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Author's Chapter Notes:
sorry this one's a bit late today...
Chapter 42

“Promise not to yell?”

“I highly doubt I’m going to yell at you, luv.”

“I kind of want to tell Giles and Willow and Xander that I’m in the—“

“Are you insane?!”

“Well, I tried,” Buffy mused, more to herself than to Spike.

“Have you completely forgotten how absolutely deplorable their actions were the last time they were in this hospital? How horrible they were to you and the Bit and Anyanka?”

“Spike, I’m not saying I’m going to forgive them just like that; Hell, I’m probably not going to forgive them at all.”

“Then why tell them? You know they’ll show up,” he interrupted.

“Yeah, I know they will, but—“ ‘Now,’ Buffy thought, ‘how to say this without pissing Spike off more.’ “Spike, the doctors don’t know what’s wrong wi—‘

“It’s only been two days, Buffy! You have to gi—“

“Yeah, I know, I have to give them time. But the fact is—They fucked up, I know that. I just…if anything does happen to me,” she held up her hand to stop his protest, “I don’t want them regretting their actions for the rest of their lives.”

“Would serve them right,” he argued. “And what’s to say they even realize they’re wrong? Or that they will?”

“Maybe they will—and maybe they won’t But the fact is, I’ll feel better if I’ve at least given them the chance. You don’t have to agree with me on this, Spike, but do it for me anyway. Please?”

“Couldn’t you get…someone I don’t like so much to ask me this stuff? Then I could at least pretend to say no.”

“So you’ll do it?”

“Hold up there, Slayer—I am not going to call up those wankers. That’s gotta be somebody else’s job.”

“Fine, if I ask a nurse to call Giles, will you at least be here when they come? I’ll get Anya and Dawn to search them for stakes if you want,” she gave him what she hoped was an endearing look.

“Might be a good idea—not sure that three against almost one is much of a fair fight.”

“Hey! ‘Almost one’? What’s that about now?”

“Not very well three against one if the one can’t exactly fight back, now is it?”

“You could so kick their asses without that stupid chip in your head,” Buffy protested with something so close to pride in her voice that Spike could hardly help but laugh.

“Since when is the chip stupid, pet?” he managed to ask.

“Since my friends are fucking morons and they want to stake you and I can’t stop them.”

“Oh,” Spike mentally kicked himself for even daring to hope she’d meant something else.

“And since I’ve finally realized that you wouldn’t kill anyone anyway.”

His standard objection was on the tip of his tongue before he decided that posturing in front of Buffy—especially when she had really just told him she trusted him—was not only pointless but also rather stupid.

“Thank you, Buffy,” he said, hoping he was properly conveying his gratitude.


“Is my mom doing any different?” Buffy asked after several seconds when the way Spike was looking at her had her growing uncomfortable.

“Nothing I can tell; still seems to be doing fine. Dawn still won’t see her though—guess it’s easier for her that way.”

“Well I guess this is one of those cases where no news is god news. Right?” she asked after a moment’s pause.

“Right, luv. Listen, Anyanka brought this up last night and…does your mum have a will? Apparently there was some note in her room to the both of us, asking us to read her will if anything ever happened where she was incapacitated—which I think the current situation qualifies as.”

“If she did, her lawyer would probably have it—I can’t remember his name, but I know it’s the same guy the gallery uses so I guess you could ask them.”

“I’ll give them a call when I get back to the house. I’ll get going now, see how the Bit’s doing—see if she wants to come by. I’ll make the bloody calls as well. Ring Rupes and tell him the what’s what and then find that lawyer bloke and see if I can get him to come by tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Spike—and thank you for staying around to take care of Dawn still.”

“Course I’ll take care of her; told you and your mum I would. ‘Sides, girl’s not too bad.”

“Just don’t be telling her any more of those William the Bloody stories, okay?”

“Go and ruin all my fun why don’t you.”



*(*(*()*)*



“Is Buffy insane? Her brain’s going, isn’t it?” Dawn asked worriedly once Spike had finished explaining why he was asking her for Giles’ phone number—sure it had taken him five days to finally do it, but now he had. “She’s dying isn’t she?”

Spike would have laughed at her seriousness if she weren’t so…well, serious.

“No, your sister isn’t going insane—not dying either.”

“Then why’s she doing it?”

Yeah, why is she doing it, Spike? he wondered. Trying to get himself to come up with a reason that didn’t involve Buffy’s own fear of her dying, Spike tried to buy himself time.

“You don’t really think she’s going insane do you? You know they’re helping her in the hospital; they’ve got her on IVs and—“

“Spike?” Dawn cut him off, “Why’s she want you to call them?”

“She’s fine if they regret not coming to see her but she’s not going to let herself regret not giving them the chance,” he finally said, still not quite answering the original question of Dawn’s.

“Fine—but if they try to stake you I’m not ever, ever going to talk to them again—like ever,” she said ‘ever’ the way only a teenage girl could. Dawn went to the kitchen and came back a few seconds later, dialing numbers on the cordless phone.

“Giles?” Spike was stunned when Dawn refused his attempts to take the phone from her, instead choosing to have the conversation herself. “Yeah, yeah just let me say this—Buffy’s in the hospital and for some totally insane reason she wants you to know so you and Willow and Xander can come visit her once. You can only come if you promise not to be a jackass again and if you promise not to stake Spike.” Spike watched as she seemed to listen to the old man for a minute before continuing, “Yes, Spike is going to be there—either be nice to him or stay the hell out of our lives! No I will not watch my language,” she said haughtily. “Not around you at least—I wouldn’t even be talking to you if Buffy hadn’t asked Spike to call you—no,” she objected to whatever Giles had said, “I’m calling because I don’t want you yelling at Spike anymore. So, either come or don’t—I don’t particularly care.”

Dawn stood after she’d clicked the phone off and waited for Spike to get on her.

Spike stood and watched Dawn as she hung up the phone and then looked at him as if waiting for something.

“You’re seriously not going to yell at me?”

“Talk like that to anyone else and yeah, I will—but Rupes deserves it; besides, it’s better than anything I would have said.”

“Spike?” Dawn questioned, her voice quieter and calmer.

“Yes?”

“Is Buffy really going to be okay? I mean…really? Please don’t lie.”

Spike knew Dawn wasn’t stupid, her sister had been in the hospital for a week now and while she was stable and didn’t seem to be deteriorating any, she also didn’t seem to be doing particularly better either.

“You know for yourself that she’s not losing any ground, pet. They’re doing their best to figure out what is wrong, too—they’re going to figure it out, Dawn.”

“But it’s just…and my mom,” Dawn trailed off, not explaining herself.

“I know, pet, I know. Don’t you worry though, okay? I’m going to take care of you—I promised them and I’m promising you, alright? I’m doing all I can to make sure they’re both okay—you know I’d never give up on Buffy or your mum. You just keep thinking positive, yeah?”

“Thank you, Spike.”

“Don’t worry about it. Now, did that lawyer call back yet?”

“Yeah, he called this afternoon,” Dawn said and went on to fill Spike in on what the lawyer had told her.


TBC……





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