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Chapter 3


“Okay, what is it?” Buffy reached for the remote control and switched off the TV

“I was watching that!”

“Fibber, you’ve been staring off into space, and been angsty all night!”

“I – Oh all right then…truth? – I was wondering what it was that made Xander go boom”

“A pixie, so he said anyway”

“I KNOW what he said pet, but Pixie’s don’t, well they have no real need to make a quick getaway – they’re harmless – well one would be, even some soft sod like the whelp could handle a pixie”

Buffy frowned

“So you think – who’s that at this time of night?”

“Only one way to find out………” Spike got up to answer the door.

“Red – hi come in!”

“Hello…I was just passing!”

Spike frowned and Buffy looked surprised

“At 11 O’ Clock at night? – Not that you’re not welcome of course – want some tea?”

“Um, no. I mean yes – please!”

“Willow, are you okay?”

“Fine!” She beamed at her friend

“Babe, you want some tea?”

“Better not, I’ll be up and down out of bed all night as it is I’ve already drank nearly a litre of juice.”

Spike disappeared into the kitchen and busied himself with the kettle.

“So, have you been somewhere nice?”

“Me – no”

“Only you said you were just passing?”

“I mean, well (she swallowed, took a breath and glanced at the ceiling for inspiration) I went out – but it wasn’t nice. Well, it was nice enough - but not ‘nice’ nice, like ‘oooh, this is nice’ more kinda this is nice in an okay type nice and …(she took another huge breath, swallowed and continued) I’m rambling, aren’t I?”

“Just a little”

“Hey Red, you should have been here earlier – Xander went boom!”

“Did he – how?”

Buffy continued as Spike went to make the tea

“His hair was sticking up, he was all black, sooty and smoking…he looked like something out of a cartoon – he told us a pixie did it!”

“It wasn’t a pixie” Willow could have bitten her tongue…

“Funnily enough, we were just debating that – in fact, now you’re here, babe would you mind if I went out and did a patrol – see if I can see whatever it was for myself”

“NO! – I mean you mustn’t leave” Willow looked pained

“Willow? – Okay, what gives?”

“Nothing – I don’t ………oh goddess, Giles will kill me!”

Both Spike and Buffy looked at Willow, who had her patented ‘deer-caught-in-the-headlights’ look of panic

“Why, what have you done?”

“Was it a spell gone wrong Red?”

“No, nothing like that…Xander phoned me, he said Giles told him to phone me to come round here to put a protection spell on the house”

“Why?”

“Coz it wasn’t a pixie that Xander encountered”

“What was it then?”

“I don’t –“

“Red! Come on, spill”

“A Gassy-something or other, I didn’t quite catch the name”

Buffy and Spike exchanged a glance

“So why the big fuss, can’t Faith deal?”

“I don’t know, I just got my bag and came round here, I only spoke to Xander”

“Spike, what are you doing?” Buffy asked, as Spike had taken out his cell-phone.

“I’m phoning Giles”

“You can’t! You’ll drop Willow in it!”

“No I won’t, just listen” Spike pressed Giles’ number

“………Rupes – hi, s’me, look Red’s just dropped round, and while there’s somebody to sit with Buffy I was wondering whether you needed a hand – patrolling or I could hold the torch while you fix the shop’s back door or something……………………are you sure, it’s no problem…anymore on our pixie thing?…………No, oh well, I’ll leave you to it then old man, nighty-night”

Spike snap-shut his phone.

“Look…would you mind if I did this spell thing? – Thanks for not snitching on me by the way”

“You carry on Red…but I want to know what going on” Spike went into the hall and reached for his duster

“Spike, where are you going?”

“On a pixie hunt”

“Baby, be careful”

“I will – I won’t be long”

“Come and give me a kiss!”

Spike indulged his wife

“Don’t worry pet – I just want to know what’s going on that’s all – you’ll stay until I get back, won’t you Red, I don’t want Buffy left on her own”

Willow nodded her head and said, ‘sure’.

********************


Crouching behind one of the bigger mausoleums, Spike waited until the fledgling vamp began to walk backwards mouthing off to the slayer in front of him………

“………And then I’ll bathe in your blood, and” Spike stabbed him through the back

“And goodnight to you – huh…bit’s of bloody kids these days…no style! Hi Faith”

Faith grinned and twirled her stake and slipped it back into her waistband

“Hi Spike – what brings you out on a night like this?”

“Thought I’d have me a pixie hunt”

“Oh, so you know then…I KNEW Giles was wrong to try and keep it from you – I mean when Angel and co arrive later, how could you possibly fail to not notice them!” Spike frowned but played along.

“Yeah well – he’s been around the whelp too long – the stupidity begins to rub off on him I think”

Now Spike wasn’t thick, and there had to be a VERY good reason to call the poof and co for back up…he decided to try and get more info off Faith, without rousing her suspicions that he knew diddly squat except what Willow had told him………

“Yeah…so you left Buffy on here own?”

“No, Red there, doing the old (he twiddled his fingers) hocus pocus protection spell”

“Well that should keep them at bay for a while at least”

“Yeah…how many of them do you reckon there are then?” Spike asked as casually as he could

“No idea, but I saw HUNDREDS when I cut through the park – I went up to three of them, I mean they’re only this high, (Faith indicated shoulder height with her hand) I thought I could take three of them – and the bastards just went vroosh – and disappeared into the ground”

Spike looked at her and frowned, and then he smiled

“Must have liked you, they blew Xander up! – Have you seen him?”

Faith grinned too

“Yeah, I saw – Giles said something about it was the ground they were standing on – coz it was soft in the park, they can just drop through, but because Xander’s encounter was on the sidewalk, they have to make with a diversionary tactic to get away”

Spike’s mind was racing – he really wanted to get to the shop to get some research done…

“What did Red call them now…Gassy something or other”

“Gassy…gassy…hold on…Gassenbeek – yeah that’s it, took lame-brain ages to find it, there were books everywhere”

“Gassenbeek, that’s it…” Spike said

“Something about them being first cousins to Hellions… they stink, I know that much………you going this way, I’ve got to do the Dreamy Slumbers yet?” Faith asked

She stood, arms folded on the corner of the road.

“Actually pet, I better get back, see how Red is doing”

“Okay…remember, anytime you wanna patrol!” She winked at him and left

******************

Shaking his head from watching her wiggle her backside, Spike thought he better get his thoughts together………

He took out his phone and phoned home

“Are you okay?”

“Fine, Willow’s done all the upstairs rooms and that, she’s just got to do in here, and the front and back doors. Have you seen anything?”

“No pet, but I just want to drop by the shop okay?”

“Okay, remember, don’t drop-“

“I won’t pet, I won’t drop Red in it, don’t worry”

*******************

“…………And this one…and this…” Giles was up the ladder passing down heavy magic books to Xander

“Giles! I can’t hold anymore, let me take these to the - SPIKE! What are you doing here?”

Giles turned on the ladder to face the shop and saw a not very happy Spike standing there.

“Ah, Spike, hello”

“Never mind hello, would you mind telling me just what’s going on?”

Slowly Giles came down the ladder and smiled nervously. Spike screwed up his face at being in such close proximity to Xander.

“Haven’t YOU showered yet whelp – god you stink!”

“I’ve been busy!” Xander said with wounded feelings, Giles piped up,

“Actually, that’s a very good idea - go and use the shower in the training room, there are some tracksuits of mine in the locker, you can wear one of those, they are clean” Giles said and Xander went

“So when were you going to tell me we have an invasion of Gassenbeeks?”

“Ah…Willow told you then, she can’t lie that girl to save her-“

“Not Red, Faith, and I tricked her into thinking I knew more than I did – what’s going on mate, you’ve called in the poof and co, getting Red to do spells, it doesn’t take Einstein to work out that these Gas thingies mean trouble, I just want to know what to expect, that’s all – Buffy’s my wife, my heavily pregnant wife, and I’ve got to do EVERYTHING I can to keep her and our baby safe, so come on, spill”

Giles sat down slowly opposite the annoyed vampire

“Yes. I’m sorry, you’re right of course, but I did it like-“

“Giles, will you cut the crap, I KNOW I’m right, I don’t need you to confirm it, just tell me what’s going on! – What do these things want?”

“We think, your baby”

Spike’s fists clenched

“I wondered what it would be…”

“I’m sorry?” Giles asked

“Well I’m not stupid, I always knew that once it got out that the slayer was pregnant, some bleedin’ slimy little toe-rag of a low-life would want the baby for some despicable scheme or another”

Giles just raised his brows and then nodded philosophically.

“Right then, what do – “ Spike didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence, as Faith, Angel, Gunn and Cordelia came in

“Spike, I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want you more worried around Buffy, I did it for all the-“

“Yeah, I know Rupes, look – I’ll try and keep Buffy in the dark as much as I can – I’ll be off okay, leave you to do the welcoming committee stuff for this lot – bye – ring or text me, okay” Spike slipped out of the back door and headed home.

“I will…Angel, Gunn, Cordelia, how nice – sit – would anybody like tea – or coffee………….

******************

When Spike got back home, Willow stood, Buffy was fast asleep

“I’ve done the spell, and here, take this, if something happens, I mean gets in, this will put a protective shield around you both for four hours, or around Buffy for eight, just break it in front of you” She gave him a glass ball about the size of a golf ball.

“Red, I’m going to try and keep her in the dark as much as possible – I know she’s not stupid, but I don’t want her worried unnecessarily, okay?”

“Sure, I understand”

“Look, why don’t you stay – there’s all manner of nasties out there, and I can’t walk you home coz then it’ll mean leaving Buffy on her own. You can have the couch, I’ll carry her to bed”

“Fine”





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