Getting to Know You
Spike lead Buffy down the sidewalk towards the school. Buffy took little notice of the people on the street. She passed stores, and diners with barely a glance, she was too busy studying the change in Spike.
The young slayer said before, she sucks at covert ops. It was the truth. She was who she was and pretending to be a whole different being was just beyond her.
No stars in Hollywood were in her future, or Broadway plays. It was a matter of fact detail she hardly ever thought of. Acting was not her gig.
There were, however, moments when her true self and her duties intermingled.
Pre-Slayer, she had to tell ‘not quite truths’ to her parents so she could stay out that extra 2 hours or explain away the odd red mark on her neck. It’s true though, lets face it. It was part of her teen experience. That much she could draw upon.
Not only those moments, but the first couple of years as The Chosen One had meant nearly daily lies and half truths to her utterly clueless mother. Where she was going, where she’d been… how dust seemed to line every pocket of every pair of pants before washing. Not to mention the drops of blood and cleverly hidden wounds.
So compartmentalizing wasn’t a huge challenge, just really annoying. What made it worse was knowing her sister had already gotten in the punch to the nose, which at the very least, he deserved. But damn, Buffy was supposed to be nose puncher in the family.
It made her smile, thinking of Dawn knocking Spike over, a bit of blood which still stained the corner of his collar was the proof. It wasn’t much. It was nothing compared to the strained pressure she felt was trying to break away against her ribs. It was thick and heavy, but there was no name for what she felt so she used those early skills from her years in LA, that had been practiced these last half dozen years in Sunnydale. Hiding a part of herself was old hat.
She was ‘The Slayer‘, for now. Buffy was however, going to be unimaginably angry later when the other pieces of her mind were able to process the last 25 minutes.
She tried to take him in, as if an outside observer.
It wasn't that he looked totally different. No, it was the subtle changes that caught her attention.
His hair and skin had both been exposed to the sun for some time now, as it was currently, those were the obvious outward differences. More noticeable to her was the way he carried himself. His walk was less arrogant, but still held confidence. Although he still had a swagger in his step, he seemed more aware and his strides held more purpose, almost resembling the days he had hunted her.
She took note that she had been spoiled by the uniform he usually wore of all black. Sometimes there was a splash of color, red, blue or purple, but his taste had definitely matured with his new being. Trousers and a dress shirt seemed odd to her. No, make that completely bizarre.
Spike was doing the same. Her hair had grown a little since he'd left, but other than that, she was the same. Beautiful.
They entered the school side by side. It was nearly empty by now, but a few teachers had remained to make the next day's lesson plan. Spike nodded slightly to the few he recognized, one being Kathy, who simply nodded back and ducked into a nearby classroom.
When they arrived at his domain, Spike gathered the few items he would need to take home and placed them in his briefcase. Buffy found herself wondering around the room looking over the objects he had brought for it. A world map stapled to poster bar on one side of the room. Below it a sphere with the same map brightly colored to differentiate the boarders separating continents and countries. She turned the globe and stopped it when Africa looked back at her.
"What were the tests?" Her voice was morose and disconnected.
Spike was just closing the clasps on his briefcase, and looked up. "Rather not."
She nodded, not wanting to push. For now.
"Alright, I'm set. Ready to get the book?"
Buffy walked up one of the isles of student desks towards the door and Spike led
her out.
She was a little more than stunned to say the least when he opened the car door to a very clean, quite black and lacking of rust Desoto in the faculty parking lot.
"Is this the same car?" She asked unable to hide the shock as she lowered herself into the seat.
"The very same. Left it with a garage. The kid who works there likes to fiddle with cars and offered to clean 'er up. Didn't do too bad a job either." He walked around the pristine vehicle and got into the passenger's seat.
The pair could do little more than small talk. For Buffy, it was all just too weird, not to mention she was worried that whatever she might say would give away to a rant of epic proportion involving how utterly pissed off she was at the idiotic sun bleached blonde male sitting next to her. No matter how she tried, she just couldn‘t rationalize Spike being human, much less now an official fighter against evil who had ditched her at the worst time ever just months ago.
Spike couldn't take her silence anymore. He wasn't dead yet. So that was a good sign, but he needed her to say something. Anything about what he was, or how he'd left, even the bloody bathroom incident.
"Spike?"
"Yeah, pet?" He answered quickly and kept his eyes on the road.
She peered towards him out of the corner of her eye. "How did you feel? When you found out you were a Slayer?"
That he wasn't expecting. He shrugged. "Dunno. Haven't really thought about it."
She looked at him squarely, incredulous. "You haven't thought about it?"
"Well, no. I was a little more concerned with being alive. Killing demons, that's old news," Spike offered honestly.
Buffy didn't have a response to his answer, but instead had another question in mind. "Why did you come back?" She turned in her seat so that she was facing him. "I mean, not that you weren't allowed to come back..."
He cut in, anger etched into his eyes and voice "Don't need your bleedin' permission to come back! Never listened to you when you told me to leave." He turned a corner sharply, wheels squealing in protest.
She gripped the handle on the door so she wouldn't fall over. "I didn't tell you to leave! You just... left!"
"Well, I didn't need a bloody stake to the heart for something I couldn't control!" The car‘s speed increased as he barreled down the street.
"Would you slow down? You're going to get us killed!" She kept her grip on the door handle.
Spike let off the gas, turned into the lot for Bryan Estates and came to a screeching halt.
Buffy was thrown forward enough to force her gaze through the windshield to the towering apartment building. She was about to question him about his new residence, but Spike cut her off before she could.
"Is parked slow enough for ya, Slayer?" He opened his door and got out, slamming the door behind him and completely avoided opening the other door for her.
Buffy followed suit. A smile crept across her face as she realized how calling her Slayer now was almost silly since apparently, technically, he was one as well.
He gave her a sideways glance and headed into the building not bothering with a reply.
The two made their way to his apartment on the top floor, and he gave her the not so grand tour.
It was pretty good sized for a single. A living/dining room, which was just off of the kitchen. One bed room, one bath. The skylights, a benefit of taking a top floor unit, let the sun in all day, and the large picture window had a fabulous view of the little town they called home.
Spike walked to the hall closet, and began to pull out some boxes.
"This is nice, Spike." She sat on the maroon couch opposite the window. She knew his feathers were ruffled but was going to try consciously to stay calm and polite.
The whole room was done in maroon and forest green, and the effect was calming. She shifted in her seat, pulling her legs under her. "Cushy."
"Mind the heels, love." He called back after noticing she had settled in almost immediately and turned back to his task.
She looked around the room. "Where's your chair?"
Spike was riffling through a box. He looked up long enough to point at the loveseat he had found to be the most comfortable.
"No. I mean the one from the crypt?"
"Oh that." He pulled pout a few items. "It's still there. Clem wanted it."
Buffy sat up. "Clem? You mean, he knew you were here too?"
Finally coming across the text he had been looking for, he put the box back in the closet. Spike held it up so Buffy could see it. "Got the book."
"You didn't answer me." She stood up, but instead of walking to the door, she crossed her arms, and waited for an answer.
Spike shook his head at the floor, then looked back at her. Some things would never change. "Yes, he knew! Now can we get this back to Red, see if she can make anything out of it?"
"I am going to kill him," she said resolutely as she headed out the door past Spike. At least now she had a direction to vent some of her anger.
"Wait now. You can't kill 'im. He was just doin' me a favor." He jogged after her.
The ride back to the shop was a little less uncomfortable. Her quips came as quickly as they used to, and Spike threw out his own just as easily. By the time they walked into the magic shop, they were arguing like old times.
"Okay, now, I know you're making it up," Buffy said behind her as Spike followed her into the Magic Box.
He carried in the book. "You asked,” He sighed audibly. “Again."
"You said I couldn't handle it. But com’mon, Spike. Beetles?" Buffy walked to the research table, and sat next to her sister.
Willow, Anya and Dawn were all smiling when the blondes walked in. They sounded like they were at least getting along. Or for what the two of them was "getting along". And Anya was impressed with the fact that they were both still alive if not naked and sharing bodily ecstasies.
Willow couldn't read either of them. Whatever was going through their heads was private.
"Got the book." Spike deposited it on the table. "I checked, but definitely don't have the key to decipher it anymore."
"Not a problem," Willow said from behind her laptop. "I found it."
"I swear, if you tell me you found it on E-Bay…" Buffy shook her finger at the red head. It seemed more and more lately everyone was selling things over the internet, including ancient artifacts with unknown powers of destruction.
"Okay. Won't tell you," Willow said as she finished filling out the form to complete the transaction. "But it will be here in a few days."
Dawn shut her history book. "Done."
Spike sat at the table on the other side of the youngest Summers. "Good, now tell me why the French invaded England?"
"Oh come on, Spike. Just wait until tomorrow," Dawn whined, and looked at her sister. "You know, it's bad enough when your sister is known as the girl who blew up the last school. But now," she motioned to Spike "I have to have the teacher around.” The brunette paused and her face fell even more. “Oh god. It's going to be Annie Holden all over again."
"Who?" Willow asked.
"Annie. Her dad was the Algebra teacher, and she had to be in his class for freshman year to take the course. Maybe you could request another teacher?" She pleaded with her sister.
Spike interrupted, "Sorry, bit. I'm the only one covering World History."
Dawn looked back at him, then banged her head on the table. "Why me?"
Spike patted her head. "I'll try not to let on I know you, but you have to remember not to call me Spike. Deal?"
"Fine. But no quizzing me after school, unless I ask." She put out her hand.
He took it. "Deal."
~~`~~
Jon kneeled in front of The Master. "I have news."
"Speak." The Master looked upon his childe.
"The Slayers, they are working together. She is to begin work as a law-keeper, and he is an educator at the Key's school."
"And the others?"
"The demon, she works with them. There is another, the witch who wished to destroy us all."
"What of the man?"
"We are still watching him."
"Keep your vigil. I must know everyone involved."
~~`~~
Xander walked with heavy feet to the Magic Box. He'd put in a full day, and if he had been in his right mind, would be fast asleep in bed.
It wasn't late yet, not even dusk, but his body told him the time for rest had come.
Unfortunately, being Xander, and not in his right mind for some time now, instead he headed to see his ex-fiancée, turned demon, his best friend, the recovering witch. Along with his other best friend, The Vampire Slayer, and her little sister, also known as The Key. He just loved this town. Even a normal guy like him could claim to be anything but normal.
The bell rang as he opened the door, ready and primed for research. At least until he passed out from exhaustion.
"Hey guys." He walked in and saw Anya happily dusting while Buffy sat at the table with Willow and Dawn. The bookcase hid part of the table from his view.
"So, did we find anything today?" he asked continuing to walk in the store, then came to a dead stop when he saw the now revealed half of the research table.
There he was, or at least it looked like him. The fact that he was sitting at the table with the very woman he had attempted raping made the construction worker think his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Xander blinked several times, hoping that his vision would clear, because there was no way THAT was Spike. And there was no way Buffy would let him just sit there next to Dawn. And there was certainly no way on God's green earth Xander was going to let him walk out of here alive, or undead. However you want to put it.
The brunette's eyes were ice as he stared into the former vampire.
All of the ladies saw murder cross his mind when his lip curled. "What is he doing here?"
"Hold on, Harris." Not that Spike had any reason to be afraid. He could fight back if need be now, but he didn't want to have to. "Things are a little different."
Xander shed his jacket to reveal his blue T-shirt that easily showed off muscle gained from hard labor. "Yeah, they are."
Willow stood up in and came around the table to Xander. "Wait, Xander. He's not... he's William."
"No reason to insult me. It's not like I'm a complete ponce," Spike defended himself.
Xander pointed at the nearly familiar man that had plagued much of his last 5 years, the look of murder not fading. "He sure sounds like Spike. And he looks like Spike."
"Really?" Dawn cut in crossing her arms casually. "Evil vampy Spike had a tan?"
Xander took another look at the former vampire. "Well... no."
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Author's Chapter Notes:
I rewrote alot of this about 6 times. I'm hoping it came out alright to introduce the next round of situations. Also, I really want to thank those of you who have been leaving reviews. I kinda figured after all this time people would have lost interest. Its good to know a few of you are hangin in there.
Chapter End Notes:
The last few comments are why I did some rewrites, so hope it went well. As always I encourage you to share any thoughts or questions with me. It encourages me to improve the stoy.