Title: Fluffy Spiral

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.

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

Spike sat back and listened to the sounds coming from the roof of the Winnebago. Buffy was up there, fighting off rejects from King Arthur’s court, or something like that. He didn’t know, nor did he care. The only thing he knew was that they were coming for Dawn. They wanted to take her, the Key, away from them.

Said Key was now wrapping cloths around Spike’s sliced hands. He hissed in pain, as Dawn muttered an apology. “You didn’t have to grab the sword,” she said.

“’Course I did. Had to keep him up there, so your sis could kick him to Spain.”

More sounds could be heard on the roof now, and Spike was, for an instant, worried about Buffy’s safety. Then, two knights fell past the window and onto the road, and Spike wasn’t all that concerned anymore.

“Seems Buffy’s enjoyin’ herself,” Spike said, grinning.

He could sense Giles rolling his eyes. “Yes, I’m sure she is,” he called out from the driver’s seat, as they went over another bump. Xander groaned and clutched his stomach from his seat next to Giles.

“Oh for cryin’ out loud, get him outta the front seat,” Spike sighed, helping Xander to his feet. As they headed into the back, Xander tried to push Spike away, but only succeeded in stumbling into the blonde vampire. Spike’s face softened. “We’ll get you settled somewhere that isn’t over the front wheels,” he said, hoping to reassure the boy. Xander merely nodded and allowed himself to be led to the sofa in the back of the Winnebago. Anya followed behind Spike, worry creased across her forehead.

Spike let Anya tend to Xander and headed up front. The situation, it seemed, had gotten worse. Tara, poor thing, was rocking back and forth, wailing hysterically, as Willow tried to calm her. Dawn was hiding under the table, and with good reason: the window near where she was sitting was smashed, thanks to a rock that now lay on the floor.

Dawn shrieked as another rock came flying through the window. This threat was enough to send the two wiccans scrambling for cover under the table as well.

After being assured that Dawn was all right, Spike hurried up to Giles, who was trying to avoid the horses that were galloping alongside them. Spike’s thoughts briefly wandered to Buffy, and he hoped that she was all right. He hadn’t heard any knights fly off the roof in awhile.

“This vehicle was NOT meant to do these sort of stunts!” Giles yelled, desperately trying to not drive off the road.

“Here, move out. Check on the others and Buffy; haven’t heard anything on the roof as of lately. I’ll drive and if necessary, I’ll knock all the king’s horses and all the king’s men down.”

Giles nodded quickly, and gave up the wheel to Spike. He sat down, and concentrated on the road.

Three more knights were on their way towards him, and they were all brandishing swords. “I’d hold on, if I were you!” Spike yelled, gripping the steering wheel. With a flick of his wrist the vehicle turned, avoiding the horses all together. Dawn shrieked again, and was joined by jumbled protests from the Scoobies. A quick glance in the mirror told him that the knights had crashed into their brethren. He sighed with relief. Now they could head on to…who knew where.

He turned his gaze back to the road, satisfied that they were safe. He never saw it coming.

The windshield shattered due to a sharp lance being thrown. The lance pierced Spike’s side, causing him to cry out in pain. He felt something wet and sticky on his skin, and was aware that Dawn was screaming. Dawn…screaming…was she hurt? No, no, couldn’t let her get hurt. He grasped the steering wheel as hard as he could and tried to guide it off of the road. The Winnebago shook as it turned onto uneven ground, then jerked as Spike stepped on the brakes a little too hard. The world was spinning…that was the last thing he remembered before passing out.

< --- >

Buffy landed on the ground gracefully and frowned. Who the heck had been driving for the past mile or two, anyway? When the vehicle had veered sharply to the left, she’d almost fallen off, but the sharp veer to the right had put her back on top of the moving camper.

She opened the door and peered into the dark. “Are you guys okay?” she called.

There was no answer. “Hello?” she said, raising her voice. Now she was getting scared.

“Buffy?”

“Willow! Are you guys all right?”

One of the shadows in the camper moved, and revealed itself to be Willow, with Tara at her side. “We’re okay. I think we crashed.”

“Yeah. Who was the insane driver?”

Willow bit her lip. Buffy felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Willow…”

Before Willow could answer, however, Dawn bounded over to the door. Her hair was in disarray, and a small scar was above her forehead. “Dawnie! Are you okay?” Buffy asked anxiously.

Dawn nodded, her lower lip trembling. “It’s Spike,” she said, looking ready to cry. “Buffy, please, help me.”

As Willow and Tara headed out into the sunshine, Buffy followed her sister into the camper and towards the driver’s seat. Buffy gasped as she surveyed the scene in front of her.

Spike was pinned to the driver’s seat by a nasty looking lance. Blood was everywhere, and his hands were rested on the steering wheel.

“He…he had to swerve to avoid a couple of horses that were coming straight at us, and while he was making sure that they were gone, another came at us. The horse hit the car, and the guy went flying. Suicide mission, I guess. Anyway, the lance hit him, and I screamed, and he tried to not crash the camper. He’ll be all right, won’t he, Buffy?”

Buffy didn’t say anything. Her gaze was fixed on the lance, the blood, and the unconscious vampire in front of her. “Buffy?”

Buffy shook herself and turned to Dawn. “Get Giles, now. I’m going to need his help to get Spike out of here.”

Dawn nodded, running to the back of the Winnebago as fast as she could. Buffy turned her attention towards the lance protruding from his side. She wrapped her hands around the steel handle and, with one last glance in Spike’s direction, pulled.

The lance slid from his side with a little difficulty, and with it came more blood. Buffy grimaced and looked around for something to stop the bleeding. Finding nothing, she finally ripped off some of her shirt and pressed it onto the wound. It didn’t make much of a difference. The blood kept coming.

A small moan caught her attention, and she looked up to find Spike gazing down at her. His face was twisted in pain, and her heart wrenched in sympathy. His eyes were half-open, a sure sign that he would slip into an unconscious state again.

Spike tried to say something, but ended up coughing instead. “Shhh, don’t talk. We’ll get you out.”

He smiled at her. “You’re okay,” he said, his voice raspy. “Was worried ‘bout you for a bit, but I knew you’d be okay.”

Buffy could feel tears stinging her eyes. He was injured so badly, and he was still more worried about her then he was for himself.

“C’mon Spike; let’s get you out of here.”

< --- >

It had taken both Giles and Buffy’s combined efforts to get Spike out of the seat. After taking one look outside, she had asked for everyone’s coats. The first one to relinquish his coat was Xander. She had raised her eyebrows, but said nothing. If Xander was going to be friendly towards Spike, she wasn’t going to question it.

One by one the coats came in, until there was enough to shield Spike from the sun’s rays. Satisfied that he wouldn’t be burned, they started forward into the desert.

“Are you sure the camper won’t start? Because it’s awfully hot out here,” Anya said.

Giles sighed. “Trust me when I say the only thing that vehicle would be useful to is a junkyard.”

Buffy looked down at the unconscious vampire in her arms and bit her lip. Blood was still dripping onto her fingers, so she assumed that the wound hadn’t closed yet, and he hadn’t wakened since he’d passed out over half an hour ago. At least he wasn’t burning.

As if she had sensed Buffy’s worries, Dawn walked over to her sister’s side and gazed wistfully at Spike. “How’s he doing?” she asked.

“Not too good,” Buffy admitted. “What he really needs is somewhere to rest.”

“Then we keep going,” Willow said, having overheard their conversation.

Buffy nodded. She glanced down at Spike again and sighed. “See what you’re doing, Spike? You’re making me worry.” She chuckled bitterly. “I’m caring about you, and you’re missing it because you’re out of it.” She pulled the coat-covered vampire closer to her, suddenly very worried about him. “You have to be okay, okay? Please, be okay,” she whispered.

“Will that do?”

Buffy looked up at the sound of Xander’s voice and smiled. A rundown gas station lay in front of them, windows boarded up. “Yeah, that’ll do. Besides, if the crusaders come back, we can attack them.”

“How, exactly?” Giles asked.

“There’s gotta still be gasoline there, right?”

Xander smiled wryly at Buffy’s words. “I think we’ll be fine on defense, Buff. Let’s get Bleach-Boy inside.”

< --- >

Once inside, they found a few barrels of gasoline hidden in the corner. As Giles and Xander started pulling them out into the open, Willow, Dawn, and Buffy got Spike situated on what must have been a store counter.

“He looks paler then usual,” Willow commented. Dawn wrung her hands nervously, and Buffy got her first good look at him.

Willow was right; his usually pale skin was closer to white now, making the blood stand out vividly.

Buffy sighed and placed her head in hands. “Okay, Giles, Xander, and Anya: set up some sort of defense in case those knights come around. Let’s give ‘em a ‘Home Alone’ treatment, slayer style. Willow, take care of Tara. If they do come, I want you to hide Tara and Dawn, then come back and help us. You’re my big gun, remember?”

Willow nodded. “I remember, and I can do that. What about Spike?”

Buffy swallowed hard. “I’ll deal with him.”

“What about me?” Dawn asked. “I want to help.”

“Dawnie, you should probably…”

“No! I’m tired of doing what I should be doing.” Her eyes brimmed with tears. “I want to help Spike. Please, Buffy.”

After a few moments, Buffy nodded. “You can help. Just don’t cry, all right?”

Dawn nodded and wiped away her tears. She knew that the reason Buffy wanted her to stop crying wasn’t because she thought Dawn was a wimp. If Buffy saw Dawn cry, then Dawn was fairly certain that her sister would join her with tears of her own.

As the Scoobies went off with their missions, Dawn turned to Buffy. “What can I do first?”

Buffy sighed. “Try to find some cloth or something to stop the blood.”

“Will he die from blood loss?”

“I don’t think so, but let’s not take any chances, all right? Plus, I don’t like the idea of him weak and unable to help. I need everyone to fight these armor-clad geeks.”

Dawn nodded and hurried off to find cloth. Buffy was left with Spike and her conflicting emotions. That’s right, Buffy. Pretend you don’t care about him. Pretend that the only reason you want him well again is so he can help, she thought.

Dawn interrupted her thoughts, running in with an armful of sheets. “I think they covered a car or something. It’ll do, right?”

“It’ll do fine. The thicker, the better.” With Dawn’s help, she ripped the cloth into strips and turned back to Spike.

With her sister’s help, Buffy managed to pull Spike’s leather duster off of him without jostling the wound too much. A small grin played on her face. “He’d love this, if he was awake,” she said to her sister, as she quickly ripped off what little of his shirt was left.

Dawn giggled. “You going to tell him later?”

“Heck no.”

“Chicken,” Dawn taunted.

Their sibling feuding was cut short by a small moan from Spike. The grins quickly fell from their faces, to be replaced by worried expressions.

“Is he awake?”

“I don’t know. Hand me some cloth, would you Dawn?”

As Dawn tried to find the longest strips of cloth, Buffy looked down at his wound and grimaced. It would take a long time for even Spike to recover.

She took the strips from her sister and tried to apply them to the wound, but Spike merely whimpered and twisted away.

This wouldn’t work; she’d have to find another way. “Spike? Spike, c’mon, answer me. You have to wake up.” No answer. “Spike, please…”

Slowly but surely, Spike opened his eyes. Dawn whooped and went to tell the others. Buffy smiled with relief. “Hey you,” she whispered. “Welcome back. We were starting to get worried.”

Spike tried to smile. “Nah, be fine, once I’ve had a good kip.”

“You’ve been out of it for almost an hour, Spike.”

“Really? Funny, don’t feel any better.”

Buffy shook her head. “Gee, wonder why. You just got stabbed, nothing big, right?”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re worried ‘bout me.” He started to chuckle, but ended up coughing instead.

Once he had stopped, she began applying the strips. He flinched, but said nothing. “Yeah, well, don’t get excited about it, but I am,” she said. He looked surprised, and started to say something, but Buffy cut him off. “You scared the crap out of me,” she continued, continuing to bandage the wound. She stopped, lowering her gaze to the floor. “I thought I was going to lose you.”

Before Spike could say anything, Willow came back in with Dawn. “Oh, thank goddess he’s awake. How are you feeling?”

“Like something hit me. Hard.”

Buffy didn’t raise her eyes. She knew he wasn’t talking about the lance.

“We’re glad you’re okay,” Willow said, smiling. She turned to Buffy. “Xander wanted me to tell you that he’s got the barrels ready. If they come, we’ll be ready.”

“Good. Now, I think we should…”

Whatever Buffy had been about to say was cut off as something crashed through the window. Dawn screamed and hurried off to her hiding spot with Tara. “Make sure they’re safe!” Buffy yelled to Willow. Willow nodded, and took off after Dawn.

With an apology, Buffy picked Spike up and carried him into the next room, where Giles, Xander, and Anya were currently getting ready to defend themselves.

“Look who’s awake,” Xander said, sparing a moment to glance at the two.

Spike nodded weakly. “Glad to see you’re feelin’ better, whelp.”

Xander grinned and turned back to the gasoline filled barrels.

Buffy set Spike down in a corner, wincing in sympathy as he whimpered. “Sorry,” she murmured.

Just then, Willow ran into the room. “They’re safe,” she panted. “Now what?”

“Got a match?”

Her eyes widened. “Buffy! We’ll blow this place sky high!”

Buffy shook her head. “Not if we do this right. Giles, in the other room, you’ll find strips of cloth. Bring them here.”

A look of understanding flashed over Giles’ face. “On it,” he muttered, dashing out of the room.

A movement to her left caught Buffy’s eye. She turned and found Spike trying to stand, with difficulty. “Just stay down, Spike,” she started, but Spike shook his head.

“Not gonna let you fight these goons alone. You need help.”

“Yes, that’s why I’ve got the others on this! Just work on healing, okay?”

Spike began to protest, but a gentle push from Buffy had him laying against the wall again. “You’re not up to full strength,” she said softly. “Stay here. For me?” she added quickly, when he started to speak.

Spike sighed in frustration, but nodded. She knew she had him. He’d do anything for her.

“Thank you. Xander, pry one of the boards away so we can throw our fiery gifts their way, okay?”

Xander nodded and started to pull at the boards, Anya helping when she could. Giles returned with the cloths and quickly dunked them in gasoline.

Buffy gulped. Showtime. “Willow, if you wouldn’t mind…” she said, tilting her head in the direction of the gasoline covered cloths.

Willow nodded, and levitated the cloths out of Giles’ hands. “Incendio,” she muttered, setting the cloths on fire. With a flick of her wrist, the fiery packages were hurled out of the small hole that Xander and Anya had managed to make.

There were muffled screams coming from outside, but the attacks kept coming.

Willow sent out a second batch, and then a third. It made no difference.

Buffy looked frantically around the room for something else to use as a weapon. Her eyes landed on Spike, and she realized what she had to do.

She knelt next to him. “Spike, promise me that whatever happens, you’ll protect my sister.”

Spike looked bewildered, but nodded. “’Till the end of the world,” he whispered. “Glory won’t get her hands on Dawn, and neither will…” He hunched over, holding his stomach as he coughed violently. When his coughing fit had subsided, he smiled at her weakly. “Promise,” he murmured, as his eyes began to drift shut.

Buffy gasped. “Spike? Spike, no! Stay with me, please. Spike!!”

She was too late. His eyes closed, and he slumped towards the floor, unconscious.

She glanced at the vampire, then at her friends, then back at Spike. Looking around the floor, she quickly found what she was looking for. She grabbed a glass shard and drew it across her wrist. She winced slightly, then tossed the shard aside.

Using only one hand, she propped Spike’s head up, and shook him gently. “Spike, c’mon, I’ve got something tasty for you. Just wake up, please.”

Spike’s head fell forward, and he didn’t respond. She held her slit wrist under his nose, then pressed it against his cold lips. This had to work.

For a few moments, he didn’t move. Finally, instinct took over, and he began to drink. Buffy could've cried with relief. Each time he swallowed down her blood, his appearance changed. His skin turned back to its normal color, and the wound finally closed and began to heal.

She smiled and began to close her eyes. She was just so tired…she shook herself and tried to stay awake. He was taking too much…but he still wasn’t completely healed. He hadn’t opened his eyes yet, either. She forced herself to pull her wrist away from his mouth, knowing that she would be of little use to anyone if he drained her.

She laid him against the wall again, smiling at him. He really was amazing. Even in so much pain, and at the state of passing out, he had promised to protect Dawn until the end. She leaned forward and gently kissed his forehead. “Thank you,” she whispered, before heading over to the others.

She swayed for a few seconds, before she shook away the dizziness and started forward again. “I’ve got an idea,” Buffy said, upon reaching the Scoobies.

“Can I blow something up?” Xander joked.

Buffy began to grin.

< --- >

“You know, when I asked if I could blow something up, I was joking, Buff.”

“I know, I know.”

“This is very James Bond-ish.”

“Is that even a word?” Willow whispered to Buffy at Anya’s ‘Bond-ish’.

Buffy shrugged. “Who knows. Willow, when I give the signal, get Tara and Dawn out of here. Spike should be able to go with you.”

Willow nodded, not looking very happy with the whole idea. “I thought I was your big gun.”

“You are. You just…need to shoot Tara, Dawn, and Spike out of here. Please?”

Willow nodded again, still looking disappointed.

“This entire plan is based on a guess that the two cans out there are full of gasoline. We could be entirely wrong.”

“Or, we could blow them sky-high, Giles.”

“What about us, Buff?”

Buffy sighed. “We’ll just…have to duck, that’s all,” she said, in response to Xander’s question.

Willow poked her head around the corner. “Tara and Dawn are ready to run. I’m going to get Spike now.”

“Good luck, Will,” Buffy whispered.

“You too.”

Buffy sighed again and turned to Xander, worried for Willow, Tara, her sister, and…for Spike. With each passing moment, her worries deepened.

“Ready?”

“James Bond, at your service,” Xander quipped.

Buffy smiled grimly. “All right, 007, you’re up.”

Xander hurried over to the barrels of gasoline, Buffy, Giles, and Anya right behind him. Buffy grabbed two of the barrels and hauled them over to a boarded door. Giles and Anya began to pry the boards loose, but didn’t take them off. Xander kept clenching and unclenching his fists, getting ready.

After the last board was loose, Anya turned to Xander, kissing him passionately. “That was for good luck,” she panted when they had pulled apart. “Don’t get killed. I like you too much.”

Xander chuckled. “I’ll try not to. Be careful yourself,” he added, as she moved to her post at the door.

“Ready?” Giles asked.

After a few seconds, Xander nodded. Giles and Anya pulled the boards away, leaving the door open enough for someone to get through.

As quickly as he could, Xander ran through the door and stopped, glaring at the stunned knights. “Hey! Cast of the Monty Python movie! This way to the Holy Grail!” With that, he began to run. Arrows were shut in his direction, and all the knights were too busy watching him to notice the gas station.

Once she was sure Xander was far enough away, Buffy yelled, “Get out! NOW!!”

Anya took off running, but Giles still looked hesitant. “I’ll be right behind you, I promise,” Buffy said. Giles nodded, and headed after Anya.

Buffy threw the barrels with all of her might, hitting the other two barrels outside. The spark caused by the metal of the barrels scraping against each other was enough. The explosion was incredible, sending the knights flying in every direction.

Buffy hadn’t noticed the explosion. After she had thrown the barrels, she had turned and begun running as fast as she could. She had to get away before the explosion.

She had almost made it to the door when she tripped. Her heart caught in her throat as she fell to the floor with a cry. “No,” she whimpered.

Then, the barrels connected, and the gas station and outside were engulfed in flames.

< --- >

Willow had hurried back to the room as fast as she could, wishing she could still be Buffy’s big gun. But she knew that her best friend was right: she had to get the others to safety.

Dawn looked up from her crouch next to Spike. “What’s going on?” she asked worriedly.

Willow tried to smile. “Time to go, sweetie. Help me wake Spike up.”

“Don’t need help; tell me what the bleedin’ hell’s goin’ on.”

Dawn shrieked in surprise at Spike’s clear voice. “Don’t do that! I thought you were out of it. Guess I don’t have to carry you out. And, you can have your jacket back; I’m getting tired of holding it,” Dawn said, handing him his duster.

Spike grinned, slipping his leather duster on. “Guess not, pint-sized. Someone mind tellin’ me why we’re runnin’ like cowards?”

Willow pursed her lips. “We’re not running away. We’re following orders. Buffy told me to get you, Dawnie, and Tara out of here. Pronto.”

Spike licked his lips before he continued. “Look, I feel fine. Lemme…” He stopped, frowned, and licked his lips again. His eyes widened with shock. “Her blood?” he breathed. “It is. She did.” His eyes narrowed dangerously. “I’ll kill her. She shouldn’t have.”

“What are you talking about?” Willow asked, looking at him with confusion.

“Buffy. She gave me some of her blood. I can still taste it.” His face showed his disbelief that she would do something like that for him. “But why?”

To add to Spike’s shock, neither Dawn nor Willow seemed very surprised. “Buffy was really worried about you,” Dawn said, smiling. “She didn’t know that we could hear her, but we could. She kept saying that you had to be okay, and you were making her worry, and then she said that you would’ve wanted to have been awake when she ripped your shirt off so she could reach the wound. Said you were missing something good.”

Spike blinked, then began to smile. “Really?” he asked softly.

“Really,” Willow confirmed.

Yelling outside pulled them out of their thoughts. Willow’s smile disappeared. “We need to get out, now.”

Spike began to protest, but Willow cut him off. “No! They’ll be fine. We need to get out, now!”

It ended up taking both Dawn and Willow to get him out, and it was only when Dawn told him that she needed him that he agreed to go. Spike remembered his promise to Buffy, and followed them out.

They hadn’t been outside for more then a few minutes when Xander came running their way. “Are they gone?” he asked, panting.

“Well, there’s no one behind you, if you’re wondering,” Dawn said, as Willow grabbed Tara, who had been trying to take off somewhere.

“Good to see ya, whelp,” Spike said, grinning.

Xander returned the grin. “And the vamp returns. As much as it pains me to say it, it’s good to see you, too.”

“Thanks, Harris.”

Xander nodded his ‘you’re welcome’ just as Giles and Anya came running.

Dawn frowned. “Where’s Buffy?”

“Beg pardon?”

“Buffy, my sister? Giles, where is she?” Dawn’s voice began to rise, and Willow, Xander, and Spike were now looking worried.

“She was right behind…” Giles started, but was cut off by the explosion from the gas station. Dawn screamed, and was joined by Tara and Willow. The only other sound made was Spike’s cry of horror as the flames settled, revealing no slayer.

Her last words to him ran through his head. “Promise me that whatever happens, you’ll protect my sister.” Spike shut his eyes, unable to stop the tears from rolling down his face. When he opened his eyes, the tears continued to roll, but a determined look was set on his face. Ignoring the yells behind him, he started running towards the still burning building.

The heat was enough to cause his skin to start blistering, but he didn’t care. “Buffy!” he called into flames. Nothing. He’d have to go in to help her out, then. If she wasn’t already…

“NO!!” he yelled, unwilling to believe that she might be dead. With a feral roar he pushed his way past a few burning boards and into the gas station.

Once inside, he had just started forward when he cringed and hunched over. Apparently, even with Buffy’s blood, he wasn’t up to full strength yet. No matter. He’d find her, and get out.

He looked up and could feel his heart shatter. Buffy lay face down, less then ten feet away from the door. She should’ve made it. What had happened? She was covered with dirt and dust, too. The ground near her head was red, and…was she breathing? He couldn’t tell. Please, let her be alive…oh please…

He rushed over to her side and knelt beside her. The red turned out to be blood from her forehead, but it was only a minor cut, by his standards. She’d be good as new in a few days, if he got her out.

He checked for a pulse, and whimpered with relief when he found one. Slow, but steady. He rolled her over and was about to pull her into his arms when a burning ember came flying down from the ceiling, landing only three feet away from where they were situated. He pulled his duster off and wrapped it around her, leaving him with no protection for his chest. He picked her up and held her tight.

He started towards the door, just as two burning embers landed where Buffy had been seconds before. He swallowed hard. That had been way too close.

She moaned and shifted in his arms. “Spike?” she managed to croak out, before she began to cough.

“Hold on, luv. It’s gonna get a lil’ hot in here.”

She continued to cough, burying her face into his chest. He knew she wouldn’t last much longer with the smoke filling her lungs. He took one last glance at her, kissed her forehead, and prayed he’d last long enough for her to hit him for the kiss. With that thought, he began to run.

He burst through the smoke and flames, and hissed in pain as the flames wrapped around him. He was through, blistered and burned, but he was through. What was even better, though, was that she was with him.

She continued coughing as he slowly headed for the Scoobies, exhaustion beginning to take over. They came running at the sight of her huddled form and his burned appearance. He fell to his knees, Buffy still in his arms. He vaguely remembered handing Buffy to Giles, and Xander grabbing him before he fell into darkness.

< --- >

“Spike? Spike, wake up, please.”

“Can I throw some water on him?”

“Xander!”

“Chill, Will. I wasn’t going to.”

“Yeah, you were.”

“Yeah, I was.”

“Spike? Spike, please…”

“Don’t worry, Buff. He’ll be fine.”

“He’s just…he’s been out of it for awhile, and I…”

“Look, he’s opening his eyes!”

Spike groaned and opened his eyes. Three figures hovered over him, and after a few blinks, made themselves known as Xander, Willow, and Buffy. Out of the three, Buffy looked the most anxious. Her _expression went from concerned to extreme relief within seconds of him waking.

“Are you okay?” she asked quickly.

Spike nodded, then frowned, looking around. “Where exactly are we?” he asked, sounding slightly slurred.

“We kept walking after awhile, and found a real, working gas station not far up the road. You’ve been out for the good portion of the day. Giles left on a bus that was headed back to Sunnydale, and promised to come pick us up later on,” Willow explained. “Tara’s starting to come back, too.”

Ah, that explained the look of happiness radiating from her face. “Take it we’re done, then? Glory’s finished?”

Xander nodded. “That would be about right. Dawn’s safe, thus our urge to head home.”

There was a few moments silence, and in that time, Willow caught Xander’s eye and gestured for the two of them to leave. He nodded, and they left Buffy and Spike alone.

“I’d hit you, but you’re burned,” Buffy said suddenly. She sounded furious. Well, he’d known this was coming.

“Look, pet, I…” He sighed. “I’m sorry I kissed you.”

She frowned. “I’m not mad about that. I actually kinda enjoyed it. What I AM mad about is the fact that you broke your promise!”

Spike’s eyes widened as she admitted that she had enjoyed the kiss, but narrowed as he asked, “What do you mean? I kept my bloody promise.”

“No, you didn’t! I asked you to keep her safe, and you promised ‘till the end of the world. You broke that promise. You could’ve turned to ashes running into the gas station like that!”

Spike was about to say something, then stopped, his mouth dropping open. “You wanted me to just LEAVE you there?!?” he roared.

“There at least would’ve been someone to watch out for Dawn!! If I couldn’t watch out for her, I wanted the next best person to do it, and that was you! So you running in to save my hide was not the smartest thing!!”

“You could’ve died!!”

Buffy sighed. “I know,” she said quietly. “I think you were right. When you told me that every slayer has a death wish? I tripped trying to get out of the building, and I know I could’ve jumped up and probably made it. But I just stayed there. I just gave up.”

Spike couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You listen to me,” he said, grasping her shoulders. He leaned down and gazed at her. “You didn’t get up because you were exhausted. This whole Glory thing’s enough to burn out anyone. Then, you’ve had your mum and Captain Cardboard on top of it. You were just tired, that’s all.”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, Spike! I’m tired. Tired of everything.”

Spike shook his head. “I know you, and you’re not a quitter. I won’t let you give up. I love you too much to do that.”

Buffy stared at him, then began to smile. “Thank you.”

“Now, you wouldn’t mind repeatin’ that shirt-rippin’ thing, would you? Kinda missed it the first time…”

She laughed. “You have such a one track mind.”

He smirked, then raised his eyebrow. “Did you really like that kiss?”

“Yeah, I did,” she said. Buffy looked up at him, a grin on her face. “And you know, I think I’d like it a whole lot more if it were placed here,” she whispered, capturing his lips with hers.

For a few seconds, he could do nothing but stare at her, stunned. Finally, he began to respond, wrapping his arms her, pulling her closer. The kiss intensified, and when they parted, they were both panting heavily. “I thought you didn’t need to breathe,” she said.

He chuckled. “I don’t. Doesn’t mean I can’t. ‘Sides, I think pantin’ is a given, ‘specially with that kiss.”

“I wonder if you’ll need to breathe like that next time,” Buffy said, as Giles pulled up. She headed to the car, Spike right behind her.

“Depends on how hard the kiss is, luv, and did you just say ‘next time’?”

She turned and licked her lips seductively. His eyes widened as she turned away, laughing. He began to grin as he hurried to catch up with her. Oh, there would definitely be a next time.

THE END