Chapter 9
Another One Joins the Party
The tears continued to stream down her face. Closing the book and leaving it on the island she made her way to the bathroom. Maybe a shower would make her feel better. Tossing her clothes on the floor she entered the shower trying to put thoughts of her ex-lover out of her mind. The warm jets of water soothed her muscles but not the ache in her soul.
Spike came bursting through the kitchen door, smoke rising from the blanket that protected his cool dead body. "Slayer,…. Buffy you here?" the vampire called as he move through the lower part of the house. He could hear someone in the shower. It was probably Buffy. Thoughts of her naked wet body under a spray of water made him instantly hard. His brain was on overload and he started to ascend the stairs. They had never made love in a shower. It was than that he remembered that they might never make love again. In her mind it was over. Fear gripped his heart and he reconsidered entering the bathroom. He would demonstrate to her that he could exhibit some restraint. Taking a deep breath and willing his body to listen to his head he made his way back down the stairs to the kitchen.
What to do while I waited for her, he thought. Maybe she has some of those little pretzels I like. He didn't find any pretzels, but he found some cheesy crackers and a container of pig's blood in the fridge. Sitting down at the island with his nuked blood and box of crackers he noticed the book. "Now what do we have here?" he said out loud. It took only a sparse moment for him to comprehend what he had in his hands. "It's Buffy's diary" he mumbled to himself.
Dropping the book like it was holy water, the vampire continued to stare at it. She would stake me if I sneaked a peek. But I'm an evil vampire, I do evil things, after all if she didn't want anyone to see it she shouldn't have left it sitting around where I can find it, he thought as he picked up the book and started reading.
With a towel wrapped around her body, Buffy dashed to her bedroom to change. She had been in the bathroom for almost an hour. She wasn't sure if she was up to any more reading, but she had promised Willow and Dawn she would give them a rundown. As she entered the kitchen she thought she entered the twilight zone. Spike was in her kitchen and reading the journal.
"What are you doing and here?" she demanded.
"Came for a visit. And you should be grateful. If you think you can pass this off as the truth you are sorely mistaken" he said while waving the journal in the air. "I do have a reputation to keep. Those stuffy watchers will think you have flipped, unless that is what you're going for. After all Giles keeps diaries too and they won't match. If you're pulling a scam on those watchers I'm in with you, but it might be tricky to pull off. Except the part about me being the hottest and best …"
He was cut off by Buffy's scream.
"Spike shut up" she yelled. "It is not you…..you stupid vampire."
"Ah ha, I guess this isn't about me. 'My name is Spike. And to answer your other question, yes I know what vampires are. And Buffy… thank you for the dance'" Spike read from the journal. "How many Spike's you know luv?"
"It is someone else. I swear, it's not you" she told him while looking him straight in the eye.
He believed her. His heart sunk as the realization that she might have done those things with someone else struck him. Pain washed across his face. "Let me get my blanket and I'll be out of your way" he said grabbing his blanket and racing for the door.
"Spike wait. It's not you because it's not me. This is not my journal" she spoke into the back of the fleeing vampire.
He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. "I'm not getting you luv."
"This journal came from Whistler. It belongs to a Buffy from another dimension. He thought I should read it. Said it might help me make some decisions" she told him sincerity in her voice.
Spike gave her his patient smirk and made his way back to one of the kitchen chairs. "So lets get this straight this other bird is shagging my double."
"That appears to be the case," she said grudgingly.
"You weren't going to tell me about this. Why am I not surprised? I'm always out of the bloody loop," he said shaking his head and refusing to make eye contact with her.
"I just got it last night. This is getting so out of hand. First Willow and Dawn, and now you," she said sarcastically. As she plopped down on a chair beside Spike she added, "It is strange. Reading about people you know but they're not. Also, the whole you and I thing redone differently. I'm just a little freaked." Her eyes met his and she asked "Aren't you at least a little surprised?"
"Well the guy is a bastard I'll give him that. Back than I was too, so I can see that. Wanting to shag you even back than……..that part is true. Wanted you the minute I saw you. Now that freaked me out, that is why I…"
"What did you say?" she demanded cutting him off.
"You were hot and a little fire cracker…..those little short dresses ….."
"Not that… the part. The part about him being a bastard" she inquired.
"Well yeah, pulling that scam. Right brilliant if you ask me. He was more patient than I was. Back than I never could have stayed away from Dru that long. How times have changed." He paused when he realized her expression had gone sour. "You do realize that that bastard isn't me?"
TBC
