"I'm not pissed off. Not at you. I wish I could have killed those vampires slower for threatening you." Wait. Did that sound creepy? Yes, it definitely did. Normal people didn't reference torture as a positive thing, but fuck it. They shouldn't have hurt Spike, they definitely shouldn't have threatened him. Nicolas looked at Spike and sighed, shaking his head.

"It wouldn't be you if you'd listened. Or if you wouldn't do what you can to take save those girls. It was stupid, because it could have gone even worse than it did." Carefully he touched the bit of blood he could still see, looking right at Spike. He didn't seem too panicked this time, at least that was something. "I knew what I was getting into when I took you along, Spike. This is why I do this. Not because I like killing monsters and pulling cool moves, but because I can't stand seeing people like those girls hurt. That's what makes the risk worth it."