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Troubled By the Way -- by Echo
Rating: PG-13
Description: After the events in 'Rules', Buffy acts like the big 'B', sequel to The Rules of the Game.
Disclaimer: I only own my thoughts. Joss owns the characters. Wish I owned Spike....
"Can I ask you something?" Xander and Giles were alone in his kitchen.
"Ask away, Xander."
"Have you noticed the weird between Buffy, Will, and Spike?"
"I have. Buffy seems to be mad at Spike and Willow for some reason. Have you noticed Riley's amusement about the whole affair?"
"Yeah, G.I. Joe does seem to find the funny in it."
"Perhaps you should speak to Buffy or Willow about it. They ARE your best friends."
"Maybe I will."
Willow was trying to read, but Buffy was staring at her. It was making Willow very uncomfortable. Buffy had barely spoken to her for five days. She hadn't seen Spike. Angel followed her every time she went out at night. Willow couldn't take it anymore. She slammed the book closed and glared at Buffy. "Stop it."
"Stop what?"
"Staring at me with that look on your face."
"What look?"
"Buffy, why are you being like this?"
"Like what?"
"Ok, fine." Willow got up and headed for the door. Buffy jumped up and blocked her.
"Why?"
Willow was very tired of being judged. "Which why are you referring to, Buffy?" Silence. "I tell you what. You figure out what you want to know then you ask me. And while you're thinking about it, think about how I never judged you when you got with Angel, or how I supported you when we found the soul restoration spell. Or how about when he came back from hell and I didn't judge you for hiding him. And I had plenty of reason to with the whole him nearly killing me and the stringing up of my fish things."
She was almost in tears. She shoved past Buffy and slammed the door. Buffy stared at the door. She had behaved badly. Willow was right. Who was she to sit in judgment? Willow had always supported her no matter what. Buffy took off after her.
She knew where Willow was headed. She caught up with her right as she entered the cemetery.
"Will." Willow turned at the sound of Buffy's voice.
"What?" Her eyes were filled with unshed tears.
Buffy started to cry. "You're right. I'm sorry." She hugged her. Willow started crying.
"It's ok. I understand. It is Spike." The two started walking towards his crypt. "So, what now?"
Buffy stiffened. "I don't know, but it can't be good."
"What?" Willow looked around them. They were completely surrounded and outnumbered. This had to be the gang of demons. There were eleven of them. The were all green and scaly and had two horns coming out of either side of their foreheads. One had on armor. He stepped forward and spoke.
"This place is mine. You are trespassing. You will be punished."
"Oh, really?" Buffy raised an eyebrow at him. Willow was terrified. Buffy looked mad. The group closed in on them.
Spike entered the cemetery. He immediately smelled blood. Lots of it. He spotted a body on the ground behind a tombstone. As he walked closer, he got a sickening feeling deep in his stomach. The long blonde hair fanned out on the ground around the body looked very familiar. He broke into a run.
He could see Buffy and Willow. He knew it was them, but he couldn't make them out. It was all blurry. Then it came into focus. They were lying on the ground. Spike was taking turns feeding off of them.
Angel jerked awake. He was covered in sweat. He must have dozed off. He went to the sink in his small motel room. He leaned over it to splash cold water on his face. Something about it wasn't right. When he came back up, he jumped back from the mirror. Instead of nothing peering back at him he could see Jenny's image. She was looking right at him. "Go now."
Angel jerked awake for real. He jumped off the bed and ran out the door. He didn't know where he was going. He just knew he had to get there.
Spike dropped to Buffy's side and rolled her over gently. She was breathing, but she looked like she should have been dead. He felt for her pulse. Still strong. Her face was all bloody and starting to swell. Her left arm looked like it might be broken. She looked like she'd put up one hell of a fight. Then he looked ten feet to his left, and the world stopped.
Angel ran into the cemetery jump in time to see Spike bury his face in Willow's neck. He ran and grabbed the younger vampire's hair yanking him back. Then Angel froze. Spike was crying. His eyes were glazed. He started shaking. "Help me." Angel looked over and saw Buffy. He let go of Spike's hair and ran to her. His insides started twisting when he saw her. She looked bad. Then she opened the eye that wasn't swollen shut.
"Angel?"
"Don't try to talk."
Spike suddenly let out a roar that shook everything. Buffy tried to sit up. She was cradling her left arm to her body. Angel put an arm under her. She looked at Spike.
"Willow?" Her knees buckled and Angel swung her into his arms.
"We have to get them to a hospital."
Anya was ran into the emergency room. She was the only one they'd been able to reach. Spike stood when he saw her. She flung herself at him and started to cry. The girls seemed to be doing that with him a lot lately.
"Are they ok?"
He patted her back. "They're just banged up pretty bad, Pet. They'll be fine. The slayer got her arm broken and Willow had to have stitches in her head, but that's the worst of it."
Xander and Giles burst into the waiting area. Xander skidded to a halt when he saw Angel. "What are you doing here, deadboy? You're evil again, aren't you?" Angel rolled his eyes.
Anya lifted her tearstained face from Spike's chest. "Xander, please."
Xander noticed her. "Hey." He yanked her out of Spike's arms and into his. Spike grinned. He'd made the puke jealous. Maybe he'd flirt with Anya a little more often. His grin deepened when he thought of the way the whelp would react when he found out about Willow. Just then a nurse walked into the waiting area.
"Who's Spike?"
"That would be me."
"They're asking for you. Come with me please." Spike followed the nurse.
Giles' brow wrinkled. "They asked for Spike?" He glared at Angel. Angel shrugged.
Xander looked at him. "Like I said before, you are here why?"
Spike stepped into the room the nurse had led him to. The first thing he saw was the slayer sitting on one of the beds with her legs dangling. She was swinging them as if she hadn't a care in the world. Her left arm had a cast on it. Her bruises and cuts were not as bad as he had first thought. He stepped further into the room, and she smiled at him. A real, glowing, genuine smile. If he'd been able to breathe, he would have stopped then. He looked in the bed next to the one she sat on. Willow was propped up. She had a busted lip and some bruises. The biggest thing was the twenty stitches in the top right of her forehead. She smiled at him too.
"Kinda Frankenstein's monster-y, huh?" Spike sat on the edge of her bed. He leaned in and kissed her cheek.
"You had me worried, Love." He looked at Buffy. "You two chits have managed to do something not many have been able to do. Scare me witless."
Willow leaned forward and hugged him. He put one arm around her and motioned to Buffy with the other. Buffy hesitated for two seconds before she sat on Willow's bed and let Spike wrap his other arm around her. The three of them just sat there holding. Buffy had seen the look on Spike's face. She knew he was the one who turned her over not Angel. He'd felt her pulse. He'd cared if she was alive. He never did that before. It changed everything for her. He'd never shown any interest in any of them until lately. It had to be because of Willow. Either that or he was losing his bad ass-ness. Or she was losing her mind. Three valid options.
Giles, Anya, Xander, and Angel made their way to the room with the hospital room. Willow and Buffy were being released. The damage was minimal. Xander and Angel were bickering between themselves when Giles pushed open the door. He stopped causing Xander to bump into him. Angel pushed past them into the room. He froze. Anya peeked in. She smiled. The three were holding each other. Giles cleared his throat. Willow opened her eyes. Buffy let go and stood up. Her face started turning red. She could feel the questions forming. Willow didn't let go. She closed her eyes again and buried her face in Spike's neck.
Buffy looked at the group in the doorway. "Hi guys." Spike turned to look, but he kept his arms around Willow.
Xander's eyes could not have been wider. "What are you DOING?"
"Holding Willow. What the bloody hell does it look like?"
Angel glared at Giles. "Oh no, they're just friends, Angel. Your concerns are unfounded." His voice dripped with sarcasm.
Anya jabbed Angel in the chest with her finger. "Hey. They were then."
Xander stomped his foot. "Don't just stand there, Buffy. Do something."
"Ok." Buffy grinned. She leaned over and kissed Spike on the cheek. "Thanks for coming to my rescue." She walked around the bed and stopped in front of Angel. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for coming to my rescue and for carrying me."
Xander turned and walked out. Anya sighed dramatically. "He'll get over it. Give him time." She turned and went after Xander.
Anya caught up with Xander as he walked out of the hospital. She grabbed his arm. "Xander." He shrugged out of her grip.
"Leave me alone." He tried to keep walking, but she blocked his path.
"No."
"Anya-"
"Shut up. You're being a baby. He saved them. So what if was hugging Willow. It was just hugging, Xander. You don't know everything. Willow and Buffy have had a very bad night. I think they need your support right now."
"But it's Spike."
"So?"
"He tried to kill us. Many times."
"In the past. Change happens, Xander." He looked at her. She was right. She was proof of it.
They were all sitting very quietly in Giles' apartment. Buffy had explained about the demons. Now she was tired and her cast was starting to itch. Plus, Angel kept staring at her. He'd barely spoken to her. She knew she'd broken the staying away rule by kissing him. Angel had explained he was here because of some disturbing dreams about Willow, but he wouldn't elaborate. Now they were all just sitting. There was a knock at the door. They all looked at each other. Before Giles could get to it, Riley busted in.
"Giles, have you seen-" He stopped when he saw her. "-Buffy."
"Riley." She walked over to him. He took in her appearance.
"Oh my God. What happened to you?"
"I got in a fight. I'm fine really. Just a flesh wound."
He put his arms around her. "I was looking everywhere for you." Everyone else looked at Angel. He'd gotten very still. There was an odd look on his face. Even Spike felt a little bad for him, but not much. Xander leaned over to Angel.
"That's Riley. He's Buffy's BOYFRIEND." Something flickered across Angel's face.
"Xander!" Willow was glaring at him, But it was Anya who reacted. She stood up and slapped him across the face with all her might.
"HOW DARE YOU!"
Buffy ran over. "What the hell?" Then she looked at Angel. He was staring at Riley. He stood up and held out his hand to Riley.
"Hi, I'm Angel. I'm a uh, friend of Buffy's. And you are?"
Riley took his hand. "Riley Finn. Nice to meet you." Riley noticed this guy's hand was like ice. "Cold hands."
Xander was still holding his cheek. "You're not wrong." Anya grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the door.
"Excuse us please." She pulled him outside.
Buffy didn't know what to say. It was very awkward. "We're gonna go. I'll see you guys later to deal with this demon gang thing." She pulled Riley out of the apartment. She really needed to explain about Angel. He hadn't exactly been too thrilled to learn she'd been hiding Spike when she knew the Initiative had been looking for him, but he'd come around. Spike was different now. Riley got that. She just needed to explain parts of her past with Angel before someone let it slip out.
Angel watched them leave. He sat down on the couch looking very down. Willow sat down next to him. "He's a nice guy, Angel."
"I just didn't-"
"Know you'd feel like this?"
"Yeah."
Willow put an arm around him. "She still loves you, you know. There's a part of her that no one will ever have because you have it." She looked at Spike when she said this.
Spike smiled at her. Angel looked at the two of them. Things weren't what they seemed. He'd only seen Spike look at one other like this. Drusilla. He knew the thing between them was something unlike anything Spike and Dru had. There was a warmth to it in a very untwisted way. He realized the differences in Buffy's kisses to him and Spike now. She had honestly been thanking him, but she'd been giving Spike her blessing with Willow. He hadn't done like Jenny said. He'd ignored the heart in this. He'd been too troubled by the way of it. He leaned over and kissed Willow's cheek. He stood and walked to Spike. They just looked at each other for a minute. Spike understood. He hurt Willow. He died. It was all there in his sire's eyes.
"Tell Buffy I said good-bye." He turned and walked out of the apartment. Willow stared at the door long after it closed. Spike sat down next to her and put his arms around her. Giles looked at the two of them.
"Willow, I know I've asked you this already, but I feel compelled to ask again. Is there something going on with you and Spike?" Willow was about to respond when Spike leaned down and kissed her. "Question adequately answered." He turned and left his own apartment.
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