Blurry 7/?
Author: Amanda
Summary: A few weeks after Grave. Spike returns. Willow's in England with Xander
and Giles, and they are on their way back to Sunnydale. Buffy has her head on halfway
straight and along with Anya is going to open an after hours shop to demons and such.
Rating: PG13, for now
Disclaimers: Not mine.
Feedback: All feedback is read, cherished, and given a good home.
Distribution: Please ask.
A/N: Many thanks to Mezz for her help.
*************
"Thanks for handling everything Anya. I appreciate it."
"Giles wasn't surprised. He said he understood. He even thinks Willow will understand.
The one you'll have a problem with is Xander. But I won't start in on my rant on
Xander, because today is supposed to be a happy day. We're supposed to pretend we're
happy Willow is back."
"I know. He said he was going to tell them on the flight over. Is that a good thing?"
"They can't make much of a scene in the middle of an airplane. And they'll have plenty
of time to figure out what to do. But then again, they could get mad and…."
"It's going to be fine. Everything will work out for the best." Buffy waited for Anya to
agree to her. "You're supposed to agree with me."
"Oh, right. It will all work out. I was looking at the shadows under your eyes. I'm
surprised that they've gotten darker. Your makeup is not covering them up too well.
You really should switch brands. There's this brand we vengeance demons use that
really does the trick. Of course, if you're squeamish about cow intestines, you probably
won't want to use it."
Leave to Anya, to get right to the point, Buffy thought. She was tired. And she knew the
shadows weren't covered. But no one else seemed to notice. Dawn hadn't said a word.
Neither had Spike. But then again, it was usually pretty dark in the house when she got
home from patrolling, and he was on the couch with a sleeping Dawn.
She used to think that he would notice anything about her, even if she cut her fingernails.
But not anymore. Now he just noticed Dawn. She had to give him credit for that. He
was there for Dawn. The last two nights, he'd kept Dawn company while she was out
patrolling. And every morning, she heard stories about how Dawn wanted to go to
Africa, just like Spike. To see what he had seen. To travel around the world like he had.
All Buffy wanted to know was how he got there. Africa was a long way away. But their
conversations were limited to 'Thanks for staying with Dawn.' 'Have a good night.'
Nothing more. And she hated it.
Where was the Spike that wouldn't shut up around her? Where was the Spike that
wanted her in his bed? Where was the Spike that wanted a spot of violence before
bedtime? She didn't think that Spike had come back from Africa. He seemed different
now. But Dawn seemed to think he was the same. She said it was just her. And Anya
and Clem had agreed. She was the only one who thought he was different. That thought
he had changed. And she didn't like it.
Anya looking at her brought her back to their conversation. It seemed all she did lately
was zone out and think about Spike. Which was one reason for her not sleeping. "I'm
just tired. Late nights patrolling and then getting up with Dawn every morning, to make
sure she gets off to summer school okay."
"Why don't you go back to sleep after that? And besides she's about to turn sixteen.
She'll be a young woman, she can make her own breakfast."
Buffy decided to skip over the 'go back to sleep' question. She didn't think Anya would
understand the nightmares that plagued her. She had never really needed a lot of sleep,
always attributing that to being the slayer. But for the past nine months, she had even
less than normal. Nightmares of waking up in her coffin still plagued her. The only time
they didn't was the few times she had fallen asleep beside Spike. Those times, she had
slept peacefully. And that had scared her more than anything else. A vampire, that at
any time could bite and drain her, while she was asleep, made her feel safe. That in the
end had caused her to run away. "I know she can take care of herself. I just feel guilty."
"I've got a great way you can ease your guilt. Say yes to letting me have a party."
"I'm not stopping you from having a party."
"Dawn's going to be so excited when I tell her. I have to start making a list. Do you
think teenagers like caviar?"
"Why would you be inviting teenagers?"
"They are Dawn's friends, aren't they? I thought she'd want all her friends from school
to be there. Turning sixteen is a very big deal."
"You didn't say this party was for Dawn's birthday. And no, teenagers don't like caviar.
Anya, you can't spend your money on Dawn." Though it was a nice gesture, Buffy
thought. But she couldn't let Anya do that, even if Dawn would love it.
"Why not? What else am I going to spend it on?"
"You could put it into stock or whatever you usually do."
"I have more than enough money than I need. D'Hoffryn provides well for his girls.
And it's not like I'm saving the money for anything. I was saving it for my children…
their weddings, college. But not now."
"Maybe you'll meet someone one day and he'll want to marry you. You can always go
back to being a human. Then have that family you want."
"That's not me, Buffy. And any man that wants me will have to accept that. If I can still
love him when he's old and wrinkly, he can accept me as a vengeance demon. Now back
to the party."
"I can't let you throw one for Dawn. That's really too much."
"She said I was her favorite vengeance demon. And I didn't even pay her to say that."
"She only knows two and the other one locked us in a house."
"How about I pay for half and you can pay me back for the other half, as soon as you get
a job."
Buffy wondered how you reasoned with a thousand year old vengeance demon? And
how did you tell her that even if the party cost next to nothing, you still couldn't pay for
half. Not when you didn't have a paying job. "I'll think about it. Right now though I
need your help. I'm looking for a big furry red demon. Kinda looks like a gigantic
Elmo. Except it squirts some liquid."
"Elmo?"
"Like that fuzzy red sweater of Willow's that she absolutely loves."
"Now that's scary."
Buffy shuddered along with Anya at the visible image of Willow in her sweater. "I
know. Every night I've encountered one. And it shoots some type of gooey liquid out of
its pores. Clear, a little thicker than water."
"It doesn't sound familiar, but I'll think about it."
"They're just annoying to kill. Their fur gets hairy and stinks. And it's like trying to kill
something with someone shooting a water gun at you. Throws you off a little."
Anya thought about. There was something nagging at her about the description. Like
she should know what it was, but she couldn't remember ever hearing or seeing a demon
like Buffy described. She shook it off. "We've got a few hours before they should be
here. You can take this time to fill out all the paperwork."
"What is this stuff?"
"Forms for taxes, a standard contract for working for me, and of course an agreement on
how we split all the profits. And since Dawn is a minor, you'll have to sign her
paperwork too."
"Why do we have to do this? Spike and Clem don't."
"Clem isn't getting paid in cash, he's being comped in shop credit. And Spike is bringing
his paperwork back to me today. He's all legal and everything. Don't assume us demons
don't have legal identities."
"Spike's a citizen? Or does he have a green card? And how'd he get that? And what
does it read? Spike? William the bloody? Spike Bloody?"
"You'll have to ask him. I don't disclose personal information about my employees."
She was actually tempted to ask him. That is if she thought she might get an answer out
of him. More likely she'd mess the whole thing up, they'd fight. He'd say something
how she always thinks the worse of him. And she'd prove it by saying something stupid
and ridiculous. And they'd be at an even worse place in their so-called relationship than
not talking. They'd be fighting. She might just have to figure out how to bribe Dawn to
get these answers. She really wanted to know what his name was.
*************
"Do I have to be nice to Willow?"
"Dawn!"
"Well do I? She wasn't particularly nice to me."
"If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."
"You sound like Mom."
"She is the one that said that. Can you at least say hi? Unless you consider that too
nice."
"I can do that. But if her eyes are black, I'm running."
"And we'll all be right behind you." She wondered if she and Dawn could run before
they showed up. Would they notice them missing? Probably. Having a reunion wasn't
high up on her list of things to do for the month. She didn't know how to act. Or what to
say. Did she play nice with Willow? Or lie and say she missed her? Could she just
pretend that everything was hunky dory now and they could start over?
She'd tried that with Spike and it obviously wasn't working. And he didn't even try to
end the world. She didn't think it would work with Willow. But she didn't know what to
say, or what to do.
"Did I miss the party? Or have they not yet arrived?"
Spike's arrival brought her out of her musings. Spike. Down Buffy. He's just Spike.
Spike with a tight black shirt and no duster to cover him. The decision to not mention the
duster was definitely a good one. If he didn't have it, he couldn't wear it. And she could
at least look her fill at him then. But then, looking at him, but not getting his attention
wasn't good. But it did help in not getting caught staring at his butt. Bad Buffy. Don't
stare at Spike's butt. That won't help matters any. Just look in his face, say something
nice and respectful. Or be quiet. We are trying to make forward momentum in this
relationship. And not forward momentum in a sex only relationship. Not that anything is
moving forward at this moment.
Dawn wondered if Buffy was feeling okay. She was now staring off into space, while her
lips were faintly moving. She didn't know what was up with the two of them. She knew
Spike stayed until Buffy got home from patrol. But beyond that, she didn't know
anything. But Buffy moped around the house and she suspected that they weren't falling
into each others arms and proclaiming their love for each other late at night. She wished
she could do something, but they both had said that their relationship was their business.
And no one else's. Of course Dawn didn't think they had any type of relationship going
right now, so maybe she could interfere. But the adult thing would probably be to leave
them alone. And since she kept proclaiming she was an adult, she'd try that for a while
longer. "Still not here. The plane must be late. Or maybe they decided they didn't want
to leave England. Nah, that'd make me happy."
He wouldn't mind if they didn't come back either. But he knew Buffy needed to work
things out with her friends. And besides, it wasn't a good idea to encourage Dawn in her
inherent dislike of Willow. "I'm sure they were ready to get back to sunny California.
How'd your quiz go?"
"You had a quiz today Dawn? You didn't tell me that?"
"It was just on the first act of 'Romeo and Juliet'. And I did fine. I think I aced it, so
both of you can quit worrying about me."
The chime of the bells over the door, took Buffy's mind off the fact that Spike seemed to
know more about her sisters academic life than she did. Even with her drill sergeant
routine.
Willow was the first through the door, Giles gently guiding her through. Her face was
pale, her hair limp. She reminded Buffy a little bit of the young girl she had met when
she moved to Sunnydale. A shy, quiet girl, who was unsure of her place. Giles had said
that she might not be the Willow they had known before. And it looked like he might be
right. Whatever confidence she had, seemed to be rooted in the magic. And now,
without it, she was just a girl floundering along. Buffy felt that they at least had
something in common. She was trying to figure out where her life was going, and what
choices to take that would lay ahead. It seemed Willow would have the same decisions
to make.
*************
"What did you want to talk to about?" Spike didn't like being cooped up in Anya's small
office with Giles. Not when he could feel that Dawn and Buffy needed him.
Right away, Giles had whisked him back here, while Willow and Xander had greeted
everyone. In one breath he wanted to thank him, for getting him away from Xander's
accusing eyes and words. And in the other he wanted to curse him. And a small part of
him was scared, because he knew that Giles could be scary when he wanted to be. And
dangerous. And he had given him plenty of reasons for that.
"As Buffy's father is absent in her life, I feel the need to say a few things to you. She is
an adult and can make her own decisions. What you two do is your business. Not that I
like it. But she can make her own mistakes and learn from them. If what Xander told me
was true, I know that Buffy would have dusted you. Since you're still here, he must not
have his facts straight. But if you ever hurt her, I will help her hunt you down. And then
you will pray that someone stakes you.
"Since you seem to be staying around, I have a proposition for you. Buffy needs money.
The council wants to know what is going on with the slayer. They have agreed to pay her
a stipend in exchange for weekly reports of the hellmouth's activity. You'll write a
report every week and Buffy will earn a wage and you will get a small stipend. I've had
Anya draw up a contract.
"This is year long contract, that is automatically renewed every year. If at any reason,
you fail to fulfill your duties, you must pay Buffy back your entire stipend. Look over
the papers."
It was a great opportunity undoubtedly. He could earn money respectably. He could
help Buffy. But it would also put him into close proximity with her. And he wasn't sure
he wanted that. Well, he wanted it, but a part of him said it was a bad idea. Yeah, she
wanted to start over, but he just wasn't sure they could do that. But he had promised to
himself that he would support Buffy; help her however he could. And he would do that.
"Have you talked to Buffy about this? Has she agreed?"
"I wanted to get everything lined up first, before I approached her."
"Find out how she feels about this. Then get back with me." And if she agreed to it, he'd
do it. All she had to do was say the word and he'd do anything for her.
"Then you won't do it? This doesn't guarantee you anything with Buffy, so you won't
do it. Showing your true colors, are you?"
"I didn't say that. I want to know how Buffy feels about handing things over to the
council, before I'll sign anything. If she wants me to, I'll sign the bloody contract. You
don't know me. You might think you do, but you don't. But know this, I'll do anything
for Buffy, anything. Whatever she wants regarding this, I'll do it."
Author: Amanda
Summary: A few weeks after Grave. Spike returns. Willow's in England with Xander
and Giles, and they are on their way back to Sunnydale. Buffy has her head on halfway
straight and along with Anya is going to open an after hours shop to demons and such.
Rating: PG13, for now
Disclaimers: Not mine.
Feedback: All feedback is read, cherished, and given a good home.
Distribution: Please ask.
A/N: Many thanks to Mezz for her help.
*************
"Thanks for handling everything Anya. I appreciate it."
"Giles wasn't surprised. He said he understood. He even thinks Willow will understand.
The one you'll have a problem with is Xander. But I won't start in on my rant on
Xander, because today is supposed to be a happy day. We're supposed to pretend we're
happy Willow is back."
"I know. He said he was going to tell them on the flight over. Is that a good thing?"
"They can't make much of a scene in the middle of an airplane. And they'll have plenty
of time to figure out what to do. But then again, they could get mad and…."
"It's going to be fine. Everything will work out for the best." Buffy waited for Anya to
agree to her. "You're supposed to agree with me."
"Oh, right. It will all work out. I was looking at the shadows under your eyes. I'm
surprised that they've gotten darker. Your makeup is not covering them up too well.
You really should switch brands. There's this brand we vengeance demons use that
really does the trick. Of course, if you're squeamish about cow intestines, you probably
won't want to use it."
Leave to Anya, to get right to the point, Buffy thought. She was tired. And she knew the
shadows weren't covered. But no one else seemed to notice. Dawn hadn't said a word.
Neither had Spike. But then again, it was usually pretty dark in the house when she got
home from patrolling, and he was on the couch with a sleeping Dawn.
She used to think that he would notice anything about her, even if she cut her fingernails.
But not anymore. Now he just noticed Dawn. She had to give him credit for that. He
was there for Dawn. The last two nights, he'd kept Dawn company while she was out
patrolling. And every morning, she heard stories about how Dawn wanted to go to
Africa, just like Spike. To see what he had seen. To travel around the world like he had.
All Buffy wanted to know was how he got there. Africa was a long way away. But their
conversations were limited to 'Thanks for staying with Dawn.' 'Have a good night.'
Nothing more. And she hated it.
Where was the Spike that wouldn't shut up around her? Where was the Spike that
wanted her in his bed? Where was the Spike that wanted a spot of violence before
bedtime? She didn't think that Spike had come back from Africa. He seemed different
now. But Dawn seemed to think he was the same. She said it was just her. And Anya
and Clem had agreed. She was the only one who thought he was different. That thought
he had changed. And she didn't like it.
Anya looking at her brought her back to their conversation. It seemed all she did lately
was zone out and think about Spike. Which was one reason for her not sleeping. "I'm
just tired. Late nights patrolling and then getting up with Dawn every morning, to make
sure she gets off to summer school okay."
"Why don't you go back to sleep after that? And besides she's about to turn sixteen.
She'll be a young woman, she can make her own breakfast."
Buffy decided to skip over the 'go back to sleep' question. She didn't think Anya would
understand the nightmares that plagued her. She had never really needed a lot of sleep,
always attributing that to being the slayer. But for the past nine months, she had even
less than normal. Nightmares of waking up in her coffin still plagued her. The only time
they didn't was the few times she had fallen asleep beside Spike. Those times, she had
slept peacefully. And that had scared her more than anything else. A vampire, that at
any time could bite and drain her, while she was asleep, made her feel safe. That in the
end had caused her to run away. "I know she can take care of herself. I just feel guilty."
"I've got a great way you can ease your guilt. Say yes to letting me have a party."
"I'm not stopping you from having a party."
"Dawn's going to be so excited when I tell her. I have to start making a list. Do you
think teenagers like caviar?"
"Why would you be inviting teenagers?"
"They are Dawn's friends, aren't they? I thought she'd want all her friends from school
to be there. Turning sixteen is a very big deal."
"You didn't say this party was for Dawn's birthday. And no, teenagers don't like caviar.
Anya, you can't spend your money on Dawn." Though it was a nice gesture, Buffy
thought. But she couldn't let Anya do that, even if Dawn would love it.
"Why not? What else am I going to spend it on?"
"You could put it into stock or whatever you usually do."
"I have more than enough money than I need. D'Hoffryn provides well for his girls.
And it's not like I'm saving the money for anything. I was saving it for my children…
their weddings, college. But not now."
"Maybe you'll meet someone one day and he'll want to marry you. You can always go
back to being a human. Then have that family you want."
"That's not me, Buffy. And any man that wants me will have to accept that. If I can still
love him when he's old and wrinkly, he can accept me as a vengeance demon. Now back
to the party."
"I can't let you throw one for Dawn. That's really too much."
"She said I was her favorite vengeance demon. And I didn't even pay her to say that."
"She only knows two and the other one locked us in a house."
"How about I pay for half and you can pay me back for the other half, as soon as you get
a job."
Buffy wondered how you reasoned with a thousand year old vengeance demon? And
how did you tell her that even if the party cost next to nothing, you still couldn't pay for
half. Not when you didn't have a paying job. "I'll think about it. Right now though I
need your help. I'm looking for a big furry red demon. Kinda looks like a gigantic
Elmo. Except it squirts some liquid."
"Elmo?"
"Like that fuzzy red sweater of Willow's that she absolutely loves."
"Now that's scary."
Buffy shuddered along with Anya at the visible image of Willow in her sweater. "I
know. Every night I've encountered one. And it shoots some type of gooey liquid out of
its pores. Clear, a little thicker than water."
"It doesn't sound familiar, but I'll think about it."
"They're just annoying to kill. Their fur gets hairy and stinks. And it's like trying to kill
something with someone shooting a water gun at you. Throws you off a little."
Anya thought about. There was something nagging at her about the description. Like
she should know what it was, but she couldn't remember ever hearing or seeing a demon
like Buffy described. She shook it off. "We've got a few hours before they should be
here. You can take this time to fill out all the paperwork."
"What is this stuff?"
"Forms for taxes, a standard contract for working for me, and of course an agreement on
how we split all the profits. And since Dawn is a minor, you'll have to sign her
paperwork too."
"Why do we have to do this? Spike and Clem don't."
"Clem isn't getting paid in cash, he's being comped in shop credit. And Spike is bringing
his paperwork back to me today. He's all legal and everything. Don't assume us demons
don't have legal identities."
"Spike's a citizen? Or does he have a green card? And how'd he get that? And what
does it read? Spike? William the bloody? Spike Bloody?"
"You'll have to ask him. I don't disclose personal information about my employees."
She was actually tempted to ask him. That is if she thought she might get an answer out
of him. More likely she'd mess the whole thing up, they'd fight. He'd say something
how she always thinks the worse of him. And she'd prove it by saying something stupid
and ridiculous. And they'd be at an even worse place in their so-called relationship than
not talking. They'd be fighting. She might just have to figure out how to bribe Dawn to
get these answers. She really wanted to know what his name was.
*************
"Do I have to be nice to Willow?"
"Dawn!"
"Well do I? She wasn't particularly nice to me."
"If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."
"You sound like Mom."
"She is the one that said that. Can you at least say hi? Unless you consider that too
nice."
"I can do that. But if her eyes are black, I'm running."
"And we'll all be right behind you." She wondered if she and Dawn could run before
they showed up. Would they notice them missing? Probably. Having a reunion wasn't
high up on her list of things to do for the month. She didn't know how to act. Or what to
say. Did she play nice with Willow? Or lie and say she missed her? Could she just
pretend that everything was hunky dory now and they could start over?
She'd tried that with Spike and it obviously wasn't working. And he didn't even try to
end the world. She didn't think it would work with Willow. But she didn't know what to
say, or what to do.
"Did I miss the party? Or have they not yet arrived?"
Spike's arrival brought her out of her musings. Spike. Down Buffy. He's just Spike.
Spike with a tight black shirt and no duster to cover him. The decision to not mention the
duster was definitely a good one. If he didn't have it, he couldn't wear it. And she could
at least look her fill at him then. But then, looking at him, but not getting his attention
wasn't good. But it did help in not getting caught staring at his butt. Bad Buffy. Don't
stare at Spike's butt. That won't help matters any. Just look in his face, say something
nice and respectful. Or be quiet. We are trying to make forward momentum in this
relationship. And not forward momentum in a sex only relationship. Not that anything is
moving forward at this moment.
Dawn wondered if Buffy was feeling okay. She was now staring off into space, while her
lips were faintly moving. She didn't know what was up with the two of them. She knew
Spike stayed until Buffy got home from patrol. But beyond that, she didn't know
anything. But Buffy moped around the house and she suspected that they weren't falling
into each others arms and proclaiming their love for each other late at night. She wished
she could do something, but they both had said that their relationship was their business.
And no one else's. Of course Dawn didn't think they had any type of relationship going
right now, so maybe she could interfere. But the adult thing would probably be to leave
them alone. And since she kept proclaiming she was an adult, she'd try that for a while
longer. "Still not here. The plane must be late. Or maybe they decided they didn't want
to leave England. Nah, that'd make me happy."
He wouldn't mind if they didn't come back either. But he knew Buffy needed to work
things out with her friends. And besides, it wasn't a good idea to encourage Dawn in her
inherent dislike of Willow. "I'm sure they were ready to get back to sunny California.
How'd your quiz go?"
"You had a quiz today Dawn? You didn't tell me that?"
"It was just on the first act of 'Romeo and Juliet'. And I did fine. I think I aced it, so
both of you can quit worrying about me."
The chime of the bells over the door, took Buffy's mind off the fact that Spike seemed to
know more about her sisters academic life than she did. Even with her drill sergeant
routine.
Willow was the first through the door, Giles gently guiding her through. Her face was
pale, her hair limp. She reminded Buffy a little bit of the young girl she had met when
she moved to Sunnydale. A shy, quiet girl, who was unsure of her place. Giles had said
that she might not be the Willow they had known before. And it looked like he might be
right. Whatever confidence she had, seemed to be rooted in the magic. And now,
without it, she was just a girl floundering along. Buffy felt that they at least had
something in common. She was trying to figure out where her life was going, and what
choices to take that would lay ahead. It seemed Willow would have the same decisions
to make.
*************
"What did you want to talk to about?" Spike didn't like being cooped up in Anya's small
office with Giles. Not when he could feel that Dawn and Buffy needed him.
Right away, Giles had whisked him back here, while Willow and Xander had greeted
everyone. In one breath he wanted to thank him, for getting him away from Xander's
accusing eyes and words. And in the other he wanted to curse him. And a small part of
him was scared, because he knew that Giles could be scary when he wanted to be. And
dangerous. And he had given him plenty of reasons for that.
"As Buffy's father is absent in her life, I feel the need to say a few things to you. She is
an adult and can make her own decisions. What you two do is your business. Not that I
like it. But she can make her own mistakes and learn from them. If what Xander told me
was true, I know that Buffy would have dusted you. Since you're still here, he must not
have his facts straight. But if you ever hurt her, I will help her hunt you down. And then
you will pray that someone stakes you.
"Since you seem to be staying around, I have a proposition for you. Buffy needs money.
The council wants to know what is going on with the slayer. They have agreed to pay her
a stipend in exchange for weekly reports of the hellmouth's activity. You'll write a
report every week and Buffy will earn a wage and you will get a small stipend. I've had
Anya draw up a contract.
"This is year long contract, that is automatically renewed every year. If at any reason,
you fail to fulfill your duties, you must pay Buffy back your entire stipend. Look over
the papers."
It was a great opportunity undoubtedly. He could earn money respectably. He could
help Buffy. But it would also put him into close proximity with her. And he wasn't sure
he wanted that. Well, he wanted it, but a part of him said it was a bad idea. Yeah, she
wanted to start over, but he just wasn't sure they could do that. But he had promised to
himself that he would support Buffy; help her however he could. And he would do that.
"Have you talked to Buffy about this? Has she agreed?"
"I wanted to get everything lined up first, before I approached her."
"Find out how she feels about this. Then get back with me." And if she agreed to it, he'd
do it. All she had to do was say the word and he'd do anything for her.
"Then you won't do it? This doesn't guarantee you anything with Buffy, so you won't
do it. Showing your true colors, are you?"
"I didn't say that. I want to know how Buffy feels about handing things over to the
council, before I'll sign anything. If she wants me to, I'll sign the bloody contract. You
don't know me. You might think you do, but you don't. But know this, I'll do anything
for Buffy, anything. Whatever she wants regarding this, I'll do it."