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In Harm's Way by dawnofme
 
12. No Deal
 
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In Harm’s Way

Chapter Twelve: No Deal


Spike didn’t have to wait long for his clothes; they’d somehow managed to find their way into the dryer. He looked up at the ceiling and smiled, imagining Buffy coming down to the basement and doing that small task for the likes of him.

By the time Spike emerged from the basement, smelling like Aussie hair products and spring fresh dryer sheets, the Scoobies had all congregated in Buffy’s living room. They had the lights on, the room having gone dim with the setting sun.

Spike's gaze went from the relaxed but bored ex-vengeance demon, sitting on the couch next to Xander, to the others who were tense, their faces drawn with worry as Giles slowly paced the room, going on about something.

Spike almost turned around and went back into the basement. The watcher was so boring when he started blathering like that. However, he caught some of the words and was drawn in. Everyone, except Buffy, ignored him as he sat on the arm of the chair where she was sitting. He nearly toppled off the edge of the chair when she gave him a quick glance, blushed and quickly looked away, focusing on Giles.

“So,” she said, “Adam has a computer in him and he was made to soak up information and learn?”

“Yes,” Willow said. “Riley was there when they interrogated Dr. Angleman, who was the other Doctor working with Professor Walsh.” Willow stared at Buffy with worried expression. “You have to be careful, Buffy. Riley says this thing was built to be indestructible.”

“Trust me, I know. He didn’t even flinch when I kicked him at full strength, and he threw me around like a rag doll.”

Spike followed her movement with his eyes when she absently rubbed at her bandaged wrist.

“I have to do something now. One little boy is dead already. I can’t let him hurt anyone else.”

“How is your wrist?” Xander asked.

Buffy shrugged. “It’s not completely healed, but I don’t have the luxury of time to wait for it.”

It was on the tip of Spike’s tongue to protest, but he thought better of it. These people weren’t going to listen to him and they would question his motives for trying to keep the Slayer out of harm’s way.

The phone rang and as Buffy got up to answer it, the others began discussing what could be done. Spike kept his eyes on Buffy listened intently to the person on the line. He stood when their eyes met, hers filled with fear. He’d seen that look before. During the first Halloween when she thought she was helpless, he’d fed off that fear and reveled in it. Now, he gripped the back of the chair to stop himself from going to her.


Out of the corner of his eye, Spike could see Giles glaring at him. He didn’t give a rat’s arse what that wanker thought of him, but he broke eye contact with Buffy to glare back at him.

“Giles,” Buffy said with a wave of her hand, “it’s Riley. Riley, tell Giles what you’ve just told me.”

She handed the phone to him and began unwrapping her wrist. Xander and Willow stood up together.

Buffy said to them, “I need one of you to get to my mom’s gallery as fast as you can and keep her from coming home.”

With wide eyes, Willow asked, “Why, Buffy?”

“Adam is on his way here, and if I‘m going to defeat him, I can‘t be worried about her getting hurt.”

Anya got up from the couch and with a little shiver of fear, held her hand out to Xander. “Give me the keys to the car. I’ll need directions, but if that creature is on its way here, I want to be far away. I’ll stay with Buffy’s mom.”

Giles hung up the phone and joined them again. “Adam broke into the college offices and downloaded all of Buffy’s information from their computers. He’s already damaged the dorm room, looking for you. Riley thinks there is a chance that Adam is now on his way here. The Initiative has begun mobilizing units to search for him.”

“Willow, please call my mom and ask her to wait for Anya to get there.”

When Buffy opened the weapons chest in the corner, Spike came up beside her and grabbed a sturdy axe.

“Give me that,” Xander narrowed his eyes as he snatched the axe. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Spike yanked it back out of his hands. “What does it look like I’m doing, you git? I’m arming myself.”

While Xander rummaged in the box for something for himself, Spike turned to Buffy. “I’m as strong, if not stronger than you are, but you say that Adam is stronger?”

“You are not stronger than me,” she said peevishly, with her good hand on her hip.

“Focus here, Slayer.”

“Yes, he’s very strong. A lot stronger than you or me.”

Spike turned his back on her and walked into the kitchen. A small yellow light cast a weak glow over the stove, but he didn’t bother to turn on the bigger lights.

He paced.

If what she said was true, their fighting back was probably fruitless. Especially with a slayer who was not at full strength. They had to find a way to fight Adam with the same level of strength that would be coming at them.

Adam was indestructible.

“That’s it!” Spike shouted and walked back to the living room. “Slayer! Can I talk to you alone for a minute?”

“We’ve no time for your games, Spike,” Giles said absently as he polished a sword.

“Come here,” Spike said with a jerky hand motion, trying to convey how serious he was with his eyes.

She stared at him with her head tilted, glanced around at the others who were busy preparing, and walked towards him. Xander stopped what he was doing and followed them into the kitchen.

“This does not concern you, boy,” Spike said with a growl. “Go back to the other room.”

Xander leaned against the wall and folded his arms across his wide chest. “I’m not leaving you alone with Buffy.”

When the Slayer rolled her eyes heavenward, Spike had the sudden urge to kiss her. Buffy turned to her friend and pointed behind him. “Go.”

Once Xander was out of the room, he took her by the elbow and guided her to the farthest wall away from the living room.

He started to speak, but stopped, then tried again, only to get tripped up on his words. Instead, he looked away, setting his axe on the counter.

Buffy set her sword down next his weapon and focused on him again with narrowed eyes. “Spike, I don’t have all night. There’s a big freak of a monster on its way over here to kill me.”

“I know,” he said, frustrated with himself. “Look, I want to strike a bargain with you. We’ve done it before and saved the world, haven’t we?”

“Yes.” She drew out the word in her impatience. “What kind of bargain?

“I’ll kill Adam for you, but you’ve got to do one thing for me first.”

“I don’t need you to fight my battle for me.”

She gasped when he roughly grabbed her wrist. “Oh, really?” he said and winced as his head started to ache. “Seems that you might.”

Gingerly holding her wrist, she asked him, “What do you want me to do?”

“The gem. Give me the Gem of Amara.”

Buffy backed away from him, with a murderous gleam in her eye. “That’s never gonna happen, so you can just forget it.” She turned and walked away, adding, “You’re wasting my time.”

Spike rushed around her and blocked her way. “Hear me out.” He held her by her shoulders and they stared at each other in silence, locked in an uncomfortable connection.

“Buffy!” Giles called from the other room.

“Just a minute, Giles,” she yelled back, knocking Spike’s hands away, but not trying to go around him.

“With the gem, I’d be more indestructible than Adam. He could toss me around and I’d just get right back up. No broken bones for me.”

“No.”

“So, you’re just going to let that thing kill you?”

“Why do you care? You’ve been trying to kill me for years. I’d think you’d be glad if I was dead.”

He sputtered. “Yeah, but…” He let out a breath and threw his hands up. He could stand there and try to come up with lies, or he could tell her the truth. “Look. I don’t want you dead. Not anymore.”

“What?” There was fear in her eyes again. This time, it wasn’t for her life, but it was just as real. There was something between them, and it might have been brought on by spells, but they weren’t under one now. He didn’t want to say it and she didn’t want to hear it. She'd asked why he cared, though.


Then, he chickened out. “Just get me that Gem. I promise to help you defeat Adam.”

“And then what?” she asked. “I’d have you to deal with, and I’d be defending myself and the people I care about against an indestructible you.” He glared at her, but said nothing. “You say you don’t want me dead, but you’re evil. You…you’re probably just saying that so I give you the gem.” She pointed at him. “That’s it! Isn’t it?” She latched on to that possibility like a pit bull.

“You are so infuriating!”

“And then, after you have the gem, no one could stop you from killing. You could go on a feeding frenzy and there’d be nothing I could do about it as bodies started pilling up.”

“I don’t need to feed when I have the Gem on my finger,” he told her matter of factly.

She scowled him, saying in a low voice, “Now I know you are lying.”

Spike shook his head. “I’d have no reason to lie about something like that. It’s the truth. The minute I put that ring on my finger, I felt comfortably full and the feeling didn’t go away until I woke up without it on.”

“Ha! You drained Parker.” When his eyes got big at being caught, she continued, “Yeah, I knew it was you. I don’t know why you did it, but I knew it. You had the ring then.”

Spike glanced around nervously, hoping no one was eavesdropping. “I didn’t kill Parker for a feed. I came across him and his mates talking about you. The things he was saying brassed me off.”

In a sad but determined tone, she told him, “And that’s exactly why I can’t let you get your hands on that Gem. You are evil and whether you need to feed or not, you will still kill.”

She started to walk away again, but his words stopped her.

“I don’t know how you did it, Buffy. But somehow, you’ve gotten under my skin. I don’t like it, but there’s not much I can do about it. I don’t want you dead, and I’m willing to do anything in my power to make sure you stay alive.”

She turned to look at him with eyes wide and mouth parted in shock.

“Buffy!” Willow screeched. “Adam’s coming down the block. Right now!”

She picked up her sword and headed for the front door. He grabbed his axe and ran after her.

Not caring that the others were watching, he gripped her arm and swung her to face him. “The gem.”

“No,” she said, opening the front door.

“Why?”

Her stern face softened for a split second and then her frown was back. “I don’t trust you, but if you want to help, then fight with us. If you don’t, stay out of my way.”

As she marched down the walk, the others brushed past him, giving him a curious look. He sniffed defiantly and sneered at them all, before running to catch up with them.

Spike had a very bad feeling about this. He asked himself what he was doing. Just three weeks ago, he was planning the Slayer’s death and now he was guarding the rear of her little posse and doing what he could to help save her life.

He got a glimpse of the monster they were going to fight. He was large and grotesque. Adam lumbered towards them with his murderous eyes on the Slayer. Yet, Buffy marched towards him without hesitation.

Spike gripped his axe tighter and felt the wave of anticipation that always took hold before a good fight. He’d come up against Buffy enough times to know that she was feeling the same thing. It was one of the reason he respected her as much as he did. She liked a good fight as much as Spike did. It was like they were carved from the same stone.

He didn’t know much, but he did know that he was well and truly buggered.




 
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