Hobson's Choice (PG)
Title Hobson's Choice*
Author Brutti ma buoni
Rating PG
Word Count 450
Prompt I Put a Spell on You
A/N: Post Fool For Love, Spike ponders his options (and I'm ignoring the sweater-sniffing scene at the start of Shadow, so technically this is AU)
The afternoon after the night before (he'd needed the lie-in), Spike was still in his crypt pondering the situation.
Chipped, neutered and now in love with a Slayer. Could his life get any lower? (Upon reflection, a bad thought to have. He'd thought the chip was lower than low, and look what happened next).
He'd tried being unpleasant to her. That hadn't stuck. He'd tried fighting on her side. She'd looked straight through him. He'd tried talking to her civilly, thinking his way into her world, finding their common ground. She'd paid him off and still despised him.
He'd taken a shotgun to her. But that hadn't been the answer.
He could still feel the moment, that turning point in his worthless unlife, when he'd known he wasn't going to kill the Slayer. Ever. Kind of an epiphany, though usually he tried to leave those to the good guys.
So what was left?
He considered, seriously considered, as in proper planning, kidnapping the little redhead again. Or the other one, the newly officially-non-demon witch, she'd do just as well. That love spell he'd never got for Dru, that'd work on the Slayer too. Right?
His perfectly good evil plan was interrupted by a flashback to the night before. Buffy's tearful face raised to him; followed by the moment of quiet trust they'd found together. She'd hated being spelled into love with him once before. Would never trust him again if he pulled that stunt himself.
Never trust him again mocked Spike's inner monologue. Yes, he thought firmly back at it. Slayer trust had become important. That was what love was about.
But his snarky inner voice had at least led to a useful idea. Maybe tricking the Slayer into love wasn't a goer, but he could always trick himself out. Surely? Anti-love spells were a doddle. He probably wouldn't even need to scare whichever witch for that (which was lucky, on account of chip and the fact they both knew his neutered status)
So, get rid of this unwanted love. That was a plan.
Flashback again. To Buffy all alone. Friends had their own lives. Soldier boy wasn't in her trust. Kid sister needed her to be tough. Who did Buffy have, if Spike wasn't there?
He shook the thought away. Daft, idiotic, egotistical… No human needed a vampire on their side.
But he wasn't going to turn away from the Slayer. Not with magic. That wasn't an option, turned out.
Spike kept pondering, while the shadows lengthened and night came
By sundown, he still hadn't found a solution. So he went out into the world, still chipped, still neutered, and still in love with the Slayer.
Bloody hell.
***
*Hobson's Choice is a proper English expression meaning having no real choice at all, despite appearances.
Author Brutti ma buoni
Rating PG
Word Count 450
Prompt I Put a Spell on You
A/N: Post Fool For Love, Spike ponders his options (and I'm ignoring the sweater-sniffing scene at the start of Shadow, so technically this is AU)
The afternoon after the night before (he'd needed the lie-in), Spike was still in his crypt pondering the situation.
Chipped, neutered and now in love with a Slayer. Could his life get any lower? (Upon reflection, a bad thought to have. He'd thought the chip was lower than low, and look what happened next).
He'd tried being unpleasant to her. That hadn't stuck. He'd tried fighting on her side. She'd looked straight through him. He'd tried talking to her civilly, thinking his way into her world, finding their common ground. She'd paid him off and still despised him.
He'd taken a shotgun to her. But that hadn't been the answer.
He could still feel the moment, that turning point in his worthless unlife, when he'd known he wasn't going to kill the Slayer. Ever. Kind of an epiphany, though usually he tried to leave those to the good guys.
So what was left?
He considered, seriously considered, as in proper planning, kidnapping the little redhead again. Or the other one, the newly officially-non-demon witch, she'd do just as well. That love spell he'd never got for Dru, that'd work on the Slayer too. Right?
His perfectly good evil plan was interrupted by a flashback to the night before. Buffy's tearful face raised to him; followed by the moment of quiet trust they'd found together. She'd hated being spelled into love with him once before. Would never trust him again if he pulled that stunt himself.
Never trust him again mocked Spike's inner monologue. Yes, he thought firmly back at it. Slayer trust had become important. That was what love was about.
But his snarky inner voice had at least led to a useful idea. Maybe tricking the Slayer into love wasn't a goer, but he could always trick himself out. Surely? Anti-love spells were a doddle. He probably wouldn't even need to scare whichever witch for that (which was lucky, on account of chip and the fact they both knew his neutered status)
So, get rid of this unwanted love. That was a plan.
Flashback again. To Buffy all alone. Friends had their own lives. Soldier boy wasn't in her trust. Kid sister needed her to be tough. Who did Buffy have, if Spike wasn't there?
He shook the thought away. Daft, idiotic, egotistical… No human needed a vampire on their side.
But he wasn't going to turn away from the Slayer. Not with magic. That wasn't an option, turned out.
Spike kept pondering, while the shadows lengthened and night came
By sundown, he still hadn't found a solution. So he went out into the world, still chipped, still neutered, and still in love with the Slayer.
Bloody hell.
***
*Hobson's Choice is a proper English expression meaning having no real choice at all, despite appearances.