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CHAPTER FIVE
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*
They were midway down the cliff when the demon caught up with them.
It was obviously of a species that favoured brawn over brains, because instead of, say, *stopping* at the cliff edge, the enraged creature barrelled right over the edge and plummeted to the ground below. And even a nondescript demon as big and tough as that couldn't expect to survive the fall. Being made of stone, it broke into several pieces on impact and promptly died.
And that was the end of that.
"Well that was anticlimatic." said Buffy.
"Yeah." It was almost disappointing.
They shared a brief moment of silence.
"So what now?" Spike finally asked.
The Slayer shrugged, craning her neck to look up. "We keep going. It's too dark for me to climb back up there. I can't see where to go."
"I can." he commented smugly. "I could leave you hanging here all night. Maybe I will."
Buffy remained unimpressed. "Woop-de-doo. Get down there." She gave him a shove and he fell a few feet before regaining his grip.
"Bitch."
After much grumbling and a few choice death threats from both parties, they made it to the bottom unscathed.
"Okay," announced Buffy briskly. "Now... we walk."
"What?" cried Spike. "For how bloody long? I don't have all night you know." Well actually he did, but it was the principal of the matter.
"And I do? You should just be grateful I saved you from that monster, mister."
They began to trek along the sand.
"Saved me?! You broke my ribs then scarpered! You made things worse."
"That is such a lie," Buffy snapped. "You were glad to see me. I saw it."
"I wasn't glad, I was *hopeful*. That it would kill you!"
Buffy pretended to be hurt. "After all we've shared?"
He chuckled at that, and slung an arm companionably about her shoulders. "Yeah..."
"Ugh, get *off* me." It was a token protest - he didn't remove the arm and she didn't make him. Buffy shivered. She was cold, and at the very least Spike acted as a buffer against the chilly sea breeze.
*
*
*
They wandered for a while. The beach was really kinda pretty at night, Buffy thought. Shame about the company. And the cold factor. She shivered again.
"Don't think I don't know what you're doing, Slayer."
She frowned at his obnoxious voice disturbing the peaceful night. "What?"
He smirked knowingly. "The shivering. Just because vamps don't feel the cold and you do, doesn't mean I'm lending you my duster."
"Huh?" Why would she want that gross old thing?
"I'm evil." he said firmly. "I don't help Slayers. I dance on their graves."
Buffy stopped and looked at him, scrunching her nose up and trying to picture it. "Really?"
"Well... no." he admitted. "That'd be weird, wouldn't it? I'm not much of a dancer anyway. But you know what I mean."
She blew into her hands to warm them. "Actually, most of the time I have no idea what you're talking about." They resumed walking once more. "Good thing what you have to say doesn't matter."
"I resent that."
"Oh, really?" Buffy turned and raised a brow at him. "Well *I* resent the fact that you ruined my chances with Riley!" Come to think of it she hadn't punched him once this evening and boy, did he deserve it. She glared at him, fists clenched.
Spike backed up, hands raised in defence. "Easy there, Slayer..."
Unfortunately he backed right into the sea. "Oh hell."
His boots and the bottoms of his jeans were completely saturated. Buffy found it funny until realisation set in. The sea hadn't been that close before, right? "Spike?"
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." He squelched over to her moodily.
"No... I think the tide's coming in."
Spike threw his arms into the air and laughed. "Oh! Perfect! And here I thought things couldn't get any worse!"
Buffy bit her lip, worried. They'd walked pretty far and still hadn't reached any way of getting back to town, and it didn't look like they would. What if... no. She shuddered, not particularly wanting to get trapped on the beach and drown. Again. And like eveything else this evening, it was All. Spike's. Fault.
"You planned all this hoping to drive me insane, didn't you?" she demanded.
"What?"
"This is all part of one of your big evil plans!" she cried furiously.
He looked at her sidelong. "Yeah." he drawled. "Because I was always *so* good at those."
Buffy thought back and yes, had to agree that his plans had always been pretty lame, kinda like he'd flung them together at the last minute without stopping to think things through. She sighed. Fine: he hadn't planned it. That didn't stop it from being his fault.
There wasn't any time to escape the incoming tide, so they retreated to a nearby rock where Buffy sat down, drawing her knees up to her chin and frowning out to sea. Maybe, if she looked hard enough, a boat would appear?
Spike calmly pulled a flask out of his pocket and drank from it. Stuck, were they? Well that was inconvenient. He looked pensive. Now what would The A Team do...?
Buffy caught a whiff of the liquor fumes from his flask and made a face in disgust, trying to waft them away. "You're such an alcoholic."
"No I'm not!" Spike said defensively. He sniffed haughtily. "I'm a *drunk*. Alcoholics go to meetings."
She stared incredulously. "Well I'm glad we got that cleared up."
Spike nodded solemnly. "Me too." He continued drinking.
Buffy shook her head. He was so totally an alcoholic. She turned back to the ocean... was that...? Suddenly she jumped to her feet, waving frantically and leaping around the beach, limbs flailing.
"...And *that's* why I don't dance." observed Spike. She obviously shouldn't either, it looked bizarre (yet, he had to admit, somewhat hypnotic...) - what on Earth was she doing?
"A boat!" shrieked Buffy. "HELP! HELP ME!"
Ahh... that's what she was up to.
Amazingly, the Slayer's display did manage to attract the boat's attention rather than scare it off, and it came as close as it could. An old man who looked to be a fisherman beckoned them over. How foolishly trusting of him. Oh well. Spike shrugged and waded across.
Buffy whimpered, reluctantly removing her shoes and wincing as she stepped into the freezing cold ocean, and began to wade too. She gritted her teeth as the water reached her thighs.
Yet another reason why it sucked to be short.
*
*
*
*
*
TBC..... when Buffy and Spike pay a visit to dear old Joyce.
*
*
*
ast*P
*
CHAPTER FIVE
*
*
They were midway down the cliff when the demon caught up with them.
It was obviously of a species that favoured brawn over brains, because instead of, say, *stopping* at the cliff edge, the enraged creature barrelled right over the edge and plummeted to the ground below. And even a nondescript demon as big and tough as that couldn't expect to survive the fall. Being made of stone, it broke into several pieces on impact and promptly died.
And that was the end of that.
"Well that was anticlimatic." said Buffy.
"Yeah." It was almost disappointing.
They shared a brief moment of silence.
"So what now?" Spike finally asked.
The Slayer shrugged, craning her neck to look up. "We keep going. It's too dark for me to climb back up there. I can't see where to go."
"I can." he commented smugly. "I could leave you hanging here all night. Maybe I will."
Buffy remained unimpressed. "Woop-de-doo. Get down there." She gave him a shove and he fell a few feet before regaining his grip.
"Bitch."
After much grumbling and a few choice death threats from both parties, they made it to the bottom unscathed.
"Okay," announced Buffy briskly. "Now... we walk."
"What?" cried Spike. "For how bloody long? I don't have all night you know." Well actually he did, but it was the principal of the matter.
"And I do? You should just be grateful I saved you from that monster, mister."
They began to trek along the sand.
"Saved me?! You broke my ribs then scarpered! You made things worse."
"That is such a lie," Buffy snapped. "You were glad to see me. I saw it."
"I wasn't glad, I was *hopeful*. That it would kill you!"
Buffy pretended to be hurt. "After all we've shared?"
He chuckled at that, and slung an arm companionably about her shoulders. "Yeah..."
"Ugh, get *off* me." It was a token protest - he didn't remove the arm and she didn't make him. Buffy shivered. She was cold, and at the very least Spike acted as a buffer against the chilly sea breeze.
*
*
*
They wandered for a while. The beach was really kinda pretty at night, Buffy thought. Shame about the company. And the cold factor. She shivered again.
"Don't think I don't know what you're doing, Slayer."
She frowned at his obnoxious voice disturbing the peaceful night. "What?"
He smirked knowingly. "The shivering. Just because vamps don't feel the cold and you do, doesn't mean I'm lending you my duster."
"Huh?" Why would she want that gross old thing?
"I'm evil." he said firmly. "I don't help Slayers. I dance on their graves."
Buffy stopped and looked at him, scrunching her nose up and trying to picture it. "Really?"
"Well... no." he admitted. "That'd be weird, wouldn't it? I'm not much of a dancer anyway. But you know what I mean."
She blew into her hands to warm them. "Actually, most of the time I have no idea what you're talking about." They resumed walking once more. "Good thing what you have to say doesn't matter."
"I resent that."
"Oh, really?" Buffy turned and raised a brow at him. "Well *I* resent the fact that you ruined my chances with Riley!" Come to think of it she hadn't punched him once this evening and boy, did he deserve it. She glared at him, fists clenched.
Spike backed up, hands raised in defence. "Easy there, Slayer..."
Unfortunately he backed right into the sea. "Oh hell."
His boots and the bottoms of his jeans were completely saturated. Buffy found it funny until realisation set in. The sea hadn't been that close before, right? "Spike?"
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." He squelched over to her moodily.
"No... I think the tide's coming in."
Spike threw his arms into the air and laughed. "Oh! Perfect! And here I thought things couldn't get any worse!"
Buffy bit her lip, worried. They'd walked pretty far and still hadn't reached any way of getting back to town, and it didn't look like they would. What if... no. She shuddered, not particularly wanting to get trapped on the beach and drown. Again. And like eveything else this evening, it was All. Spike's. Fault.
"You planned all this hoping to drive me insane, didn't you?" she demanded.
"What?"
"This is all part of one of your big evil plans!" she cried furiously.
He looked at her sidelong. "Yeah." he drawled. "Because I was always *so* good at those."
Buffy thought back and yes, had to agree that his plans had always been pretty lame, kinda like he'd flung them together at the last minute without stopping to think things through. She sighed. Fine: he hadn't planned it. That didn't stop it from being his fault.
There wasn't any time to escape the incoming tide, so they retreated to a nearby rock where Buffy sat down, drawing her knees up to her chin and frowning out to sea. Maybe, if she looked hard enough, a boat would appear?
Spike calmly pulled a flask out of his pocket and drank from it. Stuck, were they? Well that was inconvenient. He looked pensive. Now what would The A Team do...?
Buffy caught a whiff of the liquor fumes from his flask and made a face in disgust, trying to waft them away. "You're such an alcoholic."
"No I'm not!" Spike said defensively. He sniffed haughtily. "I'm a *drunk*. Alcoholics go to meetings."
She stared incredulously. "Well I'm glad we got that cleared up."
Spike nodded solemnly. "Me too." He continued drinking.
Buffy shook her head. He was so totally an alcoholic. She turned back to the ocean... was that...? Suddenly she jumped to her feet, waving frantically and leaping around the beach, limbs flailing.
"...And *that's* why I don't dance." observed Spike. She obviously shouldn't either, it looked bizarre (yet, he had to admit, somewhat hypnotic...) - what on Earth was she doing?
"A boat!" shrieked Buffy. "HELP! HELP ME!"
Ahh... that's what she was up to.
Amazingly, the Slayer's display did manage to attract the boat's attention rather than scare it off, and it came as close as it could. An old man who looked to be a fisherman beckoned them over. How foolishly trusting of him. Oh well. Spike shrugged and waded across.
Buffy whimpered, reluctantly removing her shoes and wincing as she stepped into the freezing cold ocean, and began to wade too. She gritted her teeth as the water reached her thighs.
Yet another reason why it sucked to be short.
*
*
*
*
*
TBC..... when Buffy and Spike pay a visit to dear old Joyce.
*
*
*
ast*P
