Chapter 4

*************
Oregon coast

August 5^th

*************

"That was nice," Buffy said contentedly as she finished drying her hair. She pulled it back into a ponytail, reveling in the warm glow of happiness. Snapping her wet towel towards Spike’s rear end, she tossed him his shirt. "Don’t you think it was nice?"

Slipping it over his damp shoulders, Spike quirked an eyebrow at her in amusement. "Nice? How very flattering. I don’t know if that’s the word I’d use, pet."

"Okay, so that’s the understatement of the month." She bent over and tied her shoelaces quickly. Her muscles groaned at her movement and she smiled, remembering how they became so sore. "Maybe even the year. Don’t let this go to your head, Ego-guy, but… it was pretty much fantastic. You sure you haven’t been practicing without me?

Spike came up behind her and slipped his arms around her narrow waist. "More than sure, love," he said, nipping along the curve of her ear. He breathed against her neck purposely, sending goosebumps over her skin. "But if you’d like to get in some more practice…"

"Mmmm… don’t tempt me. As much as I’d love to stay here with you all night…" Standing on her toes, she touched her lips to his, her breath warming his skin. "There’ll be plenty of time for… for *this*," she said, giving him another, light kiss, "when we get back to Sunnydale. I can’t wait to get home. This room is starting to give me nightmares. Way too much orange. I’ve fought demons who frightened me less."

Spinning her to face him, Spike captured her mouth with his firmly and teased her with his tongue. "You want to go back?" he said, pulling his lips only a whisper away from hers. "Why? We could go anywhere, you know. The world’s a big place, and I’ve seen most of it over the past century. I could show you places you’ve never even dreamed existed. Immortality really helps, but I suppose you could limp along okay. You wouldn’t be able to see it all, but…" he splayed his fingers over her cheekbones, framing her. "Well, you’d see enough. I’d make sure you experienced all the best parts."

"What, like Maui? The South Seas? Hot beaches, fun in the sun… with a vampire. So not going to happen."

"You’d be surprised. The beach at night is highly underrated. Think of it, pet. You, me, the moonlight, the ocean, the sand beneath our feet still warm from the day’s sun…" His smile was easy, appealing, but she caught a tense undertone. "Just think of all the naughty things we could do on that hot sand."

"What’s up with you? No, don’t even tell me it’s nothing," she said, putting her finger on his protesting lips. "Is this about going back to Sunnydale? You don’t want to go home?"

"Sunnydale’s your home, love. Not mine. I go wherever it suits me to at the time. Just so happens that your home suits me as long as you’re in it. I’ll go back if you do. No question there. But…"

"You’re worried about what people will say? Xander, Willow, Dawn… you think they’ll give us problems?"

He snorted, but gentled the response by stroking her hair. "Like I care a wit what the Whelp thinks. And the Nibblet won’t object to me anymore than she would a human boyfriend. All she’ll see is how it effects her- you not being around because you’re with me. Willow’ll wring her hands a bit, but she’ll accept it eventually, like she does everything that comes up between you. No, I’m not worried about them. It’s you who makes me nervous."

"Me? That’s stupid, Spike."

"It’s not stupid at all. What if you get home, back to the bosom of your friends, home and hearth and all the other normal trappings, and decide this was all a mistake? Now, I’m not saying I think this is a mistake. Far from it. I’m just saying that you tend to be a bit… um…"

"What? A bit liking of the normal life?"

"Well, yeah. And a soulless, night-walking boyfriend doesn’t exactly fit that frame, now does it?"

Cupping her hand around the back of his head, she pulled his forehead down against hers. She held him like that for a long moment, as if willing her thoughts into him. Finally, she spoke, her voice confidant and husky with emotion. "Like I said before, that’s stupid. What, like I can go back to my house- my house where the witch and the key live!- and be all Leave It To Beaverish with the magic and the slaying and the running from sister-stealing hellgods? You know what my life is like because it’s your life too."

She drew his lips to hers, kissing him with persuasive passion. Breaking away to take a breath, she pressed her face into his neck, breathing in his scent. Only when she felt his muscles relax did she straighten and look him in the eyes. Watching the play of emotions on his face, she said, "Our life isn’t so bad. And normal? Way overrated."

He exhaled a long sigh of contentment. With a cocky smile, he brushed his palm down her side towards her hip. "You sure you don’t need another shower? I think I might’ve seen a speck or something that needs a good wash. And hey, I could help…"

"Nope. Time to get back to business." She leaned against him for a moment, enjoying the feel of his hard chest against her softness. Pulling away with reluctance, she handed him his boots. "We’ve still got a demon to kill, remember? Sanies isn’t just going to drain itself."

"Yeah, well, it’s not going to just walk up to us and offer its neck up for the biting, either. Not to mention the fact that the minute I go out that door, those bloody Watchers will be on my back." Kneeling on the floor to lace his boots, he looked up at her. "I suppose you have a plan?"

"I’ll go outside and distract the goon squad, play decoy-girl. While I’m doing that, you jump out the window. Go up to the forest, find Otis, and drain him. Then we go home."

He quirked his eyebrow questioningly. "That’s your plan?"

"I didn’t say it was a good one," she said with a mock-pout. "But it’ll work. I think. Probably. Anyways, if you can do better, go right ahead."

Sighing, Spike opened the window. "I’ll check the woods near my cave. It nearly got me there a hundred different times before Otis fought his way to my rescue. Maybe we’ll get lucky and it’ll be out hunting."

"Be careful," she said, holding out her hand to him. "It might not be able to body-snatch you, but it’s still dangerous."

He took her hand in both of his and squeezed it once, hard. "I’ll be back when I find Otis, or at sunrise, whichever comes first. No worries."

Watching as he scuttled out the window, Buffy nodded. "Right. No worries." Throwing her jacket over her shoulders, she hurried out the door to find the Watchers.

She didn’t have to go far to find them. A black sedan with darkened windows waited in the parking space in front of her hotel room. As she walked down the steps towards it, the three Councilmen got out. They wore matching black suits, and their faces were twisted into identical scowls. "Cliché much?" she muttered under her breath.

"What did you say?" Long-Nose asked, leaning against the car and watching her approach.

"The car." She waved her hand towards it. "The suits. The frowns. It’s all a bit on the villain-ey side, don’t you think?"

"You think of us as the villains?" Beady-Eyes walked around the car towards her. "That’s funny, coming from you."

"What’s that suppose to mean?" She studied him warily.

"It means, you’ve lost all perspective, Slayer. You scarcely deserve the title. Shacking up with vampire after vampire…" He spat on the ground in front of her shoes. "You’re revolting."

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," she said with deliberate evenness. "You guys agreed it would be a good thing for me to interrogate Spike. And I did. He held out for a long time, but I finally convinced him to cooperate. I have all the low-down on the demon that killed all those people in Portland. "

"We already know about the Sanies demon," Long-Nose said, smiling smugly.

"Then what do you want with Spike? I mean, too late for that. I took care of the problem. No more William the Bloody."

"What do you mean?" No-Name’s jaw worked with anger. "We agreed that you wouldn’t harm him."

"I didn’t harm him. I dusted him. Slayed him. Did my job. Really, there wasn’t much to harm- he was a vamp. Already dead, right? I just…" she raised her eyebrow facetiously. Lying is so much easier when it’s to people you hate. "What, you didn’t want me to slay him?"

"Slay William the Bloody?" With a dignified snort, Long-Nose chuckled. "Why ever would we want to do that? He’s the perfect host in which to carry the Sanies demon back to Council Headquarters in London for study."

"What are you talking about? He wasn’t a host. He was a vampire. And now he’s a dead, dusty vampire."

"You’re a liar." Glancing down at his watch, Long-Nose said, "The vampire left your room five minutes ago. In another five, he’ll have found the demon. We disabled it- from a safe distance, of course- and left it on the path to the cave where William was living. The undead are such creatures of habit, you see. We knew he’d return to his nest."

Still trying for casual, Buffy cocked her head to the side. "What makes you think that’s where he’s headed?" Keep asking questions. Give Spike time to kill Sanies. Then beat the crap out of these assholes.

Beady-Eyes held up a small, black rectangle. A video cassette. "You were smart to turn on the radio. That took out audio as a surveillance option. Lucky for us, we also had visual. Have you seen the latest video cameras they’ve come out with? They’re much smaller than you’d think, and very simple to hide. And the bathroom is often a wise place to conceal them."

Shock and anger gnawed inside of her, but she forced herself to stay calm. I *so* underestimated these guys. "Sanies can’t jump into Spike. He told me that it can only live in human beings."

"No, Miss Summers. Your vampire was wrong," Long-Nose corrected. "Which is to be expected, considering that we fed him misleading information through our inside agent . Sanies can only live in human blood. Spike has that. You did share yours with him, didn’t you?"

She took a step back, shaken. "I don’t believe you. It doesn’t make sense. The only way to kill Sanies is to have a vampire drain its blood. But if the demon can jump into the vamp, it would just jump while the vamp is draining it. It would be unkillable. You guys have to be wrong."

"Sanies can’t jump while it’s being drained. As soon as the vampire gets its teeth into the demon, there is no danger. However, the moment the demon feels threatened, it will take the vampire as its new host. This generally happens before the vampire can strike. Sanies actually prefers vampires to humans. They are so much less fragile. Which is why William the Bloody will be the perfect way to transport Sanies to London." Long-Nose grinned, a toothy, arrogant grin. "He should be discovering what we’ve left for him momentarily. How happy he’ll be, don’t you think? To find Otis disabled, after hunting him for so long? Imagine his surprise when the demon jumps inside of him. If only we’d thought to bug the forest as well as the hotel room. I’d love to see the look on that monster’s face when he realizes how we’ve misled him."

Sheer, black fright swept through her. It glittered in her eyes, stark and vivid, as she looked from face to face as if hoping one of the Councilmen might laugh and tell her the whole story was a joke. Stupid thought. Stupid! Get up that mountain and warn him! Spinning around, she raced out of the hotel parking lot and up towards the tree line.

"What have we here," Spike said, walking up the path towards Otis. "A man under a great, big net. Or, a demon in a man’s body under a net. Hello, mate." He knelt in the dirt beside the demon and studied it through the mesh of the net. Its yellow eyes rolled wildly, but otherwise it didn’t move. "I’ve been looking for you."

Standing, Spike pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. He paced in a large circle around the demon, taking his time. After only a few puff, he tossed the cigarette over the side of the deep ravine that edged the path. "Well, Sanies. You’ve been a decent opponent. If it weren’t me you were after killing, I might’ve had a bit more respect for you. As it is," he trailed off. Grabbing the edge of the netting, he let his features vamp out. "As it is, this is where you get off."

Spike yanked off the net. The demon leapt to his feet. It snarled at Spike like a wild beast, drool rolling down its chin. Backing off a step, Spike crouched into a low, fighters stance. "No more Otis in there, eh? You’re all Sanies now. Well, doesn’t that just make things simpler." He moved towards the demon, his arms out. "Come on, then. Don’t make this harder than it has to be."

"Spike!"

He heard Buffy shout him name, but the rest of her words were muffled under the sound of a terrible growl that rose from Sanies chest. The beast threw itself towards Spike, who ducked away. "Buffy, stay back," Spike screamed, closing in on the demon. "I’ve almost got it!"

Sanies reared back, howling and spitting. A yellow glow rose around it like an aura. Spike faltered with momentary uncertainty. "What are you doing?" he muttered, forcing himself to advance. "It’s not suppose to go like this. See, I eat you, then you die. None of this fancy yellow aura deal."

"Spike! Get away from it!" Buffy came into view. She flew up the path towards him, shouting his name over and over.

"What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?" Spike screamed, watching helplessly as she approached. "You can’t be here! What, do you want to die? Get back, you idiot." He waved his arms, trying to get her to stop.

She barreled up the path and pushed into him without pausing. Her body hit him full-on in the chest. The momentum behind her weight threw him off his feet into the air and down hard to the ground on the edge of the path. With a shout of astonishment, he rolled helplessly over the side of the path and down into the depths of the ravine. Buffy heard the sound of his body rolling over the dirt and underbrush. Pausing only long enough to glance over the side and make certain he was too far away to be harmed, she started to run back down the path to safety. She made it three steps away before a wiry arm snaked around her waist.

"No!" she screamed. Visions of Otis curled on the ground, sobbing for his mother, flashed through her mind. "Otis, don’t do this," she stammered, hoping desperately to appeal to the slice of humanity still left in it.

The demon drew her back against its body in a hard, unbreakable grasp. It made no coherent words, only a low, guttural growling noise. Twisting her head back and looking at its face, she realized that Otis was completely gone. The yellow light rose in waves of soft heat from the demons skin, shimmering and growing. Gold beams shot out like columns from its eyes. The light washed over Buffy’s body like liquid fire. It poured inside her mouth, into her nose, into the pores of her skin. Her mouth opened to scream, but no sound could find its way around the demonic light. Heat balled inside her chest, burning her. She screamed at her legs, trying in vain to get them to kick out, but her muscles were frozen, useless. Closing her eyes finally, she slumped back against the demon.

Spike scrambled up the side of the ravine, fighting for every foothold in the wet soil. Slippery, wet ferns made him fall back. With a shout of frustration, he dug his toes into the earth, gaining some ground. As he neared the top, he saw a brilliant stream of yellow light explode on the path above him. "Buffy!" He grabbed at the loose dirt frantically, struggling his way upwards. Finally, he pulled himself onto the lip of the edge, panting out of habit. When he saw her, he didn’t take the time to stand. He crawled to where her body had fallen, half on top of Otis’ corpse. "Buffy?" he said in a hoarse whisper, touching her hair.

She lay motionless on her belly. He rolled her over, taking great pains to be gentle. "Slayer?" His voice rose with emotion when he saw the ashen vacancy of her face and the terrible, yellow light beneath her eyelids. Wiping a smudge of mud from her cheek, he gathered her unconscious body in his arms and stood. "I’ve got you, Buffy. You don’t… you mustn’t worry about a thing." Cradling her tightly, he started down the mountain, avoiding the path she’d come up on. He moved woodenly, as though on auto-pilot. "You’re going to be fine, love. Just fine. I’ll take care of you. I’ll get you back home, you hear? Back to your bed and your friends and your little sis. We’ll find a way to help you. Until then, you just sit tight."

Bending his head, he kissed her hair, his eyes glassy with shock. "Don’t you be afraid, love. I’ll never let anything happen to you again."

******************

California desert

August 7^th

******************

The desert spread flat and dark around the long, straight road. Spike pushed down on the gas pedal, coaxing another burst of speed from the old Honda. "Next town we come to, pet, I’ll hot wire us a better set of wheels," he said, glancing down at his lap. "Maybe a Porsche. You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Something shiny and fast to zoom you back to Sunnydale?" Buffy’s head rested like a deadweight on his thighs. Her body, curled into a fetal position, shivered and spasmed. Her face was turned towards him, but he didn’t want to look at it. The yellow light glowing from her eyes chilled him to the bone. The lights are on, but no one’s at home, he thought grimly, reaching for the radio dial. Music blared- something country and horrible- but he was too preoccupied with his thoughts to care. "I’ll get you home," he muttered, scanning the dark road ahead of them with his vampire eyes. "You’re going to be fine."

Against his belt, Buffy blinked once. It did nothing to change the affect of her face. Spike dropped one hand onto her hair, stroking her. "Do you believe me, love? Do you trust me?"

Steeling himself, he looked down at her face. Its perfect blankness sent a bolt of fear through him. Turning his eyes back to the road, he placed a gentle hand on her back and timed the rate of her breathing. "Buffy?" he said, counting. "I love you."

She took a breath, then another, no more quickly or slowly than she had before he’d spoken. Clenching his jaw, he told himself for the millionth time that she couldn’t hear him, that he was a fool for hoping she could. Fool, maybe. But I know she’s still in there somewhere. He squeezed her shoulder, pulling her even closer against his side. "That’s all right. You… you just hang in there, pet. Wherever you are in there, you fight that sodding bastard Sanies. Keep fighting, and I swear I’ll find a way to help you."

The road stretched out before him, dark and seemingly endless.

Chapter 5

***************

Sunnydale

Summers’ house

August 9th

***************

"Bloody hell," Spike said, adjusting Buffy’s weight in his arms and trying to turn the doorknob again with no luck. "Brilliant, aren’t they? Doing a disinvite on the guy who’s trying to save the day?" Rolling his eyes, he rang the doorbell.

Giles answered the door, a half-eaten piece of toast in his hand. He dropped it to the floor when he saw Spike. "S-spike! You… you’re not welcome here."

"So I noticed." Brushing away the hair that hide Buffy’s face, he stood still, waiting.

After a beat, Giles recognized whom Spike was holding. "Dear lord," he said, his eyes hardening, "what have you done to her?"

Spike’s face drew closed so fast, it shut with a nearly audible slam. "It’s a long story," he said, no emotion in his voice. "But I’d never hurt her on purpose. Not a hair on her head. Either invite me in, or I’ll take her someplace else for help."

"The chip?" Giles asked, bracing himself with one hand on the doorframe. A frown furrowed his brow. "You aren’t restrained by it anymore."

"No kidding. And look, I get it, that you’re thinking I’ll turn on you. On her. But I brought her here, all the way from Oregon. Plenty of opportunity for snacking, and isn’t she still alive?"

Taking in Buffy’s trembling, unresponsive body, Giles glared at Spike. "More or less, it seems. If you really want what’s best for her, leave her on the doorstep and let me bring her inside. Just walk away, Spike."

"And if you want what’s best for her, you’ll let me in the bloody door. It’s been three days since she was… since she’s been well. The longer she’s like this, the better chance is that the bastard will win."

"What do you mean, win? And which bastard is it you're referring to?"

With a sigh, Spike lifted a hand to Buffy’s face. He peeled back one of her eyelids, letting Giles see the unnatural yellow light that flashed inside her eyeballs. "Let me in, old man. Whether you like me or not, I’m the only one who can tell you what’s happening to her."

His face pale with shock, Giles nodded. "Come in, Spike."

********

Upstairs, Spike laid Buffy on top of her bed, tucking the thick bedspread around her snugly. Resting a cool hand on Buffy’s forehead, Spike looked over his shoulder at Giles. "We’ll need help. Research, magic maybe. We have to find out all we can about a demon called Sanies. Your fellow Watcher wankers pulled one over on me. I should’ve seen it… you never put all your trust in any information unless you know the source, never! I’m a right idiot." Looking down at Buffy’s twitching face, he released a long, shuddering breath. "And she’s the one paying the price for my stupidity. Another second, that’s all it would’ve taken. If she’d just been one second later, it would be me lying there all possessed. It should be me."

Giles watched from the doorway, scrutinizing every movement the vampire made. "I’m not inclined to disagree with you. Whatever’s the matter with her, I’d rather it was you lying there also. However, that’s not the case, and standing around like this is not helping her."

Spike nodded, placing his hand on Buffy’s cheek. He ran his thumb over the slope of her jaw, trying to smooth the ticking muscles. "She’ll be all right alone for a few minutes. Call the witch and whoever else, and tell them to get over here. It’s a long story, and I only want to tell it once." He bent and kissed her lips, ignoring Giles’ affronted gasp.

"She’ll be all right," Spike repeated, directing the words forcefully towards Buffy’s face. With a final glance at her, he stood and walked towards the door. "Come on. Let’s go downstairs. I need to eat, and you need to pick your jaw up from the floor."

"There’s… ahm… I noticed a packet of blood in the freezer," Giles offered, glaring at Spike but following him from the room. "I’ll phone Willow and the others while you eat." Rubbing his face, he shook his head. "You better not be up to something, Spike."

"S’not me who’s the danger, mate," Spike said as he thumped his way down the stairs. "This time, the danger’s in Buffy."

***************

Summers' house

August 10th

***************

"How is she?" Giles asked, glancing up from his book as Spike walked into the dining room.

Spike surveyed the mounds of books and papers covering the long table. "Worse," he said shortly, his eyes darting away. "How's the book pounding?"

"Well, after a day of heavy research, we know exactly nothing. Nothing new, anyway. But we’re bound to come across something soon."

"Aha!" Willow exclaimed, thumbing rapidly through the text on her lap.

"As I said," Giles said, with a half smile.

Finding her page, she read aloud, "Sanies, otherwise known as 'the corrupter of blood', jumps from host to host, living in human blood. Possession by the demon is fatal to the host. The demon has very little cognition, relying instead on its keen instincts. Once summoned, it hunts the assigned target to an accuracy rate of seventy percent, making it lethal but easily outmaneuvered."

Snorting, Spike spun a chair around and sat on it backwards. He rested his elbows on its high, slatted back. "Easily? Obviously the bloke who wrote this never had one on his tail."

Continuing, Willow read, "Little is known about the origins of the Sanies demon. Most theorize it is a creature created by a master vampire. This theory is supported by the fact that the only known way to kill the Sanies demon is for a vampire to drain its blood. Other theories include decapitating the possessed host." She paled, and looked up at Giles with wide eyes. "Umm... all in favor of keeping Buffy's head on her shoulders say Aye."

"Very funny," Giles said, taking the text from Willow and skimming it. "Of course we won’t be cutting off Buffy's head, or any of her other body parts. And we obviously won’t be draining her blood. That would defeat the purpose of curing her rather completely."

"What, then?" Spike said, rising from his chair. He pulled out a package of cigarettes from his back pocket and placed one, unlit, between his lips. "We know more about the bastard, but not enough. Where do we look now? What do we do?"

Folding his glasses and setting them on the table, Giles dropped his head into his hands. He rubbed his eyes wearily, then ran his fingers through his already tousled hair. "Nothing. There is no where else to look. This is the only text. There's not a bloody thing we can do but... wait. And stay with her."

Willow’s eyes widened. She rose from her seat and took the book back from Giles protectively. "But… no. There’s gotta be something else, some other source we haven’t checked yet. Giles, you brought a ton of books with you from England. So, we just… keep looking."

"The books I brought are on vampires," Giles said. "That was the original intention of my visit. I’d hoped to help Buffy by… helping you. Somehow." Looking back at Willow, he placed his hand on her arm in comfort. "I’m sorry, Willow. There’s nothing else to be done."

Spike took a menacing step towards Giles. "I don't buy that," he growled into Giles' face. "There's always something. You're the good guys, remember? Sanies is the bad guy. You're supposed to save the day. That's what the good guys do."

Flinching, Giles handed Spike the text. "You think I don't want to help Buffy? I do. She's my Slayer... and my friend. I'd do anything to save her. But there's simply nothing to be done. Go on, look for yourself."

Glowering, Spike yanked the book from Giles' hands. "I will look for myself," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "I'll be upstairs if you sods decide you want to help her." He left the room, his duster flailing in his wake.

"Don't be upset, Giles," Willow said, her eyes filling with tears. "He's just upset. He loves her."

"We're all upset," Giles said, closing his eyes. "We all love her."

Looking towards to doorway through which Spike had left, Willow shook her head. "Not like he does."

*********

"So, pet, why not have a bit of a chat with Sanies, seeing as how you're all up close and personal with him. Ask it how the bloody sodding hell I can kill it!" Spike slammed the book shut. He jumped up from his seat beside Buffy's bed. Looking down at her, he brushed her hair off of her face. "You've stopped shaking. I wish I believed that was a good thing."

She didn’t respond to his voice or his touch, but Spike had stopped expecting her to. He ran one finger down the curve of her spine, wishing she’d uncurl from the tight ball she had wrapped herself in. "You’ll have one hell of an ache when you come back to your senses if you stay all bent like you are."

Dropping onto the mattress beside her, he stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers. Her skin felt cold, but was damp with sweat. Look at his fingers, Spike could see her sweat on them. He studied it, noticing that it was tinted with yellow. "It’s really got a hold on you, pet. Look at you. I’ve never seen you so bad off. Even when you were dead, you looked more alive."

Her eyelids fluttered briefly, then stilled. Spike brushed his hand over her eyes, making sure the lids stayed shut. It was hard enough to look at her without adding yellow eyes into the mix. "Sorry," he said, trying to lighten his voice. "Guess I should be saying you’re still beautiful and all that. And you are. Yeah, you’re pale and sweaty, and yeah those bags under your eyes don’t exactly shout health and vitality, but…" he broke off, unable to finish the lie. "Buffy, I can see you’re loosing. If you lose, it won’t go down well here. You won’t be the only one to die. If you can’t fight for yourself, love, then fight for us. The people who love you. If you lose, Sanies will come after us next."

Clearing his throat, he blinked his eyes rapidly. "But that won’t be a problem. You won’t lose. You’re going to be fine, Buffy. Just fine."

"You’re wrong, you know," Giles said, entering the room. He walked over to the bed and examined Buffy with his eyes. "Look at her. She’s not in there anymore."

"You’re the one who’s wrong, mate," Spike said. He saw Giles reach for Buffy’s hand and snatched it into his own before the Watcher could touch her. "I’ve seen this demon in action and let me tell you, you’ll know when she’s gone."

With a sigh, Giles stretched his slumped shoulders. His entire body seemed weighted down with defeat. "Before Sanies completely takes over, you’ll have to drain her. You know that."

Spike slammed his eyes shut and shook his head. "I can’t hear this."

"You have to hear this. She’s buying you time, don’t you see? Brave, strong girl that she is, she’s holding it down inside of her so that you can kill it."

"And Buffy with it? No thanks. I’ll take the option where we find the cure and save her, just in the nick of time."

"As would I, if there was a cure. But the way it stands, we must act in the interests of the greater good. You must know that Buffy would want you to kill this demon. She wouldn’t want anyone else to die."

Spike shot to his feet, dropping Buffy’s hand. "And she wouldn’t want to die, either! I’m going to find her a cure, with your help or without it."

"Fine." Giles paused, thinking. Looking down at Buffy, he drank in her features. With one finger, he stroked her cheek. "Do what you must. But I want your word that you’ll end this before Sanies takes over. And before…" He choked up, his eyes tearing with grief. "Before she’s in any pain."

"It won’t come to that." Spikes eyes, bloodshot and wild, bored into the Watcher. "I’ll stop this before that point. With the cure."

Giles face flushed with sudden, hot anger. "What makes you so sure?" he spat. "You think you’re so bloody smart, but you’re not. You’re just a scared, desperate vampire who’s watching the only decent part of his life die. Accept the inevitable, why don’t you, and help her! End her fight."

"I. Will. Find. A. Cure." Spike’s words dripped with stiffly retrained fury. Holding his temper, he grabbed the Demonology book and opened it. He flipped through the pages with anger-clumsied fingers. "It’s in here. I know. I can feel it. There’s something we’re not seeing."

"You bloody fool. Listen to me! Your blind confidence is not helping Buffy, and there are no answers in that book! Unless you can drag a demon up here, convince Sanies it actually has human blood, and somehow force it to jump out of Buffy without killing her, and take up housekeeping in the demon, I’m afraid you’re out of luck! Accept it, Spike. Accept that you can’t save her. And for god’s sake, help her die without pain."

Spike froze, his head cocked to one side. His eyes took on a distant look, as though he was suddenly very far away. Giles’ harsh words hung in the air between them like a thick, painful fog. Slowly, he turned on his heel. He stared at Giles with unblinking eyes.

Giles stared back, shaken by the intensity of Spike’s expression. "Ah… I am sorry for putting it so bluntly…" he began, fiddling with his glasses. He remembered swiftly that Spike was now without a chip, and very capable of killing him.

Raising one hand in the air, Spike silenced him. "You car. Does it have petrol in it?"

"What? Yes, it does. Why?"

"A full tank of petrol?"

"Yes, the rental agency had it filled when I picked it up, and I only drove it from the airport to here. Again, why?"

Ignoring him, Spike sat back down beside Buffy. He brought his face to hers and kissed her softly, brushing his lips over hers again and again. Placing his hands under her shoulders, he pulled her body against his. With one hand wrapped around the back of her neck, he rested her head in the crook of his neck. He buried his face in her hair, clutching her tightly.

As understanding dawned on him, Giles looked away, embarrassed to be witnessing the private moment. "Spike?" He rose and walked a few steps away. "The car has enough gas in it to take you into the desert. There are no people there. You can… you can drain her there without worry that Sanies will jump. My… my wallet is on the passenger’s seat. There’s enough cash in it to last you a few days. " With a look of compassion, he said, "Shall I leave you alone to say your goodbyes?"

Giving Buffy a final kiss, Spike carefully laid her back onto the bedspread. He stood and walked out the door without so much as a glance at Giles.

"Spike?" Giles chased after him, following him downstairs. "What are you doing?"

"I finally got it," he said, grabbing his coat from the floor by the front door.

"Spike?" Willow said, walking into the entryway. "Where are you going?"

weren’t seeing before? In the book? Well, I saw it. Right in front of our noses, it was, and I finally figured it out."

"What are you talking about? The text only had the one section about Sanies, and there was certainly nothing in it about a cure for the host."

"Read between the lines, Watcher. That’s all I did." Slipping on his duster, he turned his back and walked outside. "Keep her alive. I’ll be back," he said, slamming the door shut behind him.

Giles shook his head with sympathy. "Poor fellow. Denial is such a tricky trap. Would that I could have the luxury of it."
 

He jumped with alarm as the sounds of wrenching screams punctured the house. "Buffy," he breathed, running up the stairs. "Willow!"

"I’m coming," she said, hurrying upstairs behind him.

They entered Buffy’s bedroom together and found her on the floor. She writhed against the carpet, shrieking so loudly the windows shook.

"Giles!" Willow cried, terrified to see the yellow aura that surrounded Buffy. "Do something!"

Giles grabbed his Slayer and forced her back onto the bed. He held in his arms, trying to control her flailing. "Buffy," he said firmly, trying to keep her from ripping herself out of his grasp. "Willow, grab her legs. Carefully." Spitting out a hank of Buffy’s hair that her tossing head flung into his mouth, he tightened his grip. "Buffy! Listen to me. You are Buffy. You’re the Slayer. Sanies is nothing. He’s just another demon. You can beat him, Buffy. You can win."

"Giles…" Willow backed away uncertainly, remembering the danger. "If she’s loosing it, we should get out of here. Like, quickly."

"Leave. Go on, now. I’m staying with her." He glared at Willow when she started to protest. "There’s nothing to discuss. I’m not leaving her. Lock to door behind you, please, and create a barricade on the other side. Whatever happens, the demon won’t be leaving this room."

Uttering a low sob, Willow nodded. She backed out of the room, tears pouring down her face. Shaking herself into action, she flipped the bolt, locking Giles, Buffy, and the Sanies demon inside the room until someone from the outside came to free them. She rushed into Joyce’s bedroom, looking for furniture to move in front of Buffy’s door. Tears fell from her eyes, but she forced herself to keep moving. The nightstand was heavy, as was the low bookcase. She dragged them out of the room and pushed them against the door. "More," she said, thinking. Running into Dawn’s room, she decided on the heavy clothes dresser and began pushing against it.

Finally safe, she stood in the hallway and surveyed the barricade. "Spike, you better be right," she whispered, her eyes full of grief. From behind the door, she could hear the whispered sounds of Giles speaking to Buffy in a soothing manner. Though she couldn’t make out any of the words, the tone of his voice made her comprehend the sacrifice he had just made for his Slayer. It was the sort of tone a father would use to calm his frightened child. "Whatever you think you’ve found, Spike, it better help," she said, walking slowly down the hallway towards the stairs.

***************

Two hours later

***************

Spike took his hand off the steering wheel of Giles’ rental car and pressed the corner of aluminum foil back down against the windshield. He’d stopped only long enough to buy a roll of the foil from a quickie mart before getting on the freeway and heading west.

The freeway was unusually vacant for a weekend afternoon. Spike took full advantage of the absence of other drivers and pushed down hard on the gas pedal, taking the car to the limits of its capabilities. Speed seemed like a good outlet for the tight pain that rolled around inside his chest. He took deep breaths and let them out in slow puffs, trying to bring himself ease. Not going to happen. Face it, mate, you’re stuck feeling like this till… He smacked his head back against the headrest, not wanting to finish the thought. Till what? Until he figured out how to work the cure, or until Buffy died. Either way, the feeling would change.

He adjusted the goggles that protected his eyes from the square hole in the window foil. The rubber around his eyes itched, but he wasn’t about to complain. He drove with a focus that he’d never known before. Steering onto an exit ramp, he slowed down and merged onto the city street. Welcome to Los Angeles, he thought, his mouth twitching with bitter anticipation.

Chapter 6

************

August 10^th

************

"Hello the house!" Xander called, walking into the Summers’ entryway. "Will? Giles? I’ve come bearing donuts!"

He ducked into the dining room. "Books, book, and more books," he muttered, "but no people. Willow?"

"I’m in the living room, Xander," Willow called. Her voice sounded small and muffled. "Can… um, can you come in here?"

"I’m coming. Do you want to snatch the jelly donut before Giles gets to it?" Xander moved around the corner and into the living room. He stopped short when he saw his friend sitting on the ground in front of the bookshelf. "Will? Whatcha doing?"

"Did Giles ever mention his family to you? His mother, father… siblings maybe?" She looked up from the book in her lap, chewing absently on the end of her pen. "Or any friends besides Olivia?"

"Nope. Not unless you count Ethan Rayne. Or that Mage guy who he called to help fake out Faith and the Mayor. Why?"

Her eyes filled, but she didn’t cry. "This is Giles’ personal journal. I’m updating it for him." Her words started to shake. She bit her lip, then continued on in a resolute whisper. "I need to know who to send it to."

"Huh? Will, what’s going on?" Xander knelt beside her on the floor. "Where’s Giles? Did he find the cure for Buffy?"

"There is no cure," she said. "Giles could still be okay. It’s just… last time I saw Buffy, she looked pretty much like she was loosing the fight. Giles made me lock him in the bedroom with her. He didn’t want her to have to be alone. They’ve been in there for five hours now. At first, I could hear him talking to her, but now…" With a sniffle, she continued, "Now, there’s just… nothing."

"There’s no cure? But…" He shook his head slowly, stunned. "No. That can’t be true."

"It is, believe me. I’ve already been through the denial game with Spike. It doesn’t help, Xander. Let’s just do what needs to be done before we all fall apart, okay? I’ve got to make a record of what happened with Sanies. And Spike’s doing what he can, too."

"Where is Spike? Did Mister ‘I’m so caring even without my chip’ wimp out and take off?"

"Took off- yes. Wimp out… I don’t know. I hope not. He thought he had an idea, something to help Buffy. But he wouldn’t say what it was, and that was hours ago. Wouldn’t he have come back already, if he was going to? A-and even if he did come back now, well… I think it’s too late."

"Too late?" Dawn asked, walked into the living room. She carried a small backpack over her shoulders. Taking it off, she handed it to Spike, who walked in behind her. Looking with fear from Willow to Xander, then back at Spike, she said, "Is she… is it over? Is she gone?"

Willow jumped to her feet, followed by Xander. "Dawn?" Xander said, anger flashing in his eyes. "You brought *Dawn* here?"

"You shouldn’t have brought her into this, Spike," Willow said tiredly. She went to Dawn and hugged her close. "It’s still not completely safe. Sanies could… it could still get out."

"Come on, Bit," Spike said, ignoring Willow and Xander. "Upstairs we go."

"Uh… no." Xander grabbed Dawn’s arm, stopped her from leaving the room. "That’s completely, totally out of the question. Dawnie, I get that you want to see Buffy, but it’s not safe. I’m sorry."

"Let me go," she said, shaking out of his grasp. "This isn’t up to you."

Taking Dawn’s hand, Spike tugged her out of the room. He pushed her, gently but firmly, towards the stairs. "We’re going," he said to Xander, the threat that lurked under his words obvious. "You and Red stay here. Got it?" Without waiting for a reply, he turned and led Dawn up the stairs.

Once outside the door, Spike went straight to work at deconstructing the barrier. "Funny, them thinking this’d hold Sanies in. What do you want to bet that they didn’t think to block the window?"

Dawn stood against the wall, her arms folded over her chest. "Willow said it’s too late."

"Red’s a sweet girl and a hell of a witch, but she’s not the be-all, end-all when it comes to demons. Or to your big sis, come to think of it." Pulling the bookcase away from the door, he turned to Dawn. "How are you holding up?"

"Oh, just great. Really. After being pulled out of my house and wisked away to where my sister may or may not be dead, and after being told that the only way to save her is with my blood… I’m doing just great." She rolled her eyes. "What is it with my blood? If it’s so popular, maybe I should fix all our money problems and start selling it by the vial."

"You’re scared." Spike took her shoulders in his hands and looked her in the eyes. "Good. You should be scared. Means you’re still okay in there."

"Weird, but yeah, I get that."

"Buck up, Nibblet. This is going to be a little déjà vu-ish. Just remember, Buffy’s still alive, no matter how bad she looks. And we are going to save her."

"Right," she said, blinking at him.

He started to speak, then hesitated.

"What?"
 

"Bit. You do understand that this dangerous for you. Once it happens, I don’t know how you’ll react. Anything could happen, really. You sure you want to try?"

She nodded, her long hair falling over her shoulders. "I have to. She would do it for me. She already did. You… you’re not going to stop me, are you?"

He shook his head, tight-lipped. "No. I should, maybe, but… no."

"Then let’s go."

Brushing her hair back from her face, he gave her an encouraging smile. "That’s my girl."

Buffy’s room smelled of sweat. Spike was surprised to find Giles asleep in the chair underneath the window. He wavered a minute, trying to decide what to do. Finally he grabbed Giles under the arms and shoved the startled Watcher out of the room. Ignoring Giles’ shouts, he locked the door and looked at Dawn with a half-apologetic shrug.

She hadn’t even seen Giles in the room. All of her attention was focused on her sister. Buffy laid curled like a pillbug on the center of her bed. Her face was hidden under her hair, a fact for which Spike was relieved. Dawn whimpered, but her eyes were dry when she switched her gaze to Spike. "Can… can I touch her?"

"No, Bit. Just in case the demon is more aware than I think he is. Your touch might give you away as…"

"As being a non-human. It’s okay, you can say it. That’s why I’m here, right?"

"Well… yeah." Spike lowered himself to the bed next to Buffy. His hand hovered nervously over her hair, then dropped to feel her. "You ready?"

"What should I do?"

"I don’t know, really. S’not like I’ve ever done this before. Umm… sit, I guess. Sit here, close to me."

Dawn did as he instructed. "Okay?" she asked, her eyes urging him to move forward with their plan.

Spike let out a shuddering breath. "Yeah. Okay."

He pulled Buffy into a sitting position and drew her onto his lap. She curled into him unconsciously, her body cold and hard to the touch. She feels like a corpse, he thought, hugging her closer. Let’s hope I don’t make her into one. He closed his eyes and nuzzled her hair. God, the smell of her… the feel of her…

"You really do love her." Dawn’s voice was knowing, matter-of-fact.

Without opening his eyes, he said, "All that I am is loving her." Taking a final moment to hold her, he kissed her head. "Now’s the time, Bit."

"Do it, Spike."

He turned Buffy’s head to the side, baring her neck. "I’m sorry, pet," he whispered as he vamped out. With a hard lunge, he sunk his fangs deeply into her jugular.

Dawn gasped as Buffy’s eyes flew open, but she didn’t move away. "Don’t stop. Don’t stop, Spike," she repeated over and over, her eyes glued to her sister’s face.

Buffy’s hands clenched at Spike, clawing into the leather of his duster. He drank as fast as he could, holding onto her tightly. She tugged at him, her muscles seizing painfully. He couldn’t tell if she was pulling him closer or pushing him away. Suddenly, her body began to convulse. Spike struggled to keep his grip, and barely managed. Still drinking, he tried to imagine how he’d know when to stop. How much blood did the demon need to lose before it would jump? And how much blood could he take without killing Buffy? I’ll know when to stop, he told himself. I’ll just have to know.

All of a sudden, Buffy’s head snapped back. Spike barely managed to keep his fangs inside her neck. Her convulsions grew stronger, and the aura of yellow light began to move, to swirl like a hurricane over her skin. It rose like a storm above her, churning and snapping with energy.

Dawn gaped at it, terror holding her stiffly in its grasp. "Spike?" she said, her voice tearful. "This is okay, right?"

He couldn’t reassure her with his mouth still on her sister. If he withdrew his fangs, Sanies would enter him instead of Dawn. All he could do was hold Buffy nearer to his chest and hope with everything inside of him that Dawn would survive. Fear’s good. It’s so human. Sanies’ll smell it on her.

The light funneled into a line and rose above Dawn’s head. She tilted her head back to stare at it, her mouth open, accepting her duty despite her fear.

Good girl, Spike thought, drinking as slowly as he could. Strong, brave, bitty-Buffy.

In a quick, abrupt movement, the funnel of light slammed into Dawn’s face. It filled her quickly, pouring down into her mouth and wrapping her in a gold haze. Spike saw her try to scream, but no sound came from her lips. She clawed at her face as if trying to throw the demon off of her, but stopped fighting when the light calmed. Slumping over, Dawn curled into a ball.

No, Bit, Spike thought, horrified. It can’t live in you. It can’t! Your blood is the Key. It’s not human!

As if from far away, he heard the sound of the bedroom door breaking down. Giles, Xander, and Willow rushed in. "He fed from her," Xander said with shocked betrayal. "Look at her neck. And his mouth, it’s all bloody."

"Dawn," Giles said, touching the girl’s hair. "Dawn!" He rolled her over and looked into her face. "Willow, go and get medical supplies. Spike. What happened? What’s wrong with her?"

"Look at her eyes," Spike said worriedly, still holding Buffy. "Look!"

Peeling back one of Dawn’s eyelids, Giles said, "She’s unconscious. But not possessed, thank god."

"What the hell did you do?" Xander asked. "Is Buffy… is she…"

"She’s fine, I think," Spike said. He lowered her comatose body to the bed with care. "We should get her to the hospital. She’s lost a lot of blood."

"And Sanies?"
 

"I made Buffy a not-so-fun place to live, so it jumped into Dawn. Those monks did good work. It thought she was human." He looked over to Dawn. "She should be okay too. I think. Better get her to the hospital though."

"I don’t get it," Xander said. He stood close to Buffy and looked at Spike threateningly. "Remember, I was off working and being donut guy while you all had the big research party. The demon hopped over to Dawn?"

Giles nodded, understanding what had transpired. He lifted Dawn into his arms and gestured for Xander to pick up Buffy. "Spike must have drained enough of Buffy’s blood to make Sanies feel threatened. It jumped into Dawn, thinking she was a normal girl, only to find that she was anything but. It couldn’t inhabit something- someone, that is- with no humanity to its blood. Ahm… it would have been something like jumping into a bottomless pit for Sanies."

"Then it’s dead?" Xander asked, cradling Buffy’s limp body in his arms.

"It would seem so. I don’t see how he could possibly have survived the jump. Spike is right. The monks did a fine job on Dawn. I suppose they had to make her a convincing enough human that Glory wouldn’t sense the Key’s presence within her."

"This is all very interesting," Spike said, "but could we push off the Watcher-speak till later and get these girls to the hospital now?" He hovered anxiously beside Buffy. His arms itched to take her from Xander, but he restrained himself. "I’d go myself, but…well, the sun."

"We don’t need you," Xander said. He examined the deep puncture wounds on Buffy’s neck. "And for the record, your help is not my idea of a good thing."

"Oh, is that right? And do tell, Harris, what was your grand scheme to save the day? I did what I had to do. And I sure as bloody hell didn’t see you here. What, you had better plans? Was snogging with the demon-girl more important to you than helping your friend?"

"I was here. You weren’t. You’d taken off on your huge quest to put Buffy’s little sister in the way of the big, scary harm."

Bristling, Spike moved closer. "If you weren’t holding Buffy, I’d…" He stopped, looking down at the paleness of her face. "Forget it, whelp. As much as I’d like show you the improvement Warren made to my chip, there’s more important things to do now. Hospital, remember?"

Choosing the quickness of a glare over the satisfaction of punching Spike in the face, Xander brushed passed him and carried Buffy out of the room.

Spike slumped onto the bed, watching as Giles adjusted his grasp on Dawn. "I’ll wait here," he said with quiet wryness.

Giles walked to the doorway. He turned back, appraising the vampire with his eyes. "You… you took quite a risk, Spike. Buffy may not thank you for it when she awakens. Even knowing what Dawn means to her, you allowed the girl to risk her own life to save Buffy’s. It was a rash, irresponsible, dangerous undertaking."

Without looking up, Spike said, "I know."

"It was also successful." Clearing his throat, Giles gave Spike a small nod of acceptance. "Thank you."

"Thank Dawn, not me." Waving his hand, he said, "Get her to a doctor. I’ll be here when you get back."

"You’re certain that’s the wisest of your options?"

Spike gazed across the room at Buffy’s desk. On top of it was a folded blanket. He recognized it as being one of the many things he’d left behind in his crypt when he’d left town in a hurry. She missed me. "Wise or not, I’ll be here."

***************

August 15^th

Summers’ house

***************
 

"She looks younger when she’s asleep," Tara said, reaching across Dawn’s bed to take Willow’s hand in hers. "More like Buffy, too."

"Yeah. When I think about what almost happened… she almost lost Buffy, again." Sighing, Willow looked pointedly at Xander. "I’m so glad Spike figured out a cure before it was too late."

"I don’t get why everyone’s all ‘Up With Spike’." Xander straightened the end of Dawn’s blanket. "Like, suddenly he’s the big hero guy?"

"Xander…" Tara started, frowning at him.
 

"Sure, he saved the day and all, and yeah, I’m as happy as everyone else that Buffy’s okay. But he put Dawnie in a heck of a lot of risk."

"Xander…"

"Putting a kid in danger? Is that the action of a hero? I think not."

Exchanging a peevish look with Willow, Tara raised a hand and cuffed Xander on the back of his head. "Hey! I’d give you a piece of my mind if I wasn’t worried about waking up Dawn."

Willow gave him an irritated smile. "If that had been Anya dying in that room, you would have done the same thing Spike did. You can’t tell me you wouldn’t have."

He gazed down at Dawn’s peaceful face, rubbing his thumb over the ring Anya had given him for their engagement. "No," he said with great reluctance, "I can’t tell you that."

*******

"Spike?" Buffy called, sitting up in bed. She leaned on one elbow above her pillows, looking towards the open door of her bedroom. "I sense a vampire out there. If it’s not you, then some bad guy’s gonna be awfully disappointed when he realizes that I’m running on empty."

"I left enough for a snack," he said, ducking into the room.

Laying back, she held her hand out to him. "Couldn’t prove it by me. I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. The really big kind."

He sat on the bed beside her, and took her hand. "It’s nice to see you awake. We were worried, for a while."

Licking her pale, dry lips, she motioned for him to hand her the bottle of water that sat on the nightstand. "I’ll be fine. And," she said, taking a long sip, "so will Dawn."

"Yeah," he said, drawing the word out. "About that…"

Taking a deep breath, Buffy gave him a direct look. "What you did- it was really reckless, Spike. Dawn could have died. She nearly did."

"And, what? You’d rather you were dead? And Giles after you?"

"Giles and I have already had a long talk about what he did." She gave him a tiny smile. "You know, none of the guys in my life have anything in common except that they are all willing to throw their own lives away for the greater good at the drop of a hat."

"Dawn has a bit of that in her, too. She’s brave, you know. Strong. Learned it honestly. From you." Squeezing her hand, his eyes softened. "I had to let her do it, Buffy. Had to at least give her the chance to make things right for you. You’re not the only hero-type around here."

"If she didn’t save my life, I’d ground her for a month for getting involved in the Slayer stuff. Only, it’d be kind of hard to make it stick with her in L.A."

"Giles is working on the custody stuff. He phoned the Watcher’s Council days ago, to get them off our backs about the Sanies demon. I guess they have a lot of pull with the government?"

She slid lower under the blanket. "If Giles says he’ll take care of it, it’ll get taken care of. I guess we don’t have to worry anymore, on both counts. Dawn’ll come home, and the Council’s goons will go back to England."

"And you’re well. You and Dawn both."

The grin she gave him looked out of place on her pale face, but it warmed him. She pulled their entwined hands to her lips and kissed his fingers. "Still want to go to Hawaii?" she asked, her eyes shining. "I was thinking that since Giles is here, maybe I could negotiate for a vacation. After five years of work, I think I’ve earned one."

"Sounds about right to me," he said, laying down beside her and pulling her into his arms.

"What was that you said in Oregon about sandy beaches and all the things we could do on them?" She nuzzled her face against his chest, listening contentedly as he began to list all the things they’d do together.

Beneath her ear, she could almost hear his heartbeat.

Here are the details of the challenge Isabelle issued on Crumbling Walls that was the inspiration for Slip of Nature:

********************************

"I want this set post Dead Things. Basically I’m looking for someone who can write a fiction about Spike going away after his ‘alley’ beating and Buffy following him- even across the world. I want it to be NC-17. I want the first sex scene to be in a shower. I want Buffy to find Spike drunk, and I want drunk Spike to tell Buffy off. I want Buffy to be embarrassed and I want Xander to freak out when he finds out what’s going on, I also want Tara to smack him when he does.

********************************