Title: A Friend In Need, Is A Friend Indeed
By: Chen
Disclaimer: ME owns it. I don't.
Rating: G
A/N: Blame this on Charlie. The girl wouldn't leave me alone. This is the 3rd time! It's the sequel to 'That's What Friends Are For'.
Thank you Colleen for being the fastest BETA ever!
This is for every one of you who e-mailed me these past days. It meant so much to me.
*
It had been weeks. In the chaos that was Charlie's life after what she called "that night" the only constant had been Spike. He had unwaveringly stood by her side. Trying to cheer her up when he saw that shadow of sadness clouding her eyes and letting her cry while he held her, when the shadow completely swallowed her. He held her close then… Making soft comforting noises that made no sense, but that had the ability to soothe her. She eventually had asked him what they were and he had looked embarrassed.
"It was what my mom said to me when I was a lad. It means nothing really, just baby talk… But it always made me feel better."
Charlie reached out and squeezed his hand, looking into her friend's eyes. "It makes me feel better too, hon."
And so the days had passed. For Spike life became very simple. Patrolling. Buffy. Charlie. Writing.
It had been Charlie's idea that he should write down some of his colorful adventures. He had done it to humor her. Unbeknownst to him, the naughty girl had sent the results to her literary agent, who had called soon after saying that one of the short stories had been sold to a magazine. Thus, his career had started. Now they wrote together, Charlie on the PC and Spike sitting on the floor, with a laptop from the dark ages Charlie had fished out of the closet. She was trying to write about what had happened 'that night'. Not for public eyes, but to expiate the guilt and pain that would not leave her. Spike never asked to read it. Charlie never offered. She did read his stories though.
The first time, she had cried and gone to her room, followed by Spike, cursing his bloody stupidity for having let her, under his breath.
"Luv, I am sorry. Please?"
After a few minutes she managed to collect herself and turned to face him. "Look at silly me." She cleaned the tears on her face with the back of her hands. "I am okay Spike. Can you imagine what a wreck I will be, if I cry every time I think about vampires?" Spike winced. "Oh, baby… I don't mean you! What a pair of braniacs we are…" She hugged him.
"Listen, you don't feel bad about the 'vampire thing' and I will try not to feel bad about the 'vampire thing'. Does that even make sense?"
Spike had looked at her face, twisted in a genuinely puzzled expression. "It makes sense to a pair of originals like us, luv. That's what matters."
From that day on she had started to get better, as if that moment in the bedroom had been a hallmark in her grieving. The day after, Spike had gotten Charlie a necklace with a gold cross encrusted with tiny rubies. A red cross… Charlie had been so surprised that he would have given her such a… holy gift.
Spike… Charlie looked up. He was sprawled on the couch, reading the TV guide trying to find something – anything really – that they could watch on a Tuesday night. Him being there made all the difference and she was more than grateful to him. She had tried to thank him and tried to tell him that it was okay if he left – he did have a life. She knew he saw Buffy only occasionally now and felt guilty he was spending so much time with her, instead of dating the Slayer. He had looked at her and smiled a sad little smile and replied nothing. He just stayed.
"Spike?"
"Yes, Charlie?" He put the TV guide down with a sigh. "There is absolutely nothing decent on the telly! You would think those gits would take some pity on us viewers and give us something funny to watch! Instead it's all angst!" He dug a fag from the his duster's pocket, lit it and offered to light one for Charlie.
"No, thank you, baby." Charlie was brewing an idea in her head and maybe this was a good time as any to voice it. "Spike, would you mind terribly if we went out? You must be getting cabin fever by now."
"Pet, don't worry about me. If you feel like going out – by all means we will go out." Spike searched her face. "You sure you feel up to it, luv?"
"Bloody sure!" Charlie laughed at Spike's shocked expression. It was a 'lite' version of her rich and loud signature laughter, but it was one nevertheless. Spike felt his heart expanding in his chest. Charlie would be okay, after all.
"So where would you 'bloody' like to go?" Charlie giggled and Spike had to keep himself from jumping for joy.
"How about the… 'bloody' Bronze? It's not like there's anywhere else to go in town. Unless you were thinking of Willie's?" She was teasing? Teasing was of the good.
"Nothing is too good for my Charlie. The bloody Bronze it is."
"Just let me change out of my sweats, okay? I won't take long."
Charlie returned a few minutes later wearing what they had come to refer to as 'their' uniform: black jeans, black T-shirt, black coat and black boots.
"How do I look?" Charlie stood there striking a very good imitation of Spike's Big Bad pose, the red cross hanging on her neck contrasting with the black on black get up.
"The girl has style," Spike said in his best seductive voice, holding the door open for a smiling Charlie.
The Bronze was full, as it was on every day of the week. They grabbed a couple of beers and took a table away from the hubbub of the dance floor. Charlie sat there with her eyes refusing to focus, all the previous merriment gone. Spike could tell she was thinking about Frances, but decided to be quiet. She had to start coming back from those memory trips by herself. If she was unable to, he would be there to show her the way.
"Spike?" Somebody tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around to find Tara, smiling shyly. "Hello. I thought it was you. The blond hair."
"Hello there, ducks. Do you know my friend Charlie?"
"Oh, hi there, Charlie." Tara reached across the table to shake Charlie's extended hand.
"So, what are you doing here?" Charlie glared at Spike and he quickly corrected himself, "I mean, are you alone? Would you care to join us?" Charlie smiled in approval. She would make a perfect gentleman out of him yet.
"I came with my study group. They are over at the dance floor now, jumping around. Not really my scene, you know?"
Spike pulled a chair for the girl to sit. He had no idea if Tara knew about Charlie and what had happened. Better not to say anything. Charlie needed to be around regular people, who wouldn't behave as if they were walking on eggshells.
He chuckled to himself, Buffy HAD tried VERY hard. Too hard. Something about Charlie made the Slayer nervous. He could tell. Charlie also had issues. If Buffy as much as used a hard tone of voice with Spike, Charlie would get up and leave the room. He felt kind of weird having the two girls he loved most in his life not getting along. But Charlie was his priority now and Buffy had understood that. Okay, so she had *said* she understood that. Still, she dropped hints here and there that maybe he should pay some attention to her. It felt good that she cared… that she wanted his attention. He had continued to patrol and sometimes they would just sit down and talk about things, but he always went home to Charlie's afterwards. The girl had complained and pouted like a child, but in the end had accepted the fact that Spike was not backing down. He was not going anywhere.
Spike looked over at the two girls talking to each other. Charlie leaned over to hear what Tara was saying, eyes focused on the girl. Something Tara said made Charlie laugh out loud. Spike felt a lump forming in his throat when he heard that wonderful and delicious sound… he had missed it so! Heads all around turned to look at the source of the explosion.
Charlie, like before, didn't even notice.
His Charlie would be just fine.
The End
By: Chen
Disclaimer: ME owns it. I don't.
Rating: G
A/N: Blame this on Charlie. The girl wouldn't leave me alone. This is the 3rd time! It's the sequel to 'That's What Friends Are For'.
Thank you Colleen for being the fastest BETA ever!
This is for every one of you who e-mailed me these past days. It meant so much to me.
*
It had been weeks. In the chaos that was Charlie's life after what she called "that night" the only constant had been Spike. He had unwaveringly stood by her side. Trying to cheer her up when he saw that shadow of sadness clouding her eyes and letting her cry while he held her, when the shadow completely swallowed her. He held her close then… Making soft comforting noises that made no sense, but that had the ability to soothe her. She eventually had asked him what they were and he had looked embarrassed.
"It was what my mom said to me when I was a lad. It means nothing really, just baby talk… But it always made me feel better."
Charlie reached out and squeezed his hand, looking into her friend's eyes. "It makes me feel better too, hon."
And so the days had passed. For Spike life became very simple. Patrolling. Buffy. Charlie. Writing.
It had been Charlie's idea that he should write down some of his colorful adventures. He had done it to humor her. Unbeknownst to him, the naughty girl had sent the results to her literary agent, who had called soon after saying that one of the short stories had been sold to a magazine. Thus, his career had started. Now they wrote together, Charlie on the PC and Spike sitting on the floor, with a laptop from the dark ages Charlie had fished out of the closet. She was trying to write about what had happened 'that night'. Not for public eyes, but to expiate the guilt and pain that would not leave her. Spike never asked to read it. Charlie never offered. She did read his stories though.
The first time, she had cried and gone to her room, followed by Spike, cursing his bloody stupidity for having let her, under his breath.
"Luv, I am sorry. Please?"
After a few minutes she managed to collect herself and turned to face him. "Look at silly me." She cleaned the tears on her face with the back of her hands. "I am okay Spike. Can you imagine what a wreck I will be, if I cry every time I think about vampires?" Spike winced. "Oh, baby… I don't mean you! What a pair of braniacs we are…" She hugged him.
"Listen, you don't feel bad about the 'vampire thing' and I will try not to feel bad about the 'vampire thing'. Does that even make sense?"
Spike had looked at her face, twisted in a genuinely puzzled expression. "It makes sense to a pair of originals like us, luv. That's what matters."
From that day on she had started to get better, as if that moment in the bedroom had been a hallmark in her grieving. The day after, Spike had gotten Charlie a necklace with a gold cross encrusted with tiny rubies. A red cross… Charlie had been so surprised that he would have given her such a… holy gift.
Spike… Charlie looked up. He was sprawled on the couch, reading the TV guide trying to find something – anything really – that they could watch on a Tuesday night. Him being there made all the difference and she was more than grateful to him. She had tried to thank him and tried to tell him that it was okay if he left – he did have a life. She knew he saw Buffy only occasionally now and felt guilty he was spending so much time with her, instead of dating the Slayer. He had looked at her and smiled a sad little smile and replied nothing. He just stayed.
"Spike?"
"Yes, Charlie?" He put the TV guide down with a sigh. "There is absolutely nothing decent on the telly! You would think those gits would take some pity on us viewers and give us something funny to watch! Instead it's all angst!" He dug a fag from the his duster's pocket, lit it and offered to light one for Charlie.
"No, thank you, baby." Charlie was brewing an idea in her head and maybe this was a good time as any to voice it. "Spike, would you mind terribly if we went out? You must be getting cabin fever by now."
"Pet, don't worry about me. If you feel like going out – by all means we will go out." Spike searched her face. "You sure you feel up to it, luv?"
"Bloody sure!" Charlie laughed at Spike's shocked expression. It was a 'lite' version of her rich and loud signature laughter, but it was one nevertheless. Spike felt his heart expanding in his chest. Charlie would be okay, after all.
"So where would you 'bloody' like to go?" Charlie giggled and Spike had to keep himself from jumping for joy.
"How about the… 'bloody' Bronze? It's not like there's anywhere else to go in town. Unless you were thinking of Willie's?" She was teasing? Teasing was of the good.
"Nothing is too good for my Charlie. The bloody Bronze it is."
"Just let me change out of my sweats, okay? I won't take long."
Charlie returned a few minutes later wearing what they had come to refer to as 'their' uniform: black jeans, black T-shirt, black coat and black boots.
"How do I look?" Charlie stood there striking a very good imitation of Spike's Big Bad pose, the red cross hanging on her neck contrasting with the black on black get up.
"The girl has style," Spike said in his best seductive voice, holding the door open for a smiling Charlie.
The Bronze was full, as it was on every day of the week. They grabbed a couple of beers and took a table away from the hubbub of the dance floor. Charlie sat there with her eyes refusing to focus, all the previous merriment gone. Spike could tell she was thinking about Frances, but decided to be quiet. She had to start coming back from those memory trips by herself. If she was unable to, he would be there to show her the way.
"Spike?" Somebody tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around to find Tara, smiling shyly. "Hello. I thought it was you. The blond hair."
"Hello there, ducks. Do you know my friend Charlie?"
"Oh, hi there, Charlie." Tara reached across the table to shake Charlie's extended hand.
"So, what are you doing here?" Charlie glared at Spike and he quickly corrected himself, "I mean, are you alone? Would you care to join us?" Charlie smiled in approval. She would make a perfect gentleman out of him yet.
"I came with my study group. They are over at the dance floor now, jumping around. Not really my scene, you know?"
Spike pulled a chair for the girl to sit. He had no idea if Tara knew about Charlie and what had happened. Better not to say anything. Charlie needed to be around regular people, who wouldn't behave as if they were walking on eggshells.
He chuckled to himself, Buffy HAD tried VERY hard. Too hard. Something about Charlie made the Slayer nervous. He could tell. Charlie also had issues. If Buffy as much as used a hard tone of voice with Spike, Charlie would get up and leave the room. He felt kind of weird having the two girls he loved most in his life not getting along. But Charlie was his priority now and Buffy had understood that. Okay, so she had *said* she understood that. Still, she dropped hints here and there that maybe he should pay some attention to her. It felt good that she cared… that she wanted his attention. He had continued to patrol and sometimes they would just sit down and talk about things, but he always went home to Charlie's afterwards. The girl had complained and pouted like a child, but in the end had accepted the fact that Spike was not backing down. He was not going anywhere.
Spike looked over at the two girls talking to each other. Charlie leaned over to hear what Tara was saying, eyes focused on the girl. Something Tara said made Charlie laugh out loud. Spike felt a lump forming in his throat when he heard that wonderful and delicious sound… he had missed it so! Heads all around turned to look at the source of the explosion.
Charlie, like before, didn't even notice.
His Charlie would be just fine.
The End