Not sure how long they had just been lying close together on the bed, her arms wrapped tightly around Spike’s trembling body and his face pressed against her shoulder, Buffy finally pulled back a little, just so she could look at him, and tenderly wiped away his now drying tears with her thumb. “Hey, you should probably try to get some more rest.”
Spike obediently lay back down against the pillows with Buffy’s help although sleep was the last thing on his mind. He could feel the blood working in his system, relieved when he already felt a little less lightheaded. “How’d you find me?” he asked, hoarsely.
“Well, it’s a long story...” Buffy stopped with a frown. “Actually, it’s not that long. You were gone. I panicked. Rowan found out you’d gone to his house, and told Angel about the beast in his basement. We went over there and got you out. That’s about it.”
He was quiet for a moment, allowing her words to sink in. “You kill him?”
“Rowan?” Buffy raised her eyebrows in confusion.
Spike shook his head. “Demon. Basement.”
“Oh.” Buffy bit her lip. “No. There wasn’t enough time. Wes did a binding spell.” She squeezed his hand, softly. “But we’ll go back there and kill him, as soon as we’ve figured out how. I promise.”
He nodded, slowly. “And Rowan?”
“He’s... around.” Buffy clenched her fists. She realized it wasn’t really an option, but she kind of wished she could just kill Rowan as well. When Spike didn’t respond, she decided to change the subject. “Um, how’re you feeling? Is the blood working?”
“Yeah.” Spike sniffed the air, slowly turning his head towards the empty glass Buffy had put down on the nightstand. “Angel,” he mumbled.
She grimaced a little. “Yeah, he was in here earlier. Guess you can smell him, huh?”
Shaking his head, Spike tried to explain. “Blood.” He felt himself starting to drift off again, and wondered in frustration how long it would take for him to be able to stay awake more than a few minutes at the time. “Angel,” he repeated weakly.
“Yes, Angel’s the one who brought the blood. He... oh.” Buffy’s voice trailed off as understanding started to dawn on her. Already asleep, Spike missed the somewhat hurt note in her voice. Suddenly she didn’t know what to think. Taking a deep breath, she pulled a blanket over Spike’s still form before jumping up in search for her cellphone.
~ ~ ~
Ten minutes later, Buffy once again greeted Angel at the door, this time with a look of betrayal on her face. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
The vampire let out a nervous laugh. “Um, could you be a bit more specific? You called and said you wanted to see me. I’m here. Mind telling me what this is all about?”
“The blood,” Buffy clarified, impatiently. “You didn’t find it worth mentioning that it was yours?”
Angel looked a little taken aback. “Oh. About that...“ He hesitated, unsure why he hadn’t said anything. Then again, he supposed he had known deep down that she would have objected. Sighing, he looked Buffy right in the eyes. “It’ll make him heal faster. Sire’s blood. It’s a vampire thing.”
“Fine. I buy that.” Buffy folded her arms over her chest. “Still doesn’t explain why you decided to keep it a secret. Besides, Slayer blood would’ve worked just as well.” She avoided Angel’s eyes.
“Well, sure.” Angel’s eyes widened in surprise. The idea hadn’t even crossed his mind. “Seriously, Buffy, I don’t mind. Don’t worry about it.”
She glared at him. “That’s not the point! Maybe I wanted to to give it to him. Ever think about that?” Realizing that she might be revealing too much, her cheeks turned red and she looked away.
Staring at her in disbelief, Angel shook his head. “He never would’ve taken it.”
“And just how the hell do you know that? You’re suddenly an expert on how Spike’s mind works?” Buffy was unable to keep the anger out of her voice.
“You’re kidding, right?” Angel threw his hands up in frustration. “Look, Dru may have been the one turning him, but I’m still Spike’s grandsire. Of course I know how his mind works. Always have. I know he would rather starve to death than risk hurting someone he loves.”
For a moment, Buffy just stared at him with big eyes. When she finally spoke, her voice was barely more than a whisper. “I know that. But he wouldn’t have to actually bite me. I could just-”
“What?” Angel cut her off, an incredulous expression on his face. “Slit your wrist open and bleed into a cup? Hand it to Spike and hope he’ll be able to catch it before you pass out?”
“Yes!” Buffy threw a nervous look over her shoulder and lowered her voice, “I should be the one doing this for him, not you. I love him, Angel. You don’t even care.” Angel’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t say anything. She continued, “It’s not fair. I can’t help him. He’s in so much pain, and there’s not a damn thing I can do for him.”
“Buffy?”
At the sound of Spike’s weak voice, Buffy spun around and hurried over to the bed. Angel took a hesitant step forward, carefully peeking inside. In a way, he could understand Buffy’s frustration. But at the same time, he wondered how she failed to see that she was already helping Spike much more than he ever could, just by being there.
“I’m right here, sweetie. Are you okay?” Buffy sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching for Spike’s hand. Instead of responding, Spike turned his head towards the door, clearly sensing the presence of the other vampire. Buffy glanced over her shoulder. “Oh, Angel stopped by. We were just talking. I’ll tell him to leave.” She started to get up.
“No, ‘s okay.” Spike gave her hand an assuring squeeze. “Wanna talk to him.”
“Oh. All right.” Buffy was a little surprised, but sat back down. She turned to look at Angel, reluctantly gesturing for him to enter the room.
The dark-haired vampire stepped through the doorway, looking uncomfortable. “Spike. How are you?” He closed the door behind him after a brief moment’s hesitation.
Spike would have rolled his eyes if he could, but both his eyes were still swollen shut. “Never been better,” he muttered. He really didn’t like the idea of Angel seeing him in such a weakened state, but at the same time, he had some questions and wanted to get it over with. Truth be told, he was too curious to let it go.
“Good. That sounds,” Angel hesitated, “good. Um...”
“Why?” Spike demanded now. Angel couldn’t pretend not to know what the other vampire was referring to. He cast an awkward glance at Buffy, still sitting on the bed. She just looked at him, expectantly.
Angel let out a sigh. “Buffy, maybe you could-“
She firmly cut him off. “Uh-uh. I’m not going anywhere.”
“’S all right, luv,” Spike insisted, not really wanting her to leave, but he had a feeling he wouldn’t get any truthful answers from Angel with Buffy still in the room.
Buffy opened her mouth to object, but something in Spike’s voice made her stop. She took a deep breath and nodded in defeat. “Fine. I’ll go take a shower.” Leaning in to brush her lips gently against Spike’s, she stood up and gave Angel a warning look before heading towards the bathroom.
Waiting for Buffy to lock the door, Angel slowly made his way over to the bed. “So, how are you really?”
Spike didn’t answer at first, and Angel almost thought he wasn’t going to. Then Spike let out a snort. “Feel ‘bout as good as I look.”
“That bad, huh?” Angel tried to keep the sympathy out of his voice, knowing Spike wouldn’t want any pity from him, but didn’t quite succeed. He cleared his throat. “Look, about the blood. It’s no big deal. I was just trying to help.”
“Right. Thanks.” Spike sounded a little cautious, obviously not sure what to think, and Angel couldn’t exactly blame him. An awkward silence filled the room.
Suddenly there was a soft knock on the door. Angel raised a brow in question. “Expecting someone?” Spike tensed up. Struggling to sit up, he let out a low growl. Angel turned towards the door with a frown. “What?” Then he sniffed at the air, and realization hit him.
“I’ll get that.” Feeling anger well up inside him, Angel strode across the room before Spike could object, jerking the door open. “What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded.
Rowan looked taken by surprise, clearly having not expected Angel to be the one to open. He swallowed. “Angel. Hey. I was just, um... How’s Spike? Is he awake? I’d like to see him.”
“That’s probably not a good idea,” Angel coldly declared. Seeing that Rowan was about to object, he continued, a hint of warning in his voice, “In fact, if I were you, I wouldn’t show my face around here for a while.”
The blond man was quiet for a moment. “I understand. Look, I can’t change what happened. I just wanna tell him I’m sorry.”
“I really don’t think...” Angel started, then stopped himself, casting a look over his shoulder. His eyes landed on the empty glass on the nightstand, and he was hit by a sudden idea. Hoping that Spike would understand, he took a step back. “Second thought, why don’t you come in?”
TBC
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Betad by Mabel Marsters. Thank you! Also a huge thanks to IamGhost, guest, PhotographyNut, cordykitten and shelly for reviewing the last chapter!