Spike concentrated only on the road as he made the long drive to Los
Angeles CA, the 'City of Angels'. Quite ironically, also the city of Angel,
Buffy's supposed lost lover. Or, rather, not lost, run away from her after
defeating the demon mayor. The young Slayer had told him the whole story
when she went to her house to pack, uttering a quick explanation to her
mother, and a forced introduction between Spike and Joyce. One part of him
was grateful and flattered that she was confiding this part of her life to
him. The other part was wondering how the hell he was getting out of this
one. I could just avoid my grandsire, he speculated. No, he couldn't, and
he knew it. Angel would most definitely know he was there. The only thing
to do was to try his best to sense Angel's presence, send her the other
way, and try to convince him of his true love for the Slayer, and how he
was good now. and not to stake him.
"Spike?" The vampire was jerked out of his contemplation at Buffy's voice.
"Yeah, luv?"
"Are you okay? You look kinda. I dunno, like you're getting a face lift."
He chuckled, breaking the tension in the car and the contraction in his jaw muscles.
"I'm fine. just thinking about how we're gonna make this work. You know," he said at the puzzled look on her face. "Me helping you help Angel, when I don't know what we're supposed to be helping with?"
She covered her mouth with her hand. "Oops. Sorry about that. Actually, come to think of it, I don't know exactly what we're helping with either. All I know is that it has to do with Angel, and." Suddenly, her face grew serious and sad at the same time. She seemed to shrink away from him, yet stay in the same place. He felt her hesitation, her pain. And her wished he could take it away.
"And." he prompted gently, not wanting to rush her.
"And Angel's son." She said blandly, looking straight into Spike's piercing blue eyes.
Then he understood. Angel's child. The reason he left Buffy. Well, it was perfectly logical. Spike only found out that vampires could have children a week ago, and that was only with the ring. But a normal vampire. that was out of the ordinary. And if it was true, then---he could only imagine how Buffy's heart was breaking.
"Oh," he said softly. He didn't know what to say, and Buffy knew it.
"It's okay." She said firmly. "Please don't feel sorry for me. I don't-" she paused, swallowing the tears that threatened to come out. "I don't think I could take it."
"Oh," he said again, still not knowing what to say. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I wasn't feeling sorry for you. I was feeling sorry for Angel." He smiled slightly at Buffy's confused look. "He's missing out on being with a great person."
She let the tears come then, and they weren't easy tears. They were hard tears, tears born from a while ago, born from when Angel first left her. And she hadn't let them come since. Now, when she finished, she looked at Spike's arm that had been wrapped around her shoulders as she rested against him. And she felt better: a lot better. She knew, finally, that Angel had wanted her to get on with her life. And she had. She had found someone who truly cared about her. He knew about her secrets, her sacred duty. He knew about her friends, her family, and most importantly, her. He knew how to handle her, and he usually knew what to say to her. She was happy--no, she was learning to be happy. And it was with Spike.
Buffy looked up and smiled at him. He smiled back.
"Penny for your thoughts, luv."
Her smile got wider. "Just happy that you're here. And finally. accepting."
There was a pause for a while, but a happy pause.
"We're here," Spike said, pulling into a hotel parking lot.
Buffy sat up, and wiped her eyes, applied some makeup. Spike went around and, after getting her bags and his own, which he had hastily packed, opened her door. He smiled encouragingly at her, and she returned it. Then the couple walked up the steps, thick into the mess that was about to ensue.
TBC.
Okay, okay, I know, I know. I totally and completely screwed things up. But it makes it more interesting, don't you think? And what would I have Angel need Buffy for if not for Conner? Okay, so for the next part, we're all gonna pretend that Conner never sent Angel to the deep. We're gonna pretend that he came back, and is running amok in LA, and Holtz is dead already, and Conner doesn't go all nutso over it. I know. I am really screwing things up. But please R&R, ignoring the screwy parts, of course. Lol! ~Emily})i({
"Spike?" The vampire was jerked out of his contemplation at Buffy's voice.
"Yeah, luv?"
"Are you okay? You look kinda. I dunno, like you're getting a face lift."
He chuckled, breaking the tension in the car and the contraction in his jaw muscles.
"I'm fine. just thinking about how we're gonna make this work. You know," he said at the puzzled look on her face. "Me helping you help Angel, when I don't know what we're supposed to be helping with?"
She covered her mouth with her hand. "Oops. Sorry about that. Actually, come to think of it, I don't know exactly what we're helping with either. All I know is that it has to do with Angel, and." Suddenly, her face grew serious and sad at the same time. She seemed to shrink away from him, yet stay in the same place. He felt her hesitation, her pain. And her wished he could take it away.
"And." he prompted gently, not wanting to rush her.
"And Angel's son." She said blandly, looking straight into Spike's piercing blue eyes.
Then he understood. Angel's child. The reason he left Buffy. Well, it was perfectly logical. Spike only found out that vampires could have children a week ago, and that was only with the ring. But a normal vampire. that was out of the ordinary. And if it was true, then---he could only imagine how Buffy's heart was breaking.
"Oh," he said softly. He didn't know what to say, and Buffy knew it.
"It's okay." She said firmly. "Please don't feel sorry for me. I don't-" she paused, swallowing the tears that threatened to come out. "I don't think I could take it."
"Oh," he said again, still not knowing what to say. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I wasn't feeling sorry for you. I was feeling sorry for Angel." He smiled slightly at Buffy's confused look. "He's missing out on being with a great person."
She let the tears come then, and they weren't easy tears. They were hard tears, tears born from a while ago, born from when Angel first left her. And she hadn't let them come since. Now, when she finished, she looked at Spike's arm that had been wrapped around her shoulders as she rested against him. And she felt better: a lot better. She knew, finally, that Angel had wanted her to get on with her life. And she had. She had found someone who truly cared about her. He knew about her secrets, her sacred duty. He knew about her friends, her family, and most importantly, her. He knew how to handle her, and he usually knew what to say to her. She was happy--no, she was learning to be happy. And it was with Spike.
Buffy looked up and smiled at him. He smiled back.
"Penny for your thoughts, luv."
Her smile got wider. "Just happy that you're here. And finally. accepting."
There was a pause for a while, but a happy pause.
"We're here," Spike said, pulling into a hotel parking lot.
Buffy sat up, and wiped her eyes, applied some makeup. Spike went around and, after getting her bags and his own, which he had hastily packed, opened her door. He smiled encouragingly at her, and she returned it. Then the couple walked up the steps, thick into the mess that was about to ensue.
TBC.
Okay, okay, I know, I know. I totally and completely screwed things up. But it makes it more interesting, don't you think? And what would I have Angel need Buffy for if not for Conner? Okay, so for the next part, we're all gonna pretend that Conner never sent Angel to the deep. We're gonna pretend that he came back, and is running amok in LA, and Holtz is dead already, and Conner doesn't go all nutso over it. I know. I am really screwing things up. But please R&R, ignoring the screwy parts, of course. Lol! ~Emily})i({