Chapter 2 - Protection
As they left the diner, Spike risked a glance her way. It could have been
Buffy twenty years ago. The resemblance was remarkable, but ultimately, he
realized that she didn’t give off the same presence as Buffy.
“I’m Spike, by the way,” he said, waiting for her to introduce herself. “So, what’s your name, luv?” he asked after another minute.
“Um…Liz.”
“You seem a little unsure.”
“It’s just, I used to go by a different name, is all.”
“Witness Protection?” Spike asked with a smirk.
“No,” she said with a laugh. “My guardian didn’t like it, so he calls me
Liz.”
Spike caught her eye. “What should I call you?”
“It’s not important,” she said with a shake of her head as she picked up her
pace. After a few minutes of silence, Spike heard her speak. “Do you know
me?”
He stopped walking and turned to face her. “Honestly…you look like a woman
I knew.”
“Who is she?”
“She died…years ago.”
“I’m sorry,” she said genuinely. “You loved her, didn’t you?”
“It’s a long story, pet.”
“I’ll tell you mine if you’ll tell me yours.”
Spike started walking again, a smile playing on his lips. “Alright, luv.”
“You first,” she said with an innocent smile.
“Okay, here’s the short version…I loved her. She didn’t return the
feeling…she died because I couldn’t save her.”
“I’m sure that’s not true.”
“Yeah, well…your turn.”
“Well, since you didn’t tell me the long version, you don’t get one either,”
she said with a bright smile, trying to lighten the mood.
Spike returned the smile. “I guess that’s fair, pet.”
Her smile faded as she seemed to recall the memories. “My parents died in a
car wreck a few months ago. Since I didn’t have any living relatives, I got
put in foster care. I got my GED, and I have to work at the diner until I’m
eighteen and can move out.”
“I’m sorry, luv,” he could feel his heart break for this girl.
“It’s not your fault,” she said with a shrug. “I just can’t wait to be out
of there.”
“You’re foster family didn’t like your name?”
“Pretty much,” she said with a nod.
“I’m assuming it’s Elizabeth.”
“Yeah, but my mom and dad always called me Buffy.”
Spike had to fight against his brain shutting down as he comprehended what
she just said as she turned to look at him. “When you called me that last
night, I got scared and ran, I’m sorry.”
“Buffy?”
“Yeah…how did you know it anyway?”
“Um…lucky guess,” Spike said, staring down at the ground as they walked.
Deciding it would be safer to change the subject, Spike quickly thought of a
topic. “How’s the family you live with?”
He watched as Buffy scoffed. “They’re not a family. The guy’s a drunk, and
the woman’s gone for days at a time.”
Spike glanced at her. “Bu…Liz-“
“Buffy’s fine,” she said with a smile.
“Buffy,” Spike said, the name tasting strange on his tongue after so many
years of being a memory, and now it belonged to someone he knew. “Are you
safe there?”
Buffy shrugged. “He’s usually passed out by the time I get home. I work
a double shift almost every day, so I don’t have to see them that much.”
“But are you safe?” Spike asked again.
Buffy looked up at him with shining eyes. “I can hold my own.”
This answer didn’t settle Spike’s nerves in the least. They stayed silent
as they approached her apartment building.
“Well,” Buffy said, turning to face him as they got to the front of the
building. “I guess-“
“I’ll walk you up,” Spike said, cutting her off.
“It’s really not necessary, Spike. Thank you, though.”
“Buffy, I don’t mind.”
She gave him a small smile as they walked into the building. A few floors
up, Buffy stopped outside a door. Spike could smell the cigarette smoke and
cheap alcohol wafting through, even without his demon senses.
“Listen, pet, if you ever need anything,” Spike said as he reached into his
pocket and retrieved a card for Angel Investigations. “I want you to call
me, okay?”
Buffy took the card and stared at it for a moment. “You’re a detective?”
Spike scoffed at the statement. “Hardly. No, I just help with the muscle.”
He caught the glance she sent to his chest and had to fight the smirk that
threatened to overtake his lips. Before either could say anything else, the
door opened, and a cloud of smoke seemed to roll through it. Spike took a
breath and realized it wasn’t just cigarette smoke.
“Where the hell have you been?!” a large, angry man yelled at the girl.
“I’m not late,” she said in a meek voice.
“Useless little bitch,” he spat at her. Spike grabbed the man by the neck,
having heard enough, and flung him down the hall. Buffy stared in shock.
The man must have outweighed Spike by over a hundred pounds, but he tossed
him like he was nothing.
“Buffy, get your things,” Spike said, not taking his eye off the man
struggling to stand.
“Spike, I can’t just leave-“
“Buffy…it will be fine, just get your things.”
Buffy ran into the apartment, into her bedroom, and hurriedly gathered the
few possessions she had. She didn’t know why she trusted a man that she
hadn’t even known for twenty-four hours, but she felt safer with him than
she ever had with anyone else.
When her large bag and backpack were filled, Buffy took one last look around
the room and then hurriedly ran to a ‘secret’ hiding place where her foster
father kept his money. She figured after all the times he hit her and stole
from her, she was well past due. Grabbing the tin from the back of a
cabinet, Buffy checked and saw the bills inside, quickly taking the money
out and shoving it in her pocket.
When she left the apartment, she was surprised at what she saw. Spike had
his back to her, facing the man. He didn’t have a hand on him to restrain
him, but the other man looked too terrified to move.
“Spike,” she said softly.
Spike quickly slipped out of his demon visage and turned to face Buffy.
“You ready, luv?”
She nodded, a little nervous about leaving with her guardian standing right
there.
“Let’s go,” he said, taking the bags from her.
Buffy ventured a glance at her foster father and saw him stare daggers at
her. “Don’t think you’re going to get away that easily,” he hissed.
Spike turned, guiding Buffy behind him as the demon flashed to the surface.
“I thought we talked about this, mate.”
The man didn’t say a word, merely ran into the apartment and slammed the
door. The two walked out of the building and down the street in silence.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Buffy said quietly from his side.
“I know,” Spike said softly. “But I needed to.”
Buffy didn’t say anything else as she watched Spike pull out his cell phone
and turn it on.
After a few moments, Spike heard Angel’s very angry voice answer. The
thought of this alone made him smile. “Hey, Peaches, you havin’ fun?”
“Spike,” Angel said in a low tone. “If you went to see that girl, so help
me, I will beat you to within an inch of your life.”
“I’ll go you one better than that. She’s movin’ in.”
Spike laughed as he held the phone away from his ear as Angel began yelling.
He glanced over and saw the worried expression on Buffy’s face and shook
his head to let her know it was okay.
Spike let Angel get it all out of his system before he put the phone back to
his ear. “Put Fred on.”
“Spike-“
“Angel, I don’t have time for this, put Fred on the phone.”
He heard the grumbling as Angel went to go in search of Fred.
“So,” Spike turned at the sound of Buffy’s voice. “Are you two dating?”
Spike let out a long laugh at that question. “Why on earth would you think
that, pet?”
“Angel…Peaches?”
Spike laughed again. “No, luv. Angel’s a man. That’s his name. 'Peaches' is
just to piss him off.”
“Oh,” Buffy said with a nod of understanding.
“Hello?”
“Fred, I need your help, luv.” Spike saw the strange look on Buffy’s face
and covered the mouthpiece. “Fred’s a woman.”
“Confusing names,” she muttered, causing Spike to smile again.
“Fred, I need you to do a little hacking for me.” Spike quickly explained
the situation and guaranteed that, by the computer's records, she would
reprocess everything so the new guardians would be Cordelia Chase and Wesley Wyndham-Pryce. He knew the social workers would figure out something was wrong, but hopefully, they’d think it was their mistake.
“I need her last name, Spike.”
Spike took the phone away and looked at the small girl beside him. “What’s
your last name, luv?”
“Winters.”
Spike stayed quiet for a minute before uttering the name to Fred and
disconnecting the call. He now felt certain that this wasn’t the Buffy he knew.
This was just a coincidence. So what if she had the same first name and a
similar last name and she looked like her? It didn’t mean anything.
As they got closer to the hotel, Spike found himself becoming more withdrawn
as he was lost in his thoughts. If she was her, would she get any memories
back? And if so, how would she react to him?
A/N I know it seems a little rushed, but I needed to get her to the hotel and I didn’t want to spend five chapters trying to do that. Besides – who wouldn’t go away with Spike :-) The story starts to develop more in the next chapter.
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