Spike dropped his bag as Buffy stepped aside to let him in.
"So, besides Rupert getting you into a right tizzy, how are you luv?"
Buffy gave a weak smile. "I'm all right. Everything's been all right around her, just-"
"Quiet?"
She nodded a bit grimly. "Yeah. It may be kinda morbid, but when something wicked this way comes at least there's something I can fight. The regular 8 to 4 five days a week, every week, is just not enough. And slaying's just getting. quiet, too. At least when you're fighting you can't fear the worst. I just, I don't know, need this." She paused and began to trace the grooves in the door. "Do you think that's morbid?"
Spike gave her his most sincere look. "It's not morbid at all. You're a Slayer, you're meant to fight."
He suddenly looked around in mock fright. "Speaking of violence towards vampires, shouldn't little Richie be here dismembering me right now?"
The last time Spike had been in town a few months previously Richard hadn't liked Buffy staying with Spike, particularly when Buffy kicked out her own boyfriend for the couple of nights. "Easier than explaining the closed drapes and blood smell," Buffy had shrugged.
"You don't need to worry about him," was all she said, but he knew what she meant.
"Right," he answered, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning. He knew the Slayer had been getting tired of little Richie.
"So, uh, if you want to get some sleep, just throw everything into mom's old room. I 'm just going to." she trailed off, her eyes turning towards the living room.
"Pet. Vampire, remember? If I sleep now what will I do all day tomorrow?" Spike checked his watch. "Or today, as it seems. Let me just throw my things upstairs."
Joyce's room remained pretty much intact since she had died, with a few changes from Willow and Tara's time in the household. Not long after Spike had left Sunnydale for San Diego the two witches had picked up and left, both transferring to Oxford. Rather than the floral patterns Buffy had remodelled the room in blues and grey, something he was pretty sure she had done since he had started to visit, staying in this room.
Spike set his bag on the navy comforter and looked around, everything as it had been two months previously. A picture of Joyce and her two daughters at the beach rested on the dresser. Spike picked up the ornate wood frame and marvelled at twelve-year old Buffy. Before her parents had split up. Before she had become protector of the Universe.
The was no doubt she had toughened over the last three years, with everyone moved away and not allowing herself to get close to anyone. She had been seeing Richard for eight months and he had never known she was the Slayer. Buffy at eighteen would never have been able to do that. The new Buffy at 24, the oldest living Slayer Spike could remember, had never even considered telling her boyfriend.
Spike had urged her over the last six weeks to tell Richard, to make her life easier, but she didn't budge. She didn't trust Richard, even when she wouldn't come out and say it. Spike could read her every gesture now, every look burned into his memory.
When he went back downstairs and into the living room he found Buffy asleep on the sofa, a blanket tucked under her chin. Spike made sure her feet were covered then sat across from her in the chair.
She was much more tired than she was letting on. She was probably patrolling twice a night, every night. Something solid. Why had all of her friends left? She wasn't used to doing this alone. It had been two years and eight months since he had left, four months after soldier boy's hideous return and Buffy had ended whatever had been between them. For those four months in between the two of them had tried to piece their wary friendship together, but the second time they relapsed and had fallen into bed he had known it was time to leave. He was killing her then and he had no intention of being her suicide.
Two years since he had first opened his bar, which had yet to find a name. He had never even had to advertise, the underworld did it for him. Vampires, demons and humans alike came to see William the Bloody, and it became quite popular. Sometimes Spike even graced his clientele with a gruesome story, much like he had done for Dawn.
Sometime between thinking of Buffy and dreaming of Buffy Spike fell asleep.
Spike woke up to the sound of the phone ringing. He was still in the chair, the blanket Buffy had fallen asleep with now wrapped around him. The phone rang and Spike stared at it for a moment, listening for any movement in the house. He heard the shower overhead. He decided to let the machine get it and pick it up if it was Giles. He would get a straight answer out of the man.
"Hi, this is Buffy's machine, leave a message. Beep."
"Hey Buffy, you better be in the shower and not still in bed or you're gonna be late. Call me before you go to work, I-"
"Bit?" Spike grabbed the receiver. "Hey there."
"Hey Spike!" Dawn exclaimed happily. "What are you doing in Sunydale? And why haven't you visited me at Berkley yet?"
Spike, knowing instinctively that Buffy wouldn't want her baby sister involved, tried to lie as little as possible.
"Just here on some business, bit. For the bar. Gotta pick up some stuff that only the Hellmouth can supply and all that."
"And you're staying with Buffy? Richard must love that."
"Uh, I don't think Richard's in the picture anymore," Spike said. "Nope, don't think we'll be seeing him around."
"Oh, thank God, I hated that dick," Dawn said savagely. "Total whelp, one of the stupidest specimens of the human race."
"Uh huh, and once more with feeling, 'cause I don't think you're very decisive luv," Spike laughed.
"He was self obsessed, Spike. All wrong for her, completely clueless to what she needed."
"Yeah, couldn't agree more." The shower turned off and a second later Spike heard bare feet pad into Buffy's room.
Dawn was thoughtful for a moment. " Spike, what are you really doing there?"
"Nothing, just worry about school. How's Ben?" Spike quickly changed the subject to something he knew Dawn would warm up to.
Dawn's voice became just a little happier at the mention of her boyfriend.
"Spike, you would really like him. The two of you would get along great."
"I don't think I could like anyone you're dating nibblet-"
"His favourite band's the Sex Pistols."
"-but I could learn to tolerate him. Has he got you converted musically where I failed?"
Buffy appeared at the top of the stairs, towel-drying her hair, wearing a black flamenco skirt and a shrunk Go-Go's concert tee.
"Speaking of horrible musical taste, here's your big sis. I'll talk to you later."
"K, Spike, love you!"
"Love you too."
Spike handed the phone over to Buffy. "Hey Dawn. What's-? You're never up this early if you're not in class. oh that's. tonight? Oh, I don't know, I kinda. I know you haven't seen Sp- don't you have finals? Well, midterms then. No, of course we want to- fine, all right. See you tonight. Love you."
Buffy hung up the receiver and sighed. "She's coming down. Tonight."
"Is this a bad thing?" Spike asked innocently.
"It is when we may have a new and improved Sunnydale nasty."
"You can't keep her away from all this. She may not be a Slayer but she's still a Summers. Look at your mother."
"I just want to keep her safe." She checked her watch. "Shit- I'm going to be late!" She ran around the room grabbing her bag and possessions while nearly tripping as she tried to slip on her shoes. "All right, the others are going to be here around 6 or 7. Here's my office number, and I've gotta go! See you tonight."
She turned to the door then impulsively grabbed him by the collar and kissed his jaw line. "Thanks again for coming."
And then she was gone.
"So, besides Rupert getting you into a right tizzy, how are you luv?"
Buffy gave a weak smile. "I'm all right. Everything's been all right around her, just-"
"Quiet?"
She nodded a bit grimly. "Yeah. It may be kinda morbid, but when something wicked this way comes at least there's something I can fight. The regular 8 to 4 five days a week, every week, is just not enough. And slaying's just getting. quiet, too. At least when you're fighting you can't fear the worst. I just, I don't know, need this." She paused and began to trace the grooves in the door. "Do you think that's morbid?"
Spike gave her his most sincere look. "It's not morbid at all. You're a Slayer, you're meant to fight."
He suddenly looked around in mock fright. "Speaking of violence towards vampires, shouldn't little Richie be here dismembering me right now?"
The last time Spike had been in town a few months previously Richard hadn't liked Buffy staying with Spike, particularly when Buffy kicked out her own boyfriend for the couple of nights. "Easier than explaining the closed drapes and blood smell," Buffy had shrugged.
"You don't need to worry about him," was all she said, but he knew what she meant.
"Right," he answered, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning. He knew the Slayer had been getting tired of little Richie.
"So, uh, if you want to get some sleep, just throw everything into mom's old room. I 'm just going to." she trailed off, her eyes turning towards the living room.
"Pet. Vampire, remember? If I sleep now what will I do all day tomorrow?" Spike checked his watch. "Or today, as it seems. Let me just throw my things upstairs."
Joyce's room remained pretty much intact since she had died, with a few changes from Willow and Tara's time in the household. Not long after Spike had left Sunnydale for San Diego the two witches had picked up and left, both transferring to Oxford. Rather than the floral patterns Buffy had remodelled the room in blues and grey, something he was pretty sure she had done since he had started to visit, staying in this room.
Spike set his bag on the navy comforter and looked around, everything as it had been two months previously. A picture of Joyce and her two daughters at the beach rested on the dresser. Spike picked up the ornate wood frame and marvelled at twelve-year old Buffy. Before her parents had split up. Before she had become protector of the Universe.
The was no doubt she had toughened over the last three years, with everyone moved away and not allowing herself to get close to anyone. She had been seeing Richard for eight months and he had never known she was the Slayer. Buffy at eighteen would never have been able to do that. The new Buffy at 24, the oldest living Slayer Spike could remember, had never even considered telling her boyfriend.
Spike had urged her over the last six weeks to tell Richard, to make her life easier, but she didn't budge. She didn't trust Richard, even when she wouldn't come out and say it. Spike could read her every gesture now, every look burned into his memory.
When he went back downstairs and into the living room he found Buffy asleep on the sofa, a blanket tucked under her chin. Spike made sure her feet were covered then sat across from her in the chair.
She was much more tired than she was letting on. She was probably patrolling twice a night, every night. Something solid. Why had all of her friends left? She wasn't used to doing this alone. It had been two years and eight months since he had left, four months after soldier boy's hideous return and Buffy had ended whatever had been between them. For those four months in between the two of them had tried to piece their wary friendship together, but the second time they relapsed and had fallen into bed he had known it was time to leave. He was killing her then and he had no intention of being her suicide.
Two years since he had first opened his bar, which had yet to find a name. He had never even had to advertise, the underworld did it for him. Vampires, demons and humans alike came to see William the Bloody, and it became quite popular. Sometimes Spike even graced his clientele with a gruesome story, much like he had done for Dawn.
Sometime between thinking of Buffy and dreaming of Buffy Spike fell asleep.
Spike woke up to the sound of the phone ringing. He was still in the chair, the blanket Buffy had fallen asleep with now wrapped around him. The phone rang and Spike stared at it for a moment, listening for any movement in the house. He heard the shower overhead. He decided to let the machine get it and pick it up if it was Giles. He would get a straight answer out of the man.
"Hi, this is Buffy's machine, leave a message. Beep."
"Hey Buffy, you better be in the shower and not still in bed or you're gonna be late. Call me before you go to work, I-"
"Bit?" Spike grabbed the receiver. "Hey there."
"Hey Spike!" Dawn exclaimed happily. "What are you doing in Sunydale? And why haven't you visited me at Berkley yet?"
Spike, knowing instinctively that Buffy wouldn't want her baby sister involved, tried to lie as little as possible.
"Just here on some business, bit. For the bar. Gotta pick up some stuff that only the Hellmouth can supply and all that."
"And you're staying with Buffy? Richard must love that."
"Uh, I don't think Richard's in the picture anymore," Spike said. "Nope, don't think we'll be seeing him around."
"Oh, thank God, I hated that dick," Dawn said savagely. "Total whelp, one of the stupidest specimens of the human race."
"Uh huh, and once more with feeling, 'cause I don't think you're very decisive luv," Spike laughed.
"He was self obsessed, Spike. All wrong for her, completely clueless to what she needed."
"Yeah, couldn't agree more." The shower turned off and a second later Spike heard bare feet pad into Buffy's room.
Dawn was thoughtful for a moment. " Spike, what are you really doing there?"
"Nothing, just worry about school. How's Ben?" Spike quickly changed the subject to something he knew Dawn would warm up to.
Dawn's voice became just a little happier at the mention of her boyfriend.
"Spike, you would really like him. The two of you would get along great."
"I don't think I could like anyone you're dating nibblet-"
"His favourite band's the Sex Pistols."
"-but I could learn to tolerate him. Has he got you converted musically where I failed?"
Buffy appeared at the top of the stairs, towel-drying her hair, wearing a black flamenco skirt and a shrunk Go-Go's concert tee.
"Speaking of horrible musical taste, here's your big sis. I'll talk to you later."
"K, Spike, love you!"
"Love you too."
Spike handed the phone over to Buffy. "Hey Dawn. What's-? You're never up this early if you're not in class. oh that's. tonight? Oh, I don't know, I kinda. I know you haven't seen Sp- don't you have finals? Well, midterms then. No, of course we want to- fine, all right. See you tonight. Love you."
Buffy hung up the receiver and sighed. "She's coming down. Tonight."
"Is this a bad thing?" Spike asked innocently.
"It is when we may have a new and improved Sunnydale nasty."
"You can't keep her away from all this. She may not be a Slayer but she's still a Summers. Look at your mother."
"I just want to keep her safe." She checked her watch. "Shit- I'm going to be late!" She ran around the room grabbing her bag and possessions while nearly tripping as she tried to slip on her shoes. "All right, the others are going to be here around 6 or 7. Here's my office number, and I've gotta go! See you tonight."
She turned to the door then impulsively grabbed him by the collar and kissed his jaw line. "Thanks again for coming."
And then she was gone.