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No sooner had they gotten home (to the
startled looks of everyone but Willow) than Spike had all but handed her off to Willow with instructions to make sure she got to bed and he headed for the basement.

The next day Spike had spent in the basement. He hadn’t come up to see her, or even looked in the refrigerator. Well, it was dark and Buffy wasn’t going to take it any more. She wasn’t some child who needed looked after. She grabbed her jacket and informed Giles she was going to patrol. Alone. He had asked if she was feeling better, and she had lied. She was just as nauseated, and tired but she was going anyway! She wasn’t going to be a captive in her own home. No
sooner had she opened the back door, than she noticed Spike sitting on the porch steps. He had been waiting for her.

“Nice try slayer.” He was looking at Buffy and looked anything but happy. Spike handed Buffy a jacket and extended a hand toward the yard.

Each night Buffy had tried to sneak out to patrol. She had tried the doors and the bedroom window. Heck, she had even tried to sneak out Dawn’s window, and each time Spike had been patiently waiting at the end of her escape route. Last night Buffy had actually smiled when she got to the ground and saw Spike waiting for her. She could have
sworn he had been smiling too for a half second.

Their patrols had become more comfortable. They now talked a lot while making the rounds. Of coarse, each night it seemed to Buffy that the patrols were getting busier as well. Last night had been the worst. They had been laughing about Dawns latest scheme to get out of doing the dishes when they had been surrounded by 7 vampires. Spike had let out a line of curses that Buffy didn’t recognize most of, but knew enough to feel herself blush.

Spike had reluctantly “allowed” her to take out three of the vamps as he took on the other four. Somehow the last vamp had managed to et her off balance and she had fallen back against a large tombstone. The vamp was about to pounce when he had burst into dust as Buffy thrust upward with her stake right into his chest. Buffy was begining to feel good about the slayage again when Spike had gone and ruined it.

“That does it pet. No more Slaying for you.” Spike had proclaimed extending a hand to Buffy.

“What do you mean no more. I’m the Slayer Spike, that’s what I do.” Buffy answered defiantly.

“Not anymore.” Spike firmly grabbed ahold of her arm and forced her to look in his eyes. “It’s getting too dangerous pet, and it’s only going to get worse. We have to worry about more than just you now.”

“You think I don’t know that? Have you forgotten exactly who’s the pregnant one here?” She was really angry now.

“Slayer, this isn’t up for debate here. I will do the patrols from
now on.” He was staring into her eyes hoping that she would somehow understand how dangerous this really was for her. When she dropped it and shook her head, Spike said a silent thank you to whatever deity had been listening to his silent prayer.

They had made it home with only two more vampire run ins. Spike had actually hung around and talked a little with the girls and Giles. He almost seemed happy. Relaxed even. Then seeing the yawn she had unsuccesfully tried to hide, he had excused them and ushered her to the stairs telling her she should get to bed.

She had obediently gone up and showered quickly. When she got to her room, she saw on the bed a tray with a bowl of chicken soup and some crackers, and a cup of what smelled like chamomile tea.

“Spike wanted me to make sure you ate and then went straight to bed.” Willow said, teasingly shaking her finger at her.

Buffy's demeanor suddenly became dark. She had taken enough of this babying. Sure she still couldn’t keep anything down and she was certain she had never felt this tired in her life, but she wasn’t a baby. This was going to end.

“Spike said that, huh?” Buffy picked up the tray and shoved it toward a very confused Willow. “I will eat and sleep when I feel like it.” Buffy announced loud enough for the whole house to hear and slammed the door hard enough to shake the house. She was fairly certain she heard a faint “Bloody Hell” before she flipped on the radio and sat down with a magazine on the bed. Which is how she found herself the
next morning. Still wrapped in her towel with the magazine on her lap.

Buffy had stayed extra late at school. She had called Giles and told him she had lots of paperwork to finish. She didn’t want to go home and have Spike treat her like she was some child.

When she got home she found the girls had already eaten dinner which saved her to effort of trying to and not make a mad dash for the bathroom. Giles told her Spike had already left to Patrol reasoning that Buffy needed the rest, which Giles seemed to agree with. Buffy had simply announced she was going to join him for the patrol and left. She was a grown woman, she could patrol alone. She didn’t need Spike to do it for her!

Buffy had almost finished her patrol without incident when a very large Mowrok demon rounded the corner. Buffy had never seen one in person but she had read about it in their research. Practically invincible. Scales that made getting to sensitive areas hard. Buffy fought it for 15 minutes before she felt her leg snap under the crushing foot of the 600 pound demon when it had beat her to the ground. Then the other foot caught her temple. But then it was gone
and all she could hear were high pitched screams before everything faded to blackness.

**********

Spike came in and hung his jacket over the back of the chair. He wandered about the house looking to see if Buffy had made it in yet. He didn’t want her being out after dark. Her hormones were begining to draw in every vampire for miles around.

“Spike?!” Willow had nearly run into him as he searched the house for Buffy. “Spike, she went out. She’s patrolling.” Willow added, quickly assuming he was looking for Buffy.

“You let her patrol?” Spike bit out through clenched teeth.

“She was already gone when I got home. Spike, what’s wrong?” Willow asked, at Spikes panicked look.

Giles had wandered in the living room and watched the display with curiosity as Spike grabbed Willows arms and asked, “How long.”

“I don’t know Spike” Willow had looked imploringly at Giles.

“About an hour or so.” Giles had supplied and then added, “Spike, is something wrong?” but Spike was already half way out the door.

Spike quickly remembered Buffy’s patrol routine and decided to work backward. He had barely reached the first cemetery when he saw Buffy fighting the huge Mowrok. He broke into a run again as he saw Buffy hit the ground. God, he wasn’t going to reach her in time. Spike reached it just as the demon brought it’s foot down on Buffy’s skull.

Spike’s rage burst every dam in him as he ripped the throat out of it, scales and all. The demon sputtered and collapsed.

Spike turned back to Buffy. She was bleeding from everywhere it seemed. There was an odd gash on her head and he could see bone. It was bleeding badly.

“Buffy? Buffy, love come on. Open your eyes for me, pet.” Spike picked her up carefully cradling her head and felt the crunch of the broken bones in her leg. Spike was never so glad that this cemetery was the closest to the hospital as he ran with Buffy. He could hear her heart growing irregular. Her breathing erratic.

“Come on love, stay with me. You can’t leave me again pet. Not like this, come on now love.”

tbc...





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