Disclaimers: Not. Mine.
Feedback: No! I hate it! (Just kidding)
Author's Note: First off: how amazingly awesome was JM in 'Beneath You'? I mean, really, give that guy an Emmy. Okay, okay, I couldn't leave you hanging too long; I was afraid I'd start getting death threats. So, here you go, a new chapter, hot off the presses.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
She gazed deep into his piercing eyes, letting herself get lost in their endless pools of blue. Buffy found herself drawing closer to him, her heart fluttering in excitement. She cocked her head to the side to accommodate him, and their lips brushed, just as the front door swung open. Xander, Willow, and Giles walked in, and Buffy could hear Spike curse under his breath. She pulled her hands from him and backed away, distraught, hoping that her friends hadn't seen them.
"And then I was all 'Eat this, bloodsucker!' and he was all 'poof'! I was so cool . . . except for the part where I fell and almost impaled myself on the stake, but still . . ." Willow rambled excitedly.
"Don't worry, Will, your coolness remains intact. Whereas my screaming and running away - not so much," Xander grumbled.
The Wiccan grinned. "I'm sure it was very manly screaming."
"Thanks . . . one more night like that and my tombstone will be sure to read: 'Xander Harris - Manly Screamer.'"
Willow plopped down on the couch. "Hey, Buffy. How'd the vegging go? Have fun?"
"Almost," Buffy muttered under her breath. She attempted a half-smile as she addressed her friend. "Not really. But it was relaxing . . . I feel saner already."
"Well I should hope so." Buffy turned to see Giles, who was working his way through a rather large glass of scotch. "I nearly got killed tonight, and I would like to think that my death would not have been in vain."
Buffy frowned. "I take it the patrolling didn't go so well?"
"Ignore them," Willow smiled proudly. "They're just grumpy 'cause they didn't get in on any of the slaying action. But me, on the other hand . . . I was kicking some serious undead booty."
"So how many vamps did you run into?"
"Two, I think," Willow said. "Pretty small number for a Saturday night."
"Yeah . . . weird."
"Maybe they were all down at the Blood Bank getting the early bird special!" Xander piped up.
"I don't think so," Buffy scoffed, "Blood banks aren't big on -trying- to attract vampires. I mean, why do you think they hang garlic on the doors?"
"That's garlic?" Willow queried. "I thought it was some kind of decorative wreath or something."
"Speaking of the evil dead, how's it going, Spike?" Xander said, as he patted the vampire on the back. "I'm surprised that Buffy didn't gag you . . . I know that's the first thing I would've done."
He glared at Xander, giving him a one-finger salute.
"Yeah, Spike, real original." Xander said, mockingly. "Maybe you finally managed to -" He stopped short when something finally dawned on him. "You - you're hands! They're free! Spike's hands are free!" Xander grabbed a stake from his jacket; the one he'd kept for patrolling.
"Xander, stop!" Buffy said, a tinge of hysteria in her voice. "It's okay . . . I - I untied him."
Everyone in the room turned to stare at her, shocked. Buffy looked around nervously, continuing. "So, um, he wasn't trying to escape or anything."
Spike gave her a look that he hoped portrayed his gratitude, and nodded his head. "S'right. So the next time you decide to jump to a conclusion, Harris, make sure I'm not around. I don't fancy having to spend the rest of eternity in an ashtray."
Xander ignored him; he was too busy gawking at Buffy. "Why - why did you free his hands? He could've killed you!"
She rolled her eyes. "Xander, honestly . . . the ropes around his wrists were digging into his skin, and I didn't want him to be uncomfortable."
His jaw hung slack. "But, wha- since when have you cared whether Spike was comfortable or not? He's tied up to a chair! It's not exactly the Ritz Carlton!"
Buffy looked down at the floor, blushing. "He was bleeding, and - besides, he's harmless. And I don't think he would've-"
"Buffy, we don't know if he lying or not; we won't know until we do the truth spell. You know that Spike isn't to be trusted . . . he's a ruthless, brutal monster that was-"
"Um, you know, he's sitting -right here-" Spike piped up. "Look, you need to lay off the girl. Slayer tries to do a nice thing, and you jump down her throat. C'mon, she's kicked my ass God knows how many times, and - and you think that my master plan is to wait until I'm good and vulnerable and -then- make my move? Please."
He paused, looking around the room before turning his attentions to Buffy. "Thanks for fixin' me up, luv." Spike gestured towards the rope on the ground. "You want to do the honors?"
"Um . . . sure."
Spike placed his hands behind the chair. "Could you try not tying 'em so tight this time? If you trust that I won't escape, that is . . ."
"O - okay," Buffy stammered, picking up the thick twine. She moved behind him and went about binding his wrists in a slow, methodical manner. She pulled the last knot on the rope and stood up. "That okay?"
"It's great, Slayer, thanks." He looked up at the other three. "Now, if you're gonna keep arguing, would you mind doing it in another room? There's a program coming on that I wanna watch, and it'd be hard to concentrate with all of the criticism flying back and forth."
"No, I'm quite done." Giles gave an exasperated sigh and made his way upstairs, retreating into his bedroom.
Willow looked at the ground, fidgeting. "I'm gonna go, too. Um . . . 'night Buffy."
She left, the front door slamming behind her; leaving in her wake a veil of awkward silence. Xander was still glaring at Spike, confused and upset.
"Xander -" Buffy started, but he stormed out of the house.
Buffy sat on the couch and cradled her head in her hands; her body shaking from what Spike figured was either sobs or laughter. When she was finally still, Spike spoke up.
"I'm sorry."
She looked up at him, her eyes red and watery. "What do you have to be sorry about? I shouldn't have untied you in the first place . . ."
"Don't talk that way! You were just doin' what you thought was right; your 'friends' had no right to be so damned judgmental . . . overreactin', they were. If I were you, I would-"
"Stop." Buffy interrupted. "Just . . . stop. I - I can't deal with this right now; the way I feel. I can't do this right now, all of this. It's wrong. I have to . . . go. I have to think, and . . . just go."
Spike's heart sank as she got up and strode out of the living room quickly, making her way to the door. Buffy paused, however, in front of it.
"I'll see you tomorrow."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
To be continued . . .
A/N: Ha! Ended on a not-so-happy note, but things'll get better. I mean, hell, it is a Spuffy fic. And, relax, you'll get your smoochies soon enough.
Feedback: No! I hate it! (Just kidding)
Author's Note: First off: how amazingly awesome was JM in 'Beneath You'? I mean, really, give that guy an Emmy. Okay, okay, I couldn't leave you hanging too long; I was afraid I'd start getting death threats. So, here you go, a new chapter, hot off the presses.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
She gazed deep into his piercing eyes, letting herself get lost in their endless pools of blue. Buffy found herself drawing closer to him, her heart fluttering in excitement. She cocked her head to the side to accommodate him, and their lips brushed, just as the front door swung open. Xander, Willow, and Giles walked in, and Buffy could hear Spike curse under his breath. She pulled her hands from him and backed away, distraught, hoping that her friends hadn't seen them.
"And then I was all 'Eat this, bloodsucker!' and he was all 'poof'! I was so cool . . . except for the part where I fell and almost impaled myself on the stake, but still . . ." Willow rambled excitedly.
"Don't worry, Will, your coolness remains intact. Whereas my screaming and running away - not so much," Xander grumbled.
The Wiccan grinned. "I'm sure it was very manly screaming."
"Thanks . . . one more night like that and my tombstone will be sure to read: 'Xander Harris - Manly Screamer.'"
Willow plopped down on the couch. "Hey, Buffy. How'd the vegging go? Have fun?"
"Almost," Buffy muttered under her breath. She attempted a half-smile as she addressed her friend. "Not really. But it was relaxing . . . I feel saner already."
"Well I should hope so." Buffy turned to see Giles, who was working his way through a rather large glass of scotch. "I nearly got killed tonight, and I would like to think that my death would not have been in vain."
Buffy frowned. "I take it the patrolling didn't go so well?"
"Ignore them," Willow smiled proudly. "They're just grumpy 'cause they didn't get in on any of the slaying action. But me, on the other hand . . . I was kicking some serious undead booty."
"So how many vamps did you run into?"
"Two, I think," Willow said. "Pretty small number for a Saturday night."
"Yeah . . . weird."
"Maybe they were all down at the Blood Bank getting the early bird special!" Xander piped up.
"I don't think so," Buffy scoffed, "Blood banks aren't big on -trying- to attract vampires. I mean, why do you think they hang garlic on the doors?"
"That's garlic?" Willow queried. "I thought it was some kind of decorative wreath or something."
"Speaking of the evil dead, how's it going, Spike?" Xander said, as he patted the vampire on the back. "I'm surprised that Buffy didn't gag you . . . I know that's the first thing I would've done."
He glared at Xander, giving him a one-finger salute.
"Yeah, Spike, real original." Xander said, mockingly. "Maybe you finally managed to -" He stopped short when something finally dawned on him. "You - you're hands! They're free! Spike's hands are free!" Xander grabbed a stake from his jacket; the one he'd kept for patrolling.
"Xander, stop!" Buffy said, a tinge of hysteria in her voice. "It's okay . . . I - I untied him."
Everyone in the room turned to stare at her, shocked. Buffy looked around nervously, continuing. "So, um, he wasn't trying to escape or anything."
Spike gave her a look that he hoped portrayed his gratitude, and nodded his head. "S'right. So the next time you decide to jump to a conclusion, Harris, make sure I'm not around. I don't fancy having to spend the rest of eternity in an ashtray."
Xander ignored him; he was too busy gawking at Buffy. "Why - why did you free his hands? He could've killed you!"
She rolled her eyes. "Xander, honestly . . . the ropes around his wrists were digging into his skin, and I didn't want him to be uncomfortable."
His jaw hung slack. "But, wha- since when have you cared whether Spike was comfortable or not? He's tied up to a chair! It's not exactly the Ritz Carlton!"
Buffy looked down at the floor, blushing. "He was bleeding, and - besides, he's harmless. And I don't think he would've-"
"Buffy, we don't know if he lying or not; we won't know until we do the truth spell. You know that Spike isn't to be trusted . . . he's a ruthless, brutal monster that was-"
"Um, you know, he's sitting -right here-" Spike piped up. "Look, you need to lay off the girl. Slayer tries to do a nice thing, and you jump down her throat. C'mon, she's kicked my ass God knows how many times, and - and you think that my master plan is to wait until I'm good and vulnerable and -then- make my move? Please."
He paused, looking around the room before turning his attentions to Buffy. "Thanks for fixin' me up, luv." Spike gestured towards the rope on the ground. "You want to do the honors?"
"Um . . . sure."
Spike placed his hands behind the chair. "Could you try not tying 'em so tight this time? If you trust that I won't escape, that is . . ."
"O - okay," Buffy stammered, picking up the thick twine. She moved behind him and went about binding his wrists in a slow, methodical manner. She pulled the last knot on the rope and stood up. "That okay?"
"It's great, Slayer, thanks." He looked up at the other three. "Now, if you're gonna keep arguing, would you mind doing it in another room? There's a program coming on that I wanna watch, and it'd be hard to concentrate with all of the criticism flying back and forth."
"No, I'm quite done." Giles gave an exasperated sigh and made his way upstairs, retreating into his bedroom.
Willow looked at the ground, fidgeting. "I'm gonna go, too. Um . . . 'night Buffy."
She left, the front door slamming behind her; leaving in her wake a veil of awkward silence. Xander was still glaring at Spike, confused and upset.
"Xander -" Buffy started, but he stormed out of the house.
Buffy sat on the couch and cradled her head in her hands; her body shaking from what Spike figured was either sobs or laughter. When she was finally still, Spike spoke up.
"I'm sorry."
She looked up at him, her eyes red and watery. "What do you have to be sorry about? I shouldn't have untied you in the first place . . ."
"Don't talk that way! You were just doin' what you thought was right; your 'friends' had no right to be so damned judgmental . . . overreactin', they were. If I were you, I would-"
"Stop." Buffy interrupted. "Just . . . stop. I - I can't deal with this right now; the way I feel. I can't do this right now, all of this. It's wrong. I have to . . . go. I have to think, and . . . just go."
Spike's heart sank as she got up and strode out of the living room quickly, making her way to the door. Buffy paused, however, in front of it.
"I'll see you tomorrow."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
To be continued . . .
A/N: Ha! Ended on a not-so-happy note, but things'll get better. I mean, hell, it is a Spuffy fic. And, relax, you'll get your smoochies soon enough.