Title: Fluffy Get It Done

Author: Nebula (Nebula_Authoress@yahoo.com)

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Everything I have borrowed from Joss.

Author's Notes: From now on there will be no polls to decide the next Fluffy. However, you can still join this list to post requests or offer plot suggestions As always assume the episode has run as normal up until the point I start writing.

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Spike watched as the shadow story was set up. His lip was pulled into an almost snarl, as he watched Buffy helping her friends. He was still mad at her for her ‘speech’ earlier. At that moment, he couldn’t feel any love for her. All he could feel was a seething fury for the small slayer.

Buffy, for the most part, tried to ignore the glares Spike was giving her. She was still a little upset about Chloe herself. She knew that wasn’t what had set Spike off, though. She’d be sorry later, and maybe even ask for his forgiveness.

Dawn cleared her throat and began reading from the book. The words were in Swahili, she’d said, and Buffy still couldn’t believe that her sister could read so many different languages and understand them.

Dawn had just stopped to take a breath when a blinding light forced the occupants of the room to look away. When they could see again, they found a swirling purple portal in the middle of the Summers’ living room.

“What is it?” Willow asked tentatively.

Buffy shrugged. “Don’t know, don’t care to know.”

“Don’t go in there!”

Buffy turned to her sister with a ‘duh’ look. “Uh, no? I don’t know what’s in there. With all that’s been going on, I don’t really want to go adventuring.”

Spike snorted softly. “Wish you would,” he said sarcastically.

Buffy shot him a glare, then turned back to the portal. “I don’t like the looks of it. Dawnie, see if you can get rid of it, ‘kay?”

The words were hardly out of her mouth when the portal began to shudder. Voices in a different language could be heard from within the portal.

Buffy spread her arms out and pushed the Scoobies back. “Move back; I don’t like the looks of this.”

“Buffy?” Dawn said, staring at the portal with an uneasy look. “The voices keep saying for the Slayer to follow them.”

Buffy shook her head. “Forget it!” she said loudly. “I don’t just follow voices that aren’t visible.”

The portal shuddered again, and chains shot out, grabbing Buffy by the wrists and pulling her towards the portal.

Spike’s eyes widened. “Didn’t mean it literally,” he muttered before jumping forward and grabbing her ankle.

Buffy turned and looked back at him as she was tugged once more in the direction of the portal. “Don’t let go,” she pleaded.

Before Spike could respond, Buffy was yanked violently in the portal’s direction. She gasped as the chains bit into her wrists, pulling her in. “NO!!” Spike yelled, as she disappeared into the purple swirls.

The portal shook once more, before spitting out a hideous demon. It growled and started heading for the Scoobies.

But Spike had had enough. With a feral roar he jumped up and tackled the demon to the ground. He began pounding on it, even after his mind told him it was dead.

Xander and Willow managed to pull him away and sat him down on the sofa, before turning back to the purple portal. “What do we do now?” Xander asked. “I really don’t want another dead carcass in the house.”

“Xander!” Willow scolded, waiting for Spike to make his comeback. Obviously, Xander was too, because when the vampire didn’t say anything, they both turned to look back at him.

Spike sat, staring at the portal, tears slowly making their way down his face. “I did it again,” he whispered. “I could’ve saved her, but I didn’t. I let her go through the portal again. Just like before…”

Willow knelt in front of him and shook him slightly. “Spike. Spike! Listen to me. It wasn’t your fault,” she said gently. “Things happen. We’ll get her back, I promise.”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it; you’re making me feel bad for calling you a ‘dead carcass’,” Xander said.

“That’s all I am, though. Just a dead carcass. Buffy was right. I’m just good for cryin’.”

Willow sighed. “Buffy didn’t mean it, you know. She just wanted to get the Spike that had some spitfire back.”

Spike still looked troubled, but he managed a small smile. “Spitfire, huh?”

Xander offered him a reassuring smile. “Yeah, spitfire. C’mon; we’ve got a Slayer to get back. Speaking of which, how do we do that?”

“Uh, guys?” Dawn said, looking over at the demon. “The portal’s gone.”

Spike looked around Willow and Xander and saw that the swirling mist had disappeared.

“Just say that spell again, and bring it back,” Xander said with a shrug.

“Be easier if the book actually had any words in it.” Dawn flipped the book around to show them the empty pages. “The whole thing’s blank.”

The four Scoobies glanced back and forth, before Xander took a seat next to Spike with a defeated sigh. “Oh boy…”

“I just hope she’s okay,” Spike muttered to himself.

< --- >

Buffy awoke with a groan and a splitting headache. Where was she? She tried to sit up, and found that her moving was restricted. Was that the clattering of chains she heard?

Fully awake now, she glanced down and found that she was chained to a rock floor. Wherever she was, it was dark. She was also cold, even with her jacket on.

There was a rustling noise, and her head whipped in the direction of the sound. “Hello?” she called into the darkness.

There was another sound coming from the other direction, and she turned to see nothing but blackness. “A little light would be nice,” she said.

She could hear a small noise, then she saw a spark. Oh good: fire. Wait a minute. Maybe not good, if the whole place was covered with grass or something.

The small fire in front of her lit up her prison, and Buffy found herself in a cave with three men. They were dark skinned, and wearing old clothes. Each had a staff carefully carved with miniscule details.

“You are Miss Summers, are you not?” said the one to her left.

Buffy blinked. She was certain of what he’d said, and she’d understood him perfectly, but the language he’d spoken in was Swahili. “Get me out of these chains and I might think about answering that question,” she said, giving the chains a tug. They refused to budge.

She frowned. That should’ve been easy to break! She’d gotten out of chains before. Why not now?

As if reading her mind, the one on the right said, “The chains were bound tight enough to hold ten Slayers. One Slayer will not break it.” If he hadn’t been so serious looking, she would’ve thought he was laughing at her.

“Sorry for not trusting you; it’s this paranoia I have about people chaining me up. Tends to make me not trust or like them,” she said sarcastically.

The one in the middle said nothing, but merely placed a box down on the ground in front of her. The box began to slowly open of its own accord, and the three men backed away quickly.

Her eyes widened. This could not be good. She swore as she tugged on the chains again, only to find sharp metal digging into her wrists. She winced as the metal tore at her skin, and watched as blood dripped from her wrists.

“Who are you?” she yelled at the three men.

“We are the first Watchers. We have come to give you power,” said the one on her left.

“Watchers?! You’re all Watchers?! Then you should be helping me, not hurting me!”

The box had, by now, fully opened, and a black shadow began to creep out. “It is for your own good,” said the one on her right.

When the chains refused to budge on her third try, she felt a twinge of panic and fear. What was she going to do? And what was this thing?

The shadow scurried along the floor towards her, and she backed away as much as the chains would allow. It stopped in front of her, and she did the only thing she could do: she kicked at it.

Unfortunately, her foot went right through the shadow. For a brief second, she wished that Spike and her friends would come rescue her. Then, the shadow pounced on her, and began to envelop her.

She screamed in pain as she felt it push on her, and she thought it would crush her. It pulled away as quickly as it had jumped on her, and she gasped for breath, not surprised that she could see small bruises forming everywhere. What was that thing?

She wasn’t prepared for the second pounce, and the strength of the slam knocked her to the floor. She tried to desperately push it off of her, but couldn’t grab it.

It pulled away again, and tears welled in her eyes as she realized how helpless she was. She couldn’t break the chains; she couldn’t grab the thing but it could hold her down, and she was alone. She had no friends with her. She wished Spike was by her side, but she knew it was only a wish. Why would Spike want to help her, after how she’d railed into him? Was this some sort of poetic justice? She’d told him that he didn’t help anymore; all he did was cry. Well, she couldn’t help herself now, and all she was doing was sitting and crying.

The shadow slammed into her, sending her flying, but the chains snapped her back. She cried out as the chains tore into her like never before, and she looked over at the three men.

“Why?” she managed to say, before the shadow pounced again. Spike…somebody…help me…

< --- >

Back at the Summers’ residence, the Scoobies were trying to find another copy of the spell, or a memory spell to help Dawn remember the lines exactly.

Spike slammed a book down on the table, causing Willow and Xander to look up at him with annoyance. “Look, Spike, we know you’re worried,” Willow started.

Spike snorted. “You think I’m worried? I’m well beyond worried! She could be hurt, or tortured, or de…” He stopped, not willing to finish the sentence.

Dawn sighed from her position on the sofa. “Spike, we know. We’re not giving up, though. We can’t. Buffy wouldn’t give up on us.”

“I know that, and I wasn’t givin’ up. I just…there has to be somethin’ we can do. Willow, please,” he pleaded.

Willow looked up at him, slightly shocked. He rarely called her by her first name. She began to realize how worried he really was. “Maybe I can open the portal.”

“How?” Xander asked. “You need the spell.”

Willow shook her head, warming to the idea. “Not if I can trace the magic residue it left behind. I can follow it to wherever it leads, then open a gateway of my own. Then, I’ll have complete control over it. We won’t have to play by whoever’s rules we are.”

“The people in the portal,” Dawn supplied.

Willow nodded. “They wanted Buffy for a reason, so I think it’s safe to assume that they wouldn’t harm her.”

“Yet,” Spike muttered.

Willow sighed. She’d liked the new Spike, and Buffy had to go and bring back the annoying Spike.

Spike seemed to read her mind, and sighed with frustration. “I’m sorry, Red. I just hate doin’ nothin’. I wanna help her.”

“You want to help? Hurry and grab my magic box from upstairs. If I’m gonna trace that spell, it has to be now.”

Spike nodded, and in a flash he was up the stairs, hurrying towards the box.

“Don’t get mad at him,” Xander said. “He’s just worried ‘cause he loves her.”

Dawn and Willow both gave him looks of disbelief. “Are you…defending him?” Dawn asked incredulously.

“Yeah, I guess I am,” he admitted, stretching his arm behind his head. “He’s proven himself as an okay guy, and somewhere during the last couple of months we’ve formed a silent truce. He watches my back, I watch his. He’s a good guy, if you give him a chance.”

“So you’re saying that you two are friends,” Willow said, beginning to grin.

“If you’re gonna make me say it, then yes, we are,” he grumbled.

Dawn giggled. “Call the press: Xander admits he’s friends with Spike!”

“Says the girl who seems to be getting along with him again,” Xander said, putting the spotlight on her.

Dawn immediately stopped giggling. “Yeah, I guess so,” she said after a few moments. “I’ve missed him. I want to be friends again, but…I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t need to say anythin’,” Spike’s unexpected voice said from the third stair up. He climbed down onto the landing, placed the box on the table, and looked over at Dawn. “You’d want to be my Nibblet again?” he asked, hope in his eyes.

“I never stopped being your Nibblet,” she said, smiling at him. “I was just mad at you for awhile.”

He smiled at her, not fully comprehending that his Bit had forgiven him. Dawn set her book down and jumped up, wrapping her arms around him. He returned the embrace as tears stung his eyes.

“Can we get moving?” said Xander from behind them.

Spike looked down at Dawn, a twinkle in his eyes. “Heard your speech also, Harris. I was touched, really, so I can understand you wantin’ a hug too,” he said, as Dawn tried not to giggle.

“By all means, don’t let us interrupt the reunion,” Xander said quickly, before following Willow into the living room.

“Still the Big Bad in some ways,” Spike whispered to Dawn with a wink, before following the others into the living room.

Willow took a seat on the floor Indian style, as Xander placed candles around her. With a scented match she lit each one, then closed her eyes. “To this plane am I here bound, and my portal must be found. In the darkest of the nights, Athena grant me perfect sight. I will find what I must, tinoch albermena drust!”

The other three Scoobies backed away rapidly as a green portal, identical to the purple one except in color, appeared in front of Willow.

Xander gulped. “Guess we head in?”

Willow nodded, not opening her eyes. “I won’t be able to come with you, but I can communicate with you,” she said. At least, the Scoobies had thought she’d said it; her lips hadn’t moved.

Dawn jumped. “Will! Don’t do that without warning!”

“Sorry,” came Willow’s sheepish voice. “Just…don’t freak, in case I do talk to you on the telepathic line, all right?”

Spike nodded. “We got it. Dawn, Harris, you might wanna grab a weapon or two. Don’t think we’ll be well received.”

Xander looked grim as he headed over to the weapon’s chest. He pulled out a small axe for himself, then turned to Dawn, a questioning look on his face.

“I do best with that silver dagger,” she said. Xander nodded and tossed her said dagger.

“Spike? What about you?” Willow asked telepathically.

“I’ll be gettin’ Buffy out,” he said. “I don’t need weapons. ‘Sides, I’ve got my fangs, should I need to get unfriendly.”

Dawn bit her lip as Xander joined them. “Ready?” she asked in a small voice.

“Ready,” Xander muttered, as the three stepped through simultaneously, the demon somehow getting sucked in with them.

They experienced a brief sensation of falling, before stepping onto a rocky surface. They found themselves in a small cave, lit by an unknown source from behind the rocks in front of them.

Spike could hear a rattling sound, then a cry of anguish that made his eyes widen in horror. “Buffy,” he breathed, before darting forward. Xander grabbed him before he jumped out from behind the rocks, and the three Scoobies watched from behind their hiding place.

Buffy was chained to the floor, looking bruised and bloody. In front of her in a half circle were three men with staffs. A small, wooden box lay before them on the ground. In front of Buffy was a dark shadow that seemed to dance in the fire’s glow.

Buffy coughed and winced, clutching her chest. She had barely gotten to her knees when the shadow came at her again. This time, the strength of the blast knocked her off the floor. She hissed with pain as the shadow held her suspended in mid air, as it pushed against her everywhere. She gasped as the shadow extended itself into tendrils, which began wrapping themselves around her legs. It felt cold against her skin, and she let the tears fall as the tendrils began snaking themselves around her upper legs.

Xander could barely hold Spike back as the three watched the shadow’s activities with horror and rage. “We’ll get her out,” he whispered to the vampire, in an attempt to calm him down.

“I’ll kill it. Rip it to shreds for touchin’ her. That vile lil’…” Spike hissed through clenched teeth.

Without warning the shadow pulled away from her and slammed her in the back, causing her to hit the ground hard. She didn’t move.

That was all the encouragement Spike needed. He leapt out and attacked the man closest to him, then turned to the other two. Fortunately, Dawn and Xander seemed to have them under control, so Spike hurried to Buffy’s side.

Whatever that shadow thing had been, it had disappeared. Spike knelt beside her and gently laid his hand on her shoulder.

With a whimper she jerked away, curling herself into a little ball. “Please,” she choked out. “No more. Please…”

“Buffy,” Spike said, his heart wrenching. “Luv, it’s me.”

Buffy looked up through her shaking hands and almost cried with relief. “Spike?” she said, wonder and awe in her voice.

Spike smiled at her. “Just hold on luv, all right? I’ll get you out.”

“The chains…” Buffy managed to get out, before launching into a coughing fit. Spike’s forehead creased with worry as he waited for the fit to subside. “They said the chains were meant to hold ten Slayers, and that no one could break them without their consent,” she said, once she had her voice back.

Spike’s fury at the men began to rise. “We’ll see ‘bout that,” he nearly snarled, before he grabbed hold of the base of the chains and tugged. Hard. The base gave way, and Buffy’s right arm was free.

He quickly did the same to the other chains, his rage making him stronger. He turned back to her and felt his anger quickly give way to concern. She was so hurt… “You all right?” he asked, worried.

She whimpered, as more tears began to fall. “It went up my skirt,” she said, her lower lip trembling.

Now Spike could feel his heart shattering in his chest. “Oh, Buffy,” he murmured, picking her up and cradling her. She sniffled and leaned against him, thankful that her wish had come true. Spike had come for her.

They were heading back to the portal when the shadow came out of nowhere and headed straight for them. Buffy shrieked and buried her head in Spike’s chest. “Harris!!” Spike yelled. “Lil’ help would be nice!”

Xander and Dawn turned at Spike’s call, and began running forward. Dawn almost tripped as she stepped on something hard, and felt it crunch beneath her shoe. She looked down and found the wooden box crushed under her weight. “Oops,” she said, looking up.

“Not oops,” Spike corrected. The moment Dawn’s foot had connected with the box, the shadow had disappeared. For good, Spike hoped.

“Can we go home?” Buffy whispered. Spike looked down at the bundle in his arms and nodded.

They stepped through the portal and found themselves back in the Summers’ living room once more. Willow gasped for breath and leaned to the side, and the portal vanished.

“Couldn’t hear you in the cave, Red. What happened?” Spike asked.

“Don’t worry about it. I didn’t try to talk. It turned out that keeping the portal open for you guys was hard enough. I didn’t want to risk losing you guys in the dimension by opening my mouth.” Willow smiled weakly, then gaped at Buffy. “What happened?”

Spike’s face hardened. “You don’t wanna know, Will,” Xander said quickly. “You don’t wanna know.”

< --- >

Spike leaned back in his chair and sighed. Buffy lay in her bed beside him, and was currently sleeping. Willow had discovered bruises all over her, and had confirmed that a few ribs were broken. After a healthy dosage of aspirin, Buffy had fallen asleep.

Spike wished he could’ve laid a few hits into the men, but was glad that he’d gotten Buffy out when he did. What had happened to the anger he’d felt towards her earlier? It had vanished with her the moment she’d disappeared inside the portal. He still couldn’t help feeling responsible for letting her slip from his grasp.

A small moan to his left brought him out of his thoughts. He turned and found himself staring into a pair of beatiful green eyes. “Hey,” he said softly.

She turned and tried to smile. “Hey yourself.”

“How you feelin’?”

Buffy sighed, then hissed as the movement jarred her mending ribs. “Not so good. Let’s just say, I’ve had better days.” She gazed at him, looking slightly puzzled.

“What?” he asked, when curiosity got the best of him.

“You came for me,” she said, propping herself up.

Spike shrugged. “’Course I did. Did you think I wouldn’t come?”

“Yes,” she said simply.

Spike stared at her, his jaw dropping. “What?! Why?”

Buffy looked down at her hands. “Because of what I said earlier.” She shut her eyes and grimaced. “Spike, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean what I said about you being of no use. And when that shadow started ramming into me, all I did was sit and cry, and…”

He cut her ramblings off by pressing a finger to her lips. She opened her eyes and stared at him as he began to smile. “S’okay,” he said. “I needed the pep talk.”

“Could’ve been said nicer,” she said, but he shook his head.

“Wouldn’t have had it any other way, pet.” When she began to smile, he relaxed. They were going to be okay. “You wanna talk ‘bout what happened?”

Buffy nodded after a few moments, and patted the bed area next to her. He took a seat beside her and listened as she told him about the first Council of Watchers, and how she had refused the power.

She began to shake when she got to the slamming part. “Then it grabbed me and pulled me up into the air, and it just kept pushing against me. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, and then…” She gulped, before she said in a shaky voice, “Then it went up my skirt. It felt so cold, and so sharp, and I was so scared…”

His vision began to blur as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up against him. He rocked her back and forth, as he rubbed calming circles into her back.

After a few moments of silence had past, she said in a small voice, “Maybe I should’ve taken the power.”

Spike pulled away and stared at her like she’d lost her marbles. “WHAT?! Buffy, no!”

Buffy sighed. “What if that power was the key to defeating the First, and I just threw it away, because it hurt? Shots from the doctor hurt too, but they’re good for you!”

Spike brought his head down to hers and said, “We will beat this thing. Don’t need any power from some Wankers, ‘specially if it means you gettin’ hurt. We can do this. Trust me. Put a lil’ more faith in our troops, luv. Put faith in me. I won’t leave you. I love you too much. I’ll stand by you ‘till the end, which won’t be for a long time, luv.”

Buffy didn’t realize she was crying until Spike brushed a few tears away. “Just trust me, promise?”

Buffy nodded, then leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss onto his lips. She pulled away and smiled at his stunned look. “I promise,” she said softly.

As he pulled her into his arms once more, she realized that she didn’t need any special power. She already had a power that gave her more strength and courage then she could ever have imagined.

She had Spike.

THE END