Summary: Set after The Gift. Buffy's gone, and Spike is protecting Dawn,
that is, until he meets up with some vamps who want to perform a "raising".
Angel comes in to help, but can he? Rated R for violence, gore, and
language.
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns all Buffy characters; I'm just borrowing for my stories.
Rating: R
~PART FIVE~
"I'm done!" Dawn shouted out triumphantly. She started to put her books back in her book bag.
"Are you sure? All of your homework is complete?" Giles asked disbelievingly, raising an eyebrow.
"Yep. It's Friday, so we didn't have that much." Dawn zipped up her book bag and dropped it on the floor.
"Alright, that's good. It's already 8:30. Spike should be back soon," Giles stated, looking up from his watch.
"Ok." Dawn looked down at her hands. "Umm.Giles? Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure Dawn. You know you can ask me anything. You have my full attention." Giles put the book he was reading down on the table and turned to completely face her.
"Can we stay or do you want us to go?" Anya asked, noticing the serious look on Dawn's face. She and her fiancé had arrived at the shop about 20 minutes earlier.
"No, stay. You might be able to help." Dawn smiled at her before taking a deep breath and starting.
"I want to know about vampires." Everyone looked at her blankly. "Well.you see.I'm a little, worried.about Spike," she explained.
"Well, what seems to be the problem?" Giles asked.
"Well...Spike...hasn't been sleeping well lately. At night he has terrible dreams. He cries out, something about Buffy and being sorry. He starts trembling a lot and tossing and turning. I go an' sit with him to make sure he doesn't hurt himself. He...doesn't know that...that I'm there. Then I've noticed that he doesn't sleep...you know...that vampire-y sleep thing to much anymore. And when he does, he wakes up and the slightest sound. And that's not normal. He's not eating enough either. I don't know what's wrong. I'm just worried about him. He isn't acting right. I thought that maybe you guys would know what's wrong and what I should do." Dawn looked up and watched everyone's reaction. They looked worried, even Xander.
"Well, for now we check the books," Giles said.
~PART SIX~
Spike glanced down at his watch. "Bloody hell. Already 8:45." He took out a cigarette and lit it. "Best to head back now." He turned and started walking back through the graveyard to where he had parked the Desoto on the street. He had been patrolling since 7:00 and hadn't seen any demons or vamps. It had been a pretty "dead" night.
Spike took a drag on his fag. He walked past a small patch of short, green bushes when he stopped. He cocked his head slightly and listened. After a few seconds, he shrugged and continued walking. He heard a rustle in the bushes to his right. Just as he turned to face whatever it was that was there, a large form jumped out and tackled him to the cool, damp ground.
Spike fell backwards under the weight of a very heavy vampire. I can easily knock this one, he thought confidently. He gathered his legs under himself and started to rise, knocking the vamp off of him. As Spike pulled out his stake, another vamp talked him from behind. Then another. Then another. Soon there were at least 15 or 16 demons on top of him.
"Get the hell off me! You asses! What the bloody hell is wrong with you lot?" Spike hollered. He could feel his rib cage start to give under the weight. "What, you blokes can't fight me? You have to resort to crushing me to dust?!"
"All right, everyone off. We don't want to crush his little rib cage.yet. Secure his arms and legs. We don't want him running away, now do we?" a voice from the shadows called. Just then a dark figure stepped out into the moonlight. It was a vampire at least 7 foot tall and almost as wide with the look of a long-time weight lifter. He wore a plain red T- shirt and blue jeans, with huge black steel toed boots. A pair of brass knuckles fashioned his right hand.
When most of the vampires had gotten off of him and Spike was able to look up to where the voice had come from, he shivered slightly. He had never seen any human or vampire, and very few demons that were as large as the one standing in front of him. Whatever challenges Spike had in mind quickly disappeared, much to his dismay. He tried desperately to think of a plan to get rid of a monstrously large camp complete with nearly a dozen and a half minions. Spike usually wasn't one for plans, but he admitted it might make him feel a little more at ease with the situation.
"Look mate. There is no problem here," Spike said as the few vamps on top of him began to tie his legs together. "Hey now. No need to tie me up."
"Well, you see, there is a problem. But it can be resolved. And I hope with as little pain to you as possible," the head vampire smiles. "Wait, no, scratch that. The amount of pain really doesn't matter to me."
The member of the gang that were not on top of him moved in, surrounding Spike, who was still laying on the ground. He started to jump up only to be tackled roughly again. "Hey!" he yelled. They began to tie his hands behind his back.
Spike opened his mouth again to holler, but one especially rough vamp took his cigarette that was still hanging out of the corner of his mouth and smoldered it against Spike's cheek. Spike snarled.
"Shut the hell up!" the leader raised his voice. He motioned for a few of his minions to move out of the way as he dealt Spike a particularly vicious kick to his ribs. He smiled in satisfaction at the sound of cracking ribs. "I can see you are going to be a problem."
Spike groaned. "Damn straight! You're not going to tie me up and do anything to me!" Spike yelled back.
"What if I told you we would take you home?" Spike gave the giant a questioning look. "Ifyou give me the information I need, we can let you go. If you don't, then.well.your friends will find you in a very.dusty position," he smiled wickedly.
~PART SEVEN~
Dawn glanced at her watch for the tenth time in ten minutes. "Where is he?" she asked in a panic filled voice, jumping up from her chair and rushing over to stand in front of Giles, who was sitting in a chair by the cash register.
"Dawn, calm down. I'm sure he is just running a little late. It's only quarter after nine," Giles replied calmly, not even looking up from the book he was reading.
"No! You don't understand. Spike is never late to pick me up. NEVER!" Dawn practically screamed.
"Look, if he isn't back in half an hour, we'll call him. Ok?" Giles looked up at her.
"Well, ok. But if he isn't back, I'm really gonna panic," Dawn said before going back over to the research table and sitting down.
"I know."
~~~~~~~~~~TBC
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns all Buffy characters; I'm just borrowing for my stories.
Rating: R
~PART FIVE~
"I'm done!" Dawn shouted out triumphantly. She started to put her books back in her book bag.
"Are you sure? All of your homework is complete?" Giles asked disbelievingly, raising an eyebrow.
"Yep. It's Friday, so we didn't have that much." Dawn zipped up her book bag and dropped it on the floor.
"Alright, that's good. It's already 8:30. Spike should be back soon," Giles stated, looking up from his watch.
"Ok." Dawn looked down at her hands. "Umm.Giles? Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure Dawn. You know you can ask me anything. You have my full attention." Giles put the book he was reading down on the table and turned to completely face her.
"Can we stay or do you want us to go?" Anya asked, noticing the serious look on Dawn's face. She and her fiancé had arrived at the shop about 20 minutes earlier.
"No, stay. You might be able to help." Dawn smiled at her before taking a deep breath and starting.
"I want to know about vampires." Everyone looked at her blankly. "Well.you see.I'm a little, worried.about Spike," she explained.
"Well, what seems to be the problem?" Giles asked.
"Well...Spike...hasn't been sleeping well lately. At night he has terrible dreams. He cries out, something about Buffy and being sorry. He starts trembling a lot and tossing and turning. I go an' sit with him to make sure he doesn't hurt himself. He...doesn't know that...that I'm there. Then I've noticed that he doesn't sleep...you know...that vampire-y sleep thing to much anymore. And when he does, he wakes up and the slightest sound. And that's not normal. He's not eating enough either. I don't know what's wrong. I'm just worried about him. He isn't acting right. I thought that maybe you guys would know what's wrong and what I should do." Dawn looked up and watched everyone's reaction. They looked worried, even Xander.
"Well, for now we check the books," Giles said.
~PART SIX~
Spike glanced down at his watch. "Bloody hell. Already 8:45." He took out a cigarette and lit it. "Best to head back now." He turned and started walking back through the graveyard to where he had parked the Desoto on the street. He had been patrolling since 7:00 and hadn't seen any demons or vamps. It had been a pretty "dead" night.
Spike took a drag on his fag. He walked past a small patch of short, green bushes when he stopped. He cocked his head slightly and listened. After a few seconds, he shrugged and continued walking. He heard a rustle in the bushes to his right. Just as he turned to face whatever it was that was there, a large form jumped out and tackled him to the cool, damp ground.
Spike fell backwards under the weight of a very heavy vampire. I can easily knock this one, he thought confidently. He gathered his legs under himself and started to rise, knocking the vamp off of him. As Spike pulled out his stake, another vamp talked him from behind. Then another. Then another. Soon there were at least 15 or 16 demons on top of him.
"Get the hell off me! You asses! What the bloody hell is wrong with you lot?" Spike hollered. He could feel his rib cage start to give under the weight. "What, you blokes can't fight me? You have to resort to crushing me to dust?!"
"All right, everyone off. We don't want to crush his little rib cage.yet. Secure his arms and legs. We don't want him running away, now do we?" a voice from the shadows called. Just then a dark figure stepped out into the moonlight. It was a vampire at least 7 foot tall and almost as wide with the look of a long-time weight lifter. He wore a plain red T- shirt and blue jeans, with huge black steel toed boots. A pair of brass knuckles fashioned his right hand.
When most of the vampires had gotten off of him and Spike was able to look up to where the voice had come from, he shivered slightly. He had never seen any human or vampire, and very few demons that were as large as the one standing in front of him. Whatever challenges Spike had in mind quickly disappeared, much to his dismay. He tried desperately to think of a plan to get rid of a monstrously large camp complete with nearly a dozen and a half minions. Spike usually wasn't one for plans, but he admitted it might make him feel a little more at ease with the situation.
"Look mate. There is no problem here," Spike said as the few vamps on top of him began to tie his legs together. "Hey now. No need to tie me up."
"Well, you see, there is a problem. But it can be resolved. And I hope with as little pain to you as possible," the head vampire smiles. "Wait, no, scratch that. The amount of pain really doesn't matter to me."
The member of the gang that were not on top of him moved in, surrounding Spike, who was still laying on the ground. He started to jump up only to be tackled roughly again. "Hey!" he yelled. They began to tie his hands behind his back.
Spike opened his mouth again to holler, but one especially rough vamp took his cigarette that was still hanging out of the corner of his mouth and smoldered it against Spike's cheek. Spike snarled.
"Shut the hell up!" the leader raised his voice. He motioned for a few of his minions to move out of the way as he dealt Spike a particularly vicious kick to his ribs. He smiled in satisfaction at the sound of cracking ribs. "I can see you are going to be a problem."
Spike groaned. "Damn straight! You're not going to tie me up and do anything to me!" Spike yelled back.
"What if I told you we would take you home?" Spike gave the giant a questioning look. "Ifyou give me the information I need, we can let you go. If you don't, then.well.your friends will find you in a very.dusty position," he smiled wickedly.
~PART SEVEN~
Dawn glanced at her watch for the tenth time in ten minutes. "Where is he?" she asked in a panic filled voice, jumping up from her chair and rushing over to stand in front of Giles, who was sitting in a chair by the cash register.
"Dawn, calm down. I'm sure he is just running a little late. It's only quarter after nine," Giles replied calmly, not even looking up from the book he was reading.
"No! You don't understand. Spike is never late to pick me up. NEVER!" Dawn practically screamed.
"Look, if he isn't back in half an hour, we'll call him. Ok?" Giles looked up at her.
"Well, ok. But if he isn't back, I'm really gonna panic," Dawn said before going back over to the research table and sitting down.
"I know."
~~~~~~~~~~TBC