Movie-Buff

Fanfiction by dutchbuffy2305

Rating: G

Spoilers: general S7

Timeline: After Potential or Killer in Me

Buffy bounced into the living room, calling out, "Bronzing! We're all gonna go Bronzing! Who's in for drinks and dancing?"

She stopped short as she saw Spike sitting on the couch, a guilty look on his face as he tried to hide the remote.

"You look as if you're not going?"

"Um, well, you know, pet, it's really tempting, haven't had a drink in ages, but don't wanna put a damper on all the teenage fun. Making 'em feel supervised and all." He nodded a little while he was saying that, putting emphasis on the sincerity of his words.

"You think? You think they'd want to be on their own? Not have us old fogies around?" Buffy said slowly as she sat down next to Spike, casting searching looks around for the TV guide.

"Definitely."

A look of complete understanding passed between them. "Right. They really deserve to be off the leash for a couple of hours."

Buffy went into the hallway and stood back a little, watching the last minute hair patting and extra lip glossing and the anxious looks Kennedy was throwing in the direction of the stairs. It looked as if Willow had drawn the short straw in bathroom rotation again.

When everybody was finally trooping out of the front door, herded by Willow and Xander, she hung back unobtrusively. As soon as the door closed, she hurried back to the living room and plopped down next to Spike.

"Phew. That was close. What are you watching? Oh. An old movie. Okay. What's it about?"

"Love, Buffy. What else?"

In the first half hour, Buffy had some difficulty getting into the movie, and got up several times to pee, to make popcorn and to heat up some blood.  She heard Spike sigh a little next to her. Okay, so she didn't have as much practice as he had sitting down and watching endless TV, but if she got to feeling any more mature she would have soon enough. But as the film progressed the story captured her attention and she started imagining herself in the heroine's position.

"Oh! Oh no! He's giving up! You jerk! Why don't you phone the hospital! You could have known it was an accident, that nothing less would keep her away! You should never give up on true love! Oh God, this is so sad!"

Buffy felt a prickling in her eyes. Out of nowhere, a tissue appeared and was pressed into her hand.

"I'm not crying. Slayers don't cry at movies."

"Of course not. Vampires don't either."

"Right."

As the credits rolled down the screen, Buffy heaved a shuddering sigh and blew her nose long and loudly into the last tissue.

"I knew it would end well. But when she was sitting there in her wheel chair….Love stories always have to end well, don't you think? Otherwise, it's just too heartbreaking. Too much like real life."

She heard Spike blowing his nose. "Yeah." His voice sounded a little hoarse. She wasn't going to look.

His eyes looked a little watery. The pile of tissues next to him looked about as big as hers. He smiled faintly at her.

Buffy looked away and cleared her throat. "You know, I'm sure I've never seen this movie, but the plot seemed familiar, can't think why!"

The next movie was starting already. Spike lifted the remote. Buffy put her hand on his, to keep him from turning the TV off. His hand jerked a little and the remote almost fell.

"Oh! Stop, Spike, you have to see this one, this so great, so romantic…"

"I never much liked Meg, pet. Always so bouncy and perky. No sex-appeal."

"You prefer Deborah Kerr?"

"It's pronounced Carr. That was some woman."

"She's probably a grandmother now. Or dead." Buffy snapped.

"Well, yeah. That is what tends to happen to mortals, love," Spike said pointedly.

"Ouch. No need to rub it in."

Buffy glanced surreptitiously at Spike's face as Meg Ryan flitted to and fro across the map, and saw he was totally enraptured. She snuggled a little closer. This was kinda fun, watching TV together like two old marrieds.

"Spike! Look! I never got this scene before! They're talking about the movie we just saw! Aw. They're making me cry again."

"Can't offer you Kleenex anymore. We went through the lot."

Something in his voice made Buffy check on his face again. He was blinking rapidly. Without thinking, she wiped off the tear with her knuckle. Spike went very still.

"I'm sorry," Buffy said quickly. "I didn't mean to…"

"It's alright. I know you didn't." He sounded very subdued.

She kept looking at him, and seemed to be blinking a lot herself. She didn't know why she couldn't look away, it was really uncomfortable. At last she broke the eye contact and tried to focus firmly on the movie again, but it was hard. A black clad knee kept stealing into her line of vision.  A pale hand was lying on the couch next to the leg, clenched into a fist. The urge to touch that fist and make it uncurl was overwhelming.

She saw a smaller, golden-skinned hand creep slowly towards the bigger one, pry the fingers apart and nestle in its palm. She looked away form the entwined hands and stared hard at the Empire State Building.

Credits again. Modern movies must be shorter than the old ones. She tried to say something, but had to clear her throat first.

"Love…hrngh…Love always wins out in movies. I wish real life was like that."

"Uh-huh."

"Well. Time to go to bed. It's getting late. Our old bones need rest, I guess."

"Yeah."

"It would be more supportive if you talked a little too, you know. To cover up the awkwardness," she said, a little hurt creeping into her voice.

"More likely cause more awkwardness, Buffy. Used to be, anyway."

They walked into the hallway.

'Well. Here's where you go down and I go up," Buffy said brightly. She moved in the direction of the stairs, but was hindered by something that was still attached to her hand.

"That's how the end will be, love," Spike said sadly.

Buffy looked at her hand, still gripping his. "Maybe there will be a middle part, too, Spike."

"I would like that, Buffy."

"Goodnight, Spike."

"Goodnight, Buffy."

It was very quiet in the hallway. A pipe clanged somewhere in the house, and the fridge shuddered and rattled briefly. Buffy stared at her hand, still enfolded by Spike's, and tried to will it to move. Clearly, her hand was sending her a message. An ultimatum. Her hand was blackmailing her. You should never give in to blackmail, she knew that, but she was getting the feeling that other parts of her body were about to gang up on her.

Okay. Her other hand had just defected. It was now lying on an arm. It was sending signals of muscular, smooth, and scorching hot to her brain. She needed her brain, but perhaps she could hack off her arm, if it was gonna keep on offending her. Left Foot went, and Right Foot followed. Belly tingled as it felt a belt buckle press into it. Traitor Tongue was licking Lips, and now only Brain and Eyes were remaining loyal. Loyal to whom? Heart had been secretly sleeping with the enemy for ages. Eyes surrendered and drank in the sight of speechless Spike waiting for her decision. When it saw all was lost, Brain gave in and took over firmly. Do it right, this time, it said.

Buffy kissed Spike softly on his lips and stepped back, releasing his hand.

"There's always tomorrow," she said.

Spike winced. "Wrong movie, love."

"It's your first kiss, Charlie Brown?" she tried.

"Let's just stick to 'Sleep well, Buffy.'"

"Sleep well, Spike. See you tomorrow."

Their fingertips met briefly before they turned away.

THE END