Updated Part



Title: Gargoyles don't cry!
Author: Shamenka
Rating: Very much NC-17
Fandom: Buffy - Angel
Warnings: RAPE, brutality, suicide attepmts - very, very dark angst.
Pairing: S/A (may change)
Archive: Dead Sexy. Mpreg, me - anyone else just has to ask OK?
Feedback: Please - this is a really dark fic form me and I'd love to know if it works or not. Get back to me at Shamenka@AOL.COM
Spoilers: Buffy - Crush onwards slightly. Angel - up to The thin dead line But from those points I go off at a tangent.
Summary: What Buffy wants isn't quite what Spike gets.
Disclaimer: I don't own the boys - just play with them.
Note: Guest appearances by the Greek Pantheon - not the Xena abominations either:) (except Ares - they didn't really abominate him too much.. alas he doesn't appear tho'!

Gargoyles don't cry!
By Shamenka

Spike was enjoying Dawn's company. He was packing his few tattered possessions and preparing to leave delightful Sunnyhell for ever. The young teen was keeping him company, pleading with him to stay and save her from a world gone mad. Or rather, to save her from her sister gone mad.

"Look, if you really must leave, fine leave, but do me a favour first. Read this story to camera, just so I'll be able to remember you. It'd be like you weren't really gone forever. Please?" She whined and smiled and pouted, anything that would make her adored Spike cave.

Spike caved, as he almost always did, over the little things. He was still leaving however.

"Give's the story then!" He sighed, long sufferingly. Sounding far more like he was the youngster's older brother than Buffy ever sounded like her sister. He scanned the slim sheaf of pages and realised Dawn had written the tale explicitly for him to read. He scanned through the piece and smiled frequently, giggling occasionally.

Dawn sat in a stupefied delight, revelling in the fact that Spike enjoyed her silly story so much.

"So, will you read it so I can tape you reading to me?" She hoped, held her breath and prayed for a very small miracle.

"Oh, all right. Set up your bleeding video camera. Don't even know if I'll show up on the tape or disc or whatever it uses." He smiled at his young friend, then smiled deeper at the very idea of him having a human, or at the very least an almost human friend. It felt odd, but nice, to have someone who liked him for himself; not what he represented, not his so called status as childe of the high master the great poofter himself.

Dawn dashed about, setting up her tripod, then the camera, choosing angles and settings. Having fun. Which to Spike was the main idea in the whole silly notion.

***

A few hours before their innocent fun, a phone called had been placed to Los Angeles. Buffy had called Angel and asked him to have a word with Spike about his supposed love for her. She talked to the not sleeping, emotionally see-sawing formerly souled vampire. Even he didn't know if it was there or not.

Not that he told Buffy.

All he did was listen to selected parts of her complaint. The bit where Spike had chained her up, threatened her, had seemingly fed off a human. The high points of Buffy's complaint alternated with the previous nights run in with Cordeilia. The double poison of her diatribe against him and seeing Wesley, seriously injured, in hospital, shot by a zombie cop of all things. And it had been Kate that informed him, not his former employees.

As he listened to the monotonous droning of the mortal girl he had once upon a time fancied himself in love with, an idea struck him. Maybe dealing with Spike was just what he needed to vent his pent up anger and frustrations. It wasn't as if he'd never done so before. He was an expert in the arts of pain and suffering. Especially when it came to his youngest childe, Spike.

"I'll come down and speak to him tonight, it's still far to bright out there for me to come down any sooner. Just don't tell anyone I'm coming. It might get back to Spike and he's likely to bolt before I can have my say." He forced himself to sound almost jovial, to make Buffy believe all he intended was to have a few choice words with his errant childe.

"Fine, will we see you after you've spoken to Spike?" She sounded more hesitant than enthusiastic. Which just angered the demon within even more.

"That would depend on many things. I couldn't rightly say." He let his inner eye drift off to the picture his childe's face would be on seeing him walk into his stupid little crypt. "Maybe is as best as I can manage."

"Okay, and thanks..." she paused then hung up, leaving Angel to plan his visit.

***

Finally, Dawn was ready, they had established that Spike did indeed show up on the camcorder. Now she had the camcorder set up to catch the blond English vampire as he sat on the ramshackle bed he had once upon a time shared with Harmony. He was perched comfortably and he had the pages of her story in front of him. She set the camcorder going and stepped back into the shadows so she didn't distract him, putting him off his stride.

He began to read her tale of love lorne demons being rescued by other world Princesses with their mysterious powers and all powerful magic. Spike was losing himself in the story, enjoying himself so thoroughly in such a human task when the crypt door crashed open and his erstwhile sire rushed in on him. Eyes filled with rage, hands filled with what looked like a large metal spider.

***

On his way to Spike's hideously pathetic crypt Angel surprised a couple of demons making some sort of a deal. He despatched them both, just for a warm up, and took the item they had been trading with him. And their money. It was an odd looking device, it had inward pointing spikes and looked as if it were made just to hurt his stupid childe. An idea which fitted in so cleanly, so beautifully with his half formed plans to hurt Spike that it made him smile, genuinely smile in twisted delight.

Ahead he could hear Spike's voice, he seemed to be talking such utter nonsense about Princesses and powers and romantic twaddle. Just as he always was, a romantic fool. That reminded him, as if he needed reminding, that he was there to stop his childe from loving his former lover. Opening the hinged thing he'd so resently acquired he stormed into the crypt, catching Spike totally unaware.

***

"There you are, you piece of cancerous shit. I should have dealt with you a long time ago; but better late than never, as the old adage goes, hmm?" His voice had that lilt, that slight touch of an Irish accent that Spike knew meant Angelus, meant trouble.

The blond vampire looked at his sire, not the shadows where he knew Dawn was hiding. Even if Buffy hated him, he couldn't let her be hurt by letting the mad demon that was his sire, Angelus, anywhere near her, if he could possibly stop it.

"What do you want, Angel? What have I done this time to rattle your cage?" He met his mad sire's glance and almost froze solid at the cold rage he saw there.

"Oh, touched that which is mine. Buffy asked me to 'deal' with you. Have a word with you, and the word I have chosen is payback. Seeing as how you don't really listen to mere words, that is." Angel reached for his childe and had his neck in his newly acquired torture device. As he clicked the thing shut the many spikes shot forwards impaling Spike's neck. Just as a burning fire filled his belly. Spike didn't know what his mad sire had wrapped around his neck, only that it hurt him inside and out. It drew blood as its metal legs pierced the tender flesh of Spike's neck. The little rivulets of blood only served to excite the emotionally shattered vampire even more. If that were possible.

Noticing nothing but his prey, he dragged Spike up and ripped his tee shirt from him, followed by his jeans and most of the skin off his chest. Ten long, bloody scores covered the pale flesh. The nails of Angel's hands digging in deeper than even he expected.

"What, not feeding right? Letting yourself slip like this is a punishable offence, you know? Then again your very existence is cause for punishment, and I'm here to deliver!" He finally got a response from his prey, the shock was obviously wearing off and was fast being replaced by anger. Spike began to fight back.

Spike gouged lumps from Angel's face, his hands, anywhere he could reach. He tried to get up and break free from his sire's heavy hold, anything to make this a fairer fight. As he stood, or at least tried to stand, Angel got a knee between Spike's legs and crashed his leg upwards, crushing his childe's cock and balls in the process. The pain flooded the younger vampires body, stunning him for precious seconds, allowing Angel almost free reign against the blond vampires defenceless body.

As payment for struggling Angel broke both of Spikes forearms.

The loud audible snaps made Dawn flinch, she was biting onto the hem of Spike's duster sleeve to keep from calling out. There was nothing she could do to Angel, no powers she could call on. She was not the magic Princess and this was not her happy ever after vampire fairy story.

After the wrists, Angel raised a leg and kicked down on first one knee then the other. Snap, snap and Spike was crippled, going nowhere. Angel threw the younger vampire over the bed he had been sitting on.

"Right, lesson number one. Buffy is mine! Lesson two, you don't touch anything that is mine!" With each lesson stated he double handed punched his fists into Spike's spine, letting his nails drag even more skin off the felled vampire as he did so. Flipping him over, he continued his lessons. "Lesson three, I am the master, you are the scum!" This time he went for Spike's face and ripped the skin from those delicate cheek bones. "Lesson four, Buffy hates you!" This time Spike rallied a little and raised his already broken arms up to try and protect himself. Angel simply wrenched his arms and laughed as the bone ends ripped out of the younger vampire's skin.

Spike screamed again, and again, and again.

"Lesson five, everyone hates you!" Angel rolled his victim over once more and pinned him there by his hair. He freed his deliciously hard cock from his own pants and rammed into his childe. "You're not even a descent fuck!" Over and over he pounded into Spike, ripping him apart inside and out. Enjoying beyond measure the sight of his childe's crimson blood flowing so freely.

Completion came fast and furious, given Angel's state of mind it could be little else.

"What, you didn't cum, you're saying it wasn't good for you scum?" he sneered as he wiped the bloody gore from his rapidly softening cock and wiped his hand over Spike's butt cheeks. "As if you matter!" He rained blows down on the now bearly conscious younger vampire, shattering ribs with loud popping noises, wrenching his back in an attempt to snap the younger man's spine. Satisfied his lessons had been delivered he dropped the broken body back on the bed.

"Be gone or dust by tomorrow night, or I'll repeat Buffy's message till you learn it. I'm not fussed which option you chose, scum, so long as you do one or the other!" With that he spun on his heal and marched back out of the crypt and stormed through the town, savouring his rage as he made his way to his mansion.

***

Behind him soft sobs could at last be heard. Soft cries from the young girl who had had to stand by and watch the brutal attack her sister had ordered for her best friend. She finally moved to him, forgetting that her camcorder was still running. She knelt on the bed beside him, reaching for him.

"Spike?" she whispered between sobs. "What can I do? How can I help?"

"Box, there." Spike could only point with his eyes, every square inch of him pulsed with a white hot searing agony and fear.

Dawn saw the only box that lay in the direction of Spike's eyes, she thought it maybe contained medications, something to help him. She brought the box closer to Spike and emptied the contents; a brightly coloured plastic pump action water pistol and a few stakes.

Finally, fighting the urge to pass out, Spike crawled over the bed a little, closer to Dawn.

"Take gun, holy water." He managed, fighting wave after wave of nausea. "Give me the stakes."

"Why?" Even as she questioned him she complied, thinking he wanted to defend himself.

Painfully slowly his hand closed over a stake and with even greater agony, he pushed it towards her.

"Take, get home, use gun, use stake. Go!" Spike didn't fight the pain induced tears that cascaded down his face, causing even more searing agony as the salt burned into the rips on his face.

"What about you?" She asked anyway, even though she was fairly certain of the answer she'd get.

"Am stuck here, can't heal in time, can't go through another incarnation of Angelus. Go home, Buffy will protect you. I'm through." And turning the second stake Dawn had given him towards his own chest he rolled over onto it, impaling himself through the heart.

A blinding white light filled the crypt, having never seen a vampire suicide before Dawn thought it all natural, just the product of a broken being dying.

She sat for a long time hugging the gun filled with holy water as she wept. When she could physically cry no more she packed up her things, and the now blood stained sheets of paper, put Spike's duster on and headed home.

Planing every second of telling the world what Buffy had had Angel do to Spike. Out of shear spite. Just because he had loved her.

***

In the mansion, surrounded by the safe memories of Buffy and the joy of being in her company, Angel finally slept. For the first time in a very long time, he slept soundly untouched by dreams.

***

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Gargoyles don't cry!
By Shamenka

In the Summers' living room the Slayer sat with the Scooby gang who had gathered to offer Buffy their support at her resent loss. They sat quietly, just being there for their friend. Quietly remembering Joyce, just being together. It was into that still tablaeu that a quietly crying again Dawn entered. Concerned for her supposed to be sister's well being Buffy started to quiz her as to what was wrong with her.

"Dawn? Where have you been? What have you been doing? You didn't go near Spike again? After I told you to stay away from him! I told you he'd hurt you. What did he do? I'll kill him!" Buffy managed to say all the wrong things. She didn't even realise she had done so until her sister's face screwed up in rage and hate, ready for her reply.

"This is what I did! Let me share my evening with you, huh?" Dawn crossed to the television set and fiddled with a few wires, once the camcorder was wired in to the television she hit playback and showed them all what she had done,

Witnessing Spike's rape and suicide.

Angel's voice echoed in the otherwise soundless house with his hate filled statements that all his actions were from Buffy, at her request.

The slayer looked around frantically at her friends, begging, pleading to be believed.

"I didn't, I didn't say to do that. All I asked was that Angel speak to Spike, about his stupid obsession. That's all. I wanted Spike's obsession with me over and done with."

"Well, it sure looks like it's as over and done with as it can possibly be!" Anya snapped at the blonde slayer. "I'd say raped, beaten, dead is a pretty thorough talking to, wouldn't you? I hope you're pleased with your outcome." Having finished her short speech she headed for the door. "I think I'll be going now. And I suppose I'd better move before you send Angel over to speak to me too about all this!" She slammed the door after her. It was opened and closed soon after as Xander rushed to catch her up.

"Kinda makes me glad I'm over my crush on you. You're sure evil when riled." He opened the door and called out. "Anya, wait up, it's not safe out here alone!"

"And you think it's safe in there?" The occupants of the Summers residence heard her reply before the door slammed shut once more.

"Poor Spike, to die knowing the very person that you loved hated you so much they ordered that!" Tara stood, finally tearing her eyes from the now blank screen and turned to look at Willow, then Buffy.

"I didn't order... that!" Buffy pointed angrily at the screen. "I didn't."

"A..a..acording to the big guy you did! Are you saying Angel's a liar? Even if you're telling the truth S... Spike isn't gonna know that, is he? Being dead and all.." Tara reached for her coat and struggled through her rage and tears to put it on. "Spike saved my life, saved my love with Willow, saved me from my family and their sick perversions, and I never really thanked him for it... now I never can!" Fury finally escaped her control and she rounded on the slayer. "Sweet dreams Buffy, I hope you feel what he felt, know what he knew!" There was yet another flash of light, this time not on the television screen, and Tara stormed out the house too.

Dawn bent to retrieve her camcorder and the tape after rewinding it. She hit play by accident and Spike's happy, amused voice filled the room.

"The Pan Dimensional Princess and the Vampire, by Dawn Summers. There once was a lonely vampire..." She slammed the stop button, gathered her things and ran out the room, heading for the stairs and the fragile sanctuary that was her bedroom.

"I'd better go see to Tara, and see if I can get her to take back her wish...good night." Willow looked torn, having to choose between her lover and her best friend. Finally she headed for the door and Tara.

For his part Giles recalled the images they had seen and the ever close to the surface memories of Jenny and her pain filled death.

"Angelus?" He asked, not actually able to meet Buffy's eyes.

"I think so."

"You going after him?" Giles looked towards the ceiling and the grieving teenager upstairs. "Or staying here with Dawn?"

"I guess Dawn needs me, even if she doesn't know she does." Buffy managed a strained smile for her watcher and mentor.

"You want me to stay?"

"No, I think we'd better deal with this between us. I'll be all right, Dawn will be too, eventually. Thanks anyway." She walked Giles to the door and quietly let him out. Turning to the stairs she tried to think of some way she could comfort her sister, but couldn't even imagine what it had been like. To be trapped there, in Spike's crypt while he was brutalised like that. A tear slowly trickled down her face. "Oh God, Spike, I never meant that." She climbed the stairs to face whatever was up there for her.

***

Spike found himself awake and lying on a clean, comfortable bed. All around him was a purer, whiter light than he'd ever seen. Beside him sat Oz, the werewolf he'd helped the slayer rescue a few weeks back.

"You dead too then?" He asked Oz.

"Nope, neither are you. You're here, with The Powers That Were. Sorta like The Powers That Be, just older." Oz stood up and nodded to someone the other side of Spike. He got up to let a dark haired, possibly middle aged woman with gentle eyes sit on the chair. She smiled at Spike, her eyes touched with a flicker of profound sadness.

Spike couldn't take his own eyes from her if he tried.

"Child, you have so many tasks yet to perform, for us, in return for which we have healed your injuries. All of them except one." The mature woman leaned forwards to reach for him, touching his face with a delicacy of touch he had never known since a child with his own long dead mother. "I am Hera, Queen around here by the way, and have been... elected... to tell you that you are wearing what our missing children call the collar of Hera. Oh, that's demons, much like yourself and young Oz here by the way. You are both part of our missing children, and that collar is a... fertility device." She reached out and took Spike's hands in hers, not letting him break her hold. "It works despite the gender of the one wearing it. It was originally designed to allow new widows to have a child fathered by their husbands after they had fallen nobly in war. Do you see what it was meant for? It grants fertility. By the undead, before Hades' domain claimed them. And there is no easy way to tell you this little one, except honestly. You are pregnant, child, and we can't stop it with out killing you, taking you to your final death."

As the truth of her words sunk in Spike screamed, cried, pleaded with them to kill him. Through all his struggles and grief Hera stayed by his side, holding on to him. Grounding him.

Oz too stayed in Spike's line of sight, silently being with him. Grieving with and for him. Waiting for the storm to pass and the rest of Hera's story to be told.

***

First light brought Angel awake, back from Angelus' madness. It also brought full technocoloured, stereophonic memories with it. Every single thing he had done the previous night. He had to wait the entire day, wondering if he's be in time to save Spike from other imaginary demons harming him in his weakened state. Wondering what Buffy would say if Spike told her what he had done. He recalled in exacting detail each and every injury he had inflicted. He remembered the joy inflicting them had delivered to him, to his demon. He made silent plans to take his childe home and care for him, treat his injuries, beg his forgiveness, give him the sire blood he would need to heal. Be the sire he should have been, not what he was.

As soon as the sun set enough to grant him his freedom he hurried over to Spike's crypt, his hands shook as he pushed open the door only to come face to face with a tear stained Buffy. His childe's name died unspoken on his lips, another name replaced it with dread.

"Buffy?" He whispered, somewhat shocked to see her there. "How... how is Spike? I only realised what I had done when I woke up. I had no control, Angelus was lose.." He stopped speaking at the sight of the rage building in her face.

"My sister was here, she had been filming Spike reading a story she'd written for him. They were happy, friends, having quality time as they say. Then you arrived and she had to hide and you know what you did! You do know all of what you did, don't you?" She shot him a filthy look as he nodded slowly. "Well, I don't know if you'll be happy to hear this or not, to know that Spike suicided last night, right after you left. Dawn helped him get the stake and he killed himself! And she was still filming it, the camcorder was still running. We all saw it! All of it." She walked towards him, quaking in her unbridled rage. "How dare you ever say I asked you to perform such an unspeakably evil act! That I wanted you to perform such wanton acts of cruelty! Not on Spike, your blessed master, not any demon, person, anyone. Ever! You have exactly the same choice you gave Spike, get out of Sunnydale and never come back, or I stake you myself! You getting this, Angel, Angelus, whoever you claim to be tonight? Leave!" She screamed in his face as she drew her stake. All Angel could do was retreat and head for LA and home. Alone.

Alone except for his memories. The one fact pounding through his numbed mind. He'd killed his childe. Raped him, tortured him, drove him to suicide. Killed him as effectively as if he had staked the younger vampire himself.

How could things have gone so totally wrong? So quickly?

The only answer he had was Wolfram and Hart. Them and their interminable drive to release Angelus, now it was something far worse that they faced. It was a guilt ridden Angel. A purer, more focused guilt than he had ever experienced before. It had a face, a name, a specific crime. It was Spike, his beautiful, wild natured childe and Angel would exact his full revenge against all of them. Each and every damned lawyer that thrice damned firm had would pay for this. They had made it so easy for Angelus to win his freedom. All he had now was his guilt and revenge to comfort him. That and the destruction of Wolfram and Hart, to try to mend his broken heart with their blood. They had driven him to kill his childe, and he would make them pay!

***

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