Disclaimer: None of the real characters are mine, neither is BTVS. Please
don't sue.
Authors Note: I am sooooo sorry about taking so long to update please all forgive me for that and also if this chapter is a little short also. Thanks all for still reading, you're the best. -G
I can feel her presence even before I reach the front door and I hesitate only slightly before throwing the door wide open and continuing into the living room with Dawn on my heels. I hadn't asked much of what was wrong with her sister and she didn't offer so when I finally do lay eyes on Buffy I find myself sighing with relief. Not that things look especially good, but by Dawns earlier display of emotions I thought it would be much worse.
The Slayer isn't hurt and for that I'm thankful, but something is definitely wrong with her and for the life of me I can't think of what. Dawn had mentioned something to me about Buffy not moving, and that much is clear too see, but the one thing that I don't quite understand is the why of it. I take her in my arms, cradling her drooping head against my chest and gently brush the hair back from her face. I shake her slightly but with no results and send Dawn to the Kitchen with the objective of getting a hold of the Watcher immediately. As soon as she is out of the room, I place Buffy back on the sofa and stand looking at her. Her heartbeat is labored and that's not good, her skin is ashen white and that bothers me even more than the fact that I can't seem to get her to wake. It's strange to see her without the usual golden glow to her, and I briefly imagine that this is exactly what she would look like as a vampire. I quickly shake the thought away, chastising myself that my thinking like this isn't going to help her at all in the long run. Dawn returns and sits by her sister, taking Buffy's hand in her own.
"Okay, I really don't understand it Spike, right before I came to get you she was talking, and...and choking me. Now, there's nothing. I don't get it, I mean, she wasn't awake, but she was talking. I just don't see how she can just not be awake, what's wrong that she's not awake?"
"She choked you?" I asked immediately pulling her into my arms for comfort "You okay pet?"
"Yeah, I just...I needed to ask someone for help and I figured you'd know what to do, seeing as how you know her best and all. If she hadn't attacked me I probably wouldn't have bothered you but for some reason I just see that as really not normal Buffy."
"You said she was talking, what was she saying? Do you remember any of it?" I look at the motionless body of the woman I love lying on the sofa; "Did the Watcher say when he'd be here?"
"Half an hour I think, and no, I don't remember anything in particular, just talking, and it wasn't exactly like it was complete perfect grammar sentences Spike, just talk."
"And she was just lying here when you came downstairs?"
"Yep, and I was just down here a little while before too. I have absolutely no clue how she got here; I'm 100% sure that the door never opened because I'd have heard it. I went up for a blanket, came back down and here she was, that's when she jumped up and started choking me. I had to hit her with the lamp to get her off. I do feel really bad about that by the way, but hey, Slayer there, I'm thinking she can take getting smashed with a lamp. After all, you guys are always hitting each other all the time and she never seems too worse for ware."
"She was talking when she jumped on you?" I have to flinch at Dawns comment, Buffy and I aren't fighting all of the time, I wonder if Buffy feels the same way.
"Like a crazy person. Blah blah this, blah blah that, she'll be okay won't she? She's so going to owe me for this when she gets back to normal."
"Yeah," I agreed distractedly "She'll be absolutely fine."
I could have been wrong when I thought I'd heard the faint whimper from the general direction of the sofa but I wasn't. It took a few more seconds for the sound to be repeated but by then I was already at her side, listening intently to the silence between us, hoping that she would start talking again. Thankfully, it wasn't long before she did. It was soft at first, audible most likely only to my ears, the gentle rhythm of her sweet voice.
"You can't do this, we're on the same...With You....Fight to the death...Blood....Soul...I have his Soul."
At the last words I involuntarily straightened. So it was done, she had done what she had gone to do and she was in possession of my soul. I still couldn't for the life of me think of why she wanted it and what she could possibly do with it besides curse me with it. I didn't think that my soul would be the cause of her present illness but at the same time I couldn't think of anything else it could be. No one knew the way two souls would interact because to my knowledge, it hadn't really ever successfully been done. That of course didn't mean that it couldn't be done, just that it hadn't been done. I still really wasn't even clear as to why she had done it, why she had anchored my soul to hers, but somewhere deep down inside of me I felt warmth such as I had never felt before.
It was a moment before I noticed it, but the movement on the sofa seemed barely real at all, just a wisp of flesh across my thigh before it was gone again, leaving me yearning for more of her touch. A smile spread slowly on her face and the scent of her arousal rose to my nostrils before I heard her voice again. "I missed you so much....thought I'd never see you again...love you....love..." It was almost too much for a man to take in, I almost couldn't believe what I was hearing but suddenly it all fell into place, the sudden trip to London, the kind words and gestures in the last few weeks, the possession of my soul without having been cursed. Suddenly it all made sense, the Slayer was in love with me. God why hadn't she told me what she was feeling, she knew all along my feelings for her, what was stopping her? Ah, the stupid soul idiot, the soul was keeping her from saying something. I should have been angry with her for still not being able to get past the whole soul thing but I wasn't. She wasn't judging me on a soul as every other so called "decent" person had always done, she was simply trying to protect her investment in me. After the mess Angelus made back when they were together, could I honestly blame her? She hadn't cursed me with it so that meant that she trusted me the way I was. There was nothing I wanted more right this moment than to wrap her in my arms, carry her up to that bedroom that I had watched her so many nights in and shag her right proper. Of course, there was still the little problem of unconscious Buffy that we had to deal with. And so I settled simply for slipping my hand into hers and holding her close against me once again.
"Shoulda never...without you...god I love you...love you so much...."
She continued her mumbling as I held her close and asked Dawn quietly if she would mind going out to wait for the Watcher. She suspiciously agreed and pulled her jacket on before marching out the front door into the night. My reasons for asking Dawn to leave had been two fold. One, it seemed Buffy's words were turning more to moans and gasps of pleasure than actual phrases and I'm sure the Slayer wouldn't want everyone standing around while she were in the midst of a seemingly wonderful sex dream. Two, the way things were going I was definitely going to need some time to get rid of the signs of my excitement before greeting the Scoobies and the Watcher, not that sitting here next to Buffy would help that when she was like this.
I still can barely believe that she loves me, I find myself planning out the things that I'll say to her when she's feeling better and I find that I feel the most complete as I have felt in years, I can't find anything wrong with my life right now. Nothing besides the fact that I can't act on these physical urges as I wish I could. I lean gently over her and brush my lips to hers, barely even a kiss. There'll be time for everything else later, but for now, I need to make sure she'll be all right.
"I love you Slayer, Always have, always will."
I Brush a lose strand of hair from her face and kiss her once again. This is almost the perfect moment, if only she were awake, receptive of my advances, my words. I should have never have fallen for a Slayer but I don't regret it for a moment. My life without Buffy would be empty, meaningless, and worthless. Soul or not, I'm the happiest man on the face of this earth. Angel's got nothing on me now, absolutely fucking nothing. She stirs once again, lifting her hand to trace the contours of my face although she still doesn't open her eyes.
"Love you too...Always love you Angel."
Authors Note: I am sooooo sorry about taking so long to update please all forgive me for that and also if this chapter is a little short also. Thanks all for still reading, you're the best. -G
I can feel her presence even before I reach the front door and I hesitate only slightly before throwing the door wide open and continuing into the living room with Dawn on my heels. I hadn't asked much of what was wrong with her sister and she didn't offer so when I finally do lay eyes on Buffy I find myself sighing with relief. Not that things look especially good, but by Dawns earlier display of emotions I thought it would be much worse.
The Slayer isn't hurt and for that I'm thankful, but something is definitely wrong with her and for the life of me I can't think of what. Dawn had mentioned something to me about Buffy not moving, and that much is clear too see, but the one thing that I don't quite understand is the why of it. I take her in my arms, cradling her drooping head against my chest and gently brush the hair back from her face. I shake her slightly but with no results and send Dawn to the Kitchen with the objective of getting a hold of the Watcher immediately. As soon as she is out of the room, I place Buffy back on the sofa and stand looking at her. Her heartbeat is labored and that's not good, her skin is ashen white and that bothers me even more than the fact that I can't seem to get her to wake. It's strange to see her without the usual golden glow to her, and I briefly imagine that this is exactly what she would look like as a vampire. I quickly shake the thought away, chastising myself that my thinking like this isn't going to help her at all in the long run. Dawn returns and sits by her sister, taking Buffy's hand in her own.
"Okay, I really don't understand it Spike, right before I came to get you she was talking, and...and choking me. Now, there's nothing. I don't get it, I mean, she wasn't awake, but she was talking. I just don't see how she can just not be awake, what's wrong that she's not awake?"
"She choked you?" I asked immediately pulling her into my arms for comfort "You okay pet?"
"Yeah, I just...I needed to ask someone for help and I figured you'd know what to do, seeing as how you know her best and all. If she hadn't attacked me I probably wouldn't have bothered you but for some reason I just see that as really not normal Buffy."
"You said she was talking, what was she saying? Do you remember any of it?" I look at the motionless body of the woman I love lying on the sofa; "Did the Watcher say when he'd be here?"
"Half an hour I think, and no, I don't remember anything in particular, just talking, and it wasn't exactly like it was complete perfect grammar sentences Spike, just talk."
"And she was just lying here when you came downstairs?"
"Yep, and I was just down here a little while before too. I have absolutely no clue how she got here; I'm 100% sure that the door never opened because I'd have heard it. I went up for a blanket, came back down and here she was, that's when she jumped up and started choking me. I had to hit her with the lamp to get her off. I do feel really bad about that by the way, but hey, Slayer there, I'm thinking she can take getting smashed with a lamp. After all, you guys are always hitting each other all the time and she never seems too worse for ware."
"She was talking when she jumped on you?" I have to flinch at Dawns comment, Buffy and I aren't fighting all of the time, I wonder if Buffy feels the same way.
"Like a crazy person. Blah blah this, blah blah that, she'll be okay won't she? She's so going to owe me for this when she gets back to normal."
"Yeah," I agreed distractedly "She'll be absolutely fine."
I could have been wrong when I thought I'd heard the faint whimper from the general direction of the sofa but I wasn't. It took a few more seconds for the sound to be repeated but by then I was already at her side, listening intently to the silence between us, hoping that she would start talking again. Thankfully, it wasn't long before she did. It was soft at first, audible most likely only to my ears, the gentle rhythm of her sweet voice.
"You can't do this, we're on the same...With You....Fight to the death...Blood....Soul...I have his Soul."
At the last words I involuntarily straightened. So it was done, she had done what she had gone to do and she was in possession of my soul. I still couldn't for the life of me think of why she wanted it and what she could possibly do with it besides curse me with it. I didn't think that my soul would be the cause of her present illness but at the same time I couldn't think of anything else it could be. No one knew the way two souls would interact because to my knowledge, it hadn't really ever successfully been done. That of course didn't mean that it couldn't be done, just that it hadn't been done. I still really wasn't even clear as to why she had done it, why she had anchored my soul to hers, but somewhere deep down inside of me I felt warmth such as I had never felt before.
It was a moment before I noticed it, but the movement on the sofa seemed barely real at all, just a wisp of flesh across my thigh before it was gone again, leaving me yearning for more of her touch. A smile spread slowly on her face and the scent of her arousal rose to my nostrils before I heard her voice again. "I missed you so much....thought I'd never see you again...love you....love..." It was almost too much for a man to take in, I almost couldn't believe what I was hearing but suddenly it all fell into place, the sudden trip to London, the kind words and gestures in the last few weeks, the possession of my soul without having been cursed. Suddenly it all made sense, the Slayer was in love with me. God why hadn't she told me what she was feeling, she knew all along my feelings for her, what was stopping her? Ah, the stupid soul idiot, the soul was keeping her from saying something. I should have been angry with her for still not being able to get past the whole soul thing but I wasn't. She wasn't judging me on a soul as every other so called "decent" person had always done, she was simply trying to protect her investment in me. After the mess Angelus made back when they were together, could I honestly blame her? She hadn't cursed me with it so that meant that she trusted me the way I was. There was nothing I wanted more right this moment than to wrap her in my arms, carry her up to that bedroom that I had watched her so many nights in and shag her right proper. Of course, there was still the little problem of unconscious Buffy that we had to deal with. And so I settled simply for slipping my hand into hers and holding her close against me once again.
"Shoulda never...without you...god I love you...love you so much...."
She continued her mumbling as I held her close and asked Dawn quietly if she would mind going out to wait for the Watcher. She suspiciously agreed and pulled her jacket on before marching out the front door into the night. My reasons for asking Dawn to leave had been two fold. One, it seemed Buffy's words were turning more to moans and gasps of pleasure than actual phrases and I'm sure the Slayer wouldn't want everyone standing around while she were in the midst of a seemingly wonderful sex dream. Two, the way things were going I was definitely going to need some time to get rid of the signs of my excitement before greeting the Scoobies and the Watcher, not that sitting here next to Buffy would help that when she was like this.
I still can barely believe that she loves me, I find myself planning out the things that I'll say to her when she's feeling better and I find that I feel the most complete as I have felt in years, I can't find anything wrong with my life right now. Nothing besides the fact that I can't act on these physical urges as I wish I could. I lean gently over her and brush my lips to hers, barely even a kiss. There'll be time for everything else later, but for now, I need to make sure she'll be all right.
"I love you Slayer, Always have, always will."
I Brush a lose strand of hair from her face and kiss her once again. This is almost the perfect moment, if only she were awake, receptive of my advances, my words. I should have never have fallen for a Slayer but I don't regret it for a moment. My life without Buffy would be empty, meaningless, and worthless. Soul or not, I'm the happiest man on the face of this earth. Angel's got nothing on me now, absolutely fucking nothing. She stirs once again, lifting her hand to trace the contours of my face although she still doesn't open her eyes.
"Love you too...Always love you Angel."