CHAPTER ELEVEN: WRONG
Giles opened the door to Buffy's room slowly, and found her curled in a ball on the floor, her head resting on her knees. She looked up as she heard the door open, wiping tears from her eyes.
Giles slowly sat down next to her, leaning against Buffy's bed and not saying a word.
Buffy gave a small sigh and looked up at the ceiling in frustration.
"You ever wondered whether the Powers that Be are just playing one huge game of 'see how badly we can make Buffy's life suck'?" she asked quietly.
Giles sighed and gently took her hand. She didn't pull away from him as she had done earlier before she had run off, but she didn't lean into his touch either. He wasn't sure why she wasn't responding, so he just shifted over and pulled her into his arms.
She sighed and leant against him tiredly.
"How can you stand to even touch me Giles?" she whispered, her voice shaking. "You don't even know what I am."
He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and slowly moved his lips down the side of her face.
"I know," he whispered, kissing her cheek, "that you are," he kissed her nose, "an incredible young woman," her neck, "who has survived things that would have made others run screaming," her shoulder, "and managed to come out standing."
He put his hand to her face and gently forced her to look up at him, his lips gently catching hers. "And I have never loved you more."
He wiped a tear from her face and pulled her tightly to him when she broke out into a fresh round of tears.
He just held her and they rocked gently together as they had done the night before.
"We're gonna get through this Buffy. I swear to you. We will get through this somehow," he promised. "We'll work it out, and we'll fix it."
She sniffled and clung to him, wanting so desperately to believe his words.
"Promise you won't leave?" she whispered.
"As long as you need me, I'll always be here," he said.
She smiled, remembering the promise from the previous night.
Her eyes closed and she slowly fell asleep against him, whispering a quiet 'I love you' before falling into blessed unconsciousness.
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Spike stalked into the kitchen angrily, startling both Tara and Erika. He stopped when he saw them, not even having realised that they had subtly left the room when the fight had broken out.
Erika looked up at the vampire expectantly. She had to admit it was a little unnerving to have a vampire in the house with you, one that had no soul and would kill them all in their sleep if he could.
Spike gave a slight grin at the new Slayer.
"You certainly picked a helluva time to come to Sunnydale," he said, taking a seat next to the Slayer.
Erika nodded and grinned a little. "So I've been told."
The door to the kitchen swung open and Spike tensed, not willing to admit it to anyone else, but he was becoming a little afraid of Willow. She could hurt him quite badly and he wouldn't even be able to defend himself.
He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Dawn enter.
"Hey Nibblet," he greeted.
She grinned at him and walked straight to the refrigerator.
"Seems kinda tense in here. What's going on?" she asked, grabbing a near empty carton of juice and drinking it from the carton.
Spike hesitated, knowing how thrilled Dawn had been when Buffy had returned unexpectedly. But, if he told her the truth about Buffy not coming back quite right, and that her sister hadn't been in hell at all, Dawn would probably not cope too well with it all.
"Your sis just got into a bit of a fight with Red, s'all," he explained.
"A fight? About what?" Dawn asked.
"Just some stuff. Not to worry. Everything'll be alright come morning," Spike said reassuringly.
Dawn just looked at him sceptically. "Riight. And I'm meant to believe that oh so convincing story because of what reason?"
Spike gave a small sigh and stood up restlessly.
"Maybe you should sit down," he said, offering her his seat.
Dawn looked worried at that and tensed immediately.
"What is it?" she asked, not bothering to sit down.
Spike began pacing, which in turn meant that Dawn was even more concerned than before. She caught his arm to stop him and he looked down at her, tears in his eyes.
"Tell me what's going on," she said.
He hesitated a moment and finally decided on the best approach for this.
"Uh…you remember that spell you tried after…after your mum passed on?" he asked gently.
She nodded, wondering where he was going with this.
"And you remember how the Doc said that she might not come back quite right?" he continued.
Dawn paled immediately. She looked up at the ceiling, Buffy's room directly above them.
"She came back wrong, didn't she?" Dawn whispered.
Spike nodded and gently brought the young girl into his arms. She hugged him tightly, suddenly incredibly afraid for her sister.
"What…what is she?" Dawn whispered, her voice muffled against his leather coat.
"Not too sure Nibs. But she's not dangerous, you hear? She's still Buffy. She's still your sister," he said gently.
Dawn nodded tears in her eyes. She looked up at the vampire, regarding him seriously. "I know. I know she's my sister. She wouldn't hurt me. Ever."
Spike nodded and gently brushed a strand of the girls hair behind her ears.
"Should I go up there? Talk to her maybe?" Dawn suggested.
He smiled gently at her and shook his head. "S'alright Nibblet. Rupe's up there with her now. She's in good hands."
Dawn nodded her agreement and gave the vampire one final squeeze before letting him go. She looked over at the two girls sitting at the kitchen bench, giving them a small smile before she suddenly realised something.
"Uh…who are you?" she asked.
Erika grinned and stood up, holding her hand out for the younger girl to shake.
"I'm Erika. You're Dawn right?"
Dawn nodded and shook her hand.
"So uh…how do you know…" she trailed off, not wanting to presume that Tara and Erika had come together.
"I met your sister yesterday and…suddenly found myself as the newest member of the Scooby Gang," Erika replied as she sat down again.
Dawn grinned and sat down next to her.
"Welcome to the Gang then," Dawn said.
Spike began to get restless, feeling the need to go and beat something to a bloody pulp.
"Hey, if the Watcher comes down, can you tell him I was feeling the need for some good old fashioned violence?" Spike asked, heading for the doorway.
"Uh, I might actually go with you," Erika said, feeling a little uncomfortable with the thought of being in a house where everything was slowly crashing down.
Spike hesitated but finally nodded. "Alright but…no staking me," he warned.
"Hey, you don't bite me, I don't stake you," she said.
He nodded and the two shook hands. "Deal."
Dawn looked up at her sister's new friend. "You're a Slayer?"
Erika nodded and laughed as Dawn's face lit up with excitement. Her face suddenly fell.
"You're not gonna turn into a psychopath are you?" she asked seriously.
Her question threw Erika off balance, the Slayer regarding her new acquaintance with curiousity.
"Um…I hadn't really planned on it, no," Erika said.
Dawn shrugged and the smile returned. "Cool."
Spike looked towards Tara during the Nibblet and the new Slayer's exchanged. She was still looking incredibly upset at the thought of her lover being completely dishonest about the spell they had used to bring Buffy back. He hesitated before eventually working out what he wanted to say.
"Her heart was in the right place," he said, a small smile on his face. "Buffy's just gonna need some time and…she'll forgive Red soon enough."
Tara smiled her thanks, not feeling entirely comforted by Spike's words, but touched that he had at least made the effort.
"Make sure you get some sleep pet," Spike said as he moved back to the door, opening it for the new Slayer. "Next few days are gonna be long and…Red's probably gonna need someone on her side."
"I can't be on her side," Tara said. "Not after what she did."
"Well…maybe just moral support or sumthin'. She'll go off the deep end if we all go off at her," Spike said.
Tara nodded understanding what the vampire meant. It was strange that he knew the group so well, yet only Buffy seemed to know the first thing about him. Tara resolved to get to know him a little bit better as soon as everything became a little quieter.
She couldn't help but grin as Spike held the door open for Erika and gently placed his hand on the small of her back as they went down the stairs. Perhaps Spike would be able to get over his love for Buffy a little sooner than he thought.
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Spike and Erika walked in silence, a little uncomfortable around each other. Spike eyed her silently, taking in how nervous she was. Somehow he knew it wasn't just because he was standing next to her. She was fiddling with what looked like an engagement ring. And he would be willing to bet his unlife that her fiancé was the vamp who was now out to turn her.
Erika saw him looking at her, but didn't say anything. She was a little uncomfortable around him, but she knew he couldn't hurt her. Although, the chip only activated after he had hit her, if he really wanted to kill her, he probably could have.
She had, however, seen how he was with Buffy and the Scoobies. She could see that Spike loved them, and was staunchly protective of Buffy, almost to the point of obsession.
"You're in love with her, aren't you?" Erika asked suddenly.
Spike looked at her curiously, trying to play it cool. "With who?"
She rolled her eyes and stuck her hands in her pockets. "With Buffy," she said.
He shrugged casually, almost indifferent, nodding as though he were admitting to liking chocolate or something of the like.
"Could say that. Ain't got a snowball's chance but. She's with Rupert, 'bout bloody time," he said.
She shook her head, confused. "You don't mind?"
He gave another shrug as though he didn't care either way.
"She's not been the happiest since she got back," he explained. "And…if being with Rupert makes her happy, then I say go for it. I've been wonderin' bout them for years, but they never got together 'til after."
"After she died?" Erika asked.
"Well, after she came back, but…yeah. She was off with sodding Peaches or her nancy boy tin soldier."
Spike looked at Erika's confused expression and grinned. "Best ask the Slayer bout them luv," he said.
"And…you and the other Scoobies? You guys get along?" she asked.
Spike scoffed at the thought. "Hell no. Well, me and the Nibblet are chums and I used to like Red, but…dunno if I can forgive her. The other Wicca's alright though."
"Red? You mean Willow?"
Spike nodded. "Our very own Sabrina. Scept…bordering on evil."
"And the other Wicca's Tara, yeah?"
"Yup. Demon girl, that's Anya. The whelp, that's Xander. Watcher, that's Rupert obviously. Slayer…well, that's Buffy. No offence to you luv, but…I've been calling 'er that for years," he explained.
"None taken," she replied.
She couldn't explain it, but she actually liked this vampire. He was honest, a quality she very much liked. He didn't hide the fact that he was a vampire, or the fact that he would probably die for Buffy if he had to.
"Oh, and the Nibblet. That's Dawn," Spike said.
"Dawn…the glowy ball of energy, otherwise known as Buffy's younger sister made by some weird group of monks," Erika said.
Spike grinned down at her. "Not bad. You've done your homework."
Erika shrugged. "Tara was explaining it to me. I reckon she woulda talked 'bout anything to keep her mind off Willow."
"Yeah, can't say I blame her. Just thinking 'bout what Red did…"
He trailed off, letting Erika fill in the expletive. She got the sub-text. He had wanted to kill the witch, chip or no chip.
"Why'd they bring her back?" Erika asked. "I mean, I get that they missed her, but…that seems kinda slack to just bring her back like that."
Spike nodded, glad that someone beside he, Buffy and Giles thought that.
"They assumed she was in hell. Fair enough assumption, seeing as she jumped into a portal that opened up a hell dimension an' all, but…a Slayer, going to hell? Not in this lifetime," Spike said.
"She was…she was in heaven?" Erika asked, a little sickened at the thought.
Spike hesitated but finally nodded. "The others don't know that little detail, right? They think they saved her and…only god knows why, but…Buffy wants to keep it that way. Though, after Red's little confession of knowing there were risks, I'm tempted to throw it in her face regardless," Spike said.
They continued walking in silence, both contemplating life's complexities.
~*~
Giles moved stiffly, his movements causing Buffy to stir. She groaned and stretched, her limbs tired and aching.
"What time is it?" she asked quietly.
Giles straightened his glasses and looked at her clock. "It's a little past three," he replied.
Buffy groaned again and moved tiredly.
"Got enough energy to move this to the bed?" she asked.
"No," he moaned, arching his back to try and stretch. "But I'm sore enough to move."
Buffy smiled a little and pulled herself onto the bed, helping Giles up as well. She quickly discarded her shoes, pulling Giles' off for him as well. She helped him under the covers and snuggled up next to him, his arm over her stomach.
"Giles?" she asked quietly.
"Mmm?" came his sleepy reply.
"Remember when I did that quest thing last year?" she asked.
He grunted a yes and she smiled at his response.
"Do you think…do you think I could try that again? Maybe find out exactly what I am," she said.
He sighed, knowing he would need to actually form a proper reply for this.
"You can try of course, but…no guarantees," he said.
She nodded, happy that there may be something after all.
"Take me there tomorrow? Well, today?" she asked.
"If I say yes, will you be quiet and go to sleep?" he asked, becoming a little grouchy.
She grinned and gave him a tiny kiss. "Yep."
"Then yes, I'll take you there today. After classes."
She smiled and turned over, her back to his front.
"Thank you. Night Grumpy."
He mumbled "night" into the back of her hair and quickly fell asleep, Buffy quickly following him into slumber.