Thanks to kori hime and Marianne2 for your advice and encouragement. It
helped motivate me to write some more today. Well here's chapter 4. Keep
the reviews coming please!
DISCLAIMER: As usual, see chapter 1 for all information
Xander's demeanor brightened when he saw Anya enter Buffy's house but it just as quickly fell when he saw who else was with her.
"Spike?!" he asked with incredulity.
Dawn poked her head out of the kitchen when she heard Xander speak. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she caught sight of the vampire, the same vampire who had tried to hurt her sister.
"Good!" said a smiling Anya, oblivious to the tension in the room. "Now everyone's reacquainted."
"What is HE doing here?" Xander continued. He didn't understand why Buffy was just standing there and wasn't pummeling the vampire to death.
"We sort of have a problem," Buffy replied, "and don't worry, Spike's not going to hurt anyone," she added though she wasn't quite sure of that last part.
'No,' thought Spike. 'I've hurt more than enough people already and it's just about killing me inside.'
Buffy was surprised at Spike's thought. Was he feeling remorse for hurting people? That's what vampires do and she thought they enjoyed it. What was wrong with this picture?
"No, but I might hurt him," threatened Xander. "So what's the problem?" he asked, clearly irritated. He did not like the idea of Buffy being in the same room as Spike.
Anya cleared her throat. "Well first I want to make it clear that this was NOT entirely my fault." She continued to explain the situation to Xander and Dawn.
When she was finished Dawn shook her head in disbelief. "You mean everything Spike thinks, you can hear Buffy? That's so cool!"
Xander was silent for a moment. "Hey Buffster. That time I had to let Spike stay at my house and my stereo disappeared... did he take it?"
Spike bit his bottom lip and looked nervously at Buffy.
She couldn't help but grin. Even if she couldn't read his mind, his facial expression gave him away. "Yeah, he took it."
"I knew it!" exclaimed Xander. "You're going to pay me back for that stereo Captain Peroxide."
"All right guys," said Buffy, trying to get her friends to focus on the matter at hand. "I'm going to give Giles a call. There's nothing we can do tonight so we might as well not stress about it."
Everyone nodded in agreement. When Buffy took command no one dared object. Besides, Buffy had dealt with worse things before. A little mind reading couldn't hurt right?
"Ugh... I can't deal with this anymore!" Buffy screamed into her pillow. It was two in the morning and everyone was asleep. Well everyone that is except for her... and Spike.
After Buffy had made the call to Giles, Xander and Anya went home and Buffy, Dawn, and Spike had gone to sleep. Buffy told the vampire he could spend the night in her basement since he had no where else to go. She was now lying in her bed trying to ignore his never ceasing thoughts but it was no use. Everything Spike thought, she heard. Well... almost everything. There's was something he was hiding and she still couldn't figure out what. It must be something pretty important if he was able to hide it from her even now.
'I could really go for some blood right now... Who does that ponce think he is? Accusing me of stealing his stereo. Well I did but that's besides the point... I wonder if she can hear my thoughts? Bloody hell. I knew coming here was a bad idea... I wonder if they have any blood in the freezer...'
Eventually, Buffy could take no more. She groggily got out of bed and searched the floor with her foot for her fuzzy blue slippers. She then headed down the stairs and stopped in front of the basement door.
'Do I really want to go down there?' she asked herself. Deciding that it was the only way to get some peace of mind, she quietly opened the door and searched the darkness for a sign of the vampire. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness she saw him sitting on an overturned bucket by the far wall of the basement. His head was in his hands and he seemed clearly distressed. He didn't even notice as Buffy silently tiptoed down the stairs.
"Spike," she began and he looked up, stunned to see Buffy standing there. "There's something wrong isn't there?"
Buffy didn't know why she felt concern for him. She should hate him. He was a monster after all, but seeing him sitting there, his blond hair tangled and a mess, his eyes red as though he hadn't slept for weeks, she felt as though she had to try and help.
"Buffy," he said and let out a long sigh. "There's something I have to tell you."
'This is it. She's going to find out anyway. Might as well tell her now.'
"What is it?" asked Buffy taking a seat a few feet away on an old trunk. She braced herself for the worse but she was still unprepared for what happened next.
Tears began falling from Spike's crystal blue eyes. "Buffy, I can't live with myself anymore."
Xander's demeanor brightened when he saw Anya enter Buffy's house but it just as quickly fell when he saw who else was with her.
"Spike?!" he asked with incredulity.
Dawn poked her head out of the kitchen when she heard Xander speak. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she caught sight of the vampire, the same vampire who had tried to hurt her sister.
"Good!" said a smiling Anya, oblivious to the tension in the room. "Now everyone's reacquainted."
"What is HE doing here?" Xander continued. He didn't understand why Buffy was just standing there and wasn't pummeling the vampire to death.
"We sort of have a problem," Buffy replied, "and don't worry, Spike's not going to hurt anyone," she added though she wasn't quite sure of that last part.
'No,' thought Spike. 'I've hurt more than enough people already and it's just about killing me inside.'
Buffy was surprised at Spike's thought. Was he feeling remorse for hurting people? That's what vampires do and she thought they enjoyed it. What was wrong with this picture?
"No, but I might hurt him," threatened Xander. "So what's the problem?" he asked, clearly irritated. He did not like the idea of Buffy being in the same room as Spike.
Anya cleared her throat. "Well first I want to make it clear that this was NOT entirely my fault." She continued to explain the situation to Xander and Dawn.
When she was finished Dawn shook her head in disbelief. "You mean everything Spike thinks, you can hear Buffy? That's so cool!"
Xander was silent for a moment. "Hey Buffster. That time I had to let Spike stay at my house and my stereo disappeared... did he take it?"
Spike bit his bottom lip and looked nervously at Buffy.
She couldn't help but grin. Even if she couldn't read his mind, his facial expression gave him away. "Yeah, he took it."
"I knew it!" exclaimed Xander. "You're going to pay me back for that stereo Captain Peroxide."
"All right guys," said Buffy, trying to get her friends to focus on the matter at hand. "I'm going to give Giles a call. There's nothing we can do tonight so we might as well not stress about it."
Everyone nodded in agreement. When Buffy took command no one dared object. Besides, Buffy had dealt with worse things before. A little mind reading couldn't hurt right?
"Ugh... I can't deal with this anymore!" Buffy screamed into her pillow. It was two in the morning and everyone was asleep. Well everyone that is except for her... and Spike.
After Buffy had made the call to Giles, Xander and Anya went home and Buffy, Dawn, and Spike had gone to sleep. Buffy told the vampire he could spend the night in her basement since he had no where else to go. She was now lying in her bed trying to ignore his never ceasing thoughts but it was no use. Everything Spike thought, she heard. Well... almost everything. There's was something he was hiding and she still couldn't figure out what. It must be something pretty important if he was able to hide it from her even now.
'I could really go for some blood right now... Who does that ponce think he is? Accusing me of stealing his stereo. Well I did but that's besides the point... I wonder if she can hear my thoughts? Bloody hell. I knew coming here was a bad idea... I wonder if they have any blood in the freezer...'
Eventually, Buffy could take no more. She groggily got out of bed and searched the floor with her foot for her fuzzy blue slippers. She then headed down the stairs and stopped in front of the basement door.
'Do I really want to go down there?' she asked herself. Deciding that it was the only way to get some peace of mind, she quietly opened the door and searched the darkness for a sign of the vampire. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness she saw him sitting on an overturned bucket by the far wall of the basement. His head was in his hands and he seemed clearly distressed. He didn't even notice as Buffy silently tiptoed down the stairs.
"Spike," she began and he looked up, stunned to see Buffy standing there. "There's something wrong isn't there?"
Buffy didn't know why she felt concern for him. She should hate him. He was a monster after all, but seeing him sitting there, his blond hair tangled and a mess, his eyes red as though he hadn't slept for weeks, she felt as though she had to try and help.
"Buffy," he said and let out a long sigh. "There's something I have to tell you."
'This is it. She's going to find out anyway. Might as well tell her now.'
"What is it?" asked Buffy taking a seat a few feet away on an old trunk. She braced herself for the worse but she was still unprepared for what happened next.
Tears began falling from Spike's crystal blue eyes. "Buffy, I can't live with myself anymore."