Chapter 3
"What happened?" Willow asked her voice stuttering as she looked from the blinded vampire to the knelling slayer who simply had her hand resting on his trembling shoulder.
"He, he got a soul." Buffy sighed as Spike huddled closer to her; his cold body shaking as Angel's had when he had returned from hell. Angel, the thought hit her Angel could help.
"Willow, will you call him?" Buffy said looking up at her friend. Willow knew who she meant instantly and nodded trying to look away from Spike's blinded face.
"His eyes." She said softly. Buffy just nodded and silently and wiped blood tears away from his pale cheeks. Why hadn't the blood stopped? She wondered as her torn piece of blouse was now soaked through and blood was trickling down her fingers as she wiped the tears.
"I know. Just make the call Willow. He might be help." Buffy said as she stood to face the red head.
"Don't call him. Please. Just help me. Just you, you and yours. You can make them stop screaming make the faces go away." His voice so feeble and quite it was as if the two women had dreamt it. Looking at him Buffy's heart broke, her once bitterest enemy, uneasy ally, lover; looking at him now this broken shell of what he once was all she wanted was one cocky comment, one fiery look. Buffy took William's shoulder and softly with her other hand brushed a lock of fading bleach blonde hair from his forehead. She noticed how his brown roots were showing, auburn brown, slightly curly; she wondered if she could see it properly in its natural state. Willow watched as Buffy looked so tenderly on the blind vamp who shivered and mumbled to himself.
"William, I'll be right back; I need to talk to Willow." She said softly as she stood and went to the shop, Willow following.
"What happened to his eyes?" Willow asked softly as Buffy sat on the research table her head in her hands trying to think about all that had happened in the past hour.
"He did it to himself; to stop seeing their faces. Oh Willow can you help him?" Buffy asked looking at her friend with tears in her eyes.
"I don't think magic can help. It won't bring back his eyes. Buffy nothing can bring back his eyes. But the pain, the pain will fade as he learns to accept what he had done but it took Angel nearly a hundred years to get over it." Willow said softly
"I don't have a hundred years!" Buffy shouted her voice filled with frustration and anger.
"I said I would help him and I will." She said tears now falling down her cheeks.
"Why after what he did to you?" Willow asked; a question Buffy had asked herself until she had listened to him talk; she was helping him because she cared about him. Loved him? No she didn't love him but she did care about him; she didn't want him suffering.
"He's not that Spike anymore, he is William." She said simply.
"LAURA!" the scream from the training room made them both start and Buffy ran to the training room where William was climbing the walls clawing at the red brick wall as if trying to get out. Watching him Willow was reminded about how Tara had been after Glory attacked her. There as she watched Buffy trying to clam him down; trying to hold him as he clawed away at the wall leaving bloody prints, she knew she would help him; no matter how hard it would be.