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Written in response to Challenge #18 at the Bloodshedverse (one that I submitted
by the way).
The challenge:
BTVS Season 4
Post issue 100 of Nightwing - the comic, Dick Greyson finds himself in late
season 4 of BtVS. Dick meets a bleach-blonde Vamp fighting other vamps behind
the Bronze and jumps in to help. As time passes, Spike gets the one thing he has
never had before, a friend.
1. Every time Spike calls himself Evil, Dick makes a smartassed comments showing
he doesn't believe him and points out the number of humans the vamp saves in a
night.
2. The Scoobies first warn Dick of the evil that is Spike, then begin to think
Dick is evil as well especially since Dick has lots of money.
3. As time passes moving up towards Adam, Spike falls into the roll of hero,
more and more, finding that fighting beside the former Robin to be fun. By the
time Adam shows up, the two have developed a trust and Spike goes undercover for
Nightwing and the Scoobies.
4. Buffy doesn't want to believe Spike is a good guy, but after Adam, it gets
harder and harder to ignore as her feelings develop.
Can haves:
1. Spike offered a position with either Titans west or the Outsiders.
2. Buffy getting jealous because hero!Spike has fangirls.
Chapter One by Redwulf
The car seemed to have a mind of its on as it turned off on the road to
Sunnydale. The wind was blowing hard, its whistling could even be heard in the
car. It had been 107 hours and 15 minutes since he last slept. But even when he
tried to do so, every time he closed his eyes all he could see was the bullet
going into Roland's head, then the blood… so much blood.
He was a killer now. Sure, Roland Desmond was pure scum, but that alone did not
rationalize what had happened. He, Richard John Grayson, was supposed to be a
better man than what he had resorted to. He was Nightwing, a superhero. He had
been the first leader of the Teen Titans. He had been raised by Bruce Wayne, and
some things he just didn't do.
He looked down at the cup holder between the seats and once again contemplated
the bottle of Jack Daniels sitting there. The detective side of his brain knew
the only reason he had bought it was an attempt to mentally escape his demons
further than he could physically drive away from them. Possibly it would also
give him the courage to end it all, after all Babs hated him, or at least she
didn't really care. Bruce trusted him to do the right thing. Was that Bruce's
tactic permission to end it all? Should he? Would that solve anything??
'No', the gypsy temper in him screamed. Yet, every time thoughts of ending his
miserable existence came up, the gypsy voice got quieter. Dick Grayson had
started to wonder who in the hell really needed him. Yeah Roy, Wally and the
guys would miss him, Lian would be crushed, but was that - were they - truly
enough. None of them really needed him, and Nightwing needed more than
anything to be needed.
Sunnydale
"Spike lips, lips of Spike!" The blonde screamed as she scrambled off him. He
had no idea what was going on. Only seconds before she had been declaring her
undying love to him. Now, she was acting like this.
The look on her face reflected abject horror as she scrubbed her lips furiously
with the back of her hand. Watching her, he felt something die inside then. Only
moments ago she had loved him, but now the world - his world - had been turned
upside down.
"Buffy?" He started, but her punch to his nose cut him off. He felt more than
just her fist wounding him. Unwanted, the tears that had been suppressed since
his turning began to fall. Once again a woman had used him then rejected him. He
heard Red's voice as she kept apologizing over and over again to the woman that
was supposed to be his fiancé. He felt his unneeded breath coming in ragged
gasps.
As he found his way to his feet his demon surfaced. It ended here. No Mas. No
Bloody More. One of them died tonight, and he really hoped that it was him. He
had had enough. Spike stood again, and again Buffy swung. With the fingers of
his right hand he brushed her punch across his body. His left fist connected to
her temple with a vicious punch that rocked her world. For the first time since
he had met her he had knocked her out, but bloody hell he was paying for it in
the 'be all to end all' of migraines.
Even as he went to one knee he saw Giles charging him with a stake in his hand.
Instinct more than anything else caused his right hand to reach out and clasp
Giles' stake hand and roll him across his hip in a rolling hip toss.
Surprisingly even though Giles was incapacitated for now, no new ache assaulted
his head. Through unfocused eyes he saw the Whelp charge next, a stake held high
in his right hand. All Spike thought was how much the pain would be worth it.
His right foot came up in a classic front kick, catching Harris in the middle of
the chest and propelling him backwards. The resulting stab of pain seemed to
leave his whole body numb.
Spike could see demon bird and Red standing away from him as he fought his way
off his knees and walked once again towards Buffy. Bending down Spike took her
stake from the ground where she had dropped it and put it in her hand as she
swayed on her feet trying to regain her senses. In full game face he lowered his
face to her neck. His voice came out a pained whisper as he held Buffy's hand
with the stake over his heart.
"Live or die love, your choice." He licked the neck of the slayer that magic had
doomed him to love praying she would end him quickly.
The blood poured out of his ears and nose, as she looked up at him with contempt
in her eyes. "NO!"
She pushed him harshly away. She was quickly regaining her strength now. "Come
back when you want to live Spike." She threw the stake to the ground at his
feet. "I won't kill you now; you're beneath me."
Spike stumbled to his feet and grabbed up the stake. Moving too quickly for her
to stop, he ran out of the crypt and off into the night.
Sunnydale outside the Bronze
The black car pulled to the curb, even the Hero inside needed human contact on
occasion. He had a simple plan; he would get stone cold drunk and then patrol.
Leave everything in the hands of fate for the first time in his life washing his
hands of the need to think or feel his way through. Yeah, that should do it.
Dick Grayson sauntered into the club a bit more Robbie Malone than Dick Grayson.
He was feeling loose and dangerous and it showed. It had been three days since
he had taken the time to shave, and his scraggly appearance lent him a dangerous
air. Moving like the Gotham predator he was, people stepped out of his way,
seemingly without thinking.
//Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of hell, I am the Eldest
Son of the Bat. And you really don't want to fuck with me. // This mantra rang
in his mind. He heard Two-Face's gruff voice and Joker's insane giggling. What
could this tiny two-bit town in the middle of nowhere have for him to fear?
Spike only ran as far as the edge of the cemetery
knowing Buffy didn't think him important enough to chase now. It hurt. He was
toothless, and yet they still sought to humiliate him. He didn't know what spell
that they had used to neuter him, but when he found out Buffy was dead as well
as her Scooby friends.
//Bloody Hell! // He couldn't even lie to himself. He knew he was well and truly
whipped by a woman destined to kill his kind, to a woman that saw him as beneath
him, again. The tears ran down his cheeks like a river off a rockslide. Once
again, he was the joke; the one everyone thought was funny. It hurt like hell.
Once again his demon fought its way to the fore; Honor demanded that he die
tonight, and the Bronze was always full of young vamps. Injured as he was and
with the spell to keep him from even defending himself he would be an easy kill,
give some fledgling an easy rep.
The Bronze
Dick had finished his bottle of Jack and started on Jim, Jim Bean that is. Due
to his lack of rest and alcohol consumption he was getting giddy, giddy but sad.
Like all giddy, sad drunks he began to reflect on how strange it was really that
since moving to Bludhaven, both his fighting skills and his detective skills had
seemed to dwindle. However when he saw the young coed pass in front of a mirror
with her older boyfriend, he realized immediately that she was a Vampire. True,
he had only seen two or three but that was enough to know them. He staggered to
his feet cursing his own stupidity; someone else might die because he was
feeling sorry for himself. He walked by the pool table as he left grabbing a
pool cue and breaking it on the way out.
Running through mind clearing exercises he again cursed himself for drinking so
much. Praying he could live long enough to save one more life. He heard an
animalistic roar as he opened the rear door.
Alleyway behind the Bronze.
Of all the vamps he could have met tonight it had to be bloody Harmony leading a
poor unsuspecting victim back out of the Bronze. He just didn't bloody believe
it! She had twenty or more Vamps with her to one victim. That was just bloody
lazy and an insult to his kind. Spike saw the travesty in front of him and
something inside seemed to snap. All of his insecurities, his recent handicaps,
and the bloody spell - all seemed to have led him to this moment.
Fledglings hunting in a bloody pack, to paraphrase the Slayer it made him wanna
hurl. With a roar he was on them, ripping off Harmony's head as he passed. Then
suddenly someone stepped up behind him protecting his back.
Dick saw the white haired vamp attack the others and
made a snap judgment, the kind that had been saving his life since he was 8
years old. He staked the vamp between him and 'Whitey' and stepped behind him.
He began to put every bit of skill he had into watching the 'man's' back, the
same way he had watched Batman's and his fellow Titans for so many years.
For Spike it was a completely new experience. Having someone guarding his back
without a second thought. The warrior behind him, whoever he was, was good,
possibly the best Spike had ever seen and as the fight continued they fell into
a rhythm that was surprising to the Vamp. Oh sure, he and Angelus had fought
side by side before, but never had it been anything like this. It was funny
really; the two had dispatched most of the Vampires before Spike even noticed
his head wasn't hurting. Matter of fact besides the blood loss from earlier, he
felt damn good.
Dick saw it almost too late. One of the vamps they were fighting had thrown a
broom handle like a spear toward the warrior at his back. Without thinking he
moved to intercept it, barely able to catch it before it hit 'Whitey'. As he
tumbled over his partner he redirected his attack and staked two vamps.
Spike was surprised that he actually felt the man behind him moving. He turned
just as the hero came forward, catching the vamp, who had thrown the spear as he
rushed in with a quick staking. Spike was bouncing on the balls of his feet,
loving the fight. They were down to only two vamps when the pair broke and ran.
Even as the attackers began to run, Dick was on his knees emptying his stomach.
The lack of sleep, the vast amount of consumed alcohol and the sudden movements
recently executed rendered him nearly helpless as he puked up his guts. When he
felt the cool hand on his shoulder he looked up into Whitey's eyes and saw the
amusement that danced within their ice blue depths. At that very moment, he
decided that when he could stand again he was gonna punch this guy. For some
reason the guy reminded him of Roy.
Spike turned to his companion even as the young man began to puke his guts out.
From the smell of it, the guy had drunk a brewery. Still he had saved Spike's
life and the Master Vamp couldn't help feel grateful for that, even if he had
originally come here to die. He placed his hand on the man's shoulder and
couldn't help the smile as the boy's face turned up. His face was a bit on the
green side.
Then the rest of the man's scent hit him. He had seen and smelt this one in New
York, a few years ago when the then kid named Robin was fighting some redheaded
bloke that had a forehead that was even bigger than Angel's.
"Bloody Hell, where are your littler feathered shorts? You poofter." Spike
couldn't keep the amusement out of his voice.
//Oh man, yeah. // Dick thought to himself. // Definitely another Harper. How
could anyone deserve this? //
Riley had watched in the shadows as the two males had worked as a well-oiled
machine taking down the vamps he had so painstakingly set up for capture by the
Initiative. They were good, beyond good. He was hitting his wrist communicator
almost non-stop trying to get help. The blonde he had recognized as Hostile
Seventeen, but the unknown black headed hostile with him looked to be at least
as dangerous. He was hoping back up would arrive before they turned their
attention towards him.
Spike helped the other man to his feet almost laughing at the former Robin's
pissed off look. The younger man was still barely able to stand.
"Wot the bloody hell were you doin' out here?" He asked as he looked around the
alley.
"Trying to save him," Dick pointed at Riley, "from ending up vamp chow."
"Well…" Spike trailed off as he got a good whiff of Finn, "but you weren't in
any danger were you, soldier boy?"
Spike's game face came forward as he stalked towards the cowering trooper. Dick
watched as the boy pulled a Taser from his jacket, but after seeing his
companion fight he wasn't too worried till he too looked around and saw the
others closing on them dressed in commando gear. He was already voicing a
warning for his companion when they began drawing weapons. Dick did the only
thing he could under the circumstances; he body tackled the Vampire to the
ground yet not quite ahead of the barrage of Taser fire.
Even the second hand electric blast Spike received was nearly enough to knock
him out. Still he fought through it once he saw his friend knocked almost out.
Spike grabbed the former Robin around the waist and threw him over his shoulder.
He ran towards the commandoes. As they were reloading, he jumped over them
careening off the wall above them to change directions. He had no idea where he
was going, but he intended to get there in a hurry.
Dick fought to stay conscious as the vamp carried him. His hand flew to his
pocket and grabbed his car keys; as they neared the car he hit the button and
the door opened. "There," he said drawing Spike's attention to the car.
Spike made a mad dash to the car sliding in and putting Dick in the passenger
seat, closing the door just ahead of pursuing gunfire.
The car started instantly and went from zero to a hundred so fast that even with
his super strength Spike was plastered to the front seat.
"Bloody hell, I gotta get me one of these."
Babs hadn't yet signed on officially as Oracle when
the alarm sounded. Someone else was driving Dick's car, as she turned on the
visuals she became terrified when the computer informed her that a Vampire was
in the car with Dick.
//Dick, what have you got your self into now? //
~tbc~