Not Beneath Me - Chapter 24 (Mending Fences and Bodies)
By Tasha

Chapter Summary: Buffy, Angel and Spike know for sure that Glory and Ben are the same now. The injection worked to confuse and incapacitate Glory in her hellgod form. The groups are unsure as to how long the injection lasts. Travers informed Buffy, Spike, Giles, Angel and Wesley that Glory is a goddess. Some of the group is a bit beat up, but overall they survived the encounter with Glory. Lydia gave Buffy and Spike a packet of information, and she wants to help them against the Council wherever she can. The groups are working together to make more of the potion used on Glory. Joyce has been having more headaches as well lately.

Author's Note: I did some research to be sure that I had the definition of an aneurysm correct. According to healthcentersonline.com one of the definitions of an aneurysm is as follows: An aneurysm is a bulging out of part of the wall of a blood vessel. It forms where the wall has weakened. Left untreated, aneurysms may tear or burst (a ruptured aneurysm). Ruptures are very painful events that cause massive internal bleeding and may result in permanent disability or death, depending on where the aneurysm is located. If an aneurysm bursts in the brain, it could cause a hemorrhagic stroke.

(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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Giles and Wesley passed tomes and grimoires between the two of them. When either of them found a particular note of interest they would hand off the research to Cordelia, Willow and Tara for their interpretation, confirmation, and notation. All five of them worked in adjacent and overlapping shifts 16 hours a day for the last week.

The Scooby and Fang Gang went over all the materials and resources. This included: the toxicology report, spell traces, Buffy and Spike's source in the Council, Angel's demon contacts and research into Giles' and Wesley's archives. The groups wanted to be sure they were able to reproduce the liquid needed to incapacitate Glory.

The group's first attempts to recreate the destabilizing drug had proved a disaster. Even though the toxicology report broke the ingredients down, they couldn't be sure of the exact amounts needed. The percentages in the report weren't enough to get the right blend. That led them back into research to seek out relative information and potions.

Glory hadn't been seen or heard from since her confrontation with the Council. Ben also hadn't appeared for any of his shifts at the hospital. Buffy, Spike and Angel tried to explain to everyone about Glory and Ben obviously sharing the same body. Even though Willow, Tara, and Giles knew this information already, they'd forgotten it by the time the wounded group made it back to the Magic Box. It seemed that whatever effect was used to keep humans who saw the switch from remembering it, also worked fairly well to erase a human's memory of being told about it too.

Willow and Giles finally found a spell to enhance memory to perform on the humans in the groups. They added a ward against demon influence for a double boost. That seemed to take care of the memory loss. Angel was grateful for that. He was getting tired of explaining the whole Glory/Ben thing every half hour. If anyone forgot who Glory was again, he simply had to say "Fishy, fishy," and they would remember again. He swore Willow was leaving a hint with that phrase.

After some research and deliberation, Giles decided that Buffy and Dawn were able to sense the difference in Ben as well because they shared their blood with Spike. So there was a little "demon" in both of them. It seemed to be enough to throw off Glory's forgetting influence.

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Buffy and Dawn watched "Zorro" at home with Joyce. Dawn's teachers had an in-service afternoon. So, she was free for the rest of the day to spend with her family. Buffy's class schedule was open for the day. So, she was on Mom patrol while Spike slept. On the days that Buffy had classes, Spike napped a little bit at night and stayed up during the day to watch over Joyce.

Joyce, who fought a headache all morning, laid out on the couch. Buffy and Dawn sat on the floor in front of it. The girls took turns holding the popcorn bowl for all of them.

"You can't tell me that if you didn't have Spike, you wouldn't want Antonio," Dawn argued with her sister.

Buffy playfully teased Dawn throughout the movie about how Spike was so much hotter than Zorro. "I can't even think about the what ifs without Spike. He has been fulfilling ALL of my dreams."

Dawn scrunched up her face and yelled out a TMI proclamation.

Joyce, trying to will the pain away, didn't even correct Buffy on her behavior or comment. She rubbed her temples instead.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Ahn, I don't think I can do this." Xander stopped on the sidewalk that led up to Buffy's porch. His arm was still in a sling, but he looked all right on the outside.

"You need to do this, Xander." Anya offered her boyfriend her full support. "You promised yourself this." By the time Xander was released from the hospital 2 days ago, she was happy to hear him promise to apologize to Buffy and Spike. "I know you are strong enough."

"I don't want to screw this up." Xander lamented over how he should or should approach Buffy and Spike with an apology for the last week. Ever since Anya's visit and speech after the Council debacle, he'd reflected on a lot of his past and present choices. "I doubt I'll get another shot at trying, if I stick my foot in my mouth now."

Anya squeezed the hand of Xander's she was holding. "You are one of her oldest friends. Your narrow minded ways almost destroyed that, but I know we can fix it." She gazed tenderly into Xander's eyes. "The first step is the hardest one to make. Once that link is forged, the next one will be easier."

"Thanks, Ahn." Xander smiled at the woman he loved with his whole heart. "You've really been there for me the last few days to teach me a lot more about demons that I never wanted to hear about before."

"Prejudice, like you had, is common against my kind." To keep their conversations on a personal level, Anya always referred to herself as being a demon or like a demon. She needed to keep Xander's focus on the point that not all demons were evil or still evil. "Your actions towards Spike will matter even more than your words."

Xander took in a deep breath. He walked up the steps. He glanced one more time at Anya, who stood by his side, before he raised his hand to knock on the door.

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"Why are we still researching when we have the necessary ingredients and verified portions thanks to the toxicology report and the journals of Phillipe Robeart." Angel pressed the palms of his hands against the table, and he leaned his weight onto his arms.

"The journals we found this morning were indeed helpful," Wesley began the explanation. Even though they agreed to help each other, a considerable level of tension remained between Giles and Angel. "They verified the proportions we already suspected from the reports."

"Exactly," Angel nodded with satisfaction over what he took as Wesley's agreement that they had enough information to try to make the potions again. "So why haven't we broken out the chemistry set to make the liquid? Why are our noses still pressed into books?" He motioned to everyone still seated at the table.

"We noticed minute magical traces were detected in the larger sample we had originally found after out first attempts failed," Wesley continued on as if he wasn't interrupted. "Such evidence suggests to us that a spell or spells are also required on some of the ingredients or the completed potion. The liquid might remain completely ineffective without it." He removed his glasses, pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. They were all tired and frustrated, himself included.

"Damn it!" Angel pushed off the table roughly. His movements dislodged several books from their stack. "So you're telling me that even with everything we have, and the knowledge it works when done right, it's as if we have nothing!"

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Buffy answered the knock at the door. After several days of talking and whining on Dawn's part, the little brunette finally relented that it was safer for Buffy to answer the door. Glory wouldn't need an invitation, and it was likely that her minions didn't either. No one wanted to take a chance at them grabbing Dawn when she answered the door.

Buffy opened the door. The door would have shut again right away if Anya's reflexes were slower.

Anya planted her foot over the threshold. She pushed her hand against the door to keep it open. "Please hear us out, Buffy. I promise you that he isn't here to harm anyone."

Buffy glared at her one time best friend. Every day she grew closer to Spike. She wasn't going to allow anyone to interfere in her relationship with him. She switched her gaze to Anya. There was a pleading in Anya's gaze that made Buffy waiver. "All right, but if you so much as point a pencil at Spike I'll throw you out."

Xander gulped and nodded. He walked into the Summers' entryway. He slowly peeked around the corner into the living room.

Dawn stood up quickly at the sight of Xander. She moved over to the stairs and stood there with her arms crossed. "What do you want?" Her voice held no hint of the Dawn Summers who had memories of a crush on Xander Harris. Right now he was the enemy just as much as Glory was. She wouldn't let Xander get close enough to Spike to hurt him.

Joyce Summers looked up from the couch because of all the commotion. "Oh, Buffy," She sighed and closed her eyes again. "I don't think I can handle an argument right now with this headache."

Xander cautiously moved into the living room, avoiding Dawn's position at the stairs. "I haven't come to argue, Mrs. Summers." He hung his head down some. "I just wanted a chance to apologize."

"Apologize?" Buffy gasped in shock. Although an apology wouldn't make up for everything that happened, she knew how hard it was for Xander to apologize for anything.

"I know that I can't take back the pain I caused," Xander kept his gaze roaming between the three Summers' women, "I am sorry that I didn't listen to you about Spike."

"I'm not trying to force anyone into a Spike fan club." Buffy stepped closer to her friend. "What I do want is for people to give him a chance. He's already changed a lot if you take the time to see it."

"Anya told me about how he's been taking care of Dawn, you and Mrs. Summers." Xander unconsciously shivered. "The family bond freaked me a bit until Anya explained the significance and importance of it. I was pretty shocked. He could have faced some serious repercussions from his other clan members."

Joyce, who remained silent for the last 15 minutes, felt she needed to speak up at this point of the conversation, "Spike is a kind and caring man who loves my little girls like his own sister and wife."

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Upstairs, in Buffy's bedroom, Spike tossed and turned. His usually deep and restful slumber was being disturbed by a nagging sensation that something was wrong.

A particular scent drifted up the stairs, down the hall, and finally into Buffy's bedroom. The scent enticed and repulsed Spike's demon at the same time. The tantalizing aroma of fresh human blood brought Spike's demon face to the surface.

"Joyce!" The realization of whose blood the demon picked up on jolted Spike from his slumber. He jumped out of bed, threw open the door, and raced down the stairs to the living room. He tossed Dawn, who was still guarding the bottom of the stairs, into Buffy's arms.

"Spike!" Buffy screamed at her stark naked boyfriend. She covered Dawn's eyes. "What the hell are you ..."

Spike lunged for Joyce as her eyes closed and she fell off the couch. Demon in control, Spike slashed two deep slits near Joyce's surgical area. Before anyone could stop him, he wrapped his lips around the wound and sucked hard.

Xander stood frozen in place in a state of complete and utter shock. He tried to move, but his feet refused to follow the orders his brain gave out.

Anya was unsure about what Spike was doing. She hastily reasoned that if Spike wanted to kill Mrs. Summers he would have gone for the neck not the temple. Although facial wounds tended to bleed a lot, they weren't an effective method of feeding for vampires.

Buffy ran towards Spike. "Spike ... Stop!" She slapped him hard on the shoulder to try to get his attention.

Spike looked up at Buffy long enough to growl, "Ambulance! Now!" He went back to his task of sucking at the wounds on Joyce's temple.

Dawn had the phone in her hand before Buffy was able to reach it. She dialed 911. While she waited a few seconds for the operator, she gazed at her unconscious mother.

"911 emergency," A warm sounding female voice answered the call. "How may I help you?"

"I need an ambulance to 1630 Revello Drive immediately. My mom had brain surgery a short time ago, and she just passed out." Dawn answered a couple other questions for the operator. She hung up the phone with a shaky hand. "Sp ... Spike ..."

Spike looked up when he heard Dawn's scared voice. He panted needlessly, and his lips were covered in Joyce's blood. The demon and man within Spike were upset that they had to attack Joyce like that. They both felt protective of the woman they cared about.

Buffy cried next to her unconscious mother. Blood ran down the side of Joyce's face. Spike pushed Buffy's hand away when she tried to staunch the flow with a cloth.

"It has to stay open," Spike, still uncaring about his lack of clothing, shifted Joyce to be propped up against the arm of the couch. His human mask asserted itself forward, and he slipped off the couch to stand next to it.

"Why?" Buffy's hands shook from the shock of the last 20 minutes. She pulled Spike's duster from the closet and handed it to him. She noticed Anya's eyes wandering over Spike's naked body. Although she knew it would be hard to not look at such a gorgeous man, she wanted to be the only one to see Spike naked.

"One of the meds that doctor bloke prescribed was to prevent clotting which could weaken the already weakened blood vessels in Joyce's brain to prevent an aneurysm." Spike ran a shaky hand through his head full of tousled curls. He eased his arms into the duster. He finally realized that he hadn't given clothing a thought when he ran downstairs. If he could blush, he would have for showing off his manly bits to the Nibblet.

"What is that?" Buffy asked.

Surprisingly Xander provided the answer, "It is when the walls of particular blood vessels, veins or arteries are weakened to the point that the blood doesn't flow through them right. Instead the blood pools in the weakened area and bulges out until it causes a leak." Xander inhaled deeply. The pain of his grandmother's death still ached within from his childhood. "Most often the person dies from the clots being thrown through the system or from the vessel rupturing to release a larger amount of blood into the body. It is especially more deadly in the brain."

Everyone stared at Xander in amazement. Dawn slipped out the front door because she thought she heard the sirens. Anya hugged Xander in support.

Buffy and Spike shared a look with each other. "Why would you want her blood flowing if the bleeding could kill her?" Buffy trusted Spike, but she was afraid of losing her mother.

"The artery hadn't burst yet," Spike explained. "I'm assuming it started leaking through the internal sutures because the scent of her blood woke me up." He moved over to Buffy to hug her. "I knew what the doctor told us, and all of me knew we had to relieve the pressure before it burst."

Paramedics burst through the front door with Dawn right behind them. Even though lamps lit the room, the EMT's threw open the living room curtains to get more light. They hovered over Joyce and started hooking her up to several machines.

Spike jumped over to the back of the room to avoid the sunlight.

The EMT's looked at the head wound, "Did she cut herself when she fell?" He continued to work on Joyce until he had an IV started.

"No, she she'd been complaining about headaches." Spike remembered getting Joyce some pain medication before he went to bed. "I know a little bit about medicine. When she passed out, I feared she had an aneurysm. So, I did what I could to relieve the pressure at the surgical site."

The EMT's mouth dropped open. He took in the stunned faces surrounding the woman. He also realized how quickly the blonde man jumped back when the curtains were opened. He lived in Sunnydale for the last 10 years, and he served as an EMT for 5 of those years. He heard and saw a lot of strange things during that time, and his gut instincts were telling him that more was going on here than met the eye. "How long has she been having the headaches?"

"She had one or two for the last couple days," Buffy answered. "Today she seemed to have one all day. I know it was getting worse because she asked me to close the curtains an hour ago."

"This has all the signs of a rupture." The second EMT confirmed to the first. "She's ready. We need to load her up and in, stat. Heartbeat sounds weak, but it is constant." He checked a couple other monitors. "Blood loss is minimal, and there is no pressure build up now. Whatever he did, probably saved her life."

"We need to take her to the hospital. She might need surgery to repair the damage and reseal the wound," The first EMT said seriously. "Who is riding with her?"

Buffy clutched Spike's hand tightly. She probably would have broken a human's hand.

"Go on pet," Spike answered Buffy's unspoken question. "The Nibblet and I will find a way there." The EMT's were already out the door.

Buffy nodded to Spike. Xander piped up with an unexpected offer. "I can drive everyone else to the hospital. I have an SUV with tinted windows. Spike will still need a blanket, but it will fit all of us."

Spike blinked in surprise. Anya beamed with pride. Buffy and Dawn both smiled before they enveloped Xander in a big hug.

"Thank you, Xander." Buffy rushed out the door to follow the EMT's.

"That's mighty big of you to offer, Whelp." Spike rocked back on his heels.

Xander cringed at the nickname he hated. "I came here to apologize to you and Buffy, but we need to get some things straight first, Dead Boy Jr."

Anya, worried that Xander was losing his temper, held his hand in hers. She rubbed the back of his hand in slow circular motions.

Dawn stepped next to Spike defensively. She wanted everyone to get along, but she would protect Spike first.

"I am not a whelp or your son. I am also not a dough boy no matter how many donuts I retrieve for this group." Xander stood firm a couple feet from Spike.

"If you want respect, you are going to need to give it as well." Spike lifted his hand. He bent one finger towards his palm for every name he mentioned, "My name is Spike to you. Do not call me Evil Dead, Dead Boy Jr., Bleached Wonder, Bleached Menace or any of those other little names you have floating around in your head. Got it?"

Dawn and Anya watched the two males face off. Both of them wondered who would crack first or throw the first punch.

Xander eyed Spike critically. After several minutes of silence he nodded slowly. "Agreed." He extended his hand out to Spike.

Spike smiled softly, only a touch of his patented smirk on the corner of his lips. "Agreed." He shook Xander's hand firmly. "And apology accepted, but if you hurt one of my girls again all bets are off."

Xander nodded his agreement. "I love them too, Spike. I was only misguided as to who I had to protect them from."

Dawn and Anya sighed in relief. Both of them relaxed next to the men they cared for.

"I'll go get dressed real quick like." Spike turned to Dawn. "You need to call the Watcher, Nibblet. I know he is going to want to meet us at the hospital."

"Oh no! Giles is going to have a break down." Dawn rushed into the kitchen to call the Magic Box while Spike headed upstairs to get dressed.

Xander looked over at Anya. "I take it that is something else I missed during my cold shoulder time?"

Anya nodded. "Yep. I'd say Giles and Joyce are an item."

Xander sighed. "That will take some getting used to."

Anya chuckled and patted Xander's shoulder. "If you can get over Spike and Buffy, I'm sure you can handle Joyce and Giles."

"We'll see about that."

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(To Be Continued)