Title:A New Ally
Author: Joyce
Rating: Pg-Pg13ish (Whole Series)
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel the Series characters. They belong to 20th Century Fox, and Joss Whedon. Also I am making no profit off this story. Please don’t sue, I’m just a poor college student.
Summary: First of all this is Buffy/Spike!!! Spike joins the gang, and puts a tired, injured Slayer to bed!
Spoilers: Anything up to the Season 4 finals of both Buffy and Angel is fair game.

Buffy took his hand, and he pulled her, unsteadily, to her feet.

The Vampire and the Slayer sloshed hand-in-hand down the wet streets of Sunnydale toward Giles’. Of course as soon as they saw the house, it quit raining.

Spike stopped when they reached the door.

“What is it?” Buffy asked him.

“You go on and talk with your watcher and friends.” He looked away. “I’ve got some thinking to do.”

“But, I thought-” Buffy began.

“I’ll wait for you out here, Buffy.”

She snapped her head up at his use of her name. Spike was avoiding her eyes.

“Ok, I’ll only be a minute.”

Then she did something completely insane. She kissed him! Ok, well maybe it was just a peck on the cheek.

Spike looked at her in shock as she blushed and headed inside.

After filling Giles in on the “fire demon,” Buffy quickly left, saying she’d check back with him in the morning. Spike, true to his word, was waiting for her around the corner of the house.

“Did I hear you say something about a fire demon?” Spike asked her.

Glad to have something to break the awkward silence, Buffy eagerly began telling him of the events that had occurred earlier that evening.

Although it wasn’t raining, there were loud crashes of thunder and bright flashes of lightning every few seconds.

“You should come stay at my house. At least, until this weather has passed.” she told him.

“What about your mum? She won’t mind a vampire house guest?” he asked her.

“Oh, no! For some strange reason she likes you. When I told her that you had moved from Xander’s to a crypt in the cemetery, she about hit the roof! She told me to offer her house next time I saw you.” Buffy said not looking at him.

“So, why didn’t you?”

“Well the next time I saw you, was after the showdown with Adam, and I was angry that you had tried to alienate me from my friends.” She said, with hurt in her voice.

“And, your not angry with me anymore?” He didn’t know if he wanted to hear her answer.

She sighed. “I should be. I mean, you haven’t apologized or anything, and I don’t expect you to.”

“I’m not sorry I was evil. It’s what I am, you know that. But, if it means anything at all, I am sorry that I made you angry with me,” he stated honestly.

“How can you be sorry? I thought soul-less creatures couldn’t feel guilt or remorse.” she asked skeptically.

“Not that kind of sorry! Look, I don’t feel bad that I made you angry. I feel sorry that I made you angry because I could have been staying in a real house for the past week if I hadn’t,” he said matter-of-factly.

Buffy stopped walking and turned to glare at him. “You are the most despicable, shallow, selfish perso-, uh, thing, I have ever met!”

“And you expected different?” He ducked under her swinging fist.

“Here, now, Slayer! Stop that! I can’t help that I’m an evil vampire any more than you can help that you’re a slayer.”

His words stopped her. Spike was right. He didn’t choose to become a vampire.

“Are you telling me that there are times you wish that you weren’t a vampire?” she asked seriously.

“Well, yeah. Every morning at dawn, for example. Uh, sometimes when I’m lonely. When I see you and your mates dancing at the Bronze. I had friends when I was alive, you know? We used to “hang out” too. Vampires don’t do that. When they come together they hunt, kill, plot the end of the world. Afterwards they sleep, or have sex. They don’t just enjoy each others’ company.”

Buffy groaned, “Your messing me up! Vampire bad, Slayer good. Slayer kill vampire. That’s what I’ve been taught. Black and white, no gray.” She looked at him, and shook her head. “You’re really good at making my life even more complicated than it already is.”

Spike laughed. “Well, then I guess I’m doing my job!”

She swatted at him playfully, then yawned. And then came the rain, again!

Spike looked at her with a huge grin. “Race you to the house?” Not waiting for an answer he took off running with Buffy at his heels.

“Buffy, and Spike! “ Joyce exclaimed as the pair walked through her front door. “You’re wet.” She was met by two glares.

“Well, Mom, it is raining!” Buffy rolled her eyes.

Joyce ignored her daughter’s comment and focused on Spike. “So, did you decide to finally take me up on my offer?” she asked him.

“Yes, if you’ll still have me.” Spike answered politely.

“Of, course! You can stay here as long as you need.” she beamed.

“Why thank you, Joyce, you’re so kind.” he smiled.

“Oh, think nothing of it! You’ll have to take the couch, but I’ll make sure that all the curtains are drawn, so no sun will get in.” she told him.

“And on that note, I’m going to bed.” Buffy yawned again, and headed for the stairs.

“Good night Slayer!” Spike called before flopping down onto the couch.

After Joyce had gone to bed, Spike lay on his back staring at the ceiling. Something about this fire demon of Buffy’s was bothering him. He sighed realizing that now, it would be his problem as well.

He looked over at the clock on the wall. 12:45 am. The Watcher would be awake researching the demon. He found some paper, and wrote a quick note to let the women know where he was going, should they wake-up. He laughed to himself. Who’d have thought William the Bloody would be writing a note so that his mortal enemy’s mother wouldn’t worry about him.

Grabbing his duster from the hall closet, he slipped out the door as silently as he could.

Pain shot through Buffy’s lower back, and she quickly rolled back onto her side. Ok, it was time for her super healing slayer powers to kick in. Her tailbone was now throbbing.

Going back to sleep was futile, as long as she was in pain. She sighed and got out of bed wincing with every step she took.

The first thing she noticed when she got downstairs was that Spike had left. Seeing a note on the door, she went to read it.

So Spike went to see Giles. What could he possibly be up to now?

Buffy sat down on the couch, only to immediately pop back up as more pain shot through her backside.

“Ok, this is going to get old fast.” she mumbled to herself. She made her way to the kitchen. Rummaging through the medicine cabinet, she found the advil and popped two, hoping for quick relief.

She walked back to the stairs and, after looking at them for a couple of minutes, decided she would stay downstairs, and wait on Spike. His note had said he’d be back before sunrise. Buffy turned on the TV and curled up on the couch, being careful not to put any weight on her tailbone.

“What do you want now?” Giles asked Spike, who was once again on his doorstep.

“I’m here to help!” the vampire replied much too cheerfully.

“Help?! After you helped Adam try to kill us?” Xander asked from his position on Giles’ couch.

“Look, the wanker promised he’d get this friggin’ chip out of my head! What would you have done?”

Xander started to reply, but then thought better of it. Why bother?

“So, you want to help because you feel bad about betraying us?” Giles asked.

“What is with you people?! I’m an evil demon, remember? I never feel bad for anything I do. The reason I’m helping, is because I’m tired of having to look over my shoulder all the time.

“This statement was met with confused looks.

“Huh?” Xander finally asked.

Spike’s statement became saddened and a little lost as he said, “Now that the Initiative has been destroyed, I’m trying to accept the fact that I might never get this chip out of my head. So, being a creature of violence, I’ve come to offer my “services” in exchange for protection and blood.”

Giles gave him a skeptical look, so Spike continued.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said that time you came to my crypt to pay me for helping you out, remember? You said that there may be a higher purpose for my situation, and I’m getting nowhere trying to fight it.”

“Well, you’re not living with me again!” Xander said.

“You couldn’t pay me to -”Spike started.

“Ok! You’ve got a deal Spike. Of course, Buffy, will have the final say so.” Giles said before a verbal fight could break out.

“Leave the Slayer to me!” Spike said, turning to leave. “Oh, by the way, I’ll be staying at Buffy’s mom’s house if you need me.”

Buffy woke to see Spike smirking at her. “What?” she asked him.

“Get your own bed, Slayer!” he teased.

She quickly sat up and groaned at the pain that came back with the slightest pressure.

“What’s wrong with you?” Spike asked concerned although he didn’t know why.

“When I jumped out of the burning house, my feet slipped on the wet grass. And, since I had a baby in my arms, I couldn’t put my hands down to catch myself.”

“So, you broke your ass?”

She grinned in spite of herself. “No, I bruised my tailbone!” she told him.

“Want me to check it out for you?” he leered at her.

She rolled her eyes, and carefully, made her way to the stairs. She was staring at them with dread when suddenly, Spike swooped her up into his arms causing her to yelp.

“Shh! You don’t want to wake your mum, do you?” he said as he carried her up the stairs.

Spike placed her gently on the bed, then turned his attention to the window.

“Thanks.” Buffy mumbled, trying to forget how good it had felt to be in his arms. Vampire bad! Then she noticed that he was staring at the rain with a puzzled look on his handsome face.

“What is it, Spike?” she asked.

“You slipped....” he stopped.

“Yeah, the grass was wet from the rain.” she explained.

Finally Spike realized what had been bothering him.

“It’s been raining off and on all day, right?” He sat on the bed next to her.

“Right.” Buffy wasn’t quite sure were he was going with this.

“The house caught on fire, even though it was wet?” he asked her.

“Well, Spike, just because it rains in some places doesn't mean it rains over the entire town.” she said, although she was a little unsure.

“But if the grass was wet enough to make you slip, then the house had to be wet too. You said you saw him set the house on fire?”

“Yes. He just touched the corner of the roof, and the fire caught instantly.” That was really strange.

“Oh, well, we’ll just tell the Watcher tomorrow.” Spike said and got up to leave.

“We’ll?’ she asked him.

“Yeah, I uh, went to see Giles tonight. Looks like you’ve got yourself a new partner,” he told her.

“Oh? And uh, what do you get out of it?” she asked.

“Protection, blood, and the pleasure of your company!”

He was hit in the face with stuffed pig that had gone sailing through the air.

Buffy laughed at the statement on his face, which turned into a moan of pain.

“Serves you right!” Spike said as walked over and gave her the pig.

She looked up at him on the verge of tears.

“I’ll be right back.” he told her and left the room

A few minutes later he came back in with a bag of ice and two more advil.

“Thanks Spike, but I’ve already taken some advil.” she said, taking the ice bag from him before he tried to put it on her himself.

“How many did you take?” he asked.

“Two, why?”

“You can take two more.” he said.

“How do you -”

“C’mon, Buffy, just take the bloody things and go to sleep!” he growled.

Buffy obediently swallowed the tablets and tuned to glare at him.

“You should go to sleep too! You’re grumpy.”

“I think I will.” he said turning to leave.

“Spike?” she asked.

“What?” he snapped.

She grinned at him. “Thank you.”

He found himself smiling back. “Your welcome, now go to sleep.”

End Part 2