A/N: Well, I'm not sure that many people at all are reading this now, but you know what? I'm gonna carry on anyways. So nyah nyah nyah! :-P Oh, and this is the flashback chapter. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: You wanna sue me? Pfft. OK, go ahead if you want an almost broken Playstation, a disk of fanfiction and 67 p.
Dedication: This chapter are for my friends Manic and 'Pikey', who I shared a room with when I stayed in France last week. Remember, my friends- Raise your bottles with an "Up yours!" at every meal, avoid the Chipmank at all costs, and watch out for the killer flea! lol
Kent,1887
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Spike was seething as he strode through the field, inches away from vamping out in his fury. Damn Angelus and his little whore Darla. Damn their stupid goading. Damn his easily provoked temper.
Angelus had had it in for Spike even more so than usual since another bar brawl had left them fleeing for their lives from the guesthouse that they had been occupying near Liverpool and across the country to here- a tiny village in the middle of nowhere. True, the place they were staying in was nice enough- an elaborate mansion now with no inhabitants(well, after they'd 'dealt' with them)- but Spike didn't really care where he stayed. The riches were just to cater for the tastes of Angelus and Darla.
Spike growled at the thought of them. The whole scene replayed through his mind, starting right in the middle of the argument when the stupid subject of Siring came up. He was in the study of the house, loosely grasping a bottle of alcohol in one hand, grinning cockily as Angelus fumed and ranted. A short way off were Darla and Drusilla, both watching exicitedly to see what would happen.
"How can anyone be so foolish?" he yelled. "Even you! Even you should realise that sooner or later we're going to get caught because of your stupid addiction to common bar fights!"
Spike sniggered. "Ah, c'mon now, Angelus. When was the last time you indulged in a little of the old fisticuffs, eh?" He paused, gauging the reaction and continued. "Been a bloody age, I'll bet."
"Unlike you Spike, I have my dignity. I'm not going to make an idiot out of myself in some seedy back alley fight." He sneered. "You don't even pick worthy opponents! Continue like this, and you'll end up impaled on the wrong end of a stake, mark my words." The Irish vampire turned his back and the younger one took a swig from the bottle in his grasp, laughing mockingly.
"Ah, what's this then? You too scared to take me on, eh? C'mon- you going to show me what a worthy opponent is?" He revelled in goading his grandsire, loved to push him right to the brink of his patience-
Angelus whirled around, the demon visage errupting onto his handsome face as he seized Spike by his collar, slamming him into the wall, causing him to drop the bottle to smash on the floor. Drusilla gave a cry of something like a cross between excitement and fear, jumping up and down and clapping her hands like a little girl. Darla was smiling widely, obviously loving this.
"If I were you, William," he said, words calm and stressed on Spike's real name. "I would be more careful about the challenges I hand out. Because if I were you, I would realise that all I was was an ignorant, weak little fledgeling who has nothing better to do but pick fights with middle-aged drunkards."
Drusilla gave another cry of excitement, still bobbing. "Ooh, don't hurt him, Daddy! My baby will know better, Mummy will teach him." To Spike, she gave a playful growl.
Darla laughed, rolling her eyes as she stepped forward to place a hand on her lover's shoulder, peering up into his face. "Angelus? Why waste your time on this pathetic creature when there are other things that could be done?" Her tone hinted at something which made Angelus glance at her, correctly reading her expression as 'I have an idea which we could use to make him suffer'. With another glance at Spike, Angelus dropped him to the floor. Spike got up, massaging his throat and sneering. Darla was the next to speak.
"I hope you don't mind my asking," She feined politeness. "But...how many have you Sired?"
"What?" he demanded rudely. Angelus grasped him by the throat again.
"She's asking you a question, William." Again, the stress on his human name. Angelus let go. "Answer her!"
"So how many is it, William?" She laughed slightly. "Because we never seem to meet any of these vampires."
Spike remained silent for a long moment. He racked his mind for a sarcastic reply, but, of all the times sarcasm could fail him, it just HAD to be now. Great. Just bloody marvellous.
"I'd be discouraged from Siring if they'd turn out anything like you." He snarled irritably, knowing that they'd got the better of him, and knowing that they knew as well. Mentally, he excluded Drusilla from his statement.
Angelus growled threateningly, but Darla just gave a musical laugh and put a hand on her lover's chest.
"I think that proves my point, don't you Angelus? Our dear little William here really isn't all that he boasts to be." Her tone was now sugary sweet, but had an underlying sadistic air to it, quite like a cat toying with a mouse.
Angelus suddenly smirked as well. "Indeed. You were right, lover." The two began to laugh.
Spike glared at them, desperately trying to keep his temper in check for once, despite how much he wanted to kill them for humiliating him. Without even thinking, he said, "Believe what you want, but I am well worthy of any challenge you want to put to me."
The laughter instantly died as Angelus and Darla studied him in something between interest and thoughtfulness. Angelus wrapped a protective arm around Darla's waist. "Is that so?"
Spike sneered. "C'mon then."
"I know." Darla said, sliding from Angelus's grasp with a brief glance up at him. Then, focusing on Spike, she continued, "I have a challenge for you then."
"What?"
She gave a small laugh as she looked him up and down in amusement. "Go out and Sire. We'll give you two nights. If you succeed, I suppose," Here she sighed dramatically, "We just may start to consider you a proper vampire. However, on the likely outcome that you should fail..." She smiled up at Angelus, who glared directly at Spike and finished:
"We'll kill you."
Angelus put his arm back around Darla and they exited the room, laughing at their enjoyment of taunting Spike. Drusilla giggled and danced after them, humming along to a tune only she could hear. Spike stared after them until the door closed, when he let out a furious roar and turned over the ornate desk in his anger.
That had been just about two hours ago, and now Spike was heading across the fields towards the small town, still fuming. He didn't notice that someone was heading towards him until they gave a small wave and a smile. He looked directly at them then- just a normal middle-aged man heading home after a long day's work.
"Good evenin' to yer, sir." the man offered cheerily. Spike finally snapped, vamping out and lunging to snap the man's neck before he could even yell out in surprise. The vampire grinned down through his fangs at the stranger's contorted body, chuckling at the frozen expression of horrified shock on the old weathered face.
"Yes," he said out loud, glancing up at the town nearby. "I think this could well be a good evening." Laughing to himself, he allowed his features to slip back to human mode and carried on.
The town was smaller than he had at first suspected, and it didn't take him very long to locate the only inn in the place. Every sense alert for a possibility, he stepped into the building, growing immediately disappointed at the relatively peaceful air. It was nothing compared to the public houses he was used to in the big cities. No, this place was just offering a few groups of older men drinking away their wages. No raucous singing, no fights. Too dull for his liking.
Inwardly, he groaned. Just his luck. Perhaps things would grow more hopeful as the evening wore on, but he wasn't really one for such optimism.
Until he heard the laugh.
It was high and musical, and could only have belonged to a woman. A young woman, by the sounds of it, and it had come from behind him. He turned immediately.
Seated at a table by the door, which had previously been shielded from his view, were four young people aged between about eighteen and twenty or so, two men and two women. The laughter was from a very pretty girl with long black hair. A man who must have been a relation of hers, seen by the extreme similarities between their features, grinned and placed an arm lightly over the shoulders of a slim blonde woman, who was smiling and talking animatedly with a tall redhaired man.
Well, Spike thought, there's not reallly any other hope in this dump...
He walked over to the table.
"What's all the celebration about then?" he asked in the friendliest tone he could manage. They all instantly looked around, faces shining with an intense happiness that sickened him to his very core.
"My brother and Emily have just got engaged!" the dark haired girl explained happily. The man in question grinned wider and the blonde girl blushed slightly, smiling also.
"Why don't you join us?" said the dark haired man. Spike shrugged, reminding himself that these might well be his only hope as he replied in the positive and pulled up a chair. Both men shook his hand before the redhaired one rose to get him a drink.
"Congratulations then." Spike said. The blonde girl giggled and blushed a bit more.
"Thank you very much." she replied. "I don't believe we know your name yet?"
"William." The Bloody, he added mentally. The redhead had returned by this time and placed a drink down in front of Spike, which he gratefully gulped from. Nothing like good alcohol after a murder to relieve your stress.
"Emily's name you know already." the dark girl told him. "My brother is Thomas, and this here is Alfie."
"And what's your name?" Spike asked. She cocked her head slightly and smiled sweetly, looking up at him with dark blue eyes.
"Laurel." was the answer.
The evening wore on, filled with chatter about recent local events, in which Spike feigned an interest, as well as the main topic of Thomas and Emily's wedding arrangements. However, he was calculating a plan right in the back of his mind, figuring out possible childeren, analysing each one.
Laurel was the prettier of the two girls, with an innocent beauty that could easily rival Darla's or Drusilla's, as well as holding a tantalizing pure aura which only made her interest in Spike even more amusing to him. Thomas, her brother, was quite obviously physically powerful- although Spike doubted him to be an equal match- and the clearly strong relationship he had with his sister made Spike wonder- wonder how it would be affected by death. Alfie said little, giving Spike no reason to pay heed to him, and Emily was too involved in Thomas for his taste.
The evening there ended relatively early and the five of them walked out of the inn together. Alfie was the first to leave, and Thomas volunteered to walk Emily home, dropping Laurel off at their house on the way. At the last minute, however, she turned to Spike and said, "William, you said earlier that you were staying nearby with friends?"
Spike racked his mind, then remembered that that was indeed the lie he had spun out. "Yes, so I did. Why, what is it Laurel?"
"I, um..." She cast her eyes down, and Spike knew that society's rules wouldn't allow her to ask anything bold. "I was, um, merely wondering how long you might be staying in our village?" Then, hurriedly, she added, "If my question offends, please do not feel that you have to ans-"
"It's alright." He laughed gently. "Why should it offend me? I am not too sure though- a few weeks perhaps. However," He leant closer at this point to whisper in her ear. "I should very much like to see you around." Then he pulled back and straightened, smirking inwardly at the sight of Laurel's flushed cheeks and happy eyes.
"Oh, yes, I would very much like to see you as well." She broke out another bright smile. "I have enjoyed this evening so much..."
Spike grinned. "Me too. But," He glanced over her shoulder at Thomas and Emily, waiting a short way off. "Perhaps we had better part now? I wouldn't like to hold you or Thomas or Emily up. It is very late, after all."
"Oh yes! Well..." She hesitated. "I hope to see you again soon, William."
"And I you, Laurel." With that, he retreated into the shadow, unnoticed as he grinned maliciously at three forms walking away, whispering softly, "Perhaps sooner than you think..."
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"So then what happened?"
Spike tossed away the end of his tenth cigarette and looked at the interrupting Slayer with a small, scornful laugh.
"Pretty damn obvious, ain't it love? If they're here over a hundred years later, what d'you THINK happened?" he said sarcastically. Gracia broke the gaze first, looking away and hugging her elbows with an unusually sad expression on her face. There was a long silence before she stood up abruptly.
"Gracey?" Angel's eyes snapped round immediately at the scraping of the chair. Gracia gestured and gave a small, forced laugh.
"I'd really better patrol. If that's all..." She raised her eyebrows at Spike, who just lit up another cigarette in reply. Gracia sighed and moved away from the table, towards the weapons closet at the very far end of the room. She opened it up and dug out a few stakes, some holy water and a crucifix.
"Luke, Keisha, are you coming as well?" she asked. Luke removed his thoughtful eyes from Spike to glance over and nod; Keisha took hers from Angel to reply, "Yeah."
Gracia moved over to hand out weapons to the twins, her brother and her Watcher, before saying, "Let's split into teams and check out different sections. Apparently, there could be some new risers."
They all began to move out as Spike removed his feet from the table and stood up, making his way to the exit as well. He paused, however, placing a hand on the shoulder of the Slayer's brunette friend, causing her to jump and whirl round.
"Hey, easy there pet!" Spike said, holding his hands up in defence against the crucifix she was weilding. She lowered it and blushed, mumbling an apology. Spike grinned and glanced at Angel, who hadn't noticed, just as she did. Their eyes met again.
"You like him, huh?" Well, that was direct.
Her eyes grew wide, very much like a deer caught in the headlights, and she began to stammer denials. "N-not how you mean, I-I...as a f-friend, y-yeah, but..."
He clapped her shoulder lightly and laughed. "Sorry pet, you don't stand a chance. The poofter only goes for blondes."
He carried on out of the door, leaving Keisha staring after him in wide-eyed disbelief and hurt. He snickered quietly to himself and descended the steps outside of the school to head in the opposite direction to the Slayer and her allies. But Gracia hung back from the rest of the group and lay a hand on his arm. Now it was his turn to whirl round sharply, seeing the girl watching him carefully, folding her arms.
"Bloody hell pet, I can only die once y'know!"
She chuckled slightly, looking away again briefly, before saying, "I just wanted to tell you...thanks. For coming here to talk to us about Laurel and Thomas."
He sneered, not really appreciateing what she was saying. "Whatever, Slayer. I didn't do this for you."
She shrugged. "I know. But...thank you." He turned and carried on walking away from her, unprepared for her next sudden words.
"Even if you DID act like a complete asshole the entire time."
He looked back in shock, gawping at her. "Did you just-"
The Slayer laughed as she walked back to her friends unhurriedly, leaving him to stare.
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Heh, go Gracia!
FanFeak, in reply to your questions: Yes, we do all love Spike. Lol. Oh, and no, I don't think Thomas would appreciate being called 'Tommy'. Although he refers to his sisters as 'Laurie' so she doesn't mind that. Oh, and I did hear about Angelus's (ahem) little visit to Ats...my response was also yay, cause Angelus rocks! Unfortunately, I only have terrestrial, so I haven't been able to see any yet. Grr! **shakes fist at tv**
Uh, anyways, review please! If you are reading this and haven't reviewed, please, please do! I value your opinions!
Disclaimer: You wanna sue me? Pfft. OK, go ahead if you want an almost broken Playstation, a disk of fanfiction and 67 p.
Dedication: This chapter are for my friends Manic and 'Pikey', who I shared a room with when I stayed in France last week. Remember, my friends- Raise your bottles with an "Up yours!" at every meal, avoid the Chipmank at all costs, and watch out for the killer flea! lol
Kent,1887
********************************************************************************
Spike was seething as he strode through the field, inches away from vamping out in his fury. Damn Angelus and his little whore Darla. Damn their stupid goading. Damn his easily provoked temper.
Angelus had had it in for Spike even more so than usual since another bar brawl had left them fleeing for their lives from the guesthouse that they had been occupying near Liverpool and across the country to here- a tiny village in the middle of nowhere. True, the place they were staying in was nice enough- an elaborate mansion now with no inhabitants(well, after they'd 'dealt' with them)- but Spike didn't really care where he stayed. The riches were just to cater for the tastes of Angelus and Darla.
Spike growled at the thought of them. The whole scene replayed through his mind, starting right in the middle of the argument when the stupid subject of Siring came up. He was in the study of the house, loosely grasping a bottle of alcohol in one hand, grinning cockily as Angelus fumed and ranted. A short way off were Darla and Drusilla, both watching exicitedly to see what would happen.
"How can anyone be so foolish?" he yelled. "Even you! Even you should realise that sooner or later we're going to get caught because of your stupid addiction to common bar fights!"
Spike sniggered. "Ah, c'mon now, Angelus. When was the last time you indulged in a little of the old fisticuffs, eh?" He paused, gauging the reaction and continued. "Been a bloody age, I'll bet."
"Unlike you Spike, I have my dignity. I'm not going to make an idiot out of myself in some seedy back alley fight." He sneered. "You don't even pick worthy opponents! Continue like this, and you'll end up impaled on the wrong end of a stake, mark my words." The Irish vampire turned his back and the younger one took a swig from the bottle in his grasp, laughing mockingly.
"Ah, what's this then? You too scared to take me on, eh? C'mon- you going to show me what a worthy opponent is?" He revelled in goading his grandsire, loved to push him right to the brink of his patience-
Angelus whirled around, the demon visage errupting onto his handsome face as he seized Spike by his collar, slamming him into the wall, causing him to drop the bottle to smash on the floor. Drusilla gave a cry of something like a cross between excitement and fear, jumping up and down and clapping her hands like a little girl. Darla was smiling widely, obviously loving this.
"If I were you, William," he said, words calm and stressed on Spike's real name. "I would be more careful about the challenges I hand out. Because if I were you, I would realise that all I was was an ignorant, weak little fledgeling who has nothing better to do but pick fights with middle-aged drunkards."
Drusilla gave another cry of excitement, still bobbing. "Ooh, don't hurt him, Daddy! My baby will know better, Mummy will teach him." To Spike, she gave a playful growl.
Darla laughed, rolling her eyes as she stepped forward to place a hand on her lover's shoulder, peering up into his face. "Angelus? Why waste your time on this pathetic creature when there are other things that could be done?" Her tone hinted at something which made Angelus glance at her, correctly reading her expression as 'I have an idea which we could use to make him suffer'. With another glance at Spike, Angelus dropped him to the floor. Spike got up, massaging his throat and sneering. Darla was the next to speak.
"I hope you don't mind my asking," She feined politeness. "But...how many have you Sired?"
"What?" he demanded rudely. Angelus grasped him by the throat again.
"She's asking you a question, William." Again, the stress on his human name. Angelus let go. "Answer her!"
"So how many is it, William?" She laughed slightly. "Because we never seem to meet any of these vampires."
Spike remained silent for a long moment. He racked his mind for a sarcastic reply, but, of all the times sarcasm could fail him, it just HAD to be now. Great. Just bloody marvellous.
"I'd be discouraged from Siring if they'd turn out anything like you." He snarled irritably, knowing that they'd got the better of him, and knowing that they knew as well. Mentally, he excluded Drusilla from his statement.
Angelus growled threateningly, but Darla just gave a musical laugh and put a hand on her lover's chest.
"I think that proves my point, don't you Angelus? Our dear little William here really isn't all that he boasts to be." Her tone was now sugary sweet, but had an underlying sadistic air to it, quite like a cat toying with a mouse.
Angelus suddenly smirked as well. "Indeed. You were right, lover." The two began to laugh.
Spike glared at them, desperately trying to keep his temper in check for once, despite how much he wanted to kill them for humiliating him. Without even thinking, he said, "Believe what you want, but I am well worthy of any challenge you want to put to me."
The laughter instantly died as Angelus and Darla studied him in something between interest and thoughtfulness. Angelus wrapped a protective arm around Darla's waist. "Is that so?"
Spike sneered. "C'mon then."
"I know." Darla said, sliding from Angelus's grasp with a brief glance up at him. Then, focusing on Spike, she continued, "I have a challenge for you then."
"What?"
She gave a small laugh as she looked him up and down in amusement. "Go out and Sire. We'll give you two nights. If you succeed, I suppose," Here she sighed dramatically, "We just may start to consider you a proper vampire. However, on the likely outcome that you should fail..." She smiled up at Angelus, who glared directly at Spike and finished:
"We'll kill you."
Angelus put his arm back around Darla and they exited the room, laughing at their enjoyment of taunting Spike. Drusilla giggled and danced after them, humming along to a tune only she could hear. Spike stared after them until the door closed, when he let out a furious roar and turned over the ornate desk in his anger.
That had been just about two hours ago, and now Spike was heading across the fields towards the small town, still fuming. He didn't notice that someone was heading towards him until they gave a small wave and a smile. He looked directly at them then- just a normal middle-aged man heading home after a long day's work.
"Good evenin' to yer, sir." the man offered cheerily. Spike finally snapped, vamping out and lunging to snap the man's neck before he could even yell out in surprise. The vampire grinned down through his fangs at the stranger's contorted body, chuckling at the frozen expression of horrified shock on the old weathered face.
"Yes," he said out loud, glancing up at the town nearby. "I think this could well be a good evening." Laughing to himself, he allowed his features to slip back to human mode and carried on.
The town was smaller than he had at first suspected, and it didn't take him very long to locate the only inn in the place. Every sense alert for a possibility, he stepped into the building, growing immediately disappointed at the relatively peaceful air. It was nothing compared to the public houses he was used to in the big cities. No, this place was just offering a few groups of older men drinking away their wages. No raucous singing, no fights. Too dull for his liking.
Inwardly, he groaned. Just his luck. Perhaps things would grow more hopeful as the evening wore on, but he wasn't really one for such optimism.
Until he heard the laugh.
It was high and musical, and could only have belonged to a woman. A young woman, by the sounds of it, and it had come from behind him. He turned immediately.
Seated at a table by the door, which had previously been shielded from his view, were four young people aged between about eighteen and twenty or so, two men and two women. The laughter was from a very pretty girl with long black hair. A man who must have been a relation of hers, seen by the extreme similarities between their features, grinned and placed an arm lightly over the shoulders of a slim blonde woman, who was smiling and talking animatedly with a tall redhaired man.
Well, Spike thought, there's not reallly any other hope in this dump...
He walked over to the table.
"What's all the celebration about then?" he asked in the friendliest tone he could manage. They all instantly looked around, faces shining with an intense happiness that sickened him to his very core.
"My brother and Emily have just got engaged!" the dark haired girl explained happily. The man in question grinned wider and the blonde girl blushed slightly, smiling also.
"Why don't you join us?" said the dark haired man. Spike shrugged, reminding himself that these might well be his only hope as he replied in the positive and pulled up a chair. Both men shook his hand before the redhaired one rose to get him a drink.
"Congratulations then." Spike said. The blonde girl giggled and blushed a bit more.
"Thank you very much." she replied. "I don't believe we know your name yet?"
"William." The Bloody, he added mentally. The redhead had returned by this time and placed a drink down in front of Spike, which he gratefully gulped from. Nothing like good alcohol after a murder to relieve your stress.
"Emily's name you know already." the dark girl told him. "My brother is Thomas, and this here is Alfie."
"And what's your name?" Spike asked. She cocked her head slightly and smiled sweetly, looking up at him with dark blue eyes.
"Laurel." was the answer.
The evening wore on, filled with chatter about recent local events, in which Spike feigned an interest, as well as the main topic of Thomas and Emily's wedding arrangements. However, he was calculating a plan right in the back of his mind, figuring out possible childeren, analysing each one.
Laurel was the prettier of the two girls, with an innocent beauty that could easily rival Darla's or Drusilla's, as well as holding a tantalizing pure aura which only made her interest in Spike even more amusing to him. Thomas, her brother, was quite obviously physically powerful- although Spike doubted him to be an equal match- and the clearly strong relationship he had with his sister made Spike wonder- wonder how it would be affected by death. Alfie said little, giving Spike no reason to pay heed to him, and Emily was too involved in Thomas for his taste.
The evening there ended relatively early and the five of them walked out of the inn together. Alfie was the first to leave, and Thomas volunteered to walk Emily home, dropping Laurel off at their house on the way. At the last minute, however, she turned to Spike and said, "William, you said earlier that you were staying nearby with friends?"
Spike racked his mind, then remembered that that was indeed the lie he had spun out. "Yes, so I did. Why, what is it Laurel?"
"I, um..." She cast her eyes down, and Spike knew that society's rules wouldn't allow her to ask anything bold. "I was, um, merely wondering how long you might be staying in our village?" Then, hurriedly, she added, "If my question offends, please do not feel that you have to ans-"
"It's alright." He laughed gently. "Why should it offend me? I am not too sure though- a few weeks perhaps. However," He leant closer at this point to whisper in her ear. "I should very much like to see you around." Then he pulled back and straightened, smirking inwardly at the sight of Laurel's flushed cheeks and happy eyes.
"Oh, yes, I would very much like to see you as well." She broke out another bright smile. "I have enjoyed this evening so much..."
Spike grinned. "Me too. But," He glanced over her shoulder at Thomas and Emily, waiting a short way off. "Perhaps we had better part now? I wouldn't like to hold you or Thomas or Emily up. It is very late, after all."
"Oh yes! Well..." She hesitated. "I hope to see you again soon, William."
"And I you, Laurel." With that, he retreated into the shadow, unnoticed as he grinned maliciously at three forms walking away, whispering softly, "Perhaps sooner than you think..."
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"So then what happened?"
Spike tossed away the end of his tenth cigarette and looked at the interrupting Slayer with a small, scornful laugh.
"Pretty damn obvious, ain't it love? If they're here over a hundred years later, what d'you THINK happened?" he said sarcastically. Gracia broke the gaze first, looking away and hugging her elbows with an unusually sad expression on her face. There was a long silence before she stood up abruptly.
"Gracey?" Angel's eyes snapped round immediately at the scraping of the chair. Gracia gestured and gave a small, forced laugh.
"I'd really better patrol. If that's all..." She raised her eyebrows at Spike, who just lit up another cigarette in reply. Gracia sighed and moved away from the table, towards the weapons closet at the very far end of the room. She opened it up and dug out a few stakes, some holy water and a crucifix.
"Luke, Keisha, are you coming as well?" she asked. Luke removed his thoughtful eyes from Spike to glance over and nod; Keisha took hers from Angel to reply, "Yeah."
Gracia moved over to hand out weapons to the twins, her brother and her Watcher, before saying, "Let's split into teams and check out different sections. Apparently, there could be some new risers."
They all began to move out as Spike removed his feet from the table and stood up, making his way to the exit as well. He paused, however, placing a hand on the shoulder of the Slayer's brunette friend, causing her to jump and whirl round.
"Hey, easy there pet!" Spike said, holding his hands up in defence against the crucifix she was weilding. She lowered it and blushed, mumbling an apology. Spike grinned and glanced at Angel, who hadn't noticed, just as she did. Their eyes met again.
"You like him, huh?" Well, that was direct.
Her eyes grew wide, very much like a deer caught in the headlights, and she began to stammer denials. "N-not how you mean, I-I...as a f-friend, y-yeah, but..."
He clapped her shoulder lightly and laughed. "Sorry pet, you don't stand a chance. The poofter only goes for blondes."
He carried on out of the door, leaving Keisha staring after him in wide-eyed disbelief and hurt. He snickered quietly to himself and descended the steps outside of the school to head in the opposite direction to the Slayer and her allies. But Gracia hung back from the rest of the group and lay a hand on his arm. Now it was his turn to whirl round sharply, seeing the girl watching him carefully, folding her arms.
"Bloody hell pet, I can only die once y'know!"
She chuckled slightly, looking away again briefly, before saying, "I just wanted to tell you...thanks. For coming here to talk to us about Laurel and Thomas."
He sneered, not really appreciateing what she was saying. "Whatever, Slayer. I didn't do this for you."
She shrugged. "I know. But...thank you." He turned and carried on walking away from her, unprepared for her next sudden words.
"Even if you DID act like a complete asshole the entire time."
He looked back in shock, gawping at her. "Did you just-"
The Slayer laughed as she walked back to her friends unhurriedly, leaving him to stare.
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Heh, go Gracia!
FanFeak, in reply to your questions: Yes, we do all love Spike. Lol. Oh, and no, I don't think Thomas would appreciate being called 'Tommy'. Although he refers to his sisters as 'Laurie' so she doesn't mind that. Oh, and I did hear about Angelus's (ahem) little visit to Ats...my response was also yay, cause Angelus rocks! Unfortunately, I only have terrestrial, so I haven't been able to see any yet. Grr! **shakes fist at tv**
Uh, anyways, review please! If you are reading this and haven't reviewed, please, please do! I value your opinions!