Repercussions, Part 12





Anya smiled brightly when she heard the bell over the door ring. She looked up to greet her potential customer, but her smile faded slightly when she saw who it was.

"Hello, Xander."

Xander stopped mid-stride. "Anya! I didn't know you were back."

"Yes, I thought I'd better not take advantage of Spike any longer. Although he's done a superb job. He does have a life, after all, or an unlife, rather." He looked much better than the last time she'd seen him. His hair was neatly trimmed, the circles beneath his eyes were less noticeable, and that bloated look had left his face. "You look good," she said. "But please don't misconstrue that as interest on my part of a romantic or sexual nature. Because it's not."

In spite of himself, Xander had to smile. "I won't," he said.

"Well, good. And as long as you're here, there's something I have to tell you." She folded her hands together nervously.

"Is it about you and Giles?" he asked.

"Why yes," she said, surprised. Her eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute. You don't have some secret camera in here again, do you?" Her eyes darted around the shop.

"For Pete's sake, Anya, no! Although, one wonders why you'd be worried, but please DO NOT tell me." He ran a hand over his face. "No, An, I just figured it out, o.k.?"

"Oh, o.k. Look, I don't want to hurt you. I really don't. And Giles doesn't want to hurt you either. You're like a... well, not a son, exactly, more like a nephew or distant cousin...."

He smiled again. "An, I get it. I blew it. You've moved on. It hurts, it really does. But I'm going to try not to be an ass about it."

Hurt and regret touched her eyes, just for a moment. "Thank you, Xander," she said softly.

"Just tell me one thing," he said.

"Yes?"

"Are you happy?"

She smiled, a completely sincere and joy-filled smile. "Yes, Xander, I am."

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"Spike, you are the suckiest sparring partner I have ever had."

"Of course I'm the suckiest," he teased, waggling his eyebrows at her.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Come on, do I have to get puffy Xander in here? He's more of a challenge than you. You. Have. To. Hit. Me."

"I am."

"You are not. You're just blocking me. Come on, you, you big poofter!"

Spike's mouth dropped open in incredulity. "What did you just call me, slayer?" he asked, stalking cat-like towards her.

She smiled devilishly. Now she had him. "Poofter. Wanker. Tosser. Nancy boy!" She raised her fists defensively, and he attacked.

"Arghhhh!" Spike grabbed his head and dropped to the floor in pain. One right cross in her general direction was all it took.

"Oh, God. Spike?" She fell to her knees beside him, touching his shoulder gingerly. "Baby, does it hurt?"

"Of course it hurts, and did you just call me baby?" The pain forgotten, he raised his head and looked into her eyes.

She leaned forward, her hands resting on his shoulder. "Can I kiss it better?" she asked softly. Her lips brushed against his temple, and he closed his eyes. She moved softly down to his cheek, his jaw, the corner of his mouth. He could feel her warm, sweet breath against his skin. Then her lips were on his and her velvet tongue was tangling with his own, and he thought that he would endure any pain just to be kissed like this again. Her eyes. He had to see her eyes. He put his hands on her face, his thumbs caressing her cheeks, and pulled her away from him gently.

"Buffy..." Her name was like a prayer on his lips. He needed her so much. She could save him. If he saw what he needed to in her eyes, she could save him. And there it was, the love, the acceptance he had waited so long for. "Buffy, I love you so much."

"Spike, I ..." The door banged open.

"Hey guys, is Dawn in here?" Xander practically shouted.

Buffy leapt to her feet. "Xander! Uh, no! She's, she left."

"Oh. O.K. I was supposed to take her for a driving lesson. Everything all right in here?" He looked at Buffy in confusion. She was acting weirder than usual.

"Yes! I mean, Spike, his chip went off. We were sparring and his chip went off. And I was just making sure he was o.k."

"And?"

"And what?!"

"Annnd... what's the verdict? Spike, you o.k., man?"

Spike looked up at him from the floor. "Just bloody great." He started to stand up and Buffy extended a hand to him. He ignored it.

"Ohhhkey, dokey then. Well, since Dawn is obviously elsewhere, I will be leaving now, to, uh, look elsewhere."

As the door banged shut, Buffy turned to look at Spike, and for the first time since that night in her bathroom, she was afraid of him. A mask of fury covered up the hurt and betrayal that she would otherwise have seen there.

"I'm sorry."

He just stood there, arms at his sides, fists clenching and unclenching.

"Spike, I just panicked for a minute. I said, I'm sorry." She took a step towards him.

"Don't."

"Look, it's just, it's just Xander, o.k.? You know how he is. But, I'll tell him. I'll go out there right now and tell him."

"Tell him what, slayer? Nothin' to tell."

"Don't say that," she whispered. He began to walk towards the door. "Spike, please! Me doing that, it's just, it's just a bad habit!" she said to his retreating back.

He stopped, and for a moment she had hope that she had gotten through to him. "A bad habit, slayer?" he tossed back over his shoulder. "Makes one wonder what other bad habits the two of us might still have." She began to go after him again, but as he walked past the vaulting horse, he shoved it behind him and it came hurtling towards her. She had to jump out of the way so it wouldn't hit her. That was when she started to cry.

Spike strode through the Magic Box, looking at nothing and no one until he got to Anya behind the counter. "Need the night off, luv."

"No problem." She observed him warily, but said nothing else. He opened the door to the basement and thundered down the steps. She and Xander exchanged a look, then both of their heads jerked towards the training room door as they heard the crashing and banging sounds coming from inside. Anya shook her head resignedly and went back to her books. "Bad timing."

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Spike had made it to the sewer tunnels by the time Xander found him. He never would have caught up to Spike, let alone chosen the right one, but the vampire had paused to kick the hell out of the defenseless tunnel, and the noise coupled with the dust from disintegrating brick and mortar alerted Xander to Spike's location.

"I think you won this round."

Spike laughed maniacally and kicked the tunnel in rhythm with his words. "I. Never. Win."

"She loves you, man."

Spike stopped kicking, the fight suddenly gone out of him. "How come everyone but her tells me that, huh?"

"I've seen the way she looks at you when you're not watching. Kinda the way Anya looks at Giles. Look, not that I'm thrilled about it, but as vampire boyfriends go, she could, and has, done worse."

"Why are you doin' this?"

"Doing what?"

"This," Spike said, his hand moving between the two of them, "bein' decent to me."

"Because, one, I owe you. For the other night. And two, I figure this is kind of my fault. If I hadn't been such an asshole about you and her the last time...."

Spike shook his head. "She cares more about what people think than she does about me. She's still ashamed of me." He began to walk further down into the tunnels.

"Where are you going?"

"My turn to get soused, mate."

"I don't think so. Remember what you told me? Bad, bad things? Can't let you do that, pal."

Spike sighed heavily. "Alright. Then it's your turn to come up with somethin' better to do."

Xander thought for a moment. "Sun's almost down. Want to go kill something?"

Spike clapped him on the back. "Now, you're talkin'!"



TBC