Fighting For Love
Chapter 10
Pairings: Riley/Buffy; Spike/Buffy
Challenge Requirements at the end
Chapter 10
After the operation, Buffy spent 2 weeks with her mother and her nights were still filled with dreams of Spike and Angelus with no ending. She always awoke not knowing what Angelus protected her from.
One night, while still at her mother’s house, Spike showed up. Joyce invited him in and made him a cup of hot chocolate. They sat at the counter in comfortable silence while Spike took his first sips of the hot liquid and let it warm his throat and body.
"So, how are you feeling, post-operation, Joyce,” Spike asked concerned about the older Summers female’s health.
"Never been better, Spike. With Buffy helping I feel well-rested and even been back to work for a few days,” Joyce told him with a smile.
Spike smiled back. “That’s good to hear Joyce. So how’s work been, then?”
Joyce lit up when he asked about her work. He told her of what he’d seen over the years and she and Spike discussed history and artifacts. They were discussing the antiques her art gallery exhibited when Buffy came in.
“. . . So they thought that it was another order form, so now I’ve got two shipments of Greek amphorae on my hands!” Joyce was saying, laughing.
Spike laughed with her. “That’s funny. And really, how many do you need, amphorae?”
They both laughed more as Buffy went to the fridge to get a bottle of water. Spike’s presence made her skin sizzle. Having him in her house unsettled her nerves. The fact that he was close enough to touch and not in her dreams overwhelmed her senses. Her nipples unconsciously got hard with the idea of him and she had to look away from him at her mother.
Joyce was still giggling. “Oh, Buffy. Spike just came for a visit.
"So I see. What were you discussing?” Buffy asked.
“Oh, well, I got to talking about the gallery. See, there was this –“ Joyce started the story again.
Spike pulled away and shook his head, smiling. “Oh, don’t get us all laughing again, Joyce. Anyhow, I really need to talk to your daughter.”
Buffy looked at Spike in askance. “What about?”
Spike jumped down from the counter and walked past Buffy into the hallway. She turned to follow him, looking suspicious.
“You know I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have a good reason. I want to help you, Buffy.” Spike said, the love he had for her evident in his clear, blue eyes.
Buffy waited for him to go on. Her heart beat like a drum when he was this near to her. Her flesh sang for his touch, and not just in a healing manner. Her eyes moved to his strong hands, his long fingers that had been so kind and caring to her during the nights that he offered his crypt as a refuge to her after Riley took his frustrations out on her.
Spike looked into her green eyes, his voice dropped down to an intense inflection. “I want to show you something.”
Buffy realized he was serious. “What is it, Spike?”
Spike tilted his head. “You need to see this.”
Buffy sighed. She didn’t want to play games. She had to do that with Riley. She didn’t want to with Spike.
Spike understood her look. “We need to move if we want to get there in time, love.”
Buffy nodded and followed him out of the house. He led her across town, through an alley, up to the warehouse he had seen Riley enter many times over the last few weeks. Buffy looked confused as Spike opened the door for her.
They entered the warehouse and saw a bunch of patrons being sucked by vampires. The warehouse was old and abandoned with random trash, old bathtubs, and squatters’ necessities all around the building. Buffy stared at the squalor in dismay.
Spike leaned closer to her ear. “Don’t stop, Slayer. This isn’t what we’re here for.”
There were two large male vampires overseeing things. One of them was depositing money into his vest pocket. Buffy looked around with a frown, she looked back at Spike. He nodded toward a staircase. They approach the stairs and start climbing them. One of the male vampires grabbed Spike and spun him around.
“What do you think you’re doing?” growled one of the vampires.
“Just having a look, mate. Keep it down,” Spike hissed.
Spike turned away but the vampire stopped him again. “You can’t go up there.”
Spike grabbed the vampire by the throat and shoved him to the floor and growled, “I said keep it down.”
Buffy watched Spike confront the vampire from halfway up the stairs. She was ready to jump over the banister to help him if the big vampire didn’t back down.
Spike turned, gave her a reassuring smile as he adjusted his jacket, and they headed up the stairs. The second level was just as messy as the first. Spike led Buffy through the mess to a slightly open door. She looked suspiciously at him, wondering what he wanted her to see. She walked through the door and discovered Riley, sitting bare-chested on a mattress on the floor. A female vampire was sitting on his lap, drinking from his arm. Riley didn’t notice Buffy. “Harder,” Riley commanded and the vampire continued to suck.
Buffy gasped in horror and moved until her back pressed up against Spike’s front. Spike gripped her shoulders to let her know he was there with her. She couldn’t believe this. Riley was accusing her of the things he was doing.
Just then Riley looked up to see her standing in the doorway. The vampire continued to feed from Riley. Riley stared at Buffy and gulped, “Buffy!”
She moved back into Spike’s body. It wasn’t so much Spike’s presence as to get away from the sight of Riley with a vampire attached to his arm after all he’d said to her. She covered her mouth and ran out.
Spike smirked. Serves the bastard right. He knew Captain Cardboard wouldn’t keep his slayer for long. “We only came here because we care about you, friend.” Spike watched as Riley shoved the vampire aside and rose to his feet. “You need help.” Spike smirked and walked out.
Buffy ran down the stairs. The second male vampire handed something to the first vampire and moved to intercept Buffy. “Hey, hey, hey.” He stepped in front of her but she gave him a shove and he flew backward, hitting the wall as Buffy left.
Spike flew down the stairs a few steps behind Buffy. The second male vampire growled as Spike passed him.
Buffy paused at the bottom of the stairs. She looked shell-shocked. How could Riley do this and accuse her with his charges over the last few weeks? Buffy just wanted to cry. She couldn’t though, not now.
Spike burst out of the same door, passed her on the stairs and turned back. “I thought you should know –“
Buffy lifted her head and gave him a pained look. Spike looked startled. She ran past him and away, down the alley and out into the night.
Spike was disappointed. He walked home thinking about her. He worried about her frame of mind after all that had happened to her. He hated that she was out there alone. All he wanted to do was hold her, comfort her, and be close to her.
Spike entered his bedroom from the sewers. He heard her sniffles before he saw her under his rumpled covers. He couldn’t believe that she was here. When she ran, she ran to his crypt. His insides fluttered at the idea that she thought this was a safe haven for her. She ran to him first. He smiled to himself, and then straightened his face in concern.
Spike move to the bed and sat near the shuddering form. He smoothed her hair out of Buffy’s eyes. He leaned over and kissed her temple. Angelus was right in one thing; Buffy was so beautiful when she slept. She still trembled under the covers though.
Spike couldn’t take it any more. He hated to see Buffy suffer. He lay down next to her on top of the covers. He gathered her in his arms and rested her head on his shoulder. She settled down in his arms and slept more quietly. He kissed the top of her head, sensing Angelus watching from the shadows.
Spike grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels and sat in his armchair. He pulled out the cork, sighed, and lifted the bottle to take a swig. It was a perfect night last night. Buffy slept in his arms. He smiled with the thought that his touch had the ability to bring so much out of her: anxiety, nervousness, tenseness, and jittery butterflies in her stomach, peace, and arousal. The door burst open, bringing him out of his reverie and Riley entered.
Spike smirked. “What took you?” He put the cork back in and set the bottle aside. “Guess it takes a while to get back to full strength after those bites.”
Riley grabbed Spike by the shirt and pulled him up out of the chair.
Spike growled a bit, “Hey! Hey, let’s be reasonable about this.”
Riley slammed Spike against a pillar. “You may have noticed, SPIKE . . . ” Riley punched Spike in the face. “I left reasonable about three exits back.”
Spike was getting agitated. Damn Soldier Boy was the one that fucked up and he was blaming Spike for getting caught. “Look, damn it, I’m not the one who got you into this. Don’t kill the messenger.”
Riley scowled. He pulled back his arm and plunged the stake into Spike’s chest and held it there. “Why the hell not?”
Spike gasped, “Ow! Bloody hell! Oh God! Hey.” Spike looked down at his chest, realizing he hadn’t been dusted yet. Riley yanked the stake out. Spike grabbed his chest in pain, and stared at the stake.
“Plastic wood-grain. Looks real, doesn’t it?” Riley asked, grabbing Spike’s shirt again. “Don’t think I don’t know what’s going on with you, Spike.” They glared at each other. “Stay away from her. Or we’ll do this for real next time,” Riley warned, patting Spike on the cheek and walking away.
Spike leaned against the pillar panting. He still clutched his chest, but started to chuckle. Riley turned back to glare at him. Spike continued to chuckle, “Oh, man. You’re really under it, aren’t you?”
Riley was getting more irate by the minute and ground out, “What?”
Spike smirked, still holding his chest. “Look at you. All afraid I’m hot for your honey.”
Riley walked back toward Spike. “Because you are.”
Spike nodded his head. “Well . . . yeah. But that’s not your problem. Even if I wasn’t in the picture, you’re never gonna be able to hold onto her.”
Riley put his hand over Spike’s hand that was covering the wound. He pushed his hand deeper into it.
Spike cried out, “Ow, bloody hell!”
Riley was annoyed. The damn vampire thought he had a chance in hell of getting Buffy. “Maybe I didn’t almost kill you enough.”
“Come on. She needs pure strength behind her, and that’s not what you have,” Spike said painfully.
Riley growled, “Shut up.”
Spike continued, “You know it. Or else you wouldn’t be getting suck jobs from two-bit vampire trulls.”
Riley ground his teeth together and let go of Spike. Spike continued to pant. “The girl needs some monster in her man . . . not a science-enhanced brute . . . “ He pushed away from the pillar, still holding his chest, and went to sit in his chair. “ . . . and you can’t get her the way you’re going.”
Spike sat back with a grimace of pain as Riley paced around restlessly. Spike reached for his bottle and began to remove the cork again. Damn bloke thought he could keep his Slayer. Soldier Boy would be dead sooner or later. If the past weeks were any indication of what he could do, it could only get worse. Soldier Boy was going to get his soon.
“You actually think you’ve got a shot with her?” Riley asked with disdain. It would be a cold day in Hell before he’d let the cold hand of the dead, evil thing before him touch Buffy.
Spike pursed his lips, “No, I don’t. She deserves better than either you or I can give her.” He removed the cork and drank. “Fella’s gotta try, though. Gotta do what he can.”
Riley growled, “If you touched her . . . you know I’d kill you for real. You and Angel won’t have what’s mine, Spike.”
Spike didn’t even flinch at the threat; he looked up at Riley was the chair, “If I had this chip out of my head, I’d have killed you long ago.” Spike replaced the cork and tossed the bottle to Riley, who caught it and removed the cork again. Riley sat on a nearby sarcophagus and took a sip.
Spike glared at the man across from him. A man that had caused so much pain to his Buffy. He wanted to rip Riley’s lungs out. In his early days before the chip, he would’ve done it without a second thought. Spike cocked his head at Riley and whispered, “Sometimes, I envy the men that got to be with her so much that it chokes me. Angel, that boy before you.” They changed a look. “And sometimes I think I got the better deal. You are so close to her and you still can’t touch her, no matter how much you attack her. You’re all alone even when you’re holding her. You’re able to feel her beneath you, surrounding you. Her scent…” Spike thought of the nights he spent with her in his arms while she recovered from the fists of the barbarian before him. “No, you got the better deal, and you’re punishing her for where her heart leads her. She’s the Slayer, she’s pure strength and beauty and you’re just wearing her down. She needs her strength to fight demons, not your monstrous strength brought on by chemicals.”
Riley looked over at Spike and took another drink. Riley grew bitter, “I’m the lucky guy, huh?” He shook his head. “Yeah. I won’t let you or Angel have her. She’s mine!” Riley tossed the bottle back to Spike.
“No, she’s not yours. She’ll never be yours.” She belongs to the Aurealian line. Angel/us started the circle. Buffy killed the master. But it will be me who claims her. Angelus will break her free of the maniacal Soldier Boy. My love will set her free. Spike smiled at the thought of the love for him that he sensed inside her last night while she slept in his arms.
Spike took another swig as Riley left. “You’ll get yours in the end, Finn.” Spike grumbled before heading down to the lower level of his crypt to read the files on Finn that he’d stolen from the Initiative.