Fic: The Thin Line Between Hell and Heaven 5/9

[dragonyphoenix]

Title: The Thin Line Between Hell and Heaven
Fandom: BtVS
Characters/Pairing: Spike/Xander
Rating: R eventually, for sex, but PG for adult themes in this chapter
Concrit: Please, in comments
Disclaimer: They aren't mine, not yet, but the will be once I've taken over the world. Bwah-ha-ha.
Summary: There's a thin line between love and hate...
Notes: This is a reworking of my drabble, Don't Get Caught, which was inspired by forsaken2003's Weekend Stuck Together.
Notes: This story came out very Season 4 episode heavy: this chapter, "This Year's Girl"  
Masterlist

 

Xander took two steps back from darkness to darkness. “And I could have gone a great long while without seeing that.”

“I could have gone my whole life without seeing that.” Willow stepped back to join him.

The demon was spread-eagled, bound between tree limbs, tightly enough that it wouldn't have been able to move but not so tightly that the ropes themselves would have caused pain. The demon had been cut, while alive, its skin spread open to expose the organs. “He wasn't tortured.”

Buffy looked at Spike like he was nuts. “What?”

Spike took a puff of his cigarette. “Whatever did this made no attempt to keep him alive. Wasn't out to kill him specifically. Whatever this was about, it wasn't torture.”

Willow stepped up, joining Spike and Buffy, aiming her flashlight at the demon carcass. “He's right. It looks more like a dissection.”

Xander stayed where he was. “You mean like we did in class, with the pigs and stuff?”

“Yeah, but with demons it's gross; the pigs were sort of interesting,” Willow replied.

Buffy aimed her you're nuts look at Willow. “Interesting?”

“Forget it Buff. It's all science to Willow,” Xander said.

“You guys didn't like dissecting the pigs?” Willow asked, sounding uncertain.

“Um guys,” Xander called out.

Spike, not liking the tone of his voice, was next to him in a second. “What is it?”

Xander aimed his flashlight into the trees. “There's more of them.”

They were still going over it when they got back to Xander's basement, the girls apparently having decided they weren't ready to go home yet. Spike had wanted to glare at them earlier in the day, when they'd come over with Giles, but it was Xander's place and he had invited them. It was just that it hadn't been that long since they'd been crashing there, spending the whole sodding night, and he'd just gotten used to having the place quiet-like, just him and Xander.

“At least a half-dozen demons, splayed out science experiments, but why?” Willow was asking.

“Adam,” Buffy said. “He's studying biology.”

Spike stepped out of the kitchen, a cup of blood in one hand and toast in the other, which wasn't as good as Wheatabix, but he took what he could get at Xander's. From halfway up the stairs, there was a shout of “Stand back” and soldier boy, the one Buffy kept bringing home, was rushing him. Spike took a step back, careful not to spill any of the blood.

“Riley,” Buffy shouted, putting herself between him and Spike. “What are you doing?” A moment later she was in his arms, hugging him. “You're alive.”

“Of course I'm alive,” Riley said, “and, um, that's Hostile 17?”

“Spike,” Xander said. “His name is Spike.”

“And he's not evil now,” Willow added.

“Am to,” Spike called out.

“What Willow means to say,” Xander said, putting himself between Riley and Spike, “is that he helps now. Still evil but working with us.”

“Yeah, that's better,” Spike added.

“But,” Riley said.

Buffy hugged him harder. “You're safe.”

Riley hugged her back but didn't take his eyes off Spike.

Xander waved Spike toward the garage.

“I'm not going anywhere until I'm sure Riley here isn't going to tell soldier boys where I am.”

“OK, so why don't we all go to Giles' and work out our plan?” Xander asked.

“What plan would that be? Who gets to betray the vamp?”

“I think he meant sharing info on Adam,” Willow said.

“Riley,” Buffy asked, “could you just take my word on this? At least for the moment? He really has been helping.” With a glare at Spike, she added, “As hard as that is to believe.”

“I'm more useful than soldier boy,” Spike added, sipping at his blood.

“Don't push it,” Buffy said.

Riley looked at Spike warily. “You sure about him?” he asked Buffy.

“Sureish,” Buffy said, not reassuring Riley.

“He's OK,” Xander said, slapping Riley on the shoulder.

Riley didn't look convinced, but he did leave with the Scoobies. Spike stayed behind, still not certain Riley wouldn't betray him the first chance he had, but that wasn't what bothered him the most. Nobody seemed to notice, much less care, that he'd been left behind.

* * *

Xander came back all worried about a second Slayer, Faith by name, who apparently had just come out of a coma. The boy couldn't stop going on about it, that he was going to be her first priority, which seemed unlikely although the more he rambled on the more worried Spike got. The next night all the Scoobies agreed to go patrolling, to hunt around for this Slayer. Spike, not seeing what Xander'd be able to do if he did find her, volunteered to go along, even if he did wish the lad would shut up.

“The point being, I could be the target here.” They'd been out for almost an hour, looking for this Slayer, and Xander was still babbling on. “Faith finds Mr. Xander Harris still in town odds are she goes tighter than catgut. Got a lot of pent-up feelings there. I'm only saying.”

Spike pulled Xander into the alleyway, into the darker shadows where the white painted brick near the entrance had given away to larger tan stone. Slamming Xander against the wall, gentle-like since he didn't want to set off the chip but rough enough that he had Xander's attention, Spike snarled, “How about you stop saying it?”

“Huh?”

“Getting a bit sick of it, to tell the truth.”

Xander pushed against Spike, who stepped back, letting him go. “Fine,” Xander replied. “But when they find my decaying corpse, you'll be... well, you won't be sorry since you're evil, but you'll be, um, something.”

Spike brushed the hair from Xander's eyes. “I would be sorry, pet. Not that I'll have to because nobody's going to be killing you.”

“You'd be sorry?” Xander asked his eyes wide.

Damn, hadn't meant to say that. Spike turned and strode out of the alley, calling back, “Of course. Means I'd have to find a new roomie, wouldn't it?”

“Oh.” Xander didn't sound happy.

Damn foot; damn mouth.

Comments

[forsaken2003.livejournal.com]

Aww! Spike fix it! Now! >:(

[dragonyphoenix.livejournal.com]

It gets fixed... eventually! *grins*

[forsaken2003.livejournal.com]

Like I've said to many writers... you're evil =P

[dragonyphoenix.livejournal.com]

You know, many writers take that as a compliment! *grins*

[forsaken2003.livejournal.com]

I know haha

[chaoskir.livejournal.com]

Spike! Now you master of words. You former poet. Now find the right words to fux this. Aaargh! Guys!!
Oh btw. great upfate again!

[dragonyphoenix.livejournal.com]

Oh, I hadn't thought of that, the poet messing up his words. Excellent image. ;-)

[whichclothes.livejournal.com]

They both need to give in to the Spander!

[dragonyphoenix.livejournal.com]

Oh, I don't know. I'm starting to think that maybe they should just be friends.

That be a lot more convincing if I could stop grinning like a madwoman, wouldn't it?

[raynejelly.livejournal.com]

Oh Spike. How dense thou art. [Don't know where that came from, sorry.]

And... I'm with Forsaken. You're evil. Here someone slams someone else up against a wall and it's foot-in-mouth, not tongue-in-cheek. But I trust you to fix it ;-)

[dragonyphoenix.livejournal.com]

How dense thou art. I think it's cute!

I'm laughing because the tongue-in-cheek slamming against the wall bit was the first thing I wrote! *grins*