AN: So you know how I promised no more Buffy dialogue until season 5? That turned out to be false. Sorry. Also, I apologize to anyone that absolutely hates Riley. He's in here and they're being kind of cute. Sorry guys, but it was canon at the time. Hopefully what Buffy says about Spike makes up for it! Takes place after Restless. And since I probably won't post tomorrow, Happy New Year!
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Sunnydale, 2000
Two hours after testifying, Riley was sitting across from Buffy in a diner, enjoying a patty melt. Buffy watched him attacking his food from behind her half-finished milkshake and grinned.
"That one as good as the first two?"
He smiled. "What can I say? Testifying makes a guy hungry."
"Yes." She adopted a serious look. "I think I heard that once on Judge Judy."
He chuckled and swallowed the final bite. "You know, I can think of something else that works up an appetite."
Buffy rested her chin on her fist, eyes sparkling. "And what would that be?"
"Fighting demons."
She blinked. "Oh."
"What? Oh! You thought I meant… well, yeah that too, but we were talking about my testimony and while I was there I promised to help dispatch the demons that escaped, so, uh, that's kind of where my head was. Sorry."
She looked amused. "Dispatch?"
Riley shifted in his seat. "Their word, not mine. So how about it? Wanna kill some stuff tonight?"
Her face scrunched up and she groaned. "Tonight? We just defeated the initiative. And I told you about those crazy dreams we had. Not exactly good for the restful sleeping. Also, summer."
"You trying to tell me you get summer vacation?" he teased.
"Kind of do. Demon activity is always pretty low-key during the summer. According to Giles and his books, it has something to do with the humidity and the long days. Demons get too hot, vamps get too dusty. So we get sort of a breather. Which is nice, since spring tends to make evil things particularly prone to world endage plans."
A smile spread out over Riley's face as he contemplated the idea of an entire summer stretching out before them, free of apocalypse. "That would be a nice change of pace."
She nodded. "It really is. I forgot this is going to be your first summer here. We should celebrate. Ooh! Let's go to The Bronze! We can do a routine sweep to check for any big uglies and then go have some much needed fun."
Riley motioned for the check, and nodded his agreement. "Speaking of big uglies, what are you going to do about Hostile Seventeen?"
Buffy frowned. "Can't you just call him Spike? Hostile Seventeen sounds so…military."
Riley sighed. "Fine. What are you planning to do with Spike?"
She shrugged. "Nothing. Aside from being a large, vampire-shaped pain in my ass, he doesn't really affect me."
Riley looked up from his wallet, incredulous. "He was helping Adam!"
"Yeah and look how well that turned out. He's horrible at planning. Always has been. But if he ever gets that chip out, it's game over."
Riley waited until the waitress had walked over to the table, picked up his credit card, and walked back to the register before replying. "But why wait? Wouldn't it be easier to just walk in and stake him while he can't fight back?"
"It would," she conceded. "But you know I'm not comfortable killing things that can't fight back. And you have to admit that just strolling in and staking him would be pretty harsh."
"And he wouldn't do the same to you if he gets the chip out? Do you really think he'll tell you first? Or just go up to you, acting like nothings different and then break your neck? He's a monster Buffy!"
The waitress laid the card on the table, and if she was confused by their conversation, she didn't show it.
Buffy regarded her boyfriend calmly. "No. He wouldn't tell me. But he wouldn't kill me either. He likes the fight too much. He'd hit me without warning, but he'd want to have it out. Find out who's better once and for all." Riley tried very, very hard to ignore the look on Buffy's face, and the faraway sound of her voice. Then she shook herself, almost imperceptibly, and declared, "Of course he'll find out that I'm the best. Why are you so hell-bent on staking him all of a sudden anyway?"
Riley slid out of the booth as he explained, "I just don't like the idea of him being out there. He wants you dead and there are lots of ways to kill a person, ways that don't require physical contact. I worry about you. I can't help it. And I don't trust him."
She stood up next to him, and grabbed his hand. "I know. And I don't trust him either, but I know my enemies. And I know he's not going to hurt me. Not unless he can fight me."
They made their way to the door, hand in hand. "Besides, it's really hot out, and vamp dust sticks like a bitch when I get sweaty. I really don't want to consider how many showers I'd have to take to get Spike out of my skin."
The sound of Riley's laughter faded as the door shut behind them.
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Next up: Spike goes after that eleven quid.
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