Chapter 7 - Spiraling
“Look at me, Giles!” Buffy demanded, lifting up a section of her shirt to show him the damage from the previous night. “Not only do I look like a scratching post, but I was turned into an All-You-Can-Eat buffet by Sunnydale’s reigning nighttime terror. I need to find some way to stop this and I need to do it now.”
“Buffy, I realize the extreme importance of this situation - believe me, I do. But you have to understand that this problem will not go away just because you wish it to be so.”
“Trust me, if it was as simple as making a wish, Spike would be poofed into outer-space by now,” Buffy replied with a sulking frown.
Giles sighed, setting down the book he’d just scanned and leaning on the counter, studying the young girl in front of him. “Buffy,” he began slowly. “I know that this is not easy for you. I hate to appear callous or glib when discussing this topic because I do understand the severity of Spike’s seemingly growing obsession with you, but you need to understand that in certain circumstances, it’s acceptable to be afraid.”
“This goes beyond simple fear, Giles. He’s disrupting my life. And I’m not talking about the slaying side of my life - it gets a normal dose of disruption on a regular basis. I’m talking about the life that I try to lead during the day.”
“Shall I even attempt to translate what you just said or would you care to speak in English?”
Sighing in irritation, Buffy stepped back, holding her arms out to each side. “Look at me.”
Impartially looking her up and down, Giles raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to continue.
“My clothes,” she continued, raising her own eyebrows to get her point across as if it should be the most obvious thing in the world.
Taking in the soft cotton shirt and one of the short skirts that she was so partial to wear, Giles sighed, becoming more annoyed by the minute with his charge and her flippant conversation skills.
“He’s disrupting my wardrobe, Giles. This simply has to stop.”
“Buffy, what on earth are you talking about? I’ve seen you in those clothes once already, so this can’t be a problem of catastrophic proportions.”
“Exactly! Everyone has already seen me in this, but I had to throw something on this morning because the dress I was planning to wear irritated my stomach whenever the fabric brushed against it. And it’s not like I could wrap a big bandage over it because that would just make my stomach look all lumpy. And Giles, I’m still relatively new and something of a novelty at this point in my high school career - lumpy is not a synonym I want attached to my name!”
“Perish the thought,” Giles muttered, distractedly organizing some books behind the counter.
“Oooh!” Buffy growled, throwing up her hands and storming across the library, not having a direct destination in sight but wanting to prove how truly irritated she was.
Giles looked over at his Slayer with a thoughtful expression. “Buffy, are you sure that Spike taking blood from you was the only thing to happen last night?”
“You say only like it’s not a big deal,” she muttered, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting as she looked at the floor.
“What I mean is, you seem dreadfully focused on making this more about your injury at the hands of another vampire than your interaction with the Master. Is there anything else I need to know about your evening?”
Buffy felt her cheeks begin to heat up as the memories came back to her in a blinding rush. She could practically feel Spike’s fingertips dancing along her skin before he brought her to shuddering release. One part of her soul cried out in righteous indignation while the other seemed to hide in shame.
Closing off every ounce of lingering emotion from the night before, Buffy carefully schooled her features into an impartial mask. “Nothing happened,” she said, her voice carrying a quiet but firm undertone that left little to argue with.
Turning on her heel, she tried to maintain a casual stride as she made her way to the library doors. “Let me know if you come up with a plan. Or, you know, anything in general to keep me alive for another week,” she tossed over her shoulder, knowing that she was being too hard on her Watcher but deciding she was allowed a few bad days and continued out the door, immediately running into a passing student.
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, bending down to retrieve the book that had fallen. “Emily Dickinson,” she murmured, the name sounding vaguely familiar to her as she handed the book back, finally looking up at its owner. “Owen,” she said in surprise, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of the boy she was seriously crushing on only days earlier.
“Hey, Buffy,” he replied with a nervous smile. “It's dumb, but I like her around. Kind of a security blanket.”
“Oh… huh?”
“My Emily,” he said, a flustered look crossing his boyishly handsome face as he held up the book.
“Oh,” Buffy replied, still not sure if she was following the conversation. “I have something like that. Well, it's an actual blanket. Uh, and I don't really carry it around anymore. And… I should be going,” she finished awkwardly, making a move to step around him.
“Do you like the Bronze?” Owen asked, turning to follow her as she walked around him until they were both facing each other again.
“The Bronze?” Buffy parroted, trying to shake off her previous worries and focus on the conversation.
“Yeah. Nightclub. Teenagers. Dancing-”
“Drinking of the cola variety,” Buffy filled in with a smile. “Yeah, I’m there a lot.”
“Great. That’s… that’s great,” Owen said, a nervous smile playing on his lips.
Waiting the obligatory five seconds for him to continue his comments with something a little more substantial, Buffy finally took a step away. “Okay then… see ya,” she said, offering a little wave as she turned around.
“Would you like to go?” he blurted out, causing Buffy to slowly turn to face him once more.
“With you?” she asked with a reassuring smile.
“That was the general idea,” he replied, his nerves practically radiating into Buffy.
“That’d be great. How about tonight at eight?”
“Great!”
“I’m at 1630 Revello,” she said, turning away for the final time and walking down the hall, breathing a sigh of relief. Or at least of hope. Maybe for one night she wouldn’t have to worry about the downward spiral that her life was turning into.
Thanks so much to: spufette, Burnz, dihcar, Cordykitten, gaillee, Vette, Jessica, Whitelighter354, Priscilla, SarahandJamesFanatic, sue, Brunettepet, Shannon & romero for reviewing!
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks so much to Allison for the super-quick beta (as always)! I've been getting more free time lately, so I'll be having more regular updates (on all of my WIPs). I'm hoping to have a new chapter of Daughter of Darkness before the weekend. This one is kind of a filler chapter, but I'm still proud of it, so I'm hoping you like it!