| End of the Bloody Line. Bloodshedverse Round Robin. by BSV added |
| Chapter #1 - Chapter 1 Bloodshedbaby |
| Chapter 1-by Bloodshedbaby "I am so terribly sorry, Joyce. You have no idea," Giles announced, his voice tortured and raw. There wasn't a dry eye at 1630 Revello Drive, as the horrifying tale was recounted once more for Buffy's mother. She'd already heard it several times, but fierce denial made her insist upon the grim details repeated one more time in hope that there would be a different outcome. Joyce's eyes were glazed over with shock as the horrifying details finally began to sink in. "Tell me again what happened," she demanded, her voice barely above a tortured whisper. "I need to know..." Joyce was sure that they'd missed something; left something vital out during their retellings, and that this was all just a huge mistake. Her only daughter couldn't be dead. It just wasn't possible. Giles sighed, but did as requested. This was the fifth time they had covered the events that had led to them sitting stiffly in Joyce's living room, destroying the woman's entire life and not just a bit of their own. Not only had Joyce learned of Buffy's calling this night, she had been introduced to a world where vampires and demons existed. Her acceptance of everything was too calm, and Giles was just waiting for the fragile grip Joyce was keeping on her emotions to snap. Until then, he was determined to indulge her; finding it the very least he could do. "We were fighting in a church. Spike- the vampire we described to you-had kidnapped Angel to do a spell to restore his long time companion, Drusilla. He had hired this Order of Taraka to...er, dispose of Buffy, but they had thus far failed in their mission." A bittersweet smile crossed Giles's face at this slap in the face; not many went against the Order of Taraka and survived to tell the tale. "Kendra," Giles gestured to the dark, solemn girl who was standing rigidly in one corner of the room, " was fighting along side of us as we battled Spike and the Order. Evidently, the spell was successful. However it did not have quite the anticipated outcome." "I'll say," Xander added in a defeated tone. Giles sent him a hard look. "What?" Xander exclaimed. "Just because the girl that Spike had gone to so much trouble for was macking on another guy just moments after being restored? What's the big there?" The words were flippant, but every occupant in the room could hear the pain and anguish behind the sarcastic tone. "The big, Xander, is that Angel evidently lost his soul in the process," Giles explained sternly, knowing that Xander was fully aware of this. "And because of that, Angel,-or rather Angelus-, has reestablished his former relationship with Drusilla." "Yeah, guess that's kind of a big," Xander admitted dejectedly. "So... then there was a fire?" Joyce prompted softly. Giles nodded grimly. "Yes, apparently while Spike and Buffy were doing battle with one another, a fire was started. Buffy instructed us to evacuate, which we did. We all thought she would be right behind us." A haunted look crossed his face. "However, due to the fact that our own escape was hindered by Angelus and Drusilla, we failed to note that Buffy hadn't appeared. By the time we were in a position to do a proper head count, the building had already collapsed in on itself." A solitary tear made its way slowly down his weathered cheek, and Giles hastily wiped it away. Searching Joyce's eyes, he whispered once more, "I am so sorry, you have no idea." Joyce just nodded her head curtly, unable to grant the pardon this man so desperately sought. Her little girl was dead; she just couldn't accept it. Wouldn't accept it. A loud bang at the front door interrupted the profound misery that was thickly settled in the room, and Giles elected himself to answer it; hauling himself bleakly across the room to the front entryway. Upon opening the door, there was nothing to greet him on the other side of the threshold and he was just preparing to close it when a noise gave him pause. "Invite me in." Giles's eyes followed the sound of the whispered voice and he visibly started when he recognized the blonde hair that topped the figure slumped against the wall next to the front door. Hand immediately reaching for the stake he always carried, he squinted to get a closer look at the clearly exhausted vampire. He heard Joyce come up behind him after turning on the porch light, and they gasped in unison as they saw Buffy's unconscious body cradled carefully in Spike's arms. There was a trickle of blood flowing down the side of her face originating from a large laceration on her forehead. Superficial burns covered her body, and her hair appeared slightly singed. However, Spike's bare torso showed a higher degree of burns than that of the girl held in his arms, and Joyce put her hand to her mouth to cloak her sounds of distress. Before Giles could stop her, Joyce flew out the door and knelt by Spike's side and cupped Buffy's face in the palm of her hand, mindless of the demon that was in such close proximity. "She's alive," Joyce breathed, her eyes filling up with moisture as she regarded the man that had brought her daughter to her. Spike pried one eye open to look at the woman beside him. "Yeah." He was at about the last of his reserves and needed to get inside before he collapsed. "I need an invite inside." Giles strode over to Joyce, ignoring her questioning looks and took her by the arm with the intent of distancing her from the monster that sullied the porch. "I rather do not think that is going to happen, Spike." Giles said coldly, reaching for Buffy. "Just give her to me." Spike growled low in his throat, eyes flashing shades of amber. "I hand her off to you, you might as well write her off. They'll be coming for her. Angelus will be coming for her." Joyce pushed Giles out of the way, ignoring for the moment all she had been told about this... vampire tonight. She knelt by Spike side once more. "I invite you in, Spike." Tentatively, she reached for his arm, and if the scent of her fear hadn't been enough to clue him in, the hesitance alone told him that she was terrified. Finding himself giving her a brief, reassuring smile, Spike allowed her to assist him painfully to his feet, not able to help the moan of pain that accompanied the action. Carefully shifting the burden in his arms, Spike headed for the door, passing easily over the threshold now that the invite had destroyed the barrier to keep his kind from entering. He ignored the furious Watcher and the kids who stared at him with fearful contempt. Eyes quickly searching, he found the only one who was worthy of his consideration at the moment-the other Slayer. "Don't think you want to be entertaining any notions of staking me, pet. You're going to need my help here." Kendra narrowed her eyes at the vampire as she coolly regarded him. "Dat is not how I deal wid vampires.” Spike snorted at that comment. "Yeah, well. Not usually in the habit of helping you lot either." Kendra's gaze shifted to her fellow sister-in-arms, an unfamiliar feeling of bonding growing deep within her. This vampire had brought Buffy here. She would not kill him... yet. Drawing herself up tall, Kendra crossed her arms in front of her chest as her head tipped backward, her face an unmovable mask. "Fine. I will not stake you," Kendra finally announced, her heavy accent not masking the unspoken threat in her voice. Spike gave a curt nod and dismissed the exotic Slayer. In another time, another place- he wouldn't have minded trying to crack that cool reserve and dig into the insecurity he could see buried deep in her dark eyes. But now was not the time for that- he had another Slayer to consider at the moment. His hand still gripping the stake, Giles finally realized why Spike wore no shirt. It was now loosely looped around Buffy's neck, partially covering her mouth. With it being unnecessary for a vampire to breathe, the smoke would have had no affect on Spike. But Buffy would have been overcome, and Spike apparently had volunteered his shirt to cloak the oxygen sucking vapors. She was partially swathed in his black leather duster, and Giles couldn't help but wonder why the vampire had given Buffy the protection of his coat while leaving his own flesh uncovered and at the mercy of the hungry flames. Stepping fully into the living room, Spike collapsed onto the couch, his legs sweeping up so he lay prone on the padded cushion, not allowing Buffy to leave his grip. Tipping his head back against the arm of the couch, his eyes fluttered shut in pure exhaustion. He was about out of gas, and he knew it. "You can put her down, you know," Giles said, his voice slightly less hostile than before. Giles found a pair of cool, blue eyes suddenly meeting his. "Think I'm bloody stupid, Watcher? The second I put her down will be the moment you shove a stake through my heart. Since I'm not really up to fighting you lot off at the moment, I think I'll just hang on to her for a bit." He shifted Buffy against him so she was splayed out against his chest, the top of her head tucked firmly under his chin. Through the harsh smell of charred flesh and smoke, Spike could just barely make out the scent that he always associated with this Slayer- a combination his fanciful mind had come up with of sunlight and roses; all things Spike was not. Spike could feel distrusting, hostile eyes burning holes through him-knowing they wanted nothing more than to rip the girl out of his evil clutches- and he tried valiantly to fight the dark fog that was trying to pull him down. In a gesture to assure that Buffy would remain safely in his arms, he tightened his hold on her slight form and settled himself in deeper against the cushion. Finally, he gave up the fight and allowed himself to sink into oblivion, knowing his body needed the rest to heal. "Ok, pinch me here. Did Spike just pass out on the couch?" Xander asked, his face mirroring the shock that was felt throughout the room. Willow nodded, staring at her friend snugly encased against the bare chest of her mortal enemy. "Uh huh. Oh my god, she's alive." Tears gathered in her bright green eyes as she looked first at Joyce, then at Giles. "She's not dead, Giles." Giles removed his glasses, keeping his eyes on the inert forms on the couch. "Yes, so it would appear." "You'll forgive my confusion, but what just happened here?" Joyce asked, the slumping of her body belying her volatile emotions. The urge to go to her daughter and offer comfort almost overwhelming, but she needed answers more. "Well," Giles began, "I am afraid we will not have all the facts until Buffy wakes up." "Do you think Spike... saved her?" Willow asked in a quiet voice. Giles's face grew hard as he considered the facts. With a heavy sigh, he remarked, "It would appear that may be the case. I, for one, do not trust him. If he did indeed save Buffy, you can be quite certain it was for his own nefarious purposes." "So, what do you think the easiest way of getting Buffy away from him is?" Xander asked, looking down at the unconscious pair. "Yeah, we need to see if she's hurt or anything," Willow added. "Well, let's just pluck her out of the evil clutches; that ought to work. Kendra, wanna lend a hand here?" Xander questioned. They approached the couch and slowly reached for Buffy. Xander jumped back and gave a high pitched squeal when Spike shifted his head in their direction, his face shifting into that of his demon as a harsh, warning growl sounded deep in his throat. As soon as the threat they presented was gone, Spike quieted and shifted back to his human face. "Ok, I think that just took ten years off my life," Xander announced, holding a hand over his heart. "Is he even awake?" Willow whispered. "No, I don't believe he is," Giles remarked, disturbed by the possessive nature Spike was displaying. This was not good. He looked at Joyce and noticed the stunned expression on her face. "Vampires are real..." It was a statement that required no answer-she had seen the proof for herself-but Giles gave a curt nod anyway. "Yes, Joyce. And Spike is a vampire. A very dangerous vampire in fact, something you will do well to remember." He did not expect the cold look that was tossed his way. "Sometimes, actions speak louder than words, Mr. Giles." ++++++++ The next morning brought stiff muscles and bleary eyes. Nobody had been willing to leave Buffy alone in Spike's care for even a moment. They were a haggard crew, draped haphazardly over any piece of furniture that had the potential to offer a bit of comfort. Spike had taken the only thing that resembled a bed by claiming the sofa, and Giles had no difficulty adding that to the long and lengthy list of items to be held against the vampire. Neither Spike nor Buffy had stirred the few hours that were left of the night. Buffy remained sprawled atop of him, her cheek pillowed against his bare chest- effectively shielding his heart- exactly as Spike had intended when he had placed her in such a position. Thankfully, the smell of charred flesh had dissipated sometime during the night. The dim light that peeked through the heavy drapes showed the burns marring Spike's flesh were improved, much to Giles's disgust. However, even he had to admit that Spike must have been in considerable pain when he'd shown up the previous evening. To have the warmth of Buffy's skin pressing against his blistered flesh must have been excruciating, but the vampire had not stirred the entire night. Rather his hold on Buffy seemed almost... tender, if not protective. Giles didn't understand it, and fury drove through him, fast and furious at this latest outrage. Giles was the only one awake when the pair on the couch began to stir. He thought perhaps it was the strength of his stare that had finally awakened them, but attributed it to his weary mind. Giles hauled himself out of the uncomfortable wingback chair that he had spent the unfortunate night in and reached for the stake on the table next to him. +++++++ Spike slowly swam out of the deep fog he had sunk, pain attacking him from all sides the more aware he became. He couldn't help the low groan that slid past his lips, as fire lit his body. Searing heat surrounded him, torturing him. Buggar. This must be hell. But then his other senses kicked in, and Spike realized that hell wasn't likely to be soft and feminine, pressing against him in intimate places, and a different kind of groan let his throat, barely audible as his inane sense of survival kicked in. He forced his swollen eyelids back, wincing at the dry, gritty feel of his smoke ravaged eyeballs and found himself looking into a pair of bewildered, bloodshot, hazel eyes. One small hand was splayed against his bare chest propping her up, as she stared in confusion at the position she now found herself in. What the fuck had he done? Oh yeah that's right. He'd saved the bleedin' Slayer. Spike couldn't say how long they regarded one another, as Buffy's mind tried to work through the events that could have led to this. "Spike." The name was spoken coldly and with lethal intent to back it up. Both heads swiveled in the direction the voice came from. "Giles?" Buffy asked, her voice soft with confusion. She looked down once more at the vampire she was laying so intimately against and scrambled off of him with a choked cry. With a roar of pain, Spike practically bucked off the couch in response to Buffy scraping against his blistered skin. "You stupid bitch!" Acute pain caused him to clench his teeth, as many of the blisters began to weep in response to the unintentional assault. "Sorry!" Buffy said automatically, her eyes immediately drawn to the colorful array of burns that littered Spike's torso. She had caused some damage with her flight, she realized with a small degree of guilt. "Are you quite all right, Buffy?" Giles questioned, turning his concerned eyes to her briefly. She nodded, putting her hands in her pockets and stared at the floor. Giles didn't have time to dwell on her unusual response to his inquiry; Spike’s pained cry had served as a wake up call. Kendra immediately aligned herself in front of the vampire, blocking his potentially lethal access to the others. Joyce ran to her daughter and Buffy was immediately engulfed in a maternal embrace, words of worry and concern tumbling from the older woman's lips. Giles looked back at Spike who was in a seated position now, taking slow breaths in a seeming attempt to control the pain. "Well, now that you are both awake, perhaps we could perhaps get a few answers," Giles asked pointedly. Spike drew himself to his feet, causing Kendra to take a step forward. He gave her a scathing look. "We had a deal, remember? Don't see me doing anything to renege on my end, so give a fella a chance to wake up , will ya?" Kendra looked at Giles in question and he nodded assurance. Kendra drew back and crossed her arms over her chest. "Very well. I will let da vampire wake up." "Right," Spike replied with a smirk. He looked around, taking note of the hostile glares of the Slayer's friends. What in the bloody hell had possessed him to come here last night? What had possessed him to do any of it? "So, you want to know what went down last night, eh?" "That is correct, yes." Spike slid a glance over to the Slayer, currently in the process of getting smothered by her mother. The girl looked like a whipped pup, all sad eyes and dejected posture. Christ, the bint had no business fighting the forces of evil. "Right, then. Maybe you should start by asking your soddin' Slayer what the bloody hell SHE was doing." All eyes turned to Buffy -full of questions and inquiries- but the dull look on Buffy's face remained. Spike realized with growing irritation that the bint wasn't going to be of any help here. He sighed heavily, and reached into his back pocket, pulling out a surprisingly undamaged pack of cigarettes. "Ah, someone up there likes me," he muttered, pulling a smoke out and putting it to his lips. "Don't you dare light that up in here," Giles announced, his expression cold and angry. Spike threw him a mocking looking. "Why, might stink up the joint?" He lit the cigarette up with a defiant snap of his silver lighter, then noticed Buffy's mum watching him. Suddenly, he felt the insane need to apologize for his rude manners, but blew that thought right out of his head before it had time to take hold. He was evil, for Christ sakes. When Joyce placed an ash tray in front of him, Spike looked at her in surprise. "Oh, uh. Thank you." He crushed the cigarette out even though he'd only taken a few drags. He didn't know what it was about mothers and evil eyes that made him resort back to his human days... "Spike, perhaps now you'd like to explain your comments of last night regarding Angel coming for Buffy?" Giles prodded in a tight voice. "Yeah, well. S'only natural, her being the slayer and all." "And with their, er, prior relationship, I suppose." Spike threw a look over to the Slayer, saw the flinch that accompanied the Watcher's words and his temper once again flared. "Angelus has no memories of his little simpering schmooze-fest with your slayer over there." Giles looked startled. "You mean to tell me..." Spike's face twisted into a cocky grin. "Yeah. The sadistic bastard has no memories of his little soul having. As far as he's concerned, things are just as they were before he was blessed with a bloody soul. And with WHO they were," he added bitterly, trying to mask the pain of betrayal. Spike felt the need to lash out, to get these swirling, conflicted, emotions out of his head. "And your SLAYER over there," he sent her a contemptuous look, "just froze. The building was falling down, fire was licking up the bloody walls, and the stupid bint just fucking stood there." He could see her cringe at his harsh words, and the tiny reaction pleased him. "She sees Angelus and Drusilla all over each other, and the idiotic girl just shut down. Some Slayer you got here. You must be very proud," he added scornfully. "Then what?" Giles quietly asked. He was getting a disturbing picture of events, and was hoping they would prove false. However, Angelus's lack of recognition when he interrupted their escape the previous night now made more sense. "I got pissed off, is what. If the girl is going to die, it's going to be ME that offs her; not some bloody beam that knocks her out cos she's too bloody shaken to have the good sense to haul her ass out of a burning building." Spike forced himself to ignore the horrified gasp that sounded from the girl's mum at his easy mention of murdering her only offspring. Giles looked at Buffy and saw the slight hint of guilt and embarrassment on her face and knew then that the words that spilled from Spike's lips were the utter truth. "So you did...what, Spike? You grabbed the Slayer-your mortal enemy- and got her out of there?" Spike shifted uncomfortably, staring at the floor in a sudden episode of discomfiture. "No, not exactly," he bit out. "Was half way out of the place." In a tone of disbelief, Xander asked, "And you just felt all guilty and went back for her? Out of the goodness of your heart? Oh wait, my mistake. Forgot who I was talking to for a sec. You don't have a heart.'' Spike looked up sharply. "Eh, watch it, boy. Slayer's alive, ain't she? I went back for the stupid bint, ok?" Finally, Buffy showed a hint of emotion. "Think you could tone down the name calling a bit?" she told him with just a hint of fire in her eyes. Spike's eyes met hers in a silent challenge, one singed eyebrow tipping up in response. Buffy had the good sense to look away- anywhere but at that mocking face. Giles found himself enraged, his fist tightly clenched. "So what's your angle here, Spike? What do you hope to gain by this?" Spike snorted derisively. "Yeah, by stepping into the Slayers house, I must have an evil plan. Even I'm not that stupid." "Then what is this?" Giles took a step forward, reassured by the heavy weight of the stake palmed in his hand. Spike jumped to his feet, fists and fang at the ready, but his tirade was shot down before it had begun. "Giles! Just... stop, ok? You're barking up the wrong vampire." Giles rounded on Buffy, his previous grief transferring into displaced anger. "Perhaps you would be so kind to explain then?" "Uh..." Buffy mumbled. Spike shook his head in disgust. "Some Slayer you got yourself there. Here's what went down. When the ritual was complete, it had some side affects that I sure as hell wasn't fucking expecting. Namely- bonding my girl and Peaches together in a way that’s beyond just a simple claim. All that I've done for the bitch- completely forgotten." Pain flashed in his eyes, so brief yet so agonizing that Giles was beginning to get the reason why Spike had saved Buffy. "Thank you," Buffy mumbled unexpectedly, causing everyone to look at her-Spike included. "For what? For almost walking out of there and leaving you to die?" Xander yelled, still having issues with the Worm Dude that Spike had been responsible for unleashing just hours prior. That wasn't something you could just forgive because they saved your best friend. "Xander," Giles quietly rebuked, giving the boy a stern look. "What? I'm only saying..." "He tried to get me to leave," Buffy said so softly that only Spike was able to pick it up. "Who, what, and huta?" Xander asked in confusion. "He tried to get me to leave," Buffy repeated with more conviction, her eyes met Spike's and a flicker of understanding and gratitude was conveyed. "Before I got knocked out, he tried to get me to leave there with him, but I was kinda frozen, just like he said. Couldn't move. I just... couldn't." Another heavy sigh left Giles, who sat down wearily on the chair he'd spent the night so uncomfortably. "So now what do you propose we do?" "Gonna have to take them out," Spike replied matter-of-factly, cold determination in his eyes. "Oh really, Blondie? And you expect us to help you?" Xander asked. Spike had his eyes on Buffy, refusing to look at anyone else. "No, I expect the Slayer to help me." A choked sound was heard, and all eyes turned to Buffy's mother, her fear easily palpable. "Y-you expect Buffy to help you after you tried to kill us all yesterday?" Willow asked, her thoughts going to her boyfriend who had been shot in the course of the previous days events. Spike couldn't help the smirk that curved over his lips. "Well, yeah. But I also saved the bint's life, should get points for that" "This isn't a game, Spike," Giles announced coldly. Spike ignored him and focused his concentration on the girl standing next to her mum. "What do you say, Slayer? You gonna help me take out Angelus?" tbc |