Breaking a Slayer

Breaking a Slayer: Chapter 30

Disclaimer: I don't own them.

Spoilers/Ships: This is AU. Buffy/Spike/Angel.

Distribution: Sure, just let me know.

Feedback: Is always nice.

Rating: NC-17.

Buffy was hiding in the bathroom. Angel was pacing nervously outside. She'd jumped from his arms the moment they entered the mansion and fled upstairs without a word. He'd followed, trying to find something to say to make her feel better. *Damn Xander, anyway,* he thought, *I don't really care if we never see him again, but she loves him as a friend. Needs him, god knows why. I hope Spike didn't hurt him…well, that's not really true. I hope Spike didn't kill him…nope, not true either. I hope she doesn't realize that Spike killed him. Yeah, that's about right.*

Angel smiled ruefully for a moment, aware that he just couldn't truly regret anything that happened to Xander. The boy had hated him from the start, with a virulence that he'd never even tried to conceal. The fact that Angelus had deserved that hatred didn't take away from the fact that Xander had held it long before Angelus came out to play. Jealousy was a powerful emotion, Angel knew. Look how he'd used it to torture Spike. Angelus had no real interest in Dru as anything but a tool, but he'd taken her from Spike simply because he could. Angel was still surprised that Spike would have anything to do with him after that, though honestly, it wasn't the worst thing Angelus had done to his childe.

Angel's keen ears heard the tell-tale sounds of Spike stomping into the mansion in his Doc Martens. The blonde vampire climbed quickly to the upper floor, carrying Buffy's discarded clothes in his hands. He met Angel's eyes. "Hiding in the bathroom again, is she?" he queried.

"Yes. Did you kill Xander?" Angel asked coolly.

"Naw. Beat him up some, though, stupid, bloody-useless cunt."

"Good. I suppose we can't kill him," Angel added regretfully.

"Not if we want to get laid anytime this century. And she's not immortal," Spike responded.

"Still, I suppose we should probably go in there. Talk to her. Or something," Angel said.

"You first, Sire. She's less likely to castrate you."

"I could order you to go in first. You are my childe, after all," Angel muttered, staring at the closed door with hooded eyes.

"Hells, Sire, I just took care of the boy for you. Now I have to beard the bloody Slayer in her den? Grow some balls, Angelus."

"I wish you wouldn't use that name, William," Angel replied tauntingly.

"Yes, Sire, Master of the Clan of Aurelius, Scourge of Europe, Blood of Nest, favored childe of Darla the Vicious and Sire of William the Bloody, Drusilla the Mad and Penn the Malevolent. Anything else your highness wishes of this humble childe?" Spike sneered, clicking his boot heels. He tested the handle of the door and found it unlocked, *more's the pity,* he thought

Angel cuffed him lightly on the head for his insolence, but let him go without a word. "I have to go talk to Giles about this," he said. "Will you…take care of her?" He was giving his permission for his childe to comfort his Mate and he knew that Spike would take full advantage of the fact. But Buffy needed it, needed someone to soothe her and tell her the hateful words that spewed from her friend's mouth were untrue and unkind.

Angel couldn't send Spike to Rupert, the two were simply not on speaking terms for something this delicate. So Angel must go. And Spike must stay. Angel swallowed down the jealous growl that threatened to issue forth. A part of him hated sharing Buffy with Spike. Hated that she now wore a Mark from his childe opposite from his own Mark on her neck. It didn't matter that his demon had done the marking whilst Angel was dying. All that mattered was that Buffy was his. His mate, his life, his light in the darkness. And now…now she was Spike's, as well. Angel had to come to terms with that or kill his childe. They were the only two options left him.

*

Xander pounded on Willow's door at the dorm, hoping that she was in. A groggy voice inquired, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Xander. Will, I've got to talk to you…now! It's about Buffy."

"Oh, did you see her, is she ok? I've been so worried," Willow said, hastily opening the door and letting him in. "Oh, my Goddess, Xander, what happened to you?"

"Oh, yeah. I saw her. Big YES on the saw her. Saw way more of her than I wanted to…at least, way more of her than I wanted to see without me involved…I mean, with them..." Xander trailed off incoherently. "Spike happened to me."

"Spike? But he's chipped, isn't he?"

"That would apparently be the big NO, Will. Can you do something for the pain?" Xander wheezed. "My rib is killing me."

Willow closed the door and seated Xander carefully on her bed. He looked like hell. Black eyes, bloody nose, and his torso…when she pulled his shirt away from it she gasped at the blackening bruises that covered him. "What exactly did you say to Spike to make him do this, Xander?" she asked, bustling around the room to gather healing supplies and an ace bandage to wrap his ribs.

"Um, we don't really need to go into that just now, do we?" he groaned, not really sure he wanted to tell Will that he'd called her best friend a whore. That hadn't been the best idea he'd ever had, now that he thought back on it. *Hell, if she's going to act the part, she'd better get used to the name,* he thought sullenly, wincing in pain as Willow wrapped his aching ribs.

"Is Buffy out of the hospital then? Isn't it awful about her mom? And losing the house? And having to drop out of school?" Willow asked anxiously. "How did she seem to you? Is she ok? Is she dealing?"

"Wait, what? What's up with her mom?" Xander asked, confused.

"She died. Didn't you know? Where did you see Buffy, anyway, Xander?"

"I, um, ran into her at the cemetery. Oh, god, her mom died this summer? When?"

"After we left, I guess. And she lost the house because the bank took it, Giles said. And she had to drop out of school. I don't know the whole story, he said I'd have to talk to Buffy about it. But I guess Spike and Angel got her through it somehow. It's weird, I don't know all the details," Willow said.

Xander smacked himself in the forehead. "God, she went through all that and then I attacked her the first thing I saw her. Shit!" he paced back and forth haltingly, only now noticing the emptiness on Buffy's half of the room.

"Xander, I don't understand. Why would you attack her? Did she think you were a vampire?"

"No, Will. I saw her with Spike and Angel. They were, well, um, they were using her and I got all in her face about it."

"Using her….oh!" light dawned on the still-innocent girl. "She was *with* them? In the cemetery? Well, I guess she and Angel used to, but she wasn't *with* Angel, right, I mean the curse…"

"Nope, he was holding her, though and Spike…" Xander blushed, "Spike was, um, you know, doing things to her."

"Xander, grow up for goodness sake. According to the Watchers' Diaries, Spike and Angelus were really fatic tic lovers. Were they, um, sharing her?"

"Yes. She was, she seemed to be, well enjoying it."

"Well good then, she deserves a little happiness. Though maybe not in the cemetery. Kinda open, you know? Still, Giles told me she was in the hospital because Spike drained her, so I guess they're closer now. And she's living with them at the mansion. A lot of stuff happened to her while we were gone, Xander. Giles wouldn't tell me all of it, but I know there was a lot more, cause he got that serious face that he does, you know?" Willow knew she was babbling nervously but couldn't help herself.

"Geeze, Will, we have to talk to her, find out what went on. But…I'm not sure she's going to want to see me just yet."

"Xander, don't be silly. She won't be upset at you attacking Spike, after all, she'll know that you didn't know that Spike wasn't trying to hurt her, you know?"

Xander smiled ruefully at Willow's incoherent reply. Some things never changed. He just hoped that Buffy could find a way to forgive him for saying such terrible things to her before he knew the sitch. And he hoped that Willow never found out just what he'd said.

To be continued…