Chapter Twenty-Eight
"Not that I want to sound like a small child or anything, but - are we nearly there yet?" This last part was sing-sung in the way she remembered using when she was about five.
They'd finally managed to drag themselves out of the bed later on that morning and into the car and were now driving down a road in what seemed to Buffy to be the middle of nowhere.
She would be the first to quite happily admit that she had no idea where they were going and Spike was being no help at all, limiting his information to the occasional "turn right here", or words to that effect.
"Yes, we're nearly there, pet," he sighed. "Take the next left." Buffy saw the turning approaching and the brown road sign which clearly stated "Brimham Rocks" in bold white lettering. She frowned.
"You brought me all the way out here to look at some rocks?" she asked in astonishment.
"Not just 'some rocks'. I happen to really like this place," Spike answered defensively.
"But - rocks?" she asked, her tone displaying her continued uncertainty.
"Hush, luv - you'll see." Spike answered confidently, directing her to drive down a narrow country lane off the main road.
Buffy fell silent as she watched the scenery unfolding before her. The hills surrounding the road were covered in heather and willowherb, giving the impression that they were carpeted in a blanket of purple. But, beautiful as that sight was, it wasn't what captures Buffy's attention. She was distracted by the pillars of rock rising out of the bed of heather at irregular intervals, each between 10 and 20 feet high. Spike smiled at her sudden quiet.
"There's a little car park just here, pet," he indicated quietly. Buffy just nodded and pulled over before climbing out of the car and walking to stand at the edge of the car park to look out over the valley. She felt Spike move to stand behind her and place a hand on her waist.
"Stone! did the hand of sacerdotal fraud
Shape thee into this vital type of things,
Or did a million winters, on their wings
Of scythe-like perseverance come abroad
To bid conjecture stand before thee awed,
And, almost severing thee from present earth,
Make thee a marvel? Vainly giv'st thou birth
To solemn fancies, building an abode
Around thee, for a world of shapeless ghosts;
Vainly they rise before me, calling up
Kings and their masters, and imagined hosts,
That fight for clouds. What then! The heath-flower's cup
With dewdrops feeds this fountain ever dear
And the winged ouzel whistles 'God is here!'"
Spike whispered into her ear as they stood together. Buffy sighed as he finished his recitation and turned to look at him.
"That was beautiful. And it seemed to fit."
"That would be because it was written about this place," Spike explained with a smile.
"Did you write it?" she asked curiously. Spike just laughed.
"Me? Lord, no pet - I'm a bloody awful poet! Nah - it was written by some Yorkshire bloke - name of Ebenezer Elliot. But he wrote it about this place, actually about one particular rock. Come on, I'll show you." He grabbed her hand and pulled her forward to twist in and around the chimneys of rock, deftly avoiding the few other tourists who had braved the clear but cold autumn weather to wander their way around the valley.
Eventually they came to a stop in front of a large pillar.
"Okay, so what's so special about this one then?" Buffy asked sceptically.
"Look at the bottom." Buffy's gaze followed where he was pointing and she raised an eyebrow as she realised that the massive stone pillar was connected to the ground by only a tiny plinth.
"Why doesn't it fall over?" she asked.
"Don't rightly know, luv - geology never really being my strong point - but this place has always really fascinated me. Found it a few years back when I was on a holiday with..." he suddenly tailed off and turned away. "Anyway, I like this place. Thought you might too." Buffy rested a hand on his arm and pulled him back round to face her.
"I'm gonna take a guess and say holiday with Dru, right? And tell me to shut up if you want, if I'm sticking my nose in and you don't want to talk about it. And I do like this place, it's kinda cool."
"I just wasn't sure if you'd like the idea of me bringing you somewhere I'd found with my ex..." he tried to explain.
Buffy looked at him, surprised. "Why would that bother me?" she asked.
"Oh, well, no reason, I suppose..." he amended quickly, but Buffy seemed to have moved on as she realised that some of the chimneys had narrow ledges spiralling up the side of them.
"Bet you'd get a great view from the top of one of these!" she exclaimed, walking towards a nearby pillar.
"Yep, best in the area."
"Race you to the top!" Buffy called over her shoulder as she picked up speed round the narrow twisting 'path' to the crown of the tor. Spike swore and ran as fast as he dared after her. They both collapsed to lie on the wide, flat summit, breathing heavily.
Spike rested his head back against the cold stone and watched the clouds race across an otherwise crystal blue sky. He turned his head to the side and looked at the girl lying next to him, cheeks slightly flushed from the dual effects of the cold and the exertion.
"You're insane, you know that?"
She turned her head to him. "It might have been mentioned in the past," she laughed, before sighing. "It's nice here - peaceful."
"That's because it's bloody cold and most people aren't fool enough to be lying here on a freezing cold slab of stone in the middle of October," Spike explained cynically, standing up off the cold hard surface.
"Yeah, well, it's not exactly the most comfortable resting place ever - but it does have its plus side," Buffy said as she sat up, drawing her knees to her chest and resting her chin on them as she admired the view.
From the vantage point that they enjoyed the valley sloped downwards, widening out into an expanse of fields, seemingly littered with sheep, so small from this distance that they appeared to be merely white dots breaking the luscious green of the pasture. The only other breaks to the verdant countryside were the dry stone walls which formed the boundaries of each field, creating a patchwork quilt effect to the whole landscape.
The clouds which Spike had been watching race across the sky cast corresponding shadows over the scenery below, imbuing it with an air of instability and constant change. A solitary kestrel hovered determinedly over a single patch of ground as it tracked its otherwise invisible prey, and the calls of the tourists below them seemed to melt into the background as Buffy enjoyed the innate peace and tranquillity of her surroundings.
She smiled to herself and took a deep breath as she tried to ignore the cold seeping through her jeans as she sat on the bare rock. If she could only ignore the cold she would happily spend the rest of the day here, alone with her wandering thoughts. But the chill was insistent and leached its way in through her mental barriers and she couldn't stand it any longer.
She stood quickly and dusted off her jeans, sighing and looking around her. Spike watched, but said nothing, knowing instinctively that she found this place as magical as he did and that that was more powerful than words.
She walked to the edge of the rock and looked down at the sheer drop. It was then that she noticed the close proximity of the next pillar and a small impish smile played across her lips. She looked round at Spike.
"What?" he asked, catching her expression.
"Bet I could make that," she declared confidently, indicating the gap across to the next rock.
"You have to be kidding!"
"No, I could so make it!"
"Yeah, but it's a long way down if you don't," he argued.
"So not gonna happen - I could practically step over that gap." She hopped over to the nearby surface. "See."
"Oh, wow, I'm so impressed," Spike deadpanned as he spanned the gap to join her. He strolled the short distance across to the far edge of the pinnacle, measured the next gap in his mind's eye and jumped, clearing the distance with graceful ease. "No, bollocks to that. Changed me mind - not impressed at all." He smirked across at her before lying down on the rock, hands behind his head, blatantly ignoring her
The wind was suddenly knocked out of him as Buffy landed on his stomach.
"Bloody hell, pet - what was that for?" he exclaimed, sitting up suddenly and shoving her off him. He frowned and rubbed his stomach, before remembering that he this made him look somewhat less than manly, when he straightened up and looked at the girl who was sitting on the rock next to him, obviously very pleased with herself.
"Well, you seemed to be implying that I'd never be able to make that gap. So I took a bit of a run up," she explained innocently. Spike frowned and shook his head.
"That's not fair and you know it. Fine, so you could make the gap. It was hardly an effort now, luv, was it?"
"What, you mean like this one would be?" she asked, walking to the edge of the rock and looking down.
This chimney dropped straight down, some fifteen feet, she estimated. There were no outcrops and nothing to break a fall if she didn't reach the other side - and that was a good few feet away. This one was no little playful hop, but she was sure that she could reach the other side. Spike joined her, looking down.
"I could make that, easy. Not so sure about you though, pet. Such little legs 'n' all," he taunted, suddenly full of male bravado. No way I'm gonna be out down by some pint-sized...
"Go on then, prove it." He was pulled out of his thoughts by Buffy's challenge. He looked at her and she smiled sweetly back at him. There was no way out of this one. He looked once more back at the drop and over at the other rock before swallowing.
It's not that I couldn't do it, of course I can. Well, maybe I'm a little nervous. It's a long way down if I miss, after all. But no bloody way I'd admit that to her. Never let me forget it she wouldn't. Life wouldn't be worth livin'. So got ta do it. Bloody bint... He took a deep breath and, once he was sure that she wasn't watching his face, shut his eyes before launching himself into the void that was the gap between the two pillars.
He staggered slightly as he felt the hard ground beneath his feet, before opening his eyes and breathing a sigh of relief as he realised that he had reached the next pillar. He quickly gathered himself before spinning round to face her and giving a cocky bow.
"No sweat," he declared, pursing his lips and raising an eyebrow at her. Buffy looked at him, feeling the annoyance rising in the back of her throat at his conceited mannerisms.
No way. Absolutely no way that he's gonna win this one. I might be a bit nervous, but no way I'd admit that to him. He'd never let me forget it. Arrogant little... she looked down quickly and tried to forget about the shear drop before taking a step backwards and propelling herself out into the breach. She watched, almost in slow motion, as the far side came racing towards her. Gonna make it, I'm gonna make it - no problem, knew I would.
At the far side, Spike watched as she jumped and his eyes bugged slightly as he instantly realised that she was going to fall short. He watched as she rose into the air, legs stretched towards him. And he watched as she started to fall. He felt as if his heart was in his mouth and he took a step towards her, a step towards the edge, all the time trying to will his body to move fast enough to reach her.
She felt a foot hit the far side and smiled as her other foot joined it. She had made it and she felt the elation race through her body. But, almost at the same instant, she felt herself lose balance.
She thrust her arms out to try and regain her stability, but she suddenly realised that she hadn't made it. She had reached the edge, but that wasn't enough. She was going to fall and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
She closed her eyes against her sudden realisation and awaited the inevitable.
Her eyes flew open as she felt the hand grab her arm and she looked up into Spike's cerulean eyes as her pulled her away from the precipice into his arms.
"It's okay, Spike's got you, there's nothing to worry about. It's okay," he whispered over and over again as he held her close to him, stroking her hair to sooth her.
She stiffened slightly at first that he could speak so patronisingly to her, but then the realisation and shock of how close she had actually come to falling hit her, hard, and she sagged against him, hands clutching at the material of his shirt as she buried her face into his shoulder.
He held her closely for a few minutes, then drew her back and held her at arms length so that he could look her in the eye.
"You all right?" he asked, concern evident in his tone.
"Yeah, I guess," she answered, uncertainly.
"You sure?"
"Yeah, I'll be okay. Just a bit of a shock, that's all."
"Come, on. I really think that's enough excitement for now, let's go." He led her towards the path leading off the rock they were on. "Anyway, I dunno 'bout you, but I'm bloody freezing."
Buffy laughed shakily and smiled and they made their way back to the car.
"Not that I want to sound like a small child or anything, but - are we nearly there yet?" This last part was sing-sung in the way she remembered using when she was about five.
They'd finally managed to drag themselves out of the bed later on that morning and into the car and were now driving down a road in what seemed to Buffy to be the middle of nowhere.
She would be the first to quite happily admit that she had no idea where they were going and Spike was being no help at all, limiting his information to the occasional "turn right here", or words to that effect.
"Yes, we're nearly there, pet," he sighed. "Take the next left." Buffy saw the turning approaching and the brown road sign which clearly stated "Brimham Rocks" in bold white lettering. She frowned.
"You brought me all the way out here to look at some rocks?" she asked in astonishment.
"Not just 'some rocks'. I happen to really like this place," Spike answered defensively.
"But - rocks?" she asked, her tone displaying her continued uncertainty.
"Hush, luv - you'll see." Spike answered confidently, directing her to drive down a narrow country lane off the main road.
Buffy fell silent as she watched the scenery unfolding before her. The hills surrounding the road were covered in heather and willowherb, giving the impression that they were carpeted in a blanket of purple. But, beautiful as that sight was, it wasn't what captures Buffy's attention. She was distracted by the pillars of rock rising out of the bed of heather at irregular intervals, each between 10 and 20 feet high. Spike smiled at her sudden quiet.
"There's a little car park just here, pet," he indicated quietly. Buffy just nodded and pulled over before climbing out of the car and walking to stand at the edge of the car park to look out over the valley. She felt Spike move to stand behind her and place a hand on her waist.
"Stone! did the hand of sacerdotal fraud
Shape thee into this vital type of things,
Or did a million winters, on their wings
Of scythe-like perseverance come abroad
To bid conjecture stand before thee awed,
And, almost severing thee from present earth,
Make thee a marvel? Vainly giv'st thou birth
To solemn fancies, building an abode
Around thee, for a world of shapeless ghosts;
Vainly they rise before me, calling up
Kings and their masters, and imagined hosts,
That fight for clouds. What then! The heath-flower's cup
With dewdrops feeds this fountain ever dear
And the winged ouzel whistles 'God is here!'"
Spike whispered into her ear as they stood together. Buffy sighed as he finished his recitation and turned to look at him.
"That was beautiful. And it seemed to fit."
"That would be because it was written about this place," Spike explained with a smile.
"Did you write it?" she asked curiously. Spike just laughed.
"Me? Lord, no pet - I'm a bloody awful poet! Nah - it was written by some Yorkshire bloke - name of Ebenezer Elliot. But he wrote it about this place, actually about one particular rock. Come on, I'll show you." He grabbed her hand and pulled her forward to twist in and around the chimneys of rock, deftly avoiding the few other tourists who had braved the clear but cold autumn weather to wander their way around the valley.
Eventually they came to a stop in front of a large pillar.
"Okay, so what's so special about this one then?" Buffy asked sceptically.
"Look at the bottom." Buffy's gaze followed where he was pointing and she raised an eyebrow as she realised that the massive stone pillar was connected to the ground by only a tiny plinth.
"Why doesn't it fall over?" she asked.
"Don't rightly know, luv - geology never really being my strong point - but this place has always really fascinated me. Found it a few years back when I was on a holiday with..." he suddenly tailed off and turned away. "Anyway, I like this place. Thought you might too." Buffy rested a hand on his arm and pulled him back round to face her.
"I'm gonna take a guess and say holiday with Dru, right? And tell me to shut up if you want, if I'm sticking my nose in and you don't want to talk about it. And I do like this place, it's kinda cool."
"I just wasn't sure if you'd like the idea of me bringing you somewhere I'd found with my ex..." he tried to explain.
Buffy looked at him, surprised. "Why would that bother me?" she asked.
"Oh, well, no reason, I suppose..." he amended quickly, but Buffy seemed to have moved on as she realised that some of the chimneys had narrow ledges spiralling up the side of them.
"Bet you'd get a great view from the top of one of these!" she exclaimed, walking towards a nearby pillar.
"Yep, best in the area."
"Race you to the top!" Buffy called over her shoulder as she picked up speed round the narrow twisting 'path' to the crown of the tor. Spike swore and ran as fast as he dared after her. They both collapsed to lie on the wide, flat summit, breathing heavily.
Spike rested his head back against the cold stone and watched the clouds race across an otherwise crystal blue sky. He turned his head to the side and looked at the girl lying next to him, cheeks slightly flushed from the dual effects of the cold and the exertion.
"You're insane, you know that?"
She turned her head to him. "It might have been mentioned in the past," she laughed, before sighing. "It's nice here - peaceful."
"That's because it's bloody cold and most people aren't fool enough to be lying here on a freezing cold slab of stone in the middle of October," Spike explained cynically, standing up off the cold hard surface.
"Yeah, well, it's not exactly the most comfortable resting place ever - but it does have its plus side," Buffy said as she sat up, drawing her knees to her chest and resting her chin on them as she admired the view.
From the vantage point that they enjoyed the valley sloped downwards, widening out into an expanse of fields, seemingly littered with sheep, so small from this distance that they appeared to be merely white dots breaking the luscious green of the pasture. The only other breaks to the verdant countryside were the dry stone walls which formed the boundaries of each field, creating a patchwork quilt effect to the whole landscape.
The clouds which Spike had been watching race across the sky cast corresponding shadows over the scenery below, imbuing it with an air of instability and constant change. A solitary kestrel hovered determinedly over a single patch of ground as it tracked its otherwise invisible prey, and the calls of the tourists below them seemed to melt into the background as Buffy enjoyed the innate peace and tranquillity of her surroundings.
She smiled to herself and took a deep breath as she tried to ignore the cold seeping through her jeans as she sat on the bare rock. If she could only ignore the cold she would happily spend the rest of the day here, alone with her wandering thoughts. But the chill was insistent and leached its way in through her mental barriers and she couldn't stand it any longer.
She stood quickly and dusted off her jeans, sighing and looking around her. Spike watched, but said nothing, knowing instinctively that she found this place as magical as he did and that that was more powerful than words.
She walked to the edge of the rock and looked down at the sheer drop. It was then that she noticed the close proximity of the next pillar and a small impish smile played across her lips. She looked round at Spike.
"What?" he asked, catching her expression.
"Bet I could make that," she declared confidently, indicating the gap across to the next rock.
"You have to be kidding!"
"No, I could so make it!"
"Yeah, but it's a long way down if you don't," he argued.
"So not gonna happen - I could practically step over that gap." She hopped over to the nearby surface. "See."
"Oh, wow, I'm so impressed," Spike deadpanned as he spanned the gap to join her. He strolled the short distance across to the far edge of the pinnacle, measured the next gap in his mind's eye and jumped, clearing the distance with graceful ease. "No, bollocks to that. Changed me mind - not impressed at all." He smirked across at her before lying down on the rock, hands behind his head, blatantly ignoring her
The wind was suddenly knocked out of him as Buffy landed on his stomach.
"Bloody hell, pet - what was that for?" he exclaimed, sitting up suddenly and shoving her off him. He frowned and rubbed his stomach, before remembering that he this made him look somewhat less than manly, when he straightened up and looked at the girl who was sitting on the rock next to him, obviously very pleased with herself.
"Well, you seemed to be implying that I'd never be able to make that gap. So I took a bit of a run up," she explained innocently. Spike frowned and shook his head.
"That's not fair and you know it. Fine, so you could make the gap. It was hardly an effort now, luv, was it?"
"What, you mean like this one would be?" she asked, walking to the edge of the rock and looking down.
This chimney dropped straight down, some fifteen feet, she estimated. There were no outcrops and nothing to break a fall if she didn't reach the other side - and that was a good few feet away. This one was no little playful hop, but she was sure that she could reach the other side. Spike joined her, looking down.
"I could make that, easy. Not so sure about you though, pet. Such little legs 'n' all," he taunted, suddenly full of male bravado. No way I'm gonna be out down by some pint-sized...
"Go on then, prove it." He was pulled out of his thoughts by Buffy's challenge. He looked at her and she smiled sweetly back at him. There was no way out of this one. He looked once more back at the drop and over at the other rock before swallowing.
It's not that I couldn't do it, of course I can. Well, maybe I'm a little nervous. It's a long way down if I miss, after all. But no bloody way I'd admit that to her. Never let me forget it she wouldn't. Life wouldn't be worth livin'. So got ta do it. Bloody bint... He took a deep breath and, once he was sure that she wasn't watching his face, shut his eyes before launching himself into the void that was the gap between the two pillars.
He staggered slightly as he felt the hard ground beneath his feet, before opening his eyes and breathing a sigh of relief as he realised that he had reached the next pillar. He quickly gathered himself before spinning round to face her and giving a cocky bow.
"No sweat," he declared, pursing his lips and raising an eyebrow at her. Buffy looked at him, feeling the annoyance rising in the back of her throat at his conceited mannerisms.
No way. Absolutely no way that he's gonna win this one. I might be a bit nervous, but no way I'd admit that to him. He'd never let me forget it. Arrogant little... she looked down quickly and tried to forget about the shear drop before taking a step backwards and propelling herself out into the breach. She watched, almost in slow motion, as the far side came racing towards her. Gonna make it, I'm gonna make it - no problem, knew I would.
At the far side, Spike watched as she jumped and his eyes bugged slightly as he instantly realised that she was going to fall short. He watched as she rose into the air, legs stretched towards him. And he watched as she started to fall. He felt as if his heart was in his mouth and he took a step towards her, a step towards the edge, all the time trying to will his body to move fast enough to reach her.
She felt a foot hit the far side and smiled as her other foot joined it. She had made it and she felt the elation race through her body. But, almost at the same instant, she felt herself lose balance.
She thrust her arms out to try and regain her stability, but she suddenly realised that she hadn't made it. She had reached the edge, but that wasn't enough. She was going to fall and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
She closed her eyes against her sudden realisation and awaited the inevitable.
Her eyes flew open as she felt the hand grab her arm and she looked up into Spike's cerulean eyes as her pulled her away from the precipice into his arms.
"It's okay, Spike's got you, there's nothing to worry about. It's okay," he whispered over and over again as he held her close to him, stroking her hair to sooth her.
She stiffened slightly at first that he could speak so patronisingly to her, but then the realisation and shock of how close she had actually come to falling hit her, hard, and she sagged against him, hands clutching at the material of his shirt as she buried her face into his shoulder.
He held her closely for a few minutes, then drew her back and held her at arms length so that he could look her in the eye.
"You all right?" he asked, concern evident in his tone.
"Yeah, I guess," she answered, uncertainly.
"You sure?"
"Yeah, I'll be okay. Just a bit of a shock, that's all."
"Come, on. I really think that's enough excitement for now, let's go." He led her towards the path leading off the rock they were on. "Anyway, I dunno 'bout you, but I'm bloody freezing."
Buffy laughed shakily and smiled and they made their way back to the car.