A/N : Headed into a re-write of 'What's My Line?' now, hope all you friendly reviewer types continue to enjoy the story.
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 14 - If I'm Smart Then I'll Run Away
Spike had considered his situation from every single angle. For the first couple of days after he saved the Slayer from Eyghon he'd been trying to think of a way to get her to talk to him again as he drank himself into oblivion with stolen bourbon and blood of the innocent. Drusilla kept out of his way for now, though he didn't know why, he didn't care much. Buffy bloody Summers had infected his mind, maybe even his heart and he hated her for that, still it seemed there wasn't a soddin' thing he could do about it.
It was almost a week later now, he was out in the graveyard trawling for food when she appeared, twirling her stake in her hand as she waltzed through the cemetery as if she hadn't a care in the world, flanked by her friends, the red-head and the boy. Spike couldn't believe how normal she looked, as if she wasn't even a little upset anymore, laughing with her mates, happy as you please. He might never have existed and it hurt to think she was over him so fast. Made sense in some ways he supposed, she'd reckoned herself to be in love with him so fast, hardly surprising to think she could fall out of love just as easily. Bleedin' teenage hormone bombs who didn't know what they wanted!
That was when the relentless unresolved argument started up between the voices in Spike's head, the one that was his pure demon and the other he suspected was what passed for his soul. Being a demon he had no conscience, but there was something, a little piece of the nancy-boy he was as a human maybe, that was the part of him that had fallen in love with the Slayer, and it would not shut up reminding him about it!
As one half of his brain said 'kill, crush, destroy' the other reminded him how sweet and adorable and loveable Buffy was. The only time both parts united was when jealousy drowned out every other feeling and that's exactly what happened as Angel appeared on the scene.
Spike hung back in the shadows, hoping that with the breeze blowing against him, his grandsire wouldn't pick up his scent. As much fun as the confrontation might be, he was too drunk to be sure he'd survive, especially if Angelus and Buffy took him on together.
"Angel" Buffy was surprised to see him approach, "I haven't see you around lately"
"I had something to take care of, out of town" he explained, "I heard about Eyghon though, are you okay?"
"Sure, I'm fine" the Slayer smiled and nodded, "I had help y'know" she shrugged, feeling it was best to let him think she meant just the Scooby gang if that was what he assumed.
"Yeah, I heard about Spike too" Angel said, a less-than-impressed look on is face. Buffy frowned.
"Spike?" she echoed, not knowing what he meant and in the shadows the bleached blond winced. If Angel started telling tales out of school, explaining to Buffy all about his evil days, well, you just knew he'd embellish on the bad points, and not give one mention to anything good he might have done. Granted there wasn't a huge amount of good to talk about but that wasn't the issue.
"Yeah, Spike" Angel echoed to the confused Slayer, "The pain in the ass who pretended to be the perfect boyfriend?"
"William" Buffy breathed, realising that much like Angel the bleached blond must have a vampire nick-name too. Whilst the vamp with the soul seemed to have a acquired a pretty handle, Spike didn't sound any too friendly.
"Yeah, he used to be William the Bloody" Angel filled in for her, hating the pain that crossed his girls face, as did Spike watching from his hiding place, "Now it's Spike"
"Spike, as in the dog from the Tom and Jerry cartoons?" Willow asked hopefully.
"Spike as in railroad" Angel corrected her with a look and Xander's eyes went wide.
"Yikes" he commented as a few nasty thoughts of how one might become associated with such an item in a very violent way.
"I can't listen to this" Buffy said suddenly, striding away from her friends. Willow was quick to go after her and Xander and Angel both moved to follow on behind.
"She doesn't need to hear anymore from you" the boy told the vampire, gesturing that he should stay back as he hurried to catch up with his girl-friends.
Spike watched Angel, watching Buffy walk away before letting his demon face come out and running full pelt out of the undergrowth. He caught his grande-sire unawares and they both went crashing to the ground with a thud.
"You right bastard!" Spike yelled, pinning Angel down and punching him in the face a couple of times, causing the souled vampires own game face to emerge.
"What's the matter, Spike?" he sneered, pushing the younger vamp off, the pair of them getting to their feet and facing each other in fighting stances, "Your little plan for Slayer number three didn't work out and you need someone to blame?"
"You're the one who is to blame!" Spike shot back, "You're to soddin' blame for most things that go wrong in my bleedin' unlife!"
Angel laughed at that.
"That's right, Spike, if all else fails blame somebody else for how you've screwed things up" his grand-sire heckled him, "Why don't you just admit, you can't handle women. Drusilla always liked me better y'know, and now the same thing happened with Buffy"
Spike's temper boiled over and he launched himself at Angel once again, fists swinging, he was incensed. He landed a couple of blows, but Angel soon had a stake to his chest, making him back up a step.
"Come on then, you great poof" Spike said after a moment, arms spread wide in an invitation, "Finish the job. Helped put me in this world, why not take me out?"
Angel let the stake drop and leaned in close as his vamp face slipped away.
"You're not worth it" he said nastily, grabbing Spike by the collar of his coat and hauling him up by it, "Now get Dru and get out of town before I change my mind" he said, before throwing the younger vampire aside and striding away into the night.
Spike wiped some blood from under his nose, and yelled a string of curse words at his grand-sires back. Like he'd do anything that Peaches ever told him to! Though he had to admit there wasn't much to stay in Sunnydale for. The Slayer said she wanted him away from her, and once she found out a few more interesting facts from his past, Spike was under no illusions that her or one of her mates would ensure he was a big pile of dust before too long. It was doubtful any of her little human friends could stake him but it didn't take any strength at all to set a bloke on fire. Then there was Angelus in his goody two shoes form...
He was almost back to the warehouse, when Spike thought he felt a presence behind him. He spun on his heel, honing his senses and trying to work out who might be there. He wondered vaguely if it was Buffy, his senses were tingling as if a Slayer were present, but he saw no-one and couldn't pick up a scent properly, his nose was so full of blood.
"Bollocks to it all" he muttered as he let himself into the warehouse, clanging the door shut behind him.
"There he is, my darling deadly boy" the voice of his sire said as she stepped out of the shadows, "Mummy's missed her dark prince" she said, cradling a china doll in her arms like a baby.
"Not now, Dru" he shrugged her off when she moved towards him, "Need to do some thinkin'" he told her, making to walk away. Her words made him stop.
"Not thinking about me anymore" she moaned, "Princess is slipping away, and dear William doesn't even see the light coming to swallow her up"
"What's that, luv?" he checked, turning back, but she wasn't even looking in his direction anymore, instead softly singing a sort of lullaby to her doll.
"Drusilla?" he urged, coming back towards her, he put one finger under the chin, lifted her head till her eyes met his, "Come on, talk to Daddy" he begged her, "I'm sorry, have I been a bad rude man?"
"Not been bad enough for Princess" Dru told him sadly, "Won't hurt me even just a little bit anymore, no time, time, time..." she repeated the word like the echoing of a bell and with a strange distance in her eyes that worried Spike, as she swayed back and forth on the balls of her feet.
It was true, he'd spent a lot of time either with Buffy or alone with bottles of booze and dreary thoughts these past few weeks. Dru was still weak and had been confined to one place for much of the time, and being alone so much probably hadn't helped her condition. Though he'd made sure she was fed regularly by the minions, he should have taken better care of her. If it were possible, she looked more pale than usual, a strange thing to say of a vampire, but it was true.
"Drusilla?" he frowned when she stopped swaying and her eyes glazed over. He wondered briefly if she'd mastered the art of sleeping whilst on her feet and with her eyes open, but he never actually got the chance to ask as her eyelids fell shut and she collapsed forward into his arms.
"Buffy, whatever's the matter?" Giles frowned as he opened the front door and found his Slayer on the other side. Her face was marked from tears and running mascara, and she looked far less than happy, "Are the others alright?"
"Willow and Xander are fine" Buffy nodded, "I just... Giles, I need you to help me research something"
"Of course" her bemused Watcher nodded, letting her inside, "Is there a new demon in town that we need information on or..."
"Yes, kind of" she said, taking a seat, "I saw Angel tonight Giles, he told me... he told me about William"
"Ah" Giles sighed, taking a seat across from her, "he is not a second anomaly then I assume? He doesn't have a soul?"
"Doubtful from what Angel said" Buffy shook her head, fighting further tears as she thought of the guy she'd liked so much and had turned out to be apparently evil. Finding out what Angel really was had been bad enough and she hadn't fallen half so hard and fast for the vampire with the soul.
"Then it is probably best that you tell me all you know" her Watcher said as gently as he could, "I shall research and then at least if he turns violent you will know how best to cope"
"I know more than just what Angel told me" Buffy admitted, "There was another vampire, last night... I didn't know it then but she was telling me stuff about him too"
"Indeed?" said Giles removing his glasses and polishing them as he waited for his Slayer to explain further.
"I saw her with Angel before, he never did tell me who she was and I kind forgot about her, what with the whole William thing" she explained, "Anyway, I saw her in the graveyard when I was out patrolling last night. I couldn't sleep, I just went out for a little while, thought a little slayage would tire me out. She was talking to me, half of what she said was just like crazy talk, it didn't make any sense, then she mentioned Spike"
"Spike?" Giles frowned, not understanding.
"It's William's other name" Buffy told him, "I didn't know it then, but Angel told me tonight. It has to do with... railroad spikes" she explained uncomfortably recalling the souled vamps description of the man she thought she'd been in love with, that maybe she still was on some level despite the hate she felt too.
"What did this other vampire tell you?" Giles checked after a while when Buffy was silent too long, "The female from yesterday?"
"Er, something about fire?" she frowned as she tried to recall any sensible facts from the mindless ramble of the raven haired beauty she'd met the night before, "And a princess, and definitely something about strength, being strong again. Not much of it made sense" she admitted as Giles moved from his seat and fetched a pen and paper to jot down some notes on all she'd told him.
"And then she was just gone" the blonde surprised him with her words and he looked up at her with troubled eyes.
"She disappeared?" he frowned, "How exactly?"
"I don't know, it was like one minute there rambling, next minute... poof!" Buffy shrugged, "Or maybe not poof, maybe..." she looked troubled as she thought more about it, "It sounds freaky but... but I don't remember, there's like five minutes when I just... there's nothing there"
"How very strange" Giles commented, making further notes, "It is possible perhaps that she is a companion of this William or Spike fellow" he noted, "And if that is so there is nothing to say she does not have some sort of power, telepathy perhaps, power to control the mind. Vampires have been known to learn such skills over the decades and centuries of their lives"
"A companion?" Buffy echoed, her ears and mind focusing on that part of the sentences rather than the rest of what her watcher had said, "You mean she and William... She's like his girlfriend?" she checked.
"Well, in a sense, yes, I suppose you could say that" Giles nodded, "although the bond between vampires, especially if they are sire and childe would be much stronger than..." he stopped when he realised the tears that had been building up in Buffy's eyes had now spilled over down her cheeks.
It was ridiculous and the Slayer knew it, but somehow finding out William had a girlfriend was almost as painful as knowing he had a demon inside. Whilst his being evil was obviously terrible, the teenage girl part of Buffy had convinced herself to a certain extent that perhaps the more human elements of William truly did like her. If he already had a vampire woman to call his own, it was likely that the things Angel, Giles, and Xander said were true. William, or Spike as he should really be called, had attempted to charm Buffy so he might take advantage of her and then kill her. A Slayer's scalp would be a worthy trophy for a vampire to win after all.
"Buffy, my dear, I am so sorry that you..."
"It's okay" the blonde interrupted her Watchers sympathetic riff, "I'll be fine" she lied, rubbing her cheeks clean and dry with her hands, "I just need to go home now, sleep and stuff. I'll be okay in the morning"
Giles smiled and nodded, wishing her sweet dreams she let herself out of his apartment. Of course he knew she was more likely to experience nightmares than pleasant dreams during her slumber, and no amount of sleep could cure a broken heart which he was sure she was suffering from.
"Spike?" Drusilla moaned as she floated back to consciousness.
"I'm here, baby" he told her as he came to the side of the bed and picked up her hand in both of his. He'd been pacing the room for the past half hour as his precious girl slept on. The minions he'd left in charge of her had told him how she'd been suffering in his absence. These past two days she'd refused to eat at all and then last night she'd insisted upon going out, managing to kill one of the strongest lackeys when they refused at first. Her plan had not been to hunt it seemed, but to face the Slayer. That little excursion, coupled with lack of blood and the illness she'd suffered anyway had made her condition worsen considerably, and Spike felt wretched for the part he played in it.
"Spike, I'm cold" Dru complained, eyelids fluttering as she tried to stay awake and seemed to find it difficult, "It's all dark and dreary, the colours have run out..." she moaned, one hand covering her eyes as Spike held onto the other, hating to see her suffer.
"I'm sorry, my love" he told her, "Been a bad man, neglecting you like this. Say you forgive me, Dru, and I'll make it right" he promised her. He'd had vamps smarter than himself researching his sire's condition since they first arrived in Sunnydale. They were getting close to finding a cure so they told him a few minuets ago, but he wondered if they'd said that because it was true or rather because he'd threatened to pop their heads off if they didn't find something useful in the next couple of hours.
"Men in love are foolish" Drusilla laughed lightly, eyes still hidden behind her hand, "Fools rush in, leave others behind. The light tries to swallow you up and leave me to burn" she said, hand falling away to show her eyes flashing angry gold. Spike was slightly unnerved by the sight of such forceful eyes in a fragile and delicate face, though he'd seen it many times before. It bothered him now, he suspected, because her angry looks were aimed at him, and in no playful sense at all.
"Stupid Slayer girl" Dru spat, "Wanted me all gone away, lost where the fairies dance, so she could take my prince away"
"The Slayer?" Spike echoed, "But you only talked to her..."
"Struck me she did" his sire told him, "Tried to make me fly away in the wind, ashes to ashes, dust to dust" she said seriously, "Made the poor kitten weep and wail, and smash her baby girl" Dru said sadly, looking down at the fragments of Miss Edith that lay at the end of the bed. The doll had suffered fatal injuries when Drusilla had passed out, the figurine having slipped from it's owners hands to the concrete with a smash.
"You fought with the Slayer?" Spike checked, his blood boiling at the thought of it. As much as he fancied himself in love with Miss Buffy Summers, Drusilla was his saviour, his woman, his only companion for so long. He was so close to losing her and it seemed a lot of the blame must fall on Buffy, and possibly Angel too since he'd screwed up Spike's plans.
Drusilla nodded, her expression serious as she told of a fight that existed only in her head. No blows had been landed between herself and the Slayer, neither had attempted an attack at all, but Spike's sire had a plan to win back her man and she would not fail. No pretty little thing with sunshine in her hair was going to steal away her best toy. The Slayer would die as originally planned, and at Spike's hand, Dru would see to that. Then this torment would be over, she would be restored soon enough. Her cure was close, she could almost taste the coming of it's time, and with no Slayer to stop it happening Sunnydale would be Dru's own party town. She giggled at the thought of it - what a pretty picture.
To Be Continued...