The Long Summer 17
How long they danced, Xander didn't know nor did he care. His eyes would meet the little girl's and he would just laugh at the glory of it. Her soft giggles filled his ears like water babbling over rocks in a brook.
A hand caressed his cheek, encouraging his eyes up towards the raven-haired beauty that led them in their sway and song. Her eyes gleamed with suppressed mirth and he saw her lips twitch upwards into a warm smile.
"I love to dance." She whispered.
"I've never loved it as much as I do right now." Xander confessed.
They twined widdershins around the light pole, back and forth, and then to clockwise they returned. He couldn't help it, he started laughing and trying to sing along with her merry tune, but as he did, she changed the beat and it grew softer and more sensuous.
Her arms twined about his neck and the idea that some beautiful stranger was even giving him the time of day evaporated as his breath stuck in his throat.
"Would you like a little kiss?" She asked. "A kiss for the lady that dances."
"Yes." He breathed without hesitation. "I think I've been looking for you all my life."
"Somehow, I rather doubt that mate." Spike's most unwelcome voice shattered the beauty of the evening like a miss-played note on a large instrument.
Xander whirled and pressed the lady behind him. "Go away, Spike."
"Yes," his lady whispered with delight in her voice. "Go away you bad, bad boy."
"See, even a stranger can tell what an evil thing you are." Xander's voice raised an octave before settling down again. "It's all right." He assured the lovely woman over his shoulder. "He won't hurt me."
"Look, Harris." Spike shook his head. "Just - go back in the store, mate. You really don't know what you're doing."
"Shush." The woman answered before Xander could and a hand slid around to turn his eyes away from Spike. "Don't listen to the bad, bad little boy. He's run off and left his mummy all alone."
"Spike has a mom?" Xander blinked. A small pain in the base of his skull made itself known as her hand took a grasp on his hair. "What are you doing?" "She's about to rip your head off and suck on the juices, boy." Spike appeared right next to them.
"Leave her alone!" Xander turned as the hand on his hair relaxed and he pushed himself between Spike and the woman. "Isn't it bad enough that you have to sniff around every other woman in my life, can't you leave her alone? Or do you have a thing for the women I meet first?"
"Actually mate - I knew her a long time before you did."
"Huh?"
"Tsk-tsk, my little boy is so very bad, isn't he Miss Edith?"
Xander's world sat sideways on its axis and began a precarious spin towards the downside. He turned his head slowly and looked at the beautiful waif that held his hand so tightly.
It was a doll.
A filthy, ratty, eyeless, doll.
He let out a yelp and flung it away. His gaze wrenched to Drusilla who smiled at him with that leprous insanity that seemed to cloak her sleek form like a fine mink.
"Oh my god."
"Not quite." Spike and Drusilla replied in unison before rounding on each other. Their gazes meshed with a violence that left Xander reeling as he backpedaled away.
He'd danced with Drusilla.
He kissed her.
His hand fumbled to his mouth and he wiped at it violently.
"Oh, you've gone and hurt Miss Edith's feelings." Drusilla advised as her face changed from brilliant beauty to fanged demon. "You shouldn't have done that."
"This is the part where you run." Spike warned as he intercepted Drusilla's strike and threw her backwards.
Xander backed up another pace and then another. He tripped and fell on his ass. His wild-eyes stared at the two locked in combat. Drusilla's hand came back and raked across Spike's face, leaving a bloody ruin behind.
"You naughty, naughty boy. Trying to be like Daddy?" She was taunting. "Wanted Daddy's little Slayer so you went and got a soul, just like Daddy." Now her taunt became a wail. "First Grandmamma is my daughter and then she is dust and now my lovely Spikey is all shiny and effulgent." Her wail cut off and she was all hisses and attacks again.
Spike.
A soul?
Xander finally paid attention to the one decent thing Spike'd said to him since he'd reappeared in Xander's life.
He ran.
How long they danced, Xander didn't know nor did he care. His eyes would meet the little girl's and he would just laugh at the glory of it. Her soft giggles filled his ears like water babbling over rocks in a brook.
A hand caressed his cheek, encouraging his eyes up towards the raven-haired beauty that led them in their sway and song. Her eyes gleamed with suppressed mirth and he saw her lips twitch upwards into a warm smile.
"I love to dance." She whispered.
"I've never loved it as much as I do right now." Xander confessed.
They twined widdershins around the light pole, back and forth, and then to clockwise they returned. He couldn't help it, he started laughing and trying to sing along with her merry tune, but as he did, she changed the beat and it grew softer and more sensuous.
Her arms twined about his neck and the idea that some beautiful stranger was even giving him the time of day evaporated as his breath stuck in his throat.
"Would you like a little kiss?" She asked. "A kiss for the lady that dances."
"Yes." He breathed without hesitation. "I think I've been looking for you all my life."
"Somehow, I rather doubt that mate." Spike's most unwelcome voice shattered the beauty of the evening like a miss-played note on a large instrument.
Xander whirled and pressed the lady behind him. "Go away, Spike."
"Yes," his lady whispered with delight in her voice. "Go away you bad, bad boy."
"See, even a stranger can tell what an evil thing you are." Xander's voice raised an octave before settling down again. "It's all right." He assured the lovely woman over his shoulder. "He won't hurt me."
"Look, Harris." Spike shook his head. "Just - go back in the store, mate. You really don't know what you're doing."
"Shush." The woman answered before Xander could and a hand slid around to turn his eyes away from Spike. "Don't listen to the bad, bad little boy. He's run off and left his mummy all alone."
"Spike has a mom?" Xander blinked. A small pain in the base of his skull made itself known as her hand took a grasp on his hair. "What are you doing?" "She's about to rip your head off and suck on the juices, boy." Spike appeared right next to them.
"Leave her alone!" Xander turned as the hand on his hair relaxed and he pushed himself between Spike and the woman. "Isn't it bad enough that you have to sniff around every other woman in my life, can't you leave her alone? Or do you have a thing for the women I meet first?"
"Actually mate - I knew her a long time before you did."
"Huh?"
"Tsk-tsk, my little boy is so very bad, isn't he Miss Edith?"
Xander's world sat sideways on its axis and began a precarious spin towards the downside. He turned his head slowly and looked at the beautiful waif that held his hand so tightly.
It was a doll.
A filthy, ratty, eyeless, doll.
He let out a yelp and flung it away. His gaze wrenched to Drusilla who smiled at him with that leprous insanity that seemed to cloak her sleek form like a fine mink.
"Oh my god."
"Not quite." Spike and Drusilla replied in unison before rounding on each other. Their gazes meshed with a violence that left Xander reeling as he backpedaled away.
He'd danced with Drusilla.
He kissed her.
His hand fumbled to his mouth and he wiped at it violently.
"Oh, you've gone and hurt Miss Edith's feelings." Drusilla advised as her face changed from brilliant beauty to fanged demon. "You shouldn't have done that."
"This is the part where you run." Spike warned as he intercepted Drusilla's strike and threw her backwards.
Xander backed up another pace and then another. He tripped and fell on his ass. His wild-eyes stared at the two locked in combat. Drusilla's hand came back and raked across Spike's face, leaving a bloody ruin behind.
"You naughty, naughty boy. Trying to be like Daddy?" She was taunting. "Wanted Daddy's little Slayer so you went and got a soul, just like Daddy." Now her taunt became a wail. "First Grandmamma is my daughter and then she is dust and now my lovely Spikey is all shiny and effulgent." Her wail cut off and she was all hisses and attacks again.
Spike.
A soul?
Xander finally paid attention to the one decent thing Spike'd said to him since he'd reappeared in Xander's life.
He ran.