A/N: So sorry I haven't updated (that's become a habit,
huh?)...embarrassingly enough, I've been grounded due to an incident with a
progress report (Apparently, the time I spend writing fanfic is supposed to
be used for studying Spanish. Go figure.) So the updates might be more
sporadic, but I'll do my very best. So here's the next chapter for ya :)
~
Hear the snow crunch See the kid's bunch This is Santa's big sce -
Buffy reached her arm across the kitchen counter and cut off the melodious sound of Bing Crosby's voice.
"Buffy, I was listening to that." Joyce crossed her arms and cast an annoyed glare her way.
"I just don't see why Mr. White Christmas' voice has to go through our house * constantly *. Without end. Ever. On and on and on. Incessantly -"
"I get your point, Buffy." Joyce shook her head and began scrubbing a dish, "I just don't understand it. You used to love Christmas."
"Bah humbug." Buffy muttered to herself, grabbing her strategically thrown coat from off the floor.
"Where are you going?" Buffy snapped her eyes shut. She's just a concerned mother, she's just a concerned mother...
"I told you. I'm going over to Will's to study." She lied fluidly.
"Fine. Just be back before 11."
"It might take longer than that. I'm all with the trying to understand the information. Which is not an easy task."
"12 then. And I still don't think that having a major cram session at Willow's the night before the test is the best way to go about-" But Buffy swiftly cut her off with a kiss on the cheek.
"Love you." She flipped her long, blonde hair up in a ponytail before slamming the door behind her, ready for another patrol.
~
F...R...E...D...E...R...I...
Spike lazily trailed his pale finger over the stark letters upon the grave.
C...K...B...A...L...
"So, Giles gave you a heads up about this guy, too?"
"Buffy."
"Present." She smiled. Spike smirked back and moved over, patting the grass next to him.
"So, other than waiting for..." She stole a glance towards the name, " Frederick B. Albertson to wake up, what've you been up to?" Spike shrugged and leaned back on his hands to mirror Buffy.
"Not too much. Giles has been pounding me with all these prophecies, which doesn't leave much for down time. I swear, one of them is written in Sumerian Ebonics." Buffy laughed knowingly.
"Yeah, they can be a little hard to decipher sometimes." Spike snorted at that.
"Like you know."
"I could translate if I wanted to."
"You don't know the difference between an Egyptian and a Nubian, let alone the differences in their languages." Buffy stuck her tongue out at Spike and sat back. He glanced over at her and watched her eyebrows tighten and her mouth pout. She opened her mouth, which was forming into a question...
"The Nubians lived south of Egypt during ancient times. They were eventually usurped by the Egyptian empire, yadda, yadda. You'll have to ask Giles about the differences in their languages, though." Spike intervened. She nodded, stifling a laugh. She touched his duster gently.
"Where'd you get this?" She asked, her index finger making small circles that burned into Spike's skin.
"Um, well, that's a long story, luv..." He whispered, hoarsely, trying to ignore the unmistakable tingling in his heart...which would've been pounding had he been alive.
"We've got time. Freddie here seems to be taking an extra long nap."
"During a fight in the 70's, with a slayer, when I was still evil."
"You killed her." Buffy said stonily.
"Yeah, I did." Spike felt remorse flow through his veins where the blood should've been. "I broke her neck and killed her...on a subway...and I took her coat. As a bloody token of victory. When I got my soul back, I was ready to burn it. But, ah, * someone * told me that I should keep the jacket, to remember who I was and to remember who I am now. That I use my powers for good, but in order to keep sight of that, I need to remember my past, which is the purpose of my still wearing it." Buffy reached out to touch his arm, but thought better of it.
"How long have you had your soul?" Buffy asked.
"I'm not sure." Spike replied, honestly. Time was so foreign to him now. Months felt like seconds, yet hours felt like centuries, but the centuries he had seen felt like they had never happened. And the years he had seen and were seeing again felt as though they were breathing on the nape of his neck, like secrets waiting to be revealed. He longed to tell this all to Buffy, but she wouldn't understand. Not without him revealing everything to her, which he couldn't do. Or at least, he didn't have the stones to do.
Buffy stared at Spike, who was lost in thought. She smiled sadly, her heart going out to the tortured creature. She rummaged through her handbag and grabbed the rolled up package of pop rocks.
"Pop rock?" She held it out to him, smiling happily. He stared at her for a second before bursting out into laughter. Buffy followed suit. They laughed and laughed and laughed until their sides hurt and they were physically unable to stop laughing. Neither of them knew what they were laughing at and it didn't matter. It just felt good to laugh. Buffy coughed out a few more stray laughs. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and flung her arm around Spike's shoulder.
"Spike," she quoted, "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
A/N: Sorry about the short chapter...I have a half day of school tomorrow so I'll have a lot of extra writing time, so I'm hoping to get in at least * two * really long chapters by Saturday. Then I won't be writing again until Wednesday.
~
Hear the snow crunch See the kid's bunch This is Santa's big sce -
Buffy reached her arm across the kitchen counter and cut off the melodious sound of Bing Crosby's voice.
"Buffy, I was listening to that." Joyce crossed her arms and cast an annoyed glare her way.
"I just don't see why Mr. White Christmas' voice has to go through our house * constantly *. Without end. Ever. On and on and on. Incessantly -"
"I get your point, Buffy." Joyce shook her head and began scrubbing a dish, "I just don't understand it. You used to love Christmas."
"Bah humbug." Buffy muttered to herself, grabbing her strategically thrown coat from off the floor.
"Where are you going?" Buffy snapped her eyes shut. She's just a concerned mother, she's just a concerned mother...
"I told you. I'm going over to Will's to study." She lied fluidly.
"Fine. Just be back before 11."
"It might take longer than that. I'm all with the trying to understand the information. Which is not an easy task."
"12 then. And I still don't think that having a major cram session at Willow's the night before the test is the best way to go about-" But Buffy swiftly cut her off with a kiss on the cheek.
"Love you." She flipped her long, blonde hair up in a ponytail before slamming the door behind her, ready for another patrol.
~
F...R...E...D...E...R...I...
Spike lazily trailed his pale finger over the stark letters upon the grave.
C...K...B...A...L...
"So, Giles gave you a heads up about this guy, too?"
"Buffy."
"Present." She smiled. Spike smirked back and moved over, patting the grass next to him.
"So, other than waiting for..." She stole a glance towards the name, " Frederick B. Albertson to wake up, what've you been up to?" Spike shrugged and leaned back on his hands to mirror Buffy.
"Not too much. Giles has been pounding me with all these prophecies, which doesn't leave much for down time. I swear, one of them is written in Sumerian Ebonics." Buffy laughed knowingly.
"Yeah, they can be a little hard to decipher sometimes." Spike snorted at that.
"Like you know."
"I could translate if I wanted to."
"You don't know the difference between an Egyptian and a Nubian, let alone the differences in their languages." Buffy stuck her tongue out at Spike and sat back. He glanced over at her and watched her eyebrows tighten and her mouth pout. She opened her mouth, which was forming into a question...
"The Nubians lived south of Egypt during ancient times. They were eventually usurped by the Egyptian empire, yadda, yadda. You'll have to ask Giles about the differences in their languages, though." Spike intervened. She nodded, stifling a laugh. She touched his duster gently.
"Where'd you get this?" She asked, her index finger making small circles that burned into Spike's skin.
"Um, well, that's a long story, luv..." He whispered, hoarsely, trying to ignore the unmistakable tingling in his heart...which would've been pounding had he been alive.
"We've got time. Freddie here seems to be taking an extra long nap."
"During a fight in the 70's, with a slayer, when I was still evil."
"You killed her." Buffy said stonily.
"Yeah, I did." Spike felt remorse flow through his veins where the blood should've been. "I broke her neck and killed her...on a subway...and I took her coat. As a bloody token of victory. When I got my soul back, I was ready to burn it. But, ah, * someone * told me that I should keep the jacket, to remember who I was and to remember who I am now. That I use my powers for good, but in order to keep sight of that, I need to remember my past, which is the purpose of my still wearing it." Buffy reached out to touch his arm, but thought better of it.
"How long have you had your soul?" Buffy asked.
"I'm not sure." Spike replied, honestly. Time was so foreign to him now. Months felt like seconds, yet hours felt like centuries, but the centuries he had seen felt like they had never happened. And the years he had seen and were seeing again felt as though they were breathing on the nape of his neck, like secrets waiting to be revealed. He longed to tell this all to Buffy, but she wouldn't understand. Not without him revealing everything to her, which he couldn't do. Or at least, he didn't have the stones to do.
Buffy stared at Spike, who was lost in thought. She smiled sadly, her heart going out to the tortured creature. She rummaged through her handbag and grabbed the rolled up package of pop rocks.
"Pop rock?" She held it out to him, smiling happily. He stared at her for a second before bursting out into laughter. Buffy followed suit. They laughed and laughed and laughed until their sides hurt and they were physically unable to stop laughing. Neither of them knew what they were laughing at and it didn't matter. It just felt good to laugh. Buffy coughed out a few more stray laughs. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and flung her arm around Spike's shoulder.
"Spike," she quoted, "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
A/N: Sorry about the short chapter...I have a half day of school tomorrow so I'll have a lot of extra writing time, so I'm hoping to get in at least * two * really long chapters by Saturday. Then I won't be writing again until Wednesday.
