Chapter 27:
Saffron was walking through a forest, it was so familiar, the thick undergrowth made her stumble to the clearing she knew was up ahead. She could hear a male voice singing, the tune was recognisable, but she couldn't hear the words properly. She walked into the clearing, there was a man stood there, his hands behind his back as if he was waiting for something. He had dark brown hair, parted at the side and slicked down with gel of some sort. He had a waistcoat on and dark trousers with dress shoes. He had clearly dressed up for the occasion. His skin wasn't human, it was silver and scaly like a fish. Apart from his complexion, he appeared human.
"Nice voice"
"You're late" He replied impatiently, looking at his wrist watch with annoyance.
"Do I know you?" Saffron asked, irritated with the way the man had greeted her. She didn't know him and nobody had told her she had to be anywhere.
"I am the messenger" He said, with great importance as if Saffron should care.
"What? The high priestess is in a meeting right now? Couldn't make it?" She asked, apparently bored with the exchange which she could tell pissed the man off, "Oh, and don't start with the whole, don't shoot the messenger shit, just tell me what's going on" She continued, knowing this would push his buttons further.
"Enough" He said curtly and clicked his fingers. Saffron was tired of this and tried to open her mouth to retort. But she found her mouth wouldn't open, and she couldn't make a sound. She put her hand to her mouth but it as if it had been glued shut. She scowled at the messenger, who still hadn't introduced himself. Instead, he launched straight into reciting some half-baked prophecy to her as if he was something special. He cleared his throat before he started.
"You are three of a kind, you must keep that knowledge in mind. When the blood is drawn, there will be no room to mourn, instead you must follow the light. For you three are The Chosen, The Key and The Sight" He finished, grinning like the Cheshire cat. She rolled her eyes, not impressed with how proud he seemed to be of the way he had recited the words he had been tasked to tell her. She stared at him, silently. A muffled response from her mouth tried to form words but nothing would come out. He was clearly too excited to hear some kind of praise on how he'd done his job. He clicked his fingers, allowing her to speak again.
"Well, at least it rhymed. I'd really missed primary school thank you for that kick of nostalgia"
"You really are a bitch, huh?"
"Says who?"
"Nobody"
"No, says who?" she walked straight up to him, their height was almost the same although he had about an inch on her. She glared directly into his eyes, not backing down until he answered, where she took half a step back from him.
"Just something I picked up from the dream of another, no matter" She nodded slightly, this giving her an idea.
"Does this mean I'm not the oh so pure, impossibly demure heart of the people? Am I finally off the hook?" She barely contained the excitement of this possibility as she said it. He shook his head, almost completely done with the supposed one with the Pure of Sight as he saw her for what she was. An out of her depth young woman.
"Did-did you not listen to the verse I performed for you?" He asked, dumbfounded that she could even ask. She snorted when he said the word 'performed', she couldn't stifle it. He had heard she could be hard to deal with but quickly resolved that he had no less faith in her because of this. The powers were his direct bosses after all, and he was a loyal disciple of their word. Hence his false sense of importance. He looked at her, she was still stood too close to him, trying to posture the way she had seen Spike do to make up for his lack of fight with humans. She just crossed her arms, as if she was a teenager sulking about being given an after-school detention. He flicked his wrist, as if he had cramp, towards her which sent her flying backwards.
"Shit, again?" She sighed as she saw the dark pit behind her, waiting to swallow her up. She braced herself this time, knowing nothing bad would happen when she descended. She landed hard on her back in complete darkness. This didn't happen last time. She felt a fine powder-like substance start to fall on top of her. It started out as a sprinkle but more and more started to cover her entire body. She could smell damp earth as she thrashed in a panic at the fact she couldn't get up. She could, however, hear the man singing again from far above her.
She woke up gasping for air and clutching at her throat. Spike tapped her before shouting her name in a panic as people in the waiting room were starting to stare. Her eyes snapped open, no time to adjust to the light as she turned, still out of breath to a concerned Scooby gang. Their eyes all snapped away when she woke up, however. She didn't notice the concern in their faces or feel their worry for her, it was mixed with their worry for Joyce.
"What is it?" Spike murmured for her ears only after she settled back into her seat.
"Vision" She whispered and he moved to wrap a comforting arm around her shoulder, "I died" She said bluntly. His eyes snapped back to meet hers. He rubbed her arm softly, willing her to feel his own comfort the way she had done for him so many times. She leaned over, a soft hand against the side of his face. A gentle thank you for being there with her. Despite the way everyone around them was treating the pair. Spike dipped his head slightly, moving further into her touch. They heard a scoff from across the room and their eyes snapped up at the same time. Xander. He was muttering to Willow about corpses being in morgues, not the waiting rooms. Willow tried her best to listen and not join in, wanting to keep the peace. Everyone was tense, Joyce had been in surgery for a while. Spike started to get out of his seat, not one to back down. But Saffron gently wrapped her arm around the top of his, whispering soft laments. Something close to him not being worth the headache. But sweeter. Spike visibly relaxed and sat back in his seat, fixing a glare for Xander instead. He then turned back to his girl, holding her close and resting an arm around her shoulder, knowing she needed him next to her. She was scared. Joyce had been in surgery for a really long time. Giles was sat in the far corner, he started cleaning his glasses at what he saw between the two lovers, shaking his head without comment.
Buffy started to verbalise her worry, talking to Riley who was sat a few seats away, glaring at Saff and Spike. Buffy shifted slightly, Dawn was lying on her lap and she was trying to get comfortable under her sleeping weight. Riley was sat next to her and watched her as she sighed, they had all been in that room too long. The anxiety was so much that they could all feel it the way Saffron could feel everything. It was horrible.
"I can't stand this. What's taking so long?"
"It doesn't mean anything. I'd worry more if your mom was out of surgery quickly"
"I can't stay in this room much longer. I feel trapped, I need to see her" Buffy continued, and Saff sent her a wave of calm to try and help as she nodded to her cousin, feeling it too. They both shared a look, one of understanding but neither said anything. Saff leant into Spike further, taking comfort from him rather than wasting her powers on making herself feel better. She wanted to help the others, especially Buffy and Dawn.
"Things might be better if dead man walking wasn't in everyone's way" Riley said, seeing Buffy's line of vision and misinterpreted it, tensing his jaw.
"Stop it." Buffy almost snapped, "Saff has someone, she feels cared for with him" Buffy said pointedly as everyone watched the colour drain from Riley's face. It wasn't so much what she said, but what was left unsaid. Nobody had any time to react as Buffy saw someone coming. She stood up, moving Dawn from her lap and walking towards the doctor who was walking out of surgery. Saff stood up, as did everyone else as they nervously shuffled towards the doctor as a group.
"It was possible to see the tumour completely, which means I was able to get all of it. So, barring complications in recovery, I think your mother's going to be fine" Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief, even Spike, as they heard the good news. Everyone hugged and Saff turned to Spike straight away wrapping her arms and legs around him as he squeezed back tighter, the smile on his face hidden in her hair from the others. The others were awkward with them, but they still gave her a stiff hug, able to forget their concerns about her briefly in their celebration. Buffy and Saff hugged each other and Buffy almost cracked her ribs at how tightly she was holding her, but Saff didn't complain. She was just pleased that Buffy seemed to want her to be a part of everything. Dawn joined in on the hug and all three of them squeezed each other tightly, some happy tears rolling down their cheeks. Buffy then launched herself at the doctor, almost breaking his spine as she thanked him. He shouted in pain as she apologised and ran at her two younger brunette siblings to hug them again.
xoxoxo
Nell's Diner was full of chatter and the hiss of the coffee machines that never seemed to get a break. It was late afternoon and life was rushing past the two girls that were sat in the booth nearest the counter. Saffron was eyeing a cake that was on display as Tara sipped on her coffee, watching a group of friends laughing together as they shared anecdotes about their day. Both of them felt the way the group was currently fragmented. Tensions were running high. Saff sighed, she was so pleased the operation went well but that was just one of her anxieties off the list. She twisted the silver hoop in her ear as she thought about what was to come.
"Do you think things will go back to normal soon?" Tara wondered out loud which brought on another sigh from Saff. She reached to light up a cigarette and a kind, elderly diner waitress brought her an ashtray over to the table. She nodded her thanks to 'Martha', as her name tag suggested, and turned back to Tara.
"What even is normal on the Hellmouth?" Saff offered, inhaling the thick smoke as she stared out of the window.
"Talk to me, Saffy" Tara said, a tight smile on her face as Saffron could feel her concern.
"I got another vision about the elusive number three with a guy I'm going to affectionately call fish-features, my auntie's just had a tumour the size of a golf-ball removed from her brain, my friends don't trust me because I'm in love with a soulless vampire with a behavioural modification chip, said vampire hates most of my friends, an evil hell-God is after my cousin and to top it all off, I'm expecting death-by-the-corrupted any day now" Saff didn't take a breath until the end of her long list and almost choked on the sudden intake of oxygen into her system.
"That's a lot to unpack, I was sort of expecting one problem at a time…" Tara said after a slight pause. Saffron laughed shakily and took another drag of her cigarette.
"Oh, I almost forgot that I have to feel everyone's emotions as well as my own, that's a big one. Lot of lust going on in this café, I'd advise not to look under any tables. Just in case" She winked at Tara, but her usual playfulness wasn't on her features. It was clear the list she had quickly managed to reel off was getting to her. A lot. "So, what's new with you?" Saff offered as there was a lull in conversation and Saff felt Tara feeling sorry for her. She didn't like it when people felt that.
"Willow found out that I knew about you and Spike before she did"
"You told! Shouldn't you have gross warts or hair-loss or something for breaking the 'sacred bond of trust'" saff threw her arms about wildly as if casting a spell, before flicking some ash into the ashtray.
"She just knew. She went all jealous-willow mode, it's cute but she's been a little… distant"
"Shit, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have sworn you to secrecy. Literally"
"She's not upset with you, if that helps. Seems to be my fault... and the others will come around, you know that"
"Save me the reassurance-replay, half of them still won't look at me" Saff started, tailing off, "It hurts" she whispered, rubbing the back of her neck after revealing her vulnerability.
"Maybe we should all get together? Work out our differences" Tara asked as Saff gave her a withering look, followed by an eye roll. Tara opened her mouth again to explain but Saff put a hand up to stop her from continuing. She didn't need the rose tinted suggestions right now.
"Zip it, T"
"I only meant-" tara was cut off by Saff's finger landing on her lip to warn her to quit it. The shock between them led them both to wince and Saff had to bring her finger away quickly. Both of them felt a cold shiver. It froze them to the bone. Saff clutched her head, it was as if her brain had been surrounded by snow. The worst brain freeze.
"We should really look into this wacky coldness" Tara said quietly, hugging herself in a vain attempt to warm herself up.
"Not really jonesing for round three with Giles, we'll have to do our own research"
"I'll do some Googling, there must be something written somewhere"
"You might have to go deeper than an internet search, I tried it. I was 5 pages in and none of it made any sense, unless you're actually a ghost. Or a vampire" Saff offered with a shrug. The girls finished up their coffees and Saff finished yet another cigarette despite Tara's protest before they got up to leave. Tara reminded Saff about the double date Willow had organised for the following week, both excited for the bowling. Saff could feel that Tara was missing Willow. Maybe this was what they needed. They parted ways with a wave, hoping that the other was okay. Both were in deep thought about the cold feeling as they walked in the opposite direction. Tara going home to Willow and Saffron to Spike and his cold, yet inviting, crypt.
In the crypt, Saffron and Spike were sat opposite each other with a concrete slab between them. She had let Spike shuffle today; she was impressed with his skill. Both were looking intently at the cards, Spike had a shadow of a frown on his face as he lit up a cigarette. Saffron was examining the cards carefully, a smile on her face. This was the best outcome she could have hoped for. She looked up at him, with a sparkle in her eye as she started to speak.
"Flush!" She shouted excitedly, laying her cards on the table, "And you've been bluffing since you were dealt your cards!" She added, excitedly waiting for him to lay his cards on the table. Just as she expected, she had won. Again. Spike gave her what could only be described as a death glare. He rolled his eyes as she stared at him expectantly. Spike looked down at himself, then at her and sighed loudly. Saff was wearing everything except a sock, whereas Spike had lost a lot more than that to this game.
"Such a sore loser! How does it feel being beaten by a girl?" Her eyes sparkled as she chuckled lightly.
"Oi, watch it! You're a bloody cheat, you are! Can't you turn that damned lie detector off?" He said vaguely gesturing towards her head.
"What would the fun in that be?" She asked smugly. Spike put the filter between his lips as he started to unzip his jeans and pull himself out of them. He kicked the jeans away in a sulk before sitting back down opposite her, "I can always take my other sock off if that would make you feel better" she teased.
"I think there should be a new rule. Cheats have to strip completely" Spike pointed at her, before taking a swig of his beer, waiting to see if she would do it.
"You can't just make up rules, babe! The strip poker Gods will be displeased" She put her hands up, staring at the ceiling as if in praise of these Gods before looking back to him.
"Well imagine how sodding displeased I am! Not even a flash of bloody anything on show!" He said dramatically waving his hand at her clothed form, still sulking. She had to bite back a smile at his predicament. He really hated losing.
"We could have always gone bowling with the girls tonight, I could have beaten you at that instead" she smiled at his slight pout, before eyeing the rest of his exposed skin. She was disappointed that today was the day he had decided to wear underwear. He started to retort but thought better of it, a knowing smile on his face as he swiftly got up and moved closer to her.
"I can think of much better things to do tonight…" He purred, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and skilfully sweeping all of the cards off the concrete block while he had her attention. He leant in to kiss her roughly before she had a chance to respond, laying her back against the concrete slab that had once been their poker table.
xoxoxo
Spike couldn't sleep. It was the middle of the night and he wasn't tired, he was thinking about the old days where he would stalk the night leaving terror in his wake. He was lying flat on his back, staring at the ceiling. The ceiling had glow-in-the-dark stars that were peeling slightly. They were in the basement of Revello, a change of scenery from the crypt. Saffron had claimed the stars were years old and she had never got around to removing them and he had teased her mercilessly. Saffron started to shift closer to him and he automatically reached to hold her tighter in his arms. Wrapping himself around her, shifting her closer. He enjoyed the skin contact. He smiled to himself as he looked at her sleeping, she had moved in her sleep to nestle softly into his side. She had risked her friendship for him, how had he got so lucky? He just wished that the Scoobies would get over it, Saffron had enough going on at the moment. She was sleeping soundly enough and he didn't want to disturb her, holding her like this made him feel human again. It was as if he could feel love vibrating through him with every breath she took.
The rest of the Summers women were sleeping soundly too, even the slayer. She must be tired anyway, Spike thought to himself, he had heard her and Riley having sex a few hours before. Must be making up. Saff move in her sleep to roll on her side, facing away from him. He released her from his arms as she went. He watched her dreaming for a while, missing the warmth of her body against his. Spike rolled over himself, laying an arm over her and pressing himself as close as physically possible to her. He slid his hand around her waist, under her clothes, her soft skin making him sigh and close his eyes. He loved the way she felt. He had trouble keeping her hours but he couldn't imagine stalking the night for long when she was lying here asleep. He wanted to stay close to her, knowing she was there with him. They were connected in a way that he couldn't begin to describe.
Spike heard a noise then, it sounded like a door being softly closed to avoid anybody waking up. He slowly moved from Saffron's grip and got out of the bed they shared together more frequently as of recently. She made a soft whine in her sleep as she missed the contact and stirred slightly, before turning over and getting more comfortable. His curiosity meant he needed to see what was happening. He grudgingly left her alone in the bed to investigate, despite preferring being in her company. He quickly got dressed and made sure the blankets were covering her. He knew how much she hated being cold. Spike then made his way up the basement stairs. He made sure not to make any noise the human ear could detect. He watched a shadowy figure leave through the front door cautiously through the crack in the door to the basement. He could tell it was Riley and he frowned and, after lighting up a cigarette, decided to follow him into the dark night.
When Saff woke up, she was pleased to notice that she was still in Spike's arms. He had stayed. Her heart swelled when she noticed he had stayed through the night to keep her company at her house. He usually slipped out before the sun rose so Buffy didn't stake him. His eyes were closed and he was completely still. She nestled closer to him, shifting her weight into his side as his arms snaked further around her. They stayed like that for a while, Saffron slowly waking up to a new day. She left some soft kisses on his neck and just behind his ear, before whispering her love for him. She hoped it reached him through his dreams. She reluctantly slipped from his grip and she could have sworn he whined slightly at their lack of contact. She looked back and frowned when she noticed he was fully clothed, boots included. She shrugged and threw on some clothes to walk around the house in. She padded up the stairs, hearing movement from Joyce's room and quickly decided she had better check in on her auntie. She had finally been allowed home as long as they made sure she was capable and all her meds were up-to-date.
"I think maybe I'll stick with a scarf" Joyce said as Saff entered, realising Buffy was trying to convince her to try out some wigs. Saff was instantly excited and rushed to grab one and tuck her own hair into it. She checked herself out in the mirror and shuddered, pulling a face. It aged her. She whipped it off, putting it back on the mannequin as Buffy tried to convince Joyce.
"Come on. Wigs are fun. We could get you a whole bunch of different ones. You know, you could be, like, Sixties Mom, Action Mom, French Maid Mom" Buffy offered, smiling as Saff agreed, brushing one of the other wigs.
"Ooo, I could borrow some of Spike's bleach and make you into funky-punk Mom" Saff smiled widely as Buffy nodded along. She felt as if she had barely acknowledged her in weeks.
"I must be getting better, cos you're both makin' fun of me"
"Well, you know. Got a lot of time to make up for"
"You have more important things to make up. I know you've been missing a lot of school" Joyce asked, looking at Buffy with worry. Buffy assured her that she would still manage to finish the semester with a few incompletes and then Joyce turned to Saff, "And I hear you haven't been picking up many shifts lately at the Magic Box?"
"That is only half your fault, don't you worry J" Saff winked cheekily when she blamed her auntie for not being at work very often, "I've been avoiding certain macho-types who don't like my boyfriend" She shrugged as Joyce gave her an empathetic look.
"Well, what about slaying and your friends? I want you to have your lives back"
"Right now I'd rather be here, styling your beautiful, new, plastic dream hair" Buffy smiled as Saff nodded in agreement.
"Fair enough, but you don't have to keep me company all day. Go out, have fun, maybe Spike and Riley could take you to the movies - a double date!" Buffy and Saffron looked at each other in horror and Saff snorted at the thought of forcing those two to be in the same room together again.
"Riley's one of the macho-types" Saff said, brushing one of the wigs and envisioning dyeing the synthetic fibres a brilliant electric blue for her auntie, "And Spike would kind of turn to a fiery pile of ash if we walked there during the day" Saff shrugged.
"I gave Riley the day off anyway" Buffy added. Saff looked up from her wig and frowned. It was that feeling again. Distance and frustration. She couldn't help but feel bad for her cousin. She knew what it was like being with someone that didn't make you feel properly happy. Until she met Spike.
"I don't think he thinks of you as a chore" Joyce reminded her. But Saffron could tell that being with him was a chore for her. She wanted to say something, but didn't want to in front of her auntie.
"I know that. I told him to make other plans because I wanted to spend time with you, OK? Besides, I can see him anytime. And I'm sure he'll come over later lookin' for a little… Bible study" Buffy paused at the end, meaning something completely different. Saff and Buffy caught each other's eye through her panic and flashed each other a knowing smile.
"Well, good. I mean, just as long as the two of you are spending some quality time with the Lord" Joyce said, as the girls tried to stop themselves from laughing out loud.
"We are. Absolutely" Buffy replied quickly as Saff gave her another look. Joyce clearly knew what she really meant which only made the younger girls find it funnier.
Saffron and Buffy struggled to stifle their giggles, every time their eyes met their laughter almost bubbled over. They'd both missed this. They excused themselves, mentioning something about breakfast as they left Joyce to sort through her new wigs. The girls managed to hold off their laughter until they shut the door behind them, Saffron touching Buffy's shoulder lightly to stop herself from falling down the stairs from laughing as they made their way to the kitchen.
By the time they had calmed down, it had taken a while as every time one started to chuckle the other caught it, they had already started to make breakfast. It hadn't been that funny, but they were in just the right mood and they had missed the laughter in the house.
"You know, if you wanna talk about the Riley thing…" She asked, she knew he had spent the night but she could feel that something was still missing. Buffy wasn't happy.
"I do, but maybe the talk should be with Riley first. You were right, I should tell him how I'm feeling" She said sighing, she stood and started to pour the pancake batter and Saff started to squeeze oranges to make juice for Joyce. There was a silence, as they continued their tasks. Thinking of their own worries.
"I miss everyone" Saff said out of the blue. Putting her knife down that she had been cutting oranges in half with. Buffy knew she meant how distant the group had been with her. She felt responsible too. It had been a shock and she still didn't trust Spike. At all.
"It's hard to get used to. I'm not in the used-to-camp yet, maybe the understanding-camp. But if he makes you happy…" Buffy tailed off, unable to fully give them her blessing. But she did make sure to confirm that, "He will be dust if he harms so much as a hair on your young little head" Buffy said mischievously. It felt like normal. Almost. Saff rolled her eyes and laughed, throwing an orange at Buffy but she caught it easily and set it back on the counter.
"The one that hurts the most is G, he's like… well, you know"
"Yeah, you just need to learn to roll with the punches. He's always had that uptight-don't-bend-the-rules English thing going for him"
"I feel like this is it. He doesn't want anything to do with me" Saffron sighed. Everything seemed so hard all of the time. She was sick of it.
"I could always talk to him for you, if you want" Buffy said over her shoulder, delicately arranging pancakes on a plate.
"Can't imagine you waving the team-spike flag, personally"
"I can definitely wave the flag for team-Saff though. I could even do a little cheer"
"Thanks, Buff. I'm glad I've got you" Saff said genuinely, not looking up from her oranges. It meant a lot to Buffy as her younger cousin wasn't usually so comfortable revealing how much she cared. She knew that she did care about her family, probably more than most, but hearing it was always nice. The girls smiled at each other as Buffy set everything on a tray and nodded, pleased with their presentation.
"Go team!" Buffy shouted behind her as she left the room to take Joyce her breakfast in bed. Saff smiled to herself, pleased that Buffy seemed to be happy to be around her again. She got started on making more orange juice for her and Buffy.
xoxoxo
They had been out to Bronze that night and Spike had to support Saff's weight as they walked through the streets as she had drunk a large amount of liquor. Or, Cleopatra had according to her ID. Saffron could be a feisty drunk, but mostly she was soft and affectionate, especially with Spike. A loud crash sounded through the otherwise silent house, as Saffron knocked into one of the tables in the living room which sent a vase flying. Spike caught it and set it back. She ignored it and Spike tried to direct her in the right way as she continued to babble. He couldn't help smiling, she liked to tell him all sorts of lovey-dovey feelings that he could tease her about when she sobered up. Also, he just enjoyed hearing how much she liked him.
"I like how your eyes look... of course they look they're eyes!" Saffron fell into a fit of giggles as Spike rolled his eyes, but couldn't bite back his smile, "But also how they look. They're soft and blue and when you look at me…" She tailed off and just smiled to herself and sighed contentedly.
"I knew those shots were a bad plan, Honeysuckle. I told you, you're no match for me" Spike said quietly, they were near her basement room now and he was hoping she wouldn't make too much more noise so the rest of the house wouldn't be woken up. If they hadn't already. He had just been sort of accepted, he didn't need the witches to be brought in to uninvite him for bringing her back drunk.
"I can match! You are my match, the perfect match" Saffron shouted and pointed just beside spike and smiled goofily. He put a hand over her mouth and hushed her slightly and she nodded and kissed the palm of his hand. He let go slowly, hoping she would remember to stay quiet. She stumbled towards the door to her room as she noticed her deep purple nail varnish and moved her hands so she could admire them, before showing them to Spike for his opinion.
"Very nice, pet" He muttered as he tried to help her down the steps to her room. She stumbled her way down the stairs and started to pull her combat boots off her feet awkwardly. She was hopping, trying to get the second one off before throwing it halfway across the room. Spike had taken his duster off and slung it over the chair she had at her desk.
"Can I paint yours?"
"Tomorrow"
"Pink?"
"Not a bloody chance" He said without missing a beat, trying his hardest to ignore her drunken pout. She was quickly distracted by the way he was softly guiding her into bed. She looked up at him through blurry eyes, either her contacts weren't in or she had drunk way more than she thought.
"I love you" She suddenly slurred and moved her head quickly to look at him in the eyes.
"And I love you, pet"
"No, I really love you. Do you know that?" She stared at him, frowning, making she he really knew. He nodded and guided her towards her side of the bed and she fell onto it.
"I know it" He replied, his expression matched hers as she smiled and nodded softly. He watched her close her eyes and get comfortable under the blankets. Her head must be spinning, but you couldn't tell from where he was standing. He got into bed after her, but didn't change before he got in. He had other plans for tonight. He waited an hour, until he heard Riley leave again and slowly got up. Saffron stirred but rolled over to sleep on her side. He waited and looked back at Saffron to make sure she was still sleeping, before making his way up the stairs.
"Slayer" He hissed, "Slayer! Get up!" He said louder. She was a surprisingly deep sleeper for a slayer who was currently in the house with a vampire. He tried not to picture her response, which would no doubt be because she saw him as harmless.
"I'm up" Buffy sat bolt upright, and looked through squinted eyes next to her, expecting Riley to be there but he wasn't. She frowned and looked back to the doorway and her eyes bulged when she saw who it was and held the bed covers closer to her body. "What do you want, Spike?"
"I wouldn't be here if I didn't have a good reason. As usual, I'm here to help" Spike started defensively before adding, "I need to show you something. It's important"
"What could you wanna show me at 3 a.m.? I need my hour of slayer beauty sleep" She sighed at the state of her sleeping pattern and looked back up to glare at Spike.
"Call it an olive branch. Call it anything you like, just come with me" He was starting to get frustrated now. Why won't the bitch just follow me?
"Where's Saff? Why would you want to help me?" Buffy asked again, not sure of Spike's intentions.
"It's like you're my sister in law, aint it?" He shrugged, explaining why he would come in the middle of the night to help her.
"Never say that again" Buffy said as Spike turned around so Buffy could get changed and he could show her what Riley had been doing after she had gone to sleep. Spike had taken her to one of the darkest corners of Sunnydale, where vampires and humans struck a deal. Buffy took one look at Riley being bitten, and his face seemingly taking some excitement or relief from the act and ran out of the building. Spike soon followed her out, pleased with himself for revealing who Riley really was, but he didn't get any praise from the slayer for helping her out.
When Spike had returned to Saff, he had told her why Buffy was so upset. That morning, Saffron barely stopped to hear the full story. She had just collected her bag and ran out of the front door, heading straight for where she imagined Riley would be. She found Graham first, hugged him and wished him the best. He pointed out where Riley was, and she stormed over to him.
"Go. Don't come back. She doesn't need you" Saffron told him firmly, not blinking as she made her statement. He nodded, she could tell he was disappointed that Buffy hadn't come to see him before he left. Without looking back, Riley followed Graham onto the chopper and prepared to leave Sunnydale. For good, she hoped.
xoxoxo
She went to Spike's as soon as she watched the helicopter leave. She wanted to make sure Riley had definitely left. She didn't realise that Buffy had ran all the way to stop him and was watching from across the other side of the field. She looked over to find Spike had been watching Passions intently. Saff stood in front of the screen and he made a noise of frustration and tried to move her out of the way of the screen.
"Why would you take her there?" She asked, not entirely pleased with the way Spike had broken the news to her. He looked up at her, he couldn't tell what she was feeling. The room wasn't trying to set him on fire, so she wasn't necessarily angry.
"You think she'd take my word based on my big, bad reputation for telling the truth?" Spike turned to pull her onto the sofa next to him as he spoke, planting her in place before turning back to the screen.
"I guess not… I just wish you had told me first" She shrugged, crossing her legs under her on the chair. He tutted and turned back to her, the show was a lost cause, he didn't know what was going on now.
"Didn't have time, and you were drunk, love. What would you have done except have been that night's open bar?" Spike pointed out. Saffron thought about it, she probably would have been an easy target for the group of vamps. She seemed to agree with this and they both turned back to the screen. The silence only lasted a few minutes and Spike sighed as she started talking again, he had been looking forward to this episode and she had talked through most of it.
"I told Riley to leave and never come back. What he did it's-" She started, still pissed at what Riley had done. Spike had mentioned how much pleasure he had taken from it. This caught Spike's attention and he turned back to her; suspicion thick in his mind.
"You fucking spoke to him? God, how did I not smell it sooner?" Spike said, looking repulsed. He moved away from her, to the other side of the couch. She could feel the repulsion and visibly flinched at the feeling. She didn't want to get used to that feeling, it made her feel as if she was rotting.
"Yeah to tell Riley to-" She started to explain herself, but cut herself off. She stared up at him, he had gone very quiet which she didn't take as a good sign. She didn't finish her sentence, instead hoping he would calm down. Riley had gone, what could possibly be riling him up?
"Not that idiot, the other one. Graham" Spike spat the name out of his mouth.
"I said goodbye, Spike. It's hardly a crime" saffron said, her arms crossed over her chest as she heard a low growl from Spike's direction, making her roll her eyes. She turned back to the tv, hoping this was the end of the conversation. Maybe they could cool off and then apologise to each other in bed later.
"You wouldn't bloody stink of him. You say goodbye with words, you don't mount the bastard!" Spike exploded, which she hadn't expected. She whipped her head around to face him again.
"I didn't fucking mou-!" She stopped herself from continuing, "Please don't do this now, not after I've risked everything to be with you" she spoke softly, and Spike could tell she really didn't want this to turn into a fight. But he was too jealous to stop himself.
"Oh yeah? Go and risk it all with Graham" Spike gestured towards the door and just stared at her. She frowned, not moving from her spot. Not this again, she thought sadly. He gestured again and she didn't wait to be told a third time.
"Fine" She said, and she got up from the chair, turned and slammed the crypt door behind her, she could still feel the burning hot anger from him, or maybe it was her own.