Title: Buffy & Spike, Lost in Cyber-Space Author: Anne Rose Email: anne3rose@yahoo.com URL: http://annerose.cjb.net http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=47579 Rating: R (but nothing you haven't seen on the show, at 8pm.) 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: Season 6, but story is set after 'Once More With Feeling' where Buffy lives, and a little later in Fic-land. Summary: S/B, Willow has been using her computer to do a little inter-dimensional hacking. Spike finds it and wacky Internet hi-jinks ensue. It gets a bit more serious as it goes along. It's become a retelling of the second half of Season 6. Answer to Challenge from Stephanie Honey. Archive: I would be honored if you want to archive it. Please let me know where so I can visit it. Author's Note: time passes differently in different dimensions. So it can be almost end of Season 6 in one place and Season 5 in another. Oh wait, that's syndication. ;-) And don't get on my case about screen names. I'm just keeping them simple. 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. Thanks to Clare009, Dakota, and Hubby for beta reading. (c) April 25, 2002 --------------------- [Spoiled_Spuffy] fanfiction group challenge from Stephanie Honey Hey fic writes! I got a challenge for ya'll! Here it is: Requirement 1. Humorous Fic!!! Requirement 2. Buffy and Spike find a fanfic group. And can't believe some of the stuff fans write about them!!! Requirement 3. PG-13 or higher Requirement 4. e-mail it to me at honeymajandra@hotmail.com Option 1. Try to mention these members: Honeymajandra (me- Stephanie Honey), Sophie_limbourg (Sophie), Sarafina120 (Melissa), Lochnoir (Jerri) --------------------- Spike and Buffy, Lost in Cyber-Space by Anne Rose Part 15 ~*~*~ Buffy burst through the back door, into the kitchen, crashing into Lorne, nearly knocking him over. Stopping suddenly, she looked at him, a little disoriented. "Sorry," she mumbled, hoping to escape before anyone saw the tears starting to escape from her eyes. "Don't worry about me, honey." Lorne answered, backing away and wiping water off his jacket as he watched Angel hurl himself against the doorway, trying in vain to follow Buffy. Lorne shook his head and set the glass he'd been drinking from down on the counter. Spike stepped forward and caught her, as she was turning to leave. "You all right, Luv?" He reached up with one hand and smoothed her hair back, looking into her face. The tears that were threatening started to pour out. "Shhhhh, it's all right," he cooed as he rocked her gently. "It's all gonna be ok. You'll see." He murmured over and over, as she sobbed. "He's going to kill you." She managed to get out. "I can't... I can't go through that again." "He can try," Spike growled, ignoring Angel for the moment. "But I promised you you'd never have to face that again, and I always keep my promises." He helped Buffy up onto one of the stools by the kitchen island, and she wrapped herself around him, not letting him go. Spike looked up as he heard Giles and Wesley walk toward the kitchen. Cordelia was trailing behind them, holding Conner. "Buffy...," Spike said, trying to get her attention, "Slayer?" But she didn't respond. Turning back toward the open kitchen door, his face changed. Spike glared at Angel, baring his fangs at him and growling. If he hadn't promised Buffy, he would have charged out there and challenged the Poof. Angel's face had morphed into his demon visage at the sight of Spike holding Buffy. He growled back at Spike, from his helpless position outside the house. Lorne looked from one vampire in game face to the other. "Well kids, this is not a happy family reunion. But I might have a solution for you, if you could take a short break from the manly posturing." Spike and Angel both looked at Lorne, as did Giles, Wesley, and Cordelia, who were now crowded into the other doorway. Spike spoke up, "Our differences go back a long way. Anyone who knows dear old grandsire should know that as well." He glared a challenge at Lorne. "Now, now, kiddies. Give Uncle Lorne a chance," he waited a moment to see if they were listening. "Angel, is your only issue with Spike the fact that you believe he has ulterior motives and doesn't love Buffy?" "That, and knowing him for over 100 years," Angel answered. "A simple yes or no will suffice," Lorne replied. "If you believed he really loved her, and wouldn't harm her, could you see your way clear to not try to kill him?" Angel scowled at Spike, and then looked again at Buffy, cradled against him, sniffling, and he sighed. "If Spike sings for you, and if he gets the all clear, then... maybe... I could agree to not stake him." Lorne raised an eyebrow at Angel, putting a hand on his hip. Angel rolled his eyes, "All right, I won't try to harm Spike. *If* he passes." Giles was a bit confused, but Wesley and Cordelia were nodding as Lorne spoke. "I'm not letting you subject Spike to some bizarre ordeal!" Buffy said, suddenly paying attention to the conversation again. "I'm not handing Spike over to a demon." "Calm down, sweetie." Lorne started to pat her arm, and then thought better of it, pulling his hand away. "You've lived on the Hellmouth too long. You know, not all demons are evil and bent on destroying the world. Some of us came to this dimension for freedom of artistic expression." Buffy raised both eyebrows, "Hunh?" She looked around the room for an explanation. "Lorne's ok, Buffy. He runs a karaoke bar... Ok, that does sound evil." Cordelia paused, shrugged, and then went on. "At least he used to, until it got blown up and trashed a couple times by people hunting Angel and Conner." "Ok, so I'm starting to get the singing part," Buffy asked, "but where does Spike figure in?" "Lorne's sort of a..." Cordelia fumbled for a short explanation, "He's sort of a lie detector... with horns." Wesley winced, but Cordelia elbowed him and raised her hands, challenging him to do better. He shrugged back, and didn't say anything. "You're not related to a blighter named Sweet by any chance, are you?" Spike asked, suspiciously, pulling Buffy closer to him. "Sweet?" Lorne asked, "Ohhh, bad news. No, I'd stay away from him kiddies. He has this thing for..." "Song, dance, flames, young girls?" Buffy quipped. "Ah, I see you already met him." Lorne nodded. "No, no relation at all." "Ok, so Spike sings some ritual song, and you tell Angel if he's lying," Buffy said. "Anything else he has too do? Stinky herbs, magic objects?" She asked. Lorne laughed. "No, nothing so trite. Blondie here just needs to pick out a song." He waved a hand at Spike. "Sorry I don't have my books with me, or my sound system," he continued, looking around the kitchen. "But this will do for our purposes." "I have no idea what to sing," Spike ran a hand through his hair. "Most of the music I know requires a band to back you up." "Why don't you sing one of those delightful Victorian numbers," Angel growled from the doorway. "I'm sure Buffy would enjoy that version of Greensleeves you used to sing when you were drunk." Everyone looked back at the door. Spike growled and looked like he was going to do something rash. Lorne held up a hand, stopping Spike, "Just hang on a minute." He walked over to the kitchen door and smiled at Angel, as he swung the door shut in his face. Turning, he said, "He can be a bit tiresome. Now, where were we?" Spike's eyes danced as he suppressed a chuckle and smirked at Lorne, "I could get to like you, mate. I believe I was choosing a song." He looked up in the air for a moment, "Nope, still can't think of one." He shrugged at Buffy. "It can be anything?" Buffy asked Lorne. "Anything at all," Lorne nodded encouraging her. "Spike, just sing 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat,' ok?" Buffy suggested. "Don't know it," Spike pouted. "Spike, this is important," Buffy pleaded, "It's really simple. It's a nursery rhyme." "Fine," he sighed, "tell me how it goes, and I'll sing it." "It's easy, you sing it in a round. It goes, row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream, merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream." She looked at him, "Got it?" Spike nodded. "Ok, you start." "Don't be a baby," Buffy chided. "I don't know the tune, now do I," he retorted. "Fine," she huffed, and started singing the first verse. Spike repeated it after her, and they progressed through the song one verse at a time. Giles sighed and polished his glasses. Wesley leaned towards him, "Is it always like this?" Giles winced and started to say something, and then realized there was no point and just shrugged his shoulders. Wesley nodded. Lorne watched Buffy and Spike intently, as she taught him the song. His eyes darted back and forth from one to the other. A few minutes later, when Spike had learned the simple lyrics and tune, he was ready to sing it for Lorne. "So, do you ask me questions or something, or do I just sing?" Spike asked. "No, honey, you just sing. Any time you're ready," Lorne answered. He had already heard more than enough, but this was so interesting, he wanted to hear more. "Shall we try the round?" Spike asked. Buffy shrugged, "Sure, why not." Spike began singing, and Buffy jumped in after the first line. Lorne leaned back against the counter and listened. He swayed to the music as if he were listening to a fine Sinatra standard. Buffy and Spike ran through the song twice altogether, stopping and restarting a couple times, getting the verses mixed up and finally dissolving into a fit of giggles and laughter. Lorne collapsed back against the counter. "It's horrible wasn't it," Buffy said. "I'm not much of a singer." "No... no kitten, it's beautiful," Lorne said catching his breath, and walking over to open the door again. Buffy looked puzzled. Wesley and Cordelia looked shocked, but Angel just drooped against the doorframe. "He passes," Lorne pronounced. "He does more than that." Looking at Angel, he went on, "You'll never have to worry about them. It's not often when you see it that strongly." "Spit it out, man! What did you see," Giles asked, his anxiety getting the better of him. He felt like he was the only one in the room who didn't understand what was going on. "Love," Lorne answered. "Pure and simple, or in their case, not so simple, but it's there, and it's strong." Buffy and Spike smiled at each other. A warm, all consuming happiness radiated from them, as Spike pulled Buffy back into his arms and kissed her. "What else did you see," Angel asked, interrupting the tender scene. "Everything," Lorne said, slightly awed. "Spike here has been changing and twisting the threads of fate, reweaving whole sections of the Fates' tapestry. Very interesting stuff. Quite a few lives saved and other tragedies averted." He caught Angel's eyes for a moment. "It was Spike's information that sent Wes and Groo after Holtz. If he hadn't, Conner-kins would be in the Quor-Toth right now - the darkest of the dark realms." Angel bristled at that. The last thing he wanted was to owe Spike anything. "He's still Spike." He said to Lorne, as if it should be self-explanatory. "When I left Sunnydale so Buffy could have a normal life, Spike was not what I had in mind." "Listen to me," Lorne interrupted Angel's rambling. "This is normal, for her. And you would be surprised at how normal her life will be with Spike." Lorne turned and winked at Buffy. "There are all sorts of surprises in store for you, sweetie." She wasn't sure what to make of that. Angel started to protest again, but Lorne held up his hand, stopping him. "I looked into his soul, and I saw what he's been through, and what he's done over the last few years. I got the crash course on young William here, and his future." "He doesn't have a soul," Angel grumbled. "Shame on you." Lorne reached through the door and slapped Angel. "All sentient beings have souls. The demon variety is just a little different than the human kind." Angel scowled at Lorne, and then at Buffy and Spike. Angel was about to say something else when Lorne cut him off. "Look here big fella, bottom line is, you made a deal. Spike sang, I read him, and everything he's said is true. Now the only question is, are you going to find some way to deal with that, and live up to your end of the bargain, or are you going to force that sweet young thing to kill you again, and ruin her life?" He looked at Angel for a minute, letting it all sink in, and then he turned around. "Woo! After all that, I need the rest of that glass of water." He picked up the glass from the counter and filled it at the sink. He drank the water slowly and they all waited for Angel to make a decision. "Lorne." Angel called him over and quietly asked him, "Is she really going to be happy? I just can't imagine it." Lorne looked at the pained expression on Angel's face, and he felt sorry for his friend. Gently, he said, "She's going to be fabulously happy, and also she'll want to kill him occasionally, but mostly happy." He rested a hand on Angel's shoulder. "He's what she needs." Angel looked at his feet for a while, and finally without looking up he said, "Spike, I said I wouldn't try harm you if Lorne said you weren't a threat to her." Bringing his head up, he looked at Spike. "If you ever prove him wrong, you know what I'll do." Spike had a flippant comment on the tip of his tongue, but as he took in the expression on Buffy's and Angel's faces, he let it die there. "It'll never happen. I give you my word." Angel nodded. He saw Buffy look back at him as if she was about to say something. He looked at her and shook his head. "Cordy, could you bring Conner out?" He turned and went back to the bench and sat down. ~*~*~ TBC...