Back to Buffy
Chapter 1
Spike leaned heavily against the bonnet of his car. He flicked open his zippo and lit another cigarette. Drawing deep, the tip glowed. He clicked the lighter shut and pocketed it. Looking down at his boots he viewed the remains of several butts littered around him and began grinding his teeth. This was ridiculous.
He let out a snort of annoyance and threw his head back to look up into the night sky.
'Bloody women,' he thought. Why was it that every miserable or crappy event in his life could be traced back to 'bloody women'. He shut his eyes.
'Sod her,' he thought. He'd waited for nearly two hours now, and he was doing her a favour in the first place. God, she had some nerve. Since he had been chipped, fighting demons was the only violent relief he could find.
He'd gone off on his own quite a bit to begin with, wreaking havoc on any monster that crossed his path; surprisingly it was less satisfying than he expected. But when he was with her, it was different.
He tried not to think about it, rationalising it as an extension of his lust for her blood. If he could not physically harm her, harming things in her vicinity would have to do; a reminder of how badass he was and what he would do to her when he got rid of the chip and its brain crushing restraints.
'Bitch is gonna be so dead'.
He flipped the finished butt to the floor, a wry smile spreading across his lips. He toed the discarded cigs, sighing he reached into his coat for his smokes and lit another. His smile started to fade.
He had read the same paragraph four times now; he just couldn't concentrate. As hard as he tried, his mind kept wandering back to last night. He had waited for her for two and a half hours before visiting her house. He stood outside and looked in at the kitchen window, listening to the inane chatter that she and her friends constantly seemed to babble. God she was stupid; he was amazed she was still alive. It was miraculous really.
Suddenly, mid conversation, he'd heard Red say his name.
"Buffy, weren't you suppose to patrol tonight with Spike? I thought there was that weird beaky thing to slay, what did Giles call it, an Aviasws - you know the thing with the nest made of human bones?"
Buffy watched the popcorn spin in the microwave and shrugged.
"Oh, I slayed foghorn leghorn this morning".
Xander chipped in.
"On your own? Buff you should have had some backup".
The microwave pinged.
"No need, it was just like a really big and slightly scaly chicken".
She emptied the popcorn into a bowl and added, with her characteristic lack of charm, "No harm no foul".
Spike shook his head.
The group started back to the living room and he strained to listen. Xander was making some God awful joke about an Aviasws crossing the road. How he hated that boy.
And there it was, the reason he had been left waiting like a fool for hours; she hadn't needed his help, she'd killed the thing herself that morning. Brilliant, she couldn't even be arsed to tell him the hunt was off. Her manners really were crappy. She could have at least told him about the change of plans, but apparently he wasn't important enough. She had a knack for making him feel like a fool. He thought about bursting in and giving her a piece of his mind.
'Forget something you stupid bubble headed bint?'
But then she'd know that it had bothered him and he didn't want to give her the satisfaction. He'd probably get clocked in the nose for breaking up the stupid movie night.
On the way back to his crypt he picked up a carton of smokes and enough booze to put an Irish wake to shame and after a fair few hours of drinking, chain smoking and ranting aloud, he settled down to try to read.
After the fifth attempt at reading the same paragraph he snapped the book shut and was about to fling it across the room when he heard the creak of his crypt door. Jumping up from his seat he balled his fists, readying himself for whatever nasty had come visiting.
She stood in his doorway. He noted the default hands on her hips, her head tilted slightly upward in a defiant gesture. Why on earth was she here?
She stepped down into his crypt
"Spike, Giles has found some interesting leads on a Paroki demon, he thinks it might be living close to a rubbish dump. They like to live in squalor".
She scanned the room and he knew what was coming next.
"Apparently they're not the only ones..."
So predictable. How he loathed her.
"Anyway, I thought me and you should head out tonight, do some recon". She looked about again and raised an eyebrow, "you obviously know where the local dump is".
He realised not only were his fists still clenched, he had unconsciously clenched his jaw as well.
Buffy adjusted her hair. "So be ready at the cemetery gates at nightfall". She stopped fiddling with her golden locks and looked up at Spike, the direct eye contact snapped him out of his ferocious silence.
"Take your flat skinny arse and that stupid bouncy hair of yours out of my bloody crypt, your throwing off the decor".
Buffy looked shocked but she allowed herself a momentary worried glance back to her behind before rallying with her own anger.
"Hey! What the hell's wrong with my butt? Like yours is a peachy delight to die for! You're bony and you're pale..."
She struggled for a truly cutting remark, her eyes shining deviously as she hit on a true winner. With a smirk she added, " But then I guess you've been on a bit of a crash diet recently haven't you Spikey?" She narrowed her eyes. "So if you're not too busy wasting away, I may let you help me track this thing."
He'd never felt rage like it - it consumed him. He stood rooted, seething, his eyes locked with the Slayer's. He considered smashing her skull in, but the pain in his own head wouldn't allow it. He'd have to make do with a vicious verbal battering instead. Like a true predator he went straight for the soft spot.
"Come on now Buffy, if anyone here knows anything about dumpsville it's you love".
There it was, job done. Buffy's bottom lip was starting to stick out and her eyes were glossing. He'd knocked her off her pious pedestal.
Spike lit a triumphant cigarette as he walked over to the Slayer, exhaling the smoke into her face as he drew near.
"Now be a good bit and sod off".
He shoved her back out of his crypt into the light and slammed the door shut.
That felt almost as good as pummelling her used to.
Buffy stared at the crypt door. What the hell just happened? Angry tears started to well up. How dare he? She wanted to kick down the door and plant her fist firmly in his stupid smug face. But she was a grown up now, she would rise above it. What did she care about the opinions of a ridiculous disabled vampire? She turned and started a brisk walk home.
And just where on earth did he get off speaking to her like that?
She gave a mental shrug. 'Buffy get over it, it's just Spike'.
She realised how quickly she was walking and slowed down. What the hell had started him off? Yeah, he was unpredictable, but normally news of a creature hunt was greeted with relish not hostility.
She stopped dead.
Surely that couldn't be it, could it?
Buffy scanned her memory. Giles had told her about the Aviasws, about how it nested in human bones. It had sounded grizzly so she'd reluctantly asked Spike for some back up. Of course later that day Willow found a picture of the creature in an old reference book and turned out it looked more like big bird than big bad, so she just went off and slayed the thing herself. Of course she had forgotten to tell Spike. Technically she'd stood him up. Then when Willow had reminded her, she'd not even thought about bothering to let him know. God he was highly strung, he was taking it so personally! He was evil and soulless for crying out loud; you'd think he had better reasons to get snarky.
Her walking slowed down to a stroll, Buffy thought about the interaction and felt bad. Not about the standing him up bit – it was just Spike - but she did care about what he had said to her in the crypt. Spike commenting on her love life had left her fuming. He always managed to get under her skin. She hated him; he was just so sucky.
Buffy stopped and looked back towards the crypt. Screw it, she wasn't that grown up yet.
She got back to the crypt in no time at all; Slayer legs were pretty good for running. They were also good for kicking doors down and exceptional at stomping vampire butt. As the door crashed to the floor she realised she was feeling better than she had for a long time; she was enjoying this way too much.
Spike shot up from the sofa, the shocked look on his face quickly turning to annoyance.
"You are going to pay for that bimborella".
In two quick steps she was at his side.
Buffy wanted to make him pay and he was the perfect punch bag. She'd vent by pounding him for a bit then head off home satisfied. It was like therapy and cardio at the same time.
He was out of practice, or she had gotten faster. He managed to block or duck most of it but she was really into the idea of wailing on him. He lost his concentration and she swept his legs. He hit the floor hard and before he knew it she was on top of him, pinning his arms to his sides with her legs. She sat on him and punched him in the nose, he felt the blood running freely from it but it wasn't broken. She must have pulled her punch.
Spike looked up at her. She had raised her tiny fist ready for another blow, her breath quick and the corners of her mouth betraying a smile of enjoyment.
"Bitch," he spat out.
Her arm shot out and she caught him squarely on the jaw. He snapped his head back around to glare at her, tasting his own blood.
"Ever considered life as a Catholic nun, love? I mean, you don't have much luck with the fella's anyway and you'd get to thrash all the young boys your heart desired..."
She caught him just above his eye and his head slammed back into the floor. Maybe he should ease up on the glib remarks. Just one more money shot maybe…
"Slayers, you'll never understand. The only time somebody will ever want you, truly want you, is when it's a creature like me, the thing you hate the most who wants to sink his teeth into you and suck you dry...and when I'm free of this chip and that day comes, you'll be mine, Slayer, all mine".
He looked up at her and tensed in readiness for the assault.
Buffy had been enjoying herself, maybe a bit too much truth be told. She'd let Spike get a few verbal digs in, going easy on him and pulling the punches a little to stretch it out. She'd quite enjoyed the one about the nun. Ready to wrap it up, she'd let him get one more in before knocking him out cold. She didn't expect what he'd said next to affect her so much.
Spike was confused. He thought, 'maybe she's had a stroke or something'.
Buffy hovered over him in suspended animation. She was staring at him in a very odd way; her hand still pulled back ready for action. She lowered it slowly and placed it gently around his throat.
He didn't like the way this was going. Maybe telling her he was going to suck her dry wasn't the best idea he'd ever had. She leaned down placing her face close to his and Spike suddenly felt very afraid. She'd finally cracked. Thank God she didn't have a stake to hand or he'd be dust already.
They had been in close proximity when they had fought before and there was that time Red had cast that infernal spell that duped them into believing they were in love and going to get married. He didn't like his reality being blurred like that; it was a taste of a life that was completely alien to him. That was magic though and this was very different. The room around him blurred as he concentrated completely on the small blond girl sat on top of him.
Buffy wasn't quite sure of what she was doing; there wasn't really a plan anymore. She looked down at Spike and ran his words around her head. 'Creatures like me are the only ones that will ever truly want you, you'll be mine, Slayer, all mine'. She hated him, but as he had said it, his eyes were truly full of longing for her. Even if it was the longing to take her life away. But he was incapable, the chip saw to that.
For Buffy, the temptation was too great; she would have some fun with him, a little get back for all the crappy people and crappy things that kept happening to her life. She'd drive him insane with desire for her blood then toss him aside. If he wanted to tease her about the things in her life she couldn't have, then he'd get it back tenfold.
The Slayer's face seemed to fill Spike's vision; her lips full and pouting and her green eyes huge and boring holes into his. What the hell was going on? He had to snap out of this. He tried to shrug her off but she tightened her legs around him.
"Spike", she whispered and terror spread through his body. He was a dead, dead man .
"You want me don't you? You want to sink your fangs into me and suck me dry..."
She leaned forward, twisting her head to the side and presenting her long delicate neck in front of his mouth. Her skin brushed against his lips. "Well go ahead Spike".
Spike's brain went into meltdown.
There was a part, the prominent part, that was screaming for him to drop fang and tear into her flesh; it made him dizzy with the thought of it. Then there was the sensible part that said if you do that you idiot your brain will explode in your skull - shake her off and get as far away from her as you can. Then, in amongst the confusion playing out in his mind, he became suddenly aware of the physicality of the situation. While her one hand lay gently on his chest, the other had moved from around his throat and was entwined in the hair at the nape of his neck, holding his head in place close to her. Her hair hung around him like a golden curtain blocking his vision of all but her. It brushed against his lips again. So soft. He realised he had been frozen beneath her and was about to begin to protest when Buffy raised her head to look him in the eye. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were shining
"I thought you wanted to make me yours, all yours, remember?"
She moved her hand from his chest and ran a delicate little finger slowly and deliberately around his mouth. Spike muttered something, she thought it sounded like stop. Her finger moved up across his cheek and then slowly traced the scar in his eyebrow.
The electric shiver that shot down his spine finally snapped him back to his senses.
"Get the hell off of me," he growled.
The Slayer flashed a huge beaming grin in response.
"See you at the dump at dusk, Mister. Bring something nice and slicey. To kill this demon we need to cut it in half".
She tapped his nose with her finger then sprang to her feet and shot off out of the hole where his door used to be.