The Cost of Butterfly Kisses

[lit_gal]

"The Cost of Butterfly Kisses." The title is an allusion to THIS song, which will totally ruin the surprise for you if you haven't read the first chapter.

The Cost of Butterfly Kisses, Part ELEVEN

Fandom/Pairing: BtVS, Spike/Xander
Prompt: Vigiliant

Rated: TEEN (we're still in the manipulation stages here)
Summary: Spike wants to be the one who is there for Buffy, but life has never been that kind to him..

Does anyone remember this? 

When last we saw our heroes, Spike was pissed (in both meanings of the word) and he attacked Xander for daring to be the man Buffy turned to for emotional support.  Xander speed dialed Buffy's house thinking that his daughter was in danger only to have Tara pick up the phone and listen in on the fight.  Tara showed up and basically made the boys play nice.  Now we have the morning after.

(Chapter One... )  ( Chapter Two... )  ( Chapter Three... ) ( Chapter Four... ) ( Chapter Five )   ( Chapter Six )   ( Chapter 7 )  ( Chapter 8 )  ( Chapter Nine )  ( Chapter Ten )

Chapter Eleven

Spike's cell phone rang and he grabbed it off the side table. "This had bloody well better be good," he snarled, not even fully awake yet.

"That would depend on your definition of good."

"Anya?" Spike swung his legs over the side of the bed and groaned. Fucking hell, he actually managed to give himself a hangover. A mug of blood would fix that problem, but Spike wondered what it would take to fix the mess he'd made with puppy-boy. Yeah, the twit was a nuisance, but he also paid for the cell phone and the blood Spike was about to drink. Since the chip, Spike had learned to be a little more flexible about how he got his needs met, and he'd mucked it up badly last night. "Something better well have blown up," he warned her as he stood and headed for the kitchen.

"Buffy is annoying and invisible."

Spike stopped. "She's what?"

"Annoying. Just because she has a problem, she thinks I'm going to stop having a life to deal with it. Actually, she started by expecting me to drop everything, and then she just announced that she was going to have some fun with it, and she wandered off."

"Did you say invisible?"

"If someone was trying to attack her, that seems like a very foolish way to start. Now they can't see her fist coming at their face."

"Is she there? Put her on the phone," Spike said.

"I already said she wandered off. I don't know where she went. I don't even know why I bothered to call you about it." The phone went dead. Fuck. Spike could tell from the itch in his bones that the sun was still up, so he couldn't exactly go wandering around town looking for an invisible slayer. However, anything powerful enough to turn someone invisible was dangerous. If Red had done something stupid, Spike was going to lock her in the basement until she learned to give up the mojo. He indulged in a quick fantasy of bringing her to heel. At one point, she was the one he most wanted to turn with all that insecurity and anger right under her skin. She'd make a lovely vampire. But even if he could find a way to bring her over, he wouldn't. It would destroy Buffy and put Dawn right in the line of fire.

So that meant he had to clean up whatever mess Red had made without killing her. Spike cursed and headed for Xander's room. Puppy-boy was a moron with the survival skills of a suicidal lemming, but he wouldn't get turned to dust if he walked into the sun. Spike threw the door to Xander's room open, but it was empty. The strong smell of him clung to the unmade bed, but no Xander. However, Spike could still hear a heartbeat. Spike stepped into the room and tilted his head as he pinpointed the source.

Walking to the closet, Spike slid the door open. Bonnie looked up at him.

"Poppet?" Spike crouched down and rested his hands on his knees as he looked at her. "Where's Clem?"

"He didn't come today. He had to do something with kittens and he said it would take too long for him to come back and teach a lesson." Bonnie looked up at him, her cheeks darkened with anxiety even though he couldn't smell any. She had her father's god-awful love of ugly colors, but not any human scent glands.

Spike pushed a couple of Hawaiian shirts to one side so he could see her more clearly. "Why are you in here?"

Instead of answering, she just stared at him.

"I asked you a question, pet. I expect you to answer." Spike let a little yellow leech into his eyes. He had a situation with the slayer to deal with, and he didn't have time to coddle a demon who knew better than to test him.

"I wanted to be here when Daddy came home."

Spike frowned. "You could wait for him upstairs, pet."

"That human witch is up there."

"Tara," Spike corrected her. He wasn't sure Xander would appreciate Bonnie's tone, but for a demon, a human witch was a significant threat. Most humans were talented at ignoring the supernatural, but witches were not only aware, but plenty of them hunted demons for certain body parts to use in magical spells. "She's a friend of your da. She wouldn't hurt you."

Bonnie's lips pressed together so tightly that they almost disappeared.

"Come on, we can go upstairs together." Spike stood up and offered Bonnie his hand. Instead of taking it, she crossed her arms and pressed herself back into the corner of the closet. "Now, pet," Spike said.

"No."

Spike dropped his hand to his side and raised his eyebrows as he looked at her. Bloody hell. Her father was clearly teaching her a few manners that were not going to impress any demons. The small and weak did not challenge the strong. Spike had learned that at Angelus' feet, and while he had no intention of using Angelus' teaching methods, he wasn't going to let someone half his size challenge him. Reaching in, Spike caught Bonnie by the arms and lifted her out.

"No!" Bonnie yelled. She kicked out, catching Spike in the shin.

"Bloody hell, what the fuck is wrong with you?" Spike flashed into gameface, but Bonnie just kicked harder. Going over to Xander's bed, Spike put her down on the edge of the bed and held her. Her bare feet kicked at him; she was almost as strong as an adult human, but she wasn't anywhere near strong enough to hurt him. He just held her arms, waiting as she finally wore herself out.

"You done?" he asked when she finally went still.

"No." Bonnie pressed her lips together, the swelling under her eyes nearly black with distress, but she had gone quiet. Spike still had no idea what the fuck was wrong with her. Every once in a while, her idiot father's genes definitely showed through.

"Well then, you let me know when you're done and then you can tell me why you're being such a git." Spike carefully let go of her arms and tried to back off, but she launched herself at him, her small fists windmilling wildly.

"Fucking hell!" Spike caught her around her chest, pinning her arms to her sides and holding her close. She still didn't smell of aggression the way humans would. It was an advantage he'd tried to teach her how to use in a fight, but he soddin' resented her bluffing him into dropping his guard. "You'd be one hell of a poker player if it weren't for those kwaini markings."

"Let me go!" She tried to kick backwards.

"Not on your life." Spike sat on Xander's bed, still holding Bonnie. "Right then, first lesson— don't attack if you can't keep a good head on your shoulders. I don't bloody well know what attack strategy that was, but it sure as hell wasn't one I taught you. Second lesson—never attack someone when you know you can't bloody win. Discretion is the better part of valor, and those who run like hell live to not get decapitated by some soddin' enemy. "

"Are you going to decapitate me?" Bonnie demanded.

"Bloody.... No." Spike was so shocked that he couldn't even say anything else.

"For real?" Bonnie tilted her head up.

"'Course not. Don't know how that rot got into your head, but have I ever done anything to make you think I'd hurt you, pet?" Spike studied her. If it weren't for her deeply colored and swollen cheeks, Spike wouldn’t be able to tell that she was upset—her voice was even and she still didn't smell of anything other than little girl's soap and pancakes. If Xander was playing some game to turn the bit against Spike, Spike was going to hire someone to pull his intestines out through his nostrils.

"You hurt Daddy." Bonnie's eyes narrowed.

Well fuck. Spike let her go and leaned back on the bed. She moved away from him, her eyes still watching him suspiciously. "You know about the chip, poppet. I can't hurt your da, even when he annoys the unlife out of me."

"You tried."

"If I'd have been trying, he'd still be laying in this bed healing," Spike pointed out.

"You did try."

"He rubbed me the wrong way, is all."

"You tried." She crossed her arms and stamped a foot on the ground in an imitation of every Shirley Temple movie Spike would never admit to having seen. Dru had been bloody obsessed with the things, and Spike could get in some good hunting in the dark. Right now, that wasn't helping him much. He doubted Bonnie's rich father was going to sweep in and fix everything before the closing credits rolled.

"I've been trying for going on three years now, and your da is still breathing. Bloody hell, my sire before me tried hurting him, and he's still here. I wouldn't worry too much about him if I were you."

Bonnie's expression twisted, and for one horrible moment, Spike thought she was going to cry. "You say nice things like how he's stronger than he looks and then you try to hurt him when all he does is try to make you happy."

That made Spike raise his eyebrows. He doubted puppy-boy had ever given two thoughts about making Spike happy, but for all her maturity, Bonnie wasn't going to understand their relationship, and Spike really didn't want to explain blackmail. "It's complicated."

The second he said it, Spike mentally cringed. Bonnie wasn't some human child who would believe trite answers like that. Oh, she'd accept them. She was demon enough to know that you couldn't force someone stronger than you into talking, but she wasn't some human child to be distracted by a bright bauble or pushed to the side. Demon children were considered miniature adults and included in adult conversations and business long before they could understand most of it, and Bonnie for all her curls and smiles, was a demon.

"Fucking hell." Spike sighed. "He drives me 'round the twist half the time," Spike snapped. "There are days I don't bloody know whether to lock him in his room or just soddin' sit on him because he puts on this helpless display that is bloody annoying. And then he goes and does something that shows he isn't half as helpless as he pretends and it's fucking—" Spike waved his hand. "So, yeah, I tried to hurt your da last night." Spike stood up before he said more. He'd tried to kill Xander last night. In the cold, sober morning, he knew that Xander hadn't been moving in on Buffy. Fuck, Buffy's idea of sex would probably break the human into so many pieces that the doctors wouldn't be able to put him back together. But watching Buffy turn to the village idiot....

Walking over to the door, he slammed it open so fast that it crashed into the wall with the dull cracking sound of something breaking. "Slayer's in trouble, and your da is going to get his knickers in a twist if we don't do something to help her," Spike said over his shoulder as he headed up the stairs.

Upstairs, Tara was at the kitchen table, her eyes wide as he looked at him.

"Morning, luv," Spike said as he headed for the refrigerator. He wondered if she'd stayed the night or just shown up this morning. Clem might have called her, but Spike wasn't comfortable with the thought of a human just wandering into his lair, especially since he couldn't defend himself from them. He worked silently, pulling the warmed blood out of the microwave before he turned to really face her.

"Morning," Tara said softly once Spike had settled back against the counter.

"You stay the night?" Spike drank his blood and put on his best poker face. Last night she'd been quick enough to take his side, so having her around might prove useful, but at the same time, Tara being here was sure to catch Willow's attention. With the chip, Spike couldn't protect himself from Willow, and he was experienced enough to see that she was becoming dangerous. Oh, the children would never admit that one of their own was on the path to becoming one of the bad guys, but she'd tasted power, and she liked the taste. If it weren't for Bonnie and Dawn and Buffy, he would enjoy the mayhem she was going to cause.

"I stayed in the room next to Xander." Tara straightened up in her chair, clearly prepared for some sort of verbal attack.

Instead, Spike shrugged. "Good to have allies around when the shite is about to hit the fan," Spike told her. "But let's get some things straight."

"Ththings?" The stutter was back. Spike rolled his eyes. It wasn't like he was going to demand blood tribute or rape her. Even before the chip, he'd never treated humans as anything other than food, and a person didn't rape and torture food. Not unless he was trying to impress Angelus. Now that wanker loved to torture his food—like it took a big demon to terrorize some helpless human.

"I don't want you bringing random people over here. No college co-eds or study parties or covens in my house, got it?" She nodded. "And no Willow. I don't want that bint anywhere near this place or Bonnie. If you break that rule, I will find a way ta kill you, got it?"

"Got it," Tara agreed; her voice was shaky, but she gave him a firm nod. "I wouldn't put Xander and Bonnie in the middle."

"See that ya don't," Spike told her. "Otherwise, you're welcome ta stay here."

Bonnie had shown up by then. She hovered near the doorway, her cheeks just starting to fade to the dull reddish stain that might pass as sunburn. Right then, he had both the girls sorted. Hopefully. From the way Tara sat at the table, ramrod straight and her fingers curled around a glass, she had a lot to say.

"Slayer's in trouble," Spike announced.

"What?" Tara blinked in surprise. The first rule of engagement was to not let the enemy predict your moves. Spike glanced over toward Bonnie, hoping that she understood what she was seeing.

"Anya called. Apparently someone's gone and turned her invisible. Three guesses about who might be mucking around with magic."

Tara slumped, her eyes closing for a second in utter despair. "Either Willow or Amy," Tara said softly.

"I was going to guess Red, but if her little mate is into magic, that's possible," Spike said with a shrug. "According to Anya, Buffy is enjoying being invisible a little too much. I'm thinking Red might have tried to make Buffy's worries disappear or some rot like that. She has perfected throwing the baby out with the bathwater, that one."

Tara seemed to physically shrink, but then she had encouraged Willow's pursuit of magic, so Spike wasn't giving her a free pass and he sure as hell wasn't going to offer any emotional support. She'd turned her head the other way until Willow had put Buffy and Dawn and everyone else in danger.

"I'll go to the dorm and get my magic supplies. I know their magical signatures, so I can search for any active spells they've laid in the last day." She stood up, her face determined. She had real steel at her core, Tara did. Spike could respect that.

"Have plenty of magical supplies right here." Spike walked to a corner of the kitchen where the stone counters were particularly thick and rough. The cabinet above was heavy wood with scrolls of iron across it, and Spike could feel the magic skittering over his skin like spiders as he opened the door. "Help yourself."

Tara moved closer, her eyes wide as she studied all the herb bottles and charms carefully lined up. She had to have felt the magic, but she had waited for an invitation. She was a real lady. In a lot of ways, Tara reminded Spike of Joyce. If she broke the rules and brought Willow here, he was actually going to feel bad about hiring someone to kill her.

"Where did these come from?" Tara raised her hand, but stopped just short of touching the ingredients lined up on the thick shelves.

"No bloody idea. Came with the house," Spike headed back to get another mug of blood to get rid of the last of his headache.

"My mother gathered them," Bonnie said. She was clinging to the side of the door, but her voice was strong. "Her father was a powerful mage, but she didn't inherit a lot of his magic, only a little."

Ah, that explained why the grandmother had been diddling a human. Must have been a real slap in the face when her spawn had ended with human hair and very little magic. Spike smiled at that. Bonnie's grandmother was a right bitch who deserved every moment of unhappiness life threw at her. Spike drank his blood and watched as Tara explored the cupboard. If he'd had his way, he would have dumped the whole lot of it, but you didn't just flush magical herbs down the toilet, not unless you wanted magical cockroaches crawling back up out of the sewers.

"These will be very useful," Tara said with a smile for Bonnie. Bonnie still watched her with wide, suspicious eyes. "I'm going to do a magical trace spell. Would you like to watch?" Tara invited her. Bonnie still didn't answer, but she went up on her toes so she could see which bottles Tara pulled off the shelf. Her vigilance spoke of distrust, but Spike figured Tara could win the tyke over. He had other problems to deal with. Heading back downstairs, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Xander's number. It was late enough in the afternoon that he should be off work, so hopefully he had the soddin' thing turned on.

"Hello?"

"Buffy's in trouble," Spike announced.

"What? Spike?" Xander sounded about as confused as ever.

"Who the hell else would have my bloody phone?" Spike demanded. "Anya called, and someone's gone and made the slayer invisible. She didn't give me much to go on, but Tara's looking to see if Red's been mucking around with the mojo again."

"Shit, it just never ends, does it?" On the other end, tires squealed as Xander turned his car around.

"That's life, Harris. Tara will know soon enough if Red cast the spell. She's doing some of her own mojo back here. I need you to go by the slayer's house. Check to see if Bit is alright and see if her sis is with her. If not, see if she left any messages."

"Buffy's house? But what if Willow is there?"

"Try not to let her turn ya into a toad," Spike suggested and then he turned his phone off. Xander was safer around Willow than anyone else, and part of Spike really resented that. He was afraid of Willow. Deep in his unbeating heart, he knew just how damn unstable she was, and Xander would walk in there without any fear at all. Moron. If life were fair, Xander would be the first to get turned into a toad, but like he'd told Bonnie, Xander always did seem to survive. Bloody annoying that.