When the elevator doors had opened and Buffy could make out the fuzzy shapes of the Slayer and his little gang, she had felt the will to stay on her feet leave, collapsing forwards on to the floor. Her relief was palpable. Her face was so swollen she could barely see, her nose was smashed sideways across her face and it felt like almost every bone in her body was broken. Any blood she had had in her when the scabby minions had come for her was long gone, spilled and splattered on the carpet upstairs. The insecure Goddess, who was having a hissy fit at that moment, had really worked her over. Buffy hadn't been tortured this well since just after her turning. And Drusilla was the Queen of torture.

The clash of fighting reached her ears. Spike's voice could be heard over everything else. There he was shouting orders and insults. As much of a smile as she could managed played over her lips before someone put an arm around her and lifted her up. A half shriek, half whimper escaped her lips as she was throw over someone's shoulder and ran outside.

The body carrying her smelt like cigarettes and leather. Of course the Slayer would just carry her like she was garbage. No heed to her injuries. Her broken ribs ground together and Buffy couldn't help but growl.

She felt rather than heard Spike say something to the others and then she was dumped on to the back seat of the Watcher's car. She could tell it was the Watcher's just by the smell, even with the amount of damage her nose had took. It was old paper and old bachelor aftershave and the faintest trace of cigarettes.

Only two heartbeats got in the car with her. As the car rumbled to a start and Buffy felt the tyres begin to cover ground, she pushed away enough of the pain to concentrate on the voices that went with the heartbeats.

"She looks pretty bad, Giles." The Slayer spoke in a gruff worried voice.

"Yes. Well." But the Watcher didn't continue.

Silence pervaded the car. The engine thundered as Buffy's foggy brain tried to figure out what the Slayer was so worried about.

"You think she told." It wasn't a question.

The Watcher said nothing again. Which was everything. Buffy tried to say something but all that would come out was another pained whimper before she finally fell unconscious.

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Spike clenched his fists and looked over his shoulder at the unconscious form on the back seat. At this very moment Glory could be sending out her minions to locate Dawn.

"I have to know for sure." Was all he said as he turned back to watch the road.

When they reached Restfield, Giles pulled up to the gate closest to Buffy's crypt. He went to get out but Spike stopped him.

"No, you go. Make sure everyone's fine. I'll be along soon." Spike got out and opened the back door. "Come along, pet."

Spike picked Buffy up and turned to watch Giles pull away before entering the graveyard. He kicked the door open to Buffy's crypt and put her down on one of the sarcophagi. Spike moved over to her fridge and pulled out two bags of pigs blood, flinging them in the microwave and watching her while he waited.

Spike would think her a corpse if he could not feel the demon inside making his spine tingle, unconscious and broken as she was. The microwave pinged and Spike took out the blood and poured it into a mug. Her nose twitched as he waved it in her face. She groaned and squished up her face in that way he tried really hard to not find adorable.

He watched her tense and then deflate with a sigh.

"Slayer." She groaned again as Buffy tried to push herself up.

Spike rolled his eyes but moved to sit behind her and helped her lean on his chest. He held the mug out in front of her.

"You've looked better, pet." She brought a smile to his face when she snorted at him, wincing at the pain she caused herself.

Buffy drunk half the mug before pulling it away from her lips. She took a few stained breaths.

"Shh. Just drink." But she shook her head.

"I didn't tell her anything." She paused but he said nothing. "Couldn't. Nibblet never asked for any of this. And I know how much she means to you. Couldn't. Just couldn't."

Spike didn't know whether to believe her or not. He wanted to. She sounded truthful as she wheezed through broken ribs. He put the mug back to her lips and thought while she drunk.

"I really didn't, Slayer. I like the Bit. She's nice to me." Buffy rasped at him when she was finished.

Spike had to admit Buffy seemed to have a soft spot for his sister. And she had been helping a lot more lately. And he didn't think Giles was still paying her.

"Thanks." He grunted as he put her back flat on the sarcophagus.

She sighed again. "You don't believe me do ya?"

"Why? Why let her do this to you?" He asked instead.

She was a soulless vampire. She shouldn't have been capable of something so selfless unless she had some alternative angle he wasn't seeing. Dru would never have done such a thing without the soul she had been cursed with. Drusilla would have sold out his little sister without a second thought.

Buffy laughed and then coughed at the pain ripping through her chest.

"I've had worse for less reason." And she closed her eyes again.

He watched her for a minute before he made his way to the door and left. He had to get back to Dawn and the others. He couldn't let Glory find his sister.

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Listening to his footsteps travel away from her crypt, Buffy let out the sob she'd been holding in. Of course he wouldn't believe her. Why should he? She was just a soulless creature. No feelings. No morals. Kill you as soon as look at you. She'd been more than that before the chip. Now... Now didn't matter. She couldn't be more than that in his eyes.

Slowly she pulled herself to her feet. They hurt but her legs held her up. The blood the Slayer had given her was already starting to help. Buffy braced herself against the wall and then slammed her dislocated shoulder back in place. She let out a roar and her legs buckled. Her fang nicked her tongue and she wondered how long she'd been in game face. Then, she had a nose to realign.

After about half an hour, she made it to her feet again. She needed more blood before she slept. She pulled herself across the furniture to reach the fridge and took the bags down the ladder with her. She didn't care if they weren't hot, she just needed to heal. Buffy had just managed to pull the cover stone closed when the strength left the arm holding her up. Her head hit the ladder on her way down and the pain radiated through her head, making her nose throb all the more.

It didn't matter. She was safe now. The scabby demons had snatched her from here, after all. They knew this is where she lived. But hardly anyone knew about down here. Once the stone was on she was safe. And if someone did find the downstairs, she had sewer access she could hopefully slip away through.

Finally, Buffy pulled herself up into bed. She drained the blood bags and threw them on the ground. As the pain of knitting bones took her, her anger at the Slayer grew. Fine! Fine, maybe she had sided with Adam to get the chip out but that was different. She never believed for a second that that troll would actually defeat Spike and his little gang. It was an opportunity too good to pass up. Surely, the Slayer would do the same if he had a chip in his brain, leaving him all vulnerable and weak.

And she'd helped a lot in the last year, hadn't she? With Anya's ex-honey the troll god and the stupid girlfriend robot. She'd watched over the Bit when she went midnight B&Eing. Did she get a thanks? Oh no of course not. She got yelled at for not knowing things no one had told her. Just another round of kick the vamp. Because her soullessness meant they didn't have to suffer any guilt no matter what they did to her. Hypocrites.

She then slipped into blissful unconsciousness.

Buffy was awoken by stomping upstairs. She held still listening. Then she snorted, finding that it didn't hurt quite as much as the night before. Of course. The stone scraped across the floor upstairs bit by bit as she struggled to move it. Buffy thought she'd turn up at some point but she hadn't expected her so soon. Buffy had hoped she'd be a bit more healed than this.

"Oh god." Dawn gasped.

She made her way to Buffy's bedside and hovered there hesitant to touch her.

"Hey, Nibblet. Slayer know your here? He's not out there..." Buffy winced as her shoulder and ribs protested her trying to sit up. "...running around looking for you again, is he?"

"No. I told William I was coming here." Dawn looked her up and down again. "Do you want some blood? I can heat it up for you."

Buffy tried not to smile. Dawn was good to her. More so than she deserved.

"That would be nice." Dawn turned on her heels and ran back to the ladder. "Thanks" Buffy said to the air.

Buffy listened to her walk around upstairs. By the time she came back, Buffy had managed to lift herself up into a sitting position. As she drained the mug, Buffy forced her body relax. Everything that wasn't in pain was itching like hell. She needed the blood but as it circulated through her body it started a fresh wave of healing.

"What you doing here Bit?" Buffy rasped.

Dawn circled her from where she'd been hovering and crawled in on the empty side of the bed. Buffy looked in to her big blue eyes that looked so much like Spike's. But hers were sad. She bit her lower lip.

"What's wrong?" She found herself asking, concerned at what had upset the Bit this time.

"This is all my fault." Dawn whispered.

"No." Buffy insisted and then coughed, clearing her throat. "No Bit. It's not your fault. Don't say that."

"But it's true." Dawn's eyes began to get all shiny.

Buffy reached for her cheek. It was hot against her own dead flesh, soft like silk. She could feel her pulse beat gently against her palm, slightly elevated with emotion.

"No it's not. It's all Glory's fault." The Goddess was the evil one here, bothering this dimension.

Dawn nodded and sniffed. Rubbing at her eyes, she gave Buffy a half smile.

"I believe you, you know. About not telling Glory about me. I believe you."

Of course she did. Probably never doubted it for a second. Dawn was always in her corner. Buffy was about to thank her when the crypt door slammed open. She tensed. The demon minions had come back and Dawn was in danger. Buffy was about to push herself off the bed, as much good it would do, when the Slayer's baritone voice echoed down to them.

"Dawn! You better be here, so help me God." His heavy footsteps got closer.

"I thought you said he knew you were coming here?" Buffy raised an eyebrow at Dawn.

The Bit scrambled off the bed, jarring Buffy's ribs in her haste and stepped closer to her brother. Buffy watched him jump down through the opening and make his way to the candlelight. Before it reached his face Buffy thought she saw his eyes flicker over her in concern. But then he crossed his arms and stared at Dawn, ignoring the vampire.

"I told you I was coming here." She said sullenly, crossing her arms in a way that mimicked her brother.

He huffed. "And I said no. Come straight home from school. It's too dangerous."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Buffy can't hurt me. Even if she didn't look like she'd been hit by a bulldozer."

"Thanks Bit." Buffy snorted from her half laying position on the bed.

Spike stomped closer. Buffy listened as his heartrate picked up in anger. It was coming off him in waves.

"Not her. Glory's scabby mates. They could come back."

"But-"

Buffy cut her off. "He's right Dawn, you should go."

Dawn swung round to look at her.

"Go. I'm fine. Just put the stone back on your way out. I'll be up and about in a few days and I'll see you then."

Dawn gave a defeated huff and made her way back upstairs. Spike gave her a indecipherable look before turning to go. He was a bundle of nerves and paranoia. He could follow his sister around everywhere she went, not while still doing his duty. Buffy sighed.

"Slayer. Do you want to just go get Rupert to do a truth spell on me or something? Just the Watcher though. I'm not having that little witch of yours doing any more spells on me." Spike just frowned at her. "Look you do it. You ask me if I told anything and then you leave. No embarrassing and unnecessary questions."

Spike gave her a curt nod and then left. Buffy sighed when she heard the cover stone scrape back into place. Of course he'd need a truth spell. Fine. If that's what it took, magic her up. He just better not ask anything else. She couldn't help the feeling of dread that curled around in her stomach. If he found out...

But why would he even ask? People didn't just ask other people if they loved them. But he might ask her again why she'd done it. Then it might all come tumbling out. The connection she felt towards Dawn. Her dreams about the Slayer. The reason Angelus had tossed her to the curb. The feelings she'd developed. The want to do right for him and Dawn. The fact that she'd done the most stupid thing she'd ever done in all her years and fallen in love with the Slayer.

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I wrote this a few years ago (when I only wrote Spuffy Fanfic, this is the best most complete one) and I decided to update it, as my writing has gotten better, and upload it on here.

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