Roses, carnations, and tulips were spread before him. Baby's breath whispered in his ear while exotic flowers tempted Spike with their outlandish beauty. The sun had just begun to set, so the vampire knew he was already running late. For some reason, a sudden impulse to buy flowers for his only loved one had sent Spike in search of a Sunnydale business that sold them.
Standing before a rather large fridge designed to keep the blossoms at full health, Spike was torn in his decision-making. Buffy deserved only the best, and many of the flowers before him qualified as such, but he could only burn so large a hole in his cash supply before the fuel ran out.
Time slipped by as Spike attempted to make a decision. He wanted to see Buffy in the first place, but needed time to choose just the right combination. Looking to the saleslady, he was compelled to ask her advice, but somehow had a doubt that she could help him. It wasn't difficult to imagine the dumbfounded look she would take on when he asked what to get the eighty-some year-old love of your life.
When the bell rang above the glass door to Sunnydale Flowers, a dark-clothed form, his blonde hair slicked back, could be seen exiting with a dozen different flowers. Five roses were part of the mix. Red, white, soft orange, and pink made up the first three, and the last had been genetically mutated to take on a blue colour with yellow trim along the edges of each petal. There were three carnations: white, pink, and soft yellow along with a deep yellow tulip. Lastly, there were three of the exotic flowers Spike had eyed, the names to him unknown but their beauty almost able to match that of the Slayer. Heightened senses digging into the floral scents before him, Spike thought they would be the perfect surprise.
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Though he was ashamed of his half-hour delay, Spike worried even more about what the Slayer must be thinking. In the two months she had been hospitalized, Spike hadn't been late even once. Every day, within a minute after sundown, he would appear in Buffy's doorway with the smile she loved and craved equally so. Like a knight in shining black armour, the vampire would stride into his Slayer's room and plant a kiss on every pole of her face: forehead, each cheek, and lips. A flawless routine that hadn't been broken until tonight.
Spike was calm as he strode into the hospital, making his way down the familiar hallways toward the elevator. When he pressed the red-glowing button that would lead him to the third floor, Spike's heart became light, knowing that within moments, he would be sitting beside Buffy in her hospital room.
Everything that had been delighted and weightless within the vampire plummeted only seconds later. The elevator opened, and Spike stepped off as he always would. Looking down the corridor, however, a feeling of shock and panic washed over the immortal being.
It appeared as if six, perhaps eight people were crowding around Buffy's door, some nurses standing on their toes in order to look in. Doctors in their pristine white jackets and patients in their telltale robes were looming around the doorway, and Spike didn't want to imagine why.
In the deadened silence that seemed to wash over him, however, a single syllable, a familiar word sliced through him. It was Buffy, her elder voice something he was accustomed to now. But, he could hear her yelling, sobbing even, from twenty feet down the hall. Something had to be wrong.
Every muscle in the vampire's lower body clenched as his hands cradled the bouquet of flowers. No rocket could match the burst of power Spike possessed as he thrust himself down the hallway, adrenaline being the main ingredient in his instantaneous acceleration.
Sliding to a stop, not needing to stumble over a lost breath, Spike felt his voice immediately go into action. "Excuse me… pardon me… excuse me… thank you… pardon…" not even glancing at any of the people he moved, Spike craned his head over the last layer of people, almost crushed when Buffy's screams suddenly became clear. The word that had sliced into him was still being yelled; it was his name.
"Spike! No… I don't want them! No! Spike! Spike!" not able to hold out on his Slayer any longer, Spike wedged his arm between two doctors, shoving them almost violently. "Buffy!" he called out, and instantly Buffy's cries lowered in intensity.
"Spike?" instead of being raging and panicked, Buffy sounded more inquisitive. The doctor Spike had shoved past was surely about to protest, but noticing that the panicking old woman had responded, the medic clamped his lips shut. "Is that you?" his Slayer inquired again as Spike made his way into the room.
"Buffy…" Spike breathed gently as she was finally revealed to him. A doctor was on the far side of her bed, his hands migrating away from her body. He had obviously been clutching her by her shoulders and her head a moment before. In her pink suit, a nurse had turned to face Spike, her lips pursing upon sight of him.
Blue eyes glancing about, Spike only assessed the scene for a moment before turning his attention back to Buffy, able to hear whispers starting up from outside the door. "Buffy… love… what are they doing to you?" his eyes were soft for the woman, but could easily turn stone cold if forced to glance at either the nurse or the doctor.
"Spike…" his name was all Buffy could manage at that point, her heart rate needing a moment to calm itself. Spike moved to the end of the bed in silence, pausing to set the flowers on a chair, wanting to give them to her when they were alone rather than in front of their 'audience'.
"It's all right, love" Spike smiled as he gently grabbed one of Buffy's feet and immediately began to massage it. Able to feel the pulse speeding through the Slayer's system, a sense of pride filled him when it automatically slowed at his touch. Glancing at both the doctor and the nurse when Buffy didn't answer his question, his eyes turned to the stone he had anticipated.
Recognizing the nurse as Doreen, a youthful yet unpleasant woman, Spike had to stop himself from snarling. Piping up when she saw the vampire's expression, it was obvious that Doreen was attempting to defend herself and the doctor, rather than give a simple explanation. "We weren't doing anything to her. Miss Summers here simply will not take her medicine. She says she doesn't want the tranquilizers. I tried explaining that we could not leave the room until she took them, but she insisted on waiting until… you… got here" the way she spoke, it was obvious that she resented Spike.
"Why does she have to have those… uh, tranquilizers?" Spike knew that Buffy had been taking the pills for a long time, but had never thought to ask why she took them. Every night, he came in, sat with Buffy for a while, and then watched as she fell asleep. Never had he thought to ask about taking the tranquilizers out of the mix.
Doreen went slightly stiff, as if everything Spike said caused many new walls of defence to rise within her. "Miss Summers is notorious for nightmares, and she often wakes other patients with her screaming. The tranquilizers help to give her a dreamless sleep" sighing, Doreen didn't seem ready to relax any time soon.
Spike's eyebrows furrowed as she mentioned the screaming, not having any memory of Buffy's cries. Then again, he had only recently begun staying overnight. For the first weeks of Buffy's hospitalization, Spike had thought that visiting hours only lasted until 10:00 pm or so. Only when he fell asleep by accident one night did Spike learn that he could stay with Buffy the entire evening.
Glancing toward the crowd of people still assembled outside the hospital door, Spike turned his attention back to the nurse and doctor. "How about leavin' them out tonight, doc?" Spike suggested, knowing that a personal form of treatment for Buffy's nightmares might be a little more effective than a modern medicine one. The doctor paused as the nurse seemed to take a deep breath of aggravation, but to Spike's liking, the medic seemed to have an independent opinion.
Taking a deep breath, the doctor turned to fully face Spike, his clipboard held firmly at his side. "I don't want to say yes and go against my personal experience with Miss Summers, but I get the feeling that you won't take 'no' for an answer" the doctor paused when Doreen glanced harshly in his direction, having comprehended what her boss was suggesting. "But… I am going to leave complete power with Doreen here. If we hear so much as a short yell from Miss Summers, we're going to have to require her to take them".
Doreen seemed to go a little smugger at the doctor's order, doubting that the elderly woman beside her could keep quiet the entire night. Buffy, who had been listening intently, hadn't even taken the time to so much as glance around the room. From the moment he walked to the end of her bed and took her feet in his massaging grip, Spike had rendered the Slayer helpless, making it impossible for her to tear her gaze from him.
"Well, doc, I'd say you've got yourself a deal" Spike glanced at Buffy, having been able to feel her gaze transfixed upon him. The way her eyes hung from every corner of his form always sent shivers of relaxing pleasure through him, sometimes unable to believe that Buffy was actually his.
Nodding, knowing that his place in the senior's room was not welcomed any longer, the doctor glanced at his nurse companion and hurried out of the room, shuffling past the vampire who still clutched his Slayer's feet. Spike thought he heard Doreen mumble something along the lines of "Shame on you for taking advantage of her… shame on you", but didn't pay much attention.
Running into a barrage of people, Spike and Buffy both took a moment to notice the crowd that had piled around the room. Most of them didn't really understand what was going on, and had only been drawn to the doorway by the already existing crowd.
White coats and shuffling pantyhose signified the exit of both doctors, and within an instant, Spike was at Buffy's side. His arms were wrapped in a passionate yet delicate manner around the woman as she simply clung to him. Buffy's heart rate decreased rapidly as every electric fibre in her body was sprung to life by the vampire's presence.
Spike pulled slightly out of the embrace, but only enough so that his lips could reach the Slayer's. Velvet touched ruby silk as Spike's hands moved to encase Buffy's porcelain cheeks, always loving the feel of her soft skin against his rugged hands. People who found themselves unlucky enough to pass by at that instant nearly yelped as their eyes were forced upon a sight that, to them, was perverse, and equally repulsive.
Buffy and Spike didn't give it a second thought, though. To them, their embrace was not something conjured by a young man's greed, or an old woman's need for some affection derived from a youthful source. For the vampire and his elderly Slayer, every touch, every whispered breath that cascaded against each other's ears was something that represented a love neither of them could have conceived.
Many people who had experienced true love knew that it had no physical boundaries. The affection and gentle caring that the vampire and warrior offered each other went beyond the fact that Buffy was well into her eighties, and Spike looked as if he hadn't been on earth for more than three decades.
Spike sometimes caught himself wishing that he could make every staff member and patient in the hospital understand what was going on behind the seemingly scandalous appearance of his affection for Buffy. He wanted to throw things in frustration for every bit of venom they tossed his way, wanted to rip into some of them for the stress they caused for Buffy. Every night though, he was reminded why he and the Slayer went through what they did. The warm kisses and gentle outlook from the woman's eyes was enough to banish every bit of darkness that consumed the hospital she lived in.
"Are you all right, love?" Spike found himself speaking, surprised that his vocal chords were even capable of shaping distinguishable syllables. Deciding that it would be difficult for her to speak with him clinging to her in the way that he was, Spike tore himself from their embrace, moving a chair intimately close to the bedside.
Buffy spoke, but not before Spike had her hand in his, occasionally lifting the appendage to his lips so he could kiss it. Smoothing her hair out and adjusting the sheets on her bed, Buffy nodded in response. "Yes… I'm…" giving a soft sigh, the Slayer didn't want to sound as if she had no appreciation for Spike's being there. "I'm fine, even better now that you're here" her voice was gentle, and Spike didn't seem to take even an ounce of offence to her words as Buffy had predicted.
Spike chuckled slightly as he glanced toward the doorway, following a momentary gaze of Buffy's. "You did quite a number on the doc and his nurse. Bet they didn't think a girl like yourself had so much strength in 'em". The vampire's face bore features of humour, though he would never forget the sound of Buffy's voice when she was screaming for him.
Buffy was also chuckling, but his mention of the incident with her doctor brought up a question she had been pondering for quite some time now. Squeezing Spike's hand slightly, Buffy gave a sigh, glancing at her blanket. With her rather grim outlook, the answer to her question was almost something she didn't want to hear. What if he… oh God, please don't let it be that.
"Spike…" she said his name quickly, and the vampire looked up, noticing the slightly concerned tone in her voice. "Hm?" the signal conjured from the back his throat told her that Spike was paying attention. Buffy took in another deep breath, needing some courage to get all her words out. Damned pessimism.
"How come… Why did I have to fight the doctors tonight?" realising that her question had been much more complicated than she had intended, Buffy continued. "I mean… usually you're here before they come to give me my medication… why… why were you late tonight?" There. The question was out on the table. Buffy trained her eyes on Spike in that instant, watching him for any faults. She would know before he even got the explanation out if he was lying or not.
Not really taking notice of the Slayer's nervousness, Spike sat upright in the chair from his previously slouched position. Luckily, Buffy always allowed her curiosity to get the best of her. If not, he would have forgotten about the flowers. "Right, I almost forgot…" gently laying the Slayer's hand to rest, Spike jumped from his chair and quickly stepped to the seat where he had planted the flowers. "I'm sorry, love… for being so late" he smiled, turning to reveal the flowers to her. "It took quite some time to find just the right ones" Spike spun the package around in his hand as he spoke, checking for any damage. "And I only decided to get them on my way over, otherwise I would have done it during the day, bursting into flames or not bursting into flames". Spike smiled, and Buffy melted.
Her heart had been ready to receive a stuttering Spike, his mind fumbling over some excuse for being late. Facing the beautiful flora leaning against an ebony-clad chest, Buffy decided to let her soul relax, relieved as her soul and lungs were finally allowed to breathe. "Oh… Spike, they're… I love them…" the smile on Buffy's face couldn't have been wider as her lover circled the bed again, setting them on her nightstand.
Tears were now forming at the edges of Buffy's eyes, both
from happiness and relief. Afraid that she might have to reveal her troubles to
Spike, she attempted with all her might to push the crystal droplets back, but
the floodgates seemed to be failing. Noticing through her waves of emotion that
each blossom had its own small container of water at the stem, Buffy decided
that they would be okay until the morning, and focused again on regaining her
composure.
Spike replaced himself in his chair, taking back the delicate hold on Buffy's
hand. Looking into her blissful eyes though, he noticed that they were glassier
than usual, perhaps a little too moist. Frowning slightly as a crystal bead
finally took shape, Spike leaned in to wipe it away, touching the salted tear
to his lips. "What's wrong, pet?" he couldn't help but ask, doubting that his
simple bouquet had caused his rock-hard Slayer to cry.
"Nothing…" Buffy looked up, and when her eyes met Spike's, she knew it would be impossible to lie to him. Taking another breath, she began playing idly with the seam on her blanket. "It's just… well… I'm so old, Spike…" before he could speak, Buffy nodded, knowing what he would have said. "I know… you're almost two hundred, but you don't look it… I just thought that maybe… I mean, I wouldn't have blamed you if…" Buffy trailed off, unable to finish her sentence, though it could hardly be called that.
Buffy's fumbling over her sentences told Spike what she did not. In the time that he had been with the Slayer, it hadn't taken him long to be able to put the mathematics of her sentences together. Spike knew that Buffy had thought he was being unfaithful. The vampire wasn't insulted that she would question his loyalty, perhaps a little distraught, but not offended.
Deciding that now was the time to put his plan into effect, the one that would starve Buffy of her nightmares, Spike stood up. "Just a minute, love…" as he spoke, the youthful demon kicked off either of his loosely worn black boots, and took hold of the Slayer a moment later. One arm wrapped beneath her knees, and the other around her back as Spike lifted the woman up, extracting a gasp of surprise from her in response.
Buffy's arms snaked around Spike's neck as he lifted her clear off the bed, holding her tightly against him. This girl was precious cargo, and he treated her as if she were made of porcelain. Wondering what Spike was doing, but too excited to ask, Buffy simply waited it out as Spike made sure that every wire hooked up to her was out of the way.
Once it was safe, Spike simply slid into the bed where Buffy had been lying only a moment earlier, still holding the woman of his dreams. Buffy couldn't help but smile as she was pulled close to Spike. Having been shifted and rearranged, Buffy was now sitting hip-to-hip in her lover's lap. The fabric of Spike's jeans brushed against the Slayer's legs, as hers were now atop his still youthful limbs. Although he didn't have to, Buffy could feel Spike breathe, the upper half of her body rising and falling in time with the rhythm of his lungs. Finishing off the picturesque scene, Buffy's head rested in the crook of Spike's neck, his lips already circling her ear lobe.
Overcome with waves of satisfaction, Buffy remembered that age didn't matter when it came to appreciating what Spike offered. "You see love…" his voice thrummed against her ears, resonating throughout her body. "If I had intended on leaving you, or anything of the sort as you… aged… I would have done it years ago…" smiling softly, he could almost feel Buffy quiver as his love for her was defined once again. "I love you, Buffy. Not a single girl in the world can make me change my mind about you. You're all I need, and you're all I've ever wanted…"
Flying high with Spike's words, Buffy found herself gently stroking the arms he had wrapped possessively around her, eyes having fluttered shut eons ago. Her cheek now rested against his shoulder, and she simply burrowed deeper into the vampire, knowing she could never be close enough to him. With a gentle moan, Buffy found herself speaking, "Mind if I try that sleep thing now?" her words were murmured into his neck, and Spike couldn't be blamed for the waves of adrenaline-soaked pleasure that washed over him.
"Go right ahead, love… I'll be right here all night". Spike's fingers danced through her hair, smoothing the silken strands out, and swirling against the nape of her neck. His lips often found her forehead, landing also atop the sea of hair he was smoothing out. Spike's simple presence as a leather-clad hero was all Buffy needed to drive away the demons and monsters from her past; hideous, oozing creatures that took advantage of her dreamlike state would now be denied access to the Slayer.
Buffy wouldn't need those tranquilizers anymore.
(I don't know if this chapter was as good as I dreamed it to be. I REALLY need your feedback here, tell me what you liked or what you didn't like. Also, I find myself growing attached to this fic, and though I already know how it's going to end, I need your opinions. Is there something you guys want to see happen? Eg. something else from Spike and Buffy's past, if so, what? Anything you want to see happen at the hospital? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter, and what you might like to see in coming chapters. Thank you!)
