A/N : Thanx to; spuffy-monica, Spuffy2008, KelleyTheSelfToastable, Hellmouth2, Ghostwriter, wicked-angel-413, aej1085, Rebel Goddess, Daniel Wesley Rydell, kargrif, Melody Lane, and axlgroupie91, for the latest reviews, you all rock. In answer to a couple of questions, I'm not sure yet how long this story will be, and as for which world is real, that's not something I'm going to say anything about right now. Hope you like the new chapter.
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 6
Three days passed, no change occurred. Buffy Summers was alive in Sunnydale, in the sense of her having a pulse and breathing, but her mind was dead, at least in that realm of existence. It seemed the hallucinations were so strong that they had taken over, somehow convinced Buffy they were more real than the hellmouth city she lived in. Willow, Xander and Dawn took turns to sit by her bed, usually talking to her, hoping she could hear them and would eventually fight back, find her way home to them.
It was getting dark out, Xander had noticed. He'd been sitting with his friend whilst Dawn got some much needed sleep and Willow searched yet again for a spell or potion she might use to bring Buffy out of her state. She knew in many ways it was wrong for her to use magicks again, but even Xander and Dawn had conceded it was a necessary evil in this case.
"How is she?" said a voice from the bedroom door and Xander turned to see Spike, Willow right behind him.
"What the hell is he doing here?" the carpenter snapped as he got to his feet. Whilst the vampire had been welcome in the house when he was saving their lives, that little bit of info seemed to have been conveniently forgotten now.
"Xander, please, no fighting" his witch friend begged "We're all here for Buffy, so can we please just all get along for five minutes?"
The young man nodded but Spike barely heard what Willow had said, his eyes fixed on his lover. He hated to see her like this, it was the second time, the first being when Dawn was kidnapped by Glory. He felt so helpless, he'd stayed away for the last three days in an attempt to ease his own pain, but he had to see his Slayer, find a way to help.
Willow had let him into the house, offered him a turn at sitting with the seemingly unconscious girl whilst the rest of the gang caught up some much needed sleep. The witch explained this to Xander who eventually conceded that he was tired and maybe it was an okay plan.
"At least with the chip he can't hurt her" he mumbled as he left the room, of course he was wrong, but Spike had no intention of hurting the girl, he loved her so much, he just wanted her back. Even if she woke up and told him to leave forever he didn't care. She could scream at him, punch him, hell she could stake him, so long as she woke up he just didn't care.
"Buffy" Willow said to her still and silent friend, "Spike's here to see you..." then she turned to the man in question, "Keep talking to her. I don't know if she can hear us but it might help" the witch told him, not really sure if he heard her as he sat down on the bed beside the girl with the blank stare.
"I'll give you two some time" Willow said more to herself than the vampire who looked so pained and like he felt so useless, so full of blame even though he'd done nothing to cause this.
"Hey now, Slayer" Spike said, after a few moments silence, just watching her not move "Time to wake up" he smiled "Your mates are all in a panic, Nibblet too, and I've got to admit you're starting to worry me too, luv"
Of course he got no response from her but he continued to talk.
"Bet you didn't know the Big Bad got scared, did you?" he said quietly "Well, normally I wouldn't, but everything's different when it's you" he admitted, trying to push back the tears in his eyes and the lump in his throat, "God, Buffy, if I lose you again... it almost did for me last time, I couldn't go through that again..." he trailed off feeling like such a nancy boy but unable to control his feelings when it came to his beloved girl.
"You gotta fight, Slayer" he told her firmly, gripping her hand tight in his, "If not for me, then do it for the Nibblet and your mates. We all love you"
"We all love you, sweetheart" Joyce told her daughter as she sat on the edge of the bed, gripping Buffy's hand and brushing hair from her face at the same time, "We love you very much and we just want you to be totally well again"
"I want that too" Buffy said quietly, her voice coming out with a break in it, she had missed her mother so much.
"I know, honey" Joyce smiled, "and you're doing really well, and the doctors and nurses will help you with the rest"
"Buffy" the young girls attention was diverted from the warm smile of her mother to the harsher features of man in a white coat, "it's important that you truly want to leave that fantasy world behind" the doctor told her.
"I do" Buffy nodded "I really do. I did what you said" she said like a proud child, "they're all gone, my friends... the traps" she amended with a watery smile "I... I dealt with them"
"That's wonderful" the doctor smiled, "but now more than ever it's important that you find bonds in the real world" he told her, emphasis on the word 'real', "Strong relationships you can hold onto so your attachment to reality becomes stronger than the attachment to the delusion" he pressed the point "Do you understand?"
"Yes" the girl nodded, firmly a she could, "I want to stay here with my parents"
This caused both Mr and Mrs Summers to smile, so glad to have their daughter back with them, healthy and happy, she was well on the way to both.
"That's very good, Buffy" the doctor said again as the door opened and in came William. Buffy was so pleased to see him, her other world Spike, the one constant person wherever she was, she knew she'd be fine so long as he was around. She'd been a little worried when he was gone for the past three days but her mother had explained he had some time booked off and despite his best attempts to revoke it, his supervisor had insisted he take the rest, he really needed it.
"We need to talk to the doctor" Buffy heard her mother say faintly as her attention stuck on the male nurse before her "but we'll be back real soon" Joyce promised, making for the door of the room with her husband and the doctor, "William will sit with you now, okay?"
Buffy nodded mutely but smiled as wide as ever.
"Hey, Buffy" the variant Spike smiled as he sat down in the same place Joyce had been.
"Hi, Spi...William" Buffy mentally kicked herself for her slip, but he was so much like Spike, it astounded her, and she was tired, making her thoughts fuzzy anyway.
"Luv" William sighed "this 'Spike' isn't real" he told her somewhat sternly, "but I am, you know that don't you?"
"Uh-huh" she yawned, "You must be what he was like before... when he was human..." Buffy mumbled, mostly to herself, her eyes fluttering open and closed, "different hair... but same eyes and..."
"Buffy" William said with a little panic in his voice as he put his hands on her shoulders, "Stay with me, pet"
Her eyes shot open, suddenly as awake as ever, making him jump a little and remove his hands from her.
"I will" she smiled up at him before glancing away, all shy and coy, in a way the Slayer version of herself would never have behaved around the other Spike, "I know you'll keep me safe" she all but whispered "so I won't go anywhere"
That made William smile too.
"We all want to keep you safe, Buffy" he promised her, "all the doctors and nurses and, of course, your parents"
"I am safe here" she nodded, "no demons"
"No" he agreed, "no demons, just the regular, normal world" he assured her, "You glad to be back with us?" he asked with a slight smile.
Buffy seemed to consider for a moment - a world without demons or vampires or evils of any supernatural kind, just a regular normal world. She closed her eyes tiredly and memories from before, setting a demon on her supposed friends, flooded her mind. She opened her eyes again a little startled and realised with William here gripping her hand and a little concentration it was possible to block out that horrible world almost completely.
"Never been more glad to be anywhere in my life" she smiled, and at that moment she meant every word.
"Spike?" said a voice from the door and he surruptisciously wiped a hand across his eyes as he turned to look at Dawn, making sure his tears were all gone.
"Hey Nibblet, how you holding up?" he asked as she came into the room. She didn't answer his question just shrugged as she sat down on the edge of the bed by her sister who now had her eyes closed, a little less daunting than when she seemed to look right through her before.
"Gotta be strong for Big Sis, y'know" the vampire told the younger girl as tears welled up in her eyes.
"I'm trying, Spike" she cried, "I am, but it's so hard to see her this way" she said as tears ran down her cheeks and she threw herself into his arms.
"I know, luv" he sighed, fighting back his own tears as he rubbed Dawn's back soothingly and let her sob all over his shirt. Wasn't the first time they'd done this, mourned together for the loss of the Slayer. Even though she was not technically gone this time, she wasn't exactly there either.
Dawn ended up mostly on his lap, glad of the comforting embrace and soft words he whispered into her hair. He was her older brother, too young in looks to be her Dad she always thought but filling in for her absentee father quite well when she needed him to. The rest of the gang tried but she always wondered if she imagined it or if she saw something in their eyes, fear or dislike of her because she wasn't what they thought. Their minds had been altered to include her, a blob of energy forced into this young girl form by monks, she was less human than even Spike or Anya who had at least been born as such. They had some understanding of her though, and she was grateful for the affection she got from her favourite vampire.
"I'm sorry" she said, sniffing as she looked at him, "You must think I'm so lame, crying all over you like a little kid" she glanced away, hiding behind her hair. Spike put his hand to her face and made her look at him.
"There's nothing wrong with crying for your sister" he told her sternly, "Proves you care is all, that you love her like you ought to, right?"
"Right" she nodded in agreement, feeling that little bit stronger when he was around, "You think she'll come back?" she asked a moment later, getting off his knee and sitting back on the bed by Buffy.
"Gotta believe it" Spike answered, reaching for the Slayers hand and holding it tight as he often did, "Gotta wish it and hope it cos honestly, Bit, I dunno how to get along if she doesn't"
"Hey now, Buffy" William smiled as she stirred from her sleep and found him beside her, gripping her hand, "How are you feeling?"
"I think I feel... normal" she told him awkwardly, wondering if that was how she felt. Things were still a little weird but she so wanted to stay in this world, not so much in the hospital though so she was willing to say whatever it took to get discharged.
"You're not normal, Buffy" William told her and her eyes went wide as she turned to him, "No, what I mean to say is... you're not average or ordinary" he amended off her frightened gaze, "You're more than that, better and special, you matter to me, a lot" he said a little more than he meant to in his rambley state and Buffy's face softened into a confused smile.
"That's sweet" she said "but you really don't know me that well"
"Well, no, not terribly well" William admitted, looking down and then up at her face again, "but I've spent so much time around you and then there was last Summer, do you remember any of it?" he asked her hopefully.
"I... yes, a little bit" she told the truth, she'd obviously been right about that Summer, about what she thought had been heaven...
"It's okay" he told her soothingly, "I don't expect you to remember much" he paused and shifted uncomfortably, not at all a thing Spike would do, "If it's alright with you..." he began nervously "I'd like to get to know you better, the real Buffy Summers"
Buffy smiled at his timid nature, how he stumbled over his words and was so nervous around her. It was becoming increasingly obvious that William was quite attached to her, just as Spike had been, but in a less threatening way... yes, definitely, less threatening.
"That'd be nice" she smiled, realising she had not yet answered him, "I'd kind of like to get to know the real William too" she told him, meaning very word. It'd be nice to know this man, this human who had the looks and love for her that the vampire had but with a gentleness she had rarely seen from the demon incarnate, but then she'd never really given him the chance to be nice.
"Then you shall know me better" William smiled back, "We shall get to know each other better"
There was a pause where the two only smiled. He could not be more thrilled to have her there with him, really there, more aware of him than she'd ever been before. From the first moment he'd seen her, he'd loved her. She was beautiful, that much was obvious, but he somehow saw beyond it, saw the beauty inside, in her eyes and her smile.
To realise she was a patient and be forced to tend to her as she slipped into a mostly comatose state, writhing in horror through the night and scrambling away from him during the day, it had been painful, but just to be near her and know he was aiding her recovery somehow, it all helped. Knowing one day his sleeping beauty might wake again, realise that she was the object of his affection and return what he felt for her... it was a dream he'd almost given up on until now.
"You go home this afternoon, don't you?" he asked suddenly.
"If I pass my test for sanity, yeah" Buffy nodded, "Not that that's what the doctor calls it but I figured that's more or less what it's about"
"Yes, well" William rolled his eyes at her phrasing "you'll pass and go home and then I thought perhaps" he paused "I might come and visit you?" he asked, waiting hopefully for her approval.
"That'd be nice" she replied, somewhat shyly, unsure why she felt so girly and childish when he smiled at her that way, but loving it.
This was what it was like, she realised, before she was the Slayer. No, she amended in her mind, before the delusion. This was the real her, and as much as William wanted to get to know her, Buffy both wanted and needed to get to know herself all over again too, as well as this seemingly wonderful man. The best thing she ever did, she thought, was fight her way out of her hallucinations, that hell she'd invented called Sunnydale. This was where she belonged, with her parents and William, and this was where she was determined to stay.
To Be Continued...