Disclaimer: The characters used in this story are not mine they belong to Joss Whedon, Warner Bros, Mutant Enemy, Kuzui Enterprises and whoever else owns them. The only thing I own is the idea behind the story.
Pairing: References to B/R but B/A
Timeline: 4th Season, Angel and Cordy have moved to L.A, Buffy is with Riley, Spike has been chipped and everyone knows about the initiative.
Feedback: I’d love it and you can flame if you want but I won’t guarantee I’ll take any notice of it.

Sunnydale Cemetary

Buffy is out patrolling with Riley, Spike watches from the Shadows.

“Why can’t you just accept that not all demons are evil?” Buffy was getting annoyed at how Riley always saw things in black and white, good and bad, with no room for the grey areas in life.

“Because they’re not natural, they aren’t human.”

“Hey, that’s no way to talk about a person!” Spike walked out from the trees, assuming an innocent hurt expression.

“Go away Spike. I don’t feel like arguing with you tonight.” Buffy’s voice was resigned, this was turning out to be the patrol from hell, she wondered what else could go wrong.

“Why Slayer I’m hurt that you think I only came here to fight with you. I came to annoy commando boy here.” Now Spike was looking mischievous, an expression that never boded well in Buffy’s opinion

Riley jumped back in eager to defend his point of view. “I mean look at him,” he said pointing to Spike, “even with that chip in his head he’s still evil.”

“So what? I like being evil. It’s fun isn’t it Slayer? You should try it sometime.” He laughed at fish boy who was making horrible choking noises and the Slayer who was looking a little guilty.

“Well I believe my work here is done, I’ll be heading back to my crypt now.” With a huge grin on his face Spike turned to walk away when suddenly a huge bloody demon attacked the threesome, who had been so intent on their argument they hadn’t noticed the thing’s approach.

It went for Spike first, a sword slicing through his stomach and then throwing him amongst the trees, out of the way.

The demon turned next to Riley but Buffy was already on the job, kicking and punching as only the Slayer could but the demon was very good seeming to have no weaknesses that she could find and Buffy was quickly tiring while Riley stood frozen.

“Do something you wanker!” Spike yelled at Riley trying to snap him out of his stupor to help Buffy. The wound in his stomach was big and would take a while to heal but still he got up to go to the aid of the Slayer who was getting beaten and slashed by the demon, not having enough energy to properly defend herself.

While Spike tried to distract the beast Riley finally woke up enough to pick up Buffy and start running with her to a hospital.

Spike decided to give up the fight for the moment and went running after the Slayer and that pansy-assed boy. When he caught up to them he grabbed the Slayer and ran, using all of his supernatural strength to get her to the nearest hospital, not caring if the idiot made it or not. He looked down at the Slayer and realised she was in a very bad way. Her healing abilities weren’t helping much at all.

Soon the entire Scooby Gang was assembled in Buffy’s room, looking down in horror at the condition she was in.

“I hate to say it but shouldn’t someone call dead-boy?” Xander asked putting his hostility aside in his concern for Buffy.

“No need. Angelus will be here any minute.” Spike responded using his sire’s full name deliberately as he knew the state he would be in when he arrived.

Suddenly Riley, who had been standing by the door was thrown across the room by Angel as he made his way to Buffy’s bedside.

“What the hell happened to her?” He growled the question at Spike, who he knew was involved by his injury. The others all just looked at him in shock, for at that moment he looked like Angelus, his eyes promising retribution and death. They had never seen him this way before. Only Spike, who had lived with Angelus for a hundred years or so, knew that his reaction was caused by anguish rather than evilness, it was in his eyes.

Angel growled again and Spike began his explanation.

“We were in the cemetary, her, me and commando boy, when this great bloody demon attacked us. He sliced my stomach with a sword and then beat up your pet. I distracted it long enough to get her out of there and brought her here.”

Angel was fighting for control as he stroked his beloved’s hand praying for her to wake up. His face had reverted to his normal human features but he couldn’t contain a low, threatening growl as he imagined the parts Spike had left out.

“How’s your stomach?” He asked Spike, as he knew he would need his childe’s help in killing the thing that had dared to lay its hand on his Buffy.

“It’s almost healed by now,” he said with an evil smirk anticipating Angel’s next question and his response to the answer.

“You said someone else was with you, what happened?”

“Yeah you didn’t say anything about fish-boy.” Added Xander, clued in that something was up by Spike’s grin.

The others looked curiously from Riley, who was cowering in a corner, to Spike, waiting for an explanation.

“Well after slicing open my stomach, very painful by the way, the demon went for the pansy-assed wanker over there but the Slayer got in his way, more’s the pity. While she was fighting for her life he just stood there and did nothing. There’s not a scratch on him.”

“Well we’ll just have to remedy that situation won’t we?” The group except for Spike once again stepped back as Angel let the demon inside him loose, this time in sheer fury, and watched as he picked up Riley and began systematically hitting him over and over again even when he lost consciousness. Spike, Xander and Anya were watching with glee, Giles felt a savage satisfaction that the betrayal of his Slayer was being avenged and Willow, while knowing that Riley was only getting what he deserved had to turn away from the horrific sight.

Angel felt a change in Buffy’s coma-like state through the bond they shared and dropped the pitiful, nearly dead boy to the floor as he rushed back to Buffy’s side.

“Angel?” She whispered as her eyes fluttered open.

“I’m here Buffy. I’ll never leave you again, I promise.”

“It hurts,” she moaned painfully.

“I know darling, I know. Is there anything I can do?” Anguished over his mate’s pain he desperately wanted to help her.

“Kill the demon for me.” Her eyes closed as she again slipped into unconsciousness.

“I promise. I’ll kill it for you and I’ll make it painful I swear upon my soul.” He kissed Buffy’s forehead the turned to face the others saying,

“Stay with her, keep her safe. Spike let’s go.” He didn’t wait for an answer as he purposefully strode out of the hospital.

Spike quickly caught up with Angel, saying as they walked, “I’m sorry mate. How are you planning to kill this thing anyway? It’s pretty good, though not a match for the Scourge of Europe and William the Bloody right?”

“Right I’ll kill this thing even if I have to die doing it, which isn’t really an option since I told Buffy I wouldn’t leave her again. And I have the perfect weapon to do it with.” Angel gave a savage smile that almost made Spike pity the demon.

“What is it?”

“It’s the sword Buffy sent me to hell with.”

They were silent until they reached the site of the fight and then Angel quickly outlined the plan of attack as he could feel the demons presence not far away.

“Ok here’s the plan. You distract it and I’ll move in for the kill.”

“Hey now what sort of plan is that? I could get killed!” Spike wasn’t happy and didn’t mind showing it.

“Just do it Spike or I’ll kill you myself.”

“Fine if that’s how you’re going to be. Well here goes,” he grumbled as he faced down the demon. He decided to test its reaction to insults first.

“Hey you wanker, let’s see if you can take me again without surprise being on your side!”

“You are no match for me vampire.” It growled arrogantly.

“Yeah, well come on then let’s go at it ugly.”

The demon seemed to take exception to the ugly bit and moved in to attack. Spike ducked its first punch and the fight was on. While the two traded blows, Spike continued to insult the demon glad that he didn’t need to breathe, trying to keep it oblivious to Angelus’ presence as he came up behind it.

Angel raised the sword and brought it down through the demons back, then again and again slashing through the demons limbs so that it couldn’t fight back. He raised the sword one last time saying, “game over buddy. Nothing touches my girl!” Then with one swift stroke neatly decapitated the demon and watched with satisfaction as it turned to slime.

As Angel reached down to help Spike off the ground, the peroxide vampire stated complaining.

“It took you long enough to start hacking into the thing didn’t you? What were you waiting for it to kill me first?”

“Now Spike quit whining, it’s dead and you’re still undead. Come on I want to get back to Buffy.

The two vampires amazed everyone by acting friendly towards each other, even smiling and joking as they walked into Buffy’s hospital room. They saw that Buffy was awake once more and Angel went to her side, stroking her hair and looking lovingly into her eyes.

“How do you feel?” He asked gently.

“Better now that it’s dead, I’m healing quicker.”

“But it will still be a while before she can leave the hospital.” Interrupted Giles knowing how she hated hospitals but determined to keep her there until she was fully healed.

“That’s alright, Spike and I will patrol while Buffy’s recovering.” Angel addressed the watcher’s concern.

“Oh really peaches? And do I get any say in this?” Asked Spike sarcastically.

“No you don’t.”

“Oh bloody hell, I knew I’d regret helping the Slayer and this is the thanks I get.”

“Thank you Spike. You saved my life. You can have free blood for a year.” Buffy offered.

“Well now that’s more like it,” Spike responded happily.

“Um guys, uh what about Riley?” Willow asked noticing that he was waking in the corner from Angel’s beating.

“I vote we let dead-boy torture him for being such a coward.” Xander gave his opinion.

“Sounds great to me,” added Spike.

“Buffy?” Angel looked to his love for how she wanted him to handle it.”

“I think we should torture him a little, but we shouldn’t kill him just teach him a lesson.”

At this Riley looked up at the grinning faces around him in sheer terror, remembering what Hostile 17 said about it being good to be evil, and died from shock right then.

Spike checked for his pulse, found none and said to the others, “Bloody hell, he’s dead! Now I can’t see him tortured, it’s not fair!”

The gang looked at Spike’s crestfallen face then each other and burst out laughing.

Eventually Spike joined in, “oh well, at least I got to see Angelus beat the shit out of him,” Spike thought to himself.

Send feedback to Charmaine

Back to the Fanfiction Archive