Down With the Sickness

Chapter 2: The Sickness Is Rising

By: Rogue-Slayer13

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Btvs or Ats; they belong to their respective creators.

Summary: Spike saves Fred from Illyria and gets infected with the god king. Angel and the others have to work to fight the Senior Partners.

Note: Whole sentences in italics are thoughts, and single words are emphasis.

xxxxxxxxxx

"What do you know?" Harmony growled as she slapped the now conscious Knox across the face.

Knox spit out a mouth full of blood and when he didn't answer right away, Harmony moved to slap him again.

"Harmony, he can't talk if you knock all of his teeth out," Wesley pointed out.

"Right, sorry," Harmony replied as she lowered her hand. "I get a little carried away."

"So, if you like being able to chew your food, I'd start talking," Lorne advised.

"I guess it won't hurt anything," Knox commented. "Not like Spike's going to get saved or anything."

"You don't know that," Fred said. "Angel and Gunn are on their way to a cure right now."

"Oh and they're close, so close that they could stop this, but they won't," Knox said with a slight grin.

"Obviously you don't know Angel very well," Lorne commented.

"Let me make myself clear here," Knox said, his voice taking on a serious tone. "Spike's going to die and Angel's just going to watch it happen. I'm not saying Angel won't be able to save him, I'm saying he'll choose not to."

Fred gave Knox a disgusted look before turning and walking out of the office.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Judging by the look on your faces, is it safe to guess that England was a no go?" Lorne asked as Angel and Gunn came into the office.

"Not completely," Gunn said with a sigh as he sat down. "We found out where the sarcophagus came from."

"Where's my chair?" Angel asked as he looked around his office.

"Oh, Knox is tied to it in the conference room," Lorne explained, which only earned him a curious look from Angel. "Oh right, you weren't here. Apparently Knoxy Boy is the one behind all of this."

"What?" Angel asked, outrage evident in his voice as he start heading for the conference room.

"Easy boy!" Lorne exclaimed as he intercepted Angel. "Harmony's in there keeping an eye on him and possibly knocking out the rest of his teeth. There's no need for you to go bursting in there right now."

"Lorne's right," Wesley said. "There are more pressing matters at hand right now."

"You're right," Angel sighed as he walked back over to his desk and sat down on the edge of it. "Where's Fred?"

"She went to spend some time with Spike," Lorne informed.

"I better go and talk to her," Angel said as he got up and headed out of his office.

xxxxxxxxxx

Fred watched as Spike slept fitfully in the medical department of Wolfram & Hart. It had been almost two days since the whole ordeal had started and Spike was beginning to look the worse for wear. He looked haggard and his skin was paler than usual, taking on an almost gray tinge. Not only did he look bad, but he was feverish and his skin was beginning to feel leathery and hard. Fred was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't realize Spike was awake until he reached out and touched her hand.

"How long have I been out?" Spike asked his voice raspy.

"Just an hour," Fred replied. "How do you feel?"

"I've been better." Spike managed a small smile as he sat up in the bed slightly.

Fred was about to reply, but a knock on the door drew her attention to where Angel was standing outside the room.

"I'll be right back," Fred said as she got up and walked out of the room closing the door behind her.

"How's he doing?" Angel asked.

"It's just keeps getting worse," Fred replied quietly. "Did you find anything in England?" Hope mixed with the pain that was already in Fred's eyes.

"The only way we could save Spike using the Deeper Well would involve killing hundreds of thousands of people," Angel explained, as the hope disappeared from Fred's eyes. "But we're going to find another way to save him. I promise. We're doing everything we can."

The two stood in silence for a moment before Fred spoke again.

"How long do you think he has?" Fred asked, looking toward Spike's room instead of at Angel. "The doctor said it would be a day, and it's already been two."

"Spike's strong," Angel said. "He won't go without a fight."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"What do you mean?"

"Instead of one day of agony and then it being over, he's going to fight it and who knows how long it will take then." Fred turned to look at Angel, tears in her eyes. "I can't stand seeing him like this."

"I don't think any of us can," Angel replied. "It's not like him at all."

Fred wiped the tears from her eyes and sighed. "I'm gonna go back in there with him," Fred said as she walked back into Spike's room.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Did you find anything?" Angel asked as he paced around his office.

"Not in the last five minutes since you asked me," Wesley replied as he rubbed his temples to prevent the headache that was coming on. "I know your worried Angel. But we're doing the best we can."

"Well then maybe your best isn't good enough!" Angel shouted angrily. "I find it hard to believe that with all of Wolfram & Hart's resources there isn't something we can use to save Spike!"

Wesley and the others looked taken back by Angel's outburst.

"Angel, chill," Gunn said calmly. "If there's anything here, we'll find it."

"Has anyone tried to get a hold of Willow?" Angel asked, calming down slightly.

"I called her when you left for England and Rupert Giles said she was astral projecting," Wesley said. "I called back an hour or so ago and no one answered."

"Maybe you should call it a night," Lorne suggested. "We can handle things on this front for a while."

"I couldn't sleep if I tried," Angel replied as he picked up the phone and began to dial. "I'm going to try Giles again."

xxxxxxxxxx

"Fred? Luv?" Spike called his voice hoarse and urgent.

"What's wrong?" Fred asked as she scooted her chair closer to Spike's bed side.

"I want you to know that I appreciate everything you've done for me," Spike said.

"What are you talking about?"

"You believed in me when no one else did and that meant a lot to me. You're the first person in a long time that's just treated me like a man instead of a monster." Spike was speaking quicker than usual.

"That's because you aren't a monster, Spike," Fred said quietly. "You're a man, and a good one at that." Fred smiled and took Spike's hand in her own. "You're the man that I love."

"I love you too, Pet," Spike replied.

Suddenly Spike looked across the room, fear evident on his face. Fred followed his gaze, but nothing was there.

"Spike, what's wrong?"

"They want to take me away from you." Spike looked back over at Fred. "But I don't want to go. I want to stay."

"Then stay," Fred said, her voice quivering despite herself. "You don't have to go if you don't want to."

"You hear that?" Spike called to the other side of the room. "She says I can stay."

This seemed to calm Spike down somewhat and he fell back into a fitful sleep.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Where's a damn witch when you need one?" Angel asked as he slammed the phone down in frustration. Angel began to pace around his office, occasionally kicking any furniture that got in his way. "I'm going to go patrol and see if I can clear my head. Call me if you find anything," Angel said as he walked out of his office.

"I've haven't seen Angel cakes get this upset in a long time," Lorne commented as he set down the book he was using to research Illyria.

"Yeah, with the way he and Spike fight all the time, I didn't think this would bother him so much," Gunn said.

"Despite the fact that they spending every waking moment annoying each other, they're still family in a way," Wesley pointed out.

"What do you mean?" Gunn asked.

"Angel sired Drusilla and she sired Spike, therefore the same vampiric blood that runs through Angel's veins also runs through Spike's. They share a connection and as much as they deny it, it pains them to see the other one hurt."

"I forget you used to be a watcher," Gunn commented.

"Even though Spike and I aren't bosom buddies, I think it's safe to say he got dealt a bad hand this round," Lorne said. "Nobody deserves this, especially not someone who can sing like Spike can."

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm kinda gonna miss him," Gunn stated.

"I think it's safe to say that we'll all miss Spike to a certain extent, some more than others," Wesley said. "Thing's certainly will be different without him around."

xxxxxxxxxx

Fred went to get something to drink and when she came back Spike was wide awake and sitting up in bed. He was feverish and his skin was a sickly shade of gray.

"Spike?" Fred asked cautiously as she came over to the bed and sat beside him.

"Ya know this isn't how I imagined it," Spike stated with a small laugh that turned into a violent cough.

"This isn't how you imagined what?" Fred asked as Spike stopped coughing.

"Dying," Spike replied. "I figured after the last time that I'd at least go in the middle of a fight, not lying in some hospital bed being hollowed out by a demon."

"You're not going to die, Spike," Fred said, trying to convince herself more than Spike.

"You don't have to lie to me, Luv," replied the vampire. "I'm a big boy, I can handle the truth. I'm just sorry it's happening now is all. There's a lot I had left to do."

"Like what?"

"Spending time with you for one. Helping Angel get through this mess with Wolfram & Hart for another." Another series of coughed racked Spike's body as he talked. "I wish I could tell Dawn how sorry I am for the way things ended between us."

"Who's Dawn?" Fred asked.

Spike looked at Fred with confused and fearful eyes.

"I don't remember." Spike's fever started to get the better of him and he began to rave in a sort of delirium. "I should know, but I don't. I promised to take care of the lil' bit and I can't even bloody remember who she is—"

"It's all right," Fred said as she pulled Spike into a hug, trying to calm him down. "I'll make sure Dawn knows that you're sorry."

"Bloody 'ell," mumbled Spike as he began to convulse violently in Fred's arms.

"Fight it, Spike. Please fight it," cried Fred as Spike's convulsions lessened and he looked back up at her.

"I love you." Spike's eyes rolled back into his head as the worst of the convulsions hit him.

Fred cried and held onto Spike until his body went limp. Fred looked up at Spike's now vacant eyes and a fresh wave of tears hit her.

"No, no, no," Fred cried as she shook her head. "Spike, please. Oh God!"

Spike's eyes slowly began to change from their usual blue to a silvery black color and his body began to convulse once more. Spike's body gave a particularly violent twitch that sent them both to the ground. Fred got to her feet and looked in horror as Spike, his hair now black, got to his feet and flexed his fingers.

"This will do."

xxxxxxxxxx

To Be Continued . . .

So I changed how Illyria looks because I think a blue Spike would look a little weird.

Love it? Hate it? Tell me what you think!