I just wanted you all to know that I'm really sorry about leaving you off
where I did. That's not AT ALL where I had wanted to end that chap BUT I
had accidentally uploaded something that I DID NOT want downloaded and the
only way to not let you see it, was to replace it with another,
unfortunately unfinished, chap. Well, this is pretty much the last chap,
continued. So, just pick up where the last left off.
*****
Buffy's eyes opened to meet his, who had woken up.
Buffy bit her lip, afraid that he would be mad that she had been invading his dreams.
Her fear was washed away with relief as he smirked.
"Couldn't stay away, could you, pet?" he said.
"Yeah right," she retorted, even though he could see a light blush cover her cheeks.
Buffy glanced over at a clock on the wall. "I should call Giles. He can come get us."
"Where'm I gonna go?" he asked.
"My house," she said firmly. "Did you honestly think that I was going to let you try and make a run to your crypt in the middle of the day?"
He rolled his eyes, looking away.
There was a short silence between them. Buffy stared at the wall as she thought.
"What do you think Tara meant?" Buffy asked. "By unfinished business?"
Spike knitted his brow. "Not sure, pet. Somethin' to do with Red, I'd wager."
"Probably."
More silence.
The window, which was open, even though the curtains were pulled over it, let a soft breeze blow into the room, making the curtains flutter. Spike was in no danger of getting burnt since he was in the far corner.
The soft air swept over Buffy's face, making her bangs float around her temple. She closed her eyes slowly.
Spike tilted his head to the side. //You're beautiful\\
She smiled, keeping her eyes closed. "I know."
*****
An hour later, Giles came to get them. There was a little argument about Spike staying at Buffy's, but Giles gave in when Buffy gave him that stubborn look he knew so well, as did Spike. He reluctantly drove them to her house.
"Any luck on our demon?" Buffy asked as Giles pulled into her driveway.
Giles turned off the car. "Yes. Quite a bit, actually."
"Do you wanna come in and have share time?"
He nodded.
"Great." Buffy smiled. She turned to Spike, who was in the back-seat. "Let me go unlock the door before you come out, key?"
He nodded.
Buffy climbed out of the car and pulling the duster close since the only thing on under it was the hospital gown.
"What's the what, Watcher?" Spike asked, sensing Giles's tension.
Giles was silent. He stared at the steering wheel.
Spike shoved the seat, snapping Giles attention. "Answer the question, mate!"
Giles took a breath, went to speak, stopped, and sighed, shoulders sagging.
"It's bad," Giles said finally in a soft voice.
"Hey!" Buffy called from the house's front door. "You guys can come in now!"
Giles quickly opened the door and climbed out.
Spike was stunned for a second, trying to comprehend how 'bad' it was.
"Hey, Spike!" Buffy called again as Giles walked into the house. "You comin'?"
Spike looked up. He climbed out of the car, grabbing a blanket that Giles had brought, knowing he was going to be there, and ran towards the house.
Buffy moved back as the blonde vampire rushed by her into the house. She walked in and closed the door behind her as Spike threw the blanket on the floor, panting slightly.
"Why do you do that?" she asked, looking at him suspiciously.
He tilted his head back slightly. "Do what?"
"Breathe. Pant. You don't have to, but you do it anyway."
He shrugged. "Habit."
"Huh."
He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
She shrugged. "Just wondering." Buffy walked by him and headed for the living room where Giles had sat down.
Spike tilted his head to the side, then followed. Remembering what Giles had said in the car, Spike leaned against the doorway, waiting for Giles to say what was on his mind.
"So, what's the deal?" Buffy asked, plopping down next to Giles, slightly wincing at the pain in her side.
Giles didn't look at her. He was acting the same way he had when Spike had asked him. Silent. Tense. Hiding something.
"Giles, what is it?" Buffy said, sitting forward and becoming more serious.
Giles took off his glasses and went to clean them, but Buffy seized his hand, giving him a questioning look.
He sighed and replaced his glasses on his face. "The demon that stabbed you and Spike, was a Derago demon. Its main weapon is the spine coming out of its wrist. The spine contains two types of chemicals, one lethal, one harmless. When both enter one person at once, one chemical takes over the other, depending on different circumstances. When it enters two at the same time, as it did in this case, it has different effects. The chemicals mixed with blood can result in different ways. Certain abilities, in this case, telepathic links between the two of you."
"And.." Buffy edged on, wanting to get down to the cryptic center.
"And ... there are harmful side effects. Since it entered two people, one will get the harmless chemical, and the other..."
"Gets the dead end of the deal," Spike finished.
"I'm afraid so."
Buffy gave him a hard look. "What exactly does this lethal thing do?"
"It spreads like a cancer until it covers every inch of your insides. The process can take up to three to four months. During this time, you don't even really notice until a few days or so before it kills you. You become severely ill. Even more than Xander was that time when he had almost every disease I could think of. The poison will work to shut you down. Once it succeeds, you die."
"Who has the lethal poison?" Buffy asked, her voice wavering.
"Well, I had Tara do a test on the blood left on the Magic Box table. And it came up positive." He turned to Buffy. "It was your blood."
Buffy bit her lip, her brow furrowed, as if she was in deep thought. "Third times a charm," she muttered aimlessly under her breath.
Giles, who was staring at the floor, spoke slowly and quietly. "There is... a cure."
Buffy looked at him, a hopeful glint in her eye.
Giles didn't look at her, or she would see the tears welling up in his eyes. "It's found in Africa..."
//Oh, goody\\ Spike thought sarcastically.
Buffy was still silent.
"... Libya, to be precise. It's found in a particularly large oasis in the middle of the dessert. There are a few instances, that I could find, about people making it to the oasis. But none of them ever came back."
"What is it?" Buffy asked finally.
"No one knows." Pause. "Well, one man does. He's a shaman. He lives in an extremely small village that resides in the oasis. He knows what it is and how to get it, which from what I hear is not easy at the least."
"But it's possible," Spike spoke up.
Giles turned to him. "It's very unlikely and.."
"But it's possible," Spike said more firmly.
Giles hung his head once more. He had been afraid of this. "Yes. It is."
Spike nodded.
Buffy stood, her arms folded over her chest. "I'm gonna go upstairs," she told Giles, gesturing to the stairs. As she walked past Spike, she gave him a look that didn't need telepathy for him to figure out she wanted him to follow her.
Spike looked back a Giles, who sighed deeply, gesturing with a slight movement of his hand that he wasn't going to make a deal of it. Spike nodded his appreciation, and turned to follow Buffy up the stairs.
She came into her room, leaving the door open so that Spike could follow, and slid onto her bed, bunching a pillow under her head and pulling Mr.Gordo to her chest.
Spike walked in and closed the door behind him. He looked around the room, it being the first time he had been in there since the year before. Not much had changed. A few pictures on her mirror had been replaced with newer ones. Mainly of Dawn, Xander, Willow, and Giles. There was also a few older pictures of Tara.
Spike sighed deeply. Tara's death had been so sudden and brutal. That shouldn't have been how she died. She should have grown old with Willow and slipped away in her sleep.
Buffy followed his gaze. Tara. //Why does everyone I love die?\\
Spike glanced at her. "I feel the same way, pet."
Buffy tore her glance from Tara and looked at him. "Who's died that you loved?"
Spike shrugged. "Bunch o' people."
She sat up, crossing her legs. "Here," she said, smacking her hand down on the bed, "come sit."
He gave her a look and came over to lay on his back across the foot of the bed. Buffy noticed the pillow opportunity and laid back down, her head on his chest.
A few seconds of silence passed.
"How come we never did this?" she asked.
He looked down at her. "Do what?"
Buffy turned over so that she was facing him. "This. Just laying together. It's nice."
He half-grinned. "Yeah, well, usually you were off and running the second we stopped."
"Oh." Her eyes downcast.
He absently played with a strand of her hair. "But you're right."
"About what?"
"It is nice."
She smiled.
Spike let his fingers move over her face, around the side of her forehead, drift over her cheek, pad his thumb across her bottom lip, and lifted her chin up with his finger. "Has anyone told you how beautiful you are?"
Buffy blushed lightly. "Only about every time I see him."
He half-grinned again. He laid his head back against the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"You never did answer my question," Buffy said quietly.
"Which one, luv?"
"Who died that you loved?"
She felt him tense up, his grin faded. His hand dropped from her hair and laid on her shoulder.
"Sorry," she whispered.
"Nothin' to be sorry 'bout, pet," he told her.
"You don't have to tell me."
He smiled softly. "Why wouldn't I?"
She had no answer.
"My mum's parents died when I was just a boy. Maybe six. My father's parents died, one when I was eight, the other when I was ten. My mum's sister died when I was twelve. Then my father died when I was nineteen, fell off a horse when he was riding. Broke his neck. Then, my mum and little sis' died the year I was turned."
"How'd they die?"
//Angelus\\ "Natural causes."
"Oh."
"And then, of course, you." His hand returned to playing with her hair.
She smiled. "How could I forget."
"I never will."
There was a silent pause.
"You're not going to die," he said softly. "Not again."
She sighed. "Sometime we can't change what's meant to be."
"We can change it. You heard the watcher. Take a little vacation to Africa and nic the cure. You got a few months."
"You know it's a lot harder than that."
"Doesn't mean I won't try."
"But-"
"What if it was Dawn," he countered. "What if she had already died twice as many times as you, come back, be twice your age, and lived her life to its fullest. Would it make it any easier to just let her go because it was meant to be?"
Buffy bit her lip. "I guess not."
"You'd still go to the end of the world for her. As would I."
She gave a defeated sigh. "But you're not going to get yourself killed over this. I won't let you."
"If it means keeping you alive, you can't stop me."
No. She couldn't. Doesn't mean she wouldn't try.
TBC...
*****
A/N: So... How's this? Just so that you know, in case you haven't figured it out already, I'm not just going to let her die. This story is LLLOOOONNNGGG from over.
*****
Buffy's eyes opened to meet his, who had woken up.
Buffy bit her lip, afraid that he would be mad that she had been invading his dreams.
Her fear was washed away with relief as he smirked.
"Couldn't stay away, could you, pet?" he said.
"Yeah right," she retorted, even though he could see a light blush cover her cheeks.
Buffy glanced over at a clock on the wall. "I should call Giles. He can come get us."
"Where'm I gonna go?" he asked.
"My house," she said firmly. "Did you honestly think that I was going to let you try and make a run to your crypt in the middle of the day?"
He rolled his eyes, looking away.
There was a short silence between them. Buffy stared at the wall as she thought.
"What do you think Tara meant?" Buffy asked. "By unfinished business?"
Spike knitted his brow. "Not sure, pet. Somethin' to do with Red, I'd wager."
"Probably."
More silence.
The window, which was open, even though the curtains were pulled over it, let a soft breeze blow into the room, making the curtains flutter. Spike was in no danger of getting burnt since he was in the far corner.
The soft air swept over Buffy's face, making her bangs float around her temple. She closed her eyes slowly.
Spike tilted his head to the side. //You're beautiful\\
She smiled, keeping her eyes closed. "I know."
*****
An hour later, Giles came to get them. There was a little argument about Spike staying at Buffy's, but Giles gave in when Buffy gave him that stubborn look he knew so well, as did Spike. He reluctantly drove them to her house.
"Any luck on our demon?" Buffy asked as Giles pulled into her driveway.
Giles turned off the car. "Yes. Quite a bit, actually."
"Do you wanna come in and have share time?"
He nodded.
"Great." Buffy smiled. She turned to Spike, who was in the back-seat. "Let me go unlock the door before you come out, key?"
He nodded.
Buffy climbed out of the car and pulling the duster close since the only thing on under it was the hospital gown.
"What's the what, Watcher?" Spike asked, sensing Giles's tension.
Giles was silent. He stared at the steering wheel.
Spike shoved the seat, snapping Giles attention. "Answer the question, mate!"
Giles took a breath, went to speak, stopped, and sighed, shoulders sagging.
"It's bad," Giles said finally in a soft voice.
"Hey!" Buffy called from the house's front door. "You guys can come in now!"
Giles quickly opened the door and climbed out.
Spike was stunned for a second, trying to comprehend how 'bad' it was.
"Hey, Spike!" Buffy called again as Giles walked into the house. "You comin'?"
Spike looked up. He climbed out of the car, grabbing a blanket that Giles had brought, knowing he was going to be there, and ran towards the house.
Buffy moved back as the blonde vampire rushed by her into the house. She walked in and closed the door behind her as Spike threw the blanket on the floor, panting slightly.
"Why do you do that?" she asked, looking at him suspiciously.
He tilted his head back slightly. "Do what?"
"Breathe. Pant. You don't have to, but you do it anyway."
He shrugged. "Habit."
"Huh."
He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
She shrugged. "Just wondering." Buffy walked by him and headed for the living room where Giles had sat down.
Spike tilted his head to the side, then followed. Remembering what Giles had said in the car, Spike leaned against the doorway, waiting for Giles to say what was on his mind.
"So, what's the deal?" Buffy asked, plopping down next to Giles, slightly wincing at the pain in her side.
Giles didn't look at her. He was acting the same way he had when Spike had asked him. Silent. Tense. Hiding something.
"Giles, what is it?" Buffy said, sitting forward and becoming more serious.
Giles took off his glasses and went to clean them, but Buffy seized his hand, giving him a questioning look.
He sighed and replaced his glasses on his face. "The demon that stabbed you and Spike, was a Derago demon. Its main weapon is the spine coming out of its wrist. The spine contains two types of chemicals, one lethal, one harmless. When both enter one person at once, one chemical takes over the other, depending on different circumstances. When it enters two at the same time, as it did in this case, it has different effects. The chemicals mixed with blood can result in different ways. Certain abilities, in this case, telepathic links between the two of you."
"And.." Buffy edged on, wanting to get down to the cryptic center.
"And ... there are harmful side effects. Since it entered two people, one will get the harmless chemical, and the other..."
"Gets the dead end of the deal," Spike finished.
"I'm afraid so."
Buffy gave him a hard look. "What exactly does this lethal thing do?"
"It spreads like a cancer until it covers every inch of your insides. The process can take up to three to four months. During this time, you don't even really notice until a few days or so before it kills you. You become severely ill. Even more than Xander was that time when he had almost every disease I could think of. The poison will work to shut you down. Once it succeeds, you die."
"Who has the lethal poison?" Buffy asked, her voice wavering.
"Well, I had Tara do a test on the blood left on the Magic Box table. And it came up positive." He turned to Buffy. "It was your blood."
Buffy bit her lip, her brow furrowed, as if she was in deep thought. "Third times a charm," she muttered aimlessly under her breath.
Giles, who was staring at the floor, spoke slowly and quietly. "There is... a cure."
Buffy looked at him, a hopeful glint in her eye.
Giles didn't look at her, or she would see the tears welling up in his eyes. "It's found in Africa..."
//Oh, goody\\ Spike thought sarcastically.
Buffy was still silent.
"... Libya, to be precise. It's found in a particularly large oasis in the middle of the dessert. There are a few instances, that I could find, about people making it to the oasis. But none of them ever came back."
"What is it?" Buffy asked finally.
"No one knows." Pause. "Well, one man does. He's a shaman. He lives in an extremely small village that resides in the oasis. He knows what it is and how to get it, which from what I hear is not easy at the least."
"But it's possible," Spike spoke up.
Giles turned to him. "It's very unlikely and.."
"But it's possible," Spike said more firmly.
Giles hung his head once more. He had been afraid of this. "Yes. It is."
Spike nodded.
Buffy stood, her arms folded over her chest. "I'm gonna go upstairs," she told Giles, gesturing to the stairs. As she walked past Spike, she gave him a look that didn't need telepathy for him to figure out she wanted him to follow her.
Spike looked back a Giles, who sighed deeply, gesturing with a slight movement of his hand that he wasn't going to make a deal of it. Spike nodded his appreciation, and turned to follow Buffy up the stairs.
She came into her room, leaving the door open so that Spike could follow, and slid onto her bed, bunching a pillow under her head and pulling Mr.Gordo to her chest.
Spike walked in and closed the door behind him. He looked around the room, it being the first time he had been in there since the year before. Not much had changed. A few pictures on her mirror had been replaced with newer ones. Mainly of Dawn, Xander, Willow, and Giles. There was also a few older pictures of Tara.
Spike sighed deeply. Tara's death had been so sudden and brutal. That shouldn't have been how she died. She should have grown old with Willow and slipped away in her sleep.
Buffy followed his gaze. Tara. //Why does everyone I love die?\\
Spike glanced at her. "I feel the same way, pet."
Buffy tore her glance from Tara and looked at him. "Who's died that you loved?"
Spike shrugged. "Bunch o' people."
She sat up, crossing her legs. "Here," she said, smacking her hand down on the bed, "come sit."
He gave her a look and came over to lay on his back across the foot of the bed. Buffy noticed the pillow opportunity and laid back down, her head on his chest.
A few seconds of silence passed.
"How come we never did this?" she asked.
He looked down at her. "Do what?"
Buffy turned over so that she was facing him. "This. Just laying together. It's nice."
He half-grinned. "Yeah, well, usually you were off and running the second we stopped."
"Oh." Her eyes downcast.
He absently played with a strand of her hair. "But you're right."
"About what?"
"It is nice."
She smiled.
Spike let his fingers move over her face, around the side of her forehead, drift over her cheek, pad his thumb across her bottom lip, and lifted her chin up with his finger. "Has anyone told you how beautiful you are?"
Buffy blushed lightly. "Only about every time I see him."
He half-grinned again. He laid his head back against the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"You never did answer my question," Buffy said quietly.
"Which one, luv?"
"Who died that you loved?"
She felt him tense up, his grin faded. His hand dropped from her hair and laid on her shoulder.
"Sorry," she whispered.
"Nothin' to be sorry 'bout, pet," he told her.
"You don't have to tell me."
He smiled softly. "Why wouldn't I?"
She had no answer.
"My mum's parents died when I was just a boy. Maybe six. My father's parents died, one when I was eight, the other when I was ten. My mum's sister died when I was twelve. Then my father died when I was nineteen, fell off a horse when he was riding. Broke his neck. Then, my mum and little sis' died the year I was turned."
"How'd they die?"
//Angelus\\ "Natural causes."
"Oh."
"And then, of course, you." His hand returned to playing with her hair.
She smiled. "How could I forget."
"I never will."
There was a silent pause.
"You're not going to die," he said softly. "Not again."
She sighed. "Sometime we can't change what's meant to be."
"We can change it. You heard the watcher. Take a little vacation to Africa and nic the cure. You got a few months."
"You know it's a lot harder than that."
"Doesn't mean I won't try."
"But-"
"What if it was Dawn," he countered. "What if she had already died twice as many times as you, come back, be twice your age, and lived her life to its fullest. Would it make it any easier to just let her go because it was meant to be?"
Buffy bit her lip. "I guess not."
"You'd still go to the end of the world for her. As would I."
She gave a defeated sigh. "But you're not going to get yourself killed over this. I won't let you."
"If it means keeping you alive, you can't stop me."
No. She couldn't. Doesn't mean she wouldn't try.
TBC...
*****
A/N: So... How's this? Just so that you know, in case you haven't figured it out already, I'm not just going to let her die. This story is LLLOOOONNNGGG from over.