Safe Demon
Disclaimer: I can't begin to list the things I don't own, these guys would be at the top of it though.
Summary: He feels safe, is he?
Reviews: Yes please. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!
A/N: Yay! My muse, my partner and my favorite sounding board is back! Missed you so much, WayWard Childe!
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Buffy closed the door wearily behind her Watcher, Drusilla and Michael. She leaned on it for a moment before turning to face Xander. Willow descended the stairs quietly.
"Is Dawnie asleep?" Buffy asked the redhead.
Willow nodded. "Had to do a tiny calming spell on her but her homework is done and she's sleeping."
"Good." The Slayer sighed. "One thing I don't have to worry about."
"Where did everyone go?" The witch asked, gazing around.
"Giles took Drusilla and Michael over to his house. Mom is in the basement vamp-sitting." Buffy frowned as she explained. She still wasn't certain just when she lost control of the situation. Suddenly she wasn't so sure she'd ever had it. The trio moved over to sit on the sofa with Xander sandwiched between his two best friends. He rested his head on the cushion in abrupt exhaustion.
Buffy swung her gaze around to rest on him. "Just what did you think you were doing down there?" The question held no heat, only a weary annoyance.
"Helping. I figure that's why she wanted me down there in the first place." Xander answered her without moving or opening his eyes.
"Xan? What did you do?" Willow quavered, scanning him for injuries.
"Nothing." He told her, attempting to downplay his impulsive reassurance of the vampire.
"Convinced psycho vamp that he was safe here." Buffy sneered.
The witch's eyes rounded. "Really? How?"
Xander waved a hand in the air lazily. "He was terrified every time I went down there because I apparently look like something called a 'punisher'. I just made him realize that I wasn't one. He broke down in Joyce's arms." He shivered. "I never want to see that again."
"He did what?" Buffy's green eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Oh come on, Buff, you heard on the monitor." Xander chided her wearily.
"Actually, no, I didn't. Michael turned it off." She told him acidly.
Willow looked at the silent monitor. "Shouldn't we turn it back on?" She suggested hesitantly. She reached over to the white plastic device and switched it back on.
Buffy tensed as she realized there was still no sound coming from the basement.
Downstairs….
Spike twitched in his sleep as he sank deeper into the nightmare.
The table his naked body was strapped to was cold. He'd long ago gotten used to the discomfort. The drugs that tainted the blood he was forced to consume for his survival made his limbs sluggish while allowing him to feel everything that was being done to his motionless body. The voice he'd learned to dread sounded somewhere behind him. "I see you still haven't learned. Maybe more… stringent lessons are in order." Maggie Walsh commented maliciously. Her next command had his muscles tensing. With supreme will, he kept all expression from his face. A sharp pain stabbed into his abdomen. 'Ahhhh.' He thought. 'We get to see if the internal organs she removed have grown back. Let's find out if the remaining ones function or is he dead inside.' He'd heard her muttering those questions days earlier when she'd begun this particular experiment. He could have told her the answers had she deigned to ask but she was of the opinion that he was devoid of any intelligence. He just knew that if he never heard the word 'Scalpel' again in his unlife it would be a blessing.
He felt his mind skitter to the safe place behind the psychological barriers he'd learned to erect.
Behind the massive mental wall he'd built, he settled into a chair at the table that stood in the center of the Summers' kitchen. He smiled up at Joyce as she placed the bag of mini-marshmallows in front of him. She watched indulgently as he added more of the sweet treat to his cup until the hot chocolate more resembled chocolate flavored marshmallow cream. He had the feeling that his consciousness would soon retreat to this place and refuse to return. His demon would then be wholly in control and he would not remember. That thought was… soothing.
Joyce instinctively let go of the overly thin man in her arms as he began to tremble. She watched helplessly as he bolted from the cot and retreated to his corner. He pressed his back into the wall, hunched there and pulled up his t-shirt. He began poking at his torso frantically, muttering to himself. "Have to put them back in. Can't heal until you do." He glanced around in a panic. "Shhhh. Have to be quiet. She'll hear you. Monster. Loves causing pain. Sadistic bitch." He prodded himself a little more before he folded his hands protectively over his abdomen. "Almost done. Have to heal. Not enough blood. Too slow." He whimpered as he slid down to sit on the floor. "Want to go home."
Lost in his memories, he wasn't aware of the horrified woman mere inches away from him on the tiny cot. Moving very carefully, she eased off the bed. Holding her breath, she approached the vampire. "Will, honey, you are home." She told him gently.
He started and gasped. He gulped in another deep unneeded breath. His tousled head started to shake. "Not real. Imagining her again. Bloody bitch playing with your mind, pillock." A growl shuddered through his slender frame. "Fucking monster. Want to kill her. Decorate that room with her entrails." He muttered as he began to rock.
Joyce closed her eyes against the tears that threatened to fall. 'You can do this, Joyce.' She told herself. She shook her blonde head determinedly, forcing her eyes dry. Anger flashed through her. They had already covered this. He needed to wake up and realize he was out of that place. "William." She snapped. "Wake up!"
Spike jumped at the sudden command, jerking into complete wakefulness immediately. He cowered at the anger on her lovely face before it melted away and soft concern replaced it. He swallowed as he warily watched her expression change. "What happened?" He asked huskily.
Upstairs…
The friends froze in horror as the plastic speaker spilled the sound of Spike's nightmare. The implications of his muttering sickened them.
"Put them back in? Heal? Oh my Goddess, what did they do to him?" Willow whispered, her huge eyes shimmering with tears.
Xander swallowed the lump - that he would deny to his dying day – that had developed in his throat. "Nothing good." He answered after he was sure he could do so without choking.
Buffy scowled. "Why is my Mom calling him 'Honey'?" She asked angrily.
"I really didn't stop to ask." Xander told her sardonically.
"Xan, this is serious! That's my Mom down there with a killer." Buffy charged up from the sofa and headed for the kitchen. Xander and Willow followed hot on her heels.
Downstairs….
Joyce sat sideways on the cot so she could face him. "You had a nightmare." She said gently. She picked up one of the cooled bags of blood and held it out to him. He flinched slightly before extending a trembling hand out to take it. He turned away as his demon visage came forward. He poked a tiny hole in the plastic to test it and grimaced at the bitter taste of the cold animal blood. Giving in to his hunger, he drained it. Shifting back to his human features he dropped the empty plastic onto the floor. Joyce reached over to the tray and shifted it to the end of the cot within easy reach. Both of them looked up as Buffy clattered down the stairs.
"Buffy? Are you all right? What's wrong? Is Dawn all right?" Joyce asked the questions quickly, startling her oldest daughter.
"What? No. It's you. He's dangerous." Buffy sputtered loudly.
Joyce frowned as Spike huddled deeper into his corner. A low growl sounded from the thin figure.
"Mom. Get away from him." Buffy pulled a stake out of her pocket.
"No." The older woman remained in place. "Spike, calm down." She addressed the vampire.
Golden eyes glared at the slayer as the growl continued to rumble in his chest. Joyce picked up another packet of blood. "Here, if you're going to look like that, be useful and eat." She instructed.
The glare turned on her but her face remained resolute. He reached out and grabbed the blood before she could pull it away. She merely smiled serenely at his actions.
Xander hung back, not surprised by the interaction between the two. Willow gaped at her best friend's mother. She put a hand on Xander's bicep. "Xan? What's going on?"
The male Scooby flashed her a quick conspiratorial smile. "They're friends." He told her quietly. "That's all I'm admitting to."
"Oh, I see." The redhead answered with a frown of confusion. Clearly she didn't.
Buffy glared at her friends. "Guys, this is serious."
Joyce scowled at her daughter. "Buffy. Calm down. You're scaring him." She admonished her daughter as she held out another packet of blood. She didn't watch but she smiled again when she felt the cool plastic leave her grasp.
"I'm scaring him?" The Slayer squeaked incredulously.
"Yes." Joyce said calmly. "Go back upstairs. I'll be up in a few minutes."
"But…" Buffy stuttered.
"Go." The stern tone brooked no further argument. The petite blonde huffed out an exasperated breath and spun on her heel to storm up the stairs. Xander followed hoping to talk to her a little more.
Willow watched the blonde as she retreated. Hesitantly moving closer to the cot, she gazed at the feeding vampire with huge sad eyes. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Hostile golden eyes glared at her from the corner. "Witch." He hissed.
Joyce's kind hazel gaze turned to Spike. "Hush, Sweetie. Willow only wants to help." She crooned. She moved over to kneel in front of her friend. She ran soothing fingers over his ridged forehead. His eyes fluttered closed as he relaxed. A rumble began to replace the growl.
Willow's already wide eyes seemed to expand into anime dimensions. "Is he… purring?" She gasped softly.
The older woman shrugged. "I don't know. Don't think I'd want to use that word directly to him." Humor sparkled in her lovely eyes for the first time in several hours.
Both females watched as his ridges receded under the gentle caress of Joyce's fingers. With a sudden sigh, Spike's two toned head thumped against the wall as he dropped into sleep.
"Oh no." Joyce murmured. She rose from her crouch and moved the tray of blood from the bed. "Spike. Wake up. You need to get on the bed. Come on, Honey. You'll be more comfy on the bed." She grasped the vampire's lax hand and tugged on his arm. With a cranky grumble, he woke up enough to allow her to shift him onto the dubious comfort of the cot. It didn't take her long to get him settled.
Silently, the two women left the sleeping demon in peace.
Upstairs….
Xander followed Buffy back into the living room, wisely staying out of her way as she stomped across the floor. He ducked his head as he thought about the best way to say what he wanted. "Um… Buff? What is it exactly are you having a problem with? I totally understand that he's the last person you'd want your mom to be friends with but… I mean… she is all grown up and all. Don't you think she can choose her own friends?"
The petite blonde rounded on him furiously. "You can't be friends with a vampire!" She growled.
The male Scooby frowned. Sometimes her attitude grated. Sure, he hated vampires. But sometimes it just seemed that her prejudice went just a little too deep. Not to mention a tiny bit hypocritical given her relationship with Angel. "Not to sound too much like a broken record but can I just say one word?"
Buffy spun around and glared at him. "What?"
"Angel." Xander spat, bitter venom coloring his words. "You were such good friends with Angel that you couldn't kill him until after he'd terrorized us all."
The Slayer sniffed. "Angel's different. You know that. He has a soul." She blinked when her friend growled.
"A soul." Xander gritted. "Is nothing more than a four letter word. I know for a fact that a soul does not make a person automatically good. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that Angel wasn't all that good when he was human. I don't know what Spike was like before he was turned but if he treats your Mom with the respect she says he does, then there's something different about him. Maybe growing up in the Victorian era makes a difference."
Buffy stared at him in blatant disbelief. "What are you talking about?"
Joyce and Willow had come into the room while Xander was trying to make his point. "What he's talking about is that William is a gentleman to those he gives his affection to. Did you know he was loyal to Drusilla for a hundred years?"
Her daughter blinked at the tangent her mother had taken. The training that she'd undergone with Giles didn't allow for concepts like they were trying to tell her. "Mom, try to understand. Spike is a vampire. I am a vampire slayer. I have a vague idea why Giles wants to help that thing down there but I don't know why you're so determined to keep him around."
"No, Buffy." Joyce's voice was stern. "You don't understand. He is my friend. You will not touch him for any reason. He has given me and Dawn his protection from the demon community. Giles tells me that is a good thing. I'm only going to tell you this one more time and the subject is closed. Spike is off the kill list."
Joyce studied her daughter's stunned face for a moment. "I see you've got it. I'm tired. I'm going to bed." She grabbed the monitor from the table and swept up the stairs.
Uncomfortable silence reigned for several seconds. "Well, think I'll be hitting the basement." Xander babbled. "I mean, that would be my basement at home. The old sofa bed might be lumpy but it's bed." He stretched and yawned. "Yup, going on home now."
Willow nodded. "Me, too with the going home now."
Buffy dug a few stakes out of her weapons chest. "I'll go with you. I should do another quick patrol. I need to kill something. I'm sure I can find a vamp or two that's still on the kill list." Sarcasm dripped from her voice as she sent a quick glare up the stairs.
Later…
Buffy wandered listlessly around the park near the college campus. She'd made sure Xander and then Willow had gotten home safely before deciding to patrol. The park had seen a small upsurge of vampiric activity before suddenly dropping to almost none. Now it seemed that her competition was the military and they were conducting experiments on the demons they captured. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. Her job was to just kill the bad guys and be done with it. This Initiative thing needed further investigation. She was having a hard time believing that Riley was part of it. He was so nice, so normal. It wasn't so hard to imagine that Professor Walsh was in charge of something so science fiction. Buffy shuddered. She didn't like the Professor. Her treatment of Willow after Oz's departure had rankled. It certainly seemed like something the cold hearted woman would be a part of.
Buffy started when a vampire burst out of the bushes next to the bench she'd unconsciously sat down on during her musing. The panic stricken bloodsucker stopped as he spotted her.
"Slayer." He hissed through his fangs.
"Slayee." She answered as she flung a stake into his chest. The demon looked almost relieved. She frowned at the expression on the thin, quickly disintegrating face. Her confusion was alleviated seconds later when Riley and another guy his age burst through the bushes from the direction the vamp had appeared.
"Riley!" Buffy yelped in surprise.
"Hey, Buffy." Riley glanced around; checking to make sure his team remained hidden. He wiped a trickle of sweat from his forehead from the exertion of shedding the most obvious parts of his uniform. He smiled down at her. "What are you doing out here all by yourself?"
The Slayer shrugged. "Just thinking. My mom's picked up a new boyfriend and I don't really like him. She's being a bit unreasonable about it."
"Well, she is old enough to make her own decisions." The soldier tried to appear calm, just another guy out for a walk. He wasn't sure he was being very convincing. With a mental shrug, he decided he was off duty for the night. "Hey, Graham, why don't you tell the guys I can't make it to the card game? I'm gonna see if Buffy will let me escort her home."
The other guy nodded tersely but paused before he left. "Okay, Ri but don't you have papers to grade?" Silently trying to remind the team leader that Professor Walsh would expect a status report on her missing Hostile.
"I know but I can get them later. First class is late tomorrow. There's plenty of time." Riley smiled at his friend, willing him to leave quickly.
Graham nodded and left but was clearly unhappy about it. Buffy noticed the other guy's expression and wondered what soldierly duties Riley was blowing off.
Riley extended his elbow and after a second of deliberation, Buffy took his arm and turned them in the direction of her house. They walked in silence for a while. Buffy didn't know quite what to say without letting on that she knew his secret and Riley because he wanted to ask her out again but didn't know how.
Riley noticed that she was leading them away from the campus. "I thought you lived in the dorms." He remarked curiously.
"I do but I had to move back home for a little while. Mom has a problem she needs my help with." Buffy prevaricated.
"The new boyfriend?" Riley asked.
"Uh, yeah." The Slayer nodded slowly.
"Do you want me to have a word with him?" The soldier offered as they strolled up the sidewalk leading to Buffy's house.
"No. That's okay. Mom will see sense soon and break it off." Buffy assured him.
"If you're sure…" He hesitated as they drew to a stop at the base of the stairs.
Buffy smiled up at him. "I'm sure."
"Well, in that case. Will you go out with me? How about a picnic? Tomorrow on the college common?" Riley's hazel eyes pleaded with her to say yes.
The blonde nodded enthusiastically. "It's a date." She gazed up at him with a clear invitation in her green eyes.
His head dipped slowly, giving her room to refuse. "Yeah, a date." He breathed as his lips closed over hers.
Several long kisses later, they parted. With Buffy going slowly into her house as she watched him walk backwards up the sidewalk.
In the basement, Spike twitched in his sleep as a cold sensation rippled across his skin and his hard won feeling of safety faded as memories disguised as dreams tormented his already fractured mind.