A Different Road
By Chelsea
*** *** ***
Road Less Traveled
By Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth
Then took the other as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet, knowing how way leads onto way
I doubted if I should ever come back
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence
Two roads diverged in a wood
And I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference
*** *** ***
_______________
CHAPTER ONE
* Clem’s Bar *
_______________
Clem walked into his bar on a warm early autumn night. He was happy to see his bar filled with his favorite sort of demon. Peaceful, non-violent demons. Well, he was happy until he saw who was sitting halfway to Drunk Ville in the corner.
William the Bloody.
Spike.
Slayer of Slayers.
It was just his luck for Spike to come to his bar. Spike had been a nice sort of bloke, well until Drusilla left him. Clem figured Spike must have been traveling around looking for the missing Slayer. He had heard Spike’s new plan was to give Dru Buffy’s body to prove his love for her. Clem figured it was a better plan than the love spell thing that had gone down in Sunnydale. Well, except for Spike was always too drunk to fight the Slayer these days.
At the very moment that thought crossed through Clem’s mind the door burst open and in walked the Slayer herself.
“Oh, shit,” Clem, muttered. All entire room of bar patrons eyes were swiveling from Spike to the Slayer and back and forth. The Slayer walked towards the bar and slipped into a stool two down from Spike.
“Slayer,” Spike said. This surprised quite a few demons that had thought Spike was too sloshed to comprehend what was happening.
“Vampire,” Buffy nodded. She turned to Clem. “Tequila, lime, and salt. Keep it coming…oh, and buy Spike another of what he’s having,” she said with a smile as she handed Clem a hundred dollar bill.
“How ya been?” the Slayer of Slayers asked.
“Peachy. You?” she asked back.
“Swell,” he replied just as sarcastically as she had.
At this point everyone but Spike and Buffy’s jaws had hit the floor.
“Oh, come on people. Spike and I talk all the time when we fight. He’s even given me relationship advice. Get back to whatever you were doing.”
And they did.
Clem slid the freshly poured drinks to Spike and Buffy and slowly headed down to the other end of the bar shaking his head. None of tonight’s events made sense to him.
“What ya doin’ in the middle of a ruddy ‘lil town in Tennessee, luv?”
“Left home and traveled a bit. Now I’m on the run. You?” she asked full of interest. Buffy of all people hated to be in this Hicksville of a place, but it was full of demons. And she knew demons.
“I figured Dru wasn’t worth it. I was deciding what to do next when I got bamboozled. I’m on the run too.”
“Cool.”
“Yup,” Spike agreed.
Three hours later and several bottles of Tequila had Spike and Buffy rolling around on the floor laughing about old times. Clem and the other guys had no idea what to make of the mortal enemies, who no longer seemed like mortal enemies.
It was just about closing time and Clem was trying to get Spike and Buffy moving.
“Hey, Slayer?”
“Yeah, Spike?”
“You wouldn’t happen to be running from a government agency called the Initiative would you?”
“Hey!” yelled the drunken slayer. “Are you psychic?”
“Nope. I’m running from them too!”
“We should probably talk about this,” Buffy decided.
“Yes, we should.”
“Maybe when we’re sober.”
“That seems right.”
“How long does it take?” Buffy asked. “I don’t get drunk very much and I’ve never timed it before.”
“Let’s meet up tomorrow when we’re right as rain. I’ve got to go find someplace to spend the day.”
“Spike!” Buffy shouted excitedly.
“What?” he growled. Buffy giggled.
“I’ve got the greatest idea!”
“What’s that, kitten?” he asked.
*** *** ***
The next evening Buffy awoke quite groggy and unsure of what had happened the night before. She felt a body wrapped around her. Damn, she had sex and missed it! She rolled over to check out her sleeping partner and shrieked.
Spike flew off the bed and was up in a fighting stance in less than two seconds.
“What the—” he started. He was staring at Buffy in a bed with the covers pulled up to her neck.
“YOU! I went home with you?” she said. Secretly she was pissed she missed it. She had always found Spike quite attractive. Little did she know that Spike was thinking the same exact thing. He was pissed he that he didn’t remember finally having gotten a go at the Slayer.
“Do you remember anything?” she finally asked and patted the bed. Spike was shocked but sat down.
“We talked…and drank,” Spike said.
“And laughed. Oh, and you cried, too.”
“I bloody well did not!”
“Whatever you say.”
“I did not cry,” Spike mumbled to himself.
“Okay, I’m not gonna freak. I probably didn’t sleep with Spike. I’m just gonna take a shower and try to remember what happened.”
“Good idea, luv. Since we’re so intimately acquainted will this be a together shower?” Spike asked with a leer.
“No!” Buffy yelled and she ran to the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. “Stupid tempting, vampire,” she muttered.
*** *** ***
An hour later the sun was setting and Spike and Buffy were cleaned, fed, and ready to leave Buffy’s hotel room. They decided the best course of action was to go back to Clem’s Bar and see if anyone there new anything about what happened to them last night.
They got into Spike’s old Desoto and headed towards downtown. Buffy knew that there was something she and Spike were supposed to be talking about. She told Spike her suspicions.
“I got the same feeling, Slayer.”
“So, let’s just hope someone at the bar was listening to us last night.”
“They must have been. Imagine a bunch of demon’s seeing you and me all…” Spike started, but was at a loss for words.
“Chummy?” the Slayer supplied.
“Right. Chummy.”
They both burst out laughing. Spike parked behind Clem’s Bar and the two bleached blondes headed inside. The two stood in the doorway looking at what was going on inside.
“Oh, hell,” Clem said. Buffy headed straight towards him after he said that.
“Hi, I’m Buffy. And you are?” she asked chirpily. Spike snorted.
“Clem. What do you and Spike want, Slayer?”
“Information,” Spike growled from behind Buffy. She giggled.
“Oh, shit! The Initiative!” Buffy yelled.
“Oh, bugger. That’s right…they are after you too, yeah?”
“Yup. We were gonna talk about it and that’s why you went home with me,” Buffy said.
“Right. So what are we going to do?” Spike asked after a moment.”
“I have no freaking clue.”
*** *** ***
I know this doesn’t make a lot of sense. The next chapter is a flashback to the year before, which is right after the battle against the mayor. So after you read that you’ll see why Buffy isn’t in Sunnydale and this chapter should make a bit more sense. Please review! Hugz. – Chelsea
P.S. If your wondering why I took down Kailiff Kidnapping…it’s because I wasn’t getting positive feedback. Apparently, the story wasn’t believable. I was writing it with my eleven-year-old sister…it wasn’t perfect, but she and I were really bummed by the obvious dislike of the story. Sorry to anyone out there who actually liked the story.
*** *** ***