Pairing: Spillow Spike and Willow
Disclaimer: Though I would love to own the characters in this story
I don't.
..but the story line is mine.
Summary: Mixed signals can hurt you, and sometimes the hurt is all that
can
make you realize how lucky you've been.
Spoilers: I believe only a little bit of Season 4 and some of Season
7 of
Buffy, sorry if I'm off.
Rating: Possibly PG13 for fighting.
Authors Comments: This is my first story ever, so please send me comments
kind or otherwise...if I don't get them then I won't know if I should
continue or stop. A big thanks to everyone for all the comments
last time,
they really meant a lot to me.
This part is mostly Spike, just so everyone knows before they start.
The song for this part is Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls
~~*~~*~~***~~*~~*~~
It took months of hard work, searching for ways,
but eventually, Spike
was able to find a woman powerful enough to send him back to his own
time.
It had taken a lot of explaining on his part, but finally, the dark
woman
(who wouldn't even allow him a glimpse of her face) decided he had
proven
himself worthy and sent him back to Sunnydale, and she had even been
kind
enough to drop him off on Willow's balcony at night.
Looking in the windows of the French doors, he watched
her sleep for
several minutes. He longed to go in and wrap his arms around
her, to tell
her he was sorry and explain why he had been getting drunk and feeling
so
off.
In that time, he hadn't been able to eat completely
right (at least
without her finding out), and it had always upset her to know about
his
feeding habits. Coming home drunk had made it so that she didn't
ask as
many questions. it had just seemed easier. He hadn't realized
he was
hurting her. He thought he was protecting her, and that she enjoyed
the
freedom and distance he gave her.
Reluctantly, he pulled himself away from the windows
and headed off into
the night. He needed to do something big for her, to make her
trust him
again. Perhaps...he didn't know if it was possible, but maybe
if he got a
soul like his grand-sire Angel, well...maybe that would make things
better
between them. Stealing the first vehicle he saw, a large car
with tinted
windows, Spike raced out of town without a single look back.
And I'd give up forever to touch you
'Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now
And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
'Cause sooner of later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight
And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
His destination had been Africa. There were
mystical caves there, ruled
by a special demon. if you passed three of his randomly chosen
tests, he
would grand you a wish. Finding the caves wasn't difficult, all
Spike had
to do was ask a few demons who owed him favors, and he was there.
The first test started upon his arrival, twenty or
so angry demons
determined to kill him came from all directions. They were bigger
than him,
but not as strong, and nowhere near as intelligent. They had
large clawed
hands, and a mouth with what looked like sharks teeth in it, as well
as a
good deal of slime. Looking around he searched for some sort of weapon.
A
sword was left across a boulder so Spike grabbed it, swinging harshly,
attempting to chop off the other demons heads (since that was how much
demons were killed). The problem was that each time he killed
one by
decapitating them, the two halves regenerated, forming two demons in
the
place of one.
After seemingly hours of fighting with, by now, quite
literally hundreds
of demons sent to kill him, Spike was sure that he knew their weakness.
While the common practice of decapitation didn't work, piercing one
through
the heart did. It took a while, but eventually he made it through,
with
only minimal damage to himself *bruises, cuts and a few cracked ribs).
"Is that all you got?" Spike yelled down into
the depths of the caves.
At first, there was no response. He had to wonder if this was
a time for
him to rest, or it it had all been a joke to see how far he would go
to get
what he wanted. Then, he heard it. The light sound of ticking,
as it came
closer he was better able to name it, the sound of bugs moving.
Bugs, but
not just a few, like he was use to hearing with his vampire sense,
but many,
many more. The were coming from the direction in which he had
just yelled.
Using all of his enhanced vision he attempted to see what was coming,
it
took a few seconds, minutes, but soon enough he saw them. Thousands
(well,
who really knows how many, there wasn't time to count them individually),
cockroach-like bugs were coming his way.
Smirking in his bad boy way, Spike began to chuckle,
finally having to
sit down due to his instability. Bugs? That was the best
this demon could
send at him? he was a bloody demon, a master vampire...part of
the Scourge
of Europe, and he was suppose to view a few bugs as a threat?
The bugs didn't seem to notice his laughter, they
just began crawling
over and up his feet, his legs, up and up until they could reach his
exposed
flesh, then they began the painful process of burrowing into him.
That was
the first time he screamed.
And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything feels like the movies
Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive
Spike's voice was growing hoarse, his screams painful
in their own right
he could feel the bugs, each of them, creeping and crawling
under his skin
eating away at his ever-healing flesh. He didn't think
things could
possibly get worse. He could hardly move, let alone squish the
bugs or pull
them out of himself. Glancing up when he thought he felt something
nearby,
his eyes met the sight of a demon half over his size with glowing,
fiery
fists. Forcing himself to ignore the bus within him, Spike stood,
preparing
to defend himself. The demon didn't speak to him, just began
to use Spike
as a punching bad, burning his already abused flesh, and to Spike's
surprise
also killing the bugs.
Spike felt fortunate, yes his skin was burned harshly,
but the fiery
demon was killing the bugs that he couldn't. Using this to his
advantage,
Spike waited until all the bugs had either been burned out, or crawled
out
on their own, before picking up his sword again. In his weakened
state he
didn't enjoy the fight as much as usual, and finished it as quickly
as he
could, stabbing the fire-fisted demon through the heart, and then proceeded
to collapse onto the cave floor.
And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
Footsteps echoed through the cave, heading towards
the tired, wounded
vampire. Opening the eye that was less swollen, Spike could see
a gigantic,
blue glowing demon staring down at him. "Bloody 'ell,"
Spike muttered,
while he tried to push himself up. He assumed that this would
be his third
challenge, that since he had not truly beaten the bugs on his own,
the fire
demon or bugs might not count.
"You have passed my three challenges, vampire.
What is your wish?" The
demon's voice was loud and echoed even more than his foot falls had.
Spike stared at the demon, shocked. he had
been so sure that he would
have to get up and fight again. "I..." Spike started, but
his voice failed
him half way through the first word he uttered, "I want Red to forgive
me, I
want to be good enough for 'er love."
The demon smiled (evilly or otherwise Spike couldn't
tell, due to his
poor, painful swollen eyes), being known as Iris, for his ability to
see so
much of both the past and future, he was also known for giving a person
what
they asked for, but literally so, not taking in what you really mean
or want
Reaching down he laid his great hand across Spike's chest. A
raw, painful
scream passed him lips as light burst into him.
I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
Spike had wanted his soul back. it wasn't something
that a vampire
would normally ask for, but he knew how much it had helped Angel get
Buffy,
and he thought that with a soul Willow might be able to trust him again.
Instead of giving him soul, Iris gave him the ability
to see truth in
lies, and simple advice, "Tell her the truth." Behind him the
woman stood
smiling and nodding at what he had done, then she slowly faded back
into the
depths of the caves, never once allowing Spike to see her.