A choked sob escaped Buffy as she dropped to her knees next to the unconscious vampire on the floor. She reached out a tentative hand towards his face, then pulled back and instead grasped his least injured hand, holding it gently in hers. “Oh God, Spike, what did that creep do to you?”
“He needs blood,” Angel stated unnecessarily, barely able to control his anger as he watched the severe damage that had been done to the bleached blond vampire. Then he snapped out of it and took action. “I’ve got him. You go back upstairs, make sure Rowan’s ready to go.”
“What? No!” Buffy turned to stare at him in disbelief, tears spilling down her cheeks. “Forget it, I’m not leaving him! I-“
“Clearly Spike’s not gonna get up and walk out of this house by himself.” Angel cut her off, an impatient note in his voice, “So unless you’re planning on carrying him up those stairs and out to the car, then I suggest you’ll stop arguing and do as I say.” Stubbornly shaking her head, Buffy slipped her arms protectively around Spike, cradling his limp body against her chest.
“Dammit, Buffy!” Losing what was left of his patience, Angel crouched down next to her and looked her straight in the eyes. “I’m not saying you’re not strong enough to get him out of here, but that it would take longer. And I don’t think I have to remind you that right now, time’s a luxury we can’t spare. Now go!”
Buffy’s bottom lip was trembling as she reluctantly took her eyes away from Spike and glared at Angel. “I hate you.”
“Fine.” Angel’s face was blank, her hostile words having no effect on him. At least that’s what he tried telling himself. “You just focus on how much you hate me until we’re all back in the car. I agreed to let you come along because you said you could handle it. Don’t make me regret it.”
Seeing her expression change from crestfallen to enraged, Angel wondered if maybe he had gone too far. He knew perfectly well that he hadn’t ‘let’ Buffy do anything; she would have come here no matter how much he may have objected and tried to talk her out of it.
But he also realized how close she was to breaking down at this point, knowing she was deeply shaken by Spike’s condition. Not that he could really blame her. But right now, he needed her to stay strong if they were all to leave this place in one piece. That was the reason why he deliberately tried to piss her off.
Deep down, Buffy knew Angel was right. The binding spell wouldn’t last forever, not to mention the fact that they desperately needed to get Spike out of here and tend to his injuries. Still, the idea of leaving Spike’s side, even for a brief moment, made her feel like her heart was breaking.
However, lashing out at Angel made her feel better, at least for the moment. And she suddenly got the feeling Angel knew that as well. Letting out a shuddering breath, she let her fingers run softly through Spike’s matted and bloody hair before pressing a tender kiss to his bruised knuckles.
Closing her eyes for a second, she then turned to look at Angel, a warning note in her voice, “You’ve better be right behind me. If you’re not by the car in two minutes...”
“Vampire speed,” Angel reminded her as he moved to carefully pick up the unresponsive vampire and hoist him over his shoulders before Buffy got the chance to change her mind. “I’ll be there in one.”
Buffy slowly nodded in understanding, scrambled to her feet and started backing out of the room. Her eyes didn’t leave Spike’s still form until she reached the doorway. Then she swallowed hard, turned around and ran.
~ ~ ~
Angel was halfway up the stairs when he felt Spike stir ever so slightly, although the weakened vampire didn’t utter a sound. Throwing a glance over his shoulder to make sure Wesley was coming, Angel sped up, eager to get out of the house. “Keep still,” he said quietly, not sure if Spike would actually be able to hear him. “If I drop you, Buffy’ll have my head on a platter.”
When there was no response from the other vampire, only silence, Angel realized with a frown that he almost would have preferred a snarky remark. Shaking his head, as if to clear it, he kept moving. He could still feel the evil surrounding them, temporarily suppressed by Wesley’s spell, but furiously struggling to break free. It troubled him.
“Spike?” he tried, not overly surprised when he still didn’t get any reaction. The beast in the basement had really done a number on Spike, and Angel suspected it would take weeks for him to fully recover. It took a lot to damage a vampire this badly. He continued climbing the stairs with a grim expression on his face.
~ ~ ~
Standing outside the car, Buffy cast another impatient look towards the front door as she waited for Angel to appear. She could feel Rowan watching her from his position behind the wheel, and knew he wanted her to get in the car and tell him what had happened down in the basement. As if she owed him any kind of explanation. The mere thought infuriated her.
After seeing Spike just now, all beaten up and bloody, Buffy couldn’t even stand to look at Rowan. As she squeezed her eyes shut, she could still see the image of Spike’s face, damaged almost beyond recognition, and she felt the tears burning behind her eyelids. She had to force herself to be strong, though. Spike needed her full attention now; she would just have to put her own feelings aside.
A moment later, Angel burst through the door still carrying Spike, Wesley followed close behind. Hurriedly slipping into the backseat of the car, Buffy found herself being grateful that the sky was covered with thick, dark clouds. Any minute now, it would most likely start raining. At least they didn’t have to worry about the sun.
~ ~ ~
The trip back to the Hyperion went surprisingly quickly and smoothly, considering the circumstances. Buffy insisted that Angel put Spike up in her room, and the dark-haired vampire didn’t argue. Although Spike had not woken up once since they left the basement, Buffy still refused to leave his side, even for a second.
“You know, I told Rowan he should stay here at the hotel for a while.” Angel was standing in the doorway, watching as Buffy emerged from the bathroom carrying a bowl of water, a washcloth, and a small bottle of antiseptic. Walking over to the bed, she carefully sat down next to Spike.
“Thought I’d clean him up a bit, at least try to wash some of the blood off.” Angel couldn’t tell if she had missed his comment about Rowan, or if she simply chose to ignore it. Her voice trembled as she continued, “I just don’t know where to begin.”
Angel held back a sigh. “His hand,” he then said, deciding not to push her about Rowan for now. “I’d suggest setting it while he’s still out. Less painful.” Seeing Buffy’s eyes widen slightly as his words started to sink in, he took pity on her and added, “If you want, I’ll do it.”
Buffy hesitated briefly before shaking her head. “No, it’s okay. I’ve got it.”
“All right.” Angel was quiet for a moment. “I’ll bring you some blood. You need to get him to feed as soon as he wakes up.”
“I will.” Buffy kept her eyes on Spike. Hesitantly reaching for his mangled hand, she desperately tried to keep the tears from falling. “God, look at him! He must be in so much pain.”
“He’ll be okay,” Angel assured her. “It’ll just take some time.”
She didn’t respond. Instead she kept staring at Spike’s hand, softly brushing her thumb over the cold skin. Then she swallowed hard. “I can’t do this. I don’t wanna hurt him anymore than he already is.”
Angel shook his head. “You won’t. It’ll be over quickly. He probably won’t feel a thing.”
“You don’t know that.” Giving him a sharp look, Buffy then turned her attention back to Spike. “I love him more than I ever loved you,” she finally mumbled. Angel flinched at her words, although he remained silent. Turning around to leave, he froze in his tracks when Buffy spoke up again, her voice barely more than a whisper. “I was going to tell him.”
Watching her downcast head, Angel let out a defeated sigh. Buffy glanced at him and he could see the pained look in her eyes. He cleared his throat. “I’ll be back with the blood. If you need anything else, just give me a call.” Not giving her a chance to say anything else, he hurried out of the room.
TBC
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Author's Chapter Notes:
I'd like to thank IamGhost, PhotographyNut, JO, sanityfair, shelly, guest, cordykitten, TammyAsh666 and Amaya for reviewing the last chapter. Also a huge thanks to Mabel Marsters for betaing!