[Reviews - 190]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 3749 times

- Text Size +




Author's Chapter Notes:
I'd like to thank Elanor, cyrstal pegasus, ebontier, starhawk, gypsy_jin, buffyrat, niamh, anne, sarah G, txjmfan, blondiebear, lilpuf, lucy, cordy, kimer, jessica, blueeyedevil, arieldawn, buffyandspikeforever, aurora, kar, tam, steph, blessedkarma, vicki , sevvyO, reciprocity (thanks for the beta offer sweets!) and Franchesca for taking the time to review and let me know what they thought of the last chapter. So very appreciated, you have NO idea!!!
Special thank you to spikeskat for beta'ing this chapter!

Chapter 29

Spike could feel his facial bones begin the familiar shift, the sudden scent of fear saturating the air hastening the process. He inhaled deeply to savor the sweet smell, unable to help the slow, satisfied grin that lifted the corners of his mouth, thereby introducing Buffy's father to a lethal pair of fangs that had practically ripped from his gums.
"What in the hell..." Hank gasped, his eyes bulging in disbelief.

"Now that's the very question, now innit?" Spike mocked, tilting his head to the side as he regarded the man in front of him.

"Joyce?" Hank's voice was shrill; panic seizing a tight hold on his vocal cords. He risked a quick look in his ex's direction and was horrified by the absence of fear on her face. 'What has been going on here?'

"Spike." Just one word, softly spoken yet full of intensity. "Let him go."

"Do you see me touching the git?" Spike tossed back.

But the mere fact that Hank's exit was blocked by a creature that he couldn't dare admit existed kept Hank frozen in place, no physical restraint necessary on Spike's behalf.

"Spike, please. Don't do anything you are going to regret later," Joyce advised, finding herself begrudgingly unnerved at this brutal and sinister reminder of what, exactly, was living in her house. This wasn't the Spike she knew.

"No mom, he's fine." Buffy was framed in the entryway of the kitchen, her brilliant hazel eyes glittering with anger. With deliberation, she stalked across the kitchen and stood next to Spike. She had to fight back her own need for violence after hearing her dad's accusatory comments.

"So..., dad. You really wanna know why I was all with the freakage that night? Take one good guess."

Hank's vocal capabilities seemed to have completely deserted him, only able to stare in muted disbelief, his eyes begging her for an explanation that would make what he was seeing make some sort of sense.

But Buffy found herself unwilling to make it that simple for him. He had abandoned them for his own selfish purposes. For so long, it had just been Blake, her mom and Buffy trying to succeed as a family until that fateful day when Spike came to town to kill her.

No. Her dad did not deserve the simple explanation.

She very deliberately nestled into Spike's side, welcoming the arm that banded around her waist and drew her even closer.

"What....are....you...?" Hank finally bit out, his brain trying to process what he was seeing.

Spike snorted rudely and Buffy couldn't help but roll her eyes, going for the cynical approach.

"Please, dad. I totally know you've seen vampire movies. I remember watching Fright Night with you over and over."

Hank shook his head back and forth slowly, not wanting to accept what was right in front of him. "No. Vampires don't exist. There has to be some other explanation."

"Ooookay. I think someone is in denial, and for once, it's not me," Buffy commented. "Dad, wake up and smell the reality! Look at what is in front of you. I mean, hello! You're acting as freaked out as I was that night! Don't you think that should tell you something?"

Suddenly, clarity decided to grace Hank with its calming presence, adding a generous portion of incredulity into the mix. A fact that caused Hank to fall back on a familiar defense mechanism; lashing out at what made him uncomfortable.

Pushing away from his cowed stance against the refrigerator, Hank drew himself up and looked at the pair in front of him, his mouth working overtime to inflict damage upon the couple. "Well, this is just great. Imagine my relief to find that my daughter isn't really involved with a criminal because being with a vampire is just so much better."

Spike was on him before the last syllable left Hank's lips, his arm a band of steel against Hank's chest, elbow pushing into his neck, as he slammed Buffy's dad against the hard surface behind him. "Oh believe me Hank, I more than fit the definition of a criminal. Want to know how many innocent lives I've taken?" A cruel grin emerged. "Want to know exactly what I feel like doing to you, Hank?"

"Buffy," Joyce cried, grabbing onto her daughter's arm as she nervously eyed Spike's fangs so close to her ex-husband's neck, memories of her own experience at Spike's mercy vivid in her mind.

Buffy turned to give her mom a reassuring look. "It's fine, mom. Spike won't do anything that dad doesn't totally deserve."

At the complete lack of doubt in Buffy's voice, Spike felt his anger suddenly melt away. He dropped Hank and took a step back, demon features fading back to his human form as his expressive blue eyes swiftly found those of the girl he loved. He didn't know exactly what he'd done to earn her trust, but nothing, not even her asshole father, was going to cause Spike to shake her obvious faith in him.

It suddenly dawned on Spike just how much he had changed. She'd done this to him, and there was nothing within him that needed to rebel against it. And with that revelation, the vampire found a calming strength.

"Looks like it's your lucky day, Hank, old man," Spike announced as he turned back to the man he held pinned against the refrigerator. "See, your daughter loves me. And because I love her so bloody much, I'm not even going to hurt you." He gave Buffy's father a chilling look. "But you've had your last warning. You watch your bloody mouth around my family from now on."

The words left Hank's mouth before he could stop them. "This isn't your family."

Spike's smile was cruel. "It is now."

He shoved himself away from Buffy's father, not wanting to touch the foul human a moment longer. Turning to Buffy, his expression softened. "I hear the boy stirring. I'm going to go check on him."

"I'll come with you," Buffy replied, taking the hand that Spike offered as they walked out of the kitchen.

Hank merely stood there and watched his daughter exit the kitchen, his hand unconsciously rubbing his neck and chest where he had almost had his last breath squeezed out of him; his brain running in frantic circles.

Vampires were real. There was a vampire living in his house. A vampire had gotten his daughter pregnant.

He turned to look at Joyce, who was watching with him with a combination of anger and sympathy. "Is Blake... normal?" he found himself asking.

Joyce's expression hardened. "Yes, Hank. Blake is a normal little boy, who just happens to be extremely intelligent and very intuitive. Not that you'd know, of course, not having seen him for a year."

"But how? What?" Hank knew he was babbling but couldn't seem to help it.

Joyce sighed heavily. She gestured for Hank to sit down at the table and walked to the kitchen counter to fix a pot of coffee. Yes, she was angry at her ex-husband, but knew that he deserved some answers. Joyce remembered her own disbelief when she'd learned firsthand of the existence of things that went bumpy and fangy in the night.

When she placed a mug of coffee in front of her ex's bowed head, Hank looked up at her and nodded his thanks. Taking it between the palms of his hands, the man took a grateful sip.

"Vampires are monsters, aren't they? The whole blood-sucking and killing thing, they do that, right?"

Joyce nodded her head in affirmation.

"So...what?" Hank gestured through the door. "What's different here? I just... can't understand this."

"Spike's different."

"How? I mean, look at this from my point of view, Joyce. My ex-wife, daughter and grandchild are living with something that isn't supposed to exist and that has freely admitted to killing people and liking it. How can this be safe?" The anger and outrage had fled, leaving Hank befuddled and disturbed.

Joyce sighed heavily, resenting the position she'd been put in and once more cursed Hank for his impulsive actions. Buffy was so much like him sometimes. "Let's just say that Spike has earned my trust. I'm not going into details right now, but he has had several opportunities to kill me, yet surprisingly hasn't taken advantage of those situations. Truth be told, instead of doing me in, he saved me from an almost certain death. That type of thing tends to change your opinion of a person."

Hank was quiet for a moment. "So Buffy... in Vegas...?" His voice trailed off in an unspoken question.

Joyce nodded. "Again, without going into details... that I don't think either one of us want to dwell on, from what she has said, Buffy saw a lack of reflection and panicked."

"The reflection thing... that's true?"

Again Joyce nodded.

"And he did what?" A hardened edge appeared in his voice.

"Hank, leave it alone. Spike and Buffy have put it behind them, and quite frankly, it's not my story to tell."

Hank wanted to argue the point but conceded for the sake of his own personal safety. The one thing that had come through loud and clear was that Spike wouldn't tolerate any upset to what he considered 'his' family.

And for the moment, Hank wanted his neck attached to his head.

tbc...
A/N- Yeah I know, there was no pain inflicted upon Hank. I'll uh, work on that? I'm quite sure Hank will piss Spike off down the road. Thanks, as always, for the reviews!





You must login (register) to review.