A/N: This chapter is a really short one, sorry about that. The next chapters are sort of pivotal so they can't be included in this one. So, really, just a little teaser for you. Back to the question of the moment...
Buffy wetted her lips and thought about her answer looking into the kind blue eyes of her Watcher, father figure and friend but before she could answer Spike stirred on the floor. He moaned her name and she ran over and crouched next to him taking his hand.
She looked up at Giles "You said he would be out for three hours"
"Clearly, the venom is too strong" Giles walked over and stood on the other side of Spike.
"Giles, how long will it take for him to...you know?" She asked worriedly running her thumb up and down the back of his hand.
Giles walked back over to the book and scanned it "It says...depending on the species two days at worse, a week at best"
"And how long does it take for vampires?"
"It doesn't say, Buffy"
"Buff..." Spike licked his lips looked up groggily into her eyes "What's goin'...on?"
She flicked her eyes to Giles who shrugged before she looked back down at Spike "Nothing, nothing. You just need to rest" Buffy stroked her fingers across his hairline.
His eyes closed and opened "Okay..."
"Giles, I'm...I'm taking Spike upstairs," She told him pulling the vampire into a sitting position and then Giles crouched down and helped.
The two of them propped Spike up underneath his arms and then they dragged him through the cottage and steadily up the stairs to Buffy's bedroom. Spike groaned in pain and exhaustion as his chest flared with pain and the two of them carried him over and laid him down on the bed. Buffy saw he was unconscious again. She sighed, ran a hand through her hair and sat down on the bed next to him. She started to go to pull his boots off when she saw he wasn't wearing them and remembered he had left them by the lake. Her bed was getting a little wet from the water that he was still covered in but she really didn't care.
Giles began to pace "You'll have to tell him, Buffy. If he is...if he has moments of sound mind he deserves to know what is happening"
"I know, Giles, I know" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath "It's just...how am I suppose to tell him this? You remember how I freaked when you said I was gonna get an aspect of a demon back in high school! And I ended up with a cool, slightly insane-making, telepathic power. He's gonna actually become a demon"
"He's already a demon," Giles said coldly then off her hard look added, "I was turned into a Fyarl demon, do you recall? I know how he is going to feel but that doesn't detract from the fact that he has to know. If I had had the choice I would have wanted to know beforehand"
"Even if you knew there was nothing you could do about it?" Buffy asked.
He took a long moment "We'll talk about this tomorrow. We will research tonight and if there is a cure we will find it, Buffy"
"Thanks Giles," She said and really meant it "But, can you get Will and Xand to help? I just think I should stay here, make sure he's alright"
Giles looked dubious "Buffy...I doubt he will awaken again tonight, and his transformation shouldn't really start till tomorrow"
"I still have to be here, Giles. I have to. Incase...incase..."
"Incase, what?"
"Incase he needs me" The Slayer stood "Please, get everybody on this. I'll stay here and as soon as you find anything tell me"
He paused then nodded slowly "Of course. If you need anything I'll be in the main cottage. Oh and...Buffy?" Giles was almost out of the door when he stopped and looked back "Try...try not to think too much about it"
He turned and left and she heard his footsteps down the stairs and then as he left she heard him crunching across the gravel back to the main house. She sat back down on the bed and looked at Spike, lying there shirtless, poisoned and unconscious and she wanted to scream. She wanted to kill the demon that had done this to him but Spike had already done that job. Buffy stood again and pulled the covers out from underneath the vampire to pull them back up over him.
She walked to the window and looked out at the dark English sky and clenched her fists. Buffy could not believe this was happening to Spike because some demon skank had been having a dry spell and wanted to mate with him. Slut Buffy thought to herself then laughed bitterly, God it was just too surreal. There were heavy dark clouds out in the sky now as if to match her mood and the Slayer turned away and pulled the curtains shut not wanting to look anymore and so Spike would be safe when the sun came up tomorrow morning. She glanced down at his almost glowing white skin in the darkness. Buffy decided she should go downstairs and fix the door or something so that the cold English weather wouldn't completely destroy her cottage.
That was before he spoke.
"Buffy," His voice was raspy and she jumped because she had not been expecting it.
She turned back and walked over to the bed, sat down on the side of it and took his hand. To her surprise he wrenched her forward and caught her, wrapping his arms around her waist, against his chest.
She braced her hands against his chest and pulled away enough to look into his eyes "Spike? What are you doing?"
"Honestly? I...I have no idea" He groaned and closed his eyes falling back down the bed asleep again.
Buffy extricated herself from his now limp grasp and sat up straight looking down at him with worry and confusion on her face. What was going to happen to him mentally if he turned into this water-feral thingy? She didn't want Spike to change into some feral, evil monster. She hadn't liked him when he had been that in the first place. Buffy just hated to think of all those years of progress he had made being wasted because a woman demon got horny. It was just embarrassing. And scary as hell.
A/N: Thank you guys for sticking with me on this one. I appreciate the reviews and keep them coming. I'd be interested to know what your favourite moments are so far in this fan fiction and if you think the characters are well written. Thanks again. Next chapter up soon.