Fix You by Enigmaticblue

Summary: Desperate times call for desperate measures where the First is involved. In order to prevent the end of the world, Buffy asks Willow to do a spell that's supposed to fix everything, and Spike goes along for the ride.

Chapter 31: The Sting of Kindness

The barrage of bullets stopped abruptly, and Spike heard Graham’s voice ring out. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“He’s a vampire!” Forrest snapped.

Spike risked a look over his shoulder, just in time to watch Graham slam Forrest against the cavern wall. “He helped us! I don’t fucking care what he is.”

“You okay?” Spike whispered in Faith’s ear.

She nodded, although she was pale. “I got hit in the arm.”

“You going to be okay?”

“Yeah.”

He glanced over at Angel, who gave him a quick nod. “Stay down,” Spike murmured, just before getting to his feet.

Angel followed him over to where Graham was holding Forrest against the wall. The other two men were standing at ease, guns pointed at the ground. It was clear that they had no intention of getting involved.

“Graham?” Spike called.

The soldier didn’t move, looking into the eyes of his comrade. “I gave my word,” he hissed. “You promised you’d be cool about this.”

“They’re the enemy, Graham!” Forrest shouted.

Graham pulled away in disgust, and pointed at the cyborg laying on the ground. “No. That’s the enemy.”

There was a long silence as the two men stared one another down; Forrest was the first to look away. “Fine.”

Graham turned to Spike. “You okay?”

Spike nodded shortly, grateful that his instincts hadn’t been too far off. Graham had proved to be trustworthy, and he knew that Buffy had never really trusted Forrest. “Fine. You lot had better go, though.”

Their eyes met, and Graham nodded. “Thanks.”

He and Angel watched as the soldiers left the cavern, then they both turned back to Faith. The Slayer had clambered to her feet, hand clamped over her still-bleeding arm.

Spike watched as Angel’s eyes went golden at the scent of Slayer’s blood, and Faith took a wary step back from them. “You go on,” Angel said gruffly.

Spike nodded. “Come on. We’ll get that arm taken care of.”

Faith shot him a suspicious look, but she complied. “How come you aren’t all—” She stopped, clearly unsure of how to say it.

“I’ve had human blood recently,” Spike said shortly. “It’s not the temptation for me that it is for Peaches. ‘Sides, you’re not the Slayer I’m interested in.”

Faith rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I got that.”

“Sorry. I don’t like bein’ shot at.”

There was a pause. “Thanks,” Faith said awkwardly. “If you hadn’t—”

Spike shrugged off her gratitude. “It’s not like they were goin’ to hurt me.”

“I guess you’ve saved my life twice now,” Faith said.

“Not that big of a deal.”

Faith didn’t try to argue with him after that, instead following him through the tunnels and out into the night air.

“You need to go to the hospital?”

“I think it’s just a flesh wound.” She allowed him to steer her over to a rock. “Really, I’m okay.”

Spike spared her a wry look. “Buffy told me to look out for you, an’ that’s what I’m doin’. I take my promises very seriously.”

She watched as he tore the short sleeve of her t-shirt to the shoulder, inspecting the wound carefully. “What’s the verdict?”

“The bleeding’s almost stopped.” He patted his pockets.

“What are you looking for?”

“Handkerchief.”

“Didn’t think you’d carry one of those.”

“Depends on the day. Sometimes one comes in handy, especially if you’re goin’ into a fight an’ you don’t want to sacrifice a shirt.” Spike found what he was looking for and shook it out, before folding it up and tying it around her arm. Then, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and his lighter.

“Can I get one of those?”

Spike offered her a cigarette first, then lit it for her with practiced ease. “These things will kill you, you know?”

Faith shrugged. “Yeah, well, the chances of me living long enough for it to matter are pretty slim.”

Spike grunted his acknowledgement. “You want to head back?”

“Let me finish my smoke.”

“Yeah, alright.”

“How did you and Buffy wind up together?” Faith asked idly. “Never got that part of the story.”

Spike took a long drag off his fag, flicking the ash into the grass. “Got caught by the soldiers the first time around, an’ they put a chip inside my head that kept me from hurting humans. After I escaped, I went to her for help. It was pretty much downhill from there.”

“Never understood what everybody sees in B,” Faith commented.

Spike raised an eyebrow. “Probably a bit of what everyone sees in you.”

Faith snorted. “We’re nothing alike.”

“You’d be surprised.”

Her eyes challenged him. “Yeah?”

“You don’t give up, you’re loyal to the people you care about, and you’re a fighter.” Spike smiled. “You an’ Buffy have quite a bit in common.”

Her expression twisted, although he couldn’t tell whether it was with distaste or surprise. “She’s a good girl.”

Spike let out a bark of laughter. He wasn’t the type to kiss and tell, but he couldn’t help himself. “Please.”

Faith’s eyes widened. “What do you—”

“She’s changed, pet. Changed a lot more than you’ll probably ever know.”

“But she’s still—”

“I was soulless when we first got together, an’ I won’t tell you that I was a Boy Scout.”

“Oh.” Her tone was wondering, and her eyes narrowed in thought. “What do you think she’s going to say about tonight?”

“Think she’ll be glad we got the job done,” Spike said frankly. “An’ I think she’ll be happy Adam won’t have another chance to kill anybody.” He met her eyes. “You goin’ with Angel after all this is over?”

Faith nodded. “He asked for me.”

“He’ll do right by you,” Spike acknowledged.

“Thought you didn’t like him much.”

“The reason I don’t like him has nothin’ to do with you,” Spike said. “We’ve got a long history.” He smiled ruefully. “S’pose it’s a bit like you an’ Buffy’s.”

“And which one are you? The good one, or the bad one?” Faith asked with a smirk.

“You’re assumin’ that one of us was ever good,” Spike replied.

“What are you two still doing here?” Angel asked as he emerged from the tunnels. “I thought you were going to take her to the hospital, Spike.”

Faith rose to her feet gracefully. “I’m fine, Angel.” She flexed her arm. “See? Good as new.”

Angel’s expression told both of them that he wasn’t buying it, but he didn’t argue. “We should get going.”

“We heading back to L.A. tonight?” Faith asked.

Angel looked surprised, but he shrugged. “I guess we can. I thought we’d see Buffy before we left town, though.”

Faith shook her head. “Why? She doesn’t need us around.” She looked over at Spike. “Anyway, I hate goodbyes.”

Spike knew immediately that she was saving him the trouble of watching Angel say farewell to his girlfriend, and allowing Buffy to avoid the bother as well. Angel might have been surprisingly civil, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t do his share of moping. “We can go past my place to pick your stuff up,” Spike said blandly. “I should let Rupert know that Adam is taken care of. Buffy an’ Joyce are probably asleep by now.”

Angel didn’t protest, and they made the drive back to Spike’s apartment in silence. It didn’t take long for either Angel or Faith to gather their things, while he made a quick call to the Watcher to let him know that Adam had been taken care of. When he got off the phone, they were both standing by the door.

“We’d better go,” Angel said awkwardly. “If we want to make it back before daylight.”

Spike nodded. “Yeah. I’ll give your regards to Buffy.”

Faith hesitated, then blurted out, “Look, tell B to let me know if she needs anything. I owe her one.” She was out the door in the next moment, telling Angel over her shoulder that she’d be waiting in the car.

Spike stared at him. “Same goes here, yeah?”

Angel nodded. “Spike, look—” He cleared his throat. “Take care of her.”

“You know I will.”

“It’s the only reason I’m leaving you in one piece.”

Their eyes met, and Spike realized that a bit of the old feeling was back—from when he’d first been turned, and Angelus had been almost like a brother. A really nasty older brother, of course, but still family.

Angel turned and left without saying another word, and Spike slowly shut the door behind him, staring at the wood grain. He was suddenly struck by the need to see Buffy, to give her the good news. Joyce would probably kill him if he called and woke everyone up, but what she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her, now, would it?

~~~~~

“You okay?” Angel asked as he slid behind the wheel of the convertible.

Faith shrugged. “Five by five.” There was a long pause. “How is this going to work?” she suddenly demanded. “I don’t even know where I’m going to be staying. I can’t sleep on your couch forever, and Cordelia hates me, so that’s out.”

“We’ll figure something out,” Angel said calmly.

“And Wes—” Faith huffed. “You did say he’s working with you, right?”

“He’s changed a lot, too, Faith. Everyone has.”

“Except for me,” she muttered.

“I don’t think that’s true.”

She stared off into the darkness as the car picked up speed on the highway, dark hair whipping around her face. “It’s one thing to deal with an emergency,” she began slowly. “It’s something else to… Whatever.”

“Face the future?” Angel suggested.

She shrugged, clearly unwilling to talk about it, which didn’t surprise him. He was surprised she’d been as open as she had with him.

“Cordelia and Wesley will get used to the idea,” Angel finally said. “And we’ll figure out sleeping arrangements when we get there. You can stay at my place for now.” When she remained silent, he asked, “Is there anything else you’re worried about?”

Faith shook her head. “No. I’m good.”

He couldn’t help but wonder what was going through her mind, but there was no prying it out of her before she was ready.

Angel just hoped that he was right, and Cordy and Wes would get used to the idea before too long. Faith certainly didn’t need anybody giving her a hard time at the moment.

~~~~~

Buffy rolled over once again, staring at the clock. Where was Spike? She’d thought he would let her know once everything was okay, or not. He’d told her not to worry, and to get some sleep, but she wouldn’t be able to rest easy until she knew he was okay, and Adam was gone.

There was a soft knocking on the window, and she glanced over just in time to see him slide it up and slip inside the room. “Hey,” he called softly. “Thought you were s’posed to be asleep.”

“I can’t sleep,” she replied. “Is Adam—”

“Gone.” He settled himself on the edge of her bed. “No one was hurt except for him. Everythin’ worked just like we expected.”

Buffy felt the relief crash through her. “Good.”

“Faith an’ Angel already took off, so I thought I’d come by.”

Buffy frowned. “Already?”

“Faith said she hated goodbyes, an’ to let her know if you needed anything. She seems to think she owes you something.” Spike’s lips curved slightly. “Don’t think Angel much wanted to go through the farewell scene either.”

She nodded. “I guess I get that.”

He pressed his lips to her forehead. “Just thought I should let you know. I’ll—”

“You’ll stay right here,” Buffy said, grabbing his hand and refusing to let go.

“Your mum—”

“Will deal. Or you can get up really early and leave, but I need you here, Spike.” She rarely allowed anyone to see her vulnerability; even Spike, who had seen her at her worst, didn’t often see her let down her walls.

He looked a little puzzled, but smiled, bending over to unlace his boots. “Yeah, sure. I can stay, luv.”

Buffy moved over to give him room, letting out a contented sigh when he’d settled in next to her. “Thank you.”

“You comfortable?”

“Much better now.” She closed her eyes. “Tell me what happened.”

“I think that can wait until morning,” he said. “You need your rest.”

“Please?”

She could feel him sigh, and his hand began stroking her hair soothingly. “Isn’t much to tell, really. We got there, an’ Graham was waitin’ for us with some friends. One of them was your favorite—Forrest, I think.”

Buffy snorted in disgust. “Did he give you any trouble?”

“Nothin’ I wasn’t able to handle,” Spike replied. “Anyway, we went into the cave system. The soldiers opened up fire on Adam as soon as they spotted him. That put him back a step, an’ then Angel an’ me took him down. Faith pulled out his battery, an’ then Forrest opened fire on us. Lucky for Faith, I was in between her an’ the bullets.”

“What then?” Buffy already knew that he was okay, as were Faith and Angel, so she knew there was a satisfactory resolution. Besides, she remembered that Forrest had acted like a jackass on occasion, so his actions weren’t a surprise.

“Graham stopped him, told him off good an’ proper.”

“I always liked him.”

“I can see why.”

“What are we going to do about the Initiative? Do you think playing dirty tricks will work?”

“If it doesn’t, I say we go with the original plan,” Spike said. “That way, they’ll have been given a warning.”

“I don’t think they’d see it that way.”

“An’ I don’t much care.”

Buffy could hear the ire in his tone, and she ran circles on his chest soothingly. “We’ll just have to see.” She smiled. “We’ve got the summer off anyway.”

“What’s that?”

“Unless something unexpected comes up, there won’t be anything exciting until Dracula shows up.”

Spike grunted. “He’d better keep his grubby, Euro-trash hands to himself this time. He still owes me eleven pounds.”

“Why?”

“He needed it to get out of a tight fix, an’ I was flush at the time. I should have let him burn.”

“Well, if you really want to, you can kill him this time.”

“I might just do that.”

“’kay.”

“Go to sleep, luv,” Spike said softly. “I’m stayin’ right here.”

Buffy didn’t need to be told twice.

~~~~~

“M-m-me?” Tara asked incredulously. “Go to England?”

“Miss Harkness asked after you especially,” Giles replied. “I’m afraid I don’t have much more information than that.”

Tara shook her head. “I—I can’t afford it,” she said in a low voice. “I have to work this summer, and—”

“It will be taken care of.” Giles looked very smug. “It was a condition.”

“A condition of what?” Willow asked, frowning. “I don’t understand.”

“The coven has always done quite a bit for the Council, but it’s always been the Council that relies upon the coven, and not the other way around,” Giles explained. “The coven was not pleased to hear that Travers sent men after Faith to kill her, and they’ve made certain demands. One of those demands was to cover your travel expenses, as they’ve decided that it’s a good idea to have a small coven near the Hellmouth.”

Willow’s eyes widened. “We’re going to have a coven?”

“Something like that.” He smiled at them. “From what Miss Harkness has said, she will be sending at least one person back with you.”

Tara was still trying to process the offer. It was an amazing opportunity, of course, but she usually worked during the summers to avoid having to work during the school year. Even if her travel expenses were covered, she didn’t know how she would be able to pay for everything.

“When would we leave?” Willow asked.

“The first of June, I believe, and you would stay until mid-August.” He looked at Tara with concern. “Will that work for you?”

It was too good an opportunity to pass up, and Tara knew it. Although it might put her in a financial bind next year, she could always find a part-time position. She’d heard that the university library always had open positions, and that they encouraged student-workers to study when things were slow. “I think I can make it work,” she said slowly.

Giles nodded, satisfied. “Yes, well, if you need any help, let me know. I’m sure we can work something out.”

Tara appreciated the offer, but she wasn’t going to ask for assistance, not from a near stranger. Not that Mr. Giles wasn’t perfectly nice, but she’d been getting by on her own for a long time now. “Thank you,” was all she said, however.

As they left Giles’ apartment, Willow glanced over at her. “Are you worried?”

“I usually work during the summers,” Tara admitted.

The other girl frowned. “Oh. You can get student loans, right?”

Tara sighed. “Yes, but I have out of state tuition, and loans and grants don’t cover everything.”

“What if we shared expenses?” Willow asked.

Tara’s eyes widened. “What?”

“Well, Oz and I have been talking about getting an apartment,” Willow explained. “A two bedroom isn’t that much more expensive than a one bedroom, and split between three people, it would be really cheap.”

Tara wasn’t sure what to think about that option. It would solve some of her money problems, but she didn’t know how she felt about sharing such close quarters with Willow and Oz—especially since they were Willow and Oz.

“Think about it,” Willow urged. “I’m going to put my stuff in storage over the summer, and Oz won’t start looking until later.”

Tara nodded. “Okay.”

“It’s crazy to think that we’ll be spending the summer in England,” Willow said, a smile spreading across her face. “Just think how much we’ll be learning!”

Tara was more nervous than excited, but she just smiled, not mentioning her worries. She didn’t want to be thought a coward, and perhaps those in the coven would be able to give her answers about her blood. Her father had been adamant, and yet—

She had seen so much, and very few things were as her dad had claimed. Tara decided that she would take this opportunity, and she would make the most of it.