Author's Chapter Notes:
This will be very AU in later chapters. Also, I've taken huge liberties with Spike's past. Few familiar characters appear in a bit different roles in this fic. Beta was a gem of a friend, Sotia. *hugs*
"You canīt be serious Dru!" She couldnīt be serious, no way!


"But you must eat Spikey; you wonīt heal if you donīt." She was giving him a persuading look, swaying slightly to her own rhythm. "I brought her in just for you. Go ahead, be a good boy and mummy will be so happy."





Spike hated his unlife, it was now official. Not only had he gotten buried under the church organ, not only was he in a bloody wheelchair, not only was his girl sleeping and fucking and hunting with the Grand Poof, not only did said Poof torment his existence every sodding day by snide remarks and flaunting his sexual escapades with Dru in Spike's face, now she wanted him to drain a baby. Yeah, there was a baby girl, about six months old, sleeping in his arms, and Dru wanted him to eat that baby!





He had never drained a child. Not a baby, not a six year old, not a twelve year old. He didnīt do that. That was Angelusī gig, and therefore Druīs too. But not his. He was evil, of course, a cruel, bad man, but he liked the fight, the hunt. Where was the glory in snatching a baby? There was none. Also, there wasnīt that much blood in a baby. Maybe that was why Angelus liked orphanages so much; there were so many kids to feed from, that it didnīt matter how little blood there was in one.





What Spike didnīt want to admit, was that the idea of draining a child was just too cruel to him. He didnīt want to admit that the humanity that lingered in him found that repulsive. He was a monster, but not that kind of a monster; he just couldnīt find the evil in him to do such a thing. Which brought him to that very moment. The baby's face was so small, all scrunched up and pink, and she smelled a bit like sour milk. She looked, well, cute, as much as he hated to say that. But Dru was waiting for him to do something, eat. He had to find a way out of it.





"I wonīt let you feed me. Iīm not a child. I eat when I want to, not when youīre hovering over me. Donīt you have somewhere to be?" He raised one eyebrow and tried to look pissed off, which was pretty easy considering he was pissed off.


"Like going to hunt with your Daddy, maybe? Donīt let me keep you here, Dru; I can manage on my own."





She looked puzzled. Spike had always tried to keep her there with him, disliking it when she went out with her Sire. She could feel something was wrong, just couldnīt quite put her finger on it.


"Why do you want me to go? Donīt you want Princess to stay here?" she asked, trailing one finger down Spikeīs cheek and under his chin so she could lift his face to hers.


"You always want me to stay here. Look into my eyes, Spike."





Spike hadnīt spent all that time with her without learning her tricks, though, so he just snapped his head away from her, feeling even more pissed off than before.


"Dru! Stop trying to do that to me! It wonīt work. I need to be alone every once in awhile." With a sigh, he added, "Just go already."





Drusilla still looked confused, but a shout from Angelus made her smile and forget there ever was anything odd about Spike.


"Daddy is waiting for me outside; we will go and have a party. Daddy always throws the best parties." She got that far away look in her eyes again, smiling like an excited little girl, and with that she was gone.





Now what was he going to do? Spike stood up, walked to his bed, and carefully put the still sleeping baby down. He began pacing in his room trying to come up with some sort of plan.


Where should he take the baby? He didnīt know where Drusilla had taken her from, and she was too young, small and vulnerable to be just left somewhere. Some nasty would find her, and all his troubles would be for nothing.





Maybe he should just take her to the police station. Her parents were probably looking for her. Yeah, that could work. Just leave the baby to them and be gone. Liking that idea, he took an extra blanket from a trunk, wrapped it around the baby and took off trying his best not to wake the little girl up.





The police station was a public place, so he had no need for an invite, and it wasnīt that far away. He would just take a shortcut trough the cemetery and be right there. Having plotted out his route in his head, Spike moved fast, but as smoothly as possible. He didnīt want to end up with a crying baby; he just wanted to go unnoticed.





That just wasnīt his night, though. He was so engrossed on his thoughts, he failed to notice a certain vibe, and was yanked back to present moment when a stern Spike was shouted.


The Slayer! The night just kept getting better and better. Not. Grimacing, he turned around, and, true enough, there she was, wearing one of those obscenely short dresses of hers, her long blond hair falling freely around her shoulders. The look on her face was one of confusion and anger.





"Since when have you been able to walk again?" Her arms were crossed over her chest, a stake held firmly in her right fist.


Spike held the baby against his body a bit more firmly, trying not to look suspicious. He didn't want to get into a fight, not now.


"Is it any of your business if I can walk? Itīs not like Iīm going to ask you for a little stroll is it?"





"It is, if you can hunt again." Her voice was very matter-of-fact. "And what is that youīre holding? Did you steal something?"


Buffy looked like the stake she was now twirling around would be in his heart soon, if he didnīt answer. The problem was, the answer was probably going to make that stake pierce his heart even sooner.





Sighing, Spike thought that the truth was his only option, even if it got him staked.


"This is a baby." Seeing the Slayer's eyes narrow in accusation, he hastened to add, "And I bloody well havenīt nicked her! Satisfied?"





"A baby? Oh my God, thatīs the sickest thing! Are the adults too fast for you now?" The look on Buffyīs face was disgusted and made Spike want to defend himself somehow. He also wanted to get out of there, though, so he just extended his arms for Buffy to take the baby.





"You can have her! Please! Youīre just making things easier for me."


"What do you mean?" Confusion was clearly visible on her face.


"I was going to town so I could take her to the police" He shrugged. "That's up to you now. I donīt know where Dru took her from, but isnīt this what you do? Save innocents? Well, sheīs one."





Buffy took the baby from him and retreated few steps, making sure it really was a baby and not something that would kill her.


"Why were you taking her back? I thought you were going to eat her."


"Well you thought wrong, didnīt you?" Spike didn't quite understand why her accusation both hurt and angered him.





"So, youīre telling me Dru brought you this baby for you to drain, but you decided to take her to the police instead? Why on earth would you do that?" She squinted slightly. "You are still evil, right?"





"Of course I am you daft bint! Just not that evil." Rolling his eyes exaggeratedly, he rushed to explain.


"I mean, Angelus has always munched on kids, but not me. I like to work for my food. You know, hunt." He looked at her expectantly, and she nodded for him to go on. "Doesnīt seem too manly to go snapping children's necks", he said looking somewhat proud.





Buffy was having a hard time making sense of what was happening. Angel had always said what a cruel monster Spike was, like Spike was worse than him, but what he just said kind of turned the tables. In that light, Angelus and Dru seemed to be much worse than the blond vampire who now looked at her with a very bored expression. Who would believe that a vampire would return a baby girl to her parents while others expected him to eat her? She couldnīt just go and dust him now; he had actually done something good. It didnīt erase over a hundred years of killing, of course, but it did earn him the get-out-of-jail-card for the night.





"I canīt believe Iīm saying this, but thanks. You did something decent tonight."


Spike looked like she had seriously offended him.


"Donīt you go thinking that Iīm somehow less evil, īcause of this! Iīm the Big Bad Wolf, and you remember that, Little Red Riding Hood!" His eyes were flashing gold and his mouth was an angry line.





"I do. I remember that. You just did this one good thing, no more, right?" Buffy didnīt want to get into a fight since there was the baby in her arms. That could wait 'til the next time.


"Bloody right. Now do make sure her mum and dad find her, okay? I want that something good comes out of this experience that smudges my image too much for my liking."


He had to remind her that he was evil, but for some reason he also wanted to be sure the baby would be all right.





"Iīll take care of her. But wonīt Dru and Angel find out about all this when there isnīt a tiny corpse around?" The last words made her wince.





"Itīs Angelus. Donīt forget that little girl. You go soft on him, and he destroys you. Not that I care about you, but I care about him even less."


In the dim light Spike didnīt see how Buffyīs face paled the second Angelus was mentioned, so he kept going.


"Heīs a right bastard even for a vampire." He wanted to have a smoke, but decided against it; there was a baby nearby, after all.


"Anyway, we canīt forget the fact that he has Dru attached to his dick most of the time. I think they wonīt even remember the baby, theyīll be too busy shagging."





It suddenly became obvious to him that something wasn't right with the Slayer.


"Whatīs wrong?"





Buffy was holding back the flood of tears that threatened to spill out of her eyes. She couldnīt break down in front of Spike, no way. No matter how much it hurt to hear about Angelus, and Dru, she wouldnīt show it to him


"Nothing", she muttered, but she couldnīt stop a small sob coming out. And that was enough for Spike to realize what the matter really was.





"Right, youīre still mooning over the Poofter. Shouldīve guessed." His voice softened a bit as he added, "Heīs really not worth it you know."


Buffy looked at him, confusion and grief mingling on her face, but didnīt say anything.





Spike didn't know why, but he had to warn her.


"He will try to break you like he broke Dru, and from where Iīm standing it looks like he doesnīt have to try very hard. I thought you were stronger than this, but I guess I was wrong." Now he really wanted that smoke.





He wouldnīt stay there and give her a pep talk; that was his change to get away, and he took it, waving his hand quickly.


"Well, Iīll be going. G'bye. And thanks for your help with the baby."





Then he was gone, and Buffy was left standing there, holding the baby, and still fighting back the tears. She knew she was weak when it came to Angel, but at that moment she started thinking that a bit of toughening up would be in order. Yeah, she refused to let him break her completely. With that thought, she started walking towards the police station, Spikeīs words swirling around in her head.





TBC







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