Author: Hilary

Summery: Post Intervention, Buffy gives Spike a bit of TLC

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I wish I owned the rights but I don't

Feedback: Yay!

Distribution: Death-Marked Love (http://angelfire.lycos.com/tv2/spikefic). Anyone else want's it, just ask.

Author's notes: This is for all those people who were annoyed at the fact that Spike was just left lying on a slab of cold stone after everything that had happened to him. Kiss or no kiss he deserved a bit more

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As the crypt door banged shut behind her, Buffy leant against the wall. She had kissed him. It hadn't been her intention, the plan had been to just find out what he had told Glory and then leave. Things had changed when she'd seen him though. She'd known he was hurt, but nothing had prepared her for just how bad it was. He really had been almost tortured to death, and he still hadn't betrayed Dawn. That was when impulse had taken over, she couldn't help it. Seeing the state he was in and knowing that he gone through it for her she hadn't known what else to do. So she kissed him. Now she was going to have to deal with the repercussions.

With a loud sigh she began to walk home. At least Dawn was safe for now, but it was only a matter of how long. Glory was clearly watching her and her friends now, trying to find out about the key. This time it was Spike but there was no telling who would be next. If Glory had managed to hurt Spike as badly as she had there was no telling what kind of damage she could do to someone who didn't have his strength and healing abilities. She shook her head, she couldn't think about that now. She had to focus on keep Dawn safe and figuring out a way to stop Glory. There has to be something they were missing, some weakness, anything.

As she continued to walk she tried not to think about Spike. She kept telling herself that he was a vampire and that he would heal in time, but she still couldn't banish the image of his battered features and pain-filled voice from her mind. Whether she liked it or not she was partly responsible for what had happened to him. Her steps slowed as she walked through the cemetery until she finally came to a stop. Glancing over her shoulder she could still see Spike's crypt in the distance, where she knew he was lying badly hurt. She took another step and stopped again. Despite everything that had happened in the past, she couldn't just leave him like this, he needed help. The least she could do was get him some blood and make him comfortable. She owed him that much at least. With another sigh she carried on walking and headed for the butcher's.

* * *

Spike wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting there staring at the door of his crypt. In the few short minutes Buffy had been with him everything had changed between them. She now knew how he truly felt and for once it hadn't ended with abuse of some kind. He'd had enough of that to last the rest of his unlife. Finally his attention was drawn back to the intense pain which was flooding throughout his whole body. He needed blood to heal and it was clear that although Buffy appreciated what he'd done, neither she nor the Scoobies were going to help him. Giles and Xander had just put him on top of his casket, whilst asking him a load of questions he was too exhausted to answer, and Buffy had just left him. Still, she had kissed him and that did take the edge off the pain a little.

Ignoring the pain even the slightest bit of movement caused he managed to slide down off the casket and stand shakily. His fridge was just on the other side of the crypt; it was just a case of getting there. He managed to take one step before the whole crypt began to spin. This was not good. He tried to focus but the spinning wouldn't stop and everything was getting dark. Definitely not good.

* * *

Armed with a few pints of blood and a first aid kit, Buffy pushed the crypt door open. On the way to the butcher's she had called Giles and told them that Dawn was safe. She hadn't mentioned that she was going back to see Spike, she didn't really know how to tell him or what his reaction would be. It was easier if she just said she was tired and was going home for a while. She could tell them later, much later.

Stepping inside there was no sign of the vampire; the large casket in the centre, which he'd been lying on, was now vacant.

"Spike?" She called softly. "Are you here."

There was no answer. Since it was daylight outside, he couldn't have gone out so where was he?

"Spike?" She called a little more loudly. "Where are you?"

When there was still no answer she moved through the crypt. Maybe he'd gone down to the lower section. Suddenly she stopped; Spike was lying in a crumpled heap on the floor next to his casket.

"Oh my God." Whispered Buffy as she rushed over to his side and knelt down. "Spike? Can you hear me?"

A small moan was the only reply she got, but his unswollen eye opened and he looked up at her.

"Can you move?" She asked gently. "We need to get you off the floor."

Spike tried to sit up and got halfway before hissing in pain and falling back. Buffy managed to catch him before his head connected with the stone floor.

"I'll take that as a no." She said to herself. This presented a problem. How was she going to get him up off the floor without hurting him? The simple answer was that she couldn't. She was going to have to cause him pain; there was no other way around it. Wincing in sympathy she slid her arms under his shoulders. The quicker she did this the better. In one quick move she pulled him to his feet, glad for once that he didn't weigh as much as she'd expected. Spike growled in pain but managed to struggle to his feet before slumping against her.

"Sorry." She whispered softly before helping him over to his armchair. Once he was sat down she walked back over to the casket and picked up the packets of blood. She handed them to Spike.

"Here, drink these." Spike took them from her with a small smile of thanks but said nothing. As he drank from the bags Buffy looked around the crypt. She'd never noticed it before but it was incredibly bare. Of course vampires didn't need a lot of the comforts that humans did, but she still didn't understand how Spike managed to live here. She glanced over to the stone casket and shuddered. How on earth he coped with sleeping on that thing was beyond her. Well, while she was here the least she could do was try and make things comfortable for him.

"Have you got any blankets or anything?" She asked.

Continuing to drink Spike gestured vaguely to the far corner of the crypt. Buffy walked over and found two thick quilts and a pillow. Maybe things weren't that uncomfortable for him after all. Picking them up she walked back over and placed one of them and a pillow on the casket. Walking back over to Spike she saw that he'd drained all the blood packets.

"Feeling any better?" She asked.

"A little." He said weakly, the first words he'd spoken since she'd come back.

"Do you want to lie back down?" She asked.

Spike nodded and she helped him to his feet and over to the casket. As she helped him onto it his face scrunched up in pain but it eased off once he was lying down. The quilt made the world of difference.

Buffy picked up the first aid kit from the floor and began to clean the wounds on his face.

"You don't have to do this, you know." Spike said.

"I know." She replied, continuing to bathe his wounds.

After this they both fell silent, neither wanting to bring up the subject of the kiss or the fact that she was here taking care of him. As she worked Buffy made a decision, one that was going to change things even more than this kissed had. She finished cleaning him up and perched on the edge of the casket.

"Spike, it's not safe for you to stay here anymore. Glory knows where you live and it's only a matter of time before she sends someone after you again." She took a deep breath. "When it gets dark, I want you to come and stay with me and Dawn."

Spike's eye shot open.

"I'm going to make it clear now that this doesn't mean anything." She said hurriedly. "You stay out of my room and away from my things. If I find out you've been where you shouldn't you'll be dust before you can speak."

Spike nodded.

"Don't make me regret trusting you." Buffy added quietly.

"I won't." Spike whispered. "And I'll make sure Dawn is safe while you're out."

Buffy smiled. "Thank you. Now you need to sleep, I'll stay here until sunset."

Spike closed his eye and was asleep almost immediately. Buffy placed the other quilt over his sleeping form.

"Thank you for not betraying me." She whispered.

The End