Chapter Three

AN: This was a Valentine’s Day fic, but I didn’t get it done by Valentine’s. I hope you guys forgive me; I had the fic for Thianna and homework to contend with. BIG big thanks to Just Sue and Angelic Amy for betaing. We should start a betting pool on how long before I scare them off too. lol


Back at the warehouse, Spike dumped the unconscious body of William unceremoniously onto the bed in the back room. He sighed and shook his head, glancing back toward where his car sat in the middle of the room. With another look at William, checking his double was well and truly out of before he went to move his car and set about blocking the gaping hole with some crates and whatever else he could find.

When he walked back into the room a short time later, William was still passed out. He impatiently kicked the bed hard, wondering why he didn’t just stake the wanker. Probably because it seemed too weird to be staking himself.

With a groan, William’s eyes opened and he looked up at Spike, sitting up in alarm. “What the bloody hell is goin’ on here?”

“The bint had enough of your filthy mouth an’ took a log t’ your empty head,” Spike replied in a flat tone. “I’m surprised she didn’ stake you.”

“Must be my lucky day,” he shot back dryly and slid off the bed. “So why didn’ you do it yourself while I was unconscious instead of bringin’ me back here?”

“Don’ rightly know,” came the gruff response from Spike as he pulled out a pack of smokes. He offered one to William before pulling one out with his lips, lighting it then tossing the lighter to the other vamp. “Why haven’ you tried t’ dust me? Then you’d have no rival.”

“It’d be weird,” William lifted a shoulder then took a drag on the stick. “An’ you’re not a rival. You only just arrived. I’ve had plenty of time t’ establish myself here.”

“Yeah, but while pretendin’ t’ be me.”

The doppelganger leaned back against the wall, taking the cigarette from between his lips and crossing his arms. He studied Spike through narrowed eyes before speaking again.

“What I can’ figure out, is why you’re so hung up ‘bout me an’ the slayer. As far as I’ve been able t’ gather ‘bout your past here, you were tryin’ t’ kill her an’ hated her quite a bit.” He arched a brow and paused to take a drag. “’Cause all this anger isn’ at me pretendin’ t’ be you. You ripped me off the bird before you even knew who I was, yeah?”

Spike pursed his lips and glanced away, not ready to face that question. Telling someone about the troubling dreams was not going to happen any time soon, especially not to this guy. Knowing himself, he knew William would jump on this information and use it to mock him, especially the part with the “other man” in his bed.

“Look, that doesn’ have anythin’ t’ do with anythin’...”

“Oh, so you finally got over our dizzy sire an’ realized how the slayer makes our blood boil, but not just for violence. The dance isn’ just ‘bout killin’, at least not with this one an’ from what I heard, she has a thing for cold cock in her,” William licked his lips. When Spike’s face reddened looked like he was about to punch him, William held up his hands with a chuckle. “With a reaction like that, you still want t’ claim you feel nothin’?”

“You’re a right git, you know that?” Spike tossed his cigarette away and turned to stomp from the room with a low growl.

Undeterred, William followed him from the room with a smug grin. He had hit a nerve and now he wanted to keep hitting it until he got the whole truth. Though he realized, if he got Spike to admit he wanted the slayer as well then he would have someone to contend with for Buffy’s favour.

“C’mon, I’ve admitted it an’ it doesn’ make me any less the Big Bad t’ be hard up for the slayer,” William told him. “She’s a fuckin’ wet dream an’ tough enough t’ keep us interested unlike some faintin’ missy.”

“You’re bloody crazy,” Spike turned to face him. “Why do you care if I admit some attraction t’ the slayer?”

“’Cause I don’ want you skulkin’ around, broodin’ ‘bout her an’ bein’ a general wanker whenever I try t’ make a move on her. Just admit it an’ stop repressin’ it so we can get down t’ decidin’ how we’ll work out this problem of the both of us wantin’ the same girl.”

The vampire growled at his doppelganger implying he would turn into a poofter like Angel. This man was just so bleedin’ annoying. How he thought Buffy would put up with him was beyond Spike’s comprehension.

“Oh, an’ how are we goin’ t’ work out this problem you think we have? An’ for all you know, the slayer is goin’ t’ dust you when she comes t’ her senses or have Red send you back,” Spike pointed out.

“Well,” William tilted his head and glanced towards the noticeable hole in the wall blocked by crates and boxes, “If they send me back then I just go find her counterpart in my dimension... then I might not have anyone t’ compete with for her.”

“That’s assumin’ she even wants you there, either.”

“You keep tryin’ t’ convince yourself that the Slayer doesn’ want me; no skin off my nose. I’m just wonderin’ how that goes with you wantin’ her since me an’ you are the same person.” William arched a brow.

With a growl, Spike stepped up to his double and ground out, “We are far from bein’ the same person. As for lookin’ for the Slayer in your dimension, what ‘bout Drusilla? Don’ tell me she couldn’ stand you either.”

“Drusilla? That dizzy bint who sired me? I chucked her out long ago, was crazy t’ begin with an’ when her precious Daddy got cursed she got even worse. Kept ravin’ ‘bout plans t’ get her Daddy back an’ pickin’ fights with Darla for chuckin’ him out. I had enough of it an’ after Darla left, havin’ had enough of it too, I told her t’ go on with herself if she wanted t’ get her Daddy back ‘cause I wasn’ helpin’ her.”

Spike seethed at that. He was disgusted with William for not showing his sire more respect than that and not showing more gratitude to the woman who saved him from his hellish human existence. But, William spoke as if Spike was daft for having stayed with her.

He grabbed William by the collar. “I won’ have you talkin’ ‘bout our dark princess like that. I might not much care for the rest of our nauseatin’ family, but she’s the only one of them that means anythin’ t’ me.”

“Then why aren’ you with her right now?” William sucked in his cheeks, unflinching in the face of his own rage. “If you confess feelin’ more for our crazy ass sire than for Buffy, why are you here tearin’ me away from the Slayer like a jealous lover?”

“She... Dru...” Spike’s shoulders slumped and he dropped William. “She turned me out, ravin’ ‘bout me havin’ two faces an’ somethin’ ‘bout the sunshine. So, I went off t’ give Dru some time t’ cool off before goin’ back.”

“An’ how does the soddin’ Slayer fit int’ this?”

He eyed William, wary of telling the other vamp about the strange dreams. Knowing they would lead to more mocking, Spike knowing exactly what William would read into them. He sighed and thought to himself, the same thing I’ve been denying seeing in them.

Might as well tell him and get this torture over with.

“Had these bloody nightmares while I was on the road. Involved me an’ the Slayer, doin’... things. Things that were different than what I thought I wanted t’ do t’ her. Like, tearing her pretty neck out an’ drainin’ her dry.” He averted his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck. “Bitin’ was involved, though. That an’ a weird out of body thing where I saw myself watchin’ us.”

When he finally looked at William, there was a speaking look on his face that told Spike he thought Dru’s crazy had rubbed off on him.

“Right...” William lifted his brows and gave a slow nod.

Spike growled at him again. “You never answered my question, mate. If you’re so convinced we both want her then what’re we goin’ t’ do ‘bout it?”

“Well, I think what would be best is a little competition.” William rocked on his heels, nodding with contemplation as he continued, “You seem t’ think she’d prefer you over me. So why not place a wager on who’s right?”

“Fine, since I know I’m right,” he scoffed. “So what, we both go t’ her an’ demand she choose?”

“With you bein’ gone for so long an’ just getting’ here, it would only be fair t’ give us both time t’ win her over. A month an’ then we can both ask her t’ be our dates for Valentine’s Day an’ see who she chooses.”

“Sounds good t’ me,” Spike sucked in his cheeks and hooked his thumbs in his pockets. “So what are the terms of the bet? What does the winner get an’ what happens t’ the loser?”

“It’s obvious,” the other vamp snorted, “The winner gets the Slayer an’ the other bloke has t’ sod off!”

======

It was several nights later when Spike looked up to see William stumble into the warehouse carrying an unconscious slayer. He jumped up and hurried after him as he headed for the bedroom to lay her on the bed. Spike hovered over his double’s shoulder as he pulled a blanket over the tiny blonde.

“What’d you do t’ her an’ why’d you bring her here?” Spike finally asked when William looked up at him.

“I bloody well couldn’ take her t’ her dorm with all the kiddies seein’ me carryin’ her in like that an’ probably callin’ security on me.” He sank onto the bed and ran a hand over his hair. “An’ don’ got an invite t’ her house an’ know her mum would knock me on my ass if I came t’ her door with her baby girl like this.”

“An’ once again, how did she get like this?”

“Well, uh...” He looked down at his hands as his cheeks coloured slightly. “See... I ran int’ her at the Bronze. Well, I did go there lookin’ for her, but she saw me an’ came over t’ see which of us it was. I offered t’ buy her a drink an’ was surprised she actually accepted instead of givin’ me some nasty reply. So I got her a drink, but noticed she was lookin’ a bit tense... which isn’ new with the Slayer an’ all she usually has t’ go through... so the next drink, I slipped somethin’ int’ it t’ help her relax some. I only put half the pill in, an’ didn’ even think it would affect her much with her bein’ the Slayer...”

Spike wiped a hand over his face in exasperation. Was he really that stupid in the other dimension?

“Let me guess; you got her an alcoholic drink an’ put the pill in it?” Spike asked slowly.

“Yup.”

“Good god, slayer or not, alcohol makes all drugs worse! Was your brain on vacation or was Willy Jr in control?” His eyes flashed amber as he yanked the idiot up by his collar, tossing him out of the bedroom. “Bloody wanker, I’ll sit with her an’ make sure sleep is all she does. You could’ve killed her!”

“So says the high an’ mighty slayer of slayers!” William called back angrily from his position on his ass.

“Yeah, well... it would’ve ruined our bet!” Spike yelled and slammed the door, telling himself that it was the truth... the only reason he was concerned with whether she lived. For the bet. If that moron killed her then they wouldn’t know who would have won. Yeah, that’s the only reason he was mad at him.

He went over to the bed and sat down against the headboard, keeping vigil over the unconscious slayer. He couldn’t believe that William would do something as stupid as drugging the slayer right under her very nose. Was he looking to get staked before he found out if the slayer even had feelings for him?

The stirring of the tiny form beside him in the bed snapped Spike out of the light dozing he eventually slipped into. He sat up straight and looked down at her curiously, wondering if she was finally waking up. Good. He could make sure she was okay after William’s moronic behaviour then walk her back to her dorm.

“Ohhh...” Buffy groaned and brought a hand to her head as she sat up. “Did anyone see the car that hit me?”

“Yeah,” Spike mumbled, mentally adding, the wanker’s sittin’ outside the door.

She jerked towards the sound of his voice and dropped her hand, eyes round as they looked at him then narrowed dangerously. Immediately, she was lunging at him with fist aimed at his nose.

“Bloody hell!” he cursed as he cradled his broken nose and eyed her, starting to regret having any protective feeling towards the bitch. “What was that for?”

“You, you... you did something to me to knock me out, didn’t you?” she accused angrily as she slid off the bed. “I didn’t drink enough to pass out in a stupor and I felt it before I passed out. And... and you so better not have done anything to me while I was unconscious!”

“Slayer...” He looked up at the angry girl with her hands on her hips glaring at him. “It wasn’ me. This’s Spike. William’s outside the door. He’s the one that put the stuff in your drink at the Bronze. He didn’ know it’d knock you out an’ when it did he got scared an’ brought you back here.”

“What did he think he was doing then?” she flung out her arms.

“Relaxin’ you. Said you looked pretty stressed an’ was tryin’ t’ help in some weird way,” he sighed and got up to stand in front of her. “Not excusin’ what he did, ‘cause it was pretty stupid, but he didn’ mean t’ do any harm.”

“It was pretty stupid,” she muttered with a sigh, glancing away momentarily before she looked back at Spike, “but, he... didn’t do anything, yeah?”

He shook his head solemnly. “Just tried t’ get you some place safe. Couldn’ go t’ your dorm or your house, so brought you here. I already told him what a right git he was for his stunt, but won’ stop you from kickin’ him around a bit.”

That brought a ghost of a smile to her lips, but it soon died as her jaw worked. She looked down at her hands, flexing them and balling them into fists. As much as he was looking forward to seeing her wipe the floor with his brainless double, he felt the need to keep her from giving him a dusty end for some reason. Maybe because he was starting to grow on him and the idea of seeing himself dust was still a bit weird.

“Pet, like I said, he deserves a boot up his ass for this, but... well... not a dustin’. He thought he was helpin’ you,” Spike hoped he sounded convincing. “Somehow, in his own mind, this was helpin’ you...”

She shook her head with a tired sigh then looked up at him through her lashes. “I... well...”

Her nose wrinkled in the cutest way as she thought about her response then opened her mouth again, but before she could utter a word the door banged open. She swung around in time to see William stomp in, tossing his half-smoked cigarette to the ground as he did. He ground it with the toe of his boot then looked between them.

“I’m goin’ t’ say my piece before you two seal my fate on this matter,” William looked between them with some desperation, clearly believing this was a matter of dusting for him.

“William...” Spike began trying to warn him that he didn’t need to open his big mouth and ruin what he had already worked out with Buffy.

“Shut up,” William glared at him before looking back at Buffy, his gaze softening when it met hers. “I really meant you no harm, luv. I gave you the smallest crumb after bustin’ up the pill, but as Spike pointed out t’ me... I didn’ think about how the alcohol would affect it... even with your Slayer metabolism. I’m lucky you only slept.”

He wrung his hands as he started pacing before them. “I just... I just hoped if you were less stressed out... I mean, I was so surprised when you actually accepted my offer t’ buy you a drink that maybe I panicked. I just thought this was a good chance t’ try t’ win you over some, so that I could get ahead of Spike in our bet. I-“

“Bugger!” Spike hissed as soon as the word bet was out of the other vamp’s mouth. This revelation wouldn’t go over well with the fiery slayer. He looked towards Buffy and waited for the explosion he knew was coming.

“A bet?!” she screeched angrily as her face became a purplish red. “You’ve got a bet over me?! What, to see which of you can boink me first?!”

William finally seemed to realize he had done something wrong. Again. He squeezed his eyes shut as he mentally berated himself and steeled himself against the little ball of rage named Buffy. He took a step back, actually considering turning tail to save his own butt knowing he was the one in the most trouble right then.

“Pet... it’s not like that... we didn’-“ Spike was stopped by another strike to the nose. “Blood hell, woman! Why always the nose?”

She didn’t answer but spun around to William as he began to make good his escape. Before he could turn around to flee, her boot came up to slam into his chest, sending him crashing into the wall then slumping to the floor. She walked over and pressed her lips into a thin line, giving him another punch across his jaw before turning to storm out the door.

Spike stood there dabbing at his nose with the back of his hand, listening as she left and giving William his own angry look. Bloody idiot, now neither of them would have a chance with her.


tbc...