NIGHT SIXTY

"Start packing your things," Spike announced.

Jade looked up from the couch with surprise.

"Not that you 'ave very much to pack," Spike continued on with a contemplative frown. "But whatever you do have, get to packin' it up."

Jade frowned herself, more from confusion than from anything else. She threw off the blanket covering her, wincing only a little at the stab of pain flaring up in her torso. It had healed quite well, after not even a week. But not completely, not yet.

"Well, not right away," Spike said, as a second-thought. "Not leaving until next night, anyway."

She rose to her feet fluidly and gracefully, or as much so as she could manage. "Are we going somewhere?" Jade asked, attempting to keep her tone even. She didn't mean to be second-guessing him, it was kind of obvious to her that Spike ran the show—and that was fine with her. Probably smarter, really. She didn't know where much she would go, except probably north to Canada and live in the tundra and avoid human contact. As it was, putting her choices in Spike's hands had worked out. Certainly led to less boring endeavours. And she was getting better at controlling her bloodlust, she was.

Spike had taken her nearer to the other cabins every night. Sure, he was there, and with her gaping wound, probably even able to subdue her if necessary, but still. Baby steps, but in the right direction. Still, she liked it here. The luxury of it, the great screen TV and blood delivered to their doorstep, not to mention a huge shower—and bathroom—she had been pretty much spoiled. If they had to go back to running from place to place again—she wrinkled her nose at the thought.

But she wouldn't complain. He knew what was best. If there was one thing Spike had figured out, it was Vampires. And she was a new one. Had to defer to the Master, she supposed. Or maybe it was just because it was Spike. That was enough that made her want to be congenial. Good little obedient Slaypire.

"Yeah," Spike answered, scratching the back of his neck. He glanced over at her. "Not pushing many limits here. Don't need the full isolation gimmick anymore."

"Going to where there's more people?" Jade asked, trying to keep any alarm out of her tone. Sure, she had gotten better. She had her own stopgap measure. Found it by accident, when she had near staked herself on that tree, and Spike's offhand comment had fueled her curiosity. Pain did beat hunger. Whenever she felt the urge, or was in danger of feeling it, a little pain, and her head was cleared. No fangs, no longing, nothing. And it was easy enough right now, with her torso wound. Surreptitiously sticking her thumb into her ribs provided her with a sharp enough pang that she couldn't even think about being hungry.

Spike didn't know, and she didn't feel like it was necessary to tell him. She was overcoming her hunger, didn't really matter how. And she had a feeling he might have a problem with it, and he didn't need to. It worked. It was nothing she couldn't heal, even if the pain wasn't any lessened, the recuperation could. And it was a relief to know it wasn't solely out of her control, that just one second of distraction could end in blood. It was better this way. She'd made an improvement.

And he had noticed, then. She looked closely in his eyes, those bright blue eyes, and saw, carefully hidden behind his macho nonchalance, that he was proud.

So she pushed her misgivings away. If he thought she was ready, then she would be.

Spike glanced at her, a hint of a smile on his lips. Something amusing, a joke she didn't get. "A bit more, yeah."

Jade bounced up to the top of the couch, sitting precariously on it. It didn't take much balance to keep herself completely still, a combination of strength and discipline. She faced him, about the same height she would be if she was standing. She surveyed him seriously, tucking a errant strand of hair behind her ear as she nodded. "If you think I'm ready." She tried to keep the trepidation from her tone, but from his narrowing of his eyes, she wasn't quite successful.

"You're getting there, Bloody Mary," Spike insisted. "Gotten closer to the Happy Meals every day, haven't we? Haven't so much as vamp faced out at them."

Jade nodded. "Yeah," She admitted, softly. "I just… You were with me the whole time. And I was pretty hurt. Not at my best. Maybe that was why I was confident I couldn't hurt them. You'd stop me."

He regarded her with an unreadable expression, though it bordered on exasperation. "Stop you, would I?" He said in a low tone. He reached out then, in a blur, towards her, his hand reaching low, bunched in a fist, towards her tender flesh, where the branch had punctured her body.

Her own hand shot out, slender fingers ensnaring his wrist and stopping him mid-strike. He curled his fingers, but even his long digits couldn't brush her ribs, stopping only a hairbreadth from her shirt. He tried wiggling his caught arm, but her hold was steel. After a half-hearted attempt to free himself, his eyes glanced to hers, haughty and conceited.

"Can't stop you, girl wonder, even with a gapin' hole in you."

"Hrm." Jade said, a mix of acquiescence and loyal denial. Spike was a fighter. Most of his passion was borne into it, a glee that was as part of him as were his bones. She didn't believe in the absolute that he couldn't stop her. He'd find a way. Adapt somehow. Even if he lost a thousand times, she'd never rule him out completely. Still, that wasn't what he was getting at.

"You're right," She spoke. Her eyes glanced to his pale hand, still in the confines of her grasp. It was like marble, structured and carved, though with black chipped nail polish, due to one of their more lazier evenings watching TV. Cold but still alive, it had drooped demurely in her hold. Realising she still held him captive, she released him before he could mention it, and his hand returned back to his side.

"'Course I am," Spike said with a sneer that didn't have much vehemence behind it.

Jade managed a smile at his faux condescension. This was good. This was getting somewhere. She already felt bad about condemning Spike to babysitting duty in some backwater forest, so the sooner she got control over her bloodlust, the better. "And hopefully, less boring for you." She ventured.

Spike shrugged. "S'not about that." He fidgeted with the edge of his shirt. No duster today, but one of his frustratingly slimming long-sleeved shirts that accentuated everything about his body that was extremely hard not to admire. Slim and muscular, he was more than just eye-catching. "Not about excitement. Leads to shortcuts. Dangerous ones," He added, a warning, and Jade thought to her pain-filled method. Not quite a shortcut, was it? Still, she didn't think he knew, warning her in general rather than specifically. She relaxed a tad.

"Still. Not exactly the kind of living that excites you. Or… Unliving. I mean, maybe there's a good demon dimension somewhere if—"

"Relax," he chuckled. The flash of a smile stopped her immediately. "Don't need to try to please me, Slayer. I know what I got myself into. Not that I'm not riling for a good fight," He flicked his tongue over the edges of his teeth. "Have enough on my hands trying to beat you in a match. It'll do me for a time. And still, long as we beat Broody's record of a hundred years of rat-eatin and wallowing in alleys, s'not the worst."

Jade smiled. She'd almost had to write down all the numerous nicknames Spike had for Angel, although Captain Forehead, Poof and Broody were his favorites.

"'Sides, locking you up somewhere where there's no snacks around won't help you build your tolerance. This place will."

She sat up straighter, curiosity taking hold of her as she looked at him eminently. "A town?"

"Bit outside of one. Not quite in it."

"There's a lot of humans there?" No doubt, she kept her voice strong. As many as there were, she'd handle it.

"Not as many as most towns," Spike said purposefully, a glint in his eyes.

Jade frowned. "Wait. Does that mean—"

Spike smirked, nodding his head. Haughtiness in his gaze, that it had taken her so long to grasp the concept. "That's right. Back to a good ol' mix, where there's more demons than humans, all in a lit'l community. You got it, Bloody Mary. We're headed back to Haven."