[Reviews - 58]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 6653 times

- Text Size +




Chapter 4

HOURS LATER, AFTER JOYCE WAKES UP

"So, let me get this straight." Joyce looked at Spike and Buffy. "You broke up with Riley, and now you're dating Spike?"

Buffy glanced at Spike, and then back at her mom. "Um, yeah. Spike's a lot more understanding. At least when he insults my friends, I can smack him and not break him."

"Understanding of what, dear?" Joyce asked.

"Well, if we have to stop in the middle of a date to kill a demon, you know, he won't get all grumpy," Buffy explained.

"Sounds like the high point, if you ask me," Spike replied. "Like last night when we killed that big snake demon that showed up. That was fun."

"See?" Buffy beamed at her mom.

"I come bearing gifts." Willow stuck her head in the door before she entered the room. "Care package! Special delivery for the Summers' girls and the vamp who loves them." She put the bag down on the bed.

Dawn got to her feet, and she joined Willow beside her mother's bed.

"Now, let's see what I have in this sack of mine." Willow grinned happily. "Oh, I feel like Santa Claus... except thinner, younger, female, and, well, Jewish." She shrugged and reached into her bag. "This is an extra special gift for Joyce, that I know she'll need."

"What on earth is that?" Buffy asked when Willow pulled out the gift.

"A beer hat. You know when I was in the store it seemed like a good idea." Willow grimaced.

"It's perfect. Thank you. You're very sweet," Joyce said with a smile. Then, she grimaced, and she clutched her forehead.

"Mom?" Buffy looked concerned. "Headache?"

"Just a little one." Joyce smiled slightly. "A biggish little one." She realized everyone was looking at her with concern. "I'm fine. Really. Go on, what else is in that sack of yours?" she asked Willow. She hated adding to the worries that she knew Buffy already carried. As a mother, she always wished that she could lessen her daughter's burdens not increase them.

"Oh, all right." Willow reached into her bag, and she pulled out a book. "Here, Dawn. Something to keep you busy."

"Oh, spells. Thank you, Willow." Dawn rushed over to her chair, and she immediately opened the book.

Willow saw the disturbed looks on Spike and Buffy's face. "It's not actually a spell book. It's just history and anecdotes, stuff like that."

The Slayer and the Vampire both nodded with relief.

"For you, Buffy, I have this." Willow pulled out a world history book.

"Homework?" Buffy pouted.

"Look at that lip," Spike whispered in the petite blond woman's ear. Memories of their spell induced engagement washed over them.

"Well, I got you this, too." The redhead pulled a yo-yo out of her bag, and she handed it to the Slayer.

"Oh, a yo-yo." Buffy handed Spike her book.

"You know, you're the first vamp I've ever shopped for, Spike." Willow peered into her bag.

"I feel privileged then, Red." Spike placed Buffy's book on the bedside table.

Willow took a bottle of black fingernail polish from her bag. She gave it to the vampire before she plunged her hand back into the sack. "I saw these and couldn't resist." She handed Spike a box of novelty condoms called 'Vampire Condoms. For the demon inside all of us'.

Spike burst out laughing at the gift. "Vampire's don't need protection, Red. Not only are the swimmers dead, we don't carry any diseases."

Joyce scowled. "I'd just rip them in half and stick them in bed with me."

Spike looked a little startled at Joyce's words. Dawn, Willow, and Buffy looked confused.

"Mom?" Buffy asked in a tentative voice.

Joyce looked around the room in confusion. "I think I need some rest now, if you don't mind."

"No problem, Mom," Buffy answered Joyce. "Get your things, Dawn." She started to gather her coat and purse.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Okay, the test was on World War I," Willow told Buffy as they walked down the hallway behind Spike and Dawn. "It shouldn't be a hassle to make it up. I told the professor your mom was in the hospital."

"I'll help you study after Xander and I patrol," Spike offered.

"Thanks." Buffy smiled at the vampire. A man walking the opposite direction bumped into her. "Oh, excuse me," Buffy said.

"Careful, the facts say a picnic is in order." The man looked at Dawn, and he pointed at her. "What's that thing?"

Spike stepped in front of Dawn as he went into protective mode.

"There's no data. There's no picture on this one there." The man continued to point at Dawn, oblivious to Spike's growling presence. "What is the data? There's no one in there."

One of the orderlies and an older woman dressed in street clothes came over to take the man's arms. They apologized before they led the man away.

"Is he like mom?" Dawn asked.

"I don't think so, but he looks familiar." Buffy went to Dawn's side. "Now if I could just remember who he is."

"It'll come to you, pet." Spike assured the Slayer. "Let's get you two back home and comfortable before I go patrol."

"But..." Buffy fell silent when Spike touched his finger to her mouth.

"Let me do this for you, Buffy." Spike pulled the Summers girls towards the exit. "Red, bring the car around." He tossed Joyce's keys to the witch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike knocked on Xander's door. Then, he leaned against the opposite wall to wait for the young man.

"Spike, come in." Xander's voice sounded from inside the apartment.

Spike blinked in surprise, but he pushed the door open. Inside, the vampire found Xander collecting a few stakes to hide in his pockets.

"Willow called." Xander looked up from what he was doing. "Tara and she were out star gazing, and they saw something suspicious in the sky."

Anya came out of the bedroom. She was dressed for patrol too. "Buffy called also. She and Dawn went back to the hospital to get Joyce. The doctor let her go home to rest."

"Right then. Let's get a move on." Spike ushered the two Scoobies out of the apartment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The man who had bumped into Buffy at the hospital wandered through the woods babbling to himself. He found himself with an urge to go for a walk. His mind was so lost that he didn't notice the impending danger.

The man yelled when something fell from a tree onto his back. He dropped to the ground unable to understand what was happening to him.

When the demon was done with the lone man, it scented the air like a dog as it searched for more prey. When it located a cluster of addled minds, the demon scurried off in that direction.

Minutes later, Buffy tuned the doctor out for a moment as she felt the Queller demon's presence hit her radar. However she decided that she would mention it to Spike later. They could take care of it soon. She turned her attention back to the doctor as he explained what care Joyce would need at home.

The Queller demon scrambled along the ceiling towards the hospital's mental wards. It slipped inside the room where it waited for the nurse to leave before it dropped down on the first mental patient.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spike, Anya, and Xander met up with the rest of the Scoobies at the edge of the woods where the two witches said the meteor fell. Spike ignored the glare that the Watcher gave him, and he concentrated his senses on the surrounding woods.

Xander glanced at Spike when the vampire suddenly growled. He raised an eyebrow in question.

"Cornpone's stumblin' around out here," Spike muttered.

Sure enough, Riley stumbled out of the trees, and he made his way towards the group. "What are you doing out here?" he demanded to know. "Doing something nasty with Chipless here?"

All the Scoobies looked back and forth at each other with a 'yuck' face at the idea. "Sorry, Riley, we're not into the group thing," Willow piped up.

"But that can be..." Anya's voice was muffled by Xander's hand over her mouth. He whispered into her ear, "Perhaps we can talk about that when we get home?" he teased in a loving manner.

Giles stepped back from the group. He pulled out his cross, and he thrust it towards Spike. No one told him that Spike was walking around chipless. He wasn't taking a chance with their lives again. His experiece said that vampires without their 'leash' of a soul or chip were murderous evil beings.

Spike rolled his eyes but otherwise ignored the Watcher's movements. He fought the urge to cringe from the holy relic. "What are youdoing out here, white bread?"

"I think the meteorite is that way." Willow pointed off in another direction while she tried to avert a mini war within the group.

"I think we need to address Spike's chipless state," Giles said. "Buffy needs to know."

"What makes you think she doesn't know?" Xander asked. He and Anya started off in the direction that Willow had indicated.

Willow and Tara looked at the bleached blond vampire for a moment before they decided that if Buffy trusted him, it must be okay. He had already been around them for hours that day, and he hadn't vamped on them once. They shrugged in unison, and they took off after Xander and Anya.

"You two comin' with, or just gonna stand around comparin' dick size?" Spike didn't wait for the two humans. He strolled off after the other Scoobies.

"I don't like him," Riley muttered.

"Don't like you either," Spike called over his shoulder. He burst out of the tree line to find the Scoobies staring down into a trench with a big, steaming rock at one end.

"Wow, we've got meteorite," Willow said.

"Is it hot?" Anya asked. She looked around at the others. "'Cause, uh, if there's radiation, you could go all sterile."

Xander leaped back a little, and even Riley and Giles, who had joined them, shifted nervously.

Spike leapt down into the deep furrow, and he approached the meteorite. He squatted down for a closer look. "It's warm, but not hot. It looks broken open, actually."

"Hollow," Giles said.

"So, uh, we're all thinking the same thing, right?" Anya continued to look around, but more nervously now.

"Festive pinata? Delicious candy?" Xander joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Something evil crashed to earth in this." Willow pointed to the meteorite. "Then, it broke out, and it slithered away to do badness."

"Only in Sunnydale," Xander muttered.

"It's not an alien." Spike rose to his feet. He sniffed the air. "It's a demon, and it went that way." The bleached blond vampire jumped out of the trench. Spike followed the demon's trail into the woods.

Willow walked around a big tree. She let out a gasp. "It went here."

The Scoobies rushed over to the witch. Spike tilted his head when he saw the body. "No pulse."

"I don't see any marks on him," Xander said. He glanced over the body.

"I know him." Willow shivered. "He was at the hospital. Remember, Spike? The mental patient that talked to us?"

Spike nodded in remembrance before he sniffed the air with a grimace. He crouched down next to the body to examine the mouth. "There's something in his mouth. Anyone got a pen?"

Xander handed Spike a pen, and he grimaced too when the vampire pulled clear goo from the guard's mouth. The dark-haired Scooby grumbled, "Oh man, does that smell bad."

"Definitely demonic," Spike proclaimed.

"You know, you're not the all knowing Karnac," Riley grunted under his breath.

"I heard that, soldier boy. I can sense other demons, you pillock." Spike stood up. "It's long gone. Whatever it is."

"So, we don't have to search the dark, scary woods?" Xander glanced around the shadowy forest.

"You're just going to take his word for it?" Riley asked with a sneer. "He's just trying to get you killed."

"Grow up, Riley," Xander replied in an exasperated tone. "If Spike wanted you, or me for that matter, dead, we wouldn't have walked out of Willy's alive."

"Could have turned you both, and then worked my way through the Scoobies. You lot wouldn't have known what was going on until I was done." Spike gave Riley a cold look. "But I didn't."

Riley threw his hands up in the air, and he yelled at the Scoobies, "Fine! If you want to follow that creature to your doom, don't come looking for me to help." He marched off towards town.

Spike sniffed the air again. "Harris, follow him. I don't think that vamp whore was a one time thing."

Xander looked at the ex-soldier's departing back. "Right. Follow the soldier. Come on, Anya." Xander and Anya left to follow Riley.

"Research?" Willow looked eagerly around at the others. She was ready to do anything to get out of the woods. "There aren't any tree frogs in California are there?"

"It's okay." Tara patted Willow's arm.

"Research is good." Spike glanced off in the direction of the hospital. "Sadly, I can't join you. I want to check on Buffy. They're lettin' Joyce go home to rest."

"I'll call you at Buffy's if we find out anything," Willow said.

"Thanks, Red." Spike started off towards the hospital. He could tell the demon had gone the same way even as the trail faded.

Giles looked back and forth between the departing Spike and the rest of the Scoobies. He didn't like how out of control everything felt. He already felt helpless about Joyce, and now he had a chipless vampire to worry about too.

Within a few minutes, Spike came out of the woods behind the hospital. As he came around the corner by the front doors, he saw Buffy helping Joyce into the Summers' jeep.

"Hey, Spike." Dawn called out when she saw the vampire. "Please, please tell me you're going to drive us home. I still have nightmares about the last time I was in the car when Buffy drove." The young girl remembered when her mother was acting all irresponsible because of the tainted band candy, and she had to tag along with Buffy and the Scoobies.

"Hey, I've had practices since then!" Buffy protested.

Dawn chuckled. "I still have nightmares about Mom and Giles too."

"Oooh, Ripper," Dawn and Buffy cooed together.

Joyce blushed bright red. "Oh, you two are such kidders."

"Sure, I'll drive." Spike snagged the car keys from Buffy with a cheeky grin. He wanted to get his girls away from the hospital as soon as possible.

Joyce got into the back seat, and she buckled up. Dawn was about to climb inside beside her mother when Joyce suddenly said, "Don't come near me. You... you thing."

"Mom?" Dawn backed away. "Please."

"Get away from me." Joyce looked frightened and confused. "You're nothing. You're a shadow."

"Dawn, sit up front with Spike." Buffy opened the front passenger door for her sister. "I'll sit in the back."

Spike looked worried as he said, "Come on up here, Nibblet."

"I'm sorry, Dawn." Joyce let out a hiccupy sob. "I don't know what made me say that."

"Come on. Let's just get home, okay?" Buffy closed the door behind Dawn, and she climbed into the back seat.

Once they were back at the Summers' house, where Joyce commented that the lights were too bright, the group got settled. Joyce and Dawn went to bed while Spike and Buffy sat in the kitchen to talk.

"She's getting worse," Buffy said in a worried voice. She leaned into Spike's embrace. "I'm glad the surgery's tomorrow."

"Me too, pet." Spike kissed Buffy's forehead. He suddenly tensed as he felt a demonic presence flit across his senses.

Upstairs Joyce stared at the demon on the ceiling, but her addled mind didn't allow her to do more than tell the creature that it wasn't welcome.

"Something's in the house, luv," Spike told the Slayer softly. He and Buffy rose to their feet, both warriors on the alert. They cautiously grabbed the closest weapons which happened to be kitchen knives.

A scream from upstairs had Spike and Buffy rushing towards the stairs. They took them two at a time, and they found Dawn at the top. The young teenager pointed towards Joyce's room.

"Go into my room, Dawn." Buffy guided her sister towards the bedroom. "Lock the door and get one of my weapons."

Dawn nodded, and she hurried to do what her sister requested. Something was going on with Joyce beyond the tumor induced mania. The teenaged girl was really scared. She was glad Spike and Buffy were there.

Spike and Buffy rushed into the bedroom where a demon laid on the bed with Joyce. It turned to snarl at what it considered intruders. It scuttled off the bed when Spike returned the snarl.

"Don't let it get out," Buffy hissed.

Spike closed the door, and he went to get Joyce. The vampire took the woman into a corner where he protected her by putting his body between her and the rest of the room. He watched while Buffy concentrated on hunting the demon.

Buffy let out a grunt when the demon leapt down from the wall and landed on her. She dropped her weapon in surprise. They fell to the ground with the demon on top of the Slayer. With Spike's directions, the Slayer quickly recovered her lost weapon.

Buffy stabbed the demon several times. When it slumped against her, Spike came over to pull the demon off her. While the vampire disposed of the body, Buffy got Joyce and Dawn resettled in their beds.

Spike stepped inside the kitchen door just as the phone started to ring. He picked it up, and he said, "Summers' residence."

"Spike, it's Xander. You were right about Riley."

"He's going to vamp whorehouses," Anya spoke loudly. "He's at the one down in the condemned hotel on Miller street."

"Good work, Harris. Anyanka." Spike looked up at Buffy when she entered the kitchen. "Buffy and I'll take care of it. Head on home."

"What about the meteorite demon?" Xander asked.

"Taken care of." Spike gave Buffy a smile. "The Slayer slayed it right and proper."

"Great news. See ya at the hospital tomorrow then," Xander replied.

"Bye, Spike," Anya called out.

As soon as Spike hung up the phone, it rang again. Spike picked up the receiver again to find Willow on the other end. "'lo, Red."

"It's a Queller demon. It can be called forth to 'quell' madmen."

"It's been take care of," Spike assured the witch. "Could you and the witchlet come over to stay with Joyce and Dawn. The Slayer and I have something to take care of."

"Uh, sure," Willow said.

"We do?" Buffy asked at the same time.

"See ya in a few minutes, Red." Spike hung up the phone, and he turned to Buffy. "Harris called. Riley's gettin' himself involved with something dangerous."

"What has he done now?" Buffy asked in exasperation.

"He goin' to see vamp whores." Spike eyed Buffy as he gauged her reaction. "He's getting suck jobs, as in bitten by them."

Buffy wrinkled her nose. "From strange hos? How does he know where their fangs have been? I mean, at least I know where yours have been."

"Jealous?" Spike smirked at the Slayer. He curled his tongue behind his teeth. "You want the Big Bad to take a bite out of you, pet?"

"What? No!' Buffy looked perplexed. "Yes... Maybe."

Spike let out a bark of laughter. "Really decisive there, Slayer."

Buffy blushed bright red. "Can I get back to you on that one?" She would never admit in a million years, under the worst kind of torture, that the first time she'd seen Spike in game face, she'd wanted to throw him down on the ground to ravish him. Boy, would he have been surprised.

"Sure thing." Spike wondered what had the Slayer's panties so moist. His nose was enjoying the treat of her aroused scent.

A soft knocking on the front door interrupted the vampire and the Slayer. They went to let the Wicca lovers in and after a brief recounting of the Queller demon's defeat, Spike and Buffy collected enough weapons for a small army. Together they set off for the vamp whorehouse.

When Buffy saw Riley sitting half naked while getting bitten, she told him in no uncertain terms to get out of Sunnydale. She also told him if he got himself turned that none of the Scoobies would have any qualms about staking him.

Riley tried to bring up the subject of Spike and his chip, but Buffy declared that she didn't care. The ex-soldier decided that it was time to cut his losses. As he walked away from the whorehouse, he was surprised by the sudden whoosh of flames engulfing the old, delapidated building.

Riley looked back to see Spike and Buffy's black silhouettes stand out against the firelight. Buffy stood with her arms crossed while she watched the inferno, and Spike bounced on the balls of his feet next to her. The ex-soldier wondered what he'd ever seen in the vamp loving Slayer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Joyce went into surgery surrounded by the smiles and prayers of her family and friends.





You must login (register) to review.