Chapter 9 of Pain and friendship saga- Closure A. 
Author- Fayth  "mailto:moonwitch@werewolf.co.uk"   moonwitch@werewolf.co.uk 
 Closure A.


“No, no don’t!”
Spike shot up in bed and listened intently
“No, you’ll kill him! NO!” the quiet whimpers grew and Spike got out of bed and
made his way down the hall.
“Please, nonononono to hot!” 
Spike pushed open the door to Willow’s bedroom and moved over to her bed. Willow
was thrashing against the covers which tangled in her legs, obviously caught in
the throes of a nightmare.
“Please somebody help!”  The tears were streaked down her cheeks “Help me, I
can’t!” Spike sat on the edge of the bed and stroked her exposed shoulder.
“Willow, it’s just a dream.” Every night for a week she had this nightmare and
Spike had managed to soothe her without waking her up from her much needed
sleep, but this was much worse. > What could be so terrifying it scared a girl
used to the horrors of the hellmouth? <
“No come back. NO NO!” She screamed “Spike!” she hurled upright shaking
intensely, sobbing.
“Shh love, it’s me. I’m here.” Spike soothed
Willow blinked “S-Spike?” she threw her arms around him “I’m sorry it was too
hot and- and I-I couldn’t …”
“Shh, Spike’s here. It was just a nasty dream.” He stroked her back listening as
the shuddering sobs subsided “It’s OK now. The big bad is here to protect you.”
She pulled back and wiped her hot hand over her face breathing heavily. Spike
flicked on the bedside lamp illuminating the room.
“I didn’t mean to wake you.” She said softly ducking her head in embarrassment.
He bent his head to catch her eye “That’s fine love. Nasty bugger of a
nightmare.”
She nodded remembering “Nasty.”
“Wanna talk about it?” she shook her head quickly “Red, you’ve been having the
same dream for a damn week, it might be best to talk about it, get it off your
chest.” She sniffed and nodded slightly
“This was the worst.” Spike pushed her back onto the bed and stretched out
besides her stroking her hair 
“You can tell me pet.”
“I’m in the crypt, I’m chained to the wall and I can’t move or- or do magic.”
she shuddered. He kept up the stroking movements. “I look across the crypt and I
see you.” >Me? I’m causing the nightmares? < His un-beating heart sank.
“You’re in chains too; you are all bloody with things sticking out of you. You
hurt so much, then *they* come in and they have black cloaks and no faces. They
pull off your shirt ad pour H-holy water over you and they’ve hung you on a
cross so your back is all burning and you scream and all I can smell is burning
flesh.” The tears started to fall again “They say- they say I can make it stop
but I don’t know how and they say there’s nothing I can do I’m weak and
powerless, and then they set fire to he crypt and leave. My chains vanish and I
rush over to you to t-try and g-get you out. But I can’t and the fire is so hot
and it catches a-and I’m burning and your burning.” Her speech got faster and
faster until she was tripping over her words.
“OK OK stop Willow.” Spike urged using her name as he felt her fear rise. She
turned to him so they were face to face.
“You are not supposed to die. You’re supposed to live forever and not die. You
can’t leave me alone.” The late hour and her residual fear made her honest and
vulnerable and Spike was helpless to resist it. He pulled them so they were
sitting up and dragged her into his lap cradling her against his bare chest. 
“I’m not going anywhere pet. I’m staying right here, I know that damn mob did a
number on me but I didn’t dust- YOU saved me, Red. I’m sorry they scared you so
bad. As soon as we find them we’ll make them pay – in blood. No one messes with
the big bad and NOONE upsets his witch!” Spike’s speech had the desired effect,
Willow calmed down and her heart rate slowed and her breathing returned to
normal.
“Yeah?” she pushed back slightly to look into his bright blue eyes.
“Scouts honour!” he smirked
“You were a scout?” she looked sceptical, damp but sceptical.
“Well I ate one once, does that count?”
“No.” she chuckled and ran her fingertips over his toned chest. She circled his
sternum with her index finger and then traced a thin scar rising up towards his
collar bone and back down towards his belly button.
“Um, pet.” His voice was thick “What are you doing?”
“Checking they didn’t hurt you permanently.” 
He caught her hand before it trailed over his nipple
“You really don’t want to do that.” His tone made her look up. She was surprised
to see his eyes heavy lidded with desire.
She suddenly realised their situation, she was in a short strappy top and boxers
while Spike wore black silk boxers- which were suddenly tight- and nothing else!
“Eep!” she scrambled off his lap and backwards yanking her hand out of Spike’s
grip. “Sorry!” She blushed from her toes to the roots of her hair.
He chuckled “Relax love.” He enjoyed her discomfort > serves the minx right! <
“Although if you want to help me with it…?” he raised an eyebrow suggestively
and she bit her lip.
“Maybe some other time. I’m tired.”
Spike had expected her to stammer or blush some more not “postpone”
>interesting! < He got up to go.
“Goodnight Red.”
“Night Spike.” At the door he paused
“What?” she asked
“Would it really be that bad if I died?” he said it so softly she almost didn’t
hear him.
“Yes.” She replied equally as soft but he caught it. He smiled all the way back
to his room.

 
“Morning sunshine!” Spike bounded into the kitchen
“Shut up.” Willow glared at him over her cereal
“Oh someone woke up on the wrong side of their coffin!” he breezed as he picked
up the wheat-a-bix
“Vampires sleep in a coffin, Witches don’t. And for a night person- thing, you
are god-awful chipper in the morning.” She growled good naturedly
“Guilty pleasure.” He said munching on the breakfast cereal “What’s the plan for
today?” 
“I’m meeting Buffy later for a trip to the mall then we go hunting for a
boyfriend for me- since Buffy’s back with Riley. Then…”
“What?” Spike choked on his snack
“Buffy’s back with Riley- I’m sure I told you-“ 
“I could give a damn if slutty screwed every soldier in the damn initiative.
Why’d you hafta hunt for a boyfriend?”
“*I* don’t, but it makes Buffy happy, when she’s trying to fix me up. She says I
could do with the help and she’s got a point. Are you going to eat that or just
get crumbs on the floor?” But the wheat-bix was forgotten as Spike stared at
her.
“Bloody bint should keep her nose out and what do you mean she’s got a point?”
he was confused
“Well I’m not doing too well by myself. The last boyfriend I had was Oz and lets
recall how well *that* ended. Besides I’m not exactly catch of the century, I’m
no Cordelia.” She grinned at herself
“What?” he growled but she didn’t catch it.
“I guess I’m okay looking but I spend all my time with a slayer who look like a
super-model, I spend all my time hunting or researching and getting covered in
blood or goo and I’m a wimp.” She shook her head, lost in reflection “Not
exactly prime girlfriend material.”
Spike was stunned- and angry- “Listen love, I’m only gonna say this once. You
are stupid!”
“Hey!” she said insulted
“You are one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen and I’ve been around a
while. Covered in blood, goo or sodding diamonds you are stunning, who in the
hell said you were a wimp?”
She was taken aback at his vehement tone and the feral look in his eyes “Oh come
on, after last night? I was crying like a baby, you were there and compared to
Buffy I am a wimp.”
“Oh here we go, compared to Buffy.” He rolled his yes “Let me tell you
something, being pretty and strong is a slayers compensation for having to fight
the nasties, kinda a free gift. Besides Buffy has a destiny and *has* to fight
the demons- you got into this gig by choice, you, dear, are a volunteer to this
madness and that makes you braver than the damn slayer.” He staked towards her
like a hunter “you deal with this crap on a daily basis without flicking an eye,
you’ve seen more horror than anyone should have to see in a lifetime let alone
20 years old. You have survived apocalypses, Angelus, that raving loony slayer,
the Master, Dru, me and yet you are still here working alongside the slayer who
was *chosen* for this stuff. The bleeding slayer could never compare to your
bravery or your heart and if the worst you get is a couple of nightmares after
one of your friends is nearly tortured to death then count yourself bloody lucky
most people would be tucked inside a nut house. So bollocks to I’m a wimp!” he
finished almost yelling in her face “OKAY?” he vamped out. 
Willow cringed and drew back “Fine, okay brave me. Quit yelling.” She requested
sheepishly. He pulled back his eyes still gleaming yellow.
“Damn straight!”
“Um Spike?” she gestured to his face still vamped out.
“What?” he felt his ridges “Oh.” He morphed back to his human face “Got carried
away there Red.”
“Really?” she raised an eyebrow “You are just full of pep talks recently.”
“Well you obviously need ‘em pet. I just can’t understand how great you are but
you can’t see it.”
“Thanks Spike, you know for a demon- you can really be sweet sometimes.” She
grinned waiting for his outburst.
“Argh take it back!” he looked at her in horror “I’m the big bad and I do not do
sweet!” he patted his pockets for his cigarettes and on finding one he lit it.
Willow pulled an ashtray from a drawer next to her and placed it in front of
him. He caught her eye as she flashed him a use-it-or-I-will-make-you-go-outside
smile. They sat in easy silence until the shrill ringing of the phone broke it.
“It’s probably Buffy.” Willow picked up the receiver and the smile fell from her
face “Hello… yes speaking… I see… who?… when?… is he sure?… he knows where?… OK
I’ll come over now… thanks.” She hung up the phone and stared at it.
“Pet?” Spike said after a moment
“That was Willie. There’s a demon there who knows where to find your attackers.”
She turned and looked at him “I’m going down there now.”
“To Willie’s, alone? I bloody well think not!”
She pulled on her jacket “You could come but I doubt you could protect me as Mr
big-pile-of-dust. Besides I’ll be fine, I am the scary witch remember.”
Spike clenched his jaw “Fine just don’t go looking for trouble.” He bit out “I
want a piece of these blokes too.” She nodded and left. Spike began to pace
muttering loudly about daylight and poofs and irritating but beautiful witches.
He suddenly had a thought and turned to the phone. “Oh what is that number?” he
mumbled as he dialled *69 (that’s 1471 in U.K- Ed.) he took down Willie’s number 
“Willie here.”
“This is Spike, Red is on her way down to you.”
“Hey its my pal, how you doing buddy?” Willie’s nasal voice irritated Spike
“Fine but if anyone hurts my witch. I will blame you and Willie?”
“Y-yeah?”
“You’ll be *in* your own drinks! Got it?”
“S-s-sure thing S-spike.” But Spike slammed down the phone before Willie could
finish his stuttered sentence. Spike growled as he began to pace again. He’d
just love to rip off all their heads and stomp them into the ground and rip out
their entrails and snap their necks like pea pods and… >hang on something’s
missing!< the though interrupted his tirade. Realisation dawned and he was
floored >Bloody hell!<

Willow pushed open the door to Willie’s bar like she was a gunfighter but she
didn’t feel like cowboy. She was just glad that she wasn’t wearing her pink
fluffy sweater- because that would make such a great impression! She thought
wryly. She spotted Willie talking to a Kulak demon. She remembered researching
them after that Slayerfest ’98 debacle. It was a bright yellow with stegosaurus
type fins on its head. If she remembered correctly some sort of spike came from
its hands, it was a pure hunter. “Hey.” She adopted what she hoped was
vamp-willow’s tone but it probably sounded like Elmer Fudd on crack.
“Hey Witch, thought you’d like to meet this guy.” Willie gave her the respect
she deserved.
“You have news?” she asked the demon coldly
He snarled “I followed their scent from the Spike’s crypt to a dive joint
downtown. There was a bunch of demons talking about how they’d offed Spike.”
“What kind of Demon and how many?” Willow interrupted
“About six, seven Kailiff demons. I tracked them to a small cave about two miles
from the St. Augustine tomb in the Crywood cemetery.”
Willow nodded absorbing this “The old quarry caves?”
The Kulak nodded, his fins bobbing in the air “it’s a small cave surrounded by
trees but any demon can smell the stench of these filthy scum who would dare to
hurt a master Vampire.” He snarled again
“What is your name?” Willow asked
“Jo’tar.”
“Well Jo’tar if this checks out you are Slayer free for six months. after that
you are on your own. But I advise you not to kill openly, there is an
organisation capturing demons to experiment on. Call that a bonus.” She nodded
to dismiss him and Jo’tar bowed in respect  and left the bar immediately. Willow
sighed and sat heavily on the nearest stool. Willie continued wiping down the
counter
“You OK kid?”
“No seven Kailiff demons, whatever they are. But they have human helping them
and how am I going to convince Buffy not to kill Jo’tar, plus she doesn’t know
about Spike and me and he’s being all weird and Giles!” she groaned “This is
going to take some fancy footwork and Buffy is at my house!” she hit her head
with her hand and hopped off the barstool. “Thanks for listening.” She dug into
her pockets for some money but he held up his hands to stop her.
“I like you kid. You are good to Willie- get outta here and meet your slayer.”


“Sorry Buff, but we are gonna hafta postpone the mall. Something demon-y has
come up.”
“Oh Will!” Buffy slumped against the door frame “I was looking forwards to boy
hunting!”
“Me too.” Willow lied “But last night this demon stopped me in the park and
offered some information about a group of demons in a lair outside town who were
killing or sacrificing Kids in exchange for protection from you.” she offered
weakly
“And you traded.” Buffy stated wearily
“Hello kiddies!” Willow protested “And even if no kiddies then demons!”
“I understand Wills, I’d just hoped that today would be demon-free.”
“Sorry” Willow replied genuinely “Even if they aren’t hurting children then at
least we get a heads up on a demon gang right?”
“Yeah- so did he give you a description or details?”
“Uh- huh, location and numbers and a name so I guess its research time?”
“Just look on the bright side?” Buffy said tucking her arm in Willows.
“What’s that then?”
“We can still scope out cute guys for you at the Magic Box.”