"Pink Shirt."
Part nine of the "What Am
I?" series.
Rating: R. for the entire
series.
Spoilers: I don't have the
time or the energy to go through and state exactly what spoilers are contained
in my fics just assume that anything that has aired in the US is fair game.
Disclaimers: Joss owns everything
fun. I only borrow it for a while.
Feedback: Let me know what
you think. (ladyduvessa19@icqmail.com)
She had cried for well over an hour. He knew that the one thing she wanted to be was normal. To have a normal life, but she couldn't. It wasn't meant for her. It wasn't meant for him. They were both standing on the outside looking in. They would never be able to touch life as a human. For her this was the first time she must have realized it. He lifted her head off his chest and looked into her well drained eyes. "I love you. You know that. You can hate me for what I did if you want. I don't care. It won't change what I feel."
He feared what her response would be. She was fickle. He could bend over backwards for her and still it wouldn't be enough.
"I don't hate you. I know a part of me should, but I don't. You did a lot of things in your past. I don't forgive you for any of them, but I know about them. I knew about them before. That's why this is so wrong, but I can't go away. I won't go away. There's something that's different about you from everyone else. I don't have to hold back. You take me for who I am and don't expect me to be something else." She had rested her head back on his chest and was tracing it with her fingers. "I just want to know that we're going to stop her."
"We will, pet."
"And I need to know everything about her."
"I don't know much, but............." She had begun to lick his chest and he couldn't think straight. Let alone finish a sentence.
"I don't need to know that now. Unless she plans on paying you a visit."
"God I hope not." He tore at her clothes. Their mouths met. They scratched, they bruised, they shagged like crazy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They lay sprawled on the floor naked. They hadn't lasted very long on the bed. Beds were so small. They needed room, besides there was something too clean about a bed. The floor was much more suiting. She was thinking. Silent reflections of what they had just done, or perhaps just thoughts of nothing. He didn't know, just that she looked peaceful. Then her face changed. "Oh my god. What time is it?"
"''Lil past 6:00 I think. Why?"
"Dinner. I'm supposed to be at the rehearsal dinner thing." She had gotten up and was searching for her clothes.
"What rehearsal?"
"Xander and Anya's wedding rehearsal." She found her shirt and lifted it off the ground. "Did you really need to rip this to shreds? And my scarf is burnt. Now what am I going to wear?"
"Don't know. Maybe you'll just have to stay put. I'm sure I could show you a better time. Xander's a bit dull." He was clearly not sorry for what he had done to her shirt.
"Not funny. I have to go. I'm one of the bridesmaids. We're supposed to learn when to walk down the isle and we have to try on our dresses and everything."
"Right then. I'll go with you." He stood and started putting his pants on.
"You weren't invited. They'll start to ask questions if you come with me." She was completely dressed except for a shirt. She took one of his that was lying on the ground, picked it up and smelt it. It must have passed the April fresh test because she put it on.
*Damn she looks good in my clothes.* He thought just before arguing with her. "So what if they ask questions. You're not embarrassed by me are you?"
"Embarrassed by you. All the time."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh please. For one your hair. Peroxide blonde went out a long time ago."
"Hey don't talk about my hair."
"Ok fine. What about your stupid leather duster?" She said just as he was putting it on.
"I'll have you know they still sell these. Quite expensive too."
"Yeah and did you ever notice that nobody buys them?" She started out the door to his crypt and he followed her.
"And you're so much better." He said as they walked.
"Excuse me?"
"You and your pink little fingernails. You could stop traffic with those." Her nails had been painted the brightest shade of pink he had ever seen.
"Well yeah it looks stupid now. They went with the shirt that you tore to shreds."
"I did you a favor. That shirt was much to bright."
"Whatever," she said as they had reached the magic shop, "Just behave yourself tonight. And if anyone asks you're here because there is some big demon out to get me."
"Sure. What ever you say luv."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The moment she opened the door Xander leapt up from the table. "Buffy. Hi. So glad you made it. Come. Sit. Eat." His tone stated that he would rather be anywhere else. As Buffy entered Spike followed her only to be stopped by Xander. "Not so fast Captain Peroxide. Family and members of the wedding party only. Last time I checked you were neither." He had begun to shut the door on Spikes face.
"Xander." Buffy protested.
"Fine, but I don't have to like it."
"Would be offended if you did." Spike stated as he entered the room.
"Hi everybody. Mr. & Mrs. Harris." Buffy took a seat next to Willow and Spike sat next to her.
"You must be Bunny." Mrs. Harris stated.
"It's Buffy."
"Oh yes, Buffy." Mrs. Harris said disapprovingly.
"And you are who exactly? Surely my son has better taste in friends than you." Mr. Harris stated looking at Spike.
"Spike and I friends? That's a funny one dad. He's actually… a …. a"
"I'm here with Buffy." Spike stated matter of factly. He put his hand on Buffy's thigh underneath the table.
"Yes, Spike and I are um…."
"We're head over heels in love. Just like your boy Xander and his pet Anya." Spike was giddy. He squeezed his hand on Buffy's thigh.
"Is that so?" Mrs. Harris said while looking away from them, not really wanting an answer.
"So what is it that we're having for dinner?" Mr. Harris was changing the subject. His son's choice of friends surely bothered him.
"We got Chinese." Anya stated coming around the corner with the boxed food.
"Really Alexander. You would think that for your wedding you would at least have a decent dinner." Mrs. Harris seemed to not like anything about her son.
"Did I do something wrong? Are we supposed to be having something different? The bridal magazines didn't say what to have for a rehearsal dinner." Spike could tell that Anya's completely confused tone bothered Mrs. Harris.
"No Anya. It's fine. Just sometimes people like to have very formal dinners." Willow had a nice way of explaining things to Anya. She could explain things in a way that didn't make Anya feel stupid and at the same time gave everyone else in the room the impression that she thought that Anya was hopeless.
"Oh ok. Look we even got fortune cookies." Anya laid the food on the table and everyone began to grab for it.
"Honestly." Mr. Harris said as he was reaching for the rice. Dawn had gotten to it faster than he had.
"Oh sorry. Did you want this?" Dawn said as she put it back down.
"Oh this night is going to be fun." Spike said in a whisper that only Buffy could hear.
"Remember behave. And what's with the you and I being madly in love?"
"Well you really didn't want me to tell Xander's mum and pop your cover story did you?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They ate and babbled about absolutely nothing. Nobody really wanted to say anything in front of Xanders parents. Spike however had managed to throw in a couple of comments about Xander making a good meal. He didn't think that Mr. & Mrs. Harris had any clue as to what he was talking about, but the looks he got from all of the scoobies told him that they knew exactly what he had been getting at.
After dinner the girls talked about how they were going to wear their hair and all the other frilly things that girls talked about. When they finally headed off to the training room to try on their dresses Spike headed over to the other side of the magic shop and was looking at all of the books. He could hear the conversation between Xander and his parents.
"So she owns this little shop does she?" Mr. Harris was looking around the table where he sat.
"Yep."
"And it's a magic shop, right?" Mrs. Harris was clearly uncomfortable with this fact.
"More of like a meditation shop. You know candles good, bad chi bad." Xander was beginning to twitch.
"But it's called the 'Magic Box' is it not." Said Mr. Harris.
"Yeah well you know. It attracts more teeny bopper business that way. They like to think of it as magic." Xander finished his sentence got up from the table and walked towards Spike muttering something to himself.
"Trouble with the parents?"
"Shut up Spike."
"You hurt me with your words." Spike lifted his hands to his chest driving an invisible stake threw his heart.
"Why are you even here?"
"I'm here with Buffy remember?"
"Just as long as you don't show up at the wedding tomorrow." Xander was leaning up against the wall avoiding looking at his parents.
"But I was invited. Wouldn't miss it for the world."
"I didn't invite you."
"Maybe not you, but your little soon to be wife did." Just then Willow came out of the back room wearing the most hideous green dress Spike had ever seen.
"Xander we need to have a talk. Now I know she doesn't know the rules, but making people wear dresses like these is why people are never still friends with the people who were in their weddings."
"But it goes so nicely with your hair Red." Spike gave Willow a half smile.
"Oh come on Wil. After the wedding we'll have a bonfire and burn the things." Xander put his arm around Willows shoulder and began to walk away.
Then Buffy came out of the back room dressed in the exact same dress. Spike couldn't help, but laugh. She modeled it nicely for Mr. & Mrs. Harris. Spike went up to her and just looked at her.
"What?" She asked when he wouldn't stop smirking.
"Just thinking that I miss that bloody pink shirt." He answered her and gave her the 'you know you want me' look.
"What pink shirt?" Dawn said as she came out of the room.
"No pink shirt." Buffy said trying to give Spike the hint that he should shut up.
"The pink shirt that you were just yelling at me about wrecking, not more than three hours ago."
"That's enough, Spike. I don't think that anyone wants to hear about my stupid pink shirt." She looked away from him.
"You're right maybe they'd rather hear about your scarf."
"Ok that's enough." She said to him as she grabbed a bag that contained her clothes and started pushing him towards the door. "Sorry we have to call it a night. See you all tomorrow at the wedding."
"Buffy you can't leave we've still got all kinds of things we have to go over." Anya protested.
"I'm sure she'll be able to figure out how to walk in a straight line all by herself." Spike said as Buffy pushed him out the door.
"What were you thinking??" She yelled as soon as the door to the magic shop closed.
"I was thinking I wanted to get out of there. You can't tell me you weren't thinking the exact same thing."
"OK so maybe I was. Look at this dress." She said lifting it up so that she could walk.
"I don't know. I think it looks kind of flattering."
"Flattering. It makes my butt look big and look at this stupid flower."
He wasn't thinking about the
flower. Or even the dress for that matter. Well unless you count thinking
about how the dress would look lying on the floor of his crypt after he
took it off her.
Part 8 || Part 10