Spike awoke just before sundown to Tabitha shaking him. After she had fainted the evening before, he had brought her to his very humble home and put her to bed. She sat on the edge of the bed, watching him.
"Spike, I'm hungry," she informed him as he sat up.
He rubbed her shoulder. "I know, love, but we have to wait till it's dark outside. Then we'll find you something nice to eat."
For a moment he thought she was going to smile, but she stood up and turned away from him. "I… you don't have to come with me. I just wanted to tell you, so you wouldn't wake up and wonder where I was." He frowned at her back, then got out of bed and walked to her.
He held her face so she had to look him in the eyes. "Be careful." She nodded, and went to stand by the door, peeking through a crack at the last rays of sunlight disappearing over the horizon. He got dressed quickly, glancing every few seconds to check if she was still there.
She opened the door the first instant she could, and as she stepped out into the night, he suddenly decided it might be a good idea to follow her. He put his coat on and stepped outside, but she was nowhere to be seen. He grew angry with himself for not moving faster. His mind ran through every terrible thing that might happen to her. Or what she might do to herself. He snarled and kicked at a branch on the ground, sending it flying. Why was he so concerned? It bothered him that he worried so much about her. Anyone else, he would have saved himself and left them to be Slayer-bait. But something pulled him to this girl, her eyes spoke to him. Could it really be that she was his childe? If that was so, he couldn't loose her a second time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tabitha suspected that Spike would follow her, so she had hid until she saw him walk by. He looked especially upset, and she felt a twinge of regret for ditching him. She caught herself at that thought. She had tried to ditch him, that first night, but she couldn't. Any other guy, she would have walked away from without a second thought. Hell, she'd even beheaded a guy in the early 80's because he had cheated on her. She and Annabel had gotten a good laugh about that!
Annabel… poor Annabel. Tabitha couldn't make herself contemplate life without Annabel. They had been best friends for …how many years now? 20? 30? They had done everything together. Everywhere they went, humans sighed with relief when they left and vampires begged them to say they would come back. Tabitha felt humbled thinking about some of the grander things they had done, most of which hadn't been her idea. Annabel was a schemer.
Tabitha was deep in thought as she walked, and she didn't realize she was headed until she suddenly stopped and looked up. She was standing in front of the motel she and Annabel had shared since they came to Sunnydale. Her hands began to shake as she fished for the key and opened the door.
She let the door swing open and bang against the wall. Staring in the darkness, she tried to pretend Annabel was asleep on the bed or hiding in the bathroom with her latest prize. Finally she forced herself to turn on the light and shut the door behind her. A fresh wave of pain hit her as she gazed at Annabel's clothes thrown here and there. Tabitha let herself slide down the door until she was crumpled on the floor, and she let herself surrender to her pain and anger.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike had gone to the butcher shop to get his meal, and had walked around Sunnydale for a few hours looking for Tabitha. No one he talked to had seen her, not considering that a majority of the vampires he usually saw around town had been taken out the night before at the Bronze, thanks to the Slayer and her friends.
It began to rain, and Spike had become downright anxious. He had stopped by Willy's to get a bottle of vodka, which he hadn't had to do in a while. Lightning flashed in the distance, and he decided to head back home in hopes that she would do the same.
The room was still empty when he returned. He was reassured by the red suitcase that now lay on the floor, which meant she had been there sometime while he was gone. He pulled up a chair near the door, intending to wait up until she showed, and she had to sooner or later, but the alcohol overruled his concern and he soon passed out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A loud clap of thunder caused Spike to jerk awake and almost fall out of his chair. He glanced around the room. Tabitha was not there, the red suitcase still was. Glancing around the room, he noticed that the thick door was ajar. He looked to the clock, and instantly panicked when he saw it was seven in the morning. Disregarding his own safety, he squinted his eyes in anticipation of the morning sunlight and flung open the door. It took him a second to realize that it was still dark out, and he instantly felt stupid. It was raining and the wind was blowing hard.
"Spike!" he heard. It sounded like Tabitha, but she sounded cheerful. He stepped out the door and into a monsoon. He shielded his eyes from the downpour and turned toward the voice. Tabitha was there, soaking wet, a few feet away. She had finally gotten to change clothes, from the outfit she had wore to the Bronze, to a long dress. It was impossible to tell what color the dress was because she was soaked to the bone. He watched in fascination as she seemed to dance with the rain itself. Her body swayed side to side and her arms snaked slowly through the air as she spun in wide circles. As she turned in his direction, the wind blew hard, fluttering the hem of her dress and swirling wet leaves around her bare feet. She opened her eyes smiled at him. "Spike," she called again, laughing, "where were you? The dance is almost over!" She held her hands out to him, and he accepted immediately. He took a moment to push the wet strands of hair out of her eyes, then grasped her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist, ballroom style. They danced regally, stepping around the piles of leaves and sticks blown off the trees, and spinning with the raindrops. It thrilled him beyond belief to hear her laughing with him again. He spun her around, then pulled her close and dipped her far backwards, the water running over her face.
He stood up straight again, wanting to see what she would do next, but she suddenly lost her balance and hit the ground. Instead of getting up, she flung herself on her back in the wet grass, giggling like a young child. Spike started to suspect that she was more than maybe a little tipsy, and he tried to help her up. She didn't seem to want him to help her to her feet, but the rain was beginning to let up and the sun was already starting to peek through the clouds.
Finally he had to pick her up and carry her inside. They were both drenched, and he sat her in the chair by the door while he went to find something dry to wrap her in. He chuckled at the thought that he was used to taking care of reckless, insane women, and this should be easy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tabitha's mind was playing funny tricks on her. A minute ago she had been happier than she had been for years. She felt like she would burst if Spike had spun her around in the rain any longer.
After she had carried all her things here earlier, she knew she had to eat, and began her search in the run-down houses a block away from the motel. It was a surprisingly short search. She had seen the boy through a basement window, sticking a needle in his arm, and she was happily surprised when he invited her to join him. He never knew what hit him, but she was thankful for the meal.
What she wasn't prepared for was the strange cloud that hit her mind and almost knocked her over. The last time she had experienced a feeling like this, she was still human, and it was what did her in.
After she left the boy's basement, she wandered around Sunnydale, and eventually found herself back outside Spike's home. After trying in vain for ten minutes to pull open the thick door, she gave up and chose to stay outside and dance with the storm.
The good feelings had worn off sooner than she hoped. Now she just felt small and alone in the cold, damp room. The water that had danced with her earlier now made her shiver with cold. Her hair hung in limp strands around her face, her fingers were almost blue, and her dress stuck to her and made her feel sickly trapped.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike came back carrying a large, thick blanket, and found Tabitha attempting to peel off the wet dress that clung to her body. He stood behind her an helped her unzip the dress, and his jaw tightened as she dropped it to the floor and turned to face him. He knew better than to play along anymore, despite how angry she might become. She would get off this high eventually, and he could wait. So he wrapped the blanket around her and kissed her forehead. To his relief, she pulled the warm blanket snug around her shoulders. Spike led her to the bed, where he kneeled on the floor, stroking her wet hair, until she finally passed out.
"Spike, I'm hungry," she informed him as he sat up.
He rubbed her shoulder. "I know, love, but we have to wait till it's dark outside. Then we'll find you something nice to eat."
For a moment he thought she was going to smile, but she stood up and turned away from him. "I… you don't have to come with me. I just wanted to tell you, so you wouldn't wake up and wonder where I was." He frowned at her back, then got out of bed and walked to her.
He held her face so she had to look him in the eyes. "Be careful." She nodded, and went to stand by the door, peeking through a crack at the last rays of sunlight disappearing over the horizon. He got dressed quickly, glancing every few seconds to check if she was still there.
She opened the door the first instant she could, and as she stepped out into the night, he suddenly decided it might be a good idea to follow her. He put his coat on and stepped outside, but she was nowhere to be seen. He grew angry with himself for not moving faster. His mind ran through every terrible thing that might happen to her. Or what she might do to herself. He snarled and kicked at a branch on the ground, sending it flying. Why was he so concerned? It bothered him that he worried so much about her. Anyone else, he would have saved himself and left them to be Slayer-bait. But something pulled him to this girl, her eyes spoke to him. Could it really be that she was his childe? If that was so, he couldn't loose her a second time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tabitha suspected that Spike would follow her, so she had hid until she saw him walk by. He looked especially upset, and she felt a twinge of regret for ditching him. She caught herself at that thought. She had tried to ditch him, that first night, but she couldn't. Any other guy, she would have walked away from without a second thought. Hell, she'd even beheaded a guy in the early 80's because he had cheated on her. She and Annabel had gotten a good laugh about that!
Annabel… poor Annabel. Tabitha couldn't make herself contemplate life without Annabel. They had been best friends for …how many years now? 20? 30? They had done everything together. Everywhere they went, humans sighed with relief when they left and vampires begged them to say they would come back. Tabitha felt humbled thinking about some of the grander things they had done, most of which hadn't been her idea. Annabel was a schemer.
Tabitha was deep in thought as she walked, and she didn't realize she was headed until she suddenly stopped and looked up. She was standing in front of the motel she and Annabel had shared since they came to Sunnydale. Her hands began to shake as she fished for the key and opened the door.
She let the door swing open and bang against the wall. Staring in the darkness, she tried to pretend Annabel was asleep on the bed or hiding in the bathroom with her latest prize. Finally she forced herself to turn on the light and shut the door behind her. A fresh wave of pain hit her as she gazed at Annabel's clothes thrown here and there. Tabitha let herself slide down the door until she was crumpled on the floor, and she let herself surrender to her pain and anger.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike had gone to the butcher shop to get his meal, and had walked around Sunnydale for a few hours looking for Tabitha. No one he talked to had seen her, not considering that a majority of the vampires he usually saw around town had been taken out the night before at the Bronze, thanks to the Slayer and her friends.
It began to rain, and Spike had become downright anxious. He had stopped by Willy's to get a bottle of vodka, which he hadn't had to do in a while. Lightning flashed in the distance, and he decided to head back home in hopes that she would do the same.
The room was still empty when he returned. He was reassured by the red suitcase that now lay on the floor, which meant she had been there sometime while he was gone. He pulled up a chair near the door, intending to wait up until she showed, and she had to sooner or later, but the alcohol overruled his concern and he soon passed out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A loud clap of thunder caused Spike to jerk awake and almost fall out of his chair. He glanced around the room. Tabitha was not there, the red suitcase still was. Glancing around the room, he noticed that the thick door was ajar. He looked to the clock, and instantly panicked when he saw it was seven in the morning. Disregarding his own safety, he squinted his eyes in anticipation of the morning sunlight and flung open the door. It took him a second to realize that it was still dark out, and he instantly felt stupid. It was raining and the wind was blowing hard.
"Spike!" he heard. It sounded like Tabitha, but she sounded cheerful. He stepped out the door and into a monsoon. He shielded his eyes from the downpour and turned toward the voice. Tabitha was there, soaking wet, a few feet away. She had finally gotten to change clothes, from the outfit she had wore to the Bronze, to a long dress. It was impossible to tell what color the dress was because she was soaked to the bone. He watched in fascination as she seemed to dance with the rain itself. Her body swayed side to side and her arms snaked slowly through the air as she spun in wide circles. As she turned in his direction, the wind blew hard, fluttering the hem of her dress and swirling wet leaves around her bare feet. She opened her eyes smiled at him. "Spike," she called again, laughing, "where were you? The dance is almost over!" She held her hands out to him, and he accepted immediately. He took a moment to push the wet strands of hair out of her eyes, then grasped her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist, ballroom style. They danced regally, stepping around the piles of leaves and sticks blown off the trees, and spinning with the raindrops. It thrilled him beyond belief to hear her laughing with him again. He spun her around, then pulled her close and dipped her far backwards, the water running over her face.
He stood up straight again, wanting to see what she would do next, but she suddenly lost her balance and hit the ground. Instead of getting up, she flung herself on her back in the wet grass, giggling like a young child. Spike started to suspect that she was more than maybe a little tipsy, and he tried to help her up. She didn't seem to want him to help her to her feet, but the rain was beginning to let up and the sun was already starting to peek through the clouds.
Finally he had to pick her up and carry her inside. They were both drenched, and he sat her in the chair by the door while he went to find something dry to wrap her in. He chuckled at the thought that he was used to taking care of reckless, insane women, and this should be easy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tabitha's mind was playing funny tricks on her. A minute ago she had been happier than she had been for years. She felt like she would burst if Spike had spun her around in the rain any longer.
After she had carried all her things here earlier, she knew she had to eat, and began her search in the run-down houses a block away from the motel. It was a surprisingly short search. She had seen the boy through a basement window, sticking a needle in his arm, and she was happily surprised when he invited her to join him. He never knew what hit him, but she was thankful for the meal.
What she wasn't prepared for was the strange cloud that hit her mind and almost knocked her over. The last time she had experienced a feeling like this, she was still human, and it was what did her in.
After she left the boy's basement, she wandered around Sunnydale, and eventually found herself back outside Spike's home. After trying in vain for ten minutes to pull open the thick door, she gave up and chose to stay outside and dance with the storm.
The good feelings had worn off sooner than she hoped. Now she just felt small and alone in the cold, damp room. The water that had danced with her earlier now made her shiver with cold. Her hair hung in limp strands around her face, her fingers were almost blue, and her dress stuck to her and made her feel sickly trapped.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike came back carrying a large, thick blanket, and found Tabitha attempting to peel off the wet dress that clung to her body. He stood behind her an helped her unzip the dress, and his jaw tightened as she dropped it to the floor and turned to face him. He knew better than to play along anymore, despite how angry she might become. She would get off this high eventually, and he could wait. So he wrapped the blanket around her and kissed her forehead. To his relief, she pulled the warm blanket snug around her shoulders. Spike led her to the bed, where he kneeled on the floor, stroking her wet hair, until she finally passed out.