A/N Betad by Carol and dawnofme.



Banner by dawnofme




Chapter Nineteen



Temptation?



Xander followed a furiously stomping Buffy out to Giles’ car. When she got in the driver’s seat, he hesitated before opening the passenger door. He bent down and looked at her.


“Erm, Buff, do you want me to drive?” he asked, hopefully.


It wasn’t that Buffy wasn’t a very good driver - she was downright dangerous, and that was when she was calm. She glared at him and uttered just one word.


“In.”


“Oh, OK,” said Xander, as he gingerly lowered himself into the car. “There are easier ways for her to kill me, I suppose.”


Buffy sped off, wheels spinning. Xander resisted the urge to hold onto the door handle for dear life. The car careened along the roads, accompanied by much hooting of the cars forced to swerve out of the way.


“Christ, perhaps she is wanting to kill me after all?”


He let out a deep breath when the car screeched to a halt at their destination.


“Come on,” snapped Buffy, getting out of the car and marching towards the entrance of the building.


“Buffy, I thought we were coming to get Spike some blood? So why are we at the hospital?” asked Xander


Buffy stopped and turned round, managing somehow to look down on Xander despite him being more than a foot taller than she was. It was a skill she used only when she was majorly pissed off.


“We are getting Spike some blood. He’s been starved for over a year. If he doesn’t feed properly soon, he will never recover to full strength, so I am getting him the best that we can, OK?”


“But…er…look, don’t freak, but stealing it from a hospital…I mean…that’s pretty low, Buff. What if some kid dies ‘cause we took the blood?”


“God, Xander, you really don’t think I’m rational about Spike, do you? Of course I’m not going to steal blood! I’m going to kidnap a coma victim and feed him to Spike,” stated Buffy.


Xander stopped dead.


“You’re what?” he screamed.


“Just making with the fun Xander, you dope!” said Buffy, starting to laugh. “Your face…”


She put her hands on her knees as she started to wheeze; she was laughing so hard. Xander joined in, not quite so enthusiastically, though, as he had believed her for a second.


“So why are we here?” he asked.


“Vamp I dusted a couple of weeks ago was eating a bag of blood from here, but it had expired stamped all over it; so figured the blood must have a shelf life after which it can’t be used. I’m just going to relieve them of that, OK? It’s got to do him more good than pig’s blood, I mean it is his natural food stuff,” said Buffy, adding, “If you say one word about him getting a taste for human blood, I’ll hit you.” When she saw that Xander was thinking the same as clearly as if he’d spoken them. “He’s good now Xander, he really is.”


“Um…so where’d we find the storeroom?” he asked, changing the subject. Spike was a vampire - he was undead and didn’t have a soul like Angel, so how could he possibly remain good?


“It’s in the basement,” said Buffy, and the pair of them walked in to the hospital.


Not long afterwards, they re-emerged, the knapsack Buffy had taken in with her bulging with bags of useless blood. To Xander’s relief, Buffy tossed him the keys to the car, walked to the passenger side and got in.


“Oh, thank God,” muttered Xander as he climbed in behind the wheel.


Ooooooo


Spike had guzzled all the blood contained in the cooler but was still in desperate need for more. He craved blood like an addict craved drugs. He sat with his back leaning against the wall, legs stretched out in front of him. He was a worried man - he knew that if this intense hunger wasn’t sated that he really would be the ticking bomb Giles already thought he was. Any creature in peril of its life will do anything to save itself. Survivors have eaten the victims of a plane crash rather than starve. For a vampire just to kill the next person within reach to ensure it was restored was a very small step to take.


“God, where was she?”


He heard footsteps and looked up hopefully.


“Oh, Niblet, you OK?” he said.


“Yeah, I’m all right. I guess,” replied Dawn.


“Er…look about before…I…” started Spike.


“It’s OK, I get it,” she offered. “It’d help make you better - so you took it,” she said, sitting down next to him.


“Look, I really don’t want to talk about it, Niblet,” replied Spike, shifting slightly so he was further away, and focusing hard on trying not to notice how he was so tuned in he could hear her heart beating.


“But you need more, don’t you? That’s why Buffy’s gone to get some. Will pig’s blood make you better?”


“Bloody hell, Dawn! Can we just drop this?”


“Will pig’s blood make you better?” she insisted, reminding him of how her older sister had been earlier.


When he didn’t reply, she inched a bit closer.


“It won’t be so good for you as human blood, will it?”


“No, it’s not so good, but as long as I get enough, it will do the job, OK.” He stood up and walked as far as his chains allowed.


“Do you want some of mine?” she asked. “The monks said I was made from the Slayer, so my blood should be as good as Buffy’s.”


“Sodding hell!” hissed Spike. “What are you on? Did you not hear what I said earlier?” He looked to the side of the room that led round to the others. “Did Giles put you up for this? Let’s test old Spike, see what a bad vampire he really is?”


“No! Of course not! I just want to help you. You’ve looked after me, now I can look after you.” Standing, she put her wrist up to Spike’s face. “There’s no need for them to know.”


For Spike the temptation was almost too much - warm blood just under his nose. He could smell it; hell, he could just about taste it. With a roar he pushed her away.


“Sod off, Niblet. No more snacks for Spike.”


She staggered back a couple of paces, looking at him with tears in her eyes.


“I just thought…” she began.


“No, Niblet, you didn’t think and that’s the problem,” said Spike, a bit more gently. He hated to see her tears, but if he hadn’t had at least a little blood… “Now just push off, all right?”


She turned and ran back round to the others. As Spike watched her go his features briefly changed into his vampiric ones before he regained control. With a low growl, he changed them back again just as Willow walked into view.


“What did you do to Dawn?” she asked sharply.


“Nothing,” said Spike, but he didn’t meet her eye.


“Spike? What went on?” asked Willow.


“I didn’t do anything, all right? She offered her blood; I said no, and she didn’t like it,” said Spike, finally meeting Willow’s eye. “If you didn’t believe me when I said I’m not going to feed off you, just bleeding tell me. Don’t send Dawn around as a bloody honey trap.”


“No one asked her to come, Spike, she just did it.”


“Oh,” said Spike.


“Were you tempted? Honestly?”


“You’re not going to drop this, are you? What do you want to hear? That right now I’m so bloody hungry for blood that I can hear the hearts of the others beating even in the next room? That I can literally smell yours as it courses through your veins? Well that’s what it’s like, OK? It’ll fade when I get a proper feed; but yeah, I was tempted, bloody tempted, but I didn’t touch her,” said Spike, anger flashing in his eyes.


“If it’s that bad for you right now and you still resisted, I reckon we’re safe, don’t you?” she said softly. “Want some hot chocolate to put you on until Buffy gets back with the blood? No marshmallows though.”


“Thanks Red, that’d be good.”


She’d turned and went to get him his drink. She’d seen his vampiric features show when he’d sent Dawn away. She felt she understood a little more what he was feeling. He’d admitted the temptation was there and the demon had shown its face. She realised just how close he probably had come to taking Dawn. He’d fought it and didn’t give in, but she planned on watching him very carefully. She decided to see if there were any spells she could use.


Ooooooo


Buffy and Xander returned from their mission to get Spike’s blood to find Giles, Willow and Dawn all silently sitting around the fireplace, surrounded by an atmosphere that you could cut with a knife.


Willow had had ‘words’ with Dawn about offering her blood to Spike. Giles, when he heard that, went into overdrive once again saying what a risk it was having Spike here. He and Willow ended up arguing when she pointed out that Spike had actually not taken a chunk out of Dawn despite her offer.


“Hey guys,” said Xander, and got a couple of muffled ‘hey’s’ in return.


Buffy started to say something, then Willow caught her eye and she stopped. Her friend would fill her in later.


“I’ll take Spike his blood,” she said, quietly, and walked to where he was chained.


He was sitting on the floor, twiddling with an empty mug and looking pretty miserable.


“You OK?” asked Buffy, sitting down next to him, putting the bulging knapsack down on the floor in front of them.


“Mm,” said Spike, still playing with the mug, eyes focussed on it.


She decided not to press for answers just yet.


“Here,” she said, opening the knapsack and pulling a couple of bags of blood out of it. “Will this do for you?”


As soon as he saw the blood, his face vamped up and he gave out a growl as he took it from her. Within seconds he’d drained both bags. He gritted his teeth and shook his head, features returning to normal as he did.


“Sorry, pet, just…um…bit desperate for it. But human blood?” He looked at her quizzically, raising an eyebrow.


“Yes, figured it’d get you back to normal quicker than pig’s blood and now I know how to get a supply that’s not putting lives in danger by taking it. It’s expired blood from the hospital. It’s still good enough to eat, isn’t it?


“Oh yeah. It’s bloody ambrosia; that’s what it is. Thanks, pet.” He reached over and kissed her cheek. “Now do you mind leaving me be while I drink some more?”


“What? I don’t mind seeing you take it,” said Buffy, then she saw the look in his eyes. He didn’t want her to watch him. “OK, no problem. I’ll go back round to be with the ‘happy’ people.” She pulled a face at him and walked away.


Once she was out of sight, Spike pulled the knapsack closer to him and started to drink more of the blood, his features demonic and his slurps accompanied by low growls. He ate in a feeding frenzy akin to a shark’s, barely finishing one bag as the next was opened. After emptying two thirds of the bags Buffy had brought for him, he stopped. His face relaxed into his human one. He wiped the blood off his chin with his hand and then licked it off. He gave a big sigh as he felt the raw hunger within him was sated - he felt back in control of the demon within.


He leant back, closed his eyes and within seconds, he was asleep.


Ooooooo


He felt the blade cut into his shoulder and woke up screaming. Buffy was there in an instant.


“Spike? Are you all right?”


He was on his feet, looking around wildly, shallow panicky unnecessary breaths rasping harshly, holding his right arm.


“Spike,” she repeated.


He looked at her.


“Oh, Christ. Buffy,” he gasped. “It was a dream, thank God.” He let his left hand fall away from his right arm.


“What did you dream?” asked Buffy, gently.


“Um…er…I was back on the operating table…” He didn’t need to finish his sentence.


She wrapped her arms around him. He clung to her, desperate for comfort; for a kind touch. She held him, stroking his back, not speaking until she felt him relax.


“I won’t let anything else happen to you ever again, I promise,” she whispered in his ear.


He tightened his grip on her when she said those words, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. He loved her so much. He took a couple of calming deep breaths, sniffed, then let go of her and kissed her softly. He visibly pulled himself together.


“Er, sorry ‘bout that pet. Bloody dream and it’s got me all skittish.”


“Bloody nightmare more like,” said Buffy in a very bad English accent, making him smile weakly at her. “Not surprising, though, after what you’ve been through. Perhaps Willow could do a spell…?”


“No,” said Spike sharply.


“But it might help you.”


“No love, been messed with enough. I’ll be fine,” he said firmly.


“OK,” replied Buffy. “What happened earlier after I’d gone?”


“Nothing.”


“Aw, come on, atmosphere much?”


“Yeah, but I’ll leave it to Red to tell you; she did most of the talking,” said Spike, the look on his face telling Buffy he wouldn’t say anything further.


“So, how’re you feeling now?”


He looked down at the mess of empty bags strewn on the floor and felt embarrassed at the amount there.


“A lot better, pet. It being human really helps. Thanks, Buffy.”


“How’s the rib?”


“Good. It’ll be mended in a couple of days. The healing gets quicker the better I feed,” replied Spike.


“Well, if you’re all right, I’m going to go and do a quick patrol - see if there’s any word out there of anything going on at The Initiative.”


“I’ll come with you,” said Spike.


“No. We can’t guarantee you Lorac bug free until the morning and you’re still recovering. It’s OK, I’ll take Xander with me.” She kissed him on the lips briefly and left.


“Be careful,” he called out after her, frustrated at not being able to go with her.


To be continued…