Pairing: Willow/Spike
Rating: PG
Summary: Someone is in the hospital....
Distribution: redssoulmates, poetry-in-motion
Feedback: always--send it!
Disclaimer: Don't sue. I don't own any of the characters. I don't make any money from it. All credit goes to Joss and the creators.
Spoilers: no real spoilers for this fic
Notes: no specific notes
Thanks to Elisabeth for the beta!!!
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Willow looked through the glass panel window to the hospital bed that Xander was currently resting in. The emotional pain throughout her body was so intense, she didn't remember what it was like not to hurt. When did life become so complicated? When did it not hurt so much?
Three days earlier, the group had been in a simple fight. There had only been two Quidan demons. Simple beheading. Truth was, everyone probably didn't need to be there. Everyone shouldn't have been there. As they set into battle mode, Buffy decapitated one, while Spike took out the other one. Both demons were killed within seconds.
Just as they turned around to leave, they were attacked again. More specifically, Xander was attacked. The third demon grabbed him from behind. The group watched as a single touch from the demon drained the young man of his life force. Only seconds had passed, but if felt like forever. By the time they stepped forward to kill the demon, it had already dropped Xander's lifeless body to the ground.
Now standing in the hospital, Willow felt helpless. She knew it was sometime after sundown, her friends had left hours ago. She just couldn't leave yet. A voice from behind her pulled her out of her thoughts.
"He was brave, pet."
"Brave doesn't always keep you alive, Spike."
"He had his strengths." Spike took a few steps towards Willow and stood next to her. "Just like you, Red. Have to have strength to last this long on the Hellmouth."
"I'm not."
"Not always about physical strength."
"He's my best friend, Spike. Before Buffy. Before we knew about the evil that comes out at night. It was always me and him."
"I know," he said quietly.
"Why do things always have to change? It shouldn't have been him. He doesn't deserve this!"
Spike wanted to comfort her, but the truth was.this kind of death was new to him. He was always causing it and now he was on the other side of death.
"You can hear him, can't you?"
Her question confused him. "What?"
Willow turned to face Spike. "His heartbeat. You can hear it, right?"
"I can hear it, pet."
She gazed back at Xander, her eyes starting to water. "It's getting slower, isn't it?"
At that very moment he wanted to lie to her, but he couldn't. "Yeah," he whispered.
Willow let the tears fall as she turned and buried her face in Spike's chest.
Spike was more than a bit surprised that she had allowed herself to be so vulnerable in front of him. He wrapped his arms around her shaken body and held her close. "Sshh, luv." And it was at that very moment he felt remorse and guilt. Not for his victims but for the people that surrounded them. Their family. Their friends. He knew what they felt because Willow was going through the same thing.
Willow looked up at Spike. Her eyes were red and her face splotchy. "This is it," she said sounding defeated. "He's dying and I can't save him."
He brushed the pad of his thumb across her face, wiping away the tears that lingered. "Sometimes, luv.people are not meant to be saved."
"It's not fair," she pouted.
"Life rarely is."
"He was good.decent."
"And he'll remain so. Just because he's dying.when he's gone, he's not really. You'll always carry a piece of him within you. You'll always care for him."
"When I wanted to give up.to fall, he was my rock."
Spike was silent for a long while before he spike up. "Let me," he finally whispered.
"Let you what?"
Spike looked down at the girl in his arms. "Let me be that for you. Your rock. I don't want to replace him. I just want to be there for you. To be in your life. To protect you. To keep you from falling and giving up." He knew her answer would be yes when she wrapped her arms around him and held on tight.
Sometimes all you need in your life is that one person. Not love, but a rock. Someone to always be there for you. Someone you can turn to, depend on. Someone whose strength comes through. Someone to keep you from falling.
THE END