A/N : Okay, I think I did better with this chapter because there isn't so much repetition of events, but you do still get both POVs. Thanx to those who reviewed before; Steanne, Rachel, MaidenRo. It does mean a lot, especially since this a little different than what I usually write. Oh, and Steanne, Spike was thinking about the past and stuff he'd done and wasn't paying attention to what he was doing, hence the cup break-age in the last chapter. Here's the next part...
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 6
It was a stupid idea, he realised as he arrived outside her building. What exactly was he going to say when he saw her? He wanted to apologise but he didn't know what for. He wanted to tell her the truth but knew he couldn't even begin. He wanted...he just wanted her. He knew if this was kindergarten he'd been pulling her hair and nicking her chocolate biscuit by now, but the innocence of children was so far from him now. As you grow up, emotions grow with you. Love and hate, attraction and revulsion. Things got more complicated, especially when it came to love, possibly the strongest emotion a person could feel, because it brought on a combination of almost every other emotion that existed at one time or other.
With a sigh he told himself to cut it out with the philosophical crap and just face the girl. Only she wasn't just a girl, she was so much more and there was no way he could even begin to figure out how he'd come to the conclusion that she was so special. He barely knew her and yet he felt as if they had been friends forever and always.
Before long he found himself asking a man on the stairs which apartment was hers. He didn't know the name but guessed from the description which girl he meant and directed him to apartment 20.
Spike knocked on the door, but got to answer. He tried again, though he knew the likelihood of her missing the first attempt was slim. He found himself to be more than a little disappointed when she wasn't there and he sighed aloud just as a kind looking old woman stepped out of her front door directly across the hall.
"She's probably at work dear" she smiled, "Comes and goes quite often" she explained.
"Oh, so you don't know when she might be back?" Spike frowned.
The old lady shook her head slightly before having an idea.
"Here" she smiled, handing him a piece of paper from her pocket. Spike eyed it suspiciously and the woman explained.
"I live alone, sometimes get myself in a fix and I have no-one to call. Bless her heart, the girl gave me her cellphone number, told me to call her whenever I needed a hand"
Spike got his own phone from his pocket and punched in the number from the paper saving it along with Buffy's name.
"Thanks a lot" he smiled as he gave back the paper and turned to leave. The old lady smiled too as she called after him.
"She's a sweet girl, you take care of her"
Spike dare not turn around again, hopelessly wondering if the woman would be so kind if she knew the truth. He was sure she would not.
- - - - - - - - -
Buffy physically jumped as her cellphone started to ring and she fished in her pocket for it. The screen read 'Unknown number' and with a frown she accepted the call and put the phone to her ear.
"Hello?" she said cautiously.
"Buffy" said the voice on the other end of the line, the sound of it making her shiver, "It's me, Spike"
"Oh, hi" she replied, looking nervously at the closed door to the next room where her boss were preparing to talk to her. Cautiously she stood up and walked out of the building. "Er, how did you get my number?" she asked, a little worriedly as she stood outside the police station, speaking quietly as she could without Spike noticing, her heart hammering in her chest as she started to wonder if he knew everything. He could be across the street right now, watching her every move, waiting to...
"I wanted to apologise" he sighed, "I went over to your building, bloke there told me which apartment is yours but you were out. I think I must have looked as disappointed as I felt cos the lady from across the hall gave me your number so I could call you"
Buffy's heart melted at his words, she could just imagine his face as he spoke to her so softly and with such honesty. It should bother her that he had her cellphone number but it didn't. She should be concerned that he knew the exact location of her apartment, but she wasn't. All she really was, was pleased he'd called her. Despite her better judgement she found herself grinning about the fact that he'd wanted to call her up and apologise, though she wondered what he was saying sorry for...
"Luv? You still there?" she heard him ask, suddenly realising she'd been silent too long.
"I'm still here" she told him, glancing at her watch, "but I can't talk long, I have a meeting to go to"
"Waitresses have meetings?" he asked with a frown she could just imagine.
"Er, yeah, staff get-together thing, y'know what I mean" she rambled incoherently, mentally kicking herself for screwing up so badly. Sometimes she felt so comfortable talking to him she just forgot to lie, genuinely forgot that this was the same man that she discussed with work colleagues, calling him a monster and a criminal.
"So I should really go" she added fast, hoping she hadn't just blown the whole thing to hell.
"Oh yeah, well..." there was silence for a second as Buffy waited, holding her breath, wondering what he might say next, "I was wondering if I could see you, later today"
Buffy closed her eyes and exhaled. She really wanted to see him, and her job said that she kind of had to, but she knew if she saw him it could end badly again.
"Sure, we'll meet" she nodded unnecessarily, suddenly glancing up and having a thought, "You know where Weatherly Park is?"
"Yes luv, I know it well" came the reply and she smiled genuinely.
"Then I'll meet you there, the bench by the lake, in a couple of hours?" she tried, mentally calculating that her meeting shouldn't last much longer than a half hour giving her plenty of time to run home and change and still be in the park by two.
"It's a date, pet" he said and she swore he was smiling when he answered her, though of course she couldn't see, "I'll see you there"
"I'll see you" she replied in kind before suddenly yelling, "Oh and Spike!" she was glad when he replied, clearly not having had a chance to hang up yet, "The other night wasn't all your fault...I'm sorry too, that it didn't work out" she said, voice disappearing towards the end of the sentence as she realised just how frighteningly honest she was being.
"Thanks, pet" she heard him whisper, "Bye" and the phone went dead.
Taking a deep breath, Buffy stuffed the phone back in her pocket, adjusted her jacket and pushed the door to the police station open. She went back down the corridor and had just got back into the seat when the office door opened. She internally sighed as her senior officer invited her to join him in the other room, so glad to have made it back before he noticed she was gone. She was supposed to tell Finn everything that happened with her and 'William Blood' as was his given name, but she had missed out certain details. The incident in his apartment, had gone unmentioned, as would this recent phone call. She knew it was stupid, and she was not only jeopardising her job but her very life, messing around like this, but there was nothing she could do to stop herself.
Finn asked her the current status of the case, just as he had last week and the week before that. She handed over some notes she'd made and waited as he scanned through them. She waited for the outburst she knew would come.
"It's been over three weeks since first contact Summers" he complained "you must have more to report by now" he said, throwing the paper down on the desk and pacing the length of the room.
"That's all he's told me so far, sir" she said much more quietly than she would usually speak "if I push it he'll run, you told me that yourself"
"You shouldn't have to push too hard" the officer pointed out to her "just bring up the subject in conversation, over dinner at a nice restaurant or something"
"He hates what you call 'nice' restaurants" she rolled her eyes at that "they make him nervous" she added without thinking, all these little things she knew about him, she started to wonder, did he know this much about her? Had she been as careless with the truth as he was, about these little things that didn't seem important? She shook her head and brought herself back to he present and continued;
"Besides what do you want me to say?" she shrugged, gesturing emphatically as she play acted the scene "Hey Spike, this salmon is great, isn't the weather beautiful, and oh by the way have you murdered anyone in the past year or so?" she ended somewhat angrily at the stupid suggestion, as well as the unwelcome reminder of what she was really dealing with. Riley's face hardened.
"Don't get cocky and sarcastic with me, Summers" he almost yelled, slamming his hand down on the desk right in front of her "I won't take that from you, I'm still your superior"
"Yeah, maybe in terms of the force" she said, voice as sharp as steel and eyes like ice "but in no other way" she eyed him distastefully and he really started to lose his temper.
"You know you're only on this job because you look the part, no other reason" he told her nastily, she was on her feet in a second, hands flat on the table, leaning across as he was.
"Bull!" she yelled back "I got assigned to this job because people higher up in the force than you knew I could do it"
"O'Connor" he scoffed, turning away, knowing he was fighting a losing battle with her. Elizabeth Summers was a hell of a police officer but also a pain in the ass, made worse by the fact he'd wanted her for as long as he'd known her and knew he never stood a chance.
"That's Cheif InspectorO'Connor to you" she snapped, making for the door, but not actually opening it as he snapped back at her.
"And you too, just because he has a thing for you..."
"Don't you dare start with that" he was interrupted as she stormed over and got right up in his face "Angel and I used to be friends, now he's my boss, end of" she stopped when she realised he was less threatened by her actions and apparently more turned on. Shaking her head in frustration, she turned back towards the door. Riley's advances was the last thing she needed right now.
"I've told you everything I know so far" she said from the door, hand on the knob ready to make her getaway "so if you'll excuse me I have a date to get ready for, and if you're so eager to get information on your suspect you won't make me late" she opened the door but didn't quite step out as he called her name behind her, her real first name that was starting to sound unfamiliar to her.
"Elizabeth!"
"What?" she asked with an annoyed sigh.
"Be careful" he half-smiled, looking truly concerned.
She nodded once, knowing that for all the yelling, he really did care what happened to her.
"Always am" she promised as she left the room, knowing it was as big a lie as anything ever had been. She was falling in love with a man she was supposed to be sending to jail. She was doomed.
To Be Continued...
A/N2 : For those that are interested - more of 'Our Little Secret' and 'Life's Full of Surprises' coming soon. In the meantime, reviews on this fic are most welcome! :-)
