TITLE: "The Tell-Tale Hearts"
AUTHOR: Elise D. (aka LilHairyEyeball)
FEEDBACK: Gimme gimme. Just be gentle.
SUMMARY: AU version of the Season 5 climax
SPOILERS: Up through the Gift
RATING: R for naughty words and bad touching.
DISCLAIMER: Nobody buys me good presents, so I steal other peoples.
---
"So, are you going to tell him?" Dawn asked, as she propped her head up on one of Buffy's pillows.
"Tell him what? There's nothing to tell? Stupid brain firing funny, I just assumed I woke up like before, near Spike. Just assumed he took advantage of my unconscious state to get a little groping it. That's all," replied Buffy, with a huff.
"Hey there, no need to get all defensive! It was just a question. Oh, and for the record? "Mmm, Spike" is not the sound someone getting molested would make," Dawn laughed, before launching off the bed and running out of the room.
Buffy remained upstairs for a while, contemplating what her sister had said. In the end, whatever she had felt in the moment was irrelevant. She was the slayer, and he was a vampire. He was a vampire who had a bad record of trying to kill her. No good could come of that, and he'd accepted it, so there was nothing to think about. So why wouldn't her stupid brain stop thinking then? Traitor.
---
Downstairs, Willow and Tara had finished patching up the scorch marks on Spike's face, and Xander had just arrived back from the butchers, with blood for the vampire.
Giles was sitting at the table, watching his children, with something akin to wonder in his eyes. He only chose to spoke when the others had gone about their business, and left the two Englishmen alone.
"Why did you do it, Spike?" asked the Watcher in an even tone.
"Do what, Rupes? Catch on fire? I'd dare say it was the bolt of lightening that came out of our fair Wicca's mouth. Vampire, remember? Slightly on the combustible side."
Giles sighed, and wished for once, that Buffy would keep alcohol on the premises, if only for when he stopped by.
"Save Buffy. You shielded her, when the rest of us couldn't so much as move."
Spike shifted on the couch to face the watcher, before sitting upright and hanging his hands between his legs.
"Again, I think that might be "vampire" for the answer. I'm guessing that the mojo was more for the human element in the room. Affected me differently, I suppose. Or not at all." Spike shrugged, uncomfortable with the scrutiny he was under. "Doesn't really matter, I did what was needed, and I'll be right as rain by the morning. No need to harp on so."
Giles watched the creature before him, shifting uncomfortably and trying not to make eye contact. Spike seemed almost bashful about the line of questioning. It was most fascinating.
"You do love her, don't you?"
Spike's head shot up at the question, and he got up and stretched before joining Giles at the table. With his hands folded neatly on the table before him, Spike pondered the question.
"As I recall, and do correct me if I'm wrong here, but I was told to get over it. Right? And I am. So it would be much easier if you lot would stop bloody well bringing it up, every chance. Confuses the hell out of a bloke, I don't mind telling you."
"And Dawn? Where does she fit in? Because I already told you . . ."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Spike dismissed him with the wave of a hand. "You lot aren't my "in" for Buffy. I'm painfully aware of that fact, all right, Rupes? I like the girl. She doesn't treat me like a freak, and I don't treat her like one. We're sort of a support group for each other. And I like the bit. She's got spunk, fire that I haven't seen since . . ."
"Your own sister?"
Spike raised an eyebrow at this, watching the expressionless face of the man before him.
"Oh, I see. Somebody's been doing their homework, have they? Giles smirked, in a less than hostile manner, causing Spike to smile himself.
"Well, truth be told, yes. She reminds me of my own sis. Who I've never really stopped missing. Dawn fills that empty hole in my heart, and I'll be buggared if I screw that up."
Spike sighed, and Giles just watched as the emotions flittered across the vampires face. He really was the strangest creature. No amount of Watcher training could have prepared him for the sight before him. It was most unusual indeed.
"Willow's spell," began Giles, in an attempt to change the subject, "it wasn't supposed to. I mean, well . . ."
"You're wondering what the hell the bolts of bloody lightening were all about, aren't you? Something didn't go according to plan? I was wondering if any of you lot were going to bring it up."
"Yes, well. Willow has assured me that it was a common by-product of the ritual, and would have caused no harm, but I do have my doubts."
"Yeah, and I have the singed bloody eyebrow for it. My arse. I've seen enough magic in my time, that thing had a bloody purpose."
Spike's head shot up in horror.
"You don't suppose it was Glory, do you? Looking for a new host?"
Giles laughed. It was more than he could handle. The vampire looked scared!
"No Spike, I don't think it was. Even so, if it had been, she could not have lived in you. She needed a live host, and you are not. In fact, on the off chance that it was the God, then you've probably saved us from a lot more horror."
Spike smiled bashfully. He may have saved them? Saved Buffy in particular, seeing as she was the main target.
"It was probably just the energy being repelled, nothing to fret over, I'm sure." With that Giles pushed his chair away from the table. "I think it's time I went home. For one thing, I need a stiff drink after the events of tonight. Care to join me?"
Spike looked at Giles in wonder. Today was turning out to be hell of a day, that was for sure.
"Cheers Rupert, I'd love to."
---
Buffy finally came downstairs to see a living room full of faces look expectantly at her.
"What? I got a booger?" asked the self-conscious slayer, wiping at her face.
"No, Buff. Just making sure you're okay. You can pretty close to being flame-broiled tonight. In fact, if the bleached-wonder hadn't jumped in front of you, I'm sure you'd be pretty ticked right now." Said Xander, wrapping an arm around his girlfriend and settling back into the chair.
"Oh? There were flames? Nobody told me," said Buffy, looking expectantly at her sister, who simply shrugged.
"Well, where's Spike? He didn't go poof or anything, did he?"
Willow giggled, "Oh no. In fact, he and Giles just went out. To get drunk!" Her eye widened at the last part, finishing the sentence in a whispered giggle.
Buffy was just confused. She was having fluffy feelings for a vampire, who was currently drinking whiskey with her watcher? Ooo-kay then.
"And Ben? Where's he?" she said, looking around the room expectantly. "God, he's not getting drunk with them too, is he? Because the mental image is just messing me up, here."
"We took Ben home. Or to what was left of it. The little Glory minions appear to have cleared out, but we found Ben's storage closet bedroom. He's resting up, it was a pretty exhausting night for him," supplied Anya.
"Oh. So. There's not a whole lot going on then, huh?" said Buffy, as she sat on the floor next to Willow.
"Sorry Buff, it's just the usual post-apocalyptic movie-fest. This time without the First Slayer ripping out my heart. I hope" frowned Xander.
Dawn bounced in her seat. "And I won! We're watching Shakespeare in Love!"
Buffy rolled her eyes, and got up again with a stretch.
"Well, that sounds like fun, but I'm kinda beat from all the passing out. I'm gonna turn in, but I'll see you all in the morning, kay?
With a wave of their hands, the gang watched Buffy retreat back up the stairs, before turning their attention once more, to the movie.
---
Spike wasn't sure he could count his fingers at this point, let alone the amount of fingers he and Rupert had gone through. It was over a bottle that much he was sure of. And drink made the Watcher one chatty bastard, most amenable. They'd discussed literature, the homeland, and Willow.
The thought started to sober Spike up again. The Watcher was definitely concerned about Willow's flippant use of magic, and Spike hadn't really helped matters by relaying the story of the witch he'd seen, consumed whole by her magic. It hadn't been a pretty sight, and he was sure Giles could have done without the sound effects in the story. But it was true. And Red was a decent bird, just misguided. If his horror stories could help people see her more clearly, then he had plenty of them to share.
They'd also discussed Buffy. Just the thought caused Spike to sigh. Rupert had actually been fairly honest with Spike, and he appreciated that. They'd talked about the problems Buffy seemed to have, and both men had agreed that a lot of the fault lay at Angel's feet. Well, it both helped that they were biased in that area. Neither of them liked the vampire, and were both convinced that the relationship had caused nothing but pain for Buffy, even after the poof had gained the decency to sod off to L.A. This of course led to the dissection of the Riley relationship, and why that failed. While Spike had ranted about Riley's lack of moral compass and balls, Giles had pointed out that most men in his position would almost certainly sabotaged any chance at a long-term relationship. Mortal men couldn't handle the lives of vampire slayers. It was true; Spike could acknowledge that. Much like he accepted that Buffy would never be able to commit to a real relationship any more, she'd been burnt too many damn times.
This caused another deep sigh from the vampire.
He should just follow Peaches example. Leave town.
