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Universal Vampire by Mabel Marsters
 
Can We Help Willow?
 
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Betad by Carol and dawnofme


Banner by dawnofme


Disclaimer: the characters do not belong to me - they are used purely for fun and not fiancial gain








Chapter Thirty-Seven


Can We Help Willow?


Spike was exhausted when he finished telling his story. Dawn had brought him another two mugs full of blood whilst he was talking. He was grateful that she’d put it in a mug as Matt couldn’t hide his disgust at the sight of him drinking the blood, and at least it looked better than from the bag. Spike pretended not to notice, knowing Matt was struggling to take in all he’d learned since he’d woken up.


All Spike wanted to do was to sleep - to let his body heal itself and to be blissfully unaware of the gnawing pain that he was enduring at the moment. But he couldn’t; he had to help get Willow free of the hideous muzzle Maggie had put on her.


“Xander,” said Spike. “Can you bring Giles up here? I don’t think I’d make the stairs, mate. Keep his hands tied just in case.”

Another reason why Spike didn’t want to go to the basement was that he didn’t want to see Buffy. He couldn’t bear to see the torment in her eyes whilst she struggled against Maggie’s commands that the Lorac was still emitting.


Xander nodded and went down to get him.


“Do you think he’ll be able to help Willow?” asked Dawn anxiously.


“I hope so, Niblet. I just hope we can do it before we have to get the Bug out of him. Red needs that thing off of her as soon as possible,” replied Spike.


Willow looked at him, tears once more brimming in her eyes. Spike held out his hand to her and she came over, sat on his footstool, and took his hand in hers.


“It’ll be alright, pet, I promise,” reassured Spike, squeezing her hand.


Matt swung his legs off the couch so he was sitting up rather than lying down. He was still deathly pale. Dawn had followed Xander out of the room and came back in with a bowl of warm water, a cloth and a towel. She sat next to Matt.


“Can I get you cleaned up?” she asked.


“Um…yeah…I suppose,” said Matt hesitantly. “I’m so sorry about before.” He gained a bit of colour with his embarrassment.


“Forget it,” said Dawn with a smile.


She dipped the cloth into the water and started to wipe the blood away from the cut on his forehead.


“Ouch!” complained Matt, pulling away from her touch.


“Oh, don’t be such a baby,” said Dawn.


“I’m not! It really hurts,” said Matt.


“Well in that case, you’d better grit your teeth because it’s going to get cleaned,” Dawn told him firmly.


“Better do as she says, Matt,” said Spike with a grin. “These Summers women always get their own way.”


“Okay then,” said Matt, smiling shyly at Dawn. “But take it easy, please.”


“I will,” promised Dawn.


Xander returned with Giles as Dawn started to wipe Matt’s face again. He had carried in one of the chairs from the kitchen with him and put it down in front of Spike. He then pushed Giles down onto it. Xander understood that Giles had been under the influence of a Lorac Bug when he’d plotted with Maggie against them. But still, he could barely contain the urge to beat the man senseless for what he’d help do to Willow. It was only the fact that Giles held the key to putting it right that stopped him.


“Rupert,” said Spike, hoping he’d be more lucid than when he’d last seen him.


Giles lifted his head and looked at Spike. Their eyes met for only a few seconds before he dropped his gaze to avoid them.


“Spike,” he said quietly.


Willow was still sitting next to Spike, holding onto his hand tightly. Rupert made sure he didn’t look at her. Since arriving at the house, things had become a little clearer for him and he was deeply ashamed of his part in what had happened to them all, especially Willow. He’d been powerless to resist. He had been acting almost as an extension of Maggie herself.


“So, Rupert, we need to get this crap off Willow. Can you help us?” asked Spike.


“I don’t know,” replied Giles, his voice barely audible.


“What do you mean you don’t know?” yelled Xander, gripping Giles’ shoulder.


“Xander,” cautioned Spike. “What do you mean, Rupert?”


“I want to help but I’m not sure that I will be able to. It’s still there, telling me you are my enemies,” whispered Giles.


“Look, I know you can’t fight the Lorac Bug, Rupe, but Red’s going to get ill if she can’t drink or eat something soon. Do you know the enchantment that was used?”


“Yes,” said Giles.


“Thank God,” sighed Xander.


Spike had noticed Giles’ expression change when he heard Xander’s words. Spike knew what it felt like to have one of those Bugs in him, and he knew it had just tried to regain dominance of Giles, even though Maggie’s death made its hold more tenuous. He decided he needed to change tactics a little. No way would Giles be able to openly reverse the spell.


“Xander, Dawn, Red, can you go into the kitchen? I think it’ll be easier if you’re not here,” said Spike.


Xander started to protest but Spike fixed him with a hard stare and instead he helped Willow to her feet and led her out of the room. Matt went to get up when Dawn did but Spike stopped him.


“It’s okay, Matt. Stay there, mate,” said Spike. “He doesn’t know you so I don’t think it’ll matter that you’re here. You really don’t look up to moving anyway.”


“What about you?” asked Dawn. “How do you know it’s not your presence that’s affecting him?”


“That one’s easy, pet,” said Spike with his trademark smirk. “He bleeding hates me. No guilt there, Niblet, for the Bug to pick up on.”


“Good point,” said Dawn, smiling ruefully. “Just make sure he tells you what we need to know.”


Spike waited until they’d gone.


“That better, Rupe?” he asked.


Giles nodded.


So how do you remove one of those scold’s bridles then?” asked Spike. He vamped up his features for effect. “I need the witch to do a spell for me on this traitor to The Initiative.” He pointed at Matt who gasped.


“My God, it’s been a trick all along,” he thought.


For a moment he could feel the flames from the metaphorical fire he now knew he was in. The flames were suddenly doused when Spike turned to him and winked. Even though the sight of a vampire winking was a very unnerving sight, Matt realised Spike was just role-playing. He sagged back on the couch with relief.


Giles looked at Spike for what seemed like a very long time before he began to speak.


“You have to recite the original spell backwards,” he said.


“Tell you what,” said Spike. “Why don’t you go through what you have to do, and I’ll remember it and use it on the witch later?”


“All right,” said Giles, a touch reluctantly. “But you must be careful; Maggie says she’s a very powerful witch.”


“If she’s that bad, perhaps I’d better not risk using her. I’ll just eat him,” he said, grinning at a very uncomfortable Matt. He allowed his features to return to human before adding, “I’d still be interested to hear the ritual.”


Giles nodded and then began to recite from the memory banks held by the Lorac Bug the spell to free Willow of her muzzle. Spike hoped this would work – that Willow was close enough for it to take effect. By asking Giles just to recite it for reference rather than let him think that he was actually casting the spell, he hoped the Lorac wouldn’t be provoked into stopping it.


As Giles was talking, Spike really, really hoped it worked on Willow as he hadn’t realised that reciting the spell backwards, actually meant every words was pronounced backwards, not just the phrase said in reverse order.


When Giles said the last word, there was a yell from the kitchen.


“Quick, Dawn! Help me pull it off,” shouted Xander.


Then there was a sound of coughing.


“Red?” called Spike, looking at the door to the kitchen. “Did it work?”


“We got it off, Spike. You did it!” replied Xander.


“That’s gr…”


Spike’s words turned into a scream as Giles hurled himself at Spike; kicking his broken leg and then falling on top of him. His hands were still tied behind his back but he kicked, head-butted and tried to bite Spike in his fury.


“Bloody hell! What is it with you people biting me?” roared Spike, remembering Buffy’s earlier attack. “I’m supposed to be the bleeding vampire.”


He let out another scream as Giles once more kicked his broken leg. Just as Spike thought he was going to pass out with the pain, Giles was pulled off him. Spike focussed with effort and saw that Matt was his rescuer.


“Thanks, mate,” he gasped, closing his eyes.


Xander ran in from the kitchen and got hold of Giles.


“I’ll take him back to the basement,” he said.


Matt released his hold on Giles, wobbled a bit and then sank to the floor as his legs gave way.


“Matt!” cried Dawn, rushing to him. “Are you okay?”


“Er…yeah…I think so…just felt kind of dizzy,” replied Matt weakly.


“I’m not surprised, after the knock you’ve had on your head. Let me help you up.”


Matt gratefully accepted and was soon sitting on the couch. He looked at Dawn and kept hold of her hand. She caught his eyes and smiled, gave his hand a squeeze and then got up to check on Spike who wasn’t looking so good.


“Spike?” said Dawn.


He slowly opened his eyes. “Hey, Niblet.”


“You did it. It worked – look,” said Dawn, pointing at the door.


He looked up and saw Willow walking into the room. Her face still bore red marks where the straps had been and her eyes were red-rimmed but Spike thought she’d never looked so pretty.


“Oh, Red, thank God. You’re okay? You’re not hurt?”


She walked over to him and knelt beside his chair.


“I’m fine, Spike. Thank you.” She kissed him on his cheek.


If a vampire could blush, he would’ve. “’S all right, Red, but what about your hands and feet? I’m not sure he’ll fall for the trick twice. You’ll have to wait until we get the Bugs out of them.”


“I can get the spells done for them myself now that I can talk again,” said Willow. “What about you? You look terrible.”


“Been better, pet,” said Spike. “I’ll be okay, but I need a bit more to eat and then some sleep. Can you put a protection spell around the place?”


“It’s already been done,” said Xander, re-entering the room.


“You?” asked Spike, raising an eyebrow.


“Hey, don’t look so surprised. I’ve been around Willow for years. I’m bound to pick up a few things,” replied Xander. “Here, I’ve got you some blood.” He passed Spike three bags of warmed blood.


“Er thanks,” said Spike, taking them from him. He glanced at Matt before vamping up his features, nicking the first bag and starting to suck the blood out. He didn’t know why he was so worried about Matt seeing him drink the blood. He supposed it must be left over from The Initiative when he was ordered to hide his vampiric features.


“Do you want me to help you up to a bed?” asked Xander.


“No, I’ll just stay here, mate,” said Spike, unable to bear the thought of moving. “Just give me a couple of hours, yeah?”


His eyes were already closing as he spoke, the exhaustion and pain finally taking him over.


“Come on, let’s give him some peace,” said Xander. “Let’s go get something to eat. You must be starving, eh, Willow?”


“I sure am,” she replied.


Dawn held her hand out to Matt. “Are you feeling well enough to eat?”


He smiled shyly. “I think so.” He took her hand and the four of them went into the kitchen, leaving the vampire sleeping peacefully.


To be continued…






 
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