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No Rest For the Wicked by SMS by slaymesoftly
 
Ten
 
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Chapter Ten
 
Spike and Buffy stood side-by-side and watched as the three men moved out of the alley and to a parked car. When they’d pulled away, Buffy and Spike began walking toward the street in silence.
 
“Did you get an earful?” Spike finally asked.
 
“I wasn’t eavesdropping,” Buffy said. “Not on purpose. I was gonna come in, then I figured it would be better if Riley didn’t see me.”  They walked a little more, without conversation about it, heading in the direction of Buffy’s dorm. 
 
“But, yes. I heard you.” She moved a little closer to him so that their shoulders were brushing with each step. “You’re something else, William the Bloody. Just when I think I know you...”
 
“Just keepin’ you on your toes, pet,” he said, putting one arm around her long enough to give her a small hug. “Just keeping you on your toes.”
 
She leaned into him for a second and giggled. “Are you sure on my toes is where you want me?”
 
“You know better, you little minx,” he growled. “But I’ll take what I can get.”
 
They stopped at the entrance to her dorm. Spike cocked his head at her. “So, what’s the decision, Buffy? Stay or go?”
 
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I know it’s really late, and I really need to get some sleep... but I....” She brushed her hand over his cheek, not sure what she wanted to say.
 
“Let me walk you up and we’ll suss it out,” he said, holding the door open. “I don’t need to stay if you want to sleep by yourself.”
 
They walked upstairs in silence, not speaking until they were in Buffy’s room with the door closed. In spite of it being a college dorm, they hadn’t encountered any other students. Even the hardiest of partiers were asleep in their rooms by two a.m. on a weeknight. 
 
Buffy picked up her alarm clock and glared at it. “I’m not going to be happy to hear you tomorrow morning,” she said, giving it a shake before setting it down.
 
“It already is tomorrow morning,” Spike pointed out helpfully, earning his own glare from Buffy before she tried to smother a yawn, but failed.
 
“I think all I want is to crash on that bed. I’m not even going to brush my teeth or take off—” She made a face. “Okay, change of plans.  I am going to put my pajamas on. Somebody ruined my underwear and now I’ve got sticky Spike stuff in these jeans.”  She sighed. “I guess I might as well brush my teeth and take a shower – it’s lose the sleep now, or lose it in the morning.”  She grabbed her sleep pants off the bed and pulled a tee shirt from a drawer. “Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right back.” Taking her essential items with her, she ran out the door and down the hall.
 
She rushed through the shower, rinsing her hair and wrapping it in a towel while she hastily brushed her teeth.  Shivering slightly, she ran back to the room, pausing when she came in the door and found Spike, fully clothed, but boots off, lying on her bed. He sat up and started to get off, surprised when Buffy said, “Stay there. I’ve got to dry my hair at least a little bit before I lie down.”
 
“Come here, love,” he said, patting the bed and holding out a hand that had a hairbrush in it. “Let me help you.”
 
Buffy raised a skeptical eyebrow, but obediently crossed the room to sit on the edge of the bed.  Spike unwrapped her hair, rubbed it briskly until the towel was too wet to be useful, then began to brush it, using more skill and gentleness than she could have imagined. She was swaying in an effort to stay awake by the time he had finished brushing it almost dry, soothed into complete relaxation by the gentle strokes. She was barely aware of what he was doing as he pulled her down onto the bed and covered her with the blanket. The last thing she remembered before falling completely asleep was Spike’s voice rumbling in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her. 
 
She woke up once to find him kissing her forehead. A quick peek from barely-open eyes told her he already had his boots and coat on.
 
“Got to go now, love, or I’ll be stuck here all day. Go back to sleep.”
 
“’K. See you later.” She was sound asleep again before he pulled the door shut behind him.
 
 
XXXXXXXXX
 
 
It was a full week before Buffy saw Riley again. He surprised her by showing up just as one of her classes ended and asking if he could talk to her.  She nodded and they walked out to find a bench in a semi-deserted area of the campus. She studied him for any sign of anemia or lack of sleep, but he seemed healthy.
 
“How are you?” she asked. “You look good.”
 
“I’m fine. I haven’t been.... the guys are keeping a pretty short leash on me. Not that I need it!” he hastened to add, “but it’s nice to know they’ve got my back.”
 
She nodded and waited for him to go on.
 
“I...” Riley shook his head. “I don’t know how to do this.  I mean, I know you said... but I have to try, okay?”
 
Buffy cocked her head at him and allowed herself to smile with what little affection she had left for the man she’d thought might be her chance for a normal life.  “What is it, Riley?”
 
“Okay, see the thing is, our unit has been called up. There are some demon problems in South America and we’re one of the few squads with experience dealing with things like that.”
 
“I thought you quit?”
 
“I did. But I can go back if I want to.  So... really what I need to know is if there’s any reason for me to hang around here.  If you might—”
 
Buffy put her hand on his arm and squeezed gently. “I think that ship has sailed, Riley. I still like you. I really do. But there’s just been too much... too many things that we don’t share, for me to think we can make it work.  You just don’t understand me and what I am, or the kinds of things I have to do sometimes.”
 
“And Spike does?” She couldn’t miss the bitterness in his voice.
 
 “I’m sorry, Riley. I really am.” 
 
“So, I was right. You’d rather have something cold and dead than a living man who loves you. I can’t wait to tell my friends you dumped me for a corpse.”
 
Buffy counted to ten, then responded as calmly as she could. Only the knowledge that she actually had been attracted to Spike long before she broke up with Riley kept her from decking him.
 
“Riley, I know you can’t understand this. And I know that you’re blaming Spike because you think he’s the reason we broke up.  But if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll remember that you had issues with me being the Slayer almost from the beginning. I’m not what you think I should be. Or what you want me to be. I can’t help that, and I can’t change it. It’s got nothing to do with Spike — except that when you tried to kill him after I’d asked you not to, that kinda showed me where your head is, you know? I didn’t leave you for him. I left you because we don’t fit each other.”
 
“But Spike ‘fits’ you?”
 
She sighed. “I don’t know that yet. Maybe? Maybe the differences between Spike and me are going to be too much too. They’re pretty major as differences go – vampire, slayer. Not exactly textbook relationship material.” She shook her head when he perked up and tried to speak. “Or maybe I’ll get killed one of these nights and I’ll never know. Being the Slayer means not making any long-term plans, ‘cause the chances you’re going to have a long-term life are pretty much zip.”
 
She stood up. “I think you should go with your friends and do good things somewhere else.  Find a girl who can be what you want.”  She briefly considered kissing his cheek, but rejected it in favor of giving his shoulders a quick hug.  “Take care of yourself. Be safe.”
 
She walked away quickly, not wanting to drag things out any more than she already had. Somewhat to her surprise, he didn’t call after her or even say good-bye. From the corner of her eye as she hastened away, she saw him get up and walk off, his shoulders back and his step determined.
 
“Go get ‘em, Riley,” she whispered.
 
 
XXXXX
 
 
Spike was sound asleep on top of a sarcophagus, catching up on rest while he had a chance. Spending every night watching Buffy sleep, then rousing himself to hurry back to his crypt before dawn, and being awake in the afternoon in case Buffy dropped by after her classes was taking a toll on his sleep patterns.  He almost didn’t hear the screech of the outer door being pulled open, sitting up and shaking his head as he tried to process what his ears were telling him.  The loud knock on the inner door had him leaping to his feet.
 
“Who’s there?” he called, confident that the heavy bar would keep out all but the strongest and most determined intruders.  As he walked toward the door, he could hear two heartbeats from the other side. 
 
“It’s me. Riley. I want to talk to you.”
 
“There’s two of you.”
 
Spike looked around for anything he might use as a weapon before the chip struck him down, settling for a sword, which could incapacitate a human and maybe give him time to get away if necessary.  He rested it against the wall while he lifted the bar.
 
“It’s me, Graham,” came another voice. “It’s okay. We aren’t here to to hurt you.”
 
Spike snorted in disbelief, but unbarred the door anyway, stepping back from it and holding the sword loosely in his left hand.
 
“It’s open,” he said.
 
Riley stepped into the room, the sunlight streaming past him causing Spike to take another step back.
 
“You won’t need that,” Riley said, pointing to the sword. “I just want to talk to you. Graham can wait outside.”
 
Spike raised a skeptical eyebrow at the uncomfortable-looking other soldier who nodded his head and mouthed “It’s okay” behind Riley’s back. He stayed where he was, silhouetted in the doorway, but facing out toward the tombstones. Spike retreated to a chair and gestured for Riley to sit down.  The two men stared at each other for several minutes before Riley spoke.
 
“I’m leaving Sunnydale,” he said finally. “I talked to Buffy this morning and there’s nothing for me here.”
 
“I’ll drink to that,” Spike said, picking up an open bottle of Jack Daniels from beside the chair and taking a swallow. “Why tell me?””
 
“Because, number one, I want to know Buffy’s going to be taken care of; and number two, I have some questions about being a vampire.”
 
Spike gave him a hard stare. “Number one – the Slayer takes care of herself. Always has, always will. If I tried to pull some macho ‘I’m going to take care of you’ bollocks on her, I’d probably find myself blowin’ in the wind. If you’re asking me will I look out for her and help her—well, that doesn’t even need thinking about. Of course I will. I’d give my unlife for her in heartbeat. Think she knows that....”
 
He stopped and fixed Riley with a hard stare. “I don’t need you telling me how to treat the woman I love. Had a lot more practice at it than you have. Over a hundred years of it.” He growled. “As for questions about being a vampire, I thought your whore sucked that stupid idea out of you.”
 
Riley glared back at him, then sighed.  “I’m not still thinking about doing it. Even if I was, Graham is watching me like a hawk – and so are the rest of the guys. But I want to know... Why are you so sure I would try to kill Buffy?  You don’t. Angel doesn’t—“
 
Spike barked a short laugh. “You never met Angelus, did you?  Without that soul that got shoved into him, he wants to kill everybody. Especially Buffy. Beginning with her family and friends, and ending with Buffy after he’s driven her down with grief. That’s his MO. He’s safe as long as that soul stays put. Without it, he’s stake-bait.”
 
“You don’t have a soul,” Riley pointed out. “All you’ve got is that chip —which, by the way, I’m surprised you haven’t worked harder to get out. I doubt our doctors are the only ones that could do it. Wouldn’t you do the same thing if you got it out?”
 
“Don’t need a soul,” Spike said. “My demon doesn’t control me the way the big poof’s does.  Never has and never will.  And I’ve got 125 years of learning to live with my demon to call on when I need control. That’s why your bloody chip works on me and didn’t on all those other poor sods you tried it on. The fledges don’t have that kind of control. They’re driven by bloodlust and all the pain does is stop them temporarily. Soon’s it begins to fade, they’re attacking again. Couldn’t stop themselves if they wanted to. That’s what you would be like as a vampire.”
 
Spike cocked his head at Riley as he held out the bottle to him. “You’ve got all that corn-fed, boy scout stuff going for you, so I doubt you’d be as vicious as Angelus was when he was first turned, but don’t think for one second that you would see Buffy as anything but your first meal. You’d have to survive as a vamp for years before you’d have the kind of control it takes to even pretend to be safe.”
 
“Are you saying you’d still be safe if the chip failed?” Riley took a deep swallow before snorting in disbelief and handing the bottle back to Spike.
 
“Is it going to?” Spike fixed Riley with a hard stare. “Is there something I should know?”
 
Riley shook his head. “No. I’m just asking you why you think you’d be safe to be around without it.”
 
“Because I was before,” Spike said, ignoring Riley’s startled reaction. “Slayer and I made a truce to save the world from her demented ex way back when we’d been trying to kill each other for months. She brought me into her house, introduced me to her mum, and I’ve had a free pass to casa Summers ever since.  Never used it for anything but cryin’ on Joyce’s shoulder when Dru left me the first time. Buffy’s mum and little sis have always been safe from me.”
 
Spike shot a look toward the door where he could see Graham leaning against the jamb and trying to pretend he couldn’t hear.  “Mind you, I’m not saying that if the chip went missing, your sadistic mates wouldn’t pay for that last round of kick the Spike.... but I wouldn’t go back to killin’ for my food. Wouldn’t do that to Buffy.”
 
“What makes you different?”
 
Spike shrugged. “Don’t know. Don’t care. I just am. Old Angelus and Darla did their best to beat it out me, but I can be a right stubborn wanker when I want to be.”
 
Riley got to his feet. “All right. I’m trusting you to take care of her. If I ever come back here and find out you’ve done anything to hurt her....”
 
“Wouldn’t expect any less of you,” Spike said, getting to his feet also.
 
They gazed at each other for several minutes before turning away; the decision not to shake hands was mutual. Riley walked to and out the door without another word, leaving Graham to wave a good-bye as Spike closed the door behind them. He stared at the door for a second, then put the bar back in place.
 
 
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