New Horizons: Chapter Fifty-One
The Continuance
By Annie
06-08-2002
Tara caught up with Willow walking out of her last class for the day.
"Tara," Willow said, happily surprised as always to see her.
"Hey, Will," Tara said with that small smile and timid gaze that always had Willow on her knees. "I was thinking, if you wanted to and if you're not busy, I mean. Maybe we could p-pick up Dawn together and go for ice cream. I mean, if you're not b-busy."
"No! Not busy at the least.homework is totally passé now that summer is beckoning." Willow answered with a huge smile and Tara smiled back, a little relieved.
She hadn't really expected Willow to turn her down, but she just never wanted to take anything for granted.
Dawn smiled brightly as she spotted them, running towards them with her backpack thumping rather painfully against her spine, but she didn't mind. She stopped in front of the two.
"Hi," she said, still grinning and looking from one to the other.
"Hi, Dawnie," Willow answered with a smile back and a glance at Tara who couldn't help but giggle a little at Dawn's expression.
"Did you swallow a plate of happy-faces or something?" she asked warmly and Dawn raised her eyebrows. "You could light up a city with that," Tara elaborated, reaching out a hand and playfully poking Dawn's cheek.
Dawn laughed, stepping in between the two Wicca's and threading her arms through each of theirs that was closest before she started dragging them with her.
"I've spent a whole day in that stupid building looking forward to double- double-strawberry and creamy-dreamy-lemon-sorbet and maybe even a scoop of triple-chocolate-chip-mint-fudge, so don't go blaming me for smiling," she stated, and requested, in one breath before smiling widely again adding: "Oh, yeah, and then you are BOTH here, together, to pick me up, that has something to do with it too."
The two laughed at that, exchanging a small glance that made both of their hearts jump a little before they looked away again.
Willow couldn't hide the joy building inside, and she didn't want to. Finally everything might be straightening itself out again; finally maybe her life was getting back on track.
No magic done in over two months, the need not really subsiding but not as strong as before, or she supposed she had just grown stronger in the ignoring it part of the equation. Her friends seemed to be happy, finally, Xander and Anya getting along more than fine, Giles back and even though this prophecy thing sounded gloomy it couldn't be THAT bad, could it?
Buffy and Spike.well, what could she say? She didn't think she'd ever seen Buffy this happy before. Dawn was doing well as well and now maybe Tara was starting to open herself up a little to Willow again.
Willow smiled contently and squeezed Dawn's arm a little.
Could life get any better than this?
***
Buffy eyed her Watcher, she had been doing so for nearly twenty minutes pretending that she was actually reading the book in front of her and HE had actually been reading the book in his hands while stubbornly ignoring her.
Now she sighed, getting to her feet.
"I want to know what the whole thing is about," she now said, breaking the silence of the Magic Box and Anya - who had been sitting behind the cash register with a bridal magazine stack at her feet and a magazine open on her lap, telling herself it couldn't hurt keeping up with the newest fashions - now stood, in the hopes of some action.
"I've told you, Buffy," Giles said, not taking his eyes from the book. "You will need to wait."
"But why?" she grumbled, annoyed.
"Because I told Spike that you should be there to hear what I have to say, this has to do with you both, and so I think we should show him the same courtesy. Don't you?" he asked, looking up questioningly.
"Yes! I do! Let's go back to the house, I have an hour before my shift at the Double Meat and this research doesn't seem to be going anywhere anyways. We can sit down and have a long nice chat."
Giles looked up at her and the slightly distant look in his eyes made her swallow hard.
"You are seriously freaking me out, okay?" she stated now and he sighed a little.
"I'm sorry," he said, getting to his feet. "Buffy, this prophecy is almost two thousand years old. What is to be shall be, there's nothing we can do about it, so there is no use rushing this."
Her eyes had grown and now she stared at him, slightly shocked before saying in a hoarse whisper:
"What did you say?"
Giles got a concerned look in his eyes at the quickly paling color of her complexion and the expression in her eyes; she almost looked petrified.
"There's no use rushing it," he repeated and she shook her head.
"No," she said, voice trembling. "You said 'what is to be shall be'. Where did you hear that? Am I dreaming? Is this another dream?"
Giles stared at her in confusion for a moment and then he thought he understood.
"Buffy, have you been having Slayer dreams?" he asked and she nodded twitchily. "Well, this isn't one of them; I'm real, and so is Anya, and you're in the Magic Box," he then said soothingly and walked up to her.
She looked up at him with eyes brimming with tears as he pulled her close.
"Dear child," he mumbled, holding her close. "Sweet, strong girl, don't worry. You mustn't be frightened of this, Buffy. Please, remember who you are and that."
She tore out of his arms and drew a shaky breath as she stared at him, tears running down her cheeks as she tried to steady her voice enough to speak.
"What is my destiny?" she asked and he looked at her for a short moment and then he smiled a little.
"To save the world."
"But I've done that already," she almost yelled. "Why do I have to keep doing it? Why do I have to give up everything that I love for everybody else's best? I can't live without him! I love him so much it hurts inside!"
"Maybe that's not-." Giles began; trailing off and eyeing her for a long moment. "Are you sure?" he then asked, taking a step towards her and she stared at him in surprise at the question. "Do you love him enough to." he seemed to pause himself. "Excuse me," he then said, turning on his heel and walking up to the door to the sparring room, continuing through it and closing it silently behind him.
Buffy stared at it and then she sighed to herself, starting to dry her tears.
"Yes, I'm sure," she grumbled. "I'm more than sure."
***
Torah hadn't been so bored in a century, and sitting cooped up in an amulet not being as boring as watching the vamps obsessive shouting at the small torturing box told her that she really needed to get out more.
She sighed, glaring at the rerun of "Passions" that was currently ending and Spike grumbled, annoyed.
"Doesn't matter how many times you see that bloody episode," he said, shaking his head. "That damn bugger Chase gets me as bloody mad every time."
Torah nodded, trying not to roll her eyes. Spike didn't seem to notice though.
I'll make him God damn notice, she thought, the thin thread her patience had been hanging from suddenly breaking and it went crashing into the annoyance that had been building during the last three hours.
"So," she said in a low voice, reaching forward to get the TV-magazine that was positioned on the other side of the vamp, bending over him low enough to let her breasts gently stroke against his thigh as she didn't want to 'be in the way' of his view of the screen, of course.
She could feel his muscles tense up slightly at the touch and she smiled unnoticeably to herself as she grabbed the mag and pulled back again.
Spike tried not to think anymore of it - she had probably just not realized she had just done that - as he focused on the tele. An add for a new horror- flick coming out soon in the theatres was flashing by quickly, then a dark voice announced that Selma Hayek and Freddie Prince Jr. were starring.
"Freddie Prince Jr.," Spike huffed, shaking his head.
"What?" Torah asked, trying to obtain eye contact, and it succeeded as he turned to her with another shake of the head.
"Nothing, just that I think he's a prep, a regular Captain Cardboard if you'd bloody well ask me, still I have an annoying feeling that Buffy'd just looove to go watch the bloke in the movies," he answered and Torah smiled a little.
"Really?" she asked.
"Yeah. Not that I'm scared she'd run off and marry the guy or anything." He grinned a little at the thought. "It's just bloody annoying," he repeated and Torah nodded.
"Of course, thinking that she could actually wanna cheat on you must be.awful," she said, putting the magazine down and keeping eye contact, trying to not make the seduction she was planning too obvious and still letting the subtleness of it hint in her body language. "But then, sometimes those things happen, and it doesn't mean that the relationship is any weaker," she added with a small smile and Spike furrowed his brow slightly at that.
"If Buffy cheated on me I'd kill the bloke. Even if he was bloody human I'd endure the pain and savor the joy of ripping his head off his shoulders," he said calmly and she stared at him for a moment.
"Very violent thought," she said, feeling slightly turned on by it and he sighed, shrugging.
"Well, I guess I wouldn't. I mean, Buffy'd probably stake me for killing a human and. Ah, bloody hell, she wouldn't cheat on me," he stated and then smiled a little.
Dammit! Torah screamed in her head as she saw the soft glow of the love inside if him start up in his eyes again. What the hell is the matter with this vampire? she added, grumbling. He's not supposed to BE in love with a frigging mortal! He's not supposed to be in love - period.
She looked at him and then she suddenly thought of another angle.
She waited a moment longer and then she let her eyes fill with tears.
"I remember that," she mumbled and then she let hear a sob, putting her hands up to cover her face. "Tom and I, we.I can't believe that he's gone," she cried.
Spike hesitated a moment befpre sitting up, reaching his arms out and putting them around her, holding her gently to him. She leaned against him, then slid her arms around his neck and put her face against his shoulder, sobbing harder.
He thought of Buffy the night before. She had been so upset about that dream. He felt so bad about it even though he knew he shouldn't. He could save her from the world, from any nasty in it, but he couldn't save her from her inner demons and he knew that her dreams couldn't be labeled as anything else. They haunted her and he wished he could make them stop, even though they were supposed to be of help he knew some of them just got to be too much, festering in the back of her head.
Now or never, Torah thought as she slowly lifted her head from his shoulder, bringing up as much innocence and naked sorrow that she could as she carefully met his eyes, her face so close to his their noses were almost touching.
Spike focused his gaze in her eyes, coming back from his thoughts a fraction of a moment too late, her lips meeting his and her tongue parting them gently.
He drew a breath in surprise, his eyes never closing as he put his hands up on her shoulders and pushed her away gently, not sure if it had been planned or an act of complete impulse on her part. His "intuition" telling him it was the former but he couldn't prove it, as of yet, and so he didn't think he should just start shouting at her asking what the hell she was doing.
A small part of Buffy must be sticking to me, he thought as he smiled a small smile, furrowing his brow again as he questioningly met Torah's rather surprised and slightly guilty look. I never would have thought myself this bloody levelheaded, just not getting up and screaming my lungs out at her.
"I-I'm sorry," Torah stuttered, battling the growing need to put on her true face, use magic and make a pile of dust of the vampire.
"It's alright," he said, getting to his feet. "You've been under a lot of pressure the last few days, I'm sure it's normal to. Well. Just don't let it happen again," he added with the small smile still on his lips and she tentatively returned it before nodding.
"O-Of course," she assured. "I'm just so embarrassed."
He drew a small breath, observing her for a moment before shrugging.
"I'm gonna go get some lunch. You want something to eat?"
Flashes of the creature incident that very morning jumped before her eyes and she shook her head.
"No, thank you, I think I'll pass just this once," she answered him and he nodded, turning and walking into the kitchen.
She stared after him, clenching her jaws tightly together and trying to keep the growing impatience at least slightly settled in her chest, but it was hard.
What the hell should I do? she wondered, shaking her head. I am NOT going to lose this, I HATE losing! In the end I ALWAYS win!
***
"Well?" Warren asked impatiently as Jonathan looked up from the book he was reading.
"If you hold on for one second I'll tell you," the latter grumbled as he kept scribbling in the notepad in front of him.
"It's been two hours!" Warren exclaimed.
"So then ONE MORE SECOND shouldn't be a problem," Jonathan answered coolly and Warren did a double take as he stared at him.
Had the sidekick actually just talked back? The mastermind shook the thought off; it was too unfamiliar to process properly, besides he had better things to worry about.
Jonathan turned his eyes on the book again, annoyed more than ever. Warren was acting strange, he was impatient and he usually wasn't, he was too much of a perfectionist to be.even though he was a nag. Yes, Jonathan had a bad feeling in his stomach and he wasn't sure what it was all about.
Could be that chicken salsa I ate for lunch, he thought, feeling slightly nauseous at the thought of food. Or it could be this whole.damn.situation, he added, frowning slightly and glancing up to observe Warren who was trampling around like a cow in need of milking. Gross comparison, he now thought, shuddering slightly before turning his eyes on Andrew who was staring blankly at nothing or so it seemed.
Jonathan shook his head to himself. Andrew was such a sad excuse for a human being sometimes. But if he and Warren were ganging themselves up against Jonathan then. The latter sighed a little. He wished he could shake the feeling, but lately he had been the one to leave the hiding place to retrieve the merchandise they might need and he had a feeling that the two others took the opportunity to.make up plans. Plans that most certainly didn't involve a trio, more a duo, and Jonathan wondered what the hell for.
What had he done to make them feel they needed to do something like that?
"For Pete's sake, man, how long does it take to translate that damn thing?" Warren now asked, stopping in the middle of the floor and looking at Jonathan, who sighed deeply, putting down his pen and standing up slowly, closing the book and picking up the notepad before ceremonially taking a little pause and then saying:
"Two hours, eighteen minutes and forty-two seconds, to be exact," he then answered and Warren's eyes lit up at that disclosure and the promise that his partner in crime finally was done!
"Yes!" he said, rubbing his hands together and walking up to sit down by the table, Andrew seemingly having come down from his ride on the Enterprise somewhere in a galaxy far, far away came up as well. "Let's hear it!"
Jonathan nodded, holding up the pad and read:
"To fall is to rise and live again, to love is to grow and live again, combined they are one."
Warren waited in anticipation for the rest and then his eyes started growing until they were bulging out that dangerous way from their sockets.
"That's IT?" he exclaimed, running his hands through his hair and getting to his feet. "What the hell kind of prophecy IS this?"
"No, that's the first LINE," Jonathan stated, trying not to just laugh at the other man's clear rage, it was just too nice to be able to put it there. "You have to think about the fact that Mr. Giles for sure worked on this thing for many years, and that this Sarah person probably did as well for at least six months, if not a whole year. You gave me two hours, eighteen minutes and forty-two seconds to get the first line down, you didn't expect me to be able to decode the whole thing in that short amount of time, DID you?"
"If that is mockery in your voice Jonathan, I SWEAR I'll."
"What?" he asked, putting his hands down on the table and Warren stared at him for a moment before turning away.
"We need to know what this thing is all about," he grumbled and Jonathan nodded.
"Yes, we do. But Buffy does too, and Mr. Giles will tell her sooner than later and then Torah can find out what he tells her and then she can tell US," Jonathan said calmly and Warren turned to him.
What the hell was the matter with the midget now? Why wasn't he all.trembly- trembly?
"Fine," Warren growled. "I'm going for a walk," he added, walking up to the stairs and pushing the door open before disappearing through it.
Andrew stared after him and then he looked a little nervously at Jonathan.
"He seemed mad," he mumbled and Jonathan turned his gaze at him and then nodded.
"He'll walk it off," he answered, silently wishing Buffy would go on an early patrol and just.
Now you're really being disloyal, his conscience whispered and his mind answered simply: Warren started it.
***
Spike watched Buffy move easily into the fight she had just started with a big vamp.
He admired her body, moving exquisitely precise into every new kick and punch. The small bouncing of her blond locks against her shoulders. The concentration and yet clear indifference on her face, the lack of fear, the visible auto pilot mode.
She ducked from a heavy blow from big bears left hook - eh, paw - before he watched her reach around to the small of her back and grab the stake faithfully tucked into her belt. Just as she got it out the vamp pulled back slightly, clenched his hand in a fist and threw her a hard jab landing right on her chin, sending her flying and landing on her back she huffed before looking up at the approaching vamp.
"Oh, watch this." Spike grumbled to himself, a small smirk growing on his lips. "Now he's managed to piss her off."
Buffy glared at the vamp before pulling her legs up and quickly getting to her feet, meeting the vamps attack with a hard twirl and kick with her leg, her foot placing itself neatly on the spot of the creatures un-beating heart and he let hear a growl in surprise as he now was the one sent flying backwards, landing heavily against a headstone as the Slayer started approaching him.
"You know," she said, voice calm as she watched the vamp slowly get to his feet. "You'd think your sire would've taught you not to hit a lady."
"You're no lady, Slayer," the vampire said in a coarse voice and Buffy raised her eyebrows.
"Heh, you don't say? What gave me away?" she asked and the vamp huffed, shaking his head.
"You're sleeping with the dead," he said. "Word is Spike's been welcomed into your bed," he added and Buffy stared at him with eyes growing hard.
Suddenly the vamp was lifted off his feet and then the point of a stake tore out through his chest from behind.
"Shouldn't bloody listen to idle gossip," Spike grumbled as the dust settled and his eyes met his Slayer's who smiled ironically. "It's not worth getting killed over," he added with a smirk and she smiled back, shaking her head a little.
"So, the word is out," she sighed and he walked up to her.
"Got a problem with that?" he asked as he pulled her a little closer and she looked up at him, shaking her head.
"No, not a problem.I just can't believe that anyone even cares," she grumbled as he let his lips meet hers and she kissed him back before they pulled away reluctantly to keep patrolling.
"What, are you kidding me, Slayer?" he asked as they began to walk, her hand sliding into his and he smiled a little at that.
"What do you mean?" she asked and he looked at her, cocking an eyebrow.
"You're a sodding celebrity down below, you know. And up here too. Everybody knows who the Slayer is," he stated and she couldn't hold back a small smile.
"Yeah?" she asked and he grinned.
"Yeah. And you know, the fact that everybody thought you'd dusted ME got your name around 'til it became a bloody household one. The mommies in the underground tell their little kiddies: 'Drink your blood and role in the mud or the Slayer will sweep down and snatch you away'," he now stated and she stared at him before giving him a hard push with one shoulder, making him almost lose his balance.
"They do NOT," she said and he smiled a little.
"No, they don't, don't worry, love. No little kiddies are trembling 'cause of you at night," he confirmed and she smiled a little back, shaking her head at him. "But the part of you killing one fourth of the Scourge was true though," he added and she raised her eyebrows slightly. "It was big news," he stated, quite proudly, and she shook her head yet again.
"I love you," she whispered as she stopped and reached up, putting her arms around him.
He smiled a little, pulling her closer and breathing in her scent.
"I love you too, pet," he grumbled, nestling his face in her hair and feeling like her heart beat against his still one made his own come to life as well, slowly starting to pump in rhythm with hers. "You're the only thing that means anything to me," he whispered. "And whatever's up ahead we'll face it together."
She pulled back, her eyes in his as she nodded.
"Together," she said and he smiled a little, letting one hand gently touch her cheek before he kissed her again, deepening it softly and gently playing with her tongue in a game that never was quite the same and still so heavenly familiar.
She always surprised him like that, there were new little crannies to discover every time he searched for them, and still there were all the familiar and loved spots that he never could resist to tickle pleasure into.
Now she moaned a little into his mouth before slowly ending the kiss.
"We need to keep moving," she whispered and he nodded, his eyes slightly clouded and his head slightly fuzzy. yet again, a heavenly familiar feeling when it came to her.
He bent down and let his lips meet hers again and she kissed him back with just as much feeling before pulling back once more.
"We REALLY need to keep moving," she repeated and he nodded, and then he smiled a little, letting her go with a sigh.
Her hand slid into his in a firm grip and the smile grew wide on his lips as he drew in a deep breath of the fresh evening air.
He could never get enough of this. As long as he was he could never get enough of this, of her. Everything was so clear, everything was so.there, somehow.
He felt fulfilled, at peace. Finally.
Finally at peace.
The Continuance
By Annie
06-08-2002
Tara caught up with Willow walking out of her last class for the day.
"Tara," Willow said, happily surprised as always to see her.
"Hey, Will," Tara said with that small smile and timid gaze that always had Willow on her knees. "I was thinking, if you wanted to and if you're not busy, I mean. Maybe we could p-pick up Dawn together and go for ice cream. I mean, if you're not b-busy."
"No! Not busy at the least.homework is totally passé now that summer is beckoning." Willow answered with a huge smile and Tara smiled back, a little relieved.
She hadn't really expected Willow to turn her down, but she just never wanted to take anything for granted.
Dawn smiled brightly as she spotted them, running towards them with her backpack thumping rather painfully against her spine, but she didn't mind. She stopped in front of the two.
"Hi," she said, still grinning and looking from one to the other.
"Hi, Dawnie," Willow answered with a smile back and a glance at Tara who couldn't help but giggle a little at Dawn's expression.
"Did you swallow a plate of happy-faces or something?" she asked warmly and Dawn raised her eyebrows. "You could light up a city with that," Tara elaborated, reaching out a hand and playfully poking Dawn's cheek.
Dawn laughed, stepping in between the two Wicca's and threading her arms through each of theirs that was closest before she started dragging them with her.
"I've spent a whole day in that stupid building looking forward to double- double-strawberry and creamy-dreamy-lemon-sorbet and maybe even a scoop of triple-chocolate-chip-mint-fudge, so don't go blaming me for smiling," she stated, and requested, in one breath before smiling widely again adding: "Oh, yeah, and then you are BOTH here, together, to pick me up, that has something to do with it too."
The two laughed at that, exchanging a small glance that made both of their hearts jump a little before they looked away again.
Willow couldn't hide the joy building inside, and she didn't want to. Finally everything might be straightening itself out again; finally maybe her life was getting back on track.
No magic done in over two months, the need not really subsiding but not as strong as before, or she supposed she had just grown stronger in the ignoring it part of the equation. Her friends seemed to be happy, finally, Xander and Anya getting along more than fine, Giles back and even though this prophecy thing sounded gloomy it couldn't be THAT bad, could it?
Buffy and Spike.well, what could she say? She didn't think she'd ever seen Buffy this happy before. Dawn was doing well as well and now maybe Tara was starting to open herself up a little to Willow again.
Willow smiled contently and squeezed Dawn's arm a little.
Could life get any better than this?
***
Buffy eyed her Watcher, she had been doing so for nearly twenty minutes pretending that she was actually reading the book in front of her and HE had actually been reading the book in his hands while stubbornly ignoring her.
Now she sighed, getting to her feet.
"I want to know what the whole thing is about," she now said, breaking the silence of the Magic Box and Anya - who had been sitting behind the cash register with a bridal magazine stack at her feet and a magazine open on her lap, telling herself it couldn't hurt keeping up with the newest fashions - now stood, in the hopes of some action.
"I've told you, Buffy," Giles said, not taking his eyes from the book. "You will need to wait."
"But why?" she grumbled, annoyed.
"Because I told Spike that you should be there to hear what I have to say, this has to do with you both, and so I think we should show him the same courtesy. Don't you?" he asked, looking up questioningly.
"Yes! I do! Let's go back to the house, I have an hour before my shift at the Double Meat and this research doesn't seem to be going anywhere anyways. We can sit down and have a long nice chat."
Giles looked up at her and the slightly distant look in his eyes made her swallow hard.
"You are seriously freaking me out, okay?" she stated now and he sighed a little.
"I'm sorry," he said, getting to his feet. "Buffy, this prophecy is almost two thousand years old. What is to be shall be, there's nothing we can do about it, so there is no use rushing this."
Her eyes had grown and now she stared at him, slightly shocked before saying in a hoarse whisper:
"What did you say?"
Giles got a concerned look in his eyes at the quickly paling color of her complexion and the expression in her eyes; she almost looked petrified.
"There's no use rushing it," he repeated and she shook her head.
"No," she said, voice trembling. "You said 'what is to be shall be'. Where did you hear that? Am I dreaming? Is this another dream?"
Giles stared at her in confusion for a moment and then he thought he understood.
"Buffy, have you been having Slayer dreams?" he asked and she nodded twitchily. "Well, this isn't one of them; I'm real, and so is Anya, and you're in the Magic Box," he then said soothingly and walked up to her.
She looked up at him with eyes brimming with tears as he pulled her close.
"Dear child," he mumbled, holding her close. "Sweet, strong girl, don't worry. You mustn't be frightened of this, Buffy. Please, remember who you are and that."
She tore out of his arms and drew a shaky breath as she stared at him, tears running down her cheeks as she tried to steady her voice enough to speak.
"What is my destiny?" she asked and he looked at her for a short moment and then he smiled a little.
"To save the world."
"But I've done that already," she almost yelled. "Why do I have to keep doing it? Why do I have to give up everything that I love for everybody else's best? I can't live without him! I love him so much it hurts inside!"
"Maybe that's not-." Giles began; trailing off and eyeing her for a long moment. "Are you sure?" he then asked, taking a step towards her and she stared at him in surprise at the question. "Do you love him enough to." he seemed to pause himself. "Excuse me," he then said, turning on his heel and walking up to the door to the sparring room, continuing through it and closing it silently behind him.
Buffy stared at it and then she sighed to herself, starting to dry her tears.
"Yes, I'm sure," she grumbled. "I'm more than sure."
***
Torah hadn't been so bored in a century, and sitting cooped up in an amulet not being as boring as watching the vamps obsessive shouting at the small torturing box told her that she really needed to get out more.
She sighed, glaring at the rerun of "Passions" that was currently ending and Spike grumbled, annoyed.
"Doesn't matter how many times you see that bloody episode," he said, shaking his head. "That damn bugger Chase gets me as bloody mad every time."
Torah nodded, trying not to roll her eyes. Spike didn't seem to notice though.
I'll make him God damn notice, she thought, the thin thread her patience had been hanging from suddenly breaking and it went crashing into the annoyance that had been building during the last three hours.
"So," she said in a low voice, reaching forward to get the TV-magazine that was positioned on the other side of the vamp, bending over him low enough to let her breasts gently stroke against his thigh as she didn't want to 'be in the way' of his view of the screen, of course.
She could feel his muscles tense up slightly at the touch and she smiled unnoticeably to herself as she grabbed the mag and pulled back again.
Spike tried not to think anymore of it - she had probably just not realized she had just done that - as he focused on the tele. An add for a new horror- flick coming out soon in the theatres was flashing by quickly, then a dark voice announced that Selma Hayek and Freddie Prince Jr. were starring.
"Freddie Prince Jr.," Spike huffed, shaking his head.
"What?" Torah asked, trying to obtain eye contact, and it succeeded as he turned to her with another shake of the head.
"Nothing, just that I think he's a prep, a regular Captain Cardboard if you'd bloody well ask me, still I have an annoying feeling that Buffy'd just looove to go watch the bloke in the movies," he answered and Torah smiled a little.
"Really?" she asked.
"Yeah. Not that I'm scared she'd run off and marry the guy or anything." He grinned a little at the thought. "It's just bloody annoying," he repeated and Torah nodded.
"Of course, thinking that she could actually wanna cheat on you must be.awful," she said, putting the magazine down and keeping eye contact, trying to not make the seduction she was planning too obvious and still letting the subtleness of it hint in her body language. "But then, sometimes those things happen, and it doesn't mean that the relationship is any weaker," she added with a small smile and Spike furrowed his brow slightly at that.
"If Buffy cheated on me I'd kill the bloke. Even if he was bloody human I'd endure the pain and savor the joy of ripping his head off his shoulders," he said calmly and she stared at him for a moment.
"Very violent thought," she said, feeling slightly turned on by it and he sighed, shrugging.
"Well, I guess I wouldn't. I mean, Buffy'd probably stake me for killing a human and. Ah, bloody hell, she wouldn't cheat on me," he stated and then smiled a little.
Dammit! Torah screamed in her head as she saw the soft glow of the love inside if him start up in his eyes again. What the hell is the matter with this vampire? she added, grumbling. He's not supposed to BE in love with a frigging mortal! He's not supposed to be in love - period.
She looked at him and then she suddenly thought of another angle.
She waited a moment longer and then she let her eyes fill with tears.
"I remember that," she mumbled and then she let hear a sob, putting her hands up to cover her face. "Tom and I, we.I can't believe that he's gone," she cried.
Spike hesitated a moment befpre sitting up, reaching his arms out and putting them around her, holding her gently to him. She leaned against him, then slid her arms around his neck and put her face against his shoulder, sobbing harder.
He thought of Buffy the night before. She had been so upset about that dream. He felt so bad about it even though he knew he shouldn't. He could save her from the world, from any nasty in it, but he couldn't save her from her inner demons and he knew that her dreams couldn't be labeled as anything else. They haunted her and he wished he could make them stop, even though they were supposed to be of help he knew some of them just got to be too much, festering in the back of her head.
Now or never, Torah thought as she slowly lifted her head from his shoulder, bringing up as much innocence and naked sorrow that she could as she carefully met his eyes, her face so close to his their noses were almost touching.
Spike focused his gaze in her eyes, coming back from his thoughts a fraction of a moment too late, her lips meeting his and her tongue parting them gently.
He drew a breath in surprise, his eyes never closing as he put his hands up on her shoulders and pushed her away gently, not sure if it had been planned or an act of complete impulse on her part. His "intuition" telling him it was the former but he couldn't prove it, as of yet, and so he didn't think he should just start shouting at her asking what the hell she was doing.
A small part of Buffy must be sticking to me, he thought as he smiled a small smile, furrowing his brow again as he questioningly met Torah's rather surprised and slightly guilty look. I never would have thought myself this bloody levelheaded, just not getting up and screaming my lungs out at her.
"I-I'm sorry," Torah stuttered, battling the growing need to put on her true face, use magic and make a pile of dust of the vampire.
"It's alright," he said, getting to his feet. "You've been under a lot of pressure the last few days, I'm sure it's normal to. Well. Just don't let it happen again," he added with the small smile still on his lips and she tentatively returned it before nodding.
"O-Of course," she assured. "I'm just so embarrassed."
He drew a small breath, observing her for a moment before shrugging.
"I'm gonna go get some lunch. You want something to eat?"
Flashes of the creature incident that very morning jumped before her eyes and she shook her head.
"No, thank you, I think I'll pass just this once," she answered him and he nodded, turning and walking into the kitchen.
She stared after him, clenching her jaws tightly together and trying to keep the growing impatience at least slightly settled in her chest, but it was hard.
What the hell should I do? she wondered, shaking her head. I am NOT going to lose this, I HATE losing! In the end I ALWAYS win!
***
"Well?" Warren asked impatiently as Jonathan looked up from the book he was reading.
"If you hold on for one second I'll tell you," the latter grumbled as he kept scribbling in the notepad in front of him.
"It's been two hours!" Warren exclaimed.
"So then ONE MORE SECOND shouldn't be a problem," Jonathan answered coolly and Warren did a double take as he stared at him.
Had the sidekick actually just talked back? The mastermind shook the thought off; it was too unfamiliar to process properly, besides he had better things to worry about.
Jonathan turned his eyes on the book again, annoyed more than ever. Warren was acting strange, he was impatient and he usually wasn't, he was too much of a perfectionist to be.even though he was a nag. Yes, Jonathan had a bad feeling in his stomach and he wasn't sure what it was all about.
Could be that chicken salsa I ate for lunch, he thought, feeling slightly nauseous at the thought of food. Or it could be this whole.damn.situation, he added, frowning slightly and glancing up to observe Warren who was trampling around like a cow in need of milking. Gross comparison, he now thought, shuddering slightly before turning his eyes on Andrew who was staring blankly at nothing or so it seemed.
Jonathan shook his head to himself. Andrew was such a sad excuse for a human being sometimes. But if he and Warren were ganging themselves up against Jonathan then. The latter sighed a little. He wished he could shake the feeling, but lately he had been the one to leave the hiding place to retrieve the merchandise they might need and he had a feeling that the two others took the opportunity to.make up plans. Plans that most certainly didn't involve a trio, more a duo, and Jonathan wondered what the hell for.
What had he done to make them feel they needed to do something like that?
"For Pete's sake, man, how long does it take to translate that damn thing?" Warren now asked, stopping in the middle of the floor and looking at Jonathan, who sighed deeply, putting down his pen and standing up slowly, closing the book and picking up the notepad before ceremonially taking a little pause and then saying:
"Two hours, eighteen minutes and forty-two seconds, to be exact," he then answered and Warren's eyes lit up at that disclosure and the promise that his partner in crime finally was done!
"Yes!" he said, rubbing his hands together and walking up to sit down by the table, Andrew seemingly having come down from his ride on the Enterprise somewhere in a galaxy far, far away came up as well. "Let's hear it!"
Jonathan nodded, holding up the pad and read:
"To fall is to rise and live again, to love is to grow and live again, combined they are one."
Warren waited in anticipation for the rest and then his eyes started growing until they were bulging out that dangerous way from their sockets.
"That's IT?" he exclaimed, running his hands through his hair and getting to his feet. "What the hell kind of prophecy IS this?"
"No, that's the first LINE," Jonathan stated, trying not to just laugh at the other man's clear rage, it was just too nice to be able to put it there. "You have to think about the fact that Mr. Giles for sure worked on this thing for many years, and that this Sarah person probably did as well for at least six months, if not a whole year. You gave me two hours, eighteen minutes and forty-two seconds to get the first line down, you didn't expect me to be able to decode the whole thing in that short amount of time, DID you?"
"If that is mockery in your voice Jonathan, I SWEAR I'll."
"What?" he asked, putting his hands down on the table and Warren stared at him for a moment before turning away.
"We need to know what this thing is all about," he grumbled and Jonathan nodded.
"Yes, we do. But Buffy does too, and Mr. Giles will tell her sooner than later and then Torah can find out what he tells her and then she can tell US," Jonathan said calmly and Warren turned to him.
What the hell was the matter with the midget now? Why wasn't he all.trembly- trembly?
"Fine," Warren growled. "I'm going for a walk," he added, walking up to the stairs and pushing the door open before disappearing through it.
Andrew stared after him and then he looked a little nervously at Jonathan.
"He seemed mad," he mumbled and Jonathan turned his gaze at him and then nodded.
"He'll walk it off," he answered, silently wishing Buffy would go on an early patrol and just.
Now you're really being disloyal, his conscience whispered and his mind answered simply: Warren started it.
***
Spike watched Buffy move easily into the fight she had just started with a big vamp.
He admired her body, moving exquisitely precise into every new kick and punch. The small bouncing of her blond locks against her shoulders. The concentration and yet clear indifference on her face, the lack of fear, the visible auto pilot mode.
She ducked from a heavy blow from big bears left hook - eh, paw - before he watched her reach around to the small of her back and grab the stake faithfully tucked into her belt. Just as she got it out the vamp pulled back slightly, clenched his hand in a fist and threw her a hard jab landing right on her chin, sending her flying and landing on her back she huffed before looking up at the approaching vamp.
"Oh, watch this." Spike grumbled to himself, a small smirk growing on his lips. "Now he's managed to piss her off."
Buffy glared at the vamp before pulling her legs up and quickly getting to her feet, meeting the vamps attack with a hard twirl and kick with her leg, her foot placing itself neatly on the spot of the creatures un-beating heart and he let hear a growl in surprise as he now was the one sent flying backwards, landing heavily against a headstone as the Slayer started approaching him.
"You know," she said, voice calm as she watched the vamp slowly get to his feet. "You'd think your sire would've taught you not to hit a lady."
"You're no lady, Slayer," the vampire said in a coarse voice and Buffy raised her eyebrows.
"Heh, you don't say? What gave me away?" she asked and the vamp huffed, shaking his head.
"You're sleeping with the dead," he said. "Word is Spike's been welcomed into your bed," he added and Buffy stared at him with eyes growing hard.
Suddenly the vamp was lifted off his feet and then the point of a stake tore out through his chest from behind.
"Shouldn't bloody listen to idle gossip," Spike grumbled as the dust settled and his eyes met his Slayer's who smiled ironically. "It's not worth getting killed over," he added with a smirk and she smiled back, shaking her head a little.
"So, the word is out," she sighed and he walked up to her.
"Got a problem with that?" he asked as he pulled her a little closer and she looked up at him, shaking her head.
"No, not a problem.I just can't believe that anyone even cares," she grumbled as he let his lips meet hers and she kissed him back before they pulled away reluctantly to keep patrolling.
"What, are you kidding me, Slayer?" he asked as they began to walk, her hand sliding into his and he smiled a little at that.
"What do you mean?" she asked and he looked at her, cocking an eyebrow.
"You're a sodding celebrity down below, you know. And up here too. Everybody knows who the Slayer is," he stated and she couldn't hold back a small smile.
"Yeah?" she asked and he grinned.
"Yeah. And you know, the fact that everybody thought you'd dusted ME got your name around 'til it became a bloody household one. The mommies in the underground tell their little kiddies: 'Drink your blood and role in the mud or the Slayer will sweep down and snatch you away'," he now stated and she stared at him before giving him a hard push with one shoulder, making him almost lose his balance.
"They do NOT," she said and he smiled a little.
"No, they don't, don't worry, love. No little kiddies are trembling 'cause of you at night," he confirmed and she smiled a little back, shaking her head at him. "But the part of you killing one fourth of the Scourge was true though," he added and she raised her eyebrows slightly. "It was big news," he stated, quite proudly, and she shook her head yet again.
"I love you," she whispered as she stopped and reached up, putting her arms around him.
He smiled a little, pulling her closer and breathing in her scent.
"I love you too, pet," he grumbled, nestling his face in her hair and feeling like her heart beat against his still one made his own come to life as well, slowly starting to pump in rhythm with hers. "You're the only thing that means anything to me," he whispered. "And whatever's up ahead we'll face it together."
She pulled back, her eyes in his as she nodded.
"Together," she said and he smiled a little, letting one hand gently touch her cheek before he kissed her again, deepening it softly and gently playing with her tongue in a game that never was quite the same and still so heavenly familiar.
She always surprised him like that, there were new little crannies to discover every time he searched for them, and still there were all the familiar and loved spots that he never could resist to tickle pleasure into.
Now she moaned a little into his mouth before slowly ending the kiss.
"We need to keep moving," she whispered and he nodded, his eyes slightly clouded and his head slightly fuzzy. yet again, a heavenly familiar feeling when it came to her.
He bent down and let his lips meet hers again and she kissed him back with just as much feeling before pulling back once more.
"We REALLY need to keep moving," she repeated and he nodded, and then he smiled a little, letting her go with a sigh.
Her hand slid into his in a firm grip and the smile grew wide on his lips as he drew in a deep breath of the fresh evening air.
He could never get enough of this. As long as he was he could never get enough of this, of her. Everything was so clear, everything was so.there, somehow.
He felt fulfilled, at peace. Finally.
Finally at peace.