Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy, Spike or anything having anything to do with Angel or Buffy The Vampire Slayer. This goes for the rest of this story. It's simply for pleasure, not profit, so please don't sue.
Chapter Two.
Spike couldn't wrap his mind around it. Couldn't comprehend how the vampire that was sitting across from him, holding herself while she cried silently, was the Slayer he'd been trying to kill for what seemed like forever! But she was. It was plain as day. The proof was sitting right in front of him. But how had it happened? And what on earth was with the feelings still not going away? Despite the fact that he now knew why he recognized her, and recognized her as his mortal enemy nonetheless, the longing to comfort her, take care of her, reassure her was still there. And, if he wasn't mistaken, it wasn't necessarily the poof, William that wanted to do those things. It was Spike, the demon in him, moaning and whining and urging his frozen body to help her, protect her. Do something!
"It's the Slayer!" Tom's somewhat late revelation brought Spike out of his thoughts effectively. He took a step toward the barrier and stopped.
"Slayer?" she wasn't looking at him anymore. Wasn't looking anywhere but at the cold white floor beneath her. She was rocking slowly, back and forth, trembling from head to toe. But she wasn't crying anymore. Just shaking, and he could smell the fear emanating off her. His demon whined and the sound escaped his throat before he could catch it. He cleared it angrily, and tried again. "Slayer."
"Not the slayer." It was mumbled, barely above a whisper, and if he hadn't been a vampire, he wouldn't have heard it before. "Evil. Monster. Not the slayer."
Ah. Seems she still had her soul. "Buffy then." He whispered in a calm, soothing voice. "Buffy, luv," he frowned at the term, "what happened, pet?" Pet? He'd never been this out of control before. Never responded to someone like this before. Not even Dru. He was fighting himself tooth and nail not to give in to the demon urges for the first time in his life. And as testament to that, he was losing horribly.
She looked up at him slowly, her rocking slowing to a stop as she stared up at him through the most pitiful eyes he'd ever seen. His demon whined again.
"Vampire." She whispered, looking back down. He bit back the 'duh' that so wanted to come forth and then rolled his eyes. Sure that he could keep from saying. "Nest of them. Thought I could handle it alone. Couldn't. Took out a few, but they kept coming. I got tired. Sloppy. Hurt. Commandos showed up, vampires panicked, the biggest one grabbed me in the chaos and…" she trailed off.
"He turned you?"
She shook her head. "Tried to drain me. Knew I was going to die so…"
That startled Spike. "You bit him? To stay alive?"
Instantly she dissolved back into tears, rocking and mumbling and sobbing. "Evil," she whispered over and over, "Should have let him...should have died. Evil. Evil. Evil."
"I've never seen one this bad." Tom whispered to Spike but Spike had long since stopped caring about Tom. His attention was for Buffy only.
Spike didn't know what to do. Even William was feeling for her now, and if the two of them, the man and the demon, were of one accord, he was royally buggered. One thing was for sure. He was getting out of here, and bringing the Sl-Buffy with him. He'd figure out what he was going to do after that. But until then, she was his priority and his prerogative.
"Buffy, luv." As before the shaking slowed to a stop, the mumbling and crying ceased, and she sat perfectly still. "It's gonna be al'right." He comforted. "Spike's gonna get you out of there, pet. You just sit tight, and stay put till I open that door of yours."
"She's the Slayer!" Tom exclaimed! "Let her rot!"
Spike snarled viscously, and had the other vampire been within reaching distance he'd have popped his head off without thought. He calmed himself, closing his eyes and taking an unnecessary breath. "She's one of us now, innt she? Got another Slayer to worry 'bout now. Personally. Want this one on our side."
Tom remained silent, and Buffy didn't stir. Good. He needed her not to respond, not to move. Just to give him a little bit of time to figure out a way to get out of there. He took back up to pacing, but winced when the bag of blood sloshed against his leg inside his duster. Then he froze, a smirk rising to his lips as he pulled the bag from his pocket. He had a plan.
BTVS
Patience is a virtue, he reminded himself as he lay perfectly still, the empty plastic bag lying in his open hand. He heard the swipe of the card and repeated his little mantra. Couldn't move too soon. Had to be perfectly still. Had to escape. Had to save his mate. Wait. What? He would have frowned if he weren't trying to appear unconscious. Think about that later! He warned himself. Focus!
He heard the swish of freedom as the glass slid open, felt hands lifting him and carrying him out of his cell. They lowered him onto something solid and he heard the distinct sound of straps being pulled up. Now! His eyes snapped open and he was up off the gurney in a flash.
"Sorry, can't stay. Gotta save a girl."
An alarm sounded as the first white robbed technician launched at him. Spike had a brief moment to wonder what was up with all the bloody white before his throat was being strangled. They were bloody strong technicians! The other moved closer as Spike struggled with the first, wielding a large syringe. Which was not bloody happening!
Then he blanked for a second, his whole body jerking as his back touched the barrier to Tom's cell. "Let me out!" Tom cried and Spike snarled, managing to get a few fingers loose.
"Bit busy just now…" he answered.
"I know where the exit is. Spring me and you and the Slayer are free. Don't and your dead."
The syringe started for him and Spike reacted, grabbing the technician's arm that he was fighting with and spinning him so the needle sunk into his back. The technician slumped to the floor and Spike snarled at the second one, his demon face slipped on as he prepared for the next attack. Only it didn't come. The second technician was running madly away from him. Though he felt somewhat proud that his mere presence had scared the technician he was a bit miffed. "Bloody Poof!" he called after the technician and then immediately turned to his fallen comrade.
He snatched the key card and swiped it through Buffy's lock, opening the door and freeing the Slayer. She stared at him, through wide eyes but didn't move. "Come on, pet. On a time limit."
"Why?"
He didn't bleeding know why! But he damn sure wasn't going to leave her here until he'd figured it out. "No time!" He moved forward, ignoring her flinch away from him, and pulled her into his arms. By the time he reached Tom's cell, with the key, she'd wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Hurry!" Tom urged and Spike bit back his retort as he freed the other vampire. "This way." And they were running down rows and rows of cells, much more vast than Spike had imagined. He felt the Slayer in his arms looking around them but then she turned her head into his chest and used her right arm to cling to his shirt, the other falling onto her stomach.
They reached a slowly lowering door and Tom ducked underneath it. Spike just barely managed to do the same with Buffy in his arms but then they're through, running, the door closing behind them. Even outside the cells the walls are white and sterile. As they turn another corner, Spike imaged it all painted red with soldiers' blood. The soldiers they'd just turned into. Spike elbowed the first guard in the face, unable to use his hands, and was satisfied to hear a crunch. Tom had wrestled the other guards Taser from him and used it on the human. Neither stoped to admire their work as the door before them began lowering. It too slide shut behind them.
"The elevator!" Tom cries and they turn that way, noticing the doors on the left and right are slowing closing as well.
"No," the whisper stops them dead. "Humans." Buffy whispers and without thinking to question her Spike turned and ducked under the sliding closed door, Tom hot on his heels. It's a metal tunnel, so much better than white! And, to Spike's great relief, he realizes it's elevated. It must lead to the surface. There's banging on the sealed door behind them but neither vampire stops. Both ran full out, the sounds of the banging growing more distant even as the smell of fresh air greeted their searching senses. Tom moved past Spike to…a dead end, only Tom's climbing something. A ladder. How was he supposed to get up a ladder carrying the Slayer?
Tom reached the top, shoved open the lid, and the night sky greeted them. Without pause Tom leapt through the hole, and Spike knew he was gone. He'd been long gone had the Slayer not been in his arms. But then, to his surprise, Tom poked his head back in the hole. "Lift her up." He held his hands out to Spike who stared at them for a moment.
"I'm not gonna kill her, life her up. She can't climb on her own. She's had nothing to eat. Probably starved. Hand her up and I'll hand her back."
"If you touch one hair…" Spike growled but there was an explosion behind them and he didn't get the chance to finish his threat. Without thinking he kissed the top of her head, handed her up to Tom and was up the ladder and pulling her back into his arms in a heartbeat. Tom slammed the lid down so hard it bent, and then they were running again. This time, Spike was leading, and he knew exactly where he was taking the Slayer.
btvs
When they reached the crypt Spike kicked the door open, rushing through the upper level of his home so fast he barely registered Harmony leap to her feet from where she'd been reclining in his chair. "Blonde Bear?" she asked in that irritating voice.
"Not now, Harm. Close the door, Tom." And then he was leaping down to the lower level and slowing to a halt next to the large queen size bed he'd set up downstairs. Slowly, he lowered the Slayer's body onto the bed, and realized she was unconscious. For a moment, he stared at her, her face scrunched up, her blonde hair splayed out around her. Her hands clenching the blanket beneath her as soon as he'd moved her to it. Speaking of which, those sodding covers were the first thing to go. Pink! In his lair!
"What is she doing here?" Harmony demanded and Spike rounded on her.
"Harm. I've just spent the last twenty four hours being a bleeding captive in a underground facility where they experiment on vampires. I'm staved. I'm exhausted, and I'm itching to kill. It would be wise for you to keep that yap of yours shut!"
She glared at him. "This is my home!" She declared. "You can't just come back here after dumping and staking me and expect me to open my arms to you and my bed to…why is she here?"
He swore and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. "Harm, I'm giving you two options. You can leave, go get your own little following of daft fledglings, and find a new place to shack up, or…" and he was on her in flash, shoving her back against the stone wall with his hands wrapped around her neck. "I could kill you now."
Fear sparkled across her eyes as she shook her head and he released her. "You're choice, pet."
She pouted, trying to downplay the hurt he saw in her eyes, and then without another word climbed up the ladder and hopefully left for good. After one last glance at the unconscious Sl…vampire…Buffy, he followed her. Tom was standing wide-eyed and confused in the center of his crypt, and the door slamming was the last he saw of Harmony.
"Right," Spike said looking Tom over for the first time. Unlike Spike, Tom was still in his Game Face. "Shouldn't you be off? Back to your own clan?"
Tom frowned. "They're all dead. I've got nowhere else to go. And you're a master vampire with no lackeys."
"Sorry," Spike said as he retrieved a pack of smokes from the sarcophagus. He lit one, inhaled, and instantly calmed, "'M not hiring."
"You're just going to leave me alone out there so they can capture me again? Torture me again?"
Spike sighed. "Look," he sauntered over to the fridge, grabbed a package of blood and tossed it to Tom, who caught it gratefully and tore into it. "Head to Willy's. Tell 'im I sent you. I expect he'll have a safe house for you. Tell him the Slayer said to keep you safe and if he questions tell him to come see me. He'll give you a place to shack up until I'm ready to take down that hell hole we just crawled out of."
Tom sipped the last of his blood and then looked up at Spike with wide-eyes. "You're going back?" he asked incredulously.
"Want revenge," he answered, pulling out his own bag of blood and pouring it into a mug. He was so glad he'd thought to take all that blood from the recent blood mobile. At the time, it had been just in case. Course, this hadn't been what he'd been thinking when he'd thrown it in the fridge. He grabbed a third package, picked up the cup and said, "Buffy's gonna want it to. Way I figure. It's only a matter of time before we shut 'em down."
Tom stared at him and then nodded. "I'm in."
"Good. Now run along to Willey's before the sun comes up and your no help to anyone."
Tom was gone in a flash, the door to the crypt swinging closed behind him. For the first time in his life, Spike moved toward the door and locked it. Not that it would keep out any nasties that wanted in but, if the humans thought it was just a regular locked crypt, they may not try to enter it.
He turned back toward the hole in the floor and dropped through. She was still unconscious. Spike set the mug of blood on the desk he had, sat down in the chair and faced his sleeping beauty. And just when had she become his? His mind traveled back to early, before he'd escaped, when he'd called her his mate. Was that what this was? Was she his demon's mate? And if so, how had that gotten so buggered up? The Slayer gets turned into a vampire, and her demon is destined to mate with his? Course, he could be way off base. He'd only read about mating once and that had been a century ago. When he'd been with Dru. He'd thought there was a chance she was his mate. But, she'd never been willing to claim him, and truth be told, Spike had never really tried. William had been desperate for it, desperate for the love and dedication that Cicily had denied him. But this, with Buffy…he didn't know what to think.
He sipped his blood and sat back, closing his eyes. Ah well, thinking was never his strong suit. He preferred actions. So he'd wait for Buffy to wake. Feed her. And then see what a Slayer turned Vampire could do, and what affects her new demon had on his own.
So? What ya think?