Chapter 4 – Knock me over with a feather

Spike couldn't help but raise his eyebrows again, in amazement at the Slayer's almost friendly tone. But he wouldn't be fooled by her fake politeness!

He replied, with all the grumpiness he could muster, "What, Slayer?"

But before Buffy could answer, their little conversation was rudely interrupted by Giles, who yelled with an unusually whiny voice, "I cannot believe you take a sudden interest in the vampire, while your watcher is not feeling well at! You could really show some consideration for me!"

Annoyed, Buffy looked over her shoulder at him and said, "Don't be such a baby, Giles." And, to Spike, "Don't you think that after all this time we've been fighting, it's high time we got to know each other better? I mean, we both know that one of us could have killed the other if we'd been really serious about it. But somehow…," Buffy grimaced, evidently thinking very hard, "somehow we don't really mean to kill each other, do we?"

"Is this your idea of a joke, Slayer?" Spike asked, outraged. "Make fun of the former big bad, laugh about him because he's harmless?" He stood up abruptly, knocking his chair over. "Well, bugger this." And with that, he headed for the front door.

Surprisingly, it was Anya who stopped him. "Oh come on, Spike, don't let her get to you. She's had to deal with a lot of sexual frustration since she's dating Riley, you know."

"What?" Spike asked.

"Well, I think she's trying to compensate her dissatisfaction by mocking other people. And I just wanted to express some ex-demon-solidarity," Anya continued with a friendly smile.

Spike made a disgusted face. "I don't want you to patronize me, you silly bint." And when he realized what Anya had actually said, he added indignantly, "Besides, I am not an ex-demon!"

Tara, inwardly groaning at all those pointless conversations, joined Spike, who was standing near the door now. "No, Spike, you're not. But I think Anya means well and just wanted to support you…," she said, sympathy written all over her face.

Instead of a agreeing verbally, Anya took a deep breath, screwed up her face and sneezed. Unfortunately, she didn't bother to turn away from the people she had been talking to.

While Tara just looked down at herself in resignation, trying to discreetly wipe at her clothes, Spike jumped to the side in a not-very-big bad-like way and yelled, "Watch where you're sneezing!"

Before Anya could reply once more in her newly acquired language and thus make the people around her even angrier, Buffy procured a handkerchief for her and rushed to her side. "Use a hanky next time, ok? I don't want you to ruin Spike's duster," she said, in a very serious tone.

Spike, who was trying to dry said duster with the nearby curtains, froze in mid-movement. Then he broke into the first genuinely pleased grin the Scoobies had ever witnessed on him. "Why, Buffy, thanks for your concern. I didn't know you cared…"

Buffy gave an indulgent smile in return and said, "You're welcome. You know, I figured you just wouldn't be the same without your trademark duster. Which, by the way, tends to accentuate your lithe yet well-muscled frame." With that, she left the trio at the door and headed for the bookshelves, presumably to talk to her watcher.

Flabbergasted, Spike turned to Tara. "Have you just heard what I've heard? Did the Slayer say I was 'lithe yet well-muscled'?"

Tara nodded. "Yes, that's exactly what she said. And, let's face it, she's absolutely right," she said, grinning lewdly.

"But I thought," Spike stuttered, "that you weren't interested in that kind of male company…"

"No!" Willow shrieked suddenly, grabbing Tara's arm possessively, "I mean, yes, she's not … interested in any kind of male company." She rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Tara's gay, remember? So don't you dare hit on her!" Menacingly, she pointed a finger at Spike, who raised his hands to communicate that he meant no harm.

"Oh come one, Will, don't worry about him stealing your honey," Xander chimed in acidly, "As if someone with more than two brain cells would willingly touch bloodbreath here. He literally has a face only a mother could love, and I bet the first thing he did after he became a vampire was to eat his mum."

Xander's little speech was greeted by stunned silence. Then, Giles began to giggle like a maniac, making the others stare at him.

"Thank you for that, Xander, you really cheered me up a little," he chuckled.

Buffy gave him a reproachful glare, which shut him up. To Xander, she said, "That was really mean, Xander. You should apologize to Spike." Seeing in Xander's face that no power on earth could make him do as she'd asked, she went to Spike herself and laid a soothing hand on his arm.

Spike's distressed expression cleared a little at that, and he put his own hand on Buffy's. "That actually hurt a lot," he said to Xander. "I really don't understand why you have to insult me all the time."

Sighing, Buffy slipped her arm through Spike's and said reassuringly, "Don't be too hard on Xander. He had a very disturbing childhood. And if he were able to admit it to himself, he'd realize that his aggressive reaction towards you are the result of all the repressed jealousy he feels."

In response to her support, Spike cradled her closer gratefully.

"What?" Xander asked incredulously, "Why the hell should I be jealous of Spike? And why are you suddenly so kissy-feely with the evil undead?"

Annoyed, Buffy let go of Spike and strode purposefully towards the table, where Xander was still sitting. He looked somewhat apprehensive because of her strangely controlled reaction. But Buffy only sat down next to him and said haughtily, "In answer to your first question: You know as well as I do that, objectively speaking, Spike is a lot sexier than you. I mean, look at his hair!" At that, she cast a kind of dreamy look in Spike's direction. "I even doubt it's appropriate to apply the term 'hair' to the mop you're wearing on your head. And, apart from the fact that it's none of your business with who I decide to get 'kissy-feely', I was just lending Spike some moral support."

Xander stood up from the table furiously. "Ok, right, you can do what you want, but what the hell's wrong with my hair?"

But a piercing scream prevented Buffy from replying.

"Ahhhhh! Could you all just shut the fuck up! Are you guys blind? Don't you see what's happening?" Willow looked as if she were about to tear at her hair in desperation. "I know exactly whose fault –"

But she suddenly found herself trapped in a bone-crushing hug, performed by none other than Anya. When she managed to loosen her attacker's vise-like grip on her a little, Willow asked, "What's that supposed to mean now?"

"I just want to lend you my moral support!" Anya answered, her voice full of sympathy.

"Get away from me, you vicious distributor of germs! This is all your fault, anyway." Willow succeeded in getting away from Anya and added imperiously, "Now, everybody sit down immediately, and let me explain."

Intimidated, everyone did as they were told.

Tbc

Are you guys still reading this? Then help me a little: How should I continue this story?

Please choose one of the following answers:

a.) I want to read more Buffy/Spike

b.) I want to read more Anya

c.) I want to read more Scooby-interaction

d.) I want to read just one more chapter, that's all I can take

e.) I don't want to go on reading, this is the crappiest story I've ever read

Ok, here's hoping nobody chooses e.) …

No, seriously, tell me what you think. I'm not even sure I want to finish this fic.