Betrayal

Chapter Thirty One

Spike's head was spinning. Buffy had gone to make the phone call to Giles to ask him to gather any information the Council had on fairies and fairy magic. Spike searched his mind for that elusive piece bit of information that was somewhere in his noggin.

"You ok?" Vi asked.

He shrugged, "Don't worry about me, pet. How did the patrol go before you met up with Dru and Drac?"

"Um. Fine."

Spike gave her a piercing look. She wasn't the best liar. Unlike Buffy. Spike's lip curled.

"If you don't want to tell me that's fine."

She rolled her eyes. "Stop being so nosy. If it was something you needed to know I would tell you. I'm going for a shower. You and Buffy can get started without me." She smiled but Spike noted it didn't quite meet her eyes.

Spike furrowed his brow as he watched her leave the room. The last few weeks had turned his whole experience in Moscow upside down. The experience has started out really well until his loopy ex made an appearance. Then his other ex-girlfriend decided to come too. If they weren't in such a dangerous predicament he would leave to get his head together. Bloody women. He suspected Vi had been giving Buffy a lecture of some sort during their little palaver on patrol. At least things had been somewhat been resolved between himself and Buffy, but he couldn't fail to notice Vi was acting strange around Buffy and he couldn't understand it. At first she was all pushing him to resolve things with Buffy and now she was punishing him for something he had no idea he done or not done. Despite his many years of existence he would never understand women. Spike sighed and looked up when Buffy walked back into the room.

"I rang Giles and he said there's nothing that he can think of, but he will get right on it."

"Good," Spike said. "We need all the help we can get."

Buffy looked around the kitchen, "Where's Vi?"

"She's gone to get cleaned up."

"I think I might do the same."

"Are you hungry?" Spike asked. "I'm going to order some pizza."

Buffy stomach rumbled as if agreement. "Yes – please," she muttered sheepishly.

Buffy and Vi had come stairs by the time the pizza had arrived. It was a good thing too. The Slayers descended on the food like locusts and the pizza was gone in five minutes. Spike had gathered all the books they had in the house and settled down at the other end of the dining table. He earned a few suspicious looks but none of the youngsters offered to help. Some were still pissed at him and others were sick of all the book work over the last couple of days. He couldn't blame them for either. He watched the other side of the room, where Buffy and Vi seemed to be in deep conversation. If the room had been quieter, he might have been able to make out what they were saying. As it was he was just curious.

Andrew plopped down beside him. "What are you doing?"

Spike rolled his eyes. "What does it look like?"

"Can I help?" Wearing his most earnest expression Andrew continued, "I'm a super quick reader and if it's anything to do with demons I'm your man."

"It's nothing to do with demons. 'Sides Buffy and Vi are going to help." Spike looked over at them again. "When they're done comparing notes on how much of a git I am."

"Please, Spike," Andrew begged, "I don't get to hang around with you anymore. You're always off with Vi or Buffy. I'm supposed to be your assistant." He finished with a pout.

Spike counted to ten in his head. That boy was going to end up dead at his hand someday.

"Fine, but what you see here you're not to discuss with the rest of the girls."

Andrew's eyes went wide, "Scout's honour. I won't breathe a word."

Spike nodded resigned.

"Wow, we share secrets now." Andrew threw his arms around him, "I knew we were becoming close friends."

"Get off!" The vampire extricated himself from the boy's embrace.

Instead of looking sheepish the boy was looking like the cat that got the cream. "So, what are we looking for, boss?"

"Anything to do with fairies or the Gem of Amara," Spike replied.

"Fairies?"

Spike put a finger to his lips. "Remember what I said? Not a word to anyone."

Andrew shifted in his seat, "This chair's uncomfortable."

"Stop whinging," Spike said from over his book. "You're the one that wanted to help, so bloody well help."

"What exactly are we looking for?"

"You never mind, just tell me if you find anything on either topic."

Spike managed to read the same page three time. He kept getting distracted by the conversation on the other side of the room. He wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing the two were in such close conversation. Were they talking about him? Shaking his head he went back to his reading. This was much more important than his pride or his vanity. There had to be something they had missed on. He had a vague recollection of Dru saying something, but he couldn't remember what. He looked up to see the two women crossing the room to join him. Buffy raised an eyebrow when she saw Andrew beside him.

"Spike won't tell me anything," the boy said with a pout. "I'm working really hard but he won't tell me we are looking for information on-"Spike stamped hard on his foot.

"What did I say?" he hissed. "Do you want to tell the whole room our business?"

Andrew had a wounded expression on his face. "It's not my fault you're grumpy." He sent a glare at Spike and mumbled under his breath, "There's enough sexual tension in this room to cut a knife"

Spike balled his fists. "You know I can hear you. Vampire hearing you git."

Buffy and Vi exchanged glances.

Spike had enough, he grabbed his duster and fags. "I going for a smoke."

No sooner than the door slammed shut behind him, Spike felt a little ridiculous. What the hell? I'm bloody well brooding.

Spike smoked what was left of the cigarettes in the box before he returned inside. The younger Slayers had retired upstairs. Andrew, Buffy and Vi's heads were bent over books on the table.

"PMS?" Vi looked up with a devilish grin.

Buffy bit back a smile and Andrew giggled at Spike's two fingered response. The vampire took off his duster, put it on the back of a chair next to Vi and sat down.

"Anything interesting?" he asked the group.

Buffy sighed in response. "These books are useless." She slammed her book shut. "I've never been good with the books. Give me something to beat into submission."

"Know the feelin'." He reluctantly picked up the smallest looking book on the table and started to pore through the pages.

Spike was finding it really hard to concentrate with Andrew's yawning. "Just go to bed before you fall asleep on the books."

"I'm pooped," Andrew admitted. "Night you guys."

Buffy stretched her arms over her head. "I might turn in too. Sorry, guys, but I can barely keep my eyes open. Hopefully, Giles will come back to us with more information tomorrow."

"Night, Buffy," he said. "Night, Andrew."

"Goodnight, guys," Vi said.

Rubbing her eyes, Vi said, "I'm going to make some coffee."

"You look wrecked, pet."

She punched him on the arm, "You're so charming, Spike."

Spike chuckled. "You know what I mean, Vi. Leave the books to me. I'm a vamp, creature of the night and all that." He paused. "I don't think I could sleep even if I wanted to."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." He had to be useful for something.

"You okay?" He felt Vi put her hand on his arm. "This whole Drusilla thing isn't your fault. If I had been alive as long as you I'm sure I would have forgotten more than I ever learned."

The soft bint was reading his mind. He was filled with a surge of affection for his friend and he forced himself into a smile that he was sure looked more like a grimace.

"Maybe?" He turned his gaze from the page to her face. "Still, it's a bit convenient, isn't it pet? I can remember all this silly bollocks about vampires searching down through the ages. That's all useless."

"Not necessarily."

He raised a brow.

"Seriously. Just put the books away and write down everything you can think of, anything to do with the Gem."

"Seems like a waste of time."

"Who's to say it's anymore of a waste of time than these books. We could be going off on some wild goose chase that Drusilla sent us on, deliberately or not."

"I s'pose it could be a ruse, but it rings true. Playing goose isn't really Dru's style and although she's bonkers she wants that gem for some reason."

"Like you said she's nuts. This fairy thing could just be some idea in her head."

"I know that, but what matters is she believes it. I know Dru. She has her games, but this isn't one. It's not her style. She believes it - true or not."

Vi shrugged, "You know her better than me." She paused, before she added, "Just, don't beat yourself up."

"Thanks mum," he joked.

"Very funny," she said with an eye roll.

"Thanks, Vi." He smiled at her, "It's good to know someone has my back."

"You're welcome."

He watched her leave, the fond smile not leaving his face. He really didn't know how he would have coped had Vi not forgiven him for concealing Dru's reappearance. He wasn't going to make the same mistake again. He didn't own Dru anything and he needed to remember that the next time that he bumped into the bint. He had loved her once and in a way she had a small part of his heart just as Buffy had. However, he was no longer in love with either of them. Maybe Buffy had it right that time when she had said that he was in love with pain?

Spike didn't go to bed until nearly dawn. I felt like only a few minutes since his head hit the pillow before he heard the screeching of Andrew in the corridor complaining about how long it took the girls in bathroom. Spike snorted and pulled the pillow out from under him and over his head. Stupid wanker took as long as the girls and in some cases even longer. He closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep. He tossed and turned before he sighed deeply at a high pitched squeal from one of the girls. He badly needed some testosterone in the building. There was only Andrew to provide him with some male company after all. Maybe when all this was over he would go visit Gunn and get him to visit. The doorbell rang and he heard footsteps coming down the hall. Trying to sleep was almost as futile as all of the reading he had done the night before. He'd taken Vi up on her suggestion, but he couldn't glean anything from his memories.

There was a timid knock on the door. "Spike – you got something in the mail."

"Bloody hell, couldn't it wait a couple of hours, Michelle."

"Sorry, Grumpy. I'll leave it on the kitchen table."

Nevertheless, he threw the pillow on the floor and threw back the blankets. There was no point lying here if he was unable to sleep.

After a quick shower a bleary eyed Spike made his way into the kitchen. Vi and Buffy were sitting at the table with Michelle peering at a cell phone.

"What's so interesting?" he asked stealing some toast off Vi's plate.

He took a peek over Buffy's shoulder and saw a picture of a little toddler, who looked a lot like her mother.

"Alice has grown a lot since last time I saw her," he remarked.

Buffy's posture looked stiff and she appeared uneasy. There was a time when it would have hurt to see this baby, the result of Buffy and Angel's betrayal.

Taking pity he decided to set her at her ease. "She looks like you."

"Don't know if that's a good thing. She could inherit my funny nose."

Spike snorted, "You spend enough time looking in the mirror to know you're gorgeous, pet."

"I'm not sure whether you mean that as compliment or not," Buffy replied.

Spike sat down next to Vi and gave her a warm smile. "Mornin', luv."

She returned the smile but it didn't meet her eyes.

"Where's my mail?" he asked Michelle.

"Good morning to you too," she said snidely before handing him an envelope.

Spike frowned as he took it from her. There was an elegant script on the outside of the envelope. He tore it open, his sense of foreboding increasing. He pulled a cream piece of paper from the envelope.

Dear William,

I have been more than accommodating to you and your Slayers. This is despite the fact that you all keep interfering with my business. I have kept my kin from your neighbourhood bar that one incident where your former lover saw fit to have a tantrum.

So – please bear in mind, I have come to the end of my tether. Should you get in my way then you will regret it. Despite the way you look I am aware you are far from stupid and I trust you will heed this warning.

Sincerely,

Dracula.

To be continued…