Title: Again?
Author: Spiffy Da WonderSheep
Disclaimer: Spoilers up to The Gift. Joss owns it, I just warp it to my own means for fun and no profit. I've read so many angsty-post-Gift fics, you people have infected me. I hate you all! Okay, maybe I don't really, but look at what you made me write!!! *runs away crying *. It's going to be irreverent and some other word that also means irreverent, so if you don't approve, well, better look somewhere else then. Many thanks to JAIT and Idoru for much-needed feedback and plot questions, and to JodithGrace for much needed spelling help!
Part II
Spike knelt in the grass, feeling the dew seep into his pants. This was his favorite time of the night, a time when he felt he could almost hear her voice.
"Spike."
Of course, he wouldn't be able to, that was just a writer's cliché.
"Spike!"
A bad one, at that. One he used to use all the time in those dark days when he was William the Bloody Awful.
"SPIKE!" Something hit him in the chest, sending him sprawling onto the grass. His eyes flew open and he saw a ghost.
He mentally kicked himself for using another tired cliché, even if it was only in his head. Although, it obviously was a ghost, since he could see through Buffy's angry form and read the inscription on her tombstone. The specter walked forward, planted a transparent but very solid foot on his abdomen, and crossed her arms over her chest . "B-Buffy?" He asked.
"Who else would it be?"
"You're-"
"Let's cover the basics," she said, taking her foot off of him and helping him up. "One: I'm dead. Two: You're not going crazy. Well, crazy-er. Three: I'm not here for long, so you're going to have to shut up and listen."
"Okay."
"You promised me you'd take care of Dawn."
"And I have!" Spike interrupted. "I even moved in with that bloody librarian again-"
"Hello? Did no one just hear me tell you to shut up and listen?" He looked abashed, and she continued. "We're all proud of your mooching abilities, but it's not enough. Dawn's losing her support structure. Giles is drinking himself into an early grave, Willow is playing with dark magics, Tara doesn't know about it, Xander's feeling the strain of trying to build a new household when he's suddenly acquired a 14 year old daughter and Anya... well, let's just say Anya's spending all of her time at the Magic Shop and isn't spending any with Xander. The whole family's falling apart."
It took a minute for the implications to set in. "The Powers sent you here to fix Xander's love life?"
She gave him that familiar look, the 'I can't believe you just said that, I am so going to stake you now' look. "As goes Sunnydale, so goes the world. You guys have been slacking in the patrolling department, and all sorts of nasties have moved in. There's about three groups in town right now that are aiming to destroy the world."
"Again?" Spike exclaimed.
Buffy continued as if he hadn't spoken. "The Powers have decided that they need to appoint a new leader over here, and you're it."
"Me? Why me?"
"Why not?"
"I'm just a vampire."
"Yeah, so?"
"Well," Spike waved his hands, trying to find the words. "Do I get any special-"
"Nope. You work with what you've got. And if you do a good job, you'll get a reward."
"What if I do a bad job?"
"Then," Buffy said grimly, "The Powers promised me I'd get to be the one in charge of your punishment."
"Ah. Right. Well then. Guess I have a job to do." He reached out, and was not at all surprised when his hand went through where her cheek appeared to be. He whispered, "I still love you, Slayer."
She smiled at him, and he spun on his heels and left, so she wouldn't see the tears streaming down his face. Buffy watched him go, and when he was far enough away, she disappeared.
Power looked up. "Where have you been, Power?"
"Taking care of a little business with one of the big players." Power said flippantly, sweeping through the room and off into its private space. Power frowned a bit, then went back to what it was working on. Power was fairly certain Power was up to something, but without proof, Power could prove nothing. Power made a mental note to go snoop around Sunnydale when it had a free moment.
Author: Spiffy Da WonderSheep
Disclaimer: Spoilers up to The Gift. Joss owns it, I just warp it to my own means for fun and no profit. I've read so many angsty-post-Gift fics, you people have infected me. I hate you all! Okay, maybe I don't really, but look at what you made me write!!! *runs away crying *. It's going to be irreverent and some other word that also means irreverent, so if you don't approve, well, better look somewhere else then. Many thanks to JAIT and Idoru for much-needed feedback and plot questions, and to JodithGrace for much needed spelling help!
Part II
Spike knelt in the grass, feeling the dew seep into his pants. This was his favorite time of the night, a time when he felt he could almost hear her voice.
"Spike."
Of course, he wouldn't be able to, that was just a writer's cliché.
"Spike!"
A bad one, at that. One he used to use all the time in those dark days when he was William the Bloody Awful.
"SPIKE!" Something hit him in the chest, sending him sprawling onto the grass. His eyes flew open and he saw a ghost.
He mentally kicked himself for using another tired cliché, even if it was only in his head. Although, it obviously was a ghost, since he could see through Buffy's angry form and read the inscription on her tombstone. The specter walked forward, planted a transparent but very solid foot on his abdomen, and crossed her arms over her chest . "B-Buffy?" He asked.
"Who else would it be?"
"You're-"
"Let's cover the basics," she said, taking her foot off of him and helping him up. "One: I'm dead. Two: You're not going crazy. Well, crazy-er. Three: I'm not here for long, so you're going to have to shut up and listen."
"Okay."
"You promised me you'd take care of Dawn."
"And I have!" Spike interrupted. "I even moved in with that bloody librarian again-"
"Hello? Did no one just hear me tell you to shut up and listen?" He looked abashed, and she continued. "We're all proud of your mooching abilities, but it's not enough. Dawn's losing her support structure. Giles is drinking himself into an early grave, Willow is playing with dark magics, Tara doesn't know about it, Xander's feeling the strain of trying to build a new household when he's suddenly acquired a 14 year old daughter and Anya... well, let's just say Anya's spending all of her time at the Magic Shop and isn't spending any with Xander. The whole family's falling apart."
It took a minute for the implications to set in. "The Powers sent you here to fix Xander's love life?"
She gave him that familiar look, the 'I can't believe you just said that, I am so going to stake you now' look. "As goes Sunnydale, so goes the world. You guys have been slacking in the patrolling department, and all sorts of nasties have moved in. There's about three groups in town right now that are aiming to destroy the world."
"Again?" Spike exclaimed.
Buffy continued as if he hadn't spoken. "The Powers have decided that they need to appoint a new leader over here, and you're it."
"Me? Why me?"
"Why not?"
"I'm just a vampire."
"Yeah, so?"
"Well," Spike waved his hands, trying to find the words. "Do I get any special-"
"Nope. You work with what you've got. And if you do a good job, you'll get a reward."
"What if I do a bad job?"
"Then," Buffy said grimly, "The Powers promised me I'd get to be the one in charge of your punishment."
"Ah. Right. Well then. Guess I have a job to do." He reached out, and was not at all surprised when his hand went through where her cheek appeared to be. He whispered, "I still love you, Slayer."
She smiled at him, and he spun on his heels and left, so she wouldn't see the tears streaming down his face. Buffy watched him go, and when he was far enough away, she disappeared.
Power looked up. "Where have you been, Power?"
"Taking care of a little business with one of the big players." Power said flippantly, sweeping through the room and off into its private space. Power frowned a bit, then went back to what it was working on. Power was fairly certain Power was up to something, but without proof, Power could prove nothing. Power made a mental note to go snoop around Sunnydale when it had a free moment.