AN: Thank you for the reviews so far. You guys are amazing. Shout out to ginar369, aligal528, MariaAquarius, Creative critic and cavemenftw! You have kept me inspired, please keep the reviews coming. Hope you enjoy the next chapter.
Also, on another note, I've started a spin off to this story. The False Memoires of Edie Stone. It's kind of a prequel. It's a series of random stories told through Edie's POV that explain how she became friends with Spike and just tells you a little more about her. Please check it out and hope you like it!
The Key
By Secret Slayer
Happy Birthday Edie
She hit, he blocked. She kicked, he blocked. She flipped, he intercepted. She rolled, he dodged.
Spike leans to his left in a single smooth motion, easily missing Edie's fist. With his right hand, he grabs her by the wrist, twists her around and pins her against his chest. He leans in and gently nips the pulse point of her neck. She tries to elbow him in the ribs, but he predicts it and flinches away, pushing her away from him with enough force she almost loses her balance entirely. She stumbles forward clumsily from the momentum and Spike shakes his head. As she straightens herself out and is about to turn, he darts out of sight.
Edie frowns at the empty space before her. Without warning, Spike is behind her, pinning her arms to her sides. She drops the stake in her hands and attempts to bend forward to pick it up, but the vampire's strength keeps her firmly in his grasp. His lips brush against her neck again.
"You're dead again," Spike whispers in her ear.
Edie's body relaxes from exhaustion in his arms. His firm grip on her lower arms softens and she leans back, letting her body weight rest against his chest. She tilts her head up to look at him and he looks down at her with a raised eyebrow.
"I suck at combat," she announces with a scowl.
"Just need practice, pet," Spike assures her.
She pulls away and sighs with frustration. "I haven't got time to practice! This Glory bird is after me and without my powers around her, I'm toast." Her head drops sadly, "I really will be dead."
"Hey, none of that," Spike says firmly, taking a step towards her.
Edie looks up at him with glassy eyes, her dark blonde hair falling in disarray around her face, having escaped from her ponytail during sparring. A tear trickles down her cheek and Spike is in front of her before she can blink, the pad of his thumb wiping the liquid away. She leans into his touch, sighing from the relief his cold skin gives to her own flushed, slightly sweaty, face.
"I'm scared Spike," she whispers.
"You're bloody daft," he says confidently.
Edie's eyes snap open and she looks at him curiously.
"Got the slayer on your side, haven't you?" he reminds her, "Not to mention a devilishly handsome vampire prepared to put himself in an ashtray before anything bad happens to you. That Glory bint won't lay a single finger on my woman."
She laughs and the tension eases away.
"That's more like it," Spike says with a smile of his own.
"I'm going to shower," Edie says, glancing at the door behind the vampire. "It's still so weird you living in an actual apartment."
Spike wanders over to the open plan kitchen. It's a very basic and drab apartment, with small touches of detail added by Edie, who seems to bring something new with her on every visit. The walls are either white or a dark grey and the kitchen is reasonably modern compared to the rest of the apartment, with stainless steel fittings and granite surfaces. It has a big fridge, which Spike is currently rummaging around. He kicks it closed with the toe of his boot, a jar of pig's blood in hand. He opens a cupboard to his left, pulling out a glass and casually pours himself a cup of blood. Edie doesn't even blink twice, thoroughly used to the scene.
"I miss the crypt," Spike says, licking a drop of blood at the corner of his lips. "Had character and its own charm."
Edie rolls her eyes. "It also had cobwebs, leaky pipes and rats the size of dogs."
Spike shrugs. "Everything has its ups and downs."
"I'm sorry, I believe I misheard you," Giles says, removing his glasses. "We're going where for Edie's birthday?"
Buffy squirms on the spot and bites her bottom lip. Giles replaces his glasses on his nose and looks at the slayer expectantly, challenging her to repeat her last sentence. His cheeks are already flushing from anger.
"To Spike's," she replies casually.
Giles pinches the bridge of his nose and squeezes his eyes shut. "I don't understand. We're spending your cousin's twentieth birthday in a crypt."
"Not exactly," Buffy replies sheepishly. "Spike kinda got his own place."
The Watcher's eyes open in a flash and he looks at Buffy dubiously. "He has his own accommodation? Human accommodation? How on earth did he afford that?"
"In a completely non-evil way!" Buffy says defensively and then ducks her head. "I'm sure..." she adds unsurely.
Luckily, he misses her last comment. He begins pacing back and forth in the training room and Buffy watches him nervously.
"This is going too far Buffy," he finally says, stopping mid-stride. "I've let this carry on long enough."
Buffy frowns and from her look, he sighs impatiently before explaining. "Allowing Spike into our lives can only lead to bad consequences Buffy. He is not one of us. He's a soulless demon and should not be given the opportunity to grow attached to Edie. Next, you'll be telling me she's moving in with him!"
Buffy looks away sheepishly and Giles' bottom jaw drops.
"Oh for goodness sake, she's moving in?!"
Buffy shrugs nonchalantly, "It's been discussed. Mom thinks Edie would be safer there. It's somewhere Glory wouldn't think to look and Spike's strong and loves-"
"Stop," Giles snaps. He gives her a hard look. "Stop right there."
Buffy frowns with confusion, her nose wrinkling as she tries to think what she has possibly said to offend the British man. "Stop what?"
"He's got you all wrapped around his little finger," Giles says harshly.
Buffy glares back at the man, feeling rage building within her, but before she can say anything, Giles continues.
"He doesn't love, Buffy. Have years of training and experience taught you nothing? He has no soul. He isn't Angel and even if he was, I cannot condone a vampire being allowed such intimate access to this group – not again. Edie is in grave danger; the world is in grave danger from Glory. It's simply not acceptable that this continue."
Buffy laughs. A sharp, bitter sound that makes the man recoil.
"I'm not having this conversation," she finally declares, no humour in her expression at all. She moves to the door to re-enter the main part of the shop, but pauses with a hand on the handle. "If you're not going to accept this, don't go to Edie's birthday. Your choice, but she won't ever forgive you."
She leaves the man silent in the training room, struggling between morals and family.
"N-nice place," Tara says as she walks through the door.
Willow, who's holding her hand, follows behind her girlfriend, offering the vampire a gentle smile. Spike nods his greetings and closes the door behind them.
"You got the stuff?" Spike asks the red head.
Willow nods, her smile brightening further and her eyes twinkling with excitement. She removes the heavy looking bag from her shoulder and places it on the kitchen counter. Tara releases her hand and takes a seat on the sofa, her eyes following her girlfriend with unrestrained awe.
"All here," Willow replies confidently, tipping the contents of her bag over the granite surface.
Spike walks to stand beside the witch, looking over her shoulder at the items before them. A single, gnarly looking black candle, several small packets of herbs, a purplish translucent crystal and, most importantly, some pink balloons.
"This shouldn't take long," Willow says as she picks up the candle.
She opens her mouth to ask for something, but Spike seems to read her mind and before she can blink, he holds up his lighter for her, which she takes with a grateful smile. She flicks it alight and holds it to the candle. It lights almost instantly and an emerald green flame crackles to life.
"Pretty," Tara whispers from her spot on the sofa.
Willow begins chanting something in what Spike assumes is Latin and the flame slowly morphs from green to purple and then to a vivid hot pink. The crackling grows more violent and Spike cautiously steps back, not wanting to catch fire. The lights in the apartment begin to flicker and Tara looks around nervously. They go out with a loud pop that makes the vampire flinch. The only light is the magical candle, illuminating Willow's face, her mouth now silently chanting. Spike begins to wonder if the witch has control of this spell, when suddenly the lights all come back on with a similar pop and the candle in her hands evaporates. The little purplish crystal glows an intense white, momentarily blinding them all and when they regain their vision, they look upon a beautifully decorated apartment.
"Nifty," Willow says, looking around at the sparkly streamers and banners.
"Nice work Red," Spike says, nodding approval.
"I-it looks very nice," Tara concludes.
"What was with the herbs?" Spike asks, picking up one of the packets on the counter.
Willow shrugs. "They smell nice. It's kinda musty in here."
Spike frowns at the witch and she smiles sheepishly, snatching the little packet from his hand and heading to find a small bowl to burn them in.
"I-its understandable," Tara says gently to the vampire. "All your s-stuff is from a crypt. I-it's going to smell a bit-"
"Edie never said anything," Spike scoffs.
Willow and Tara share a knowing glance at each other and Spike's shoulders sag.
"She said it to you, didn't she?" he asks, looking hurt.
Willow panics at his sad face, "Only because she loves you and didn't want to hurt your feelings. We're all really proud of you for ya know, being less vamp-y and more people-y."
"I guess I'm a little out of touch with the whole living scene," he admits, running a hand through his platinum hair.
Willow and Tara both look at him sympathetically. "It's okay," Willow assures him. She walks beside him and gently pats his shoulder to comfort him. "You'll get there. Also, Edie digs the whole vampire thing." Willow gives him a wink and he smirks.
"Good, 'cause I don't think I'm gonna be breathing anytime soon," he says.
There's a knock at the door and Willow scurries over and pulls it open, smiling brightly at Xander and Anya.
"This is so weird," is the first thing Xander says as he walks in, Anya clinging to his arm.
Spike glares at the man and Xander's eyes widen at his slip.
"But also totally cool," he backpedals. "All with the accepting here," he adds, holding his hands up in mock surrender, "Just you know, this time last year you wanted to eat me and was tied to a chair in my basement."
"I try to forget," Spike retorts dryly.
"Where are the presents?" Anya blurts out. "I want to see the presents."
"Ahn, we've been through this," Xander begins.
Spike tunes the rest of their conversation out, nervously looking around his apartment. He felt out of place. This was all so – human.
"Earth to Spike."
Fingers click in his line of vision and Dawn and Joyce stand before him, Dawn giving him an impatient look. She removes her hand from his vision and places both hands on her hips, giving him an exasperated look or, as he likes to refer to it, the Buffy look.
"Hello Niblet," he greets and she instantly grins at his acknowledgement. He looks up to Joyce, who's watching him carefully, as though she can read his thoughts. He squirms a little and she tilts her head to the side as though trying to read his thoughts clearer. He clears his throat awkwardly, "Evening Joyce."
She smiles softly, "Good evening William. You've done a wonderful job with the place."
She looks around the apartment at the luxurious decorations, all black and silver with hints of pink, and then frowns, exhaling deeply.
"It smells just fine in here," she says under her breath with a confused frown.
Spike rolls his eyes and glances at the little pots of herbs gently burning on various surfaces around them.
"Thought Ripper would be here by now," Spike says.
Everyone looks at each other awkwardly – except Anya.
"Giles and Buffy had a fight," she announces, sipping on a glass of wine Willow had just offered her. "He doesn't like you."
"Anya!" Willow scorns.
Spike shrugs, "I wouldn't expect differently." He admits. "But Edie will be –"
"Edie will be what?"
At the door, Edie stands in a pretty floral dress that skims her knees and elongates her tanned legs. She wears a pretty pair of white sandals and her shoulders are bare, except for a lacy shawl that hangs around her elbows. Behind her, Buffy stands with a warning look at the gang, her hands over her cousin's eyes.
The gang quickly drop the topic. Edie sniffs.
"Huh, I was sure the surprise venue would be Spike's, but this doesn't smell like-"
Buffy removes her hands.
"Spikes..." she finishes guiltily, the vampire glaring at her.
"Surprise!" Everyone shouts in unison.
Spike rolls his eyes and then smiles. "Happy Birthday, pet."
A bright grin of perfectly white teeth spreads across her face, "Ah guys, this place looks amazing!"
"Can we open presents now?" Anya asks enthusiastically.
"Demon girl told me about the fight with you and the Watcher," Spike says quietly, standing beside Buffy.
She sips her drink, watching her friends and cousin dance around the room, laughing easily.
"I thought he'd show," Buffy says disappointedly, briefly glancing at the vampire. "I guess he can't accept this and if that's the case then-"
A knock at the door disrupts her sentence and Dawn practically bounces over to it, swinging it open with a goofy smile.
"Good evening."
The room falls uncomfortably quiet as Giles stands in the doorway, a little green wrapped box in his hand. Edie looks around confused and oblivious to any previous confrontation.
"Happy Birthday Edie," Giles says calmly, only looking at her.
"Thanks Giles," she says happily.
Xander clears his throat, "Good to see you G-man."
"Yes, quite," the Watcher replies a little stiffly.
There's a ripple of nervous energy as he approaches the vampire. Spike watches him with raised eyebrows, preparing for whatever angry rant was about to come.
"You have a very nice apartment Spike," Giles replies, his politeness a little forced.
Spike frowns warily, "Thank you."
"Time for party games!" Willow suddenly calls from behind.
The tension is broken and although Giles remains at a fair distance from the vampire, the effort to accept the undead man is appreciated and noted all the same.
The music plays at a low level in the background and the floor is littered with discarded wrapping paper, paper plates and toppled over plastic cups, with the odd streamer thrown in for good measure. Giles is talking to Joyce in the far corner of the lounge area and she laughs demurely at something he says, causing him to smile fondly in return.
On the sofa, Xander lounges back on the sofa, Anya curled into his left side, her eyes glued on a black and white film flickering on the muted television and Dawn is snuggled against his right side, sleeping peacefully. Xander's head bobs forward occasionally as sleep threatens to overcome him.
Willow and Tara are sitting cross legged on the floor, floating a crystal between them and looking at each other as though they're saying a thousand words purely with their eyes. Willow giggles at a joke only she can hear and Tara smirks. The crystal drops from their lack of conversation and they both giggle, beginning to talk aloud, but not loud enough to be heard over the music.
"This beats a Buffy Birthday," Buffy announces.
"Oh definitely," Edie agrees. She glances at her watch.
"Spike did good," the Slayer says softly.
Edie smiles, "Yeah he did."
She glances at her watch again.
"I never thought I'd say that," Buffy says teasingly.
"I wonder where he's got to," Edie suddenly says, frowning at the lack of bleach blonde.
"Probably went for a smoke," her cousin offers.
"Maybe, but he's been gone a while..."
An odd smell enters her senses, something familiar, but not entirely comforting. It's close – maybe just outside the door. She hears a shuffle, a bang, some crashing and then some cursing.
"He's fighting with someone," Edie says quickly, dumping her cup on the counter and running towards the door.
Buffy frowns, "Glory?"
"No. Worse," Edie replies glumly, swinging the front door open.
"Get off me, you sod!"
Edie and Buffy freeze in the door way.
Angel looks up from the floor, Spike pinned beneath him with a bloody nose.
"Happy Birthday Edie."
Edie groans, "So much for not having a Buffy Birthday."
TBC...