Spike was unsure how long he'd lain there, drifting in and out of sleep. He
snorted as he tried shifting positions, remembering quickly the chains,
before settling down to the one position that he was allowed, namely on his
back. He knew now that he didn't have to chain himself to the wall when he
slept. He had in fact given up on them entirely at any other time of day
(or night as the case may be), but he still felt compelled to lock himself
up when he slept. He felt more vulnerable then. Maybe it was Xander having
referred to him as a "sleeper" agent that had done it, but he just didn't
think he'd be able to fend off the First if it tried to invade his mind
while he slept. Hence, the continued use of the chains.
He lay there then, staring off into the oblivion that was Buffy's basement ceiling. *How'd I get here? (Snort) Far cry from anything I ever thought I once was. Cowering in the Slayer's basement, chained to her bleedin' wall. And for what purpose really? 's not likely to stop the First if it comes for me again.* It really was a far cry from anything at this point really. He let his mind wander off, thinking about Buffy and their recent sparring match, *God, how she can move.*
A small creak on the stairs caught his attention, he shifted to see better, his lids half closed over his icy eyes. He saw her then; he hadn't realized she'd been so close. She closed the distance between her and his cot quickly, and before he had barely become aware of it, she was sitting up on his cot with her warm skin next to his cold, aching body. A sweet smile graced her mouth, marred only by the touch of sadness that same in the green pools of her eyes.
"What's wrong, Pet?"
She shook her head lightly, her lips trembling so subtly that if she hadn't been mere inches from his face he doubted he would have noticed. She reached her small hand up to his face, softly caressing him. He couldn't help but close his eyes and lean into her warmth. *Oh, god, I could die now.*
A moment passed and he felt her sweet lips brush against his own, tasting oddly salty. He smiled under the kiss, pressing his forehead against hers, breaking the contact as he moved to speak.
"Shh." She silenced him, the thumb of her hand moving over his lips as her mouth traced the line of his face over to his ear, a warm trail of kisses tingling along his face as she went. She nibbled lightly on his earlobe, before placing a small kiss on his neck. His unneeded breath caught in his throat, his voice was no more then a whisper.
"I must be bloody dreamin'."
He could feel her lips upturn into a smile at his words, and was unable to help but smile in return, nuzzling her neck lightly.
"Spike," she cooed softly, a tenderness in her voice that he knew she possessed, but that she had never deemed him worthy of hearing. She placed another light kiss on his neck as she moved back to his ear. The tone of her voice dropping and if he'd had a working heart it would have stopped beating right then and there.
"I love you."
No sooner had the words passed her lips then did the stake pass through his back and into his heart. He gasped for air just as it did, "Knew I could die." And then he melted around her, his body dissolving to dust.
--------- ------------------------------
He shot up in bed with such ferocity that the chains whipped him back down into submission, causing his head to hit the wall painfully as they did.
"OW, BLODDY HELL!" He grasped his head, the aching pain magnified by the still tender spot where the chip had been removed. He took in breaths of air rhythmically, trying to calm himself.
"I knew I was dreamin'..." He spoke softly to no one but the walls, as he relaxed back down into the cot. "Bleedin' nightmares." His internal clock told him it was just a little before sunrise. He laid there in wait for morning, when either Willow or Buffy would come and release him from his self imposed exile. He secretly hoped it would be Willow, still shaken from the dream he was not really up to seeing Buffy just yet.
---------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------
Up in her own bed, Buffy awoke with a start, her California suntanned skin drenched with sweat. Her whole body aching. She felt like she had been hit by a, by a, well she wasn't sure by what. "Bad bed." She slapped the bed lightly before throwing the covers off of her and moving over to the bathroom, she needed a hot shower, figured her mind would get clearer as the mirrors got foggier.
--------- ---------
Buffy rubbed her eyes as the warm water poured over her body, the dreams from the night before coming back in slow pulses. She was replaying the events in her mind over and over again, trying to analyze them. *Damn it!* She was never good at this whole getting in touch with your inner self thingie. Just hand her something pointy and face her in the direction of what she could hack and slash. That was all she was really good for anyways. *Isn't?* She shook the thoughts from her head, drops of water flying everywhere as she stepped from the shower.
"Buffy!" Her sister pounded on the door, bringing Buffy out of her reverie.
"What?"
"You've been in there for like an hour. You have to be completely clean and pruned up by now. There are like a dozen other people in this house you know." Dawn breathed out, exasperated. For the Chosen One of Two, her sister could be really daft at times.
Buffy sighed out heavily, clearing the fog from the mirror and staring into her own reflection. *Inner Buffy, eh?* "Sorry Dawnie, I'm coming out now."
------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------
There was a buzz all through the Summers' house. As everyone had woken and gotten themselves together it had been reveled that everyone had had strange dreams the night before. No one was quite sure what to make of it all. Discussing their various dreams, everyone was shuffling about the kitchen, getting breakfast. Each one filtering out to the dining room as they did . "Hey, Willow"
Willow glanced up at her friend as she finished her breakfast, "Morning, Buffy." She cleaned her plate up and moved to the basement door. "I'm gonna go unchain Spike, see if he got visited by the Sandman last night too." She chirped.
Buffy merely nodded; somewhat comforted by the way Willow had been treating Spike since the whole incident with the chip. She so wanted for him to be able to be a part of the group. She knew he had changed, knew what he could be. But it was just so difficult to make her friends see that. She was glad that it seemed to be happening on its own, at least a little. Buffy moved over to the shutters, pulling them closed as she gathered the few remaining food items and a pint of blood.
A few minutes later Spike was in the kitchen, sitting at the island, rubbing his head. Buffy placed the heated mug of pig's blood in front of him, eliciting a strange look from Spike. "Made me breakfast?"
She smiled at him somewhat, nodding once. "Spike tested, mother approved." She moved to sit across from him at the island, eating her cereal. "Bad dreams."
"What? No I was, well. Yeah." He looked at her shrugging.
"I figured. We all had them."
"We?"
"Every last one of us that spent last night in this house that is." She swirled her spoon in the now flakeless milk, watching the little whirlpool that formed with interest.
"Hmm, well at least we know it wasn't some tainted aspirin." He looked at her, his old smirk playing on his face.
"Hey, it could have-." She rolled her eyes up looking for the lie that wouldn't come, than giving up and going back to her bowl-o-milk. "He was evil you know."
He smiled at her then, playing along. "Oh, yeah, biggest bad that ever there was." His eyes twinkled as he got a true smile out of her, watching her absentmindedly rub her own shoulder. He cocked an eyebrow at her then, noticing the tension in her body.
"You alright, pet?"
She met his honest gaze, the dream flooding through her once more. "Yeah, rough night."
He lay there then, staring off into the oblivion that was Buffy's basement ceiling. *How'd I get here? (Snort) Far cry from anything I ever thought I once was. Cowering in the Slayer's basement, chained to her bleedin' wall. And for what purpose really? 's not likely to stop the First if it comes for me again.* It really was a far cry from anything at this point really. He let his mind wander off, thinking about Buffy and their recent sparring match, *God, how she can move.*
A small creak on the stairs caught his attention, he shifted to see better, his lids half closed over his icy eyes. He saw her then; he hadn't realized she'd been so close. She closed the distance between her and his cot quickly, and before he had barely become aware of it, she was sitting up on his cot with her warm skin next to his cold, aching body. A sweet smile graced her mouth, marred only by the touch of sadness that same in the green pools of her eyes.
"What's wrong, Pet?"
She shook her head lightly, her lips trembling so subtly that if she hadn't been mere inches from his face he doubted he would have noticed. She reached her small hand up to his face, softly caressing him. He couldn't help but close his eyes and lean into her warmth. *Oh, god, I could die now.*
A moment passed and he felt her sweet lips brush against his own, tasting oddly salty. He smiled under the kiss, pressing his forehead against hers, breaking the contact as he moved to speak.
"Shh." She silenced him, the thumb of her hand moving over his lips as her mouth traced the line of his face over to his ear, a warm trail of kisses tingling along his face as she went. She nibbled lightly on his earlobe, before placing a small kiss on his neck. His unneeded breath caught in his throat, his voice was no more then a whisper.
"I must be bloody dreamin'."
He could feel her lips upturn into a smile at his words, and was unable to help but smile in return, nuzzling her neck lightly.
"Spike," she cooed softly, a tenderness in her voice that he knew she possessed, but that she had never deemed him worthy of hearing. She placed another light kiss on his neck as she moved back to his ear. The tone of her voice dropping and if he'd had a working heart it would have stopped beating right then and there.
"I love you."
No sooner had the words passed her lips then did the stake pass through his back and into his heart. He gasped for air just as it did, "Knew I could die." And then he melted around her, his body dissolving to dust.
--------- ------------------------------
He shot up in bed with such ferocity that the chains whipped him back down into submission, causing his head to hit the wall painfully as they did.
"OW, BLODDY HELL!" He grasped his head, the aching pain magnified by the still tender spot where the chip had been removed. He took in breaths of air rhythmically, trying to calm himself.
"I knew I was dreamin'..." He spoke softly to no one but the walls, as he relaxed back down into the cot. "Bleedin' nightmares." His internal clock told him it was just a little before sunrise. He laid there in wait for morning, when either Willow or Buffy would come and release him from his self imposed exile. He secretly hoped it would be Willow, still shaken from the dream he was not really up to seeing Buffy just yet.
---------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------
Up in her own bed, Buffy awoke with a start, her California suntanned skin drenched with sweat. Her whole body aching. She felt like she had been hit by a, by a, well she wasn't sure by what. "Bad bed." She slapped the bed lightly before throwing the covers off of her and moving over to the bathroom, she needed a hot shower, figured her mind would get clearer as the mirrors got foggier.
--------- ---------
Buffy rubbed her eyes as the warm water poured over her body, the dreams from the night before coming back in slow pulses. She was replaying the events in her mind over and over again, trying to analyze them. *Damn it!* She was never good at this whole getting in touch with your inner self thingie. Just hand her something pointy and face her in the direction of what she could hack and slash. That was all she was really good for anyways. *Isn't?* She shook the thoughts from her head, drops of water flying everywhere as she stepped from the shower.
"Buffy!" Her sister pounded on the door, bringing Buffy out of her reverie.
"What?"
"You've been in there for like an hour. You have to be completely clean and pruned up by now. There are like a dozen other people in this house you know." Dawn breathed out, exasperated. For the Chosen One of Two, her sister could be really daft at times.
Buffy sighed out heavily, clearing the fog from the mirror and staring into her own reflection. *Inner Buffy, eh?* "Sorry Dawnie, I'm coming out now."
------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------
There was a buzz all through the Summers' house. As everyone had woken and gotten themselves together it had been reveled that everyone had had strange dreams the night before. No one was quite sure what to make of it all. Discussing their various dreams, everyone was shuffling about the kitchen, getting breakfast. Each one filtering out to the dining room as they did . "Hey, Willow"
Willow glanced up at her friend as she finished her breakfast, "Morning, Buffy." She cleaned her plate up and moved to the basement door. "I'm gonna go unchain Spike, see if he got visited by the Sandman last night too." She chirped.
Buffy merely nodded; somewhat comforted by the way Willow had been treating Spike since the whole incident with the chip. She so wanted for him to be able to be a part of the group. She knew he had changed, knew what he could be. But it was just so difficult to make her friends see that. She was glad that it seemed to be happening on its own, at least a little. Buffy moved over to the shutters, pulling them closed as she gathered the few remaining food items and a pint of blood.
A few minutes later Spike was in the kitchen, sitting at the island, rubbing his head. Buffy placed the heated mug of pig's blood in front of him, eliciting a strange look from Spike. "Made me breakfast?"
She smiled at him somewhat, nodding once. "Spike tested, mother approved." She moved to sit across from him at the island, eating her cereal. "Bad dreams."
"What? No I was, well. Yeah." He looked at her shrugging.
"I figured. We all had them."
"We?"
"Every last one of us that spent last night in this house that is." She swirled her spoon in the now flakeless milk, watching the little whirlpool that formed with interest.
"Hmm, well at least we know it wasn't some tainted aspirin." He looked at her, his old smirk playing on his face.
"Hey, it could have-." She rolled her eyes up looking for the lie that wouldn't come, than giving up and going back to her bowl-o-milk. "He was evil you know."
He smiled at her then, playing along. "Oh, yeah, biggest bad that ever there was." His eyes twinkled as he got a true smile out of her, watching her absentmindedly rub her own shoulder. He cocked an eyebrow at her then, noticing the tension in her body.
"You alright, pet?"
She met his honest gaze, the dream flooding through her once more. "Yeah, rough night."