Desperation
Disclaimer: Don't own em, just take em out and beat em up.
Summary: The Big Bad meets a bigger bad.
Reviews: Yes, please. Love reviews, adore reviewers. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!
A/N: Yes I know this is a short chapter but I needed to save something for the next chapter, as it is likely the last one.
Many thanks to my favorite partner in crime WayWard Childe for his continued support and advise.
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Jake hung up his phone and frowned at the Summers sisters. "Will told them to give the painting to Dawn." He said in disappointment. "I guess we have to get a little tougher."
Dawn pouted. "I thought sure it would break through that wall he's got up."
Buffy rested her chin on her fist. "You do realize we're taking about Spike, the king of stubborn self-doubt. Right?" She asked her sister dispiritedly.
The teenager nodded remembering exactly how exasperatingly stubborn their vampire could actually be. She'd seen enough of it during that long summer Buffy had been gone and he'd been her primary 'baby-sitter'. Thinking of that painful time reminded Dawn of something.
"Buffy, where's Spike's box?" She asked.
The slayer brightened. "In the hall closet. Do you think…?"
Jake frowned in puzzlement. "There's a box?"
Dawn pulled her boyfriend up from his chair and dragged him into the hall. She opened the closet door and pointed to a rectangular box stuffed into the corner of the topmost shelf. She grinned as he pulled it down for her.
"I love having a tall boyfriend." She beamed as he kissed her.
"Like you're a shrimp." He teased, looking down at her five feet, seven inches from his superior height of six feet, one.
"Compared to you…" She stopped as he kissed her again. "What was I saying?"
They went back into living room and Jake put the box on the coffee table. They sat and looked at it. The package was only a twelve-inch by ten-inch container. It was eight inches deep and was pretty light for its size.
"Um… What's in it?" Jake finally asked.
"I don't know exactly what's in it. I think it's some stuff of Spike's that survived the bombing. He left it in the basement." Buffy gazed at the innocuous box in front of her.
Jake's gray eyes widened in surprise. "Bombing?"
Buffy looked down at the floor and explained how Spike's home had been blown up. Jake's censorious stare drew the rest of the story from her and she gave him a condensed version of the events that had led up to that point. She also told him how she'd broken off her destructive relationship with the blond vampire.
"I broke his heart." She finished, wiping away a tear. "I drove him to desperation and because of me, he went after his soul. After he got it, I realized he never needed it."
Jake closed his eyes. Dawn squeezed the hand she was holding as he processed how difficult his friend's life had been. "No wonder he's so quick to believe the worst, he's never been shown any different." He murmured.
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Spike opened his eyes slowly wondering why his bed was so hard. The bed in question suddenly appeared in his line of sight and he remembered he was on the floor. He pushed himself upright and pulled his knees back up to his chin. His stomach rumbled, reminding him he hadn't eaten since early the day before.
He pushed himself up and stiffly stood. He snorted softly. Time was he'd have slept on the floor and not thought twice about it. Now he felt abused if he didn't have a pillow. He stretched and popped his vertebra, then twisted his head to crack his neck.
He listened for a moment to find out how many of the hotel's occupants were home. He'd learned early on how to control how much he would hear at any given time. He'd been desperate to tune out the extra noise made by all the humans in residence. Now he only heard distant sounds if he wanted to. Silence. He could hear no one in the building. A slight frown marred his handsome face. There should have been someone there.
Leaving his room, he made his way down to the kitchen and heated himself a large mug of blood. He took his drink and began wandering through the building, mildly curious about why he was suddenly all by himself in the huge old structure. He'd just crossed the lobby when the doors were torn apart and a massive demon thundered in. It yelled something in a language Spike didn't know. Which surprised him because there weren't many demonic languages he didn't have at least a passing knowledge of. Sighting the blond vampire, the demon attacked. Spike dropped his mug. It shattered and spilled its viscous red contents onto the marble floor. He darted out of the way but was stunned by an arm slamming into his back. With his enhanced speed, Spike had become accustomed to being unharmed during a fight so this blow threw him off balance. Recovering, Spike turned to face his opponent and was astonished when a fist struck him across the face. He flew through the air and crashed against the wall. He fell to the floor, dazed. The demon took advantage of the vampire's disorientation and picked him up, throwing him across the lobby. Spike went into game face and shook off his sudden dizziness. He leaped across the room and went flying once more as the demon swept an arm across his chest.
By now Spike was bleeding heavily from a head wound, several claw marks on his torso and a cut under his eye. The loss of blood combined with the fact he hadn't eaten since the day before, weakened the master vampire. An unaccustomed fear shot through Spike. Suddenly he wanted to live. He wasn't ready to die again just yet. He roared as he launched into another attack. The demon picked him up and held him over its head, sending the bleeding vampire crashing to the floor. Spike looked up just in time to roll away from the massive foot getting ready to crush his skull. The move earned him a kick to the ribs. Spike groaned as he heard several of them crack. He began crawling away in an attempt to regroup and gather his fading strength. He didn't know what the demon was but was quickly coming to the conclusion that he might not survive the battle.
'I'm sorry, Buffy. I love you. I've wasted so much time. Dawn….' His thoughts stuttered to a stop as he saw the demon coming at him for another round of kick the vamp. It only took one more strike to the ribcage to send Spike into welcoming darkness.
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Across town in Wesley's apartment, Cordelia reeled as a vision slammed into her. Giles caught her as she slid sideways into him. Wes knelt in front of her as the others watched anxiously. She gasped in horror as she realized who the blood-soaked person in the image was.
"Willow! Teleport to the hotel, right now. Demon… beating the crap out of Spike. He's all alone. Go!" Cordy panted.
Willow vanished without any questions. She arrived just in time to send a panicked wave of magic towards the demon causing it to explode into a sparkling cloud of dust. She rushed over to kneel next to the unconscious vampire.
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Jake trained his gray gaze on his girlfriend and her sister. "Okay, let's go." He said as he stood up.
Buffy sent him a puzzled glance. "Go where?"
A pitying look crossed the artist's face. "The Hyperion. Spike. Box. Ring any bells?"
"You want to go now?" Dawn asked him.
He nodded, tobacco brown hair falling into his eyes. "No time like the present. The sooner we do it the sooner we have him back."
Fifteen minutes later…
They looked at each other in concern as they approached the broken front doors of the old hotel. Buffy rushed through the opening after motioning Dawn and Jake to stay back. She was brought up short at the sight of Willow kneeling next to a bloodied and unconscious Spike. The lobby was wrecked and the floor was splattered with bright red blood, far too much of it for Buffy's comfort.
With Dawn tucked protectively behind him, Jake inched through the door. They gasped at the sight. They ventured in slowly, hands clasped tightly in fear. Dawn's huge blue eyes fixated on Spike's battered form.
A muffled groan broke the temporary paralysis that had overtaken them. Buffy approached her love cautiously, kneeling on his right opposite of Willow. Spike was face down on the floor, his head turned to the left. He didn't see Buffy next to him.
"Red?" A pained whisper of sound drifted up from the bruised face.
"Yes, Spike. I'm here. Can I turn you over?" Willow leaned down to murmur in his ear.
"Yeah. Slow. Okay? Got some busted ribs." A gasp of pain puffed out as he answered. The witch decided to use her magic to reverse the vampire's position. She chanted an incantation softly and he rose from the floor high enough to roll over in mid-air before he gently floated back down. He noticed the petite blonde kneeling next to him, tears standing in her clear green eyes.
"Buffy." He rasped.
"Stupid vampire." The slayer hissed. "What were you thinking? Do you want to die?" She dashed the tears from her face.
A slight cough punctuated the slight shake of his head. "Not any more, Luv."
Buffy carefully took his hand in hers. "I love you." She whispered.
"Love you too, Pet." His voice was weak in his effort to contain the pain in his chest. "Bloody Hell, that hurts."
"What the hell happened here?" Angel's voice shocked everyone. Buffy was up and flying at him in a flash.
She slugged him in the nose. Sending him skidding into the wall.
"What was that for?" He demanded struggling to get up. "How did Spike get hurt? What the hell happened?"
"Where were you?" Buffy shrieked. Spike groaned as the sound assaulted his ears.
"A client called. There wasn't anyone else, I had to go." The dark vampire frowned, looking at the blood-splattered lobby. "Where is everyone?"
"We're here." Xander said as he came through the door with Faith in tow. The others followed. Cordy was being supported by Fred and Gunn; they immediately guided her up the stairs so she could lie down and recover from her vision. Wesley and Susan walked over to check on Spike. Giles surveyed the damage with dismay. Lorne hovered around the destroyed doors.
Wesley took a position next to Willow, crouching to get a better look at the battered vampire. "What kind of demon was it?" He asked gently.
"A big one. Fast, ugly and determined to kick my ass. Showed him." Spike laughed a little then groaned in pain.
"Yes, Will. You certainly did." Susan humored him from her position next to his feet.
Spike smiled at her voice, his eye was swelling closed limiting his vision. "Suzie-Cutie, so glad you could see me like this."
"I'm just glad there's a you to see. I've missed you." A tear slid down her lovely face.
"Missed you too, Pet." Spike's voice was growing fainter. "Tell Picasso…"
"Tell him yourself." Jake told him gently as he approached his fallen friend.
"Thanks. Tell him…thanks." Spike's head lolled to the side as he succumbed to the encroaching darkness.
