DC: Same as last time. I don't own Buffy or her friends.
"Well, that was weird," Buffy remarked, shutting her bedroom door behind her with the cordless phone.
"Hi Dad," she said into the phone.
"Everything's fine, just wanted to say hi. Hope you're okay. Love ya, 'bye!"
She pressed the button to turn it off.
"I'm going out! Anyone wanna join me?" she asked, walking down the stairs and throwing on her leather jacket.
"I'll go," volunteered Tara. She stared at Willow. Willow gave her a look of indifference, and Tara grabbed her jacket, throwing a stake in her pocket.
"I have to stop by Giles' place. Weekly reporting and all," Buffy commented.
"No problem," Tara said as the two of them turned the corner to Giles' apartment.
"Good, you're here," Giles said, stepping aside from the door to let them in.
"What's wrong?" Buffy asked.
"N...nothing. What makes you think something's wrong?" Giles asked.
"Well, for starters, you're shaking," Buffy pointed out. Giles grabbed his left hand in his right to minimize the shaking on the end of the table his hand was resting on.
"Point taken, but no, there's nothing wrong-" a bolt of lightning flashed across the window, followed by a loud clap of thunder. Giles jumped suddenly, falling back into his chair.
"So you're afraid of the storm?" Tara asked, timidly.
"In a way, yes," he muttered, pouring a glass of brandy from an already half emptied bottle, his hand shaking as he put the crystal stopper back on.
"You don't have to patrol tonight, Buffy. The weather's supposed to be stormy all night, and there's going to be a tremedous amount of precipitation-" he was interrupted.
"Don't sweat it, you can stay over at our house. Besides, Xander'll probably be there too," Buffy said.
"What about Spike?"
"He's acting kinda weird, so I think a week of the silent treatment and no Dawn visits should do the trick," she explained.
"What kind of weird?" Giles inquired.
"Oh, nothing. He came over and walked right out," she rushed, turning around to the television set, which was blaring the news.
"Well, lets just go before the storm gets too strong."
***********
Spike's POV
"I dunno Lyn, it's weird," I explained.
"Spike, you've been weird since you Sired me for crying out loud," said the tall blonde in the corner of the crypt, wearing leather pants and a matching top.
I stared her down.
"Whaddya mean 'weird'?" I asked.
"Oh, nothing..." she said, turning to go to the spare room downstairs.
"Come on, we've been friends since we were children, tell me," I urged.
"Come on yourself. You're the one who wanted to Sire before that Drusilla- something-or-other got into feeding off your family."
"Just because we've been together since I was Sired, doesn't mean that-"
"Mean what?" Lyn hinted, turning back to me.
"I don't know why you even came over, Lyn, if you were just going to torment me," I told her.
"I never get to see my best friend anymore, ever since you moved back here. I haven't found anyone I wanna Sire yet, so I'll just bug you until I find someone."
"I can't believe it's been over a hundred years, and you've yet to Sire someone yet," I wondered out loud.
"You know I'm picky," she said, slyly.
"Well, this kinda 'weird' is different," I told her, trying to stay on the subject.
"What kinda weird?" she asked.
"I dunno, it's strange, one minute I'm indifferent, walking into Buffy's house, the next I'm wondering why I'm there."
"So you mean you're the one who's changing? I dunno Spike, you look almost exactly the way you did when you were alive, but now, you're glowing or something," Lyn observed, circling me.
"Effulgent," I muttered.
"What was that?" she asked.
"Nothing, just that I feel different. I'm getting impulses, impulses the chip can't even control. And there's something going on in my heart that I haven't felt in the longest time."
"You want to feed?" she asked.
"It's not like that. I'm having different impulses. Ones that make me feel like killing for the sport of it. And to top it off, I don't have the same bloodlust I used to have."
"So you mean, you actually want to kill?" she thought out loud.
"Well, that was weird," Buffy remarked, shutting her bedroom door behind her with the cordless phone.
"Hi Dad," she said into the phone.
"Everything's fine, just wanted to say hi. Hope you're okay. Love ya, 'bye!"
She pressed the button to turn it off.
"I'm going out! Anyone wanna join me?" she asked, walking down the stairs and throwing on her leather jacket.
"I'll go," volunteered Tara. She stared at Willow. Willow gave her a look of indifference, and Tara grabbed her jacket, throwing a stake in her pocket.
"I have to stop by Giles' place. Weekly reporting and all," Buffy commented.
"No problem," Tara said as the two of them turned the corner to Giles' apartment.
"Good, you're here," Giles said, stepping aside from the door to let them in.
"What's wrong?" Buffy asked.
"N...nothing. What makes you think something's wrong?" Giles asked.
"Well, for starters, you're shaking," Buffy pointed out. Giles grabbed his left hand in his right to minimize the shaking on the end of the table his hand was resting on.
"Point taken, but no, there's nothing wrong-" a bolt of lightning flashed across the window, followed by a loud clap of thunder. Giles jumped suddenly, falling back into his chair.
"So you're afraid of the storm?" Tara asked, timidly.
"In a way, yes," he muttered, pouring a glass of brandy from an already half emptied bottle, his hand shaking as he put the crystal stopper back on.
"You don't have to patrol tonight, Buffy. The weather's supposed to be stormy all night, and there's going to be a tremedous amount of precipitation-" he was interrupted.
"Don't sweat it, you can stay over at our house. Besides, Xander'll probably be there too," Buffy said.
"What about Spike?"
"He's acting kinda weird, so I think a week of the silent treatment and no Dawn visits should do the trick," she explained.
"What kind of weird?" Giles inquired.
"Oh, nothing. He came over and walked right out," she rushed, turning around to the television set, which was blaring the news.
"Well, lets just go before the storm gets too strong."
***********
Spike's POV
"I dunno Lyn, it's weird," I explained.
"Spike, you've been weird since you Sired me for crying out loud," said the tall blonde in the corner of the crypt, wearing leather pants and a matching top.
I stared her down.
"Whaddya mean 'weird'?" I asked.
"Oh, nothing..." she said, turning to go to the spare room downstairs.
"Come on, we've been friends since we were children, tell me," I urged.
"Come on yourself. You're the one who wanted to Sire before that Drusilla- something-or-other got into feeding off your family."
"Just because we've been together since I was Sired, doesn't mean that-"
"Mean what?" Lyn hinted, turning back to me.
"I don't know why you even came over, Lyn, if you were just going to torment me," I told her.
"I never get to see my best friend anymore, ever since you moved back here. I haven't found anyone I wanna Sire yet, so I'll just bug you until I find someone."
"I can't believe it's been over a hundred years, and you've yet to Sire someone yet," I wondered out loud.
"You know I'm picky," she said, slyly.
"Well, this kinda 'weird' is different," I told her, trying to stay on the subject.
"What kinda weird?" she asked.
"I dunno, it's strange, one minute I'm indifferent, walking into Buffy's house, the next I'm wondering why I'm there."
"So you mean you're the one who's changing? I dunno Spike, you look almost exactly the way you did when you were alive, but now, you're glowing or something," Lyn observed, circling me.
"Effulgent," I muttered.
"What was that?" she asked.
"Nothing, just that I feel different. I'm getting impulses, impulses the chip can't even control. And there's something going on in my heart that I haven't felt in the longest time."
"You want to feed?" she asked.
"It's not like that. I'm having different impulses. Ones that make me feel like killing for the sport of it. And to top it off, I don't have the same bloodlust I used to have."
"So you mean, you actually want to kill?" she thought out loud.