A/N : Thanx to everyone who left reviews for chapter 9 - all your comments are appreciated. Glad people are still reading and enjoying and reviewing! Here's a new chapter for you all!
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 10
"Really guys, I am so sorry" Willow apologised for the fiftieth time that night as the Scooby gang returned home from their patrol. Xander, Anya and Giles had gone to their respective homes and the two Wiccas, Dawn, Buffy and Spike had returned to the Summers house, everyone soaked from head to foot.
"It's okay Will" Buffy assured her friend with a smile, despite the fact she felt like wringing her neck right now, "You didn't mean to do it"
Willow had had a super idea of creating a ball of sunlight using a new spell she'd learnt over the summer. She planned to extinguish vamps with it, and it had worked, but unfortunately the counteraction had caused a rainstorm - a big one. The thunder and lightening were a mere annoyance but the rain came down hard and fast and soaked through every piece of clothing that every Scooby wore.
The slaying before the storm had gone fairly well and Buffy had slayed two vamps by herself, not bad considering the time she had spent with neither practice nor training, but she felt very weak and more tired now than she had in a while. Dawn had been spectacular as the gang had said she was, staking a couple of vampires and using some impressive moves that surprised even her sister.
Spike, despite his new human status and his 'ordeal' (namely dying and being resurrected) managed to put an end to a demon too and he was very proud to drive the stake home right in front of everyone.
"Aachoo" Dawn sneezed as the five made their way upstairs.
"Dawnie, hurry up and get out of those clothes and get dried off" Buffy told her sister, "Last thing I want is for you to get pnuemonia"
"I'm fine" the girl sniffed, "Goodnight" she added as she disappeared into her room.
Willow and Tara stopped outside their room and turned to Buffy and Spike.
"It was great having you two out with the gang, slaying again" Willow smiled.
"Yeah, it wasn't the same without you" Tara added, also smiling.
"Thanks guys" said Buffy, before quickly saying goodnight and going into her room, Spike right behind her. She slumped down onto the end of her bed and sighed.
"You alright Buffy?" a worried Spike asked her, "You look pale"
"I'm fine" she smiled, fakely. She didn't feel good at all. She felt tired and weak and generally non-Slayer-ish, but she figured it was just all the time she'd spent indoors, crying and not eating so much. She was out of practice, that was all.
All five members of the house were glad to get out of their wet clothes and get dried off and warm again. They fell asleep, glad of rest after a trying day, hoping things were going to gain some normality from now on...or at least whatever passed for normality in a place like Sunnydale.
* * * * *
Early hours of the morning, and the silence in the Summers house was broken by a stifled scream. Buffy's eyes shot open as she felt the bed moving violently. Spike was having a nightmare or at least that was what she assumed was happening.
"Spike, wake up" she told him, trying to wake him, "Come on, it's just a dream, wake up"
As she shook him out of his seemingly frightening dream she realised his skin was hot to her touch. Not just the regular body heat of a human being but a high fever.
"Spike, please wake up" she shook him harder and it seemed to work as his eyes shot open and he gasped.
"Buffy" he choked out her name and she reached to turn on the light beside her bed.
"Yeah, I'm here" she told him, stroking his hair back from his face, "I'm here and you're safe, you were just dreaming"
Spike breathed erratically as he tried to calm down but found it almost impossible. He felt hot, too hot, even hotter than he had before and he felt a strange sensation in his stomach, it had been a while but he was pretty sure he was going to be sick. Throwing the covers of the bed off of his body he flew to the bathroom and made it just in time as any food he might have consumed during the day put in a second appearance in reverse order.
Buffy followed behind him and finding him bent over the toilet heaving, she knelt beside him and rubbed his back soothingly. The noise and general commotion had prompted a worried Dawn, Willow and Tara to arrive on the scene, each with some kind of weapon in case of demon type danger.
"What's going on?" Willow asked worriedly and Buffy turned to her friends.
"I don't know" she admitted, "Spike was having a nightmare and he's got a fever. Now he just keeps throwing up"
Willow and Tara shared a panicked expression. There was no way of knowing what was happening, but it was likely a side effect of the spell and bringing Spike back from the dead.
The ex-vamp slumped down on the bathroom floor, clearly exhausted, and with nothing left to bring up. Buffy put her arms around him and was worried by how warm he still felt. He shook involuntarily and shivered as if cold, despite his high temperature.
"What happened honey?" the blonde girl asked him gently and Spike shook his head.
"I don't know" he coughed as he tried to speak, before swallowing hard, "I had a dream, I think and then I just felt ill, I..." he trailed off, breathing quickly and shuddering some more.
"Will, what's wrong with him?" Buffy asked her best friend, panic in her eyes. She was so scared of losing this man again, so soon after getting him back.
"I don't know" the red-head looked close to tears as she answered. She felt so guilty. It was possible that all this was because her spell went wrong, if anything fatal occurred she didn't know how Buffy would cope with it and it would all be her fault.
Buffy glanced back down as Spike whose head was against her chest as she held him close. His breathing had settled a little and he shook less, he appeared to be sleeping now. Sweat lined his brow and he looked deathly pale, which worried Buffy a lot, she wasn't sure he'd even looked this pale when he was a vampire.
"I should get him back to bed" she said half to herself and half to the others.
"I'll help" Dawn offered, stepping forward and the two Summers girls carried the very ill looking man back to Buffy's bedroom.
Willow and Tara put the stakes they had in their hands back in their room and Willow tidied the bathroom before they went into their friends room.
"Buffy, I'm scared" Dawn whimpered as she knelt with her older sister by the bed where Spike lay.
"He'll be okay" Buffy told her, not at all convinced herself.
"He's been through much worse" Tara pointed out as they came into the room, that at least was perfectly true.
"What should we do for him?" the blonde by the bed asked, not taking her eyes off of her true love, "I mean, what's wrong with him and can we fix it? Is it the spell or a demon, it could be a demon or another spell or..." she broke down in tears, grabbing at Spike's hand and holding tight. She loved him so much and he'd just been returned to her she couldn't lose him again.
"I honestly don't know Buffy" Willow tried not to cry but a few stray tears escaped. Tara put an arm around her girlfriend and looked over at the Summer's sisters.
"Should we call Giles? He might know what to do?"
Dawn nodded that she thought that was a good idea and the blonde Wicca went to do exactly that. As she reached the phone, she picked up the receiver and speed-dialled the Watchers number. As she waited for Giles to answer, she said a silent prayer; 'Please God let him live'. She knew Buffy couldn't live with the pain of losing Spike twice.
"Hello?" she heard the English accent of the man she'd called for answer the phone.
"Giles, it's Tara. Please come now, it's Spike..."
To Be Continued...
