Title: Buffy and Clem: a possible beginning
Author: Am-Chau Yarkona
Timeline: Set in a possible post-season six/ season seven. Part of my Demon!Cuddleverse, 'First Cuddles' series.
Spoilers: vague to none for season six
Rating: G. These characters are nice people.
Feedback: to me at spam@hagden169.fsnet.co.uk
Disclaimer: I'm borrowing them from Joss.
Late that night, Buffy walked home, post-patrol. Dawn was staying with Janice overnight, so she was surprised to see a light on in the house. Cautiously, she opened the front door- unlocked- and looked round. After all, demons don't all need invitations and they had been known to attack her at home.
"Hello?" she called, "If you want a fight, let's get it over with. I need my beauty sleep."
There was a sound of movement in the living room. Someone stood up hurriedly, and came, with quick, heavy steps, towards the hall. The Slayer tensed, alert, ready to strike first.
"Um, no need to fight, I just popped round to see if . and the door was open." Buffy scowled, as the intruder appeared, a little timidly in the face of her aggression. It is Clem. He did his best to smile disarmingly.
"I'll go if you like, it's just that the door was unlocked, and you were all out, so I thought I'd better stay and make sure you weren't burgled." He began to edge nearer to the still wide-open front door, but Buffy relaxed, sighed, and finally smiled.
"It's okay, Clem. Thanks for checking. You can stay awhile if you like." She looked around the empty room, as if seeing the whole house, and added, "I could kind of use the company."
"Thanks." Clem smiled broadly at her, and closed the door. There was a slightly awkward moment as they stood in silence, and then Buffy moved past Clem to the sitting room, where she proceeded to sit down rather heavily on the sofa. She leant her head back and closed her eyes, obviously exhausted.
"Are you alright, Buffy?" Clem asked, concerned. "Is there anything I can get you?"
"I'm fine," she replied, her eyes still closed, "A drink and a bite to eat would be good, though."
"I'll see what I can do."
As she listened to Clem bustling about in the kitchen, she wondered what she was doing. This was a demon, a friend of Spike's for heaven's sake, she was allowing to prepare food for her in her own home. On the other hand, he'd never done anything really evil (the kittens weren't that bad, were they?) and he was sweet, even cute in a funny sort of way. Then a most wonderful smell wafted through from the kitchen, and she decided that she'd just stop thinking and eat whatever he gave her.
A little while later, when Clem had fed and watered Buffy (which basically meant watching her eat. He spent much of the time wondering why, if she ate so much, she was so small. Something to do with the slaying, perhaps) they sat side-by-side on the sofa and talked. At first, they spoke politely of mutual acquaintances- Spike, Dawn, Xander, Spike- and then less politely of mutual acquaintances- Spike, Spike, Spike- but then Buffy said, "I'm tiered of wasting my breath on that peroxided monstrosity. Let's stop talking shop. If you could be anyone, who would you be?"
"Um, well."
"No, Clem! To play this game, you have to reply spontaneously. It's supposed to come from your heart not your head."
"Well, in that case, I'd be Greg from Dharma and Greg," Clem replied, and Buffy grinned. "You?"
"I'd be President," she said, and then in her best forceful, deep voice, "The buck stops here." They both giggle at that.
"If you could do anything, what would it be?" Clem asked, and then said, "No, let me guess- you'd be President."
Buffy nods, laughing, then stops to add, "And you'd marry Dharma." Clem pulls such a face at that idea- a face of exquisite pain or horrific pleasure, it is impossible to tell- that Buffy bursts into a fresh bout of giggles, which sets Clem off again. In their laughter, they move imperceptibly closer together, until they are touching. Neither of them notices, or if they do, they do not move away.
"My turn to ask a question," Buffy says when they clam down a bit. "If you could be anywhere in the world, now, where would you be?"
"I'd be in Paris," Clem said instantly straight-faced, "sitting next to you in a posh hotel room overlooking the Seine. Where would you be?"
Buffy laughed, a laugh of joy rather than fun. "You can't trick a Slayer with flattery, you know."
"I was trying. It's the truth- and you didn't answer my question."
"You're persistent. Okay, I'd be.. I'd be.. I'd be.." Buffy struggled to think of something else, not to say what was in her mind.
"With me?" Clem suggested softly. Seemed like her plan not to tell him wasn't working. Oh, well. Never mind.
Buffy looked at him, and smiled.
"Yes," she agreed. "With you."
Author: Am-Chau Yarkona
Timeline: Set in a possible post-season six/ season seven. Part of my Demon!Cuddleverse, 'First Cuddles' series.
Spoilers: vague to none for season six
Rating: G. These characters are nice people.
Feedback: to me at spam@hagden169.fsnet.co.uk
Disclaimer: I'm borrowing them from Joss.
Late that night, Buffy walked home, post-patrol. Dawn was staying with Janice overnight, so she was surprised to see a light on in the house. Cautiously, she opened the front door- unlocked- and looked round. After all, demons don't all need invitations and they had been known to attack her at home.
"Hello?" she called, "If you want a fight, let's get it over with. I need my beauty sleep."
There was a sound of movement in the living room. Someone stood up hurriedly, and came, with quick, heavy steps, towards the hall. The Slayer tensed, alert, ready to strike first.
"Um, no need to fight, I just popped round to see if . and the door was open." Buffy scowled, as the intruder appeared, a little timidly in the face of her aggression. It is Clem. He did his best to smile disarmingly.
"I'll go if you like, it's just that the door was unlocked, and you were all out, so I thought I'd better stay and make sure you weren't burgled." He began to edge nearer to the still wide-open front door, but Buffy relaxed, sighed, and finally smiled.
"It's okay, Clem. Thanks for checking. You can stay awhile if you like." She looked around the empty room, as if seeing the whole house, and added, "I could kind of use the company."
"Thanks." Clem smiled broadly at her, and closed the door. There was a slightly awkward moment as they stood in silence, and then Buffy moved past Clem to the sitting room, where she proceeded to sit down rather heavily on the sofa. She leant her head back and closed her eyes, obviously exhausted.
"Are you alright, Buffy?" Clem asked, concerned. "Is there anything I can get you?"
"I'm fine," she replied, her eyes still closed, "A drink and a bite to eat would be good, though."
"I'll see what I can do."
As she listened to Clem bustling about in the kitchen, she wondered what she was doing. This was a demon, a friend of Spike's for heaven's sake, she was allowing to prepare food for her in her own home. On the other hand, he'd never done anything really evil (the kittens weren't that bad, were they?) and he was sweet, even cute in a funny sort of way. Then a most wonderful smell wafted through from the kitchen, and she decided that she'd just stop thinking and eat whatever he gave her.
A little while later, when Clem had fed and watered Buffy (which basically meant watching her eat. He spent much of the time wondering why, if she ate so much, she was so small. Something to do with the slaying, perhaps) they sat side-by-side on the sofa and talked. At first, they spoke politely of mutual acquaintances- Spike, Dawn, Xander, Spike- and then less politely of mutual acquaintances- Spike, Spike, Spike- but then Buffy said, "I'm tiered of wasting my breath on that peroxided monstrosity. Let's stop talking shop. If you could be anyone, who would you be?"
"Um, well."
"No, Clem! To play this game, you have to reply spontaneously. It's supposed to come from your heart not your head."
"Well, in that case, I'd be Greg from Dharma and Greg," Clem replied, and Buffy grinned. "You?"
"I'd be President," she said, and then in her best forceful, deep voice, "The buck stops here." They both giggle at that.
"If you could do anything, what would it be?" Clem asked, and then said, "No, let me guess- you'd be President."
Buffy nods, laughing, then stops to add, "And you'd marry Dharma." Clem pulls such a face at that idea- a face of exquisite pain or horrific pleasure, it is impossible to tell- that Buffy bursts into a fresh bout of giggles, which sets Clem off again. In their laughter, they move imperceptibly closer together, until they are touching. Neither of them notices, or if they do, they do not move away.
"My turn to ask a question," Buffy says when they clam down a bit. "If you could be anywhere in the world, now, where would you be?"
"I'd be in Paris," Clem said instantly straight-faced, "sitting next to you in a posh hotel room overlooking the Seine. Where would you be?"
Buffy laughed, a laugh of joy rather than fun. "You can't trick a Slayer with flattery, you know."
"I was trying. It's the truth- and you didn't answer my question."
"You're persistent. Okay, I'd be.. I'd be.. I'd be.." Buffy struggled to think of something else, not to say what was in her mind.
"With me?" Clem suggested softly. Seemed like her plan not to tell him wasn't working. Oh, well. Never mind.
Buffy looked at him, and smiled.
"Yes," she agreed. "With you."