Spike, mentions of Epiphany & Harry Monday afternoon, December 3, 2012; Spike is hanging around just inside the complex doors, Piffy and Harry are in the nearby distance Harry dies saving Piffy, Piffy has a meltdown, Spike is helpless. High (character death/breakdowns/feels)/Complete
Spike had taken up arms with the others in the complex, ready to go down for the greater good, yet again, if it came down to it. At least he could go out knowing he was doing the right thing. Everything had happened so fast and it felt just like home to him to be taking down monsters and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't getting a bit of a kick out of it. Good as his intentions might ever be, Spike would probably always love the fight and the violence. It was kind of just part of who he was these days.
Unfortunately, despite the impending doom that was lurking above them like a dark cloud, the forecast for the day was not quite so dreary and when sunrise came, Spike had to run for cover or risk exploding into a pile of ash. He managed to get back inside the complex lobby and away from instant death, but he still did his part the best that he could, going after anything that got close enough.
Spike was very well aware of the way these battles went. They were never pretty, people were lost on both sides, and it was never an easy situation to deal with the aftermath was often even worse than the battle itself. The death and destruction and loss left in the wake of it all was often too much for people to have any idea of how to handl. And unfortunately, he knew at the end of the day, this would be no different.
However, he hadn't expected that to start off so close. Literally, in distance, and figuratively, in terms of who he witnessed being on the wrong end of this battle. It was all a blur of motion, but it was easy to spot where Epiphany was with her bright hair standing out like a neon sign in the dingy battle scene just outside the door. And where Epiphany was, Harry was right beside her. And in the blink of an eye, Harry swung her around, throwing himself in front of the demon coming at her, putting himself in harm's way. Saving her.
Spike watched the scene unfold--the demon making its charge, Harry putting himself between Epiphany and the demon and the....knife? dagger? sword? he couldn't tell from this distance, slicing through Harry with an ease that didn't seem like it should be possible. And then, the demon pulled the weapon back and in moments, Harry was lying on the ground. He couldn't see his face, but he could see the terror and shock painted across Epiphany's face, he could hear her screams, and--he was stuck. He couldn't go to her. He couldn't ger her out of harm's way. He couldn't comfort her. He couldn't do anything except stand and watch. And what bloody good did that do anyone? If he had been able to get out there, if he hadn't been forced to take cover, maybe Harry wouldn't have been lying on the ground dying, Epiphany wouldn't be going on a rage against the demon who, Spike had been told, must have been an innocent because that's how the demons here worked--filthy leeches that latched onto unsuspecting innocents who never knew what hit them.
He had called for her, tried to get her attention, to get her to come inside, but none of it had mattered. She wasn't leaving the scene, not without Harry, and she couldn't move him on her own. And he was still stuck. Stuck in the lobby of the complex, watching the girl that had quickly and easily become his best friend in this dreaded town have a breakdown. Stuck, unable to do anything for people he cared about.