“No, leave the light off.” Buffy was lying in his bed, wearing nothing more than her bra and underwear, a seductive smile on her lips.
“Buffy? What are you…?” Spike took a step towards her, then stopped, glancing over his shoulder towards the front door. “But you just left.”
Buffy giggled. “No, silly, I’ve been here all night.” Spike stared at her. Something was definitely wrong, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Buffy sat up, gesturing for him to come closer as she went on; “Don’t you remember? I said I’d wait for you here while you got the door. Who was it?”
“I… I don’t...” Spike felt like his head was spinning. There had been someone at the door, of that he was sure. But why couldn’t he remember who it was? And why did he suddenly feel like running?
“Spike…” Buffy pouted. “Come over here, I’ve been so lonely without you.” She looked him deep in the eyes, and he finally walked over to the bed and sat down next to her. She looked pleased and the smile was back on her face. “I think one of us is a bit overdressed…” She reached for the edge of his shirt.
“Buffy, wait.” He pulled back a little. “Something’s not right here, luv.”
For a moment her smile disappeared and her eyes became ice cold. Then they were back to normal. “What do you mean? Everything’s perfect.” She pouted again. “Don’t you love me anymore?”
“Of course I…” Spike stopped, wondering why he suddenly couldn’t get the rest of the words out. This was Buffy; the woman he was madly in love with. She obviously wanted them to make love and he should be thrilled. What the bloody hell was wrong with him? He took a deep breath and gave her a strained smile. “I’m sorry, pet. I just…” He hesitated, not knowing what he was trying to say.
“Spike, I need you.” Buffy gave him a pleading look, and he almost gave in. Seeing his hesitation, she put both of her hands on his shoulders. “Spike, look me in the eyes.” He obeyed. “I love you.”
Spike just stared at her. He had been dreaming of the moment when Buffy would finally tell him that she loved him. Now was the time when he should take her in his arms and kiss her breath away, hold her close and promise to never let go. He should lower her down on the bed and make love to her for the rest of the night. So, why didn’t he? He opened his mouth, then closed it again, frustrated by his sudden confusion.
Frowning, Buffy gave him a questioning look. “Spike?” She reached out her hand and gently put it on his cheek. “Did you hear what I just said? I love you.”
Her fingers were cold as ice, and when Spike felt them brushing against his skin he froze and pulled back, abruptly. He stared at her. “You’re not…” Swallowing, he looked at her, closely. She looked just like Buffy; beautiful as always, but when she had touched him… Suddenly he felt like he was waking up from a dream, blinking in confusion. A feeling of déjà vu came over him; he had felt those cold fingers touching his face before. He jumped up from the bed. “Drusilla?”
“Buffy, thank God you’re here.” Giles hurried over to her as soon as she had entered The Magic Box, and she had to suppress a groan. She had been hoping to catch Willow; she was in a mood for some serious girl talk and possibly icecream. Ever since she had left Spike’s apartment, she’d had a feeling that there was something he wasn’t telling her. It didn’t make any sense, she knew that. But still, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that he had been lying to her, that he hadn’t been sick at all and just wanted to get rid of her. But why would he do something like that?
“What’s up, Giles?” She smiled a little, although it was a bit strained. Ever since their disagreement the other night, things hadn’t been quite the same between them. Her smile faltered when she saw the worried expression on the man’s face. “What’s wrong?”
“Buffy, this is most important.” The look on his face told her that he was dead serious, and she nodded in understanding. “When did you last see Spike?”
Buffy frowned. “Just did, about ten minutes ago. Giles, what’s this all about?”
Giles looked a little relieved. It only lasted for a brief moment. “Where is he? Is he all right?”
“I guess.” Buffy walked over to the table and sat down, Giles following. “He’s at home.”
“At home?” Giles reached for his phone. “Are you sure? I’ve been calling him several times, and he haven’t picked up.”
She shrugged. “He said he wasn’t feeling good. Maybe he turned off the phone.”
Before Giles got the chance to answer, Wesley came rushing out into the store. “Giles, have you…?” He stopped when he saw Buffy. “Buffy. Is Spike with you?” He looked around the room.
“No.” Buffy looked from Giles to Wesley. “All right, what’s going on?”
Wesley glanced at Giles. “Did you, um, did you tell her?”
Giles shook his head. Buffy rolled her eyes. “Somebody please just tell me! What happened? Don’t tell me the world is ending again, I’m so not in the mood for that.” The two watchers just looked at her and her eyes widened. “You’re kidding, right?” She looked around. “Where are the others?”
“I sent them home.” Giles sighed. “That was before we…” He removed his glasses and started wiping them on his shirt. “Buffy…” Then he put the glasses back on. “The world is not ending. However, we did find out...” Wesley cleared his throat and he sighed again. “Wesley found out something rather disturbing. It involves Spike’s new, um… friend, Drusilla. There is a possibility that she’s not quite as harmless as we first assumed.”
“That skank is not his friend!” Buffy glared at Giles, then stopped as his words started to sink in. “What do you mean? She has a soul, right? That’s what you said.”
“Yes, well…” Giles hesitated, then turned to Wesley. “You found the book, why don’t you explain it to her?”
Wesley nodded. “All right.” He turned to Buffy. “I decided to do some research, on Spike’s… um, on Drusilla.”
Buffy crossed her arms over her chest. “What did you find out? Has she got a soul or not?”
“Yes, that much is certain. But…” Wesley started pacing the room, then stopped. “I’m quite sure there is no need to worry. But it is most important that Spike stays away from her.”
Buffy jumped up from the chair and walked over to Wesley. “What are you talking about?” Before the watcher could answer, she reached into her pocket for her cell phone and hurriedly dialed Spike’s number. After almost a minute, she gave up, glaring at Wesley. “Well?”
Wesley looked at Giles, who nodded, then took a deep breath. “Drusilla was cursed with a soul. But it doesn’t appear to be permanent. Apparently, there is a way to break the curse.” He hesitated. “I have reason to believe that Drusilla has somehow managed to find out how.”
Suddenly feeling nauseous, Buffy closed her eyes for a moment. This was even worse than she had thought. She gave Wesley a demanding look. “What is it?”
Swallowing nervously, Wesley opened his mouth, then closed it again. He gave Giles a pleading look. The older watcher rolled his eyes, then turned to Buffy. “The only way Drusilla can lose her soul…” He paused and his eyes met Buffy’s. “…is for her to be loved by a Slayer.”
TBC