The Long Summer 26
Xander swung the car down the long alley towards Willie's Bar and slid into a parking slot about half a block away. He didn't bother to lock the truck; he didn't care if anyone wanted to steal it. Anger ate away at his insides like a corrosive force.
Bile, bitter and sour, rose in his throat only to be choked back down by his pride. He'd left her at the altar. She'd slept with Spike. There was little doubt in anyone's minds that it was over and done with.
He needed to accept that and move on.
Something moved in the shadows of the falling sunset, but the scowl he pasted onto his features sent it scurrying away. He yanked open the door to Willie's and descended the steps. He dodged through the hanging beads and strolled across the half-empty room toward the bar.
Willie pulled out a beer as Xander dropped onto a stool. "Bad day?"
"Just give me the beer and shut up." Xander pulled a pair of fives out of his wallet and laid them on the counter. He picked up a napkin and wiped the bottleneck before twisting the cap off.
He drained it in two swallows and gave Willie a look as he pushed the empty back. "I'll take another."
"You're the boss." Willie grinned. He drifted back to the cooler and fished out another. He slid it down the bar and wandered over to harass another customer. Xander wiped the second bottle with the same care as the first.
Fingers danced across his shoulders and Xander cocked his head to see Drusilla smiling as she took up residence on the stool next to his. "You ran away." She accused with a pout.
Xander shrugged, dredging up a lazy smile. "Things to do, people to see."
"But we were having such fun until naughty Spike interrupted."
"Yeah well, Spike seems to have a habit of being a thorn in the fun parts of my life." Xander tipped the bottle up to take a drink.
"You're lonely."
"I'm alone. There's a difference."
Xander examined the smile she offered him. It was very sweet and almost innocent, but there was something moving behind her eyes that belied that. Well, she was a demon, good looks aside.
But then wasn't Anya?
"I think you're heart hurts. It goes all crickety crackety like someone's smashed it all to bits." She lifted her fingers to let them dance in the air in front of her. "My heart slipped once - all gooey and soft, then splat." Her hand smashed palm down against the bar top. "It got all squishy and icky."
"And here I thought you liked all squishy and icky." Xander swirled the dark beer around in the bottle.
"Well I do, but my heart bounces back. It'll heal. I'll just break a few necks, rip out a few entrails - " Drusilla sighed then.
"What?"
"He's all different now. My Spikey."
"How's that?" Xander propped his chin on his hand, gazing at her doll like features.
"I asked him once, if he likes all the parts of me on the inside, the ones he couldn't see. He said he loved all of me, all the way down to my entrails."
"That's real romantic." Xander scoffed.
Drusilla glared at him. "It was."
"Well, he isn't around now, is he?"
"No." She pouted. "He betrayed me for the Slayer. He let her take my Daddy away again. Then she took my Spikey."
"What a bitch." Xander nodded. "Pretty ungrateful. She's supposed to kill demons you know."
"I know." Drusilla nodded. "But you don't have to kill someone to slay them. She slew Spike a long time ago."
Xander paused, beer bottle lifted to his lips. He turned his head to look at Drusilla more fully, her dark liquid eyes filled with simplicity itself.
"Do vampires really know how to love?" He asked.
"Spikey loved me. I know he did. I loved him, too. But that's all dust now. The Slayer made it dust. She drove a stake right through it."
Xander reached over and ran his fingers down Drusilla's cheek. "It's hard to imagine anyone leaving you."
"You did."
"My mistake."
"Are you sorry?" She leaned in closer. "Are you sorry you left the little princess?"
Xander set the bottle down on the bar top. "Yeah, I think I am."
Drusilla's smile grew wider, more playful. She growled softly and then nipped at his nose. "You're just mad at Spikey. You want to take me like he took yours."
"Does that bother you?" Xander asked, stroking her cheek.
She slid off the stool and pressed herself up against him. She seemed all soft and willowy, but she was hard and firm where her body leaned into him. "I want to hurt Spikey, too." She rubbed her cheek against his; Xander closed his eyes and let himself inhale the scent that wrapped around her.
She was very intoxicating.
"I guess the question is - your place or mine?"
Her soft, throaty laughter was swallowed by his kiss and Xander sighed into that. It felt good to take.
Damn good.
Xander swung the car down the long alley towards Willie's Bar and slid into a parking slot about half a block away. He didn't bother to lock the truck; he didn't care if anyone wanted to steal it. Anger ate away at his insides like a corrosive force.
Bile, bitter and sour, rose in his throat only to be choked back down by his pride. He'd left her at the altar. She'd slept with Spike. There was little doubt in anyone's minds that it was over and done with.
He needed to accept that and move on.
Something moved in the shadows of the falling sunset, but the scowl he pasted onto his features sent it scurrying away. He yanked open the door to Willie's and descended the steps. He dodged through the hanging beads and strolled across the half-empty room toward the bar.
Willie pulled out a beer as Xander dropped onto a stool. "Bad day?"
"Just give me the beer and shut up." Xander pulled a pair of fives out of his wallet and laid them on the counter. He picked up a napkin and wiped the bottleneck before twisting the cap off.
He drained it in two swallows and gave Willie a look as he pushed the empty back. "I'll take another."
"You're the boss." Willie grinned. He drifted back to the cooler and fished out another. He slid it down the bar and wandered over to harass another customer. Xander wiped the second bottle with the same care as the first.
Fingers danced across his shoulders and Xander cocked his head to see Drusilla smiling as she took up residence on the stool next to his. "You ran away." She accused with a pout.
Xander shrugged, dredging up a lazy smile. "Things to do, people to see."
"But we were having such fun until naughty Spike interrupted."
"Yeah well, Spike seems to have a habit of being a thorn in the fun parts of my life." Xander tipped the bottle up to take a drink.
"You're lonely."
"I'm alone. There's a difference."
Xander examined the smile she offered him. It was very sweet and almost innocent, but there was something moving behind her eyes that belied that. Well, she was a demon, good looks aside.
But then wasn't Anya?
"I think you're heart hurts. It goes all crickety crackety like someone's smashed it all to bits." She lifted her fingers to let them dance in the air in front of her. "My heart slipped once - all gooey and soft, then splat." Her hand smashed palm down against the bar top. "It got all squishy and icky."
"And here I thought you liked all squishy and icky." Xander swirled the dark beer around in the bottle.
"Well I do, but my heart bounces back. It'll heal. I'll just break a few necks, rip out a few entrails - " Drusilla sighed then.
"What?"
"He's all different now. My Spikey."
"How's that?" Xander propped his chin on his hand, gazing at her doll like features.
"I asked him once, if he likes all the parts of me on the inside, the ones he couldn't see. He said he loved all of me, all the way down to my entrails."
"That's real romantic." Xander scoffed.
Drusilla glared at him. "It was."
"Well, he isn't around now, is he?"
"No." She pouted. "He betrayed me for the Slayer. He let her take my Daddy away again. Then she took my Spikey."
"What a bitch." Xander nodded. "Pretty ungrateful. She's supposed to kill demons you know."
"I know." Drusilla nodded. "But you don't have to kill someone to slay them. She slew Spike a long time ago."
Xander paused, beer bottle lifted to his lips. He turned his head to look at Drusilla more fully, her dark liquid eyes filled with simplicity itself.
"Do vampires really know how to love?" He asked.
"Spikey loved me. I know he did. I loved him, too. But that's all dust now. The Slayer made it dust. She drove a stake right through it."
Xander reached over and ran his fingers down Drusilla's cheek. "It's hard to imagine anyone leaving you."
"You did."
"My mistake."
"Are you sorry?" She leaned in closer. "Are you sorry you left the little princess?"
Xander set the bottle down on the bar top. "Yeah, I think I am."
Drusilla's smile grew wider, more playful. She growled softly and then nipped at his nose. "You're just mad at Spikey. You want to take me like he took yours."
"Does that bother you?" Xander asked, stroking her cheek.
She slid off the stool and pressed herself up against him. She seemed all soft and willowy, but she was hard and firm where her body leaned into him. "I want to hurt Spikey, too." She rubbed her cheek against his; Xander closed his eyes and let himself inhale the scent that wrapped around her.
She was very intoxicating.
"I guess the question is - your place or mine?"
Her soft, throaty laughter was swallowed by his kiss and Xander sighed into that. It felt good to take.
Damn good.