Getting Better
"Spike. Spike."
Spike groaned and opened a swollen eyelid. When he saw who stood over him, poking his arm, he groaned again and turned his head away.
"SPIKE!" She poked him harder and spoke even more stridently. "Get up. You've been laying down here for days and the laundry is piling up and you stink."
"Bloody hell Anya. Leave a bloke to die in peace, will you?"
"You won't die. You're a vampire and you haven't been staked or decapitated. You're just feeling sorry for yourself and frankly you're in the way."
"Sod off."
"What does that mean, sod off?" Anya plopped down beside him on his cot. "You always say that, but sod is grass. The nice kind that they use on golf courses. Sod off makes no sense."
"Fine then." Spike levered himself up on his elbows and snarled at her. "How 'bout shut your gob?"
"You've tried that one before, right before you hit me at The Bronze. It doesn't work. Ask Xander."
Since she didn't seem to have any intention of budging, he decided to try a different tack. "Anya, love, I'm not feeling up to visitors you understand. Broken bones and whatnot. Why don't you take your lovely bottom back upstairs and give us a bit of peace down here?"
"Because I told you, you're in the way." She nodded toward the far wall. "This is the laundry room and everyone is either afraid to come down here or can't stand the smell." She frowned. "Except Buffy. She doesn't seem to notice, but she's busy with killing hell beasts and feeding and training the girls. She really has her hands full, and if you had any measure of ambition you'd get up and help."
Anya rose and stalked over to the staircase, lifted a large rectangular basket, then returned to Spike's bedside where she dropped it onto the floor. "These are towels. There are more. Many many more." She returned to the stairs and walked up toward the door. "Let me know when those are done and I'll bring them down." With that she left.
"Girls?" Spike yelled after her. "What girls?"
There was no answer.
*****
"Anya!" Spike screamed. "Get your bloody arse down here."
Spike heard high heels clatter on the kitchen floor above him just before the basement door was opened. Anya looked down at him. "You must be recuperating. You're voice is quite strong now."
"I'm finished with these bleeding towels, now get them out of here."
"Cantankerous too." She moved down the steps. "That's a good sign. Buffy will be pleased." Anya smiled brightly.
"Where is she?" Spike grumbled.
"She's resting, or trying to. It's difficult when you're down here ranting and railing and overbalancing the washing machine. You really need to distribute the contents evenly to avoid that."
"You can take the sodding washing machine and stick it up your."
"An. everything okay down there?" Xander poked his head through the doorway.
"Fine Xander. Spike is amusing himself by hurling imaginative expletives at me."
"Buffy will be glad to hear that."
"That's what I thought." She turned back to Spike. "See there, you are feeling better. Xander thinks so too."
"I'm gratified to hear that the stupid git thinks I'm all better."
"Xander." Anya called out. "He just called you a stupid git."
"Good. I'll be back down with the rest of the stuff since he's doing so well."
Heavy footfalls crossed the floor, then returned, followed by several pairs of lighter steps. Xander walked down the steps carrying a large basket of clothes, followed by Dawn and three other teenaged girls. All were piled high with more laundry.
"Bloody hell!" Spike groaned.
"Whew, Anya's right. You do stink." Xander made a face. "Worse than the school basement stink. Come on. You're not touching the clothes until you're April fresh." He reached down to help Spike up off the cot.
"I can get up myself, wanker." He turned his head when he heard giggling. "What is this, a frelling slumber party?"
"Spike, these are Slayers." Dawn began. "I mean, possible Slayers. We're protecting them."
"Oh right, 'cause nothing bad ever happens in this house!"
Dawn smiled at her new friends. "See, I told you he was funny. Just wait until you hear some of his stories."
"Just stake me now." Spike begged.
"No way. Buffy'd be way ticked. Go upstairs with Xander and take a shower. We'll change your bed, then you can finish the wash." Dawn started to pull the dirty bloodstained sheets from the cot. "We may have to burn these."
Spike stifled back a groan, turned away and stomped up the steps.
*****
"Hey, it's nice to see that you're better. I brought you some blood." Willow held out a mug. Spike took it from her silently and began to drink. "You are, aren't you? Better, I mean?" Her forehead wrinkled uncertainly.
"Sure Red. Sunshine and puppies here."
"Oh good! Because, sunshine and puppies, those. those are good things!"
He looked up from the mug and arched a scarred eyebrow. "Right."
"D'ya wanna hear how Buffy killed the Ubervamp?"
"Stake through the heart I suspect."
"Oh no! I mean she tried that. a couple of times, but I didn't work on him. No. She poked him in the eye with a crossbow bolt, then cut of his head with a wire. Coolest dusting I ever saw."
Spike smiled genuinely. "Good for her, then."
"Oh, yay! I got you to smile. Good for me!" Willow took the now empty mug from him "Do you want anything else?" She looked around the basement. "We've been working you pretty hard."
"No. I'm fine, thanks." Spike paused and frowned a bit. "Uh, where is.?"
"Buffy?"
He nodded.
"She's at work. Still has to earn a living to keep feeding all these Slayers in training."
"How many are there?"
"We're up to six now, and Giles is on his way in with another one. They're all pretty green, except Kennedy." Willow stopped and took a deep breath. "Kennedy's kind of special."
Spike arched his brow again. "Oh? Special like.?"
"Yeah. Special."
"So what is Buffy doing with all these girls?"
"She's training them." Willow at beside him on the cot. "Most of their Watchers are dead and they're just not prepared for the Big Bad. I don't think most of them are even ready for a Little Bad."
"They're a perky lot, I'll give 'em that."
Willow stood. "I need to go now. I have a class."
"Hey Will?"
"Yeah?"
"Send 'em down. I have some stories they need to hear."
Willow smiled hugely. "Okay."
*****
Buffy walked tiredly into her house and dropped her bag. Her feet hurt. Her back hurt. Her head hurt. Fighting evil all night, working all day, and training the girls in the in-between hours was taking its toll on her. They had so much to learn and she had no idea about how long she would have to train them. The apocalypse could come in a day or a month. She dropped her head and took a deep breath. She resolutely squared her shoulders and put on her I Can Do Anything face and then noticed.
The house was calm and quiet. The front window was fixed, finally. She walked to the kitchen. It was clean. There were no wet towels drying on the bannister. No teenagers scrounging for food. No whining or bickering. What was going on?
She opened the door to the basement to check on Spike. They weren't supposed to leave him alone in the house. She couldn't believe they would all take off and leave him down there, sick and broken and alone. She stopped short as she heard their voices. The girls were quiet and respectful. Spike was calm and authoritative.
"Lesson the First: A Slayer must always reach for her weapon. I've already got mine."
Buffy leaned against the doorframe and smiled happily. Two burdens had just been lifted from her shoulders. She walked down the steps to join her new partner.
END
"Spike. Spike."
Spike groaned and opened a swollen eyelid. When he saw who stood over him, poking his arm, he groaned again and turned his head away.
"SPIKE!" She poked him harder and spoke even more stridently. "Get up. You've been laying down here for days and the laundry is piling up and you stink."
"Bloody hell Anya. Leave a bloke to die in peace, will you?"
"You won't die. You're a vampire and you haven't been staked or decapitated. You're just feeling sorry for yourself and frankly you're in the way."
"Sod off."
"What does that mean, sod off?" Anya plopped down beside him on his cot. "You always say that, but sod is grass. The nice kind that they use on golf courses. Sod off makes no sense."
"Fine then." Spike levered himself up on his elbows and snarled at her. "How 'bout shut your gob?"
"You've tried that one before, right before you hit me at The Bronze. It doesn't work. Ask Xander."
Since she didn't seem to have any intention of budging, he decided to try a different tack. "Anya, love, I'm not feeling up to visitors you understand. Broken bones and whatnot. Why don't you take your lovely bottom back upstairs and give us a bit of peace down here?"
"Because I told you, you're in the way." She nodded toward the far wall. "This is the laundry room and everyone is either afraid to come down here or can't stand the smell." She frowned. "Except Buffy. She doesn't seem to notice, but she's busy with killing hell beasts and feeding and training the girls. She really has her hands full, and if you had any measure of ambition you'd get up and help."
Anya rose and stalked over to the staircase, lifted a large rectangular basket, then returned to Spike's bedside where she dropped it onto the floor. "These are towels. There are more. Many many more." She returned to the stairs and walked up toward the door. "Let me know when those are done and I'll bring them down." With that she left.
"Girls?" Spike yelled after her. "What girls?"
There was no answer.
*****
"Anya!" Spike screamed. "Get your bloody arse down here."
Spike heard high heels clatter on the kitchen floor above him just before the basement door was opened. Anya looked down at him. "You must be recuperating. You're voice is quite strong now."
"I'm finished with these bleeding towels, now get them out of here."
"Cantankerous too." She moved down the steps. "That's a good sign. Buffy will be pleased." Anya smiled brightly.
"Where is she?" Spike grumbled.
"She's resting, or trying to. It's difficult when you're down here ranting and railing and overbalancing the washing machine. You really need to distribute the contents evenly to avoid that."
"You can take the sodding washing machine and stick it up your."
"An. everything okay down there?" Xander poked his head through the doorway.
"Fine Xander. Spike is amusing himself by hurling imaginative expletives at me."
"Buffy will be glad to hear that."
"That's what I thought." She turned back to Spike. "See there, you are feeling better. Xander thinks so too."
"I'm gratified to hear that the stupid git thinks I'm all better."
"Xander." Anya called out. "He just called you a stupid git."
"Good. I'll be back down with the rest of the stuff since he's doing so well."
Heavy footfalls crossed the floor, then returned, followed by several pairs of lighter steps. Xander walked down the steps carrying a large basket of clothes, followed by Dawn and three other teenaged girls. All were piled high with more laundry.
"Bloody hell!" Spike groaned.
"Whew, Anya's right. You do stink." Xander made a face. "Worse than the school basement stink. Come on. You're not touching the clothes until you're April fresh." He reached down to help Spike up off the cot.
"I can get up myself, wanker." He turned his head when he heard giggling. "What is this, a frelling slumber party?"
"Spike, these are Slayers." Dawn began. "I mean, possible Slayers. We're protecting them."
"Oh right, 'cause nothing bad ever happens in this house!"
Dawn smiled at her new friends. "See, I told you he was funny. Just wait until you hear some of his stories."
"Just stake me now." Spike begged.
"No way. Buffy'd be way ticked. Go upstairs with Xander and take a shower. We'll change your bed, then you can finish the wash." Dawn started to pull the dirty bloodstained sheets from the cot. "We may have to burn these."
Spike stifled back a groan, turned away and stomped up the steps.
*****
"Hey, it's nice to see that you're better. I brought you some blood." Willow held out a mug. Spike took it from her silently and began to drink. "You are, aren't you? Better, I mean?" Her forehead wrinkled uncertainly.
"Sure Red. Sunshine and puppies here."
"Oh good! Because, sunshine and puppies, those. those are good things!"
He looked up from the mug and arched a scarred eyebrow. "Right."
"D'ya wanna hear how Buffy killed the Ubervamp?"
"Stake through the heart I suspect."
"Oh no! I mean she tried that. a couple of times, but I didn't work on him. No. She poked him in the eye with a crossbow bolt, then cut of his head with a wire. Coolest dusting I ever saw."
Spike smiled genuinely. "Good for her, then."
"Oh, yay! I got you to smile. Good for me!" Willow took the now empty mug from him "Do you want anything else?" She looked around the basement. "We've been working you pretty hard."
"No. I'm fine, thanks." Spike paused and frowned a bit. "Uh, where is.?"
"Buffy?"
He nodded.
"She's at work. Still has to earn a living to keep feeding all these Slayers in training."
"How many are there?"
"We're up to six now, and Giles is on his way in with another one. They're all pretty green, except Kennedy." Willow stopped and took a deep breath. "Kennedy's kind of special."
Spike arched his brow again. "Oh? Special like.?"
"Yeah. Special."
"So what is Buffy doing with all these girls?"
"She's training them." Willow at beside him on the cot. "Most of their Watchers are dead and they're just not prepared for the Big Bad. I don't think most of them are even ready for a Little Bad."
"They're a perky lot, I'll give 'em that."
Willow stood. "I need to go now. I have a class."
"Hey Will?"
"Yeah?"
"Send 'em down. I have some stories they need to hear."
Willow smiled hugely. "Okay."
*****
Buffy walked tiredly into her house and dropped her bag. Her feet hurt. Her back hurt. Her head hurt. Fighting evil all night, working all day, and training the girls in the in-between hours was taking its toll on her. They had so much to learn and she had no idea about how long she would have to train them. The apocalypse could come in a day or a month. She dropped her head and took a deep breath. She resolutely squared her shoulders and put on her I Can Do Anything face and then noticed.
The house was calm and quiet. The front window was fixed, finally. She walked to the kitchen. It was clean. There were no wet towels drying on the bannister. No teenagers scrounging for food. No whining or bickering. What was going on?
She opened the door to the basement to check on Spike. They weren't supposed to leave him alone in the house. She couldn't believe they would all take off and leave him down there, sick and broken and alone. She stopped short as she heard their voices. The girls were quiet and respectful. Spike was calm and authoritative.
"Lesson the First: A Slayer must always reach for her weapon. I've already got mine."
Buffy leaned against the doorframe and smiled happily. Two burdens had just been lifted from her shoulders. She walked down the steps to join her new partner.
END