CHAPTER 36 - LUNCH
They walked back to the house in mostly silence, holding hands. As they walked past Snowman Spike, Buffy gave him a pat, smiling.
Spike smiled at her.
As they entered the porch they smelled it - food.
They walked into the kitchen to see Clem at the stove, "Hey there, guys!" he said.
"Hey yourself," Buffy said.
"Thought you guys were already gone until I saw the car, so I knocked and when nobody answered, thought I'd come in and fix some lunch," Clem said, looking at Spike and Buffy, "hope that's alright."
"No problem," Spike said, "and thanks," he added.
"Smells good, what is it?" Buffy asked, "and don't tell me it's Bear in Yak Urine Sauce, either!" she joked.
"No, next time I'll make that! This is some Turkey Stew I threw together from some stuff that was in the 'fridge," Clem said.
Spike took off his jacket, and helped Buffy off with her jacket and boots.
Buffy noticed there were only two places set for lunch, "Aren't you eating with us, Clem?" she asked.
"Nah...you guys should eat by yourselves," Clem answered, as he came over to the table with two bowls of soup, "besides, had a big breakfast, don't need any more calories," he shook his arms and they jiggled.
"Come on Clem, why don't you join us?" she asked, looking at Spike.
"Er, yeah, mate, you should sit down and have a bowl with us," Spike said.
"Well, if you're sure you don't mind..." Clem said, hesitantly.
"We're sure!" Buffy and Spike answered together.
"Okey-dokey, then," Clem said, and poured himself a bowl, got himself a tablespoon, and plopped down on an extra chair Spike had gotten him from the living room.
"Ummm, this is good Clem!" Buffy said, "you should come over and teach Andrew how to cook like this!"
"I could do that," Clem said, smiling, agreeably.
Spike gave him a quick glance, and Clem stopped with his spoon in mid-air for half a second, and gave him a small nod.
Buffy barely caught it, but she did.
"What?" she asked, looking back and forth between Clem and Spike.
"Um...I won't be able to do that, Buffy. Not now, anyway," Clem said, sadly.
"Why not Clem?" she asked, still looking at them both.
"Er...um...I'm not going back. To Sunnydale...for now," he said and nodded toward Spike.
Spike looked at Buffy, "I told Clem he shouldn't come back...for now," he said.
Buffy just looked at both of them as reality crashed down on her head. Shaking herself out of her thoughts after a couple of seconds, she said, "You're right. Of course. You shouldn't come back...for now," then added, "maybe another time, after..."
"Sure Buffy, I'd love to," Clem said.
He looked at them sadly, "Why don't you guys just stay here with me? I'll go get the others, they can all come up here, can't they?"
Buffy shook her head, "I wish it were that simple, Clem, I'd love to stay here, bring everybody I love here, keep them safe, but it doesn't work that way..." she said, sadly.
"Why Buffy, why can't you just stay here?" Clem asked again, a pleading look in his eyes.
"You know why, Clem, I know you do," she said, "because it's my job, my calling to fight The First. If I don't who will? Do you think we'd be safe here if I don't fight him? This is the original evil we're talking of here, not just some bad-ass demon."
"I know Buffy, I know," Clem said, his eyes getting all teary.
Spike hadn't said anything, but took Buffy's hand under the table, giving it a squeeze.
He cleared his throat, "Gonna fight, gonna win...for all the puppies...and the rest of us, too..." he said, looking at Buffy and Clem, as he tried to make a half-hearted joke.
They nodded and went back to eating their stew in silence.
After lunch, Spike got up and poured them all the remainder of the last bottle of champagne and they toasted, "To puppies," Spike said, "and the rest of us," he added.
They drank and then Clem got up, "Well, guess I'd better be going. I'll take care of what you asked me to, Spike," he said.
Spike nodded, and Buffy looked at them questioningly.
"Just to close up the place...for now, stuff..." he said to her.
"Oh," she said, letting it drop.
"Guys want me to clean up before I go?" Clem asked.
"That's alright," Spike answered.
"Then I'll do it later, ok?"
"Okay," Spike said, nodding.
They walked Clem to the front door.
"Well, goodbye, you two," Clem said.
"Bye, Clem," Buffy said, "you're a good friend."
Spike nodded, "Yeah, you take care, mate!"
Clem grabbed them suddenly in his loose skinned arms and brought them together in a big hug, "You two take care now, you hear me?" he asked.
Buffy and Spike nodded, as they couldn't much move anything other than their heads in his strong grip, but Spike felt the lock box inside of Clem's shirt.
And then he was gone, out the door in a flash of speed Buffy had never seen from him before.
Spike slowly closed the door, watching his friend's back, as he ran up the trail.
He turned around and took Buffy in his arms and held her tight.
They walked back to the house in mostly silence, holding hands. As they walked past Snowman Spike, Buffy gave him a pat, smiling.
Spike smiled at her.
As they entered the porch they smelled it - food.
They walked into the kitchen to see Clem at the stove, "Hey there, guys!" he said.
"Hey yourself," Buffy said.
"Thought you guys were already gone until I saw the car, so I knocked and when nobody answered, thought I'd come in and fix some lunch," Clem said, looking at Spike and Buffy, "hope that's alright."
"No problem," Spike said, "and thanks," he added.
"Smells good, what is it?" Buffy asked, "and don't tell me it's Bear in Yak Urine Sauce, either!" she joked.
"No, next time I'll make that! This is some Turkey Stew I threw together from some stuff that was in the 'fridge," Clem said.
Spike took off his jacket, and helped Buffy off with her jacket and boots.
Buffy noticed there were only two places set for lunch, "Aren't you eating with us, Clem?" she asked.
"Nah...you guys should eat by yourselves," Clem answered, as he came over to the table with two bowls of soup, "besides, had a big breakfast, don't need any more calories," he shook his arms and they jiggled.
"Come on Clem, why don't you join us?" she asked, looking at Spike.
"Er, yeah, mate, you should sit down and have a bowl with us," Spike said.
"Well, if you're sure you don't mind..." Clem said, hesitantly.
"We're sure!" Buffy and Spike answered together.
"Okey-dokey, then," Clem said, and poured himself a bowl, got himself a tablespoon, and plopped down on an extra chair Spike had gotten him from the living room.
"Ummm, this is good Clem!" Buffy said, "you should come over and teach Andrew how to cook like this!"
"I could do that," Clem said, smiling, agreeably.
Spike gave him a quick glance, and Clem stopped with his spoon in mid-air for half a second, and gave him a small nod.
Buffy barely caught it, but she did.
"What?" she asked, looking back and forth between Clem and Spike.
"Um...I won't be able to do that, Buffy. Not now, anyway," Clem said, sadly.
"Why not Clem?" she asked, still looking at them both.
"Er...um...I'm not going back. To Sunnydale...for now," he said and nodded toward Spike.
Spike looked at Buffy, "I told Clem he shouldn't come back...for now," he said.
Buffy just looked at both of them as reality crashed down on her head. Shaking herself out of her thoughts after a couple of seconds, she said, "You're right. Of course. You shouldn't come back...for now," then added, "maybe another time, after..."
"Sure Buffy, I'd love to," Clem said.
He looked at them sadly, "Why don't you guys just stay here with me? I'll go get the others, they can all come up here, can't they?"
Buffy shook her head, "I wish it were that simple, Clem, I'd love to stay here, bring everybody I love here, keep them safe, but it doesn't work that way..." she said, sadly.
"Why Buffy, why can't you just stay here?" Clem asked again, a pleading look in his eyes.
"You know why, Clem, I know you do," she said, "because it's my job, my calling to fight The First. If I don't who will? Do you think we'd be safe here if I don't fight him? This is the original evil we're talking of here, not just some bad-ass demon."
"I know Buffy, I know," Clem said, his eyes getting all teary.
Spike hadn't said anything, but took Buffy's hand under the table, giving it a squeeze.
He cleared his throat, "Gonna fight, gonna win...for all the puppies...and the rest of us, too..." he said, looking at Buffy and Clem, as he tried to make a half-hearted joke.
They nodded and went back to eating their stew in silence.
After lunch, Spike got up and poured them all the remainder of the last bottle of champagne and they toasted, "To puppies," Spike said, "and the rest of us," he added.
They drank and then Clem got up, "Well, guess I'd better be going. I'll take care of what you asked me to, Spike," he said.
Spike nodded, and Buffy looked at them questioningly.
"Just to close up the place...for now, stuff..." he said to her.
"Oh," she said, letting it drop.
"Guys want me to clean up before I go?" Clem asked.
"That's alright," Spike answered.
"Then I'll do it later, ok?"
"Okay," Spike said, nodding.
They walked Clem to the front door.
"Well, goodbye, you two," Clem said.
"Bye, Clem," Buffy said, "you're a good friend."
Spike nodded, "Yeah, you take care, mate!"
Clem grabbed them suddenly in his loose skinned arms and brought them together in a big hug, "You two take care now, you hear me?" he asked.
Buffy and Spike nodded, as they couldn't much move anything other than their heads in his strong grip, but Spike felt the lock box inside of Clem's shirt.
And then he was gone, out the door in a flash of speed Buffy had never seen from him before.
Spike slowly closed the door, watching his friend's back, as he ran up the trail.
He turned around and took Buffy in his arms and held her tight.