Tigger
Disclaimer: Not mine, just messin around with em, I swear.
Summary: Spike and Faith have a talk.
Reviews: Yes, please. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!
A/N: Well, tomorrow marks my one year anniversary of being posted on this site as a writer. I think (hope) I've improved and that people will continue to enjoy my insanity until the well runs dry. I think I've finally blasted that darned writer's block. Still loving and appreciating all the wonderful people who've reviewed. THANK YOU!
WayWard Childe, thank you so much for your input in this chapter. You have great instincts and I hope you continue to follow David Fury's advice (all you other writers listen up!) write every day.
And everyone: Toddle on over to BVTS Crossovers and read 'Blood Knights In Gotham' by WayWard Childe. It's incredible!
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Faith woke up to the realization that she was alone in the bed. She groaned slightly and flung her arm over her eyes. She stilled, trying to hear whether or not her vampire was still in the house. Shoving the blanket aside, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat up. She used both hands to smooth her hair back from her face and inhaled deeply, trying to fully wake up and sense her vampire. 'If he's taken off on me again…' She thought. 'He's dust.'
A noise in the hallway caught her attention and as she looked toward the door it swung open. Spike eased through the opening with a loaded tray in his hands. He looked startled to see her sitting up and bit his lip as he glanced down at the covered dishes.
"You're awake." The blond vampire observed unnecessarily.
"So are you. How are you?" Faith hid a tiny smile as she watched him stand there trying to figure out where to set his burden.
"Good as new. Thanks to you." He finally decided to place the heavy tray on the chair where Faith had put it the night before. He grimaced as he realized what he'd said. A wave of unaccustomed shyness swept over him. He eased down onto the bed next to the dark-haired slayer.
"I… um… made you breakfast. Well, not exactly. Peaches doesn't keep much in the way of human food so I had to call Clem. He's mad at me but I told him what happened. When he got done laughing, he agreed to bring you some breakfast. Did you know that the Poof keeps the phone working? And he's got a fridge full of blood packets? They weren't there before so he must have had someone deliver. Don't know why unless he's planning a visit, in which case we'd better clear out before he gets here. He'll dust me if he finds out I've been making myself at home in his house. Clem brought you a lot of stuff cause we didn't know what you liked." Spike babbled as he started to lift lids off the plates on the tray revealing eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, pancakes, fresh fruit and yogurt. He couldn't believe how nervous he was with Faith now. She'd saved his unlife and the gratitude he felt toward her overwhelmed him. She'd held him all night and fed him. She'd cuddled him as if he was precious to her and his unbeating heart swelled with emotion for the beautiful slayer.
"Wow. It looks great but you're gonna have to help me. I don't eat that much. Why didn't you bring up some of that blood for yourself?" She picked up a strawberry and nibbled on it.
Spike found his attention riveted on her white teeth as they bit into the luscious red fruit. "I… ah… was still…" He gulped. "full from… um… last…night." He answered slowly. He watched avidly as the last of the strawberry disappeared into her mouth. He blinked. "Besides, it belongs to Peaches and he'd kill me if I took it."
Faith shook her head. "No, it's for you. Willy probably delivered it while we were sleeping." An evil glint appeared in her dark eyes as she noticed his distraction. She picked up a sausage link and held it lightly between her fingers for a long moment. With intense concentration she let her sharp teeth sink into the spicy link. A noise that sounded suspiciously like a whimper escaped from the vampire sitting next to her. She licked the residue from the sausage from her fingers as she peered at Spike from under her thick dark lashes. Her breath caught at the passion-glazed expression in the dark blue eyes of the vampire she loved.
She picked up a slice of bacon and held it up to Spike's mouth. "Are you hungry?" She whispered.
A slight growl sounded deep in Spike's chest as he caught on that she'd been teasing him. He opened his mouth and engulfed the strip of bacon, chewing the crispy meat thoroughly before swallowing it. He grasped her hand before she had a chance to pull it away and licked her fingers free of grease. "Yummy." He murmured. He moved his mouth from her fingers to her palm, his intense blue gaze holding her dark eyes steadily as he tasted her flesh. Faith had a fleeting thought that microwaves were a wonderful invention before the feel of his cool mouth on hers caused all thinking processes to shut down.
Later, in the Magic Box…
Giles looked at the clock again. It read noon. The morning had dragged by and he wondered for what seemed like the sixteenth time if Faith had found Spike. Finally, the phone rang and he fairly leaped on it before Anya had a chance to pick it up.
"Hello?" Belatedly, "Magic Box."
"Giles?" Faith's amused voice came over the line.
"Faith! Oh thank God. Did you find Spike?" The Watcher asked anxiously.
"Oh! Sorry, yes I did." Giles could hear her as she pulled the phone away from her mouth. "Spike! What are you doing?" Distantly a crash was heard followed by a round of swearing Rupert recognized as Spike at his best. She came back and laughed. "He's crazy."
"I take it that he was in no danger?" Giles mistakenly assumed.
There was a new serious note in the dark-haired slayer's voice. "He almost died."
Stunned silence greeted her announcement as he processed it. "He almost did what? But how?"
"It's a long story; we'll tell you when we get there." Again there was a disturbance on the line. "Spike! Put that down! Angel is gonna be sooo pissed at you." There was pause then, "Giles, as soon as the sun goes down and it's safe to take Tigger outside, we'll meet you at the shop."
A smile crossed Rupert's face. "Tigger?"
"Yeah, you know that cartoon character that always bounces around?" Faith reminded him.
"I'm rather familiar with him, yes." A chuckle tried to break free of Giles' natural reserve. "Come to think about it, that could be considered an appropriate nickname for this particular vampire."
Faith giggled at the absurd formality in the Watcher's tone. "Well, being stuck inside with him is like being trapped with a two year old. He's into everything. Holy crap, gotta go…. Spike!" The phone clattered and then went dead. Bemused, Giles hung up his receiver and resigned himself to wait to find out what had happened.
Angel's mansion…
Faith dropped the phone into place in time to catch Spike on his fourth pass sliding on the hardwood floor in his stocking feet. "I'm sooo gonna kill Clem for bringing you that chocolate. What was he thinking?"
The hyperactive blond menace smirked as he wrapped his arms around her slender waist. "Well, Pet. I guess maybe you should figure out a way to work off all this energy, eh?" He slid his hands down her arms and began to walk backwards, pulling on her hand. She followed, pretending to resist. A teasing twinkle lit his sapphire eyes as she half-heartedly tried to tug her hand free.
"Gee, whatever shall we do?" She smiled as he gave a sudden jerk on her arm, catching her as she fell into his embrace. He hauled her up and slung her over his shoulder.
"Well, I think we should go check out the Poof's bed. He always was one for big, soft, comfy mattresses." Spike grinned when she wiggled enticingly. He carried his sexy burden through the halls of his Sire's house as he strode confidently into Angel's bedroom. He let Faith fall onto the bed and watched, grinning as she scooted up until she was sitting against the pillows lined up along the headboard.
Faith smiled as Spike climbed up on the massive bed. He hadn't bothered to finish dressing, preferring to roam the house in just his black jeans and later, for sliding purposes, a pair of socks. She appreciated the supple play of sleek muscles in his arms, shoulders and chest as he crawled up to sprawl next to her. He propped his head up on one hand and watched her through thick dark lashes.
She glanced around the room. "Angel sure likes his comforts." She observed.
"Yeah, he's a poof." Spike ran his finger down her arm, head tilted down to admire the contrast between her tanned skin and his own pale hand.
"Let's get one thing straight, Blondie. I like Angel. We're friends. That low place I was telling you about? Well, he's the one who pulled me out. I tried to get him to kill me." A low growl interrupted her words. She slipped her fingers under his chin and tipped his face up to gaze into his gold-tinged blue eyes.
"He refused. Just like I did with you. I wanted to help you. I don't know why but it just felt right." She kept her eyes locked onto his. "So just keep the snarky comments about Angel to a minimum and we won't have any problems. Okay?"
Spike was silent for long minutes. He blinked slowly. "Does he know we're here?" He asked very quietly.
Faith took her time answering. Finally, she decided to be honest. "I was afraid I was going to lose you. I needed to know how to fix you. So, yeah, I called him and asked for help. He told me about the blood in the kitchen and how much to give you."
Spike was shaking his head before she finished. "He did not. He told you to stake me. He hates me and I hate him." His low voice was venomous.
She ran her hand gently along his face, tracing the line of his cheekbone. "Yes, he did."
He thought about that for several minutes. "How did you find me?" He finally asked.
She leaned over and kissed him softly. "Angel told me to look here."
"Bloody Buggering Hell." He spat and he sat up suddenly. He started to get off the bed but Faith used her slayer strength to stop him. She clamped her hands on his shoulders in an attempt to pull him back over to her. It was more difficult than she'd expected as he was back up to his full strength due to the steady influx of human blood. Animal blood was fine for keeping a vampire unliving but human blood was required to maintain full vampiric strength. She moved up behind him and slid her arms around him, pressing against his bare back.
"Spike! Wait. I'm sorry, I was freaking out. I didn't know where you were. I thought you'd left me so I called Angel to see if you'd gone to LA. He knew you hid out here sometimes with things got too bad. That's why the utilities are still on and the freezer is full of blood. He didn't want you to know that he knew. He knew you would stop coming here." A short bark of laughter interrupted her.
"Got that right." Spike snarled. Something she said sank in. He froze in his position balanced on the edge of the bed. "You were freaking out?" He remembered something Giles had said. 'I thought she was torturing you until I saw her crying.' He bent his bright head, resting his chin on her forearms. He closed his eyes and sighed.
"Why?" The question was whispered so softly she almost missed it.
Faith pressed her forehead onto his bare shoulder. "Why what?"
"Why do you care?" He asked as he turned his head and rubbed his cheek on her silky sable hair.
Later, the Magic Box…
Giles picked up the card left by Mr. Whitestone and noted with a slight smile that it had a cell phone number listed. He dialed it.
"Whitestone speaking." The detective answered briskly.
"Mr. Whitestone, this is Rupert Giles. I'd like for you to come to the Magic Box shortly after sunset if that's possible." The Watcher said quietly.
"Mr. Giles! How kind of you to call. I was just wondering if I should contact you again. As much as I'm enjoying your California sunshine, I need to get home." The visitor said cheerfully. "Of course I'll drop around. Just after sunset, you say?"
"Yes, there's someone you need to meet." Giles left it at that. "I'll see you then." He hung up before the other man could further question the summons. He unlocked the drawer again and pulled the thick bundle of information out. He shuffled through the papers until he found what he was looking for. He smiled. Spike was gonna be one very happy vampire.
Angel's mansion…
Faith lay nestled against Spike's shoulder as he dozed. His question echoed through her mind. 'Why do you care?' She'd been startled when he'd asked that question. The tone of his voice had nearly broken her heart.
Earlier...
"Why do you care?" Faith caught her breath as the quiet question tugged at her heart. He sounded so insecure, as if he couldn't believe someone could or would care enough about him to save his unlife. She felt his cheek rubbing across the top of her head as she rested on his shoulder.
"I care because…" She began. She felt him stiffen as she paused in her answer. She dropped a kiss on his shoulder blade. "Because you're you. You are different. You're not like anyone else I've ever known and I want you in my life. You're in my heart and I'm not sure how you got there but I don't want you to not be there." She sighed in frustration. "I… um…I… um…" She paused, biting her lip. She hadn't realized it would be so hard but she couldn't remember ever saying it before. "Spike… I…"
The vampire kept his eyes closed. He could feel them prickling and held his unneeded breath. He knew it wouldn't last. He shouldn't have asked her why. "I…um… love you." She stammered almost too quietly for even vampire hearing to catch.
Spike shifted until he was facing her. His mouth caught hers in a passionate kiss. He pulled back and cupped her face in his hands. His dazed blue eyes locked onto her dark brown ones. "Oh, God, Luv." He found himself lost for words as she kissed him. He allowed her to pull him back onto the bed and he gazed at her in wonder.
She heard it just before he fell asleep a long time later. "I love you, too."
Sunset, the Magic Box…
Giles looked up and smiled when the bell over the door jangled. Faith and Spike walked in hand-in-hand. The Watcher noticed the quiet serenity that had settled over the couple. The utter happiness reflected in their eyes was something few are privileged to see. It surprised him to realize he was happy for the younger slayer and her vampire. After the debacle with Buffy and Angel, he'd doubted he'd ever approve of such a match but there was something about Spike and Faith that just fit.
"Hey, Watcher. Faith says you want to talk to me?" Spike stood casually next to the counter with his arm around his love. The blond glanced around and was happy to note that none of the Scooby gang was in attendance. He decided not to ask.
"Yes, about that matter we were discussing the other day…" Before Giles could finish, the bell jangled again. The three of them turned to see who it was.
Spike observed the stranger with suspicion. A nervous smile crossed the lean face of the newcomer.
"Mr. Giles. I'm here." The tall lanky young man stated unnecessarily.
Giles smiled. "So I see. Mr. Whitestone, I believe…" Again the older Brit was interrupted.
"Oh my God." Gerald Whitestone had advanced into the store and had gotten his first good look at Spike.
Unseen by the foursome in the main part of the store, Buffy came in from the training room. Surprised to see the stranger from the other day, she hung back just out of sight. Now she would find out at least one of the things her watcher had been hiding from her recently.
Spike eyed the stranger with dismay. The detective was staring at the vampire with his mouth agape. The blond had noticed the British accent and a nervous tingle was beginning to crawl up his spine.
"Rupert. What is this wanker staring at me for?" Spike's accent was evident in his irritation.
Mr. Whitestone opened his mouth and closed it. The action was repeated twice more before he found his voice.
"Lord William?"