Two days more had passed and the slight tingling Spike had been feeling in his legs was more like the sharp prickling one got when a limb fell asleep. Except it ran all the way up his legs both of them. He wasn't sure he'd ever felt anything so torturous in his whole unlife. And knowing Angelus that was saying a lot.
Right now the feeling had been constant for almost twenty four hours and he was passed the point where he thought he could take it. Sure the first few hours he'd been able to tell himself it was part of the healing process and such. But now. Now the pain was just that pain.
"BLOODY BUGGERIN' FUCK!" The yell seemed to shake the beams above him.
Buffy was trying her best to study for a few minutes before night finally fell. She'd been slacking on the school work recently with all the Angelus shit but she really needed to buckle down. The end of the year was coming and unless she wanted to spend the entire break in summer school she needed to have decent grades on her report card.
She had to repress a shudder at the thought. Last thing she needed was more hours at the school between regular classes and Giles she practically lived there as it was. Besides if she had to go to summer school she would be grounded until she was thirty. An age Slayer's didn't reach unless they were stuck inside their house without any reprieve by the harshest of punishers like her mom.
The eraser on her pencil had been nearly chewed entirely off when she heard his yell. And galling as it was she couldn't help the little jump in surprise that came from the loudness of his voice.
Although she had been down there not an hour before she rose from her seat to see what all the fuss was about. As she made her way quietly to the basement she listened for another outburst from Spike. But it was silent once again.
She didn't call out to him unsure if this latest bit of noise was something she should have ignored. Slipping silently down the stairs she held back the gasp she felt in her throat at the sight of him.
He was in obvious agony his eyes closed tightly, fists clenched against his sides, his jaw set in a hard line as he held himself silent. She was sure he was unaware of the silent tears that traveled down his face.
Her pace never stopped and she didn't let her mind question why. Still not speaking she moved to his side and laid a hand gently on his arm.
At her tender touch his blue eyes opened before flashing amber. She watched as they flicked between both colors as he struggled with what he was feeling.
Her gut told her what was wrong but she was at a loss about what to do. It had to be his legs she had little doubt that it had been long enough for the feeling to be returning to them. Moving cautiously not thinking about what she was about to do she moved to the end of the cot. Taking his closest leg in her hand she lifted it slightly off of the cot. With her free hand she began to massage his calf. She worked the muscle up and back down before changing her stance and lowering his leg. Using both hands now she rubbed both his legs her touch gentle but firm.
Spike was beyond comprehending what was going on around him. The only thing he could focus on was the pain. That was until the feel of her fingers working on his flesh drew his attention. As she began to work both of his legs he couldn't help the gasp that escaped his lips at the slight relief of his torment. Her touch wasn't stopping the pain but it was allowing him something else to focus on.
Buffy heard the slight inhalation of air and worked her hands a bit higher. She moved as far as she dared not too much higher than his knees before she worked her hands back down again. Keeping the amount of pressure constant in her fingers she continued to manipulate his long neglected muscles not even looking up at his face. She worked silently the only sound in the room was her own quiet steady breaths.
The longer the motion of her hands continued the more Spike felt the harsh feeling in his legs ebb. It didn't disappear but the soothing strokes of her fingers over his flesh let him finally relax enough for his eyes to droop. He'd been fighting the pain for so long that he hadn't slept and he hadn't eaten. The thermos by his side was still full since she brought it down an hour ago and he had no urge to drain it now.
The quiet of the room lulled them both into a state of non thinking where they only reacted to what they were doing. Spike let his eyes finally close let the flowing motions just wash over him.
Buffy let her mind shut off for once not thinking about the ramifications of the things she was doing for and with the blond vampire on her cot. Instead she just kept massaging his legs until she noticed him quietly drift off into an exhausted slumber. Slowly bringing her movements to a stop she let her hands fall away from his body and just watched his still face. She was struck again by how peaceful and innocent he looked while asleep.
Shaking her head she stepped away before pulling up the blanket that was at the end of the bed to cover him up. It was at times like this when she had finished doing whatever she could for the bleached blond in front of her that her mind began to whisper how foolish she was being.
She knew what he was and what he was capable of doing and yet here she was helping him to heal. There was no question that he would be just as he was before not counting Angelus Spike was her most feared enemy only because they had always been so evenly matched before. And while her fear of Angelus was based in personal feelings the fear she felt for Spike stemmed from what they were to each other. Natural mortal enemies. The kind that were destined to fight to the death.
The whispered scolding in her mind about how stupid she was being had yet to remain silent since she had brought him to her house. It spoke not only of the consequences possible from the determined vampire but also what her friends would think and how her poor watcher would react. Giles had already lost so much from her being with a vampire that the thought of letting him down by helping this one while he lacked a soul stung her badly. She didn't know how much longer she could keep herself together. It was still hard enough to face the look in his eyes every time Angelus' name came up or to see the pain in his face as he thought of Ms. Calendar.
And yet she let none of that stop her from her current course. She had every intention of seeing Spike walk out of her basement under his own power.
It was where he would walk to next that disturbed her.
**********
She walked down the steps quietly not more then six hours later tired after finally managing to complete her homework and do an extensive patrol. Her left shoulder was a little sore from the blind leap one idiot vampire had tried to bring her down with and she rubbed at it subconsciously.
All in all it had been a pretty uneventful if not exhausting patrol.
Buffy told herself she was only going back down here to check and see if she needed to refill his thermos not to make sure he was alright.
Even if she still had a hard time shaking the image of his pain filled face from her mind.
She noticed he was awake only after she had cleared the bottom step and by then it was too late for her to turn around and go back up.
He was watching her silently his head barely cocked to the side as if there was a question he wanted to ask but was holding back.
Spike hadn't expected to see her down here so soon. He had awoken only a few minutes before just enough time for him to get his bearings before he heard her key slide into the door upstairs.
Gee this wasn't awkward at all she thought mockingly to herself.
"Um I didn't expect you to be awake." She gestured towards the thermos which had moved to the other side of the tray she was happy to notice. It meant he'd at least attempted to eat.
"Couldn't sleep." There was no inflection in his voice and he sounded tired. He looked worse.
"The pain is still there." She didn't need for him to tell her that. It was the only thing that made sense.
He didn't reply there wasn't really a need to. The only thing he could do was stare at her. He wasn't sure just what had come over her to touch him in such a manner earlier and if it hadn't been as beneficial he would have been the first to protest. He wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth though and now he was at a loss for what to say to her. There was no way he was lowering himself to thanking the Slayer for putting her hands on him. No way at all.
Buffy just continued to look at him for a moment before letting her gaze sweep over his legs before sweeping back up to look in his eyes.
If he didn't want to talk about his recovery Buffy was fine with that.
"Do you need me to refill that?"
He shrugged his shoulders listlessly in answer.
She had to fight down the surge of annoyance she felt. All she wanted to do was help the ungrateful bastard and he was making it as difficult as possible.
Instead she took a deep breath before turning to go back up the stairs. She wasn't about to kid herself that no matter how civil they seemed to have been before that the amount of hatred he felt for her hadn't changed. The problem was she wasn't thinking like that anymore. Sure she hated everything he stood for being an evil blood sucking vampire and all but she didn't hate him personally.
If she was being honest with herself, the only one she could be honest with, she kind of respected him. She didn't know many people who could have taken the pain and torture Spike had and still be the stubborn SOB he was. Nothing he seemed to have suffered from Drusilla's painful unfaithfulness to the loss of his ability to walk had broken the vampire. She had to admire that.
On the other hand she had little doubt he thought about her at all. In his eyes all she could see was the cold hatred that had always been there. Not that she expected different but it was a little unsettling after all this time. It wasn't like she hadn't been keeping him alive or anything.
Instead she kept her back to him before she spoke once more finding it easier to address the stairs than the iciness of his gaze.
"Next time try giving me a heads up before you start shouting down the rafters. I have homework to do."
Spike watched her back as it went up the stairs and out of his sight. It was true his legs were killing him metaphorically speaking of course but it was damn painful. Right now he was, against his will wishing she would come back down those stairs and massage his legs some more.
He still had his pride at least.
It was a small comfort against the pain.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thank you all for your reviews. I know that I haven't been updating too regular lately but stick with me we'll get there eventually. Seems like real life is introuding on my fantasy life and that just sucks let me tell you. Anyway please keep reading and let me know what you think. As always thank you for the reviews and giving me the confidence to keep going.