MIRROR
Author's Note: In the last chapter Buffy blackmails the Doublemeat Palace. That evening she flaunts her relationship with Spike in front of her friends then confronts Willow about bringing her back from the grave.
CHAPTER 3 - - - - - - - -
After that night at the Bronze, Willow left to live with her parents until a space opened up in the dorms, and Tara moved back in. I liked Tara. She was good with Dawn, kept the house running smoothly, and didn't mind the fact that Spike had taken up residence in my room. I knew that she cared for us, but I wondered how much the guilt of participating in my resurrection played in her decision to stay.
Occasionally, Spike's presence embarrassed Tara and Dawn. On mornings, after particularly enthusiastic nights, I would catch them sending each other sympathetic glances. They never complained, though.
I didn't see too much of Xander and Anya. They came over for cake on my birthday, and gave me a lovely weapons chest as a gift, but it was a quiet and somber affair, and hadn't lasted too long. Throughout the visit, Anya didn't even seem to realize that I was almost constantly in Spike's arms. Xander, however, would noticeably avoid looking at us. I hadn't seen Willow at all since the night at the Bronze.
The lawyers for the Doublemeat Palace had come through, and my bank account was so healthy that a flood of credit card and loan offers showed up in my mailbox. Dawn's social worker came by and met with Tara and me. She was impressed with Tara's caring and involvement in Dawn's life. However, she wasn't so impressed with me, but my new financial solvency helped me to meet with her approval.
They say that crime doesn't pay, but so far, being evil had worked just fine for me. I no longer had a crappy job, and there was plenty of money in the bank. Tara was taking care of Dawn and most of the household responsibilities. All I had to do was patrol. And the glittering icing on the cake was the sex. Lots of it. With Spike.
At my insistence, Spike had practically moved in the evening after the scene with Willow. He still kept some of his stuff at his crypt, but he spent every night with me. We'd patrol, kill things, then, more often than not, spend some time rolling on the ground, trying our best to screw each other's brains out. Afterwards, we'd brush dirt and grass off of ourselves, straighten our clothing, and return to the house.
He was happy, joyously happy. His open smile would warm me every morning when I awoke to find him cuddled up next to me, eyeing me as if he couldn't believe that I was real. Once, I went into the bathroom when he was showering, and watched in amazement as he did this incredibly sexy dance while humming a tune. It made me so damn hot. On one of his turns, he spotted me and stopped, his face sheepish for the few seconds it took before I flung myself on him. It was definitely worth my sopping wet clothing and all of the mopping up afterwards.
The happiest I think I ever saw him was when Riley showed up at our door, one evening before patrol. He claimed that he needed help with a demon. After a moment of staring at him, I closed the door without saying a word, and then suggested to Spike that we stay in and watch a movie. We never did get to see that movie, and the wall behind my bed gained a huge dent in it from the headboard repeatedly being slammed into it that night.
Too bad there was still a fly in the ointment…or should I say flies? The trio of nerds was still around, causing trouble, and making everyone miserable. I finally had gotten a clue as to where their hideout might be, and decided that this time, they were going to be stopped. Permanently.
- - - - - - - - - - -
It had been a horrible week. That Saturday, Spike and I had attended the wedding that wasn't. The whole event was a disaster. A demon started a fight, and I discovered that it's murder trying to slay in a bridesmaid's dress. Mr. Harris got sick in my purse at the rehearsal dinner, and Xander left Anya at the altar.
Even though it was a lousy thing for Xander to do to her, he was my friend, and she kind of wasn't, so I stood up for him. This caused a fight between Spike and me. For Spike, no matter what Xander's problem was, once they were at the church, he should've gone through with it. Basically, he felt that Xander hadn't behaved as a gentleman should. Like he would even know how a gentleman behaves.
Additionally, I wasn't too thrilled at seeing Willow at the rehearsal or the wedding. She and Tara seemed to be friendly, but I still wanted nothing to do with her. It didn't make my life any easier when Spike greeted her warmly. I'd always suspected that he had a soft spot for her…she'd told me about the time he'd offered to turn her a few years back.
We both ended up going to bed mad that night, which made the sex a bit rougher than usual. The next night, with our bruises and scratches almost healed, but resentments still simmering, we went out to look for Jonathan, Warren, and what's-his-name.
There was a rental house in a neighborhood not far from my own that we thought they might be using as a hideout. Spike and I were walking up the driveway, when a huge demon leapt out and tried to stab me with a sharp appendage. Fortunately, Spike had an axe, and quickly used it to separate the demon's head from its shoulders. This wasn't the first time the trio had sent monsters after me.
Although unharmed, I was seriously pissed off. It wasn't enough that I was pulled out of heaven, abandoned by Giles, was responsible for Dawn, and had to try to earn money. These jerks had to make my life a living hell. They'd stuck me in an endless loop with a mummy hand, almost killed me when they made me invisible, and used demons to attack me. The worst had been when they'd killed Katrina and tried to make me think that I'd done it.
Kicking open the door, I marched inside and searched the rooms, with Spike following close behind. I'd almost given up when I noticed a door leading to the basement. As I opened it, I heard scrambling from below.
The nerds were arrayed around a room filled with scattered charts, books, and computer monitors. The blonde one was playing something that looked like a didgeridoo, while Warren was instructing a robot duplicate of himself to attack me. Although the Warrenbot was strong, stronger than April had been, it didn't take very long to destroy it.
What's-his-name, in the meantime, had managed to summon a Polgara demon with his music, and sent it at me in attack mode. But I had my own demon, Spike, who is not only faster and stronger than most opponents, but is much better looking, as well. Throughout the battles, Jonathan huddled in a corner, repeatedly whining, "Please, don't hurt me."
As the robot spluttered on the floor, and the demon lay dying, I once again started to approach my nemeses, nemisies…my enemies.
"You killed Katrina!" I yelled.
"It was an accident!" cried Jonathan.
"Shut up!" snarled Warren, to his partner in crime. He then turned to face me.
"The bitch deserved it…just like you deserve this."
He lifted his hand, and I saw the barrel of the gun pointed at me and I froze. I didn't want to die. Not again. Time seemed to slow as I watched his finger tighten on the trigger. Then Spike, my Spike, flung himself in front of me. The twitching and spasms of my lover's body echoed the sounds of the gunshots as the bullets tore into his flesh.
Spike fell to his knees, and I could hear the chamber of the gun clicking emptily. I rushed past Spike towards Warren, who panicked and threw the gun at me. I simply knocked it away. In a rage, I grabbed Warren, spun him around, and with a quick yank, snapped his neck.
I let his dead body slowly slide from my arms to the concrete floor of the basement. Jonathan and the other one were now crying, begging for mercy, begging me not to hurt them. I had turned and taken a step towards them, when a hand came up and grabbed mine. I spun around, still furious, to see Spike, blood leaking from his various wounds, shaking his head at me.
"Don't," he rasped, before his eyes closed in pain.
Kneeling down and wrapping my arms around him, I turned my head until I could see the others.
"Go. Leave Sunnydale. Now," I hissed at them.
Cautiously, they began to walk past me to exit the basement. I stuck out a hand to halt them.
"Take him with you," I ordered, nodding my head to indicate Warren's body. "And if you ever come back, I'll kill you, too."
Slowly, they moved towards the corpse, and I started the slow arduous journey back to my house, with the wounded Spike in my arms. It was only after I got him home and laid him down on my bed that I discovered that my hands were covered with blood.
tbc