Author's note: This story is set in Season 2 sometime after Angel looses his soul.
Chapter I - The Mansion on Crawford Street
She was a blonde, maybe five-three at the most. She stared up on the mansion-on-Crawford-street with wide green eyes, it was the first time she had come here. She steeled herself and then marched up the steps, yanked the door open and found the place empty. She let out a sigh, she wasn't sure if it was relief or despair. She had so wanted to come here and surprise him, lure him out and fight him till the death. It was his or hers at this point and she really didn't care which one it was. She was just about to turn and leave when a sudden prickle tugged at the end of her consciousness.
There was a vampire here.
Buffy Summers whirled around, her eyes narrowed. She supposed at least she could dust something. She hoped it was a vampire close to him; maybe she could even leave a note, a taste of his own medicine.
"What, big bad vamp afraid of a little girl?" she called out into the shadows.
She heard a sudden tut-tuting.
"'Ello there, slayer." she heard a low voice say.
He emerged out of the shadows, perhaps not as impressive as he could have been, for he was seated in a wheel chair. She stared down at him; she knew who it was from the moment he spoke.
"Spike." she spat.
The platinum haired master-vampire just smirked at her, even from his position he managed to look confident and cocky. She glared back at him. For a long moment they stood (sat) in a dead lock, neither daring to be the first one to look away.
"So," Spike finally spoke up. "What brings you over to this neck of the woods?"
"Angel." Buffy replied before she had a chance to consider what she was telling him. She regretted it as soon as it left her mouth Spike's eyes widened, Buffy didn't have to be staring at him to know that his smirk had deepened.
"Well," he said, sounding infuriatingly amused. "Angel is gone."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Oh don't play that game with me, Spike." she hissed. "Because it is so old. It is not going to unsettle me anymore." she shook her head stubbornly. Spike noticed that her eyes had been slightly dead a few minutes ago, not they were determined. "I have been hurt by it, and I have dealt with my issue, now it's gone and I want to kick some ass."
"Well, surely I haven't the foggiest what you're on about," he said, though it was obvious to both of them he knew exactly what she had said. "But I mean that the bloke's gone out to get a bite to eat."
Buffy stared at him for a long moment, discerning whether she would be right to trust his answer or not. She concentrated for a moment, letting her instincts take over and trying to block out the smirking blond in front of her. When she was satisfied, she deflated, broke eyes contact and surveyed the mansion.
"Fooey." she said distractedly. "And I so wanted to do it too."
Spike arched a scarred eyebrow.
"Whatever you say, pet."
Buffy turned her attention back to him, it unsettle her that he was being so nonchalant in her presence, she was the slayer-dammit and he was a vampire who was stuck in a wheelchair, he was practically defenseless.
She smiled sweetly.
"You know I ought to stake you and leave your duster for them to find." she mused out loud hoping to get something from spike, a scared look, or maybe even a beg. "I can even donate your chair to the Red Cross, everybody wins."
Unfortunately for Buffy she wasn't going to get anything out of him that easily. instead of a shocked look, or even an annoyed look Buffy didn't even get a look. Spike just pulled out a cigarette and took a long languid pull.
"Yeah right, slayer." he said.
"What?" she demanded shocked.
He looked up at her with his clear blue eyes.
"I could say that I know you like the hunt just as much as the kill, if not more." he said thoughtfully, taking another drag. "And you have fought me, found it challenging and you aren't going to kill me now when I can do next to nothing about it."
"if you think that I find fighting you challenging well-"
Spike rolled his eyes.
"You haven't beaten me yet, slayer." he paused, thought for a moment and then nodded. "Not on fair ground anyway."
She just looked at him pointedly, she was the reason he was in the wheel chair at all.
"Two slayers." he explained. "Even I didn't see that coming, but that's a bitch innit?"
She stared at him. What did he mean when he said that he didn't see that coming? Did he predict everything she did? And why the hell was she making with the big thinking because of something SPIKE said. He was many things, but a great thinker was not one of them. Even angel attested to that.
However, right now he seemed to actually be thinking, although he did snap out of it quickly.
"The only reason you are still breathing now is your mum and you should know that." he informed her, he paused again. "Now where was I? Ah yes, I could also say that you won't stake me because of that whole compassion bit you humans have."
Buffy narrowed her eyes at his and crossed her arms. Her stake appeared in one of her hands and she held it up as if to remind him that she was still holding it.
"If you think I have compassion for you, then you are out of what little you have left of your mind."
Spike clicked his tongue.
"Very well, slayer." he said, grinning he wheeled his chair a little bit back and moved his arms to the side while keeping his elbows on the arms rests, it was an open gesture. He was intentionally giving her a target. "Do it."
Her eyes widened so much that it was almost comical; she very nearly dropped her stake.
"What?"
"You bloody well heard me." he said. "Do it. I won't stop you."
Buffy glared at him and then at the stake and then back at him and back at her stake. She couldn't do it. Not unless she was fighting him or he vamped or something. With him just sitting there looking like a roman statue carved out marble-she did not just compliment him- she couldn't bring herself to ram a big piece of wood into his chest.
Spike's smirk was back on his face.
"Thought not." he shook his head. "I've mentioned a lot of reasons that you won't stake me, pet, but truthfully?" he paused; Buffy she knew she wasn't going to like his answer. He leaned forward conspirationally. "I think that you just don't have the stones."
She stood there, glared at him for a long moment before huffing and striding away. all the while muttering that she was absolutely nothing to prove to him and was there to kill angel-Angelus! Angelus! Angelus! God, Buffy get it RIGHT!-and that was all.
Spike watched her walk away with amused blue eyes before shaking his head and going back to the book he was reading.
Author's note: hope that you enjoyed. If i get enough reveiws i'll post the next chapter. So keep them coming.