A/N Betad by seapealsh and dawnofme


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Chapter Nine

A Rude Awakening

Buffy woke up with the sun streaming through the window. She blinked a couple of times, rubbed her eyes, yawned and headed downstairs to the bathroom. She tiptoed through the lounge room and was halfway through brushing her teeth when she realised what she’d seen. The couch was empty. Where was Spike?

“Guys! Guys! Wake up!” she yelled. “Spike’s gone.”

Xander and Giles woke up and she could hear Willow getting out of bed.

“Xander, you were supposed to be on watch,” said Giles. “When did you fall asleep? Any idea how long he’s been gone?”

“Um….well…” said Xander.

“God, you just fell straight back to sleep, didn’t you?” snapped Giles.

“Sorry, but I was exhausted,” said Xander.

“If he didn’t find shelter in time he’s that big pile of dust he was afraid of by now,” said Buffy grimly.

They quickly got dressed and set out to search his usual haunts. Willow teamed up with Giles and Buffy with Xander.

*~*~*~*

“Spike? Is that you?” The voice roused Spike from his slumber.

“Huh? Giles?” said Spike, struggling to wake up. Shite, I feel weird.

“No, not Giles,” said the voice, this time sounding more like a snarl.

A pair of hands grabbed Spike by his shirt and lifted him up from where he was sprawled until his feet were off the ground completely. That woke him up. He opened his eyes and came face to face with a Seromid Demon and wished he were still asleep. The Seromids are an angry breed of demon and Spike had a horrible feeling that this one was pissed off in general and at him in particular.

“Yeah mate…er…I’m not feeling the best so if we could perhaps do this later?” he said hopefully.

The Seromid did what Seromids do best. It hit him. Spike flew backwards some ten feet, and would have gone further but for the sewer wall blocking his path. He hit it with a bone shaking crash and slid to the ground.

On the plus side, Spike started to feel more alert. On the negative, he knew he was in real trouble. These things were notoriously strong and he didn’t even remember how he got to the sewer in the first place. Spike got to his feet, holding out his hands to the demon.

“I really don’t want to fight you. You wouldn’t believe the week I’ve had. I don’t remember upsetting any Seromids so what’s your gripe m –”

His words were cut off by the demon grabbing him once more and throwing him at the wall opposite with the same result as before - bone rattling thud followed by sliding down into a crumpled heap.

“You didn’t upset a Seromid, you killed one last week. You killed my girlfriend,” roared the beast. “I was just going to jump you when those soldier guys got you. Didn’t figure I’d see you again after that, then here you are, large as life, sleeping in my sewer!” The demon strode over to Spike.

Okay, looks like I’m going to have to fight him. He vamped up his face knowing that he’d need all his vampire strength to take the demon on. Nothing happened. He concentrated harder but still nothing. Oh,bollocks.

He ducked in time to avoid a savage blow to the head, the demon’s fist leaving a dent in the wall.

“Look, would it help if I said I was sorry?” said Spike. The demon threw another punch, this one on target. “I guess not,” he added, shaking his head trying to clear his vision. He was literally seeing stars.

And so a very one sided fight ensued - Spike dodging as many blows as possible, trying to get past the demon to escape but to no avail. He felt weak when he started and soon was moving slower and slower, his limbs feeling like they were dipped in treacle.

The demon caught him by his throat, Spike struggled ineffectually in its grasp as it brought his other hand up and Spike knew that the thing was going to rip his head off. In desperation he tried to put his game face on but still nothing. He closed his eyes.

He heard the whistle of steel through air, felt a shuddering blow, and then was lying on the floor trapped beneath something very heavy and unmoving. Opening his eyes he glanced up and standing above him, holding a very sharp looking axe was Buffy.

“Looked like you needed a hand,” she said with a grin.

“Good timing, Slayer,” he said weakly. “Can you help get this thing off me?”

Between them Buffy and Xander hauled the demon off Spike.

“Why did you come out here?” asked Buffy.

“Didn’t know I had until that thing woke me up,” said Spike.

“What did you do to it?” asked Xander.

“Apparently, I killed its girlfriend last week sometime.”

Buffy and Xander looked at the hideous beast on the ground and shuddered at the thought of two of its kind having smoochies.

“Well, if you killed that one, how come this one was just about to kill you?” asked Buffy.

“Well, got a bit of a problem, see. I can’t vamp up.”

“What? How’s that possible?” said Xander.

“I dunno, but I tried and nothing happened,” said Spike grimly.

“Come on. Let’s get back to the apartment and figure it out there. We’ve got a blanket and it’s not far from the sewer to Giles’ so you’ll be okay,” said Buffy, taking charge and leaving Xander and a despondent Spike following in her wake.

*~*~*~*

They got back to the apartment without further incident though Spike was smoking a little as they burst through the door.

“Spike, you’re safe,” said Willow. “You’re all right.”

He smiled weakly at her. “Well, the safe bit anyway, Red.”

“Why? What do you mean?” she asked.

“Spike’s having a bit of a problem performing,” said Xander.

Spike glared at him.

“What? Can’t bite because of the chip? We know that already,” said Willow.

“Little more serious than that,” said Spike. “The chip means it sodding hurts if I try to bite a human. Thing is at the moment I can’t even hope to bite anything. I can’t get into vampire mode at all.”

“Not at all?” asked Giles.

“Nope, just nothing happens. It doesn’t normally take any effort, you know, just a thought but no matter what I try it just doesn’t happen,” said Spike, flopping into an armchair.

“So what’s it matter anyway?” asked Buffy.

“What’s it matter? What does it bleeding matter? Sodding hell, what the hell am I if I can’t do that? Apart from the obvious fact that I’m now fair game for any demon I’ve even slightly annoyed, it just means there’s even less of me left. It must be your fault,” he said, glaring at Giles.

“Mine?”

“Yeah, you must have done something to my body. So fix me,” snapped Spike. He put his head in his hands and moaned softly.

“Well, at least you’re not a pile of dust,” Willow pointed out helpfully.

“Suppose that is a bonus,” said Spike, perking up a little.

“Xander, go and get him some blood, heat it up. See if that helps,” said Giles.

Xander pulled a face but went to the kitchen to do it.

“When I was in your body at The Initiative I vamped up without even knowing I had when I was offered blood, so it might kick in for you then,” said Giles.

“Bloody hope so. Pathetic sodding vampire that can’t even get his fangs out,” said Spike, grumpily.

Xander reappeared with the mug of blood and offered it to Spike.

“Try now, Spike, just before you have some,” said Giles.

A momentary look of concentration passed over Spike’s face then he shook his head in frustration.

“Nope, nothing,” he sighed. He drank all of the blood but still couldn’t vamp up.

“I wonder…?” Spike said, standing up and clipping Xander across the head.

“Ow,” yelled Xander.

“Ow,” yelled Spike.

“What did you do that for?” asked Xander.

“Just checking the chip still works and it does,” he said, wincing and holding his head.

“So what do we do with the living dead now?” asked Xander.

“I’ll have to stay here until you work out how to put me back,” said Spike, grinning at the look of horror on Giles’ face. “What time is it? Is Passions on yet?”

To be continued…