Gifts 2/?

By the following afternoon, Buffy still hadn't figured out what had frightened away Sunday and her gang. Anyone who could scare a pack of vampires had to be very powerful indeed. She'd suspected Angel, but would he really just lurk about and hide from her? Then again, who else would both *want* to help her *and* be imposing enough to scare off the vamps? It had to be Angel, didn't it? Except that she hadn't sensed his presence and he hadn't answered when she'd called his name. She didn't think he'd let her worry needlessly. Anyway, maybe whatever had turned up had no connection to her at all. Her thoughts led her in a circle, and she was left with no good explanation.

Since she hadn't gotten in touch with Giles yet, Buffy decided to run her ideas past Willow while they ate lunch in the college cafeteria. She finished her recap with, "It was really weird. The vampire was all set to bite me and then she acted like she'd seen a ghost. She couldn't leave me alone fast enough. At first I thought maybe Angel's been watching over me and he scared her away but now I'm not so sure."

Willow looked up from her peanut-butter sandwich. "Huh? What was that, Buffy? I was lost in thought about chemistry class."

"Nothing," Buffy muttered. "I was just thinking out loud, I guess." She really couldn't blame Willow for her lack of attention. Her friend was blossoming in an environment in which knowledge was not only desired, but rewarded. It wasn't fair to expect her to have vamps and other assorted nasty creatures on her mind all the time. "Look, I'm gonna go back to my room now and get my stuff for my next class. See you later." Buffy grabbed her tray and went to the nearest garbage can. As she was about to dump her trash, a young man bumped into her. Buffy barely managed to balance her tray and keep the contents from spilling all over the floor.

"Whoa! I'm so sorry," apologized the guy, flashing a blinding white smile. "Excuse me."

He was pretty cute, Buffy noted, with dark-brown hair and a nice build. Polite, too. She smiled back. "That's okay, no harm done." She pitched her garbage and set the tray aside.

"Hey, don't I know you? From music appreciation class?" the boy asked.

Buffy shook her head. "No, this is my first semester and I'm not taking that course."

"Somewhere else, then. By the way, my name is Parker Abrams." He extended his hand.

She shook it. "Buffy Summers."

"Well, I guess I'll be seeing you around, Buffy." Parker smiled one last time before he turned and went back to his table.

She wouldn't mind running into him again, Buffy decided. He seemed like a great guy, and it was about time she got back into the dating scene. Even Angel had wanted her to do so. She'd keep an eye out for Parker in the future.

*****

Ensconced in the study of his new lair, Spike waited for his guest to arrive. He'd sent a fledgling to summon Sunday, the vampire that had attacked Buffy. It wasn't even twilight yet, but that didn't matter. Spike had carefully chosen his base: an abandoned building that had full sewer access, which allowed for extra mobility during daylight hours. He would be able to come and go during emergency situations. He could also receive visitors at all hours.

A tentative tap sounded on the door and a voice called, "She's here, master."

"Send her in," Spike instructed.

The door opened and Sunday sauntered in, affecting an air of bravado. "I heard you wanted to see me. Well, here I am."

Yeah, anything that looked as slutty as her immediately lost credibility in Spike's eyes. Sunday had the attitude, but not the fashion sense. And she *really* had to do something about her hair. Spike slowly lit a cigarette and took a deep drag before speaking. "Saw you yesterday with your gang. I could tell you were the leader of the pack and the only one worth bothering with."

Sunday preened, practically glowing from the praise. "I figured my reputation might have preceded me."

"Not really. This is about what I saw you try to do to the Slayer. Friendly warning, pet: Fangs off. Slayer's mine. You'd best pass the word to your mates, too. Leave that one strictly to me."

Sunday scowled. "If she comes into my territory again, I'll defend myself."

"I think you mean *my* territory," Spike firmly corrected. "You want your own, you might want to head to greener pastures. South of the border, for instance."

"I'll think about it," Sunday said with a pout.

"You do that." Spike twirled his chair around in a clear sign that the other vampire was dismissed. He listened as Sunday sashayed out of the room, attempting to save face. He thought he might have neutralized her, but then again, she might really be as stupid as she looked. If so, he'd soon find out and take care of the problem. Spike put her out of his mind and turned his attention to other concerns.

Months ago, Dru had told him he was in love with the Slayer, and she'd been right. Oh, Spike had been in denial for some time, but he'd eventually accepted, even embraced, the truth. He was a vamp who wasn't afraid of being in touch with his inner feelings. If he loved a Slayer, it was right. In fact, Spike figured he could probably find a prophecy or two about him and his Slayer, if he bothered to dig around in some of those old books. Maybe he'd make a minion do that one of these days, but at the moment he had more important matters to attend to.

He had to convince the Slayer of his love. He realized, of course, that this might take a while. Although he wasn't the most patient of vampires, he was determined to do it right. He didn't want to scare her away by moving too quickly. If he was dealing with Dru, he'd just torture her into loving him again. But he didn't think that approach would work so well with the Slayer. He had to soften her up first, prove his sincerity. She was human; she'd expect little gifts and suchlike.

He'd thought about giving Buffy an amulet first but then remembered the cross necklace she sometimes liked to wear. He wasn't sure if she'd give it up for a new piece from a secret admirer. So he selected a ring instead. Spike was pleased with his choice. The witch he'd taken it from had insisted it was an ancient piece that had long ago been enchanted with a protection spell that would shield the wearer. He'd killed the witch, so that she wouldn't do anything vengeful like cast a curse on the item once he was away with it.

It would make a fitting gift for Buffy, help keep her safe until he could claim her. Spike was taking other precautions, as well. He was already consolidating his power base in Sunnydale, getting the general vampire population under his control. The Slayer would, therefore, face fewer opponents and stand a lesser chance of being harmed. The ring was just a little something extra he thought she'd like. Spike carefully packaged his first present and called to one of the more intelligent minions. He wanted his offering to be hand-delivered.

*****

Later that evening, Buffy made her way back to her dorm room. With Willow, Oz, and Xander helping, patrol hadn't taken as long as usual. Plus, she'd started pretty early, and the almost complete absence of vamps and other demons had also helped.

She was prepared to quietly let herself into her room in case her roommate, Kathy, was sleeping, but she saw a light shining under the door and heard the Cher song "Believe" playing. Kathy didn't know Buffy was the Slayer and Buffy was determined to keep things that way. She'd been left with little choice but to go with the "night owl" cover story to explain her nocturnal ramblings. Since the other girl was still up, though, Buffy didn't have to worry about the situation for tonight. She slipped inside, prepared to go to bed right away and get some much-needed rest for tomorrow.

As she entered the room, Kathy looked up from a thick textbook and pointed to a small box on the desk. "Hey, someone dropped that package off for you earlier."

"Thanks." Buffy picked up the plainly wrapped parcel and tore off the paper. Inside the box lay a deep-red gem in a burnished gold setting. It was a lovely ring, and very old-looking. "It's beautiful," Buffy breathed.

Kathy stood up and peered over her shoulder. "Yeah, it sure is. I didn't know you had a boyfriend."

"I don't. Not exactly." Buffy sifted through the packaging, fruitlessly searching for a card. "Did you see who brought this?"

"No. I heard a knock on the door and when I opened it, no one was there. Whoever it was left the box on the floor," Kathy replied, already losing interest in the situation.

Buffy slipped the ring on her finger. It was a perfect fit. Maybe Angel *was* back, after all...

End Ch. 2