Backfire - Spander Files

Spike got up suddenly, walked across the apartment, and stood facing the farthest
wall, near the kitchenette. It was as far as he could go, with the chain pulled taut.
Xander watched as the muscles in Spike’s back began clenching tighter and tighter,
his shoulders hitching up and down with hard deep breaths. Then Spike drew his
right arm back, hand clenched in a tight fist. The arm shot forward, looking to
collide with the cement wall.
"No!" Xander flew out of the bed and ran toward Spike. The chain wasn’t long
enough. With the force that Spike put into that punch, the chain was going pull the
manacle back and peel the skin off Spike’s arm right up to the elbow. Xander had a
vivid image in his mind of it happening. He almost vomited.
Then there was a snap, and a thunk, and a whip when the chain flew back and hit
Xander in the chin cutting a gouge there that had Xander’s head spinning and
thinking, That’s gonna leave a mark. The chain settled on the floor like a dead
snake, black and withered from the sun.
In the flash it took for Spike to grab his duster off the hook near the door and exit
the basement, Xander managed to see the manacle still wrapped around Spike’s
wrist, a single mangled link hanging from the secure clasp.
Xander cared that he was bleeding profusely from the chin, but only for a moment.
He was dressed and out the door seconds later.
*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*
He wished he could have of seen the fight. And Drusilla. Spike had spoken of her
often, and Xander wanted to meet the vampire who had raptured the Big Bad. But
by the time he got to the mausoleum, only Buffy, Angel, and Spike remained. There
were little piles of dust spread about the headstones.
Buffy was just catching her breath but was still in fighting stance, stake in hand.
She was glaring at Spike who was struggling in Angel’s arms. The older vampire
was doing his best to hold the younger back from lunging at the Slayer. Spike was,
of course, screaming.