...There Are Always Consequences
Disclaimer: Not a thing I can do about it. They're not mine. I just want some pocket lint.
Summary: Getting really AU here, Spike demonstrates his magic.
Reviews: Yes, please. Need to know if lovely people are reading my insane ramblings. Possessing really really long stick for flamey marshmallows.
A/N: These wonderful people just do what they want to in my little world so as long as they're good I'll let them play. Any other questions, please ask the muse.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
The argument got loud enough to reach both the basement and the upper level, waking the vampire and the teenager. Dawn reached the living room at the same time Spike did. She was still in her pajamas and he wore his black sweat pants. The vampire folded his arms over his bare chest and, leaning against the kitchen doorway, surveyed the scene.
Apparently the disagreement had been going on for some time. Giles was standing in front of the sofa red-faced and furious. Willow was standing on the other side of the coffee table equally furious. Tara stood off to the side obviously uncertain how to calm the combatants. It was the middle of the night, Spike and Dawn having only been asleep a couple of hours.
"I cannot believe that you are choosing to ignore this very serious problem. Obviously Spike's well-being is not important enough to you that you can't find a more suitable place to practice your spells." Giles was ranting.
Spike watched, amused as the redhead tried to come up with a good reason for her lack of consideration. He did give a moment's thought that she couldn't have known about his 'allergy' and didn't know it wasn't safe to practice magic at home. Still, she could have told him.
"I live here too you know. Why didn't he say anything? We could have fixed it for him before he got so bad. Why should we ask permission to do something that comes naturally to us?" Willow stated sullenly. "I'm just trying to get better at it so I can help with the patrolling and stuff. It's not like I'm trying to become super witch or something."
Rupert removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose if frustration. "Did you ever wonder why he never stays around when you're doing a spell? I noticed. I didn't think too much about it but now it makes sense to me. He can't be around so much magic. Why do you think he doesn't practice it?" He was so riled he didn't realize what he'd revealed until seconds after the words fell from his mouth.
Spike noticed several things at once; Dawn's open-mouthed stare in his direction, Giles's look of horror at his slip and Willow's head snapping back as if she'd been slapped. He ducked his head so no one would see the humor shining in his eyes. He knew he would pay dearly for it but couldn't resist. Steeling himself for the return of his headache, he unobtrusively wiggled his fingers where they were hidden in the crook of his arm. He was rewarded in two ways, the first was the twinge of pain shooting through his head and the other was the shower of rose petals that started falling from the ceiling like a blizzard.
"Want to see magic, Red?" Spike spoke softly in the stunned silence. "I can SHOW you some magic."
He watched as the living room became blanketed in fragrant rose petals in many different colors.
"Dru used to love it when I did that. She preferred it to a real snowstorm. It's one thing I can do that doesn't put me in agony. There are a couple of others but it's a little soon after last night's migraine to pull off anything else." He spoke a little dreamily as he watched the petals drift down to the floor. Another wiggle of his hidden fingers and the blizzard stopped. The blond wizard/vampire was now the center of attention.
"I don't need books, candles, potions, or wands. I don't even need spells. No words. I just picture what I want to do and, well, I can make it happen. Do you know what that feels like? It's amazing. I don't do it though because I discovered how addicting it was. I started getting headaches so bad I thought I'd have to decapitate myself to make it stop. Angelus is the one who saw the connection and made me stop. If I had known what you were doing, I would have explained. But you didn't tell me and I didn't see it. That's the problem with magic Red, there are always consequences." His quiet speech was met with silence.
Dawn waded through the surprisingly deep pile of rose petals to his side. She put her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Spike returned the hug and held her snug against his side. She rested her head against his cool bare chest and closed her eyes. He seemed so much better than he'd been earlier.
Giles couldn't help it. He started to laugh. He tried to stop but to no avail. He fell back onto the sofa and held his sides. Rose petals covered him as he hit the cushions.
Spike's dark blue eyes gleamed with humor and a touch of menace. "Rupert, if you're thinking what I suspect you are, don't say it. I'll find a way around this chip and rip your voice box out."
The older man made a supreme effort to control himself. "Relax, I wasn't going to say it. But... it is the obvious comparison."
"Very funny, Ripper." Spike gibed. He couldn't resist one more little demonstration. He twirled a finger in a circle and the rose petals lifted up from the floor and all the other surfaces they covered and began to dance around the humans. Tara giggled as the softness tickled her face. The higher up the petals swirled, the fainter they were until they disappeared completely, leaving behind only a vague scent. The warning twinge in his head got a little stronger and he decided that he'd played enough.
Dawn looked up at him with wide blue eyes. "Spike, that was incredible. Are you okay?"
The vampire gazed down at her fondly. "I'm fine Bit. Just the teeniest twinge warning me that enough is enough. Good thing it's Saturday. We can all sleep in. I think this discussion can wait until later. Everyone needs to get to bed." His statement brooked no argument, he did wait for one but happily didn't get it.
Willow stood staring at the blond wizard for a moment, her expression was hard for Spike to read. Without saying anything the redheaded witch turned and stormed up the stairs.
"Glenda, what's wrong with Willow?" Spike asked softly.
Tara looked up the stairs and then at Spike. "I'm not sure. How long have you been able to do that?"
The vampire smiled. "A very long time." He said simply.
She nodded and went upstairs.
Giles wondered about that but decided to wait until he could speak to Spike alone.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Tara joined her girlfriend in their bedroom. "Willow, sweetie, what's wrong?"
Willow looked up from the bed. She'd flung herself down and buried her face in the pillows. "He could do it. Bring her back but he didn't. As powerful as he is, I can feel the power, can't you? Why hasn't he done it? Why didn't he bring her back?"
"Baby, you heard what Giles said. He can't do magic. It gives him migraines. You know how that is. Remember when we teleported Glory?" Tara rubbed Willow's back in an effort to calm her.
Willow glared at Tara. "He could get past that. We did. That's why we've been practicing so much. He can do it without practice." She laughed harshly. "He doesn't need 'books, spells or candles'. Goddess, he was bragging!"
The blonde witch shook her head. "I don't think he was bragging. He was just stating facts. You heard him say he was addicted. Once you give up an addiction the best thing is to not give in to it again. Bringing Buffy back will require an incredible amount of magic. I know you can do it. Are we still sure it's the right thing?"
Willow gaped at her lover. "Of course it's the right thing! She's in some hell dimension and we're going to get her out. As soon as Anya has that urn we're doing it. And we're not telling Spike."
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Downstairs, Spike, Dawn and Giles moved into the kitchen for something to drink.
Dawn set her glass of milk down and looked at two of her favorite men. Giles had made himself a cup of tea and Spike was downing a mug of blood to combat the mild magic headache.
"Do you need another cleansing spell done, Spike?" The brunette teenager asked anxiously.
"No Bit. I didn't do very much. That little trick requires very little magic. Used to I could keep that one going for hours. Dru loved it. Petals used to get really deep. Angelus hated it, said the smell made him sick." He snickered. "Never cared much for the smell either but I'd do it anyway to annoy him."
Giles smiled over his teacup. "That's always a good reason to do something."
Dawn nodded her agreement then yawned hugely.
"Okay, up to bed with you Niblet." Spike stood up and took her empty glass, placing it in the sink. She stood up and gave him a hug.
"Good night, Spike." She murmured.
He kissed the top of her head. "Night, Sweetling."
After the teenager left the room, Spike nodded toward the back door. "Going out for a smoke, coming?"
The former Watcher nodded. "Think I'll join you."
They settled into their normal smoking places on the back step with the tin can between them. Spike shared his smokes as Giles had given them up years ago. They puffed in silence for a moment.
"Harry or Draco?" Spike asked suddenly.
Giles snickered. "Draco." He answered. "It's the whole slicked back blond hair and the bad boy attitude. Couldn't help myself."
Spike snorted. "Draco's a wannabe. He doesn't have any real magic. Take away his wand and he's useless. He's a coward too, always going around with those brainless gits. Now Harry. He's got power. He was doing magic long before anyone put a wand in his hand. He was born with it."
Giles sobered. "How did you get your magic?"
Spike glanced at the Watcher through the smoke. "Want the truth or the fairy tale that Dru came up with?"
The older man laughed. "The truth if you don't mind."
The vampire took a deep unneeded breath. Where to start he wondered.
"Well, to be honest, I'm not really sure why it happened. But I do know when. We were in Romania. This was about six months before Peaches got his soul handed to him. We traveled the country just killing and generally being us. We went out to hunt one night and came on some travelers. We liked travelers, they always had money and clothes we could steal. Anyway, we came on some travelers; one of them was a really old man. He looked older than history. He was human though, could tell that much. Being the baby of the group, I always got last pick in the prey. So they left the old man to me. Angelus preferred sweet young girls to nibble on. The girls weren't really picky but none of them really liked old people. I was really hungry, always was in those days, so I didn't hesitate. While I was draining the old guy dry he started chanting. He finished the chant with his last breath. Gave the old guy credit for bravery. What a rush that was. The power just flowed through my veins. The next day the magic began." Spike paused to light another cigarette, having finished the other one during his narrative.
Giles was fascinated. This was not one of the many stories archived in the Watchers Council library involving the famed Scourge of Europe.
Spike noticed the other man's expression and grinned. "New story eh?"
Giles nodded. "Continue, please."
The vampire tilted his head, thinking. "I figured out later that the old guy wasn't just a human. He was a very old, very powerful wizard. Did a little checking after Angelus left and found out who he was by digging into the local gypsy lore. It seems we were set up. The old man was ready to die and didn't want his power to die with him so he set up an easy target for the vampires that he'd heard were terrorizing the area. He did his research and knew that the others would likely leave him to me." Spike paused again, reflecting on that turning point in his unlife.
The former Watcher was stunned. "He CHOSE you?"
The blond laughed. "Boggles the mind doesn't it?"
Giles could only nod.
Spike stood up. "I need a beer, want one?" Again a nod. "Be right back."
Returning in seconds, he sat back down and opened both cans, handing one over to his companion. He took another deep breath and picked up the story. "What the old guy didn't realize, or else he didn't care, was that the magic wasn't mine so it wasn't compatible. It was supposed to die with him so it could be reborn in his descendants. Yeah, it was great for a while. But the effect it had on me was not what it would have been if the magic had been mine by birth. Damn, it was so good. The power. The ability to do what ever I wanted just by thinking of it. I couldn't, wouldn't change the natural order of things like life or death. Wouldn't dream of using the power to bring someone back." He bowed his head, thinking of his beautiful slayer and how he wished he could use his power to get her back, but it would have been wrong. "If I were a little more selfish..." He began. Then shook his head.
Giles bent his head as well. He could understand. The magic required to bring her back would be more dangerous than anything he could imagine. "You're absolutely correct. I'm proud of you for realizing the dangers."
"I couldn't change myself, not that I really wanted to change being a vampire, nor could I change Dru. Never wanted to, loved her just as she was. But, the power, it was too much. It started to give me headaches. I ignored it for a while but then it got to where I was down for days after doing the simplest bit of magic. I won't say spells cause I never needed them. Angelus figured it out and made me stop using the magic all together. It saved my unlife, stopping the magic. It got to the point that I forgot I had it. Haven't paid attention to it or used it in almost a century." He finished.
Spike downed a long swallow of his beer and stubbed out his cigarette. "I knew Red was doing magic. I picked up on it a couple of weeks ago. I just didn't notice she was doing it here and didn't realize that it had built up in the house. It kind of snuck up on me and laid me out before I knew it." He sighed. "It would be so easy to bring up the magic again. It's never going to go away. But the temptation..."
"Needs to be resisted at all costs." Giles finished softly. The platinum blond head nodded sadly. "How strong is the power?" Giles asked.
"Virtually limitless." Was Spike's shocking answer.
"I know Willow is aware of how much power I have. I just don't want the rest of them to know." Spike looked over at the other man. A sudden thought occurred to him. "How did YOU know?"
Giles cleaned his glasses. "Um, Angel told me. He was trying to get me to understand why you had a migraine and it slipped out. I don't even think he realizes he said it. But he didn't tell me how much power you had. He just said you were a good wizard."
Spike nodded. "Thought it might be something like that. He doesn't know how deep the power goes. The old Poof never was any good under pressure. Can't keep a secret to save his soul."
Giles laughed. He'd noticed Angel's tendency to let his brain disengage when stressed.
Spike finished his beer. Standing up, he stretched. Reaching his hands far above his head and standing on his toes, he tried to get the vertebra in his back to pop.
Giles watched the young vampire, idly sipping the last of his beer. He choked, his green eyes nearly popped out of his head. Spike was floating!
"Spike...." Giles began.
"Yeah Mate?" He answered.
Rupert cleared his throat. "You're floating."
Startled, Spike looked down. Sure enough there was at least three inches between his bare feet and the ground. Pulling his arms down to his sides, he forced himself to sink down to the ground. "Bloody Hell! Let the sodding cat out of the bag for a little bit and it starts to sneak out thinking it can just do what it wants. No Damn It! I WILL NOT GO THROUGH THAT AGAIN!"