Second Chances

Series: Second Chances

Author: Princess Joyce

Rated: This part-PG Series-R or M

Summary: Episode ‘Lie to me’ redone with Spike in it. Also,Spike struggles with how much he should tell Buffy, and begins to understand how this Buffy will become ‘his’ Buffy.

A/N: This one is a little shorter, but again, you need to have seen the original episode for it to make sense. Thanks for the reviews. Sorry the updates are so spaced out. I love writing, but don't have a lot of time. I promise to do the best I can.-PJ

Chapter 3: Lie to Me

“C'mon, Mom. She's always late,” a ten-year old boy muttered as he waited in the dark park for his mother to pick him up.

He was startled by a voice that rang out through the still darkness.

“Are you lost?” A very pale woman with long dark hair and crazy eyes asked with a British accent. She seemed to appear out of thin air.

“No. My mom's just supposed to pick me up is all.” He scanned the street again hoping to see familiar headlights, but to no avail.

“Do you want me to walk you home?” She asked, smiling sweetly

“No, thank you.”

Every instinct told him to turn and run as fast as he could. But he didn’t. She really didn’t look strong enough to hurt a flea, and he was no coward.

“ My mummy used to sing me to sleep at night. Run and catch / The lamb is caught in the blackberry patch... She had the sweetest voice. What will your mummy sing when they find your body?”

What?

“I-I'm not supposed to talk to people,” he stuttered, and regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth.

Her face darkened with anger.

“Oh. Well, I'm not a person, see, so that's just...”

She broke off as a pale dark-haired man stepped between them.

The man turned to face him, saying, “Run home.”

He didn’t wait to be told twice.

Drusilla watched him run away in dismay, but then visibly brightened when she saw who was in front of her.

“My Angel!” She cried blissfully.

“Hello, Drusilla.” Angel said, looking very uncomfortable.

Drusilla grinned wickedly. She loved saying things to make the older vampire feel guilty.

“Do you remember the song mummy used to sing me? Pretty.”

“I remember.”

“Yes, you do.”

Angel sighed.

“Drusilla, leave here. I'm offering you that chance. Take Spike and get out.”

“Spike? He is no longer my Spike. He is Hers!” She growled then spit on the ground.

Angel looked surprised.

“He left you for another woman?” Angel asked, surprised.

Drusilla shook her head in dismay.

“No, my Spike went away, and now there is only Her Spike…” she trailed off and started humming.

“Well, you still need to leave.” He said firmly.

“Or you'll hurt me?” she asked, eagerly.

Angel looked down at the ground.

“No. No, you can't. Not anymore.”

“If you don't leave it'll go badly. For all of us.”

“My dear boy's gone all away, hasn't he? To Her. They have both gone to Her…” she started crying.

“Who?”

“The girl. The Slayer.” She said, spitting on the ground again.

“She leaves an awful taste in my mouth. Bad Slayer, she has taken my boys!” She wailed, and covered her face with her hands.

Angel just stared, dumbfounded.

Suddenly, Drusilla stopped crying and looked up at the stars.

“What is that you say? Ah, I see. I will get my daddy back,” she laughed gleefully, and slipped away into the night.

Angel stared after her for a few minutes before shaking his head and heading home. This did not bode well.

If he had looked up and to his right he would have seen Buffy crouched on a near-by roof watching him in astonishment.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

“Enjoying the show?” a familiar and irritating voice startled Buffy, almost causing her to fall off of the roof.

“Spike, what are you doing here?” She demanded backing away from the edge and turning to glare at him.

“I finished my area and was waiting in the graveyard for you like we agreed. When half an hour had passed and you didn’t show up, I thought you might need a hand,” he said, taking a cigarette out of his duster pocket and lighting it.

Buffy made a face at his disgusting habit, but he ignored it. Like always.

A week had passed since she had brought him to Giles and had a full disclosure. Giles was not very happy, especially when both Buffy and Spike were adamant about keeping Angel in the dark. Buffy had decided to let Willow and Xander know about Spike, but she didn’t want any of her friends alone with him. And she didn’t know if she’d ever be ready to tell Angel…

She glanced back down to the spot where Angel and that woman had been talking and sighed. It looked like he was keeping things from her as well.

“Her name is Drusilla,” Spike said, suddenly.

Buffy blinked.

“Who?”

“The vampire, Angel was just talking to,” he said with a smirk.

“How did you…” Buffy trailed off and shook her head.

“So, you know her do you? Is she like an old girlfriend of his or something,” she asked, not bothering to hide the jealousy in her voice.

Spike smiled again.

“Actually, she’s my ex-girlfriend,” he said taking a puff and blowing out a long stream of smoke.

“Your ex? Then why is she so cozy with Angel?”

“Oh, Drusilla always had a thing for him, but he belonged to Darla,” he said drifting away in the memories of the old days.

“Darla? Angel’s sire? She’s dust. Maybe this Drusilla thinks she can get her hands on Angel with Darla out of the picture,” Buffy muttered glaring at the empty park.

Spike sighed and shook his head. It never ceased to amaze him how immature she was. What was it that changed this whiny brat into the woman he knew and loved?

“Slayer, listen up, I’m only going to tell you this once… Darla sired Angel, Angel sired Drusilla, and Drusilla sired me. So, we’re all just one big fangy family,” he pronounced with a silly grin.

“So, when you referred to Angel as ‘Grandpa’ the other day, you meant that literally?” Buffy asked with a grin of her own, despite the disturbing implications.

“Yep. We should go on Jerry Springer,” he said and was rewarded with a real laugh from her.

One of the biggest differences between Spike and Angel was that Spike was so forthcoming. He answered her questions, even the ones she didn’t voice. He was also so light-hearted about it all. Life was something he truly enjoyed. It was hard to be upset about her destiny when Spike was fighting right by her said and laughing all the while.

“So, what do you think she’s up to?” Buffy asked him getting worried again.

Spike thought back to what had happened the first time around.

“She’s sick. She was attacked by a mob in Prague, and I brought her here to find a cure for this sickness. Eventually I found it. It’s a ritual involving Angel, though I doubt she knows that yet. But she has some very resourceful vampires working for her…” he trailed off, lost in thought again.

Buffy cleared her throat.

“So, why aren’t we finishing her off now before she has the chance?” Buffy asked, feeling a different kind of jealousy.

Spike gave her a sad look.

“She would be better off staked. But I couldn’t do it. Not then, and not now. You wanna try and I’ll stay out of your way, but I think you’ll find that Dru is a bit different than most.”

“Different how?”

Spike sighed again.

“Before Angel turned her, he tortured her. For weeks he played these disturbing mind games with her. She was insane when she finally became a vampire. She has a gift for seeing things that are coming, but then I believe she had the same gift even as a sane human. She is so child-like, and I loved her for so long… I never thought anything could come between us. I know better now, but I still couldn’t kill her. I don’t know how else to explain it,” he said stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Buffy studied his face for a moment.

“You really did love her,” she said finally, and Spike felt a spark of pleasure at catching a glimpse of the intuitive woman that Buffy would become.

He smiled.

“Loved and lost. But not this time around.”

“So what should we do about this?” She asked, gesturing to the park.

Spike shrugged.

“Do what you want. Ask Peaches what the hell he’s up to, or don’t and just wait for things to play out, but remember something, Buffy,” he warned.

She looked up into his blue eyes and nodded for him to continue.

“No matter what happens, or how tough things get for you, I will always be here on your side,” he said, not breaking eye contact.

“Why?” She whispered, mesmerized by his gaze.

He just grinned and shook his head.

“G’night Slayer. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, and jumped from the roof landing gracefully on his feet.

She shook her head, grinning as she muttered, “Show-off”.

Her heart was lighter as she walked home, the scene she’d observed of Angel and Drusilla no longer upsetting her as much. She trusted Angel; he wouldn’t let her down…

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The next night Buffy was still smiling as she made her way to the bar at the Bronze. Today had been a really good day. Giles had a date and so had given her the night off, though she was still planning to meet up with Spike later. She had gotten a ‘A’ on her history test and one of her old friends, Ford, from Hemry High had transferred to the school. This day really couldn’t get much better.

She stopped at the sight in front of her, and her smile widened.

“Hi Angel,” she chirped practically skipping the rest of the way to him.

No Cordelia around now.

“Hey! I was hoping you'd show.” He said, looking very pleased.

Buffy just smiled and looked pointedly at the drink in his hand.

He laughed.

“It’s not marshmallows, but it is a step up from coffee.”

Well, it was now or never…

“So. What'd you do last night?” She asked, hoping she sounded casual.

“Nothin'.” He shrugged.

It took great effort not to frown.

“Nothing at all. You ceased to exist?” She teased, but her heart wasn’t in it.

“No, I mean I stayed in, read.”

“Oh.”

She turned on her heel and went back to her friends without another word. It was silly of her to be mad at him for keeping something from her when she was keeping something from him but since when did her emotions follow logic? Angel stood there confused for a moment, then followed her.

“Didn't want that soda after all?” Ford asked as she returned empty handed.

“Not thirsty,” she muttered, getting angrier by the second. She had been having a terrific day, and now Angel had to go and ruin it. But wasn’t it her own fault for asking about something Angel wasn’t ready to tell her? Grrr!

“Hey, Angel.” Willow greeted, knowing exactly why Buffy was upset as the Slayer had confided in her earlier that day about Angel and Drusilla.

“Hi.” Ford said, eyes shifting to all the faces obviously wondering why the tension just shot up.

“This is Ford. We went to school together in LA.” Buffy said absently to Angel as she pondered how to make her escape.

“Nice to meet you.” Angel said politely shaking Ford’s hand.

“Whoa! Cold hands!” Ford exclaimed.

“You're not wrong.” Xander commented and shrugged off Buffy’s accusatory look.

“So, you're here visiting Buffy?” Angel asked, suspiciously.

“No, I'm actually here to stay. Just moved down.” Ford said, almost challengingly.

“Y'know, it's getting really crowded in here tonight. And I really need to study for… that test,” Buffy blurted out suddenly.

“Let me walk you home!” Ford said quickly.

“Actually, I think I need some alone time…”

“Well, be alone at home. It’s not safe for you to be walking all that way alone in the dark,” Ford interrupted practically.

“Okay, then, um... I'll see ya guys tomorrow.” She said and headed for the door.

“Good night.” Angel said, sounding pissed.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

“So, that was your boyfriend?” Ford asked breaking the silence as they walked.

“No. Uh, yeah. Maybe. Could we lay off the tough questions for a while?” She asked, feeling very tired all of a sudden.

“Sorry. So! What else do you do for fun around here?”

Buffy stopped when she heard the sound of growling coming from around the corner. Ford looked at her questioningly.

“Um, my purse. I-I, I left my purse at the Bronze. Uh, could you get it for me?”

“Uh, okay.”

“Good. Run! Thanks!”

As soon as he was out of sight, she started running in the opposite direction.

“Spike!” She yelled surprised to see him penned down by four vampires.

“A little help luv?” He groaned.

Without a second thought she launched herself into the middle of the fray. Soon she and Spike were fighting back to back, ducking blows and side-stepping punches like they were participating in some strange new dance. A decapitation and a few stakes later the pair ended up alone, standing very close in a cloud of swirling dust. The only thing Buffy could concentrate on were his plump lips as the adrenaline pumping furiously through her veins began to turn to lust. All she had to do was lean forward two inches and their lips would be touching.

“What's goin' on?”

The spell broken Buffy turned around to face Ford.

“Um... uh, there was a, a cat. A cat here, and, um, then there was a-another cat... and they fought. The cats. And... then they left.”

She looked to Spike motioning for him to back her up.

“Uh, yeah. Damn cats,” he said, helpfully.

Buffy rolled her eyes.

“Oh. I thought you were just slaying a vampire.” Ford said, nonchalantly.

“What? Whating a what?” She demanded, unable to believe that he had just said what he did.

“I know, Buffy. You don't have to lie. I-I've been trying to figure out the right time to, to tell you. I know you're the Slayer.”

Buffy was taken aback.

She looked to Spike, hoping he had some answer for her.

He looked troubled.

“Ford, wait right there.”

She grabbed Spike’s arm and led him a little ways away.

“What is it?” She demanded.

Spike didn’t bother to ask what she meant, he knew.

“I remember this from last time. I guess you need to decide on what you want to know. And what you don’t want to know.”

“Forewarned is forearmed,” she said only half-teasing.

He stared at her for a minute consideringly.

“Ignorance is bliss.”

Buffy looked back at Ford, who gave her a strange look and a little wave.

She turned back to Spike.

“What should I do?” She asked in a small voice that reminded Spike just how young she was.

Buffy had a lot of hard times ahead of her, but it was through these struggles that she would become the amazing woman he was in love with. It would be wrong of him to stop every one of her, er, ‘Learning Experiences’, but maybe he could help her move past them. If only she could forgive him for keeping them from her.

“Tell you what. What happens over the next couple of days will be tough, but you and yours will be fine. Cling to that and let it get you through. When it’s over, we’ll talk and maybe set some boundaries about what I should and shouldn’t tell you that is coming.”

She opened her mouth to protest, but he shook his head.

“Look, you are the Slayer. And you will be the greatest Slayer that ever lived. But to get there, you have to go through some things. You can do it, Buffy. I’ve seen you. But it’s the battles, the painful ones that will mold you into Her.”

Buffy blinked, his little speech almost moved her to tears.

She looked down and took a deep breath.

“I’ll see you later then,” she said and turned back to join Ford.

Spike watched her leave barely able to contain his excitement.

She trusted him. He only hoped that it would last.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Buffy blinked back tears as she laid a bouquet of red roses on Ford's grave. She stood up again and walked back to where Spike was waiting for her. She stopped right in front of him.

“I don't know what I'm supposed to say.” She admitted sadly.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Spike assured her, watching her face carefully.

She sniffed and brushed away a small tear that broke free.

“It'd be simpler if I could just hate him. I think he wanted me to. I think it made it easier for him to be the villain of the piece. Really he was just scared.”

“That’s rather perceptive,” he commented earning an almost-smile from her.

“Nothing's ever simple anymore. I'm constantly trying to work it out. Who to love or hate. Who to trust. It's just, like, the more I know, the more confused I get.”

“I believe that's called growing up.”

“I'd like to stop then, okay?”

Spike just smiled and shook his head.

They began walking away to start their nightly patrol of the small town.

“Does it ever get easy?” She asked him.

Ford suddenly rose from his grave, a vampire just like he wanted, and attacked Buffy. She plunged a stake into his heart with no more effort than swatting a fly. He stepped back and looked at the stake protruding from his chest. He looked back up and burst into ashes.

Buffy and Spike shared a look then continued walking.

“You mean life?” Spike asked.

She nodded.

“Yeah. Does it get easy?”

What a loaded question coming from a slayer.

“What do you want me to say?”

She stopped walking and gave him a long searching look.

“Lie to me,” she said, finally.

He pulled her close for a comforting hug, and as distraught and disillusioned as she was, she allowed it. Savored it even.

“I’ll never lie to you, Buffy,” he whispered in her ear.

End Chapter 3