Author: Bitten And Staked
Title: City of Angels - Chapter Nineteen - Unexpected guest.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Summary: Buffy, Spike and Dawn escape the house and head into LA, where Dawn blackmails Spike into dancing and Angel shows up.
Timeline: set in between season 5 and 6, in my alternate world where Buffy didn't die. Spike's crypt is trashed during the final showdown and Dawn convinces Buffy to let him stay since he protected them both.
Series: Part 19 of ?
Pairing: Buffy and Spike. Romance, love and nooky.
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer: everyone else owns Buffy and all associated with her.
Feedback: always welcome so email me - webmaster@talesoftheslayer.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dawn kept staring at the stamp on her hand. It was a little 'x' in black ink. They had managed to get some seats around a table in a relatively quiet corner. Buffy was happily drinking down her beer and watching Spike tap his fingers in time with the beat.
"Think I might get this tattooed there." Dawn ran her finger over the little X.
"You bloody well will not." Spike frowned at her and then gave a knowing look to Buffy.
"Dance guys, we've been here like an hour already and everyone else is dancing." Dawn put her diet coke back onto the table and pouted at them.
"And if everyone was jumping off a cliff?" Spike muttered and played with his cuffs absentmindedly, nasty little thoughts running through his mind.
"Point taken but if you don't dance with me I'll find someone who will." She grabbed Spikes hand tight.
"So it's blackmail. You'll be okay?" He turned to Buffy who was watching them.
"Dance with me later?" Buffy pouted and fingered the rings on the cuff around Spikes free hand.
"Yes mistress." He winked as he was dragged onto the dance floor.
Buffy took to playing with her phone. They had only been gone a minute and she was feeling lonely, it was like all the light had gone out of the room. She took another swig of her beer and as the hairs on her neck stood up she made a reach for her bag to grab her stake. Vampire.
The feeling in the pit of her stomach intensified and then she saw him at the bar with some people.
"Angel?" She whispered and he turned towards her as if he'd heard.
Buffy panicked, too late now to make a run for it maybe he would leave her alone. The sight of him just filled her with dread and she closed her eyes to shut it out.
"Buffy?" His voice had an air of disbelief.
Too late, go away Angel. "Have a seat Angel." She found herself smiling up at him, he still looked hot but amazingly it did nothing for her now, her mind raced to thoughts of Spikes sleep talking. Mine, always mine.
As Angel sat down opposite her she shot a look over his shoulder towards the dance floor, she couldn't see them, this was bad.
"What are you doing here?" Angel reached out across the table towards Buffys hands but she busied them with her beer.
"Here with friends and vacationing with my dad, he's back in town and wanted to make sure we were okay. I'll be back off to Sunnyhell next Friday. I didn't know you would be here. I'm babbling aren't I?" She realised she'd said Sunnyhell. Angel seemed to notice it but didn't say anything.
"Willow and Xander are here? Is that why you keep looking at the dance floor?" Angel scanned the room and Buffys stomach tightened up.
"Not Will and Xander, no. I bought Dawn with me and our house guest." No I'm here with Dawn and Spike, you remember Spike he tried to kill me several times but now we just love being together.
"You bought a house guest to LA?"
"Someone had to drive, it's a long story Angel and I don't think you need to know about my every move." She was snappy at him and he looked confused in return. "Sorry, really bad day and it keeps getting worse."
The tune was winding down, any second now a nuclear fuelled fists and fangs match would erupt. She hoped that Dawn would make him dance another song and give her time to wind things up with Angel.
"So you look busy with the gang there, out on a mission?" Buffy pointed to the rest of his friends sitting at the bar, as he turned away from her she slipped a hand under the table and idly played with her stake, it was comforting.
"No, just out for the night. We needed a break from all the fighting. Buffy?"
"Hmm?" She refocused her attention on him.
"You look different tonight. Happy. When I last saw you it was a bad time for you." Angel tried to reach across the table again but Buffy adjusted her position so he couldn't touch her. It was then he noticed her outfit, it was so different to the Buffy he had seen at her mothers funeral. Maybe grief was affecting her.
"I am happy, it's nice being away from the hellmouth." Buffys eyes searched the crowd again and she held her breath. Hang on, I'm happy. He never said I looked happy when I was with him. Happy Buffy is a new concept altogether to Angel.
"So who's the lodger?" Angel gave her a look that said 'if it's a guy kill me now'.
"A guy, pale and somewhat tan resistant. You um, know him. But it's all good, honest Angel. Just my dad thinks he's my boyfriend because of something Dawn said and he had to come with us, not that he wanted to, so it's all good like I said. Nothing bad happening and also very explainable, but such a long story. I'm babbling again aren't I? I seem to be doing that a lot tonight." Buffy furrowed her brow as her stomach twisted and turned upon itself, it was like a warning that he was near by, both of them always made her stomach warm when they were close. Christ Buffy, just say Spike. My house guest is Spike, we like to buy him blood and presents because we aren't sure how we feel about him anymore.
"A little nervous on seeing me I'm guessing. But Buffy your clothes… you look…" Angel stopped as the feeling in his stomach rose up.
"Fucking stunning." Spike had come to stand behind him and raised his eyebrows at Buffy.