AN: Thanks to everyone who has been patient in waiting for this story to
continue. I finally have it heading in the right direction, so I am hoping
that it will not take me long to update again. Keep in mind that is a big
hope. ;) Also, thanks for the great reviews, I love them! It helps me write
this faster!
Chapter 17
Spike smoothed his trembling hand over her sweat soaked brow, and brought the damp cool rag back to it, wiping off the sweat as much as possible. Buffy had been sick for nearly a day now, ever since they had injected her with the unknown serum. She had just felt shaky, almost like she was hungry, but then a fever had come, and now, it was trying to break.
Hopefully, its a sign that the fever was breaking, he thought. He stared down at her pale face, and felt uneasy. He pulled back from her, and started to run his hands across his somnolent face.
Hurting, razor-sharp and livid, filled his senses suddenly, sending him sprawling as he clutched his body tightly with his arms. He screamed out suddenly, but even as soon as it started, it was finished already. He sat up quickly, and glanced at Buffy, who had woken up at his scream.
"Spike?" Her voice was gritty with the sickness that had threatened to ravish her. "Spike, it hurts." Buffy sounded tired and on the verge of tears as she looked at him. He was at her side quickly, smoothing a cool hand over her sweat-slicked forehead.
He murmured softly in her ear, and pressed a tender kiss to the crown of her head. "Shhh. just rest, love. It will end soon." She looked up at him before nodding and closing her eyes.
*********
Quentin Travers was mad. They all knew it, and they all knew why. That stupid man had given Buffy too much of the treatment, excessively much, in reality, and it was not agreeing with her system in the least. The man accountable was already gone, and not very likely to be welcomed back with open arms.
"Find out what to do for her, and find out NOW!" Travers barked as he paced back and forth, his gaze settling on the monitor in front of him. "She does us no good dead!"
Just then, a young man came running into the diminutive room. "Sir! The treatment, the serum. It will not do any long lasting things to her. It should work its way from her system within 3 days if she were normal. I am figuring with her accelerated healing, it should not be more then a few hours yet, at the most. It is not an allergic response. It's how she should, but with the added dose, she's just showing more signs then a normal person." The young scientist was breathing heavy from the running around he had done to ascertain the effects.
Travers nodded, and dismissed the man with a wave of his hand. "Get her some food and juice, I need her strong." His voice lost some of the sharp edge of anger, but it still was not a voice to dispute.
*********
Spike kissed her head and noticed that she was neither burning nor clammy anymore, and thanked a God he had no conviction in for her recuperation. She was sleeping soundly now, as well.
The soft gentle hum of her breathing filled the small room with a lullaby. Spike curled up next to her on the bed, holding her loosely around the waist, pulling her softly back towards his own tepid body. When she was fit snuggly against his side, Spike's eyes closed in exhaustion.
************
Buffy woke up feeling content, and thirsty. She felt the heavy arm of Spike's weighing across her belly, and she carefully picked it up to move it. After she wiggled from his grasp, she sat up carefully and slowly. Her head was still pounding just a bit as she did.
Standing up on shaky legs, Buffy made her way over to where a trey sat. A pitcher of apple juice was on one side, and a dark pitcher filled with some dark red punch. Buffy sat down, and suddenly, she realized how very ravenous she was. A sandwich sat on one plate, and she started to eat, but that thirst was not going way.
As she finished the sandwich, Buffy poured some apple juice, but it was not taking care of her thirst. She caught the scent of the punch, and smiled as she poured it. It tasted a bit funny, but it seemed to be doing something for the thirst she felt.
Spike woke with the oddest feeling he had ever felt, or at the very least, most recently felt. It felt like he was feeding, and he felt his blood thirst dissipating as he sat there. It was then that he glanced to the side, and saw Buffy drinking juice and picking up a sandwich from the table. He shook off the feeling, and walked over to her.
"You feeling better, pet?" He asked as he smiled down at her. He could smell the blood in his pitcher of juice, but for once, it was not giving him an overwhelming urge to feed. Spike shook the feeling off, and started to study Buffy's complexion. She had started to lose her tan in the time they were stuck here.
"Yeah, I was just really thirsty!" Buffy reached over and started to pour the punch into her glass. Spike watched without thinking about it for a moment, and then a thought that was nagging his mind came rushing forward.
"Pet, no! That's blood!" Spike cried out as she started to bring the juice to her mouth. It stopped mid way there, and she turned to stare at him. After a moments pause, Buffy sat the glass down calmly,
She turned to look at Spike for a moment, then jumped up from the chair, and ran to the bathroom. A moment later, he could hear her retching up her meal. He started to feel the blood lust again, and thought it odd, when only moments before, he had felt full. Shrugging, he sat down and finished off the freshly poured glass of blood punch in front of him.
A few minutes later, Buffy came out, still looking pale, but also looking a bit cleaner. She had washed her face off with cold water, and ran hot water over her arms to still the violent shaking she had been feeling. She saw Spike sitting at the table drinking the mug, and she quickly slapped a hand over her mouth as she closed her eyes.
"Spike, could you please make that thing go away?"
"Pet, I need to eat, just the same as you. I will drink quietly, promise. Then, I'll be all done." He tried not to laugh over the situation, knowing how it had caused her some bad vibes. "Now, care to tell me why you were drinking my blood?"
"No, actually, I don't." She turned and lay back on the bed to stare blankly up at the ceiling. Spike watched bemusedly, and smiled her way before looking back at the tray of food. He picked through the food laced with blood, but his hand kept straying towards Buffy's food. He had a gnawing feeling in his stomach that he did not remember ever having felt.
Without realizing it, he snatched up the last half of the plain sandwich, and started to devour it quickly. The gnawing started to abate as he ate, but he could still feel it, so he moved on to her apple.
As Buffy lay on the bed, she could feel her hunger slowly going away as she let her dreams drift in and cloud her mind with sleep.
Chapter 17
Spike smoothed his trembling hand over her sweat soaked brow, and brought the damp cool rag back to it, wiping off the sweat as much as possible. Buffy had been sick for nearly a day now, ever since they had injected her with the unknown serum. She had just felt shaky, almost like she was hungry, but then a fever had come, and now, it was trying to break.
Hopefully, its a sign that the fever was breaking, he thought. He stared down at her pale face, and felt uneasy. He pulled back from her, and started to run his hands across his somnolent face.
Hurting, razor-sharp and livid, filled his senses suddenly, sending him sprawling as he clutched his body tightly with his arms. He screamed out suddenly, but even as soon as it started, it was finished already. He sat up quickly, and glanced at Buffy, who had woken up at his scream.
"Spike?" Her voice was gritty with the sickness that had threatened to ravish her. "Spike, it hurts." Buffy sounded tired and on the verge of tears as she looked at him. He was at her side quickly, smoothing a cool hand over her sweat-slicked forehead.
He murmured softly in her ear, and pressed a tender kiss to the crown of her head. "Shhh. just rest, love. It will end soon." She looked up at him before nodding and closing her eyes.
*********
Quentin Travers was mad. They all knew it, and they all knew why. That stupid man had given Buffy too much of the treatment, excessively much, in reality, and it was not agreeing with her system in the least. The man accountable was already gone, and not very likely to be welcomed back with open arms.
"Find out what to do for her, and find out NOW!" Travers barked as he paced back and forth, his gaze settling on the monitor in front of him. "She does us no good dead!"
Just then, a young man came running into the diminutive room. "Sir! The treatment, the serum. It will not do any long lasting things to her. It should work its way from her system within 3 days if she were normal. I am figuring with her accelerated healing, it should not be more then a few hours yet, at the most. It is not an allergic response. It's how she should, but with the added dose, she's just showing more signs then a normal person." The young scientist was breathing heavy from the running around he had done to ascertain the effects.
Travers nodded, and dismissed the man with a wave of his hand. "Get her some food and juice, I need her strong." His voice lost some of the sharp edge of anger, but it still was not a voice to dispute.
*********
Spike kissed her head and noticed that she was neither burning nor clammy anymore, and thanked a God he had no conviction in for her recuperation. She was sleeping soundly now, as well.
The soft gentle hum of her breathing filled the small room with a lullaby. Spike curled up next to her on the bed, holding her loosely around the waist, pulling her softly back towards his own tepid body. When she was fit snuggly against his side, Spike's eyes closed in exhaustion.
************
Buffy woke up feeling content, and thirsty. She felt the heavy arm of Spike's weighing across her belly, and she carefully picked it up to move it. After she wiggled from his grasp, she sat up carefully and slowly. Her head was still pounding just a bit as she did.
Standing up on shaky legs, Buffy made her way over to where a trey sat. A pitcher of apple juice was on one side, and a dark pitcher filled with some dark red punch. Buffy sat down, and suddenly, she realized how very ravenous she was. A sandwich sat on one plate, and she started to eat, but that thirst was not going way.
As she finished the sandwich, Buffy poured some apple juice, but it was not taking care of her thirst. She caught the scent of the punch, and smiled as she poured it. It tasted a bit funny, but it seemed to be doing something for the thirst she felt.
Spike woke with the oddest feeling he had ever felt, or at the very least, most recently felt. It felt like he was feeding, and he felt his blood thirst dissipating as he sat there. It was then that he glanced to the side, and saw Buffy drinking juice and picking up a sandwich from the table. He shook off the feeling, and walked over to her.
"You feeling better, pet?" He asked as he smiled down at her. He could smell the blood in his pitcher of juice, but for once, it was not giving him an overwhelming urge to feed. Spike shook the feeling off, and started to study Buffy's complexion. She had started to lose her tan in the time they were stuck here.
"Yeah, I was just really thirsty!" Buffy reached over and started to pour the punch into her glass. Spike watched without thinking about it for a moment, and then a thought that was nagging his mind came rushing forward.
"Pet, no! That's blood!" Spike cried out as she started to bring the juice to her mouth. It stopped mid way there, and she turned to stare at him. After a moments pause, Buffy sat the glass down calmly,
She turned to look at Spike for a moment, then jumped up from the chair, and ran to the bathroom. A moment later, he could hear her retching up her meal. He started to feel the blood lust again, and thought it odd, when only moments before, he had felt full. Shrugging, he sat down and finished off the freshly poured glass of blood punch in front of him.
A few minutes later, Buffy came out, still looking pale, but also looking a bit cleaner. She had washed her face off with cold water, and ran hot water over her arms to still the violent shaking she had been feeling. She saw Spike sitting at the table drinking the mug, and she quickly slapped a hand over her mouth as she closed her eyes.
"Spike, could you please make that thing go away?"
"Pet, I need to eat, just the same as you. I will drink quietly, promise. Then, I'll be all done." He tried not to laugh over the situation, knowing how it had caused her some bad vibes. "Now, care to tell me why you were drinking my blood?"
"No, actually, I don't." She turned and lay back on the bed to stare blankly up at the ceiling. Spike watched bemusedly, and smiled her way before looking back at the tray of food. He picked through the food laced with blood, but his hand kept straying towards Buffy's food. He had a gnawing feeling in his stomach that he did not remember ever having felt.
Without realizing it, he snatched up the last half of the plain sandwich, and started to devour it quickly. The gnawing started to abate as he ate, but he could still feel it, so he moved on to her apple.
As Buffy lay on the bed, she could feel her hunger slowly going away as she let her dreams drift in and cloud her mind with sleep.