Chapter Twenty-Nine – Nightmare Before Christmas
Spike glanced in the shop windows as he wandered hopelessly round the Sunnydale Mall. The entire mall was full of guys just like him – looking for the perfect Christmas gifts for their girlfriends, wives or partners.
"Having trouble?" he heard a voice behind him ask.
He turned round. "Yes, as a matter of fact!" he snapped at Kendra.
"Let me guess, you left Buffy's present too late?" she said with a slight smug grin.
"Do you ever get tired of being wrong?" Spike said sarcastically. "Anyway, what are you supposed to get a girl who already has everything she could ever want."
"Buffy doesn't have everything," Kendra replied. "She doesn't have a boyfriend with a good hairstyle for one thing."
"Oh, and I suppose Xander's hair is the height of fashion." Spike started to walk away. He didn't need one of Buffy's little friends wasting his much needed shopping time.
"Do you want some help?" Kendra called after him. Spike froze in his track. Had she just offered to help him?
"Why?" he asked suspiciously.
"Because this will be the first Christmas Buffy's been with people who love her and I don't want you to ruin it by buying her something lame." She folder her arms and tapped her $200 shoes, waiting for him to say yes.
"Alright then," he said through clenched teeth. *This*, he thought, *is going to be the most degrading hour of my life.*
~~~
Two hours later Spike had only picked up one thing - a headache, from Kendra's constant babbling (which often switched into a language that Spike didn't understand, it sound like Spanish).
"You know what?" he said. "I think I've had enough shopping for today. You may leave."
"But we haven't even gone to the second floor yet," she protested.
"Yeah, but I think I have a good idea what to get her," he lied, ushering her away.
"What?" She rooted herself to the floor.
"If I told you it wouldn't a be a surprise, would it? Now, bye bye." He gave her a little wave and walked off before she could say anything else.
"Well it better be good," Kendra yelled after him. "I don't wanna have Buffy crying on the phone all day because you've upset her."
Spike rolled his eyes. Was it even possible for Kendra to think of anyone rather than herself.
But now he was even more stuck. Every idea he'd had Kendra had thought of the perfect reason for him not to buy it; and for once she actually made sense.
First he'd thought jewellery, earrings or something like that. But Kendra had said Buffy might get her hopes up that it was an engagement ring. Then he'd thought of clothes but Buffy was so picky and had so many. Finally he'd looked at giant teddy-bears but Kendra had pointed out that their summer house wasn't big enough for a seven foot bear.
So now he was back at square one. He was back from square one. He was at square negative three!
This had to be a Christmas that Buffy would remember for ever. Something that everyone would be talking about for the rest of the year.
It was hard to think of something to make a happy Christmas Day when he'd never had one himself. Children's homes weren't exactly the route of all happiness.
But there had been one year. One year when Spike was about nine. It was when Kelly was still alive and still herself. He remembered having the happiest day of his life that day. It didn't matter that they didn't have real presents or that the turkey was burnt because he had his best friend and one other important factor.
Snow.
Spike glanced in the shop windows as he wandered hopelessly round the Sunnydale Mall. The entire mall was full of guys just like him – looking for the perfect Christmas gifts for their girlfriends, wives or partners.
"Having trouble?" he heard a voice behind him ask.
He turned round. "Yes, as a matter of fact!" he snapped at Kendra.
"Let me guess, you left Buffy's present too late?" she said with a slight smug grin.
"Do you ever get tired of being wrong?" Spike said sarcastically. "Anyway, what are you supposed to get a girl who already has everything she could ever want."
"Buffy doesn't have everything," Kendra replied. "She doesn't have a boyfriend with a good hairstyle for one thing."
"Oh, and I suppose Xander's hair is the height of fashion." Spike started to walk away. He didn't need one of Buffy's little friends wasting his much needed shopping time.
"Do you want some help?" Kendra called after him. Spike froze in his track. Had she just offered to help him?
"Why?" he asked suspiciously.
"Because this will be the first Christmas Buffy's been with people who love her and I don't want you to ruin it by buying her something lame." She folder her arms and tapped her $200 shoes, waiting for him to say yes.
"Alright then," he said through clenched teeth. *This*, he thought, *is going to be the most degrading hour of my life.*
~~~
Two hours later Spike had only picked up one thing - a headache, from Kendra's constant babbling (which often switched into a language that Spike didn't understand, it sound like Spanish).
"You know what?" he said. "I think I've had enough shopping for today. You may leave."
"But we haven't even gone to the second floor yet," she protested.
"Yeah, but I think I have a good idea what to get her," he lied, ushering her away.
"What?" She rooted herself to the floor.
"If I told you it wouldn't a be a surprise, would it? Now, bye bye." He gave her a little wave and walked off before she could say anything else.
"Well it better be good," Kendra yelled after him. "I don't wanna have Buffy crying on the phone all day because you've upset her."
Spike rolled his eyes. Was it even possible for Kendra to think of anyone rather than herself.
But now he was even more stuck. Every idea he'd had Kendra had thought of the perfect reason for him not to buy it; and for once she actually made sense.
First he'd thought jewellery, earrings or something like that. But Kendra had said Buffy might get her hopes up that it was an engagement ring. Then he'd thought of clothes but Buffy was so picky and had so many. Finally he'd looked at giant teddy-bears but Kendra had pointed out that their summer house wasn't big enough for a seven foot bear.
So now he was back at square one. He was back from square one. He was at square negative three!
This had to be a Christmas that Buffy would remember for ever. Something that everyone would be talking about for the rest of the year.
It was hard to think of something to make a happy Christmas Day when he'd never had one himself. Children's homes weren't exactly the route of all happiness.
But there had been one year. One year when Spike was about nine. It was when Kelly was still alive and still herself. He remembered having the happiest day of his life that day. It didn't matter that they didn't have real presents or that the turkey was burnt because he had his best friend and one other important factor.
Snow.