Not Beneath Me - Chapter 14 (Hitting The Proverbial Fan)
By Tasha

Chapter Summary: Giles and Dawn are back at the hospital with Joyce. After a little comfort sex after the familial claiming, Spike and Buffy are now trying to get ready to head to the hospital themselves. Xander, in his usual blind hatred for Spike, is at the Summers' house ready to prove that Spike's chip doesn't work. It is his hopes that Buffy will dust Spike immediately. Is he right or does Buffy love Spike enough to trust him? Dru felt the familial bond engage due to her being in Sunnydale. How will this affect her plans to get Spike back into the fold?

***Warning: If you love Xander and/or can't see how his prejudice affected things on the show then don't read this chapter. You won't like it. I do like Xander on his own, but his hypocrisy over the years was just too much for me, and it comes out in this story. Maybe he will redeem himself someway before the end of the story. I don't know.***

(Disclaimer and Distribution notes are listed in the Prologue of this story. Thank you ahead of time for reading and accepting or abiding by them.)

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.

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Xander parked alongside Joyce's SUV in the Summers' driveway. He stared at the house for at least another 10 minutes before he gathered enough courage to get out of the car. He patted his jacket to be sure he still had his stake with him. Buffy usually had her own everywhere she went, but he was happy to supply the stake for Spike's dusting if she didn't have one available.

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Inside the Summers' household Buffy was adding the finishing touch to her make up. She didn't bother with a scarf or make-up to cover the bite marks on her neck. The wounds were already mostly healed, but the red dots were still noticeable enough. Giles and Dawn already knew about the marks. She was pretty sure one of them would spill the beans to her mom before she could get to the hospital too. Giles would want to offer some explanation as to why he was there with Dawn while Buffy and Spike were not.

Buffy decided to wear her hair down. The casual observer wouldn't understand the wounds on her neck. Her hair would sufficiently cover them unless she turned her head quickly enough to brush the hair from her shoulders. Besides, Spike preferred her hair down over her shoulders. Of course he loved her hair up if he could nibble on her neck, but she decided not to be too much of a tease today. They were going to be at the hospital spending the evening with her mom. It wasn't exactly the most romantic of places. She needed her focus to be in the right place.

Buffy turned her head from one side to another, examining her profile. She pulled her blonde tresses aside to admire the marks Spike left. She found herself in awe at the precision of his bite. He bit her several times during the night and morning. He bit her more deeply for the ritual. Then he bit her again when they made love after the ritual. Yet she only had one set of twin puncture wounds on her neck. No one would be able to figure out how many times she'd been bitten. "Amazing." She muttered.

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Spike hummed a merry tune from his childhood in the shower. He was so happy that it scared him. Whenever life started getting good, someone was bound to throw a monkey wrench in things. He refused to let dark concerns overtake his current state of contentment.

Spike grinned in amazement at the feelings he was sensing from Buffy. The familial protection bond brought them closer together. The repeated times he consumed her blood over the last 24 hours further deepened and enhanced any bonding effects.

Spike felt how Buffy was preening over his marks. It made him proud and chuckle at her curiosity. Her acceptance of his bite hit him a little closer to home. Each time she allowed him to bite her, he felt the barriers and insecurities between demon and man evaporate further. He longed for the day when he could claim her as his mate. It seemed to be more a matter of when than if she would be his mate. He no longer doubted that fact within himself.

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So much had changed in her life in such a short time. Just last week Buffy's mom was working on the plans for her next buying trip. Now Joyce was not only in the hospital, but she just survived a grueling brain surgery involving a tumor. Last week she was frustrated about Riley pressuring her and smothering her. This week her boyfriend, Spike, fit in her life, heart and body like Riley never could.

Even with Glory still on the loose, her mom recovering in the hospital, and worrying about how upset her friends would be over her boyfriend, she couldn't help feeling that her life was starting to feel good. She had a better chance against Glory with Spike helping her protect Dawn. Even Giles was being amazingly understanding about everything. She held out hope that the two Brits would continue to grow closer.

Buffy knocked twice on the bathroom door before she opened it. "Spike?"

Spike poked his head around one side of the shower curtain. "Yes, luv?"

Buffy patted the neatly folded black t-shirt and black jeans she placed on the counter. "Mom had these washed from one of our messier patrols. Remember that Calgon demon a couple weeks back?"

"You mean the Culgana demon, pet?" Spike hid his amused grin behind a sassy smirk. It was adorable how Buffy mixed up the names of demons. Half the time he wondered if she did it on purpose to frustrate her Watcher. Buffy wasn't stupid.

"Yeah, that one." Buffy made an "ick" face. "That thing sure was slimy, and did it have to spit that yellow goo at us?"

"He was a nasty bugger, wasn't he?" Spike agreed. "There's no way Mum was able to get the stains out of your light pink baby tee, was she?"

"No, she wasn't. That one headed for the trash as soon as she saw it." Buffy tipped her head slightly sideways. "You remembered what I was wearing?"

"Um ... Well ... You see ..." Spike stuttered to come up with an explanation that didn't sound too obsessive. "I told you that I've loved you for a while. I notice and remember a lot of things about you." He cringed at how pathetic he sounded.

"Oh really?" Buffy responded with an amused expression. "Should I be worried about a stalker?"

"Not anymore, luv." Spike teased. "I get to live here now, remember?"

Buffy beamed. "Seems I do remember an invitation of that sort being given."

"You bet you do. Not going to let you change your mind now." Spike made a shooshing motion with his hand. "Now let me finish my shower before the water gets cold."

"I thought temperatures didn't matter to vampires?"

"Just because the cold doesn't affect me like it does you, doesn't mean I don't prefer a hot shower over a cold one." Spike stated very matter-of-factly.

"Fine then. I know when I'm not wanted." Buffy teased Spike. She heard a wet cloth hit the door behind her. "I'll go make us some lunch." She called through the door. After she heard a muffled, "No cooking," she headed downstairs. "No one ever trusts me to cook."

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The door refused to budge when Xander turned the knob. 'That's odd.' He thought. 'The door is usually unlocked during the day.' He located the right flowerpot, dug into the soil, and pulled out a house key. 'I hope they haven't left already.' He wiped the dirt from his fingers onto his jeans. He slipped the key into the lock, turned it and opened the front door. His entry seemed to be missed by the other two people in the house.

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Spike's hearing wasn't as acute with the shower running. Everything he felt from Buffy was positive. Plus he wasn't concerned about any Childer Dru would have created because it was the middle of the day. Besides the tune coming from downstairs was all he needed to hear to determine Buffy's sense of safety and joy.

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Alternately Buffy sang one of her favorite sappy love songs while working on lunch in the kitchen. "Did you ever know that you're my hero? You're everything I wish I could be. I could fly higher than an eagle. Cause you are the wind beneath my wings."

Buffy belted out each note with the confidence of a natural vocalist singing her favorite song. The fact that Wind Beneath My Wings by Bette Midler was the song Buffy told Spike she wanted played at their wedding while under Willow's spell wasn't a coincidence. It was one of her favorite songs, and the words seemed appropriate now more than ever. She continued to chop up some vegetables for her salad as she started in on the second verse.

Xander turned towards the kitchen. He clearly heard Buffy singing. It furthered his resolve to hear that song. He'd heard enough teasing from Spike towards Buffy about that song. He thought he knew what it meant. From the doorway to the kitchen Xander yelled. "Ah HA! I was right! It is a spell!"

Buffy let loose a shrieking scream. Nothing and no one snuck up on her successfully anymore. How had she missed the door being opened or Xander coming to the kitchen? He wasn't exactly known for his stealth. She had to be careful. He could have been Glory.

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Spike practically fell back into the tub when Buffy screamed. He'd almost finished drying off when he felt her panic and heard her shriek. He was out of the bathroom in a heartbeat and down the stairs. He grabbed Xander by the neck from the back and flipped him at the dining room wall without a thought.

Buffy stared at Spike bug-eyed. His whole naked body was taunt and his demon was in control. His golden eyes were focused on Xander as the enemy almost as if he didn't recognize who he threw.

Xander groaned from his place on the ground. He hit the wall so hard that one of Joyce's lithographs fell down next to him. He pressed one hand to the back of his head. A lump was already forming there, and he felt the warmth of his own blood. He would be lucky if he didn't have a concussion. He tried to pull himself up, and he groaned harder at his protesting muscles. He tried to take a step closer to Buffy, but Spike stood in his way.

Spike growled more loudly the second time Xander tried to sidestep him to reach Buffy. The scent of Xander's blood filled him, but he didn't attack him to drain him. His only concern was to protect his lover. His hand shot out, wrapped around Xander's throat, and he pushed him back against the wall.

Buffy rested her hand on Spike's arm. She tugged on it gently. She needed to get his attention before he squeezed the life out of Xander. 'Wait a minute!' Her brain kicked into overdrive. 'He threw Xander into the wall, and he is choking him.' She looked over Spike closely. He looked totally ticked, but she saw no trace of pain in his face from the chip firing. "Spike." She shook his arm more forcefully. "SPIKE!" She yelled when he didn't respond.

Spike heard Buffy calling his name through a haze of red anger and protectiveness. Whether the bonding was only on a familial level or not, his demon saw Buffy as its mate. She was his to protect and care for. The sound of her fearful scream drove William's more passive tendencies to the background. All that existed in those first few minutes were the same thoughts repeated over and over in his mind. Buffy. Protect. Stop. Kill. Enemy.

Xander gaped in fear. Spike's hand tightened around his throat harder every time he tried to move free. He started to panic. Buffy appeared dazed, and she wasn't working all that hard to stop Spike. 'This was definitely a bad idea.' He gulped hard. 'She has to realize by now about the chip no working.'

Buffy grabbed Spike's chin to force him to face her. She looked up at his face with pain in her own. She had no idea what was going on, but something wasn't right here. Spike shouldn't be able to hurt Xander. She reached up with her fingertips to caress them over his ridged forehead. "It's okay, baby." She tried to comfort him. "I'm safe. He didn't mean to scare me."

Spike looked between Buffy and Xander. He snarled a warning to Xander and let go. He turned back to Buffy with a softer smile on his demonic face. Even William didn't like Xander. William was more than happy to let Spike kick Xander's arse, but Buffy asked him to stop. So they would stop. His face shifted back to his human mask. He pulled Buffy tight to him, wrapped his arms around her protectively, and walked back into the kitchen with her.

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Xander gasped and choked on the floor of the dining room. 'This is too surreal. She should be staking his ass right now.' He rested on his hands and knees trying to regain some form of composure.

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Spike and Buffy completely ignored Xander when they stepped back into the kitchen. Buffy sat Spike down on a stool near the kitchen's island. She sat down in one next to him. "Spike," She began softly. "The chip, Spike. It didn't go off, did it?"

Spike looked up at Buffy confused. He hadn't even thought about it. He quirked his head to the side in contemplation. He pressed two fingertips to his temples on either side and pressed in a bit. He gazed up at Buffy again. "Come to think of it, I didn't feel a thing."

Buffy sat back thoughtfully. She should be running away from Spike scared at whatever deception he had going on. She refused to believe that Spike concocted some sort of elaborate scheme to kill her. If he wanted her dead, he could have done it several times over already. She looked directly into his eyes. She could see the confusion there and the sense of fear he had. Why would he be afraid if his chip wasn't working? He would be fully capable of doing whatever he wanted to again. Why would that worry him?

Spike stood up from his stool. He saw Buffy's calculating gaze measuring him up. 'Oh no! She thinks I knew about this.' He hung his head sadly. 'I knew it. I knew that our happiness couldn't last.' He turned away from her to face the refrigerator

Buffy followed Spike over to the fridge. She saw the fear in his eyes before he turned away from her. 'Does he actually think I'll stake him?' She sighed. 'Why not? I ran a sword through Angel. Why wouldn't I do that to Spike too?' Her mind argued back with her.

Spike nearly jumped when Buffy's hand hit his shoulder so softly that he barely would have felt it if he wasn't so wound up. "Please, Buffy." His voice held a note of begging to it. "Just make it quick." His shoulders slumped forward. "I won't fight back."

"Spike." Buffy used her hand to start turning Spike around. "Look at me, Spike." She put her other hand on his other shoulder to finish moving him to face her.

Spike's watery gaze met Buffy's loving one. "I swear I didn't know, luv." He pleaded with her to believe him. "I wouldn't do that to you."

Buffy cupped Spike's face with one hand. "I know, Spike." Although she hadn't taken any of Spike's blood yet, she felt attuned to his emotions on a lower level. Even if her heart hadn't already made her believe in his innocence, the look he was giving her was honest and pure. "Something must have malfunctioned, and I know you were just trying to protect me."

Spike nodded. "As much as I hate to say it maybe we can have the wiccas take a look at it with their magic?" He cringed. He hated magic, but he wanted to know what was going on. He wanted to be able to reassure Buffy in any way possible that he didn't have anything to do with the malfunction. 'Why did this have to happen now?'

Buffy semi-playfully poked Spike in the chest. "Though why you thought you needed to protect me from Xander is silly." She half laughed. "He couldn't hurt me, even if he wanted to."

Spike smiled. What a girl Buffy was. She was trying to lighten the moment at Xander's expense to comfort him. "All I heard was your scream, and I felt your fear." He cupped the side of her face. "I didn't think to see who it was that scared you. I just knew that I had to get to you."

Xander stared at the couple in disdain and disgust. "This is ridiculous." Not only had Buffy insulted his fighting skills, but also the two of them were acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "Are you crazy, Buffy?"

Buffy faced Xander, blocking his path from Spike. "No, Xander. I'm not crazy." She smiled. "I trust, Spike. You did scare me."

Xander rubbed the stake in his pocket. "But he ... Buffy this is insane. If he can hurt me, he can hurt you too. Shouldn't we be staking him?" This was his worst nightmare.

Spike stepped alongside Buffy. He entwined their fingers together to hold hands. "I would never hurt her. I love her."

"That's rich, Spike." Xander laughed. "An evil soulless demon in love. Tell me another lie."

Spike snarled. He made a move to step forward, but Buffy held onto his hand tighter.

"How many times do I have to tell you to let it go, Xander? I'm beginning to think my record is broke." Buffy spoke directly to Xander. "I trust that Spike loves me, and he won't give me a reason to have to stake him."

"I heard you singing that song, Buffy. This has to be a spell." Xander inched closer to the pair. "I won't let him destroy us all by playing with you."

"You don't have a choice, Xander." Buffy was getting peeved off. "Who is to say that because I love Spike it has to be a spell? Your in love with a 1000 year old vengeance demon."

"Ex-demon, Buffy. Big difference!" Xander retorted.

"And did you make nice with Angelus and Buffy when he became all soul boy again, Whelp?" Spike snorted.

"Of course not. He's the evil dead." There was only one person that Xander hated more than Spike. That was Angel. Although right now Spike was vying for top place on Xander's hate list.

"Then why is it all right for you to be with the demon bird scott free who's killed more people than the Scourge of Europe combined?" It always angered Spike that people seemed to overlook that vengeance demons killed people as well. Many of them enjoyed their work as much, if not more, than a vampire on the hunt. "She's far from innocent as a lamb."

"You leave Anya out of this. She gave up her past. She's human now." Xander defended his girlfriend. He refused to see any point to Spike's tirade.

"Human doesn't mean not evil you pillock. Look at all the humans who murder and rape. They have souls, and they are just as evil as I used to be." Spike's nerves were fayed. His body vibrated in anger. He was ready to snap.

"Still are, Bleach Boy." Xander sneered. "You'll always be evil."

Buffy had enough of the arguing. "That's enough! Both of you!" She turned to face Spike. "It doesn't matter what Xander thinks this time, Spike. I believe you."

Spike smirked in delight. 'Take that, whelp and chew on it.'

"And you," Buffy whipped around to face Xander again. "I've had it with your two sets of ideals: one for you and one for every other demon you don't want to date." She poked an accusing finger in the air at Xander. "I will not stake, Spike unless he gives me reason to, and I have no reason to right now."

"You may not, but I sure as hell do." Xander was already in motion before Spike could turn his contented gaze from the woman he loved. "He's not getting away with it this time." Xander finished in a hateful gleam.

Fortunately and unfortunately Buffy noticed the gleam in Xander's eye. When he was almost at Spike and bringing down a stake that she hadn't noticed before, she stepped in front of Spike to take the blow. "NO!!!"

Xander's arm twisted and forced the stake down hard at Spike's chest. When Buffy's face appeared fully in front of him, he had no time to stop the follow through. The stake ripped through Buffy's shirt and chest, embedding itself deeply in her left upper lung.

Buffy's slight height difference from Spike saved her from being pierced through the heart, but the stake pushed its way into the upper area of her left lung. She fell to the floor gasping and screaming in pain.

"Oh God! Buffy!" Xander cried out. He didn't even have time to see Spike's fist come across and send him back into the dining room again with the full force of his vampiric strength. He felt the searing pain of bones breaking just before he hit the floor and lost consciousness.

Spike growled. "Buffy!" He picked up his would be mate as carefully as possible and ran her into the living room. He kicked Xander in the side for good measure on his way through the dining room. "Oh my love." He looked down at her staked chest in grief. That stake was meant for him. He should have been the one to take it.

Buffy flickered in and out of consciousness. He tried to keep her awake, but the pain was too great at the moment. He grabbed the cordless phone and dialed 911. Slayer healing was good, but he didn't want her to bleed to death because he took the stake out. She hated hospitals, but this time she needed to go to one.

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"She surprised an intruder. I don't know why he used a piece of wood to hurt her. Maybe it was all he could find." A now fully dressed Spike tried to explain the injury to the police officer while the paramedics "She was making lunch in the kitchen when it happened."

The police officer took notes as Spike talked. "And the boy?" He pointed to the unconscious form of Xander who was now sprawled out in the armchair.

"He ..." Spike contemplated telling the officer that this was all Xander's fault. It would serve him right to pay for what he did to Buffy. He knew that Buffy wouldn't' want him to do that though. With a growl he answered, "He's a friend of the family. He was running to the kitchen when I came down the stairs. The intruder knocked him into the dining room wall when he tried to help Buffy.

"And the intruder?" The officer jotted down a few more notes.

"He escaped out the back door when I made it to the kitchen. I didn't follow because I saw my girlfriend lying on the floor in her own blood." Spike shivered. There was more than one reason for it. He'd treasured the samples of Buffy's blood from the last 24 hours, but the smell of it right now sickened him because she was bleeding from a wound that could have killed her. He hoped that her Slayer healing kicked in and quickly.

"Spike?" Buffy croaked weakly from her place on the paramedic's stretcher.

"I'm here, luv." Spike hurried away from the officer to stand at her side. He picked up her hand in his, caressing his thumb on the back of her hand.

"Mom ... We have to tell her." Buffy whimpered. The stake was still buried in her chest. Every breath stung and hurt her to take in or let out. Tears pooled in her eyes and down her cheeks.

No one wanted to remove the stake before they had her at the hospital to make it easier to repair any damage removing it made. The paramedics feared that her lung was punctured. Removing the stake now would do more damage that it would help.

"I'm coming with you." Spike brushed the back of his hand down Buffy's wet cheeks. "We're going to Sunnydale General." He nodded to the paramedics, and he walked alongside the stretcher onto the porch. "Once you're stable, I'll go to her."

The officer handed Spike a slip of paper with a number on it. "If you have any more you can tell us, give me a call." He pointed to Xander in the chair. "Another ambulance is on its way to get him. I assume you will be going to the hospital with the lady?"

Spike nodded. He looked up at the sky and thanked the heavens that it was cloudy. It looked like one heck of a storm was building. If it wasn't, he would be a crispy critter right now. "Thank you. Yes, I am going with her." He hopped up into the back of the ambulance.

The paramedics continued to work on Buffy even after the doors of the ambulance closed. Spike tried to stay out of their way as best he could. He rested his face next to Buffy's ear. "It will be all right, luv. Slayer healing and all that." He whispered. "We just have to get you patched up."

Buffy nodded. She forced herself not to move since any movement hurt even more.

"I'm sorry that I didn't move faster, luv." Spike croaked. She shouldn't have had to defend him. Better that Xander stake him than to see Buffy hurt.

"It's okay. Couldn't ..." Buffy took as deep a breath as she could and continued to whisper to Spike. "Couldn't let him dust you. Can't live without you."

Spike ran his fingers through her hair. He buried his face in his hair and began to cry. "I love you, Buffy." His shoulders shook with the force of his tears. "I'd rather dust than lose you."

"Shhh ... no dust today." Buffy turned her head to kiss the side of Spike's face.

Spike nodded. He pressed a kiss to her temple while inside his emotions were a tumultuous mixture of love, anger, pain, sorrow, and revenge. 'Let the whelp heal up for now. He is going to pay for this.' He clenched his jaw. 'He seemed like he knew. He won't get by on a feeble excuse this time.' Half of his mind kept focused on Buffy for the rest of the trip, and the other half plotted out ways to make Xander pay for hurting Buffy.

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Tara and Willow walked up the path to Sunnydale General's main entrance. Willow was feeling better, and she wanted to see Mrs. Summers to see how she was doing. An ambulance passed them for two doors down to the emergency entrance. Their attention was focused on the rush of paramedics pulling a stretcher out of the vehicle.

Willow gasped and Tara clutched her girlfriend's arm tighter when the shock of platinum blonde hair emerged after the stretcher. "Oh goddess, Spike?" They both said in unison. They rushed towards the emergency entrance to find out why he was here and who he was with.

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(To Be Continued)