The light subsided, as did the screams. The demon pulled the spine from
their
stomachs and ran off in the oppisite direction.
Buffy was about to pass out. She felt light headed and dizzy. She leaned back against the ground, clutching her stomach.
Spike managed to turn and move to Buffy's side.
"Luv. Luv? You okay?" he asked, worried.
He pulled off his ruined duster and put it over her, ignoring the unbearable pain in his abdomen. He slowly lifted her in his arms and started towards his crypt.
When he reached it, he placed her on the sarcophogus. She was fading in and out of conciuosness. The spine hadn't hit her spinal cord, but he was sure it had broken a few ribs. He grabbed a first aid kit he kept and went to her side.
He hesistated before lifting her shirt up just enough that he could clean the wound. The spine had been a few centimeters thick and the hole in her stomach was having trouble closing. He didn't have any stitched he could give her, so he simply wrapped it in guaze. He checked his own wound, which was still bleeding a great amount. He did a sloppy job of covering it before turning back to Buffy. She needed to get to a hospital and he knew it. He didn't know if any organs had been puntured, but he did know she was losing blood fast.
He gently picked her up and carried her out into the night. The hospital was about ten minutes away for a car and his Desoto was parked on the other side of town. So, he carried her the short distance to the Magic Box.
He was having diffuculty carrying her. He was becomg weak from the loss of blood and the pain wasn't getting and duller.
Everyone's head shot up as Spike burst through the door with Buffy in his arms.
"Oh, dear lord, what happened?" cried Giles, rushing to assist the vampire.
Giles pushed all of the books off the research table and Spike placed Buffy on top.
Xander came from the back and Anya came from the stock room.
"There was demon," Spike panted. "The one she was talking about earlier. Tried to make a shishcobob out of us."
"A-Are you alright?" asked Giles, unwrapping Buffy's bloody bandages.
"I'm fine. You just tend to the Slayer."
Giles observed the wounds. "She needs to get to a hospital. The wound is very deep."
"Of course it's bloody deep, it went right through 'er!"
Giles barly sent an irritated glance at the vampire. "Xander, start your car. She needs medical attention."
"What were you doing with her?" Xander asked coldly to Spike.
"Dammit, Harris. Go start your bloody car. She's losing blood."
Xander glared at him before running out the front.
Giles placed new bandages on her before allowing Spike to carry her to the car.
"He's not coming," Xander said stubbornly.
"I bloody well am coming," Spike protested.
"Xander, let him come for Christ's sake! He just wants to make sure she's alright," cried Anya.
Xander climbed into the driver's seat and Spike climbed in the back with Giles, with Buffy in his lap.
"How long ago did this happen?" Giles asked.
"'Bout ten minutes ago."
"What were you two doing before then?" Xander asked fron the front.
Spike sighed. "Me and her had been talking. She went out for patrol and that bloody demon attacked her."
"What were you two talking about?"
"None of your soddin' buiness!"
"I'll make it my damn buisness! She's my friend not your-"
"Xander will you shut the Hell up!" Giles bellowed. "He's right! It's none of your bloody buisness, so drop it and drive!"
Xander stared at the street in front of him and the car fell silent.
Spike looked at Buffy's still face and brushed a loose strand of hair out of her eyes.
"Come on, luv," he whispered, holding her close.
//God, my stomach hurts\\ he heard her groan.
His head shot up, but Buffy's face was still and her eyes closed.
"Luv?" he said wearily.
There was no response. Spike figured he was hearing things.
//I'm going bloody crazy\\ he thought.
//Spike!\\ she yelped.
He had been staring straight at her face and she hadn't said a word, but he had recognized her voice.
//What the Hell is going on?\\ she asked.
//I don't know!\\
Giles was giving Spike a strange look from his facial expressions.
"Spike?" Giles asked.
"Huh?" he came out of his daze. "What?"
"Is somthing the matter?"
"Uh, no. Course not."
//Yes there is! I can hear you in my head!\\ she cried.
"It's not my fault," he retorted back at her.
Everyone stared at him from his outburst.
They pulled into the hospital.
//Oh, god. Not another hospital\\ he heard her moan.
//What's wrong with the hospital?\\ he asked.
//They give me the wigguns\\
//Slayer, everything gives you the wigguns.\\
//Yeah, but hospitals give me extra wiggy kind.\\
Spike opened the car door and hauled Buffy out with everyone right behind him.
Her eyes fluttered open as they entered the hospital.
"Oh, god," she groaned.
"S'okay, Luv. We'll take care of you," he whispered.
"Can we get some assistance here?" called Giles.
Two doctors rushed in a strecther. Spike placed Buffy on it.
"What happened?" asked a doctor as he started to roll Buffy into the emergancy room.
"She was stabbed with a pole," Spike told them. "Taking a walk and this wanker comes up with some kind of a pole and it went through her stomach."
"She's losing blood," warned another doctor.
The pushed her through another set of doors, and a nurse kept them from following.
"Sir, you should get some help. Your wound looks worse than hers," said a nurse, touching his bandaged abdomen.
"I don't care about myself. I heal fast. I want to make sure she's alright," he guestured towards the swinging doors.
"A least let me clean you up and put some stitches in you so there's no infection," the nurse pleaded.
Spike sighed agrily. "Fine." He guestured to the group of people somewhere behind him. "Just give me a second."
He walked over to Giles. "Call Nibblet. Tell her what happened. Red's with her."
Giles took his glasses off and cleaned. "Yes, I guess I should inform Dawn on the situation."
"Yeah, well, this bint's bound and determined to fix me up, so I have to go."
The nurse led him to a small room where she cleaned his wounds, did a few stitches, and even though he didn't seem like he had lost great amouts of blood, she gave put some blood in his system to be safe.
"You're lucky it didn't hit any vital organs," she said as he stood.
"Yeah. I'm real lucky."
"I wouldn't suggest you straining any muscles in your abdomen and back," she suggested. "Alot of them were torn or punctured. It's just more pain on your side if you do. Plus, you lost a lot of blood."
"That's what transfusions are for."
"Just don't strain yourself. You'll just hurt yourself more."
"I'll do that."
He pulled his bloody shirt back over his head. Buffy still had his duster. He started thinking of how Buffy was doing.
//I'm fine, Spike\\ she told him when she heard him thinking about her.
//That's good\\
//How are you? You got skeward, too\\
//Just fine and dandy. A few stitches and a little blood\\
//Same here. Except I was unconsious the whole time. God, I feel like a wuss for passing out\\
//At least you survived\\
//You know, we've been sitting here having complete mind sight conversations and it didn't even accure that this is a little weird\\
//I'm guessing it had something to do with what kind of demon he was and the fact that we were both shishcobobed at the same time\\
//Plus that light was wierd\\
//What light? I was too busy screaming my 'ead off to notice. Painful it was\\
//No kidding\\
By this time, he had come to the waiting room where everyone was sitting.
To his surprise, Dawn jumped up and wrapped him in a bug hug.
He groaned as she put pressure on his wound.
"Oh, sorry," she apoligized, moving back. Then, she hit his arm. "Don't scare me like that! Giles called and said you too got stabbed and I was worried sick."
He grinned at her concern.
"How's Buffy?"
"She's fine."
"Oh," said Giles, standing up. "Did you talk to the doctors?"
"Uh, no. Watcher, I need to talk to you about something."
He pulled Giles over to a corner.
"Something happened. There was some kind of light when we got stabbed."
"A light?"
"Well, I wouldn't know. Buffy said there was. Anyway, the point is, I can read her bloody thoughts!"
"You can read her mind?" Giles said, confused.
"I hear her in my head and she can hear me."
"Oh, dear."
Giled pulled his glasses off to clean them.
"There must be something about the demon that Buffy hadn't told us," Gile said to himself. "The description she gave us didn't describe any demons besides that one last year and it's spine contracted into it's wrist and didn't make someone have mind sight."
"Well, I suggest you consult those bloody books of yours, cause I'd like to know how it happened."
"You don't seem very....happy..about being able to comute with Buffy in a mind base."
"Watcher, I'm already having a bloody good time trying to keep away from her before someone stakes me, you think I want to invade her mind?"
"No, I suppose not, but this could be, uh, useful. Being able to communicate without speaking could have its perks."
Spike sighed. "Fine. Give it perks. Make it useful. I don't bloody care."
//Spike, be nice\\ Buffy told him.
"What'd I do?" whined Spike.
"Excuse me?" said Giles, giving him another strange look.
//He's right. It could be useful\\
//No one seems to realize the effect this has on me and my staying away from you\\
//Since when do you want to stay away from me?\\
//Luv, I don't, really, but I'm not screwing up whatever friendship we're getting by doing or saying something stupid. Now that I can read you thoughts, and you can read mine, I'm gonna feel like a school boy everytime I'm near you. More than that, anytime I start to think about you\\
He heard her laugh in his head.
//Glad you found that amusing, luv\\
//Sorry. But, don't worry. Maybe we can figure out how to control this. That way, if you don't want me to hear you, I won't\\
//I hope\\
"Hey, Spike," called Dawn, snapping him back to reality. "The doctor says we can see her."
He nodded.
//Comin' to see you, luv\\
//Good. It's getting lonely\\
The doctor led thim to a room while Buffy was sitting in bed.
"Hey, guys," she greeted.
Dawn went up to Buffy and hugged her fercily, making sure to avoid her stomach.
"I'm so glad you're okay," Dawn gushed.
"I'm glad I'm okay, too," Buffy replied.
Dawn pulled away.
"Uh, Buffy," said Giles, stepping forward. "The doctor says because of the severity of your wounds and blood loss, they want to keep you overnight."
"What?" Buffy's eyes widened. "No. No. I don't want to stay here. Remeber what happened last time I got stuck in a hospital?"
"Yes, I am aware, but you should stay. You broke a few ribs when the spine went through you and you also have an arm broken in three different places. The doctors want to make sure you don't suffer any internal bleeding."
"But what about Spike?" she pointed out helplessly. "He was stabbed too. He doesn't have to stay in the clean version of Hell."
"Maybe, cause, I'm already dead, luv," Spike grinned. "I don't need watching over. A pint o' blood and I'll be good as new."
Buffy leaned against the bed in a pout, arms folded across her chest.
//God, I love it when she pouts\\ he thought mentally, before realizing Buffy had heard him.
He saw the edges of her mouth turn up in a restrained smile. She bit her lip to keep from laughing.
"What so funny, Buffy?" asked Willow.
//Now they think I'm crazy too. Thanks alot\\
//Glad to be of service, luv\\
"Nothing, Will," Buffy brushed off. "So, uh, I have to stay here for a whole night. Someone want to stay with me?"
"I would, but school starts tomorrow," admitted Dawn. "Don't want to miss the first day of school."
"Same with me," added Willow. "That which is UC Sunnydale calls me."
"I have to be at the site early tomorrow morning," Xander said. "Sorry, Buff."
"The Magic Box opens tomorrow," announced Anya. "I must be there for the 'back to school' sale."
"Anya, your store doesn't carry anything for school," said Willow.
"Actually, we do. Little enchanted pencils and pens that write whatever you say. And notebooks that read what you write. Plus, if you're a Wiccan, it's a very good place to be. Like Harry Potter."
Buffy raised an eyebrow at the perky blonde and then turned to Giles.
"I-I guess I could stay for a little while," Giles suggested. "But I really should get home and research this, ah, demon. See of the side effects it might have on one."
Buffy eyed him, turned her gaze to Spike, then back to Giles. Giles nodded slightly, then pulled off his glasses to clean them.
Buffy looked at Spike.
//You can stay if you want\\ she told him.
//Remember what I said before? I don't want to mess this up by invading your space\\
//You'd only be invading my space if I hadn't asked you in the first place\\
//But-\\
//Unless you have a good reason to go, you're staying. I'm not staying in this death trap all night by myself\\
//What about your mates?\\
//Come back after they leave, unless you want to start a confrontation in which I bite Xander's head off if he disagrees\\
//As much as I would enjoy that, luv, I'll just come back after Watcher's gone\\
//Okay\\
The others had been looking at them weirdly when they had started staring at each other.
Anya waved a hand in front of Buffy's face. "Hello, earth to Buffy. I thought you were over the whole Spike thing." Anya rocked back on her heals. "I know I am," she added to herself.
Buffy snapped out of her daze and blushed a deep crimson.
"Oh, uh, sorry." Pause. "You guys, I need to tell you something about when we got stabbed."
The others waited.
"Yeah. Anyway, Spike can kind of... read my mind. And I can read his."
"You mean, like, mind sight?" questioned Anya.
Buffy shrugged. "Guess so."
"Well, what sort of limits does this go?" asked Willow. "Do you hurt when he's hurt? Can you see what he sees?"
Buffy shrugged again.
"Well, this is an easy one," said Xander coming up behind Spike and smacking him hard across the back of his head.
"Ow!" Spike cried, clutching his head, glaring at Xander.
Willow turned to Buffy. "So?"
"I didn't really feel it..in the physical sense. It was like I felt it, but it didn't hurt me."
"Okay. Now let's see if you can see what he can." Willow grabbed Spike's arm and pulled him into the small bathroom connected to the room.
"What something she would never think I would do?" asked Willow.
Spike set her in a position on the ground, squatted with her hands hanging loosly inside her legs, and her middle finger on her right hand in the air.
"Am I going to be damned for doing this?" asked Willow, gesturing at her finger.
"Not as far as I know," he replied. He opened the door slightly, "Go ahead, luv."
Buffy closed her eyes and concentrated on what Spike could be looking at. At a few moments, she got a good picture of what Willow was doing.
"Oh my god!" Spike and Willow heard Buffy cry from the next room.
Willow burst into giggles and fell over. Spike grinned and helped Willow to her feet. They came out of the bathroom, Willow still giggling.
"I can't believe you made her do that!" exclaimed Buffy. She noticed Xander was about to say something and by the look on his face it was going to be mean and hateful and directed towards Spike. "Xander, if you say one word, I will knock you unconsious myself."
Xander gave her an unbelieving look, before huffing and turning away angrily.
"So, that test concluded that Buffy can see what Spike sees," said Willow once she got her giggles under control. "And I'm guessing it works the oppisite way also."
"Can they see what they think?" Dawn asked, interested in all of these tests being done.
"Huh?" Buffy said, not know what she was getting at.
"I mean, if Spike was, like, thinking about how you look or something, would you be able to see what he was imagining or thinking about?"
Buffy shrugged. "It's worth a try."
She closed her eyes and concentrated. Suddenly she was hit with a whirl of memories that seemed like they were on fast forward.
~ First she saw herself, kissing him for the very first time after Glory had tortured him. Then, she was at the door.
"What you did for me and Dawn...that was real...I won't forget it." Then she saw herself swan-diving off the tower into the energy tare. Then she when she had first come back. How he had held her battered hands a few moments before her friends had burst in. A few times flashed by when they had been sharing a decent conversation with him. Then she saw herself as he kissed her after the musical extravaganza. Then kissing him in the Bronze. Then the night in the abandoned building.
"You're just...convenient." A rage of emotion went over her as she saw herself say those words. She a few other times they had had together. The Bronze, behind the DMP, at his crypt, when Riley had burst in. Then time almost froze.
She saw herself under him. Screaming and pushing and shouting. Him taring at her robe. She fell back against the bed as she was hit with such a wave of remorse and pain when she had kicked him off of her, it took her breath away.
"Now tell me why I could never love you!" ~
Buffy eyes flew open and met his shocked ones. He looked panicked. She obviously wasn't suppose to see that.
"I-I have to go," he said quickly, rushing out of the room.
"Wait," Buffy cried, jumping out of bed, but a few pairs of hands pushed her back.
"Buffy, stay. I'll find him," assured Willow.
Willow left the room. She looked up and down the halls and didn't see him anywhere. She moved down the halls and into the waiting room. He wasn't there either.
"Damn, he moves fast," she muttered to herself.
She looked down a few more halls. Nothing. Then she stepped outside. She didn't see him, but something told her to look around the corner. She did, and there he was. Sitting on the ground with his back against the wall. She noticed for the first time that his hair no longer looked so white and bright. Dirty blonde curly hair was what it was now. His eyes were shining in the moonlight, telling Willow that the vampire was close to tears. She slowly approached him and took a seat on the soft grass next to him.
Spike had been getting message after message from Buffy, but he ignored them. That was his most hated memory. The one thing he had been afraid she would see while she was doing her little mind search. The last thing he had wanted was for her to relive that memory. Even though she may not have tecnically 'relived' it, she had seen it play through his mind like a video tape. The memory that haunted his dreams and brought his soul to life.
He eyed Willow as she sat down next to him. He didn't want to talk about it. Especially any of Buffy's friends. He felt his eyes sting at the salty tears.
"What happened back there?" Willow asked softly.
"She read my mind. Saw what I saw. Your little test worked. Congradulations."
"What made you run away like that? Was it something she saw? Something you saw?"
"Red, I know you're trying to be a good mate and help your friend, but I really don't fancy going over what I let her see."
"So, she did see something. And you didn't wanted her to," she concluded.
He chuckled lightly as a single tear fell over his cheek. "I would rather be staked and sent to Hell before letting her see that one."
Willow nodded. She was starting to figure out what Buffy had seen. "Was it...the thing that happened? That... thing... that Xander keeps locked up, waiting for a chance to use it against you?"
Spike tilted his head to the side. "I guess you could call it that."
//Spike, come on, answer me\\ Buffy pleaded.
//What do you want, luv?\\
//What's wrong? Why'd you runaway? My friends are going crazy trying to get me to tell them what I saw\\
//So tell them\\
//Why are you being so short with me?\\ she replied angrily.
He went to stand and Willow stood by him.
"Just let me be for a while," he told both of them before stalking off.
//I'll be back when Rupert leaves\\ he told her.
//Okay\\
Spike walked the rest of the way to his cemetary. It took him a good half hour but he made it. When Spike entered the crypt, he leaned against the wall and sighed in relief. Then he slowly slid down the wall until he was on the floor. He remembered everything Buffy had seen. He had been trying to think of just one thing to think about, but she started her little mind sight so soon that he had all of these memories flash through his head. He hadn't meant to think of the last one. That was the one he was fighting back not to see, but he did, and she saw it.
He started thinking about them an hour ago. Talking, laughing, making conversation. She was right, he did like to just sit and talk. It made him feel closer to her than he really was. Angel. Riley. They had all been close to her. Spike may have had her body more, but they had her heart, which is what he wanted more than anything.
He started to think about how much he had screwed up. He had tried to make her a creature of the night when she belonged in the light of day. He pulled her away from her friends.
"How does she not hate me?" he asked himself.
//Because you've done more good than bad\\ her reply came. She had been watching and listening to his thoughts.
//Yeah, I've done a world of good to you\\
//Spike, what you did was the first bad thing you have done in the past two years. That doesn't mean what you did wasn't wrong, but it's not as bad as you make it out to be\\
//Yes it is\\
//....Okay, maybe it is. But I told you that I forgave you. I'm giving you a chance to make things better, but you can't if your so afraid to get near me\\
//Luv, I-\\
//Hey, the guys are leaving. So, get your ass over here. We can talk then\\
He sighed. //Okay, luv\\
//And don't take to long! I don't like it here\\
He smiled before picking himself up. He made sure to grab a bag of blood and get it down before heading out.
He made a point of taking a few minutes. He took his motorcycle, but he kind of road around town for a few minutes to clear his head before heading to the hospital.
He walked into the building and started towards her room. Then he heard the scooby gang up ahead and ducked around a corner.
//You said they were gone\\ he hissed at her.
//They aren't yet? They left about ten minutes ago\\
//Well, they're still there\\
//Oh well, you can wait\\
He sighed. A few minutes later, the gang passed through the hall. Spike didn't catch the conversation and he didn't really care. He went to come around the corner.
And ran straight into Dawn.
He jumped a little. "Bloody hell," he muttered.
"Did I scare you?" she asked with a smirk. He cursed himself for ever showing her that smirk. "You heading up to Buffy's room?" she asked.
He sighed and ran a head through his hair. "Yeah. But don't tell your mates. I don't need a confrontation tonight."
"I think you already covered that. Buffy never did say why you ran out the way you did."
"Well, if your sis don't want you to know, I'm not tellin' either."
Dawn sighed. "Fine. Anyway, it's probably something I don't want to know."
"Yeah," he muttered.
She saw the pained look in his eyes and dropped the subject. "Well I need to get going. Have a nice night."
"Bye, Nibs."
Dawn turned and walked off.
Buffy was about to pass out. She felt light headed and dizzy. She leaned back against the ground, clutching her stomach.
Spike managed to turn and move to Buffy's side.
"Luv. Luv? You okay?" he asked, worried.
He pulled off his ruined duster and put it over her, ignoring the unbearable pain in his abdomen. He slowly lifted her in his arms and started towards his crypt.
When he reached it, he placed her on the sarcophogus. She was fading in and out of conciuosness. The spine hadn't hit her spinal cord, but he was sure it had broken a few ribs. He grabbed a first aid kit he kept and went to her side.
He hesistated before lifting her shirt up just enough that he could clean the wound. The spine had been a few centimeters thick and the hole in her stomach was having trouble closing. He didn't have any stitched he could give her, so he simply wrapped it in guaze. He checked his own wound, which was still bleeding a great amount. He did a sloppy job of covering it before turning back to Buffy. She needed to get to a hospital and he knew it. He didn't know if any organs had been puntured, but he did know she was losing blood fast.
He gently picked her up and carried her out into the night. The hospital was about ten minutes away for a car and his Desoto was parked on the other side of town. So, he carried her the short distance to the Magic Box.
He was having diffuculty carrying her. He was becomg weak from the loss of blood and the pain wasn't getting and duller.
Everyone's head shot up as Spike burst through the door with Buffy in his arms.
"Oh, dear lord, what happened?" cried Giles, rushing to assist the vampire.
Giles pushed all of the books off the research table and Spike placed Buffy on top.
Xander came from the back and Anya came from the stock room.
"There was demon," Spike panted. "The one she was talking about earlier. Tried to make a shishcobob out of us."
"A-Are you alright?" asked Giles, unwrapping Buffy's bloody bandages.
"I'm fine. You just tend to the Slayer."
Giles observed the wounds. "She needs to get to a hospital. The wound is very deep."
"Of course it's bloody deep, it went right through 'er!"
Giles barly sent an irritated glance at the vampire. "Xander, start your car. She needs medical attention."
"What were you doing with her?" Xander asked coldly to Spike.
"Dammit, Harris. Go start your bloody car. She's losing blood."
Xander glared at him before running out the front.
Giles placed new bandages on her before allowing Spike to carry her to the car.
"He's not coming," Xander said stubbornly.
"I bloody well am coming," Spike protested.
"Xander, let him come for Christ's sake! He just wants to make sure she's alright," cried Anya.
Xander climbed into the driver's seat and Spike climbed in the back with Giles, with Buffy in his lap.
"How long ago did this happen?" Giles asked.
"'Bout ten minutes ago."
"What were you two doing before then?" Xander asked fron the front.
Spike sighed. "Me and her had been talking. She went out for patrol and that bloody demon attacked her."
"What were you two talking about?"
"None of your soddin' buiness!"
"I'll make it my damn buisness! She's my friend not your-"
"Xander will you shut the Hell up!" Giles bellowed. "He's right! It's none of your bloody buisness, so drop it and drive!"
Xander stared at the street in front of him and the car fell silent.
Spike looked at Buffy's still face and brushed a loose strand of hair out of her eyes.
"Come on, luv," he whispered, holding her close.
//God, my stomach hurts\\ he heard her groan.
His head shot up, but Buffy's face was still and her eyes closed.
"Luv?" he said wearily.
There was no response. Spike figured he was hearing things.
//I'm going bloody crazy\\ he thought.
//Spike!\\ she yelped.
He had been staring straight at her face and she hadn't said a word, but he had recognized her voice.
//What the Hell is going on?\\ she asked.
//I don't know!\\
Giles was giving Spike a strange look from his facial expressions.
"Spike?" Giles asked.
"Huh?" he came out of his daze. "What?"
"Is somthing the matter?"
"Uh, no. Course not."
//Yes there is! I can hear you in my head!\\ she cried.
"It's not my fault," he retorted back at her.
Everyone stared at him from his outburst.
They pulled into the hospital.
//Oh, god. Not another hospital\\ he heard her moan.
//What's wrong with the hospital?\\ he asked.
//They give me the wigguns\\
//Slayer, everything gives you the wigguns.\\
//Yeah, but hospitals give me extra wiggy kind.\\
Spike opened the car door and hauled Buffy out with everyone right behind him.
Her eyes fluttered open as they entered the hospital.
"Oh, god," she groaned.
"S'okay, Luv. We'll take care of you," he whispered.
"Can we get some assistance here?" called Giles.
Two doctors rushed in a strecther. Spike placed Buffy on it.
"What happened?" asked a doctor as he started to roll Buffy into the emergancy room.
"She was stabbed with a pole," Spike told them. "Taking a walk and this wanker comes up with some kind of a pole and it went through her stomach."
"She's losing blood," warned another doctor.
The pushed her through another set of doors, and a nurse kept them from following.
"Sir, you should get some help. Your wound looks worse than hers," said a nurse, touching his bandaged abdomen.
"I don't care about myself. I heal fast. I want to make sure she's alright," he guestured towards the swinging doors.
"A least let me clean you up and put some stitches in you so there's no infection," the nurse pleaded.
Spike sighed agrily. "Fine." He guestured to the group of people somewhere behind him. "Just give me a second."
He walked over to Giles. "Call Nibblet. Tell her what happened. Red's with her."
Giles took his glasses off and cleaned. "Yes, I guess I should inform Dawn on the situation."
"Yeah, well, this bint's bound and determined to fix me up, so I have to go."
The nurse led him to a small room where she cleaned his wounds, did a few stitches, and even though he didn't seem like he had lost great amouts of blood, she gave put some blood in his system to be safe.
"You're lucky it didn't hit any vital organs," she said as he stood.
"Yeah. I'm real lucky."
"I wouldn't suggest you straining any muscles in your abdomen and back," she suggested. "Alot of them were torn or punctured. It's just more pain on your side if you do. Plus, you lost a lot of blood."
"That's what transfusions are for."
"Just don't strain yourself. You'll just hurt yourself more."
"I'll do that."
He pulled his bloody shirt back over his head. Buffy still had his duster. He started thinking of how Buffy was doing.
//I'm fine, Spike\\ she told him when she heard him thinking about her.
//That's good\\
//How are you? You got skeward, too\\
//Just fine and dandy. A few stitches and a little blood\\
//Same here. Except I was unconsious the whole time. God, I feel like a wuss for passing out\\
//At least you survived\\
//You know, we've been sitting here having complete mind sight conversations and it didn't even accure that this is a little weird\\
//I'm guessing it had something to do with what kind of demon he was and the fact that we were both shishcobobed at the same time\\
//Plus that light was wierd\\
//What light? I was too busy screaming my 'ead off to notice. Painful it was\\
//No kidding\\
By this time, he had come to the waiting room where everyone was sitting.
To his surprise, Dawn jumped up and wrapped him in a bug hug.
He groaned as she put pressure on his wound.
"Oh, sorry," she apoligized, moving back. Then, she hit his arm. "Don't scare me like that! Giles called and said you too got stabbed and I was worried sick."
He grinned at her concern.
"How's Buffy?"
"She's fine."
"Oh," said Giles, standing up. "Did you talk to the doctors?"
"Uh, no. Watcher, I need to talk to you about something."
He pulled Giles over to a corner.
"Something happened. There was some kind of light when we got stabbed."
"A light?"
"Well, I wouldn't know. Buffy said there was. Anyway, the point is, I can read her bloody thoughts!"
"You can read her mind?" Giles said, confused.
"I hear her in my head and she can hear me."
"Oh, dear."
Giled pulled his glasses off to clean them.
"There must be something about the demon that Buffy hadn't told us," Gile said to himself. "The description she gave us didn't describe any demons besides that one last year and it's spine contracted into it's wrist and didn't make someone have mind sight."
"Well, I suggest you consult those bloody books of yours, cause I'd like to know how it happened."
"You don't seem very....happy..about being able to comute with Buffy in a mind base."
"Watcher, I'm already having a bloody good time trying to keep away from her before someone stakes me, you think I want to invade her mind?"
"No, I suppose not, but this could be, uh, useful. Being able to communicate without speaking could have its perks."
Spike sighed. "Fine. Give it perks. Make it useful. I don't bloody care."
//Spike, be nice\\ Buffy told him.
"What'd I do?" whined Spike.
"Excuse me?" said Giles, giving him another strange look.
//He's right. It could be useful\\
//No one seems to realize the effect this has on me and my staying away from you\\
//Since when do you want to stay away from me?\\
//Luv, I don't, really, but I'm not screwing up whatever friendship we're getting by doing or saying something stupid. Now that I can read you thoughts, and you can read mine, I'm gonna feel like a school boy everytime I'm near you. More than that, anytime I start to think about you\\
He heard her laugh in his head.
//Glad you found that amusing, luv\\
//Sorry. But, don't worry. Maybe we can figure out how to control this. That way, if you don't want me to hear you, I won't\\
//I hope\\
"Hey, Spike," called Dawn, snapping him back to reality. "The doctor says we can see her."
He nodded.
//Comin' to see you, luv\\
//Good. It's getting lonely\\
The doctor led thim to a room while Buffy was sitting in bed.
"Hey, guys," she greeted.
Dawn went up to Buffy and hugged her fercily, making sure to avoid her stomach.
"I'm so glad you're okay," Dawn gushed.
"I'm glad I'm okay, too," Buffy replied.
Dawn pulled away.
"Uh, Buffy," said Giles, stepping forward. "The doctor says because of the severity of your wounds and blood loss, they want to keep you overnight."
"What?" Buffy's eyes widened. "No. No. I don't want to stay here. Remeber what happened last time I got stuck in a hospital?"
"Yes, I am aware, but you should stay. You broke a few ribs when the spine went through you and you also have an arm broken in three different places. The doctors want to make sure you don't suffer any internal bleeding."
"But what about Spike?" she pointed out helplessly. "He was stabbed too. He doesn't have to stay in the clean version of Hell."
"Maybe, cause, I'm already dead, luv," Spike grinned. "I don't need watching over. A pint o' blood and I'll be good as new."
Buffy leaned against the bed in a pout, arms folded across her chest.
//God, I love it when she pouts\\ he thought mentally, before realizing Buffy had heard him.
He saw the edges of her mouth turn up in a restrained smile. She bit her lip to keep from laughing.
"What so funny, Buffy?" asked Willow.
//Now they think I'm crazy too. Thanks alot\\
//Glad to be of service, luv\\
"Nothing, Will," Buffy brushed off. "So, uh, I have to stay here for a whole night. Someone want to stay with me?"
"I would, but school starts tomorrow," admitted Dawn. "Don't want to miss the first day of school."
"Same with me," added Willow. "That which is UC Sunnydale calls me."
"I have to be at the site early tomorrow morning," Xander said. "Sorry, Buff."
"The Magic Box opens tomorrow," announced Anya. "I must be there for the 'back to school' sale."
"Anya, your store doesn't carry anything for school," said Willow.
"Actually, we do. Little enchanted pencils and pens that write whatever you say. And notebooks that read what you write. Plus, if you're a Wiccan, it's a very good place to be. Like Harry Potter."
Buffy raised an eyebrow at the perky blonde and then turned to Giles.
"I-I guess I could stay for a little while," Giles suggested. "But I really should get home and research this, ah, demon. See of the side effects it might have on one."
Buffy eyed him, turned her gaze to Spike, then back to Giles. Giles nodded slightly, then pulled off his glasses to clean them.
Buffy looked at Spike.
//You can stay if you want\\ she told him.
//Remember what I said before? I don't want to mess this up by invading your space\\
//You'd only be invading my space if I hadn't asked you in the first place\\
//But-\\
//Unless you have a good reason to go, you're staying. I'm not staying in this death trap all night by myself\\
//What about your mates?\\
//Come back after they leave, unless you want to start a confrontation in which I bite Xander's head off if he disagrees\\
//As much as I would enjoy that, luv, I'll just come back after Watcher's gone\\
//Okay\\
The others had been looking at them weirdly when they had started staring at each other.
Anya waved a hand in front of Buffy's face. "Hello, earth to Buffy. I thought you were over the whole Spike thing." Anya rocked back on her heals. "I know I am," she added to herself.
Buffy snapped out of her daze and blushed a deep crimson.
"Oh, uh, sorry." Pause. "You guys, I need to tell you something about when we got stabbed."
The others waited.
"Yeah. Anyway, Spike can kind of... read my mind. And I can read his."
"You mean, like, mind sight?" questioned Anya.
Buffy shrugged. "Guess so."
"Well, what sort of limits does this go?" asked Willow. "Do you hurt when he's hurt? Can you see what he sees?"
Buffy shrugged again.
"Well, this is an easy one," said Xander coming up behind Spike and smacking him hard across the back of his head.
"Ow!" Spike cried, clutching his head, glaring at Xander.
Willow turned to Buffy. "So?"
"I didn't really feel it..in the physical sense. It was like I felt it, but it didn't hurt me."
"Okay. Now let's see if you can see what he can." Willow grabbed Spike's arm and pulled him into the small bathroom connected to the room.
"What something she would never think I would do?" asked Willow.
Spike set her in a position on the ground, squatted with her hands hanging loosly inside her legs, and her middle finger on her right hand in the air.
"Am I going to be damned for doing this?" asked Willow, gesturing at her finger.
"Not as far as I know," he replied. He opened the door slightly, "Go ahead, luv."
Buffy closed her eyes and concentrated on what Spike could be looking at. At a few moments, she got a good picture of what Willow was doing.
"Oh my god!" Spike and Willow heard Buffy cry from the next room.
Willow burst into giggles and fell over. Spike grinned and helped Willow to her feet. They came out of the bathroom, Willow still giggling.
"I can't believe you made her do that!" exclaimed Buffy. She noticed Xander was about to say something and by the look on his face it was going to be mean and hateful and directed towards Spike. "Xander, if you say one word, I will knock you unconsious myself."
Xander gave her an unbelieving look, before huffing and turning away angrily.
"So, that test concluded that Buffy can see what Spike sees," said Willow once she got her giggles under control. "And I'm guessing it works the oppisite way also."
"Can they see what they think?" Dawn asked, interested in all of these tests being done.
"Huh?" Buffy said, not know what she was getting at.
"I mean, if Spike was, like, thinking about how you look or something, would you be able to see what he was imagining or thinking about?"
Buffy shrugged. "It's worth a try."
She closed her eyes and concentrated. Suddenly she was hit with a whirl of memories that seemed like they were on fast forward.
~ First she saw herself, kissing him for the very first time after Glory had tortured him. Then, she was at the door.
"What you did for me and Dawn...that was real...I won't forget it." Then she saw herself swan-diving off the tower into the energy tare. Then she when she had first come back. How he had held her battered hands a few moments before her friends had burst in. A few times flashed by when they had been sharing a decent conversation with him. Then she saw herself as he kissed her after the musical extravaganza. Then kissing him in the Bronze. Then the night in the abandoned building.
"You're just...convenient." A rage of emotion went over her as she saw herself say those words. She a few other times they had had together. The Bronze, behind the DMP, at his crypt, when Riley had burst in. Then time almost froze.
She saw herself under him. Screaming and pushing and shouting. Him taring at her robe. She fell back against the bed as she was hit with such a wave of remorse and pain when she had kicked him off of her, it took her breath away.
"Now tell me why I could never love you!" ~
Buffy eyes flew open and met his shocked ones. He looked panicked. She obviously wasn't suppose to see that.
"I-I have to go," he said quickly, rushing out of the room.
"Wait," Buffy cried, jumping out of bed, but a few pairs of hands pushed her back.
"Buffy, stay. I'll find him," assured Willow.
Willow left the room. She looked up and down the halls and didn't see him anywhere. She moved down the halls and into the waiting room. He wasn't there either.
"Damn, he moves fast," she muttered to herself.
She looked down a few more halls. Nothing. Then she stepped outside. She didn't see him, but something told her to look around the corner. She did, and there he was. Sitting on the ground with his back against the wall. She noticed for the first time that his hair no longer looked so white and bright. Dirty blonde curly hair was what it was now. His eyes were shining in the moonlight, telling Willow that the vampire was close to tears. She slowly approached him and took a seat on the soft grass next to him.
Spike had been getting message after message from Buffy, but he ignored them. That was his most hated memory. The one thing he had been afraid she would see while she was doing her little mind search. The last thing he had wanted was for her to relive that memory. Even though she may not have tecnically 'relived' it, she had seen it play through his mind like a video tape. The memory that haunted his dreams and brought his soul to life.
He eyed Willow as she sat down next to him. He didn't want to talk about it. Especially any of Buffy's friends. He felt his eyes sting at the salty tears.
"What happened back there?" Willow asked softly.
"She read my mind. Saw what I saw. Your little test worked. Congradulations."
"What made you run away like that? Was it something she saw? Something you saw?"
"Red, I know you're trying to be a good mate and help your friend, but I really don't fancy going over what I let her see."
"So, she did see something. And you didn't wanted her to," she concluded.
He chuckled lightly as a single tear fell over his cheek. "I would rather be staked and sent to Hell before letting her see that one."
Willow nodded. She was starting to figure out what Buffy had seen. "Was it...the thing that happened? That... thing... that Xander keeps locked up, waiting for a chance to use it against you?"
Spike tilted his head to the side. "I guess you could call it that."
//Spike, come on, answer me\\ Buffy pleaded.
//What do you want, luv?\\
//What's wrong? Why'd you runaway? My friends are going crazy trying to get me to tell them what I saw\\
//So tell them\\
//Why are you being so short with me?\\ she replied angrily.
He went to stand and Willow stood by him.
"Just let me be for a while," he told both of them before stalking off.
//I'll be back when Rupert leaves\\ he told her.
//Okay\\
Spike walked the rest of the way to his cemetary. It took him a good half hour but he made it. When Spike entered the crypt, he leaned against the wall and sighed in relief. Then he slowly slid down the wall until he was on the floor. He remembered everything Buffy had seen. He had been trying to think of just one thing to think about, but she started her little mind sight so soon that he had all of these memories flash through his head. He hadn't meant to think of the last one. That was the one he was fighting back not to see, but he did, and she saw it.
He started thinking about them an hour ago. Talking, laughing, making conversation. She was right, he did like to just sit and talk. It made him feel closer to her than he really was. Angel. Riley. They had all been close to her. Spike may have had her body more, but they had her heart, which is what he wanted more than anything.
He started to think about how much he had screwed up. He had tried to make her a creature of the night when she belonged in the light of day. He pulled her away from her friends.
"How does she not hate me?" he asked himself.
//Because you've done more good than bad\\ her reply came. She had been watching and listening to his thoughts.
//Yeah, I've done a world of good to you\\
//Spike, what you did was the first bad thing you have done in the past two years. That doesn't mean what you did wasn't wrong, but it's not as bad as you make it out to be\\
//Yes it is\\
//....Okay, maybe it is. But I told you that I forgave you. I'm giving you a chance to make things better, but you can't if your so afraid to get near me\\
//Luv, I-\\
//Hey, the guys are leaving. So, get your ass over here. We can talk then\\
He sighed. //Okay, luv\\
//And don't take to long! I don't like it here\\
He smiled before picking himself up. He made sure to grab a bag of blood and get it down before heading out.
He made a point of taking a few minutes. He took his motorcycle, but he kind of road around town for a few minutes to clear his head before heading to the hospital.
He walked into the building and started towards her room. Then he heard the scooby gang up ahead and ducked around a corner.
//You said they were gone\\ he hissed at her.
//They aren't yet? They left about ten minutes ago\\
//Well, they're still there\\
//Oh well, you can wait\\
He sighed. A few minutes later, the gang passed through the hall. Spike didn't catch the conversation and he didn't really care. He went to come around the corner.
And ran straight into Dawn.
He jumped a little. "Bloody hell," he muttered.
"Did I scare you?" she asked with a smirk. He cursed himself for ever showing her that smirk. "You heading up to Buffy's room?" she asked.
He sighed and ran a head through his hair. "Yeah. But don't tell your mates. I don't need a confrontation tonight."
"I think you already covered that. Buffy never did say why you ran out the way you did."
"Well, if your sis don't want you to know, I'm not tellin' either."
Dawn sighed. "Fine. Anyway, it's probably something I don't want to know."
"Yeah," he muttered.
She saw the pained look in his eyes and dropped the subject. "Well I need to get going. Have a nice night."
"Bye, Nibs."
Dawn turned and walked off.