Chapter 7: Giving the Devil her Due
Drusilla was getting very impatient. Spike was over an hour late. He’d better get here soon, or else…
She smiled when there was a knock at the door.
“Come in,” she said, leaning back on the bed wearing a red lacey teddy and a red silk robe.
Spike came in the room, looking forlorn, as always.
“You’re late,” Dru said harshly.
“I had car trouble, alright? I needed a jump.”
Dru laughed. “Funny, I need a jump too.” Then she narrowed her eyes at him. “You weren’t with Buffy were you?”
“No, of course not. You made it clear that I couldn’t see Buffy again. I wouldn‘t risk her future in a million years. I hate you.”
“So you keep saying,” Dru waved off his assessment. “That will change. Remember, how hot it used to be between us, My Spike.? We were perfect for each other. I made a mistake. But you’re what I want.”
“I hate you, Dru. You’re sick, can’t you see that? If you love someone, you don’t make them miserable!”
She looked at him dangerously. “New rule. You are never to say that you hate me again. I won’t tolerate it.” Then she grinned. “Now, get those clothes off.”
Spike sighed and took off his duster, putting it on the dresser.
There was a knock on the door. Dru frowned. “Who is it?”
“Room service,” a deep female voice said.
“I didn’t order anything. You’ve made a mistake,” Dru replied.
“Compliments of the hotel, Ma’am.”
Dru brightened. “Oh, how lovely! I hope they sent up some champagne.” When she opened the door, she was greeted with a solid punch in the face. Dru flew backwards, landing on her back. She was disoriented for a moment and touched her bleeding lip.
Buffy came in with a smile on her face. She quickly shut then locked the door. “Hello, Drusilla.”
Spike looked shocked. “Buffy, what are you doing here?!
“You!” Dru growled, standing up. “How did you know where we were?” She whirled on Spike. “You DID tell her, didn’t you?!”
“No! I swear!”
Buffy leaned back against the door. “He didn’t tell me. I followed him. I wanted to see your little love nest.”
“Get out of here now!” Dru yelled.
“No. We have some unfinished business, you nasty ho.”
“Buffy, please! You have to go!” Spike said.
Dru went to the phone. “If you won’t go peacefully, then I’ll have security escort you out!” She was just about to call the front desk when she felt the barrel of a gun press against her temple. She froze.
“Put--down--the--fucking--phone.”
Dru glanced out of the corner of her eye at Buffy. Buffy’s face was stone, she held the gun with a steady hand, her eyes cold and dark. Dru slowly put down the phone.
“Buffy, what are you doing? Put the gun away!” Spike said as calmly as possible. “She’s not worth it!”
“Shut up, Spike.” Buffy backed away a few steps. “Get away from the phone, bitch.”
Dru put her hands up and walked sideways to the dresser. She eyed the gun. “You won’t shoot me. Everyone in this hotel would hear the shot. You’ll get caught.”
“Hmm, that’s true…Oh, wait! I thought of that beforehand.” She took a silencer out of her pocket and put it on the gun barrel quickly. “There. No pesky noise.”
Drusilla’s mind raced. She was in big trouble here. “Have you gone mad?”
“Maybe, just a little,” Buffy said. “But who wouldn’t after a crazy, scrawny whore strolls into town and takes the man you love away from you?”
“Don’t shoot her, you’ll go to jail, Buffy!” Spike pleaded with her.
“No, I won’t. I’ve got it all figured out. I was a Girl Scout. Always be prepared.” Without taking the gun away from Dru, Buffy looked at Spike. “And don’t think you won’t be laying next to her on a coroner’s table, you cheating bastard!”
Spike and Buffy tried hard to stay in character, but they wanted to laugh. They hatched a little plan to get Drusilla out of their lives for good, while also getting Buffy out of hot water.
“Buffy, I didn’t dump you by choice. It was her! She videotaped us having sex and blackmailed me into it! I still love you so much. Don’t hate me. Please….”
Her face went from confusion, to understanding, to rage. Buffy looked at Dru with murderous eyes.
“You sick, demented, evil, cold-hearted bitch! You are sooo dead!” Buffy wrapped both hands around the grip and closed one eye, aiming at a whimpering Dru.
“Buffy, the videos! I don’t know where she put them. You can’t shoot her!”
“I don’t need her to find the tapes. I’m sure I can root around here and find out where she’s keeping them. Say hello to Satan for me when you get to Hell, bitch.”
Spike jumped in the line of fire. “Buffy, don’t! You--”
Buffy’s finger pressed down on the trigger. There was a muffled sound as the bullet flew out of the chamber. Spike clutched his chest and grunted.
Buffy looked horrified. “Spike! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to--Why did you get in the way!?”
Spike took his hand away from his chest, it was covered in blood. He looked up at her in amazement. “You killed me….” He gasped, fell to his knees, then onto his side.
As soon as the shot was fired, Dru put her hands over her mouth, her eyes as wide as pie plates. For once, she was speechless. She watched Spike fall to the floor.
“Spike…no….” Buffy started crying. Then she turned to Dru, her teeth bared as tears ran down her cheeks. “See what you made me do?! You made me kill the only man I ever loved!”
Dru was totally taken off guard. She didn’t think that Buffy would actually pull the trigger. “P-Please, don’t kill me!”
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t?”
“Th-The tapes! I’ll give them to you! I’ll do whatever you want!”
Buffy looked thoughtful for a moment. It looked like she came to a decision. “Where are the tapes? And you’d better give me every--last--one of them.”
“I will! I promise! Th-They’re in the bottom drawer of my dresser. I was going to put them in a safer place but--”
“I didn’t ask for your fucking life story! Get them out and put them on the floor. Now!” Buffy said, still pointing the gun straight at Dru.
Drusilla opened the drawer, moved some towels out of the way, then began putting the videos on the floor next to her.
“How many are there, Skeletor?”
“I m-made twenty of them. They’re all here.” Dru put the last of them on the carpet.
“Oh, how I want to see your blood spill…” Buffy said.
“I’ll do whatever you want, just don’t hurt me!”
“Ok. You are never to come to Sunnydale again.”
“I’ll go to Europe and stay there! I promise! I’ll never even come to the States again!”
“And you’ll never try to screw with my life again.”
“Anything you want! I promise, I’ll never bother you again!”
Buffy squinted at her. “All right. But if I ever see you again….I won’t hesitate to kill you.”
“What about….Spike?” Dru asked, looking at his body. “Won’t you get caught?”
“Not thinking of telling someone, are you?” Buffy asked suspiciously.
“No! I won’t tell a soul!”
“I….have a friend who runs an incinerator. He’ll help me cover--cover it up,” Buffy said, her voice cracking. “You’ll end up the same way if you ever come back here again.”
“I won’t! I promise!” Dru pleaded for her life.
“Get your clothes on and get the hell out of here!”
Dru quickly put on a simple pair of trousers and a t-shirt.
“Grab your shit and leave. Now. Before I change my mind…And keep in mind that I know people. If you even think of telling anyone about this, you‘ll pay. Even if I‘m behind bars.”
Dru backed away from Buffy with her bag. “Thank you for--”
“Don’t you dare thank me for anything, bitch. Get out of my sight before I put a hole through you.”
Drusilla frantically unlocked the door then ran out.
Buffy laughed, putting the gun down. She went to the door and locked it again.
Spike raised his head. “All clear?”
“Yep.” Buffy laughed. “She was about to piss herself!”
Spike stood up and laughed too. “And the Oscar goes to…“ He frowned at his stained t-shirt. “Damn, I loved this shirt. I think I got a bruise from the blank bullet…”
“I’ll buy you a new shirt,” Buffy smiled at him. “And I’m sorry about the bruise. It doesn’t hurt too much, does it?”
“No. Just hurts a bit. No worries.”
Spike took off the shirt (along with the now empty pack the blood had been in), wiped up the excess fake blood, then embraced her. “You were great. The false gun and blanks worked.”
“I love you so much. Drusilla got what she deserved. I wish I could have killed her though…”
“I know,” Spike said, just holding her. “I wish she were dead too. But this way was better. You were right.”
“Of course I was. I’m always right. You‘ll learn that through time.” Buffy grinned up at him, then gave him a kiss. “We make a damn good team.”
“Too right, pet. Speaking of which, we’d better do some teamwork and then make some tracks.”
Buffy nodded, regretfully leaving his warm body. They set the rest of the plan into action.
Spike went to the honor bar and took out a can of tomato juice. He went over and spilled some on the carpet where the fake blood had soaked in. Buffy took a trash bag out of her purse, then proceeded to throw the video tapes in.
Once all that was done, Buffy picked up the phone and dialed the front desk. Spike put on his duster and buttoned it up while Buffy waited for the clerk to answer.
In her best imitation of Dru, Buffy spoke, “’Ello, this is Drusilla Kilbourne in room 169. I have a family emergency and have to check out sooner than I expected.”
Spike had to bite his lip to keep from laughing at her faux Cockney accent. He put the gun, his t-shirt and the empty blood bag in the trash bag.
Buffy said, “Thank you. I must be off straight away. A friend of mine will drop off the room key. Oh, and I’m terribly sorry about this, but I spilled a container of tomato juice on the carpet. My friend will give you the money to have the carpet cleaned.”
Spike smiled at her, as he tied up the bag.
“Thank you so much. Goodbye.” Buffy hung up, then Spike started laughing out loud. “What?” she asked.
“That was the worst British accent I’ve ever heard, pet. No offense.”
“Well, Dru’s accent sounded fake to me. I think I did a good job. I’m not an impressionist, ya know.”
“You did just fine, Buffy.” Spike kissed her.
“Ok, let me get the stuff for you,” Buffy said. She went to her purse, she took out a pair of glasses and a knit cap, then handed them to Spike.
He put on the glasses and cap. Just in case anyone suspected something was amiss, they didn’t want him to be recognized that easily. The cap covered his platinum blonde hair.
Buffy fixed the cap, then stroked her hands down his face. “It’s really over. She can’t hurt us anymore.”
Spike took her left hand and kissed the inside of her wrist, feeling her pulse beneath his lips. “I hope so.”
Buffy sighed, wanting him right then and there. But they had to leave. She went back to her purse and gave Spike $150, which should be enough to have the carpet cleaned. “Give the clerk the money and the key, then meet me back at my house.”
“Message received and understood,” Spike said. They kissed again before she left the room with the trash bag.
Spike felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Drusilla was gone for good, and Buffy was safe. He didn’t feel like Atlas anymore, holding the world on his shoulders forever.
Buffy took the stairs, effectively avoiding anyone. She exited the hotel without incident. She and Spike had done it! They actually pulled it off. Dru believed every bit of it, and was out of their lives. Buffy couldn’t wait for Spike to meet her back at the house. There was so much time (actually only a week, but it seemed like an eternity) to make up for.
She raced to her car, threw the garbage bag in, then took off for home. She and Spike could have a nice little bonfire when he joined her. They had some things to work through, such as her remembering (vividly) seeing Spike and Dru in bed, but she loved him too much to give up on their relationship. Buffy would work on erasing that from her mind. Spike was obviously hurting too. The way he had cried in her arms shattered her heart.
Spike completed his task: Taking the key down to the front desk, giving them the money, and apologizing for the carpet stain. He smiled at the clerk amiably, trying not to let on how nervous he was.
Everything went smoothly, then Spike was safely out the door.
Even though everything seemed to be squared away, he still felt…empty. Yes, Buffy still loved him. But he didn’t believe he deserved her anymore. He was on an emotional roller coaster. The thought kept running through his mind: What if, when they tried to make love again, she had to stop? The picture of him and Dru too painful for her to bear?
He drove towards Buffy’s, knowing what she’d want to do, and not sure he was ready yet. Spike couldn’t stand it if Buffy told him that the memories were too painful.
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Earlier that night, outside of Buffy’s house…
“Spike, wait! Please don’t do this! We’ll think of something! We’ll think of a way to beat her without violence. I can’t lose you…please…” Buffy wept.
Spike stopped on the walkway, closing his eyes. He slowly turned around to face her. “There’s no other way…”
Buffy walked down the porch steps to him. “There’s always another way,” she said taking his shaking hands in hers. “Come inside. I will not lose you. I…an idea is forming in my brain as I speak. It’s just crazy enough to work. Please, let’s try it my way…”
Spike sighed, looking into her green eyes. The moonlight illuminated them, making them shine. “…ok. But…how can you even look at me, much less love me, after what I did? I should never have touched Dru, tapes or no tapes.”
A tear ran down her face. “I know that you’re the one I’m meant to be with. What I feel for you…it surpasses anything I’ve ever felt for anyone.”
“Buffy, you are an amazing woman…I really don’t deserve you.”
“Stop saying that. I love you. The fact that you let her…that you did those things to protect me, knowing how much you hated it, shows me how much you love me too.” Buffy leaned up and softly kissed him. Spike melted.
“Alright. Tell me your plan,” he said.
Buffy smiled through her tears and led him back into the house.
Buffy paced as she came up with the plan. They would scare the hell out of Dru, making her never want to come back to Sunnydale ever again.
“Ok, here’s what we’ll do. We’ll fake your death.”
“What?” Spike asked.
“I’ll pretend to shoot you and you’ll play dead. Drusilla will run off after that.”
“Buffy, that’s crazy. How would we ever pull that off?”
The wheels in her head were spinning. “We’ll fake it. The school has everything we need in the auditorium. We’ll go there and get what we need.”
“I don’t know…” Spike said doubtfully.
“It will work. I took drama in college too. I’ll make her believe it’s real. Come on, we have to work fast.”
Buffy ran to the kitchen to get a garbage bag, then met him in the foyer. “Meet me at the school parking lot.”
“Buffy, I still don’t know...Faking my death? Dru will never believe it.”
“Trust me. It will work. I read a story like this once. I know what to do.” She kissed him quickly, then went out the door.
Spike followed her.
“You take your car and I’ll take mine. When we get to the school, you stay in the car. I’ll go in.”
“O….Okay.” Spike went along with her. She seemed to know what she was doing. Hopefully, nothing would go wrong.
Buffy had the janitor let her in, making up an excuse about a project she was working on for her class. She got the gun, the blood packet, and blank bullets. Plus a few things for Spike to wear when it was over.
Buffy got back to the parking lot and went over the plan one more time with a dubious Spike. But he figured, what the hell? Why not try? He didn’t have any ideas that wouldn’t end in real tragedy.
They took off for the hotel in their separate cars.
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Later…
Buffy waited on her front porch for Spike. The garbage bag of incriminating evidence was waiting in the backyard to be burned. It would stink to high Heaven, but they would be free.
Within a few minutes, his car pulled up in front of her house. She stood up and walked to the railing. Could they get past all of the pain? God, she wanted to. Buffy loved him more than anyone else in her life. They just had to get through this.
Every time her traitorous mind played the scene with him and Dru on his bed, she closed her eyes and told it to go away, replacing it with more pleasant images and memories.
Spike took a breath then got out of the car. They smiled at each other as he walked up the porch stairs. Buffy put her arms around him. They just stood there, holding each other for a few moments.
“We have a little bonfire to start,” Buffy said, giving his chin a kiss.
Spike nodded. “Yeah, let’s do this. I want those tapes to be gone for good.”
They went to the backyard. Buffy poured lighter fluid on the bag.
“Be careful,” Spike said. “Don’t want you to go up in flames along with the bag.”
“I will.” Buffy lit a match, threw it at the bag and jumped back. It caught fire immediately, burning bright.
“Eww,” Buffy covered her nose and mouth.
Spike tried not to breath through his nose. It was an acrid, nasty smell.
Buffy sidled up against him. Spike put an arm around her as they watched the fire burn. They stayed, fixed in place until the fire started to burn itself out.
She put her face against the crook of his neck and sighed. “Do you think she was telling the truth? That there are no more copies of the tape?”
“Yeah….I believe it. She was scared shitless. Dru thinks that you’re a psycho, she’ll stay away, like she said.”
“I would have liked to have taped it ourselves,” Buffy said. “That was the best night of my life, besides our first time in the backroom.”
They both wondered the same thing: Where do we go from here? They were both afraid that bad memories would get in the way of their love. But they couldn’t voice their fears to each other, not yet.
Buffy kissed him softly. “Let’s go inside. That awful smell is getting to me.”
“Yeah. I…I need to call my dad. To apologize and tell him I’ll be home in the morning.”
“Giles was really worried. It would be a good idea to call him.” She held his hand and walked up the back porch with him. “It will be okay now, Spike.”
He nodded. ‘I hope so,’ Spike thought.
They went into the house.
TBC…
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