Eight: AVOIDANCE
Buffy lay in bed, evaluating her plans for that day. Survey Spike's crypt, possibly fight and dust half a dozen or so unwelcome guests: no big. Grocery shopping: no big. Sit through dinner with Xander and Spike: ah... where do I order an Apocalypse?
She expected it to be hard enough to be near Spike with her sister in the room after the erotic dream she'd had about him the night before, but throw Xander into the mix?! Xander hated Spike --- even before he knew Spike had attacked her that evening before he left; even before he'd seen Spike having sex with Anya through the nerds' surveillance link at the Magic Box. Anticipating the evening ahead gave Buffy a sense of dread akin to job interviews, parent-teacher conferences, and visits from Social Services.
------- o -------
It was almost noon when Buffy got up to dress and face the day.
Dawn was in the kitchen pouring over cookbooks and grocery store flyers. "Hey Buffy. You sleep OK?" she asked as her older sister padded into the kitchen.
"Yeah... ah... I guess. " Buffy took a glass from the dish rack and poured some juice. "What are you doing?" she inquired nodding at the pile of books and papers.
"Oh, I'm just putting together a list of stuff I need for dinner tonight," explained the younger Summers enthusiastically. "I want it to be extra special with Spike home and all."
"Spike is not 'home'. He's just. here," Buffy corrected. "So... Do you need me to go shopping later?"
"No. Spike said he'd go," Dawn answered, turning back to her list.
"Where is Spike anyway?" asked Buffy, noting that she hadn't heard him around since she awoke.
Without looking up, Dawn replied casually, "Oh he said he was going to check out his crypt. I guess he wanted to pick up some stuff."
Not sure whether to be worried or annoyed with Spike, Buffy blurted, "He what?! When did he leave?!"
Dawn set down her pen and looked up, trying to read more about her sister's mood than what she'd gotten from the tone in her voice, "Not too long ago. He had to wait for his laundry to dry first. Why?"
"Spike was doing laundry?" Uncertain why it never occurred to her before that he did laundry, the senior Summers couldn't help but visualize Spike in her basement wearing Willow's bathrobe --- scratch that: a towel --- scratch that --- nothing but a smile ---Stop that! Stop thinking about him like that!
"Dawn, I've got to go to Spike's," she said as she dug in the drawer for a couple of stakes. "You'll be alright here?"
"Sure. What's the big?"
"Last night we found a party sized group of vamps in Spike's crypt and we weren't sure whether they were just visiting. They could still be there and Spike might not be safe on his own," she explained. "They'll be able to tell that he's human. And he's not as strong as he used to be." Saying the words aloud brought Buffy's fear to the forefront and distress was evident on the Slayer's face.
"You're worried, huh?"
"Yes, Dawnie. I am," she replied woefully. "We just got him back, and... I've got to go."
------- o -------
"Bugger it... bleedin' inconsiderate gits. No respect."
Spike's crypt lay largely in ruin, though fortunately last night's band of vamps was nowhere to be seen.
"And no thought to picking after yourselves," he added with disgust at the couple of fresh corpses that now decorated his former home. He huffed, and went down below to collect what he'd come for.
Little of the cave under the crypt had been salvageable after the scheme to sell Suvolte demon eggs literally blew up. With it being such a mess down there, he hoped any would-be thieves might not bother to poke around. He lit a torch then made his way to the farthest darkest corner of the cave. There, beneath a pile of rubble, he found what he'd come for: a small metal storage chest about the size of a shoebox. With a shake, he figured it hadn't been touched since he'd been away so he tucked the box under his arm and headed out.
As he climbed the ladder, a figure loomed overhead.
"What are you doing here?" boomed an angry voice, startling him.
"Slayer..." he replied in a knee-jerk response to her tone. Damned sight easier to know she was around as a vampire! he thought. "Just pickin' up a few things."
She stood over him shaking her head. "I know that, but I thought we were going to come here together. You couldn't have known those vamps weren't living here now." Scowling, she scolded, "It was really stupid of you to come alone."
A cocky grin crossed his lips and a gleam brightened in his eyes. "You were worried about me."
"Yes... I mean no... I mean, you should've waited." She was flustered. This is the same old Spike, she concluded. "So what's in the box?"
Self-consciously, he held tight to the chest. "Just a few things I've picked up over the years. S'nothing."
"Well, do you need anything else here?" Looking at the mess, Buffy couldn't imagine anything else would be worth taking back to her place.
"Nope. S'pose this is about it. Poncy buggers took or broke just about everything," he responded with an almost sad tone as he glanced around at the remains of the place that had been his home for his "best" years in Sunnydale. "Shall we go then?"
------- o -------
When they arrived back at the house on Revello Drive, without a word, Spike stole upstairs with his lock box.
"Whatever..." Buffy mumbled as she went through to the kitchen to find Dawn now digging through the cupboards getting ingredients out for dinner. "Boy, you really are taking this seriously," stated the older sister.
"Oh, hey Buffy. Is Spike with you?" asked Dawn anxiously. "I thought I heard him clunking up the stairs. Only I really need someone to go to the store soon or dinner'll be late."
"Yeah, he's upstairs," Buffy confirmed. Hiding his secrets. "Do you want me to get him?" Without even waiting for a response, Buffy headed to the stairs. She wanted an excuse to see what Spike was up to. Damn, door's closed. I can't just barge in. not anymore. She knocked.
Through the door, Buffy could hear some thumping and scraping then footsteps approaching before Spike finally opened the door.
"Dawn wondered if you were still going to pick up the groceries."
"Sure, just giv'us a minute." Then he closed the door again.
"Whatever..." she muttered again.
------- o -------
Later that afternoon, Spike arrived back with everything Dawn had asked for plus a small bouquet of flowers for her.
Dawn giggled with delight at his thoughtfulness. "No one's ever brought me flowers before. That's so sweet." She gave him a peck on the cheek then went to find a vase.
"That really was kind of you, Spike," said Buffy, squeezing his hand. Is he blushing? She found discovering these little changes in Spike fascinating; things so inherently human that she didn't even notice them in others, but which because they were new in him made them so intriguing.
"Buffy," Dawn called from the dining room. "Can you give me a hand?"
Feeling a little awkward about whether to say anything more, Buffy left Spike alone in the kitchen and went to see what her sister needed.
Spike sorted through the bags he'd brought home, grabbed a couple and snuck back upstairs.
"He's sure acting weird," Dawn exclaimed upon hearing footsteps climb the stairs.
Then a door closed.
"He's been through a lot," said Buffy sympathetically. "I think he still needs time to adjust."
------- o -------
A few hours later, Xander arrived and let himself in. "Hello? Anybody here?"
"In here, Xander," the girls called from the kitchen.
"Now this is what I like to see," he teased the tall brunette. "Beautiful women hard at work in the kitchen."
"Xan-der," Dawn snickered.
He approached the fairer haired sister and grunted, "Is he here?"
"Yes Xander. Spike's here," Buffy indignantly replied. "He's upstairs resting."
"Well I guess that stands to reason what with it being the middle of the day," he retorted sarcastically.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm just saying that that's what he does. You know the whole creature-of-the-night- sleeping-during-the-day thing." Bitterly he added, "What I don't get, is why he's sleeping here?"
Dawn piped up from the stove, "You mean Xander doesn't know?"
"Xander doesn't know what?" he asked in an almost monotone voice.
"It's Spike." Buffy looked sheepishly at her friend.
"What about Spike?" He was beginning to get frustrated with the conversation.
"He's human!" exclaimed Dawn.
"Human. I don't understand," Xander said flatly.
"It's a long story but while he was away, he... got back his humanity." As the words left her mouth, Buffy thought they sounded wrong. "That is, now he's got a soul and he's actually alive."
"By 'alive' you mean: beating heart, breathing air, eating people food instead of people for food, catching some rays on the beach without smelling like a barbecue, alive?" Xander wanted to be absolutely clear.
"Yep. That's what I'm saying." Buffy paused. "He's been through a lot." I keep saying that... "Could you just take it easy on him tonight? For me?"
"How could I resist those beautiful green eyes?" Xander agreed, "I'll do my best."
Buffy smiled then quipped, "You can go back to hating him tomorrow."