The Fate of Spike
Ok...so this is the chapter I'm talking about, the one that may just totally turn you off this fic. If you don't like the idea, please don't hurt me. I just thought it seemed interesting, that's all.
Title: The Boundaries of Love (1/?)
Pairing: Spangel, in a way
Rating: PG-13 for now
Disclaimer: Joss is God. I’m only a minor servant, borrowing his playthings.
Summary: Angsty. This is one of my more serious fics. Spike gets a mysterious visitor after the whole Cup of Perpetual Torment business. A sacrifice is made, setting off a chain of events that will change Spike forever and test the boundaries of his love for Angel. This fic is somewhat unusual and may not be to everyone’s tastes.
Note: This is unbetaed so all mistakes are mine. Please point them out if you see one.
Previous parts here
“Mina Larrington?”
“You would be correct, Mr. Giles.”
Mina studied the man’s reflection in the full length mirror provided for her by the hospital. Apparently, if you were a wealthy patron, the hospital was willing to put up with any special requests you had.
“First of all, I would like to congratulate you for what I’ve been told is a miraculous recovery,” Giles began, a little flustered when Mina made no move to turn to face him.
Mina’s lips quirked up slightly. The Watcher had already said that during their previous phone conversation.
“May I ask, how do you feel now?” Giles inquired politely.
Mina slowly lifted a hand to trace the outlines of the reflection of her face. “I don’t know,” she whispered emotionlessly. “I look at myself in the mirror and it’s like seeing a stranger. I am not as I remember.”
“Mina, you were in a coma for four years. It’s only natural for you to feel disoriented but this will all pass, in time.”
“Are you sure of that?” Mina finally turned to look at him directly.
“Good Lord!” Giles exclaimed in shock. He took a few moments to compose himself. “Forgive me…but I had thought that you possessed brown eyes...”
Heart beating a little quickly, Giles felt a flicker of unease at being unable to match the cold, blue eyes in front of him with the cheerful, bright brown eyes that he had glimpsed from a picture in the Council’s files on her.
“Appearances…can be misleading, Mr. Giles,” Mina stated cryptically.
For a moment, Giles thought he could see a flash of malevolence shine in those eyes. Stop being silly, he told himself. The girl just woke up from her coma. She was bound to act strangely.
Taking off his glasses and polishing them, he decided to change the topic.
“Mina…there’s something I have to tell y-“
“I know. My parents are dead.”
Giles blinked. This was not how he expected the scene to play out. He had thought that he would have to comfort a distraught young girl but from her tone, it was like this had nothing to do with her.
“I-I’m sorry. I did not know that you already knew.” Giles cleared his throat uncomfortably. “They were killed…when the Watcher’s Council was bombed about a year ago.”
Mina nodded, empty blue eyes never straying from his.
Giles worried over her lack of emotion. He seriously hoped that he wouldn’t have on his hands another Slayer come back wrong.
Continuing, he explained, “Your parents have made the Watcher’s Council the guardians of your inheritance. Since you are now twenty one, the Council relinquishes control over the money to you and you can choose what you want to do with it…”
“I’m going to L.A,” Mina announced abruptly. Giles’s eyes widened in surprise.
“May I ask why?”
Mina hesitated before answering.
“During my…coma…I had a dream that Angel was in trouble. You must post me to L.A. so I can help him.”
“You had a Slayer dream about Angel?” Giles asked incredulously.
“Yes.”
“Can you…tell me about it?”
“It’s simple. Angel needs my help.”
Giles could tell she wouldn’t be any more forthcoming. She sounded absolutely certain of the message of her dream. If what she said was true, then Angel hadn’t turned to the dark side yet and the Powers still saw him as their Champion. In that case, it made sense to have a Slayer posted to him, if only to watch his movements and report back to the Council.
Besides, he doubted that he could stop Mina if she chose to go. It would be better if she went with the blessing of the Council.
“Very well then. I’ll assign you to Angel. You are to make periodic reports on your progress.”
For the first time during their meeting, Mina showed some emotion. Her relieved smile reminded Giles that she was only a young girl who had woken up to a world very different from the one she had known. These burdens shouldn’t be hers to carry. But, time would heal her wounds and she would slowly become less…dead.
Feeling more lighthearted, he announced, “Let’s go home.”
After Mina changed out of her hospital gown, Giles and her left the hospital and got into a taxi. Giles gave the driver directions to Mina’s townhouse on the Upper East Side. Arriving there, Mina ate a silent, hastily prepared dinner with Giles and then retired to bed early, where images of a dark haired man chased her into slumber.
************
“If it makes you feel better, she was already brain dead. You did her a favor…”
“Not everyone’s as cold-blooded as you, Patrick,” Mina stated angrily as her visage melted away to reveal…Spike.
“Never thought I would kill another Slayer! Guess I was bloody wrong…”
“She had no hope of waking up. Her parents couldn’t see it but I could.”
“Bollocks! All you soddin’ saw was a body you could use in your plans. But she was once alive, had people who loved her…not that you would know what love really is. Just another weakness you blokes with power can exploit!”
Spike thought he saw a spark of anger cross the normally expressionless face. He filed it away to think about when he was alone.
“I have been upfront with you about our motives from the beginning. Would you rather hear a lie?” Patrick stated stiffly.
Spike snorted in derision. “Just bloody get on with what you came to tell me.”
By the time, Patrick left his dreams, Spike was exhausted. Though the man claimed to be straightforward with everything, Spike still felt the need to be on guard around him. Patrick was not as simple as he portrayed himself. He had some hidden agenda going on, Spike was sure of that.
He rubbed his drooping eyelids with his hands. Ah hell, he could think about the bloody bloke another time. All he wanted to do now was rest and dream of Angel. He closed his eyes as the gentlest sensation of floating overtook him.
Warmth surrounded him and he sighed appreciatively. A soft pair of lips pressed tiny kisses to his face, making him smile. Then, familiar broad hands slowly flipped him on to his back and calloused fingers began massaging the tension out of his shoulders.
If only this was real, Spike suddenly thought with an ache in his heart. A cloud of depression settled over him. Shaking his head sadly, he realized he was becoming almost as broody as Angel. Didn’t someone once say that imitation was the sincerest form of flattery?
Shrugging off his gloominess, Spike decided that he might as well as enjoy the dream while it lasted. As he relaxed again, he could feel the love pouring out from his lover. It bathed him in its cocoon, a promise of an eternal safe harbor where his sails would be forever welcomed. He dozed off in his dream, slipping in and out of consciousness, always reassured by his lover’s light touches.
After a long, restful nap, he finally woke up. Stretching languidly, he looked around for his lover but there was nobody around. Tendrils of fear gripped him as he laid alone, on a bed in a hilltop pavilion, surrounded on all sides by beautiful flowers and sweetly blooming plants - an unhappy stranger in paradise.
“ANGEL!” Spike yelled hoarsely. Panic clawed at his heart. His mind was supposed to be a safe haven where things happened the way he wanted them to. Countless letdowns - Angelus’s desertion, Drusilla’s betrayal and Buffy’s death - had driven him to take refuge here, to lock himself in his private sanctuary until he could learn to function again. Never had it failed him before.
A soft voice suddenly whispered, “Things are never as they seem…”
Spike spun around, his gaze falling on a girl with the saddest eyes he had ever seen.
“Who the hell are you?” he demanded angrily as he took a step towards her.
She smiled, an expression full of heartbreak and loss, and intoned,
“Things are never as they seem.
Evil will hide itself in Right.
From Good may come forth Darkness,
Shadows can give birth to Light
An end is merely a beginning;
So continues the cycle unbroken.
The expected may prove unexpected.
Triumph lies not with the chosen.”
With that, she abruptly turned away and ran off.
“Wait!” Spike yelled after her. He tried to catch her but the world around him started to shake.
“MINA!”
Spike jolted awake with a start, back inside Mina’s body. Giles stared at him in concern.
“Are you alright?” the Watcher asked, hovering anxiously.
Mina’s pale face nodded.
“Another Slayer dream?” Giles prompted.
Spike turned to look at him in confusion.
“I heard you screaming Angel’s name so I came to check on you and found you thrashing about,” Giles explained with a frown.
Spike sucked in deep breaths to calm his erratic breathing. “Yes…just another Slayer dream about Angel,” he lied, reluctant to share the truth with Giles.
“It appears that Angel’s situation is more dire than I thought. I’ll see if I can get you a flight to L.A. for tomorrow,” Giles stated, looking troubled.
He turned to leave but hesitated.
“By the way, if you need anything…”
“I’m fine, Mr. Giles.”
“Very well then. Try to get some sleep.” Giles retreated with one last worried glance at Spike and closed the bedroom door behind him.
Spike laid back down on Mina’s bed and closed his eyes but for a long time, he did not sleep, the girl’s prophetic words haunting him.
Title: The Boundaries of Love (1/?)
Pairing: Spangel, in a way
Rating: PG-13 for now
Disclaimer: Joss is God. I’m only a minor servant, borrowing his playthings.
Summary: Angsty. This is one of my more serious fics. Spike gets a mysterious visitor after the whole Cup of Perpetual Torment business. A sacrifice is made, setting off a chain of events that will change Spike forever and test the boundaries of his love for Angel. This fic is somewhat unusual and may not be to everyone’s tastes.
Note: This is unbetaed so all mistakes are mine. Please point them out if you see one.
Previous parts here
“Mina Larrington?”
“You would be correct, Mr. Giles.”
Mina studied the man’s reflection in the full length mirror provided for her by the hospital. Apparently, if you were a wealthy patron, the hospital was willing to put up with any special requests you had.
“First of all, I would like to congratulate you for what I’ve been told is a miraculous recovery,” Giles began, a little flustered when Mina made no move to turn to face him.
Mina’s lips quirked up slightly. The Watcher had already said that during their previous phone conversation.
“May I ask, how do you feel now?” Giles inquired politely.
Mina slowly lifted a hand to trace the outlines of the reflection of her face. “I don’t know,” she whispered emotionlessly. “I look at myself in the mirror and it’s like seeing a stranger. I am not as I remember.”
“Mina, you were in a coma for four years. It’s only natural for you to feel disoriented but this will all pass, in time.”
“Are you sure of that?” Mina finally turned to look at him directly.
“Good Lord!” Giles exclaimed in shock. He took a few moments to compose himself. “Forgive me…but I had thought that you possessed brown eyes...”
Heart beating a little quickly, Giles felt a flicker of unease at being unable to match the cold, blue eyes in front of him with the cheerful, bright brown eyes that he had glimpsed from a picture in the Council’s files on her.
“Appearances…can be misleading, Mr. Giles,” Mina stated cryptically.
For a moment, Giles thought he could see a flash of malevolence shine in those eyes. Stop being silly, he told himself. The girl just woke up from her coma. She was bound to act strangely.
Taking off his glasses and polishing them, he decided to change the topic.
“Mina…there’s something I have to tell y-“
“I know. My parents are dead.”
Giles blinked. This was not how he expected the scene to play out. He had thought that he would have to comfort a distraught young girl but from her tone, it was like this had nothing to do with her.
“I-I’m sorry. I did not know that you already knew.” Giles cleared his throat uncomfortably. “They were killed…when the Watcher’s Council was bombed about a year ago.”
Mina nodded, empty blue eyes never straying from his.
Giles worried over her lack of emotion. He seriously hoped that he wouldn’t have on his hands another Slayer come back wrong.
Continuing, he explained, “Your parents have made the Watcher’s Council the guardians of your inheritance. Since you are now twenty one, the Council relinquishes control over the money to you and you can choose what you want to do with it…”
“I’m going to L.A,” Mina announced abruptly. Giles’s eyes widened in surprise.
“May I ask why?”
Mina hesitated before answering.
“During my…coma…I had a dream that Angel was in trouble. You must post me to L.A. so I can help him.”
“You had a Slayer dream about Angel?” Giles asked incredulously.
“Yes.”
“Can you…tell me about it?”
“It’s simple. Angel needs my help.”
Giles could tell she wouldn’t be any more forthcoming. She sounded absolutely certain of the message of her dream. If what she said was true, then Angel hadn’t turned to the dark side yet and the Powers still saw him as their Champion. In that case, it made sense to have a Slayer posted to him, if only to watch his movements and report back to the Council.
Besides, he doubted that he could stop Mina if she chose to go. It would be better if she went with the blessing of the Council.
“Very well then. I’ll assign you to Angel. You are to make periodic reports on your progress.”
For the first time during their meeting, Mina showed some emotion. Her relieved smile reminded Giles that she was only a young girl who had woken up to a world very different from the one she had known. These burdens shouldn’t be hers to carry. But, time would heal her wounds and she would slowly become less…dead.
Feeling more lighthearted, he announced, “Let’s go home.”
After Mina changed out of her hospital gown, Giles and her left the hospital and got into a taxi. Giles gave the driver directions to Mina’s townhouse on the Upper East Side. Arriving there, Mina ate a silent, hastily prepared dinner with Giles and then retired to bed early, where images of a dark haired man chased her into slumber.
************
“If it makes you feel better, she was already brain dead. You did her a favor…”
“Not everyone’s as cold-blooded as you, Patrick,” Mina stated angrily as her visage melted away to reveal…Spike.
“Never thought I would kill another Slayer! Guess I was bloody wrong…”
“She had no hope of waking up. Her parents couldn’t see it but I could.”
“Bollocks! All you soddin’ saw was a body you could use in your plans. But she was once alive, had people who loved her…not that you would know what love really is. Just another weakness you blokes with power can exploit!”
Spike thought he saw a spark of anger cross the normally expressionless face. He filed it away to think about when he was alone.
“I have been upfront with you about our motives from the beginning. Would you rather hear a lie?” Patrick stated stiffly.
Spike snorted in derision. “Just bloody get on with what you came to tell me.”
By the time, Patrick left his dreams, Spike was exhausted. Though the man claimed to be straightforward with everything, Spike still felt the need to be on guard around him. Patrick was not as simple as he portrayed himself. He had some hidden agenda going on, Spike was sure of that.
He rubbed his drooping eyelids with his hands. Ah hell, he could think about the bloody bloke another time. All he wanted to do now was rest and dream of Angel. He closed his eyes as the gentlest sensation of floating overtook him.
Warmth surrounded him and he sighed appreciatively. A soft pair of lips pressed tiny kisses to his face, making him smile. Then, familiar broad hands slowly flipped him on to his back and calloused fingers began massaging the tension out of his shoulders.
If only this was real, Spike suddenly thought with an ache in his heart. A cloud of depression settled over him. Shaking his head sadly, he realized he was becoming almost as broody as Angel. Didn’t someone once say that imitation was the sincerest form of flattery?
Shrugging off his gloominess, Spike decided that he might as well as enjoy the dream while it lasted. As he relaxed again, he could feel the love pouring out from his lover. It bathed him in its cocoon, a promise of an eternal safe harbor where his sails would be forever welcomed. He dozed off in his dream, slipping in and out of consciousness, always reassured by his lover’s light touches.
After a long, restful nap, he finally woke up. Stretching languidly, he looked around for his lover but there was nobody around. Tendrils of fear gripped him as he laid alone, on a bed in a hilltop pavilion, surrounded on all sides by beautiful flowers and sweetly blooming plants - an unhappy stranger in paradise.
“ANGEL!” Spike yelled hoarsely. Panic clawed at his heart. His mind was supposed to be a safe haven where things happened the way he wanted them to. Countless letdowns - Angelus’s desertion, Drusilla’s betrayal and Buffy’s death - had driven him to take refuge here, to lock himself in his private sanctuary until he could learn to function again. Never had it failed him before.
A soft voice suddenly whispered, “Things are never as they seem…”
Spike spun around, his gaze falling on a girl with the saddest eyes he had ever seen.
“Who the hell are you?” he demanded angrily as he took a step towards her.
She smiled, an expression full of heartbreak and loss, and intoned,
“Things are never as they seem.
Evil will hide itself in Right.
From Good may come forth Darkness,
Shadows can give birth to Light
An end is merely a beginning;
So continues the cycle unbroken.
The expected may prove unexpected.
Triumph lies not with the chosen.”
With that, she abruptly turned away and ran off.
“Wait!” Spike yelled after her. He tried to catch her but the world around him started to shake.
“MINA!”
Spike jolted awake with a start, back inside Mina’s body. Giles stared at him in concern.
“Are you alright?” the Watcher asked, hovering anxiously.
Mina’s pale face nodded.
“Another Slayer dream?” Giles prompted.
Spike turned to look at him in confusion.
“I heard you screaming Angel’s name so I came to check on you and found you thrashing about,” Giles explained with a frown.
Spike sucked in deep breaths to calm his erratic breathing. “Yes…just another Slayer dream about Angel,” he lied, reluctant to share the truth with Giles.
“It appears that Angel’s situation is more dire than I thought. I’ll see if I can get you a flight to L.A. for tomorrow,” Giles stated, looking troubled.
He turned to leave but hesitated.
“By the way, if you need anything…”
“I’m fine, Mr. Giles.”
“Very well then. Try to get some sleep.” Giles retreated with one last worried glance at Spike and closed the bedroom door behind him.
Spike laid back down on Mina’s bed and closed his eyes but for a long time, he did not sleep, the girl’s prophetic words haunting him.