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------- Banner by Kris
Part 8
She scrambled away from him she backed straight into the wall. Her breath hitched as she felt the cold stone press into her back, she looked desperately around for an escape.
“Spike please…”
“Shut. Up.” He growled at her, his brow furrowed and his fangs elongated. He stalked towards her he hissed again. Every minion scattered to the outskirts of the room, although some chose to stay.
“You stupid little slut!” His fists clenched at his sides as he moved towards her, drawing herself into a ball Buffy sniffled trying to ignore Spike’s hurtful words. She pressed her hands to her ears and tucked her head into her legs. “I should kill you!”
“Spike…”
“Stop saying my name!” He raised a hand to strike her. Dalton grabbed Spikes wrist.
“Leave her alone. She was doing her job. She was still the slayer.”
As Spike's attention turned to him Dalton realized his grave mistake. Spike snarled as his hand shot out and gripped Dalton's neck in a strangling hold. Dalton didn’t bother begging, he knew it was useless.
Buffy saw the opening and took it; she stood ready to face her Sire. She shot Angelus a look. She kicked out at Spike hitting him in his lower back. The suddenness of the attack knocked him over. He hit the floor hard, as Dalton landed beside him.
She walked over to the nerdy vamp she held her hand out. He smiled shyly and took it.
“You should probably go now.” He shook his head he insisted he stay and make sure she was ok. “I’ll be fine, go.”
“Childe,” he warned her. She took no heed and advanced on him this time.
“You lying, self righteous bastard!” She hissed her voice no longer weak or fearful, but angry and strong. “You’re just like him!” She screamed, pointing at Angelus, who once the attention was on him, began to look nervous rather than smug.
“How do you figure that Childe?” He asked snidely, trying to cover the sting in her words.
“You said there was nothing I could do to make you not want me.”
“That doesn’t include killing my Sire!” He snarled at her and jumped up off the floor. They began circling each other, his hands clenching and unclenching at his side.
“Well you should have been more specific.” She told him sarcastically. When he growled again she sighed. “Spike, I was the slayer, she was a vampire. Done! Deal! End of! That’s just how it goes; maybe you should have kept her in the mansion. Then she’d be undead and I would be at home… away from you!”
He flinched at the anger in her tone he tried to calm himself. Her words finally sinking in as his vampire visage melted away. His human mask firmly back in place. His cobalt blue eyes pleading with her. She didn’t want to be there, with him, she didn’t want him.
“Pet, come on, we’ll go… no, you know what? If you don’t want to be with me so bad, leave! Go on.” She made no reply; she just stared at him sadly. “What you think I was going to apologize? Take you back with open arms? You betrayed me! She was my bleeding Sire, my salvation, you’re nothing compared to her.”
“Nothing? Well, gee, thanks Spike. You’re more like Angelus than you think, you cunt. Get what you want and then fling insults about.” Spike tensed his jaw. Being compared to his grandsire was almost too much to handle. And being called something he’d previously termed said grandsire just made it all the more difficult to refrain from hitting her again.
“Buffy please…”
“Spike please…” She mocked him, her voice taking on the scared pleading tone she’d used earlier when he had attacked her. “No, no you can’t even deny it!”
“Who said I wanted to? Do you seriously think I’m still trying to apologize? Are you that dense?” He let out a harsh laugh. He raised his hand and wiped away a pretend tear from the corner of his eye. “Boo bloody hoo.”
{He… I really lost him…} Her thoughts jumbled and incoherent as the reality finally sank in. She’d been there less than a day and she already lost to him. Being too stubborn to say sorry first she just looked back at him. She hastily rubbed away the fresh tears and spat at his feet.
“Sire?” She whispered. Not knowing what happens next she waited on him, her guide, her mentor, her enemy.
“Get out.” Her mouth flew open to argue with him. She couldn’t leave, she had no where else to go. “Don’t.” He held his hand up and looked away. He was beginning to calm down a bit, but he still felt all the pain and sadness and hurt and betrayal he felt when he first found out. He couldn’t back down. “Just get out, slayer.”
A violent sob tore from her throat, almost choking on her sobs she turned and sprinted for the door.
As Spike stood and watched her leave, he never thought it would hurt this much. Hardening his heart he willed back the tears. He looked away from the door and noticed Angelus addressing Brian. A few words here and there penetrated his hearing.
“Vampire… Buffy… sunrise...”
He ran for the exit, determined to get her before the sun did. Angry or not, betrayed or not, he couldn’t let his first Childe burn. Three minions, who had witnessed Buffy’s flee and attempted to stop her, tried their luck with Spike. Weaken from the emotional roller coaster he’d been flying since Buffy had become his responsibility he gave no struggle when the three younger vamps hauled him back and away from the doorway.
“Let me go... I have to get her.”
“Sorry, Master, but it’s too dangerous. We can’t let you.”
“Damn it Brian, she’s out there alone.” He turned to gaze at the pitying minion and sighed. “It’s my fault.”
Brian nodded miserably and did his best to cheer Spike up while they took him to his room. “She used to be a slayer; she knows about our weaknesses, she’ll watch out.”
Not having helped much, Brian stayed silent until they reached Spike’s room. He stood, perfectly still as he stared at the door, slowly his hand reached out for the door handle, but stopped before it could touch. Angelus, trailing along behind them couldn’t help but wind Spike up further.
“Unless she wants to greet the dawn.”
Spike snarled and turned to face the snide vampire.
“You, this is all your fault!! Why couldn’t you have just killed her or left her alone?”
“You saying you don’t want her, Spike?” Angelus asked with glee, clearly enjoying Spikes emotional torment.
“I don’t have her.” He looked at the door to the room he and Buffy shared one more time and closed his eyes briefly. Letting the scent of her wash over him before turning again and heading to the closest spare room.
XXX
Buffy ran away from the mansion as fast as she could, ending up outside Sunnydale High she laughed humourlessly. Maybe she’d go pay Giles a visit; at least she’d be out of the rising sun. She looked up and smiled the sun just on the horizon casting an orange glow through the sky, fading into pink the higher it got. Absolutely breath taking. So close, to ending it all, the only thing that made her move forward and into the relative safety of the school was the thought of Giles and her friends. They deserved to know how it ended. Even if it was by there hand that it did in fact end.
She shoved open the doors to Sunnydale High. She moved quickly to the library, making sure not to pass any lingering teachers. She so didn’t want to explain why she, troublesome Buffy Summers, was actually here this late. As in all nighter. Not likely, but knowing her luck of late, very possible.
She stood, for a few seconds, outside the library double doors. She stood on her tiptoes as she tried to see through the glass. She spotted Giles leaning over the desk in the centre of the room. Then seeing Willow slumped over the computer desk fast asleep, and Xander pacing the floor.
She drew in a deep unneeded breath, and pushed the doors open and walked inside. A huge smile lit up the faces of all three occupants before they ran over to hug her.
“I was so worried.” Willow gushed, tears coursing down her cheeks.
“Thank God, you’re ok.” Giles muttered, hugging his proxy daughter to him.
“On all that’s good and holy, Buff.” Xander also held her as tight as he could, not being able to comprehend that, moments ago they feared her dead.
“Sorry guys. I’m fine honest.” She half lied, she was almost fine apart from losing the man she was falling in love with. Her own stupidity and fear, she should have just told him from the start, her rational mind argued that he was justified; she killed his one true love. The more self involved part countered that he should have listened to her
Back and forth her inner battle raged until Xander snapped her out of her thoughts.
“We saved you a jelly.” He smiled at her and held out the doughnut. Unsure if vampire could actually eat and Angel just chose not too or whether they couldn’t at all she hesitated. Seeing Xander’s crestfallen face she shrugged and took the treat from him. She’d deal with any repercussions later.
“Thanks Xand, glad to see you have faith in me.” Everyone laughed. Buffy ate her doughnut, to discover that it was all right to eat human food; they just didn’t need to. Licking the remaining sugar off her fingers Buffy grinned. “Yummy.”
“Buffy, I must ask, what happened tonight?” Worry evident as Giles spoke to her. Sighing, Buffy indicated that they all should sit. Pacing in front of the table, Buffy told them, once again leaving out some ‘minor’ details.
“Dru found me when I was patrolling I sort of goaded her, I didn’t realize until she jumped at me. Anyway I staked her, just as Angelus showed up and attacked me.” Willows hand flew to her mouth in fear. As the two men went paled, gasps flew from both their lips as they gripped the edges of the table. “He… he tried to rape me. I went to stake him, and he twisted my arm. I ended up staking myself.” She lifted her shirt slightly so they could see the bottom of her bruise. “It’s healing.” Nodding, Giles waved for her to continue, no one questioning why she didn’t show the whole wound.
“Um, he kind of went into shock I think, just sat there looking at the stake. Um, Spike,” Giles jumped out of his chair and came around to her.
“Good lord, Buffy. All three in one night?”
“I’m fine. Spike saved me.” Willow smiled softly while Xander gapped at her, disbelieving. “He was… nice. Then Angelus told him about Dru, and he attacked me. I got angry, he got angry, and he told me to leave. And now I’m here.”
“Oh Buffy. I’m so glad he didn’t attack you too… at first?” Willow floundered, turning beat red frowned and sat back down. Head tilted forward so her hair hung down and covered her face.
“I’ll kill him!” Both Giles and Xander exclaimed at the same time.
She laughed softly, and asked, “Spike or Angelus?”
“Spike!”
“Angelus!”
They glanced quickly at each other and changed their minds. As one shouting, “both!”
“Leave it guys, I’ll take care of them.” Nodding their consent, all three of them began to gather their stuff and leave the library. When Buffy didn’t move Xander looked back.
“Come on Buff, time to go. No point hanging around when you’re safe.”
Buffy hesitated and bit her lower lip, looking away. The sun was still rising and she had no where to go.
“Hey, Buffy, what’s wrong?” Willow walked back over and touched her arm. It took all of Buffy’s self restraint told keep her demon from jumping at the red head.
“My mums not home and I’m scared to be on my own right now.” Not all lie she mused.
“Angelus can’t get in, and Spike was never invited.” Giles rationalized, always the clever, sane one.
“Tell that to my sub conscious.” She quipped humourlessly. “Can I stay with one of you guys?” She could feel her demon clawing its way forward, waiting for the answer to its next meal.
“You can stay with me, Buffy; I have no parents to excuse myself to.” She smiled her thanks to Giles; and bid the others good bye and left with her watcher. Never offering to walk them home, very much unlike her self, which only made the others more sure she wasn’t as well as she’d like them to believe.
Willow and Xander looked at one another and frowned. “Yea, see you Buff.” Willow just shrugged at him, and left the library waiting for Xander to follow.
X8X
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Please review me... Midnight chapter 1 is up now.. go check it out if you like Vamp!Buffy fics :D