40. A Test of Trust
Spike stared at Giles for a long
moment in
shocked silence, before he burst out angrily, "What the bloody hell did
you just do to me? I told you no bleedin' magic, you soddin' wanker!"
He took a menacing step toward the Watcher, though he knew full well
that there was little that he could actually do against the man, as
powerful as his magic was.
Confirming that thought, Giles ordered sharply, "Stop," and Spike
stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening as he stared down at his feet,
which now refused his command in favor of that of the Watcher -- he was
fully under Giles' control.
He looked back up at the Watcher, his eyes wide and revealing his fear
as he realized exactly what he had done. "No," he said softly, the
anger gone out of his voice, replaced by dread, as he shook his head,
his eyes pleading. "No, you said..."
Giles' expression was patient, sympathetic, as he opened his mouth to
speak. "Spike," he began, then suddenly stopped when they heard the
sound of footsteps on the stairs.
Spike hoped that it was Buffy...if it was he would tell her everything,
get her to help him, to stop Giles from...
"Silence." The quiet order from the Watcher's lips dashed his hopes, as
they both watched to see who would come down the stairs, and Spike was
helpless to do anything but obey the command.
It was only Willow, anyway, and she just gave them both a hateful,
glowering look as she passed them on her way into the living room,
flopping down on the couch and grabbing the television remote control,
obviously intent on ignoring them until they went away.
She did not have long to wait.
"Come on," Giles ordered softly, and Spike had no choice but to follow
as he headed out into the cool night air.
The moment they were away from the house and the ears of its
inhabitants, Giles turned to Spike and said softly, "You may speak."
Resentfully, Spike kept silent for a few moments, loathe to speak just
because the Watcher had granted permission. His stubborn, defiant
nature made him want to keep his mouth shut, just to spite the man.
After all, nothing he could say would change anything at this point,
anyway. He would not say a word; it would not do any good.
That lasted about twelve seconds.
"I can't believe you would do this, you bloody wanker! I trusted you! I
trusted you and you betrayed me!" he snarled, and as he spoke, Giles
stopped walking and turned to face him. "You promised me that you
wouldn't do any bleedin' magic without my consent. And last I checked,
this soddin' plan of yours didn't involve my being under any kind of
spell."
He paused, his eyes narrowing in undisguised suspicion on the man.
"Unless of course," he added in a low tone of disgust, "this hasn't got
a bloody thing to do with the plan. 'Less it's part of a different plan
altogether."
"Spike," Giles spoke in a quiet, tired voice, his impatience clear in
his tone. "We do not have time for this. I understand that you are
upset, and I'm sorry. I know I told you no magic without your consent,
but I simply have no other choice. You're just going to have to trust
me."
"Trust you!" Spike repeated, his voice trembling with anger and
disbelief. "Trust you, after you lied to me! After you tricked me into
being under your control! After you didn't even give me a bloody
choice..."
"Spike," Giles interrrupted, and the clear sound of authority in his
voice caused Spike to stop as he went on, "We *don't* have time. We've
got to get on with it and get to the ritual. Now I'll ask you once more
to drop it and be quiet...and then I'll *tell* you. There's your bloody
choice, Spike. Do you understand?"
Spike swallowed back the fury that rose in him at being forced to
submit. But he knew that he would rather be quiet of his own choice
than be magically forced into complete silence, until Giles decided to
release him from it. And the quiet anger in the Watcher's voice told
him that he would certainly do it if pushed too far.
Spike did not say another word as they made their way toward the
confrontation before them.
"There you are," Faith's soft, smooth tone belied the relief in her
eyes as she watched the Watcher and the vampire step into the little
clearing she had chosen as the site for her dramatic transformation. "I
was starting to think you might be backing out on me."
"Hardly," Giles smirked. "This is a momentous occasion, my dear. You
and I are making history tonight."
Faith returned his cold, smug smile. "Or ending it," she shrugged
carelessly.
She turned her attention to the vampire standing a few steps behind
Giles, clearly unwilling to be there, but having no choice in the
matter. She smiled to herself; she loved the fact that he was nothing
more than a pawn in all of this, forced to help her carry out the
scheme that would eventually give her ultimate power. He did not want
to do it, but he was helpless to stop it, and he knew it. Spike would
not even look at either of them, as he stood there, sullen, his eyes
downcast.
*Well, we'll just have to do something about that,* she thought with a
smirk, stepping past Giles and closer to Spike. Still looking at the
vampire, she addressed Giles, "Go ahead. Give him the command to obey
me."
Her smile widened as she leaned in closer to him and he took a step
back away from her. She gripped his hair and yanked him back close to
her, her other hand hard at the small of his back, relishing the sound
of his sharp, ragged breathing, and the feel of his trembling under the
power of her oppressive nearness.
She lowered her head to catch his gaze, her dark eyes glittering with
malice as she added softly, "I'm soo ready to get started!"
Giles' face was expressionless as he regarded the Slayer and her
victim. "Spike, you are to do as Faith commands you," he ordered, his
voice cool and devoid of any compassion or pity, even in the face of
the vampire's obvious terror.
Faith's smile became triumphant, and she pulled him closer, pressing
her body suggestively to his, laughing when he shuddered and tried to
pull away. "Stop it," she ordered softly, still smiling, and he
immediately obeyed.
"Hmm," she mused. "I don't know if I'm convinced." She paused, her eyes
wide and serious as they met those of her victim. "I'd hate to get in
the middle of the ritual and find out he's not really under my control.
Maybe a little...test?" Her tone made it clear that she really had no
doubt as to whether or not he was really under her control; she was
just enjoying toying with him.
"I was under the impression that the other night was to serve as your
test, Faith." Giles' voice had a hard note to it that the Slayer seemed
to miss, as she was so intent on her torment of Spike.
"That was then, Honey," Faith countered, her own voice hardenig and her
smile fading a little. "This is now." She released Spike suddenly,
stepping back away from him a couple of steps.
She regarded him for a moment, and the silence seemed to drag on so
long for the helpless vampire that he finally ventured a look up to her
eyes...and wished that he hadn't. There was a cruel pleasure there that
told him that whatever she had planned for him was certainly not going
to be pleasant.
"On your knees," she ordered coldly, her smile fading, her eyes deadly
cold as she glared at him.
He immediately dropped to his knees on the ground before her. No
hesitation. No protest. Just simple, immediate obedience.
"See..." Faith pointed out to Giles, raising one finger, nodding with
satisfaction. "...that's not something he would ordinarily do. Not on
his own." She reached down and placed a deceptively gentle hand under
his chin, lifting his bowed head to force him to look at her.
"Then you're convinced? Let's get on with it, then." Giles was clearly
impatient with her sadistic little games.
"Hold your horses, cowboy," Faith smirked. "I didn't say I was
convinced. Not yet." She smiled down at Spike for a moment as she
released him, and he remained staring up at her through wide, fearful
eyes -- having no idea what to expect from her next.
Without warning, she slammed her fist down across his face, rocking him
backward, almost off his knees. "Let's see," she mused, circling him
with the slow grace of the predator she was, stopping behind him to
grab him and jerk him up to his feet again. One hand snaked around his
waist, pulling him back against her, her other hand running down the
side of his face gently, "What can I make you do -- that you would
never, ever do of your own free will?"
A chill went down his spine at the sadistic amusement in her voice, her
dark eyes laughing at him as she turned his face to look him in the
eye, her hand moving from his face to his leg and slowly tracing upward
suggestively.
"Stop!" he gasped, his voice harsh with fear bordering on panic.
"Don't! Don't touch me!" He tried to push her away, but she only yanked
him closer, whispering in his ear, "Be still, Baby. Don't...move."
He was forced to comply as her soft touch became hard and violating,
her eyes holding his cruelly until he dropped his gaze in shame. She
laughed, removing her hand, and he shuddered, letting out a slow ragged
breath of mingled horror and relief.
The relief was short-lived.
She moved slowly around in front of him, never breaking contact,
raising her hand to the back of his head as she ordered softly, "Look
at me."
He obeyed, and the anguish in his eyes was sweeter than candy to her
sadistic nature. The cruel light in her eyes told him that she had
decided what she was going to make him do, and his heart dropped with
dread.
"I want you to kiss me, Spike," she whispered, her voice a seductive
breath inches from his face, a mockery of genuine desire. "Like you
mean it," she added with a smirk, but her voice was still soft as she
met his eyes again. "Like you kiss Buffy." Her smile became hard and
vicious as she leaned in close to his ear to add softly, "Like you
kissed your vampire whore."
Anticipating the violent reaction that rose up in him she ordered
immediately without any pause, "Don't fight me. Just do what I tell
you."
And then, compelled by the spell, he obeyed, his lips covering hers,
his tongue gently, tenderly invading her mouth with a soft intensity
that had only ever before been shared with those he truly loved more
than his own life -- and it was worse than anything she had ever done
to him.
Fury, shame, agony of memory and the violation of what she was doing to
him mingled to overwhelm him completely. When she finally pulled away
with a satisfied smile, he dropped back to his knees on the ground,
fighting back sobs, gasping for breath he should not have needed.
Smiling cruelly, utterly unaffected by the devastation she had wrought,
Faith stepped away from him to face Giles. "Okay," she said smugly.
"Now I'm convinced."
She moved back to Spike, the seduction gone, all business now. She
grabbed him by his arm and his hair and yanked him hard to his feet.
She could have simply ordered him up, but she always had preferred the
violent approach.
"Come on, Baby," she said with a smirk, dark glittering eyes inches
from his making him turn away. "Let's get this show on the road."
Xander came down the stairs from his bedroom, took one look at his
friend sitting on the couch, and knew that he really should just turn
and go directly back upstairs. Willow's mood was obviously not one that
would make hanging out with her very much fun at the moment. Still, he
moved to the couch in silence and sat down beside her.
He agreed with Buffy; the story of what Willow had done to Spike had
horrified him, not so much because he really cared what happened to
Spike, as just to think that his best friend was capable of such
cruelty and intimidation. And if Buffy felt that they needed Spike – as
she clearly did, and as was now evident – then Willow's grudge could be
very dangerous to them all.
"Hey, Will," he said softly, giving her a tentative, cautious smile.
Her eyes stayed focused on the television as she answered flatly, "Hey."
He was silent for a moment before taking a deep breath and venturing,
"You know...Buffy and Giles are only doing what they think is best for
you, Will. They don't want you to...to get hurt, you know?"
"Just...stop, Xander," Willow cut him off, closing her eye momentarily,
impatience and frustration in her tone. She stood up suddenly from the
couch, tossing the remote control down in her seat. "I don't wanna have
this conversation. Watch whatever you want, I need to go feed Angel."
Buffy really had asked her to be sure that their prisoner in the
basement did not go hungry, but it was really just an excuse to get
away, as Willow stalked into the kitchen, banging things around
unnecessarily as she prepared a warm mug of blood for the vampire.
When she was still on the stairs, Angel could smell the fury on the
red-headed witch as she stalked toward him. A few days ago he might
have felt fear, but there was not the slightest inkling of power about
her now.
"Here," she snarled, thrusting the mug toward his manacled wrist, just
within his reach.
His wrists were chained to the wall, but he had been given enough
freedom to move a few feet from where he was bound, and his hands were
free enough to feed himself. He accepted the mug in grateful silence,
drinking it quickly down, his eyes staying focused on the little
redhead, who waited to take the mug away again.
"Thank you," he said quietly as she took it and headed for the stairs.
He hesitated as she turned to walked away, then asked tentatively,
"Where – where's Buffy?"
Willow let out a little hiss of derision. "Off with her new best
friend, saving the world. If he doesn't get her killed first."
"She's with Spike?"
The concern in Angel's voice made Willow turn to look at him again,
frowning. "Yeah. Faith's ritual is tonight, and they went to stop her."
A cold smile crossed her lips as she added bitterly, "She couldn't be
bothered with having her *real* friends along."
"Willow," Angel said urgently. "Spike is Faith's partner. I know it! I
– I can feel it. He's gonna turn on her at the last minute and take
Faith's side! Buffy's in danger!"
Willow's eyes were wide, the anger fading into fear as she turned to
face him fully. "How can you be so sure?" she asked, her voice
trembling slightly.
"Spike's my childe, Willow. Family. I – I know that doesn't mean much
to a human – you couldn't understand it...but trust me when I say I
*know* he is *not* on Buffy's side."
"But – but she trusts him completely!" Willow gasped, staring at him in
fearful disbelief. "Are you saying he's leading her into a trap?"
"Probably," Angel nodded grimly. "Willow, we have to stop him...we have
to help Buffy."
Willow nodded slowly, a stricken look on her face when she raised her
eyes to meet his. "But – but Giles took all my powers away! I can't do
anything to help her against another Slayer and a powerful vampire like
Spike!"
Angel stared at her for a moment, his dark eyes solemn. "No, you
can't," he agreed softly. "But I can."
She gave him a questioning look, in her panic still not quite grasping
what he was saying, until he clarified it for her, his voice low and
urgent.
"I'm strong enough to help Buffy. There's only one way, Willow...you have
to let me go."