*Disclaimer: All of the characters and places in this story are the creation of Joss Whedon and his team. All I have done is insert my little story into his blank spot.
Authorâs Note: For those of you familiar with the Buffy Universe, this story picks up after Buffy rescues Spike from The Firstâs lair during the present season (Season 7).
For those of you not familiar with the show, hereâs a brief historyâŠ
Buffy Summers is the Slayer, the Chosen One. It is her destiny to fight evil in the world using her super strength, and along the way her friends, the Scoobies (Xander Harris, Willow Rosenburg, Anya, her little sister Dawn, her Watcher Rupert Giles, and the vampire who now has a soul, Spike). A couple years ago, Spike had a nifty little chip put in his brain that gives him intense pain should he try to harm any human. No longer able to hunt and kill humans, he began fighting alongside the Scoobies. During this time he formed an obsession, than infatuation, and finally a love for the slayer. Eventually, after Willow brought Buffy back from the grave a year ago, Buffy and Spike developed a sexual relationship that ended badly, not long after beginning. Spike then went on a quest and had his soul returned to him, so he could be worthy of Buffy⊠their relationship has since been at a standstill. Now, while battling The First Evil, their emotions are slowly rising to the surface again. It is this authorâs belief that theirs is a love story. This has been rattling around in my head for a while now; I was just waiting for the right time in the storyline to make it fit. I believe this is it. I say again, this is a love story with sex in it, if you are looking for a raunchy toss in the hay, you may be disappointed.
Buffy was worried about Spike. He hadnât said a word since she had brought him out of the cave where The First had kept him imprisoned. Every once in a while he would mumble something but she couldnât understand the words. All she could do was get him home and hope that whatever horrors had been done to him would not force him back to the mental black hole he had been in when she had found him in the high school basement. Giving him her support, she got him up the stairs of the porch and into the house. Xander was waiting up for her in the living room and helped her lay Spike down on the couch.
âHey Buff, shouldnât we, you know, put him downstairs?â Asked Xander.
Buffy signaled him to silence and dragged him into the dining room, â He needs to be cleaned up. I donât think we have anything to worry about right now. Heâs weak, practically incoherent. I doubt heâs gonna jump up and go for the jugular.â
âYeah, I know,â Xander replied. âBut, tortured by the big baddie or not, just a few days ago he was siring vamps again.â
âI can handle him, Xander. Besides, he wasnât conscious of what he was doing then. So you can either get me the first aid kit and some water and cloths, or go home.â
Xander sighed; it was no use arguing with her. He just didnât trust Spike, not since he had almost raped Buffy last year. But, she was the slayer and Spike was looking a little worse for the wear. Xander went to the kitchen to retrieve the needed supplies, and Buffy went back to Spike.
âBuffy⊠I knew you wouldnât leave me there.â
âShhh, youâre home now. Iâll get you cleaned up and then you need to rest,â Buffy rested her hand on Spikeâs arm. Xander returned with the supplies, âIf youâve got this covered Iâm gonna go home and get some sleep. I have to be on site early tomorrow, or today actually. Unless you want me to watch your back or something?â
âNo, I can take care of this. Go home, but be here after work. We all need to do some mutual brainstorming. With the Uber-vamp thing dead, I donât know what the First might have up its non-corporeal sleeve for us,â Buffy replied.
âGotcha. Brainstorming. Six oâclock sharp,â Xander nodded. â See ya then. Hey, Buff? Be careful.â
âI will,â Buffy smiled as Xander left. It was nice to have friends who worried about you. Turning her attention back to Spike, she wet a cloth and gently starting cleaning the blood off his face. Though she would never admit it to her friends, it was painful to see Spike like this. Sure, heâd had his moments of sadism and stupidity, but all in all he had been a good guy. She truly believed that he could overcome the brainwashing done to him by The First. Also, it said a lot that he was willing to chain himself up in her basement if that would mean he couldnât hurt anyone else. It had been rough watching him claw his way back out of the insanity he had sunk into after the return of his soul. His soul⊠to think he now had one. What did it mean for her? She had avoided that question for so long. It scared her to think that maybe Spike could truly love her. Had he been right when he had told her she needed the death with the life? The pain along with the love? Mechanically, she rinsed out the cloth and reached out to continue when she caught Spike staring.
âThank you⊠for coming for me,â Spike whispered. âYou could have left me there. It was probably safer for, well you know,â he said with a pointed gaze at the ceiling. Dawn, Willow, and the potential slayers occupied the rooms upstairs.
âMaybe safer for them, but I couldnât let The First kill you,â Buffy replied. âI couldnât have that on my conscience. Besides, you donât deserve to be killed. You havenât done anything wrong. Spike, what you did, siring those vamps and all, that wasnât you. The First was controlling you. You need to understand that. I know you wouldnât hurt an innocent person. Youâre not like that anymore.â
âMaybe not, but I was that animal at one time. If it werenât for this bloody chip your former boyfriend and his little military buddies stuck in me, I probably would still be. Either that or turned into a pile of dust by you,â Spike grabbed the hand holding the cloth. âHave you forgotten that there was a time when my one goal was to kill you?â
âNo, I havenât forgotten. But a lot has changed since then. Iâve learned a lot in my years as a slayer, Spike. You canât avoid your destiny. Maybe you were meant to have that chip in your head. Maybe you were also meant to have your soul. I have seen the bad things you have done, but I have also seen the good. You risked your own life countless times to help me. Not to mention protecting Dawn when I was⊠well, gone. You are a good man, I just wish you could see it yourself,â she dropped the cloth and turned her hand over to clasp his.
âBut what about before, when I tried toâŠâ Spike wouldnât meet her eyes.
âRape me? It happened, yes, but itâs in the past. You could have hurt me a lot worse than you did⊠besides, I seem to remember you stopping yourself,â Buffy tried to reassure him. It had taken a bit of time for her to get over his attack, but she knew the last thing he had wanted was to truly hurt her. Despite all the feminist talk, she took partial blame for what had happened. Before, when they had been together, she had used him. Used the sex to make her feel alive again, and then coldly thrown him away when she was done. What he had done had been more from hurt than cruelty, and she knew that.
Spike tilted his head to the side and looked at her, âWhy are you always so willing to forgive me?â