Good Enough
By MsBigBad
Chapter 1: Time Changes Everything
Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy or any of the characters from the show. They belong to UPN, FOX, Mutant Enemy, and the wonderfully talented Joss Wheedon whom I love and adore! I'm just using them for some entertainment cause I'm an obsessed freak! Any original characters belong to me and may not be used w/o my permission. (I'd be happy to let you borrow but please no stealing!) Series title belongs to Sarah Mc Glaghlan, and is used w/o permission. Any quotes and/or poems will be disclaimed in the text. Flashbacks are in italics.
Ships: Spike/Buffy, Xander/Anya, Willow/Tara, Wesley/Cordelia, Gunn/Fred, Clem/Lorne, and Connor/Dawn.
Spoilers: Through "Seeing Red" on Buffy and " " on Angel.
Summary: After overhearing a prophecy concerning the chosen one, Spike decides to return to Sunnydale leaving Africa and the 15 years he's spent there behind.
Note: From the time of "Seeing Red" and " " this story is A/U. Which means there was no death of Tara, No nicely boxed Angel at the bottom of the ocean, no vainy Willow, and absolutely no flaying of Warren! If you want to know what has replaced that part I suggest you read my timeline.
Feedback: Please! I'd love to know what you think! You can reach me at .
Thanks: I want to thank my best friend Lauren for always believing in me and for giving me this little obsession! You are what keeps me alive! I've never had such a good friend that I could laugh and cry with till it hurt! And of course have long LOTR discussions and kinky fantasies of parts (he, he, he!) of the fellowship. You know what I mean I need to stop now cause then they'll be reading this for too long to even think about reading the story! I want to also thank my other friend Heather for wanting to read my stuff and for making me laugh enough to forget some of the angst in my stories! To everyone who archives/reviews my fics! I'm soo grateful for all you've done! Of course I need to thank Joss and his crew of talented writers, producers, directors, actors, and special behind the scenes guys! Thank you guys so much for the 2 best TV shows ever in existence! Really wanna thank James Marsters for being my snowman! (Don't worry if you don't get that! It's a seriously disturbing inside joke!) I love James! Good luck in everything that you do. And I really wanna thank you for reading my fic! Especially if you read through all this nonsense and bonus points if you actually pondered the snowman thing! (Seriously just let it go! It'll drive you insane and your head will explode! Yuck!) Lot's of luvs! Enjoy! Mwahhh!
Whisper whisper whisper whisper
Whisper whisper whisper whisper
I hear the sound of the ticking of clocks
Who remembers your face
Who remembers you when you are gone
When he comes through the gate of the Sunnydale Memorial Airport there is no one to greet him, but then again no one knew he was coming. He'd had no communication with anyone from the hellmouth since Tara had come to the village 6 years ago. She was pleasant and asked how he was doing and where he was staying. He inquired about Willow and she told him about their move to France. But then everything fell apart.
"S' the nibblet flourishin' in society?" He laughs as if the thought is somewhat bizarre.
"Oh. – You… you don't know do you?" She asks.
"Know what?" He looks concerned and a bit worried when he sees the pain on her face.
"Dawn…Dawn died almost 5 years ago." She explains as a tear runs down her cheek.
He is so confused.
"And, and Giles too." She sniffles..
He looks as if he's gonna be sick. "How?"
"Giles got a call from someone in South America. They wanted him to study some sort of demony things. While he was gone someone murdered him. The council hired a hitman. Buffy found out of course and there was a battle. Dawn was shot in the head. The doctors say she died instantly." She explains.
He hears what she's saying but somehow it doesn't register. Not Dawn. Not her. She was too young to die. She had too much going for her. And the watcher. How could this happen? He slides to the floor grasping his leather coat about him.
"Are you okay?" Tara asks him putting her hand on his shoulder.
He turns his head away.
"Just go. Please just—go."
"I'm sorry." She tells him before leaving him there.
Alone.
I hear the sound of the ticking of clocks
Come back and look for me
Look for me when I am lost
Just a whisper whisper whisper
Just a whisper whisper whisper
He slowly walks toward 1320 Revello Drive. It's raining even here. His reflection is non-existent in the puddles he splashes through. Most of the lights are on at the Summer's house as he approaches. It's strange he can usually smell her by now. He decides that knocking on the front door with a prophecy that says she's gonna die is really not the singin' telegraph she's hopin' for, so he moves to the window to pick-up on an old habit.
"Spike, what are you doing here?"
"I was just…"
"In five words or less."
"Out—for—a—walk-- --- bitch."
There are no familiar faces inside the living room. Only strangers and stranger's things.
"Right, 15 years why would she live in the same place? So where could she be?"
He takes a moment away from talking to himself to think.
"Saturday night," He looks at the purple horizon. "Not late enough for patrol."
Night turns to day and I still have these questions
Bridges will break
Should I go forwards or backwards
The security guard at the door looks at him strangely. Maybe he should think about changin' the hair. There is a huge crowd all dancing to "I Want Your Sex" by George Michael.
"Must be retro night. Gotta love the classics." He thinks to himself.
He skims the crowd for the petite blonde he knows so well, but there's no sign of her.
No sign of any females actually. Well unless you count that one guy in the dress and the other guy in the dress. He backs away slowly until he collides with a barstool.
"Careful there ya blond beefcake!" The bartender warns.
He looks at him with disgust. "Yeah, right."
He starts toward the door but is grabbed by the arm and pulled backward.
"Hey wait!" The bartender says with a lust filled smile. "I didn't get your number."
"Not a local." He quickly retorts.
"Well where are you stayin' at then?" The bartender says pulling him back even further.
"Get off me you great poof!" Spike yells pulling his arm away and making a run for the door.
The rejected bartender is pissed.
"You better watch it out there vampire! Slayer'll get you!" He laughs.
"That's what I'm hoping for." He says under his breath.
Night turns to day and still I get no answers
Just a whisper whisper whisper whisper
Just a whisper whisper whisper whisper
Okay, so maybe patrolling was a better idea. He feels even more confident when he hears fighting as he nears the cemetery. That's when he smells blood. Slayer's blood. His pace quickens. Five demons have a woman pinned to the ground. Spike leaps onto on of them stabbing it through the skull. Still the other four will prove more of a problem, as they are now aware of his presence. He manages to behead one and gut another. Before the final two bring him down hard with one swoop of their giant arms. Now he is the one who is pinned until…
"Hey ugly! Get a room!" She yells. "Or better yet…"
With one fluid motion the battle-ax is embedded into the demons back.
Seeing that all it's friends are defeated the last demon makes a run for the nearest sewer tunnel.
"No! Don't go in there!" She whines.
The demon breaks through the crypt door jumps over a chair, and sends a TV sailing across the room.
"Hey! I was watchin' that!" The fleshy demon says digging into the clear bag for another pork rind.
She follows the demon into the tunnel. Spike slowly crawls to his feet and walks to the broken doorway of his old home.
"Clem?"
"Hi." The fleshy demon answers. "Want one?" he asks holding out his bag.
"Damn-it!" Comes her voice from below. She pounds up the steps.
"Hi Faith!" Clem greets her waving over-enthusiastically.
She gives him one of her classic go to hell looks before turning to Spike.
"Move." She commands, motioning him out of the doorway with her hands.
"Move" He scoffs.
"Yeah move. I've got work to do."
I hear the sound of the ticking of clocks
Who remembers your face
Who remembers you when you are gone
His jaw tightens. "Don't you mean thank you?" He asks.
She pretends to think.
"No. I'm pretty sure I mean move. As in get the hell outta my way before you need a dustpan." She threatens.
"I just saved your ass!" He argues.
"I don't think so! Cause from where I was standin' it was more like got knocked on your ass!" She counters.
"He shakes his head in disbelief "You are such a hanous bitch!"
"Oh! Best compliment I've had all night!" She says pushing him aside and walking back into the graveyard to get her weapons.
"Listen, you twit! I've come halfway across the world to find strangers where they're not supposed to be, I've been hit on by some fruit at the Bronze, then I come here and find you and I just wanna know what the hell is going on!" Spike cries.
"Why'd you come back in the first place?" She asks.
"The slayer. I've got a message for the slayer."
"Well, here she is."
I hear the sound of the ticking of clocks
Come back and look for me when I am lost
And I am just a whisper whisper whisper whisper
Just a whisper whisper whisper whisper
Continued in Chapter 2 "Depraved".