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Author's Chapter Notes:
oh how I need to finish a new fic...I did start posting 'Tired of Being Gone (Home)', a short story, however :) I hope you enjoy it
Chapter 30

“Spike?”

The night before, too tired to decide everything, Dawn and Buffy had slept in her room while Spike had taken Dawn’s bed—the two girls refusing to let him sleep on the sofa. Of course he’d gone on for about five minutes on how he was the Big Bad, Master Vampire, he did not sleep with stuffed animals; but in the end Dawn had moved most of them to the floor and everyone had gone to bed amicably.

Now it was morning and Spike had just seen Dawn off to school—having made her a breakfast of pancakes and sausage after they decided jointly not to wake Buffy.

Except now, it appeared she was awake.

“Ready to go, luv?” he was cleaning the pans and didn’t turn to look at her, assuming she’d gotten dressed and wanted to go see her mother.

“Spike?” she said again and this time something in her voice caused him to look at her.

“Buffy?! What’s wrong, baby?” Not even bothering to use a towel, Spike wiped his soapy hands on his jeans as he rushed over to the stairs and Buffy.

“I don’t feel so good,” she said weakly, leaning against the wall.

“Come on, we’re getting you upstairs,” Spike picked her up gently and carefully carried her back up the stairs to her room. Spike set her carefully on the bed before kneeling in front of her and looking at her critically. “I don’t think you can go see your mum right now, luv.”

“I think maybe I did too much yesterday…it hurts Spike,” she admitted begrudgingly.

“When was the last time you ate something, pet?” With all the goings on the night before he hadn’t paid as much attention to what she was eating.

“I think, uh…I don’t remember if I had anything yesterday, but I know we had dinner the other night.”

“Yeah and you just dug in then,” he muttered.

“It makes me feel bad,” she reminded him.

“I know, pet,” Spike knew Buffy was doing badly but it was hard to see something this extreme. It made sense though, she had hardly eaten in the past few days, there was all of the stress of her mother’s impending surgery, and then…well there had been the night before, not exactly stress free. “Let’s get you in your pajamas, yeah? You need rest more than anything.”

“Yeah, I know,” it was her easy agreement that let Spike know just how badly she felt.

“Shouldn’t have let you have that meeting last night. Should have given it a few days.”

“I just…I didn’t know how hard it was going to be. It was just talking, you know? But it…it’s like it was more than a whole patrol.”

“Took more out of you,” he expanded. “You…you basically lost three of the most important people in your life all in one night, kitten. And not exactly in a nice way either. Makes sense you’re feeling run down.”

“But I can go tomorrow right?” As of the night before her mother’s surgery was scheduled for the morning after. “I don’t want to miss her surgery; I need to…”

Spike knew the thing that none of them were talking about, the fact that they all wanted to talk to Joyce before her surgery because they all had that tiny fear in them….deep down….that she wouldn’t make it through.

“Yeah, Buffy, you will. You rest up today, all day, and tomorrow we’ll get you there. I’ll get Anyanka to go to the grocery and get some stuff for you; some drinks…whatever they say will be good for you.”

“You…will you get my pajamas for me? My head feels kind of…like it did that night at the cemetery all…floaty.”

“You just stay right there; which ones do you want?” he asked as he opened the drawer. “These okay?” he held up a pair that looked soft.

“Yeah….uh, I know I said….maybe I should just stay dressed,” she said awkwardly

“I’ll leave if you want, luv.”

“No, it’s actually—never mind.”

“Buffy do you want me to help you?”

“I just feel kind of shaky, but I…I said…”

“I know what you said,” he figured she was talking about what she’d said at the hospital after their kiss. “Here, scoot up here,” he kneeled back in front of her, unbuttoning her pajama top as she moved up. “You going to want a tank with these, luv?”

“Could I?”

“Of course; any one in particular?”

“Any is good.”

He set the pajamas on the bed next to her and got up to get the tank top.

“I’m going to ignore you knowing where my clothes are,” she joked.

“Just a good memory from last time I got you some stuff. Here, now, let me get that off.” He leaned down and placed the tank on top of the pajamas before reaching for the bottom of her loose fitting t-shirt.

Logically Buffy knew Spike was taking her shirt off so there should be some sort of…embarrassment or something there, but really she was just so tired that she was only thankful for his help.

“You going to want to…uh,” he asked not sure if she was going to hit him for it, “you want to leave that on?”

“No, but I can put that on first.”

Secretly he was thankful for that and he pulled the tank on her and then did as she asked with unhooking her bra after she tried, but was too shaky to do it quickly.

“Thanks.”

He pulled the long sleeved pajama top up her arms before standing her up and changing her jersey pants for her pajama pants. “Now you just try to sleep, okay? I’ll try to get a hold of Anya then I’ll come see how you’re doing if you want?”

“That would be nice. And Spike?” she said when he’d folded her clothes up and set them on her chair and was heading out of her room.

“Hmm?”

“Could you maybe call my mom and tell her.”

“Sure,” he agreed.

“Spike?” she asked several seconds after he’d already left the room.

“What, kitten?” he asked, leaning back into the room.

“Thank you.”

He smiled at her, trying not to show his worry and then left to make his calls.

Spike asked Anya to go to the grocery store and, if necessary, the pharmacy to get any drinks that would help Buffy—drinks didn’t seem to make her feel as nauseous or make her head hurt as much. He was still trying to figure out which was coming first and how everything connected.

Then after a good fifteen minutes of figuring out what to say, he finally called Joyce to tell her that he and Buffy wouldn’t be in that morning but that Dawn would be there in the afternoon but he wasn’t sure if he would or not.

He could tell Joyce was worried and he wanted to tell her there was nothing to worry about, but he didn’t think he would be a very good liar at the moment, especially not to her.

“Spike?” she asked at the end of their call, surprising him.

“Yes?”

”Thank you for being there to take care of my daughter. I know if she was there on her own that she’d…just thank you.”

“Wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

“I know.”


When he went upstairs to check on Buffy he decided Dawn was obviously gong to have something to surprise him with when she got home because Buffy asked him to stay with her, to lay next too her in her bed. It was obviously Surprise Spike Day for the Summers women.

He just lay there, watching her fall asleep and hoped that everything turned out alright for them all. He would be there for the Niblet even if…but he wasn’t even going to think like that. He had calls in to doctors—most of whom said to check her into the hospital and he and Anya had been looking around the demon circles for information on the witch.

He was doing everything he could; hopefully it would be enough.




TBC......





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