WHO: Spike & OPEN. WHAT: Being a hero is hard. WHEN: Evening. WHERE: Streets. RATING: PG-13.
Her body was doubled over in agony, the look of extreme concentration and desperation spilling out with the wobbly steps that she took one at a time. Clinging to the stick that she used to keep herself upright, she slowly pushed forward, the struggle becoming far more difficult as she took a step over the curb and out into the open street. She needed help. It was too much. Her poor soul couldn't take it any longer. The little old lady was in danger, for her ability to cross the street was clearly far too much for one of her size and age to handle. What she needed was help. No, what she needed was a hero. Cape - or in this case, long leather jacket - billowing in the wind, Spike stood atop the building of a restaurant, his focus trained on the old woman rather than the duo in stride on the opposite end of the street. Caught up in his whirlwind of emotion and fear for the women below, Spike was unable to recognize that one of the two he happened to be ignoring was on the verge of getting mugged. No, why focus on that when there were far more extreme measures to be worried over? The little old lady had to be saved. And he, with all of his talent and experience and good-looking bravado, would be the one to do so. Taking a single stride forward, Spike dropped down from the building, using the strength and agility that came with being a vampire to his advantage as he quietly and swiftly landed upon the sidewalk below.
Planting both hands on his hips, Spike stuck his chest out, lifted his chin, and loudly declared, "Fear not! I will save you, civilian!" With a step and a turn, he grabbed onto the old woman's shoulder. She immediately protested and began to pull away from him, but Spike wouldn't have it. "Now, now, let's not make this difficult. I understand - you're a lone wolf. You want to fight your battles alone. But you simply cannot. Sometimes you have to rely on others, otherwise you will be lost within the abyss of -"
SMACK!
Immediately releasing his hold upon the woman, Spike toppled backward in surprise. Pale hands latched onto the side of his head, the sudden sharp pain that began to course through him throwing him off guard. Baffled by the unpleasant feeling, Spike looked upon the little old lady with wide eyes and an open mouth. For all that he had just tried to do in order to save her, his generosity had been met in return by a violent strike to the head by the cane in her grasp. It didn't take a moment longer for her to raise it again, her arm flying up surprisingly fast for someone who appeared to be so frail and incapable of much beyond hobbling about. The cane struck him upside the head once more and Spike soon found himself throwing his arms out in front of him defensively, almost as though he were physically begging the lady not to hit him again.
Meanwhile, in the background, the pair that had been long since forgotten were having their own sort of struggle. One man was knocked to the ground, while the other began to throw punches and demands for the money in his pocket. It was both a humorous and concerning situation - on one side of the street, there was a vampire being bludgeoned by an old lady and her cane, while on the other, where there was supposed to be a self proclaimed hero on the watch, someone was getting robbed.
For now, Spike was more concerned about keeping his face intact. "Stop! I can't save you if I'm bleeding to death!"