The evening after the night before
Buffy was sitting at the kitchen table eating her dinner when Spike came downstairs for the first time after sleeping all day. He sat down opposite her and rubbed his eyes.
"You look like you've got one hell of a hangover," she grinned. He just glared at her as he popped a couple of aspirin in his mouth and gulped down some water. "I should really tell my parents about what you did to the car."
"You would do that wouldn't you, Barbie," he said sarcastically.
"God! What is your problem?" Buffy asked, dropping her fork. She was finally fed up with the way he spoke to her.
"My problem is you!" He yelled.
"What did I do?" she was surprised how he had turned her comment into an argument.
"Sulking around cos you can't buy a stupid dress, moaning that you can't go out and throwing a fit every time you can't get what you want."
"I do not." She protested.
"You do so. You never even think that you're a hell of a lot better of than some people," Spike growled.
"I know that."
"Do you?" He asked cryptically.
"OK, what the hell is your point?"
"My point is that you act like a spoilt brat!"
"I do not!" Buffy protested.
"You do so. You live your life through Daddy's wallet. You remind me of that girl, Elle, from Legally blond!"
"Oh, grow up." She really couldn't be bothered to fight any more. She walked away and into the sitting room. Spike followed her; he wasn't letting her have the last word.
"''I' should grow up? What about you? You have everything anyone could ever want and it's still not enough. I never had that. When I was five years old my father was put in prison for beating me. My Mum topped herself in the kitchen. I had to grow up the moment she put those pills in her mouth. From that day, I've lived in Children's Homes, looking after myself. So don't give me a speech about growing up, little girl, cos I've been there, done that." Spike suddenly looked shocked. He had never told anyone about his childhood, let alone somebody that he hated.
Buffy felt a pang of empathy for the guy she had spent the last month being horrible too. They both had more things in common than they would like to admit.
"So maybe I didn't have bad as you, but I know what it's like to not have parents." She said calmly.
"What? I saw your parents a few minutes ago." He didn't understand.
"Sure they're there, but they're never there." Buffy stated. Spike looked totally confused. "Example; I remember one day when I eight and Dawn was three, Mom and Dad both took a day off work for the first time ever. They were gonna take us to the zoo. We were so excited, neither of us had been to the zoo before. Five minutes before we were due to leave my Dad got a phone call asking him to come into work. He went, of course. Just as he was walking out the door my Mom also got a call from work saying that she was needed at an important meeting. She also went; we didn't go to the zoo, we spent another day at home, with the Nanny. That day Dawn and I saw our lives shatter infront of us. We knew they didn't care." Buffy ended there, before she could add a snide comment.
Spike, too, didn't know what to say. Would having parents that didn't care about you be worse than not having parents at all? Probably. Neither of them spoke for what must have been more than five minutes. Both were reflecting over the way they had treated the other over the last month. Suddenly feeling all the hate melt away and it being replaced by a feeling of understanding.
Then, both at the same time, they sat down on the sofa. They looked at each other, making a few seconds of eye contact before looking back down at their laps.
It was over twenty minutes before somebody spoke.
"So. you going out tonight?" Spike asked, trying to make conversation.
"No," Buffy answered. "Angel and Cordy are in Florida for a fortnight, Xander and Kendra are touring South America and Willow and Tara are in the south of France with Willow's parents. I was gonna watch some video's." Buffy smiled at Spike. "Wanna watch Nightmare on Elm Street?"
"Yeah, sure. That's not the kind of movie you watch alone." He nodded.
"Great. Pizza or Chinese food?" She asked.
"Um.. Pizza?" He shrugged. "Didn't you just eat?
"Yeah, but you didn't. It'll be here by seven," Buffy said. There was another awkward silence. Buffy stood up and started to walk upstairs. "I'll be in my room if you want me." She called back to him.
Buffy was sitting at the kitchen table eating her dinner when Spike came downstairs for the first time after sleeping all day. He sat down opposite her and rubbed his eyes.
"You look like you've got one hell of a hangover," she grinned. He just glared at her as he popped a couple of aspirin in his mouth and gulped down some water. "I should really tell my parents about what you did to the car."
"You would do that wouldn't you, Barbie," he said sarcastically.
"God! What is your problem?" Buffy asked, dropping her fork. She was finally fed up with the way he spoke to her.
"My problem is you!" He yelled.
"What did I do?" she was surprised how he had turned her comment into an argument.
"Sulking around cos you can't buy a stupid dress, moaning that you can't go out and throwing a fit every time you can't get what you want."
"I do not." She protested.
"You do so. You never even think that you're a hell of a lot better of than some people," Spike growled.
"I know that."
"Do you?" He asked cryptically.
"OK, what the hell is your point?"
"My point is that you act like a spoilt brat!"
"I do not!" Buffy protested.
"You do so. You live your life through Daddy's wallet. You remind me of that girl, Elle, from Legally blond!"
"Oh, grow up." She really couldn't be bothered to fight any more. She walked away and into the sitting room. Spike followed her; he wasn't letting her have the last word.
"''I' should grow up? What about you? You have everything anyone could ever want and it's still not enough. I never had that. When I was five years old my father was put in prison for beating me. My Mum topped herself in the kitchen. I had to grow up the moment she put those pills in her mouth. From that day, I've lived in Children's Homes, looking after myself. So don't give me a speech about growing up, little girl, cos I've been there, done that." Spike suddenly looked shocked. He had never told anyone about his childhood, let alone somebody that he hated.
Buffy felt a pang of empathy for the guy she had spent the last month being horrible too. They both had more things in common than they would like to admit.
"So maybe I didn't have bad as you, but I know what it's like to not have parents." She said calmly.
"What? I saw your parents a few minutes ago." He didn't understand.
"Sure they're there, but they're never there." Buffy stated. Spike looked totally confused. "Example; I remember one day when I eight and Dawn was three, Mom and Dad both took a day off work for the first time ever. They were gonna take us to the zoo. We were so excited, neither of us had been to the zoo before. Five minutes before we were due to leave my Dad got a phone call asking him to come into work. He went, of course. Just as he was walking out the door my Mom also got a call from work saying that she was needed at an important meeting. She also went; we didn't go to the zoo, we spent another day at home, with the Nanny. That day Dawn and I saw our lives shatter infront of us. We knew they didn't care." Buffy ended there, before she could add a snide comment.
Spike, too, didn't know what to say. Would having parents that didn't care about you be worse than not having parents at all? Probably. Neither of them spoke for what must have been more than five minutes. Both were reflecting over the way they had treated the other over the last month. Suddenly feeling all the hate melt away and it being replaced by a feeling of understanding.
Then, both at the same time, they sat down on the sofa. They looked at each other, making a few seconds of eye contact before looking back down at their laps.
It was over twenty minutes before somebody spoke.
"So. you going out tonight?" Spike asked, trying to make conversation.
"No," Buffy answered. "Angel and Cordy are in Florida for a fortnight, Xander and Kendra are touring South America and Willow and Tara are in the south of France with Willow's parents. I was gonna watch some video's." Buffy smiled at Spike. "Wanna watch Nightmare on Elm Street?"
"Yeah, sure. That's not the kind of movie you watch alone." He nodded.
"Great. Pizza or Chinese food?" She asked.
"Um.. Pizza?" He shrugged. "Didn't you just eat?
"Yeah, but you didn't. It'll be here by seven," Buffy said. There was another awkward silence. Buffy stood up and started to walk upstairs. "I'll be in my room if you want me." She called back to him.