The Long Summer 28
"You know mate, you have a real problem." Spike said.
"Is that so?" Xander shrugged. "Forgive me if I find that funny coming from you."
The vampire stood silhouetted in the doorway. The corners of his mouth turned down and his brow seemed leaden with disapproval. Xander found the expression to be the height of amusement. A vampire, looking down his nose at him.
"Look, you want to hate the world, hate it. Don't take it out on Dawn and don't bloody well take up with Drusilla."
"Jealous?" Xander shrugged off his jacket and tossed it over the back of a chair. "I mean, she did dump you, didn't she?"
"She's a dangerous woman, Xander." Spike's voice was full of careful warning and restraint. Xander studied him with deepening interest. Ever since his return, Spike behaved out of character as though he were atoning or making up. Hell, maybe he discovered religion.
"So I've heard. But then you're a psychopathic butcher and you want to clean my house." Xander's teeth gritted in the grin. "So tell me, which is the lesser of two evils?"
Spike shook his head. "What game are you playing?"
"No I think the question is what game are you playing Spike? You attack Buffy, she kicks your ass. The usual. Only this time, you pull the great runaway act and vanish. Now you're back, only you want to be my best friend and act like I should give a rat's ass about your opinion. So - what is your game?"
"I'm not playing a game."
"No, you just went for the blue-light special and picked up a soul."
He waited. The pointed words struck the desired target. Spike's expression tightened further and there was something that on any other face, Xander might have called pained regret.
On Spike, he thought of it more as a Golden Globe or maybe just MTV.
"What's a matter, Spike?" Xander pushed at him. "Cat got your tongue."
Spike moved in the blink of an eye, his hands closed on Xander's shirtfront and he hauled him forward and up. "Stop it, Xander."
"Stop what?" He felt pleased. Very pleased. This reaction was every bit the one he'd hoped for.
"Stop baiting me. Stop trying to get me to attack you. Stop treating me like some kind of freak."
"You are a freak." Xander stated easily. "A freak of nature. An abomination. You are the demon that killed the person that used to occupy that body. If you did pick up a blue-light special soul, then you know that. I'm surprised you haven't walked out into the sun."
Spike thrust him away and Xander tumbled back onto the floor. He caught himself and smirked at Spike's pained expression.
"You're a violent, blood-sucking murderer. You killed people for the fun of it. It wasn't about food or happy meals with legs. It was about being a man and an all-powerful one. Hell, you couldn't even live up to your Yoda."
For one brief moment, Xander thought it worked, Spike's jaw flexed and his face-hardened. He didn't lunge, however, he just took a step backward. Then another and another.
"Truth hurt, Spike?" Xander pushed again.
"You're playing with fire, Harris. Don't hurt Dawn again."
"Or what?"
The vampire paused in the doorway and stared at Xander. Their eyes locked and the antipathy Xander felt, surged forward. He waited, but the vampire only shook his head and walked away.
Damn.
"You know mate, you have a real problem." Spike said.
"Is that so?" Xander shrugged. "Forgive me if I find that funny coming from you."
The vampire stood silhouetted in the doorway. The corners of his mouth turned down and his brow seemed leaden with disapproval. Xander found the expression to be the height of amusement. A vampire, looking down his nose at him.
"Look, you want to hate the world, hate it. Don't take it out on Dawn and don't bloody well take up with Drusilla."
"Jealous?" Xander shrugged off his jacket and tossed it over the back of a chair. "I mean, she did dump you, didn't she?"
"She's a dangerous woman, Xander." Spike's voice was full of careful warning and restraint. Xander studied him with deepening interest. Ever since his return, Spike behaved out of character as though he were atoning or making up. Hell, maybe he discovered religion.
"So I've heard. But then you're a psychopathic butcher and you want to clean my house." Xander's teeth gritted in the grin. "So tell me, which is the lesser of two evils?"
Spike shook his head. "What game are you playing?"
"No I think the question is what game are you playing Spike? You attack Buffy, she kicks your ass. The usual. Only this time, you pull the great runaway act and vanish. Now you're back, only you want to be my best friend and act like I should give a rat's ass about your opinion. So - what is your game?"
"I'm not playing a game."
"No, you just went for the blue-light special and picked up a soul."
He waited. The pointed words struck the desired target. Spike's expression tightened further and there was something that on any other face, Xander might have called pained regret.
On Spike, he thought of it more as a Golden Globe or maybe just MTV.
"What's a matter, Spike?" Xander pushed at him. "Cat got your tongue."
Spike moved in the blink of an eye, his hands closed on Xander's shirtfront and he hauled him forward and up. "Stop it, Xander."
"Stop what?" He felt pleased. Very pleased. This reaction was every bit the one he'd hoped for.
"Stop baiting me. Stop trying to get me to attack you. Stop treating me like some kind of freak."
"You are a freak." Xander stated easily. "A freak of nature. An abomination. You are the demon that killed the person that used to occupy that body. If you did pick up a blue-light special soul, then you know that. I'm surprised you haven't walked out into the sun."
Spike thrust him away and Xander tumbled back onto the floor. He caught himself and smirked at Spike's pained expression.
"You're a violent, blood-sucking murderer. You killed people for the fun of it. It wasn't about food or happy meals with legs. It was about being a man and an all-powerful one. Hell, you couldn't even live up to your Yoda."
For one brief moment, Xander thought it worked, Spike's jaw flexed and his face-hardened. He didn't lunge, however, he just took a step backward. Then another and another.
"Truth hurt, Spike?" Xander pushed again.
"You're playing with fire, Harris. Don't hurt Dawn again."
"Or what?"
The vampire paused in the doorway and stared at Xander. Their eyes locked and the antipathy Xander felt, surged forward. He waited, but the vampire only shook his head and walked away.
Damn.