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Chapter 17a
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A week had passed since the Great Vamp Rescue Operation was successful in returning Spike to the fold. He was still drifting in and out of consciousness, but was on the mend, at least according to Angel. Getting blood into the nearly exsanguinated vamp had not been the easiest task, but Buffy and Angel devoted hours to the effort. Still Spike did not seem to realize where he was or that his ordeal was finally at an end.

Looking at Spike, Buffy was reminded of how close she had come to losing her chance to start over in this relationship that had taken so many twists and bends in the years since Spike had first careened into Sunnydale. She was growing impatient to
have him back to normal so she could begin the task of fence mending. Seemed there were acres of fences she alone had personally torn and damaged.

Adding to her distress was the fragile détente that existed between herself and Giles. It seemed so odd being silent around her Watcher. Buffy was reminded of the time when Giles had determined the only safe course of action to stop a hellgod was to kill her little sister. It was unspoken, but Giles knew that her reaction to the idea of staking Spike was the same as it had been about Dawn. Anyone going after Spike would have to go through, and then answer to, her. Tension was palpable.

There had been discussions, of course. Low voices, hot with emotion and straining with the desire to shout at times. Buffy had been adamant, however, that Spike’s recovery was not to be disturbed with talks about a staking that was not going to happen.

The Scoobies were walking on egg shells around the Slayer and her Watcher. None had dared express an opinion on the subject, even though they had all been doing some deep thinking on the idea of a chipless Spike in their midst.

Angel had taken to calling home when Buffy and Giles went at it. He had some very strong opinions, especially being a vampire, but decided to wait until Spike was at least coherent before expressing them. Angel had started to build a real relationship with Connor. They had talked more since Angel was in Sunnydale than in all the time they were physically together. Some personal good was happening during this time at least. This last call had even ended with Connor telling him he was looking forward to Angel returning to LA soon!

Angel had to bite his tongue often when Giles insisted that Spike was a danger. Granted, Spike had been a formidable vampire in his day, a real Master of the
Aurelian line. But even Angel had to admit that the Spike Buffy described had traveled far distant from that demonic path.

Angel knew that Spike had always given his all when in love. If he DID love Buffy, there was nothing Spike would not do to keep her regard. That trait of Spike’s, his ability to love, had once driven Angelus to the depths of depravity in his rage. He had spent years trying to beat the humanity out of his demonic offspring. Even when control had been returned to Angelus, the humanity and ability to love in the younger vampire had been strong enough to appall the Judge. Dru had been as bad, but at least she had the excuse of insanity.

William/Spike was a creature of passions, the dominant one being love. Other things might have changed with Spike, but not that. Giles came from the "old school" Council training that said demons had no real emotions. There were no gray areas, merely black and white. Angel had lived long enough to see that very little in the world was that clear-cut.

"Yo, man, think I’m gonna see about another blood run for Dead Boy, Junior", said Xander. "I’m really not in the mood to listen to the never-ending rerun of ‘The Buffy and Giles Show’. I’m starting to get jealous of Spike sleeping through it."

Angel nodded in understanding. As Xander headed out of the house into the peaceful night, Angel decided it was time to finally lay the whole topic to rest. It was clear that much as it confused him, Buffy really had fallen in love with Spike. Angel felt he owed it to her to help--hell, he probably owed it to Spike as well. Spike wasn’t exactly what he had in mind for Buffy when he left her years ago, but she could do much worse, if what counted was being loved and treasured. Besides, Buffy was the Slayer and hardly "normal" herself. Maybe bonding with Spike could lengthen Buffy’s life, too. Spike was a fearless fighter and would die rather than
let someone he loved be killed.

"What’s that old saying about going where angels fear to tread?", he mumbled to himself.

"We are NOT having this discussion again, Giles. There will be no staking of Spike. I don’t care if the chip IS out, he hasn’t done anything to deserve a staking and if he ever does, I’ll be the one to do it. I sent Angel to hell when I had to and I know my duty. You don’t have to keep reminding me. I was finished with my duty and got brought back to continue it. Believe me, I know what I am chosen for. I also know it’s not as simple as ‘vampire bad, human good’", Buffy was saying.

"But, my dear girl, Spike is not like Angel. He has no soul. He is a demon with a man’s memories and intellect. He was restrained, but now he is not. You cannot allow a killer, especially one with his … skills … to be set loose on society. Buffy, you are honor bound to execute justice in matters that human methods are not prepared to. I don’t want to see you have to do this. I can see that you have come to care for Spike. I am willing to take this task away from you and not think ill of you for not doing your duty here. Now is the best, most humane time to do it. He’s not aware of anything and won’t feel a thing", Giles was saying for the millionth time.

Their voices continued to be low, but the intensity felt like shouts.

"Soul, schmoul, Giles! I’ve been around long enough to see that souls mean nothing! Hitler had a soul. Jeffry Dahmer had a soul. Faith has a soul. Even your buddy Ethan Rayne has a soul. Murderers and rapists are all over the place soulfully killing and raping. I may have dropped out of college, but I was awake enough in school to know that history is full of soulful murderers. Vampires aren’t the only baby killers out there and you know it. Spike can’t do anything about his past, but he’s changed. Unless he goes back to killing there is NO reason to take away his chance", Buffy said.

"Um, I haven’t said much but I think I should", interrupted Angel. "God, I hate to admit it, but Spike was always different, even before the chip. Yeah, he was a killer. I should know, since I taught him how. But there was one thing I didn’t teach him, and unfortunately he didn’t teach Angelus either, and that’s how to love. He was always able to keep that part of his humanity alive, even when I tried to torture it out of him. If he loves someone, he does whatever they need him to do. He loves Buffy and she needs him to play for the good guys. He’ll play, I know him. He won’t do anything to lose her."

"Look, William and Angelus are as different as two creatures can be. If someone had put a chip in me when Angelus was in charge, I know what I would have done. Other vamps were chipped and didn’t change sides."

"Buffy says that the chip didn’t work on her after Will brought her back", Angel added. "If it had been Angelus, not Spike, I would have drained and turned Buffy as soon as I knew I could. Just think how powerful a team a turned slayer and a master vampire would be! Spike wouldn’t need to do the kills, Buffy could do it for the both of them. If it was just the chip, Spike should have been no different towards Buffy than he was when he showed up here years ago with Dru. The fact that he didn’t revert to the Slayer of Slayers or turn Buffy and bond her to him forever shows the changes are real. If the changes are real, there’s no reason to expect Spike to go back to killing again".

Giles sighed deeply in frustration. "It is no secret that I find Spike incredibly annoying, I won’t lie. But if there were any other option, that alone would not cause me to want him removed. This is nothing personal, Buffy. The fact remains that Spike has nothing to give him a moral guide, a conscience. Even if he was able to restrain himself, what if you two broke up? What if something happened to you? No, it is far too dangerous having a powerful vampire such as Spike walking around without a chip or a soul", Giles said. He looked sad to have to continue the discussion at all.

"Hey, guys, did I miss another round?" asked Xander. "Got some nummy O-neg for our pale patient, fresh from the Red Cross outdated pile. Anybody want the pleasure of a forced feeding cause I’m thinking I’ve done my part already. Good thing it’s daylight cause the volunteer might not have believed me when I said I needed it for a school science project. She was lookin’ a little too closely at my teeth, if you get my meaning. I think the good citizens of Sunnydale are starting to catch on", Xander joked.

"I’ll take it up, Xan, thanks. Maybe I’ll get lucky and this will finally bring Spike back to himself, and to me", Buffy said. She took the bag with the blood
and went to warm it before feeding Spike.

That was another bone of contention between Buffy and Giles. Buffy and Angel had insisted on finding human blood to give to Spike while he recovered. According to Angel, the pigs’ blood Spike had relied on for the last few years wasn’t sufficient to help him heal quickly. Giles insisted putting him back on a human blood diet was the same thing as inviting him to feast on it "straight from the tap" as soon as Spike rose from his sickbed. Angel insisted Spike could be weaned back to animal blood with no problem as soon as his broken body had started to mend sufficiently. It had taken Buffy’s vow to use her own "super Slayer blood" if Giles didn’t back down to end that particular argument.

Nobody seemed likely to budge and Xander would rather face the hellmouth opening than a permanent breach in the relationship between Buffy and Giles. Xander looked from face to face and knew the time for talk had passed. It was time someone took the bull by the horns and he was just the cowboy to do it. "Yee haw, saddle up buckaroo", he said to himself.
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