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Chapter 10 – Houseguest


Sitting in his chair with a tall glass of blood and vodka, Spike stared at the TV screen without really seeing it. Something was happening to him. Every spare minute of the day, he was thinking of the Slayer…and none of those thoughts involved her painful death.

A loud crash sounded through the crypt, and Spike was immediately on his feet. He suppressed the sudden, intense desire to roll his eyes when he saw Harmony run into the crypt.

“You have to help me!” she cried in an overly dramatic fashion, bracing her hands against the flat surface of the door and staring at Spike.

“And why is that?” Spike asked with a sigh.

“My minions are after me!”

Spike tried to suppress the smile as his lips quirked in response. Clearing his throat before he spoke, he gave Harmony a hard look. “And why should I help you, pet?”

“Because you’re my Blondie Bear,” she replied as if it was the most natural explanation in the world.

“Let’s get one thing straight, Harm. I am not your anything. You can stay here, but if your so-called ‘minions’ show up, don’t expect me to help you.”

“You would just let them kill me?” Harmony asked with a pout that did nothing for him.

Rolling his eyes, Spike sighed. “Not if you didn’t deserve it…happy?”

“Very,” she replied, sauntering up to him and planting a kiss on his cheek.



“Hey,” Buffy said with a soft smile as Riley began to wake up.

“What happened?” he asked with a groggy voice, looking around the room in confusion.

“You collapsed,” she said quietly. “The stuff that the Initiative pumped into you apparently started to backfire. Giles was able to get in touch with someone, and they sent one of their doctors to operate.”

“So…I’m not strong anymore?”

Buffy took his hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze in a silent show of support.

“Riley, of course you’re strong. You’re just not Superboy anymore.”

“There was nothing wrong with me, Buffy,” he replied, angrily pulling his hand away from hers. “I was more powerful than I've ever been. Most people would kill to feel like that.”

“Yeah, and that feeling was going to kill you. Riley, your body was not built for that kind of strength-“

“I could have handled it,” he said in a sulking voice that Buffy couldn’t hear. “This was my deal, Buffy, so just…back off.”

Buffy looked at him with the hurt evident in her eyes. She turned to walk out of the room, jumping slightly when she felt his hand on her arm.

“I’m sorry, okay? I just don’t want to be Mr. Joe Normal. I liked being the super-guy.”

“And it’s not enough for you to be Joe Normal?”

“It's not enough for you,” he emphasized, pointing to her.

“What?” Buffy asked in disbelief. “I started dating you when I thought that’s who you were. Did you conveniently block that out? I liked ‘Joe’.”

“Yeah, right,” Riley replied with a scoff.

“What are you saying?” Buffy asked in confusion.

“Come on. Your last boyfriend wasn't exactly a civilian.”

“So that's what this is about? You would be willing to die over some macho pissing contest?”

“It's not about him. It's about us.”

“What?”

“You're getting stronger everyday, more powerful,” Riley clarified. “I can't touch you. Everyday, you're just…a little further out of my reach.”

“So you have this all figured out?” she asked angrily. “I'm bailing because you're not in the super club?”

“It's human nature.”

“Don't Psych 101 me,” she said, shaking her head. “Not now. Not after everything that…do you think that I spent the last year with you because you had super powers? If that's what I wanted, then I'd be dating Spike.”

Her eyes widened when she realized what she said…and the fact that it didn’t bother her as much as it should have.

“I need to go.”

Riley caught her arm, pulling her back toward him. “I’m sorry,” he said, looking into her eyes. “I should have never doubted you.”

Buffy nodded, leaning forward to give him a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll stop by later,” she said softly.

Riley nodded, trying to pull her closer for another kiss, but she pretended not to recognize his advances and pulled away.

“Get some rest.”



Pushing open the door to his crypt, Buffy looked around the top level.

“Spike?” she called softly, keeping an eye on the shadows. The light disappeared as the door closed behind her, and Buffy was suddenly feeling uneasy. The few tense seconds that she waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkened interior left an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach. She got the distinct impression that she wasn’t alone, and being deaf and nearly blind was too much for her as she turned back to the door.

Feeling a hand on her arm, Buffy swung around and felt her punch blocked. Looking up, she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Spike staring at her in concern.

“What’s wrong, Slayer?”

“N-nothing.”

Spike raised an eyebrow, obviously not believing her.

“I was just getting the feeling that there was another vampire here, and it was hard to see…”

Buffy trailed off when she saw a blonde head appear from the lower level.

“Harmony?”

Spike turned and clenched his jaw when he saw the other woman. Harmony froze when she saw the Slayer standing by the door before rushing back down the ladder.

“Am I interrupting anything?” Buffy asked with an edge to her voice.

“No,” Spike replied, looking into her eyes. “She just needed a place to stay for a day or two.”

“And your place was the logical choice?” Buffy asked, hating the jealousy that was creeping into her voice. She couldn’t even hear it, but she knew it was there.

“It’s just for a couple of days.”

Buffy didn’t say anything as she turned toward the door. She stopped when she felt Spike’s hand cover hers.

“Why did you stop by?” he asked softly, his eyes never leaving hers.

“It’s not important,” she replied in a distant voice before looking over his shoulder at the ladder. “If she kills anyone…”

“I’ll stake her myself,” Spike replied honestly.

Buffy looked at him in surprise. “You will?”

Spike nodded, feeling a little better when he saw a genuine smile briefly appear on her lips.

“I’ll see you later,” she murmured, disappearing into the sunlight.

Spike stared at the door for a long moment after she disappeared. Something felt different, and he couldn’t figure out what it was.





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