Disclaimer: Joss and Mutant Enemy, WB, etc own everything.

Spoilers: BtVS through Chosen, AtS through Just Rewards

True Nature

Chapter 8

Wesley gently steered Buffy up the steps into Fred's office and guided her into the chair. She sat staring blankly at the desk. He understood how she felt. He had come to understand how much she and Spike meant to each other, and they had each had to watch the other sacrifice themselves to save the world. Now, she had the means to bring him back, but he refused it, and she knew why and respected his choice. But, it hurt her to be unable to help him.

He remembered feeling just as helpless because he was unable to help someone he cared for not so long ago. And his feelings for Lilah had not been nearly as deep as Buffy's for Spike.

He returned to the lab and realized immediately that he needed to get Angel out of there before Buffy or Spike returned. Angel had that 'kicked puppy' look in his eyes and Wesley realized that he'd been hurt by her comparison of him to Spike. The last thing Buffy and Spike needed to have to deal with right now was Angel's wounded pride.

He cleared his throat. "Angel, perhaps, you, Gunn, and Lorne should go. We're not going to get anything more done today."

"But, I should talk to..." Angel gestured to the office.

Fred stepped closer to Angel. "I really don't think that's a good idea right now. She's really upset, and you know how things get when you guys get upset. I mean I've only seen it once, but I've heard about you two. You both say things and feelings get hurt, and is that really what you want?"

Angel glowered at her before looking up at the office windows. He realized she was right. He and Buffy had a knack for hurting each other's feelings, and would probably do it again if he went up there right now. He sighed heavily and moved to the door.

"Fine, I'll go. Gunn, Lorne, you coming?"

"Yeah, I've got some contracts to go over." Gunn met him at the door.

Lorne looked around. "I think I'm going to stay here." He picked up his phone and called his assistant to let him know that he would be unavailable for a while. He had a feeling his other talents would be needed today.

Angel and Gunn shrugged and said goodbye, then left the lab.

Lorne looked at Wesley and Fred then tilted his head toward the office. Wesley looked up at the windows, then sighed.

"Yes, go ahead. But don't push her. If she's not ready to talk just let it go."

"Of course, Wes. You know me."

Wesley just arched his brow. Lorne just shook his head and went up the stairs.

********************

After Spike stalked out of the lab, he went to his suite. But, he kept thinking about the first night she'd been here. 'We need to get you fully corporeal again. I want to be able to return the favor.'

Now, he had the chance to be corporeal again, but at what price. He couldn't risk it. He knew what had happened with Angel. He had heard some of the story during his time with the Scoobies, but Buffy had told him the whole story recently. He wouldn't do that to her. He couldn't risk hurting her, just to save his own miserable hide. He'd lost her once; he couldn't do it again. He was fine just the way he was.

He closed his eyes as he thought about the pained look in her eyes. He knew he'd hurt her with his refusal. She wanted to help him; she was willing. But, he also knew that she understood why he refused. He'd seen the understanding mixed with the pain in her eyes. He knew she'd respect his decision and not try to force the issue.

He rubbed his hand over his face. He couldn't stay here. He had to go.

********************

Wesley and Fred looked at each other, then looked at the windows of the office. Fred had spent enough time around them during the past few weeks to realize how hard this was on all of them. She wished she could do something to help them. She picked up the amulet and started fiddling with it.

"May I?" Wesley reached for the amulet. Fred handed it to him. "If only this bloody piece of jewelry would yield some sort of..." He paused as he rubbed his thumb over the surface of the stone. He peered closely at the stone. "Fred, do you have any dye?"

Fred looked at him curiously, but hurried over to her equipment cabinet and retrieved a bottle of dye. She returned and handed him the bottle. Wes laid the amulet down on a nearby tray and gently squeezed a small amount of dye onto the stone. As he did, the dye settled into the scratches on the surface of the stone.

"That's strange." Fred commented. "We took those for scratches that occurred naturally, since it was probably very old, and had been buried under Sunnydale. But, they look too regular to be accidental, don't they?"

"Yes. They do." Wesley responded. "Could you get me something to magnify these markings?"

Fred returned to her equipment cabinet and returned with the strongest lens she had. Wesley nodded his thanks as he took the lens and studied the markings. "They appear to be some sort of ancient script, but they seem familiar. Here, you hold the lens; I'll write them down." He moved over as Fred took the lens from him.

He retrieved a pencil and paper from another table and returned. He wrote the symbols down as he looked through the lens, his brain working to try to decipher the meaning even as he wrote.

"Do you recognize them?" Fred asked when he'd finished.

"Not quite. They seem familiar, but I can't quite place them. I need to get something from my office." He turned to go, but stopped and turned back and went up the stairs.

He gestured to Lorne and held a brief whispered conversation with him on the stairs before he hurried out of the lab.

*******************

As soon as Wesley entered his office, he saw Spike sitting on the sofa holding the picture of Buffy and Giles.

"Spike."

Spike sat up straighter and sniffed, running a hand over his face, apparently trying to discreetly wipe away the tears.

"Hey, Wes. How's the Slayer?"

"She's upset, naturally, but she will respect your wishes."

"S'pose Peaches is right chuffed about me being stuck this way."

"Actually he was being a stroppy prat and I sent him away."

"What? Why?"

"Apparently, Buffy hurt his feelings when she let everyone know that you'd never let your demon loose to bite her the way he did."

Spike shook his head. "Typical. Always gotta watch that fragile ego." He said disgustedly. "But, that's why I won't take her blood. As much as he loved her, he nearly killed her, just to save his own sorry skin. Maybe he was too weak to control the demon, I'm not. I won't do that. I buried her once. I won't do it again. At least not just so that I can open a door by myself."

Wesley nodded. "I understand. And I respect your choice. I couldn't save Lilah, but if I ever find a way to break her contract and release her, I will. I understand wanting to protect someone you care about from further suffering. I will support whatever choice you make."

He moved over to the table near the desk and picked up the text he had come to retrieve. "However, there may be some new information." He said, holding up the text. "Would you care to come back with me and find out?"

Spike sighed and stood up, placing the photo of Buffy and Giles back on the shelf. As they turned to go back out of the office, Wesley turned back to Spike. He studied Spike carefully before speaking.

"You know, I'm not sure why you told Angel that you changed your nature to be with Buffy. It seems to me that you primarily changed your feeding habits. It seems to be your nature to love deeply and to protect those you love with everything in you. You apparently haven't been 'evil' for quite some time. Even before you fell in love with Buffy, you were helping the good guys more often than you were aiding the other side."

Spike ducked his head shyly, and shrugged.

Wesley tilted his head slightly. "I guess you made a good point about Angel, though. Angel or Angelus, he has some control issues, doesn't he?"

Spike smirked. "Too right, mate. Bloody control freak, he is."

Wesley chuckled and led Spike back out of the office.

******************

When they arrived back in the lab, Spike immediately went up to the office to check on Buffy. As soon as he arrived in the office, Lorne left.

When he got back to the main floor of the lab, he moved over to Wesley. "You're right." He told Wesley. "She's supposed to restore him."

Wesley nodded. Now, he just had to figure out how to make it work.

Wesley sat down with the text and his transcribed notes and began to look for the translation to the symbols he'd found. Fred continued with her work for Wolfram and Hart. Lorne came and went as he went about his daily business and checked back in periodically. Buffy and Spike sat in Fred's office talking quietly, making plans for what they would do if they were unable to re-corporealize Spike.

A few hours later, Wesley shouted out. "Bloody hell! That's it! I've got it!"

Buffy and Spike ran down the steps from the office. Fred came over from the experiment she'd been conducting. Even Lorne, who'd been down the hall, told the director on the other end of the phone that he'd call back and ran to the lab.

"What is it, mate?"

"Okay, I finally found the translation. It's a corruption of the demon language..."

"Wesley!" Spike interrupted.

"Oh, right. Sorry. It basically says that the blood of the Chosen will restore the Champion. There are a few other words, I can't quite decipher."

"Well, that's it." Spike said. "If Buffy's blood is the only way to restore me, then I'm stayin' the way I am."

"Spike, it's fairly obscure, but I believe that because of the way it's written, on the stone, and because your essence is trapped within the amulet, I think it's possible, that we may only need a few drops of Buffy's blood placed directly on the stone."

"What?" Buffy moved closer to Wesley.

"I'm not positive, but alot of this is symbolic. The way that Spike's essence is trapped within the amulet, and the writing scratched into the face of the stone, and the message about your blood,"

"Well, let's try it. If you're right, it will work, and if you're wrong, it won't hurt anything, will it?"

"I don't think so."

Spike stepped closer to Buffy. "Luv, are you sure? I don't want you to..."

"Spike, I want to try. Okay?"

Spike smiled and nodded.

Buffy stepped up to the lab table where Wesley was standing. He placed the amulet on one of the trays. Fred got a small scalpel from her equipment cabinet and handed it to Wesley. Wesley made a small cut in Buffy's left index finger. She held her finger over the amulet and let a few drops fall onto the stone.

As the drops hit the surface, they began to glow with a golden light. The light began to swirl up and around creating a swirling vortex that moved up and in the direction of Spike. Spike stood his ground as the swirling, golden light enveloped him. Suddenly, he screamed and fell to the floor. The light disappeared and the room was thrust into semi-darkness.

Buffy dropped to the floor. "Spike? Are you okay? Come on, say something."

Spike raised his head and blinked painfully at her. He tried to rise, but couldn't seem to get his legs to work. She tugged him to his feet. As she did, she realized the same thing everyone else in the room did, at the same time.

Spike was fully corporeal again.

TBC