[Reviews - 141]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 3788 times

- Text Size +




“What?” Spike asked, his eyes widening. Hank pointed to the door.

“Get out- you no longer are employed here,” he said sharply. “You assaulted some poor teenager tonight in front of everyone, not only making an ass out of yourself, but also of me. People respect this gallery, and you’ve managed to sully its reputation within an instant because you felt like hitting that boy for no reason.”

“He deserved it!” Spike shot back, angry. “Buffy, tell him.” She looked down and shook her head slightly.

“Leave, William,” Hank said, crossing his arms. “Someone will give you your stuff from the back room sometime this week.” Spike looked at Buffy, who refused to look at him. It was in that one moment when he felt betrayed, more hurt than he was the night she asked him to leave and forget that they had slept together.

“Fine,” Spike growled, storming out, never looking back at the two Summers standing there and watching him.

“Are you alright, honey?” Hank asked, gently placing his hand on her shoulder. She looked at him with tears in her eyes, and there were tear tracks clearly evident on her cheeks.

“No,” she answered quietly, lifting her dress up off the ground slightly as she ran after Spike.

* * *

Spike had just made it to his car when he saw Buffy run outside and towards him. He clenched his jaw and opened the car door.

“Spike, please don’t go,” she said, quickly arriving at his side. “I’m sorry about what happened. Let me talk to Dad- I’m sure I can get you your job back.”

“Why didn’t you say something to him before?” Spike asked angrily. “Why didn’t you stop this from happening in the first place? You could’ve stood up for me, told him the truth, but you didn’t, Buffy. How do you think that makes me feel?”

“How do you think I feel?” she asked loudly, becoming upset. “Lindsey showed up tonight unannounced and you slugged him, causing a major disruption in the gallery, of all places. If Mom would’ve been here tonight, she would’ve fired you, too.”

“No she wouldn’t have,” Spike shot back. “Because she would’ve known that Lindsey deserved it.”

“Lindsey didn’t deserve to be attacked, Spike,” she yelled.

“And neither did you,” he replied, throwing his arms up. “Have you forgotten that he used you as his punching bag?”

“He hit me once,” she said firmly. “And it’s not the same.”

“I’m not arguing about this in the street,” Spike said, getting in his car. She quickly ran to the other side and got in. He looked at her sternly. “What’re you doing?”

“We’ll talk about this somewhere else then,” she replied. “Because this needs to be resolved.” He took a deep breath and started the car. “All of this needs to be resolved.”

* * *

After arriving at Spike’s apartment, Buffy sat on his couch, sighing.

“Want something to drink?” Spike asked as he walked to his refrigerator.

“I’ll have whatever you’re having,” she answered, looking at him.

“No you won’t,” he replied, grabbing a beer for himself and soda for her before returning to sit by her side.

“Thanks,” she said, taking the soda from him. “So, I guess we should talk.”

“And not just about what happened tonight,” he said, opening the beer bottle. “Because that’s not really weighing as heavily on me as when we-”

“I wish you wouldn’t have punched Lindsey,” she said, looking down. “You got fired because of me.”

“I can work somewhere else,” he mumbled, drinking from his bottle.

“Maybe when Dad moves back, we can give you your job back,” she suggested with a hopeful tone. “I know Fred would allow it.”

“I’m not worried about my job,” he said. “Or even Lindsey hunting me down or sending the cops after me. What I’m worried about is you.” She raised an eyebrow. “You and I, to be specific.”

“There is no ‘you and I’,” she said. “There never has been.”

“That’s a lie, luv, and you know it,” he replied. “Tonight’s an example of that. Things were good before the ponce buggered everything up.”

“I know,” she said quietly, looking down.

“You didn’t answer my question before,” he said with a hint of lightheartedness in his tone. “Before you saw Lindsey.”

“Did sleeping with me really mean something to you?” she asked, choosing to ignore what he said.

“Of course it did,” he answered, frowning. “I’ll admit that I didn’t expect it to happen, and it probably wasn’t right to shag when we did, but I wanted to, and I think a part of you did, too.”

“Do you love me?” she asked quietly, looking at her hands, folded in her lap.

“Starting to,” he answered, looking at her. She nodded and stood up. “Buffy-”

“I’m tired, Spike,” she said. “Maybe I should go.” He stood up and grazed her cheek softly. “Don’t.”

“Stay tonight,” he said, looking into her eyes. “Please. We don’t have to talk or do anything- just stay.” She saw a look in his eyes that was similar to one she had seen the night they slept together. One that made her heart melt and her defenses dissolve.

“Okay,” she said, and he smiled before kissing her softly. “Can I rest now?” He nodded and led her into his bedroom. He watched her as she took off her heels and jewelry before trying to reach the zipper of her dress. He walked up behind her and slowly slid it down, watching as more of her back was exposed to him. It took a lot of restraint to not run his hand down her spine, to not feel her smooth skin beneath his fingertips. “Thanks.” He nodded and began to take off his tux. “Umm, Spike? I don’t have anything to sleep in.”

“Right,” he said, going into his closet and scouring through it. “What would you like?”

“Something comfortable,” she answered. He grabbed an old black t-shirt and black boxers, handing them to her. She smiled gratefully at him and went into the bathroom to change. He sighed and stripped down completely before getting in bed.

After figuring out a place to hang her dress and pulling her hair up into a messy bun, she grabbed Spike’s t-shirt and brought it up to her nose, inhaling his scent.

‘He makes cigarette smoke smell sexy,’ she thought absently before pulling on the shirt and his boxers, rolling up the waistband of them so they’d fit a little better, even though they were still loose on her. She walked into his room and saw him lying in bed, flipping through TV channels. ‘He’s not wearing a shirt…this is bad.’ She studied him for a moment. ‘I wonder if he’s wearing anything at all.’

“Want me to turn the light off?” she asked, trying to distract herself from thoughts of a possibly nude Spike.

“Sure, kitten,” he said, watching her. She flicked off the lights and walked to the bed, smiling when he lifted the covers for her.

“Dad’s going to kill me when I don’t come home tonight,” she said quietly, yawning. He turned off the TV.

“No he won’t,” he replied. “Don’t worry about it.” She nodded and curled up, her back to him. He watched her for a moment before running his hand over her back. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”

“Goodnight, Spike,” she said, half-asleep. “My prince.”

* * *

Spike reluctantly took her home the next morning, not wanting to be apart from her and worried about how Hank would react to his daughter being gone all night, having stayed with him. When he pulled up in front of her house, he looked at her, taking a deep breath.

“Going to wish me luck?” she asked quietly, and he ran his hand over her hair.

“Call me later, pet,” he said, and she nodded before getting out of the car. Once she was inside her house, he sighed. “Good luck.”

Buffy heard him drive off just as her father appeared in the living room, looking at her.

“Where were you?” he asked, obviously furious. “Were you with William?”

“What do you think?” she asked, heading for the stairs.

“Don’t you talk to me like that, Elizabeth,” he said sternly, stopping her before she could go upstairs. “Where were you?”

“I slept at Spike’s,” she answered, crossing her arms. “Satisfied?”

“You’re too young to just stay out all night, especially if you’re staying at some guy’s house,” Hank said angrily.

“I’m eighteen!” she replied loudly. “I’m old enough to live on my own, Dad- I’m a legal adult. And Spike’s not just ‘some guy’- I’ve known him for a long time, and it’s not like you don’t know him, too.”

“I don’t want you near him,” Hank said firmly. “He’s not good for you, Buffy, and he’s clearly a violent man.”

“I don’t blame him for doing what he did,” she said, looking at her father. “In fact, I respect him for what he did.” She paused. “And you can’t keep me from him.”

“You’re my daughter- I can keep you from anyone I want to,” Hank shot back.

“I’m not a kid anymore, Dad!” she yelled. “Why can’t you see that? I can make my own decisions and live however I want to. I care about Spike, he cares about me, and I’m not giving up on that because you don’t like him anymore. And don’t even begin to play the ‘father card’ because you haven’t been around for the last few years- you weren’t much of a father to me then, and right now, I don’t really think I want you around if you’re going to act like this.” Hank balled up his fists and scoffed.

“You have no right to say that to me,” Hank replied.

“Get out of my house, Hank,” she said sharply, crossing her arms. “You’re no longer welcome here.” She turned and walked upstairs, going into her room and slamming the door shut.





You must login (register) to review.