Spike had been asleep on Giles' sofa, but as soon as Xander slipped into unconsciousness, Spike shot awake, with a shout of, "Xander! XANDER!!"
His cries awoke Giles, and the still half-asleep Watcher stumbled into the living room to see Spike, now fully awake and dressed, pacing up and down the room, phone in hand, muttering repeatedly, "Pick up, pick up, pick up."
Giles was about to ask what was wrong when Spike stopped his muttered mantra and started talking.
"Red? Get the Slayer up and get dressed. Xander's in trouble. No I don't bloody know what kind! I don't know how I know, I just bloody DO! Yeah. Meet ya at the basement."
When he put down the phone he turned to Giles and said, "In-case you didn't get that, Xander's in trouble, so go and bloody well GET DRESSED!!!!"
Dazed, Giles just did as he was told.
Driving like a maniac on the now silent streets, Spike and Giles made it to Xander's in record time, to be met by a worried Willow and an annoyed Buffy.
"This had better be good Spike. Or you and Mr. Pointy are gonna get personal."
For once not bothering to retort, Spike just said, "Shh, his parents are asleep, or unconsciousness from the alcohol."
Then he quietly unlocked the door - with a key that none of the others had known he had, and then raced down to the basement, the others hard at his heels.
Obviously, Spike was the first to reach Xander's side, and, if it's possible, went even paler at the sight of Xander.
He brushed his hand down Xander's left cheek and whispered, "Oh Xanpet. What did you go do this for?"
Then he went into action. He grabbed the cordless phone and threw it at Giles.
"Watcher. Phone an ambulance. Overdose mixed with whiskey. Red. Find me some blankets or summat. Need to keep 'im warm."
They all just stood there, staring at him.
"Bloody Hell! Do it NOW!!" he shouted at them. Giles and Willow immediately did as they were told.
Buffy, not having been given any orders, walked over to Xander and Spike, and, seeing how upset Spike seemed to be, put her hands on her hips and said, "Why do you care Spike?"
Spike just looked at her in disbelief and said, "What?"
"Why do you care whether or not Xander lives or dies? I mean, I thought you wanted to kill us all?"
Spike shook his head in disbelief. "God. He was right. You really *are* oblivious to him. He's my bloody *friend* Slayer! And the only one of you I wanna kill - especially right now, is YOU!"
Giles had just finished his phone call and dropped the phone in surprise to Spike's reaction, and Willow - who had just walked back in from the bedroom, arms laden with blankets, dropped them and then tripped over them in surprise. Spike just looked at them and said, "Red, Get up. Slayer, Watcher, close your mouths. Watcher, how long is that ambulance gonna be?"
Giles blinked a few times, took off his glasses and started to polish them as he replied, "Er… a-about five to t-ten minutes."
"OK. Red, blankets?"
Willow got up quickly and rushed over with the blankets. She started to tuck them around Xander, but froze when she saw Xander's face. She pushed a lock of hair from Xander's eyes and whispered, "Oh Xander. Why did you do this?" tears streaming down her face.
Giles, who looked on the verge of tears himself, replied, "I-I think t-t-this tells us w-w-w-why," he stuttered, passing Xander's suicide note to Willow. Who read it with Buffy and Spike over her shoulder .
However, Spike stopped reading as soon as the letter spoke of the raping.
He let go of Xander's hand (which he had unconsciously grabbed as soon as he had sat on the floor beside the sofa) and started to pace, muttering, "I can't believe he didn't tell me! Idiot!"
He glared at the still form that was Xander and shouted, "You better not die on me now! Before I can kill you for *not* telling me!"
Then he started pacing again, muttering, "He raped you! He bloody *RAPED* you!!
When he said 'raped' the second time, he punched the kitchen table with all his might, and it split in two.
"You CONFIDED in me about the beatings, but he didn't tell me that he *RAPED* YOU!! I'm gonna bloody well KILL him!!"
When Spike said 'kill', he punched the wall with all his might, and his hand went right through the wall.
He punched the wall repeatedly, muttering, "I'm gonna kill him," until the chip caused him to keel over in pain.
Willow was now sobbing into an arm of the sofa. Giles had gone outside - supposedly to wait for the ambulance, but it was also so that the girls did not see his tears. Buffy was crying too, but more like silent tears streaming down her face as she paced in front of the sofa. "Oh Xander. Why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you at least tell Will? And, where did the Zeppo reference come from? You know we all care about you!"
During Buffy's little speech, Spike had staggered to his feet. When Buffy had finished, he started towards her with a look of resigned disbelief.
"Bloody Hell!! He was right! You really don't have a bloody damn clue!"
He picked up the Slayerette Diary left open on the coffee table and thrust it into Buffy's hands.
"*This* will tell you *part* of why he feels you ignore him!"
Buffy just stared at him for a moment, then at the diary before starting to read avidly.
Spike then patted Willow comfortingly on the shoulder and said, "Red, he's gonna be alright. I'll make sure of it."
Then, with his head down so that neither of them could see the emotions flitting across his face, he started to gather some clothes together for Xander.
He was more or less done when Giles came downstairs, with a few ambulance men and a stretcher.
Spike grabbed the bag of clothes and rushed to Xander's side.
The ambulance men looked Xander over, and spoke quietly for a few minutes - mostly using words the others did not really understand, before putting Xander onto the stretcher.
As soon as Xander was on the stretcher, Spike grabbed his hand and told them, "I'm going with him."
Giles, Buffy and Willow, who were all following the stretcher up the stairs, simultaneously cried, "What?!"
Spike ignored them. The ambulance men glanced at them for a moment, then one turned back to Spike and asked, "And you are?"
Spike looked surprised at the question, but replied, "Spike."
The ambulance men rolled their eyes at each other, and then said, "No. I mean, who are you to him?"
"Oh. Friend. Also his roommate."
Now at the top of the stairs, the ambulance man nodded back at Buffy, Willow and Giles, and said, "What about them?"
Spike pulled Xander's suicide note from the depths of one of the pockets of his duster, and gave it to the man, while saying, "They've never cared when he ended up in hospital 'coz of his father before, why should they start now?"
Skimming the letter the man sent a look of contempt to the others before nodding to Spike, allowing him into the ambulance and driving away, leaving the other three standing there in shock for a few minutes, before quickly scrambling into Giles' pathetic excuse for a car and following the ambulance at top speed.
His cries awoke Giles, and the still half-asleep Watcher stumbled into the living room to see Spike, now fully awake and dressed, pacing up and down the room, phone in hand, muttering repeatedly, "Pick up, pick up, pick up."
Giles was about to ask what was wrong when Spike stopped his muttered mantra and started talking.
"Red? Get the Slayer up and get dressed. Xander's in trouble. No I don't bloody know what kind! I don't know how I know, I just bloody DO! Yeah. Meet ya at the basement."
When he put down the phone he turned to Giles and said, "In-case you didn't get that, Xander's in trouble, so go and bloody well GET DRESSED!!!!"
Dazed, Giles just did as he was told.
Driving like a maniac on the now silent streets, Spike and Giles made it to Xander's in record time, to be met by a worried Willow and an annoyed Buffy.
"This had better be good Spike. Or you and Mr. Pointy are gonna get personal."
For once not bothering to retort, Spike just said, "Shh, his parents are asleep, or unconsciousness from the alcohol."
Then he quietly unlocked the door - with a key that none of the others had known he had, and then raced down to the basement, the others hard at his heels.
Obviously, Spike was the first to reach Xander's side, and, if it's possible, went even paler at the sight of Xander.
He brushed his hand down Xander's left cheek and whispered, "Oh Xanpet. What did you go do this for?"
Then he went into action. He grabbed the cordless phone and threw it at Giles.
"Watcher. Phone an ambulance. Overdose mixed with whiskey. Red. Find me some blankets or summat. Need to keep 'im warm."
They all just stood there, staring at him.
"Bloody Hell! Do it NOW!!" he shouted at them. Giles and Willow immediately did as they were told.
Buffy, not having been given any orders, walked over to Xander and Spike, and, seeing how upset Spike seemed to be, put her hands on her hips and said, "Why do you care Spike?"
Spike just looked at her in disbelief and said, "What?"
"Why do you care whether or not Xander lives or dies? I mean, I thought you wanted to kill us all?"
Spike shook his head in disbelief. "God. He was right. You really *are* oblivious to him. He's my bloody *friend* Slayer! And the only one of you I wanna kill - especially right now, is YOU!"
Giles had just finished his phone call and dropped the phone in surprise to Spike's reaction, and Willow - who had just walked back in from the bedroom, arms laden with blankets, dropped them and then tripped over them in surprise. Spike just looked at them and said, "Red, Get up. Slayer, Watcher, close your mouths. Watcher, how long is that ambulance gonna be?"
Giles blinked a few times, took off his glasses and started to polish them as he replied, "Er… a-about five to t-ten minutes."
"OK. Red, blankets?"
Willow got up quickly and rushed over with the blankets. She started to tuck them around Xander, but froze when she saw Xander's face. She pushed a lock of hair from Xander's eyes and whispered, "Oh Xander. Why did you do this?" tears streaming down her face.
Giles, who looked on the verge of tears himself, replied, "I-I think t-t-this tells us w-w-w-why," he stuttered, passing Xander's suicide note to Willow. Who read it with Buffy and Spike over her shoulder .
However, Spike stopped reading as soon as the letter spoke of the raping.
He let go of Xander's hand (which he had unconsciously grabbed as soon as he had sat on the floor beside the sofa) and started to pace, muttering, "I can't believe he didn't tell me! Idiot!"
He glared at the still form that was Xander and shouted, "You better not die on me now! Before I can kill you for *not* telling me!"
Then he started pacing again, muttering, "He raped you! He bloody *RAPED* you!!
When he said 'raped' the second time, he punched the kitchen table with all his might, and it split in two.
"You CONFIDED in me about the beatings, but he didn't tell me that he *RAPED* YOU!! I'm gonna bloody well KILL him!!"
When Spike said 'kill', he punched the wall with all his might, and his hand went right through the wall.
He punched the wall repeatedly, muttering, "I'm gonna kill him," until the chip caused him to keel over in pain.
Willow was now sobbing into an arm of the sofa. Giles had gone outside - supposedly to wait for the ambulance, but it was also so that the girls did not see his tears. Buffy was crying too, but more like silent tears streaming down her face as she paced in front of the sofa. "Oh Xander. Why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you at least tell Will? And, where did the Zeppo reference come from? You know we all care about you!"
During Buffy's little speech, Spike had staggered to his feet. When Buffy had finished, he started towards her with a look of resigned disbelief.
"Bloody Hell!! He was right! You really don't have a bloody damn clue!"
He picked up the Slayerette Diary left open on the coffee table and thrust it into Buffy's hands.
"*This* will tell you *part* of why he feels you ignore him!"
Buffy just stared at him for a moment, then at the diary before starting to read avidly.
Spike then patted Willow comfortingly on the shoulder and said, "Red, he's gonna be alright. I'll make sure of it."
Then, with his head down so that neither of them could see the emotions flitting across his face, he started to gather some clothes together for Xander.
He was more or less done when Giles came downstairs, with a few ambulance men and a stretcher.
Spike grabbed the bag of clothes and rushed to Xander's side.
The ambulance men looked Xander over, and spoke quietly for a few minutes - mostly using words the others did not really understand, before putting Xander onto the stretcher.
As soon as Xander was on the stretcher, Spike grabbed his hand and told them, "I'm going with him."
Giles, Buffy and Willow, who were all following the stretcher up the stairs, simultaneously cried, "What?!"
Spike ignored them. The ambulance men glanced at them for a moment, then one turned back to Spike and asked, "And you are?"
Spike looked surprised at the question, but replied, "Spike."
The ambulance men rolled their eyes at each other, and then said, "No. I mean, who are you to him?"
"Oh. Friend. Also his roommate."
Now at the top of the stairs, the ambulance man nodded back at Buffy, Willow and Giles, and said, "What about them?"
Spike pulled Xander's suicide note from the depths of one of the pockets of his duster, and gave it to the man, while saying, "They've never cared when he ended up in hospital 'coz of his father before, why should they start now?"
Skimming the letter the man sent a look of contempt to the others before nodding to Spike, allowing him into the ambulance and driving away, leaving the other three standing there in shock for a few minutes, before quickly scrambling into Giles' pathetic excuse for a car and following the ambulance at top speed.