For The Love Of Spike
Chapter12
Katherine herself awoke riding over the shoulder of Angelus as he and Drusilla made their way down the staircase of his building. Not wanting to give away the fact that she was conscious, Katherine continued to hang limply and kept her eyes open to tiny slits. She watched as Drusilla unlocked the door, then stood aside to let Angelus, with Katherine, pass. Once within, Angelus let Katherine slide down to the concrete floor. He walked out of her field of vision and said something quietly to Drusilla. Very slowly, as to not attract their attention, Katherine moved only her head to peer at them from under her curtain of corkscrew curls. What she saw made her eyes widen and color rise to her cheeks. She stifled a giggle.
Angelus and Drusilla were plastered against the wall of the kitchenette, engaged in a passionate kiss. Drusilla's hands crept up from Angelus' shoulder and into his dark hair, while his own hand was occupied with holding her knee up and close to his hip. His other hand clutched her tightly around her waist.
They broke the kiss slowly, Angelus letting Drusilla's satin-covered leg to slide back down to the floor while slowly opening his eyes. Drusilla hummed as she stepped away. She glanced at Katherine.
Immediately, Katherine closed her eyes, feigning unconsciousness. Had Drusilla noticed that she'd been watching? She heard the click of heels coming closer and held her breath.
"When is she going to wake up?" she heard Drusilla ask Angelus. Katherine let out her breath slowly, feeling Drusilla's gaze on her face.
Angelus muttered that he didn't know and walked over to where Drusilla knelt, her hands on her knees like a curious child, at Katherine's side. He gestured her away and grabbed a handful of Katherine's curls. Katherine tried not to wince.
"Wake up, you little slut. It's time for us to have a little chat."
Katherine moaned and blinked a couple of times, pushing off the floor, following Angelus' hand as he kept his grip on her hair. He led her over to a chair, where he shoved her to sit.
She massaged her scalp for a moment, looking back and forth between Angelus, who stood right in front of her, and Drusilla, who had retreated to stand near Angelus' desk. Then she asked quietly, "What do you want with me?"
Angelus appeared thoughtful, then, slowly, is signature half-smile crept over his face. "Oh, I think we'll have a little fun with you, that's all."
"My help?" Even while quiet and weak, Spike's voice still held notes of scorn and incredulity. Buffy nodded as Spike pushed himself to a sitting position. The sheet slid down his bare chest to his waist. Buffy's eyes flicked over his torso, then back up to his face. She continued.
"We've found a cure for Angelus, a way to get his soul back. We thought that maybe you could help us, but..." she trailed off. Spike smiled ironically. Giles broke in.
"Do you have any idea what happened to you to make you black out like that?"
"Eat a rotten person lately?" Buffy supplied. Giles and Spike both sent her a look. She apologized quietly and sat in an armchair near the door. Spike answered Giles' question.
"The only new person I've eaten...with...was Katherine." Giles raised his eyebrows, drawing a blank. Buffy answered his unspoken question.
"She's that third Slayer, Giles. The one activated after Kendra died."
Giles, remembering, said, "Oh," and gestured for Spike to continue.
"I changed her. She and I have each other's blood in our veins. That's the only thing I can think of."
Giles stood and started pacing. He took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Giles, what's up?" Buffy asked, worried by his silence.
Giles turned. "I, ah, I fear that your life is in a great deal of danger," he said to Spike.
"So, what's new?" he responded with a cynical smile.
"A Slayer's blood and that of, well...a demon...can't ever mix. It's deadly. One is poison to the other."
"So he's going to die," Buffy concluded, extremely worried now. Spike closed his eyes and laid his head back against the pillow.
"Perhaps not," Giles murmured thoughtfully.
Angelus stepped closer to Katherine, still huddled in the chair.
"I have an idea," he said with a mad grin. His hand shot out, curling into her shirt and yanking her to her feet. He brushed by Drusilla, standing silently, watching, and dragged Katherine after him. Drusilla kept her back to them as Angelus threw Katherine on the bed and drew the curtain of the bed's alcove. She walked out of the apartment moments before Katherine started to scream.
"Perhaps," Giles continued, "I-if we gave Spike enough blood, we could, ah, counteract any effects of the Slayer blood. Provided, o-of course," Giles finished, "that Spike didn't, um, didn't take a large amount of blood, that is."
"I didn't," Spike answered, his eyes still closed. He seemed too tired to open them.
Giles walked over to Spike's IV. Slowly, carefully, he increased the flow rate of the blood. After a few minutes, Spike opened his eyes and raised his head to look at the IV.
"Now, that's how I like it," he said with a grin, already sounding stronger. "Straight to the vein."
After just a few more minutes Spike was feeling well enough to leave the hospital. While Giles went to collect his and Spike's clothing, Buffy pulled her chair closer to Spike's bed to dismantle the IV.
"So," she said, pulling tubing apart, "you and Katherine are going out or something?"
Spike shifted his shoulders. "Or something," he murmured, looking away. "We had a...a difference of opinion."
"Oh. Well, um...why did you decide to renovate The Woodside?" Buffy asked, changing the subject. He didn't seem to want to talk about Katherine very much.
"Katherine wanted me to. Look," he said, turning his head suddenly to look Buffy in the eyes, "Can we talk about something else?" He sat up straighter in the bed. Buffy shrugged and glanced down to where the sheet had slid again. Spike's abdominal muscles flexed as he adjusted his pillow, and she quickly averted her eyes and instead concentrated on putting her chair back against the wall.
Chapter 13