That night, Buffy tossed in her bed.....
Prague, 1918
She looked down at herself, KNOWING those clothes did not hang in her closet. It was like... something from a timepiece movie... early 1900's maybe? She had never paid attention in class. It felt so surreal, yet so... solid. Everywhere she looked was tinted red. Tainted. People were fleeing in panic, she could smell their fear, feel it roll off them in waves. Anger, despair, grief, insanity. She had to help... had to... Flee. The conflicting emotions rendered her immobile, and she simply twisted in the sea of people running in all directions about her. Lightning streaked the sky and thunder rolled on the clouds. It lit the center of the area, illuminating four figures in unholy light. Terror and bile rose in her throat, arrows of familiarity pierced her heart. She lifted her head to stare across the masses.
A dusty blonde head was tilted over someone... a woman, a small woman... a child?? He tore his head up, blood dripping from his feral smile, intoxicating pleasure, power, drowning his eyes, locking on hers. The tableau was frozen, the child, still limp in this creature's arms, she, still immobile, frozen in indecision, but the creature, with a flash of lightning, his eyes changed. They were those of Spike's. Her Spike's, and they wept with anguish. Spike's clothes and hair changed, and he fell to his knees, cradling the body of the child. "No, nonono..."
Buffy's own facade of clothes and hair faded, and a harried shout tore from her lips, horror flooding her system. Spike looked up from the corpse, his eyes locking on hers once more. "H- Help me..."
Buffy woke, bathed in sweat, shaking. her breath trembled, and she rubbed her hands over her eyes wearily.
Spike sat bolt upright in his bed, panting, tears streaming down his cheeks. It was the same nightmare that had been haunting him for months, except... Buffy had never been there before. "What the bloody hell?"
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Buffy was in the Magic Box the next morning, tearing through the spell book. Her eyes lit when she saw it, and she sat, read the script carefully. Last night.... Last night had felt eerily like how shifting through Spike's mind had. She had to know if that was just a side-effect of her sharing her blood. Dread filled her system as the words on the page sunk in.
" Beware all those who choose to help, there is a price to pay. Never to be alone again, forever will you stay, locked together/ minds as one, the bond will never die, until the one who's blood it is faces the truth and light."
Panic rose in her system. "Forever you will stay? Truth and light?" Buffy closed the book, replaced it. Truth and light? Truth... She walked up to Anya, who stood behind the counter. "It hurt my feelings when you slept with Spike." She turned before Anya could say a word to face Xander. "I know you feel pushed out. But you're my best friend. I don't ever wanna lose you, and you're so important to us as Scoobies, as well as a great guy." She bit her thumb nail and looked at Dawn who was staring at her like she had gone crazy. "I... wore your blue shirt once, and... Spike tore it. The washer didn't turn it a funny color." She looked at Giles. Cocked her head to the side. Truth?? About Giles? "I... had a small crush on you when you first got here. Before.... ya know.... everything."
Giles did the only thing a proper Englishman could do: He spit his tea across the table, right onto Xander's new shirt.
"EEch!!", Xander yelped. "God, Giles!" He looked at Buffy. "And what has gotten into you? Suddenly all miss massive confessions. Now," he said, standing up. "If you'll excuse me. I have the sudden compulsion to do my laundry."
She stared at his retreating back. "I love you?" She said helpfully.
"Yeah, yeah..."
She gave a small pout. Looked around. Well, all confessioned out. She focused on an 'un-like her' thought. Titanic... whiskey... In a slight trance, she was in Spike's head still. She gave a loud, high-pitched mental, "Shit!" then focused on a 'her' thought. Had to get lip gloss. Buffy gave a small, neat smile to everyone still glancing expectantly at her. "Well, I'd better go. Bye."
As she walked out the door, Giles turned to Anya and Dawn, and all three of them shrugged.
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Buffy had walked away, and gone shopping. Nothing major. Some fruit, some veggies, some blood, and one tube of peach lip gloss. She now stood at Spike's door holding the blood, and wearing the lip gloss, the tube resting in her pocket. 'Just... check his bandages, ask how he slept, drop the blood, and get out,' she told herself. She knocked, not really expecting an answer, because she never really got one when she did.
"Come in, luv," Spike called in a voice that sounded like he had been crying.
She walked in, crossed quickly to him . "What's wrong?" Scenes of Jack's death flashed across her eyes. "I'll never let go" floated through her mind. She rolled her eyes. He was making her insane over Titanic.
The tv was on, showing the credits to Titanic. He sniffed. "Nothin'. Just watching a movie, that's all."
"Brought some blood from the grocery." She passed him to pack it into the fridge.
He sniffed again, pulled a Kleenex from the box next to him. "Thanks."
She sat on the opposite side of the couch. "How ya feelin'?"
He looked at her. "I said that I'm fine. I should just add this stupid movie to the list of ones that I like and can't watch without crying. Right up there with Ghost and Beauty And The Beast."
She rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you like this garbage." She sighed theatrically. "I'll never let go, Jack.. I'll never let go. Then she shoves him into the ocean as a nice little popcicle for the next shark and boogies to the next boat."
"Oh, sure. When you say it like that." He snorted.
"Oh. You mean realistically?"
"And there aren't any sharks that far north." He grinned. "Not a romantic at heart, eh?"
She snorted. "Fine... the next insane penguin..." She shrugged. "Dunno."
"You know, I was almost on the Titanic."
"Really? Did you lose that game of poker to Jack?"
He chuckled. "No. Dru and I killed a young couple that had tickets, so we took 'em. But she slept in, and I didn't have the heart to wake her, so we missed the boat."
She shook her head in dismay. "It would have been like... Happy Meals On Ice."
Spike laughed. "You remember that crack, huh? Happy Meals with legs?"
She nodded, glanced at his now encased in cotton-strips torso. "How's all this doing?"
He grimaced. "Dunno. I, uh, can't get the bandages off. It feels better, though. A lot better."
Unease skittered through her. "Yeah?"
He grinned. "Must be you and Dawn's expert nursing." He caught a wave of emotion, nervousness, and slight fear. "Are you okay, luv?"
She said enthusiastically, "Oh yeah. Us Summers' nurses. I'm fine. Just wanna see your hip."
He "tsk"ed playfully. "Now, now, Slayer. I know you just can't wait to get your hands on me again, but I'm movin' kind of slow these days. Must be my advanced years catching up to me."
She gave a small laugh. "Oh yeah... can't wait to tear your pants off." She scrunched her nose. "That came out wrong."
"Ever so much."
"C'mon," she entreated him. "I have to be at work soon."
He moaned theatrically and rolled onto his side. "Be gentle, I'm very delicate."
She said, "Oh yeah.. cuz I never had bruises to disprove that..."
"I said that I'M delicate, not that I'm gentle. Unless I want to be."
She knelt beside him on the floor beside the couch and pulled the bandage off carefully. She placed two fingers against the skin, gaging the healing. Heat flashed through her. Sudden desire, tenderness. Love. Pleasure. Gratitude.
Spike looked at her. "Somethin' wrong, luv? You just gasped." He craned his neck to see his hip. "It isn't that bad, is it?"
She jerked her hand back. Mumbled, "No... I was just... No." She shook her head, attempting to clear it. "It- it's healing nicely. Better than I had hoped."
He sighed, relaxed. "Oh. Good. Then what just happened?"
Her voice was sharp. "What? What do you mean?"
He flinched slightly at her sudden tone. "Uh, just that you made a weird sound when you touched me, and I can tell that you're nervous about something. Scared, even. What is it?"
She mentally got a grip. "It just really surprised me that it was healing so nicely. Those demons are really dirty, and I wasn't sure if I got all the dirt out of the scratch. Bacteria, infections, ya know. It looks really good."
"But you're still nervous about something. Your feelings are all jumbled."
She calmed herself. "I just wish I didn't have to go to work. I'd rather stay and look after you and Dawn."
He smiled at her. "I like that idea. Hey, why don't you call in another sick day? Then we can watch movies, and you can make fun of me when I cry."
She smiled and patted his cheek. "I would love to, but all paid-leave days are gone for now."
He pouted. "Then I'm gonna be all alone again."
She pulled out her lipgloss, applied, replaced, and smiled. "Dawn'll be here at three. Just in time for you to fill her in on Passions."
He grinned. "Ok. Maybe I'll take a nap until then. I didn't get much sleep last night. Nightmares again."
She stilled. "I'm sorry. What'd you dream?"
He made a "pfft"ing noise. "Just memories with a twist. Like they always are. The massacre in Prague, but then it's the me that I am now, with a soul, and I can't stop, and the girl always dies in my arms. Only last night was different. You were there. At least, I think it was you."
' Regulate breathing, heartbeat,' she reminded herself. 'He can read them like a book.' "Me?"
"Yeah. I think. You were dressed like you belonged there. And you were staring at me. That's never happened before. I've dreamed about you, sure, all the time, but you've never been in one of my memory nightmares that didn't already involve you. Like the tower one, for instance."
She, "hmmm"-ed. "How odd."
"Tell me about it. Bloody weird. Must be the last of your blood from the other night running around in my system."
She stood, patted his head quickly, praying for no images to wipe her mind clear of its sense. "Probably." She pulled her lip gloss out of her pocket, uncapped it and held it under his nose. "Like?"
He sniffed appreciatively. "Nice. It's new?"
She nodded. "I was low."
"I like this one. But then again, I can't remember you ever having one that I didn't like."
Strawberry, cherry, apple, cotton candy, and cinnamon ran through her head. He had tasted them all on her. Apple was his favorite. "What was your favorite?"
"Apple."
He glanced at the clock. "So, when do you have to be a work?"
"In... ya know, a few minutes. In fact, I'm gonna get outta here, head over there... I'll be here at midnight-ish where Dawn will be sleeping soundly on your couch?"
"Yeah. Unless she falls asleep on the bed again and I wind up on the couch."
She shook her head. "Just put her on the couch. She's fine. You need the bed." 'Doesn't like to wake her.'
"I don't like to wake her."
She shrugged. "I'd appreciate it if you'd make her sleep there though. It's a respect thing."
He nodded. "I'll try. When she starts nodding off, I'll direct her to the couch."
He'd move her to the couch ten minutes before she arrived. Her head was spinning. "Ummm.. uh-k. I'll be- Ya know, at work."
"Ok. See you later." 'I love you..'
She walked hazily to the ladder. Stopped. The words stalled her. The unspoken ones. "Of course you will... see me later.... I'll.... see you later... too."
"Bye, luv." '...so much...'
She wasn't used to all this emotion. She fled. It was rocking her system, the emotion that was so casual to him. It overwhelmed her. She staggered in the graveyard, falling to her knees, and gave herself a moment to compose herself.
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Burgers... why did people eat so many of them? And would they, if they knew the special ingredient was the *beef flavor*?? She sighed dejectedly in the store room, and grabbed more buns.
FLASH!!! Sunnydale, 2001...
Spike fell, hitting the ground hard after his hundred and fifty foot drop. He moaned and tried to sit up, but pain rocketing from everywhere at once sent him back down.
Buffy had never seen him fall. It hurt her almost as much as him.
He struggled to his feet, but one leg collapsed beneath him, broken just below the knee. Energy was crackling all around, seeming to set the air itself on fire. The portal was open...
He stared up, using a piece of rusted pipe as a crutch. "...no..", he said quietly. "...Lil' Bit..." He hobbled toward where he could see what looked like Rupert crouched over something... Ben, or rather, Ben's body. Rupert had suffocated him. Spike paused, staring at his unofficial mentor.
Buffy's eyes welled. Her Watcher's innocence, gone as well.
Spike started to limp toward the stairs. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he wasn't going to let Dawn jump. Suddenly, as quickly as it had started, the crackling energy stopped. Spike froze, staring up at the tower. What had happened?
He could see Dawn slowly descending the staircase, and his heart leapt, she was okay! But where was....?
At that instant, there was the sickening sound of a body hitting pavement. Spike froze. Turned toward the sound, saw the others gathering. Not really comprehending what was going on, he limped toward his surrogate family, half dragging his mostly useless leg, still using the pipe as a crutch.
He came around a pile of construction equipment, and saw her. Buffy. His love... His life... His light... Dead. He dropped the pipe. Stood for a second on the broken limb, then collapsed, weeping and wailing to the ground. "...no... God, please no..."
FLASH!!!!!
Buffy's own legs gave out as she succumbed to the numbness, then the blinding terror, guilt, and loss. Mindless to her surroundings, she began to bawl. "...No... God, please no..."
A DoubleMeat employee turned the corner to find Buffy on her knees mashing the buns. She had heard a rumor of a family emergency. She knelt beside her, cupped her shoulders. "Dear... why don't you take the day?"
============================================================================ ========
"...no... God, please no...", Spike continued to mutter in his sleep.
Dawn tossed her backpack on a chair in the upstairs, free from school! Her smile froze as she heard a pained muttering from the downstairs. She crept down the ladder, a stray stake at the ready, just in case.
"...Buffy... oh, God no..."
He was lying on the couch, tears on his sleeping face. Dawn tucked the stake in her back pocket, and sat next to him. "Spike."
"...no, Buffy..."
She sighed, knowing it would take more for this dream. They'd had it before. She lay down on the couch beside him, rubbing the inside of her wrist. Felt the blood pulse strongly. Held it to his nose. "Spike.... Wake up. It's ok... Please wake up..." Touching him was a no-no, it made him violent. But the smell of Buffy, or something like it, always brought him back.
Spike's eyes flew open and he sat bolt upright on the couch, nearly falling off. "Wha..?"
She laid her hands on his shoulders, knowing touch was allright now, he knew she was there. "You had the dream again."
His eyes roamed for a moment before focusing on the Key sitting next to him. "I did?" Then it hit him. "Oh. I did." He swiped at his eyes, sniffed, blinked back a stubborn tear.
She wrapped her arms around him. He slipped his arms around her in return, their ritual of calming each other firmly in place. "Sorry," he whispered. "Thought I'd gotten rid of that one."
She nuzzled her cheek in the crook of his neck. "I forgive you."
He gave her a tight squeeze before releasing her and settling back. "Thanks, Bit." He glanced around. "So, what's on the agenda for today? All the better to forget certain recurring dreams."
She rubbed her hands together. "Dinner."
"Oh? And what do you have today? And please say that it includes something chocolate."
"I know it's only three, but.... wow. I have..." She picked up a bag she had deserted when she saw him. "Mac and cheese, salad, and brats." She reached into her purse, pulled out a Hershey bar. "Like.. this kind of chocolate?" She waved it in the air. She yanked it back when he reached for it.
"Say: Dawn is the prettiest key in the world."
"Dawn is a pain and if she values her life, she'll give Spike the candy bar."
She continued as if he hadn't interrupted. "She's the best nightmare-getter- outter, and best cook in Sunnydale. She is kind and gracious."
He play growled and pounced her. "She is also ticklish. Now, give me the candy."
She shoved the bar at him. "Here ya go." She patted his head. "Nice vampy." An appeasing smile. "Enjoy?"
"..grrr..." But he was grinning. He broke the bar in half and handed part of it back. Then settled back against the couch pillows, chuckling.
She shook her head, pushed it back at him. "No way. I think I'm getting fat." She put her hands on her curvier hips. "See that? I have fat now. I can rest my hands on it. It's like..." she was at a loss for words. "a hand rest made of fat."
He laughed. "You? Fat? Uh-uh. Now I'm getting a bit of a belly on me, but not you." He poked her ribs.
She swatted his hands. "I'm serious! It's scary!"
He grinned, and continued to poke at her. "That's not scary. I'm scary."
She waved him off. "I mean..." she continued in her own little drama, "I know I'm supposed to get hips. It happens. But not THIS big. I mean.." She swung them back and forth experimentally. "I think I can shut lockers on both sides of the hall with these babies."
"Or knock a bunch of demons off you from either side. That's not fat, Bit. That's muscle from all the training you're doin'."
She firmed her mouth, nodding. "I'm confident this warrants a Scooby meeting. " She frowned. "I need to tone, not bulk."
"Why?"
She stomped a foot and tossed her hair. "Because it's distressing!"
"You're calling a meeting because of your hips? So should I call one every time my hair gets all messy?"
She said snidely, poking at her hips, "No, you should tell Buffy to lay off."
He cocked his head, pretending not to understand her, sliding across the couch toward her. "What did you say?"
She was still lost in thought. "Tell Buffy to chill with the... sexiness. I bet I can dance better with these now." She swung her hips seductively to a beat in her head. Bent her knees, straightened them, dipped again, never stopping her hips. She nodded approvingly. "At least they've got *some* use..."
Spike paused, readied himself, then growled and pounced, his fingers immediately going to the junction of ribs and hips, a Summers weak spot. Dawn squealed and wiggled, laughing helplessly. "It's not FAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIR!!!" she giggled and squealed. "You're-haha-hurt!"
Spike laughed. "And I owe you. Big time."
She let out a pitiful moan. "Spiiiii-iiiiiiiiike..."
He chuckled and released, turning his back on her.
She started to pounce, then thought better of it. She waited till he settled on the couch.
Spike sat down, put his feet up, relishing his victory.
She pounced on his middle, barely missing his hips and dove for his feet, tickling mercilessly.
Spike let out a howl that could have awakened the dead, and might have, given their location. "Daaaawwwnnn!! Quit.. ahh!... Stop it!!"
"Dawn's distress warrants a meeting." She scraped a nail gently up his instep.
He growl/laughed, but said nothing. He was going to win here if it killed him.
She kept it up. "In fact, her distress is understandable." Tickled more.
Spike convulsed, fought an impulse to kick her into the next week, but stayed mostly silent, except for the giggles that kept slipping out.
"Fat hips are ugly. Say it, Spike."
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Buffy had composed herself, and stayed at work. She now handed a customer a to-go bag. "Have a doublemeat-" snorting giggle, "doublesweet-" snicker- "Day."
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"Face.. lifts.. checked... pugsly...", he snorted out. There was no way that both Summers girls were going to get the best of him.
She continued her attack. "Say it!!"
"No! Haha!"
"FAT HIPS ARE UGLY!" She yelled while she tickled. Oh, he was undead, sure. But SHE was a teenager.
He laughed harder, then sucked in a deep breath... and held it. 'Don't let her win...', he mentally chanted. 'Gotta hold on..'
She slowed her assault, saying quietly, "Fat hips are gross, and atrocious, and Dawn will get rid of hers." She scraped a nail down his instep and sped up the tickling.
"You.. -giggle- don't have -snort- fat anything!"
She sighed. Kept tickling. "Fat hips are ugly."
"Give... hehe.. up!"
She shook her head. "No way, boy. Fat... hips.... are.... ugly..."
"Rat lips are ugly..", he laughed.
She snorted, kept tickling. "You've kissed a few."
He tried to growl, but it came out as a snorting laugh when she found a spot near his toes. "Uh-uh.."
She was intrigued by the snorting noise and tickled between his toes again. A-ha. The road to domination.
'Oh damn it!', the vampire thought. "Don't..!"
She scritched between them gently. "Fat hips are ugly."
He squeaked, and tried to hold his breath again.
She laughed. Amended. "Dawn's fat hips are ugly."
"Whyiiii!?"
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Meanwhile.... Buffy was curled in a corner of the backroom, laughing hysterically. The same woman who had recommended she take the day, shook her head at the cashier. "It happens to them all when they realize they're lifers..."
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Dawn scratched between his toes again. "Because I said so."
"Don't think sooooo!"
She switched back. "Fat hips are ugly."
"Mat rips are uglyiii!!" He was very determined this time. Besides, no matter what he looked like, this was fun! Albeit torture, but fun torture.
She glared, tickled him more. Bit his ankle. "Fat hips are ugly."
"Owww! HA! Cheaterrr!"
"I learned from the best. SAY IT!"
'Give up time,' the vampire's mind said. 'We're finished.' "FAT HIPS ARRRREEE UUGGGLLLYY!!"
Dawn tossed her hands in the air. "Yeah!!!!!"
"Damnit," Spike muttered, still laughing slightly.
She stood to make dinner, laughing, then stopped. Had a very offended look on her face. "I can't BELIEVE you said I was ugly!!"
Spike looked shocked. "What? But you said..." He sighed. "Never mind. Sorry."
She laughed and kissed his cheek. "I'm just playing."
He chuckled. "I just can't win with you people, can I?"
She shook her head. "Probably not. But the look on your face??" She smiled. "Priceless, absolutely terrified blankness."
Spike muttered, "Humans..."
============================================================================ ========
Buffy glared at the vampire attacking her. "-like he has NOTHING better to do with his time than be TICKLED? While I'm WORKING!?" She staked him thoughtfully. "I wonder how I'm gonna fix this."
She was at Spike's door, and so ready for the shower. And in her pocket was a new lipgloss. Apple. But just because the compulsion to buy it had come over her, did NOT mean that it was remotely related to the fact that it was Spike's favorite. Which was why she defiantly put a thin layer on before she knocked. Defiantly.
"Come in," Spike called quietly.
She came in, her steps light to the downstairs. Dawn was on the couch, curled with a blanket thrown over her.
"Hey," Spike said, looking up from where he had been writing in a notebook. He was sitting up in bed, with a four pillow prop behind him. "How was your day?"
She sighed. "It's over now."
"Hard time?"
Gave him a smile. "Thanks for putting her on the couch... No, it was a hysterical day, just busy."
He smiled back. "I suppose you want to take a shower?"
She had a hand on the small of her back, pushing it as discreetly as possible. "Absolutely." She crossed the floor to open her drawer, pull out pajamas.
"I thought so. I got out a clean towel and all your stuff for you. So that you wouldn't have to do it."
She smiled gratefully. "Thank you."
He grinned. "No problem, luv. Willing slave, remember?"
"Clearly. I put my stuff in the bottom 'cuz your all stiff and un-bendy. Ya know, so you wouldn't have to bend. But I appreciate getting my stuff."
"It was nothing. I like helping you. Even if I'm just grabbing your shampoo."
She smiled. "I'm just gonna hop in all right?"
"Take your time, luv." He went back to writing. "I've got plenty to keep me busy."
She nodded, and took his word for it, and took her time. It was almost one when she re-emerged, the crick still in her back, but the hot water had helped some. Her hair was dry and fluffy, and she felt she had triumphed over the 'smell'.
Spike was still writing, but there was something slightly different about him. He was wearing a pair of wire framed glasses. Really old glasses. Harmon meowed a greeting to her from his place across Spike's feet. Spike glanced up, removed the glasses. "Oh. You're finished?"
She got a slightly harassed feeling when the cat walked by. Like he was a spy or something. She smiled at him. "Yeah. You still need glasses? I thought being all fangy fixed that."
He chuckled. "It's more of a mental thing than an actual handicap. But they do help me a little, when I'm reading or writing in low light, so I don't know."
She nodded. "Gotcha." She laid across the foot of the bed, much like Harm, snuggled down into the comforter. "Mmmmm..."
Spike smiled, put the glasses back on, and began scribbling again. "So. What's the news from the world of fast food?"
She shrugged. "Breaking news... It still sucks."
He chuckled, kept writing. "Can't be all bad. You never have any fun there? No one makes you laugh?"
'You do.'
He looked up. "Me?"
"No... I want to slay customers more than- what?"
"How could I make you laugh? I'm never even there?" He took off the glasses. "Unless you think I'm... what? Weird? Silly?"
Panic rose. "Spike..?"
He thought for a moment. "That was strange. Huh. Must be another of those side effects of your blood. Must say, I didn't think it'd last this long."
"I've got... uh.. tough blood. Ya know." She covered her mental blunder. He had heard her not speak. "Well, probably. But, sometimes I think about what we talk about, and it makes me laugh."
"Me too. " He smiled. "Tell me about it. Come look at my hip. It's closed, and I don't even think I'll get a new scar out of it."
She scooted up on the bed. "Lemme see."
He obediently rolled over and pulled the waist of his pajama pants down.
She pulled the bandage back, careful to not touch him. "Wow. It looks great."
He noticed her hesitancy. "Something wrong, luv?" He ducked his head. "I mean, you're acting like you don't want to.. touch me... anymore. Did I... did I do something wrong?"
She reached out a hand, grazed his cheek. "No. Of course you didn't."
He sighed. "Oh." Realizing that he still had the glasses on, he removed them again. "Bloody things."
She smiled, replaced the bandage. "They're cute."
He gave her a boyish grin. "Cute? Me? I'm not cute." He thought a moment. "Devilishly handsome, but not cute. Cute is for puppies and kittens. Not big bad master vampires."
She laughed. "You're devilishly handsome when you're all, 'Whoo, I'm sexy, touch me I sizzle'. But when you write, and wear glasses, and grin when you're embarrassed, you're cute."
He chuckled, and tried not to grin again. "I'm just a big puppy, aren't I?"
She nodded. "Basically."
He whimpered. "So, are you going to stay the night? Keep me company?"
Unease. The cozy feeling she'd been cultivating evaporated. She smiled at him. "Sure."
He cocked his head. There was something at the edge of his perception that was bothering him. A vague feeling of nervousness, and he could have sworn that it wasn't his own. "Uh, you don't have to if you don't want to, luv," he said, taking a shot in the dark to see if the feelings were hers.
'That's it,' thought the cat from his spot on the vampire's feet. 'You're close...'
She smiled again. "It's no big. Really... just... Dawn... I think... I'm gonna sleep on the floor, ok?" She wetted her lips, tasting her apple gloss.
He looked at her. "Ok. But you don't have to."
Harmon sighed. 'Time for a hint.' He wound his tail around Spike's feet, eliciting a laugh when it brushed between his toes.
Buffy's legs jerked, and her breath caught. She looked at the cat. Damn if she didn't think Harmon was out to screw her over. She picked him up, gave him a hug. "Hey kitty. I've missed you."
Harmon meowed pointedly. And then purred and nuzzled her. After all, she was only trying to help.
"I'll bet you don't miss a thing." She held Harmon up to eye level. Looked into his feline eyes.
Spike chuckled. "Whoo. Thanks for moving him, luv. I've had enough tickling to last me three lifetimes today."
Abruptly smiled at Spike. "Oh yeah?"
Spike chuckled again and pointed at the sleeping teenager on the couch. "Lil' Bit tortured me for the better part of an hour today. All because she wanted to call a Scooby meeting to discuss her hips."
Harmon licked Buffy's nose and squirmed out of her grasp to sit beside Spike. She arched a brow and gave the cat a reluctant cuddle- she really didn't want to like him, she just did. "Her hips?"
"She thinks her hips are getting fat. And she wouldn't stop tickling my feet until I said 'Fat hips are ugly'. I held out as long as I could, but she's way too good at that, you know."
Buffy grinned. "She learned from the best. In the morning, remind me to tell her welcome to my world."
He growled. "When I'm better, both of you are severely getting it."
She yawned. "Yeah, yeah." Then yawned for real.
He snorted at her, but the look in his eyes was playful. He smiled. "Get some sleep, luv. You need it."
She reached under the comforter and snagged the red satin sheet. She laid down under it beside the bed. "Mmm-kay."
"Good night, luv."
She pillowed her head on her arms and gave a sleepy smile. "Night."
Prague, 1918
She looked down at herself, KNOWING those clothes did not hang in her closet. It was like... something from a timepiece movie... early 1900's maybe? She had never paid attention in class. It felt so surreal, yet so... solid. Everywhere she looked was tinted red. Tainted. People were fleeing in panic, she could smell their fear, feel it roll off them in waves. Anger, despair, grief, insanity. She had to help... had to... Flee. The conflicting emotions rendered her immobile, and she simply twisted in the sea of people running in all directions about her. Lightning streaked the sky and thunder rolled on the clouds. It lit the center of the area, illuminating four figures in unholy light. Terror and bile rose in her throat, arrows of familiarity pierced her heart. She lifted her head to stare across the masses.
A dusty blonde head was tilted over someone... a woman, a small woman... a child?? He tore his head up, blood dripping from his feral smile, intoxicating pleasure, power, drowning his eyes, locking on hers. The tableau was frozen, the child, still limp in this creature's arms, she, still immobile, frozen in indecision, but the creature, with a flash of lightning, his eyes changed. They were those of Spike's. Her Spike's, and they wept with anguish. Spike's clothes and hair changed, and he fell to his knees, cradling the body of the child. "No, nonono..."
Buffy's own facade of clothes and hair faded, and a harried shout tore from her lips, horror flooding her system. Spike looked up from the corpse, his eyes locking on hers once more. "H- Help me..."
Buffy woke, bathed in sweat, shaking. her breath trembled, and she rubbed her hands over her eyes wearily.
Spike sat bolt upright in his bed, panting, tears streaming down his cheeks. It was the same nightmare that had been haunting him for months, except... Buffy had never been there before. "What the bloody hell?"
============================================================================ ========
Buffy was in the Magic Box the next morning, tearing through the spell book. Her eyes lit when she saw it, and she sat, read the script carefully. Last night.... Last night had felt eerily like how shifting through Spike's mind had. She had to know if that was just a side-effect of her sharing her blood. Dread filled her system as the words on the page sunk in.
" Beware all those who choose to help, there is a price to pay. Never to be alone again, forever will you stay, locked together/ minds as one, the bond will never die, until the one who's blood it is faces the truth and light."
Panic rose in her system. "Forever you will stay? Truth and light?" Buffy closed the book, replaced it. Truth and light? Truth... She walked up to Anya, who stood behind the counter. "It hurt my feelings when you slept with Spike." She turned before Anya could say a word to face Xander. "I know you feel pushed out. But you're my best friend. I don't ever wanna lose you, and you're so important to us as Scoobies, as well as a great guy." She bit her thumb nail and looked at Dawn who was staring at her like she had gone crazy. "I... wore your blue shirt once, and... Spike tore it. The washer didn't turn it a funny color." She looked at Giles. Cocked her head to the side. Truth?? About Giles? "I... had a small crush on you when you first got here. Before.... ya know.... everything."
Giles did the only thing a proper Englishman could do: He spit his tea across the table, right onto Xander's new shirt.
"EEch!!", Xander yelped. "God, Giles!" He looked at Buffy. "And what has gotten into you? Suddenly all miss massive confessions. Now," he said, standing up. "If you'll excuse me. I have the sudden compulsion to do my laundry."
She stared at his retreating back. "I love you?" She said helpfully.
"Yeah, yeah..."
She gave a small pout. Looked around. Well, all confessioned out. She focused on an 'un-like her' thought. Titanic... whiskey... In a slight trance, she was in Spike's head still. She gave a loud, high-pitched mental, "Shit!" then focused on a 'her' thought. Had to get lip gloss. Buffy gave a small, neat smile to everyone still glancing expectantly at her. "Well, I'd better go. Bye."
As she walked out the door, Giles turned to Anya and Dawn, and all three of them shrugged.
============================================================================ ========
Buffy had walked away, and gone shopping. Nothing major. Some fruit, some veggies, some blood, and one tube of peach lip gloss. She now stood at Spike's door holding the blood, and wearing the lip gloss, the tube resting in her pocket. 'Just... check his bandages, ask how he slept, drop the blood, and get out,' she told herself. She knocked, not really expecting an answer, because she never really got one when she did.
"Come in, luv," Spike called in a voice that sounded like he had been crying.
She walked in, crossed quickly to him . "What's wrong?" Scenes of Jack's death flashed across her eyes. "I'll never let go" floated through her mind. She rolled her eyes. He was making her insane over Titanic.
The tv was on, showing the credits to Titanic. He sniffed. "Nothin'. Just watching a movie, that's all."
"Brought some blood from the grocery." She passed him to pack it into the fridge.
He sniffed again, pulled a Kleenex from the box next to him. "Thanks."
She sat on the opposite side of the couch. "How ya feelin'?"
He looked at her. "I said that I'm fine. I should just add this stupid movie to the list of ones that I like and can't watch without crying. Right up there with Ghost and Beauty And The Beast."
She rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you like this garbage." She sighed theatrically. "I'll never let go, Jack.. I'll never let go. Then she shoves him into the ocean as a nice little popcicle for the next shark and boogies to the next boat."
"Oh, sure. When you say it like that." He snorted.
"Oh. You mean realistically?"
"And there aren't any sharks that far north." He grinned. "Not a romantic at heart, eh?"
She snorted. "Fine... the next insane penguin..." She shrugged. "Dunno."
"You know, I was almost on the Titanic."
"Really? Did you lose that game of poker to Jack?"
He chuckled. "No. Dru and I killed a young couple that had tickets, so we took 'em. But she slept in, and I didn't have the heart to wake her, so we missed the boat."
She shook her head in dismay. "It would have been like... Happy Meals On Ice."
Spike laughed. "You remember that crack, huh? Happy Meals with legs?"
She nodded, glanced at his now encased in cotton-strips torso. "How's all this doing?"
He grimaced. "Dunno. I, uh, can't get the bandages off. It feels better, though. A lot better."
Unease skittered through her. "Yeah?"
He grinned. "Must be you and Dawn's expert nursing." He caught a wave of emotion, nervousness, and slight fear. "Are you okay, luv?"
She said enthusiastically, "Oh yeah. Us Summers' nurses. I'm fine. Just wanna see your hip."
He "tsk"ed playfully. "Now, now, Slayer. I know you just can't wait to get your hands on me again, but I'm movin' kind of slow these days. Must be my advanced years catching up to me."
She gave a small laugh. "Oh yeah... can't wait to tear your pants off." She scrunched her nose. "That came out wrong."
"Ever so much."
"C'mon," she entreated him. "I have to be at work soon."
He moaned theatrically and rolled onto his side. "Be gentle, I'm very delicate."
She said, "Oh yeah.. cuz I never had bruises to disprove that..."
"I said that I'M delicate, not that I'm gentle. Unless I want to be."
She knelt beside him on the floor beside the couch and pulled the bandage off carefully. She placed two fingers against the skin, gaging the healing. Heat flashed through her. Sudden desire, tenderness. Love. Pleasure. Gratitude.
Spike looked at her. "Somethin' wrong, luv? You just gasped." He craned his neck to see his hip. "It isn't that bad, is it?"
She jerked her hand back. Mumbled, "No... I was just... No." She shook her head, attempting to clear it. "It- it's healing nicely. Better than I had hoped."
He sighed, relaxed. "Oh. Good. Then what just happened?"
Her voice was sharp. "What? What do you mean?"
He flinched slightly at her sudden tone. "Uh, just that you made a weird sound when you touched me, and I can tell that you're nervous about something. Scared, even. What is it?"
She mentally got a grip. "It just really surprised me that it was healing so nicely. Those demons are really dirty, and I wasn't sure if I got all the dirt out of the scratch. Bacteria, infections, ya know. It looks really good."
"But you're still nervous about something. Your feelings are all jumbled."
She calmed herself. "I just wish I didn't have to go to work. I'd rather stay and look after you and Dawn."
He smiled at her. "I like that idea. Hey, why don't you call in another sick day? Then we can watch movies, and you can make fun of me when I cry."
She smiled and patted his cheek. "I would love to, but all paid-leave days are gone for now."
He pouted. "Then I'm gonna be all alone again."
She pulled out her lipgloss, applied, replaced, and smiled. "Dawn'll be here at three. Just in time for you to fill her in on Passions."
He grinned. "Ok. Maybe I'll take a nap until then. I didn't get much sleep last night. Nightmares again."
She stilled. "I'm sorry. What'd you dream?"
He made a "pfft"ing noise. "Just memories with a twist. Like they always are. The massacre in Prague, but then it's the me that I am now, with a soul, and I can't stop, and the girl always dies in my arms. Only last night was different. You were there. At least, I think it was you."
' Regulate breathing, heartbeat,' she reminded herself. 'He can read them like a book.' "Me?"
"Yeah. I think. You were dressed like you belonged there. And you were staring at me. That's never happened before. I've dreamed about you, sure, all the time, but you've never been in one of my memory nightmares that didn't already involve you. Like the tower one, for instance."
She, "hmmm"-ed. "How odd."
"Tell me about it. Bloody weird. Must be the last of your blood from the other night running around in my system."
She stood, patted his head quickly, praying for no images to wipe her mind clear of its sense. "Probably." She pulled her lip gloss out of her pocket, uncapped it and held it under his nose. "Like?"
He sniffed appreciatively. "Nice. It's new?"
She nodded. "I was low."
"I like this one. But then again, I can't remember you ever having one that I didn't like."
Strawberry, cherry, apple, cotton candy, and cinnamon ran through her head. He had tasted them all on her. Apple was his favorite. "What was your favorite?"
"Apple."
He glanced at the clock. "So, when do you have to be a work?"
"In... ya know, a few minutes. In fact, I'm gonna get outta here, head over there... I'll be here at midnight-ish where Dawn will be sleeping soundly on your couch?"
"Yeah. Unless she falls asleep on the bed again and I wind up on the couch."
She shook her head. "Just put her on the couch. She's fine. You need the bed." 'Doesn't like to wake her.'
"I don't like to wake her."
She shrugged. "I'd appreciate it if you'd make her sleep there though. It's a respect thing."
He nodded. "I'll try. When she starts nodding off, I'll direct her to the couch."
He'd move her to the couch ten minutes before she arrived. Her head was spinning. "Ummm.. uh-k. I'll be- Ya know, at work."
"Ok. See you later." 'I love you..'
She walked hazily to the ladder. Stopped. The words stalled her. The unspoken ones. "Of course you will... see me later.... I'll.... see you later... too."
"Bye, luv." '...so much...'
She wasn't used to all this emotion. She fled. It was rocking her system, the emotion that was so casual to him. It overwhelmed her. She staggered in the graveyard, falling to her knees, and gave herself a moment to compose herself.
============================================================================ ========
Burgers... why did people eat so many of them? And would they, if they knew the special ingredient was the *beef flavor*?? She sighed dejectedly in the store room, and grabbed more buns.
FLASH!!! Sunnydale, 2001...
Spike fell, hitting the ground hard after his hundred and fifty foot drop. He moaned and tried to sit up, but pain rocketing from everywhere at once sent him back down.
Buffy had never seen him fall. It hurt her almost as much as him.
He struggled to his feet, but one leg collapsed beneath him, broken just below the knee. Energy was crackling all around, seeming to set the air itself on fire. The portal was open...
He stared up, using a piece of rusted pipe as a crutch. "...no..", he said quietly. "...Lil' Bit..." He hobbled toward where he could see what looked like Rupert crouched over something... Ben, or rather, Ben's body. Rupert had suffocated him. Spike paused, staring at his unofficial mentor.
Buffy's eyes welled. Her Watcher's innocence, gone as well.
Spike started to limp toward the stairs. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he wasn't going to let Dawn jump. Suddenly, as quickly as it had started, the crackling energy stopped. Spike froze, staring up at the tower. What had happened?
He could see Dawn slowly descending the staircase, and his heart leapt, she was okay! But where was....?
At that instant, there was the sickening sound of a body hitting pavement. Spike froze. Turned toward the sound, saw the others gathering. Not really comprehending what was going on, he limped toward his surrogate family, half dragging his mostly useless leg, still using the pipe as a crutch.
He came around a pile of construction equipment, and saw her. Buffy. His love... His life... His light... Dead. He dropped the pipe. Stood for a second on the broken limb, then collapsed, weeping and wailing to the ground. "...no... God, please no..."
FLASH!!!!!
Buffy's own legs gave out as she succumbed to the numbness, then the blinding terror, guilt, and loss. Mindless to her surroundings, she began to bawl. "...No... God, please no..."
A DoubleMeat employee turned the corner to find Buffy on her knees mashing the buns. She had heard a rumor of a family emergency. She knelt beside her, cupped her shoulders. "Dear... why don't you take the day?"
============================================================================ ========
"...no... God, please no...", Spike continued to mutter in his sleep.
Dawn tossed her backpack on a chair in the upstairs, free from school! Her smile froze as she heard a pained muttering from the downstairs. She crept down the ladder, a stray stake at the ready, just in case.
"...Buffy... oh, God no..."
He was lying on the couch, tears on his sleeping face. Dawn tucked the stake in her back pocket, and sat next to him. "Spike."
"...no, Buffy..."
She sighed, knowing it would take more for this dream. They'd had it before. She lay down on the couch beside him, rubbing the inside of her wrist. Felt the blood pulse strongly. Held it to his nose. "Spike.... Wake up. It's ok... Please wake up..." Touching him was a no-no, it made him violent. But the smell of Buffy, or something like it, always brought him back.
Spike's eyes flew open and he sat bolt upright on the couch, nearly falling off. "Wha..?"
She laid her hands on his shoulders, knowing touch was allright now, he knew she was there. "You had the dream again."
His eyes roamed for a moment before focusing on the Key sitting next to him. "I did?" Then it hit him. "Oh. I did." He swiped at his eyes, sniffed, blinked back a stubborn tear.
She wrapped her arms around him. He slipped his arms around her in return, their ritual of calming each other firmly in place. "Sorry," he whispered. "Thought I'd gotten rid of that one."
She nuzzled her cheek in the crook of his neck. "I forgive you."
He gave her a tight squeeze before releasing her and settling back. "Thanks, Bit." He glanced around. "So, what's on the agenda for today? All the better to forget certain recurring dreams."
She rubbed her hands together. "Dinner."
"Oh? And what do you have today? And please say that it includes something chocolate."
"I know it's only three, but.... wow. I have..." She picked up a bag she had deserted when she saw him. "Mac and cheese, salad, and brats." She reached into her purse, pulled out a Hershey bar. "Like.. this kind of chocolate?" She waved it in the air. She yanked it back when he reached for it.
"Say: Dawn is the prettiest key in the world."
"Dawn is a pain and if she values her life, she'll give Spike the candy bar."
She continued as if he hadn't interrupted. "She's the best nightmare-getter- outter, and best cook in Sunnydale. She is kind and gracious."
He play growled and pounced her. "She is also ticklish. Now, give me the candy."
She shoved the bar at him. "Here ya go." She patted his head. "Nice vampy." An appeasing smile. "Enjoy?"
"..grrr..." But he was grinning. He broke the bar in half and handed part of it back. Then settled back against the couch pillows, chuckling.
She shook her head, pushed it back at him. "No way. I think I'm getting fat." She put her hands on her curvier hips. "See that? I have fat now. I can rest my hands on it. It's like..." she was at a loss for words. "a hand rest made of fat."
He laughed. "You? Fat? Uh-uh. Now I'm getting a bit of a belly on me, but not you." He poked her ribs.
She swatted his hands. "I'm serious! It's scary!"
He grinned, and continued to poke at her. "That's not scary. I'm scary."
She waved him off. "I mean..." she continued in her own little drama, "I know I'm supposed to get hips. It happens. But not THIS big. I mean.." She swung them back and forth experimentally. "I think I can shut lockers on both sides of the hall with these babies."
"Or knock a bunch of demons off you from either side. That's not fat, Bit. That's muscle from all the training you're doin'."
She firmed her mouth, nodding. "I'm confident this warrants a Scooby meeting. " She frowned. "I need to tone, not bulk."
"Why?"
She stomped a foot and tossed her hair. "Because it's distressing!"
"You're calling a meeting because of your hips? So should I call one every time my hair gets all messy?"
She said snidely, poking at her hips, "No, you should tell Buffy to lay off."
He cocked his head, pretending not to understand her, sliding across the couch toward her. "What did you say?"
She was still lost in thought. "Tell Buffy to chill with the... sexiness. I bet I can dance better with these now." She swung her hips seductively to a beat in her head. Bent her knees, straightened them, dipped again, never stopping her hips. She nodded approvingly. "At least they've got *some* use..."
Spike paused, readied himself, then growled and pounced, his fingers immediately going to the junction of ribs and hips, a Summers weak spot. Dawn squealed and wiggled, laughing helplessly. "It's not FAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIR!!!" she giggled and squealed. "You're-haha-hurt!"
Spike laughed. "And I owe you. Big time."
She let out a pitiful moan. "Spiiiii-iiiiiiiiike..."
He chuckled and released, turning his back on her.
She started to pounce, then thought better of it. She waited till he settled on the couch.
Spike sat down, put his feet up, relishing his victory.
She pounced on his middle, barely missing his hips and dove for his feet, tickling mercilessly.
Spike let out a howl that could have awakened the dead, and might have, given their location. "Daaaawwwnnn!! Quit.. ahh!... Stop it!!"
"Dawn's distress warrants a meeting." She scraped a nail gently up his instep.
He growl/laughed, but said nothing. He was going to win here if it killed him.
She kept it up. "In fact, her distress is understandable." Tickled more.
Spike convulsed, fought an impulse to kick her into the next week, but stayed mostly silent, except for the giggles that kept slipping out.
"Fat hips are ugly. Say it, Spike."
============================================================================ ========
Buffy had composed herself, and stayed at work. She now handed a customer a to-go bag. "Have a doublemeat-" snorting giggle, "doublesweet-" snicker- "Day."
============================================================================ ========
"Face.. lifts.. checked... pugsly...", he snorted out. There was no way that both Summers girls were going to get the best of him.
She continued her attack. "Say it!!"
"No! Haha!"
"FAT HIPS ARE UGLY!" She yelled while she tickled. Oh, he was undead, sure. But SHE was a teenager.
He laughed harder, then sucked in a deep breath... and held it. 'Don't let her win...', he mentally chanted. 'Gotta hold on..'
She slowed her assault, saying quietly, "Fat hips are gross, and atrocious, and Dawn will get rid of hers." She scraped a nail down his instep and sped up the tickling.
"You.. -giggle- don't have -snort- fat anything!"
She sighed. Kept tickling. "Fat hips are ugly."
"Give... hehe.. up!"
She shook her head. "No way, boy. Fat... hips.... are.... ugly..."
"Rat lips are ugly..", he laughed.
She snorted, kept tickling. "You've kissed a few."
He tried to growl, but it came out as a snorting laugh when she found a spot near his toes. "Uh-uh.."
She was intrigued by the snorting noise and tickled between his toes again. A-ha. The road to domination.
'Oh damn it!', the vampire thought. "Don't..!"
She scritched between them gently. "Fat hips are ugly."
He squeaked, and tried to hold his breath again.
She laughed. Amended. "Dawn's fat hips are ugly."
"Whyiiii!?"
============================================================================ ========
Meanwhile.... Buffy was curled in a corner of the backroom, laughing hysterically. The same woman who had recommended she take the day, shook her head at the cashier. "It happens to them all when they realize they're lifers..."
============================================================================ ========
Dawn scratched between his toes again. "Because I said so."
"Don't think sooooo!"
She switched back. "Fat hips are ugly."
"Mat rips are uglyiii!!" He was very determined this time. Besides, no matter what he looked like, this was fun! Albeit torture, but fun torture.
She glared, tickled him more. Bit his ankle. "Fat hips are ugly."
"Owww! HA! Cheaterrr!"
"I learned from the best. SAY IT!"
'Give up time,' the vampire's mind said. 'We're finished.' "FAT HIPS ARRRREEE UUGGGLLLYY!!"
Dawn tossed her hands in the air. "Yeah!!!!!"
"Damnit," Spike muttered, still laughing slightly.
She stood to make dinner, laughing, then stopped. Had a very offended look on her face. "I can't BELIEVE you said I was ugly!!"
Spike looked shocked. "What? But you said..." He sighed. "Never mind. Sorry."
She laughed and kissed his cheek. "I'm just playing."
He chuckled. "I just can't win with you people, can I?"
She shook her head. "Probably not. But the look on your face??" She smiled. "Priceless, absolutely terrified blankness."
Spike muttered, "Humans..."
============================================================================ ========
Buffy glared at the vampire attacking her. "-like he has NOTHING better to do with his time than be TICKLED? While I'm WORKING!?" She staked him thoughtfully. "I wonder how I'm gonna fix this."
She was at Spike's door, and so ready for the shower. And in her pocket was a new lipgloss. Apple. But just because the compulsion to buy it had come over her, did NOT mean that it was remotely related to the fact that it was Spike's favorite. Which was why she defiantly put a thin layer on before she knocked. Defiantly.
"Come in," Spike called quietly.
She came in, her steps light to the downstairs. Dawn was on the couch, curled with a blanket thrown over her.
"Hey," Spike said, looking up from where he had been writing in a notebook. He was sitting up in bed, with a four pillow prop behind him. "How was your day?"
She sighed. "It's over now."
"Hard time?"
Gave him a smile. "Thanks for putting her on the couch... No, it was a hysterical day, just busy."
He smiled back. "I suppose you want to take a shower?"
She had a hand on the small of her back, pushing it as discreetly as possible. "Absolutely." She crossed the floor to open her drawer, pull out pajamas.
"I thought so. I got out a clean towel and all your stuff for you. So that you wouldn't have to do it."
She smiled gratefully. "Thank you."
He grinned. "No problem, luv. Willing slave, remember?"
"Clearly. I put my stuff in the bottom 'cuz your all stiff and un-bendy. Ya know, so you wouldn't have to bend. But I appreciate getting my stuff."
"It was nothing. I like helping you. Even if I'm just grabbing your shampoo."
She smiled. "I'm just gonna hop in all right?"
"Take your time, luv." He went back to writing. "I've got plenty to keep me busy."
She nodded, and took his word for it, and took her time. It was almost one when she re-emerged, the crick still in her back, but the hot water had helped some. Her hair was dry and fluffy, and she felt she had triumphed over the 'smell'.
Spike was still writing, but there was something slightly different about him. He was wearing a pair of wire framed glasses. Really old glasses. Harmon meowed a greeting to her from his place across Spike's feet. Spike glanced up, removed the glasses. "Oh. You're finished?"
She got a slightly harassed feeling when the cat walked by. Like he was a spy or something. She smiled at him. "Yeah. You still need glasses? I thought being all fangy fixed that."
He chuckled. "It's more of a mental thing than an actual handicap. But they do help me a little, when I'm reading or writing in low light, so I don't know."
She nodded. "Gotcha." She laid across the foot of the bed, much like Harm, snuggled down into the comforter. "Mmmmm..."
Spike smiled, put the glasses back on, and began scribbling again. "So. What's the news from the world of fast food?"
She shrugged. "Breaking news... It still sucks."
He chuckled, kept writing. "Can't be all bad. You never have any fun there? No one makes you laugh?"
'You do.'
He looked up. "Me?"
"No... I want to slay customers more than- what?"
"How could I make you laugh? I'm never even there?" He took off the glasses. "Unless you think I'm... what? Weird? Silly?"
Panic rose. "Spike..?"
He thought for a moment. "That was strange. Huh. Must be another of those side effects of your blood. Must say, I didn't think it'd last this long."
"I've got... uh.. tough blood. Ya know." She covered her mental blunder. He had heard her not speak. "Well, probably. But, sometimes I think about what we talk about, and it makes me laugh."
"Me too. " He smiled. "Tell me about it. Come look at my hip. It's closed, and I don't even think I'll get a new scar out of it."
She scooted up on the bed. "Lemme see."
He obediently rolled over and pulled the waist of his pajama pants down.
She pulled the bandage back, careful to not touch him. "Wow. It looks great."
He noticed her hesitancy. "Something wrong, luv?" He ducked his head. "I mean, you're acting like you don't want to.. touch me... anymore. Did I... did I do something wrong?"
She reached out a hand, grazed his cheek. "No. Of course you didn't."
He sighed. "Oh." Realizing that he still had the glasses on, he removed them again. "Bloody things."
She smiled, replaced the bandage. "They're cute."
He gave her a boyish grin. "Cute? Me? I'm not cute." He thought a moment. "Devilishly handsome, but not cute. Cute is for puppies and kittens. Not big bad master vampires."
She laughed. "You're devilishly handsome when you're all, 'Whoo, I'm sexy, touch me I sizzle'. But when you write, and wear glasses, and grin when you're embarrassed, you're cute."
He chuckled, and tried not to grin again. "I'm just a big puppy, aren't I?"
She nodded. "Basically."
He whimpered. "So, are you going to stay the night? Keep me company?"
Unease. The cozy feeling she'd been cultivating evaporated. She smiled at him. "Sure."
He cocked his head. There was something at the edge of his perception that was bothering him. A vague feeling of nervousness, and he could have sworn that it wasn't his own. "Uh, you don't have to if you don't want to, luv," he said, taking a shot in the dark to see if the feelings were hers.
'That's it,' thought the cat from his spot on the vampire's feet. 'You're close...'
She smiled again. "It's no big. Really... just... Dawn... I think... I'm gonna sleep on the floor, ok?" She wetted her lips, tasting her apple gloss.
He looked at her. "Ok. But you don't have to."
Harmon sighed. 'Time for a hint.' He wound his tail around Spike's feet, eliciting a laugh when it brushed between his toes.
Buffy's legs jerked, and her breath caught. She looked at the cat. Damn if she didn't think Harmon was out to screw her over. She picked him up, gave him a hug. "Hey kitty. I've missed you."
Harmon meowed pointedly. And then purred and nuzzled her. After all, she was only trying to help.
"I'll bet you don't miss a thing." She held Harmon up to eye level. Looked into his feline eyes.
Spike chuckled. "Whoo. Thanks for moving him, luv. I've had enough tickling to last me three lifetimes today."
Abruptly smiled at Spike. "Oh yeah?"
Spike chuckled again and pointed at the sleeping teenager on the couch. "Lil' Bit tortured me for the better part of an hour today. All because she wanted to call a Scooby meeting to discuss her hips."
Harmon licked Buffy's nose and squirmed out of her grasp to sit beside Spike. She arched a brow and gave the cat a reluctant cuddle- she really didn't want to like him, she just did. "Her hips?"
"She thinks her hips are getting fat. And she wouldn't stop tickling my feet until I said 'Fat hips are ugly'. I held out as long as I could, but she's way too good at that, you know."
Buffy grinned. "She learned from the best. In the morning, remind me to tell her welcome to my world."
He growled. "When I'm better, both of you are severely getting it."
She yawned. "Yeah, yeah." Then yawned for real.
He snorted at her, but the look in his eyes was playful. He smiled. "Get some sleep, luv. You need it."
She reached under the comforter and snagged the red satin sheet. She laid down under it beside the bed. "Mmm-kay."
"Good night, luv."
She pillowed her head on her arms and gave a sleepy smile. "Night."