TITLE: Battle Scars
AUTHOR: Ragna (writinggoddess@aol.com)
RATING: FRT
SPOILERS: None
DISTRIBUTION: Sure, just tell me!
DISCLAIMER: Everything except what comes out of my pretty little head belongs to Joss and Mutant Enemy.
FEEDBACK: Wanted. Needed. SEND IT!

***

The day continued normally, at least by Alex's standards. She worked on the many websites that kept her rich, and checked her e-mail quite frequently. Willow kept e-mailing her, asking if she was okay and what was going on. As she typed in a massive reply, she idly wondered if the girl got any sleep.

Spike sat watching her work. He could never understand computers, but Alex seemed to get a lot of joy from them. Her eyes lit up when she was talking to other people, and he grinned when she would talk to the computer when it wasn't doing what she wanted it to do. And people think I'm crazy, he thought. Willow's reply to her latest message came pretty fast.

"What's the deal for tonight? I mean, is the fate of the world resting on us again?"

Alex typed in a quick reply, directing Willow to Alex's favorite chatroom. As soon as Willow logged on, she made it private.

"Why'd you tell me to come here?" Willow typed.

"It's faster than typing e-mails and waiting for replies. ;^} I thought you knew that."

"I did, just wanted to know. So, really, what is the plan?"

Alex looked over at Spike. "I'm talking to Willow," she said. "What's going on tonight?"

"Go to the library. I need all of you there. How are you talking to Willow?"

"It's a chat room. Come over and look." Spike pulled up the other office chair and sat next to her, looking at the screen. Alex typed "Sorry for the delay. Spike says we all need to meet at the library. It has to do with a cataclysmic choice he has to make."

"I take it we have to be nice to him."

"Technically, yes. By the way, he's reading this as I type."

There was a pause. "Oh no. Sorry, Spike."

He looked baffled. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Nothing," Alex said. "Did you want to say something?"

"How?"

"Just tell me, and I'll type it."

"Tell her that's fine, but to be that way. Nice, I mean."

"Let me just translate that." Alex typed in; "Spike says that's fine, but follow the advice. And I say next time, mind your netiquite. *lol*"

"What does that mean?" Spike asked, pointing to the end of the sentence.

"The 'lol'? It means 'Laugh Out Loud.' It's because I said something funny."

"Oh. I'll never get this," Spike muttered. He stood up and walked over to the desk. Alex typed in, "Gotta go. Net lesson for the vamp has concluded with 'I'll never get this.' Catch ya later, Will. Blessed be!" Alex logged off and shut down her computer.

"You didn't have to get off," Spike said.

"Computers only keep me occupied for a small amount of time. I'm surprised you don't know anything about computers."

"I never had the interest. Or the patience."

"I only have the first part. I am one of the most impatient people on the net. When my modem gets bogged down, I get really pissed." She looked at his face, seeing how he didn't understand.

"You and that blasted machine." Spike said, and smiled a half-smile. "Why do you talk to it?"

"What?"

"You know. "Hurry up, you stupid machine.' 'That's good, no one's logged on.' Or my personal favorite, 'If you don't start working, I'll disconnect your power source!' If I didn't know better, Alexandra Giles, I'd say you have a vicious streak in you."

She started to blush. "I'm usually alone when I'm on the computer, so no one hears me saying that stuff."

"What is it about that idiotic box that makes it so bloody fascinating for you?"

"My God and Goddess, you sound like my uncle!" she said, laughing. It sounded like a bell. "I don't know. One thing is I can talk to people anywhere in the world. I can also learn so much more from this 'idiotic box' than I have from all the learning I got from books."

"That last sentence made no sense," Spike said, sitting down.

Alex sat down next to him. "I mean, I can learn so much. And all the stuff I learned in college and in my life is nothing compared to what I've learned from people I've never met."

"And that's a good thing?"

"It's scary, but yes, I think it's a good thing."

"I didn't think anything scared you."

"Trust me, Spike, there are a few things that scare me."

"Like...?"

She started to blush again. "Spiders, being alone for the rest of my life, and falling in love again. That and losing my friends and my family." She looked up at him. "Does anything scare you?"

He cleared his throat. "My only fear is being helpless. Like I felt when...when Dru died."

"Wow. And I thought my fears were bad." She reached over and held his hand as a comforting gesture. The two sat like that in silence for a while. Suddenly, the clock chimed four.

"It's four o'clock? When's sundown?" Spike asked.

"I don't know. Let me go out and get my paper." She let go of his hand and stood up, heading for the door. Opening it, the light hurt her eyes. It was really bright outside.

"Close the door!" Spike said, and backed up into the shadows. The door slammed shut, and Spike could hear her leaving the porch. A few seconds later, the door was opening. Alex opened and closed her eyes, adjusting to the darkness.

Spike took the paper. "Six seventeen." He looked at Alex. "Can you get a hold of your uncle?"

"Sure, but why?"

"As soon as the sun goes down, we need to meet at the library."

Alex went over to the phone and hit the redial button.

"Wazzup?" Gaby picked up on the first ring.

"Not much. Ready for some work?"

"Like cheerleading isn't?

"I'm talking about work as in life's destiny."

"Oh. The slaying thing."

"Precisely."

"Sure. Who you want offed? Spike?"

"Uh, no. And speaking of that, be on your best behavior tonight."

There was a pause as what Alex had said dawned on Gaby. "Are you and him...?"

"Hell no! Just, he's in the middle of something and he needs us there. I'm sorry to cut you off, but I need to talk to Uncle Rupert."

"Sure. Here he is. Phone for you, it's Alex." There was a slight pause, and Giles' voice was heard.

"Yes, Alex."

"Emergency meeting at library as soon as the sun goes down."

"I take it that this has to do with the visitor. Are you planning on telling everyone else what has happened?"

"If there's time. I don't know what's going to happen tonight. Just make sure everyone is there." Alex said good-bye and hung up.

"Will they be there?"

"They will. But I want you to answer a question first. Am I leading them into a trap?"

"No. At least, not one of mine."

"That's not very reassuring." She was scared, and worried, and just needed something comforting. Spike went over to Alex and he turned her around so she faced him. Placing his hands on her shoulders, she looked up at him and sighed.

"Everything will be fine, love," he said, pulling her into an embrace. Somehow, he sensed that was what she needed. He felt sorry for her. She literally carried the world on her shoulders, and no one could understand what she was going through. But since being told he had to make a choice that could have devastating repercussions, he understood.

Alex just stood there, and she started to cry. All the pain and fear she had felt in the last few months was let out in those tears, and she realized it was okay for her to be weak, and to depend on someone else.

Even if that someone else was Spike.

By six seventeen, the Scooby gang was sitting in the library. The sun had just set, and all of them were anxious to find out why they were there.

"Why did we need to be here by sunset?" Willow asked, sitting next to Oz, who was holding her.

Giles sighed. "Alex didn't make that clear. But she will be bringing Spike, so please curb all..."

"Homicidal tendencies?" Xander finished, receiving a glare from Giles. "What? I can make a joke!"

"But make good ones," Gaby said. College hadn't seemed to mature Xander at all. But Gaby thought her boyfriend was best that way. She went over and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"But mine are good!" he protested to no avail.

"Does anyone else in here want to gag?" Buffy asked no one in particular. She looked out the window, and saw the familiar car with the heavily tinted windows. "They're heeere," she said in her best imitation of Poltergeist.

A few moments later, Alex and Spike walked in, holding hands. Everyone noticed that, but before anyone could say anything, Alex said, "We both need support. Each other's."

It seemed to shut everyone up. Spike looked at everyone in the room. Not glared at, just looked. He spoke to Giles. "Did you tell them what Alex told you?"

Giles frowned at him. "I didn't think it was my place."

Spike then looked at Alex. "You know them better, and they trust you. You should tell them."

"Okay." She sighed and looked at her friends. The bruise on her face had healed slightly, but the black and blue marks covering the left side made her look ghastly.

"Last night, Drusilla's ghost came to visit the two of us. She told me that an important problem was here, but I didn't find out any more than that, except she'd been watching us. She seemed...saner. Spike just told me what they talked about, so I'll summarize." She paused to catch her breath.

"Tonight, a very large decision needs to be made. It determines how the world will be in the future. And it all rests on Spike. He needs to decide whether to help us or help our new enemies."

Everyone in the room looked at Spike, who simply said, "She's not done."

Alex continued. "So far, all we know about it are two things: they're part of the original evils that were here when humanity began, and it was behind last night's attack."

"Were we right about which demon it was, though?" Oz asked.

"Yeah. But it normally isn't strong enough to create more than three vampires, and I take it that more than that attacked you. Its powers were augmented by the evil spirit, or at least that's my guest."

"And what a splendidly correct guess that was." A cold, evil voice responded in her head. She looked startled, and said aloud, "Did anyone else hear that?"

Everyone shook their heads no.

"Now you all can." That same voice seemed to fill the room, and was clearly heard by everyone. "You little witch. I was afraid I would never get to fight one of your kind."

"What are you talking about?" Alex asked, moving closer to Spike.

"Why, you don't know? I'm surprised. You're one of the Helpers. There are very few born into any generation."

"What is a Helper?" Giles asked the voice.

"Why you, Rupert Giles, he learned of books, do not know what one of your own kin is? Well, I'll see if I can explain. A Helper is a person who is a Watcher or Slayer, a High Priest or Priestess and a telepath. Your little niece is the last in this generation."

"So why in the bloody hell are you here?" Spike asked, obviously annoyed.

"You, my vampiric friend, are also one of the few. You are a Decider. You will make a decision that will change humanity as it is known. You two were destined to be together, but I'm about to change that."

With that, a cloud of smoke appeared in the corner of the room, and a middle-aged man walked down. He wore a Druid robe and held a rowan staff, which supported him. He walked towards the fringe of the group, between Willow and Xander.

"The Decider and the Helper meet, and help each other with their task. The Decider decides, and the Helper protects. But in your case, it seems to be just the opposite." He points the rowan wand at Alex, and a ball of energy culminates at the end of it. The ball of flame heads right for her, but is suddenly stopped.

Drusilla stood there with the ball of flame dancing in her hand. "You bad man. No one hurts my Spike. Or his friends." She hurled the flame back at him, but it missed. A shelf of books caught on fire and Buffy grabbed the nearest fire extinguisher and started to extinguish the fire. Gaby and Xander started to open windows around the room.

The man laughed at Drusilla. "You think you can hurt me? You, the Seer, failed. Your visions should have told you that I would triumph." He laughed, an ugly sound. "That Angelus did me a favor, driving you insane. Unintentionally, I know, but a favor nonetheless."

Dru walked right to him, totally unafraid. She said, "Spike. Alex. Leave. Take her friends with you." All of them bolted from the room, except Spike. Alex was out the door when she realized Spike wasn't with them. "Wait!" she screamed to the gang, but they were already down the hall. She ran back to the library in time to hear Spike say, "You've managed to threaten two people I care for, and that makes me frightfully upset. If my duck wasn't telling me to leave, I would fight you until there wasn't any bloody part of your body left."

She opened the door and walked in, looking at the hooded figure. "And if you hurt him, I will kill you," she said. Her voice was as cold and hard as steel.

"My, my, the Seer, the Helper and the Decider. All of you think you can beat me." He started to laugh again. "Really, do you think I'm that naive?"

"Well, if you can't pay attention to the door long enough to keep others out, yeah." The voice came behind them. It was Gaby. Behind her were Giles, Buffy, Xander, Oz and Willow. As soon as they were in, the door slammed shut and locked. "Well, if you all insist on dying, it can be arranged." Suddenly, vampires appeared all over the room, as well as Ethan Rayne. The Slayers and their friends faced off against the vampires after raiding the weapons cabinet. Giles went against Ethan, and the chosen ones went against their unnamed opponent. The fight was savage. Punches were thrown, crossbow bolts were fired, stakes were applied to hearts. Giles and Ethan were fighting with daggers, and the vampires and Alex just watched, unable to help. Finally, Alex turned around.

"We can't fight here." Suddenly, the four opponents were by the pier, "Much better." She had armed the others as well. Spike now held a stake in each hand, and Dru had a s mall dagger. Alex had a crossbow and a mind full of spells.

"Let the games begin. By the way, I am known as the Dissenter." Their enemy then changed. He was no longer a middle aged man, but instead looked young, The hood of his robe had fallen over his face, and when he pulled it back, Alex blinked. There was Jeremy.

"You didn't think beheading me would get rid of me, did you, my lover?"

The fight started. Spike attacked first, dropping the stakes and changing into his game face. Drusilla, also in game face, attacked with the dagger. Alex started muttering protection spells, as well as strength spells for her allies. Jeremy threw both of them off and advanced on Alex. She was powerless to run, but managed to erect a hasty spell barrier. She dropped the crossbow bolt.

The fight kept repeating for a few hours. Spike and Dru would attack, Alex would cast spells, and Jeremy would rebuff each attack, becoming stronger while they got weaker. Finally, Jeremy knocked both vampires unconscious. He advanced on her.

"Miss me, Alex? Oh, I missed you. I've been waiting billions of years for this." He managed to break down her barrier, and came right up to her. He grabbed her red hair and pressed his lips against hers. Suddenly he screamed and slumped down as the bolt from her crossbow protruded from his back. Dru was holding the crossbow in her hands. This fight against Jeremy had been easy, but something wasn't right.

What had once been a human body was now the skin of one. Slime was oozing out. Alex stared down at it in revulsion, and started to retch. Spike, who had just sat up, came up beside her and gently turned her away from the site. He led her to a rock not too far away, and went back to Dru. She was still holding the crossbow in her hands, though she had lowered it. As Spike approached, she dropped it and looked at him. She smiled.

"I said I would be back. Will the Helper be okay?"

Spike answered her question with another question. "What's with the titles?"

Dru laughed softly. "We were destined. Destined to be vampires, destined to meet, destined to be the bearer of these titles. The Hellmouth will stay closed for now. I may come again."

She walked over to the sobbing Watcher. "Helper, stop sobbing. You need to hear this."

Alex looked up. "What?" The sound of the ocean crashing on the waves calmed her a little.

"There will be more to come; I can promise you that. But you need your strength."

"I am strong."

Dru looked at her sternly. "No, you are not. You have been hurt so badly, so many times, you don't trust. Your insides hurt. And you can't see the stars I named." She looked up at the sky. "You have to see the stars to survive."

Spike looked at Dru. "What about my choice?"

"It was made already. By helping the Helper during her fight, you showed your loyalty. You need her, and she needs you. You are still a vampire, though."

"I knew that," Spike said. "Dru, I...I miss you so much. I need you, not her."

Alex felt crushed, but stayed silent.

"My Spike, you were never a good liar to me. You will be fine. Just...remember me."

Alex finally spoke. "What do we do now?"

"Return to the library. I will see you again." Dru kissed Spike, and then, surprisingly, kissed Alex's forehead, as if giving them her blessing. "I love you Spike. Be happy."

She disappeared.

***

The two were transported to the library. Everyone was in the library, cleaning up the mess.

"Where were you two?" Xander asked as they came out of no where.

"At the beach, fighting Jeremy," Alex said simply. She wasn't in the mood to explain.

"I thought he was dead," Willow said.

"Yeah, well, he wasn't. He was alive and fighting." Alex's mood had soured. All she wanted was to sleep for a hundred years. Or get drunk. Giles came up to his niece and put his arm around her shoulder. "And now...?"

"He's dead," Spike said from behind Alex. "Dru killed him."

"That's good," said Buffy. She looked at Spike, one of her worst enemies. "What about you? And your choice?"

"It was made. Chaos won't ensue and the whole bloody world can continue on its merry way. As for me, I'm destined to keep fighting. As is Alex."

"I don't want to," Alex said. She shrugged her uncle's arm off her shoulder. "I hate destiny."

Giles sat right in front of her. "Why?"

"Because my destiny will probably be alone. And no one cares about me." She pouted. "And I am just scared."

Looking at her friends, the pout turned into a small frown. "I'm being childish, aren't I?"

"A tad, yes," her uncle said.

Her smile grew a little bigger. "Can I get some forgiveness here?"

Her friends laughed and came over to hug her. After they were done, Spike put his hands on her shoulders.

"I think it's been a long night." He looked at Alex's friends, and suddenly realized they were his allies now. "We can work out what this means tomorrow night."

Spike led Alex out of the library and towards the car. He drove her home and, upon arrival, looked at her. She was fast asleep, dried tears on her face. Picking her up, he carried her into her room and put her to bed. He sat there until an hour before sunrise, watching her. Then he left.

***

The next morning, Alex woke up to the sun shining in her face. She threw the covers off and realized she was in the same clothes she had worn the night before. Sand was at the bottom of her bed, and she smelled like salt spray. Her body ached as she walked downstairs. The whole house was filled with sunlight. Part of her was glad to see some light after such a horrible night, but another part had hoped that it would still be dark. She noticed the note as she walked past her computer. It was sitting on the keyboard, and her name was written on the front. She opened it, and started to read.

"Alex, I'm sorry I didn't stay, but we need space. I feel peaceful, for the first time in almost 200 years. I will see you tonight at the mansion. Spike."

She folded the note up and put it in her pocket. She had a lot to think about, and she needed to get out of the house. She quickly changed her clothes, grabbed her purse and keys, and headed towards her car. She hopped in and headed towards her other favorite part of Sunnydale. A few minutes later, she arrived at Crestwood College's library. She roamed around the stacks and found the book. It was William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. She went to the desk and showed her faculty ID. Being a part time teacher wasn't bad. She did get some perks. She got back in her car and headed to Weatherly Park, and the playground nearby. Sitting on the swing, she began to read.

She sat there and read until dusk. As the light dimmed, she was near the end. With the last light of day, she read out loud,

She got up, placed the book on her passenger seat, and headed towards the Mansion.

Spike had spent the entire day awake, walking through the empty rooms. He would look at something, decide it looked better somewhere else, and then move it. By the time it was noon, the entire mansion had been rearranged, one way or another.

He finally ended up at the library, which was filled with books. He idly walked along the stacks of books and picked one. It looked quite old, and the pages were yellowed. He flipped it open. It was a Shakespearean play, Romeo and Juliet. He sat there in the darker part of the library, reading the play. It must have been over 200 years since I last read this, he thought. Though not his favorite, he couldn't find another one that he liked. Most people would not believe that William the Bloody, now known as Spike, had a romantic streak in him.

The play consumed him to the point he didn't realize it was getting later, and the sky was getting darker. He was so into it that he didn't hear the door of the Honda del Sol slam shut, and Alex walk into the mansion. She looked at him sitting there, with his back to her, reading an old book. She walked up to him. "Hello."

Spike jumped, startled. "Oh. Hello, Alex."

"What are you reading?" She grabbed the book, and the look of surprise on her face was very evident.

"Why the look?" Spike asked. Alex walked out to her car, and Spike followed. She picked up the book in her passenger seat and showed it to him. "I was reading this almost all day."

He looked at the book she held in her hands. "Romeo and Juliet. Interesting."

"That was always my favorite, other than Macbeth. I really love classic literature."

"You? I thought you liked technology."

"Not really. I mean, not as much as I like these stories. There's something about change that makes me afraid, and these stories are my comfort."

She smiled and sat down on the hood of his car, which was next to hers. "I love that story. True love survives everything...even death."

He sat next to her. "It's not really my favorite, but I think it's better than some things. Like computers," he said.

"What is it that you have against computers?"

He laughed softly. "Nothing, really. It's only that they're so hard to bloody understand."

"What isn't?"

They sat there silent for a while, looking at the stars. Familiar constellations were in the sky, and Alex started to look for them. She lay down on the hood of the car and looked up.

"What are you looking for?" Spike asked.

"Nothing in particular. I'm just...looking."

There wasn't much to say. Things that looked as though they would need to be said didn't look that way anymore. Neither of them needed to say much, because they finally understood each other. Alex started to shiver. She hadn't planned on being outside after dark, and was still wearing her tank top. Spike, lying down beside her, noticed. "Cold?"

"A little." Spike sat up and took his duster off. She sat up as well and put it on. Feeling comfortable, she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"It's been a long weekend. I can't wait for tomorrow," she said.

"What happens tomorrow?"

"My life returns to normal," she said. "Not that normal is always great."

Spike moved slightly, causing Alex to sit up and look at him. "Answer a question."

"What?" she asked, not understanding.

"Just answer one question for me. What do you want?"

"What do you mean what do I want?"

"In life. What do you want?"

She sat there and thought about it. "I want...I want love, mostly. I'm tired of being alone. I want wealth, but I want to help people with it. And I want friends. People who accept me for who I am."

She turned away, just to avoid his eyes. "What do you want?"

"I'm not sure. The choice was made, but I'm not entirely comfortable with it. Being with your friends and your family, and knowing I'm going against everything vampires stand for."

She noticed an exception in that statement. "Are you comfortable with me?"

Spike winced slightly. She'd asked the question he'd been trying to ignore. "I...I am, but at the same time I'm not."

Alex understood. "If it's any consolation, I feel that way with you. Comfortable, I mean."

She looked at him, waiting for an answer. When she didn't get one, she said, "I just had a thought. Did you realize this whole weekend started with me being angry with you?"

He smiled. "Yeah, I do. That would be like us, though, wouldn't it? Nothing could ever be easy."

"Yeah, nothing." The awkward silences were killing her. "I hate this," she muttered.

"Pardon?"

"I said I hate this. I hate the awkward silences, I hate not being able to be open and I really hate..."

"You really hate what, Alex?" Spike hopped off the hood and walked right in front of her.

She looked down at her lap. "I really hate that I'm attracted to you, but all you can think of is Dru."

The look on his face betrayed no emotion. "Is that the truth?"

She looked him in the eyes. "Would I lie to you?"

He looked at her, and saw tears falling from her eyes. Then slowly, tenderly, he kissed her. She kissed back, and the two of them were like that for quite a long time. Alex started to shiver again, and Spike pulled away. "We should get inside."

"I guess." She was still dazed, but allowed him to lead her inside. They walked inside, and sat down on one of the couches. Spike wrapped his arms around her until she warmed up. "I keep forgetting you can get cold."

"I like this. I mean, you...and me..."

"I know." A bleak smile crossed his face. "If I ever see Angel, I really should apologize."

She looked at him. "You? Apologize?"

He looked back. "I used to berate him about being with a Slayer. Now look at me. I'm in love with a Watcher."

She realized what he'd said. "You...you're in love with me?"

"There's no other way to explain it. I may still be a vampire, but I've changed." He regretted no longer being feared, but only for an instant.

"You know, eventually, I'll die."

"Then we'll postpone it as long as possible. I'll just make sure you don't."

She nestled herself in his arms, feeling complete. "That's fine with me."

The two of the sat like that, even after they fell asleep. It had been a long weekend, but it was the beginning of something. What that something was, neither of them knew. But they were together, and the battle scars they both had were beginning to heal.

Romeo and Juliet was open, and the moonlight dimly shone on this passage: