Not that he hadn’t wanted to, hell; he had almost called her a dozen times, only to chicken out every time. Truth was, he was terrified of finding out that she had changed her mind for some reason, that she had come to the conclusion that she wasn’t ready to move on after all. If that was the case, then it would be easier not knowing, that way he could at least pretend that he still had a chance, so he’d told himself that he needed to keep some distance between them. But he couldn’t deny the fact that he was happy to see her. And judging by the look on her face, so was she.
He gave her a soft smile. “Fancy meeting you here, luv.”
Buffy returned the smile, although she looked a little nervous. “Hi. I, um…” She looked away for a moment, then turned her attention back to him. “Mind if I join you?” Spike raised a brow in surprise. He had gotten the impression that Buffy didn’t drink, but maybe he had been wrong. As if she had read his mind, Buffy shrugged a little, giving him an apologetic look. “They do have diet coke here, right?” She blushed. “Me and alcohol don’t exactly mix. We’re very… un-mixy.”
Spike couldn’t help but chuckle. “Sure, pet. One diet coke coming up.” He waved at the bartender to get his attention, and Buffy sat down next to him. She looked a little uncomfortable, and he got the feeling that she didn’t go out much, at least not to places like this. Realizing that she probably had come here only because of him made him feel strangely warm inside.
“So, um… have you found a place to stay yet?” She tossed her hair over her shoulder, trying to sound casual but failing miserably. She didn’t look him in the eyes, and suddenly he felt like the biggest git in the world.
“Yeah. Look, Buffy…” He hesitated. “I know I said I’d call you, but…”
“That’s okay.” She looked up, quickly. “I understand you’ve had a lot…” Her voice trailed off, her insecurity obvious, and he sighed.
“No, I really meant to call you, but…” He paused. “Just thought I’d give you some space, is all.” Then he mentally rolled his eyes at himself, knowing that wasn’t the only reason, but wasn’t going to admit to Buffy what a pathetic coward he was.
“Oh, okay.” Buffy managed a small smile, desperately trying to come up with something else to talk about. Then she remembered the talk she’d had with Giles earlier. “Guess what? You may not be the only one who is moving out of the house, I’m thinking of getting a place of my own as well.”
He frowned. “Yeah? How come? I mean, you’ve been living with Giles since the, um… since…”
“Since William died, yeah.” Buffy sighed. “I don’t know, I just felt…” She shrugged. “I can’t live with Giles forever. If I ever wanna move on, I have to…” She shrugged again before finishing, vaguely; “…you know.”
Spike nodded, but still looked a little confused. “Right.” Then he remembered something, and downed the rest of his beer in one sweep. “Look, pet, I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go. Got to slay some beasties and all that rot.”
Buffy nodded in understanding. “Want some company?”
He hesitated. A part of him really wanted to say yes. He knew that Buffy could be useful in a fight, not to mention that he would get to spend some more time with her. But then he recalled the events of the last couple of nights, and made up his mind. She just wouldn’t understand. He shook his head. “Thanks, pet, but I think I’ve better go alone. Maybe some other night?”
She got a disappointed look on her face, but quickly covered up. “Sure. I had other plans tonight, anyway.” Then she got up. “I guess I’ll see you around, then. Good luck with the slaying.” And then she was gone, before he could stop her.
As Spike crossed the cemetery, he soon felt the tingling in the back of his neck, a feeling he had come to be quite familiar with the last couple of nights. He stopped, knowing he was being followed, and looked around. “I already know you’re here. Why don’t you just show yourself?” He waited almost a minute before he started walking again. Right. They weren’t playing by his rules here, he knew that. But it was time to change that. He let out a sigh, stopping again, this time without turning around. “Look, I’m not in a mood for your bloody games tonight. You have something to say, I suggest you do it to my face.” Then he concentrated on listening, stake in a tight grip. Nothing. He turned around, and almost jumped at the sight of the vampire standing calmly in front of him.
He never understood how this vampire managed to do it. As the previous nights, he had felt her presence around him, but that was it. It both frightened him and fascinated him at the same time; he was the Slayer, no vampire should be able to sneak up on him like this. And yet, this one did it every time. He forced himself to relax his grip on the stake, refusing to let her think she had the upper hand by letting his insecurity show. Not that he knew much about vampires, but he just had to take one look at this one to know that she had a lot of power. Sure, she had done nothing to harm him so far, but he wasn’t stupid enough to trust her.
The vampire cocked her head to the side, her long, dark hair flowing around her and a smile curled on her red lips. “Hello, Spike.” Then she let out a giggle. “I knew you would be here. The stars told me.” She raised her eyes to the sky and spun around, holding out her arms like wings. “Such pretty little stars.” She stopped then and looked at him, and he noticed that despite her beauty, her eyes were cold as ice.
He took a deep breath and put his stake away. “Hello, Drusilla.”
TBC