After hearing Andrew out Fred wandered down to the work out room, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone else was down here."
"Tell me does he moan your name and go completely still when he comes?" The voice was cold as ice and cut across Fred's nerve endings like a knife. "How long do you think it will be before he rapes you?"
Too fast for the human eye to follow Illyria was across the room and was lifting Buffy into the air by her throat.
"You are an annoying me you petty insect, for your tone alone I should rip out your intestines and wear them as a garland." Illyria cocked her head toward the stairs. "I disturb you my Pet, do not worry the one you call Fred is still here within this shell." Shaking Buffy as a dog would a toy, Illyria then tossed her into a corner. Walking toward the stairs Illyria announced "I am bored, I will return when there is some one for me to kill."
Suddenly Fred was once again standing in front of Spike, "You OK Pet?" he asked as he ran a hand over her hair. When Fred's eyes rose to meet his Spike gasped, there was pure rage shining out of them. He realized in a moment that the rage was not directed at him but at Buffy who was slowly climbing to her feet.
Without turning her Fred spoke "I have heard much about you Miss Summers," Fred's Texas drawl was sweet and thick as syrup. "How you were Angel's great love, how he pined for you. How your friends missed you so much that they defied the Gods themselves to bring you back from the dead."
Fred turned to face Buffy who was watching her from across the room. "I also learned things that you never bothered to. I found out that Angelus hurt Spike dreadfully, broke his heart."
Buffy scoffed at the mention of Spike having a heart, Fred felt Spike stiffen at the mention of Angelus' betrayal, but Fred knew that she had to get everything out in the open for the wounds to heal.
"I know Spike lusted after you, he even loved you in a fashion. You Miss Summers used that against him, you used him to make yourself feel something, anything after your friends brought you back."
Tilting her head Fred raised her hand as Buffy started to retort, "Don't bother to deny that you used Spike and that you kept going back to him, even after you would push him away. It does not surprise me in the least that Spike finally snapped. Frankly Miss Summers I pity you, Spike may have lusted after you, even loved you. But he never liked who you are, just as you never truly liked who he is, in fact you never bothered to learn who he really is inside."
Sacathingly Fred continued on"You, all of you just saw him as a rampant killer, it didn't matter if Spike has a soul, or that he died to save the world, died to saving your life. You all still saw him the same way."
Buffy opened her mouth, but nothing came out, she wanted deny what Fred was saying, but some part of her knew that Fred spoke the truth.
Reaching back Fred grasped Spikes trembling hand in hers, taking a deep breath she continued, "I like Spike, but I am in love with William. I can only hope that one day my feelings will be returned, but even if they are not I know I will always have his friendship."
Fred turned and walked up the stairs leaving a stunned Buffy and Spike staring after her, "Oh, I haven't had the pleasurable favor of seeing him orgasm, so I don't know if he would moan my name." With that Fred continued up the stairs leaving the basement.
Spike stared at the doorway that Fred had just vacated, "What in the bloody hell did you say to her Slayer?" He wasn't exactly sure what had just transpired, he came down to Illyria throwing Buffy around like a rag doll, suddenly Fred was back and verbally tearing a strip off of Buffy's hide, declaring her love for him and how in the bloody hell did she know what he looked like when he got off. Shaking his head Spike tried to take it all in, Buffy's voice brought him back to the here and now.
"So you fight with the Blue Bitch and fuck the sweet Texas Slut," Buffy's voice was cold, "Still the same Spike."
"Fred was right Buffy, I let you use me. I did lust after you, even loved you, but I never really liked you." As he said it Spike realized that he had moved on, that the wound from Angelus' betrayal with Dru was beginning to heal, and that his future waited upstairs for him in all her blueness.
He stopped on the top of the stairs, "Oh by the way, when I make love with Fred, something tells me she'll have me screamin her name."
Faith let out a wolf whistle and clapped her hands "Go Winifred!" The whole gang including Nita had heard Spike's declaration; they all clapped and congratulated Fred as she tried to sink into the cushions of the sofa.
Buffy sat down on the work out mat, she wasn't sure where all the anger had come from, why she had started to spew out those horrible things to a woman whom she had never met before today.
No, she had to be truthful at least to herself, some part of her wanted, needed to have Angel and Spike love and yearn after her, even if she was in a relationship with somebody else. A sick kind of back up plan, 'if this relationship didn't work I can always go to Angel or Spike.' Buffy thought.
She realized part of her anger at Spike stemmed from the fact that deep inside she did know that he did not like her as a person, not in the same way he truly liked Dawn or Willow. Sure he had always been flirting with her, and was more than willing to have sex with her, but Buffy admitted to herself, they never made love to each other. It had always been a fight with them.
