He stood, frozen in place, for some time after Dru had gone. Then suddenly exploding into movement, he grabbed a piece of stone and hurled it at the wall.
"I don't love the Slayer!" he roared. "She's destroyed my bloody life and I'm going to destroy hers!" Snarling, he kicked out at the tomb he'd recently sheltered in, knocking the lid off, listening to the hollow boom it made as it crashed onto the floor, watching as the candles scattered, rolling, their flames guttering. He tossed his head back, feeling his teeth lengthen as his face Changed into vampire form. An evil smile formed on his face. "Got do to it sometime……," he whispered to the dark, "……might as well be tonight."
He strode from the crypt, almost ripping the door from its hinges as he jerked it closed behind him.
* * * * * *
Buffy yelped in surprise as she thudded into the wall, hitting it shoulder first. Almost immediately she rolled to her feet, hands up, stake ready to thrust forward. The vampire snarled and charged. She turned and spun into a kick, hitting the demon in the midsection, hurling it backwards. She followed with another kick and then a punch, keeping the vampire moving back, avoiding its clumsy punches with ease. It lunged at her and misjudged the distance; she moved in under its reach and lunged upwards with the stake, ramming it into the vampire's chest. A moment later and all that remained was dust drifting on the air.
"Yes, well, um… very good. But. Um. You were a bit slow there, Buffy, you should have worked faster than that. That throw could have disabled you enough for him to get much to close to you. You must make sure you don't take chances like that." Giles moved out from the shadows, remarking on the fight he'd just watched. Buffy turned to him, rubbing her shoulder, peering down to examine the tear in the fabric of her coat.
"Gee, thanks Giles. You want to fight next time, maybe I could give you some pointers. It's OK, you're welcome." She sighed and tucked the stake back into a pocket. "And I ripped my coat. Mom'll have a fit, it's like, brand new." She glanced round at cemetery. "Lots going on tonight. That makes six. Something going on, apocalypse-y, that we should know about?"
Giles frowned. "Well, I'll do some research, but I can't see any connection between any of the vampires tonight. No…um…signs, or whatever. Perhaps they were all just hungry at the same time?" he suggested, smiling faintly.
Buffy grinned. "Yeah, right, Mr Research-guy. Come on, you look for the end of the world if I see two vampires in one patrol! Remember the Sunnydale tourist attraction, oops, no, wait, that's the Hellmouth?" She glanced upwards. "It'll be dawn soon. Come on, let's go. I've had enough of patrolling tonight. We're not going to see any more."
The voice rang out behind them. "Any more what, Slayer?" They turned slowly.
Spike stood in the path behind them, slouching insolently, feet apart, cigarette dangling from his lips.
Buffy's lips tightened and she shook her head. "Oh, look, it's Mr I-think-I'm-soo-Evil. What's up Spike, come for another fight that you won't win? Haven't you any pride at all?"
Spike ground the cigarette out under his heel and moved forward, shrugging out of the long leather coat he wore. "Think you can take me then, Slayer? Think you've got it, do you?"
Buffy shared a glance with Giles and started to laugh. "Like I haven't taken you before? Like I couldn't take you now? I could beat you with one hand tied behind my back. Spike? You're nothing. I don't want to waste my time with you-"
The blonde vampire sneered at her and interrupted. "You know you won't win. That's why you won't fight me, isn't it, Slayer? Come on! Show me what you got!"
" - but if I have to, I will." Buffy finished, glaring at him. She paused and turned. "Giles, you'd get out of here. This is between us. I don't want you getting hurt, just in case he decides to play dirty."
Giles stumbled backwards as Buffy pushed urgently against his shoulder to get him moving. "I-I-if you're sure. It's, yes, alright, I'm going. And don't forget training tomorrow!" he called over his shoulder as he hurried away.
Spike grinned as Buffy moved forwards, circling, hands up and ready to fight. She leapt suddenly, kicking out. He ducked and twisted, grabbing her foot and throwing her up and back. He heard the air rush out of her as she hit a gravestone and fell, twisting. She clambered to her feet, wary now, looking at him. Something was different, though it was hard to see any expression, hard to see anything but the lethal fangs that showed as he smiled.
"Come on then, Slayer!" he whispered, beckoning to her. His voice rose slowly. "Come and play! Thought you were gonna show me? Thought you could beat me one handed?" He laughed, head back. "Sure you're going to be training tomorrow? I owe you a lot, Slayer. And it's payback," he finished bitterly.
Buffy lunged forward and punched, fist landing solidly in Spike's face. He grunted and staggered back, hands coming up, leaving his stomach open. She jumped and kicked, knocking him over, watching as he rolled to his feet. They circled each other. Buffy looked at him, seeing the gashes across his face for the first time.
"What happened to your face, Spike?" she taunted. "Someone beat you already tonight? But you came looking for me anyway?"
"It's your damn fault!" he suddenly shouted at her, "Your bloody fault she left, your fault…… all of it! Your fault I'm alone……… You haunt me, you're all I sodding think about. You're always there, changing things, making things ……… all this, the way I feel, wrong! It's Dru I love. Dru! Not you. Never you!"
Buffy stopped moving in surprise, staring at him while her mind tried to sort out what he'd just said. As she stood, he rushed forward, pinning her arms, spinning her round so her back was towards him, gripping her wrist so tightly that she gasped in pain and dropped the stake she'd been holding. She tried to kick but he'd braced his legs apart and there was only air, nothing to hit. Buffy twisted and fought but for once Spike was too strong for her, and she couldn't free herself. She wrenched sideways, throwing them both to the ground, rolling over as he just gripped harder. He pinned her to the ground, leaning all his weight on to her shoulders to hold her down, grunting with effort as she bucked and twisted beneath him.
Buffy stopped fighting and lay still. Clenching her fists, she stared up into his face and forced out words through gritted teeth. " What – do – you - want? I'm fed up with the games, Spike. Let me go!"
He smiled slowly, the moonlight twisting across bestial features, his eyes reflecting like a cat's. "I've been thinking about this. You know. You being a slayer. You go round, killing us all the time. Stake and dust, all you ever do. Ever think what it might be like to be one of us, Slayer? Ever crossed your mind, has it?"
Buffy's mouth trembled slightly as he gave her a shake. "Well," he carried on, face alight with an emotion she couldn't identify, "I'm fed up with being alone. I'm fed up with turning every corner and having you there, waving a pointy bloody stick in my face if I so much as open my mouth. So I'm going to change things for you, the way you change everything you touch, every time you stake one of us. But on the bright side, you'll be young forever. You'll be with me forever. Slayer……"
Buffy gasped as he lowered his head, incisors gleaming bright in the moonlight, and began to drink.
