Improvising Atonement (15/?)
Jun. 21st, 2008 08:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sevendeadlyfunCharacters: Ensemble
Rating: NC-17 overall
Summary: A vampire with a soul comes to Sunnydale to help The Slayer. Can a demon ever atone?
A/N: Written for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
tamingthemuse prompt #100-Choose Your Own Prompt. I chose prompt #14-riptide. Unbetaed. Previous parts here or in tags
He raced down the halls of the high school, eyes constantly scanning for any sight of her. She was here. She had to be. He’d find her and then…well, he hadn’t got to the ‘and then’ part, yet.
His busy eyes failed to see the shadows moving, gathering on all sides of him. When the axe swung, he only managed to avoid losing his head by bare inches. The swoosh of air hitting his face was his only warning and his body turned just in time. Unfortunately, his graceful dodge landed him squarely in the flustered lap of Xander Harris.
Spike grabbed the young man by his neck, dragging them both backwards and away from the hard-eyed Slayer looming above them. Behind her stood the little red-head, the Watcher and Wei Jinn. His hands tightened around Xander’s throat, and he could feel his demonic features pushing forward.
“Let her go,” he demanded, fighting to keep the snarl from his voice.
“I don’t take orders from vampires,” Buffy replied, the fire axe in her hand swaying as her grip slackened. “We heard her call you. Warn you to run. So, what…is she, like, your minion or something?”
“Don’t you dare say that about her,” Spike growled, voice low. “She’s a finer woman than you’ll ever be, Slayer. Assuming you manage to live that long, anyhow. Think you can make it out of here alive?”
“I knew it,” Xander hissed. “I knew you couldn’t be a good vampire, you undead liar guy. So you decided that you’d play some kind of sick game before you killed us all? Be our friends?”
“Clever little chicken,” Spike purred and he laughed, a tight, mean laugh, at Xander’s quick shiver of fear. His tongue snaked out to dance along the visible pulse pounding at the base of Xander’s neck. “Reckon you little Scoobies are just too smart for the vicious vampire. Now, let. Her. Go. Or I might start feeling a bit peckish.”
Spike kept his face demonic, but inside he was fighting against a fierce riptide of emotion. Fear for Jinn, for the Slayer, for Xander. Poor Xander, caught like a mouse between two lions. Poor Slayer, caught in the trap of destiny and design.
“No,” the Slayer said quietly. “Not until you answer him. Why did you do this to us? Giles showed us your history. Two Slayers. You killed two Slayers. Were you looking to bag your third? Thought maybe I’d lower my defenses if we were pals?”
“You did,” Spike said soft. “Could’ve killed you any bloody time I pleased. ‘S what I am, innit? Death. Ugly, brutal death come to dance.”
“So why am I still alive?” she demanded. “Why is Xander? You could break his neck faster than I could stake you and we both know it.”
“Okay,” Xander said nervously. “Think we could stop giving him helpful suggestions like that?”
“He’s still alive,” Buffy persisted. “And that chokehold is looking less choke and more hold.”
Spike stared at his own hand. His fingers swept across Xander’s throat in short strokes, teasing touches that might threaten Xander’s sanity but definitely not his life. Spike closed his eyes, enjoyed the feel of Xander for a brief moment before shoving the boy forward.
“Not going to kill him,” he said quietly. “Was a time when I would’ve. I was William the Bloody first, then Spike. Made myself a name and wrote it across continents in the blood of the innocent.”
“Spike,” Xander repeated. “You were named after a cartoon dog?”
“No,” Spike replied quietly. “After the railroad spikes I used to shove into my victim’s bodies.”
“Oh!” Willow’s voice, laced with surprise, was almost a shout in the quiet corridor.
“Yeah. Oh. Spent two decades destroying every life I came in contact with. Met up with a girl, just about your age, in China. Lovely girl, with the grace of a dancer and the ferocity of a tiger.” Spike turned to look into Buffy’s wide eyes. “I killed her, Buffy. Drained her dry and dropped her body on the ground like so much rubbish. “
“Your first Slayer,” Buffy replied woodenly, her face going grey. “You really killed her.”
“I really did,” he confirmed. “And I was proud of myself. Only 20 years dead and I’d defeated a Slayer.”
“Proud,” Xander spat. “You killed a Slayer and you were proud of that?”
“Not a man, luv,” Spike told him wearily. “No matter what you see when you look at me, I’m not a man. I’m a demon, yeah? And when I slaughtered that Slayer, I was a conscienceless killer. So, yes, Xander. I was pleased as bloody punch that I’d killed her. ‘Til I ran into her Mum.”
“I know,” Buffy said. “Giles told me this stuff. About how you have some kind of soul or something.”
“Not a soul, Slayer,” he corrected her. “I imagine that’s long gone by now. But I have a conscience. That Slayer’s Mum was a priestess of the Goddess of Mercy, and that’s what she gave me. Mercy.”
“And you’re…what?” Xander asked sarcastically. “Paying it forward?”
“Something like that,” Spike answered him.
“Then why’d you kill the second Slayer?” Buffy demanded, fingers tightening around the handle of the axe.
Spike groaned, throwing his hands into the air. He couldn’t take this. His watcher was a hostage and the Slayer was seconds away from lopping off his head.
“It went a little something like this,” he finally said, gesturing around the darkened school. “She saw me, she tried to kill, and I didn’t let her. Listen, Slayer. I’ve saved your life and I can help you if you let me. But either you let Jinn go or we get to the killing portion of this bloody circus because being dust is preferable to this ludicrous inquisition. You trust me or you don’t. ‘S bloody simple.”
“Yeah.” Buffy nodded. “It is.”
Chapter 16
Rating: NC-17 overall
Summary: A vampire with a soul comes to Sunnydale to help The Slayer. Can a demon ever atone?
A/N: Written for
tamingthemuse prompt #100-Choose Your Own Prompt. I chose prompt #14-riptide. Unbetaed. Previous parts here or in tagsHe raced down the halls of the high school, eyes constantly scanning for any sight of her. She was here. She had to be. He’d find her and then…well, he hadn’t got to the ‘and then’ part, yet.
His busy eyes failed to see the shadows moving, gathering on all sides of him. When the axe swung, he only managed to avoid losing his head by bare inches. The swoosh of air hitting his face was his only warning and his body turned just in time. Unfortunately, his graceful dodge landed him squarely in the flustered lap of Xander Harris.
Spike grabbed the young man by his neck, dragging them both backwards and away from the hard-eyed Slayer looming above them. Behind her stood the little red-head, the Watcher and Wei Jinn. His hands tightened around Xander’s throat, and he could feel his demonic features pushing forward.
“Let her go,” he demanded, fighting to keep the snarl from his voice.
“I don’t take orders from vampires,” Buffy replied, the fire axe in her hand swaying as her grip slackened. “We heard her call you. Warn you to run. So, what…is she, like, your minion or something?”
“Don’t you dare say that about her,” Spike growled, voice low. “She’s a finer woman than you’ll ever be, Slayer. Assuming you manage to live that long, anyhow. Think you can make it out of here alive?”
“I knew it,” Xander hissed. “I knew you couldn’t be a good vampire, you undead liar guy. So you decided that you’d play some kind of sick game before you killed us all? Be our friends?”
“Clever little chicken,” Spike purred and he laughed, a tight, mean laugh, at Xander’s quick shiver of fear. His tongue snaked out to dance along the visible pulse pounding at the base of Xander’s neck. “Reckon you little Scoobies are just too smart for the vicious vampire. Now, let. Her. Go. Or I might start feeling a bit peckish.”
Spike kept his face demonic, but inside he was fighting against a fierce riptide of emotion. Fear for Jinn, for the Slayer, for Xander. Poor Xander, caught like a mouse between two lions. Poor Slayer, caught in the trap of destiny and design.
“No,” the Slayer said quietly. “Not until you answer him. Why did you do this to us? Giles showed us your history. Two Slayers. You killed two Slayers. Were you looking to bag your third? Thought maybe I’d lower my defenses if we were pals?”
“You did,” Spike said soft. “Could’ve killed you any bloody time I pleased. ‘S what I am, innit? Death. Ugly, brutal death come to dance.”
“So why am I still alive?” she demanded. “Why is Xander? You could break his neck faster than I could stake you and we both know it.”
“Okay,” Xander said nervously. “Think we could stop giving him helpful suggestions like that?”
“He’s still alive,” Buffy persisted. “And that chokehold is looking less choke and more hold.”
Spike stared at his own hand. His fingers swept across Xander’s throat in short strokes, teasing touches that might threaten Xander’s sanity but definitely not his life. Spike closed his eyes, enjoyed the feel of Xander for a brief moment before shoving the boy forward.
“Not going to kill him,” he said quietly. “Was a time when I would’ve. I was William the Bloody first, then Spike. Made myself a name and wrote it across continents in the blood of the innocent.”
“Spike,” Xander repeated. “You were named after a cartoon dog?”
“No,” Spike replied quietly. “After the railroad spikes I used to shove into my victim’s bodies.”
“Oh!” Willow’s voice, laced with surprise, was almost a shout in the quiet corridor.
“Yeah. Oh. Spent two decades destroying every life I came in contact with. Met up with a girl, just about your age, in China. Lovely girl, with the grace of a dancer and the ferocity of a tiger.” Spike turned to look into Buffy’s wide eyes. “I killed her, Buffy. Drained her dry and dropped her body on the ground like so much rubbish. “
“Your first Slayer,” Buffy replied woodenly, her face going grey. “You really killed her.”
“I really did,” he confirmed. “And I was proud of myself. Only 20 years dead and I’d defeated a Slayer.”
“Proud,” Xander spat. “You killed a Slayer and you were proud of that?”
“Not a man, luv,” Spike told him wearily. “No matter what you see when you look at me, I’m not a man. I’m a demon, yeah? And when I slaughtered that Slayer, I was a conscienceless killer. So, yes, Xander. I was pleased as bloody punch that I’d killed her. ‘Til I ran into her Mum.”
“I know,” Buffy said. “Giles told me this stuff. About how you have some kind of soul or something.”
“Not a soul, Slayer,” he corrected her. “I imagine that’s long gone by now. But I have a conscience. That Slayer’s Mum was a priestess of the Goddess of Mercy, and that’s what she gave me. Mercy.”
“And you’re…what?” Xander asked sarcastically. “Paying it forward?”
“Something like that,” Spike answered him.
“Then why’d you kill the second Slayer?” Buffy demanded, fingers tightening around the handle of the axe.
Spike groaned, throwing his hands into the air. He couldn’t take this. His watcher was a hostage and the Slayer was seconds away from lopping off his head.
“It went a little something like this,” he finally said, gesturing around the darkened school. “She saw me, she tried to kill, and I didn’t let her. Listen, Slayer. I’ve saved your life and I can help you if you let me. But either you let Jinn go or we get to the killing portion of this bloody circus because being dust is preferable to this ludicrous inquisition. You trust me or you don’t. ‘S bloody simple.”
“Yeah.” Buffy nodded. “It is.”
Chapter 16
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
on 2008-06-22 05:07 am (UTC)no subject
on 2008-06-24 07:58 am (UTC)no subject
on 2008-06-27 12:36 am (UTC)no subject
on 2008-06-27 12:36 am (UTC)no subject
on 2008-06-28 03:06 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2008-06-29 01:30 pm (UTC)I loved your Spike voice. And Buffy's reaction was a lot like in the show when se found out about Angel.
More please :))
no subject
on 2008-06-30 12:25 am (UTC)no subject
on 2008-06-30 12:26 am (UTC)no subject
on 2008-07-02 04:00 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2008-07-18 03:45 am (UTC)Spike's spare explanation about that second slayer death was also excellent. He must get sick of having this conversation over and over again.
This in voice Buffy bit made me grin: “He’s still alive,” Buffy persisted. “And that chokehold is looking less choke and more hold.”
Spike stared at his own hand. His fingers swept across Xander’s throat in short strokes, teasing touches that might threaten Xander’s sanity but definitely not his life. Spike closed his eyes, enjoyed the feel of Xander for a brief moment before shoving the boy forward. Spike using the position to do a little minor petting even as he's trying to save Jinn and himself was funny and sweet.
Off to the next chapter.
no subject
on 2008-07-23 04:55 am (UTC)