Cheekbones {a btvs Spike story Buffy}

Chapter 6 - I Told You So

Amber runs until her legs give way. She runs until the cold wind whipping at her face brings her to tears. She collapses on a graveyard bench and weeps into her hands. 

She had depended on the ring - and now it was gone. She had to come to terms with being a vampire - forever. A new life she is definitely not ready for.

She cries until her face aches. A hurricane of emotions crashes through her head. It's mostly fear. Fear of the uncertain. Fear of having to accept this new life. She would have to stalk around at night, a slave to the darkness, isolated from the people she loved. She could only visit her friends when the sun wasn't out, and she'd probably have to live with Spike. Spike! She groans out loud. 

Amber hears footsteps behind her.

"Not now," she thinks, turning around. She's met with two vampires, standing over her ominously. 

"Hey, pretty girl." One smiles creepily, sending an unnerving chill down her spine.

Not even stopping for a witty remark, she stakes him and jumps over the bench to fight the other. Smashing her legs into the vampire's stomach as she does so, her fist connects with his jaw. He shouts and she kicks, hard and sharp until he's knocked to the ground. He whimpers at the mercy of her stake and she gives him a few extra punches for good measure. Amber plunges the stake through his heart, just as a hand yanks her hair from behind.

She grabs the hand back, her fingers connecting with a muscular hand embellished with rings. For a fleeting, stupid moment she thinks it might be Spike. Nope. She swivels to see the biggest vamp she's ever encountered. A frame like a body builder, arms like tree trunks and a giant scar, scratching down the left side of his face. One giant hand is balled into a fist, and the other holds a dagger.

She screams at the top of her lungs and charges at the man, sinking her nails into his neck. He seems taken aback by the attack, but it doesn't stop him swiftly punching her stomach. She would have been completely winded if she could breathe. She gets up.

"Slayer," the vampire announces, grabbing her by the shirt. She swings at his head and collides with his cheek. He seems unfazed. "I've always wanted to kill a slayer."

He carves the dagger along her skin, just above the hip. Amber spits in his face as a diversion and rams her thumbs into his eyes. He drops the dagger and she hastily picks up her stake and kills him. 

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Amber stands, stunned, as a minute passes. She looks down at her hip and sees a blur of red. The dagger cut deeper than she thought. Blood oozes through her t-shirt and dizziness infects her brain. She has to get back to the crypt before she bleeds out. 

She drags her feet along the ground, making her way back to what she might as well call home. When she gets there, she feebly pushes open the door and staggers inside. Spike gives her a callous look until he spots the blood. His mouth opens slightly, as if searching for the right words.

"Don't say it." Amber warns. Spike drops his cigarette and rushes over to her.

"Say what?"

"Don't say I told you so." She makes her way over to the bed, but Spike blocks her.

"Shit," he whispers, examining the cut. He gently lifts up her shirt and she winces at his cold hands. "Take your shirt off."

"Huh?!" Amber splutters, coughing loudly.

"We need to stop the bleeding, apply pressure." he says urgently. He waits a beat before ripping his shirt off.

"Seriously?" Amber remarks, averting her eyes.

"Bloody hell, this is deep." Spike folds the thin, black material to make it thicker, and then ties it around her stomach. "Hopefully this will slow it down. You're a vampire, you're not invincible."

He guides her over to the bed and she sinks into the mattress.  

"What happened?" Spike asks. Amber doesn't think it's out of concern: it's probably so he can feel smug about being correct that it was a bad idea for her to go out. She recounts the last fifteen minutes, just managing to do so without crying. The fact the vampire thought she was the slayer makes her skin prick with annoyance. A girl is strong and independent so she must be a magical slayer, given powers to be a fighter? Typical. Spike continues to sit next to her and he listens intently. Then he gets up, fills a glass of water to the brim and encourages her to drink. She takes large gulps, and finishes it quickly, feeling a little better. 

"Thanks." she says but Spike doesn't reply. Amber really only notices now that he's shirtless. It's the first time she's seen him like this but she'd never admit that he looks insanely attractive. Of all the things she should be thinking about in this moment, she's distracted by his abs. She hides a small, bashful smirk as she steals glances at his bare skin. He looks at her and they maintain eye contact until she breaks away, blushing slightly. 

"I think you'd better put a shirt on." She fixes her eyes on a very interesting bit of floor. 

"Aw." Spike toys. "Giving you ideas, huh?"

"No. You just - I -" She stumbles over her words and mentally kicks herself.

"I see..." he gets up to retrieve a new t-shirt but Amber impulsively grabs his arm. She looks up into his eyes.

"Thanks." She repeats. 

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