Oh yeah! This is so right on my Xander-track of dating. Not only does she want to kill me, she even does it in a way that opens the seal! Xanders date has him tied up in a wooden frame hanging from the ceiling in the high school basement. Does she have any clue what's down there? "Look, I know what happens if that seal down there gets all excited. I don't think you understand what you are doing." "The seal opens, and a vicious vampire creature comes out" shit! How crazy is this chick? Does she really want this? " Then you do understand. But what makes you think that's a good idea?" "The end is coming, the final fight. And everyone is hearing the drumbeat" for sure I do at least. The drumbeat in my head is getting pretty intense. This position is not exactly comfortable! "It's telling us to pick our partners. Align ourselves with the good, or the evil." And of course my date has to pick evil!
She pulls out a sword and approaches him with it. Oh god! Oh no! This is so not the way I wanted to go! With all the girls who have tried to kill me, it sucks that it had to end with this one, who even wants to use my death as an instrument of destruction. At least Insect Lady only wanted to breed! She thrusts the sword through his belly, and the blood flows down to the seal. "Couldn't have done it without you, Xander. Thanks for the great date!" yeah! Thanks a lot! I can't believe I was excited enough about this to even send Willow a message that I got lucky and don't want to be disturbed for a while. Oh, please, somebody, disturb us!
The door bursts open and Buffy storms in, with Giles after her. She runs straight for the demon, and throttles her. "Listen, lady. I have had some crap of a day, and just been yearning for someone whose ass I can kick. You now became the lucky volunteer!" While they beat each other up, Giles runs to Xander, and cuts him down. They run away, while Buffy first gives a beating, then takes one, then gives another until she manage to cut the demons head off. Aww, amazing! Buffy never fails to show up to get me out of bad dates. But no more! That's it! I'm going gay!
Buffy, Giles and Xander make their way back home. Xander makes gay jokes, and Giles scolds him, while Buffy hardly concentrates on any of this, refusing to be drawn into their bickering. Her mind has room for nothing but what is going on back at the house. where the Initiative-soldiers must now have arrived, and is operating on Spike. She feels a sore lump growing in her throat, and jitters go through her entire body. That fight she just had, had been a wonderful venting of all the stress, anger and frustration that has been eating her up the last few days. But now that is over, and her fears and worries are just as bad. If only all problems could be solved by slaying a demon… It turns out that saving one is a heck of a lot more difficult! She still trembles with the thought of almost having staked him. If that phone call had come two seconds later… No, can't think of that. Irrelevant. Didn't happen. But what did actually happen over there now? The Initiative was not exactly known to have such glowing care for the well-being of demons under their custody.
Her mind flies nervously to the time when they captured Oz, and exposed him to all sorts of torture, even after they saw him as human. To such people, surely, helping a demon must seem completely strange. Will they really do the job properly? Or are they hurting him? Doing the surgery without anesthesia? Doing the job carelessly, or perhaps even just killing him? She does after all know from bitter personal experience that The Initiative doesn't value lives too much, even human lives. Even hers… No, stop panicing. No more scenarios! Go home, and see how it actually is. Then deal with it.
As soon as they have made it though the door, she pulls Willow away for questioning.
"Now, tell me!"
"They got it out." Willow answers empathically. "But he's in pretty bad shape. They said it was really a last minute surgery".
"Were you there? Did you see how it went down?"
"No." Willow shakes her head "They told me to wait outside, since I would only get in the way."
Buffy shudders, and struggles all the harder with the lump in her throat. "Did they say anything about what took them so long?"
"No. I asked, but they wouldn't say. They indicated that we should feel lucky that they took on such a mission at all." She gives Buffy a knowing wink. "I bet they only came because Riley pestered them."
Buffy thanks her for the briefing, and then hurries down to the basement, and sits down at the edge of Spike's bed. "How are you?" He looks at her, clearly trying to say something, but nothing comes out.
"It's ok. You don't have to talk. I'm just glad you're still with us!" He moves his eyes from the visible bruise on her forearm, to her black eye. "Don't worry about me. That was just another slain demon. The one that attacked Xander. I killed her, and he's ok."
She sits there, looking at him for a while longer, until it becomes too much for her, and she runs back up to Willow. All the worries and "what if's" that has been churning in her head is not nearly as distressing as actually sitting there, seeing the true state of things with her own eyes. She can't take this! Right in this moment, she is really relieved that her best friend, one of the very few people it is safe to show her vulnerability to, is upstairs, worrying about her.
"He can't talk! Not move his head anymore. His soul seems to be the only part still intact… all locked in there." Buffy's voice is shivering with tears, as she stands there with Willow in the kitchen. Willow nods, and tries to look as sympathetic as possible, while trying to figure out how to handle her friend's apparent break down.
"Yes. It's pretty bad now. But don't worry Buffy, vampires heal. You just make sure to provide him with enough blood and keep him comfortable, and all will be just fine."
Buffy trembles, and gives her a gaze of sheer angst. "Right. Blood. But how do I know when he's hungry? Or even whether he's able to swallow, in that condition…"
Willow puts a hand on her shoulder, and gives her the best reassuring smile she can come up with. "You'll figure it out." Buffy smiles back at her, and melted into her embrace.
"I'm sorry. There's just so much I don't know. Like, when I was walking out of there, I wondered whether to switch off the light or not. I mean, normally one would appreciate being in a light room when awake. But… creature of the night. Maybe they like it darker? And
being paralyzed, wouldn't that usually include sleeping a lot, so the light should be off?" She shakes her head, and sobs into Willows shoulder. "And I can't ask!"
Willow takes Buffy's head in her hands, and gently tugged, making Buffy meet her eyes. "Cant talk doesn't mean can't communicate. Remember the Gentlemen? All we were able to say despite their efforts?" Buffy is about to interrupt, but Willow wont let her. "Hush... He can move his eyes, right. There's something. Take it from there."
Buffy comes down to the basement, with a cup of warm blood from the microwave. "Hey, I need to ask you some things. Please blink to answer me, once for yes, twice for no." Spike blinks at her, and she continues. "first, do you think you are able to drink this" He blink once again, and gives the mug a yearning stare. "Ok then. here it goes." she opens his mouth, and starts pouring, just a little bit. He makes all the effort he can to get his throat to cooperate, but when Buffy lets go of his head, it fall back onto the side, and the blood comes trickling out again, onto the pillow.
Spike looks down, in deepest embarrasment, and moans in frustration. Buffy collects a rag from the sink, pulls the pillow away and starts wiping his face. "its ok. we'll find another way... transfusion, thats what you need."She tries her hardest to sound on top of the situation, but is obviously more stressed out than she's willing to let out, while thinking on... "But I dont have the equipment, and the hospital is not likely to provide us with blood infusion kit to help a vampire." She looks around, at the night table, with the empty tranquillizer bottles and syringes. Then she gets up, grabs the bloody pillow and leaves the room for a minute, coming back with a clean one and scissors, which she uses to cut the the neck off one of the bottles, and then put it into a syringe as funnel. After having punctured Spike's neck with the syringe, she pours the blood in, slowly and safely, untill the entire mug is drained. "do you want more?" He blinks again, and she runs up to get another portion. But before she reaches the door, she stops, and turns back again, giving him another concerned stare "do you want me to turn the light off while I'm gone?" He blinks again. once.
the next day Buffy comes down there, she is met with a warm smile and a greeting. "hey Buffy." "Spike!" She rushes over to him. "how... when did this happen?" "during the night" he smiles and adds. "not a complete vegetable any longer." Sodden chip! been stealing my dignity from the very beginning. Of course it had to go out like this, taking the last shred with it, leaving me uncapable of even drinking whats offered up. Arrgh! I'm so glad that at least that is over. I'm finally able to talk to Buffy again. Hated to see her fuss and worry so much and not be able to try to calm her down, or at least show gratitude in some way. But then again... what to say? what the ruddy hell is there to say in a situation like this? "I'm so glad you're better." Buffy looks at him, clearly somewhat beyond words she too.Then she puts her head in her hands and shakes it. sighing deeply "what's the matter, love?" she looks up again, and tries for a smile, but a tear is falling down her cheek. "Oh, i dont know, its just... looking at you like this, zapped of all power... I have power. I wish I could give you some of mine," Oh, wow! Wow! I never even would have though this possible... hating it, loving it, completely puzzed by it SHE is crying for me! over my injuries. oh dear! His mind wanders to the last time he was paralysed, when Buffy was responsible for it, smashing a pipe organ over him, after he had nearly killed Angel. Wonder if she still remembers that? Without a doubt. And still...!
"but wait..." Buffy lightens up in fresh enthusiasm. "there is a way to do that. I can give you some of my strength, to help you heal... If you drink me!" What?? "what?!" "Slayer blood. it
has healing powers for vampires, right? It would help you!" "It would hurt you! No way! Are you out of your mind?!" "It wont be a problem. Slayers heal fast, you know." "With the First lurking around to strike any moment, and lots of girls upstairs needing you? You need all the strength you have!" "And all you can have. I need you with me on all this, better. Let me do this for you!" oh dear, oh dear... is this reality or am I dreaming? Memories float up, about his desires from years ago, About the Buffybot. Its reply to his "You know I cant bite you": "I think you can. I think you can if I let you. And I want to let you. I want you to bite me, and devour me untill there's no more!" Awww... Then another memory surfaces. the cellar of a house. Vampires he has sired holding Buffy. the First inciting him to bite her... No no no!
Buffys next comment breaks into his train of thought. "you said it yourself, you know just how much blood you can drink from a girl before she dies. I'm sure you know how to make it a not too harmful dose too.. I trust you." Well, when something seems too good to be true... "Are you really Buffy, or are you the First posing as her, trying to persuvade me to attack her the next time we meet?"
Buffy gives him a penetrating stare, lifts up his sheets, and graps his hand from underneath it, giving it a good clench. "No First here." Spike smiles at her but then gives her a reproachful look. "It's always here. Here, there and everywhere. And in case you forgot; It's still not done making me its bitch. If I start what you are suggesting, It is likely to finish it." Buffy squeezes his hand even tighter, and look straight into his eyes. "I remember in the cellar, when it had you. even then, you couldnt hurt me much. It would, but not you. You fought back. I believe in you Spike."
They lock eyes, and stare at each other for a long time. then she continues. "you are sick and disabled. i need you back in the fight. As soon as possible. So I want to do anything I can to cure you." she pauses and looks away for a moment, her eyes going hazy with memories. "And honestly, its not that bad. I've done this for Angel. And liked it." Ouch! she just had to bring up nancy-boy! telling me how she enjoyed his bite... why? What is she going at? I really dont need to know any details about them!
She gets this determined look on her face, and climbs up into the bed, lying down on top of him, placing her neck directly above his mouth. He can feel her pulse pounding away in its rythm, and smell the sweet scent of her. Wow. she really means it! But it's not safe... the responsible thing to do would be to at least insist on getting it in a mug. But what the heck! He got to do it! And after all this time she still remembers! Sod the safety! I'll give her a bite to remember! He tentatively tries out his facial muscles, finding they all respond. He's able to vamp out and bite. The neck is penetrated, and the blood flows into his mouth. Proper, human slayerblood! Fed the way a vampire should. Healing for both body and pride. Awww. Ambrosia! better than anything ever eaten. better than any previous slayer I've drained. warm and sweet and... a willing gift. Is it possible that, just maybe... Buffy moans, and moves her arms down the sheet on top of his body.Oh, wow! does this mean to her anything like what it means to me? is she showing... some sort of... at least for the moment... that she's my girl?