Title: A Mother's Wrath

Author: Tycho

Contact: tychocelchu@optusnet.com.au

Series: BtVS

Chapter: Three - A Reason to Live.

Rating: PG-13

Code: - B/S

Summary: An AU of the Glory Saga. The Monks create someone closer than a sister.

Timeframe: Takes place during "Doomed"

Archive: You betcha. Just lemme know.

Disclaimer: Whedon owns all. 3 Doors Down own the song.

* * * *

Xander's small stereo blasted through the basement, accentuated by the occasional thump through the ceiling from a demanding parent. Spike ignored it, water dripping down his arms as he worked a wrench around the pipes above his head.

The bare bulb that hung from the rafters shone harsh light on the white hair of the bare chested vampire, balancing precariously on the single chair in the room? Cellar?

Cell.

*Stupid*

Twist

*Bloody*

Twist

*GIT!*

Spike twisted the wrench harder than necessary and overbalanced, falling from his perch.

William the Bloody, former scourge of the human race and killer of two slayers, lay flat on his back on the damp floor; oblivious to the heavy wrench that wanged off his skull. He had com to a suddenly inescapable conclusion. *My unlife sucks. And not in a good way. Gods, I've even started thinking in teen-speak. Big Bad? HA! Big Nothing! A puppy is more fearsome than I am!*

Spike let the music wash over him.

You're getting closer, to pushing me
Off of life's little edge
Cause I'm a loser and sooner or later
You know I'll be dead
You're getting closer, you're holding the
Rope and I'm taking the fall
Cause I'm a loser, I'm a loser, yeah

Spike murmured, "How bloody appropriate."

He let his head roll to the side, allowing him an unobstructed view of the floor under the whelp's bed.

A stake lay there. A stake that was looking very attractive right now, despite the fact it was lying on a shirt that was even more hideous than the one he'd been forced to wear earlier. Spike's smirk was full of irony.*Look's like I'll get to do the world one last favor before I go.*

He rolled over and pulled both items out from their hiding place. A few minutes later he was once again standing on the chair, ready to hurl himself onto the stake, which he'd firmly attached to the ratty table.

"See you in hell, Dru."

Unfortunately, fate had other plans for the suicidal vampire. Willow and Xander chose that moment to enter the room.

Somehow he missed. *Christ! I can't even kill myself. How bloody pathetic.*


Willow was looking at him in shock, "What are you doing?"


Spike picked himself up. "Bloody rot. Can't a person knock?"

She repeated herself, "What were you doing?"

Xander decided to fill her in. "You were trying to stake yourself!"

"Fag off! - It's no concern of yours."

"Is, too. For one thing that's my shirt you're about to dust. For another, we've shared a lot here." Xander grinned evilly. "You should have trusted me enough to do it for you."

Willow gave her best friend a look that threatened to slap him upside the head." Xander!"

"What? He wants to die, I want to help."

"It's ooky. We know him, we can't just let him poof himself!"

Spike interrupted her, "Oh, but you can. You know I'd drain you drier than the Sahara if I had half a chance. And besides, I'm beyond pathetic. Stuck in this basement washing skivvies for a blighter I wouldn't have bothered to bite a few months ago."

Xander felt suddenly insulted. "Hey!"

"I mean, am I even remotely scary anymore? Tell me the truth."

Willow just looks at him and he jumps at her, curling his hands into claws. She smiled and patted his cheek. "If you were jumping out of a dark alley, I'd be terrified." Spike looked doubtful. "Honest. But before you really decide to do this there is one thing you should know."

"And what's that, ducks?"

She moved closer to him and began whispering in his ear. Xander strained to hear what was being said, but to no avail. The expressions on the vampire's face were entertaining though. Everything from anger thru shock and even outright glee was shown there. It was like a bad soapie compressed into three minutes. Eventually, Willow moved away.

The conversation that followed was almost frightening.

"You're telling me..."

"Yep."

"And that I'm...."

"Uh-huh."

"And no-one else knows?"

"I wasn't even supposed to tell you. If you're no longer planning to be in a dustpan tomorrow, we'll talk about it then. But in the meantime, we've an apocalypse to avert. Wanna help?"

"You really know how to cheer a bloke up, don't you?" Spike was grinning like the cat that ate the canary. Willow smiled back.

Xander trembled in fear. A happy Spike could never be a good thing.