TITLE: Roller Coaster
AUTHOR: Jennifer
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.
SPOILERS: Season 6 through Hell's Bells
SUMMARY: What a man does for love. Or just to stay alive. Some people are gonna find out just what matters most, possibly.
FEEDBACK: I'd love some : )
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Takes place after Hell's Bells. There's some B/S, T/W, and A/X in the story, but nothing too much.


WHO STRIKES WHAT AGAIN – HOW?



_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"Well, baby, we're here." He feels like a stupid idiot. Of all the places in this dimension she chooses Sunnydale, and he agrees! We shouldn't have come here.

"This is so exciting!"

"Yeah…Let's leave now." Exciting my ass. We are going now.

"No way, c'mon, this is the hell-mouth!"

"Exactly, this is the hell-mouth and with us here, things are bound to - "

"It's gonna be a party!"

" – go wrong."

He watches as she walks ahead of him, her delicious hips swaying. Shaking his head, he follows obediently, all the while muttering under his breath.

"Stupid bitch…I'm gonna - "

"What's that, honey?"

"Nothing, baby." You stupid woman.

I'm an idiot. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid…

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-


SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA – SUMMERS RESIDENCE 4:17 PM, MONDAY


Everything was falling apart. Xander and Anya was the only thing stable she knew. Though, sort of unorthodox, still stable. She doesn't know what to think anymore. He's supposed to be her best friend, now she doesn't know whether to be angry with him or to feel sorry for him. Okay, sure, she was never that fond of Anya, but even she could see that the ex-demon really loved him. And now, both are missing.

She has a paper due in three days. Willow sits in front of her lab top wracking her brain for words on things other than broken people. That was going around a lot these days. Everything used to be so much simpler, hadn't it? She lets out a huff of air and wonders how Cordelia, Wesley, and Angel are faring in L.A.

"Knock, knock," Tara slowly opens the front door and enters, "Hello?"

"Tara!" The ex-witch stands from her seat and smiles, her thoughts of past acquaintances forgotten, "What are you doing here? Wait – I mean – How are you?"

Willow cursed herself silently as she stumbled over her words. She shouldn't be nervous. It's Tara. Tara equals good. Tara is nice. So, she's my ex-girlfriend and usually that would be oodles of awkward but not anymore because she is my friend – it does not matter that she's my ex-girlfriend. We're friends. Friends. Friends. Friends…

"– brought it for Dawn. Is she here?"

…'Cause we're friends. Good friends. Okay, I still love her with all my being, but we're –

"Willow?"

"Huh – Wha..? Yeah?"

The blonde smiles and nervously glances down before raising her gaze.

"I was just saying how I brought over that book Dawn wanted to borrow. Is she here right now?"

"Yeah, Dawn. I mean, no. She is not here right now. She's over at one her friend's house…or something. She isn't here. I was just sitting here. Alone. 'Cause Buffy's still at work and, y'know, Dawn's at her friend's house. Yeah. I'm just here. Doing nothing – I mean, working on my paper. The anthropology one for Psyche. Yeah…"

Willow trails off nervously as Tara nods a little at her rant. She panics as she realizes they were lapsing into one of those horrible awkward silences.

"Oh!" She winces as she blurted that out a little to loud, "I mean – " Damn. She keeps saying that, "You can leave the book for Dawnie so she can pick it up later since she's…at her friend's house." Stupid. You think you've said than enough times?

"Yeah, I can – I should do that."

Tara nods again, letting out a small smile.

And the two women stand there.

In silence.

Smiling.

And nodding.


SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA – 7:56 PM, SAME DAY


A bunny. No maybe more like a cat. Oh! A fox. Buffy frowned. This was insane – trying to figure out what the blob on her ceiling looked like – just because she couldn't sleep. It's not like she stares at that blob any old time, trying to figure out what shape it was. 'Cause she doesn't. She tosses the heavy comforter off of her and she flips onto her stomach.

The slayer jumps up into a sitting position once he steps into her room.

"Spike?"

What the hell is he doing here?

"What the hell are you doing here?"

He doesn't say a word as he saunters over to her and gently kisses her neck and runs his hands through her hair.

"Spike…"

She feels the smirk against her neck and scowls.

His hands slowly make paths down her sides to her waist.

"What the hell are you doing here…?"

Her mouth forms into a frown as her repeated question doesn't hold as much venom as it did before. She gasps silently as his lips move from her neck to her mouth.

"You can't just come in here," she hears herself speaking, "and do this. I was in the middle of very important business."

He continues ignoring her words as he plays with the hem of her shirt.

"I was in the middle of very important business…"

The vampire stops his ministrations momentarily to speak.

"It's a cow."

She hugs him tighter to her and she looks back up at the blob on her ceiling. It is a cow. Her eyes flutter to a close. They involuntarily reopen when she hears his mocking voice.

"See? I'm always right."

Her arms tighten and she looks into his eyes. He kisses her nose and pulls back.

"What do you think about that?"

And without hesitation, she answers clearly.

"I think I love – "

"Hey, break's over."

Green eyes blank into confusion.

"Huh? Spike? I'm trying – "

"Break's over."

" – to say something important and you're making no sen – "

"Hey! Buffy!"

"What?"

"Break's – "

She wakes with a jolt. An uncomfortable kink in her neck.

" – over!"

Lorraine's voice filters to the break room. Looking around, Buffy finds herself in the Doublemeat Palace awaken from another Spike dream. She sighs heavily and puts on her cow hat.

Shaking her head slightly, she rises from the chair and walks towards the kitchen.

This is insane.

SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA – RESTFIELD CEMETRY 9:17 PM, SAME NIGHT

It's slightly odd. He's holding a grocery bag and walking through the cemetery late at night like everything is peachy normal. An unlit cigarette is hanging between his lips; he doesn't seem fazed as two slimy demons come out from the shadows created by the moon. The slime demons are both obviously twice his size, yet he still takes them on – with no weapons.

A girl runs and kicks one of the demons down, joining the fight. The man – who tossed aside his groceries – has changed his features. Now, golden eyes have replaced the blue ones and fangs protrude from his mouth.  Together, the slayer and vampire make a compelling fighting team. The slime creatures are dead in a matter of time.

Green orbs meet gold.

"Hi Spike."

Taken back by her bashful voice and smile, he changes back into his human mask, and stares at her small form for a minute before answering.

"Hello, Love."

Her smile seems to grow and she nervously tucks her hair behind her ears.

"Thanks for," she gestures girlish-ly at the fallen demons, much to Spike's amusement, "thanks for, you know – helping."

He watches her play with the stake in her hands self-consciously, a smirk tugging at the sides of his mouth.

"Well, if anything, I should be thanking you."

She giggles – add that to his surprise – she giggles! He throws her a questioning glance, something is definitely off.

"Are you alright, pet?"

Buffy's eyes lock onto his blue ones.

"Of course I'm fine!" she catches herself, "I mean, I'm fine." Her voice takes on a suspicious lilt, "Why wouldn't I be? I'm perfectly perfect-fine."

He blinks at her sudden change in demeanor.

"I mean – Why would you ask that? You! You…with your stupid eyes!"

Okay, slowly take a step back. He winces as her voice rises.

"Windows of the soul, my ass. You don't even have a stupid soul."

That hurt. His defenses open.

"Hey – "

"You – you have stupid eyes! And – and I don't need rescuing! Especially from – from a stupid one hundred year old vampire with the maturity of a toddler!"

And close.

"I'm the slayer. I don't need to be rescued from demons. Because I fight demons. I don't need saving."

She walks off with a huff. Leaving him to yell after her.

"You saved me!" Then thinking better if it, "No. Wait. You came to me!"

Her hands cover her ears as she continues stalking away.

"La! La! La! I can't hear you…!!"

Right. And he has the maturity of a four-year-old?

"Moody bitch."

He picks up his fallen groceries and continues towards his crypt. Pausing, he looks to his side, cocking his head slightly as if listening to an unheard sound. The vampire strides towards the mausoleum at his right and pulls out a short demon with large horns and five tails wearing a very loud suit.

"Hey Spike. L-long time no see? H-huh?"

"Donald."