Spike stirred quietly as he tried to make sense of what just
happened. He massaged the back of his head where he had taken the blow.
Spike's eyes fluttered open and he saw that he was propped up against the
corner of his cave. "Oh no! Buffy!" he thought as he scanned the cave for
her. He finally stopped and looked in horror when he saw that Buffy and
Dawn were chained to the wall. They were both wide-awake but silent.
"Why Spike, how nice of you to join us." Spike looked up and saw Drusilla standing in front of him with a smug look on her face.
"That's such a cliché," Buffy scoffed. "Do all of you vampires have some kind of archive of evil sayings?"
Drusilla glided over to Buffy and slid a long, thin finger down her arm. "Now, now, slayer," she scolded, "now is not the time for your hurtful words. You will be dead soon enough. I just need a moment to explain to my dearest William what all this is for."
"Dru, you have to let them go," Spike shouted.
"I just can't do that. Don't worry though. Their death will be quick and painless. You, however, will have to live on for centuries knowing you lost the love of your life." A hurt look passed over her face as she said this. "I saw it coming, you know. Them. The stars told me. They told me that you and the slayer would fit. I knew for so long and yet when you told me it wouldn't happen I actually believed you. You made a fool out of me Spike so I'm giving you a choice. I can give you everything you wanted before that-that stigma. We can be happy just as we always were. Or you can live your whole life in pain. I will not be made a fool of, Spike. You need to make a choice now." Drusilla's hands began to quake and her eyes were lit with anger. "I don't like other people taking what is mine!" she howled. Spike's eyes began to fill with tears. He couldn't stand seeing her this way. He got up and ran over to her and wrapped his arms around her.
"Shhhh, love," he whispered. Drusilla jerked her head up and a smile spread across her face at the sound of his voice. She tiptoed out of his embrace and picked up a knife from the top of a drawer. She took it and with a swift movement, she struck Buffy's arm with it, drawing blood. Buffy grunted with pain, and Drusilla watched in awe as blood trickled down.
"Go ahead Spike. You've always wanted this. Now you have it right in front of you." Drusilla's eyes glittered with anticipation, as she leaned over and licked a bit of blood from the open wound. "MmmM. Tastes like chicken."
That was the last straw. Spike ran over and threw Drusilla away from Buffy. She fell in a crumpled heap at Spike's feet. Instantly, she vamped out.
"Are you alright pet?" Spike asked Buffy with deep concern.
"Tis but a scratch," she joked, as she pulled on the chains, trying to get loose.
"Dru, you need to leave Sunndale. Now," Spike warned her. "If you don't leave, I may do something we will both deeply regret."
"I already regret," Drusilla snarled. "I already regret ever letting such a sorry creature like you be my childe." Dru jumped up off the floor and backhanded Spike in the face so hard he was sent flying backwards. Spike's face quickly morphed into his vamped look and he stood up and flung himself at Dru, tackling her to the ground. Drusilla threw him off of her and he hit the stone wall with a thud. "Sorry, my dearest William. You're beyond help now." Drusilla rose up and stalked toward Buffy. She methodically wrapped her hands around Buffy's face and shifted her head to one side, ready to hear the satisfying snap. "Say goodnight slayer," she whispered as she prepared herself to jerk her head in the other direction. Buffy pressed her eyes closed and drew in a shaky breath.
Suddenly, Buffy didn't feel Dru's cold hands on her head anymore. "I'm dead," she thought to herself in horror. Unsure, she slowly opened one eye and saw Spike kneeling in front of her with a stake in hand and a pile of ashes at her feet.
"Goodnight Dru," he choked, before dropping to the ground sobbing.
"Spike, sweetie, are you ok?"
Spike didn't answer and instead crawled up to get the key to the shackles and freed Buffy from captivity. Buffy looked at Spike's tear stained face and he tried to avoid her gaze. "I don't want you to see me like this. All cried out like a bloody poof. Where's Big Bad now right?"
Buffy ran her fingers down the side of his face and let her lips brush his forehead. "I know how it feels to kill someone you love," she lovingly whispered. "I know it makes you feel like you've betrayed them, but you did it because you had to. And remember, you're not alone. I'm here and I understand."
"It's just all-all those years. Vampires aren't capable of love and somehow we still shared something." He sighed and turned to Buffy. "Somehow I am that much in love with you though. I'm so sorry I put you through this. You and the Bit. Neither of you deserved this."
Buffy reached out and turned his head so that his eyes were locked with hers. "It's ok." She lifted his face and kissed him their most passionate kiss to date.
"Ummm, excuse me. I don't mean to interrupt this tongue tango, but can we PLEASE get the little sister down?" Dawn called. Buffy laughed as she helped Spike up and reached for the key.
* * *
Spike and Buffy walked with their arms linked down the moonlit road. Buffy's head was rested lightly against his shoulder and she watched happily as Dawn skipped along ahead of them.
"So slayer, how do you plan to break the news to the old gang?" Spike asked Buffy with a smile.
"As gently as possible."
"This is pretty weird though when you think about it."
"What?"
"The slayer dating a vampire. Without a soul."
"Well, that's the story of my life. Weird. Think about it, I've dated a vampire with a soul, I've been drowned, I've met two other slayers, I've been friends with a werewolf, and the one person I've hated since I became the slayer is now my boyfriend. What's next?"
"You never know, pet. We'll probably have an adventure in which we'll all sing songs like in a musical and then I'll trek over to Africa to fetch myself a soul." They both stared at each other in silence for a little while. Then they both erupted into hysterical laughter.
Buffy finally stopped laughing and spoke. "Oh Spike, you're so funny. What an imagination!"
"And you have no idea what I'm imagining right now," he murmured as their lips met. Buffy smiled. For once, everything made sense.
"Why Spike, how nice of you to join us." Spike looked up and saw Drusilla standing in front of him with a smug look on her face.
"That's such a cliché," Buffy scoffed. "Do all of you vampires have some kind of archive of evil sayings?"
Drusilla glided over to Buffy and slid a long, thin finger down her arm. "Now, now, slayer," she scolded, "now is not the time for your hurtful words. You will be dead soon enough. I just need a moment to explain to my dearest William what all this is for."
"Dru, you have to let them go," Spike shouted.
"I just can't do that. Don't worry though. Their death will be quick and painless. You, however, will have to live on for centuries knowing you lost the love of your life." A hurt look passed over her face as she said this. "I saw it coming, you know. Them. The stars told me. They told me that you and the slayer would fit. I knew for so long and yet when you told me it wouldn't happen I actually believed you. You made a fool out of me Spike so I'm giving you a choice. I can give you everything you wanted before that-that stigma. We can be happy just as we always were. Or you can live your whole life in pain. I will not be made a fool of, Spike. You need to make a choice now." Drusilla's hands began to quake and her eyes were lit with anger. "I don't like other people taking what is mine!" she howled. Spike's eyes began to fill with tears. He couldn't stand seeing her this way. He got up and ran over to her and wrapped his arms around her.
"Shhhh, love," he whispered. Drusilla jerked her head up and a smile spread across her face at the sound of his voice. She tiptoed out of his embrace and picked up a knife from the top of a drawer. She took it and with a swift movement, she struck Buffy's arm with it, drawing blood. Buffy grunted with pain, and Drusilla watched in awe as blood trickled down.
"Go ahead Spike. You've always wanted this. Now you have it right in front of you." Drusilla's eyes glittered with anticipation, as she leaned over and licked a bit of blood from the open wound. "MmmM. Tastes like chicken."
That was the last straw. Spike ran over and threw Drusilla away from Buffy. She fell in a crumpled heap at Spike's feet. Instantly, she vamped out.
"Are you alright pet?" Spike asked Buffy with deep concern.
"Tis but a scratch," she joked, as she pulled on the chains, trying to get loose.
"Dru, you need to leave Sunndale. Now," Spike warned her. "If you don't leave, I may do something we will both deeply regret."
"I already regret," Drusilla snarled. "I already regret ever letting such a sorry creature like you be my childe." Dru jumped up off the floor and backhanded Spike in the face so hard he was sent flying backwards. Spike's face quickly morphed into his vamped look and he stood up and flung himself at Dru, tackling her to the ground. Drusilla threw him off of her and he hit the stone wall with a thud. "Sorry, my dearest William. You're beyond help now." Drusilla rose up and stalked toward Buffy. She methodically wrapped her hands around Buffy's face and shifted her head to one side, ready to hear the satisfying snap. "Say goodnight slayer," she whispered as she prepared herself to jerk her head in the other direction. Buffy pressed her eyes closed and drew in a shaky breath.
Suddenly, Buffy didn't feel Dru's cold hands on her head anymore. "I'm dead," she thought to herself in horror. Unsure, she slowly opened one eye and saw Spike kneeling in front of her with a stake in hand and a pile of ashes at her feet.
"Goodnight Dru," he choked, before dropping to the ground sobbing.
"Spike, sweetie, are you ok?"
Spike didn't answer and instead crawled up to get the key to the shackles and freed Buffy from captivity. Buffy looked at Spike's tear stained face and he tried to avoid her gaze. "I don't want you to see me like this. All cried out like a bloody poof. Where's Big Bad now right?"
Buffy ran her fingers down the side of his face and let her lips brush his forehead. "I know how it feels to kill someone you love," she lovingly whispered. "I know it makes you feel like you've betrayed them, but you did it because you had to. And remember, you're not alone. I'm here and I understand."
"It's just all-all those years. Vampires aren't capable of love and somehow we still shared something." He sighed and turned to Buffy. "Somehow I am that much in love with you though. I'm so sorry I put you through this. You and the Bit. Neither of you deserved this."
Buffy reached out and turned his head so that his eyes were locked with hers. "It's ok." She lifted his face and kissed him their most passionate kiss to date.
"Ummm, excuse me. I don't mean to interrupt this tongue tango, but can we PLEASE get the little sister down?" Dawn called. Buffy laughed as she helped Spike up and reached for the key.
* * *
Spike and Buffy walked with their arms linked down the moonlit road. Buffy's head was rested lightly against his shoulder and she watched happily as Dawn skipped along ahead of them.
"So slayer, how do you plan to break the news to the old gang?" Spike asked Buffy with a smile.
"As gently as possible."
"This is pretty weird though when you think about it."
"What?"
"The slayer dating a vampire. Without a soul."
"Well, that's the story of my life. Weird. Think about it, I've dated a vampire with a soul, I've been drowned, I've met two other slayers, I've been friends with a werewolf, and the one person I've hated since I became the slayer is now my boyfriend. What's next?"
"You never know, pet. We'll probably have an adventure in which we'll all sing songs like in a musical and then I'll trek over to Africa to fetch myself a soul." They both stared at each other in silence for a little while. Then they both erupted into hysterical laughter.
Buffy finally stopped laughing and spoke. "Oh Spike, you're so funny. What an imagination!"
"And you have no idea what I'm imagining right now," he murmured as their lips met. Buffy smiled. For once, everything made sense.