Broken Circles

Chapter Six

Dawn threw the front door open and called out, "Buffy, I’m home!"

As she stepped into the living room, she was shocked to see her sister, curled up with a man who was definitely not Riley.

"Buffy?"

Both Buffy’s and Spike’s eyes flew open.

"Dawn?"

With a hint of sarcasm, Dawn said, "Good morning."

"Um Dawn, this is Spike. Spike, my little sister, Dawn."

Dawn nodded at the blonde man, "Nice to meet you."

Spike nodded back at Dawn, "Little bit."

The youngest Summers asked her sister, "Are we going to the hospital? Visiting hours start soon."

"Yeah," Buffy answered. "Take your stuff upstairs, then we’ll go." She watched her sister flee up the stairs and then turned her attention to the vampire. "I’ve trapped you here."

Spike rubbed reassuring circles on her back and promised, "S’alright, I’ll watch the telly. Go visit your mom"

***

The Watcher was quite cheerful when he arrived at the hospital. After a night of research he had found something significant. Giles pulled Buffy out of her mother’s room to talk. Dawn, curious or nosy, depending on the point of view, followed.

"Buffy, I have found a reference in the Watcher’s diaries about a vampire aiding the French resistance and the Slayer during the Nazi occupation…"

"It’s Spike." Buffy stated.

Dawn asked, "Spike?"

Buffy ignored her and told Giles, "The vampire on a mission of redemption is Spike. Oh and by the way, thanks for telling me that Anastasia was a Slayer."

"Spike’s a vampire?"

Giles also ignored Dawn, "It didn’t seem important…"

"No but it was way cool."

Dawn said louder, "The guy that spent the night on our couch is a vampire?"

This got Giles’s attention.

"Good! Good vampire," Buffy insisted.

"He spent the night in your home? Buffy…"

"I know," the Slayer sighed, "You urge me to use caution."

"That was quite reckless of you. There was no way that you could know that he was the one we were looking for."

"I knew. Giles, I’ve seen him do things, heroic things. And I’m right, aren’t I?"

"Well, yes," he conceded. "The diaries of Gabrielle’s watcher mention his name. William. Even so, he could very well backslide. Or are you forgetting that he has killed a Slayer fairly recently?"

"Nineteen seventy-seven, I know. He won’t talk about it."

"I don’t doubt it."

"He killed a Slayer?" Dawn asked.

Buffy continued, "There’s more to it then just vampire versus Slayer, Giles. I know it."

"Buffy, please try to remember that he is, by definition, a monster."

She shook her head, "He’s no monster."

***

"Yeah, she is a special girl…You can be here tomorrow, then?… I can’t thank you enough, luv…."

Spike hung up the phone and turned to the man that he knew was glaring at him from the doorway. He was refined looking, older than Buffy, he wasn’t the boyfriend. That left, "You must be the Watcher."

With a more well-bred accent then Spike’s own, the Watcher said, "And you must be William the Bloody."

Spike reached into the pocket of his duster, which lay across a kitchen stool, to extract a stack of business cards wrapped in a rubber band. He slipped the card he had been holding into the stack. To the Watcher he said, "The Slayer isn’t here. She’s…"

"Yes I know where Buffy is." The Watcher placed a brown paper bag on the counter and told Spike, "I’m here to see you. I brought you…"

Spike glanced into the bag and smiled at the container of blood. He pulled off the lid and tasted it with his finger. "Mmm. Thanks mate. I really prefer pig to cow, but then beggars can’t be choosers, can they?" He smirked at the gentleman and asked, "Afraid I was gonna get hungry and snack on the Slayer?"

Giles chose to ignore him and gestured to the pile of business cards. "Are all those…?"

Spike grabbed the cards, shrugged, and placed them back in his pocket, "People that owe me favors."

"Tell me about New York." The Watcher demanded.

Spike suppressed a snarl. Turning his back to the Watcher while he prepared his meal in the microwave. "I don’t want to talk about that."

Giles persisted, "I need to know what happened, if I am to allow Buffy…"

"Allow Buffy?" Spike chuckled. "I don’t imagine Buffy’s very good at taking orders."

The Watcher took off his glasses and began to wipe them with his handkerchief. His nervous habit was his way of ignoring the vampire’s last comment. "You killed her. I need to know why."

Trying to hide his feelings, Spike acidly said, "Its what vampires do innit?" The memories of that Slayer flooded over him and he sighed, "I had no choice."

Giles asserted, "If you harm one hair on Buffy’s head…"

"I’d rather drive a stake into my own chest, mate."

***

Buffy and Dawn rose from their mother’s bedside when Dr. Isaacs entered the room. He was relaxed and looked like he had good news to share, "Joyce, girls, I have some news. I’m not going to be performing the procedure tomorrow."

Buffy worriedly asked, "Is there a problem?"

"Quite the contrary. I have very good news. I’m not sure how, but Dr. Christine Edwards has shown an interest in your mother’s case. She’s one of the finest neurosurgeons in the country. She’s flying in from New York as we speak."

Joyce stammered, "I don’t understand. I… I don’t know what to say."

Dr. Isaacs smiled and said, "You must have some friends in high places Mrs. Summers."

***

Buffy and Dawn stayed at the hospital all day. As they came up the walk to their front door, Spike opened the front door and stepped out.

"Are you leaving?" Buffy asked, not wanting him to go.

Spike tenderly tucked a stray piece of Buffy’s blonde hair behind her ear and explained, "Thought you’d be tired. Was going to give you the night off."

The Slayer was both shocked and touched, "You were going to patrol for me?"

"Unless you don’t want me too."

Buffy allowed a unfettered laugh to escape her lips, "Are you kidding? Jeez where have you been the last five years?"

Dawn meanwhile, had been quietly studying Spike. "Are you really a vampire?"

Spike smiled at the girl and answered, "Yeah Little Bit, I’m really a vampire." To Buffy he added, "Put your feet up and relax, Slayer. You’ve had a rough couple of days."

The Summers sisters watched as the vampire walked down their sidewalk.

Buffy called out, "Spike?"

He cocked his head toward her and asked, "Yeah, luv?"

She wanted to say something else. She wanted to ask him to come back. Instead she said, "Be careful."

The smile on his face at her request was his promise that he would.

***

Spike drove the demon’s own sword into his chest and watched as pink goo oozed out of the wound. The demon dropped to the ground and melted away.

Out of the shadows, Spike heard a familiar voice. "Another Slayer’s pet pony."

"Angelus." Spike snarled.

He stepped closer to Spike and asked, "Does she have you doing any other tricks? Maybe jumping through hoops?"

"What do you want?"

Angelus stepped closer to Spike and punched him in the gut. As Spike doubled over Angelus casually continued his taunting, "I really had hoped, William, that I could turn you around. I thought, maybe if you had some kind of incentive…"

The dark vampire kicked his former companion in the jaw. Spike fell backwards onto the ground. A trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth.

"I offered you the most intoxicating creature alive. Well, not alive…" Another kick to the gut. "And instead, you chose the Slayer. Again. I’m beginning to think there is something wrong with you."

Angelus tried another kick but Spike caught it and threw him off balance. Angelus sprawled in the grass while Spike leaped to his feet. "I don’t want her. Take her and Darla and get the hell out of town."

"You’d give up Drusilla?" Angelus asked incredulously as he hauled himself to his feet.

"She was never mine to give up. She only wanted me when you were otherwise occupied." Spike landed a punch to Angelus’s right eye.

"Poor little Spikey."

Spike grabbed his nemesis around the throat. Angelus promised, "I’m going to kill your Slayer."

Spike pushed him away. "You won’t be able to get close to her. She knows all about you now."

As Angelus backed away, retreating, once again to the shadows, he promised, "Her family. Her friends. I’ll see that you watch them all die, William."

***

"He’s kind of sexy," commented Dawn.

She and Buffy were curled up on the couch, watching television.

"The Energizer bunny?" Buffy asked confused.

"Duh," Dawn rolled her eyes at her sister while the pink rabbit drifted across their television screen. "Spike."

"Oh." Buffy didn’t comment. She kept her eyes on the screen. "He’s too old for you."

"How old is he?"

Buffy thought, "Um, a hundred twenty… seven, I think."

Before Dawn could reply something came crashing through their window. Dawn screamed and Buffy shoved her sister behind her for protection.

The giant snake twisted around the sisters, once again facing Dawn. The snake then let out a shriek and slithered back out the window.

"Stay here!" Buffy yelled and took off after the predator.

It headed down the street, with Buffy in pursuit. The snake came face to face with Spike, who was returning to Revello drive.

"Spike! Stop it. You have to stop it."

The vampire grabbed hold of the snake as it attempted to slither by. He desperately held it for Buffy. When she caught up she snapped its neck.

He breathlessly asked the Slayer, "Are you all right?"

She nodded and then noticed, "You’re hurt."

He wiped the blood away with the back of his hand. The corner of his mouth had begun to bleed again. "Met up with an old friend."

***

Spike boarded up the broken window. Buffy handed him a mug full of the blood Giles had brought.

She told Spike, "Dawn’s asleep."

As he took the cup, he asked, "Mind telling me what that was all about?"

Buffy paced the living room before sitting on the couch. Spike sat across from her on the coffee table.

"Long story." She explained. His unwavering blue eyes remained focused on her.

She told him everything about Glory, keeping her voice down so Dawn wouldn’t awaken and over hear.

"Who knows this?" he asked.

"Just Giles."

He sighed and affirmed, "Cor, Slayer. You are having a bad time of it."

Spike?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Call me Buffy."

Moved, he simply nodded in acknowledgment of her request. He picked up his duster and put it on. "I’ll be back, luv."

"Where are you going?"

"To see what I can find out about this Glory bird."

Buffy looked unsettled. Spike assured her with a gentle kiss on the forehead. "I’ll be back before sunrise, luv. I promise."

***

Just as his informant had suggested, Spike could smell the demon following him. He headed down an alley and then quickly hid in the doorway. As he expected, the demon walked right by.

Spike jumped out and grabbed the brown clad demon from behind.

"You’re following me. You work for Glory?" Spike snarled.

"Yes," stammered Jinx.

"Good." Spike tightened his grip on the little toad, "You’re going to tell me everything you know about Glory and the Key."

"And then?" Jinx whined.

"Then I’m going to kill you for making the Slayer’s life miserable."

****

Spike found the Slayer staring out her bedroom window. Listening to her radio.He leaned against the door frame and said, "I’ve got some information Buffy."

"How? We’ve been looking for weeks."

"In the wrong places, luv. Found a demon who pointed me towards a little toadie who works for the bint."

"You told him about Dawn?" Buffy asked anxiously.

"Not exactly. Don’t worry, luv. He won’t be talking to anyone again. Ever. Unfortunately, Glory already has it in her head that the Key is human."

Buffy looked stricken. "Tell me some good news." She begged as she sat down on the edge of her bed.

Spike raised his eyebrows at her, an indication that the rest of the news wasn’t good at all.

"You don’t need another invite do you?" She asked, since he hadn’t come into the room.

"Wouldn’t hurt."

She patted the spot next to her. "Sit down."

He strolled over to her and sat next to her on the bed. "This Glory bird wants to open a portal to her own dimension."

"That doesn’t sound so bad." Buffy said hopefully.

"The longer the portal stays open, the more nasties will come out. Eventually we’re talking end of the world."

"Okay. That’s bad. So we keep her from opening the portal."

"All right," Spike concurred.

"And if she succeeds? How do we close it?"

"It closes when the energy stops flowing. Blood in this case, I’m guessing. Which wouldn’t be so bad except that the key is…"

"Dawn."

"She can’t exactly do without her blood." They sat in absolute silence for several minutes before Spike reluctantly spoke up, "Well now that I know all of your dirty little secrets, I suppose I should tell you mine."

She knew what he was speaking of. New York. "You don’t have to."

"S’alright. You deserve to know what happened."

End chapter six