Downstairs in the kitchen, Willow was working away to prepare the antidote, again, only this time for the pair of blonds above them. She wasn’t sure if Spike needed it or not, but living by Willow’s main rule, ‘better to be safe, than end up crazy,’ she figured he should drink some just in case. So far the vampire seemed to be immune to the side effects of the demons poison, except for being cranky, he was acting normal.
“So this time, we make sure Buffy drinks it, and she’ll be okay?” Willow just nodded at the teenage girl sitting on a stool at the other side of the island. Dawn played with the different ingredients laid before her as she continued to voice her concerns, “It’s just... How can she make a world where we’re not even there?”
Willow looked up, Dawn stared at the bag in her hand, “You know she loves you Dawnie, this demon just made her all confused. I don’t think anybody is real in her head. Which is why this time, we’re gonna make sure she drinks it all down. Even if we have to fight her on it! I’m prepared to have Spike hold her ass down if need be!” Willow nodded with determination written all over her face.
“Where is Spike anyway?” The young girl queried.
Green eyes drifting upwards as she answered, “Upstairs... watching over Buffy.”
****
With Red being downstairs and a slayer gone crazy, he figured it best to take guard duty while this whole turmoil got sorted. When he first got back upstairs, after the debacle in the basement, Buffy had been asleep. Leaning against the door jamb of her bedroom, arms folded across his chest, he watched her. The rise and fall of her chest, mixed with the cadence of her heartbeat made a soothing rhythm. Within the first few minutes he moved into the room, sitting on her vanity chair. She was so pleasant when asleep, he thought. She was curled on her side, facing him and he couldn’t resist moving the chair closer, next to the bed. Nor could he resist reaching out and brushing the few stray strands of hair from her cheek and tucking it behind her ear. Letting his knuckles brush lightly against the flesh, the corners of his mouth lifting to a smile, “So warm...” murmuring under his breath.
Stilling instantly when she stirred a bit, nuzzling against the cold hand on her cheek and making a tiny noise of contentment. He continued then, gently stroking the rosy skin, not even noticing the presence in the doorway.
“Spike!” A whispered shout quickly made his hand retract back to himself and stood up, nearly knocking over the chair.
Glaring, he whispered back, “Warn a fella’ next time, would you Red?” Moving to the other side of the room to meet the girl with the mugs, “This it then?”
Willow handed him a cup with a soft smile, “Yep, should do the trick, as long as she drinks it all down this time.” Passing the blond and turning on the table lamp, “Buffy?” Reaching out to her shoulder and shaking lightly, “Buff, wake up.”
Buffy's eyes fluttered open, instantly landing on the drink in her best friend’s hand. Her face hardened as she regarded the others in the room, understanding their intention. I can’t stay here, I need to get better. I can’t let them try and keep me here. I need to get better. A blended mantra of pleas from her mother and father played in her head, swaying her to a decision. Slowly sitting up as she cautiously watched Spike step nearer to the bed, "You're not real," callous words fought their way through gritted teeth.
Narrowing his eyes and muttering, “Well, this nights provin’ to be a grand ol’ time,” he finished with an exasperated sigh, “Look, pet, you’re sick. That demon's poison is makin’ your mind all wonky. Can’t know what’s real, or what’s a delusion, luv.” Side stepping, Spike set down his own concoction on the bed table, “Your best mate here,” as if on cue, Willow grinned and wiggled a few fingers, “made you somethin’ that’ll make you all better. Fix all the confusion.”
As if a battle was inside her psyche, the Slayer shook her head, “No...I made you up... none of this... it’s fake. Sunnydale doesn’t exist.” The repetition appeared to solely convince her own self.
"In that case," Spike lunged towards Buffy, pinning her down by her shoulders onto the mattress. Avoiding her thrashing kicks as he tried to hold her still, he looked back at a wide eyed Willow, "Come on Red!" Vampires had an incredible strength, and they became stronger as they aged, but even a Master Vampire, such as himself, still was lower on the strength scale than a Slayer.
"No! I need-!," Buffy managed to bellow out as a recoil to the threat Spike was posing at making herself healthy again, but a strong hand, with chipped black nail polish, ceased the screeching immediately.
It dawned on Willow, after rapid realization to Spike's actions, what was expected of her. With Buffy restrained, she poured her potion into Buffy's mouth, giving no choice but to gulp it down. The majority was swallowed, though some spilled from the edge of her lips, trickling out. Knowing most of the dose was already in her system didn't stop the blond from trying to wrestle free. Breaking from his clasp, her fist fiercely connected with her enemy’s nose, causing Spike to reel back.
Buffy leapt from the bed, ready for another attack, shifting her weight onto her left foot, as her right leg came up in a clean sweep, but he was able to lean back as her shoe barely missed his face. Again her leg shot out, aimed for his midsection, grabbing her foot, he twisted, knocking her off balance. One good thing about patrolling with the Slayer was that he knew her fighting style better than any beastie out there.
"Sorry ducks-," with the apology already tumbling from his lips, Spike used the back of his fist to successfully knock her out. Before she collapsed on the floor, Spike's arms shot out, grabbing and hugging her close to him. Willow smiled ineptly when he laid her best friend onto the bed with such tender care.
It was a nice thing, to have a woman to be concerned about. Drusilla was his all for over a century, needing to be pampered and taken care of, though he was a willing victim. William never had the opportunity to treat a lady like he dreamed, beside his mother; he rarely was able to speak with a member of the opposite sex. William was the quiet, ever present force behind the demon. Always there, keeping Spike in check, and he thoroughly enjoyed being needed by the girl he loved. He felt important and valuable, as if he was the key, essential to making her happy.
Using his index finger to gently outline her face and push the loose hairs off her forehead, he looked at her, his Slayer. Knuckles gliding over blushed cheeks, Spike's mouth turned up into a soft smile as adoration washed over him. She was the only thing he could see or care about, nothing else mattered. His lips pressed to her forehead before straightening and remembering the witch was still there and staring at him. She never ceased to ruin the moment.
"Oh. Right...," running his hand through platinum curls, feeling self conscious, yearning for the moment to pass. “Buffy will be Buffy again...?” Questioning with a cocked scarred eyebrow.
“It should take effect, pretty much instantly. So when she gains consciousness, she’ll be good as the new old Slayer,” she explained, all too perky. “After you drink that,” pointing to the untouched cup on the table, “I can heat up some blood...if you want, cause I’m pretty sure there’s a few bags still in the fridge that you left, and since nobody around here is on a liquid diet-”
She was babbling, again. There were some things in this world that a man could tolerate - a bit of shopping, having to uselessly agree in order to get her to stop nagging, even being interrupted during a favorite soap - but babbling was not one of them. Unless, of course, the squealing was coming from a delectable blond. As it was, this was not his delectable blond, nor was he in the mood to stand there and hear her out.
“Fine. If’ll get you to shut your gob of that yammerin‘, I’ll down your bloody concoction. But I’m stayin’ till Summers’ wakes, got it?”
“Got it.” General rule of thumb, never argue or confront a cranky vampire.
“She could go all haywire again.”
What part of ‘got it’ didn’t he understand? “Okay, I’ll just be in the kitchen, cleaning up the mess... without magic, mind you!” The last bit was said with her tiny finger in the air. Beyond wanting to flee and give the demon before her much needed space, even though in the recess of her brain said ‘chip remember?’, Willow needed to make sure he would drink the antidote, so she waited expectantly. In order to convey her intent, she put on her serious face while folding her arms over her chest.
Glaring the entire time as he reached for the cup, even adding a sigh for dramatic effect, the truth was, it was refreshing to have somebody worried about his well being. “Bottoms up,” Spike grumbled before pouring it down his throat in one fluid motion. “Happy?”
“I think my work here is done.” The red head gave a nod and promptly turned to make her way down the stairs while Spike positioned himself next to Buffy on the bed.
****
Willow liked Spike, she really did, she just wasn’t sure Buffy needed another messy relationship with a vampire. He did love her, yes, but loving somebody didn’t always mean the future wouldn’t be grim, case in point, her and Tara, or even Anya and Xander. Love wasn’t enough to keep the once happy couples, couple-ly. Maybe she was wrong, it has been known to happen, rarely, but it has. However, it wasn't easy to shake the knowledge that Spike wasn’t an ordinary vampire by any means. Love, devotion, worthiness, they were all qualities no vampire or demon should possess, according to the books, but he did possess them. Actually, most humans don’t have such endowment like him. When Spike loved, he loved wholly, willing to do anything in order to prove it at all costs. Maybe her thought process was off; maybe if she was honest, her worries were more for the vampire himself, getting your heart broken is a terrible thing. Everyone and their mother knew the self righteous act Buffy portrayed, wasn’t so much an act as it was personality. Buffy was her best friend though and customarily speaking, it was her role take the side of said best friend, not the evil, leather wearing hottie. However, the girls in the Summers’ family are notorious for doing as they please, so she supposed her apprehensions wouldn’t be taken into much consideration. It was obvious attraction wasn’t a problem for the two. Heck, the pair had more sexual tension than hormonal teenagers did. No, the problem existed because Buffy was the Slayer - Spike was a vampire and according to some they were incapable of cherishing another. If only they met when they were both human.