Part 8: Someone's Watching
The Bronze was crowded, it being a Friday night, and the thick throng of people calmed Bri's nerves a bit. She glanced around the club, watching the teens dancing to the loud rock music as she waited for Tony to come back to the table with their drinks.
So far, everything was going smoothly. Tony was as polite a date as any girl could ask for. He opened doors for her, held out chairs for her, and complimented her. The more she thought about it, the more it made her feel uneasy. No one was that mannerly without expecting something in return. Bri sighed, shaking the cynical thoughts from her mind. She idly wondered if her short time of slaying had made her so ridiculing and distrusting of the world or if it was Spike's influence.
Before she could mentally slap herself for thinking of him again, a bottle of root beer was placed in front of her. She glanced up at Tony, smiling gratefully as she took a long sip from the frosty bottle.
"So…where are you from?" he asked as he sat down across from her.
"Virginia…Richmond, specifically."
"I figured you were from the south." Bri gave him a puzzled look and he elaborated. "You have a bit of an accent."
The slayer's eyes widened. "Really? I do? I never noticed. Back home, I sound pretty normal compared to some of the rednecks I hear."
"I guess it's just more obvious out here, then. Nothing to be embarrassed about. I think it's cute." Bri smiled shyly, taking another sip of root beer. "Hey, I love this song, want to dance?" Tony asked when the band began playing a slow song.
Bri glanced warily at the dance floor and then back at Tony. "Sure. Why not?" She allowed him to lead her onto the floor and then hesitantly slipped her hands around his neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Slowly they moved to the music and Bri permitted herself to relax in his arms.
She sniffed, smelling a familiar scent and realized it was Tony's cologne. It was the same as Spike's- she'd recognize it anywhere. The slayer sighed, closing her eyes and losing herself in the smell. In her mind, she wasn't dancing in Tony's arms anymore. The strong arms that encircled her waist were more familiar and safe. She leaned her head against his shoulder, imagining in her mind that if she looked up, it would be Spike's intense blue eyes she'd see gazing back at her lovingly.
From a table across the room, a small group of people watched the couple. Willow smiled to herself, settling back in Oz's arms comfortably. Buffy turned to shoot her friend a triumphant grin. "See, Will? She's perfectly fine. I did good. Look how happy she looks!"
Willow shrugged. "She does look comfy. Doesn't she Xander?" The teen grumbled a response distractedly- his eyes were focused on Cordelia surrounded by her group of friends at a nearby table.
Buffy looked over at Angel, who was watching Bri and her date, a thoughtful look on his face. "Whatcha thinking?"
Angel glanced over at her. "Nothing." he lied. In fact, he was contemplating how Bri was probably not even thinking about Tony at that moment.
"They look happy don't they?" Buffy asked, leaning onto Angel's shoulder. "I love that. The whole…'first date feel'. Everything's new and exciting." She glanced up at Angel. "But I like this better." She said, snuggling closer to him as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
Bri sighed happily, still in her dream world. Suddenly she felt a hand cupping her chin, forcing her face upwards. She complied and felt soft lips brush against hers. Soft…smooth…warm lips- wait. Warm? Immediately, Bri was ripped from her dream land. She opened her eyes, meeting two lust filled brown orbs watching her intently.
She gasped, pulling away. "I…I can't…" she mumbled, shaking her head frantically before running for the exit. Tony was left, standing in the middle of the floor, shaking his head in bewilderment. This exchange was observed by two vampires, each with opposite reactions.
Spike had watched from the second level as Bri danced with her date. His fists had clenched tightly, his nails digging into his cool flesh, almost drawing blood when she'd laid her head on his shoulder. Then, when that whelp had the audacity to kiss her- to kiss his slayer, the vampire's eyes glowed a fierce yellow. But then he saw Bri's eyes shoot open, a stricken look crossing her face before she ran from the building. He smiled to himself and began to descend to the lower level. He had something to straighten out.
Angel, on the other hand, had observed the kiss and Bri's panicked flee from the club with sympathy. He gently extracted himself from Buffy, making a quick excuse and raced to the door he'd seen the new slayer leave through. He found her huddled in an alley beside the Bronze, her knees drawn up to her chest and her head resting against them, buried in her arms. She was sobbing quietly, her body trembling ever so slightly.
The ensouled vampire knelt beside the stricken slayer, placing a comforting hand on her head. She jerked up, unaware of his presence until that point, which worried Angel seeings as any vampire could've just snuck up on her in this condition. "What happened in there?" he asked softly.
Bri shook her head. "I don't know. I-I panicked. We were dancing and I smelled…I smelled Spike's cologne. Tony was wearing the same kind and…I…"
"You imagined you were dancing with Spike instead of Tony."
The blonde slayer nodded. "I tried not to…but I just couldn't help it. And then he kissed me and I realized right away…I wasn't in Spike's arms." She broke down again and Angel wrapped his arms around her, just letting her cry. He could feel her pain rolling off of her in waves and he imagined that she hadn't allowed herself to cry until this point. So he whispered words of comfort and held her as she choked out her cries of anguish.
Spike reached the dance floor, carefully winding through the throng of people so as to avoid the slayer and her friend's eyes. He looked for all the world like an animal on the prowl as he made his way to a table on the opposite side of the floor where a confused and lonely teenager sat staring into his drink.
"Hey there, mate. Why the long face?" the vampire asked, slipping onto the seat in front of the boy.
Tony looked up at the stranger and sighed. "Women."
"Ah, I expected as much."
"I mean, you take them out, you're all polite, you listen to their boring chatter, all you want is a little action for your trouble and the second you think you're getting somewhere, they get all hormone-y and take off. She was the new girl. I figured she'd be easy- you know, desperate to make some friends or something. And then she tells me she just got out of a relationship so I'm thinking hey, rebound action. I just wanted a little T & A!" It was all Spike could do to refrain from ripping the impertinent whelp's throat out as he listened to his incessant rambling.
Instead, he allowed his features to slide into game face and he eminated a low growl. Before the boy's head could even shoot up at the noise, Spike pulled him into the shadows and had him around the throat. Tony's feet dangled in the air and he clawed desperately at the hand that was clamped around his throat. He tried to cry out but the only sound he could make was a hoarse gasp.
"You listen to me and you listen good." The creature growled, feral yellow eyes glowing in the dim light. "Bri is off limits! I hear you refer to her as a nice bit of T & A, I see you touch her, or suspect that you even think about touching her and you will know what pain is. I've had a lot of experience in this area and believe me, by the time I'm finished with you, you'll be begging for death. This goes for everyone. Spread the word. Got it?" Tony managed a slight nod as his face began the change from red to purple. "Good." Spike dropped the teen and he fell to the floor with a gasp. The vampire lit a cigarette and took a long drag from it, flicking the ash onto the panting boy. He sniffed the air a moment and smirked. "Nice cologne, kid." He said before stalking out the door.
Bri's sobs had subsided and the teen looked up bashfully at Angel. "Sorry." She mumbled.
"Don't be." He said, rising to his feet. He extended his hand to help Bri up. "Come on, let's get you home."
She accepted his hand, letting him pull her to her feet. Brushing herself off, she shook her head. "I don't really feel like going home right now. I think I'm gonna take a walk."
"Bri, I don't think that's such a good idea. You're distracted…it's dangerous to be out alone at night."
"Hey, I'm a slayer. I can take care of myself." Before the vampire could object further, she spun out of his grasp and headed out of the alley. "See ya later, Angel." She called over her shoulder.