Backfire - Spander Files

Most of the tears in the room were shed silently. They waited.
Cordelia gasped when Giles finally pulled his hand away from Xander’s neck. Giles
shook his head. “Still a pulse. He’s not dead.”
Buffy grew angry. She pointed at Spike accusingly. “You did it wrong.”
“Oi! Been killing people for more than a hundred years. I know what I’m doing.”
“Then why isn’t he dead?”
“Excuse me,” Ms Calendar piped up from her corner. “But isn’t this a good thing?”
“Shut up!”
“Buffy,” Giles calmly scolded. He then faced the vampire sitting behind him.
“Spike…,” he began.
“Don’t look at me, Watcher. I drained him. He should be dead by now. No one can
survive with that little blood.” Spike got up and stepped from the room into the
hallway. He needed the space to pace.
Willow repositioned her hold on Xander’s hand so that her fingers found his pulse.
It was weak. Slow, but not getting any slower. Or faster.
Giles ran his hand along Xander’s unconscious face. “Sweet boy,” he whispered,
“please don’t suffer.”
Everyone waited.
*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*
Xander stood in his hallway. Endless doors to his right and left, all closed. He
glanced behind him and found more of the same. Stepping to his right, he tried a
doorknob. It turned easily. He pushed.