Setting: Season five, au from mid-Crush
Summary: Spike is attacked before he can reveal his true feelings to Buffy and the only way to save him involves entering his mind...
Disclaimer: All produce related related to BtVS and Ats are Joss Whedon’s property, not mine, but don’t sue me for borrowing, I’m only human *shifty eyes*
CHAPTER ONE: Eyelid’s Soundless Blink
“What happened?” Buffy asked, her expression blank as the unconscious vampire was dropped onto her living room floor.
“I just found him like this!” Dawn cried in response, the tears leaking down her cheeks, “In the cemetery. God Buffy- I thought he was dead. He *looks* dead.”
“He always looks dead.” her older sister replied, showing no real emotion as she knelt down next to the vampire. “Spike.” she said a little louder, “Can you hear me?”
“He’s really out of it.” Dawn said, letting out a choked sob, “Please don’t let him die Buffy; he’s my best friend!”
Finally, a slight amount of empathy showed up on Buffy’s face. “I’m not gonna let him die Dawnie.” she said, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze. “Promise.”
The fourteen year old girl looked only slightly relieved, her frantic stare still fixed on the closed eyes of her century old friend.
“He’s in a bad way.” Buffy commented. “I should call Giles.”
“Do you think he’ll help him?” Dawn asked, concerned about the Watcher’s reaction to a request of help for his least favorite vamp.
“If I ask him to.” Buffy said, reaching for the phone. “Don’t worry Dawn, it’ll all be fine.”
……………………………………………..
Joyce arrived home halfway through Buffy’s phone call to Giles, and had interrupted with vast amounts of screaming, to which Giles reacted with his usual amount of English-ness.
“Good Heavens, someone get that woman a brandy. I’ll be over immediately.”
So Joyce was sated with an alcoholic beverage, and Dawn too was calmed by a hot chocolate laced with something foul smelling.
“Do you know what happened to him?” Giles asked as he strolled through the front door, not ten minutes later. He regarded the unconscious vampire who’d been propped up on the Summer’s couch comfortably, and grimaced slightly, “He looks like he’s been through a rough time.”
“Must have been a fight.” Buffy agreed, “Looks like he’s been stung too. Here.” she pointed out the small wound she’d discovered earlier upon closer inspection of her sort-of-friend. “Do you know of any stinging demons?”
Giles frowned, looking closer. “Could be any number of creatures,” he said inconclusively, “Though gut instinct rules out your average bumble bee. Do you know how long he’s been comatosed?”
“Dawn found him.” Buffy said, looking over at her little sister, whose eyes had unfocused slightly at the intake of her small amount of alcohol. “Dawn, can you remember how long ago you found him?”
Eyes cleared slightly as she replied, “About an hour. It took me a while to get him here.”
“Well it certainly requires research,” Giles said, already looking for a way to extract some remnants of the poison, “If we can get Willow out here she’ll be able to cast an illuminating spell on the poison left here on Spike’s skin that will tell us exactly what he was fighting. Do you have her number at hand?”
Buffy nodded, grabbing the phone and recalling the digits as he punched them into the keypad.
“Ah yes Willow…….. Yes I do know what time it…….. No Willow, its eight thirty…….. Well I do apologize……… Yes I realize but……… There’s a spell I need you to attend to at-……… No, I don’t think you’re just useful for………. Well of course there are many fields in which you come in particularly hand……….. No, I don’t mean to patronize-”
Buffy sighed, grabbing the phone from her Watcher’s hand.
“Will, it’s me. Listen, we need your help down here. Can you make it over tonight?”
Buffy looked at her blustering Watcher and smiled.
“Great. Thanks Will. See you in ten.”
“Honestly, that girl.” Giles muttered as Buffy replaced the phone.
“She’s bringing Tara too.” Buffy said, “Twice the witchy power will probably prove to be of the good.”
The Slayer looked over at her already intoxicated mother and sister, then shook her head disapprovingly.
“Call it the Giles-effect.” she muttered.
Fifteen minutes later the two young witches were setting up their detection spell; ingredients strewn haphazardly around and over the unconscious vampire.
The poison Giles had managed to collect in a shot glass was sitting on the table like a disgusting reminder of what they were trying to find out and stop.
“Sh-Should take about t-ten minutes.” Tara said, scratching the side of her face nervously, “But I… I can read his aura right n-now and it’s not good Buffy. He looks… I don’t know, in t-turmoil.”
Buffy frowned, looking down for a moment or two. Then nodded at the pair to start their spell.
Strange Latin words were chanted over and over as the two witches performed their strange ritual. Eventually Buffy looked away; surprised by her reaction to hearing that the bleach-blond-pain-in-her-ass was in turmoil; physical or mental. She justified it by muttering aloud; “I’m the only one who’s aloud to cause him pain.”
She looked up suddenly; sensing her little sister in front of her. Dawn looked upset.
“What is it Dawnie?” Buffy asked, ignoring the rising voices coming from the next room. “Are you still worried about Spike?”
“I’m worried that you’ll let him die.” Dawn replied bluntly; locking her sister’s eyes on her own. “That you would rather see him die, because at least then you won’t have to worry about staking him.”
Buffy sighed, looking down. “Dawn, I’m not gonna let him die.” she assured; unable to meet her little sister’s eyes.
………………………………………..
“Here.” Willow said, passing Giles the piece of paper her possessed hand had written down the name of the demon who had attacked Spike on. “Glar something.” she added helpfully.
Giles looked down at the paper, and sighed in resignation.
“He’s been stung by a glarghk guhl kashma'nik demon.” he said, his tongue working around the syllables almost sympathetically as he glanced down at the unconscious vampire on the Summer’s couch. “He’s been submerged into his own mind.”
“Submerged?” Willow asked, her eyes flickering with confusion, “What do you…”
“It explains the t-turmoil.” Tara said in a small voice, “Gl-glarghk guhl kashma'nik demons inject a f-fluid personal to the individual th-they are fighting.”
“So Spike here is being subjected to something that would be personal torment to him.” Giles concluded; noting his Slayer’s small flinch. “And since he’s become fully submerged in his own mind, we can assume he was attacked some time ago.”
“We c-can also assume he hasn’t g-got much time left.” Tara added, looking sympathetically at Spike. “Eventually, the demon’s poison will k-kill him.”
“What’s the antidote?” Buffy asked, not even bothering to pretend she didn’t care.
“I don’t know.” Giles admitted, looking at the young witches who both shook their heads. “Will take a lot of research; but at least we have a name to go by now.”
“We don’t have time.” Said Dawn; her eyes fixed on the vampire who appeared to be rapidly worsening. “Buffy- you promised-”
“Actually th-there is something.” Tara said, glancing slightly at the shot glass full of demon poison. “A spell; a l-little poison.”
“What?” Buffy asked.
“Tara, I hope you’re not suggesting what I think you are.” Giles said; his voice a little stern.
The young witch flushed, but still pressed on, “I-It could b-buy us some more t-time Mr G-Giles.”
“But the risks.” the man insisted, “Definitely out-weigh the chances of it being a success.”
“C-could it be worth it?” Tara asked, looking pointedly at both Dawn and Buffy. “If it s-saved Spike’s life.”
“But we’ll be needing Buffy’s help to collect the antidote.” Giles argued, not keen to agree with what the young witch was suggesting, “The risks…”
“Are m-minimal.” Tara said; eyes blazing slightly now. “Minimal to Buffy any-”
“Okay, feeling slightly outta-the-loopy here.” Buffy said, arms crossing. “S’plainy?”
Giles and Tara locked eyes for a moment in what looked suspiciously like a glare.
Eventually Giles looked away, turning to his charge with a sigh. “Tara is suggesting you consume some of the poison that effected Spike so you too can experience his personal torment and hopefully pull him out of it. There’d have to be a spell to make sure you ended up in exactly the same place as him, and we’ve no idea how long it’d take.”
“She’ll do it.” Dawn said instantly, and Buffy blanched.
“Wait a minute Dawn,” she said, clearly hesitating, “Spike’s personal torment doesn’t sound particularly appealing right now. Isn’t there-”
“B-Buffy-” Tara said quietly, “Spike m-may not have much time left.”
The witch’s words clearly effected the young Slayer who blanched guiltily; chancing a look to her little sister who was glaring back at her defiantly with the look that showed defiance within her love for the vampire.
“If he dies,” the young girl said, “I’ll never forgive you. I’ll hate you forever Buffy.”
“You have to do what you think is right Buffy.” Willow offered in support; her voice warm. “You have to decide whether Spike is worth saving.”
Buffy nodded, her eyes drifting back to the unconscious vampire for the first time in a fair amount of time. The area around where the demon’s stinger had entered was purple and bruised; the thick veins gradually swelling. His face was battered, practically beyond recognition; and he’d clearly spent a night in his crypt after the attack, since his clothes were clean and fresh from blood. It made her wonder sadly why he hadn’t come to her.
“Buffy… You’ve known Spike four years now.” Dawn said, her voice drifting into Buffy’s mind and slowly taking her back to their first meeting; causing her to smile a tiny half smile of wistfulness. “You never told me what happened the first time you met.”
Buffy closed her eyes; knowing already what she was going to do. “He tried to kill me.” she told Dawn; still smiling wistfully. She turned to Tara. “Let’s do this.”
…………………………………..
“B-Buffy; take hands with Spike.” Tara instructed; almost smiling when she witnessed the Slayer’s aura lighten a little at the request. “Now. Here- take this.”
Buffy gulped down the vile smelling liquid with a wrinkled up nose, offering a small ‘murrgh’ once she’d finished; slamming the shot glass back down onto the table and wiping her mouth, before rejoining hands with the unconscious vampire.
“Now Willow.” Tara called, and the two witches broke out instantly into Latin chants while Giles, Dawn and slightly more sober Joyce watched on with matching looks of concern and hope on their faces.
Buffy felt her body begin to twitch, and she looked down at her hands in alarm, then back up at Spike again, only to find that he had vanished.
She looked around the room frantically hoping to see her family, but they too were gone.
She could still hear Willow and Tara’s voices, droning on and on until eventually they faded away completely and she was all alone in... She frowned slightly.
The Bronze? Spike’s personal torment involved the Bronze?
It was empty; the stage eerily quiet and vacant. No sign of Spike anywhere.
“Hello?” Buffy called cautiously, “Spike?”
She felt someone brush past her back and she span around to see a woman carrying a tray of drinks over to one of the tables, then suddenly the whole room lurched and with a flash; three people were sat at the same table; accepting the drinks as if they’d been sitting there the whole time.
Lights blared and an unexpected pump of music pulsed through her, then suddenly Buffy was standing inside a crowded club; lost in a sea of faces.
“Spike?” she called again; though her voice was lost within the mass of noise. “Spike?”
Okay, so this didn’t make sense. It was Spike’s personal torment, but the vampire in question was nowhere to be found.
Buffy’s head whipped around and in an instant, she caught sight of herself wearing the very same shirt she’d been sporting earlier that evening.
Intrigued, she took a few steps closer; watching bemused as Spike finally came into view, sitting down opposite her clone.
She couldn’t hear what the pair were saying; their voices droned out by the heavy beat of music; but she could see the hope, confusion and ultimate betrayal on the vampire’s face as the Buffy clone spoke to him.
As Spike knocked over his beer in his hasty attempt at an exit, Buffy began to shift uneasily on her feet. Suddenly it wasn’t just her outfit that seemed familiar, in fact, the whole scene seemed eerily similar to the events that had played out not half a day ago. Spike sitting down, Buffy asking him what he thought he was doing, Spike taking it to personally and leaving in a huff, Xander calling him-
“Evil Dead, you’re in my seat.”
The scene flashed back to a few moments earlier and suddenly Buffy found herself standing close enough to hear. She winced at the expression on Spike’s face.
“Evil Dead.” “Evil Dead.”
It was like a broken record playing over and over.
“Earn me a little consideration. Respect.”
“Hey evil dead; you’re in my seat.”
“Bugger it.”
Buffy watched the beer spill a third time; flinching back out of the way while Spike pushed past her as if she were merely another face in the crowd.
“I think you hurt his feelings.”
Suddenly the world lurched again and Buffy felt herself tumbling helplessly forward. She put her hands out to break her fall and felt herself contact with something soft. She looked up and found herself staring into her clone’s shocked eyes, then she blinked and the clone was gone, she was facing the other way. She looked down. She was wearing the outfit the clone had been wearing.
“Buffy?”
She looked up as Spike sat down in front of her; missing out the niceties and skipping straight to the wounded puppy look.
“Earn me a little consideration.” he said; eyes pleading with her helplessly, “Respect.”
“Hey evil dead; you’re in my seat.”
“Bugger it.” Spike said, but this time Buffy’s hand shot out and caught the beer bottle before it began it’s fourth reckless topple and inevitable spill. Spike’s hand came out a fraction of a second later and met hers. He flinched back; looking up at her with confusion.
“This isn’t how it goes.” he murmured slightly, then he leapt to his feet and left like the previous four times; though this time Buffy sat with a furrowed brow as Xander fell into the seat the vampire had been occupying.
“Xander, I think you hurt his feelings.” Anya chided, as if nothing different had happened.
“And you should never hurt the feelings of a-”
“Cold blooded killer.” Buffy finished; her eyes raising to Xander’s.
“Uh yeah, actually-” Xander said, “That’s some pretty good ad-”
The room flashed and the rest of the gang was gone. Buffy was sitting in the empty Bronze once again.
Her head whipped around and she saw Spike paying an invisible bar tender for the new beer grasped in his hand.
“Spike!” she called, and he looked over at her with confusion.
“What are you doing here?” he called back.
The room flashed once again and the sea of people restricted Spike from her view.
“Trying to save your sorry ass.” she mumbled as she climbed to her feet, ignoring the faces of her friends.
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A/N: I’m off to Africa for the next week so I’m posting these both together now as a little appetite-wetter. Please review and I’ll get chapter two up as soon as I get back (April 10th). Love and peace; wall_flower =]
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