Chapter 30 – Process of Elimination
“Buffy,” Giles said in greeting, offering her a kind smile when she walked into the room. “You still have a few days off work- I expect you to be using them.”
“I will,” she said.
Watching as her boss stared at the grid in front of him, writing down a few notes on his clipboard, Buffy hesitantly took the seat next to him, studying the green lights as they swept along the black background. Taking a deep breath, she nervously fidgeted with the silk scarf that was tied around her neck, hiding the bruises that Spike’s hands had inflicted on her skin the night before. She didn’t want to worry the older man, and she knew Giles would have a field day if he saw those.
“Giles, I have a question.”
“Go ahead, Buffy,” he said, giving her an easy smile he turned toward her.
Pausing for a moment, she opened and closed her mouth a few times, taking a deep breath. “If O’Neill was eliminated… completely eliminated… that would be good, right?”
Sitting down across from her, Giles took off his glasses, rubbing them with a soft cloth, lost in thought. “If Angelus O’Neill was taken out… it would definitely fall under a good category.”
“A-and it doesn’t matter who takes him out, right? I-I mean, if it was someone outside the Bureau?”
Sitting up a little straighter, the older man gave her a hard look. “What are you talking about?”
Nervously wringing her hands together, Buffy bit her lip for a moment. “Let’s say that there’s someone out there who wants him gone as much as we do. Now… we can’t infiltrate his surroundings like last time. Not anytime soon, anyway- he’s too smart for that and he’ll smell a trap. But if someone… if someone could get close enough, could give us the information we need to justify it and… it’s possible, isn’t it?”
“And who are we talking about, Buffy?” he asked softly, knowing the answer when she immediately hid her eyes from his view.
“Spike came to see me last night,” she murmured, not wanting to meet his gaze, knowing that she would see disappointment on his features. “I told him the truth,” she whispered. “About the baby, about… I told him and he didn’t really take it well. Not that he should have,” she added as an afterthought.
“And he wants to kill Angelus,” Giles filled in, leaning back in his chair as Buffy’s eyes raised to his.
“Not wants to… will. He will kill him the first chance he gets. And so I need to know… if there’s a chance that it could be for us, to do us a favor…”
“You want him exonerated.”
“It’s not like he’s as bad as Angelus-”
“But he’s still bad, Buffy. What do you think will happen once O’Neill is out of the way? Do you think Reed is just going to sit idly by and not try to make his operation bigger?”
“It’s not the mafia, Giles. Spike has all the money he needs and-”
“This was never about money,” he said in exasperation, standing up to pace the room. “Spike Reed could retire ten times over, but it’s not about that. It’s the power… he craves the power of his position.”
“And if he didn’t?” she whispered, looking up at him with a pleading gaze. “If he really would stop… would you consider it?”
“There’s no reason for him to stop,” Giles said softly, sitting down as he looked at her, trying to make her understand.
“But there might be,” she said, a note of desperation in her voice. “If I can talk to him, I might…”
“Do you love him, Buffy?” he asked, looking up at her and seeing her gaze quickly avert his eyes. “Buffy?” he prodded, leaning a little lower, trying to force eye contact with her.
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “I’m definitely having feelings that I shouldn’t be having, but that could just be leftover from the… pregnancy. Even if I didn’t know I was having his baby at the time, I just… it’s hard, Giles,” she said in a choked whisper, fighting back the tears. “I just want it all to stop, and if I can make that happen, I want to try.”
Sitting back in his chair, Giles ran a hand over his face, letting it cover his mouth as he sat deep in thought.
“Angelus is the worst threat and you know it,” she said, staring at her hands. “Spike is dangerous, but he doesn’t go out looking for trouble… not anymore. Angelus likes to cause it, he loves to wreak havoc and have the power and the thrill. Spike’s not like that.”
“You don’t know that,” Giles said softly. “You haven’t seen that side of him.”
“I’ve seen every side of him,” Buffy replied, her voice coming out stronger as she looked up at her boss. “I’ve seen the side that’s held a gun to me and tried to break me down… the one who’s overpowered me because he knew that it would make me stronger and the one… the one where I actually got to see him.”
Hearing the choked sob in her voice, Giles stayed quiet for a moment, letting her compose herself. “Does he love you?” he asked softly, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands in front of him as he looked at her.
Looking at the desk in front of her to avoid his eyes, Buffy thought about it for a moment. “I don’t know.”
* * * * *
“You go into this blind and it will get you killed,” Ethan said, following Spike around the mansion.
“Maybe,” Spike muttered, testing the weight of his gun as he pushed open the doors at the back of the house. Leveling the gun on an unseen target, he pulled the trigger three times, ignoring the ringing in his ears as the bullets sliced through the air, disappearing to nowhere. “Doesn’t really matter as long as I take him with me.”
“All this for a girl,” Ethan muttered, sitting down at the patio table.
“What of it?” Spike said, turning toward the other man, who obviously became all too aware that his short-tempered boss was holding a gun.
“Nothing,” he said with an easy smile, sitting up a little straighter.
“O’Neill should have been taken out a long time ago and you know it.”
“Doesn’t mean I want to know it,” Ethan retaliated, not wanting to get involved.
“You work for me, this is what happens,” Spike replied, aiming the gun and firing once more.
“Can I tender my resignation?” he asked dryly.
Looking over his shoulder with a slight smile, Spike shook his head. “‘Fraid not, mate. You’re stuck with me.”
“Till death do us part, eh?”
“That’s basically it.”
“How romantic,” Ethan said, seeing Spike chuckle slightly.
The smile slowly faded as Spike stared into the distance. Images flashing through his brain of Buffy’s tear-stained face, Angelus’ cocky smile, and what Buffy must have gone through to be put in the hospital.
“Do we know where he is?” Spike asked, his tone immediately turning cold and brutal.
“We have a place and time. Tomorrow night.”
“You make it sound like a date,” Spike replied, doing his best to keep his smirk in place.
“Close enough,” Ethan muttered, not liking this plan. “Date with death.”
“His,” Spike clarified, aiming the gun as he waited for Ethan’s confirmation. Not hearing one, he turned to look over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow.
“I’m supposed to agree with everything you say now?” the other man asked.
Spike didn’t have a chance to ask him as the doorbell sounded throughout the large house. “No agreement necessary. Just get the door,” he replied, gesturing toward the back door.
“I’m a bloody butler now?”
“Would you rather just be bloody?” Spike asked, seeing Ethan edging toward the house.
“I don’t think that requires an answer,” he said, disappearing into the house.
Checking over the gun he was holding, Spike began to reload when Ethan appeared a few moments later.
“Spike, you have a visitor,” he said in a crisp British accent.
“Don’t want to see anyone,” he muttered, never looking up from his task.
“I think you want to see this person.”
Looking up at the serious tone of Ethan’s voice, Spike frowned, his brow furrowing as his eyes asked a silent question.
“It’s Miss Summers.”
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Author's Chapter Notes:
I adore you all for reviewing this fic so much! For an AU human, it's absolutely wonderful how many people seem to be enjoying it :-) I do have the tiniest of favors to ask - if you haven't read (i.e. reviewed) Daughter of Darkness, this is my shameless plug to ask you to read. If you haven't read Daughter of Prophecy it might not make a lot of sense, but I'm so proud of those fics and I would appreciate some opinions on it :-) I'll love you forever *big smile* Okay, I'll do that anyway :-) Thank you for reviewing this one!