Chapter 4
Surprisingly, Spike was silent the whole way to the butchers and even once he and Buffy got out into the cemetery his lips remained shut. It was beginning to bother Buffy.
"What's wrong?" she asked stopping between two graves.
Spike came to a halt a few feet from her and didn't answer. He stood looking at the ground his eyes flicking from one blade of grass to another.
"Spike." she said just as a vampire pulled her down from behind. A slap, kick, punch, and then a stake and the vampire was ashes. Turning around to again ask Spike why he was so quiet, Buffy discovered that Spike was no longer next to her. Frustrated, Buffy trudged off through the cemetery looking for Spike and vampires to slay.
Her search turned out to be fruitless. No vampires, and no Spike. Tired Buffy sat down on a gravestone and rested her chin in her hands. It had been a lonely summer while Riley was in Ohio visiting his family. The Tara had left to visit her family as well. For Buffy and Willow the summer would never end, and that was a bad thing.
Suddenly Buffy heard Spike scream and she jumped off the gravestone and hit the ground in a dead run. Dashing through gravestones Buffy felt a strange urge to not let Spike die, yet; she wanted to kill him. She found Spike pinned to the outside wall to his crypt by the girl from the bronze. In her hand was a stake, and it was poised precariously over Spike's heart. Spike whimpered when he saw Buffy indicating that she was to save him since he couldn't hurt the girl holding him prisoner.
"I wouldn't kill him," Buffy said.
Casually the girl turned to face Buffy, the stake still at Spike's heart as if she had known Buffy was there all along. "And why not?" she asked. "Oh wait, you're not feeling sorry for another vampire are you now Buffy?"
Enraged Buffy flinched towards the girl but something held her back, it was the same sort of feeling that had made her come running to Spike's rescue. "He happens to be a friend of mine yes." Spike smiled. "But he's not worth killing. He couldn't hurt you if he wanted to." Spike growled.
"Oh, The Initiative got you huh?" the girl said turning back to Spike. "Sorry hun, that's a shame but I've still got a duty to do, and if the Slayer won't so it then I will."
Quickly Buffy threw herself at the girl and managed to wrestle the stake away from her before Spike was turned into ashes. The girl had been exceptionally strong, but no match for the Slayer. Buffy carefully tucked the stake into her coat and pushed Spike behind her as she turned to face the girl again.
"Fine," the girl said lowering her guard. "I won't kill Spike here. My name's Kira Erskine."
"Buffy Summers," Buffy replied. "But I see that you knew that. How do you know this is Spike?"
"Long story," Kira replied keeping her eyes carefully away from Spike's gaze. "And how I know about Angel is also a long story, but one that I'm willing to tell if ya want to hear it."
"Yes, I would." Buffy replied. "My house isn't too far from here." Then turning to Spike Buffy said, "I'll be by to see you later, and I want some sort of explanation for tonight, cause if she won't tell me, you are."
Turning on her heel Buffy led the way out of the cemetery. Kira followed and just before she was out of hearing range she whispered, "I'll be seeing you soon."
Once both girls were safely out of the cemetery Spike collapsed on the ground and shook his head in frustration. 'What a night,' he thought. 'What a night.'
"So your cousin Billy is Angel's friend Billy, and after you ran away from home because your father was going to marry you to a old, fat, and ugly Scottish lord you went to stay with him for awhile and therefore met Angel." Buffy said summing up what Kira had just related to her.
"Yeah," Kira replied. "I got to know Angel really well. He talks about you quite a bit, well at least around people he trusts." Buffy smiled softly and looked down at her hands. "Anyway," Kira continued. "I was getting to be a handful down there, so Billy and Angel decided it would be good for me to come up here to see you. See I used to be a potential, when I was younger I could have been chosen as the Slayer if you died, but you didn't, well I didn't get chosen. Then after a potential turns 17 the Council doesn't consider you a potential anymore, so anyway Billy though it would be good maybe for me to train with you. If you don't mind."
"No not at all." Buffy said smiling at Kira. "It'll be fun, and besides you're great entertainment at the Bronze."
Kira smiled too. "Yeah, my mother taught me how to sing. She had a really pretty voice. See she used to be a siren, but when she was 18 her and my father were at a costume party and he was all drunk when he met her, so the siren's spell didn't affect him. They fell in love that night, and the spell on her was broken."
"Wow, your mother was a siren? I didn't even know they existed." Buffy said somewhat awed.
"They're more common in Europe that America."
"So, why did you know who Spike is?" Buffy asked tentatively.
"I'll tell you as soon as I work some things out with him. We need to talk. I was going to go over to his crypt now and I'll tell you the whole thing when I get back if you want to wait up."
"Yeah sure, I'll just be watching the late night television." Buffy said fluffing the pillows up behind her on the couch. Kira smiled again, pulled on her jean jacket and slipped out the back door of the Summers' house.
"Knock, knock" Kira said striding into Spike's crypt.
"What do you want," Spike grumbled from somewhere in the darkness of the room.
"To talk," Kira replied sitting down on the chair in front of the TV.
"What about?" Spike said emerging into the false light that lit the chamber.
"Cecily." Kira replied shortly. Spike turned to leave, but Kira bounced off the chair and caught him lightly by the arm. Her loose grip startled Spike and he turned to look at her curiously.
"I didn't come here to take vengeance on for my family's sake like Angel. I just kind of want to know what happened. It would make me feel better about some about myself."
"Fine," Spike said, "what do you want to know?"
"Why did you kill her? What did she do to you?"
"She broke my heart. I loved her more than anything and she told me that I was beneath her. Happy?"
Kira said nothing.
"Well you got what you came here for you can go now. I'm happier sulking by myself."
"William."
"My name's Spike now, William is dead."
"You know that's not tr."
"Yes I do, now go."
Kira slowly let go of Spike's arm and turned to go. She opened the door to the crypt and stepped out into the darkness. Quickly she turned back to look at Spike and said, "Angel warned me, but I thought maybe he was wrong, I thought maybe you had changed. I guess not."
"Kira." Spike said taking a step towards her, but she was gone.
Surprisingly, Spike was silent the whole way to the butchers and even once he and Buffy got out into the cemetery his lips remained shut. It was beginning to bother Buffy.
"What's wrong?" she asked stopping between two graves.
Spike came to a halt a few feet from her and didn't answer. He stood looking at the ground his eyes flicking from one blade of grass to another.
"Spike." she said just as a vampire pulled her down from behind. A slap, kick, punch, and then a stake and the vampire was ashes. Turning around to again ask Spike why he was so quiet, Buffy discovered that Spike was no longer next to her. Frustrated, Buffy trudged off through the cemetery looking for Spike and vampires to slay.
Her search turned out to be fruitless. No vampires, and no Spike. Tired Buffy sat down on a gravestone and rested her chin in her hands. It had been a lonely summer while Riley was in Ohio visiting his family. The Tara had left to visit her family as well. For Buffy and Willow the summer would never end, and that was a bad thing.
Suddenly Buffy heard Spike scream and she jumped off the gravestone and hit the ground in a dead run. Dashing through gravestones Buffy felt a strange urge to not let Spike die, yet; she wanted to kill him. She found Spike pinned to the outside wall to his crypt by the girl from the bronze. In her hand was a stake, and it was poised precariously over Spike's heart. Spike whimpered when he saw Buffy indicating that she was to save him since he couldn't hurt the girl holding him prisoner.
"I wouldn't kill him," Buffy said.
Casually the girl turned to face Buffy, the stake still at Spike's heart as if she had known Buffy was there all along. "And why not?" she asked. "Oh wait, you're not feeling sorry for another vampire are you now Buffy?"
Enraged Buffy flinched towards the girl but something held her back, it was the same sort of feeling that had made her come running to Spike's rescue. "He happens to be a friend of mine yes." Spike smiled. "But he's not worth killing. He couldn't hurt you if he wanted to." Spike growled.
"Oh, The Initiative got you huh?" the girl said turning back to Spike. "Sorry hun, that's a shame but I've still got a duty to do, and if the Slayer won't so it then I will."
Quickly Buffy threw herself at the girl and managed to wrestle the stake away from her before Spike was turned into ashes. The girl had been exceptionally strong, but no match for the Slayer. Buffy carefully tucked the stake into her coat and pushed Spike behind her as she turned to face the girl again.
"Fine," the girl said lowering her guard. "I won't kill Spike here. My name's Kira Erskine."
"Buffy Summers," Buffy replied. "But I see that you knew that. How do you know this is Spike?"
"Long story," Kira replied keeping her eyes carefully away from Spike's gaze. "And how I know about Angel is also a long story, but one that I'm willing to tell if ya want to hear it."
"Yes, I would." Buffy replied. "My house isn't too far from here." Then turning to Spike Buffy said, "I'll be by to see you later, and I want some sort of explanation for tonight, cause if she won't tell me, you are."
Turning on her heel Buffy led the way out of the cemetery. Kira followed and just before she was out of hearing range she whispered, "I'll be seeing you soon."
Once both girls were safely out of the cemetery Spike collapsed on the ground and shook his head in frustration. 'What a night,' he thought. 'What a night.'
"So your cousin Billy is Angel's friend Billy, and after you ran away from home because your father was going to marry you to a old, fat, and ugly Scottish lord you went to stay with him for awhile and therefore met Angel." Buffy said summing up what Kira had just related to her.
"Yeah," Kira replied. "I got to know Angel really well. He talks about you quite a bit, well at least around people he trusts." Buffy smiled softly and looked down at her hands. "Anyway," Kira continued. "I was getting to be a handful down there, so Billy and Angel decided it would be good for me to come up here to see you. See I used to be a potential, when I was younger I could have been chosen as the Slayer if you died, but you didn't, well I didn't get chosen. Then after a potential turns 17 the Council doesn't consider you a potential anymore, so anyway Billy though it would be good maybe for me to train with you. If you don't mind."
"No not at all." Buffy said smiling at Kira. "It'll be fun, and besides you're great entertainment at the Bronze."
Kira smiled too. "Yeah, my mother taught me how to sing. She had a really pretty voice. See she used to be a siren, but when she was 18 her and my father were at a costume party and he was all drunk when he met her, so the siren's spell didn't affect him. They fell in love that night, and the spell on her was broken."
"Wow, your mother was a siren? I didn't even know they existed." Buffy said somewhat awed.
"They're more common in Europe that America."
"So, why did you know who Spike is?" Buffy asked tentatively.
"I'll tell you as soon as I work some things out with him. We need to talk. I was going to go over to his crypt now and I'll tell you the whole thing when I get back if you want to wait up."
"Yeah sure, I'll just be watching the late night television." Buffy said fluffing the pillows up behind her on the couch. Kira smiled again, pulled on her jean jacket and slipped out the back door of the Summers' house.
"Knock, knock" Kira said striding into Spike's crypt.
"What do you want," Spike grumbled from somewhere in the darkness of the room.
"To talk," Kira replied sitting down on the chair in front of the TV.
"What about?" Spike said emerging into the false light that lit the chamber.
"Cecily." Kira replied shortly. Spike turned to leave, but Kira bounced off the chair and caught him lightly by the arm. Her loose grip startled Spike and he turned to look at her curiously.
"I didn't come here to take vengeance on for my family's sake like Angel. I just kind of want to know what happened. It would make me feel better about some about myself."
"Fine," Spike said, "what do you want to know?"
"Why did you kill her? What did she do to you?"
"She broke my heart. I loved her more than anything and she told me that I was beneath her. Happy?"
Kira said nothing.
"Well you got what you came here for you can go now. I'm happier sulking by myself."
"William."
"My name's Spike now, William is dead."
"You know that's not tr."
"Yes I do, now go."
Kira slowly let go of Spike's arm and turned to go. She opened the door to the crypt and stepped out into the darkness. Quickly she turned back to look at Spike and said, "Angel warned me, but I thought maybe he was wrong, I thought maybe you had changed. I guess not."
"Kira." Spike said taking a step towards her, but she was gone.
