Title: Just Messing Around
Author: Joyce
Email: zinehall@yahoo.com
Pairing: Spike/Buffy
Disclaimer: Thanks Joss for everything, egirl for the challenge idea, and Christopher Moore's Practical Demonkeeping.
Summary: Spoilers up to "As You Were". Buffy has broken up with Spike and he is hopeless. Someone very unexpected enters his life.
Chapter 1
Spike looked at the heap of rubble and smirked. "Real smart fixing this place up..me..an evil dead thing...yeah...real smart". His eyes glazed over from a combination of alcohol and pain. The sobs escaped gently. Not worth a lot anyway. Just junkyard stuff. He rose slowly. "Not letting this get to me. Need a spot of violence right about now to clear my head."
The crypt was still and silent. Too silent for Spike. He needed something, anything, to drown out the galloping emptiness inside him. He jumped off the sarcophogus, walked to his firewater stash and grabbed another bourbon bottle. Only he was so upset that he broke it. He threw the remainder of the bottle against the stone wall where the thwop sound added a spark of something interesting to think about..just for a bit. The broken shards of the bottle reminded him too much of his romantic failings. All he could do was mourn the loss of another bottle of bourbon which was too expensive for him to obtain.
Spike had told Buffy that he wasn't complaining to her "I'm using you" statement. He knew he was being used but he had time on his side. Time for her to develop feelings for him, time to forge past those self imposed walls of hers. But she didn't see it that way. "I'm sorry, William." She might as well have been channeling Cecily, the bint. Long remembered feelings churned his undead gut. Why was he feeling this way? He, a fiendish demon, wasn't supposed to have these feelings.
He grabbed his duster, donned it and sauntered out of the crypt. The night seemed brighter than usual, too bright for the cloud hanging over his spirit. He strolled quickly through the cemetery making a beeline for Willie's. Just to be on the safe side, he extended his vampiric hearing to take in the conversations in progress. Thankfully, none of the customers seemed to have Spike as the subject of the moment. That was a good thing because, right now, Spike could not bear to be alone. Normally, he did not seek out the company of other demons unless it was to kill them. Now, he felt an overwhelming need to be around others like himself. He needed their presence to ground himself. The bar was unusually quiet which was disconcerting.
"It's too quiet here," he remarked loudly to the bartender, hoping to get some attention from the clientele.
"Yep, some nights are like that," Zak, the new bartender, replied laconically.
Spike just looked at him. "So that's how they want it", he thought. He ordered a glass of the good stuff, showed his true face and quickly drained the glass. His yellow eyes gazed silently threatening the bartender. The bartender showed not one shard of fear. Spike thought, "This won't work. Can't get a rise out of anyone."
He changed back into his human face and got up to leave. As he exited the bar, someone grabbed his shoulder from the side. Someone very strong, too. Spike looked and saw a 7 foot mass of blue with strips of skin hanging like snakes where its hair should have been. Black pools for eyes. Slimy skin with suckers at the appendages to hold its prey well and truly. Slits for a nose and an angry looking maw for a mouth. Grimosh demon is what Spike's brain has processed. The blue demon gurgles something about Spike having been the one who killed its mate.
"I want revenge", it gurgled.
Spike smirked. Inwardly, his spirits racheted up a notch or two. "And you think I did it, eh? Come to put me to rest, have you?" Spike couldn't help himself. He started to chuckle.
"How dare you dishonor my Lroth by those sounds! For that you will die slowly."
The Grimosh pulled Spike along the ground with its suckers. Spike started to appreciate the dangerous situation in which he now existed. One side of him justed wanted to give into the slow descent into nothingness. However, the demon side, with its instinct for self preservation, fiercely asserted itself. "Think. What's the low down on these Grimosh buggers. What's their Achilles heel?" From his memory, Spike knew that the Grimosh operated primarily by touch since it had poor vision. It had only caught Spike because it had positioned itself by the bar exit just waiting for a platinum haired vampire to cross its path. Spike had to avoid being pulled towards the demon's mouth. The Grimosh had acid for saliva. Think, think. Buy some time.
"Yeah, it was me, mate, " Spike confessed, "but it was an accident."
FLASHBACK.Spike recalled one night patrolling with Buffy. Pings of pain. Well, he wasn't exactly patrolling with Buffy but surreptitiously watching her back, which was sorely needed these days with her not showing a lot of feeling. Anyway, he was hiding from Buffy when he'd spied a Grimosh demon lurking in ambush. They were like lower life forms that just stood still until some unsuspecting tasty thing came within grabbing distance. Very carnivorous beasties. Yeah, they were huge and blue but not until they actually grabbed something. The Grimosh had a natural camouflage otherwise which made them appear smaller and take on the color of their surroundings. Spike had jumped at the Grimosh. The Grimosh turned with its maw open. Spike had twisted away and jumped back just in time. The beast came at him again. Spike launched a side thrust kick to its middle. The beast had grabbed at his leg spinning. Since its body was so slippery, Spike's kick did nothing. He hit the ground, pushed himself up and away from the beast. Moving away, he managed to pull out his knife. The beast again came at him. Spike jumped into a nearby tree, bounced off and landed on the beast's shoulders. He started stabbing its thick,slimy blubbery skin with no purchase. The beast reached up to grab Spike just as he had hit a spot right in the middle of its skull. Soft spot like a baby. Slid in just like butter. That was it. The demon dropped.
Back to the present. Spike tries to hide his sudden remembrance.
"Killing my Lroth was not an accident. It was murder and you shall die!" This Grimosh had a one note brain. Suddenly, a dog wailed in the background. The Grimosh was momentarily distracted.
Spike had his chance. He twisted and pulled a sword from its scabbard. Long dusters do come in handy sometimes. He brandished it up and down into the demon's skull with one swift stroke. The demon dropped just like the last one. A spittel of acid,however, did hit the front of Spike's duster. That's all it hit. Just the front. Spike was unscathed except for still being attached to the suckers. He looked around to see if any of its friends were present. Satisfied that there were none, he spent the next few minutes diligently disengaging himself from the suckers.
Author: Joyce
Email: zinehall@yahoo.com
Pairing: Spike/Buffy
Disclaimer: Thanks Joss for everything, egirl for the challenge idea, and Christopher Moore's Practical Demonkeeping.
Summary: Spoilers up to "As You Were". Buffy has broken up with Spike and he is hopeless. Someone very unexpected enters his life.
Chapter 1
Spike looked at the heap of rubble and smirked. "Real smart fixing this place up..me..an evil dead thing...yeah...real smart". His eyes glazed over from a combination of alcohol and pain. The sobs escaped gently. Not worth a lot anyway. Just junkyard stuff. He rose slowly. "Not letting this get to me. Need a spot of violence right about now to clear my head."
The crypt was still and silent. Too silent for Spike. He needed something, anything, to drown out the galloping emptiness inside him. He jumped off the sarcophogus, walked to his firewater stash and grabbed another bourbon bottle. Only he was so upset that he broke it. He threw the remainder of the bottle against the stone wall where the thwop sound added a spark of something interesting to think about..just for a bit. The broken shards of the bottle reminded him too much of his romantic failings. All he could do was mourn the loss of another bottle of bourbon which was too expensive for him to obtain.
Spike had told Buffy that he wasn't complaining to her "I'm using you" statement. He knew he was being used but he had time on his side. Time for her to develop feelings for him, time to forge past those self imposed walls of hers. But she didn't see it that way. "I'm sorry, William." She might as well have been channeling Cecily, the bint. Long remembered feelings churned his undead gut. Why was he feeling this way? He, a fiendish demon, wasn't supposed to have these feelings.
He grabbed his duster, donned it and sauntered out of the crypt. The night seemed brighter than usual, too bright for the cloud hanging over his spirit. He strolled quickly through the cemetery making a beeline for Willie's. Just to be on the safe side, he extended his vampiric hearing to take in the conversations in progress. Thankfully, none of the customers seemed to have Spike as the subject of the moment. That was a good thing because, right now, Spike could not bear to be alone. Normally, he did not seek out the company of other demons unless it was to kill them. Now, he felt an overwhelming need to be around others like himself. He needed their presence to ground himself. The bar was unusually quiet which was disconcerting.
"It's too quiet here," he remarked loudly to the bartender, hoping to get some attention from the clientele.
"Yep, some nights are like that," Zak, the new bartender, replied laconically.
Spike just looked at him. "So that's how they want it", he thought. He ordered a glass of the good stuff, showed his true face and quickly drained the glass. His yellow eyes gazed silently threatening the bartender. The bartender showed not one shard of fear. Spike thought, "This won't work. Can't get a rise out of anyone."
He changed back into his human face and got up to leave. As he exited the bar, someone grabbed his shoulder from the side. Someone very strong, too. Spike looked and saw a 7 foot mass of blue with strips of skin hanging like snakes where its hair should have been. Black pools for eyes. Slimy skin with suckers at the appendages to hold its prey well and truly. Slits for a nose and an angry looking maw for a mouth. Grimosh demon is what Spike's brain has processed. The blue demon gurgles something about Spike having been the one who killed its mate.
"I want revenge", it gurgled.
Spike smirked. Inwardly, his spirits racheted up a notch or two. "And you think I did it, eh? Come to put me to rest, have you?" Spike couldn't help himself. He started to chuckle.
"How dare you dishonor my Lroth by those sounds! For that you will die slowly."
The Grimosh pulled Spike along the ground with its suckers. Spike started to appreciate the dangerous situation in which he now existed. One side of him justed wanted to give into the slow descent into nothingness. However, the demon side, with its instinct for self preservation, fiercely asserted itself. "Think. What's the low down on these Grimosh buggers. What's their Achilles heel?" From his memory, Spike knew that the Grimosh operated primarily by touch since it had poor vision. It had only caught Spike because it had positioned itself by the bar exit just waiting for a platinum haired vampire to cross its path. Spike had to avoid being pulled towards the demon's mouth. The Grimosh had acid for saliva. Think, think. Buy some time.
"Yeah, it was me, mate, " Spike confessed, "but it was an accident."
FLASHBACK.Spike recalled one night patrolling with Buffy. Pings of pain. Well, he wasn't exactly patrolling with Buffy but surreptitiously watching her back, which was sorely needed these days with her not showing a lot of feeling. Anyway, he was hiding from Buffy when he'd spied a Grimosh demon lurking in ambush. They were like lower life forms that just stood still until some unsuspecting tasty thing came within grabbing distance. Very carnivorous beasties. Yeah, they were huge and blue but not until they actually grabbed something. The Grimosh had a natural camouflage otherwise which made them appear smaller and take on the color of their surroundings. Spike had jumped at the Grimosh. The Grimosh turned with its maw open. Spike had twisted away and jumped back just in time. The beast came at him again. Spike launched a side thrust kick to its middle. The beast had grabbed at his leg spinning. Since its body was so slippery, Spike's kick did nothing. He hit the ground, pushed himself up and away from the beast. Moving away, he managed to pull out his knife. The beast again came at him. Spike jumped into a nearby tree, bounced off and landed on the beast's shoulders. He started stabbing its thick,slimy blubbery skin with no purchase. The beast reached up to grab Spike just as he had hit a spot right in the middle of its skull. Soft spot like a baby. Slid in just like butter. That was it. The demon dropped.
Back to the present. Spike tries to hide his sudden remembrance.
"Killing my Lroth was not an accident. It was murder and you shall die!" This Grimosh had a one note brain. Suddenly, a dog wailed in the background. The Grimosh was momentarily distracted.
Spike had his chance. He twisted and pulled a sword from its scabbard. Long dusters do come in handy sometimes. He brandished it up and down into the demon's skull with one swift stroke. The demon dropped just like the last one. A spittel of acid,however, did hit the front of Spike's duster. That's all it hit. Just the front. Spike was unscathed except for still being attached to the suckers. He looked around to see if any of its friends were present. Satisfied that there were none, he spent the next few minutes diligently disengaging himself from the suckers.