Andrew and Spike were almost at the door to the outside. Spike was so weakened by what he’d been through that he was leaning more and more heavily on Andrew, their progress getting slower.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” a voice growled behind them.
Spike’s blood ran cold. Gordy.
The pair turned around and Andrew saw Gordy approaching, vampire face showing. He looked huge. He looked invincible. Spike could feel Andrew shaking beside him - he’d never been much for fieldwork. Andrew was struggling to get his stake out of his pocket, realising he’d left the axe behind. Spike knew Andrew was not capable of beating the vampire. He knew what he had to do.
“Andrew, run! Just go!” said Spike, taking three steps forward and standing in front of him, not wanting Andrew to be killed because of him.
Gordy laughed.
“Look at you! Still playing hero? What do you think you, a useless, blind, weak, lame human, can do to me? How could you turn your back on being a vampire to become what you are now?”
Spike said nothing. He was thinking roughly the same thing but hoped he’d buy Andrew enough time to get out.
Gordy grabbed at Spike, catching him on his arm. Spike lashed out instinctively and hit Gordy with all his might in the face. The vampire barely flinched, just swung his other arm and punched Spike in the stomach, landing another blow to the back of Spike’s neck as he fell. Once he was on the floor Gordy kicked Spike, who flew backwards into the wall, laying there winded.
“No!” Andrew screamed and flung himself at Gordy who just swatted him away as if he were a fly. The stake fell from his hand as he was hurled backwards.
“So this is it,” thought Spike, “This is how I finally die.”
He could hear Gordy approaching.
< “Damned if I’m going out lying down.” .
He put his hands out to push himself up and his left hand touched something. His fingers wrapped around it and he stopped trying to get up.
Gordy got hold of Spike by the back of his neck and started to lift him off the floor. Spike twisted in his grip and swung his left arm as hard as he could at the vampire’s chest. The wooden stake pierced Gordy’s heart. Spike fell to the floor as the vampire turned to dust.
“Told you you’d be dust, you bastard,” gasped Spike, satisfied that he’d managed to kill one of his torturers.
“Andrew? Are you okay? Where are you, mate?” asked Spike.
“I’m…….I’m here,” said Andrew, “You saved my life, Spike. I would never have beaten him.”
“Just got lucky,” he replied ironically. “Yeah, real lucky - blinded, bashed but alive.”
Andrew helped Spike get up and took him out of the door across the lawn and back to where the van was parked, having to practically carry Spike by the time they got there. He opened the doors and helped Spike to a seat, wrapping him in a blanket. He went back out to look for the others.
Ooooooooooooo
Buffy, Willow and Giles left the house through the front door. Buffy felt exhausted - she hadn’t trained since she’d had Joy and boy, could she feel it now.
“Willow, you were amazing,” she said, “Without you no way would we have won.” She was pleased to see her friend’s roots were back to their normal colour.
“Yes,” agreed Giles, “I wouldn’t want to be fighting against you.”
“We’re a team; we all need each other,” said Willow modestly.
“There’s one more thing you can do for me, Will,” said Buffy.
“What’s that? Aren’t we done?” asked Willow
“Burn it. Burn this terrible place down,” said Buffy, knowing, from Willow checking psychically, that Andrew and Spike were out of it.
“Okay.” Willow paused to look back at the house then started a phrase in Latin, hands outstretched. As she stumbled over the words she said,
“I suck at Latin! Burn! Burn! From the floorboards to the rafters let nothing in this house be more than ashes!”
Flames suddenly leapt out from the windows, swiftly taking hold. The three of them hurried towards the van.
Oooooooooo
“My God!” exclaimed Andrew.
“What is it?” asked Spike.
“The house just burst into flames!”
“The others?” Spike asked urgently, terrified they were still in it.
Andrew hesitated to answer. He scanned the shadows, then he saw them running towards him.
“They’re okay, they’re here!” he cried.
Spike slumped with relief - he hadn’t gotten anyone killed.
“Andrew, start the van! It’s time to leave!” called Giles as they got close.
Andrew ran round and got in the cab, ignition firing just as the others climbed in the back and slammed the door shut.
Buffy had to bite her lip to stop from crying out when she saw Spike.
< “What have they done to you? My poor, beautiful man.” >
He was sitting in a seat that had him facing the side of the van. He hadn’t turned as they’d gotten in. He kept his face forward, but Buffy could see the damage around his right eye. She went to sit in the seat opposite.
“Spike,” she said, taking his hands in hers, “I thought I’d lost you.”
When he realised she was sitting in front of him he put his head down, knowing from Willow and Andrew’s silence when they first saw him that he must be in a real mess. He didn’t want her to look into his sightless eyes.
Buffy leant forward and hugged him. He could feel her tears falling hotly on his neck, but couldn’t speak. He didn’t know what to say. He stiffened slightly, and didn’t reciprocate by putting his arms around her.
Giles gently put a hand on Buffy’s shoulder. The expression he had when she looked at him told her all she needed to know - back off, just cool it, he can’t cope with it just now. She nodded at Giles as if he’d spoken the words and sat back in her seat, holding Spike’s hands for a moment then letting go.
“Joy will be pleased to get you home, she’s missed you,” said Buffy.
Spike raised his head and spoke for the first time.
“Who’s Joy?”
Buffy felt her heart would break.
“Don’t worry about that now, Spike,” said Giles quickly. He had Buffy swap seats with him. Willow put her arms around her friend when she sat in Giles’ seat, comforting her as best she could, but unable to stop her from sobbing.
Spike sat there bewildered, wondering what he’d said wrong.
Ooooooo
It was a quiet journey home, barely a word spoken in the back of the van. Giles had taken advantage of a stop for fuel to contact Dawn and tell her of their return. He warned her of the state Spike was in and how he seemed unaware of Joy’s existence. It was agreed that until he’d had a chance to talk things through with Spike that little Joy be kept out of the way.
Buffy had followed Giles out of the van.
“Why did he react like that, Giles? Why didn’t he hug me back?” Tears started to fall once more.
“He’s a proud man, Buffy, and God knows what he’s been through this past week. If you smother him now he’ll end up hating himself and pushing you further away. You’ll have to let him come to you in his own time. Be strong, Buffy. He loves you, I’m sure of that.”
For the rest of the journey Buffy sat in the cab of the van, she wasn't able to face sitting so close to Spike and not be allowed to comfort him.
Spike was grateful for it. Her tears had upset him but he just didn’t have the words to say to her. He hurt just about everywhere. He tried to eat some of the sandwiches they’d bought in the service station but after only a couple of mouthfuls he’d vomited them back up, so just had a few small sips of water. The seat seemed to put pressure exactly where the wound on his back was. The pain was so intense he had to force himself not to cry out.
Willow gently probed Spike’s mind, expertly making sure he was unaware of it. His memories of Buffy were a jumbled mess. Large parts were missing, all the recent ones gone. She hunted for Joy but found nothing at all. She pulled out of his mind worried by what she’d discovered. What on earth had they done to him?
Ooooooooooooo
When they got back Dawn was waiting on the steps to greet them as soon as they pulled up. Forewarned of Spike’s appearance she was nonetheless shocked by it.
At Giles’ request she’d prepared a room on the ground floor for Spike. It was occasionally used for visitors on Council business if Giles didn’t have a room free in his apartment. It was a large room with an en suite shower and toilet, a double bed at one end and a sofa and a couple of comfy chairs at the other, with a coffee table and TV on a stand. As Giles had suggested she’d removed anything not essential, such as ornaments and so on. She’d laid a track suit and a pair of Andrew’s pyjamas on a chair near the bed, put fluffy towels in the en suite and also left out the Council’s very comprehensive first aid kit.
Giles helped Spike out of the van, Spike leaning heavily on him then tripping on the first step up.
“Welcome home, Spike,” said Dawn and she kissed him gently on his cheek.
“Niblet,” muttered Spike in reply, using his nickname from when she was a kid.
Willow, arms around Buffy, waited until Spike was in the building before they followed, Andrew then driving the van to the garage.
Ooooooooooooo
Dawn, Buffy, Willow and Andrew all sat in the library on the top floor waiting for Giles to come up after tending to Spike. Buffy held their baby in her arms. She cried softly as Andrew told how Spike tried to get him to run when they were attacked by the vampire, and how he’d saved their lives by staking it.
“So typical of Spike, once a fighter always a fighter,” Buffy thought.
“God, how much longer will he be?” she said to the others, anxious of news of how Spike was.
“He’ll be up as soon as he can,” soothed Willow.
Oooooooooooo
Giles helped Spike into the room and led him over to the shower cubicle.
“Think we’d better start in here, Spike. Let’s get these wounds cleaned up a bit.”
He took the blanket from around Spike’s shoulders and got his first proper look at the wound on Spike’s back. It was about four inches in diameter, a deep gaping hole with ragged edges. It was still oozing blood from the journey home. Looking at it Giles couldn’t believe Spike had managed to sit with it against the back of the seat for so long.
“Do you think you can tolerate a shower? It’ll be the best way to clean all the small wounds and I then can do more to your back and eyes once we’ve got you warm and dry.”
The room wasn’t cold but Spike was shivering uncontrollably, from onset of infection or shock or both.
Spike just nodded.
Giles pulled the showerhead out of its mount so he could check the temperature before he put it back up, and see that it was positioned correctly for Spike.
Spike stood sideways to Giles, his back towards the stream of water, palms of his hands against the glass. He grunted as the water first touched him. Giles got him to turn around so his front was rinsed clean. He told Spike he’d better get the shorts off and, seeing Spike struggle to bend to remove them, he quickly took the scissors and cut them off. He wrapped a huge towel round Spike and helped him out of the cubicle and to the bed.
“Right, Spike, I need dress this wound. Can you lie face down on the bed for me.”
Another slight nod in reply.
He helped him onto the bed and opened the first aid kit. He swabbed the wounds with antiseptic as gently as possible but could tell from the way Spike tensed and groaned that it still hurt immensely. Finally he packed it with antibiotics and bandaged it.
“I need you to sit up now so I can do your eyes. Can you manage it?”
Spike wordlessly pushed himself up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed so he was sitting facing Giles.
“Christ, what a mess.” thought Giles, wondering what had caused this damage.
Both eyes themselves looked unscathed apart from the fact that they were bloodshot to the extent you couldn’t tell they should be blue. The right had massive swelling in the lids and outside corner, making it only able to open a small slit. Around both eyes the skin was black and blue.
Giles got some sterile eyewash from the first aid kit and started to clean up the blood and matter from his left eye first, the pain making Spike wince at even the slightest touch.
“Giles,” he said suddenly, “I think I’m gonna…….” and with that he was sick. Fortunately for Giles all he brought up was a bit of bile but he retched several times before it passed.
“Sorry,” muttered Spike.
“No matter,” said Giles, “Just this right eye and then you’re done.”
“No, Giles,” said Spike, “No more.”
“But it’s got to be cleaned. It’s going to get infected.”
“So?” said Spike.
“What do you mean?” asked Giles.
“What difference does it make if it does? It’s no use to me anyway.” said Spike with such utter defeat in his voice Giles was glad that Buffy wasn’t there to hear it.
“You can stop talking like that,” said Giles firmly, “It’s got to be done. I’ll give you a painkiller first then you’ll be okay.”
Before Spike could reply Giles quickly injected him, not with a painkiller, but with a fast acting sedative, figuring that sleep was the best option.
“Ow!” said Spike.
Moments later he drifted off as the drug took hold. Giles turned his attention to the eye, cleaning it thoroughly, and then gave Spike an injection of both antibiotics and a painkiller. He dressed him in the pyjamas and covered him with the blankets. Spike would be asleep for a few hours so Giles went up to see the others. Then he’d come back down so Spike didn’t wake alone.
Oooooooooo
Dawn had put Joy to bed by the time Giles joined them. Buffy jumped to her feet when she saw Giles walk into the room.
“How is he? Did he say anything?”
“He’s in pretty bad shape physically but I’m worried about him mentally. I’m not sure how he’ll cope. We’ll know more tomorrow. The wounds are clean now. I’ll see if he’s able to talk when he wakes up. I gave him a sedative before I cleaned his right eye - it was just too painful for me to touch. If he can’t hold anything down tomorrow we’ll have to get a Council doctor in to set up a drip. He’s desperately dehydrated but I didn’t want anyone he didn’t know messing with him tonight,” said Giles, “Willow, can you phone Xander and put him in the picture? Tell him Helen’s safe and he can leave LA when he likes.”
Oooooooooooo
Xander put down the phone and turned to Helen who stood watching him anxiously.
“It’s over, Helen. The Immortal is dead and the vampires who attacked you are dust,” he said.
“Oh, thank God!” said Helen. “Is everyone ok? Spike?”
“Everyone’s safe, they’re back in London. Spike’s been hurt but he’s alive.”
“No! It’s all my fault. What did they do to him?” Helen was distraught.
“Look, Helen, the Immortal would have found Spike anyway with or without you. You can’t carry on blaming yourself,” said Xander.
“How badly is he hurt?” she insisted.
“They’ll know more when he wakes up. Giles gave him a shot to knock him out for a bit. He’s been bashed about, has a wound on his back from something, we’re not sure what, and his face looks like it’s taken a battering too, according to Giles. Hopefully things might change when the swelling goes down but he’s …..blind.”
Helen just stood there staring at Xander not knowing what to say as the one-eyed man told of another’s blindness. It was just too much and she burst into tears!
Xander crossed the room to her and held her close, wondering how come Spike stole all the girls’ hearts. He’d be sorry to leave Helen but his babysitting gig was over.
“Shh, don’t cry,” said Xander pointlessly. He took her over to the sofa. “Giles said he’d call again once he’s been able to speak to Spike.” He sat with his arm around her trying to comfort her.
to be continued...
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