| Somewhere In Between by Karyn |
| Chapter #8 - Chapter 8 |
| Beta'd by the wonderful Tam! And you might recongnize the first part here, it's what started out the fic. That little piece is what this whole story started from, lol. Thanks to everyone who's reviwed!  Chapter 8 ~ Becoming 2 Love. It’s such a funny little word. It can mean so many different things. Friendship. Affection. Attraction. It can be an endearment or a way to describe your emotions. Or love can mean pain. Gut-wrenching, soul-devouring pain. The kind of pain that one feels when they’re forced to watch as their first love dies before their eyes. The kind of pain that comes from being the one that lands the killing blow. The light faded, the vortex closed, and there was silence. *~*~* There was a soft scrape of movement behind her, but she didn’t bother turning to look. She already knew who it was. The gentle touch on her shoulder is all that’s needed to bring the tears. Turning quickly, she buried her head in his chest, crying her heart out onto his shirt. He arms wrapped tightly around her. His soft, “you did what you had to do,” had the tears flowing even faster. Sometimes love even shines through the pain. She didn’t want to leave the comfort of his arms. “Oh God, Spike he was-” her voice broke, her entire body sagging under the strain of the last months. “I know, luv. I heard.” The vampire stroked her hair as he made little comforting noises. He could feel her pain as if it was his own. “I didn’t want to. I was so ready to take out Angelus, but it wasn‘t him I killed,” she cried. Her arms held him so tight he would have been crushed had he been human. “Shh, now. I know, Buffy. I’ve got you kitten. It’ll be okay. Not right away, but eventually it will get better; I promise you.” “Don’t let me go,” she clutched at his shirt, afraid he would reject her even now. Her eyes begged for understanding. “God, I feel like I haven’t been happy in forever, like I’m just supposed to sit here and wait for the next apocalypse to take my mind off how horrible my life is.” Spike was drowning in her tears and weighted down by her sorrow. He wished that he could steal her pain, lessen the grief of having to send her first love to hell. He cursed the meddling teacher and the band of do-gooders that thought the best way to deal with the situation was to muck about in the dark magic’s that were the whole cause of the situation in the first place. Sending Angelus to hell would have been bad enough, but to stuff the soul back in him just in time to send him on his way to eternal torment? Well, that had to be just pure torture. “Can we just go somewhere…anywhere?” she pleaded tearfully. “Please, Spike, take me away from here.” Unable to do anything but comply with her wishes, he gave in and crushed her mouth to his. The kiss was brief but passionate, hinting at the fires that had lain too long dormant in both of them. He broke away. “Let‘s go, luv,” he whispered to the devastated girl cradled in his arms. Kissing her softly on the forehead and tucking her under his arm, he led her to the garage where the Desoto was stored. Spike looked at the ashes that were scattered along the far wall and hoped that his Sire’s tortured mind had finally found relief. Perhaps whatever God or Powers that waited beyond knew her for the broken little girl she was, and not the vicious monster Angelus had created. Maybe they had seen her as the child ready to devote her life and love to the Lord Almighty that she had been prior to the bastard driving her insane, before finally sinking in his fangs and creating a stranglehold on her that could not be broken even in her final moments. He held the car door open as Buffy slid inside, smiling as he watched her scoot toward the middle even before he had the door shut. As he made his way around to the drivers’ side he thought about all the changes that had happened over the last few weeks. Spike shook his head. Siding with the slayer, keeping her and her little friends safe, and helping to save the world. He would never have believed anyone if they had told him how this tale would be played out. He would have probably killed anyone who suggested such a thing, but here he was driving off into the sunset with his sworn enemy. Spike felt her silent look as she pondered the closed garage door. With a grin, he gunned the engine and threw the car into gear. He delighted in her startled yelp as they shot forward, bursting through the flimsy wooden panels. He was still evil after all. Flinging his arm around her shoulders, he pulled her closer until her weary body rested alongside his. He felt some of the tension drain from her slight form he drove through the streets of Sunnydale. It’s inhabits slept on, oblivious to the events that had taken place the night before that meant their continued existence, all thanks to the brave girl at his side. They stopped at her house and he watched as she quickly climbed though her bedroom window. A few minutes later, a small bag flew out the window followed by a tree-scrambling slayer. Spike had to smile. He could tell she’d plenty of practice with that particular tree. When she returned and he asked what destination she had in mind, his heart tugging painfully as she gave a mighty yawn and snuggled closer. “Anywhere but here, Spike. Anywhere but here,” she replied as she drifted off, days and weeks of restless sleep finally catching up to her. She didn’t even notice as he mowed down the Welcome to Sunnydale sign, lost in her peaceful slumber. They stopped at a motel after sunset. She had slept most of the way, stopping only once for a bathroom break and to grab some much needed food, since she couldn’t remember the last time she had actually eaten. Spike paid for the room, resisting the urge to punch the leering clerk as his gaze moved from the car and the sleeping girl inside and back to the blond vampire. He settled for a low growl and a flash of golden eyes to cower the man. Stomping his way back outside and around the car, he marveled at how just a few weeks ago he would have eaten the man instead of paying for a room and scaring him into pissing himself. He checked the number on the key ring, amused that it seemed to be the farthest away from the office as possible. Sliding in, he turned the ignition once again to move the car directly in front of their room. “Come on, kitten. Time to wake up, we’re here.” He nudged his sleepy slayer gently. “Huh? Where’s here?” she turned her eyes, still bruised and weary, to the vampire before taking in their surroundings with a sleepy gaze. “Anywhere but here,” He stated, scooping her groggy body into his arms before kicking the door shut behind him. She giggled as she clutched at his neck. “Please tell me you didn’t get the honeymoon suite.” “Don’t think they have suites here, luv. It’s the first place I found when the sun went down enough to get out of the car,” he explained as he juggled her and the room key, trying to do both without dropping her. Crossing over the threshold, he carried her over to the bed and laid her gently down. “It’s dark out. Did you want to get something to eat?” She yawned and stretched her cramped limbs. “Not really, can we just rest a bit longer?” she asked tiredly. “Sure, anything you want, kitten.” Spike pulled off his t-shirt and kicked off his boots before he crawled onto the bed next to her and wrapped his arms around her. Buffy snuggled into his embrace, resting her head on his chest. Shyly, she raised her head to look in his eyes. “I’m glad you’re with me. I don’t think I could have made it through this without you,” she admitted before ducking her face into his shirt. He kissed the top of her head. “Me neither, pet. Me neither,” he sighed before drifting off to sleep. TBC... |