Good evening, One and All,
Well, it's a three fer week. The being snowed in made the muse nuts and she just wrote a *lot* to get it all out! Anyway, I will be able to release three chapters this week and possibly three next week as well. Thank goodness for my awesome (and busy) betas.
Again, the angst is starting to roll. This one's not too bad, but what is to come is going to be tough, so get your happy while you can. Still, I will drop you off in a nice, happy place. You can trust me on that.
Without further ado.enjoy!
*Cheery Vibes*, Nimue
"As sick as it sounds, in my little head, there's a little Sunnydale, and a widdle Spike and a widdle Buffy and Spike wubs Buffy." James Marsters 14 July 2002
Title: Daytime TV (Chapter Twenty of The One)
Author: Nimue
Rating: PG -13
Pairing: Buffy/Spike. Most major characters included.
Feedback: Yes, please
For instant notification of fic releases, straight to your mailbox, please visit Always_Everyday@yahoogroups.com . Also, please visit the wonderful fan listing that Rachel put together. Sign up today and link to your website (or just sign up to say hi!). The fan listing can be found at .
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, UPN, Fox... Just Borrowing. (With, of course, the exception of Emma and William, who belong to Buffy and Spike)
Summary: Draconius and Luke discuss the success of their plan. Anya eavesdrops in hell. Buffy and Spike deal with the ramifications of her inability to control the beast.
Daytime TV
"Well, what's she doing?" Luke asked, nearly hopping around the floor in anticipation. Draconius held the monitor in his outstretched hands. Interdimensional travel and a life of evil had made him far sighted.
"She seems to be looking in on a trivial lot of hangers-on," the oldest Earth evil responded, watching the monitor picture move as the pawn wagged her head to and fro, surveying the scene.
Luke scooted over next to Draconius, his eyes surveying the monitor. "What is that? Some sort of day care center for hell spawn?"
"It is their home, you dimwit," Draconius responded, stepping away so that the monitor was out of Luke's reach. Luke responded by moving a step himself and pressing against the old one's shoulder. Which made Drac uncomfortable.
"How many kids do they *have*?" Luke asked, crinkling his nose as if the sight disgusted him. "And they're all close to the same age except the big blonde one. I didn't know humans had *litters*."
Draconius shook his head, a long sigh escaping his lips. Anger would do *nothing* to make his stay in the god-forsaken dimension any easier. And it looked like he'd be here a while. The little girl had lots of growing to do before her virtue could be voluntarily unbound. "They are not all *hers* you moron."
"Oh," Luke chirped, squinting at the screen. "Well, then why are they there?"
Draconius snapped the monitor back into the base and spun to look at the hell god. "Did you learn nothing about the dimension adjacent to your own in all your years of. ruling?"
"Never bothered," Luke answered, straightening his blood red tie and flopping foppishly into a red velvet chair. "I mean, other than what made it here, what's there to know?"
"The Slayer? The Vampire of Heart? The One? The Peacemaker?" Draconius ticked off, pacing in front of the fireplace.
Luke looked confused. "Less I'm not following something, Champ, they're *there*, I'm here, and they can't come here unless they die. Well, except for the Vampire. What with the demon and all. Hey, I wonder if the Slayer could come now too since you screwed up their little One mojo.."
Draconius snorted in disgust. "The Slayer. The One is a concern to *all* dimensions. The greatest worry, that is until we let it get far enough that she actually produced that nightmare of a child. Now, the Peacemaker is out to rid evil from the dimensions. *That*, my insolent friend, would have a great effect on you."
"Oh," Luke repeated, this time, his voice soft. "So, you think the Peacemaker is coming here?"
Draconius pulled a chair angrily in front of Luke and sat down, leaning forward until his face was mere inches from the resident hell god. "Let me ask you something, Lucifer?"
Luke looked frightened. "Uh. yeah?"
"Why, exactly, do you think we're going through all this? Why do you think we sold a large quantity of power to a corrupt heavenly minion to borrow the only creature of heaven that might possibly be immune to the instant kill reaction of said Slayer and said Vampire? And why do you think we spend our days watching a monitor to see what the zombified, temporarily soulless remains of said creature will do to enable our bidding? And why do we care? What is the point?"
Luke shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Thems a lot of questions, parner."
Draconius smirked. "I will tell you why, then. But I will only explain this *once* more." With lightning speed, the Old One grabbed Luke's wrists, pulling him forward until their lips almost touched. "We need the Peacemaker. We need her alive. Only because I will revel in her torture and death. We cannot have a demon do our bidding because the One would simply kill a creature of hell without afterthought. We sent the woman who was once integral to the Slayer's life to enact our spell so that she could slip around unnoticed, spreading our. gift of enlightenment. to the Vampire and the Slayer."
"Why are we giving them gifts again?" Luke asked, his nose again wrinkled in confusion.
"Listen, you numbskull!" Draconius shouted, slapping the side of Luke's head with an open palm. "It is not a gift to them at all. We crossed their channels. Disrupted what it is that makes them the One. Let his essence creep into her and hers into him until their roles are confused."
Luke tilted his head. "I don't get it, though. The Vampire wasn't really all that evil *before* he got all jiggy with the Blondie."
"He also had over a hundred years to learn to control the demon. She does not. She will feel as he did when he first rose. All bloodlust and death. He will try and save her. They will leave the paltry excuse for a gang in charge of the care of their daughter. The woman will be able to walk right under their noses and take her. Bring her back to me." Draconius sat back into his chair, luxuriating in the plan. One that was working. Finally. Despite Luke.
Luke crossed one ankle over one knee and sat back. "Is there any way they can stop this? I mean, anything cutie pie and her little blondie bear can do to make the reversal stop?"
Draconius nodded. "It will wear off on its own once the pawn is removed. Back to their normal, happy existence. Oh, except missing their precious daughter. That might take out a little happy."
Luke grinned in response. "How bout anything else? I mean, the Slayer has been alive longer than the others because she has back up. Which, I'm guessing, is where the Next Generation Child Care center comes into it."
The Old One sighed. "They could. They could break the spell earlier. But only if they discover our pawn. If they break the amulet, the essences will return to balance."
"*That's* not good," Luke sighed. "What's stopping them from doing that?"
Draconius smiled. "As obvious as it seems, and as simple, it has one major drawback, hence my choice of pawn."
A grin broke on the hell god's face. "Yeah? What's that?"
"If they break the amulet, the woman dies. If she dies before the Heavenly ones have reclaimed her soul, which could be weeks with all the red tape, then she belongs to us. If they learn the information on how to deactivate the spell in the Horasci texts, they will surely also know that breaking the amulet will return the automaton to her last known dimension of residence. Permanently."
"And in the case of our poor old girl, that's here," Luke smiled, victoriously. "I liked her too. She's hot."
~~~~~
Anya crept through the halls of the mansion, absolutely certain now that she was fully invisible. She'd past several mirrors and many minions, none of which showed any indication that she was naked and trespassing. This was good, she came to realize. Luke had never been fascinated by politeness. A naked demon on which he had a centuries old crush would be a little too tempting for this particular hell god. Anya contemplated finding clothes, but figured that a cloak passing through hallways with no body attached might draw more attention that her current state of nude invisibility.
The voices in her head had cut off as soon as she entered the mansion. Willow had been helpful in guiding her there. She had remembered some landmarks from her trip. But the place had some sort of psychic scrambler and as soon as Anya had walked through the door, the voices shut off like a radio that had lost power. She was missing the chatter now. Missing the familiar sounds of the lovers and the brat kid sis, and even Xander's wife. She kinda liked Takina. Not that she'd ever admit that out loud.
New voices caught her attention. She was on the top floor of the mansion now, and huge red doors stretched out at the end of the hall. Luke's room. She'd been there once after a kegger and had only escaped the romantic clutches of the hell god because D'Hoffryn had called her for an emergency evisceration. No champagne glass hot tubs full of bubbly blood for her that night. Such a shame.
Anya crept closer, pressing her ear to the door. There was another voice. One she knew but she didn't. The part of her that was demon, that was still infected by that which made her able to do evil, recognized the sound. It was Draconius. The Old One. And Luke. He sounded like most incredibly handsome and well dressed men. Dumb.
She slid on invisible knees to the floor and put her eye up to the keyhole, confirming her suspicions. The Old One held some sort of small TV monitor up before him, and Luke gazed over his shoulder. They were talking. A lot. About important things. It was times like this Anya wished she'd asked for some invisible paraphernalia to go on the trip with her. Like an invisible miracle ear. Or invisible x-ray vision, or at least an invisible pad and paper. But alas, she was on her own. Anya closed her eyes and listened, trying to remember every word spoken as if her life depended on it.
In a way, it did. All of their lives did.
~~~~~
Spike walked, his arm tucked around her. They were dressed now, but the blanket was still wrapped around her as if she was warding off the cold. She was, really. Just not the cold of the night air. The chill within.
Buffy was silent, clinging against him, battling with what was inside of her. The violent, yet incredibly pleasant encounter with Spike had brought her back. Beaten it down. But she could feel it was only temporary. The beast under her skin was merely waiting for the next chance to bubble and make her do things that she couldn't ever fathom doing.
Make her. This thing lived inside Spike every day and it never made him do anything. She was weak.
"I've had a century and a bit to learn to control it," Spike said, audibly answering what he'd learned in her mind.
"So, you used to be this. pathetic?" Buffy asked, her arms wrapped around his waist, not wanting to pull away from his warmth. His love.
"Not pathetic, Love. That's what the Vampire does. The demon inside. Wants blood. Wants violence. Wants pleasure and pain and not a whole bloody hell of a lot else," Spike answered, snuggling her deeper into his jacket.
"You did," Buffy commented quietly.
"Did what, Pet?"
"Wanted more. Even before we." Her words trailed off as she walked down the sidewalk, avoiding the haze of the street lights. She was afraid it might illuminate her for what she was becoming.
Spike sighed, cradling her to him. "*I* did, Pet. Not it."
Her eyes flickered up to his, blinking curiously. "I thought you were it."
He shook his head. "No. S'not like that. I mean, I guess it is for some. There isn't much there when they start, so the demon is all they have. But I. I wanted things when I was alive. And when the demon took me, I still wanted them. Just took me a while to remember is all."
"You couldn't have wanted *me* back then," she commented, pleased by the distraction.
"You were exactly what I wanted," Spike corrected, his strides shortened to match hers. Her hip brushed against his. "Just didn't have a name yet. Demon wanted to take that away. I wouldn't let it."
"Not sure I get it," Buffy asked, her eyes trained up to his now. She wanted to know. He didn't talk much about when he was alive. before.
Spike sighed. He didn't like to talk about William. Well, his first go round. Wanker. Pansy. Not strong enough to stand up to the gits in his social circle. Not man enough to protect his mum and sis. Not smart enough to make it as a scholar. Not strong enough to make it as a labourer. But he had one thing. One thing more than anyone else.
"Love," Spike finally sighed. "I wanted love. To give it. To receive it. To be one with it. To roll in it like a sodding maxi pad ad. I wanted puppies and kittens and hearts exploding with joy and rapture and sod all else. Demon put that lot in perspective, it did. No more strolling down the beach on a sunny afternoon with the wind in my love's hair. Least not for a century or so. No more brilliant innocence. But I still wanted love."
Buffy was silent for a long moment, and then she giggled. "Maxi pad ads?"
Spike snorted. "Living in a house full of birds and watching enough Passions will do that to a man. Forcing us to watch all those girlie commercials. Think the world might revolve around feminine hygiene, nappies and Dr Phil if you watch the telly tween the hours of noon and four."
"Maxi pad ad?" Buffy repeated, giggling.
"You know. Walking down the beach in the summer sun and love's abounding, just because your girl has Always with wings?"
To that, Buffy had to guffaw. Tears rolled down her face, her eyes squeezing shut. Her knees gave way and she ended up falling in a heap on the curve, laughter bubbling from her throat, quelling the beast like nothing else he could have said or done.
Knew he could do it. Tame it for her while she couldn't. It had been worth the momentary embarrassment.
Not to mention, to hear her laugh and to have her joy pump in his veins was intoxicating. Beautiful. Perfect.
He hadn't lied about the love thing. Just about the maxi pad ad. Well, kind of.
"You all right, Pet?" Spike chortled, settling on the curb next to her. Her eyes still streamed tears and her giggles were second only to the joyous tremble of her form.
"You're kidding, right?" Buffy sputtered, trying to control her breath enough to speak.
"Bout what, Pet?" Spike answered, wrapping his arm around her vibrating shoulder.
"The William bit?"
"About Love?"
"Yeah," Buffy giggled, through the tears.
Spike sighed. "Alas, that part is the painful truth," he answered. "Love is what taught me to control the demon. The search for it, the practice of it, the feeling. That's what it was about for me."
She looked at him, her giggles stopping, her eyes wet and happy. "Really?"
He nodded, his head tilting. "How I made it to you."
A small smile broke on her face. "So, all those years of overcoming this *thing* that wanted to control you was because you wanted to love someone?"
"And be loved," Spike answered, his eyes dropping to his knees. He hadn't planned on an encounter session, but if it bought him a few more minutes with his girl, he'd embarrass himself publicly for a millennia.
Slowly, Buffy toppled to the side, leaning her head into his shoulder. "You find it yet?"
Spike kissed the crown of her head, pulling her in tighter. " That I did, Love. Not letting it go, either."
"Good," Buffy sighed.
"We should head back. See if the rest of the lot has found anything else, all right?"
"Yeah," Buffy answered, pushing herself up and extending a hand back down to him. He took hers gently, feeling her touch. Her warmth. Terrified that it would go away. He clung to it, savouring it like any touch of hers might be the last. For a moment, her eyes locked in his. Buffy's eyes.
Love can defeat it. He could hear it echoing in her head.
Believe.
Finally he stood, wrapping an arm around her and beginning back to the house. "Oh, one thing," Buffy giggled.
"What's that, Love?"
"You are henceforth banned from daytime TV. Dawn will have to tape Passions for you without commercials."
Spike smiled. "Just when I was getting fond of that bloke Dr Phil."
To be contd.-
Well, it's a three fer week. The being snowed in made the muse nuts and she just wrote a *lot* to get it all out! Anyway, I will be able to release three chapters this week and possibly three next week as well. Thank goodness for my awesome (and busy) betas.
Again, the angst is starting to roll. This one's not too bad, but what is to come is going to be tough, so get your happy while you can. Still, I will drop you off in a nice, happy place. You can trust me on that.
Without further ado.enjoy!
*Cheery Vibes*, Nimue
"As sick as it sounds, in my little head, there's a little Sunnydale, and a widdle Spike and a widdle Buffy and Spike wubs Buffy." James Marsters 14 July 2002
Title: Daytime TV (Chapter Twenty of The One)
Author: Nimue
Rating: PG -13
Pairing: Buffy/Spike. Most major characters included.
Feedback: Yes, please
For instant notification of fic releases, straight to your mailbox, please visit Always_Everyday@yahoogroups.com . Also, please visit the wonderful fan listing that Rachel put together. Sign up today and link to your website (or just sign up to say hi!). The fan listing can be found at .
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, UPN, Fox... Just Borrowing. (With, of course, the exception of Emma and William, who belong to Buffy and Spike)
Summary: Draconius and Luke discuss the success of their plan. Anya eavesdrops in hell. Buffy and Spike deal with the ramifications of her inability to control the beast.
Daytime TV
"Well, what's she doing?" Luke asked, nearly hopping around the floor in anticipation. Draconius held the monitor in his outstretched hands. Interdimensional travel and a life of evil had made him far sighted.
"She seems to be looking in on a trivial lot of hangers-on," the oldest Earth evil responded, watching the monitor picture move as the pawn wagged her head to and fro, surveying the scene.
Luke scooted over next to Draconius, his eyes surveying the monitor. "What is that? Some sort of day care center for hell spawn?"
"It is their home, you dimwit," Draconius responded, stepping away so that the monitor was out of Luke's reach. Luke responded by moving a step himself and pressing against the old one's shoulder. Which made Drac uncomfortable.
"How many kids do they *have*?" Luke asked, crinkling his nose as if the sight disgusted him. "And they're all close to the same age except the big blonde one. I didn't know humans had *litters*."
Draconius shook his head, a long sigh escaping his lips. Anger would do *nothing* to make his stay in the god-forsaken dimension any easier. And it looked like he'd be here a while. The little girl had lots of growing to do before her virtue could be voluntarily unbound. "They are not all *hers* you moron."
"Oh," Luke chirped, squinting at the screen. "Well, then why are they there?"
Draconius snapped the monitor back into the base and spun to look at the hell god. "Did you learn nothing about the dimension adjacent to your own in all your years of. ruling?"
"Never bothered," Luke answered, straightening his blood red tie and flopping foppishly into a red velvet chair. "I mean, other than what made it here, what's there to know?"
"The Slayer? The Vampire of Heart? The One? The Peacemaker?" Draconius ticked off, pacing in front of the fireplace.
Luke looked confused. "Less I'm not following something, Champ, they're *there*, I'm here, and they can't come here unless they die. Well, except for the Vampire. What with the demon and all. Hey, I wonder if the Slayer could come now too since you screwed up their little One mojo.."
Draconius snorted in disgust. "The Slayer. The One is a concern to *all* dimensions. The greatest worry, that is until we let it get far enough that she actually produced that nightmare of a child. Now, the Peacemaker is out to rid evil from the dimensions. *That*, my insolent friend, would have a great effect on you."
"Oh," Luke repeated, this time, his voice soft. "So, you think the Peacemaker is coming here?"
Draconius pulled a chair angrily in front of Luke and sat down, leaning forward until his face was mere inches from the resident hell god. "Let me ask you something, Lucifer?"
Luke looked frightened. "Uh. yeah?"
"Why, exactly, do you think we're going through all this? Why do you think we sold a large quantity of power to a corrupt heavenly minion to borrow the only creature of heaven that might possibly be immune to the instant kill reaction of said Slayer and said Vampire? And why do you think we spend our days watching a monitor to see what the zombified, temporarily soulless remains of said creature will do to enable our bidding? And why do we care? What is the point?"
Luke shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Thems a lot of questions, parner."
Draconius smirked. "I will tell you why, then. But I will only explain this *once* more." With lightning speed, the Old One grabbed Luke's wrists, pulling him forward until their lips almost touched. "We need the Peacemaker. We need her alive. Only because I will revel in her torture and death. We cannot have a demon do our bidding because the One would simply kill a creature of hell without afterthought. We sent the woman who was once integral to the Slayer's life to enact our spell so that she could slip around unnoticed, spreading our. gift of enlightenment. to the Vampire and the Slayer."
"Why are we giving them gifts again?" Luke asked, his nose again wrinkled in confusion.
"Listen, you numbskull!" Draconius shouted, slapping the side of Luke's head with an open palm. "It is not a gift to them at all. We crossed their channels. Disrupted what it is that makes them the One. Let his essence creep into her and hers into him until their roles are confused."
Luke tilted his head. "I don't get it, though. The Vampire wasn't really all that evil *before* he got all jiggy with the Blondie."
"He also had over a hundred years to learn to control the demon. She does not. She will feel as he did when he first rose. All bloodlust and death. He will try and save her. They will leave the paltry excuse for a gang in charge of the care of their daughter. The woman will be able to walk right under their noses and take her. Bring her back to me." Draconius sat back into his chair, luxuriating in the plan. One that was working. Finally. Despite Luke.
Luke crossed one ankle over one knee and sat back. "Is there any way they can stop this? I mean, anything cutie pie and her little blondie bear can do to make the reversal stop?"
Draconius nodded. "It will wear off on its own once the pawn is removed. Back to their normal, happy existence. Oh, except missing their precious daughter. That might take out a little happy."
Luke grinned in response. "How bout anything else? I mean, the Slayer has been alive longer than the others because she has back up. Which, I'm guessing, is where the Next Generation Child Care center comes into it."
The Old One sighed. "They could. They could break the spell earlier. But only if they discover our pawn. If they break the amulet, the essences will return to balance."
"*That's* not good," Luke sighed. "What's stopping them from doing that?"
Draconius smiled. "As obvious as it seems, and as simple, it has one major drawback, hence my choice of pawn."
A grin broke on the hell god's face. "Yeah? What's that?"
"If they break the amulet, the woman dies. If she dies before the Heavenly ones have reclaimed her soul, which could be weeks with all the red tape, then she belongs to us. If they learn the information on how to deactivate the spell in the Horasci texts, they will surely also know that breaking the amulet will return the automaton to her last known dimension of residence. Permanently."
"And in the case of our poor old girl, that's here," Luke smiled, victoriously. "I liked her too. She's hot."
~~~~~
Anya crept through the halls of the mansion, absolutely certain now that she was fully invisible. She'd past several mirrors and many minions, none of which showed any indication that she was naked and trespassing. This was good, she came to realize. Luke had never been fascinated by politeness. A naked demon on which he had a centuries old crush would be a little too tempting for this particular hell god. Anya contemplated finding clothes, but figured that a cloak passing through hallways with no body attached might draw more attention that her current state of nude invisibility.
The voices in her head had cut off as soon as she entered the mansion. Willow had been helpful in guiding her there. She had remembered some landmarks from her trip. But the place had some sort of psychic scrambler and as soon as Anya had walked through the door, the voices shut off like a radio that had lost power. She was missing the chatter now. Missing the familiar sounds of the lovers and the brat kid sis, and even Xander's wife. She kinda liked Takina. Not that she'd ever admit that out loud.
New voices caught her attention. She was on the top floor of the mansion now, and huge red doors stretched out at the end of the hall. Luke's room. She'd been there once after a kegger and had only escaped the romantic clutches of the hell god because D'Hoffryn had called her for an emergency evisceration. No champagne glass hot tubs full of bubbly blood for her that night. Such a shame.
Anya crept closer, pressing her ear to the door. There was another voice. One she knew but she didn't. The part of her that was demon, that was still infected by that which made her able to do evil, recognized the sound. It was Draconius. The Old One. And Luke. He sounded like most incredibly handsome and well dressed men. Dumb.
She slid on invisible knees to the floor and put her eye up to the keyhole, confirming her suspicions. The Old One held some sort of small TV monitor up before him, and Luke gazed over his shoulder. They were talking. A lot. About important things. It was times like this Anya wished she'd asked for some invisible paraphernalia to go on the trip with her. Like an invisible miracle ear. Or invisible x-ray vision, or at least an invisible pad and paper. But alas, she was on her own. Anya closed her eyes and listened, trying to remember every word spoken as if her life depended on it.
In a way, it did. All of their lives did.
~~~~~
Spike walked, his arm tucked around her. They were dressed now, but the blanket was still wrapped around her as if she was warding off the cold. She was, really. Just not the cold of the night air. The chill within.
Buffy was silent, clinging against him, battling with what was inside of her. The violent, yet incredibly pleasant encounter with Spike had brought her back. Beaten it down. But she could feel it was only temporary. The beast under her skin was merely waiting for the next chance to bubble and make her do things that she couldn't ever fathom doing.
Make her. This thing lived inside Spike every day and it never made him do anything. She was weak.
"I've had a century and a bit to learn to control it," Spike said, audibly answering what he'd learned in her mind.
"So, you used to be this. pathetic?" Buffy asked, her arms wrapped around his waist, not wanting to pull away from his warmth. His love.
"Not pathetic, Love. That's what the Vampire does. The demon inside. Wants blood. Wants violence. Wants pleasure and pain and not a whole bloody hell of a lot else," Spike answered, snuggling her deeper into his jacket.
"You did," Buffy commented quietly.
"Did what, Pet?"
"Wanted more. Even before we." Her words trailed off as she walked down the sidewalk, avoiding the haze of the street lights. She was afraid it might illuminate her for what she was becoming.
Spike sighed, cradling her to him. "*I* did, Pet. Not it."
Her eyes flickered up to his, blinking curiously. "I thought you were it."
He shook his head. "No. S'not like that. I mean, I guess it is for some. There isn't much there when they start, so the demon is all they have. But I. I wanted things when I was alive. And when the demon took me, I still wanted them. Just took me a while to remember is all."
"You couldn't have wanted *me* back then," she commented, pleased by the distraction.
"You were exactly what I wanted," Spike corrected, his strides shortened to match hers. Her hip brushed against his. "Just didn't have a name yet. Demon wanted to take that away. I wouldn't let it."
"Not sure I get it," Buffy asked, her eyes trained up to his now. She wanted to know. He didn't talk much about when he was alive. before.
Spike sighed. He didn't like to talk about William. Well, his first go round. Wanker. Pansy. Not strong enough to stand up to the gits in his social circle. Not man enough to protect his mum and sis. Not smart enough to make it as a scholar. Not strong enough to make it as a labourer. But he had one thing. One thing more than anyone else.
"Love," Spike finally sighed. "I wanted love. To give it. To receive it. To be one with it. To roll in it like a sodding maxi pad ad. I wanted puppies and kittens and hearts exploding with joy and rapture and sod all else. Demon put that lot in perspective, it did. No more strolling down the beach on a sunny afternoon with the wind in my love's hair. Least not for a century or so. No more brilliant innocence. But I still wanted love."
Buffy was silent for a long moment, and then she giggled. "Maxi pad ads?"
Spike snorted. "Living in a house full of birds and watching enough Passions will do that to a man. Forcing us to watch all those girlie commercials. Think the world might revolve around feminine hygiene, nappies and Dr Phil if you watch the telly tween the hours of noon and four."
"Maxi pad ad?" Buffy repeated, giggling.
"You know. Walking down the beach in the summer sun and love's abounding, just because your girl has Always with wings?"
To that, Buffy had to guffaw. Tears rolled down her face, her eyes squeezing shut. Her knees gave way and she ended up falling in a heap on the curve, laughter bubbling from her throat, quelling the beast like nothing else he could have said or done.
Knew he could do it. Tame it for her while she couldn't. It had been worth the momentary embarrassment.
Not to mention, to hear her laugh and to have her joy pump in his veins was intoxicating. Beautiful. Perfect.
He hadn't lied about the love thing. Just about the maxi pad ad. Well, kind of.
"You all right, Pet?" Spike chortled, settling on the curb next to her. Her eyes still streamed tears and her giggles were second only to the joyous tremble of her form.
"You're kidding, right?" Buffy sputtered, trying to control her breath enough to speak.
"Bout what, Pet?" Spike answered, wrapping his arm around her vibrating shoulder.
"The William bit?"
"About Love?"
"Yeah," Buffy giggled, through the tears.
Spike sighed. "Alas, that part is the painful truth," he answered. "Love is what taught me to control the demon. The search for it, the practice of it, the feeling. That's what it was about for me."
She looked at him, her giggles stopping, her eyes wet and happy. "Really?"
He nodded, his head tilting. "How I made it to you."
A small smile broke on her face. "So, all those years of overcoming this *thing* that wanted to control you was because you wanted to love someone?"
"And be loved," Spike answered, his eyes dropping to his knees. He hadn't planned on an encounter session, but if it bought him a few more minutes with his girl, he'd embarrass himself publicly for a millennia.
Slowly, Buffy toppled to the side, leaning her head into his shoulder. "You find it yet?"
Spike kissed the crown of her head, pulling her in tighter. " That I did, Love. Not letting it go, either."
"Good," Buffy sighed.
"We should head back. See if the rest of the lot has found anything else, all right?"
"Yeah," Buffy answered, pushing herself up and extending a hand back down to him. He took hers gently, feeling her touch. Her warmth. Terrified that it would go away. He clung to it, savouring it like any touch of hers might be the last. For a moment, her eyes locked in his. Buffy's eyes.
Love can defeat it. He could hear it echoing in her head.
Believe.
Finally he stood, wrapping an arm around her and beginning back to the house. "Oh, one thing," Buffy giggled.
"What's that, Love?"
"You are henceforth banned from daytime TV. Dawn will have to tape Passions for you without commercials."
Spike smiled. "Just when I was getting fond of that bloke Dr Phil."
To be contd.-