Title: Saving the Day

Author: Velvet Crypt

tirel@pcnuthut.com

Rating: R

Summary: Riley proves he's an ass. Spike proves otherwise.

Spoilers: Before Hell’s Bells

 

 

“Lo Red,” Willow squeaked, spun around and would have dropped the giant tome she was holding had Spike not snatched it out of her hands. He grinned. “Jumpy, luv?”

 

Willow dropped her hand from her chest, where it had flown when Spike nearly scared the life from her. “Don’t do that!” She mock slapped his arm and reached out to take the tome back from him.

 

“What you reading there, pet?” He handed the tome back to her.  Her eyes lit up in excitement.

 

“Buffy found a group of nasties hiding out in a cave north of town.” She placed the book on the empty counter and looked for the page again. “Aha!” she pointed. “That’s what Buffy described.”

 

Spike whistled lowly. “This is not good. Did you say a group of them? Not just one or two?”

 

Willow nodded. “Why? Do you know what these demons are?” 

 

 “Gratok demons. Very nasty. They are somehow connected to the earth. There has been a trail of earthquakes, volcanoes, mudslides, whatever, anyplace they’ve been spotted.” Spike stared at the picture. The creature was a deep, earthy brown with jagged ridges along its back and arms. Though there was no comparison item, Spike remembered that they stood nearly 8 feet tall and were built like football players.

 

“You can beat them, pet, but it’s gonna hurt.” Willow looked worriedly from the picture to his narrowed eyes. “If I were a Gratok demon, in a large group, sneaking around on the Hellmouth, what would I be doing?” He mussed.

 

Willow’s eyes suddenly widened. “Umm…Spike?” He glanced up at her. “We are living in California; the land of earthquakes.” She silently urged him to come to her conclusion. Then his eyes widened as well.

 

“So, Red, what do you think would happen if the Hellmouth were suddenly opened by an earthquake?” Willow slowly shook her head.

 

“I don’t know, but I know it’s not gonna be good. We have to tell the others.” Spike nodded in agreement. Willow snatched his hand and raced out of the Magick Box, dragging him after her.

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

“What is Hostile 17 doing here?” Riley demanded coldly.

 

“Spike,” Willow emphasize his name, “Knows about these demons and offered to help us out.” Buffy raised an eyebrow. Spike looked away uncomfortably.

 

“It’s not cause I like any of you,” he growled. “I just feel like kicking some demon arse.”

 

Willow exchanged a smirk with Buffy and nodded vigorously. “We would never think you actually were coming along because you like us, Spike.” She fought the urge to giggle. “We’ll try to stay out of your way while you ‘kick some demon arse.’”

 

Spike looked at her suspiciously. She tried her best to show him the innocent Willow face. He rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

 

“Spike says that these are Gratok demons. Some kind of earthy guys.” Willow continued.

 

Giles pulled his glasses from his face and began cleaning them. “I’ve heard of these demons. I don’t know why I didn’t think of them when Buffy described them.”

 

“Well, that could be because Buffy described them as, and I quote, ‘big dirty linebackers’.” Xander grinned. Buffy stuck her tongue out at him.

 

“So how do we get rid of them,” Anya asked.

 

Spike snorted. “You beat the hell out of them, luv. There isn’t really any other special way to kill them.”

 

“I’m sure that Professor Walsh has something on these demons. Why don’t I check with her and see what she has to say.” Riley touched Buffy’s arm to take her attention away from Spike and glared at the blonde vampire.

 

“Whatever Cardboard,” Spike rolled his eyes and pulled out a cigarette. “When you get done finding out from the crazy bint that everything I just said is the truth, lemme know.” He walked out onto the Summers porch.

 

Buffy broke the thick silence. “Well, that’s a good idea, Riley. Go ahead and call. We’ll get the weapons ready.”

 

______________________________________________________________

 

 

“We need to set up a perimeter,” Riley whispered, ducking behind a large rock. He checked his ammunition, unlocked the safeties, and checked his walkie talkie. “Willow, Tara…take up position there,” he pointed to an outcropping near the cave to the left. “Xander, Anya…take up position there,” he pointed the other direction behind a cluster of bushes. “Buffy and I will head in and try to draw them out.”

 

The scoobies exchanged looks with each other. Buffy blushed. “Ummm…Riley? Usually we just go in and…y’know…”

 

“Kick demon arse,” Spike supplied, throwing his cigarette butt down and grinding it into the dirt. “Which is what I’m gonna do.” Straightening his coat, he walked out into the open, whistling a tune. ~Stupid poofter had been trying to make up like General Cardboard ever since he found out that the crazy bint had never even heard of a Gratok demon.~

 

“Yeah…well, that’s what we came for.” Xander followed Spike in, Anya trotting at his heels. Willow flashed a small apologetic smile and headed in, her hand in Tara’s. Giles rolled his eyes and followed. Buffy patted Riley’s arm.

 

“I’m sure that if we were all a crack military unit, that would work fine, honey.” She grinned. “However, the Slayer, two witches, a Watcher, an ex demon and her boyfriend, and a chipped vamp do things a bit differently.” She twirled the axe in her hands and ran to catch up to the others.

 

Sighing, Riley followed.

 

______________________________________________________________

 

 

Willow had to duck or run or change her spell as the demons rushed past her, flung by the force of the Slayer’s blows. She retreated back to the gaping fault created by the earthquake summoned by the Gratok, and stood next to Riley. ~If he can shoot the demons before they get to me, I might actually get this damn spell off.~ she grumbled. She turned her consciousness inward and began chanting.

 

Spike finished off the demon he was fighting with a foot to the chin. He heard a satisfying crack as the demon’s neck broke from the force, and he turned around with a smile on his face, looking for the next Big Bad. He saw Riley shooting at a group of three demons advancing on him and the witch. Spike’s smile slid off of his face. They were too close; Riley couldn’t get them all before they got too close.

 

He noticed Willow was in her on world and that she didn’t even register the impending danger. Growling deep in his throat, he launched himself towards the duo. He managed to fling his body in between the demon and Willow so that she wasn’t impaled by the protruding spikes, but the force of the demons advance was too great.

 

He felt his feet sliding and in slow motion, he watched Willow slip over the edge of the fault. Riley, his gun flying from his hand at the impact, followed her. ~Bloody hell~ was his last thought before sailing over the edge himself.

 

Blindly he reached up and grabbed for anything that would prevent his falling into the bowels of the earth. He nearly wept with joy when he felt his fingers make contact with the sharp edge of the fault lip. He held on as his body slammed into the side of the rock wall.

 

As Spike shook the dirt out of his eyes he caught sight of Riley in a similar position next to him. ~Oh, God, the witch~ his heart clenched. Then he saw a flash of red and Willow swung into view, hanging from Riley’s leg. She had a terrified look on her face and in a moment, as the dust cleared, Spike saw that it was not just because she’d been knocked down a bottomless crevice.

 

“Riley, I’m slipping!”

 

“Let go then, damn you! You’ll take me down too!” Spike watched in horror as Riley attempted to shake Willow free of his leg.

 

“Riley, please…don’t let me fall!”

 

Riley felt his fingers slip a fraction of an inch more and panic set in. “Get off of me, bitch!” He pulled his left leg up to his chest and shot it backwards, strait into the witch’s face. He heard a sickening crack and felt her grip loosen.

 

Spike watched, helpless as Riley tried flinging Willow off of his leg, an as he drew his leg up and connected Willow square in the face. He saw Willow’s look of surprise and pain, and then watched her eyes roll up in her head and her fingers loosen.

 

“No! Willow!” he yelled and let go with one hand. He stretched until his arm ached, but he was rewarded by feeling Willow’s soft hair tangling in his fingers. His hand closed like a vise and Willow’s descent was stopped. His muscles burning, he lifted her to waist level and took a deep unneeded breath. He let go and, lightening fast, moved the arm that had held her hair to her waist. He now held her cradled against his chest.

 

“Red?” he gritted, feeling a fingernail crack under the pressure he placed on only four fingers. “Please, Red, wake up…wake up sweets…open your eyes, pet.” he felt another nail crack and a tiny piece of sand shift under his finger. “God, Red, wake up…I can’t hold us up much longer…please, luv…pretty please, fuck!” his pinky lost purchase on the ledge. “Willow! Please, baby…wake up, luv…” Her eyes fluttered and she let out a low moan. Spike briefly squeezed his eyes closed in relief.

 

“Red? You here Red?” She nodded her head and looked in surprise at Spikes face. She glanced down in confusion and her eyes widened in terror as she saw their predicament hadn’t changed.

 

“Red, I need you to put your weight on my foot and hold on to my neck, ok? Can you do that?” He felt his ring finger slip. She didn’t answer, only felt around for his foot. Finding it she placed her tiny foot on top of his and reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. As soon as he felt her weight shift to his neck, he shot his hand back up to the ledge, just in time as his right hand slipped off completely.

 

Willow whimpered at the sudden jolt, but Spike had his right hand back up on the ledge in less than a second. “Ok, Red…now I’m going to lift you up with my foot. You need to try to pull yourself up.” Willow nodded and felt herself begin to rise. Her head came level with the rim of the ledge and she peered over it.

 

“Xander!” she screamed, seeing him less than 10 feet away. He turned his head toward her voice and was nearly decapitated by one of the demons. He ducked, not a second too soon, and finished the demon off quickly. Throwing the axe down, he raced to the lip.

 

“What the hell are you doing down there, Wills?” He asked, grunting as he hauled her up by the back of her shirt. As she cleared the edge, he noticed Spike and Riley. “What are you two doing down there?” Spike rolled his eyes.

 

“Just get Red out of here.” He snapped. “I can hear the earth shaking again.” Xander wrinkled his forehead.

 

“I don’t feel anyth…” The ground rocked and Xander nearly fell. “Ok, we’re going now, Willow.” He took her hand and dragged her toward the opening. Her protests were lost under the grinding of the earth, but Spike could see her mouth moving as she held out her other arm toward him.

 

Riley shrieked in fury. “Xander! Get the hell back here and get me up!” Spike rolled his eyes again. ~Bloody poof. Can’t even meet death with a little dignity.~

 

Willow dug her heels in and refused to go any further. “Alexander Harris, if you aren’t’ going to help get Spike out, then at least we have to tell Buffy.”  Xander sighed and nodded.

 

Alright. But you stay right here. I’ll be back in a second.” Willow nodded back and watched him take off through the clouds of dust.

 

Xander only found Buffy by listening to the steady litany of smart assed comments she made as she dispatched demon after demon.

 

“Buffy!” She snapped the neck of the demon in font of her and glanced at Xander.

 

“Riley and Spike are hanging off the edge of the fault,” he pointed. “I have to get Willow out of here, she’s hurt.” Buffy nodded and headed toward the back of the cave. As she approached, she could see two sets of fingers clinging to the edge; one set of perfectly manicured ones and a set of black-painted, cracked and bleeding ones.

 

She bent over the opening and met two pairs of eyes, both were snapping with anger.

 

“Buffy, get me out of here!”

 

“Slayer, are you off your rocker? This bloody cave is about to collapse. Get the hell out of here!”

 

“Shut up Hostile! Buffy, pull me out. My fingers are slipping.”

 

Spike rolled his eyes. “Fine, pull the nancy boy up, but then you get out of here!”

 

Buffy smiled briefly and reached down to grab a single arm from both. Bracing her feet, she jerked them both up and out of the crevice.

 

As soon as he was out, Riley rolled to his feet, snagged Buffy’s arm and ran frantically towards the entrance. Spike snorted. ~Figures.~ Then, he took off running himself. As he went, he pulled his game face on to scan for any of the scoobies left inside. Finding nothing, he continued on. As he came to the open air, he took a quick assessment of the situation.

 

Buffy was still being dragged willy-nilly along behind Riley, Tara and Anya were up ahead supporting a sagging Giles between them, and Willow was trying to help Xander to his feet. He tried to stand, but yelped sharply and sank back to the round. Spike saw him wave Willow on, but the witch was stubborn. Riley drug Buffy right by him without stopping, or letting her stop. Spike saw the pain on Buffy’s face as she turned around trying to make Riley go back for Xander.

 

~Bloody selfish git~ Spike grit his teeth. He slowed his breakneck speed and skidded to a stop next to Xander. He hauled him over his shoulder and took Willow’s hand. He resumed his run, keeping to a pace that would not cause Willow to fall.  Before they’d gotten 20 feet, the earth bucked, throwing them to their knees. A deafening roar came from behind then and then was silent. The only sounds were those of falling rocks and dirt and the panting of the exhausted scoobies.

 

Long after the dust had settled, the silence reigned, no one wanted to move. Then a low moan broke the silence and Spike turned his head to see Willow probing at her face. He came to his knees next to her and forced her hands away.

 

“Hold still, Red,” he said soothingly to her. “It’s broken. I need to set it for you or the pain will just keep getting worse.” He placed a steadying hand on her forehead, ready to force her motionless if he needed to, and gently grasped her nose with the other. Air hissed between her teeth, but she closed her eyes, trusting him, and laid still.

 

He continued to murmur comforting nonsense things to her, waiting for the right moment. When he didn’t immediately wrench on her nose, she relaxed a bit and let her muscles untense. He had a really nice voice. She loved his accent, and he knew just the right things to say.

 

When he saw a tiny smile appear on her face, he winced in apology and wrenched. She screamed and her body arched off the ground, but his hand held her head still so she wouldn’t hurt herself more. Slowly he let go of her head and helped her sit up. The tears were streaming down her face and she’d gone pale as a vampire. Spike put his arms around her and rocked her, gently whispering apologies for hurting her into her ear. She burrowed into his arms and he could feel the tears soaking his shirt.

 

After a few moments, her sobs segue way into tiny hiccupping gasps of air, and he disentangled himself. She looked horrible; her nose was swollen and turning purple, her eyes and her cheeks were blotchy and the dust from the case was turning into mud as her tears streaked through it. He smiled. “There, now, Red…all better. You look gorgeous.” She giggled a bit and sniffed her tears back.

 

Spike turned his attention to Xander. “Well, well, well…looks like the whelp broke a leg. Sorry mate, but I think we’re gonna have to put you down.” Xander glared at him.

 

“I knew the whole white knight thing was too good to be true.”  Spike pulled his pocketknife and slit Xander’s jeans. “Hey! Those were expensive jeans!” he protested.

 

Spike snorted. “Well they certainly would have to be with as much extra material as you have in them.” Xander looked sullenly at him.

 

“Baggy is in, you know.” Spike began feeling Xander’s leg, looking for the exact position of the break.

 

“I don’t really keep up on the fashion world.” He said absently. ~Ah, there it is. He’s lucky it didn’t break the skin.~ “I’ve never really wanted to run around in pants big enough to be a dress, anyway. But I suppose that they work for you with the ladies. They can’t tell how lacking in the assets department you are until you get them home. By then it’s too late.” He smirked.

 

Xander leaned forward, anger flashing in his eyes. Just as he opened his mouth to retort, Spike pulled down on his lower leg and thrust it back into position. Xander screamed nearly as high as Willow. “Sorry, mate,” Spike grinned. “I didn’t think you wanted me to whisper sweet nothings to you too.”

 

Xander had turned green. Closing his eyes, he nodded. “A big 10-4 on that one. If you’ll excuse me, Spike, I think I’d like to pass out now.”

 

Further away from the cave, Buffy and Riley were exchanging heated words while Giles, Tara, and Anya had collapsed in a limp heap beside them.

 

“What the hell were you thinking, Buffy? You should have left him down there. He’s a hostile!”

 

“He’s not a hostile, Riley,” Buffy snapped, “He’s Spike. He offered to come and help us today because he wanted to. I couldn’t just leave him there.”

 

Giles sighed. “Ladies, would you please help me over to Willow and Xander? I don’t really want to be in the middle of this.”

 

They got him to his feet and hauled him the interspersing yards between the two groups. They set him against a large rock and rushed to their respective mates sides, cooing over their injuries.

 

“This was my mission, Buffy. I make the rules, and I told you to leave the hostile where he was!

 

“Your mission? Have you forgotten who I am? I don’t work for your Initiative anymore, Riley. I am the Slayer, and you can’t tell me to leave someone to die when I could help them.”

 

“Someone? Listen to yourself…you are trying to humanize him. He’s a monster, he’s and evil, selfish beast.”

 

“You should talk, Riley!” Willow came to her feet, outraged. Buffy jerked her head towards her best friend, startled. An angry flush came over Riley’s face. “Don’t you think for one second, Captain Commando, that I’ve forgotten what you did in there.”

 

Buffy frowned. “What did he do?” Riley reached out for Buffy’s arm.

 

“That’s not important, Buffy. Can we please get back to the topic?”

 

“No, I don’t think we can, Riley.” She pointedly snatched her arm from his grasp. “What did he do, Willow?”

 

Willow drew herself up in indignation. Spike sighed, pulling his knees up and resting his arms on them. ~She’s going to start a fight between them. Normally, I’m all up for that, but I feel like shit and I just want to go home and lay down. “He tried to kill me!” Spike’s head dropped to his arms. ~Here we go.~

 

“When we fell over the edge, Spike and Riley caught the edge, I could only catch Riley’s leg. He kept yelling at me to let go, that I’d kill us both.” Her eyes flashed with anger. “He tried to shake me loose, and when that didn’t work, he kicked me in the face!” she pointed at her nose. “I only remember this black fog coming over me and the feeling of falling, then nothing. I woke up to Spike begging me to wake up. He’d gotten me in his arms somehow and was holding both of us up with one hand. He helped me crawl to the top and Xander came and pulled me the rest of the way out. Then he told us to run, to leave him and get out before the roof collapsed.”

 

She shot daggers at him. “Riley just ordered us to come back and get him out.” Buffy’s eyes widened in disbelief, then she thought back to the moment she pulled them out. Spike had been telling her to run, and Riley telling her to get him out and leave Spike.

 

“She’s confused, Buffy,” Riley smiled tolerantly, “That’s not really how it all went.”

 

“Actually, mate, that’s exactly how it happened,” Spike growled as he raised his head from his arms. “Except for the begging part,” he added quickly, glancing at Willow, “I was right pissy with the little twit to tell the truth,” Willow lifted a hand to her face on the premise of touching her nose, but covered a smile, instead.

 

“It’s bad enough you acted like a complete poofter, Cardboard, but calling the witch a liar is one step below the soddin’ creep line.” Riley moved towards him, teeth bared. Spike jumped to his feet, ready to defend himself, but felt a hand on his leg. He looked down to see Xander restraining him.

 

“Don’t forget how you just ran past me and Will out there by the cave entrance. Did you think I stopped for a nap? You didn’t try to help, or even take Willow to safety. That would be Spike…again, who did both.” Buffy stared at Riley. “And don’t you have medical training?” Xander continued. “Where were you while Spike set Will’s nose and my leg? Oh, wait…that’s right. You were busy telling Buffy she should have left the guy that saved our lives.” He slapped his head in mock remembrance.

 

“I knew what you’d done to Xander,” Buffy said lowly, “I thought it was awful in itself, but did you really do that to Willow?”

 

Riley took Buffy’s hand in his own. “Sweetheart, I had to. It was either she let go or we both fell. I knew it would kill you to lose both of us, so I…”

 

“You what?” Buffy’s voice rose. “You decided to make up my mind for me? Who the hell do you think you are?” Buffy jerked away from him and Spike watched her hands clench and her body tremble in barely contained rage. “You decided that of the two of you, I was better off with you? Has it escaped your notice that Willow and Xander have been my best friends for five years?”

 

She began to talk through clenched teeth, the muscles in her body burning with her attempt to control her natural responded to a threat to her friends. “Everyone here, including Spike, have been my friends a helluva lot longer than I’ve even known you. Every one of them deserves my loyalty. Every one of them has risked their life for me, more than once. How dare you think your ‘boyfriend status’ qualifies to make that kind of decision? How dare you think you status as a human being qualifies you to make that kind of decision!”

 

“Buffy?” Tara’s soft voice ran across her body like a live wire. She unclenched her jaw and turned her head inquiringly. “Why don’t we just take the one’s we love and go home?” Buffy’s glance took in the scene. Xander glaring daggers at Riley, pain etched across his face; Anya, hovering protectively over Xander, hating Riley for leaving her love behind. Giles, hurting and bleeding, taking off his glasses to wipe them, shaking his head in disappointment. Tara, holding out an entreating hand, tired and filthy, small cuts peppering her face and hands.

 

Willow…~Oh God, look at her face. I nearly lost her and never even knew it. If Spike hadn’t risked falling himself, in order to catch her…~ Spike stood, hands on Willow’s shoulders as if to offer his strength should she need it. His face was like cold sculpted marble. He merely returned her look, non-judgmentally waiting for her choice.  

 

“You’re right, Tara. Let’s take the one’s we love home.” Tara took Willow from Spike’s hands, giving him a grateful smile. Anya helped Giles stand and supported him as he swayed. Buffy took most of Xander’s weight and helped him hop painfully away. Spike was left looking across the expanse of dirt at Riley.

 

Smirking he shook his head. “The first thing you should have learned about the Slayer,m ate, is that no one makes her decisions for her. The second thing you should have learned is that no one messes with her friends.”

 

Riley sneered. “Fat lot of good it did you, monster. I notice you’re still here, too.” Spike shrugged.

 

“I know my place,” he smiled bitterly.

 

Buffy stopped at Xander’s disapproving look. She sighed and turned herself and Xander around.

 

“Spike,” she called. His head shot up and he regarded her suspiciously.

 

“What, Slayer?”

 

“Well? Are you coming or not? Xander’s not exactly a light weight.” Spike looked in shock for all of five seconds, and then a huge grin broke over his face.

 

“Sure, luv. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

 

As Spike ran to take up Xander’s other arm, Xander noticed Buffy hiding a shy smile.

 

~Neither would I, Fangface~ he thought, actually looking forward to the experience. ~Neither would I.

___________________________