Coming Through

Chapter Thirty Five – I'm Kitten. You're Bitch

Court was boring. Spike wasn't kidding at all about that. It was monumentally boring. As boring as… some other boring thing that she couldn't come up with because her brain was full of fuzz. It was a little bit interesting at the start because she'd been able to see a few demon species that she'd never heard of when the new residents had introduced themselves, but since then it had gone downhill. Quickly. 'God, I think I'd rather be at the shop doing research. That's a wild, drunken party compared to this. And there's usually pizza.' She caught a whiff of something unpleasant and wrinkled her nose. 'And the shop doesn't smell like onions… or rotten eggs… or whatever that is. Ew.'

Buffy's legs had gone to sleep ages ago as various demons droned on and on about whatever issue was currently torqueing their cookies. Buffy sighed quietly. 'God, what a bunch of whiners. And Spike has to deal with this all the time. I'd have punched something by now. Yeah, Spike can be in charge… I so don't want this job.' Spike made a non-committal noise in the back of his throat as he listened to the latest demon's tale of woe. It was speaking in a weird sort of clicking and grunting language that she wasn't even sure should qualify as a language, so she had no idea what this demon was having a problem with, but it sure seemed emotional about it.

Spike shifted in his chair then reached out to slide his fingers along the back of Buffy's neck as he tugged her close to his leg. She slid over; grimacing as the movement woke up her legs just enough for the ever-so-enjoyable pins and needles sensation to flare up all along her used-to-be blissfully numb limbs. She leaned into Spike's leg and wrapped her arm around his calf, resting her hand on top of his boot. He carded his fingers through her hair as whiny demon number… whatever, continued clicking and grunting.

Buffy laid her head on Spike's knee, her eyes drifting shut as her mind wandered. 'How can Spike… poster child for vampire ADD… sit so still for so long and be so patient? He never used to be like this. The only other time I've seen him be so silent and not moving was when he was unconscious. Before, he'd have been up and pacing around, smoking like a chimney and bitching about how he doesn't have time for all this 'bollocks.' He hasn't even had a cigarette the whole time we've been here. Maybe it's against the rules or something… and that's another thing… Spike is following rules… Spike… rules… the following of… God, that's just like six hundred kinds of weird. Guess being responsible for all of this stuff finally made the hundred and whatever year old vampire grow up.'

She shifted slightly and settled her cheek into a more comfortable position on his knee. 'And Tara. Wow. She's like his right hand man… or woman… whatever. The demons show her just as much respect as they show him. Quiet and timid, won't say boo to anybody Tara, is like the most powerful woman in Sunnydale.' Spike grunted and Buffy heard Tara shifting in her chair. 'Tara must be talking inside his head again. I wonder if he can talk back to her the same way? He didn't on the street, but he hasn't said hardly anything to her in here, so maybe he can. That would be kind of cool… and really handy in a fight.'

Spike's fingers trailed down Buffy's cheek and brushed lightly against her jaw, causing a shiver to work its way down her spine. She tightened her arm briefly on his leg as the clicking and grunting… yep, you guessed it… continued. 'Dawnie will be here tomorrow, or actually, later today. God, is this guy ever gonna shut up? Wonder if she's gonna wig when she sees that Spike bit me. Tara didn't seem surprised, but hey… both in the Spike bite club here. Wonder if he's bitten any of my other friends? Oh God… Giles. He's probably gonna have to get new glasses after he polishes the lenses right out of the ones he has. Especially when I ask him for books on vampire mating. Wheee. That's gonna be a world of fun.'

The demon suddenly stopped clicking and Buffy startled when Spike spoke. "All right, I'll go have a chat with him. I understand your requirements and we'll get it sorted. Willie's usually fairly agreeable… least when I'm asking. Is there anything else?"

Buffy groaned silently to herself when Mr. Clicky Demon started clicking again. 'You just had to ask, didn't you, Spike?' Apparently, Mr. Clicky was just saying 'no' or something because the clicking and grunting only lasted a few seconds then the demon turned and moved back to its seat. 'Thank God.'

Spike nudged her over and got to his feet, looking out over the room. "That it then? Anyone else need to speak with me?" When no one responded, Spike dropped back into the chair and leaned down to whisper in Buffy's ear. "Can you walk, pet?"

Her legs had gone numb again and she shook her head slightly as she leaned back against the chair and whispered, "Don't think so. My legs are asleep, Master."

He nodded and sat back in the chair. "Lavelda? I need to speak with you. The rest of you, Court is adjourned. Please show yourselves out. Clem, could you get the doors?"

Clem pushed the doors open then nodded and smiled at the multitude of demons that were slowly shuffling out of the room. A few took to the air, flying over the heads of the others and out the large open window above the dais. Buffy heard a loud pop that made her ears ring when a large family of demons, sitting just inside her field of vision, suddenly disappeared, a few of the chairs they had been sitting on falling over with a loud clatter. Buffy dropped her eyes to her knees and held her position as she listened to the room slowly empty out.

A shapely pair of legs that ended in a pair of fashionable black pumps slowly climbed the steps and stopped in front of her. A silver ankle bracelet with a dangling heart charm glinted in the light as a cloud of way too much lilac perfume surrounded Buffy. She held her breath as long as she could and then opened her mouth slightly as she tried to breathe through the cloying scent.

A lilting, melodic voice said, "Master Spike, so nice to see you again. You're looking amazing, as usual. Very fit."

Buffy could almost feel the woman's eyes crawling all over her vampire and had to tamp down a growl. She kept her head down but rolled her eyes up to peek through her hair as Spike leaned forward, reaching over her head to take a slim hand, adorned with several silver rings, and bring it to his lips. He pressed a light kiss to the back of it and his voice was all melty when he said, "Thank you for staying, Lavelda, and it's nice to see you back in town. How was your holiday?"

That growl was trying to escape again and Buffy clamped her lips together tightly, even though that meant she had to breathe through her nose, but a growling pet probably wouldn't be good for Spike's image. She struggled to keep it contained as she groused in her head. 'Melty voice? She gets melty voice?'

"Oh, it was wonderful. London is very beautiful, and thank you for suggesting it, but I'm afraid I had to cut the visit short… the damp weather was just not to my liking. I did enjoy all the fine English men, though." Her laugh was like tinkling bells. Buffy hated it. "I guess I don't have to stop that… with one of the finest right here in my hometown."

Spike chuckled and dipped his head slightly, "Ta, Lavelda. You're very kind."

Buffy could feel Lavelda's eyes on her and cringed inwardly as that voice lilted all over her. "Your pet is very beautiful, Master Spike. You've done very well for yourself."

Lavelda squeezed Spike's fingers and gently rubbed her thumb along his knuckles as her annoying tinkly laugh sprinkled over Buffy like chips of ice. Buffy twined her fingers together tightly in her lap, trying to keep them from forming into a fist and punching the skank who dared to… 'Why is she still touching him? She doesn't need to be touching him anymore. He's mine.' One of her fingernails punched through the skin of her palm and Spike's nose twitched slightly as a small bead of blood welled up along the tiny cut.

He let go of Lavelda's hand and dropped his hand to Buffy's head then started lightly stroking her hair. "Yes, she is, and yes, I have. Thank you." He shifted in the chair, his jeans clad leg brushing against Buffy's arm. "I'm a very lucky bloke, Lavelda. Buffy's a hell of a woman."

The tone of Lavelda's voice was a lot colder and more formal when she asked in clipped words, "What did you need to speak to me about, Master Spike?"

If Spike had picked up on her sudden change of attitude, he didn't show it. "I was wonderin' if you'd sensed any vampires in or around Sunnydale, other than me, of course."

She nodded and cocked one hip out, perching a perfectly manicured hand on it. "Yes, I have. There was a group of eight or so the other night in Restfield, but I'm assuming you took care of that, as I no longer feel them." Spike nodded. "There's one in the basement of this building." Spike nodded again. "There's one… a Master… female… older than you… under the college. Her mind is… not right."

Spike frowned. "Drusilla? She's here?"

The lilac perfume wafted around Buffy, almost making her gag as Lavelda moved over a few steps to stand in front of Tara's chair. "Do you mind?"

Tara glanced at Spike. *Do you want me to let her sit?* Spike nodded and Tara stood up, motioning for Lavelda to take her place. "Not at all. Now that everyone is gone, I need to take down the spell. Keeping it going for this long is starting to wear on me." Tara moved away from the chair as Lavelda dropped gracefully into it, canting her torso toward Spike to display her ample cleavage at the best possible angle. She laid her hand on his arm, smiling seductively.

Buffy turned her head slowly, trying not to draw attention to herself, and peeked up at Spike out of the corner of her eye. She grimaced as Lavelda's fingers traced light patterns over Spike's leather covered forearm. She forced herself to turn and watch Tara make her way to the other side of the huge room as she fought down another growl.

Spike was still stroking Buffy's hair and lightly twining his fingers through it. He tapped lightly against her neck as he murmured, "You should watch this, kitten. It's a bit weird, but interestin' all the same."

Lavelda's tinkling laugh spilled out again, setting Buffy's teeth on edge. "I've seen it done before, but I've never been in the middle of it."

Buffy frowned and clenched her jaw. 'He was talking to me… I'm kitten… you're… bitch.' She closed her eyes and started chanting in her head. 'Keep your cool, Buffy. Keep it together. Don't make Spike look bad. Do not kill the bitch… but if she doesn't stop touching him…' She clenched her hands again, making new divots in her palms. 'Be a good Buffy… for Spike.'

Buffy opened her eyes, Lavelda's annoying voice washing over her as she started blathering on about London and how nice the football players looked in their uniforms… blah, blah, blah. Buffy tuned her out as she watched Tara walk past the rows and rows of chairs, waving her hands. Buffy gasped as the chairs dissolved, leaving swirling, glittery dust in their place. When Tara reached the wooden doors, roughly a hundred feet away from where Buffy was kneeling, she turned to face the room and closed her eyes as she chanted something in a strange, flowing language. Buffy's stomach lurched as the room suddenly shifted, the ceiling dropping and the walls closing in. Plush carpet grew under her numb legs as the dais dissolved and Buffy seemed to float on the carpet then landed with a small thump when the dais disappeared completely. A roaring fireplace popped into existence directly behind Tara and both of them started moving toward her at a frightening pace.

The hard wooden chair she had been leaning against changed to something soft and squishy and Buffy closed her eyes, her head whirling and tumbling like she was on a carnival ride. Tara stopped chanting and when Buffy opened her eyes she was standing about fifteen feet away on the other side of a large coffee table that had appeared between them. She was turned away, holding her hands out to the heat from the fire. Buffy blinked when Tara turned and smiled at her. *Buffy? Don't freak out.*

Buffy jerked, bumping into Spike's leg and causing his fingers to tug sharply on the hair he'd been twining through them. He looked down at her and asked quietly, "You all right, pet?"

She nodded under his hand, "Yes, Master Spike," and he turned back to Lavelda as she continued to talk about her trip to London. Buffy turned her head slightly so Spike and Lavelda couldn't see her face, then looked up at Tara and mouthed, "Was that you?"

*Yes, it's me. You can talk back to me; just don't say anything out loud. Think it and I'll hear you.* She smiled gently. *You look like you have a bunch of questions, and we really didn't have a chance to talk much before Court started, so if you want to, you can ask and I'll tell you as much as I can while Spike and Lavelda are talking.*

Buffy closed her eyes and concentrated. The analytical part of her Slayer brain considered the bucket full of questions she wanted to ask, from what the heck Mr. Clicky Demon was so unhappy about, to what happened to the huge, airy room that had been turned into a cozy living room with overstuffed furniture and a roaring fire. Her brain turned over several questions, trying to find the most important one, and finally formed the one question that was burning uppermost in her mind. *Who is this skanky ho and why is she touching my vampire? Can I kill her? She is a demon, right?*

Tara's laughter felt really weird as it ping-ponged around Buffy's mind. *Yes, she's a demon, Buffy. And no, you can't kill her. She's a shape-shifter, but she only looks like this when she's around Spike. She's been after him for years, but she's never come on quite this strong before.*

Spike's hand left Buffy's head as he shifted in the chair, turning slightly and pulling his arm out from under Lavelda's hand. He dug in the pockets of his duster, pulling out a pack of smokes and his trusty Zippo. He turned a little more, pulling one leg up into the chair that had turned into a high-end leather recliner, and sparked up. He sucked the smoke deep into his lungs as he leaned back on the arm of the chair the furthest away from Lavelda. She was ensconced in her own recliner and was leaning over the overstuffed arm far enough that she was in danger of tipping right out into Spike's lap. His leg was still pressed against Buffy and she slid her arm around it, squeezing his calf against her side.

Lavelda frowned at the gesture and sat up a tiny bit then reached out and rested her hand on Spike's knee that was propped against the arm of his chair. "Your pet is not very well trained, Master Spike. She's breaking form."

Spike chuckled, "You can drop the Master, Vel. And she's not really my pet; you know that as well as I do." He looked over at Tara, "Glinda, could you do something for Buffy's legs? They've gone to sleep."

Tara nodded and moved around the coffee table then sat down on it, leaning toward Buffy. "I'm going to do a quick healing spell, Buffy. It might feel a little weird, but it shouldn't hurt."

Buffy nodded and Spike turned his gaze back to Lavelda as Tara chanted and lightly ran her fingers over Buffy's legs. "So, Vel, my Sire's in Sunnydale, eh? Do you know how long she's been here?"

Lavelda shook her head. "She was already here when I got back about a week ago."

Spike nodded, "Under the college, you say? Wonder what she's doin' down there? And she's alone?"

"Right now she is. There were some other vampires with her earlier, but they've moved." Lavelda leaned forward and took the pack of cigarettes out of Spike's hand then shook one out and placed it between her full, ruby red lips. She tossed the pack at him and he caught it as he leaned forward, flicking his lighter. She took a deep drag as he flipped his lighter closed and stuffed everything back into his pocket.

Buffy's legs felt fine now, but they were going to go right back to sleep if she didn't move soon. She lightly squeezed Spike's leg and he looked down at her. "Legs all right now?"

She nodded, "Yes, Master Spike, but…"

Spike smiled, "Court's over, kitten, no more need for that. Climb on up here." He shifted in the chair then put his foot back on the floor and patted his thigh. Buffy grinned and got to her feet then sat down on Spike's lap, draping her arm across his shoulders as she pulled her legs up and snuggled into him. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, lightly nipping her lips before kissing her deeply. She was panting slightly when he let her go and turned back to Lavelda. "Moved where?"

She was gaping at them with wide eyes then seemed to remember herself and snapped her mouth shut, jealousy written all over her fake shape-shiftery face. Buffy grinned because the daggers that Lavelda was glaring at her didn't give her a little shivery thrill of vindication. Uh-uh. Not at all. 'That's right, ya big ho. He's my vampire. So suck on that.'

Lavelda sputtered, "What?"

Spike chuckled, "The vampires. Where did they move to?"

Lavelda nodded toward the fireplace. "They're in the woods behind the mansion."