Part 3.
Riley Finn, a tall good-looking boy with sandy blonde hair, moved cautiously around the room, his bright eyes fully alert deciding whether to attack or defend.
After careful consideration he moved quickly and struck the first blow.
Buffy's lightning reflexes blocked the strike with ease.
"Come on honey you can do better than that" she laughed, dancing lightly on her feet.
Riley smiled, lunged forward and threw a left-handed punch. Buffy caught his fist, twisted his arm and threw him straight over her shoulder.
Taking a deep breath, Riley jumped back onto his feet and moved forward again. This time he tried to grab her neck but she automatically blocked his arm, whirled around and sent him slamming into the floor again. Once more Riley pulled himself to his feet
" Are we bronzing tonight? " Buffy continued to weave around him never once losing concentration.
" Sure, if I live that long" Riley's breathing was growing heavier with each fall. The workout was sadly becoming very one-sided.
" What's the matter? You're not afraid of little me, are ya? Buffy teased, her beautiful hazel eyes twinkling but as soon as the words left her mouth she had the strangest feeling of daja vu. Slightly distracted, Riley's next attack almost caught her off guard.
As he moved swiftly to the right Buffy sprung, somersaulted twice and kicked Riley flat on his back. This time he hit the floor with a loud thud and groaned as all the air left his body.
Knowing that he was completely out of his depth, and to avoid any further humiliation, Riley made the decision to stay still.
" I surrender" he joked and held up his arms.
Buffy walked slowly towards her boyfriend and held out her hands.
" You know you really should try and block more" she laughed at Riley's dazed expression. He accepted her hands and pushed himself up from the floor.
" Buffy, as much as I love training with you, let's call it a day honey" he asked raising his eyes hopefully. Suddenly his whole body ached and if he was honest with himself, there was only so much humiliation a normal guy could take.
Buffy nodded her agreement and smiled affectionately. She knew how difficult it was for Riley these days, she could tell he was exhausted and yet she had hardly broken into a sweat. Buffy hated to admit it, but training with Riley was a complete waste of time. Her mind reluctantly drifted to a different time and a more fulfilling training session.
**Angel had always left her sweating ** her thoughts turned to firelight battles, which lead to heavy kissing and...
**Bad visuals** Buffy silently cursed and shut the images out of her head. Angel was gone, their life together was a thing of the past and that's where thoughts of Angel had to stay. She then forced her attention back to her current boyfriend.
** Her nice, normal, safe, boring...stop that** Buffy corrected her slip and remembered Riley was still waiting for a reply.
" Yeah, come on lets call it a day, besides I can always go and annoy Spike into some action, he's always good for some ass kicking" Buffy grinned.
Riley seemed much happier now the workout was over, he slipped his arms around her tiny waist and turned her towards him, leaning down he gently kissed her head.
" I have to say I like the sound of that, it's not really Spike's week. Did you see what that holy water did to his clothes? They were totally ruined and the look on his face, it was just priceless" Riley chuckled, the thought of hostile 17's most recent humiliation would keep him smiling for weeks and help him forget his own inadequacies.
As a new image entered his head, Riley continued to insult the unfortunate vampire.
.
" Come on let's grab a cappuccino and remember the loser pays". Buffy teased, nudging him lightly in the ribs as a sign of affection. Then she untangled herself from his embrace and walked across the room to collect her bag and jacket.
While her back was turned she failed to notice the sad expression that passed over Riley's sombre face. Without meaning to Buffy had managed to damage his fragile masculine pride once again. It seemed the stronger Buffy grew the harder it became for Riley to accept their differences. He longed desperately for their relationship to work, he had never loved anybody the way he loved Buffy and he couldn't imagine his life without her. It was just this whole Slayer issue that was constantly causing the gap between them to widen.
Riley wished with all his heart that Buffy could be just a normal girl, but his wish went unanswered. He dreamed of the day when they could put all the vampires and demons behind them and settle down to normality. Although deep in his subconscious he doubted that Buffy really shared these dreams, or the intense feelings he held for her.
Riley's darkest fear was that a certain brooding vampire still held her heart captive, even though he had no solid grounds for these feelings. Buffy no longer spoke of her ex, she had closed that subject long ago, yet Riley still felt insecure, maybe it was her reluctance to say the three little words that that would reassure him once and for all.
He thought back to her last comment ** and remember the loser pays**
The word loser felt like a kick in the guts. Sadly, where Buffy was concerned, he was always going to come second in this relationship.
His final hope was that he was only the runner up when it came to training and not when it came to her heart.
******
After kissing Riley goodnight, Buffy decided to carry out one last sweep of the cemetery before heading off to bed.
The poor workout with Riley had left her feeling wired and frustrated. She knew she'd never be able to rest like that. Buffy just hoped a good slaying would rid her of all her excess energy and let her sleep.
Demon activity had been really slow the last few nights, so the odds were that something big was brewing.
There had been a couple of suspicious deaths earlier in the week; Buffy always watched the fresh graves for any sign of a newly risen vampire. The way she was feeling tonight even a newbie would be something to dust, anything to break the boredom.
Buffy stopped at her room first and picked up a package she also needed to deliver.
** Might as well kill two birds with one stone** she thought as she slipped Mr. pointy into the waistband of her leggings and headed back into town.
The two freshly dug graves were both no shows, much to Buffy's disappointment. She perched on top of a neighbouring headstone for about an hour aimlessly twirling her stake. It was so peaceful you could almost hear the worms munch in the soft earth below.
" Come out, come out where ever you are " Buffy sang quietly into the lonely night. But the dead stayed dead.
Feeling thoroughly disappointed Buffy climbed down from the cold head stone and stared at the two new graves.
" Alright, be like that" she pouted her lip in mock annoyance. This lack of activity was driving her nuts, and then she remembered one last option.
Scanning the cemetery Buffy saw one small flicker of light coming from the mausoleum were Spike had set up his home. She bent down, picked up her bag and headed in that direction.
** If she was really lucky she might get to kick a vamp's ass after all, well any action was better then nothing** her smile grew as she made her way across the graveyard.
*****
" What do you want, or have you just come to take the piss again?" Spike demanded, bitterly resenting the intrusion.
" Can I come in?" Buffy didn't wait for an answer she pushed passed the vampire and strolled into the crypt.
" What does anything I say matter, its only my bloody home"
Buffy completely ignored his protest. When she turned around Spike was standing with his arms crossed over his chest looking annoyed and impatient
"Well I haven't got all night you know, I was just about to take my pathetic begging bowl down to the local butcher shop before I fade away completely.
" You know what your trouble is, you have no sense of humour" Buffy grinned.
" And do you know what your trouble is Slayer? You breathe" Spike shot back.
Buffy held out her package
" I thought you might need this"
" What's this a years supply of garlic and holy water?" Spike approached the bag carefully. He wouldn't put anything passed the slayer.
" Open it"
Spike took the offered bag and cautiously peered in
" It won't bite " Buffy giggled this time. ** It was so funny, the big bad vamp was such a coward **
" Oh!" he slowly pulled out a brand new black T-shirt. Searching deeper into the bag he was amazed to find a new leather duster.
" I don't understand...Are these for me...WHY?" he asked suspiciously.
" Your clothes suffered a lot of damage and you really do look stupid in Xander's clothes, come to think of it Xander looks stupid in Xander's clothes" she grinned again and then continued.
" I guess what I'm trying to say is, I know in your own twisted way you were trying to help us. I feel a little guilty so I brought these...kind of replacements"
Spike continued to look suspiciously, he didn't trust the Slayer one little bit, hell he didn't trust anybody.
Buffy turned to leave.
" Spike, as much as I hate to admit it you have forced your way into the scoobie gang and scoobies look after each other."
"Bloody hell, I don't think so" Spike didn't want to be associated as a bleeding *white hat* in any shape or form. He still had a reputation to consider as a bad ass vamp. The chip thing was bad enough to live with, but a pathetic *scoobie*
"Give me a break" he snarled.
Buffy just nodded
" Have it your own way, but keep the clothes" she then quirked her eyebrows.
" Oh, Spike. This doesn't mean that I've changed my mind about you, I still don't trust you and I certainly don't like you."
Spike watched her carefully
" Oh, it's mutual Slayer, believe me"
Nothing more was said but both slayer and vampire knew it wasn't quite true.
When the Slayer was gone Spike pulled on the new duster it fitted him perfectly.
**I'm going to steal the Slayer's soul**
**Scoobies look after each other**
** I'll be sending an assassin, one of my very best**
**You were trying to help us**
" I wasn't trying to help... I'm a vampire... I'm a evil bastard...I'm not a bloody white knight... DAMMIT"
*****
Spike found himself outside Rupert Giles apartment; he walked up to the door but turned sharply away.
** I'm out of my bleeding head ** he didn't owe the slayer a thing, she had been the thorn in his side for ...Well for as long as he could remember. What did he care if the bitch lost her soul, an eternity of torture and suffering was just what she deserved.
Fighting against every evil bone in his body he turned back towards the door.
" I'm going to regret this, I just know I'm going to regret this for the rest of my very *SHORT* unlife" he moaned as he rapped loudly on the door.
TBC....
Riley Finn, a tall good-looking boy with sandy blonde hair, moved cautiously around the room, his bright eyes fully alert deciding whether to attack or defend.
After careful consideration he moved quickly and struck the first blow.
Buffy's lightning reflexes blocked the strike with ease.
"Come on honey you can do better than that" she laughed, dancing lightly on her feet.
Riley smiled, lunged forward and threw a left-handed punch. Buffy caught his fist, twisted his arm and threw him straight over her shoulder.
Taking a deep breath, Riley jumped back onto his feet and moved forward again. This time he tried to grab her neck but she automatically blocked his arm, whirled around and sent him slamming into the floor again. Once more Riley pulled himself to his feet
" Are we bronzing tonight? " Buffy continued to weave around him never once losing concentration.
" Sure, if I live that long" Riley's breathing was growing heavier with each fall. The workout was sadly becoming very one-sided.
" What's the matter? You're not afraid of little me, are ya? Buffy teased, her beautiful hazel eyes twinkling but as soon as the words left her mouth she had the strangest feeling of daja vu. Slightly distracted, Riley's next attack almost caught her off guard.
As he moved swiftly to the right Buffy sprung, somersaulted twice and kicked Riley flat on his back. This time he hit the floor with a loud thud and groaned as all the air left his body.
Knowing that he was completely out of his depth, and to avoid any further humiliation, Riley made the decision to stay still.
" I surrender" he joked and held up his arms.
Buffy walked slowly towards her boyfriend and held out her hands.
" You know you really should try and block more" she laughed at Riley's dazed expression. He accepted her hands and pushed himself up from the floor.
" Buffy, as much as I love training with you, let's call it a day honey" he asked raising his eyes hopefully. Suddenly his whole body ached and if he was honest with himself, there was only so much humiliation a normal guy could take.
Buffy nodded her agreement and smiled affectionately. She knew how difficult it was for Riley these days, she could tell he was exhausted and yet she had hardly broken into a sweat. Buffy hated to admit it, but training with Riley was a complete waste of time. Her mind reluctantly drifted to a different time and a more fulfilling training session.
**Angel had always left her sweating ** her thoughts turned to firelight battles, which lead to heavy kissing and...
**Bad visuals** Buffy silently cursed and shut the images out of her head. Angel was gone, their life together was a thing of the past and that's where thoughts of Angel had to stay. She then forced her attention back to her current boyfriend.
** Her nice, normal, safe, boring...stop that** Buffy corrected her slip and remembered Riley was still waiting for a reply.
" Yeah, come on lets call it a day, besides I can always go and annoy Spike into some action, he's always good for some ass kicking" Buffy grinned.
Riley seemed much happier now the workout was over, he slipped his arms around her tiny waist and turned her towards him, leaning down he gently kissed her head.
" I have to say I like the sound of that, it's not really Spike's week. Did you see what that holy water did to his clothes? They were totally ruined and the look on his face, it was just priceless" Riley chuckled, the thought of hostile 17's most recent humiliation would keep him smiling for weeks and help him forget his own inadequacies.
As a new image entered his head, Riley continued to insult the unfortunate vampire.
.
" Come on let's grab a cappuccino and remember the loser pays". Buffy teased, nudging him lightly in the ribs as a sign of affection. Then she untangled herself from his embrace and walked across the room to collect her bag and jacket.
While her back was turned she failed to notice the sad expression that passed over Riley's sombre face. Without meaning to Buffy had managed to damage his fragile masculine pride once again. It seemed the stronger Buffy grew the harder it became for Riley to accept their differences. He longed desperately for their relationship to work, he had never loved anybody the way he loved Buffy and he couldn't imagine his life without her. It was just this whole Slayer issue that was constantly causing the gap between them to widen.
Riley wished with all his heart that Buffy could be just a normal girl, but his wish went unanswered. He dreamed of the day when they could put all the vampires and demons behind them and settle down to normality. Although deep in his subconscious he doubted that Buffy really shared these dreams, or the intense feelings he held for her.
Riley's darkest fear was that a certain brooding vampire still held her heart captive, even though he had no solid grounds for these feelings. Buffy no longer spoke of her ex, she had closed that subject long ago, yet Riley still felt insecure, maybe it was her reluctance to say the three little words that that would reassure him once and for all.
He thought back to her last comment ** and remember the loser pays**
The word loser felt like a kick in the guts. Sadly, where Buffy was concerned, he was always going to come second in this relationship.
His final hope was that he was only the runner up when it came to training and not when it came to her heart.
******
After kissing Riley goodnight, Buffy decided to carry out one last sweep of the cemetery before heading off to bed.
The poor workout with Riley had left her feeling wired and frustrated. She knew she'd never be able to rest like that. Buffy just hoped a good slaying would rid her of all her excess energy and let her sleep.
Demon activity had been really slow the last few nights, so the odds were that something big was brewing.
There had been a couple of suspicious deaths earlier in the week; Buffy always watched the fresh graves for any sign of a newly risen vampire. The way she was feeling tonight even a newbie would be something to dust, anything to break the boredom.
Buffy stopped at her room first and picked up a package she also needed to deliver.
** Might as well kill two birds with one stone** she thought as she slipped Mr. pointy into the waistband of her leggings and headed back into town.
The two freshly dug graves were both no shows, much to Buffy's disappointment. She perched on top of a neighbouring headstone for about an hour aimlessly twirling her stake. It was so peaceful you could almost hear the worms munch in the soft earth below.
" Come out, come out where ever you are " Buffy sang quietly into the lonely night. But the dead stayed dead.
Feeling thoroughly disappointed Buffy climbed down from the cold head stone and stared at the two new graves.
" Alright, be like that" she pouted her lip in mock annoyance. This lack of activity was driving her nuts, and then she remembered one last option.
Scanning the cemetery Buffy saw one small flicker of light coming from the mausoleum were Spike had set up his home. She bent down, picked up her bag and headed in that direction.
** If she was really lucky she might get to kick a vamp's ass after all, well any action was better then nothing** her smile grew as she made her way across the graveyard.
*****
" What do you want, or have you just come to take the piss again?" Spike demanded, bitterly resenting the intrusion.
" Can I come in?" Buffy didn't wait for an answer she pushed passed the vampire and strolled into the crypt.
" What does anything I say matter, its only my bloody home"
Buffy completely ignored his protest. When she turned around Spike was standing with his arms crossed over his chest looking annoyed and impatient
"Well I haven't got all night you know, I was just about to take my pathetic begging bowl down to the local butcher shop before I fade away completely.
" You know what your trouble is, you have no sense of humour" Buffy grinned.
" And do you know what your trouble is Slayer? You breathe" Spike shot back.
Buffy held out her package
" I thought you might need this"
" What's this a years supply of garlic and holy water?" Spike approached the bag carefully. He wouldn't put anything passed the slayer.
" Open it"
Spike took the offered bag and cautiously peered in
" It won't bite " Buffy giggled this time. ** It was so funny, the big bad vamp was such a coward **
" Oh!" he slowly pulled out a brand new black T-shirt. Searching deeper into the bag he was amazed to find a new leather duster.
" I don't understand...Are these for me...WHY?" he asked suspiciously.
" Your clothes suffered a lot of damage and you really do look stupid in Xander's clothes, come to think of it Xander looks stupid in Xander's clothes" she grinned again and then continued.
" I guess what I'm trying to say is, I know in your own twisted way you were trying to help us. I feel a little guilty so I brought these...kind of replacements"
Spike continued to look suspiciously, he didn't trust the Slayer one little bit, hell he didn't trust anybody.
Buffy turned to leave.
" Spike, as much as I hate to admit it you have forced your way into the scoobie gang and scoobies look after each other."
"Bloody hell, I don't think so" Spike didn't want to be associated as a bleeding *white hat* in any shape or form. He still had a reputation to consider as a bad ass vamp. The chip thing was bad enough to live with, but a pathetic *scoobie*
"Give me a break" he snarled.
Buffy just nodded
" Have it your own way, but keep the clothes" she then quirked her eyebrows.
" Oh, Spike. This doesn't mean that I've changed my mind about you, I still don't trust you and I certainly don't like you."
Spike watched her carefully
" Oh, it's mutual Slayer, believe me"
Nothing more was said but both slayer and vampire knew it wasn't quite true.
When the Slayer was gone Spike pulled on the new duster it fitted him perfectly.
**I'm going to steal the Slayer's soul**
**Scoobies look after each other**
** I'll be sending an assassin, one of my very best**
**You were trying to help us**
" I wasn't trying to help... I'm a vampire... I'm a evil bastard...I'm not a bloody white knight... DAMMIT"
*****
Spike found himself outside Rupert Giles apartment; he walked up to the door but turned sharply away.
** I'm out of my bleeding head ** he didn't owe the slayer a thing, she had been the thorn in his side for ...Well for as long as he could remember. What did he care if the bitch lost her soul, an eternity of torture and suffering was just what she deserved.
Fighting against every evil bone in his body he turned back towards the door.
" I'm going to regret this, I just know I'm going to regret this for the rest of my very *SHORT* unlife" he moaned as he rapped loudly on the door.
TBC....