Title: Sanguine

Author: Anne Rose

Email: anne3rose@yahoo.com

URL: http://annerose.cjb.net/btvs
http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=47579 

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Seasons 6 & 7

Summary: S/B, It's the obligatory "Spike's Return", what's up with the
soul, and btw I hated Seeing Red, story.

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 asking me annoying
questions so I could fix things. Thanks to Rabid/Raeann and Hubby for
betaing. (c) November 19, 2002

More Author's Notes: My beta readers asked me a bunch of questions, and
rather than sending the plot exposition fairy to drop anvils on you,
I'm writing long, boring author's notes. You can skip ahead if you
promise not to whinge later.

1) First of all, I adore Joss, but nobody is right all the time. I'm in
the "that wasn't attempted rape" camp. I think Joss made a huge error
in using that term - but as a male writer/executive producer in our
society he probably felt he needed to in order to avoid millions of
angry letters and pickets. When Buffy was constantly beating up Spike,
there was no labeling of it as battery or her as an abuser. That's a
classic double-standard. IMHBCO

PSA - Unquestionably "no" should mean "no", and "Seeing Red" is an
object lesson in why you should not keep saying no when you mean yes.
(Listen to the dialog during the balcony scene in "Dead Things".)

2) I don't think everything in life has to be incredibly complicated.
Sometimes you can just wake up and smell the coffee, the light bulb
comes on. (Insert cliché of choice here if that didn't work for you.)

3) To whinge is to whine in England or Australia. It's not a bloody
typo! I offer http://m-w.com as a reference if you still doubt me.

4) PSA stands for Public Service Announcement. 

5) IMHBCO stands for In My Humble But Correct Opinion.

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.


~*~*~
Part 2
~*~*~

Buffy sighed and walked upstairs. 'Maybe the homework was laying it on
too thick?' But Spike didn't seem to notice one way or the other. At
least he had agreed to stay, it was progress.

Progress - she paused in her thoughts. Progress indicated a direction,
a destination, but Buffy had no idea where this was going. Spike had a
soul. She didn't know the details, but he had implied it was because of
her - and because of that soul he was insane. Just one more injury she
had inflicted on him. Somehow she had to make it right.

She knew she was stalling, waiting for the perfect moment to talk to
him - a moment that might never come as long as he was insane. She had
been in shock that night in the church. Spike's revelation about his
soul had stunned her. She didn't stop him when he wrapped himself
around the cross. Stunned, she watched the smoke rise from his body,
and almost too late she had rushed forward and dragged him away from
the cross.

It had taken several days for his burned flesh to heal. Clem had taken
care of Spike after Buffy dragged and carried him back to his old
crypt. When she returned to check on him, Clem told her Spike had gone
back to the school. He would come out of the basement whenever she
needed help, but the rest of the time he sat alone in the darkness,
talking to the voices in his head.

That was when she got the idea for a way to get him out of the basement
permanently and into someplace safe while he got well. Dawn and Buffy
had discussed Spike a number of times over the past months. It had
taken a while before Dawn could separate her own feelings about Spike
from her loyalty to her sister. She was hurt in her own way by Spike's
departure, and she had felt an obligation to hate him for Buffy's sake.
Some of that still remained. 

When Buffy told Dawn her plan, she had been unwilling at first. After
Buffy sat her down for a very frank discussion about her relationship
with Spike, she relented. Buffy spared Dawn the more lurid details, but
had told her enough to make Dawn understand why Spike had to leave.
Their relationship had changed from one of almost friendship to a
horrible, abusive one. If they had been a normal couple, Buffy would no
doubt be serving jail time for some of the beatings she'd given Spike.
And Spike... well, he was no angel either. Their relationship had been
killing them both.

Dawn was shocked to say the least. The picture Buffy painted of their
relationship and her behavior towards Spike was not pretty. It was ugly
and brutal, but she knew Dawn needed to understand what Buffy had
finally come to understand. There were faults on both sides, more than
enough to go around. And now that Spike had a soul, they needed to help
him, just like they did every time one of their friends got into
trouble.

Over the summer Buffy had come to realize a few other things as well,
but she didn't think the rest of the group was ready for those
revelations. She wasn't even certain Spike would be.

Buffy arrived at what used to be the Magic Box. It was just a meeting
place and training room now. Repairs were going slowly. Buffy put her
hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath before walking in. She knew
there would be some resistance to her plan. She could count on Xander
for a lot of resistance. Maybe she should wait and see if Spike would
even stay at her house before telling them? If she couldn't keep him
there, then there was no point in getting into a big argument with
them.

She knew she was rationalizing it, and they would be mad later, but for
now she wasn't up to another big fight with them. Giles would be back
in another day. Maybe she could get his advice? She shook her head to
clear those thoughts away and walked in to the shop.

~*~*~

The next afternoon Xander drove Buffy and Dawn to the airport to pick
up Giles and Willow. Giles had accompanied Willow back to help Buffy
save the world yet again. It wasn't the best of circumstances for
Giles' return, but he was back and Buffy felt like a huge weight had
been lifted. She didn't "need" Giles anymore. During the months he was
away she had provided for herself and Dawn, made decisions, and managed
to balance her "normal" life and her duties as the Slayer. But things
were just more "right" when Giles was around.

Giles had been too tired the first night to question or really even
notice Spike's presence in the house. Giles would be staying with Buffy
and Dawn for a few weeks, or until he could find a new apartment. Buffy
had offered her mom's old room, but Giles had elected to sleep on the
couch, at least for the first night.

Giles woke when Buffy and Dawn came down for breakfast. He joined them
in the kitchen for a bowl of cereal.

"I'm sorry we don't have something more for breakfast. I'll stop by the
grocery store on the way home and get some eggs and things," Buffy
said.

"The cereal is just fine. I'm sure my body doesn't know if it's meant
to have breakfast or dinner right now." He smiled at Buffy as she
pulled the milk out of the fridge. The flash of red from behind the
milk jug caught his eye before Buffy closed the door. What was blood
doing in the house?

He mulled it over for a few minutes as Buffy poured milk into their
bowls. When she went to put the milk away, he got a better look. They
were definitely blood packets. "Buffy, who are you expecting to visit?"

Buffy looked at him, and cocked her head, not understanding the
question. "We were expecting you, Giles."

"Yes, but I don't drink blood." He pointed to the fridge.

"Oh. Ya," Buffy murmured. 

Dawn's eyes got big and round as she looked back and forth from Buffy
to Giles. 

Buffy took a deep breath and then rushed out the words. "Spike is back.
He went to Africa and he has a soul now, but it's driving him crazy,
and he was living in the school's basement, but that's practically on
top of the Hellmouth, so he's staying in our basement until he feels
better." She paused for breath and looked nervously up at Giles.

Giles' eyes opened wide. He took a moment to carefully lay his spoon
down in his bowl. "I see." After a moment he looked up at her. "I'm not
sure I heard you right. Did you say he has his soul back?"

Buffy nodded.

"I see." Giles gave her a vacant stare that made her nervous. He
finally blinked and looked at her. "I think we should discuss this
further when you get home this evening."

Just then, the doorbell rang. "It's Xander," Dawn said breathlessly.
"You can't say anything to him, he'll flip!" Dawn implored Giles.

"Not to worry." Giles reached over, patted her hand, and gave her a
weak smile. "Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't have the slightest idea
what to say to him."

Dawn looked relieved. She grabbed her backpack and headed for the door.
Xander waved to Giles and then they were gone. 

~*~*~