CHAPTER FOUR

Two pepperoni pizzas with extra cheese and a six pack of coke later, Willow yawned, stopping halfway through her translation, shutting her book with a dusty snap. “Sorry Giles, but I... I don’t think that I can stay awake much longer. I can hardly...” she yawned again. “I can hardly keep my eyes open.”

Giles looked up from his own book, glancing at Buffy before answering. The Slayer was curled up on the floor, her back pressed up against the front of the armchair, a book in lap and head in her hand. “Yes, of course. All of you head home. You have classes... and jobs tomorrow. Spike can stay here with me and—“

“No.” Buffy interjected, looking up, suddenly alert. “I think Spike should stay at my place.”

The others stared at her, Xander in particular wearing an expression somewhat akin to horror. Closing her book, she sighed as she set it down on the table, standing and stretching out her sore limbs. She’d been mulling it over for the last few hours, what she was going to do. She didn’t like Spike, no way. After all, it was... Spike. But he’d saved her... He hated her sure, but if he hadn’t pushed out of the way, she’d be the blind one with the melted face right now.

She kinda owed him.

“Giles, you have the Magic Box to run, as much as Anya would like it otherwise...”

Xander smiled guiltily, on behalf of his absentee girlfriend, despite the fact that she wouldn’t have bothered if she was there.

“...And Spike can’t really be left alone. The others, like you said, have stuff to do, they can’t vamp-sit. If he’s at my house, he can be... watched. I mean, Mom’s housebound at the moment anyway, so she’ll be there while I’m not.” She wrinkled her nose as a thought occurred to her, and she turned to the vampire in question. “God, Dawn is going to love this. Think you can stomach living with her for a little while?”

Spike chuckled. “Yeah, I think I can handle hanging with Bite-size.” I’d go through anything to be living with you, he thought.Besides, he kind of liked the littlest Summers.

“What about sunlight security?” Xander interjected, catching Willow’s latest yawn. It was well past two in the morning, and no information had been found.

“We can set up the cot in the basement.” Buffy shrugged. “Dirty, dank... Spike will feel right at home.”

Spike let out a little “ha” at that, and Buffy almost flinched as he did. She could still hear that dead edge to his voice, a tiny hopelessness to even his laughter. Not that he was saying much anyway, he’d hardly said a word in the last four hours, except for a soft “thank you” when Willow offered him a donut two hours ago, courtesy of the stock Giles had been keeping in the fridge.

He still hadn’t touched it.

“Right, well... alright then.” Giles nodded, turning back to his work. “You all get some rest, and I’ll call if I find anything.”

“Need a ride Buff?” Xander asked, “I can give you and Fang here a lift, probably be easier than walking. I got head off now anyway, Anya will be wondering where I am.”

“Thanks Xand, that would be great,” Buffy smiled, she was kind of shocked by Xander’s willingness to help the vampire, but maybe he was just glad it wasn’t her that was blind. Or maybe he just believed that no one should have to deal with this. Shrugging mentally, Buffy directed her attention to her Watcher. “You get some rest too, Giles. We need you functioning.”

He nodded absently.

Spike pushed himself awkwardly out of his seat, leaving the donut on the arm. His hand found Buffy’s shoulder clumsily as he righted himself, and he gripped it carefully. He could feel her hesitation even as her arm slid automatically around his waist again, and he carefully wound his own around her shoulders, gripping the top of her arm slightly.

“Buffy, could I speak to you for a moment?” The Watcher’s voice made the small woman pause, and Spike relaxed his grip slightly, unwillingly.

Buffy faltered, glancing once at Spike before turning her head to Giles, nodding. “Hold on, I’ll just get Spike into the car. I’ll be right back.”

“I can manage myself, pet. You talk to the Watcher.” Spike pulled away from her, his fingertips brushing against the wall as he tried to find his way. Buffy glanced pointedly at Xander, who pulled a face and followed the vampire out, his arms hovering under his to where the witches were waiting behind the car.

Buffy could hear the vamp complaining about ‘being watched by a whelp’ as she closed the front door.

“Shoot.”

“Right,” Giles sat uneasily in his desk chair, glasses off and hand massaging his temples. “Do... Buffy do you fully understand what you are-are doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“Buffy, I understand your unwillingness to leave anyone in that particular condition, but it is Spike that we are helping.” Giles pushed his glasses back up his nose. “I know that he has been... an asset of late, but—“

Buffy held up a hand, giving her former Watcher a small, pained smile.

“It’s ok, Giles. I know where you’re coming from, but I can’t not help him. Sure, Spike’s a pain in the ass, but he can’t hurt anyone, and he has been helping a lot lately. He saved me, Giles. I—“ Buffy paused, unsure of how to say it. “I have to help him. If it wasn’t for Spike, I’d be blind right now. Or worse. I owe him. And I’ll... I’ll do it alone if I have to.”

Giles only nodded, “If you are sure this is what you want, then you have my support, Buffy. You know that.”

“I am.”

Outside, leaning uncertainly against Xander’s car, Spike smiled slightly, touched by the overheard words.