Disclaimer: Joss and ME own Buffy et al.
Spoiler: This chapter is my version of the story based on spoilers for episodes 17-21.
Feedback: always accepted
Chapter 9
Buffy awoke slowly in an unfamiliar place. She felt Spike spooned behind her. She snuggled into him and looked around.
She immediately recognized the living room of the Crawford Street mansion. She was confused at first, and then the memories of the night before came crashing down. Her eyes filled with tears.
Spike felt her stir and heard the telltale sound of her soft crying. He turned her to face him.
"Shh. Let it out, love. I know it hurts, but I'm here. We'll get through this together."
He held her while she sobbed.
After a few minutes, she calmed somewhat. Spike sat up and settled her in his lap. He brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear.
"I'm so sorry about what happened, sweetheart. I went back there and gave them all a piece of my mind. I also got out things. Now we need to decide what to do. We can't stay here. Do you have enough cash for a hotel room?"
"Um, the only money I have is for the house payment and some groceries."
"Well, since they threw you out, I say they make the house payment. You need a place to stay. I'll contact my barristers in England and arrange to have some assets liquidated and..." He broke off as he saw Buffy's shocked look. Then she burst out laughing.
"B-b-barristers? You have barristers? And liquidate what assets? You never have money, Spike."
Spike was thrilled to see her laugh, even if it was at his expense.
"Yes, Slayer, I have barristers. You think those wankers in LA are the only evil lawyers in the world?
"And I do have some valuable assets; I just wasn't willing to part with them for beer and blood money. Besides, after I got the chip the only way I could justify helpin' you was if you paid me, and the only way I could get my jollies was stealin' from the humans I couldn't hurt any other way."
Buffy shook her head and snuggled into his chest.
"So, what kind of assets are we talking about?"
"Well, after Dru turned me and I turned my mum, we didn't have any other family around. We had some cousins down around Dover who were to inherit our property, but I didn't know them and couldn't stand the thought of strangers gettin' their hands on some of my favorite things.
"So while our house stood empty, I went in and took some of my mum's jewelry, my favorite paintings, and some books that had been signed by the authors.
"See my family owned a small publishing house, which my cousins later sold to one of the bigger houses. But, we knew a great many authors, not just the ones we published, and we had several books that the authors signed for us. Many of the paintings are by artists who are considered masters, and the books, being signed first editions are worth a great deal of money."
Buffy's eyes widened. "How did you keep all of those things this long?"
Spike shrugged. "I snuck the things out of the house while we were hunting in the area and hid them in a crypt that no one visited. After several years I found out about these barristers that dealt with demons. I handed everything over to them and they've kept them safe ever since.
"I had to keep everything away from Darla, Dru, and Angelus. They saw my sentimentality as weak; they would have destroyed everything to teach me a lesson."
"So, what do you think these things are going to be worth?"
"I'm not sure, anywhere from a few hundred thousand to a couple of million. I took everything for sentimental value, but now, it's all worth a pretty penny."
"Spike, I don't want you to give up your last ties to your family because of me."
"I still have my memories, luv. And if I can help you, I am more than willing to give it up."
"But..."
"No, buts. I wanted to do this for you before, but you wouldn't have taken it. Now, I'm hoping you will. Now that you know that you can trust me, and that I love you. There are no strings attached. I love you. I don't have much to offer you, but I want to give you everything I can.
"Do you remember the poem I quoted the night you told me you loved me?"
Buffy blushed prettily and smiled. "Of course. It was beautiful."
"Well, one of the lines is 'All that I have I must confess I owe you.' And that's how I feel, love. I love you; you have all of me. You own me now, sweetheart, body, heart, and soul.
"So, please, let me do this for you."
Buffy smiled and kissed him. "If it means that much to you, okay."
Spike smiled at her teasing tone and put-upon expression. "It does."
He kissed her and then lifted her off of his lap while he stood up.
"Now, pet, let's go get some of your money, since it'll take a bit of time to get mine. Then we can get you something to eat and get a room. Then we can get cleaned up and talk about what we're going to do next."
Buffy immediately sobered. She nodded and they gathered their belongings and headed out.
**************************
An hour later they were settled into a small suite with a kitchenette. They decided to find someplace where they could make some of their own meals so they wouldn't have to eat out all the time.
Buffy stretched as she finished unpacking. She turned to look at Spike who was putting pictures of Joyce on the dresser.
She walked over and put her arms around his waist. "Thank you so much for going back to get these for me. I was so upset, I couldn't think straight.
"I just don't understand how Faith could have done that. I mean I can almost understand the potentials, but how could she convince my friends to side with her. They know her."
"Actually, pet, I don't think she did this."
Buffy looked at Spike, her whole face radiating pain and anger.
"Now don't look at me like that. Last night when I was tearin' into her for doin' this, she didn't look smug or happy. She looked scared and even told me she didn't want to be the leader, but someone had to stay with them. I think for once that she's just tryin' to do the right thing.
"I don't think it's Faith. I think it's the First messin' with everybody's heads. Playin' on their fears, makin' you their scapegoat.
"You were the leader, so you get the blame. If Faith had been the one in charge all this time, they'd be blamin' her for all their problems."
Buffy nodded. "I guess you're right. I'm doing the same thing, blaming Faith when it's not really her fault this time." Her face crumbled. "It just hurts you know. After everything we've been through together. For them to just turn their backs on me like that. I can understand the potentials, because we don't have a history, and I've contradicted so much of what they've been taught, but Dawn, Willow, Xander..." She trailed off.
"I know, pet. Believe me, I told 'em as much last night. But, luv, maybe a break is good. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all.
"Besides, you need a clear head to figure out this whole First mess. It's hard to have a clear head when you've got a bunch of teenage hormone bombs, judgmental mates, and a stuffy, resentful Watcher."
"Resentful?"
"What do you think? He left you behind last year, supposedly to make you grow up, right. Now you have, you're doing well, you're making your own decisions, and you're training a whole group of new Slayers. He's helping, but he's not the big cheese anymore. You are. You don't ask his opinion on everything anymore, you've become a true leader and a mature young woman. You've been making decisions on your own. He may have wanted that for you, but he resents being left behind. He doesn't want you to rely on him for everything, but he doesn't like being on the sidelines."
Buffy raised her eyebrows. "You might be right. I just thought he didn't trust me. Maybe he's afraid that I don't need him anymore, so he's trying to convince me that I can't do this without him, that I do need him."
She looked at Spike. "I think you're right, about everything, including the fact that I do need a little peace and quiet to figure out what I'm going to do."
She put her arms around his neck. "I'm going to take a shower then get a bite to eat."
She walked toward the bathroom, "You wanna join me?"
Spike grinned and chased her into the bathroom.
*******************************
After their aquatic aerobics, Buffy dried off and fell asleep on the bed. Spike watched her, knowing that she was exhausted and relieved that she was finally able to rest. He continued to watch her slumber until he drifted off, also.
Buffy slept deeply and soon began to dream.
**She was walking alone in the desert, an oddly familiar looking desert. She looked around.
"Come out, I know you're here, somewhere."
As she turned around again, the First Slayer was standing next to her.
"What do you have to tell me, now? I already got that it's not enough, but I didn't let those guys put that demon essence in me and now it's too late."
"It's not enough. The others, the training, the weapons. They will not be enough. You must look inside; your greatest weapon is inside. It always has been. Remember."
With those words, the First Slayer touched her hand to Buffy's temple.
The visions started immediately.
"You think you know, what you are, what's to come. You haven't even begun."
"You're all I bloody think about, dream about...I'm drownin' in you, Summers, drownin' in you."
"You are full of love. You love with all your soul. It's brighter than the fire, blinding, that's why you pull away from it... Love is pain and the Slayer forges strength from pain. Love, give, forgive. Risk the pain, it is your nature."
"Because it's always got to be blood. Blood is life."
"I love you, Spike...I believe in you and I believe in us."
The First Slayer stepped back in front of Buffy.
"You have the weapon within you. You must find it"
She produced a book and handed it to Buffy. Buffy recognized it as the Codex in which Giles had found the prophecy about her death at the Master's hands. It was opened to page 730.**
Buffy awoke with a start. She looked at the man sleeping next to her. She knew that she had had a Slayer dream. She wanted to think about it for a little while. Of course, if she didn't get back in the house soon, she would have to get Spike's input on how to sneak the Codex away from Giles.
*********************************
After Spike woke up they changed clothes and headed out to patrol. They had not been out very long when they heard screams and the sounds of struggle.
*********************************
Faith and the potentials had been ambushed by ubervamps. Faith and several others had been badly injured, while a few others had been killed. They were losing badly. Suddenly two black and white blurs dashed into the middle of the fray, swinging sharpened weapons at the ubervamps, turning them rapidly to dust.
In minutes, all of the Turok-Han had fallen to ashes. Faith and the girls stared at Buffy and Spike in awe. Buffy looked sadly at the bodies of the fallen girls, then at Spike, and then she looked around at the survivors.
"I'm sorry." She and Spike started to walk away.
"Wait, Buffy," called Amanda, "I want to go with you. I don't want to face these things without you again."
Vi, Kennedy, and several other girls chimed in with their agreement.
Faith struggled to her feet. "B, come home. I can't do this myself. Spike was right, I'm the second-stringer here. We need you."
Buffy sighed, then looked at Spike who nodded.
"Let's go."
***********************************
That night after everyone else had gone to bed, Buffy and Spike sat up talking quietly about her dream.
When they came home everyone welcomed them, but things were still strained between Buffy and Giles. He was clearly displeased that Spike had returned with her, and he was not quite as amazed at the stories of Buffy's and Spike's triumph over the ubervamps as the others were.
Everyone else had apologized and promised to listen to Buffy in the future. Giles had merely cleaned his glasses.
So now, Buffy was brainstorming with Spike about how to get the Codex without Giles' knowledge.
They snuck quietly upstairs. Spike kept a lookout for Giles while Buffy searched the Codex.
She finally found it just as Spike whispered that Giles was stirring, about to wake up.
The years of practicing stealth to track their prey served both vampire and Slayer well as they slipped silently away from Giles' room and back downstairs.
Buffy turned rapidly to page 730 and read the passage:
"Two warriors, one of darkness who chooses light, one of light who embraces the darkness, shall come together, heart and soul. Their bond shall be sealed in blood and their light shall push back the darkness."
She looked at Spike.
"Well, I assume that we are the warriors. A bond sealed in blood, hmmm. Oh, wait, the First Slayer said that my greatest weapon was within, then she made me remember us telling each other that we loved each other and you telling us that it always has to be blood, that blood is life.
"I think I know what it means, and if I'm right, then it's a damn good thing Wood didn't kill you."
*****************************
Life returned to semi-normal at 1630 Revello, Buffy, Spike and the potentials patrolled and fought demons. Until a few nights later when they ran into a group of Bringers and Buffy sensed someone else nearby.
They began to fight them, but their numbers seemed to increase instead of decrease. Then suddenly another black clad figure joined the fight, turning the tide in favor of the good guys.
When the last Bringer had been dispatched everyone turned to see who their benefactor was.
"Angel?"
"Hey, Buffy. I heard that you needed help."
"You're not wrong. Thanks for coming"
Angel noticed Spike's obvious displeasure, but disregarded it as he stepped forward to give Buffy a hug. Buffy had barely raised her arms to return the hug when she heard a growl and saw a flash of Spike's duster as he whirled and stormed away.
TBC
Spoiler: This chapter is my version of the story based on spoilers for episodes 17-21.
Feedback: always accepted
Chapter 9
Buffy awoke slowly in an unfamiliar place. She felt Spike spooned behind her. She snuggled into him and looked around.
She immediately recognized the living room of the Crawford Street mansion. She was confused at first, and then the memories of the night before came crashing down. Her eyes filled with tears.
Spike felt her stir and heard the telltale sound of her soft crying. He turned her to face him.
"Shh. Let it out, love. I know it hurts, but I'm here. We'll get through this together."
He held her while she sobbed.
After a few minutes, she calmed somewhat. Spike sat up and settled her in his lap. He brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear.
"I'm so sorry about what happened, sweetheart. I went back there and gave them all a piece of my mind. I also got out things. Now we need to decide what to do. We can't stay here. Do you have enough cash for a hotel room?"
"Um, the only money I have is for the house payment and some groceries."
"Well, since they threw you out, I say they make the house payment. You need a place to stay. I'll contact my barristers in England and arrange to have some assets liquidated and..." He broke off as he saw Buffy's shocked look. Then she burst out laughing.
"B-b-barristers? You have barristers? And liquidate what assets? You never have money, Spike."
Spike was thrilled to see her laugh, even if it was at his expense.
"Yes, Slayer, I have barristers. You think those wankers in LA are the only evil lawyers in the world?
"And I do have some valuable assets; I just wasn't willing to part with them for beer and blood money. Besides, after I got the chip the only way I could justify helpin' you was if you paid me, and the only way I could get my jollies was stealin' from the humans I couldn't hurt any other way."
Buffy shook her head and snuggled into his chest.
"So, what kind of assets are we talking about?"
"Well, after Dru turned me and I turned my mum, we didn't have any other family around. We had some cousins down around Dover who were to inherit our property, but I didn't know them and couldn't stand the thought of strangers gettin' their hands on some of my favorite things.
"So while our house stood empty, I went in and took some of my mum's jewelry, my favorite paintings, and some books that had been signed by the authors.
"See my family owned a small publishing house, which my cousins later sold to one of the bigger houses. But, we knew a great many authors, not just the ones we published, and we had several books that the authors signed for us. Many of the paintings are by artists who are considered masters, and the books, being signed first editions are worth a great deal of money."
Buffy's eyes widened. "How did you keep all of those things this long?"
Spike shrugged. "I snuck the things out of the house while we were hunting in the area and hid them in a crypt that no one visited. After several years I found out about these barristers that dealt with demons. I handed everything over to them and they've kept them safe ever since.
"I had to keep everything away from Darla, Dru, and Angelus. They saw my sentimentality as weak; they would have destroyed everything to teach me a lesson."
"So, what do you think these things are going to be worth?"
"I'm not sure, anywhere from a few hundred thousand to a couple of million. I took everything for sentimental value, but now, it's all worth a pretty penny."
"Spike, I don't want you to give up your last ties to your family because of me."
"I still have my memories, luv. And if I can help you, I am more than willing to give it up."
"But..."
"No, buts. I wanted to do this for you before, but you wouldn't have taken it. Now, I'm hoping you will. Now that you know that you can trust me, and that I love you. There are no strings attached. I love you. I don't have much to offer you, but I want to give you everything I can.
"Do you remember the poem I quoted the night you told me you loved me?"
Buffy blushed prettily and smiled. "Of course. It was beautiful."
"Well, one of the lines is 'All that I have I must confess I owe you.' And that's how I feel, love. I love you; you have all of me. You own me now, sweetheart, body, heart, and soul.
"So, please, let me do this for you."
Buffy smiled and kissed him. "If it means that much to you, okay."
Spike smiled at her teasing tone and put-upon expression. "It does."
He kissed her and then lifted her off of his lap while he stood up.
"Now, pet, let's go get some of your money, since it'll take a bit of time to get mine. Then we can get you something to eat and get a room. Then we can get cleaned up and talk about what we're going to do next."
Buffy immediately sobered. She nodded and they gathered their belongings and headed out.
**************************
An hour later they were settled into a small suite with a kitchenette. They decided to find someplace where they could make some of their own meals so they wouldn't have to eat out all the time.
Buffy stretched as she finished unpacking. She turned to look at Spike who was putting pictures of Joyce on the dresser.
She walked over and put her arms around his waist. "Thank you so much for going back to get these for me. I was so upset, I couldn't think straight.
"I just don't understand how Faith could have done that. I mean I can almost understand the potentials, but how could she convince my friends to side with her. They know her."
"Actually, pet, I don't think she did this."
Buffy looked at Spike, her whole face radiating pain and anger.
"Now don't look at me like that. Last night when I was tearin' into her for doin' this, she didn't look smug or happy. She looked scared and even told me she didn't want to be the leader, but someone had to stay with them. I think for once that she's just tryin' to do the right thing.
"I don't think it's Faith. I think it's the First messin' with everybody's heads. Playin' on their fears, makin' you their scapegoat.
"You were the leader, so you get the blame. If Faith had been the one in charge all this time, they'd be blamin' her for all their problems."
Buffy nodded. "I guess you're right. I'm doing the same thing, blaming Faith when it's not really her fault this time." Her face crumbled. "It just hurts you know. After everything we've been through together. For them to just turn their backs on me like that. I can understand the potentials, because we don't have a history, and I've contradicted so much of what they've been taught, but Dawn, Willow, Xander..." She trailed off.
"I know, pet. Believe me, I told 'em as much last night. But, luv, maybe a break is good. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all.
"Besides, you need a clear head to figure out this whole First mess. It's hard to have a clear head when you've got a bunch of teenage hormone bombs, judgmental mates, and a stuffy, resentful Watcher."
"Resentful?"
"What do you think? He left you behind last year, supposedly to make you grow up, right. Now you have, you're doing well, you're making your own decisions, and you're training a whole group of new Slayers. He's helping, but he's not the big cheese anymore. You are. You don't ask his opinion on everything anymore, you've become a true leader and a mature young woman. You've been making decisions on your own. He may have wanted that for you, but he resents being left behind. He doesn't want you to rely on him for everything, but he doesn't like being on the sidelines."
Buffy raised her eyebrows. "You might be right. I just thought he didn't trust me. Maybe he's afraid that I don't need him anymore, so he's trying to convince me that I can't do this without him, that I do need him."
She looked at Spike. "I think you're right, about everything, including the fact that I do need a little peace and quiet to figure out what I'm going to do."
She put her arms around his neck. "I'm going to take a shower then get a bite to eat."
She walked toward the bathroom, "You wanna join me?"
Spike grinned and chased her into the bathroom.
*******************************
After their aquatic aerobics, Buffy dried off and fell asleep on the bed. Spike watched her, knowing that she was exhausted and relieved that she was finally able to rest. He continued to watch her slumber until he drifted off, also.
Buffy slept deeply and soon began to dream.
**She was walking alone in the desert, an oddly familiar looking desert. She looked around.
"Come out, I know you're here, somewhere."
As she turned around again, the First Slayer was standing next to her.
"What do you have to tell me, now? I already got that it's not enough, but I didn't let those guys put that demon essence in me and now it's too late."
"It's not enough. The others, the training, the weapons. They will not be enough. You must look inside; your greatest weapon is inside. It always has been. Remember."
With those words, the First Slayer touched her hand to Buffy's temple.
The visions started immediately.
"You think you know, what you are, what's to come. You haven't even begun."
"You're all I bloody think about, dream about...I'm drownin' in you, Summers, drownin' in you."
"You are full of love. You love with all your soul. It's brighter than the fire, blinding, that's why you pull away from it... Love is pain and the Slayer forges strength from pain. Love, give, forgive. Risk the pain, it is your nature."
"Because it's always got to be blood. Blood is life."
"I love you, Spike...I believe in you and I believe in us."
The First Slayer stepped back in front of Buffy.
"You have the weapon within you. You must find it"
She produced a book and handed it to Buffy. Buffy recognized it as the Codex in which Giles had found the prophecy about her death at the Master's hands. It was opened to page 730.**
Buffy awoke with a start. She looked at the man sleeping next to her. She knew that she had had a Slayer dream. She wanted to think about it for a little while. Of course, if she didn't get back in the house soon, she would have to get Spike's input on how to sneak the Codex away from Giles.
*********************************
After Spike woke up they changed clothes and headed out to patrol. They had not been out very long when they heard screams and the sounds of struggle.
*********************************
Faith and the potentials had been ambushed by ubervamps. Faith and several others had been badly injured, while a few others had been killed. They were losing badly. Suddenly two black and white blurs dashed into the middle of the fray, swinging sharpened weapons at the ubervamps, turning them rapidly to dust.
In minutes, all of the Turok-Han had fallen to ashes. Faith and the girls stared at Buffy and Spike in awe. Buffy looked sadly at the bodies of the fallen girls, then at Spike, and then she looked around at the survivors.
"I'm sorry." She and Spike started to walk away.
"Wait, Buffy," called Amanda, "I want to go with you. I don't want to face these things without you again."
Vi, Kennedy, and several other girls chimed in with their agreement.
Faith struggled to her feet. "B, come home. I can't do this myself. Spike was right, I'm the second-stringer here. We need you."
Buffy sighed, then looked at Spike who nodded.
"Let's go."
***********************************
That night after everyone else had gone to bed, Buffy and Spike sat up talking quietly about her dream.
When they came home everyone welcomed them, but things were still strained between Buffy and Giles. He was clearly displeased that Spike had returned with her, and he was not quite as amazed at the stories of Buffy's and Spike's triumph over the ubervamps as the others were.
Everyone else had apologized and promised to listen to Buffy in the future. Giles had merely cleaned his glasses.
So now, Buffy was brainstorming with Spike about how to get the Codex without Giles' knowledge.
They snuck quietly upstairs. Spike kept a lookout for Giles while Buffy searched the Codex.
She finally found it just as Spike whispered that Giles was stirring, about to wake up.
The years of practicing stealth to track their prey served both vampire and Slayer well as they slipped silently away from Giles' room and back downstairs.
Buffy turned rapidly to page 730 and read the passage:
"Two warriors, one of darkness who chooses light, one of light who embraces the darkness, shall come together, heart and soul. Their bond shall be sealed in blood and their light shall push back the darkness."
She looked at Spike.
"Well, I assume that we are the warriors. A bond sealed in blood, hmmm. Oh, wait, the First Slayer said that my greatest weapon was within, then she made me remember us telling each other that we loved each other and you telling us that it always has to be blood, that blood is life.
"I think I know what it means, and if I'm right, then it's a damn good thing Wood didn't kill you."
*****************************
Life returned to semi-normal at 1630 Revello, Buffy, Spike and the potentials patrolled and fought demons. Until a few nights later when they ran into a group of Bringers and Buffy sensed someone else nearby.
They began to fight them, but their numbers seemed to increase instead of decrease. Then suddenly another black clad figure joined the fight, turning the tide in favor of the good guys.
When the last Bringer had been dispatched everyone turned to see who their benefactor was.
"Angel?"
"Hey, Buffy. I heard that you needed help."
"You're not wrong. Thanks for coming"
Angel noticed Spike's obvious displeasure, but disregarded it as he stepped forward to give Buffy a hug. Buffy had barely raised her arms to return the hug when she heard a growl and saw a flash of Spike's duster as he whirled and stormed away.
TBC
