Once Upon a Dream by TammyDevil666

Chapter #1 - Chapter 1

Title: Once Upon a Dream Author: TammyDevil666 Summary: A not so average fairytale that takes place after "Intervention." Buffy is attacked and poisoned while on patrol, Spike possibly being the only one to save her, but will he figure it out before it's too late? Rating: PG Feedback: Any comments would be appreciated. Author's Note: I couldn’t say where this idea came from, it just popped in my head and I went with it. It’s short, only two parts long, and basically nothing but fluff. I have to admit that I’m not very fond of this story, but I hope you guys would like it. Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me. Chapter 1 “I’m really starting to get worried. It’s been way too quiet lately.” Spike shrugged. “Maybe the Hellbitch finally gave up.” Buffy wasn’t convinced. “No, she’s planning something. I just wish I knew what. How are you doing? Your face looks a lot better.” He was surprised that she cared enough to ask about his condition, but ever since he refused to give Dawn up to Glory, she had been a bit nicer towards him. “Almost as good as new.” Buffy was glad to hear that. Not just because he was her strongest fighter, but she was starting to realize just how much she wanted him around, and it was those thoughts that confused her. She snapped out of her musings when Spike was suddenly ripped away from her side, leaving her to face off with one hideous demon. It had slime and horns, with razor sharp claws. “Excuse me? We were in the middle of a conversation.” If there was one thing Buffy hated, it was being interrupted. She kicked the demon hard in the chest, cursing herself for only having a stake on her. Spike stood up and shook the dizziness away, taking in the sight of Buffy fighting a demon twice her size. He would jump in when she needed help, but it didn’t look like she did. He always did love watching her fight; she was like poetry in motion. When Buffy appeared to be getting tired, was when Spike decided to join in the fight. He had no idea what kind of demon they were dealing with, but didn’t want that thing anywhere near Buffy. Spike soon got the upperhand, or so he thought. With a growl, the demon was about to slash Spike across the chest with its claws, only to get Buffy instead when she foolishly jumped in front of him. Buffy fell to the ground with a moan of pain, holding her abdomen in the process. It was then that Spike saw red. He roared and attacked the demon, taking it by surprise. He threw punches repeatedly on the demon, then grabbed it by the neck and twisted with all his strength. Spike slammed the dead body to the ground, watching in disgust as it dissolved into green goo. He dropped to Buffy’s side, gently lifting her head onto his lap. “Pet, are you okay?” She groaned. “I feel like I was stabbed with a hot poker.” He smiled, relieved that she was conscious. “Come on, let’s get you home.” Buffy nodded and wobbled to her feet, holding on to Spike’s arm for support. Spike kept his arm around her as he helped her out of the cemetery. * * * * * “Guys, I’m fine, you don’t have to coddle me.” Willow placed a glass of water next to Buffy’s bed, giving her a look. “You need to rest, there’s no telling what that demon did to you.” Buffy waved her hand in the air. “It’s nothing, I feel fine. Look,” she said, lifting up her shirt, “The wound is almost healed.” Xander nodded. “Still, you should take it easy, Buffster. We’ll get out of your hair.” Willow agreed and followed Xander out of the room, leaving Dawn and Spike behind. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Dawn wondered, a hint of worry in her voice. “Yes, I’m fine. It’ll take more than one demon to get rid of me.” Spike gave her one more concerned look, then decided to give the sisters some privacy. Dawn sat on the edge of Buffy’s bed once he left; taking her sister’s hand in hers, her concern growing when she felt how cold she was. * * * * * “What kind of demon do you suppose it was?” Giles asked when they were all back downstairs. Spike shrugged. “Hell if I know, never seen anything like it before. All I know is that it was bloody ugly. The demon was going to claw me, but Buffy stepped in the way. You need to talk to that Slayer of yours; she shouldn’t be putting herself at risk like that.” Giles agreed and would be having a word with her later about that. “Buffy!” they all heard Dawn suddenly yell, hurrying up the stairs to see what was going on. Spike arrived first, only to see the unconscious body of Buffy on the floor, Dawn by her side. “What happened?” Dawn glanced up at him. “I don’t know. She got up to go to the bathroom, then just collapsed.” Spike kneeled down, taking Buffy’s clammy hand in his. “Buffy, love, you have to wake up now. You know better than to scare us all like this.” Minutes went by, and still there was no luck. Spike picked her up and lay her gently back in her bed, covering her up with the blanket because it looked like she was cold. “What’s wrong with her? She’s going to be okay, right?” Spike turned to the young girl. “I don’t know, nibblet.” She wouldn’t accept that. “No, she has to be okay. I can’t lose her, too.” Spike felt helpless as Dawn ran out of the room, wishing that he could tell her that everything would be all right, but he didn’t even know that for sure. Giles chose that moment to speak up. “We need to find out what demon that was. That may be the only way to help Buffy.” They all left the room to do some research. Spike remained behind for a little while longer, not wanting to leave Buffy’s side, but he was the only other one besides her to have seen the demon. He gave her hand one more squeeze, then headed downstairs to join the others. * * * * * “This is getting us nowhere. It’s like the bloody demon doesn’t even exist.” Dawn placed a calming hand on Spike’s arm, knowing just how worried he was for her sister. She decided to help with the research, wanting to feel somewhat useful. Xander rubbed his tired eyes, Anya resting on his shoulder. His girl wasn’t much for research. “Yikes, these demons are sure grotesque looking. This one has horns all over its body.” Spike perked up at that, snatching the book out of Xander’s hands, his eyes widening. “Bloody hell, this is the one.” “Really? Looks like I’m the research man, after all.” Spike grinned at him. “Whelp, I could kiss you.” He raised his eyebrows, that being enough to wake Anya up. “I’m the only one allowed to kiss Xander,” she stated firmly. Spike rolled his eyes. “Not like I would have really done it,” he mumbled, reading over what he could about the demon. “You have got to be bloody kidding me!” he exclaimed suddenly, causing all eyes to be on him. “It’s a fairytale demon. The claws hold a venom that is hazardous to humans. It would have caused them to drop dead right away, but since Buffy is a little more than human, it caused her to fall into a deep slumber.” Giles took his glasses off to clean them, having a feeling about where Spike was going with this. “The Sleeping Beauty complex, the only thing able to wake Buffy is…” “Her true love’s kiss,” Giles finished for him. Spike pointed at him. “Got it in one.” Xander laughed. “Are you serious? That has to be the lamest demon I’ve ever heard of.” “Yeah, but this is good. We know how to save Buffy now,” Willow commented. Dawn graced Spike with a smile. This would finally be enough to prove that her two favorite people were meant to be together, but her high was completely brought down by Giles’ next words. “As much as it pains me to admit this, I believe we may need Angel’s help. He’s possibly the only one that would be able to wake Buffy; one of us should call him.” Willow nodded in agreement. “I’m on it,” she said, making her way over to the phone to do just that. Dawn was the only one that noticed Spike’s hurt expression over the mention of Angel, gripping his hand tighter in hers. Sometimes her friends could be so stupid.

Chapter #2 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Willow hung up the phone and joined everyone back in the living room. “Angel’s on the way.” Giles nodded and hoped they had enough time to wait for him. Spike ignored the conversations going on around him and continued to read up on the demon, trying to keep his emotions in control, Angel being the last person he wanted to see, but helping Buffy was more important than his petty jealousy. “We have a bigger problem. You better hope that Angel can save her.” “What did you find out?” Giles asked him. “Nothing good, if Buffy doesn’t wake up in twenty-four hours, she’s never going to.” “What does that mean?” Xander wondered Spike turned to him. “It means that she’s going to die.” Dawn gasped. “No, she’s not going to die. She can’t die.” Spike shook his head. “I’m sorry, nibblet. I’ll see if I can find anything else, but Peaches may be our only hope.” She threw her hands up in the air. “God, you know, I would expect this from them, but not you. Angel can’t save her and you know it!” she yelled, taking off up the stairs. Spike rubbed his tired eyes, figuring that he should give the teenager some alone time before he tried talking to her. “Well, let’s hope that Dawn is wrong about that. He should be arriving in less than two hours,” Giles explained. Spike needed to get away. He put the book he was reading down and headed up the stairs, going straight to Buffy’s room. Once he entered, he noticed that there was no change in her condition. Spike sat down by her side, taking her clammy hand in his. “I wish I knew what was going on in that head of yours. It probably involves beating me up,” he said with a chuckle, then grew more serious. “The last thing I want is Peaches anywhere near you. This is just what I need. Him coming back to wake you, then you realizing he really is your true love. I don’t have a chance, do I? I guess in the end it’ll all be worth it, just to see you open your eyes.” He glanced up at said eyes to see that they were fluttering, but still remained closed. “It looks like you might be thinking about something good in there. I really hope it’s not my dusty ending.” Little did Spike know how very wrong he was. * * * * * The sun shined above them, waves crashing in the ocean as the happy couple sat together on the beach. “It’s so beautiful here.” He held her tighter, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Everything is beautiful with you.” The blonde woman turned to look at him, realizing just how blue his eyes were. “I like it here, Spike. I can do whatever I want. I don’t have to worry about slaying, or what my friends think. I’m free to be with you here, no consequences.” “You know you have to go back, love.” Buffy shook her head. “I don’t want to. I want to stay here with you.” He smiled. “I’ll still be there when you go back, nothing has to change.” She snuggled up closer to him. “Except for seeing you in the sunlight, I’ll really miss that.” “Well, you shouldn’t have taken my ring away.” Buffy slapped him lightly on the arm. “If you still had that ring, we might not be here today.” He shrugged, looking out at the ocean. “It’s not time to leave yet.” “Good,” she said, resting her head against his chest and closing her eyes. “Then we can be together for a little while longer.” * * * * * Spike was brought out of slumber by a hand nudging his shoulder, not even realizing that he dozed off. “How long was I out for?” he asked, assuming Giles was the one to wake him, but that wasn’t who responded. “I don’t know. I just got here. How’s she doing?” Spike shrugged, turning away from Angel. “See for yourself. She hasn’t moved, she’s gotten paler than she was about an hour ago, it’s not looking good.” Angel nodded and kneeled down beside her bed, staring at his former love. “I came because Willow called me, but I don’t think there’s anything I can do for her. I figured she wouldn’t believe me unless I came in person.” “What are you on about, Peaches? You’re the only one that can help her. You just have to kiss her, and warn me before you do. I would rather be out of the room.” He shook his head. “It’s a bit more complicated than that.” Anything else Spike would have said was cut off by the arrival of the others. Angel figured it was now or never. He took a deep, unneeded breath, then pressed his lips softly to Buffy’s. Spike looked away, not wanting to witness the obvious display of affection, squeezing Dawn’s hand tighter in his. She was the only one keeping him sane at the moment. Angel pulled away, waiting a minute to see that there was no change. “What happened?” Willow wondered in confusion. “That should have worked.” Angel glanced at the concerned faces around him. “As I told you before, I won’t be able to wake her.” Giles took his glasses off to clean them, placing them back on after a few seconds, but Willow spoke up again before he could. “How come? Don’t you still love her?” Angel gave a sad smile. “I’ll always love her, but she no longer loves me. If I know anything about true love, it works both ways.” No one was expecting that. Xander broke the silence a moment later. “What are we going to do now? Buffy has less than twelve hours left.” “This is what I’ve been trying to say. It’s Spike, he’s the one that can wake her.” They all now turned their attention on Dawn, shocked by her statement, but no one more than Spike. “Um, nibblet, I’m flattered that you think I can save her, but that’s just not possible. Peaches is right, true love works both ways, and we know she doesn’t love me.” Dawn wouldn’t accept that. “Please, Spike, you have to at least try,” she pleaded. “I know it will work, it has to. You’re the only one that can do it.” Spike stared at the young girl, one that he considered to be like a sister. He was surprised that no one else objected to what she said, but all he did was nod and move over to Buffy. He copied Angel, taking an unneeded breath, and touching his lips to hers in a gentle caress. The last thing Spike wanted to do was take his lips away, but he knew it couldn’t last forever. He gazed deeply at her, waiting for any kind of change, seconds ticked by and nothing happened. Spike gave up, knowing it was too good to be true. “I’m sorry,” he told them. Spike moved away, stopping when the hand he was gripping twitched and gripped him back. He glanced down at her, beyond shocked when her eyes finally fluttered open and looked right into his, giving him a breathtaking smile. “You’re here,” she whispered. Spike didn’t know how to respond to that, but didn’t have the chance when everyone charged at Buffy, embracing her and welcoming her back. Angel led him out of the room, noticing just how stunned he was. “I’ll be heading back now, there’s nothing more for me to do here. Take care of her, Spike.” He nodded, watching as Angel walked down the stairs and out the front door, still in a state of shock. After their reunion, everyone left the room to give Buffy some space, Dawn remaining behind. “I may just be a kid, but I know what I’m talking about every now and then. I knew Spike could save you,” Dawn claimed, beaming at her sister. Buffy returned her smile, looking up to see Spike standing in the doorway. “Hey, Dawny, could you give us a minute?” She nodded and left the room, giving Spike a nudge on her way out. He cautiously stepped inside, not sure how to start this particular conversation. “I’m glad that you’re okay.” She held her hand out to him, sighing in relief when he took it and sat back down at her side. “Do you know what I was dreaming about?” Spike shook his head, waiting for her to continue. “You, Spike, it was so beautiful. We were at the beach, in the sunlight, just holding each other. I’ve never felt so safe in my life. I knew that I would be able to come back, that you would still be here. You’re the one that never leaves.” Spike felt his eyes start to tear up, hoping that she wouldn’t notice. He just pressed his lips to her knuckles. “Never leave you,” he stated, bringing his eyes back up to hers. “Did they tell you about the demon?” Buffy nodded. “True love’s kiss, huh? You know, I think the demon world is really starting to lose their touch. They’ve ruined Sleeping Beauty for me, that used to be my favorite movie,” she finished with a pout. Spike was surprised that she was taking it so well. “Does…Does this mean you love me?” He cursed himself for stuttering, but had to know the truth. She thought about it. “I could say no, but since you were the one to wake me, I’m guessing that would be pointless.” He lowered his gaze from hers. Buffy caressed his cheek, forcing him to look back at her. “I love you, Spike. I don’t know when it happened, but it did. Thank you for saving me.” It was official, he was an utter ponce. He couldn’t stop the tears now as he wrapped his arms around her tiny frame, smothering kisses all over her face, until he finally reached her lips. “I love you so bloody much,” he admitted, burying his head in her neck and leaving a few kisses there as well. Buffy held him closer to her, kissing his forehead. “Yes, it’s about time!” Dawn exclaimed, running back into the room and joining her sister on the bed. Spike grinned at her antics. “I already talked to everyone else. They’ve decided to accept this, but it’s not like they could really deny what happened. That may have been the best demon ever, and Angel was actually decent. He left quietly; I’m surprised he didn’t have a bigger cow about this.” Buffy raised her eyebrows. “Angel was here?” Dawn nodded. “Yeah, Giles had Willow call him. They actually thought he was your true love,” she finished, rolling her eyes. Buffy laughed. “Maybe when I was a teenager and didn’t know any better. I mean, I’ll always love him, but true love? That’s a world of no. I’ll have to ask Giles what the hell he was thinking. I could have been woken up sooner.” Spike glanced between the two sisters, surprised by Buffy’s reaction, but not disappointed. He made room for himself next to Dawn, reaching over her to grab Buffy’s hand, which he was delighted to find was back to being warm. He shut his eyes, the exhausting day finally catching up with him. Spike couldn’t stop thinking about her dream. More than anything, he wanted to make it come true. He didn’t know what it would take, another ring, a spell of some kind, but Spike would find a way to join his girl in the sunlight, give her everything that she deserved. With that thought in mind, he drifted off into a peaceful sleep. The End