Summary: Spike stops a warlock's spell, inadvertantly getting himself into deep trouble. Will Buffy be able to accept the changes in him? And what are they going to do about Glory?
Rating: PG-13
"So where are we goin' tonight, pet?" Spike asked. He and Buffy were wandering rather aimlessly under the guise of patrolling. It didn't seem as though they were doing much of that, or at least they really hadn't been killing anything.
Buffy shrugged. "Well, I was kind of hoping that the evening's entertainment would include finding Glory, but I'm not going to hold my breath."
"You got a starting point?" he asked. "Though, to be honest, seems to me it might be better to let things go, hope she's forgotten about you, an' all."
The Slayer sighed. "If it was just about me, I would, Spike. But she's after Dawn too. I can't just hope it'll go away."
"Ever thought of takin' the Bit an' getting out of Dodge?" he asked quietly, knowing she probably wouldn't like the suggestion. "Nothin' wrong with a retreat if it means livin' another day, you know."
"For how long?" Buffy asked. "My friends are here, Spike. My life is here. And I can't just pack Dawn off and send her away. If I knew there was an expiration date on her Key-ness, maybe, but I don't. The monks didn't exactly include an instruction manual. Stupid monks."
Spike smiled at Buffy's distinctive phrasing. He hadn't thought he could be more in love with her than he already was, but every moment spent in her company was a revelation. (Especially since she wasn't beating him up all the time.) Every day he found more things, not just to love, but to like about her.
"You ever wish they hadn't done it?" he asked abruptly. "I know you don't remember not havin' a sister, but you ever wish they'd hidden her somewhere else?"
Buffy blinked. Trust Spike to come up with the tough questions. "I don't know," she said honestly. "Some days Dawn gives me a reason to go on, especially since Mom-" She hesitated, knowing that telling the vampire her darkest, most selfish thoughts wasn't at all the same as telling her friends. For one thing, she could trust him not to say anything to anyone. For another, confessing your sins to a vampire meant no judging would be taking place, because he'd certainly done and felt worse. "And some days it would be easier if the only person I had to look out for was me."
Spike looked over at her with a great deal of compassion, an odd look for a vampire to have on his face. "Probably just like some days you wish it wasn't you who was the Slayer, luv. Nothin' wrong with that, you know."
There were times when Buffy was able to convince herself that what Spike felt for her was little more than infatuation, barely more than lusting after the unattainable. But every time she had managed to convince herself of that, Spike would look at her like that, with such indescribable tenderness that it hardly seemed possible. And every time he put another little hole in her theory that he would get over her. Her theory wasn't really holding water anymore. Deciding to change the subject before she had to address the look in his eyes, she said in response to his earlier question. "There is one place we could start looking for Glory that I haven't tried yet."
Spike stifled a sigh, knowing that she was changing the subject. "Where's that, luv?"
"Glory summoned a snake demon of some kind. A Starbucks demon?"
He blinked in confusion, trying to interpret her unique pronunciation. "A Sobekian snake demon?"
"Right, that," she said. "Anyway, when it saw Dawn, it somehow knew she was the Key and headed back towards Glory. I caught it before it could get to her, but I think it might have been headed towards an apartment complex."
"As good a place as any to start," he agreed. "Lead the way, Slayer."
They were less certain of what to do once they got to the complex. There was no listing for Glory or Glorificus on the mailboxes; no surprise there. But neither one of them were completely certain of how to proceed short of knocking on every door. "There's got to be a better way than that," Buffy protested when Spike suggested that solution.
He thought for a minute. "If you were a Hellgod, where would you live?"
She frowned. "What-" Her eyes lit up. "If I thought the world revolved around me? I'd live in the most expensive apartment."
"Right then," he said. "That means top floor, penthouse, balcony, all that. Up we go."
Buffy followed him into the elevator, a little doubtfully. "What are we going to do, Spike? It's not like we can just knock on her door and ask her to let us search her place."
"Leave that to me, pet," he replied, smirking. And when her look grew even more skeptical he shook his head in mock pain. "Oh ye of little faith."
They got to the top floor, but there was more than one apartment, and most likely all of them were expensive. "Now what?" she asked, wondering even as she asked why she was letting Spike come up with the plan. It wasn't as though he was actually known for success in that department.
He gave her a secretive smile and found an alcove for her to disappear into. "Wait here," he cautioned, and then left. Buffy waited impatiently for all of 30 seconds before deciding to go after him. Before she could move, she heard the shrill sound of the fire alarm, and Spike came to stand next to her.
"What did you do?" she hissed angrily. "You're going to get us into trouble."
"Watch," he replied. Sure enough, a minute or so later, several angry people came out of two of the doors and headed down the stairs. And only a minute after that, several rather scabby looking demons came out of the third door. Once they had disappeared down the stairs, Spike exited the alcove and headed for that third door.
"How do you know she's not in there?" Buffy asked, close on his heels.
He gave her a look. "Come on, Slayer. No good villain lets their minions run for safety while they stay behind. If they left, she's not there."
Buffy shrugged and sighed, acknowledging the logic behind that thought. They broke in easily enough, and Buffy knew immediately that this was Glory's apartment. The décor went way too well with the bad perm and skanky clothing. "This is it," she said. "Okay, start looking."
"What are we looking for?" Spike asked.
"I don't know. I guess we'll know it when we see it."
There didn't seem to be much there, however. At least, they weren't finding anything that might give them a clue as to Glory's whereabouts. "In here, Slayer," Spike finally called, just as Buffy was getting frustrated. He was pointing to a door she hadn't previously noticed.
"What's this?" she asked, following him inside. The room was very different from the rest of the apartment. The colors were more muted, and had a masculine tone. The furnishings were simple, almost spartan. "This doesn't look like a room Glory would use."
"That's because it's not," Spike said simply. "Look, Buffy." She looked over to where he was pointing and saw a picture of a young man in a cap and gown, obviously a graduation day picture of some sort.
"Wait a minute, I know this guy." Buffy pulled the picture off the wall to get a closer look. "This is Ben, the intern from the hospital. He died in a car accident, maybe a week or so ago. Why would he be living here?"
"A very good question," Spike agreed. "Getting the answers is going to require some violence though."
"Huh?" Buffy stared at him, and then nodded in sudden comprehension. "Oh, you mean the scabby hobbits. You think we could snag one and make it talk?"
"It's a plan," he agreed, and then he looked up and froze. "But not one we can pull off tonight. We need to get out of here before the authorities start looking for the person who pulled the alarm, Slayer."
"You mean the vampire that pulled the alarm," Buffy grumbled. "Fine. I guess we'll take care of it tomorrow night then."
~~~~~
It was the next night before Spike finally found a minute to pay his respects. They say the third time is the charm, and it seemed the old adage held true. Joyce wouldn't have minded though; he was certain she knew that he'd been taking care of her girls in her absence.
"'lo, Joyce," he said quietly, brushing a bit of dirt off the top of the headstone. "Sorry I haven't been by before this. I'm sure you know things have been a bit crazy." He paused, thinking he was probably crazy for talking to a dead woman, but it felt right to him. And Joyce had always been a good listener.
"I'm lookin' after the both of them, like I promised. Buffy's actually lettin' me help. Bit of a stunner there." He paused again, this time to look around and make sure no one was there; he'd thought he'd heard a sound. "Funny that it's alright she wants to be friends now, yeah? Never thought I'd be satisfied with that before, but it's more than I thought I'd get. More than I deserve."
Spike touched the top of the cold stone again in a kind of benediction, though whether he was giving or receiving it, he couldn't say. "'m sorry I couldn't save you. Wish you didn't have to go." It was enough; he had said his good-byes. He'd never been able to do it properly before, had, perhaps, never felt the need. But coming here to say his farewells to one of the only people who had ever treated him like a man-well, it was right that he act like a man for her.
He straightened his shoulders. Time to go see the Slayer and continue to fulfill his promise. Spike had promised to meet her at the Magic Box so that they could stake out Glory's place in the hopes of snatching one of her minions.
He froze as he heard a sound from nearby. Creeping forward stealthily, he could see one of the very demons they had planned on hunting scurrying across the graveyard. Spike watched him for a minute, trying to decide if he was going to lead to somewhere interesting, but then gave it up in the next instant. Why bother following when he and the Slayer were just going to beat the information out of him?
The demon didn't seem very bright, or very strong. Spike was able to tackle him, taking him down and knocking him out without a sound. It seemed he hadn't yet lost his touch.
Giles looked up in surprise as Spike entered the shop, dragging a brown-robed demon behind him. "Good Lord," he said, getting to his feet from where he'd been sitting at the round table. "What are you doing, Spike?"
"Lookin' for the Slayer," the vampire replied, dropping his bundle unceremoniously on the floor. "We were s'posed to be huntin' these guys tonight, and this one got dropped right in my lap."
The Watcher blinked several times as he regarded the still form, and then shook his head. "Well, I suppose that will save Buffy some trouble. Let me get something and we can tie him up."
Between them they easily managed to secure the still form, and then Giles looked over at Spike. "Are you certain you didn't kill him? We can't obtain anything useful from a dead body."
Spike looked highly affronted. "Didn't kill him," he protested. "He'll wake up eventually. Where is Buffy, by the way?"
"She had to take Dawn home," Giles replied. "I believe Willow and Tara are staying with her tonight until Buffy gets back from patrol. Though this certainly simplifies things. Does she know to meet you here?"
Spike shrugged. "Yeah, she said here was best because you might have some ideas."
"None better than what was already proposed, I'm afraid," Giles admitted. "To be quite honest, I have no idea why Glory has been so inactive. It worries me."
The vampire flipped a chair around and sat down, resting his chin thoughtfully on his forearms. "It's more than a bit odd, especially given what we found at her place the other night. Why she'd even let a bloke crash at her place is beyond me. Doesn't make any sense."
"No, it doesn't," Giles said, cleaning his glasses on his handkerchief. "But how are you, Spike? Is there any change in-"
Spike cut him off. "If you're askin' me what that bastard did to me, I don't know, Watcher."
"I didn't mean to insinuate anything," Giles said quietly. "But you have changed your behavior."
"Changed a while ago," Spike replied. "Not that anyone noticed."
Giles kept his mouth shut. The fact that Spike had acted to stop the warlock out of any consideration of Buffy at all seemed to support the vampire's point. "Yes, well, you must admit it's unprecedented."
Spike snorted. "Yeah, well, it's bloody uncomfortable. To be honest, I think I'd rather have skipped the whole torture/curse thing."
"I'm sure," Giles replied noncommitally, unsure of what to make of Spike at this point. It wasn't that he was much more polite than he had been in the past, but he seemed less antagonistic in many ways. He certainly wasn't going out of his way to irritate Giles, and the Watcher was reminded uncomfortably of the time when he and Spike had briefly shared a flat, not to mention the summer they had watched Passions together. There were times in those days when Spike had seemed almost human, and little more irritating than Xander at his worst. He was saved from having to think of it any further by Buffy's entrance. The Slayer was not looking any happier than she had been that afternoon, not that Giles could fault her for that. Buffy certainly had more than enough on her plate at the moment.
"Hey, Spike." The Slayer greeted him with an off-handed friendliness that spoke volumes about how far they had come in such a short time. Then she saw the demon tied to the chair, and her eyes widened. "You already found one?"
"He was wanderin' through the cemetery," Spike explained.
She looked over at Giles. "He isn't dead, is he?"
"Spike assured me that he was not dead," Giles said. "Did you get Dawn home alright?"
"She's fine," Buffy said, her face tightening. "We talked about some things."
To Spike's credit, he sensed the tension in the room and decided to postpone asking the Slayer about it. For the moment, they had other fish to fry. "You got a glass of water or something, Watcher?"
Giles brought the water which Spike threw into the demon's face. He spluttered and woke, immediately getting nervous when he saw who was gathered around him. "Now," Spike began with an evil smile, "you're goin' to tell us what we want to know. Or else."
He let the threat hang and stood back to give Buffy some room. The Slayer came over to stand in front of him, arms crossed in front of her. "We can start with where Glory is."
The demon stuttered something about sacred duty, and Spike raised a hand to hit him. The minion immediately began to spill everything, leaving the vampire severely disappointed. He had been looking forward to roughing the little weasel up a bit.
"Please, don't hurt me," the minion begged, beady little eyes going from one to the other. "The great Glorificus is gone." He sounded forlorn.
"Gone?" Buffy asked skeptically. "As in, skipped town?"
"As in buried," the demon wailed. "Master Ben was killed, and his mortal body dragged the Most Lovely One with it."
Buffy and Giles were still trying to puzzle out the meaning of that when Spike slapped himself in the forehead. "Bloody hell," he exclaimed. "That ponce was Glory. That's why his stuff was in her apartment."
Buffy's jaw dropped. "Glory and Ben? Wouldn't you just know it?! What is it with me and guys?"
Giles shot her a look that clearly said that now was not the time to discuss the complications of her romantic life, and looked at the demon. "Is this true? Glory and Ben shared a body?"
"Oh, yes," the minion said, clearly happy that they weren't hitting him. "But we're going to bring her back. We remain her faithful servants."
"An' just how are you goin' to pull that off?" Spike asked dubiously. "The boy bein' dead and all."
The demon beamed proudly. "We have hired an expert in resurrection. He, too, understands the magnificence that is the great Glorificus."
Buffy and Spike exchanged looks. "And when is this great resurrection supposed to take place?" the Slayer asked.
The demon seemed to suddenly realize that he had given up far too much information, and shut his mouth. But one hard slap upside the head from Spike got his tongue moving again. "In two nights," he squealed. "And then you'll be sorry."
"Right," Buffy muttered, turning back towards Giles. "Can we stop this?"
Giles sighed. "Most likely. If we can, and Glory stays dead, then we certainly won't have to worry about her anymore."
"This expert have a name?" Spike asked the demon, thinking he might just know the guy.
The demon didn't look as though he was going to answer that question, and Buffy gave him another whap to hurry him up. "Doc," the minion finally muttered sullenly.
"Okay, so now we have a name, a time, and a plan. Anything else we need?" Buffy asked brightly.
"Location?" Giles suggested. But unfortunately the demon didn't know where the ritual was to be performed. He wasn't high enough up the echelon to warrant that kind of information. And given his propensity to answer every other question with only a threat of violence, the chances were pretty good that he really didn't know.
"Now what?" Buffy asked her Watcher as they drew off away from the demon.
"I'm not certain," Giles confessed. "Obviously, we need to stop the ritual to prevent Glory from returning. But without knowing the place, or even the exact time, it might be difficult."
Buffy made a face. "The last thing we need is for Glory to come back. I hadn't even had a chance to get used to the fact that she was gone."
"The grave," Spike said quietly. "They'll need the body, if they don't already have it. Body's still in the coffin, we can sit on it."
"And if it isn't in the coffin?" Giles asked dryly.
Buffy shrugged. "We'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it."
The Watcher gave her a rueful look. "Why don't the two of you check out the grave tonight? At least then we'll know whether or not to look elsewhere."
"What are we gonna do with him?" Spike asked, nodding at the tied-up demon.
Buffy raised an eyebrow and then sighed. "Well, we can't let him go."
"Right then," Spike said. "I'll take care of it." With a quick twist of its neck, the demon was no more. The vampire untied the body, tossed it over his shoulder, and exited out the back.
"How is he, Buffy?" Giles asked quietly, once he was certain the vampire was out of earshot. "Do you think he actually has a soul?"
"I don't think it matters," Buffy said quietly. "Spike is acting different. Right now, that's good enough for me. I don't need to know why."
"Be careful, Buffy," Giles advised. "It might not be the wisest course to get involved with another vampire."
"We're not involved, Giles," Buffy whispered. "We're friends."
"Even so," Giles began, but Buffy was saved from the lecture by Spike's entrance.
"All taken care of," he announced. "You all ready, Slayer?"
Buffy shot Giles a look. "Yeah. We just need to get a couple shovels."
~~~~~
"So, what's goin' on, Slayer?" Spike asked as they started digging.
Buffy didn't look up. "Nothing."
"Right." He let it go for a little while, and then asked again. "Buffy, you know you can talk to me."
She sighed. Spike was too persistent for his own good sometimes. "I'm dropping out of college. And I got called by the school to go see Dawn's principal tomorrow, something to do with her absences."
"Wait a minute," he protested, pausing in his digging to stare at her. "Why drop out, luv?"
"Spike, I can't do it. Finances are one thing, but someone has to look after Dawn, plus with this Glory thing hanging over our heads..." Buffy shook her head. "I should have known that trying to mix slaying and college was a bad idea."
Spike frowned. "Did you want to quit?"
"No," Buffy said, with a slight pout. "That's what's so unfair. I actually had a class or two I liked this semester."
"So don't drop out," Spike said.
"Spike-"
"Seriously, luv," he said earnestly. "If you feel you have to, drop all your classes except the one you like most. If you drop all of them, it'll be that much harder to start up again later. You keep at least one, you got a chance at goin' back at least."
Buffy stared at him. "This sounds like you've given it some thought."
"If it has to do with you, I've thought about it, Slayer," he replied. At Buffy's skeptical look, he shrugged. "Makes sense. You keep one class, you've still got your foot in the door. They can't shut it on you completely."
She smiled at him. "Well, I haven't withdrawn yet, so I'll think about it."
"What class are you keepin'?"
"I didn't say I was." Spike was silent, waiting for her answer. "If I keep a class it'll probably be poetry."
He did a double take. "You like poetry, Slayer?"
"Can't I like poetry?" She gave him an offended look. "I can like poetry. I have layers."
"Didn't say you didn't," he muttered. "Just-surprised me, 'sall. You didn't exactly seem like a poetry and flowers kind of girl, pet."
Buffy snorted. "I like flowers. I like poetry. I just haven't had much of a chance to get them. You know, both my boyfriends in the past were more into saving the world than the hearts and flowers. We didn't have a lot of opportunity for that kind of thing."
"You don't have opportunity, luv, you make it," Spike said firmly. "I always found time to make sure Dru got her hearts and flowers. Not that she always appreciated it," he added.
Buffy actually laughed a little bit at that. "So you're saying you could give Angel and Riley lessons in dating."
"Didn't say that exactly," Spike responded with a smile of his own. "Just sayin' that you can't make excuses for that sort of thing. You have it or you don't, because you make room for it or you don't. That's all."
His shovel hit something hard. "Think we've got it."
"Hop out," she ordered, brushing the dirt out of the area with her shovel and then reaching down to pull up the lid of the casket. "Ick."
"I take it he's in there," Spike called down, watching as Buffy quickly shut the lid again.
"Look's like," she replied. "Well, I suppose we're going to be on a stakeout the next couple nights. It's not like they're going to be able to dig up the body and move it in broad daylight."
Spike shrugged. "Night is the traditional time for graverobbers," he agreed. "You gonna think about what I said, luv? About keeping your foot in the door?"
"Yeah," she glanced over at him. "It's actually not bad advice. I was kinda thinking it was an all or nothing deal, you know? Either I stayed in school or I didn't."
"Well, it is," he pointed out. "But you can do a lot less to actually stay in college, you know."
"Yeah. Do you want to watch some graves tomorrow night?"
"With you? Always." Spike smiled at her.
"Cool. Let's get this dirt back where it belongs, and then I'm going to bed." Buffy took the hand that Spike held out for her, and he pulled her out of the hole. "Spike?"
"Yeah, luv?"
"Thanks." She turned and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, moving quickly away. "For, you know, everything."
For once Spike was speechless, and all he could do was to smile in reply.
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