Title: Checkers

Author: Anne Rose

Email: anne3rose@yahoo.com
 
URL: http://annerose.cjb.net  

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Joss and Mutant Enemy, etc... own BtVS. No infringement
intended. Any resemblance to people living, dead, or undead, or to
real life events is all in your mind, is downright scary, and means you
seriously need to get a life.

Spoilers: Intervention and beyond

Summary: S/B, Follow-up to Intervention (the Buffybot episode). What
happened after Buffy left Spike's crypt?

Archive: Yes. I would be honored if you want to archive it. Please
let me know where so I can visit it.

Author's Note: Thanks to Caffey and Spiletta for ripping this story
apart and helping me fix several issues and confusing bits. Thanks to
Hubby for initial plot help and Raven and Tamytha for catching even
more of my typos. Thanks to the Buffy Dialog Database
(<http://vrya.cstone.net/index.htm>) and the Buffy Guide
(<http://www.buffyguide.com/episodes.shtml>) for help with research and
parts of episodes. © August 15, 2002

~*~*~*~

Checkers
by Anne Rose


Part 1 - Prologue

~*~*~

They had won. At least they'd escaped without casualties - unless you
counted the robot.

Buffy stood to the side and stared at it, lying lifeless on the Magic
Box table. She watched Willow dig around inside its back, trying to
figure out why it had stopped working. As she watched, she tried very
hard not to think about why the bot had been created.

Tara hovered near the table, watching. After a moment, she looked up
at Buffy. "Is it weird?"

"Oh yeah." Buffy walked around and sat down at the table. "At least
it's not a very good copy. I mean..." She laid her head on the table
and examined the bot's face. "Look at it."

"Uh ... yeah," Willow mumbled, giving Tara a look, but not saying
anything else to burst Buffy's bubble of denial. However, it was
undeniable that the bot looked exactly like Buffy.

Buffy's head snapped up as bell on the front door jingled and Xander
and Giles walked into the shop. She went to stand behind Dawn and
crossed her arms.

"What'd you guys do with Spike? And please let the story have a dusty
ending," Buffy asked. Her expression didn't quite match her words.
She was trying a bit too hard to portray the injured party in Spike's
latest adventure.

"We dumped him back in his crypt," Xander explained, looking down and
sounding slightly apologetic.

Giles shrugged, also not making eye contact. "Tried to find out if
he'd ... told her anything, but he was too badly beaten to make much
sense."

"Well, even if he told her, he'd just lie to us about it anyway,
right?" Anya added.

Giles raised his eyebrows but didn't comment.

"Yeah, you can count on it," Buffy said, barely above a whisper. "But
I have to know, now. If he did give us up, Dawn and I need to get out
of town. I mean, she could be on her way right now."

Dawn's expression changed from relief that Spike was ok, to concern
about Glory. Giles noticed and tried to cover. "But, uh, not to
worry, you know, I'm sure we'll all be perfectly safe."

"We're safe... right." Dawn rolled her eyes. "And, uh, Spike built a
robot Buffy to play checkers with."

Buffy frowned at Tara.

"I-it sounded convincing when I thought it," Tara said, smiling
self-consciously.

"Hey! I-I think I found somethin'," Willow interrupted, bringing their
attention back to the bot.

"Uck!" Anya said. "Looks very complicated in there. Personally, I'd
rather look at guts,"

Willow ignored her and looked at Buffy, clearly quite proud of herself.
"I found where she's broken. Some of these wires got fried extra
crispy. It's an easy fix." Her perky mood evaporated when Buffy only
gaped at her. "I mean ... not that I would," Willow backpedaled.

"God, I feel ... kind of bad for the guy." Xander looked somewhere
between embarrassed and amazed as the words left his mouth. "Gets all
whupped and his best toy gets taken away."

Buffy snapped her head around and stared at Xander. Were all her
friends losing their minds? "Please don't be suggesting what I'd have
to kill you for suggesting."

Xander backpedaled. "No, no, travesty, completely on board, it's
just..." and there was the pity again, "the guy was so thrashed."

Buffy's expression softened slightly to one of concern. Glory had
beaten and tortured Spike because of her and Dawn. There hadn't been a
chance to get a good look at him during the fight, but if it was enough
to impress Giles and Xander, it must have been pretty bad. But then
her resolve face returned. "We need to know for sure. Willow, help me
get those clothes off the bot."

Willow looked up from her work, clearly confused, but she closed the
flap on the robot's back and started helping Buffy strip it.

Buffy squeaked as the bot's anatomically correct breasts were exposed.
She blushed and threw the shirt back over the bot's chest as she
stepped between it and the guys. "Uh, Xander, Giles, do you mind?"

They stared at Buffy for a moment, not understanding her. Giles
suddenly cleared his throat and removed his glasses. "Xander and I
will be in the training room, in case you need us."

"Hunh?" Xander said. Giles stood quickly, took him by the arm, and
lead him away. They heard Xander say, "Oh!" just before the door
closed.

Tara and Willow suddenly remembered they needed to get a volume from
one of the back shelves while Dawn helped Buffy swap clothes with the
bot.

As they finished dressing the bot, Dawn looked at it thoughtfully.
"Buffy, I understand why Spike had Warren build the robot, but..."

"Dawn, I really don't think we should talk about this -- ever." Buffy
cut her off, blushing again.

"Oh, no," Dawn said, starting to blush now as well. "I didn't mean
about that. I meant, I saw the bot fighting, and we know she went out
patrolling. And," Dawn added, talking faster, as Tara and Willow
returned followed by Xander and Giles. "There's all that stuff about
us that she knew." Dawn paused.

"Is there a point?" Buffy asked.

"I was just thinking that it didn't need to know all those things, or
be able to fight, or want to patrol, in order to just 'play checkers',"
Dawn said, making little air quotes.

"Dawn, you're too young to understand..." Buffy began and then paused
as what Dawn said sunk in. It wasn't what she had expected and her
prepared response didn't fit. None of her rehearsed responses to Dawn,
or even to herself fit this situation. Giles raised an eyebrow, but
said nothing. Even Xander remained silent.

"Maybe," Tara said, breaking the silence. They all turned to look at
her. "Well, you only need those things if you were planning to hold
conversations with it, or if you wanted it to join you when you went
out 'to get a spot of violence,' as Spike would say."

"It thought it was the slayer," Anya said, nodding.

"I know," Buffy said, collapsing back into the chair. "But this is
still Spike we're talking about. Right?" She looked at them, her eyes
pleading.

"Yes, it's Spike. He's still evil," Willow said, swinging her fist
with clearly faked enthusiasm.

Buffy looked at her friends and her sister. They were just as
conflicted as she was.

Buffy stood, straightening the light pink tank top and darker pink
pleated skirt. She looked again at the bot. "Right. Well, I still
need to find out what Glory knows."

~*~*~

Spike was lying on the sarcophagus in his crypt, where they had dumped
him. His face was bruised and cut. One eye was swollen shut, and the
other was almost as bad. The part of his chest showing through the
tear in his t-shirt was covered with cuts and bruises, and one deep
puncture where Glory had dug around inside his chest with her hands.
It was turning out to be a very bad day.

He heard the door slam open and someone walk in.

"Spike! You're covered in sexy wounds," a voice exclaimed.

Spike turned his head toward the sound, opening his eye slowly. He was
surprised to see the bot standing there. "Yeah." He grimaced as he
pushed himself up into a sitting position. "I feel real sexy," he
groaned. "Where you been?"

"I fell down and got confused. Willow fixed me. She's gay," the bot
chirped.

Spike was astonished. This was just about the last thing he'd
expected. He leaned heavily on his arms and looked at her. "Will
fixed you? I thought they'd melt you into scrap."

"They were confused too." She flashed him one of her plastic smiles.
"Do you wanna ravage me now?"

"Give us a minute. Got some bones need mending."

At that, the bot moved forward and looked concerned. "Why did you let
that Glory hurt you?"

Spike sighed. Maybe he should have thought twice about having Warren
program so much personality into the thing. He knew the bot didn't
really care, but it still made dealing with the real Buffy that much
harder. "She wanted to know who the key was," he explained.

The bot spun around to walk out. "Oh, well, I can tell her, and then
you'll..."

"No!" Spike yelled. The effort caused him to start coughing. "You
can't ever. Glory never finds out!"

"Why?"

Spike sagged slightly. "Cause Buffy... the other, not so pleasant
Buffy... anything happened to Dawn, it'd destroy her. I couldn't live,
her bein' in that much pain. Let Glory kill me first. Nearly bloody
did."

Buffy frowned as she heard his words and then slowly leaned forward
gently kissed him on the lips. Spike started to respond, kissing her
back, but something wasn't right. She was so warm, so soft. Suddenly
he pulled back and looked at her - Buffy. He couldn't do anything but
stare at her as she started to walk away. He was so battered that he
hadn't noticed her scent until now.

She was walking away, and he needed to explain, to say something. "And
my robot," was all he managed.

Buffy paused and turned. "The robot is gone. The robot was gross and
obscene."

Spike felt what little energy he had drain out of him. His head sunk.
"It wasn't supposed to..."

"Don't. That ... thing, it ... it wasn't even real." Buffy
interrupted. He could see she was disgusted with him. It was bitter
irony. He'd endured torture and never betrayed her or her little sis,
and the day he'd picked to do it was the day she discovered the bot.

She was walking back towards the door when he heard her stop again.
"What you did, for me, and Dawn... that was real."

Spike managed to lift his head and looked at her.

"I won't forget it."

~*~*~

TBC...

=====

Part 2

~*~*~

Spike stared after her for a moment, not knowing what to think. Then
the pain and exhaustion got the better of him and he collapsed back
onto the sarcophagus. The effort to sit up and talk to her had drained
his last ounce of strength. He closed his eyes and replayed her kiss
in his mind, trying to concentrate on the feel of her lips on his,
instead of the open wounds that were screaming at him.

She was mad about the robot. That was clear. But it hadn't totally
negated what he had endured to protect Nibblet. Maybe today wasn't the
worst day of his existence after all. The only other time she'd kissed
him, outside of his dreams, was when Red's spell had gone wrong.

And he could still smell her; taste her, as if she was still there.
Spike was so caught up in his thoughts that he was taken by surprise
when he heard the microwave beeping. He turned his head slightly, and
thought about opening his eyes, but it was too much effort.

A few moments later he was aware of an arm sliding around his shoulders
and of being lifted into a sitting position. He smelled blood and
opened his mouth slightly when he felt the tip of the straw against his
lips.

"Drink," he heard her say. He obliged, sucking in the warm, thick
liquid. When the mug was empty, he felt himself being laid back down
again. Idly, he wondered if she would leave now, and the thought
saddened him. He'd done it again. Risked his life for the Slayer and
what did he have to show for it? Open, bleeding wounds, deep purple
bruises, a series of cuts and abrasions - and a kiss.

At least he thought he remembered a kiss. He could still feel her on
his lips - it seemed so unreal; maybe it was a dream from his battered
brain.

He was brought back from his musings by the sound of the microwave
beeping again. 'Or was it the first time,' he wondered. He had lost
track of the flow of time. He felt the warm arm reach around him,
propping him up, leaning him against her soft body. Spike stopped
trying to figure things out. If this was a hallucination, it was
better than dreaming about Glory.

He felt the straw against his lips again. Halfway through the second
mug he stopped suddenly, the taste finally soaking through to his brain
- human, not pig's blood. "Slayer?" He asked, befuddled. He tried to
open his eyes and look at her, but they were both swollen shut. "Where
d'you get this?"

"Uh, from Ben, at the hospital," Buffy said. "Is it ok? They were
about to throw it out, so it's not fresh, but I thought you'd heal
faster on human blood."

"S'wonderful, Pet," he slurred as he finished sucking down the rest of
his meal.

The process was repeated several more times over the next few hours -
at least it seemed like hours. Spike lost count, but each time he felt
a bit stronger. He slept in between feedings, and at some point he
realized he'd been moved off the hard sarcophagus onto something
softer. He was slowly becoming more aware of his surroundings as the
pain started to retreat and his brain began to clear.

This time when Buffy sat him up to feed him, he was aware of her hand
gently rubbing his back as she supported him. He nestled into her warm
body as he slurped from the mug. He tried again to open his eyes and
found that he could force them open, just a slit. Her forehead was
creased with worry, but she brightened when she saw him look at her.
"Finally back among the living?"

Spike coughed. His chest rattled as he laughed quietly. "In a manner
of speaking. Still knackered, but on the mend." She smiled at him and
all the pain melted away for a moment. "Not that I'm complaining, Luv,
but what's with Florence Nightingale routine?"

Buffy shrugged and gingerly set the cup aside. "You took one for the
team, so I'm here making sure you get back in the game."

Spike smiled, brushing a stray lock of hair away from her cheek. He
was pleased when she didn't pull back. "Since when did you start using
sport metaphors?"

She looked away from him nervously. "I guess Xander is rubbing off on
me."

Spike raised an eyebrow slightly. "I hope not." He smirked as she
chuckled, getting his meaning.

"It's funny though. Xander almost suggested that we fix the bot for
you. I couldn't believe it. I've never heard him say anything
remotely nice about you. Then when I saw you laying there..." She
never finished the sentence, but he had his answer.

He wanted to keep looking at her, hoping she would smile at him again,
but his eyelids were so heavy he couldn't keep them open. With a sigh
he slumped against her, dropping his free arm across her legs.

Buffy laid him back down, and tucked the blanket around him. Dimly, he
was aware of still being warm as he drifted back to sleep.

~*~*~


TBC...

=====

Part 3

~*~*~

Giles began to worry when over six hours had passed, with no sign of
Buffy. He approached the crypt carefully, weapon in hand, not sure
what he was expecting to find. He paused for a moment, debating
whether to knock, or to kick the door open. He settled on opening it
quietly and peeking inside.

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust. When he could see, Giles was
able to make out something, off to the side, lying under a blanket. As
he walked closer to the makeshift bed he gulped as he saw the two blond
heads. Buffy's back against Spike's chest, and his face was nuzzled
into her neck.

Giles stared at them for a long moment, amazed at how peaceful Buffy
looked sleeping in Spike's arms. It looked as though she hadn't been
able to get any answers out of him yet. He hated to wake her, but
there was no time to waste if Glory knew about Dawn. "Buffy," he
whispered. "Buffy, I need to talk to you."

She stirred slightly, and then opened her eyes. She looked disoriented
for a moment. "Giles?" She mouthed silently, her cheeks reddening.

Giles waited while Buffy gently unwrapped herself from Spike and slid
out of the bed. Spike moaned as she moved away and reached out for
her. "So warm... don't leave," he murmured.

She leaned over and put his arm back under the blanket. "It's ok," she
said, stroking his hair gently. "I'll be right back. Just getting you
some more to eat. OK?"

"S'cold," he groaned as she stood and left him.

Buffy was all business as she walked over to the microwave and started
to prepare another mug of blood. Giles joined her there.

"Is there a problem?" She asked.

Giles looked from Buffy over to Spike. "Perhaps we should talk
outside?"

"Spike's in and out... mostly out. I don't think we need to worry
about him overhearing us," Buffy assured Giles as she put the mug in
the microwave and started it. She stared at the mug as it went around
in a circle, to avoid looking at Giles.

"Buffy, you know I trust you implicitly, and I don't want to question
your methods, but..." He reached up and removed his glasses to clean
them. "I realize your plan was to impersonate... it, but how much
longer is it going to take to get the information?"

Buffy looked at her hands. "I didn't mean to be here so long. I was
really tired after the visit with the first slayer and then fighting
with Glory's minions. I guess I fell asleep after I fed Spike that
last pint." She looked up at Giles.

"I completely understand, you must be exhausted, but we need to wake
him and find out what he told Glory," Giles said firmly.

Buffy looked down at her hands again. "Spike didn't tell Glory about
Dawn," she whispered.

Giles tried to mask his surprise, not only at the news, but also at
Buffy's continued presence in the crypt after finding out. "Are you
certain? Spike is not the most straightforward of creatures."

Buffy sighed. "I'm certain. He thought I was the bot. I offered to
go tell Glory about the key to keep her from hurting him again, and he
stopped me. He ordered the bot never to tell Glory." She looked over
at Spike. "He didn't betray us, Giles. She did that to him, and he
didn't give us up."

Giles saw the look of sadness in Buffy's tired eyes as she explained.
Tears were threatening to fall, and he didn't know what to do, so he
gathered her into his arms, comforting her as best he could with a hug.
"I can't say I'm not surprised. I've seen Spike do a number of things
to help us, but I wouldn't have thought him capable of that level of
self-sacrifice." He paused and looked at Spike. His face was almost
unrecognizable in its current bruised and swollen state.

"Giles," Buffy whispered, lifting her head. "Were we wrong about him?"

"Perhaps we were."

Further conversation was cut off by the microwave beeping. Buffy let
go of Giles and went to get the mug out of the microwave. Giles
watched her as she carried it to Spike. She set it down and then
carefully raised Spike to a sitting position. Sliding in behind him,
she propped him against her body and helped him to find the straw.
Giles was amazed as he watched them together. If he didn't know
better, he would have said they looked comfortable, like they belonged
together instead of fighting against each other.

When Spike finished the pint, Buffy looked over at Giles. Holding the
mug out to him, she asked, "Giles, could you warm up one more please?"

Giles took it and went back to find another packet. As he waited for
it to finish warming, he noted the large number of empty packets. By
his count, this was the twelfth pint, as much blood as Spike could have
gotten from draining a large man, and then some. And in spite of it,
he was still weak and his wounds were only just starting to close.
Giles marveled again at how much damage Glory had inflicted on Spike,
and yet he never betrayed Dawn... or Buffy. Yes, perhaps they all
needed to rethink their opinion of Spike.

He carried the blood over to Buffy, and watched her feed it to Spike.
When Spike finished drinking, he crumpled back against Buffy. She
looked up at Giles. "I want to move him as soon as the sun goes down.
He's defenseless here and Glory's minions might return to finish the
job."

"Yes, good point." Giles nodded. "Shall I return after sunset and
help you?"

"Sounds good. I'm thinking he should stay at one of our houses... just
until he gets back on his feet," she added hastily.

"Agreed. I'll be back at sunset. Try to get some rest between now and
then." Giles smiled at her and left the crypt.

As he walked back to the Magic Box Giles thought about the soulless
creature Buffy was caring for. A year ago, even a few months ago, he
had looked at Spike with nothing but contempt and suspicion. His
obsession with Buffy was a danger to them all. But the scene he had
just witnessed contradicted all of that. The idea went against
everything he had been taught and experienced, but it did appear that
Spike had changed.

~*~*~

TBC...

=====

Part 4

~*~*~

Spike woke just as the sun was setting. The familiar change in the air
prodded him, alerting him it was time to get up and hunt. He started
to roll over and noticed something warm and heavy against his chest.
Baffled for a moment, he breathed in to try to determine what it was.
Buffy's unique scent filled his nostrils, overwhelming him.

Suddenly, memories of the past day came back to him. Images and
sensations flooded over him. The fight with Glory, her nearly
torturing him to death, the painful confusing trip back to his crypt,
the bot returning. Only it wasn't the bot, it was Buffy, and she had
stayed on, fed and cared for him. He thought he'd dreamed it. It
wouldn't have been the first time. But now he felt a warm body curled
against his and smelled her scent.

He was afraid to try opening his eyes again, afraid that she would
evaporate like she had in so many of his other dreams. Instead he
settled back down and wrapped his arm back around her. She snuggled in
closer, burrowing her head into his shoulder. If it was a dream, he
wanted it to last as long as possible.

A short while later, Spike was awakened again by the sound of someone
approaching the crypt. He listened carefully as the person stopped at
the door, and then opened it. As the footsteps came closer, Spike
morphed into his demon visage and growled menacingly at the intruder.

He saw Giles step back, staring at him in shock. "Bloody hell, Rupert.
Thought you were one of Glory's little trolls sneaking up on me."
Spike's head dropped back on the bed, his face reverting back to his
human mask.

Two things went through Spike's mind in that moment. First, he noticed
that Buffy really was there with him, lying in his arms, in his bed,
fully clothed - but then, you couldn't have everything. Second, her
watcher was standing over them, so perhaps the clothes weren't such a
bad thing after all. 'Or maybe Rupert will make the whole thing
academic by staking me?' Spike's mind wandered on of its own accord.

"Yes, sorry about that. Buffy asked me to return after sunset." Giles
apologized as he scrutinized Spike. "You seem to be doing much better
than when I was here before."

Here before? That was news to Spike. He wondered how long he'd been
out. Covering his surprise, he smirked at Giles. "Sorry to disappoint
you, but I'm afraid I threw most of my energy into trying to scare off
whoever had come calling. My ribs haven't knit yet, and I think one
leg's broken. That hell bitch busted me up right and proper."

"I see." Giles nodded. Spike watched Giles' eyes as they moved from
him to Buffy, who was still draped across his chest, sound asleep. His
expression shifted from curiosity to concern as he regarded her. She
had been on the point of exhaustion after the Glory incident. "How is
she?" Giles asked.

Spike looked at Buffy again. "She's tired, but other than that she's
ok. Her heartbeat and breathing are steady. Can't smell any fresh
blood on her. I think all her wounds have closed up already," he said
quietly. "She's been asleep since before I woke up."

"She's had a hard couple of days, and I know she needs her rest," Giles
said, his concern evident. "I really hate to wake her, but we'll be
safer once we get back to the house."

Spike sighed. He knew this was too good to be true, too good to last.
However, he wasn't a pile of dust, in spite of the watcher finding
Buffy in his bed, so the day wasn't a total loss. That last bit did
cause him to question if this was all a dream, but he pushed it aside.
"Hope you brought your car. I don't fancy the idea of her walking back
to the house in her current condition, meeting some nasty along the
way." Giles nodded, and Spike began gently shaking Buffy. "Slayer,
rise and shine. Watcher's here, come to take you home."

"Spike?" She murmured, and buried her head deeper into his chest.

Spike hissed as her hand accidentally grazed one of the wounds on his
chest. Catching her hand, he tried again to get her attention.
"Slayer," he called. "Wake up, Buffy. Early bird stakes the vampire."

"What?" She groaned, as she opened her eyes and saw Spike staring back
at her. "Spike? How did I wind up here?" She asked, a bit startled.

"Dunno, Luv. I was asleep, just woke up to find you all over me," he
said casually, his face contorted into an approximation of his
trademark smirk.

"I am not all over," she started, but Spike cut her off with a raised
eyebrow. "Well... technically, but you know what I mean," Buffy
muttered as she began carefully untangling herself from Spike. She
changed the subject abruptly before things could get more awkward.
"Can you eat some more? I think there are a few packets left in
the..." She paused mid-sentence as she turned and saw Giles standing
there, watching her with obvious curiosity.

"Giles, what a pleasant yet embarrassing surprise to see you here,
again," she stammered as she smoothed her hair and clothes, and
purposefully walked past him to the refrigerator.

"You did ask me to return after sunset," Giles reminded her.

"Right," she said, as she opened a new packet and poured it into the
mug.

"I am rather concerned... no, curious," Giles said, removing his
glasses and fidgeting with them, "Uh, about your sudden closeness with
Spike."

Buffy closed the microwave and leaned against it. She took a deep
breath and turned to Giles, giving him a big, almost bot-like smile.
"You said I should get some rest, and you know me, always taking those
watcher suggestions to heart."

"Quite..." Giles put his glasses back on and stared at her.

Buffy sighed, walking to the other side of the crypt, away from Spike
where she could speak more privately with Giles. "I have no idea,
Giles." She shifted her weight and didn't meet his eyes. "It's just,
he went through so much for Dawn... and me... and I've misjudged him so
badly." She fidgeted with her hands. "He can't even sit up, so he's
even more harmless than usual.... And I was really tired and... I
don't know," she looked up at Giles hesitantly. "Maybe a little scared
and lonely. Is that so terrible?"

Giles looked at her with a bemused expression. "No, I don't think it's
terrible. I think we all misjudged him. He's been changing subtly,
and we're just now starting to realize it. If Xander can actually say
a few sympathetic words about Spike, he must have changed," Giles
chuckled. Buffy laughed softly at the joke.

"But on a more serious note, Buffy, this is new territory, and we don't
know what will happen. I think you should bear in mind what you told
me of your encounter with the First Slayer."

Buffy sighed. "You think she could have been referring to Spike?"

"It's possible. Didn't you say she told you to forgive and risk the
pain?" Giles prompted her.

"I'm full of love," Buffy parroted back. "I should love, give,
forgive, and risk the pain. It's my nature and love will bring me to
my gift." She looked up at Giles. "The only catch is, death is my
gift."

Giles fidgeted now and looked over at Spike. "There could be many
interpretations of that. It could be referring to you being the
slayer. Or..." Giles paused and fiddled with his glasses for a moment,
"Spike isn't exactly alive, and he has seen more death than any of us,
including his own."

Buffy silently mulled over what Giles and the First Slayer had said.
"He did have other options than staying in Sunnydale and helping us,
after the chip. But I still don't get it. Angelus would have given up
Dawn in a second. He probably would have rushed to join forces with
Glory, except their egos wouldn't fit in the same room." She threw her
arms in the air, not able to understand.

"Spike is a paradox. Since coming to Sunnydale, he's never really
behaved like your typical vampire," Giles said, almost to himself.
"Well, this is something you'll have to sort out for yourself. I can't
advise you except to say, you need to be true to yourself."

Buffy smirked up at him. "You got that out of a book, didn't you?"

"It's timeless advice really," Giles stammered with mock indignation.
"And just because someone wrote it down once doesn't make it any less
valid."

The microwave beeped. "Right." She said, as she went to feed Spike.

Buffy gently raised Spike up and helped him with the mug. He drained
it quickly. "Thanks, Luv, that really hits the spot." Giles brought
over the last packet and poured the warmed blood into the mug. "And
thanks to you too, Rupert." Spike raised the mug as if he were making
a toast.

"Don't mention it." Giles watched Spike finish and then took the mug
back and rinsed it in the makeshift kitchen. "Buffy, we need to be
leaving as soon as possible," he called out. "Collect up whatever we
need to take with us and let's be going."

Spike sighed. They would be leaving soon and that would be the end of
his happy little dream. He had been elated, even hopeful, when he
overheard Buffy and Giles talking, but now he leaned back against the
bed, a little deflated and suddenly feeling much more tired than he had
a minute ago.

"I'll be back in just a minute," Buffy said. She ruffled his hair and
then got up, grabbed her bag, and disappeared into his 'basement'. She
returned a few minutes later. "All set, Giles." Spike watched her as
she walked closer. He didn't want to say good-bye to her.

"Come on lazy-bones," she said, gently easing him into a sitting
position. "Giles car is only a few hundred feet away. You think you
can make it, or do we have to carry you?" She winked at him, but he
just stared back at her, not understanding what she was going on about.

"Giles, I'm gonna need some help. Looks like Spike may have checked
out again."

"I'll be right there," Giles said. Together they lifted a dazed Spike
and practically carried him out of the crypt. "Crutches would have
been a good idea," Giles muttered as they struggled through the
cemetery to the car.

"Crutches. Check. I'll put it on the list for the next time one of us
gets beaten to death by a hell-god." Spike's ears pricked up at
Buffy's use of us. He would have smiled, but just then his foot
bounced over an uneven patch, jarring his body.

They managed to get Spike into the car and to Buffy's house without
incident. The stairs up to the front door were a bit more of a
challenge, but finally they had Spike inside and installed on the
couch.

Buffy looked at the windows behind the couch. "Giles, we're gonna have
to move him. All this work'll be for nothing if he goes poof as soon
as the sun rises."

Giles nodded. "I see your point, but I'm not sure we can get him
upstairs in his current condition. At a minimum, we would need to
splint his leg. Then we would have to carry him." Giles trailed off
as he puzzled over the situation.

"Ok, one splint coming up." Buffy dashed downstairs, into the
basement, returning minutes later with some sturdy sticks and an old
sheet. She tore the sheet into strips as Giles began arranging the
sticks on Spike's leg.

"This may hurt a bit," Giles said as he and Buffy secured the splint.
Spike hissed in pain as they checked their work and tightened the
knots. "I think that should do it," he said. "Now we just need to
carry him upstairs."

Spike rolled his eyes, but said nothing, saving his energy for the
ordeal of moving upstairs.

That was easier said than done, but after a couple false starts, they
managed to carry and drag Spike upstairs and deposited him on Joyce's
bed. He looked exhausted, and Buffy knew the trip upstairs had to have
been painful, but he hadn't complained. Now he just lay there with his
eyes closed.

"Giles, maybe you could get him some more to eat, and then he can rest
for a while," Buffy suggested.

"Yes," Giles nodded. "The more he eats, the faster he should heal.
I'll be right back."

Buffy sat on the bed next to Spike and studied him for a moment. She
reached out a tentative hand to stroke his forehead and then smoothed
his hair back.

At her touch, his eyes opened. He lay still, and watched her.

"I meant what I said," she started. He looked up at her questioningly.
"What you did for Dawn and me, I won't forget it."

Spike reached over and took her other hand. "Buffy, about the bot."
He swallowed before continuing. "I just wanted to say, I'm sorry."

Buffy nodded. "It's okay, Spike. Well, it's not really okay. The
whole robot Buffy idea was gross. But, I think I understand." She
smiled at him. "And after all, you are evil." She chuckled.

He chuckled a bit, relieved that she wasn't furious. And then stopped
and looked thoughtful. "Sometimes..." He caressed her hand.
"Sometimes I think maybe it might not be so bad not being evil. I know
you'll never love me, but if it meant you'd let me stick around..." his
voice faded, unsure of what to say next.

"Why did you do it?"

Spike sighed, "Dunno. I was lonely I suppose, and since you were...
unavailable."

"I don't mean why the bot, I meant why did you have Warren give it all
that extra programming. It knew about my friends and my family. It
wanted to patrol and it could fight." Buffy looked at him, waiting for
an answer.

Spike considered what to say for a moment. Very quietly he said,
"Those things are part of who you are."

Buffy couldn't believe what he was saying. He was so different from
the vampire that had tried to kill her when he first arrived in town.

Anything else they might have said was cut off by Giles' return with
blood for Spike. He drained the mugs silently while Buffy rummaged
around in her bag. She traded him a clean t-shirt for the mug. With
Giles' help, they managed to remove his boots and get the ruined shirt
off and put the new one on him. Spike was still awake, but it looked
like he would be asleep again in minutes. They covered him with a
blanket before Giles left to go back downstairs.

Buffy walked to the bed and sat carefully next to Spike. She lifted
his hand up and brushed it against her cheek. "Get some sleep so you
can get well soon. We're going to need all the help we can get against
Glory." Spike looked up at her hopefully, and she gave him a warm
smile. Buffy leaned down and pressed a kiss against his forehead.
"And never is a long time."

~*~*~

The End

Epilogue to follow...

=====

Part 5 - Epilogue

~*~*~

Only a few short weeks later, Dawn and Spike stood together at her
graveside, clinging to each other in desperation. Buffy had come to
rely on him and he'd finally felt accepted into her circle of friends.
And now Buffy was gone, and with her his whole world.

In the chaos of their flight from Glory and then the preparation for
the final showdown, there hadn't been much time for exploring their
feelings. They had spent a great deal of time together, working with
one purpose, one goal, and one mind. They had given it their all, and
in the end, it hadn't been enough. He hadn't been enough. And now it
was all gone.

Dawn sniffled again next to him. Maybe not his whole world, he still
had Dawn.

"Ready to go home, Nibblet?" he asked her, gently rubbing her back.

"I can't do it, Spike."

"Do what, Pet?" he asked.

"How can I face everyone? This is all my fault," she sobbed.

He pulled her closer and tried to calm her. "It's not your fault. It
was Glory's fault." Spike reached down and lifted Dawn's chin up so he
could look at her. "If we all tear ourselves apart with guilt, she
wins."

Dawn gulped and nodded slowly. She was so trusting, and she was
depending on him. "We can't let her win then," Dawn replied.

"No, we can't," Spike agreed. As he said it, the words he'd meant for
Dawn sunk in, just a little. Just before they turned to walk home, he
picked up a rose, touched it to his lips, and laid it on the
gravestone. "I hope you're happy where you are, Buffy."

~*~*~

The End