Summary: Sequel to Hoping's Very Fears. Spike and Buffy are trying to decide what their relationship is going to look like. Buffy and Dawn are missing Joyce terribly. And the warlock comes back to town, looking for another pound of flesh.
Author's Notes: This story is the sequel to "Hoping's Very Fears." If you haven't read that one, I'd strongly recommend you do so. Otherwise, it probably won't make any sense. Set in the summer right after BtVS S5. (My Season 5 that is.)
Rating: PG-13
Lyndon was not happy with the way things were going. The Effrendik venom had worked just as he'd hoped, and for twelve glorious hours Spike had been howling mad. Then the Slayer had to step in and comfort the beast. He might have been able to live with her interference if someone hadn't come up with a way to mitigate the effects of the poison.
Lyndon cursed softly. This simply wouldn't do. He knew that the Slayer was allied with at least one witch, possibly two. He had felt the wards go up on the Slayer's house, as well as that new house Spike had found. There had been other surges of power too, which Lyndon believed to be the other places of residence for the Slayer's friends.
This simply wasn't going to work, he decided. Attacking the vampire and the Slayer was all very well and good. It was at least amusing, but it wasn't good enough. He needed to get her friends out of the way, particularly the witches. He'd felt some real power there. His eyes narrowed. Now, he just had to decide how he was going to do it.
~~~~~
Spike and Buffy were looked at Wesley incredulously. "Keeping track of Spike through the curse?" Buffy asked.
Spike's eyes narrowed. "Wait just a bleedin' second. You're tellin' me you were full of shit when you said I didn't have a soul?" He was looking straight at Angel when he said it, and Angel looked away.
The others had joined them in the kitchen by now, and they all seemed a little surprised, though not at the fact that Spike had a soul. "You didn't know?" Giles asked.
Spike looked from one person to the next. "Didn't know what?"
"That you have a soul," Willow said. "Nobody told you?"
Spike frowned. "I thought—"
"It doesn't matter," Buffy said firmly, interrupting him. "It doesn't matter if Spike has a soul. It doesn't make a difference."
Wesley cleared his throat. "I'm afraid you might be mistaken, Buffy. If this warlock was able to give Spike a soul, he may still be connected to him. I might be able to break the connection, but we have to know for sure."
Buffy moved to stand next to Spike. "I don't see why we have to know if Spike has a soul or not. It doesn't matter."
"Buffy, Slayer, 's alright," Spike said softly, putting a hand on her arm. He was feeling a little fuzzy from the tea Tara had made him drink. One thing he did understand, however, was that he needed to know. He needed to be sure of what he was now, what that warlock had done to him. If Watcher Jr. knew how to find out, he was willing to take the risk.
She looked at him. "Spike, it doesn't matter to me."
"I know," he replied softly. "An' that means more to me than you know. But I have to figure this out for m'self, pet."
Buffy bit her lip, but finally nodded. "So, what's involved here?"
The ingredients were fairly simple, and while Wesley hadn't brought them along, it was an easy matter to have Giles call Anya and ask her to bring the needed supplies. Meanwhile, Buffy pulled Spike with her out to the back porch. He lit up a cigarette immediately, not having had one since the previous evening. "You were just dying for one of those, weren't you?" she asked, amused.
"Something like that," he admitted. "Not dyin' since I'm already dead."
Buffy rolled her eyes, looking behind her as Angel slipped out the back door. "I wanted to talk to both of you," he said.
"You want to tell me why you said what you did the last time you were here?" Buffy demanded. "It's not like it matters now, but it certainly looks like you were overreacting."
"I—" Angel stopped, and then looked Spike in the eye. "I owe you an apology. I said what I did because I couldn't believe that you actually had a soul. After—After we got back from Pylea, I started thinking about it, and I realized that I was probably wrong. If I was, I could be putting both you and Buffy in danger."
Spike nodded, knowing that the real reason Angel had admitted his mistake wasn't out of some sense of responsibility for Spike, but out of feeling for Buffy. He could live with that. "Thanks for carin,' Peaches," he said.
Angel looked as though he were going to retort, but seemed to think better of it at the last moment. Spike usually just wanted a rise out of him, and the best thing he could do would to not react. "You're welcome."
The younger vampire smirked, knowing that Angel had caught onto his game, and nodded. "So you're not going to make a big deal out of this?" Buffy asked. "Because I swear—"
"It's okay, Buffy," Angel said, looking pained. "Well, it's not okay, but I like Spike better than I liked Riley."
Spike grinned broadly. "An' who wouldn't?"
"Spike—" Buffy gave him an exasperated look, and he just smiled back. She shook her head. "You really must be feeling better."
He sobered slightly. "A bit. They're—they're not as overwhelming."
His eyes met hers and Buffy realized what he wasn't saying. The visions were still there, still disturbing, he just wasn't completely off his nut. "Why don't we go inside and wait for Anya?"
Spike nodded, and was about to follow the Slayer inside, when Angel caught his arm. "We'll be right in," he told Buffy. She didn't look happy about leaving them alone, but when Spike nodded, she went inside.
"Look, Spike—"
"Save it," Spike said. "I know what you're goin' to say. Same thing her friends will get around to sayin' to me. 'Hurt her, an' we'll stake you.' Can we just leave it there?"
"That wasn't what I was going to say," Angel said, annoyed. "Though, same goes for me." He shook his head, frustrated that Spike had managed to put him off track, as he so easily seemed to be able to do. "No, I know you're good to the people you think you need to take care of, Spike. I'm actually not all that worried. I remember how you took care of Dru."
Spike considered his grandsire's words for a moment, before nodding, knowing that this was as close to Angel's blessing as he was going to get. It was about as close as he wanted to get. Too much had gone on between the two of them to go merrily along, but they had been as close as two vampires could be at one time. "Then what was it?" he asked, his tone softer.
"I know what it means to have your soul returned," Angel said. "If you need someone to talk to...well, you could talk to me. Not that I necessarily want you to, but you can."
"Right," Spike said, unsure of what to say to reply to that. "Well, thanks for the offer."
"Spike?" Dawn stuck her head out the door, looking excited. "Anya's here. Wesley's ready to do the spell."
"You actually excited 'bout me getting experimented on, Bit?"
Dawn shrugged. "It's magic. Spells are cool."
"Yeah, s'pose so," he replied wryly. "If you're not the one getting magicked." Spike stopped, putting his hand on one side of the door frame.
"You okay?" Angel asked, sounding a lot more concerned than he wanted to.
Spike nodded. "Yeah. Just a bit—dizzy. It'll pass."
Angel followed him indoors and into the living room, where Wesley had set up what he needed for the spell. The others, including the newly arrived Xander and Anya, were standing around and looking on with interest. "Good," Wesley said, nodding at Spike. "Are you ready?"
"Is this goin' to hurt?" Spike asked suspiciously.
Wesley smiled a little. "No. The spell will actually have more of an effect on me than on you. I'll go into a trance state, and I should be able to see not only your aura, but also if anything has connected itself to you."
"An' if it has?" Spike asked, sounding a little nervous.
"I'll try to break the connection," Wesley explained. "That's why Tara and Willow will also be with me on this. Between the three of us, we should be able to break any hold the warlock may have over you." He waved to a spot in the middle of the floor where he'd cleared space. "Now, if you'll just have a seat."
Spike lowered himself to the floor slowly, taking an apprehensive breath. He looked over at Buffy, who smiled. She wasn't feeling completely happy about this herself, but if Wes was right, and the warlock had some link to Spike, it was better to get rid of it now.
To everyone else in the room, it didn't appear as though anything were happening. Wes, Tara, and Willow were seated in a triangular formation around Spike, who was still looking a little nervous. There was some chanting, and lighting of candles, and burning of herbs, and then Spike looked like he'd gone to sleep, while the others just stared at each other.
Buffy sidled a little closer to Giles. "What are they doing?" she whispered.
"They've asked for their inner eye to be open. From now on, they'll be communicating telepathically." Giles looked slightly impressed. "Apparently, Wesley has become quite proficient in these matters since we last saw him."
"Wesley looks as though he's gotten a lot more proficient in general," Buffy remarked under her breath, though loud enough for Giles to hear. "I think L.A. has been good for him."
"I think being out from under the Council's thumb has been equally beneficial," Giles replied. "Getting fired does have a freeing effect on one's personality."
"And you would know," Buffy teased. "Though you haven't gone back to being the same old stick in the mud since you got rehired."
"One does not go backward in life," Giles replied. "Thankfully, I might add. From what I understand, Angel's been quite a good influence on him as well."
Buffy looked thoughtful. "And you know? Somehow that doesn't surprise me."
~~~~~
"Oh wow." Willow's sentiment was echoed by her girlfriend almost immediately.
Tara's voice filtering through her conscious mind like bells. "This is incredible."
"Indeed." Wesley's dry tones had the sound of slight awe as well, but he was better at hiding it.
Tara's smile could also be felt through the bond. "I'd had glimmers of this, but I've never been able to see so clearly."
They were looking at the room as through through a filmy veil. The auras of the others in the room were all that was visible of them. In this trance-state, the real world was nearly invisible, leaving only the mystical to stand out solidly. All three of them were focused on Spike, at the center of the triangle. His aura pulsed a bright blue, threaded through with lines of black, almost like cracks in glass. The lines were pulsing in time with the aura, however, and all three took a moment to stare.
"So he does have a soul," Wesley breathed. He hadn't been certain, but he had certainly wondered. Quite honestly, he couldn't see what else might have changed William the Bloody in such a drastic manner. But the Slayer's reaction to his looking to see if Spike had a soul or not seemed to suggest that the changes had begun earlier.
Willow was staring as well. "What are the black lines though?" she asked, looking around the room. There were two other auras also threaded through with black. One she recognized as Angel's, and it almost appeared as though the black and red were fighting each other for dominance. The other's also pulsed in time, though the lines were fainter and less visible.
"I'd wondered," Wesley said quietly.
Tara recognized both immediately, having already gotten glimpses of both of them. "It's Angel and Buffy."
"But the black?"Willow insisted. "I mean, if it were only Angel and Spike, I'd say it was their demons, but Buffy doesn't have a demon."
"The Slayer is more than human," Wesley reminded her. "The Council isn't very open about where that power comes from, but there is some indication that it stems from the darker side of things." He considered for a moment. "Interesting, but Spike seems more at peace with his demon than Angel does."
"He's been changing for a long time," Tara supplied, confirming Wesley's suspicions.
Wesley nodded. "Very well. In any case, it is imperative that we begin. Too long in this state, and we will not have the necessary energy to break any ties this warlock might have."
Disregarding the delights the inner eye offered, the three magic workers focused on Spike. The tie, once they started looking for it in earnest, was easy to spot. It appeared as a thin, murky brown thread. Even just following it psychically made all three feel dirty. "Ick," Willow thought, broadcasting to the others. "I'm definitely going to need a shower after this."
"It's bad," Wesley agreed grimly.
Tara mentally shook her head. "More than bad," she said. "It's steeped in dark magicks. We're going to need to do a cleansing spell for all of us after this."
"And probably Spike too," Willow added, feeling more grim as the seconds ticked by and they got closer to the source.
The source of the tie was close to them. They sensed that he was in Sunnydale, although they couldn't pinpoint his location. But his mere presence was a definite indication that someone was out to get Spike. "We'll break it off near Spike," Wesley warned them. "The circle should protect him from any backlash."
Willow felt a harsh satisfaction, knowing that the warlock wouldn't be expecting this, and would have no such protection. As Wesley mentally counted down to three, Willow joined with Tara's mind, the two of them meshing seamlessly, and then drawing Wesley in so that they might act as one. For one perfect moment, they were in complete accord, and in that moment, they struck with all the power available to them.
The tie strained, cracked, then broke under the weight of their combined offensive, and the three of them could feel the power drain into the protective circle. In the next moment, they broke away from each other, unable to hold the unity for more than an instant. Tara and Willow lingered for mere seconds, sending each other tender mental caresses, and then shook themselves.
The others in the room hadn't noticed that anything at all was happening, though Giles senses had picked up a strong surge, attuned as he was to the use of magic. "So did it work?" Xander asked from his corner. "Is Spike all soul-having now?"
"It worked," Wesley replied in a scratchy, tired voice.
Buffy moved over to Spike's side. He was still unconcious, and she felt a surge of sympathy. It had really not been his week. "Will he be okay?"
Tara was the one who replied. "He'll be fine, Buffy. But the breaking of that kind of tie can be traumatic." She looked apologetic, and Wesley continued.
"Because of the Effrendik poisoning, it is difficult to tell how this will affect him, Buffy," Wesley said gently. "I imagine there could be a setback. You might need to restrain him."
Buffy looked at her Watcher, who nodded at the tranq gun sitting unobtrusively in the corner. "We'll be fine. The restraints could just freak him out more."
Wesley nodded. "Of course." He looked over at Angel. "Unless you need us for something else, Angel and I had planned on driving back tonight."
The statement was more of a question, directed at the vampire. Angel hesitated. They had planned on driving back to L.A. as soon as possible, but he hated to leave so soon. That, and he was uncertain about leaving Buffy with Spike, no matter what he'd said earlier. "If you want some help with this warlock, you know..."
"We know how to get in touch with you," she said, shaking her head. "But we've got a couple powerful witches of our own."
Angel nodded, knowing that he had no other excuse for staying. "Yeah, well, you'll let us know how it turns out?"
"Sure," Buffy said, walking him to the door and outside. Angel pulled her aside, off the porch, as Wesley shook hands and said his own good-byes.
Angel looked uncomfortable. "Look, Buffy, make sure you know what you're getting into with Spike. I don't think he'd intentionally hurt you, but if you're not serious about this relationship, he could go off. He's very possessive."
"Then that makes two of us," Buffy replied, with a smile. "Look, Angel, I know you and Spike aren't the best of buds, but we've gone over this already, remember? We're each free to live our own lives now. We both knew we'd move on someday."
Angel gave her an appraising look. "You've really grown up, you know that?"
"I had to," Buffy said softly. "Somebody around here has to be the responsible adult."
Angel nodded, knowing that she was referring to her mom's death. "I'm sorry, Buffy."
"It's okay," she replied, almost meaning it. "I mean, it's getting better. And Spike helps. I couldn't tell you why exactly, but he really does."
Wesley came up to them then, clapping one hand on Angel's shoulder. "I think it's time to go, Angel," he said, his tone gentle but firm. He held out his right hand to Buffy. "It's been good to see you again, Buffy."
"Never thought I'd say this, but likewise," the Slayer replied. "Take care of yourselves."
Angel cast one look back over his shoulder as they went to his car, and then did not turn again. Buffy didn't stay to watch them go. For the first time, she felt that there was an ending to her relationship with the vampire. It felt over, rather than just on hold. And she had a brand new something to look forward to.
~~~~~
For the first time since he'd been poisoned, Spike woke feeling refreshed, and not as though he'd been put through the wringer. Even though his head did hurt abominably.
"How are you?" Buffy asked. She had slept by his side all night, and had been waiting for him to wake up. Tara and Willow had seemed to think it would be a while, and they warned her that there might be some trauma. But Spike seemed to recognize her, and his eyes were clear.
"M' head hurts," he mumbled, bringing himself to focus on her. "But other than that, better. What are you doin' here?"
She smiled at him. "Waiting for you to wake up. Oh, and sleeping. I figured I could trust you to share the bed with me."
"You have to work today?" Spike asked, a plaintive note in his voice.
"Yeah," Buffy said, sounding a little disappointed herself. "But Dawn will be here. So you'll have company."
"An' then I'll patrol with you tonight," Spike added.
Alarmed was about the only way to describe Buffy's expression. "Spike, I don't think that's a good idea."
"Not if I'm still feelin' a bit off," he agreed. "But I feel better now, an' I'll be even better than that tonight. Not lettin' you go out by yourself when there's nasties from that warlock runnin' about." He paused. "That's what you found out, right? I mean—"
"You have a soul, and the warlock was still linked to you," Buffy said, quickly filling him in, having forgotten that he was unconscious for the big reveal after the spell was over. She reached over and stroked his cheek. "Wesley, Willow and Tara managed to break the tie. So now you're warlock-free."
"All the more reason I go with you," Spike insisted. "Luv, if he noticed that, it could get pretty bad out there. I want to be with you. Can't protect you if I'm not."
Buffy sighed, knowing that she really had no way of stopping him from coming with her, short of chaining him up. "Alright. If you're still feeling okay tonight, you can come."
Spike spent the rest of the day with Dawn, reading and watching TV. He had managed to finish the second Harry Potter book, and they were having a rather rousing discussion on whether actual basilisks existed. Spike said no, as he'd never seen one. Dawn maintained that there was always a possibility, and he couldn't convince her that he'd seen everything there was to see.
Buffy came home while they were still debating over possibility versus probability, and she'd brought leftovers from the restaurant for her and Dawn. They were still discussing it when the Slayer announced her plans to leave. "Are you coming, Spike?" she asked, with barely concealed amusement.
"Yeah. I'm fine," he assured her, squeezing Dawn's arm in farewell affectionately. "We'll talk 'bout this tomorrow, Bit."
"Don't forget what you promised," Dawn said, referring to his promise to teach her some moves two nights ago.
He winked in lieu of an answer, and he and Buffy stepped out into the night air. Spike took a deep breath; he hated to be cooped up for that long. He usually slept during the day, but the Niblet had wanted to talk, and he'd felt as though he'd slept enough—or been unconscious enough—for the next week. But being inside and awake all day had driven home the fact that he was basically trapped, unable to go out while the sun was still up.
The Slayer had been well-meaning, but Spike had hated feeling so dependent on her, so weak. While he had enjoyed her taking care of him, that didn't mean he liked the fact that she'd needed to in the first place. Being that helpless reminded him too strongly of being in that bloody wheelchair.
The night was quiet, more so than it had been in quite some time, and Spike finally commented on it. "Not seein' much action out here tonight, luv."
Buffy shook her head. "No, we're not. I don't think we need to worry about that warlock for a couple of days though. Willow said that the backlash from that spell will probably put him out of commission for at least a short period of time."
"That's good to know," Spike said. "So if there isn't much action here..."
Buffy smiled at him. "Oh, I think we could manage something," she replied. "But I'm thinking we might want to go to your place. Dawn's at home, so we'd have to be quiet."
"I'm not plannin' on quiet," Spike assured her. They moved towards each other in one accord, starting on what promised to be a very steamy kiss. Which is, of course, why someone started screaming.
There was an instant where both of them were tempted to ignore the sounds of an obvious problem, but they finally broke apart and headed off towards the commotion. Spike got there first, and he launched himself at the two vampires who were hassling a young man and his girlfriend. At least, Spike thought they were vampires.
Buffy got there a split second behind him, and she called out a warning. "Spike, no! They're human!"
It was too late. One of the muggers was hit by a powerful left from the vampire, and he flew into the brick wall of the alley, slumping unconscious. The Slayer quickly incapacitated the second, and turned to Spike, expecting to see him in quite a bit of pain from hitting a human.
Instead, he stood there frozen, looking from the two they'd rescued, to the thug on the ground, and over at Buffy, who quite suddenly realized why he wasn't in pain. The stake was in her hand before she even had time to think about needing it.
Spike saw the stake, knew what it meant that he was able to hurt humans again, and growled deep in his throat, the demon emerging. He grinned suddenly, fangs prominent, showing the Slayer a taste of what was to come.
Right before he sank his teeth into her throat.
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