Hell Is In the Details
All the World's a Stage
Hell Is In the
Details – Chapter 19
– All the World’s a Stage
I will!”
Loud and strident, with all the defiance of an angry
teenager well remembered by those who had watched her grow up – Dawn Summers
burst upon the scene… with Rupert Giles, Xander Harris
and Willow Rosenberg trailing behind her.
While the others gathered around Buffy, Dawn took her place
at Spike’s side in front of the Tribunal, and looking up at the imposing
figures, she squared her shoulders.
“I’ll stand for him. What do you need from me?”
“Who are you, young
powerful vampire?”
“I am Dawn Summers, formerly pure mystical energy older than
the ages and a key to dimensional portals, now a younger sister to
to Spike, blue eyes level with his own, and stroked his cheek in wonder –
amazed that he was actually back amongst them. Taking a deep breath, she
continued. “And adoring brat sister to Spike.”
As the three robed figures conferred with each other, Spike
reached out, holding onto his Niblet’s shoulders and
staring wordlessly into her eyes. Finding the love he never thought he’d see
there again, he pulled her tightly to him, whispering, “We’ll talk later, pet…
if I’m still here. I promise.”
“You leave us again, and I swear I’ll hunt you down and kill
you myself. I’m so sorry for…”
Silence.
behalf of the vampire you have called brother. Proceed.
“Okay, so… obviously you’re looking for character witnesses,
so I’ll keep talking and you just tell me if I’m going in the right direction,
okay? The first time I met Spike was about 7 years ago. He was making a deal
with Buffy, to take out Angelus… who was trying to suck the world into Hell by
awakening Acathla.”
A
soulless demon preventing the demise of humans – going against the wishes of
his Sire?
“Yes, your Honor.” Dawn paused, and
looked expectantly at the seated figures. When no further response was
forthcoming, she continued.
“Then there was the summer that Buffy died. She jumped off a
tower to seal a rift in dimensions that my ‘keyness’
opened when my blood was spilled. She saved my life, and the world, but left me
with no family – just her friends. And Spike. Who had fallen in love with
A
vampire in love with a Slayer?
The same Slayer his Sire had professed to love? What did he do upon her death?
Dawn’s body shook. Recalling this time in her life was never
easy, and Spike had to hold her steady, whispering ‘It’s okay, pet’ and ‘Do the
best you can, Niblet’ in her ear, attempting to
control his own emotions as well.
“He stayed with me… moved into my house and watched over me
when everyone else had to go back to work and school. He cooked for me, and
made sure I went to school, and stayed up and held me when I cried for hours.
ryonryone else tried to move on, but Spike let me cry and usually cried with me.
We missed her so much. He had promised her he would take care of me...”
Angel snorted in derision, contempt obvious on his face.
“This is beyond ridiculous. You’re making him out to be Mary
Be quiet, Angelus!
The Judge thundered. Your time for
judgment will come. If you cannot keep quiet, we will have you gagged.
It paused. Go on,
child. Did the vampire stay or leave after the death of the Slayer?
“That’s just it. Everyone expected him to leave... they wanted
him to leave. They told him he wasn’t needed anymore and that I’d be better off
without him. But he wouldn’t leave. He fought against them for months until it
was just us, mostly. Then he patrolled at night with them and alone after everyone
went to bed, he…”
Once more, the judges whispered amongst themselves before
addressing Dawn.
To keep the facts
straight, please confirm the following: William the Bloody, vampire of some
renown, voluntarily kept company with humans, based solely on a promise made to
a dead woman he cared for. Were his attentions returned?
Dawn snorted. “Hardly.
of the people here could.”
The vampire stayed
amongst humans – his natural food source – who hated him, and yet not only did
he not attempt to kill them, but worked with them, killing his own kind? And
when the object of his affections ceased to exist, he honored a verbal promise
to take care of her remaining family?
“Well, for years Spike had an electrical chip in his head
that hurt him when he tried to hurt humans, and he used to hang around, hoping
for a handout and bagged blood. Buffy wouldn’t stake him because she said he was
harmless and just annoying… but he was strong. The money sitch
didn’t last long – the gang stopped paying him after only a few months. Then he
found out he could kill demons, but he still stayed and helped. Nobody liked
him but me. Buffy came to appreciate his strength, and the
fact that he would always watch her back. She could trust that, if
nothing else. And she did… trust that. And trusted him with me and Mom, before
she died – Mom died, I mean, and then just me. Oooh,
and he’d been tortured by a HellGod, and he never
gave up the information that would have given me away as the Key.”
The cessation of
killing humans was not due of his own volition, then, but
caused by a man-made device. The vampire was forced to quit killing his natural
food source, and chose to channel his desires into killing demonnstenstead – at
first for remuneration and then for… pleasure.
Dawn was frustrated. When stated like that, it put Spike in
a really bad light. “Look, your Honor… Spike made so many choices for the good
and right reasons even before he got his soul. And that was when nobody would
give him the time of day. In the end, he saved the…”
We have heard enough
from you, child. All of your words
will receive equal weight in our judgment.
Crestfallen, the teen tried to apologize as she turned to
walk away. She hadn’t even been able to talk about how Spike had saved the
world. Dawn hoped the others would fare better.
“S’all right,
to pay the piper, I s’pose.” He pressed a kiss
to her forehead, and swatted her behind. “Go on, now – off to big sis.”
Lorne clapped Spike gently on the shoulder before turning to
face the Tribunal. “I am Krevlorneswath of the
known Spike for long, since he’s only been conscious for the past 3 days, but I
do have several things to say.”
Speak your piece,
“I’ve only known
Spike for less than a week, but I was there when he popped out of the amulet in
Angel’s office. He was frightened and disoriented; apparently having died some
weeks before in Sunnydale.
“Angel was furious from the moment he first saw him. For two
days they did nothing but argue – about Spike’s being there, with an occasional
fist-fight thrown in for good measure. They fought about money, a place to
stay, the right to exist; family helping family and all that.
“The next day things were so quiet and Angel was so
peaceful, we asked what had happened. Angel told us all that Spike had decided
to ‘do the smart thing’ and leave, since they weren’t getting along.”
"Courier New"'>For two days, the vampire was argumentative and demanding and
then gone from the premises. Do you have anything that bears bringing to light
about your interaction with him?
The Anagogic demon was nonplussed. “Don’t
you want to hear about what we found out? What happened to Spike? How he was
treated?
"Courier New"'>The only thing we are interested in is your interaction with the
vampire in question. What has happened to him is of no
A chorus of indignant cries from Buffy,
Dawn and Gunn turned the attention of the judges in their direction.
"Courier New"'>If there are further disruptions, we will simply dust the
vampire in question, thereby negating the need for trial and judgment. As you
wished for Justice, it would be wise to adhere to our procedures. His
disposition is of no consequence to us.
Thoroughly chastened and deeply frustrated,
Spike’s supporters bit back their outrage. This was not the way they envisioned
the trial going. This was almost a condemnation of the very person they were
trying to help. Angel smirking down from his high horse was not helpful. Buffy
wanted nothing more than to take him down a peg or twenty. All she could do was
pray he’d get his when and if the
time came.
"Courier New"'>Last chance, Pylean.
further to add…
“No, no… I’m not done. You want character?
I’ll show you character. I’ve been in this dimension for the past ten years,
and have been around demons of all shapes and sizes. There is one universal
truth – corner an injured demon, and he’ll lash out at
you. The younger the demon, the less control, but even the old ones tend to
lose it in the face of overwhelming pain and uncertainty. I’ve seen Angel tend
the worst of his injuries alone, to avoid the temptations of flesh and blood so
near his injured demon.
“But Spike… a whole different enchilada.
He’d been in and out of consciousness for the better part of a year. He opened
his eyes to me, not knowing me from Adam… or the army of assorted demons he’d
been forced to face. In helping, I caused him more pain. Setting broken bones
and cleansing wounds isn’t a walk in the park for anyone, but to a vampire with
no controls in place, there’s usually no thought involved in ripping out the
throat of the person inflicting pain. Sort of drain now, don’t bother with
asking questions later, you know?
“He thanked me. I sat there, hurting him,
and he thanked me for being kind. He’s shown me nothing but gratitude – and loyalty
and devotion towards those he cared for. His only request was not for revenge,
but for the woman he’d fought beside for years… Buffy Summers, the Slayer.”
"Courier New"'>We have heard enough. You are dismissed.
"Courier New"'>
A slight nod towards Spike, and Lorne was
off to rejoin Buffy, waiting for him with open arms.
“Thanks, Lorne,” the petite blonde
whispered. “At least you got a few words out in his defense. They certainly
aren’t making it easy.”
“They sure aren’t.” Gunn straightened his
shoulders, heading towards the fence and his position next to Spike.
“Your
honors.”
respect. “My name is Charles Gunn, and I was with Lorne when we found out about
Spike being sold into slavery, and when we rescued him from that demon den of
iniquity known as Dante’s.”
"Courier New"'>We warn you once, human. Confine your comments to your
interaction with the vampire. Anything else has the potential to bring these
proceedings to an irreversible conclusion.
"Courier New"'>Got it said out loud, anyway. What’s been heard can’t be
unheard.
brief. The fact that Spike managed to survive a year of captivity and
mistreatment is a testament to his inner strength. The fact that his mind still
functions amazes me. The capacity to reach out for help and to seek and offer
comfort shows me a spirit that won’t be denied.” Gunn paused to catch his
breath. “That more in line with what you were askin’
for?”
"Courier New"'>It is what we were asking for… barely. You are now dismissed.
"Courier New"'>
“Stay strong, dude.” Gunn shook Spike’s
hand. “Wish I could have done more.”
"Courier New"'> looked around nervously. “Guess it’s my turn. I
might as well be me.” She gave one last look into Buffy’s imploring eyes, and
hoped her testimony would do some good.
“Hey, Spike,” she said, taking his hand in
hers for a moment. “Here goes everything.”
"Courier New"'>Willow
turned and addressed the Tribunal:
“Your honor, sirs, my name is Willow
Rosenberg and I’ve known Spike for more than seven years now.”
"Courier New"'>We know of you, witch. You are responsible for the over
abundance of Slayers in this realm. There have been quite a few calls for
justice against you – for changing the balance of power between humans and
demons. We choose to ignore them… for now. Continue with your testimony
"Courier New"'>
"Courier New"'> gulped. This wasn’t the way to set her at ease, no
the urge to sink to her knees and gush apologies for releasing
say:
“Um, when I met Spike, he was trying to
kill Buffy – the only Slayer back then. It was what he did, as I’m sure you’re
aware of. Slayer of Slayers, and all that.
spell to get his old girlfriend back.”
She turned to Spike and mouthed ‘sorry.’ He
simply shrugged his shoulders. As he’d said before, what was,
was.
“Angel once told me – us – that Spike was
worse than any other creature we’d ever faced. That once he starts something he
doesn’t stop until everything in his path is dead. Obviously me
and Giles and Xander and Buffy all put the lie to
that tale, what with still being here all these years later and all.
“But Angel was right in a way, too. Spike
was one determined person, for sure. I mean, yes… vampire – all scary and creepy
to a bunch of kids like we were. All that life, or
chipped. And then he needed us. He couldn’t hunt and feed and we took him in.”
"Courier New"'>You mean he was crippled and sought shelter amongst his mortal enemies,
and you treated him like a vicious dog. Kept him chained and
half starved – only letting him off the leash when you needed some extra
muscle. You see, Ms. Rosenberg – we see all sides, equally. I gather there was a point you were trying to
make, however?
"Courier New"'> looked thoroughly embarrassed. She’d known they hadn’t been
very humane to Spike, and that some of them had been crueler than others… but
the world had been a far more black and white place when they were younger.
All righty then –
back to business. “Yeah, point – big one. Angel was very right in that Spike
was one determined little vampire. In spite of how we treated him – which I
admit was really shameful at times – he stayed, even getting a place nearby. He
helped even after we stopped giving him money or blood. He was always there for
Buffy, no matter how much she tried to make him leave.
“And then he decided he had fallen in love
with her. Ouchie
"Courier New"'> looked around. Something ~or
someone~ had pinched her.
"Courier New"'>Is there a problem, witch?
She
stuttered, “N-n-no, I think I just got bitten by a mosquito. A really big,
nasty, mean mosquito, but I’m okay. Um, back to Spike, right. He fell in love
with Buffy, and no matter what we tried to do to keep him away from her, he
stayed. We bespelled the house with
He trailed her during patrols, helping out when she needed him. He took abuse
from all of us, but he stayed.
“When
she died, we were sure that he’d just fade away – we were so sure he was just
love, right? It’s what we were taught. Vampires had no feelings, and we
believed it. I mean, when Angel lost his soul he was the most hateful creature…
all wanting to torture and frighten and kill.
“Spike
with no soul stayed to keep watch over Dawnie, as
he’d promised. He loved that little girl as if she were his own sister. Even if
Buffy had never had anything to do with him, he would have stayed. He patrolled
with us humans to keep us safe, and he patrolled alone so we could take an
occasional night off and have a real life. Truthfully, I think he was seeking
out some of the more nasty demons – sorta a suicide
by inches kind of situation. Patching him up became almost a full time job.”
reached a grudging respect for the vampire after the Slayer’s demise?
“It
was selfish, mostly. He made things easier for everyone, and we
ever said thank you.”
little lop-sided smile and another apology shimmering in her green eyes.
“And
then we brought Buffy back, and things went bad again. Oh, and I mean it was
just us humans who did the resurrection spell. Me, mostly, being the witch and
all – really arrogant, irresponsible, selfish witch at the time, who has long
since learnt her lesson about messing with the forces of nature so I don’t need
to be reminded of it again, as I’ll never forget.
“When
Spike found out about the spell, and that we’d brought her back – he yelled at
us all. Said there were always consequences to magicks
that powerful. It’s not that he wasn’t happy about Buffy being alive again…
it’s just that if something went wrong… well, it just wouldn’t have been good.”
cares for a group of humans, none of whom treated him with a modicum of
respect. An unnatural creature respected the laws of nature, and the humans did
not. A fascinating scenario, Ms. Rosenberg – one we will take into
consideration. You are dismissed.
her heart pounding rapidly in her chest. She was so glad to be out of the
spotlight. Buffy hugged her best friend tightly, whispering into her ear how
she’d done a wonderful job bringing out some of Spike’s better character
traits.
practically hissed as one as Giles made his way to testify.
Giles
cleared his throat and straightened his tie. “Yes, I am Rupert Giles, head of
the new Watcher’s Council. My testimony is neither swift nor pretty. As a
watcher, I have been trained to believe in the inherent evil of demons. Meeting
Angel colored my perceptions and did nothing to make me believe other than what
I had been taught. A vampire without a soul is evil, and incapable of feeling
love and other higher emotions. No inherent goodness remained in an animated
corpse.
“As
an ensouled vampire, I found Angel to be fascinating,
and we’d become close as companions in the nightly fight against evil in the
questioned – his soul meant he had the capacity to love and act accordingly.”
William the Bloody how, exactly? I did not think I would have to warn you that
we are not interested igelugelus as this time.
Giles
removed his glasses, cleaning them as was his habit in times of stress. “That’s
just it. Everything filters through Angel in relation to Spike. It is not
something I am proud of, but I cannot change my past. None of us can.
“When
Angel lost his soul, he reverted to Angelus. He terrorized the children, and he
murdered the woman who might have become my wife. If you think I was willing to
think kindly about another vampire again, you’d be sadly mistaken.
“Spike
bore the brunt of this. Not that he didn’t deserve it in the
beginning, what with constantly trying to kill us all. But he was
different from Angelus. He actually struck a bargain with my Slayer to defeat
Angelus, who was trying to loose Acathla into this
dimension. Angelus had kidnapped and tortured me for hours, and Spike was partially
responsible for both my rescue and the world not being swallowed into hell.
“There
are many more incidents of which neither Spike nor I
are proud of. Suffice it to say I’d not been willing to accept the changes in
him without the soul, and unwilling to look past his history with it, for which
I am deeply apologetic.”
Watcher. You are dismissed.
Giles extended his hand to the stunned
vampire. “Spike, I cannot say we’ll ever be the closest of companions, but if
things work out well here, please get in touch with me. There are a lot of
things I’d be most curious about discussing with you.”
Spike had been quiet for so long, he
couldn’t help himself. “Even if I’m back at your Slayer’s
side, Rupert? No longer an issue for you?”
Giles coughed a little, but said: “I’ll do
my best not to pass out from a fit of the vapors if you two show
“It’ll do for a start, mate.” Spike nodded
in grudging respect. “Thanks.”
Xander
"Courier New"'> strode over to the two men, intent on having his say. “Break it
up, boys. Time for my close up.” Herding the older man
back towards his friends, Xander addressed the
Tribunal.
“My name is Xander
Harris, and I can’t believe I’m here pretty much voluntarily to speak on behalf
of Fangless, here.”
"Courier New"'> let out a cry when she was lightly punched in the arm by one
very upset Slayer. “Xander, that’s not helping!”
exploded into his brain, as
"Courier New"'>’s mindspeak hadt not none of
“Sorry, your
honors. It’s just an old habit. I’ll be as
straight to the point as I can – I don’t like Spike, plain and simple. I was
scared to pieces when Angel offered me up to him as a
"Courier New"'> snack, and he didn’t change my impression by kidnapping me and
"Courier New"'>Willow
nearly killing me with blows to my head.” Xander
paused, as if realizing that just sounded ‘off’ even to his own ears.
“Anyway, the point is I’m not impressed by
his well muscled compact little body, nor his good looks, or even by the softer
side of Babysitter!Spike. I’m fairly sure we’d hate
each other even if he were human. So if I tell you that even I admit to the
changes he’s gone through, it means something.
“I’ve seen him go from overly cocky
predator to someone who gave himself up to a HellGoddess
to protect the little sis of a woman who hated him. I’ve seen him bruised and
bloodied time and time again defending me and my friends against other vampires
and demons. He even stood up to all of us when we sorta
mutinied against our fearless Slayer in Sunnydale’s
last hours against the First and brought her back to us.
“And though I didn’t see it, myself, I’ve
heard it many, many times – how Spike sacrificed his existence to make sure
everyone left the Hellmouth and burned to ash, making
the world safe for puppies and Christmas once more.
“Sorta puts us
both on the same playing field, seeing as I once saved the world, even though
it was being destroyed by my best friend at the time. And since we’re all so
equal, I’ll say this here and now, in front of witnesses I’ll never be able lie
to: I’m done. Done with the hatred and the past bringing up-age.
From here on out, we start fresh. You cool with that, Junior?”
mso-bidi-font-family:"Courier New"'>Spike nodded mutely. He didn’t remember
being this shocked when Buffy and he brought down the house. After all, he knew
she had been attracted to him – he could smell it half a mile away.
spun, and Harris hated him.
Or not, as the larger man pulled him into a
bear hug.
“I
meant what I said, Spike. You make it out of this, and we’ll start clean.
persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all, and make
direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would
injure them or others.’ See, even I can change.”
"Courier New"'>You are dismissed, human. You have given us much to ponder.
"Courier New"'>
Spike had been so blown away by
forgotten about the Tribunal. He was about to turn back to them, when he felt
it. Felt… her. His stomach clenched, knowing that things were about to go ass
over teakettle.
Buffy was preparing to step into place, thinking
she’d be the last to speak on his behalf, when there was a soft rush of wind,
startling them all, and she was brushed back by… Drusilla, who wafted forward
with snake-graceful hands moving all the while.
“My stars told me of the fair Knight’s
trials. I knew
I picked the wisest and bravest knight in all the land – but he’s no longer
mine. His heart and soul belong to others now, and he walks in worlds they’re
just beginning to imagine.”
The
insane vampiress kissed Spike on the cheek. “Goodbye,
my once forever love. You have changed enough that I recognize you once again
from
happy with your new family.”
Standing
in front of the horse that Angel sat astride, the vampiress
looked upwards, her mouth set in a tiny moue of disgust. “Bad Daddy,” she spat.
“You’ve brought down all the cards on your head.” Not another word was spoken
as she walked off into the shadows and vanished.
As
the shock of seeing Spike’s ex-lover appear wore off, Buffy rushed to his side,
ready to start her testimony, when the middle of the judges raised his hand and
said:
an end. We have heard enough to base our decision upon. The trial for Justice
wished for William the Bloody has been granted. The trial against Angelus of
Aurelius has begun!