Chapter 8

It was a simple matter to gain the location of Ben, the new resident, and find out his work schedule. Apparently, the female nurses thought the doctor was the best thing since sliced bread and were wont to discuss the recent addition to the Sunnydale Hospital, and how they might chance to run into him in the halls. 

Glory must not have had a lot of control over occupying her human host. Not long after Spike returned to the hospital, he found the man walking down the hallway, a clipboard held in his hand. 

“Ben, isn’t it?” he asked. 

The intern stopped and eyed the blond. 

“You were with Buffy earlier.” 

“Yes.” 

“How’s her mother? I haven’t had a chance to look at her chart yet. I’ve been kept busy here in the ER.” 

“Not good. Doc says it’s oligodendroglioma.” 

“Oh… I’m sorry. Well, I’m sure Dr. Isaac will take good care of her. She’s really in good hands.” 

“Ta, mate. Look… you got a second? I had a few questions… and since you’re here…” 

“Uh… sure.” 

A nurse walked past and gave the male doctor a sidelong look. He was oblivious, and Spike counted it as a good thing – maybe he wouldn’t realize how much danger he was actually in. 

“Why don’t we move out of the way? Seems to be a lot of people scurryin’ about in the halls.” 

Ben nodded and pointed towards one of the larger ER rooms that weren’t currently being used. He pushed the door open and walked inside, Spike trailing behind him. 

“What is it you wanted to talk—” 

He never got to finish what he was saying. Spike grabbed him from behind and clamped a hand over his mouth. 

“Sorry, mate. This is gonna hurt me more than it is you. You’ll at least get the blessed numbness of death. I’m just going to end up a writhing pile of pain. But, we can’t have Glory running around makin’ things hard for the Slayer and her family.” 

Ben tried to scream behind the hand clamped over his mouth; it did no good. Struggling didn’t work either. The man that held him had a strength about him that he couldn’t conceive. He frantically shook his head, denying what was about to happen. 

The lack of warning zaps when he grabbed the human should have been his first clue. Ben’s neck gave a loud crack when Spike yanked his head to the side. The sound echoed around the room and reverberated in his ears. He allowed the body to fall from his grasp to the floor below. 

He knew the man was dead – he wasn’t breathing and his heart wasn’t beating. He also knew that he was human. 

So why wasn’t he a short-circuited pain overloaded mass on the floor? Why was he staring down at the doctor with some sort of sick fascination?  

It took a while… but then it hit him. 

His chip didn’t work. 

He could feel his demon bubbling up inside, rejoicing at being unfettered. He could kill again! He was free to be a vampire once more. 

No longer would he be the butt of jokes, both in the human and demon world. He was the Big Bad and heaven help anyone that didn’t realize that fact soon enough – he’d use their neck as a chalice and dine until he was full. 

At least, that’s what the demon thought. 

Spike knew better.   

He knew that the fastest way to getting staked was to start feeding again. Hell, once the Slayer found out, there was a good chance that she’d stake him anyway. Couldn’t have the evil, soulless, and now unchipped vampire wandering around the likes of Sunnydale. 

Her friends, her bloody watcher, would demand she do her duty.   

He’d have to leave. 

But not without first saying goodbye. 

Spike slipped out of the hospital room and made his way back to his crypt.  He needed to pack up his belongings before he cleared out for good. There were things hidden there that could prove embarrassing if anyone were to find them. 

~*~*~*~*~ 

Spike knew Riley was inside as soon as he got close to his crypt. For one thing, his scent was all over the place, though it was concentrated more near the door, like he’d stood there for a while and debated whether or not to go inside. For another, the sounds of his nicked television suddenly crashing to the ground gave some indication that the person inside wasn’t too happy. 

A smile on his face, he pushed open the door and swaggered inside. This confrontation had been a long time coming, and Spike would be lying if he said he wasn’t looking forward to putting the ex-commando in his place. 

“Ahh… the slayer’s boytoy…” he drawled. “To what do I owe this unexpected visit?” 

Spike pulled out a cigarette and lit it, drawing deep on the small stick so that the tip glowed a bright red and ate away at the end.   

“Spike,” Riley growled, a stake materializing in his hand. 

Spike had to give the boy some credit, his reflexes weren’t too bad. Unfortunately, they were nowhere near as fast as his. A fact Soldier Boy was soon to find out. 

“I almost think you’re not happy to see me, what with the destruction to my place and the less than stellar greeting on your part,” he goaded. 

“It ends now,” Riley told him. “I’m gonna do what Buffy should have done a long time ago.” 

“Oh really…” 

“Maybe then she’ll come to her senses,” he muttered under his breath. 

Spike was ready when he charged. The speed with which he disarmed Riley had the other’s eyes widening with shock… and dawning fear. 

“Your chip,” he whispered, eyeing the distance to the door. 

“You’d never make it,” Spike told him bluntly, seeing the direction of his fearful gaze. “But yes, it appears the chip is gone. Which means, you’re dealing with the Big Bad now, not some handicapped vamp.” 

“Buffy’ll stake you if you hurt me.” 

“Trust me, boy, the Slayer wouldn’t find out.” 

“Go ahead then,” Riley taunted. “You’re just a monster anyw—” 

The breath was choked out of him as he was flung up against the crypt wall and Spike’s forearm pressed into his throat. 

“I think the term you’re lookin’ for is ‘demon.’  Lemme explain the difference… See, monster is what you are, thinkin’ you can come in here and stake a poor, defenseless vampire. One that has the Slayer’s protection, no less. Now demons… us demons kill to survive. We’re not motivated by jealousy, just a need for blood that has to be slaked, lest we perish away. And, I must say, I am feelin’ a mite peckish.” 

His fangs descended and ridges appeared along his brow, and Spike reveled in the fear he sensed in the ex-soldier. Though he crinkled his nose at the whiff of urine he smelt when Riley abruptly lost control of his bladder. 

“Don’t worry, Soldier Boy,” Spike finally told him. “I wouldn’t eat you even if you paid me. You’d prolly turn my stomach. But, I will tell you this. You come after me again and it’s open season. I don’t have to drain you to kill you. And after what I suffered at the hands of you lot last year, I’ll be inclined to introduce you to my means of torturing victims. I assure you, you’ll crack long before I ever thought of doing so.” He shoved the soldier towards the door.  “Now get lost, before I change my mind.” 

“It’s not over,” Riley snarled once he reached the steel door. 

“For your sake, it better be. You don’t want to learn how I got my name.” 

Spike felt marginally better after Riley beat a hasty retreat. He was halfway down the ladder to the lower level when he cursed and rushed back upstairs and out the door. 

He needed to get to the Slayer’s house before Riley did. 

~*~*~*~*~ 

Spike opened the door without knocking just in time to hear Riley say, “his chip doesn’t work anymore.” He walked into the living room, taking a moment to bask in the fear of each and every person in the room… save one. 

That one was staring at him with something akin to hope – and maybe a bit of disbelief – shining in her eyes. 

“Hello, Buffy.” 

“Spike?” she whispered, not daring to believe. “What… what happened?” 

Spike eyed the others scrambling to the far side of the living room, trying to put as much distance between him and them. He didn’t spare them a glance, other than to assure himself that they weren’t armed and weren’t stupid enough to try and attack him. 

“Hey, luv. I took care of that problem like I told you I would. Niblet’s safe now.” 

“But how?”   

Buffy gestured vaguely to his head, indicating his chip, and why he wasn’t brain mush just waiting to be dusted. 

“Not rightly sure,” he told her honestly as he sat down beside her on the couch. “But, I can hazard a guess. Remember when the sun hit my head?” 

Buffy shuddered and nodded. She’d never been more scared in her life –knowing that at any second he’d burst into flames. 

“Figured it must have burned it up.” 

“You mean all this time…”

“Uh huh. Not that I knew. Didn’t even suspect a thing when I grabbed the doc.” 

“The doc?” 

“Ben. He was Glory.” 

“Ben was Glory?” 

“Yes. I tried to tell you before, but the bint must have done something. Every time I brought it up, you and the watcher’d both quickly forget.” 

“You’re saying that young doctor, the one that was talking with Buffy earlier, was Glory?” Giles asked. His curiosity got the better of him and he walked from behind the end table to sit down on the one of the chairs – a chair that was a safe distance from the two blondes. 

“Yes. When Buffy screamed, I ran through the doors and saw her. Glory was sportin’ his kit, right down to the nametag. Like I said, I tried to tell you…” 

“Remarkable.” 

“So no more hellgod?” Buffy asked. 

“That’s right. No apocalypse… well, at least of the demonic nature. We do need to do somethin’ about your mum.” 

“Buffy, I’m all with the ‘Yay! Crisis averted,’ but um… shouldn’t you be like… staking Spike right about now?” Xander asked. “You know… evil, unchipped Spike?”  

“No,” Buffy murmured, her eyes never leaving the vampire seated beside her. 

“No? What? Huh? I mean… why not?” 

“Because he loves me.” 

“Love? Um… hello. What about Riley? Your boyfriend Riley? As in standing right here next to me Riley?” 

“Riley’s not my boyfriend anymore.” 

“He’s not?” 

“He’s not?” Spike asked at the same time. 

At that point, the person being discussed stormed out of the house. Spike should have gone after him and made him apologize to the Slayer for the curses that fell freely from his lips. But she was looking at him – only him – explaining her reasons for giving the ex-soldier the boot.  

“No. After you left I broke it off. I told him that I wasn’t in love with him. That as much as he might love me, it wasn’t enough for the both of us. Did you mean it? What you said earlier?” 

“With all my heart, luv.” 

“I don’t know if I love you. But I do know I care about you. I’d like to try… to see if this could work.” 

“You won’t regret it, Buffy,” he promised, drawing her onto his lap and hugging her tight. 

Objections from her friends and watcher started almost immediately – although Giles’ were half-hearted at best. He’d begun to suspect the way the vampire felt about his slayer even before the two had left for Mexico, and contrary to what had been written ad nauseam in the Watcher’s Chronicles, he knew first hand that demons did, in fact, feel. Besides, he was quite sure that Buffy would keep the vamp in check, and it would be nice to have someone around that didn’t act like a bloody teenager all the time. 

Though, as he spied the two making a stealthy retreat out of the living room while Tara launched into an explanation about Buffy and Spike’s auras to both Willow and Xander, and Dawn squealed about like a child high on caffeine, he figured he might have to amend that last thought. It was just like the vamp to leave him behind and have to listen to the petty squabbling and screeching that was enough to turn his hair completely gray. 

Thankfully, the events of the last twenty-four-plus hours eventually caught up with him, and he was soon stretched out on the couch, dead asleep. 

Outside, the two blondes walked hand-in-hand down the sidewalk on their way to the first of Sunnydale’s several cemeteries. A quick patrol, then a stop by the hospital to check on her mother. Maybe afterwards they could return to her place and watch TV together, talk for a while. 

She voiced as much and got a shy grin from Spike in reply. 

“Think we could make up some of your mum’s hot cocoa?” 

“Only if you know how to make it.” 

“I think I could manage that. I’ve watched her do it often enough.” 

“Then it’s a date.” 

Oh, yeah… Sometimes being the Slayer wasn’t half bad…

The End

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