"Spike," Anya said peering into the crypt.
Xander had adamantly refused to go. Giles was busy. Tara and Willow figured he would suspect some kind of interplay. A few weeks ago they had practiced their version of the Jedi mind control on him. Xander was not happy, but Anya had always liked Spike.
Spike was sprawling in front of the television.
"Knocking," Spike muttered, "Why can no one learn the art?"
Anya smiled at him. She used her smile usually reserved for people giving her money.
"I would like your help in saving Buffy's life."
"Bloody 'ell woman," Spike said, "Did the Scoobies send you here to tell me that if I go away she lives? Is this some kind of way of revenge? They send Anyaka to proclaim the sentence."
"No, we want you to make sure she is with you next Saturday," Anya said triumphantly.
Spike was confused, "So what is the game that you are playing at."
"I was told not to tell you. You have to trust me. We will make it all okay. However Buffy cannot know."
"And I can't either."
"Well that is what we have figured is best."
"Great," Spike groaned. He cringed at the thought of her life being left in the hands of the Scoobies.
However there was part of him that soared at the thought of Buffy living.
Anya watched him curiously.
"What," he growled.
"I would think that you would be pleased at the idea that she could live."
"Anya, it is more complicated than that."
"How?" she asked honestly.
"Because I can't take this roller-coaster. She lives, she dies. She wants to stake me, she puts up with me. Any second it all could disappear and change again."
"But if you go along with us she lives. You can be together."
"She puts up with me because she thinks it's the end. How long can that last?"
"So you will allow her to die just because you think that she won't love you if she isn't dying."
"I'm soulless. Of course. I got my kicks now I can move on."
"Kicks…oh orgasms. Well that is good, but having a soul doesn't have much to do with you staying."
"Tell Buffy that."
"Do you want me to? I could. I don't have a soul and I love Xander."
"You don't…but you are human."
"I was a demon. I didn't get mine back. I just became human. Souls are tricky things. You had a soul once, you lost it and this created a rift in your personality. It's like sex."
Spike coughed, but waited for Anya to continue.
"You spend so much time attempting the human concept of freedom, that is foreplay, then when you finally have the orgasm you loose your head. You let it take control of you. It feels good at the time, no matter anything else you want to always have that moment. That is what it is like for humans who loose their souls. Constant orgasms."
Anya was happy with her answer, but Spike felt his head swim.
"What are you talkin' at woman?"
Anya sighed, she would complete her mission.
"Okay let's look at it this way. Angel before he turned was not so nice. Therefore when Angelus came around he was the unihibited version of Liam. Liam had no more reason to be good. The demon said that everything he wanted to do was okay. When he was cursed he was given a soul of a nicer person. That is why he had guilt. You are different, I think you started out not being like him. You were nice then. You are nice now. You have sense behind your orgasm."
Her eyes looked into him.
He was not going to tell her about the bleeding sap he had been. However he felt like she knew something about his life, as if she had heard about him before he was turned.
Anya looked at him hard, "You are still who you were and the demon pushes the human around. You can't ever hope to control them, but that doesn't mean that you don't know right from wrong."
"Anya, are you saying that I can have morals without a soul, that morals are codes that you choose to live by."
Anya nodded and rolled her eyes, "Finally. It's easy, don't eat people, don't hurt anyone who doesn't deserve it, and love Buffy."
Spike groaned at her simplicity.
"So you'll do it?" she asked excitedly.
"Fine, I'll distract the Slayer."
Anya left without saying goodbye, she was too excited. They had never given her a mission before, she successfully completed her first task that was her own. She was happy because she knew Xander would be happy.
***
Spike hadn't seen Buffy very much in the last couple of days. He'd very carefully avoided her. It had been hard, but it had been part of his greater plan.
There was a knock on his door, he knew it wasn't Buffy. The only person who had figured out how to knock was Dawn.
"Nibblet," he said without looking up.
"Hi Spike," she said softly.
He couldn't look up at her.
"Tomorrow is the night isn't it."
She had heard. She wasn't supposed to know, but Dawn was never quite what any one expected.
"You don't have to say it I know. They want you to save her. Promise me, promise to try?"
Spike groaned inwardly. There was only one person who had asked him to play the white knight. He had let her down, he had cost Buffy her own life. He forced her to fall. He couldn't save her once. He couldn't bear to let her fall again.
His failings in that had driven him to protect this little girl. For the second time in his un life he swore to protect instead of harm.
When Dawn reluctantly left he found his Jamison and swigged it down.
"I'm worse than the poof," he muttered.
Xander had adamantly refused to go. Giles was busy. Tara and Willow figured he would suspect some kind of interplay. A few weeks ago they had practiced their version of the Jedi mind control on him. Xander was not happy, but Anya had always liked Spike.
Spike was sprawling in front of the television.
"Knocking," Spike muttered, "Why can no one learn the art?"
Anya smiled at him. She used her smile usually reserved for people giving her money.
"I would like your help in saving Buffy's life."
"Bloody 'ell woman," Spike said, "Did the Scoobies send you here to tell me that if I go away she lives? Is this some kind of way of revenge? They send Anyaka to proclaim the sentence."
"No, we want you to make sure she is with you next Saturday," Anya said triumphantly.
Spike was confused, "So what is the game that you are playing at."
"I was told not to tell you. You have to trust me. We will make it all okay. However Buffy cannot know."
"And I can't either."
"Well that is what we have figured is best."
"Great," Spike groaned. He cringed at the thought of her life being left in the hands of the Scoobies.
However there was part of him that soared at the thought of Buffy living.
Anya watched him curiously.
"What," he growled.
"I would think that you would be pleased at the idea that she could live."
"Anya, it is more complicated than that."
"How?" she asked honestly.
"Because I can't take this roller-coaster. She lives, she dies. She wants to stake me, she puts up with me. Any second it all could disappear and change again."
"But if you go along with us she lives. You can be together."
"She puts up with me because she thinks it's the end. How long can that last?"
"So you will allow her to die just because you think that she won't love you if she isn't dying."
"I'm soulless. Of course. I got my kicks now I can move on."
"Kicks…oh orgasms. Well that is good, but having a soul doesn't have much to do with you staying."
"Tell Buffy that."
"Do you want me to? I could. I don't have a soul and I love Xander."
"You don't…but you are human."
"I was a demon. I didn't get mine back. I just became human. Souls are tricky things. You had a soul once, you lost it and this created a rift in your personality. It's like sex."
Spike coughed, but waited for Anya to continue.
"You spend so much time attempting the human concept of freedom, that is foreplay, then when you finally have the orgasm you loose your head. You let it take control of you. It feels good at the time, no matter anything else you want to always have that moment. That is what it is like for humans who loose their souls. Constant orgasms."
Anya was happy with her answer, but Spike felt his head swim.
"What are you talkin' at woman?"
Anya sighed, she would complete her mission.
"Okay let's look at it this way. Angel before he turned was not so nice. Therefore when Angelus came around he was the unihibited version of Liam. Liam had no more reason to be good. The demon said that everything he wanted to do was okay. When he was cursed he was given a soul of a nicer person. That is why he had guilt. You are different, I think you started out not being like him. You were nice then. You are nice now. You have sense behind your orgasm."
Her eyes looked into him.
He was not going to tell her about the bleeding sap he had been. However he felt like she knew something about his life, as if she had heard about him before he was turned.
Anya looked at him hard, "You are still who you were and the demon pushes the human around. You can't ever hope to control them, but that doesn't mean that you don't know right from wrong."
"Anya, are you saying that I can have morals without a soul, that morals are codes that you choose to live by."
Anya nodded and rolled her eyes, "Finally. It's easy, don't eat people, don't hurt anyone who doesn't deserve it, and love Buffy."
Spike groaned at her simplicity.
"So you'll do it?" she asked excitedly.
"Fine, I'll distract the Slayer."
Anya left without saying goodbye, she was too excited. They had never given her a mission before, she successfully completed her first task that was her own. She was happy because she knew Xander would be happy.
***
Spike hadn't seen Buffy very much in the last couple of days. He'd very carefully avoided her. It had been hard, but it had been part of his greater plan.
There was a knock on his door, he knew it wasn't Buffy. The only person who had figured out how to knock was Dawn.
"Nibblet," he said without looking up.
"Hi Spike," she said softly.
He couldn't look up at her.
"Tomorrow is the night isn't it."
She had heard. She wasn't supposed to know, but Dawn was never quite what any one expected.
"You don't have to say it I know. They want you to save her. Promise me, promise to try?"
Spike groaned inwardly. There was only one person who had asked him to play the white knight. He had let her down, he had cost Buffy her own life. He forced her to fall. He couldn't save her once. He couldn't bear to let her fall again.
His failings in that had driven him to protect this little girl. For the second time in his un life he swore to protect instead of harm.
When Dawn reluctantly left he found his Jamison and swigged it down.
"I'm worse than the poof," he muttered.