Disclaimers: Please, no one sue me. It all belongs to Joss.
Feedback: Ahh, I love it. Keeps me writing.
Author's Note: Don't you love these? Or, hate these and skip over them? I just feel like I have to include an author's note for each chapter because . . . well, it helps take up space and make the chapters look longer. Pathetic, I know. Let's see, in this chapter (chapter 8? Wow, this is my longest fanfic yet), well, I don't want to give it all away, if you actually read this before you read the chapter. But I think you'll like it. This chapter is, like most of the chapters, from Buffy's perspective. Maybe next chapter we'll see things from Spike's perspective. You never know.
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Buffy sighed heavily, frowning, furrowing her brow. She glanced out the window at the surrounding streets, the sunlit sidewalks and the cheerfully painted houses, most likely filled with equally cheerful families. The sun was out and the threatening clouds from yesterday afternoon had all but vanished. Robins and jays were perched on the outstretched limbs of the maple trees, singing joyful, melodious tunes that signaled that everything was right in the world. The day was absolutely perfect. She pressed her fingers up to the glass, closing her weary eyes in thought.
"Dammit."
Buffy started thumping her head against the driver side window, muttering to herself. "Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit!"
Giles had called her earlier that morning about having a research 'party' over at his place, with all of the Scoobies. She had tried to get out of it; saying that she didn't feel well, she had too much work, couldn't they do it without her just this once? But he had told her that it was 'vital', and had started rambling on about responsibilities and Slayer duties. So Buffy had finally given in, despite the aching feeling in her chest that she got whenever she thought about what was waiting for her over at Giles' house.
'Fucking truth spell. If Giles hadn't left me alone in the house with Spike, I never would have found out - what Spike felt for me. What he feels. But he can't feel . . . 'that' way. He doesn't have a soul so he can't . . . love. Can he?'
She shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts; get some clarity.
'Doesn't matter if he can, anyway. I - I don't love him. I know I don't. I don't know -what- I feel for him, but it's not love . . . and it's wrong. He's a vampire; I'm a Slayer. I should be thinking of killing him, not wanting his lips on mine, his tongue . . .'
She thumped her head against the window again. "Dammit."
A hard rap on the door snapped Buffy out of her funk, and she lifted her head in surprise. Giles was standing on the sidewalk next to the car, a concerned look on his face. She opened the door and got out of the car, attempting a smile.
"Hey, Giles. I was just about to go to your house, but I guess you found me first."
"Is there something wrong, Buffy? I saw your car pull up fifteen minutes ago."
She blushed, looking down at the road to avoid his worried gaze. "I - I don't feel well. Remember? I told you that on the phone . . ."
"Oh." Giles looked embarrassed as he started down the pathway to his house. "I'm sorry; after dealing with Xander for so many years, I assumed that it was just an excuse."
He opened the door to his house, ushering her in. Buffy looked over at Giles, smiling genuinely. "Don't worry, I wouldn't have believed me, either."
Her eyes scanned the room and she sat on the sofa that Anya, Xander, and Willow were previously occupying. They were locked in a heated discussion and didn't even notice her presence. Buffy waited to be acknowledged, clasping her sweaty hands together nervously. Giles sat down in the chair next to the couch, picking up a book and scanning its pages.
"Ahem." She cleared her throat, trying to get her friends' attention.
Xander looked over at her, startled. "Oh, Buff! When did you get here?"
"Umm . . . a few minutes ago. What's up?"
"Okay, maybe you can settle this. Who would win in a fight: Spiderman or Batman?"
Buffy scratched her chin, pretending to think hard. "Wow, well, this really is a clencher. Batman is rich and has all of those cool gadgets, but he's not really a superhero, persay. Now Spiderman, on the other hand, actually has powers. He can climb walls and stuff without any aid; plus, he's pretty damn strong. I would have to say Spidey is the victor."
Anya frowned deeply and crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't care what you think; Batman would be the clear winner. He has all of the money."
Xander and Anya continued to bicker as Giles motioned for Buffy. She got up from the couch, eager to get away from the arguing couple. She gave the Watcher a grateful smile as she took a seat next to him.
"Good timing, Giles. I owe ya one."
"I was wondering, Buffy . . . last night, after the truth spell I came back and, well, you were gone. I thought you'd agreed to watch Spike, and I was worried that you might have run into some trouble. I asked Spike but he said he didn't know; you just left."
Buffy's heart rate accelerated at the mention of Spike, her throat tightening. 'What can I say - Spike confessed that he loved me and I freaked out? Hardly likely.'
"It was, well . . . feminine issues," she said, her voice low and secretive. "I didn't tell Spike because I was too embarrassed, and . . . you understand."
Giles flushed, removing his glasses and cleaning them hurriedly. "Ah, yes, well, I do understand. Of course you would have to - "
"Where's Spike?" She had finally noticed that the chair she was sitting in was the one that Spike had been occupying for the last few weeks. 'Maybe he moved him into the bathroom?' she thought, hopefully.
"I have no idea, could be anywhere. After I untied him he left without saying a word. Guess he's as happy to be rid of us as we are of him."
'But . . . Spike, he could be anywhere! What if I never see him again! Dammit!'
"What did you do that for?" Buffy shouted, angrily. Her face paled when she realized that she'd actually said that out loud. Anya and Xander had stopped arguing and were now staring at her.
"I - I mean, he could have been lying," Buffy stammered, "The spell, um, might not have worked! This was probably just what he wanted . . ."
"I had Willow check the spell for me; she confirmed the details and made sure that I did the truth spell correctly. There's nothing to worry about, Buffy. Spike is truly incapable of harming any human being without intense neurological pain."
"Oh." Buffy grew quiet, embarrassed. "Heh heh . . . oops. I really need to cut down on the sugar. Makes my brain all wonky." She picked up the book on the table next to her, opening it, avoiding her friends' prying eyes.
"So, research, huh?"
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She trudged across the cemetery, being careful to sidestep the tombstones that threatened to trip her. 'Why should I even care? It's not like we were friends or anything . . . were we? -Are- we? I wonder where Spike is, what he's doing. What if he left Sunnydale? What if he left the country?' Her heartbeat sped up at the thought of never seeing Spike again, until Buffy realized her stupidity.
'He just left yesterday. There's no way in hell he could get out of the country that fast . . . unless he had someone teleport him out. Oh, God, what if he did?' She shook her head angrily. 'Stop this, Buffy! You're supposed to be patrolling. Worrying won't do any good.'
She clutched the stake in her right hand, attempting to concentrate on her surroundings.
'Try not to think about Spike, try not to think about Spike . . .wait, by thinking 'try not to think about Spike', am I thinking about Spike?'
Buffy was jarred from her thoughts, however, as she was tackled from behind. She landed hard on the grass, the air knocked out of her. She rolled around to face her opponent, panting from the fall as well as the adrenaline rush. The fledgling vampire straddled her chest, looking down at her with hungry eyes. Buffy grabbed the vampire's shoulders and flung him off of her with ease. She picked herself up off of the ground, groaning in frustration. Her new leather jacket had gotten a large patch of mud on it from the sodden soil.
'Why do I keep wearing nice clothes when I go patrolling?'
"You are -so- going to pay for this!" Buffy pulled the stake out from her pocket, advancing towards the fledgling. She thrust her fist towards it's chest when, all of the sudden, it turned to dust. "What the f -"
The words caught in her throat as she noticed the familiar leather-clad figure standing in front of her.
"Hello, luv."
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To be continued . . .
Feedback: Ahh, I love it. Keeps me writing.
Author's Note: Don't you love these? Or, hate these and skip over them? I just feel like I have to include an author's note for each chapter because . . . well, it helps take up space and make the chapters look longer. Pathetic, I know. Let's see, in this chapter (chapter 8? Wow, this is my longest fanfic yet), well, I don't want to give it all away, if you actually read this before you read the chapter. But I think you'll like it. This chapter is, like most of the chapters, from Buffy's perspective. Maybe next chapter we'll see things from Spike's perspective. You never know.
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Buffy sighed heavily, frowning, furrowing her brow. She glanced out the window at the surrounding streets, the sunlit sidewalks and the cheerfully painted houses, most likely filled with equally cheerful families. The sun was out and the threatening clouds from yesterday afternoon had all but vanished. Robins and jays were perched on the outstretched limbs of the maple trees, singing joyful, melodious tunes that signaled that everything was right in the world. The day was absolutely perfect. She pressed her fingers up to the glass, closing her weary eyes in thought.
"Dammit."
Buffy started thumping her head against the driver side window, muttering to herself. "Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit!"
Giles had called her earlier that morning about having a research 'party' over at his place, with all of the Scoobies. She had tried to get out of it; saying that she didn't feel well, she had too much work, couldn't they do it without her just this once? But he had told her that it was 'vital', and had started rambling on about responsibilities and Slayer duties. So Buffy had finally given in, despite the aching feeling in her chest that she got whenever she thought about what was waiting for her over at Giles' house.
'Fucking truth spell. If Giles hadn't left me alone in the house with Spike, I never would have found out - what Spike felt for me. What he feels. But he can't feel . . . 'that' way. He doesn't have a soul so he can't . . . love. Can he?'
She shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts; get some clarity.
'Doesn't matter if he can, anyway. I - I don't love him. I know I don't. I don't know -what- I feel for him, but it's not love . . . and it's wrong. He's a vampire; I'm a Slayer. I should be thinking of killing him, not wanting his lips on mine, his tongue . . .'
She thumped her head against the window again. "Dammit."
A hard rap on the door snapped Buffy out of her funk, and she lifted her head in surprise. Giles was standing on the sidewalk next to the car, a concerned look on his face. She opened the door and got out of the car, attempting a smile.
"Hey, Giles. I was just about to go to your house, but I guess you found me first."
"Is there something wrong, Buffy? I saw your car pull up fifteen minutes ago."
She blushed, looking down at the road to avoid his worried gaze. "I - I don't feel well. Remember? I told you that on the phone . . ."
"Oh." Giles looked embarrassed as he started down the pathway to his house. "I'm sorry; after dealing with Xander for so many years, I assumed that it was just an excuse."
He opened the door to his house, ushering her in. Buffy looked over at Giles, smiling genuinely. "Don't worry, I wouldn't have believed me, either."
Her eyes scanned the room and she sat on the sofa that Anya, Xander, and Willow were previously occupying. They were locked in a heated discussion and didn't even notice her presence. Buffy waited to be acknowledged, clasping her sweaty hands together nervously. Giles sat down in the chair next to the couch, picking up a book and scanning its pages.
"Ahem." She cleared her throat, trying to get her friends' attention.
Xander looked over at her, startled. "Oh, Buff! When did you get here?"
"Umm . . . a few minutes ago. What's up?"
"Okay, maybe you can settle this. Who would win in a fight: Spiderman or Batman?"
Buffy scratched her chin, pretending to think hard. "Wow, well, this really is a clencher. Batman is rich and has all of those cool gadgets, but he's not really a superhero, persay. Now Spiderman, on the other hand, actually has powers. He can climb walls and stuff without any aid; plus, he's pretty damn strong. I would have to say Spidey is the victor."
Anya frowned deeply and crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't care what you think; Batman would be the clear winner. He has all of the money."
Xander and Anya continued to bicker as Giles motioned for Buffy. She got up from the couch, eager to get away from the arguing couple. She gave the Watcher a grateful smile as she took a seat next to him.
"Good timing, Giles. I owe ya one."
"I was wondering, Buffy . . . last night, after the truth spell I came back and, well, you were gone. I thought you'd agreed to watch Spike, and I was worried that you might have run into some trouble. I asked Spike but he said he didn't know; you just left."
Buffy's heart rate accelerated at the mention of Spike, her throat tightening. 'What can I say - Spike confessed that he loved me and I freaked out? Hardly likely.'
"It was, well . . . feminine issues," she said, her voice low and secretive. "I didn't tell Spike because I was too embarrassed, and . . . you understand."
Giles flushed, removing his glasses and cleaning them hurriedly. "Ah, yes, well, I do understand. Of course you would have to - "
"Where's Spike?" She had finally noticed that the chair she was sitting in was the one that Spike had been occupying for the last few weeks. 'Maybe he moved him into the bathroom?' she thought, hopefully.
"I have no idea, could be anywhere. After I untied him he left without saying a word. Guess he's as happy to be rid of us as we are of him."
'But . . . Spike, he could be anywhere! What if I never see him again! Dammit!'
"What did you do that for?" Buffy shouted, angrily. Her face paled when she realized that she'd actually said that out loud. Anya and Xander had stopped arguing and were now staring at her.
"I - I mean, he could have been lying," Buffy stammered, "The spell, um, might not have worked! This was probably just what he wanted . . ."
"I had Willow check the spell for me; she confirmed the details and made sure that I did the truth spell correctly. There's nothing to worry about, Buffy. Spike is truly incapable of harming any human being without intense neurological pain."
"Oh." Buffy grew quiet, embarrassed. "Heh heh . . . oops. I really need to cut down on the sugar. Makes my brain all wonky." She picked up the book on the table next to her, opening it, avoiding her friends' prying eyes.
"So, research, huh?"
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She trudged across the cemetery, being careful to sidestep the tombstones that threatened to trip her. 'Why should I even care? It's not like we were friends or anything . . . were we? -Are- we? I wonder where Spike is, what he's doing. What if he left Sunnydale? What if he left the country?' Her heartbeat sped up at the thought of never seeing Spike again, until Buffy realized her stupidity.
'He just left yesterday. There's no way in hell he could get out of the country that fast . . . unless he had someone teleport him out. Oh, God, what if he did?' She shook her head angrily. 'Stop this, Buffy! You're supposed to be patrolling. Worrying won't do any good.'
She clutched the stake in her right hand, attempting to concentrate on her surroundings.
'Try not to think about Spike, try not to think about Spike . . .wait, by thinking 'try not to think about Spike', am I thinking about Spike?'
Buffy was jarred from her thoughts, however, as she was tackled from behind. She landed hard on the grass, the air knocked out of her. She rolled around to face her opponent, panting from the fall as well as the adrenaline rush. The fledgling vampire straddled her chest, looking down at her with hungry eyes. Buffy grabbed the vampire's shoulders and flung him off of her with ease. She picked herself up off of the ground, groaning in frustration. Her new leather jacket had gotten a large patch of mud on it from the sodden soil.
'Why do I keep wearing nice clothes when I go patrolling?'
"You are -so- going to pay for this!" Buffy pulled the stake out from her pocket, advancing towards the fledgling. She thrust her fist towards it's chest when, all of the sudden, it turned to dust. "What the f -"
The words caught in her throat as she noticed the familiar leather-clad figure standing in front of her.
"Hello, luv."
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To be continued . . .