Relentless Revenge ((COMPLETE))

Title: Relentless Revenge, Chapter 13 – Now complete
Author: MadRog@ev1.net
Distribution: Would love it! Just let me know where…

****Author’s Notes: Thanks again to Isis for beta-ing the chapter for me. I can’t begin to tell you how much it has helped!!


Chapter 13: What Next?

Ignoring Spike’s struggles, the psychic git Father had sent in to try to read the vampire stepped back and rubbed his pale, thin hands together. Spike thrashed against his restraints, trying desperately to free himself but also snarked, “Get the hell away from me, you crazy bugger. Isn’t there someone’s palm that needs to be read? I’m sure a poodle needs to tell a tale of woe to its owner.” Or that would have been what the psychic would have heard if Spike could get his gag out.

Seemingly mesmerized at the site of his own hands moving rapidly against each other, the psychic paid no attention to the vampire’s vain efforts to put distance between them.

Spike was unnerved by the bloke’s ability to focus so intensely but the vamp became even more wigged out when he could actually feel the heat from the friction caused by the ponce’s hands from two feet away. When the psychic stepped up again close to Spike’s side and lowered his hands a scant inch from the vampire’s chest, Spike was shocked at the intense stillness, and then after a brief moment, he felt more heat. It was the heat that increased, radiating from the man’s hands that finally brought a temporary halt to Spike’s thrashing.

After a moment, the psychic’s face changed expression from inquisitive to amazement as the heat spread through out Spike’s chest. “You aren’t just one, vampire. There are two inside that dead shell, a demon and a man. The demon is full of anger, but the man is gentle by nature. Each is sharply contrasted by the other , but they have established their own balance. A tenuous peace of sorts.”

Behind him, Spike heard the door open but took little notice; instead staying focused on the git with the heat lamp hands.
The psychic also ignored the newcomer and continued with his observation, “The two of you coexist, not really in peace but within the framework of a precarious working relationship. The man in you wants…”

In a split second, Spike a fist flew into the vampire’s view, connecting with the psychic’s head. The new bloke knocked the nancy boy out in one, hard, well placed punch and then stood over him, shaking his head. With laughter evident in his voice, the pint sized Lennox Lewis spoke his first words. “You’d think the jerk could recognize a bumpy, fanged faced vamp when he saw one.”

Standing in the psychic’s place, Spike was now looking up from the table he was still strapped to at a short man, barely over five feet tall, wearing a white lab coat. The man just smiled, going to work forcibly yanking off Spike’s monitors and tubes and disgustedly tossing the bag of blood and its pump across the room. As blood splattered on the pristine walls, the strange little man leaned in, pulled off Spike’s gag, and planted a kiss square on the lips of an astonished vampire. “Ya know, Spike, this is taking the whole bagged blood concept a little too far.”

‘Pillock must have a death wish,’ Spike thought while spitting with disgust. But before Spike had a chance to recover, the git was kissing him again. Spike tried to wrench his mouth free, but the pushy bugger succeeded in shoving his tongue in past Spike’s lips. The kiss only stopped when Spike vamped out and the perv cut his tongue on one of his sharp canines.

The fellow pulled back a few inches but showed no fear. Instead the bloke just smiled, “What’s a matter, fang face? Not happy to see me?” That was when Spike noticed the hazel eyes. They were not the eyes of some stranger. Spike recognized those beautiful eyes shining down at him, “Buffy?”

Having finished untying the rest of his restraints, the short guy headed for the door while Spike struggled to sit up and stare with his mouth gaping open. “Buffy?” Now his keen sense of smell kicked in, telling him that it was indeed the slayer, but he was still looking at a male he had never seen before.

Stopping with a hand on the door handle, his rescuer looked back at him and gave him a sly wink. “Didn’t I mention I was really a man? My bad.” Then the man rolled his hazel eyes in a distinctly Buffy-like mannerism. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours, but later. Get a move on, Blood Breath. The gang is waiting, and Dawn is a basket case already with worry for you.”

Like a man sleep walking, Spike moved stiffly towards the door while Buffy poked her head out the door and then stepped out into the hall, motioning for Spike to follow. When Spike stepped out, he wasn’t overly surprised to see Xander standing over the body of an unconscious guard. In fact, Spike thought he was just all surprised out for the night.

“Hey, walking undead. Glad that was the right room and not the bad guy lounge. Buff, we need to get outta here. This whole Butch-Buffy deal is way freaking me out.” With that, Xander led the way with Spike following behind and Buffy watching their backs. The trio made their way quickly to an exit that was being guarded by Willow.

Before Spike could get a grip on the swiftly changing situation, the little group had made it out of the building and through a fairly large grove of trees. Images flashed by Spike as he ran, but his mind didn’t have time to process them. What the bloody hell was going on? As they had run out of the building, they were passed by heavily armed commandoes dressed in all black swarming in and around the research facility.

As they cleared the trees, Spike first saw Dawn pacing beside a dark green van. Giles and Anya stepped out of the vehicle to greet Spike when Dawn shouted with glee, hugging the beloved vamp. Well, people probably heard her all the way to London.

Buffy laughed at the pair but addressed the Watcher, “Giles, I think you can undo the spell now. Spike is so not taking my new look very well at all. Go figure.”

Before Giles could fulfill the request, Spike came out of his shock induced stupor “How the hell did you guys get into that lab and who were those soldier boys going in?” In fact, he was starting to warm up in temperament, if not temperature. “And why the friggin’ hell aren’t we inside instead of out here. I can’t very well cut Father’s head off and smash his skull all over that obnoxious, white cell from all the way out here, now can I?”

Stepping past Buffy, Giles cleared his throat to answer the irate vamp as calmly as he could, “Well, I believe I can answer those questions for you. I placed a spell on Buffy that allowed her to walk in the front door unrecognized. You see, we suspected that they were looking for her so we went with a disguise. Once inside, she was to make her way to a designated exit to let in Xander and Willow. As Willow watched the exit, Xander and Buffy were to locate you and facilitate your escape. I assume all went as planned. As to your second question, those men dressed in black you saw going into the lab work for the Council and will subsequently take care of Father for us. No head smashing necessary this time, I’m afraid.”

Willow applauded quietly, “A plan that worked perfectly. Way cool!”

Also proud of the plan, Xander put his arm around Willow, squeezing and smiling, “Wow, that maybe a first for us.”

Catching everyone’s attention, the small man punched Giles lightly in the arm, “Great plan, but Giles, the spell already. I don’t want to get stuck in this and end up all permanently boy toyish.”

“Oh, right, of course. My apologies, Buffy.” Giles mumbled a few words and the man melted away, shifting into a very recognizable Buffy. Spike felt relief rush through his body and then euphoria at at the sight of his slayer until the reality of the possible dangers in the Scoobies’ plan sunk in. “Bloody Hell, Slayer. What were you thinking? ‘The plan worked!?’ What rubbish! It was a trap, you silly bint, and you walked right into it. Watcher, you’re just as bloody bad. You helped her walk right into it. And why is…”

Touched by his concern, Buffy smiled up at her lover,. Typical S, no, not worried about his own escape but about her safety. Buffy laid a hand on his forearm to try to gain his attention. “Spike, I love you, too.”

Not paying attention, Spike ranted on, “…you feather brained bird, you could have gotten not only yourself killed but also the Nibblet, Red…Huh?”

“I said, ‘Spike, I love you, too.’ Isn’t that why you are wiggin out right now? Because you love me and were scared for me? Message received but couldn’t you just kiss me instead?”
Working his jaw a couple of times, Spike couldn’t think of anything to say so he took her up on her suggestion. Their kiss left everyone slightly embarrassed, like they were peeping into someone’s bedroom window during a particularly private moment. When they finally broke apart, Spike said the only words that his scrambled brain could think of, “I love you, Buffy”
“Spike, I … “

Recovering fast, Spike stopped her. “No, no wait.” Turning her around to face away from him and placing his hands on her shoulders, Spike moved her over to stand in front of Dawn. “First tell Lil Bit.”

“I love Spike.” Buffy would have been mad, but he was grinning like an idiot. A very cute idiot.

Dawn rolled her eyes up dramatically, “Duh! Like you were the last to figure it out, sis. Well, except for Xander, of course.”

Next the cocky vampire guided her over to stand in front of Giles, “Now, Slayer, tell your Watcher.”

Buffy would have preferred to have told Giles over a not so face-to-face phone call, but she settled for giving him an ‘I’m sorry look.’ “I love Spike.”

Shaking his head slightly, Giles knew she was more nervous than he was unsettled so refrained from polishing his glasses. “Sorry to disappoint you two, but I have to agree with Dawn. To be perfectly honest, I’ve had my suspicions for a while now.”

Now it was Buffy’s turn to roll her eyes as Spike guided her over to stand in front of Xander. “I love Spike.”
Xander took it surprisingly well. “Ugh, I forgot to snag one of those barf bags from the plane, and I’m tying to keep my cookies down.” However, Xander’s crooked smile took any sting out of his words.

Last to hear Buffy’s official decree was Willow. Buffy smiled at her friend, “I love Spike.”

Willow shrugged her shoulders, “Kinda already knew that but thanks for the official announcement.”

Buffy thought Spike was finished, but next he jerked opened the back door of the van and pulled Buffy in with him for a little privacy from the nosy, gawking Scoobies. Buffy listened to him cuss the dark until he located a light switch on the ceiling. “Oh, love, you don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to hear this, and I want to see your gorgeous face when you say it.” Spike tenderly cupped Buffy’s face in the palms of his hands, kissing her on the tip of her nose, “Again, love. Tell *me* this time.”

Before Buffy was fighting hard to hold back her laughter at the happy vamp, but now she was suddenly shy. “I don’t know what you are…” Spike just growled.

“Ok, no hedging. I love you, Spike. I LOVE SPIKE.” When Spike leaned in to kiss her lips, Buffy pushed him back. “Wait, let me finish. I told you that I didn’t love you before but I kinda lied. I was headed there but the frost bite on my toes got in the way. Cold-feet Buffy. That was me but no more. I love you.”

“Buffy, I love you, so much.” Their kiss was long, hot and delicious to both. Spike pulled back to let Buffy breathe. Tilting his head to the side, he raised his scared eyebrow, “Didn’t you offer to show me yours? Let’s be a mite more specific on what parts of ‘yours’ you’ll be showing.”


*****


Instead of a Scoobie meeting, the gang was having a Scoobie celebration at dinner the next night. Everybody was there, and even though Xander and Anya were civil but didn’t talk much, the conversation was light hearted and boisterous.

Thoroughly enjoying himself, Giles gazed affectionately down the table at the Scoobies, and that gang now included Spike. This was one of those times that the Watcher pondered an overwhelming sense of awe at the paths life takes. He supposed that many people looked at life in a linear fashion, a straight path leading into the unknown with a fork or two in the road to spice things up a bit. But sometimes life threw in some substantial curves and even circles. The last few years and a certain vampire had provided an excellent example of his theory. As his gaze fell on Spike sitting at the other end of the table between Buffy and Dawn, he was struck with the sudden insight that Spike’s unlife had come full circle, not once but twice already. Of course, the vampire had had a considerably existence so far. The first circle meandered a bit from London to Europe with Drusilla on eventually to Sunnydale and the Slayer, twisted and curved around more to Africa and then completed the loop back to London. Then the circle had started again, taking a more direct route to the Slayer but here the vampire sat in London once more.

After the bill was handled, Giles put the receipt in his pocket to get reimbursed from the council. It had been a meeting with his Slayer and partners and therefore a business expense, at least by Anya’s way of thinking. Giles took his dinner knife and tapped lightly on his water glass to gain everyone’s attention. All but he and Anya would leave for Sunnydale tomorrow night. Not wanting to wait for another crisis to bring everyone together again, Willow set a date for their next reunion. “I’m ready to have one of these meetings at a beach or something. The least demony place on earth. Well, except for Spike, of course. He can be the only demon.”

Giles tapped on his glass again. “I, ugh, would like to explain why I chose this particular restaurant for tonight. I wanted to tell a little anecdote concerning this establishment. You see, Anya and I were here eating hereone evening when I glanced out that very window. I caught a glimpse of bleached blonde figure that looked quite familiar, striding briskly down the street, dressed in all black and with a smoke trail disseminating in his wake. Little did I realize I was beginning our newest adventure.” Giles glanced around the table at all the curious faces. “The next night I followed him to a small private cemetery around the corner. Tonight I thought we could take a little stroll there, if that’s is ok with Spike, of course.”

Dawn turned to Spike, “Please, I want to see the cemetery where Giles found you. Pleeease…”

“Nibblet, twas not like I was a lost puppy or something.” Glancing at the Watcher, Spike was sure Giles was actually asking his permission for the gang to visit his mother’s grave and delve into his past. Oh, what the hell. “S’pose it’s alright, mate. I wouldn’t want to ruin your outing.”

The happy group talked, laughed, and bantered on the way, but Buffy noticed that the closer they got to the cemetery, the more uncharacteristically subdued Spike became. Giles continued his story of how he followed Spike to the cemetery, recounted their adventure with the vampire’s impersonator, and about their subsequent business arrangement and the cases that followed.

Since Spike hung back a few paces, Giles lead the way over to the specific grave involved in his story.

Ever curious, Willow asked, “Who’s this?” She was pointing at the headstone of Elizabeth Winthrop.

Anya helpfully supplied the answer, “That was Spike’s mother.”
Dawn moved over to the next one. She read out loud, “William Winthrop, beloved son and poet. Poet…William? Spike, is this your grave?”

“Yes, Lil Bit, that’s where William, the sappy poet, was buried and Spike the vampire was born.”

“Good.”

Buffy was horrified by her sister’s callousness, “Dawnie!”

Dawn shrugged her big sister off. “I said good, and I meant it. Buffy, if Spike had never been killed and become a vampire, we would have never met him. Hello, 2002 here. 1888 there.” Dawn swung around to look at Spike. “Hey, I’m sorry, Spike, that you got killed but I’m not sorry you’re here with us now. You are staying with us, right?”

As Dawn hugged the vamp, Spike smiled at his honorary little sis. “Right, Bit. I am stuck to you and your sis like crazy glue, not to be pried away. Or maybe it’s that I’m crazy to stick with you.”

Willow walked over and placed a hand on top of Williams’s headstone, rubbing across it pensively. “Spike, what happened to William’s soul. Is it still here? Did it go on to Heaven?”

“Funny that you ask that, Red. His soul is here, just not in that grave. Ok, Kiddies, why don’t you all find a comfy spot and let me do the story telling for a bit.” Straddling the cement bench in front of his mother’s grave where Giles had found him originally, Spike settled Buffy to sit in front of him, feeling much more secure with what he had to tell these people with his arms wrapped around Buffy. Drawing from her strength, Spike began, “This escapade started last May in Sunnydale, goes to Africa and then London. But all roads lead back to Sunnyhell.”

Dawn sat down, resting her back against Spike and Buffy’s legs, “I thought you went to Africa to have the chip taken care of.”

Spike rested his chin on Buffy’s shoulder, “Actually, the chip getting fried was just a perk from my little jaunt. No, I went to Africa to get this Lurky demon bloke to grant a request. That is if I passed the pillock’s trials.” He quickly told the group of his challenges and subsequent victories, starting with the bloke with the fiery fists all the way to the swarm of beetles.

Dawn shuddered at the visual, “Gross. So if you didn’t ask for the chip to come out, what did you ask for? Money? New duster?”

Spike smiled fondly at the Bit, grateful for the joke to relieve some of his tension, “You were partly right, Platelet, Originally, I went to ask for the chip to be removed but my mouth got ahead of my brain. Instead I asked to get what Buffy deserved.”

Buffy had been sitting on Spike’s lap listening to his story but whipped around to look into his eyes of her vampire lover when she heard his reply. “What I deserve? Ugh. Don’t tell me. A swift kick in Buffy’s ass?”

“No, love, ole Lurky gave me my soul. And before you ask, there are no clauses of any kind attached, especially not one of those friggin’ happiness clauses.” Spike raised his eyebrows suggestively, “A little to late for that anyway.”

“Oh…OH!” Buffy started to blush, but then Buffy’s eyes grew very large as the light bulb in her head turned on. “I get it now. That’s why that whimp I knocked out in your cell at Father’s lab called you a man instead of a vampire. He was talking about the man inside of you. He was referring to your game show grand prize, a soul.”
Showing concern, Dawn said, “So, William’s soul is now in you *with* the demon?”

Spike nodded, “Yeah, now you know why I didn’t go back to Sunnydale ASAP. This whole soul thing was not what I had been expecting and turned out to be tricky to manage. So I needed time to figure out how to handle the demon and William running amuck at the same time. I was just getting the knaf thf this bloody balancing act when Giles tailed mee. e. Sitting here, talking to mum helped.”

Xander was still stuck on the first part, “You were a poet? All ‘How do I love thee?”

“Shut up, brick layer,” Spike growled. “My mum had that poet rubbish inscribed.”

Before the banter could build up steam, Buffy abruptly cut it off, “Dawnie was right.”

Dawn was ecstatic, “Yeah me! But what about?”

Buffy squeezed Spike’s hand. “I’m not sorry either that your were killed and brought back as a vampire. That’s what eventually led you to us.”

Picking up his other free hand, Dawn added, “I think what we’re trying to say is that we are glad you are a vampire so you would live 120 years to get to us. Buffy, can we keep the cute vamp his time?”

“Yeah, Dawnie, we can keep him. As long as he is house trained…Spike? Hello?”

The vampire was pensively staring at his own headstone, “That’s the strange part, love. I think William has always been with me just shoved in some back closet, unable to come out. I think Lurky just made it possible for William to get up on equal footing with the demon.” Spike looked back at Buffy, “Remember, love, when I told you vampires like to talk big over a pint of blood? Well, demons are just as bad. Like that Barnum bloke, give you an elaborate show to make a bugger think he’s received more than the git actually got.”

Buffy smiled in return, remembering the time Spike had first told her that. She had been trying to deal with Angelus when Spike had come to her with a truce and a plan. She should have known then that “I like this world” Spike wasn’t the complete Big Bad he pretended to be. She kissed him on the cheek, “I’m glad you got one, but soul or no soul, I still love you.”

With Buffy in his arms and the Nibblet leaning against his leg, Spike thought he had been given the whole, bleedin’ world that he like so much.

As Buffy, Spike and Dawn talked quietly, the rest of the gang wandered further around the small cemetery. After a few moments, Xander called back to Spike, “Hey, poetry boy, who’s this one next to your…uh…Williams…uh…grave?”

“Which? That was my sister, Victoria. We looked more like twins than just sister and brother.”

Willow pointed at another grave, “And this one? Edward?”

Spike raised his voice to make sure Giles heard also. “That’s one of my relatives through Victoria’s line, her great grand son. Black sheep of sorts, he was. He became a Watcher. In fact, he was the one who wrote that stupid prophecy Dawn nicked from me.”

Dawn had the good sense to look ashamed, “Oops, sorry.”

Giles made his way over to the grave Willow was inspecting. “What? I can’t believe I missed that. Let me see…”


*****


“I love Spike!...What?...I said I love Spike. Have a good day.” For Buffy, the trick was yelling out the window while not letting much of the sunlight into the room.

From the darkened part of the hotel room that safely remained in shadows, Spike watched as Buffy happily yelled and waved out the open window down to the bustling streets of daytime London. Sprawled across the bed, Spike would have loved to be able to see the faces and hear the replies of the passerbys, those on the receiving end of Buffy’s calls, but he contented himself with listening to her side of the bizarre conversations and admiring the view she provided. What was not to enjoy? The slayer loved him, shouted it to the heavens, and all she was wearing was his t-shirt as she leaned over the window sill.

Spike didn’t think he would ever tire of hearing her declare her love for him, but he was ready to put his hands back on her delectable body. “Buffy, love, why don’t you crawl back in bed with me? I think everyone in the surrounding blocks have heard you enough this morning. Beside, you wouldn’t want me to become a big pile of dust because I couldn’t resist your charms and come after you.”

“Oh, hush and enjoy the show.”

“No doubt that is what I’m doing, love, but I’m ready to see you up close and personal.”

No matter how much he sounded like he was teasing, Buff knew that Spike would eventually be true to his word and come after her, sun or no sun. To her that was one of his more endearing traits. He never let any pesky, little detail like sunlight get in his way of what he wanted.

So Buffy just laughed as something Spike couldn’t make out caught her attention from the left. However, he could figure out what had happened when heard her next words. “Oh, hey, Xand-man!...Ok, I’ll zip it for now. See ya later.” Buffy pulled back in the room and shut the window, closing the curtains carefully shutting out all light. She looked back on the bed enjoying the luscious view Spike provided sprawled out, naked and rumbled in the bed. “No, I don’t think I would like it if the vamp I love got sucked up into the maid’s vacuum.” With a flourish, Buffy pulled off the t-shirt and headed towards the bathroom. “But I think I’ll take a shower now.”

As she darted close, Spike lunged lightening fast off the bed, dragging Buffy back towards him by her right ankle. Spike purred, “You don’t look dirty to me, my love.” With the tip of his tongue, he tasted his way up her leg. “You don’t taste dirty to me. Got an idea. Let me get you all sweaty first and then I’ll join you in a shower, pet.”

“Mmm, sounds like a good plan.”

As Spike made his way up her body, Buffy pulled Spike’s head back to look into his blue eyes, “Now you tell me.”

Spike confidently smiled into her eyes, “Easy. I love you, Buffy. Now let me show you again just how much.”

“Sounds like an even better plan.”


*****


Later that day, outside the sun was setting. Inside their hotel room, Buffy had just come out of a long and enjoyable shower with Spike and was frantically packing to leave when she thought she heard a knock on the door. Rushing to the door, Buffy assumed that it was Dawn from across the hall. Rather than looking at her sister, Buffy swung the door open to see a girl approximately the same age as Dawn but with crystal blue eyes and sandy blonde hair instead of brown and brown. This girl certainly wasn’t her sister, but Buffy still thought she seemed familiar in a remote cousin that you have never seen before but know their parent sort of way. “Uh, Hi. Can I help you?”

Before the girl could answer, the door behind her opened up and Dawn stepped out in the hall, “Hey, Buff. Who’s that?” Tilting her head to the side, Dawn spoke Buffy’s thoughts. “She looks kinda familiar, doesn’t she”
“Ditto. Gimme a sec, and I will find out who she is.” Buffy looked at the girls expectantly.

The blond girl’s blue eyes were traveling back and for the between the two sisters whose stares were making her increasingly nervous. “Good evening to you both. I’m Vicky Thompson, and I am looking for a relative…I think…”

Buffy smiled in response, “Cool, I thought you looked familiar, but I didn’t think I had any relatives in England.”

Dawn’s eyes slowly widened with suspicions and a healthy dose of astonishment, “Who is this relative your hunting?”

“Why Mr. Giles, I believe you know him, told me that I could find a distant cousin here. William Winthrope?”

“William?” Buffy started to catch on.

Dawn was grinning like a fool, now noting the girl’s distinctive high, pronounced cheek bones. Never taking her eyes off the girl, Dawn raised her voice to call into the door, “Oh, Uncle Spikey. There’s someone here to see you.”

All Buffy could utter was a very choked, “Oh, my gosh!” before she was yelling back into the room. “Spike, get your dead ass out here!”


The End

Hope you liked the story, and thank you so much to everyone that has been so supportative to this story. The reviews have been wonderful.

Please look for my new story, Future Written in Blood. It is an AU fic where I have played a bit with Season 5 and afterwards. (But no, it is not the typical post-Gift fic. Definitely not!)

Thanks again for reading,

Madrog (madrog@ev1.net)