A Barely Breathing Story: Chapter Nine

[jesterladyfic]

Chapter Nine: Spike and the Trip to Rack's Place

Spike’s not sure whether to be happy or alarmed. It’s a constant see-saw these days, really. He’s been just barely hanging on for months now waiting for Buffy to make up her bloody mind. Then she goes and does things like kiss him as if her life depends on them remaining locked at the lips. Not likely, but he wouldn’t mind. Still, she decides to be with him and tells all her friends and then his chip has to go and make a cameo appearance in the horror movie that is their lives.

He doesn’t really know what happened that night. Okay, he knows, he was a most willing participant, but he’s not sure how it went from chip fighting to the best sex he’s ever had in his life. There had just been a few hysterical moments and then the Slayer’d gone for his nose and he’d just took it for a few moments before his indignation and instincts had kicked in and they’d been going at it for awhile before she changed the game and attacked his lips instead.

He’s not really regretting that. The first time was all fire and rush and need. The second he’d taken his time. The third and fourth, well, suffice it to say that they’ve definitely had their moments in the past, but they’d never destroyed a whole house before.

He’s grinning now as he remembers and every second spent remembering makes him more hopeful. Even if she did run out on him after. That’s the only part that makes him nervous. He doesn’t think that she can possibly think that he’s dangerous. Not after that. No…and now the wheels in his head are really turning…it must be because she’s worried about going too fast and what it means for her that his chip doesn’t work.

He gets to the house and finds Dawn buzzing about the place happy over her time spent with Tara and looking forward to some movie date with Willow. Red’s actually upstairs with a recently arrived Mac and they’re preparing to go out.

He might just get an evening with his girls if he plays his cards right.

“You gonna start blushing?” he asks Buffy in a low voice upon Dawn’s finally exiting the room to order pizza.

“Shut up, Spike,” she says, but he can see the worry lines furrowing.

“Having second thoughts?” he asks, forcing himself to be casual.

“Not about…us,” she says, “doing a runner aside. Sorry about that. But about me maybe.”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Hello, not reading as human here.”

“According to some stupid government chip that really should be short-circuiting out about now.”

“You’re not helping with that train of thought,” she points out.

He sits down on the couch and pulls her down with him.

“You’re Buffy,” he says. “I’ve never studied anyone the way I study you and you’re you. Bloodied, bowed, but not defeated.”

“Have you been reading poetry again?” she asks wearily.

“If you remember that, you’re definitely her,” he says, recalling the memory of her catching him reading Christina Rosetti with a little embarrassment.

“Tell me so,” she says, looking up at him with pleading in her eyes. “Tell me I’m me. That I’m not wrong. That what I want isn’t wrong.”

“You’re Buffy,” he says again with even more conviction. “The best Slayer and woman that ever hit this planet. Whatever happened, it doesn’t mean you’re wrong. We’ll do some research, figure it out.”

“Tara and Veronica are on it,” she says, and the guarded weariness goes up around her again like a shield.

It doesn’t matter because there’s a bang and a yelp from the upstairs and both of them are on their feet and up the stairs immediately.

Spike doesn’t recognize the naked bird sitting on Willow’s bed but Buffy apparently does.

“Amy?”

“De-ratted and fancy free,” Willow says proudly.

Mac’s standing there with a worried expression on her face and Spike can’t help but agree.

“Um, so everything’s okay then?” Buffy asks.

“Definitely,” Willow assures her.

Spike isn’t assured. The way the witch has been casting around the magic lately it’s a wonder they haven’t all been turned into toads. He can’t blame Tara for moving out at all.

He and Buffy head back downstairs and Spike slips Dawn a few crumpled bills from his poker earnings so they can pay for the pizza. He doesn’t let Buffy see because she’s worried enough without remembering her precarious financial situation.

“What are we going to watch?” Dawn asks, practically bouncing like a puppy at the prospect of spending time with her big sister.

“You choose, Dawnie,” Buffy says, obviously forcing a smile.

The witches all come down the stairs and they’re dressed for going out. Spike isn’t sure that’s such a great idea, but what does he know?

“How have you been?” Buffy asks Amy awkwardly.

“Rat,” she says jerkily like she’s not used to human movements yet. “You?”

“Dead,” Buffy offers.

“Oh.”

“Veronica going with you guys?” Buffy asks.

“No, she’s out with Logan,” Mac tells her. “I’m getting shafted for the boyfriend.”

“Well, have fun,” Buffy says.

“We will,” Willow says and smiles way too perkily for someone who has just been broken up with.

They leave and Buffy fills him in on the whole ‘how Amy became a rat’ story.

“I remember things more now,” she says. “Before it was so hard and now things are just there again.”

“That good?” he asks.

“Sometimes,” she says enigmatically and then sits down and lets Dawn talk about the movie.

It’s a good night. Really good. Spike’s always aware of the little dips and shifts in the conversation where his girls are concerned, but it’s the best night they’ve had since Buffy died. They talk, they make fun of the movie, Buffy’s practically sitting in his lap, and Dawn’s practically glowing.

He’s practically perfectly happy and isn’t it a good thing he doesn’t have a soul to lose?

So then Dawn disappears upstairs to homework and bed and he and Buffy head off to the cemetery.

Patrol’s good, only a few vamps to dust, and he wonders if he should either ask her to come back to his crypt or invite himself back to the house.

“You’re coming back to the house,” she tells him before he can even say anything.

“So you can have your wicked way with me?” he says with a leer on his face.

“Something like that,” she says. “I can’t leave Dawn by herself much longer and who knows when Willow will get back.”

“You think it’s a good idea for her to be casting transfiguration magic around like that?”

“No.”

“Nor me.”

“What can I do about it?” Buffy asks, sounding defeated.

“Dunno,” he says honestly.

The girls aren’t there when they get back so Spike follows Buffy up the stairs and opens Dawn’s door to check on her.

“How is she?” Buffy asks, looking a little annoyed, like she should have thought of that.

“Bit’s sleeping,” he says, sliding his duster off.

“Then we should be quiet,” she says, reaching for him.

He goes to her willingly, sliding his arms around her, reaching up his hands to run his fingers through the hair he loves like the sunshine he never sees. Her own hands slide up his shirt and he steps back a second to pull it off.

Then he kisses her again, drinking in the heady flavor and scent of Slayer, of Buffy. He feels warm, like he never does except when he’s with her, and she’s making him feel like throwing her on the bed and making her scream.

But he lowers her down gently instead and she arches her back after he removes her own shirt. Then he’s back to kissing and feeling and tasting and it’s only this close to ever being enough of her.

When he wakes up the next morning the blinds are closed and he isn’t dust which is nice. They’d perfected a system over the months of their relationship before she’d died and he’s glad that’s something she recalls easily.

Unfortunately, he remembers he’s supposed to meet Veronica at the Magic Box and reluctantly slides out of bed, away from the warm Slayer in his arms.

“Why are you going?” she asks, still half asleep, and he knows she would hate how adorable and actually cute she sounds.

“Gotta meet Veronica, love,” he says. “See you tonight, yeah?”

“Yeah,” she says and she’s asleep again.

He’s glad because she doesn’t get enough sleep as it is and their new relationship is either going to make that worse or better.

He runs for the sewers and then makes his way through the tunnels up through the basement and into the Magic Box.

Anya greets him and is obviously a little bit too perky for someone up that early, but he thinks that some sort of perkiness spell automatically activates every time she comes into contact with money.

Veronica’s already stretching and he shrugs off his duster again.

“Sorry, pet,” he says, “overslept.”

“Or oversexed,” she says.

“I hope you’re getting what I’m getting cause it’s bloody good,” he tells her, smirk firmly in place.

“When we’re not arguing that’s what we’re doing,” she says and sighs.

“Not good enough for you?”

“That’s good enough for me,” she says emphatically. “The fighting, not so much.”

“Still want me to talk to him?”

“Please,” Veronica says. “Just tell him why me learning to fight is good.”

He nods and her phone rings and she looks at it.

“I gotta take this,” she says. “It’s Mac and I just want to say bye before she leaves.”

She answers the phone and he doesn’t try to listen to both ends but it’s inevitable being him.

“I’m sad you have to go so soon,” Veronica says.

“Got that hard taskmaster called homework on my back. Listen, Veronica, you know what I told you about Willow?”

Spike’s ears perk up.

“Yeah?”

“Something has to be done. She made a rat a woman and then the two of them transformed the Bronze into their own personal dance hall/strip club and then I don’t even know what they did after that because I came back to the dorms.”

“Um, on a magical scale of one to ten how bad is that?” Veronica asks.

“Eleven,” Spike says and she glances at him quickly.

“Uh huh. Okay, so I’ll tell Buffy and maybe Giles will get back to me. I’m not a witch, Mac, I don’t know what to do.”

“I know, but you’re there and something has to be done,” Mac repeats. “I’ve only been doing this for six months, but I know that’s not right.”

“Thanks for letting me know.”

“You’re welcome. Tell Logan hi for me.”

“Wallace for me.”

They hang up and Veronica turns back to Spike, looking worried.

“What should I do?”

“Watcher’s all well and good but he’s across the pond,” Spike tells her and he knows his expression matches hers. “Glinda’s your source for good magic.”

“I don’t want to worry her.”

“It might worry her a whole lot more when Red does something so stupid none of us come back from it.”

“I guess. Will you tell Buffy?”

“Yeah.”

They finish up their sparring session and Veronica leaves for the campus and Spike goes back to his crypt. He’s worried and doesn’t really know what to do. He’s tired of being responsible and taking care of things anyhow. All he really wants to do is shag Buffy and watch telly and maybe cause a little mayhem somewhere. Dawn could stop in sometimes. Maybe Veronica and Tara. If Veronica brings Logan it wouldn’t be so bad. Bollocks, he’s so intertwined with all these humans, it’s pathetic.

He goes to her house that night and finds Dawn out with Willow to the movies.

“Veronica went too,” Buffy says and that relieves him a bit.

He doesn’t really want his Bit alone with the witch right now.

Patrol’s short and sweet but when they get home they find the recently de-ratted Amy going through Willow’s room and no Dawn or Willow anywhere to be seen despite the fact that they should have been home hours ago. Buffy, acquainted now with the events of the night before, slams Amy up against the wall.

“Where’s Willow?”

The other girl squirms and says something about having permission before Buffy slams her again.

“Where would she go? Where would she take my sister?”

“R-Rack’s,” the former rat replied and slumps to the floor.

“Bloody hell,” Spike swears.

“You know it?” Buffy asks him.

“Bad magic, let’s go.”

He explains on the way and Buffy looks fit to kill.

He strains with all his senses to find the entrance to Rack’s place. It moves all the time and it’s a little while before he finds it.

They’re not there. Rack tells them they’ve been and gone and Spike really doesn’t like the way Rack talks about Dawn.

He’s going to kill Willow for bringing her here.

When they come back out they can hear screams and don’t need to look at each other to hurry toward them.

What they find is a crashed car and flames licking around the edges. Willow’s lying on the ground while a demon leans over her.

“Find Dawn!” Buffy tells him and launches herself at the demon.

He heads for the car and finds Dawn cowering inside, cradling her arm. Veronica’s unconscious in the back seat.

“Spike!” Dawn cries in relief. “Willow, she-“

“I know. Big sis is here, we’re gonna look after you. You hurt other than the arm?”

“No. I’m okay.”

“Get out of the car and go a safe distance. I’m gonna get Private Eye here.”

Dawn scrambles out of the car and Spike rips off the back door and tosses it aside. Veronica’s bleeding from the forehead, but he doesn’t think she has more than a mild concussion. He pulls her out and carries her to where Dawn is anxiously waiting.

“Is she okay?” Dawn asks nervously.

“We’ll see.” He puts her down gently and slaps her cheeks. “Veronica, wake up, luv.”

Her eyes flutter open and she peers at him, unfocused.

“Spike?”

“Stay awake for me, luv. You remember what happened?”

She nods and sits up. Spike remembers she probably has her phone on her and gets it from her pocket and dials 911.

There’s a cracking sound behind them and Spike looks up to see Willow, practically glowing with magic, slay the demon and then collapse. Then Buffy leads a crying Willow over to them. The witch is sobbing out apologies and Spike guesses this is her rock bottom. Frankly, he doesn’t really care. Only consideration for his girls is stopping him from attempting to rip her head off. Chip or no chip. Buffy looks like she wants to comfort her but really can’t. Willow’s also bleeding from the forehead but he can see she’ll be fine. Veronica’s eyes are fluttering as she tries to stay awake and Dawn, after slapping her, is refusing to look at Willow or acknowledge her presence even though the witch keeps reaching for her and saying she’s sorry.

“Back off, Willow,” Buffy finally says, shielding her sister.

“I should have- left…taken her away,” Veronica struggles to say.

Buffy shushes her and they can hear the sirens now.

It’s all a big bustle and mess at that point. There are a lot of inquiries but Spike melts into the background and Buffy answers them as best she can. He doesn’t want to put that on her, but he can’t exactly give an address and ID to the cops.

They load everyone up into the ambulance and he signals Buffy that he’ll follow.

When he gets there and they let him in it turns out that they’ll all be fine. Logan, as Veronica’s emergency contact, has arrived and is making a nuisance out of himself, but Spike figures the boy probably has the right to.

Logan takes Veronica back to the dorms and she even walks herself out of the hospital after apologizing to Buffy for not taking better care of Dawn and Spike knows it wasn’t her fault. He’ll get the full story from her later.

Willow’s silent all the way home and Dawn still won’t talk to her.

Willow falls asleep, exhausted, but she keeps making promises to never use magic again. Spike doesn’t know if she means it or not but he hopes so, no matter how difficult he knows that will be.

Buffy takes care of Dawn, giving her ice cream, and then putting her to bed as well.

“Don’t leave me alone with her,” Dawn says over and over again.

“I won’t,” Buffy says and he’s never seen such a fierce look on her face.

Not even when she was trying to kill him.

Dawn doesn’t want Buffy to leave her but the pain medication she’s gotten from the doctor starts to work and the girl goes to sleep.

After locking up he goes back up to Buffy’s room and finds her sitting on her bed, staring blankly. It’s oddly reminiscent of the night she came back.

“I can’t do this,” she says dully. “How do I do this?”

“I’ll help,” he says and she closes her eyes.

“Just hold me,” she finally says.

He does.