedly. Willow winced. "No matter that you gave her life again, she'll never fully forgive you. Do you really want to give her another burden to carry? Right cruel of you, that would be."
"You have to promise me that you wont kill anyone… or, at least not unless you have to. You know, self-defense and the good-guys stuff. And you have to check in with me, tell me where you are so I can keep an eye on you, make sure you're keeping your word." Off his look, she shook her head. "I wont tell Buffy where you are. She… she deserves to put you behind her."
Sticking out his right hand, Spike nodded. "Then we're agreed."
Willow shook his hand. "Agreed."
Chapter 6
Rating: R to be safe. I don't really know.
Distribution: Whoever wants it. Just email me and ask.
Feedback: PLEASE! Dragolyn@hotmail.com
************************
Buffy heard them before she saw them. The footsteps of Warren's group marched to an even beat, as precisely as if they were puppets whose strings were being pulled at the exact same time. Fifty or so zombie people against the seven of us, Buffy thought, moving into the middle of the street. Fantastic odds. Especially when they can kill us and we really shouldn't be killing them. Tapping the end of her tazer gun against her thigh, she stood her ground and watched as the mob approached. She craned her neck, but couldn't see Warren or Spike. That didn't surprise her. Warren would be safely ensconced in the middle of his people, where he wouldn't be hurt. With a final nod to her friends hidden the shadows of the buildings that lined the street, Buffy called out into the crowd.
"Warren! If you don't get out here and face me, I swear, I will come in and get you. This'll go a lot easier on you if you don't make me do that."
"You'll come in and get me, Slayer?" Warren said, calmly stepping through the thickly positioned rows of people. "Isn't that interesting. You'll get me… and my little dog too?"
He pulled Spike out from the crowd, and watched Buffy's face with obvious enjoyment. She forced herself to blank out all expression, a difficult feat considering the emotions she battled at the sight of Spike's neck. The collar hung with only an inch of slack, giving Buffy a glimpse of the sharp spines that lined the leather and rested against Spike's skin. When Warren pulled on the leash, the collar constricted, causing the spines to impale Spike's neck. Had he been wearing a shirt of any color other than black, she knew it would've been stained red from bottom to top with his blood. As it was, his shirt clung damply to his chest and abdomen. She stared into his face, searching for some sign that he recognized her. There was nothing in his eyes but fierce wildness.
I know you'll never love me. I know that I'm a monster. But you treat me like a man. The words he'd given her shortly before she died rushed back at her as she studied him. If he hadn't been a monster before, he certainly was one now. Warren had changed him, had taken all of Spike's humanity from him and allowed only his demon to remain. But this monster on his knees before her, this beast who growled and snarled and spat, this wasn't Spike. If Warren was trying to show how much of a monster Spike was, he'd failed utterly. All Buffy learned was how much of a monster Spike was not.
Play it cool she told herself. The last thing she wanted was to expose her weaknesses to Warren. Clucking her tongue, she stepped closer. "Yes Dorothy, your little dog too," she said, relaxing her shoulders deliberately. "We've got a bit of a situation here, don't we?"
"You do, at least. I'm pretty much in the clear. I've got my Dampener," he said, patting his coat pocket, "and my slaves, just waiting for a word from me to tell them to attack you. And I've got someone who belonged to you." He gave Spike's leash a vicious tug, ignoring the vampire's howls of pain. "Wanta see something neat?"
"No, that's okay," Buffy said, "I've seen enough of what you think is neat."
"Oh, but this is my new toy. It's a lot of fun." Warren opened his hand and showed her a tiny gadget. "One press of this button, and… well… actions do speak louder than words, don't they?" He pushed the button with flair, and held it down while the collar electrocuted Spike.
Buffy ground her teeth. Stay cool. Stay calm. Stay focused. This is the plan. She repeated the words to herself silently as Warren continued Spike's torture. This is the plan.
Finally, Warren released the button and watched as Spike fell to the ground. The vampire moaned in agony, hugging his arms to his chest. "What's wrong, Slayer? You don't have anything to say to me? I thought you took better care of your people than this. Leaving a poor, helpless vampire to my mercies… that's not very heroic, you know."
"You said it yourself. He's a vampire. A monster. I'm the Slayer. What did you think, that I'd come running to his rescue?" She smirked, taking another step towards them. Three steps away, that's all. Three more steps and you're safe, Spike. "You didn't take one of my people- he's not a person. But I have a person who belongs to you."
She raised her hand, waving into the darkness of the alley. Andrew hurried towards her, his shoulders hunched. Standing slightly behind Buffy's back, he shivered and carefully avoided Warren's eyes. "Hi," he said softly towards the pavement.
Warren's jaw dropped. "Andrew!" he said. "Dude, did she take you? Kidnap you?"
"Uhm… no. I came to her. She's protecting me." He inched closer to Buffy.
"Protecting you! You're her arch nemesis! Who could she be protecting you from?" He walked closer, his face a portrait of confusion. "If you needed protection, you should have waited for me at the lair. I was coming right back!"
"Actually… you're the one she's protecting me from. You and your stupid pills," he said, anger making his voice and hands shake. He pulled the bottle of pills from his pocket and threw it towards Warren. It bounced harmlessly off of the slave standing next to him. "You think you're so smart, but you're not. You trusted us. You never thought we'd betray you."
"Us?" Warren went pale. He looked past Buffy uneasily, searching the sidewalks. "Where's Jonathan?"
"Boo," said a voice behind him. Warren started to turn around, but found himself trapped by the hands of Jonathan and Xander. Jonathan glared up at him. "We came through your sick-o mob from the back," he said. "Never thought of that, did you smart-guy?"
Warren started to call orders to his slaves, only to find a cloth gag being forced into his mouth. Looking at Spike desperately, Warren released the vampire's leash.
Before Spike could move, Buffy was on his. She jumped forward and kicked him in the rib cage. He struggled to his feet, and she punched him in the face, hard enough to knock him unconscious.
"Tara, bring the tranquilizers!" she shouted, leaving him in a heap on the street and grabbing Warren from the boys. Dipping her hand into his pocket she pulled out the Cerebral Dampener. "You keep calling this a toy," she said, waving it in his face. "A toy. But it's not. Toys are for playing games, and what you did with this was no game. Katrina is dead. You told me you loved her. How could you kill the woman you loved?"
Warren rolled his eyes above the gag. He couldn't answer her questions with it in.
"Oh. Um… hmm. Here's what's going to happen. I'm gonna take off your gag and you're going to tell your victims to turn around and walk back to their homes. And to make sure you do that, I'm going to keep my hand on your throat. Got it?"
At his nod, she pulled the cloth from his mouth and squeezed his throat just enough to let him know she meant business. He did as she asked and when the mob had gone, seemed to deflate. She released her grip, and he sunk onto the edge of the sidewalk.
"How could you kill her, Warren? If you loved her?"
"She wouldn't have me! And I'd do… I mean, I would have done anything to get her back. And I did, I did something drastic and crazy, and it worked! I had her." He paused, watching Buffy lift Spike's body into her arms and carry him out of the street. He snorted, finally understanding. "He's a vampire. You don't care about him. Riiiiight. Good game, Slayer. You played a good hand. I'm impressed. But whatcha gonna do now?"
"What do you mean, what am I going to do?" She pillowed her coat under Spike's head and left him in Tara's care. Standing beside Warren, she pointed to the police station. "That's a jail. You're a criminal. I think it's pretty obvious that I'm going to do."
"You toss me in jail and you'll never get your vampire back. I'm the only one who can fix the remote controller. The longer it buzzes his brain full of chemicals, the more difficult it will be to reverse the effects. Trust me, you don't want to wait much longer."
"You're not just going free. You killed Katrina. You… you did terrible, terrible things. I would never let you get away with that. Never."
"Not even knowing that letting me go is the only way to save Spike?"
Jonathan grinned at him. "You moron, she's the Slayer. Slay-yer! Of course she's going to do the right thing and toss your psycho ass in a cell. Have fun playing footsie with Bubba the serial killer for the next fifty years."
Warren didn't respond. He simply waited, holding Buffy's gaze with confidence.
Everyone stared at Buffy, who stood as if frozen above Warren and Spike. She closed her eyes, fighting her conflicting emotions with all she had. She thought of Katrina's dead eyes, and of Nathaniel, and of the pain and fear Warren had caused everyone she loved. You're the Slayer she told herself. Act like one. Do what you have to do.
She opened her mouth to tell Warren he was going to jail, but no words came out. She couldn't do it. She just… couldn't. In her mind, she heard the voice of her Watcher, faint with injury but strong in her memories. What I've always admired… being able to place your heart above all else….
"Put Warren in your car, Xander," Buffy said, slumping her shoulders. "Take Jonathan and Anya with you. We'll bring Spike and meet you at my house."
Xander shook his head. "But Buffy…"
"But nothing! Put him in your car and take him to my house! There's nothing to else to talk about. Just do it." Kicking Warren in the shin, she said, "You'll fix Spike. When he's back to his old self, I'll give you the same deal I gave Jonathan and Andrew. One bright, shiny, get-out-of-town- free card. But only when you fix Spike. And only if you stay away from Jonathan and Andrew. Agreed?"
"Agreed," Warren moaned, clutching his leg.
"Fine. Let's go." She picked up Spike and walked with him into the shadows.
***************
The first thing Spike noticed when he woke from unconsciousness was that he was laying on a bed that smelled like Willow. This is not where I'm suppose to be, he thought, forcing his eyes open. That witch better not have started up with her sodding magic tricks again. Least I know my name this time around. He blinked in the harsh light of the overhead lamp and tried to sit up. "Buffy?" he said, his voice quiet and hoarse. There was something wrong with his neck… something very wrong. There'd been a collar… but he couldn't quite remember. He needed help. Coughing, he tried his voice again. "Buffy? Are you there?" Falling back against the pillows, he winced from the pain in his ribs.
"Buffy's not here right now. She's on the phone in her bedroom. Has been for a long time now. How does your head feel?"
Recognizing the voice, Spike quickly sat up, no longer caring about his pain. "Warren?" he said, incredulous and wary that Buffy would let him in her house. "What the bloody hell are you doing here? And why are we in Red's bedroom alone?"
"How's your head," Warren repeated, rocking forward slightly from his seat beside the bed. "Feeling… lighter?"
Glaring at him, Spike swung his legs over the side of the mattress. "I don't know why Buffy let you in here, but you're not staying. She wont kill you and I can't kill you. But I bloody well can find someone to do the job!"
"Your head?" Warren repeated, unfrightened.
Spike rubbed a hand through his hair. His head did feel different, he noticed. Not lighter, but there was an emptiness, a loss. "The chip. You took out my chip." He stared at Warren, trying to process the idea. "How? Why?"
"I didn't take it out. I just made it so it can't detect the signal it was receiving from whoever put it in you to begin with." Warren smiled, a small, devious smile. "You're free. And you're welcome, by the way."
"I'm free," Spike repeated, still processing. His eyes widened. "Buffy. Does she know?"
Snorting, Warren shook his head. "No, of course not. You think she'd let me give you your weapon back? Not likely."
"So why then? Why'd you do it, mate?" He leaned back onto the mattress, dizzy. "What do you want from me in return?"
"Just do what you do naturally, vampire. I let you loose because I couldn't kill the Slayer myself. You'll kill her for me."
Spike rested his head on the bed weakly. "You're wrong. I'd never kill her."
"Why, because you love her? Oh, let me tell you buddy, that's exactly why you'll kill her. Take it from someone who's been there. She'll find out something about you that she can't live with- that you're free to kill again. And she'll dump you cold. She'll break your rotten heart and spit on the pieces. Then you'll want to kill her. Trust me, you will. After you dream about her every night, after you watch her from a distance, so close, but never able to touch her… you'll kill her, and you'll love it." Warren licked his lips, his eyes gleaming. "I did."
Watching as Spike closed his eyes, Warren stood up. "See, you know I'm right. You're a lucky guy, though. Buffy saw you as I made you- she saw Spike, the disgusting monster. Yet, you're still alive. She made me save you. Guess she has a soft spot for evil creatures. You never can tell what gets a girl hot."
With a growl, Spike started to jump towards him, but the pain in his ribs stopped him cold. "You don't know the first thing about Buffy," he snarled, "and you never will. But I'll tell you something about me. I could have killed Buffy all along, you stupid git. My chip hasn't worked on her for months. All you did was set me free to kill other humans." He rose himself on one elbow and stared Warren down. "Humans like you. I'll remember this, Warren," he said, tapping his head. "And I'll never forgive you for it."
"That's enough," Willow said, walking in the door. Her face was pale and deadly calm. Tara followed her into the bedroom, a pan of warm water in her hands. "Warren, get out of here."
Without another word, Warren left the room. Willow helped Spike lay back against the pillows. Picking up a pair of scissors, she carefully cut off his blood-soaked tee shirt. Surveying the damage to his chest, she winced. "You're a mess," she said, keeping the scissors on her lap.
Spike noticed her fingers nervously stroking the makeshift weapon. "You heard all that nonsense, did you?"
"Yep," Willow said casually. She reached into the pan of water and pulled out a wet cloth, casting him a suspicious sidelong look. "Let me clean you up, okay?" Holding the steaming rag above him with one hand and the scissors tightly in the other, she met his eyes, her question obvious.
"Clean me up, then," he said, and winced as the hot cloth touched his bruises. "I'm not going to eat you, Red. No worries there."
Glancing at Tara, Willow sighed and nodded. "Okay then. Good. But what are you gonna do?"
Spike closed his eyes and clenched his fists. The misery on his face was so obvious that Tara nearly stroked his cheek, but Willow stopped her.
"Spike?" she said, wringing out the cloth. The vampire's blood stained the water red. "What are you going to do now?"
"What I should have done long ago. I'm leaving town. Farewell Sunnyhell, hello… wherever. You happy now Red? You get your friend back, as squeaky-clean and shiny as she ever was. No more nasty undead bloke polluting her mind and body."
Not rising to the bait, Willow dabbed the cloth along Spike's collarbone. "When?"
"As soon as I can walk. Tonight sometime. I've petrol enough in the DeSoto to get to L.A. before sunrise. That's as good a place as any to start from."
"L.A.?" Dawn asked, walking into the bedroom. "Why're you going to L.A. Spike? You don't look well enough to drive but… hey, while you're there, could you bring me back…"
"I'm not coming back, Little Bit," Spike interrupted, covering his eyes with one hand as Willow scrubbed harder to clean a deeper wound on his neck. "Sorry."
"What?" Dawn's eyes widened with shock. "But why? Is it… is it because you're embarrassed? 'Cause we all took care of you like you were a baby? We had to, Spike. You were totally out of it. But, it's okay. Really! I… I still look at you the same. I mean, you're… Spike. The Big Bad." She took a step towards to bed hopefully. "I'm scared of you. I mean, really scared. I swear!"
With a groan, Spike shook his head. "Nice of you to say so, Bit. But run along now. Red here's gotta finish doctoring me up, then I'll be on my way. I'm not much of one for goodbye scenes. You'll get along just fine. Go on now."
Dawn's chin quivered. "Fine!" she shouted. "I didn't want you to stay anyways! You're a stupid… a stupid… a stupid evil guy…. with stupid hair… and I hate you!" She turned on her heel and fled. A second later, Spike and Willow heard the sound of her bedroom door slamming shut.
"She didn't mean that. Any of it. Well, maybe except for the hair part." Willow started to clean his face. "And that's understandable."
"I know." Spike watched Willow as she finished caring for him and dumped the bloody rag back into the pan of water. "Red… look, I don't want you telling Buffy about my chip. Warren messed with it to hurt her, and… well, that bloody prick has hurt her enough, don't you think?"
"Spike… I have to tell Buffy. Without your chip, you could hurt people. Buffy needs to know."
"So- what? She can decide whether or not to kill another of her lovers? You saw what she went through when Angelus turned all rabid-puppy on her. And she was strong then! Now, you know she's weaker, and you know *why*," he said pointedly. Willow winced. "No matter that you gave her life again, she'll never fully forgive you. Do you really want to give her another burden to carry? Right cruel of you, that would be."
"You have to promise me that you wont kill anyone… or, at least not unless you have to. You know, self-defense and the good-guys stuff. And you have to check in with me, tell me where you are so I can keep an eye on you, make sure you're keeping your word." Off his look, she shook her head. "I wont tell Buffy where you are. She… she deserves to put you behind her."
Sticking out his right hand, Spike nodded. "Then we're agreed."
Willow shook his hand. "Agreed."