TITLE:
Darkest Before Dawn 25 "Drama"
AUTHOR: Nmissi
PART:25/?
DISCLAIMER: I own Nothing and No one.
Especially not Spike. If I did,
what makes you think I'd share him with you?
DISTRIBUTION: Want it? Take it. Just let me know where it's going.
Feedback:
Please. Nmissi@aol.com
SUMMARY: The way the world would work if I wrote the Buffyverse.
"Look. All you have to do is sit there and look halfway
decent. Do you think you can do that for me? Can you?"
She regarded him with disgust, from the passenger's seat.
In the ten minutes they'd been in the car, he'd been rude and hateful. He
didn't like the dress she was wearing. He didn't like her perfume. He didn't
like the gallery. He didn't like cocktail parties and he didn't like wearing a
tie.
She ignored his scowl, and reached for the radio knob.
"Take your hands off that," he growled.
She ignored him and twisted the dial until she found some
innocuous pop music. He groaned loudly and reached over her hand, fiddling with
the tape player.
Strains of Smashing Pumpkins wafted through the car, and
she gritted her teeth.
"I will not listen to this shit."
He looked over at her, raising his eyebrow.
"You won't? Well, love, you're always free to get out."
He gave her an ugly smirk.
"And what luck- There's the bus stop."
He'd had enough of her, he had. Dressing him up like a
poncy fairy, making him go to a soiree at the gallery tonight. She'd recombed
his hair, and smelled his breath for liquor. She'd confiscated his flask.
She'd made him put on ugly shoes and an even uglier
necktie.
He drew back from his ruminations when he realized she
was trying to open the car door- while it was moving.
"Bloody hell! What are you doing?"
He slowed suddenly as she wrenched open the door. He was
barely quick enough to seize her arm; keeping her inside the car.
She turned wet blue eyes on him.
"I'm getting out and walking. Like you said- There's the
bus stop."
He hadn't meant it. And she had to know he hadn't. He was
just angry. But he wasn't angry anymore; just ashamed. He'd hurt her feelings
again. He seemed to do that a lot these days.
"I'm sorry, baby. I didn't mean it."
He released her elbow and she slumped back against the
seat. Her lip shaking, her eyes moist, she was a picture of wounded femininity.
He felt like a heel.
"Here. You can listen to your music, okay?"
He fiddled with the dial, hunting for that crap she liked
to listen to.
"I don't want to anymore."
Her voice was small, but steely. She was hurt, yes- But
she was still angry. Spike felt slightly better. Anger he could work with. He
was utterly helpless before tears.
He switched it off, and reached for her hand.
"Okay. No music, then. We'll just go on, alright?"
She released him, and pulled slightly towards the car
door. Looking out the windshield she spoke to him.
"If you don't want to go, you don't have to. I could go
alone. It's no big. Or I could call someone else, get someone else to escort
me."
So, she thought she could make him jealous? Managing
Bitch.
Then he realized he was jealous, and he cringed. He was
as pussywhipped as Angelus.
Buffy
said Jump, he jumped.
Buffy
said, "take out the trash", and he tied up little white trash bags carefully
with red twisty ties, and hauled the cans out to the curb every Wednesday
morning.
She said, " You need a tie for Thursday," and he went out
and picked one that coordinated with her ugly dress.
It galled him.
But the thought of her going anywhere with anyone else
was not to be borne. She might be a bitch, yes. She was also Pushy, Manipulative, and Mouthy-
But she was his. And he loved her.
And if he didn't fix things between them soon, it was
going to get ugly.
"Look, love. I'm sorry. I'm not used to being around
people, not like this- thing- tonight."
He tried to catch her eyes, but she wouldn't look at him.
He had to make her understand.
"I mean, the last time I attended anything like this, I
ATE the partygoers."
Her face tightened up, and her spine stiffened.
"Spike, I don't want to talk about how much you hate
humans tonight, okay? If you're going to go with me, you're going to have to
cool it. Because otherwise I think I might kill you."
Her voice was light, but the meaning was clear. Be a good
boy, Spike, or else.
He kept pushing her limits, but he'd yet to find out what
"Else" was.
"I get it. 'Mind my p's and q's'. Will do."
He slid a glimpse over at her as he pulled the car back
onto the road.
"I just hope this whole thing is worth all the trouble."
She scooted a little closer to him.
"It is. We're unveiling a new artist tonight. There
should be people there from several major L.A. galleries, and I expect some
press people, maybe even a news crew. It can't hurt anything, it's free
advertising."
She was being very nonchalant about it all, but he knew
her nervousness. It was evident in the tilt of her head, the drumming of her
fingers, the shrillness of her voice. This was the first time since her mother
died that the Gallery had hosted a major event; Tonight's success or lack
thereof would be perceived as a reflection of her business acuity.
She'd spent most of the afternoon methodically
waxing the stairs, and folding laundry. Tonight she'd changed her hairstyle
twice, her dress once.
Her shoes he'd spent an hour trying to locate in the closet, because no other pair would do.
"How do you feel about "The Lion King"?
Willow waved the videotape before her, and Dawn groaned.
"Uh- like maybe I'm too old for it?"
Willow's face fell.
"Oh."
It was evident she was disappointed.
Tara interjected.
"Will really likes the movie, is all. That whole 'Circle
of Life' thing, really groovy."
Her glance at Willow was full of warm affection.
"Look, if you guys wanna watch it, that's cool. I have
stuff I can do. Homeworky-type stuff. You go ahead."
She smiled at them reassuringly, and waited to see if
they believed the smile.
They did, because Willow reached over to her and squeezed
her shoulder.
"S'okay, Dawn. We've seen it before. It just seemed like
something we could all do together."
Dawn shrugged.
"You don't have to entertain me. I know you're only here
because Glory's out there somewhere, and I can't be left alone, etcetera,
etcetera, ad puke. I think Spike had the better idea."
Willow's forehead crinkled.
"What idea was that?"
Dawn gave her blank innocence with her expression.
"He offered to hire me some hitmen bodyguards. Demon guys
he knows from waay back."
Tara and Willow exchanged wordless disapproval above
Dawn's head.
Tara spoke up.
"Dawn, about Spike…How are things going with that?"
Willow jumped in.
"Umm. Yeah. I mean- We've all kinda wondered. How's Buffy
doing with him?"
Dawn's loyalty to her family warred with concern for her
sister. She didn't know how much Buffy was confiding in her friends these days.
If she discussed the situation at home with them, would she be betraying a
confidence? Buffy hadn't really told her anything, she didn't talk to her about
Spike. But living with them, Dawn saw things, heard things. And she was getting
worried about her sister.
"Um. I don't really know if I should discuss them with
you guys."
She realized how bad that sounded.
"I mean, it's not that I think you'd say anything, or do
anything- Cos I don't. I mean, I trust you guys both totally. So does Buffy.
Its just-"
Tara
tried to be encouraging.
"It's just that, if Buffy
hasn't talked to us about stuff, you don't feel right talking to us about it
behind her back."
Dawn nodded her head.
Tara took the seat at her side.
"Dawn, we don't want you to talk about Buffy behind her
back. But we're very concerned about her. She's not calling us back, she never
wants to go anywhere with us."
Willow cut in.
"She never wants us to patrol with her anymore."
Then Tara continued.
"And Giles says she hardly speaks to him when she sees
him now, that she just goes through the motions, but doesn't really confide in
him anymore."
Dawn shook her head.
"She's not really talking to anyone. Not about real
stuff. Not about Mom, or Dad, or me or Glory."
Willow's voice dropped to a near whisper.
"Does she talk about that stuff to Spike?"
The pain in her words was deep. She felt like Buffy had
abandoned her, and the wound was still fresh.
But Dawn shook her head at that too.
"No. They don't really talk much. Not since they came
back together from L.A. They fight, they make-up, they boink. Then they fight
some more."
"What do they fight about?" asked Tara.
"Mostly stupid stuff. Like whether Spike used a coaster,
and where did she hide his cigarettes. Lately they've been fighting mostly
about sex, because Buffy's always tired or sick anymore."
"Buffy's sick?" Willow asked hastily.
Dawn nodded.
"She thinks she's picked up a bug of some kind, something
that Slayer-strength isn't kicking. She's been sleeping more lately, and she's
thrown up a few times. A lot of time when she wakes up she feels bad, but she
feels better later in the day. No fevers or anything."
Dawn shrugged her thin shoulders.
"Spike thinks its cos she works so long at the gallery,
and still wants to patrol at night. By the time she's home and done, all she
wants to do is go to sleep."
She made a face.
"He's been nagging her about it, and the fights get
pretty loud sometimes."
Tara caught Willow's eye above Dawn's head.
"Why don't you get started on that homework stuff, Dawn.
And Willow, I need your help in the kitchen for a sec."
Together they left the room, and Dawn groaned.
Why did everyone always treat her like a little kid? It
was so obvious Tara wanted to go Talk Buffy to Willow, away from Dawn Ears.
Like there was anything she didn't already know by now.
She could probably curse better than they could. She probably knew more about sex, at least
straight sex, than they did. Buffy wasn't particularly quiet about it, and
Spike always spoke to her like an adult, on every subject, even that one.
She tiptoed to the
doorway, and listened carefully through the plaster.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Tara nodded, and Willow sat down.
"Oh, this is Bad. This is very bad."
Tara tried to calm her love.
"We don't know anything. She could be sick, really. It
could be the flu, or whatever."
Willow was shaking her head back and forth.
"But its not. I thought about this as soon as they came
back from L.A.- When he went home with her. I was thinking, "Okay, he's not
dead anymore, I wonder if she'll like him better now." I didn't know they'd
already, you know. Made with the mattress mambo. But once it was obvious, I
shoulda said something to her. I should have-"
"But we did! We tried to talk to her about Spike, when he
moved in there."
Willow shook her head.
"We were trying to talk her out of seeing him, or dating
him, or whatever they're doing. But we didn't think Practical stuff, nobody
told her-"
Tara tried again to console her.
"Sweetie, nobody thought of it because we were all just
so shocked. And I kinda thought it'd be over with in a day or so. She'd get
sick of him being all bum-like and make him leave."
Willow was disconsolate.
"But gee, Tara- Don't you think we shoulda, I don't know-
Maybe asked her? Just a little reminder, "Hey, he's not dead now, maybe you
should be careful.?"
Tara took her lover tightly into her arms.
"Don't worry about it. We don't know anything yet. It
might not be that."
Willow sniffled against her collarbone.
"But I think it is, Tara. I really think it is."
Tara kissed her forehead lovingly.
"Well that's about what she should expect from taking up
with a man."
Willow raised her head up sharply, and Tara smiled down
at her.
"I was kidding, honey. See, you're all serious and weepy.
I can't have that."
She kissed her warmly.
On the other side of the wall, Dawn checked her watch,
and hoped the party would be over soon. She really, REALLY needed to talk to
Buffy.