Improvising Atonement, 7/?
Jan. 4th, 2008 12:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sevendeadlyfunPairing: None (Spike, GIles, OC)
Rating: NC-17 overall
Summary: A vampire with a soul comes to Sunnydale to help The Slayer. Can a demon ever atone?
A/N: I swear I am getting to the Spander. Really and truly. It takes some build-up. Hey, it took Buffy and Angel like two whole seasons to get all naughty! I'd say I'm working a pretty good clip here. Trust me! "The Pack" offers plenty of possibilities for Spander-y fun...Thanks (as always!) to my lovely betanoandwhere who always reminds me that semicolons need love too! :P Written in response to ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
tamingthemuse prompt 76- Mount Everest
Previous Chapters
“As usual, William, you are completely incorrect,” a softly accented voice said from the darkness. “Imprecision has always been one of your worst qualities.”
Spike groaned, turning around to glare at the small woman standing directly behind him. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate her, but some things needed to be private. Yet somehow the woman had managed to get several college degrees without ever learning the definition of the word.
“Ah, Miss…uhm…Wei, is it?” Giles stammered, the crossbow dangling from his now limp hands. “You know…William, do you?”
“Yeah,” Spike interjected curtly. “She’s my Watcher. Jin, what in the nine hells’re you doin’ here? I told you…”
“Yes,” she interrupted him smoothly. “You told me you could handle Mr. Giles yourself. As you aren’t dust yet, I think you’ve managed very well. Nevertheless, you need my help. He clearly does not believe a single syllable you’ve said.”
Giles stared dumbly at Miss Wei, mouth slightly agape. If he hadn’t been so frustrated, Spike would have snickered at the sight of the very proper Watcher so gobsmacked. Instead, Spike let out another groan.
“Mr. Giles,” Miss Wei said crisply. “We did not return his soul.”
The crossbow snapped up sharply, aimed directly at Spike’s heart. The flustered expression on Giles’ face fell away, replaced by one of cold calculation. Spike stiffened, rising up on the balls of feet. He wouldn’t kill the Watcher. Not because he cared much for the ponce, but because the Slayer needed him and he refused to do anything to make her life harder. He leaned slightly towards his right, preparing to dodge the bolt once Giles fired.
Wei Jin laid a restraining hand on Spike’s arm, as her other hand made a swift, sweeping motion. The crossbow flew from Giles’ grasp, landing with a clatter in the recess of the library. Giles glared at her, reaching behind him and retrieving a wooden stake.
“Don’t,” Miss Wei advised him. “I shall only have to disarm you again and it will be extremely tiresome for us both.”
“Why are you protecting him,” Giles demanded. “You said yourself he doesn’t have a soul!”
“No,” Miss Wei disagreed. “What I said was that we did not return his soul. I would expect a man of your intelligence to be able to discern the difference. We did not return his soul because there was no need to do so. His soul never left him.”
“Rubbish,” Giles snorted. “When a person is…is…turned, the soul leaves the body. They’re nothing more than reanimated flesh under a demon’s influence.”
Miss Wei smiled, a small secretive smile that illuminated the harsh planes of her face. Spike watched, intrigued, as Giles smiled back. The old tosser wouldn’t last more than a few minutes under Jin’s charm. Spike felt a surprising surge of pity for the Watcher; Jin would lead him a merry chase.
“And you know this for a fact?” Wei Jin riposted. “You have examined a vampire, found a manifestation of the soul?”
“Well…I…that is to say…” Giles stammered. “No.”
“So then,” Miss Wei countered triumphantly. “You can not know that vampires do not have souls. I say they do because what my great-great-grandmother returned to William was not a soul. Where is the mercy in forcing a soul to leave Paradise? Only something very evil would compel a soul from its rest. What she returned to him was mercy, something you must agree a demon lacks.”
“And you are his…watcher?” Giles asked tentatively, looking thoughtful.
“William’s word, not mine.” Miss Wei informed him. “Since my great-great-grandmother’s time, someone from my family has always accompanied William on his journey. It is a great honor to assist him as he attempts to follow the path of mercy.”
“What she means is, they take a perverse delight in reminding me how I often I come up short,” Spike drawled, shooting a mock glare at Miss Wei. “I still hear about the dog I almost ran over.”
“It was the Year of the Dog,” Miss Wei returned pointedly. “And you spent the next six months dodging all the misfortunes you’d earned. I would say a few reminders might do you good.”
“Yes,” Giles interjected hastily. “Very interesting, but how can you tell he has a soul?”
“How do you know that you have one?” Spike asked quizzically.
He wasn’t entirely sure what a soul was, and no matter how many times Jin had reassured him that he did indeed have a soul, he couldn’t feel it. He’d expected to feel a spark, something electric or transcendental that would assure him of its presence. But, all he remembered of the period after he was blessed was that he felt…cramped, somehow. As if he’d outgrown his skin. He wondered if that was what a soul felt like. He honestly couldn’t remember.
“William does have a point,” Miss Wei pointed out. “You ask how I know, but I wonder how you can assume he does not. One does not need to climb Mount Everest to know it is tall. So one should not need to see a soul to know it is there.”
“All well and good,” Giles said sharply. “But you and I don’t go around murdering scores of people. I’d say that makes quite a case for a soul.”
“Then are all murderers soulless?” Miss Wei asked him softly.
The enfolding silence weighed on Spike’s shoulders, pushing him downwards until he thought his spine must be creaking with the pressure. He writhed under the quiet, hated it intensely. He lived loudly, needed the noise to steady him. A human life as a solitary bookworm had left him desperate for color and sound.
“Bloody hell!” Spike swore, finally unable to hold his tongue. “Look, whether or not you think I’m worthy, I’m gonna help yer Slayer. I haven’t killed you yet, have I? Been a right help a time or two. Just give me a bleeding chance, yeah? ‘S all I’m asking for.”
Giles nodded stiffly, his eyes wary and hooded. Spike threw his head back, laughing in relief. Grudging acceptance was better than nothing and right now, it felt like a bloody victory to him.
Chapter 8
Rating: NC-17 overall
Summary: A vampire with a soul comes to Sunnydale to help The Slayer. Can a demon ever atone?
A/N: I swear I am getting to the Spander. Really and truly. It takes some build-up. Hey, it took Buffy and Angel like two whole seasons to get all naughty! I'd say I'm working a pretty good clip here. Trust me! "The Pack" offers plenty of possibilities for Spander-y fun...Thanks (as always!) to my lovely beta
noandwhere who always reminds me that semicolons need love too! :P Written in response to tamingthemuse prompt 76- Mount EverestPrevious Chapters
“As usual, William, you are completely incorrect,” a softly accented voice said from the darkness. “Imprecision has always been one of your worst qualities.”
Spike groaned, turning around to glare at the small woman standing directly behind him. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate her, but some things needed to be private. Yet somehow the woman had managed to get several college degrees without ever learning the definition of the word.
“Ah, Miss…uhm…Wei, is it?” Giles stammered, the crossbow dangling from his now limp hands. “You know…William, do you?”
“Yeah,” Spike interjected curtly. “She’s my Watcher. Jin, what in the nine hells’re you doin’ here? I told you…”
“Yes,” she interrupted him smoothly. “You told me you could handle Mr. Giles yourself. As you aren’t dust yet, I think you’ve managed very well. Nevertheless, you need my help. He clearly does not believe a single syllable you’ve said.”
Giles stared dumbly at Miss Wei, mouth slightly agape. If he hadn’t been so frustrated, Spike would have snickered at the sight of the very proper Watcher so gobsmacked. Instead, Spike let out another groan.
“Mr. Giles,” Miss Wei said crisply. “We did not return his soul.”
The crossbow snapped up sharply, aimed directly at Spike’s heart. The flustered expression on Giles’ face fell away, replaced by one of cold calculation. Spike stiffened, rising up on the balls of feet. He wouldn’t kill the Watcher. Not because he cared much for the ponce, but because the Slayer needed him and he refused to do anything to make her life harder. He leaned slightly towards his right, preparing to dodge the bolt once Giles fired.
Wei Jin laid a restraining hand on Spike’s arm, as her other hand made a swift, sweeping motion. The crossbow flew from Giles’ grasp, landing with a clatter in the recess of the library. Giles glared at her, reaching behind him and retrieving a wooden stake.
“Don’t,” Miss Wei advised him. “I shall only have to disarm you again and it will be extremely tiresome for us both.”
“Why are you protecting him,” Giles demanded. “You said yourself he doesn’t have a soul!”
“No,” Miss Wei disagreed. “What I said was that we did not return his soul. I would expect a man of your intelligence to be able to discern the difference. We did not return his soul because there was no need to do so. His soul never left him.”
“Rubbish,” Giles snorted. “When a person is…is…turned, the soul leaves the body. They’re nothing more than reanimated flesh under a demon’s influence.”
Miss Wei smiled, a small secretive smile that illuminated the harsh planes of her face. Spike watched, intrigued, as Giles smiled back. The old tosser wouldn’t last more than a few minutes under Jin’s charm. Spike felt a surprising surge of pity for the Watcher; Jin would lead him a merry chase.
“And you know this for a fact?” Wei Jin riposted. “You have examined a vampire, found a manifestation of the soul?”
“Well…I…that is to say…” Giles stammered. “No.”
“So then,” Miss Wei countered triumphantly. “You can not know that vampires do not have souls. I say they do because what my great-great-grandmother returned to William was not a soul. Where is the mercy in forcing a soul to leave Paradise? Only something very evil would compel a soul from its rest. What she returned to him was mercy, something you must agree a demon lacks.”
“And you are his…watcher?” Giles asked tentatively, looking thoughtful.
“William’s word, not mine.” Miss Wei informed him. “Since my great-great-grandmother’s time, someone from my family has always accompanied William on his journey. It is a great honor to assist him as he attempts to follow the path of mercy.”
“What she means is, they take a perverse delight in reminding me how I often I come up short,” Spike drawled, shooting a mock glare at Miss Wei. “I still hear about the dog I almost ran over.”
“It was the Year of the Dog,” Miss Wei returned pointedly. “And you spent the next six months dodging all the misfortunes you’d earned. I would say a few reminders might do you good.”
“Yes,” Giles interjected hastily. “Very interesting, but how can you tell he has a soul?”
“How do you know that you have one?” Spike asked quizzically.
He wasn’t entirely sure what a soul was, and no matter how many times Jin had reassured him that he did indeed have a soul, he couldn’t feel it. He’d expected to feel a spark, something electric or transcendental that would assure him of its presence. But, all he remembered of the period after he was blessed was that he felt…cramped, somehow. As if he’d outgrown his skin. He wondered if that was what a soul felt like. He honestly couldn’t remember.
“William does have a point,” Miss Wei pointed out. “You ask how I know, but I wonder how you can assume he does not. One does not need to climb Mount Everest to know it is tall. So one should not need to see a soul to know it is there.”
“All well and good,” Giles said sharply. “But you and I don’t go around murdering scores of people. I’d say that makes quite a case for a soul.”
“Then are all murderers soulless?” Miss Wei asked him softly.
The enfolding silence weighed on Spike’s shoulders, pushing him downwards until he thought his spine must be creaking with the pressure. He writhed under the quiet, hated it intensely. He lived loudly, needed the noise to steady him. A human life as a solitary bookworm had left him desperate for color and sound.
“Bloody hell!” Spike swore, finally unable to hold his tongue. “Look, whether or not you think I’m worthy, I’m gonna help yer Slayer. I haven’t killed you yet, have I? Been a right help a time or two. Just give me a bleeding chance, yeah? ‘S all I’m asking for.”
Giles nodded stiffly, his eyes wary and hooded. Spike threw his head back, laughing in relief. Grudging acceptance was better than nothing and right now, it felt like a bloody victory to him.
Chapter 8
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
on 2008-01-04 06:01 am (UTC)no subject
on 2008-01-04 06:08 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2008-01-04 05:36 pm (UTC)AND EXCUSE ME U LEFT US THERE?!!?!?
Ah. But this was a lovely explanation about the souls. I don't think I found anybody who has explained it better than you yet. So very true.
I liked the fact that Spike apparently can't feel his soul although his soul is still there. Don't we all feel that apparently all the time?
Good job.
no subject
on 2008-01-04 06:15 pm (UTC)The issue of souls in Whedon's universe has always been an uneasy one, I think. The show(s) placed such a huge stock in them, but they never explained what it was or how it worked. In fact, there were a lot of inconsistencies regarding souls in the show(s). Since I'm a tidy girl, I felt the need for a good spring clean in that area. The idea that only a soul makes you good seems ludicrous in the face of Jonestown and Stalin, to name just to random examples of human cruelty. So, I felt that it had to be something else...thus, "mercy". It seems more appropriate to me. I'm glad you enjoyed it and thank you!
no subject
on 2008-01-04 05:43 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2008-01-04 06:16 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2008-01-07 11:42 pm (UTC)And I just love frustrated Giles. Wei Jin is cool!!
Great chapter!
no subject
on 2008-01-08 06:08 am (UTC)no subject
on 2008-01-08 08:43 pm (UTC)*puppydog eyes*
no subject
on 2008-01-09 05:40 am (UTC)(Psst! The eyes? They only work on de boys.) :P
no subject
on 2008-02-16 04:21 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2009-09-26 04:56 pm (UTC)Likey, likey.