Title: Fluffy Intervention (Ep 20 of the Fluffy Files)

Author: Hilary

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: Everything I have borrowed from Joss.

Author's Notes: From now on I won't be taking the episodes in chronological order. If you want to vote for which episode is done next then go here <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FluffyPolls/join> As always assume the episode has run as normal up until the point I start writing.

Dedications: Thanks to Becca, Isabelle and Shoshanna for taking a look at this before I inflicted it on the helpless public ;) Love you guys

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Oh Spike! You're the big bad! You're the BIG bad!"

Xander and Anya was in dumb horror as Buffy continued her movements, her skirt spread around Spike like some sort of blanket while the vampire lay beneath her in silent ectasy.

"I can't watch this anymore." Xander finally whispered, looking as though he was about to throw up. "Let's head back."

Anya nodded mutely, her eyes still fixed on the couple and unable to look away.

"Come on!" Xander hissed, finally grabbing her by the arm and dragging her away.

Trying to blot out the moans of pleasure still coming from the cemetery the couple hurriedly headed back to Xander's apartment to tell the others what they'd seen.

"I can't believe it." Xander kept repeating over and over again as they walked. "I can't believe it."

"I know." Anya agreed. "Imagine the stamina those two must have. I bet they can go on like that for hours."

"ANYA!" Xander cried, covering his ears. "That is really not something I want to imagine right now."

She shrugged. "I was only saying, it's understandable that she would go to him. There's not many men who could deal with her sort of strength."

"But it's Spike!" Xander said, shuddering with horror as he remembered yet again what he'd seen.

The apartment came into view and Xander sped up, anxious to tell the others what he'd seen before he had some sort of internal explosion.

"Guys! Are you awake?" He called, banging open the door and running inside.

Willow and Tara immediately sat up from the couch.

"What happened?" Willow asked, with concern "Is everything alright? Is Anya hurt?"

Anya joined Xander. "We just saw something."

"Oh?" Willow asked, glancing at Tara who looked equally interested.

"Buffy's having some sort of breakdown. We just saw her in the cemetery."

Now Willow and Tara looked confused. "Well, I didn't expect her back so soon, but what's wrong with her being in the cemetery? She goes there a lot."

"Yeah, but she's not usually having sex with Spike." Anya replied.

Willow looked blank for a moment as what she'd just heard filtered from her ear to her brain. Then her eyes widened with a combination of shock and horror. "Buffy was what?"

Xander nodded. "She was straddling Spike in the middle of the cemetery....and there were.....noises."

Willow slumped down a little; her brow furrowed as she tried to process what she was hearing, part of her not wanting to believe it. "And you're sure it was her?"

Xander nodded.

"And you're sure it was Spike?"

Xander nodded again.

"Well....Buffy has gone through a lot....maybe this is some sort of reaction to her grief."

Tara nodded. "When my mom died, I did all kinds of stupid things. Her emotions are probably all confused at the moment. We should talk to her when she gets home, but make it clear that we're not judging her, just that we want to help."

A knock at the door brought them out of their thoughts and they looked up nervously. With Buffy clearly not herself there was a chance it would be up to them to protect Dawn should anything happen.

As the door opened slowly, the gang braced themselves.

"Guys, are you awake?" Buffy whispered, slipping inside as quietly as she could.

The others jumped apart at the sound of her voice and tried their best to look casual

"Buffy, you're back." Willow squeaked nervously, shooting a glance at the others.

"Yeah, the vision questing gig didn't take as long as I'd thought. I was going to head straight home but I thought I'd check on Dawn first. I know it's late but-"

She stopped when she noticed that everyone was staring at her. "What?"

"Buffy, we need to talk to you." Willow said gently, trying to sound as non-judgemental as possible.

Buffy jumped up from her seat, looking anxious. "Is it Dawn? Did something happen to her?"

"No, Dawn's fine."

Buffy relaxed and sat back down. "Ok, what's up?"

Xander moved forward slowly, almost as if he was worried she was going to lunge at him or something. "Anya and I saw you in the cemetery tonight."

Buffy frowned. "What?"

"It's ok." He said quickly. "We understand you're going through a lot and we want to help."

"We just want you to know that you're not alone, and if you want to talk to us about anything then you can, even if you think we won't approve." Willow added.

Buffy looked confused. "Guys, what are you talking about?"

"You and Spike." Anya said, getting to the point since no one else seemed willing to do it.

Buffy blinked, looking at them like they were all crazy. "Who and huh?"

"It's ok, Buffy." Willow said. "You don't need to pretend anymore. Xander and Anya saw you."

"Yeah, we understand why you would want to go to Spike." Xander added.

"Ok, what is going on? Giles only dropped me off a few minutes ago. What's all this about Spike?"

A stupefied silence fell over the group.

"You weren't in the cemetery?" Willow asked.

"Um, nooooooo, not tonight anyway."

"But-but we saw you." Xander stammered. "Me and Anya. We saw you and Spike making with the straddling."

Buffy raised an eyebrow. "You saw me and Spike doing what?"

Anya nodded. "We both saw you."

Buffy stood up. "I don't know what you saw, but I have a feeling Spike's got the answers. I think I should pay him a little visit. Are you guys ok keeping an eye on Dawn for a little longer?"

Willow nodded. "Sure."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Xander asked. "Provide a little back up?"

"It's ok, I think I can handle this. I just want to know what's going on."

As she headed out of the door the others relaxed.

"I knew she'd never do anything crazy like have sex with Spike." Xander said smugly, earning disbelieving looks from the rest of the group.

"What?"

* * *

"Shall I start this programme over?" The Buffybot asked as she finished what she was doing.

Spike winced. No matter how hard he tried to pretend, this was never going to be the real Buffy. Sure, she looked like Buffy, and sounded like her, but there was something about her that seemed a little off. Maybe it was the clothes that she was wearing, or maybe it was the ridiculous smile plastered on her face.

But if there was one thing his hundred plus years on the earth had taught him it was that beggars can't be choosers. The real Buffy was never going to love him, and if this robot was the closest he could get to her then he was going to make what he could of it. Deep down he knew it would never be enough, but what other choice did he have?

* * *

As Spike's crypt came into view Buffy wondered what Spike was going to have to say for himself. He was up to something, of that much she was certain. She was also certain that she wasn't going to like what he had to say, but then she never did.

Banging the door open she marched in and stopped dead in her tracks. Spike was there alright, but he wasn't alone.

The girl wearing her face saw her first and flashed a beaming smile.

"Hey, you look just like me! We're very pretty."

The smile said it all. Buffy now knew exactly what Xander and Anya has seen. And she was not happy

Spike turned slowly and grimaced when he saw Buffy stood in the doorway.

"Oh, bloody hell."

Buffy moved inside, keeping her eyes locked on the couple.

"Pet, go downstairs and stay there until I call you, ok." He said to the Buffybot.

"Ok!" She smiled and quickly climbed down the ladder, closing the door behind her.

Slowly he turned to face Buffy. "Buffy, I-"

Her fist shot out and connected sharply with his jaw. "You know, I thought chaining me up in your basement was an all time low for you. Looks like you managed to take it that one step further"

Spike sighed. "It wasn't supposed to....I just-"

"Just what? Wanted a sex toy because the real thing wouldn't touch you if her life depended on it?" Buffy interrupted.

"I just wanted to be close to some part of you." Spike said softly, at least having the decency to look ashamed.

"Did you ask for her to be that way?" She asked, the words coming out of her mouth before she could even think about them.

"What?" Spike asked, knowing that whatever he said at this point was going to result in a stake through the heart

"Did you ask for her to be programmed like that? All happy and smiley?"

The question of whether he wanted her to be like that hung in the air, unasked yet understood.

"Slayer....Buffy, I-"

"You'll excuse me of interrupting." A third voice said. "But I'd like to borrow your friend for a moment, slayer."

Buffy and Spike both turned to see a dozen or more of Glory's minions stood in the doorway of Spike's crypt. They quickly shot each other a look, silently communicating the fact that they were going to need to fight together in order to get out of this.

"Sorry." Buffy quipped. "But I'm not done with him yet."

The minion at the front smiled. "Well, that's a shame. I was hoping not to have to resort to this."

Before either of them knew what was happening two of the other minions pulled out a tranquilliser gun each and pointed them at the two.

"Pleasant dreams." The leader smiled and with that the two minions fired, a small dark imbedding itself in both Buffy and Spike's necks. The effects were instantaneous and both of them sank to the floor, unconscious before their bodies even hit the ground.

"Take him."

Two of the minions moved forward and gathered Spike up.

"What about the Slayer?" One of them asked.

"Leave her. Glorificus will want her unharmed. For now."

As quickly as they had arrive, the minions left again, carrying Spike with them.

* * *

"Spike?" The Buffybot called, emerging from the lower part of the crypt after about half an hour. "I know you told me to wait but I missed you. Your dark, sinister attraction was calling me and I couldn't resist it any longer."

She looked around the crypt, seeing no sign of the vampire. "Spike?"

It was then that she stumbled across Buffy. "Hello girl who looks like me. Have you seen Spike?"

The unconscious slayer remained silent.

"Have you seen Spike?" The robot asked again.

Still no response.

The robot knelt down beside Buffy and pulled her up into sitting position. "Your body is all limp. You look like you need servicing. I shall take you to Willow. She's good with computers. She can fix you. Maybe Spike will be there."

Picking Buffy up as though she weighed nothing, the robot made her way out of Spike's crypt and through the cemetery.

* * *

"Buffy's been gone a while." Willow mused as she, Tara, Xander and Anya watched a mindless TV show. "Do you think she's ok."

"Sure she is, Will." Xander replied confidently. "It's only Spike, it's not like he can hurt her or anything."

A knock at the door brought them out of the reverie and Willow got up to open it.

"Oh, my God." She gasped, stepping back from the door in shock. The others quickly jumped to their feet, Xander and Anya quickly looking for weapons while Tara looked as though she had a spell on the tip of her tongue. The soon matched Willow's gasps as they saw what she had seen. It was Buffy, carrying an identical Buffy in her arms.

"I think she's broken." The conscious Buffy said, stepping inside and setting the other girl down on the couch. "Is Spike here?"

"What did you do?" Willow asked with horror, kneeling down the by the girl she recognised as the real Buffy by the clothes she was wearing. She began to examine her, looking for signs of life.

"She's alive." Willow quickly told the others.

"Ok, what the hell is that?" Xander asked, pointing at the other Buffy with his axe. "Should we kill it?"

"Just a minute." Willow replied. "Let me see what's wrong with Buffy first."

It didn't take her long to find the dart, still embedded in the Slayer's neck. After removing it there was nothing left to do but wait for Buffy to wake. It was then that she turned her attention to the Buffy double who was still stood in the middle of the room.

"Who are you?" Willow asked, studying the girl carefully.

"I'm Buffy." She smiled. "Is Spike here? I have to find him."

"If you're Buffy, then who's that?" Willow tried, gesturing to where Buffy lay.

"She looks like me."

"She's a robot." Buffy said, struggling to sit up on the couch. "Like the one that guy Warren built."

"Buffy, are you all right?" Willow asked with concern, moving over to her friend and helping her to sit up.

"I'm ok, Wills." Buffy reassured. "But we've got a problem. Glory has Spike."

"What?" Willow asked with horror. "But he knows about Dawn."

"That's why I have to get to him before he talks." Buffy replied, climbing to her feet and shaking her head to get rid of the final effects of the tranquilliser.

"We'll come with you." Xander said, grabbing another axe and heading for the door.

"No." Buffy replied calmly. "I need you guys to stay here with Dawn. If Spike talks before I can get to him then I need you guys to get her out of here."

The others fell silent. The seriousness of the situation finally hitting them.

"If I'm not back in an hour then just go. Don't wait any longer. If I get out of there alive I'll find you."

"At least let one of us go with you." Willow pleaded. "So you've got some back up."

"We have to go and find Spike before Glory harms him." The robot said.

Buffy glanced at her, a look that didn't go unnoticed by Willow. "You want to take her with you?"

Buffy nodded. "Might come in handy if I need to make a quick escape."

She walked over to the robot. "Would you like to help me find Spike?"

If it was possible the robot's smile widened. "You know where Spike is? Take me to him. He needs me."

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Buffy guided the robot to the front door. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Be careful." Willow warned. "Don't come back dead."

Buffy nodded and with that she and her robot double headed out into the night.

* * *

It didn't take Buffy long to find the place she was looking for. The place where she had killed Glory's snake was a few hundred yards away from an apartment block. That had to be where Glory was staying. She just hoped she wasn't too late to stop Spike from talking. She turned to the robot.

"Ok, follow me and don't do anything until I tell you."

"Ok!" The robot beamed. "Are we going to save Spike soon?"

Buffy grimaced. The truth was she didn't know what she was going to do when they found Spike. He was bound to give them up, he had no reason not to. Spike has always been the sort of guy to look out for himself and that was it. She was sure Glory wouldn't have to persuade him very much before he told her what he knew. Her heart sank as she realised that she was probably already too late. The best she could do would be to try and stop Glory from getting to Dawn.

"Let's go." She said briskly to the robot and they began to walk hurriedly towards the building.

* * *

Lucky for Buffy Glory was as predictable as she seemed. She always cared about looking good and sure enough she'd rented pretty much the most expensive apartment in the building. Where a God got the money to afford a place like this Buffy didn't know, but that wasn't really an issue at the moment. It was set aside from the other apartments, and she realised why when a scream rang out, a male scream. It could only be one person.

"That's Spike!" The robot cried, running forward. Before Buffy could stop her she'd burst in through the door. So much for the element of surprise.

"The Slayer!" Glory exclaimed, sounding almost delighted.

Buffy stayed outside, trying to keep out of sight whilst keeping an eye on what was going on inside. With any luck she'd be able to find out what Spike had told Glory without being seen.

Peering around the corner she resisted the urge to gasp aloud when she saw Spike. He was hanging from the ceiling, his wrists bound by heavy chains. It was obvious that Glory had been working on him for a while. His face was swollen and bloodied and his shirt had been ripped to reveal some more wounds there. Buffy almost felt a twinge of sympathy until she realised that with the extent of his wounds, he had to have given them up.

"I'm so glad you're here." Glory said to the bot. "Your vampire friend isn't being very helpful. Now, tell me who the key is and I'll let you both go."

Buffy couldn't believe her ears. Spike was hanging in chains, barely conscious having gone through the torture of a hell-god and he hadn't given them up. It suddenly became very important that she got him out of there.

"I've come to rescue Spike." The robot said. "I can't tell you who the key is."

Glory sighed. "Ok, sweetcheeks. I guess we do this the hard way."

She turned around and dealt Spike a powerful punch, sending him swinging in his chains. "Now tell me who the key is, I can keep this up all day."

In his chains Spike laughed weakly. "You really are an idiot. Do you really think she's going to tell you? The Slayer doesn't give a damn about me. You can do what you like to me and she won't care. You may be a god, but you clearly weren't blessed with much in the brains department."

Ignoring the robot for a moment, Glory turned her full attention to Spike. No one had dared have the insolence to talk to her in this way before.

"Shut up! I command you shut up!"

He moved slightly and Buffy saw what he was trying to do.

"Sorry, but I had no idea gods were such prancing lightweights. Mark my words, the Slayer is going to kick your skanky lop-sided ass back to whatever place would take a cheap, whorish, fashion victim ex-God like you."

He'd clearly hit the right spot. Without another word Glory kicked him squarely in the chest, hard enough to break the chains that were holding him. He flew backwards, straight through the door and into the corridor. Buffy was ready for him, quickly pulling him to his feet and dragging him towards the elevator.

"Leave him." Glory dismissed, turning her attention back to the robot. "Looks like I get to have some fun with the Slayer instead."

* * *

"Come on!" Buffy urged as she dragged Spike down the corridor. "It's not going to take Glory long to figure out that it's not me in there."

Spike seemed barely aware of what was going on around him, but he managed to nod and tried his best to speed up, despite the fact that one of his legs felt as though it was fractured. They made it to the elevator and were soon out in the cool night air, heading towards Buffy's house. They Slayer kept looking over her should but thankfully they weren't being followed. It looked like they were safe.

* * *

The Buffybot looked at the doorway with dismay as Spike disappeared from sight.

"Spike! I'm here! Don't leave me!"

Glory smirked at the pathetic show of affection. "Sorry precious, looks like your boyfriend doesn't love you anymore."

The Buffybot growled. "Spike does love me. I'm his girlfriend."

She swung out and punched Glory hard in the jaw, the attack surprising the God more than it did injure her. She swung back, hitting the bot in the face and sending her smashing into a wall. Sparks showered from her head and when she turned back to face Glory, wires were clearly evident through a gash on her head.

"A robot?" Glory said with surprise. "The Slayer is a robot?"

Then it dawned on her. "A trick. The Slayer tricked me. Me!"

Ignoring the bot, who had wobbled out of the door, she turned to her minions. "So, she thinks she can outsmart me? Continue to watch her friends, I know the key is one of them. And don't bring me a vampire next time."

She sat down in her armchair and smiled. "It's not over yet, Slayer. Not by a long shot."

* * *

When Buffy was sure they weren't being followed she slowed down a little, realising that Spike was having problems keeping up with her. When he stumbled she wrapped her arms around his waist, trying to ignore his moan of pain when she did so. Occasionally she would glance over at him. She'd never seen anyone beat up this bad before, and he still hadn't given them up. She didn't understand it. Spike was supposed to be evil, not heroic.

He stumbled again and began to cough painfully as his broken ribs jarred him.

"Shh." Buffy said gently. "Easy, we're nearly there."

Spike nodded weakly and the two of them continued their journey in silence.

* * *

The gang jumped to their feet when they heard the door open, not sure who to expect. They'd moved back to Buffy's where they'd have access to more weapons should they need them. Now they realised what a bad idea this had been. This was going to be the first place Glory would come looking for Dawn.

Xander and Anya tightened their grip on their weapons while Willow and Tara got ready to use magic.

They relaxed when they saw Buffy enter the room and then stared with wide eyes when they saw who she was with and what state he was in.

Willow was the first to move, hurrying over to Buffy and supporting Spike from the other side.

"Are we safe?" Xander asked. "Did he give us up?"

Buffy shook her head. "We're safe."

The gang slumped in relief.

"Did Glory do this to him?" Willow asked, examining Spike's wounds whilst keeping hold of him.

Buffy nodded. "She must have tortured him for hours, and he didn't tell her anything."

Everyone looked surprised. Spike had been a hero?

"Will, can you help me get him upstairs. I want to get him cleaned up. We can put him in Mom's bed."

"Of course."

As they made their way upstairs the others flopped back down into their seats. "I can't believe Spike took a hell-god beating and didn't give us up. I hope Buffy's sure about this."

"I'm sure she is." Tara replied. "I don't think she'd have come back if there was any chance Dawn could still be in danger."

They were joined at that moment by Willow. "I think Buffy wants some time alone with Spike, to talk to him."

"How is he?" Tara asked.

"Pretty bad, but I think he'll be ok."

At that moment the door banged open and the Buffybot staggered inside.

"Spike.....need.......Spike." The last of her power gave out and she slumped to the floor.

Willow moved over to her. "Guys, I'm going to take a look at her, see how she works. I've never seen robotics at this level before."

Xander smiled. "That's our Will, always the scientist."

Tara stood up. "I guess now we're safe maybe we should try and get some sleep. It is pretty late."

"Can someone help me move the robot before we do, I don't want Dawn to wake up and see her."

Xander moved over and picked her up, carrying her down to the basement. They could come back and collect her in the morning when he had his car. Finally they moved out and headed home.

* * *

Having gathered all her first aid supplies Buffy took a seat on the edge of the bed next to Spike. She didn't know where to start. His face was literally covered in cuts and bruises, almost every inch of skin swollen and purple. Then there were the wounds on his chest, they seemed to be deeper and would probably need to be bandaged. The fact that he was limping also indicated that one of his legs was hurt. He was literally a walking wound.

She did her best to clean him up, wiping away the blood and bandaging the more severe wounds. Now all she could do was wait for him to wake up. Judging by his condition she could be waiting a long time.

Spike moaned.

Maybe not.

"Hey." She smiled when the eye that wasn't fully swollen shut focused on her. "How are you feeling?"

He managed a small smile. "Like I was tortured by a hell-god."

"Right, dumb question."

She stood up. "You should rest, you'll heal faster that way. I'll get you some blood in the morning."

"Wait." Spike called when she began to walk towards the door. "I need to say something to you."

Buffy turned and walked back, taking her seat on the bed again. "What is it?"

Spike sighed. "It's about the robot. I just wanted to explain."

Buffy looked at him hard, it was true she had been planning to beat the crap out of him for having the robot built, but seeing him here, barely conscious, and knowing he had got like that to protect her and Dawn, she found that most of the anger had gone.

"Spike, you don't have to explain. We both know what you had that thing built for. You're just lucky Glory got to you before I did, because you certainly wouldn't be lying here now if I'd had a go."

She paused for a moment. "Can I ask you something?"

Spike nodded and then winced as the pain of his wounds stabbed at him again.

"I don't know if you heard, but I went away with Giles to go on a spiritual quest. To find out more about being the slayer. Ever since I started my new training routine I've felt myself becoming more and more closed off from others."

She took a deep breath; just thinking about what she'd become hurt her. "That's why Riley left. I could almost feel my heart hardening with every moment that passed. I haven't been there for Dawn, not really, and I'm not even sure my mom knew just how much I loved her."

She felt the tears well up in her eyes at the thought but she refused to let them fall. "I just wanted to know, did you build that machine because it could give you what I couldn't? She was always so happy."

Without thinking about it Spike placed his hand on top of hers. "Buffy, pet. You're the most loving person I've ever met. Your heart is anything but hard. I know I don't really see you that often, but I do know how much you love your friends and your family. Your mum knew it too, trust me. Remember when I told you that your family and friends stopped you from having a death wish? Well that's true, and it's what makes you strong. That's why you've lasted so much longer than the other Slayers.

Yes, you're hard sometimes. You're a warrior. You carry your love deep inside you because you have to. I know what that's like, guarding you heart from the harshness around you. But it doesn't mean you don't love. The very act of you dedicating your life to being that warrior is an act of love, for your family, your friends, and those faceless people you protect everyday. You're the most giving creature I know, pet. Your Scoobies see your heart, luv. Just like I do, it shines in your eyes with every tiny
smile.

As for the robot, that thing was just a stupid was of trying to get a part of you. I could try and pretend it was like having the real thing, but I knew it wasn't. No machine could have the love and the kindness that you do."

For a moment Buffy couldn't find the ability to speak. He really did love her, seeing beyond the Slayer to the girl that was Buffy Summers. The words of her spirit guide rang in her ears.

It was now starting to make sense. Here was this thing...man? Did it really matter? Someone who loved her and who saw her. Who maybe not only loved her, but could help her love too. Despite the fact that her head was telling her it was wrong, her heart was whispering to her. Whispering like it hadn't in a long time. Telling her to take the risk. She'd already forgiven him, and maybe the loving part would come in time.

Leaning down she gently pressed her lips against his and took the risk.

The End.