Many thanks to betas: nightshift and cloviss
Chapter 32 ~ Confidante
“Damned vamps, eh?” Spike said as he followed Xander to his car.
“So what? You a mind reader now?” Xander asked.
“Nah, I just figured that’s what you were thinking when you jumped two inches and your arms went spastic.” Spike snickered.
Xander stood outside his car with his hands on the hood just trying to compose himself. Taking deep breaths wasn’t doing it. He was just so pissed. Vampires bad, right? Here I go again thinking what life would have been if I’d never known about vampires. They were crawling all over Sunnydale and only a handful of people even had a clue. Sometimes I wish I was one of them. Of course, I’d be dead by now, a tasty treat for some stupid, just risen vamp. That’d be just my luck too, wouldn’t it?
He hit the automatic lock and the car beeped. At the same moment, Spike said, “What’s troublin’ you, mate? You got one of your short hairs stuck in your knickers? ”
“Jesus Christ!” Xander bellowed. “Are you following me?”
“Maybe I thought you looked lonely,” Spike said, as he flicked his butt off into the weeds. “Um, you were telling me about how good the sound system is this old clunker. How about givin’ me a listen?”
“What?” Xander said, glancing around looking for someone else as though this was a come-on for some kind of joke.
Eagerly, Spike went on, “No, seriously, how about you pump up the volume!” Spike smiled and did a little dance thing.
“What is wrong with you?” asked Xander.
Spike shook his head, opened the driver side door, and slid in. “Gimme the keys, Harris.”
Xander’s keys were just hanging in his hand as he stood dumbfounded watching Spike. This was just crazy. Disgusted, Spike grabbed the keys and started the engine. Then he flipped through Xander’s CD collection. “God, you are pitiful, y’know that?” He finally found a Drop Kick Murphys CD, put it in, and cranked it. The sound was deafening.
“That’s it! You’ve gone completely over, haven’t you?” Xander yelled.
Spike unlocked the passenger side door and pushed it open then got out of the car, leaving both doors open. As the raucous tunes shattered the quiet campus, Spike beckoned Xander round back a couple of feet away from the car. Cautiously, Xander went to him.
“I don’t want us to be overheard,” Spike said.
“Overheard? I can’t fuckin’ hear myself. Who’s gonna hear us?”
Spike answered, “The bobbies. As soon as I walked out of the cottage, I felt this weird buzzing that threw me right off-kilter until I figured out that it was all their electronic doodads messing with me.” He shifted from foot to foot as he spoke. “I’m guessin’ the Chief has got eyes and ears on us. They’re all about.” He did a little circle dance. “I can smell ‘em.” Spike popped his eyes at Xander and said, “Do something, you dolt! Act like you’re groovin’ on the music or somethin’. Laugh! A couple of guys, you know?”
Finally catching on, Xander threw his head back and laughed.
“That’s more like it, chum.”
Xander said, “We coulda done this in the car, you know.” He lifted his hands as part of his dance move. “I wouldn’t feel like such an ass having this phony conversation.”
“Like I’ve ever worried about how you felt. In fact, pissin’ you off is one of my favorite things. The car is bugged, m’lad. I’d bet on it.”
Xander, gestured with his chin and said, “Don’t look now, but here comes the=Calvary.”
“Cavalry.”
“Right.”
“No, you said … oh, forget it.” Spike turned and saw Buffy marching full speed ahead in his direction, waving her arms and saying something he couldn’t hear over the music. The rest of the party followed behind. He braced himself.
“Have you lost your mind? This is a quiet, serene place … and you’re … dancing?” Buffy said. Spike laughed. Didn’t she get that screaming at the top of her lungs had nothing to do with serenity? She lifted her hand as if to smack him. So much of their relationship was physical, after all, but then she thought better of it. The threat was enough. He sobered himself quickly, pulled her close, and spoke directly in her ear sharing what he knew. Instantly aware, Buffy turned to scan the trees. Spike grabbed her face in his hands bringing her into a quick hard kiss through which he spoke. “Don’t! Better they don’t know we’re on to them, yeah? I’d wager they been listening to us since Arthur and his lackey left us.”
Buffy met his comment with alarm. Spike threw his head back, chuckled, and then walked her over to the car where he turned down to music to a tolerable background level. “Don’t worry, pet. They think we’re mad. If they wanted us locked up, we’d be enjoying their hospitality already. We got nothing to hide … anymore,” glancing at Giles as he said it.
In the meantime, Xander clued the others in and the group almost became festive as they played out their charade.
~~~
Binne figured his best bet was to stalk this Chosen Slayer. If the stories were true, she was the only real slayer. The others were just pretenders to the throne. Spending a few nights at the local pubs was worth the investment of the price of a few pints. He’d found out that she was quartered at one of the private cottages on the campus and that she had a bodyguard. What the fuck does a slayer need with a bodyguard? He learned that this so-called guard was a skinny fellow with an attitude. Didn’t look like much, but gave off enough vibe that nobody was willing to challenge him.
So, he found the cottage, scoped out some trees where he could settle himself, watch, and wait. Patience. It always worked for him before and he could think of no reason why it wasn’t going to work now. Luck was with him. This girl was being well taken care of. The kitchen staff brought a basket of food every morning before dawn. He checked it out and damned if it didn’t have blood too. What the fuck? Maybe the slayers were blood drinkers too. Ain’t that a kick?
At first he was amused as he saw the troops setting up at the cottage too. Then he realized he was trapped there unless something happened to distract them. Binnemon started to worry about his legs falling asleep. A furtive exit from a branch in a tree wouldn’t be so stealthy if he landed on his ass. He had never trained as a hunter and had no patience for stalking. He hoped the blood he had found in the basket would be enough to keep him on top of his game. Things started looking up when two men left the building and the electronic chatter around him increased. Unfortunately, they walked around to the side of the cottage so he couldn’t follow their movements.
Suddenly, the night was shattered by loud rock and roll music startling him. He lost his balance and the earth shook when he hit the ground. Binne sat still as stone bracing himself for the infantry to surround him. Binne couldn’t believe his luck. Whatever the folks inside were up to was enough to keep the coppers busy and they never noticed him. It only got better as those still inside left the cottage too. Maybe now is the time to go inside and hide. That would keep the noise and the mess inside. No, he thought, once they’re on the other side of the building, I’ll use my speed and position myself as close as I can.
~~~
Dawn approached Buffy and Spike with MacGregor at her heels. “Buffy, I’m heading back to my room now. Thanks for a great day. With all the weirdness it almost felt like home.”
“MacGregor walking you?” a shivering Buffy asked.
Spike tugged her in close and wrapped his coat around them. “Smart slayers remember coats in November, Buffy.”
“Smart slayers don’t sweat the small stuff when they have a Spike all their own,” Buffy said as she wriggled against him.
Dawn had had enough and said, “When will you two just stop? And yes, MacGregor is seeing me to my door.”
“And no further,” said Spike. Buffy gave him an elbow to the ribs.
Spike jumped back and said, “What?”
Dawn ignored them. “On that note, we are out of here. See you tomorrow,” she said as she turned to join MacGregor on the path. Xander watched as they greeted each other snuggling their heads together. Xander hoped it was only so they could hear each other as they walked away from the “party.”
~~~
Binnemon overheard that this little one was going to break away from the rest of the group. He realized he was purring. This is delicious, he thought. He could have the slayer anytime now that he was sure where she was camped out. This one was going to the dorm and she was one bird in hand he was not going to pass up. Binnemon watched as the atmosphere became festive and when he saw his opportunity, he took off for the dorm complex to wait for his prey.
~~~
Giles stepped up, “Quite right, Buffy. We’ll be leaving now too, just need to gather our things.” His phrasing was awkward as he spoke and tried to act naturally. The watcher didn’t like being watched.
Buffy wiggled out of Spike’s coat and said, “I’ll go with you.” Glancing back at Spike she added, “Don’t be long,” and winked.
Spike nodded, turning back to Xander. “Now I’m cold.” Lighting the next cigarette, he queried, “So what is it then?”
Xander was busy going over his car for microphones or cameras. Spike saw and said, “Could you be a little more obvious, asshole?” Then, after a beat added, “And turn the music up a bit while you’re at it.”
Xander, still searching, stopped long enough to look straight at Spike and say, “Fuck you.”
Spike grinned and said, “Yeah. All right, fine. Fuck me. So, what’s your problem?”
Xander paused, took a deep breath, and stood up. “What’s my problem? What’s my problem?” He slammed his trunk. “I’ll tell you what my problem is … and understand, this is no pity party. Everything … I mean everything about my life sucks. Shit, I don’t even know where to start. Oh! Here’s one. Let’s try it on for size. An evil-worshipping priest poked my eye out. That’ll start putting things into perspective. Or, how about this one. My hometown was sucked into hell with anything and everything I ever knew. And then there’s the lunacy of trying to compete in a job where I’m up against candidates that already have more degrees than Einstein and I barely made it out of Sunnydale High. No pressure there. And … and,” Xander stepped into Spike’s space and yelled, spittle frothing from his mouth. “I’m a healthy male, with healthy … you know … urges … and finally, I get a chance to maybe reconnect with a woman that I might actually have a chance with and I get bested by a vampire.” The word vampire echoed in the chill night air.
Spike stood straight, lifted his chin and took deep breaths of the evening air. Vampire senses, he loved them. He had known immediately that Dawn wasn’t showing that kind of interest in MacGregor. He noticed there was something else lurking in the wind, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Maybe it’s the surveillance team. He threw his shoulders back and said, “Wanna take a walk?”
Xander looked suspicious and asked, “What’s this all about?”
“A while back, I had some troubles and you did me a kind turn. Thought maybe, I could listen to your troubles this time, maybe tell you somethin’ about yourself that you don’t know. C’mon, watcher wannabe. Let’s walk.”
Xander considered Spike’s offer, not sure if he was sincere or yanking his chain.
Spike saw the look and said, “Look mate, I’ve got me my beautiful girl waiting for me right now with the sweetest, hottest, wettest …”
“Stop right there!”
“I’m just sayin’ I don’t have to be here playin’ Father Confessor to you. I’m making quite a sacrifice here.”
“Yeah, OK. Just don’t give me any more visuals of you and Buffy, OK?”
Spike smiled, paused and said, “Right then. Um, you don’t mind if I take a moment for a visual of my own from time to time, do you?”
“Shut up, Spike.”
Thus, the two strangest of friends strolled in the direction of the dorm. Xander decided to let go and really be honest with Spike. After all, Spike shared some pretty deep stuff with him and he honestly felt like he helped the undead pain in the ass.
Xander revealed a lot of baggage about his family and home life. Some school wounds. Spike made jokes about most of it, but Xander appreciated that he had a way of making sarcastic remarks funny without necessarily being cutting. Spike admitted that he’d known some of the same kinds of wounds when he was a boy. He reminded him that he went to school in Victorian times when if you’d gotten beaten by sixth-form boys, you were more than likely going to feel the rod of the Headmaster as well.
Xander’s eyebrows shot up. “The rod?”
Spike shrugged and let Xander draw his own conclusions. “Sometimes, Harris.” he said, his expression fading to a grim smile. “So listen, not that I haven’t hated every minute of this walk down memory lane, but I sincerely doubt that your foul mood today was brought about by old news.”
Xander laughed and said, “You’d be surprised how far back it goes.” Xander stopped and took a seat on one of the benches that peppered the paths around the campus. “All right. It’s Dawn.”
Spike feigned a look of shock and said, “No. Really?”
Xander rolled his eye and gave him a look of disgust. “I always thought she was cute. Shit, my memories go back to when they moved to Sunnydale. The summer before we started high school. We were all freshmen. Buffy too. Dawn was maybe nine or ten? It doesn’t matter. It was all a figment of our imagination anyway. Sometimes I wonder if it still is. She sure looks like flesh and blood, but then, she did then too.” He glanced at Spike, expecting some sort of reaction or comment. Spike only gestured for him to go on. He waited while Spike pulled another cigarette from his pack, lit it and took a deep drag. Spike muttered something.
“Huh?”
“Nothin’ mate, just need more cigarettes soon. Go on, then.”
“Right. Where was I? Oh. I saw them both around, you know? Sunnydale is a damn small town. New teen beauty followed around by a kid sister doesn’t go unnoticed very long. Willow and I spent hours speculating about her. She had a real polished look about her. No small town chick, this one … fancy tan, nice clothes. We made up dialogue for them as we watched them shopping together in town.” He laughed. “We were cruel, man. We were sure she was a Valley Girl and Willow and I could do Valley with the best of ‘em.”
Spike said, “She was a Valley Girl. Shallow. Got over it quick when she found more vamp dust in her hair than glitter.”
“Yeah.” That stopped Xander’s soliloquy as they both gave way to private thoughts.
Continuing his story, Xander said, “Anyway, school started. Cordelia got her hooks into her right away, but Buffy dissed her when she was bitchy to Willow. We found out we were wrong about her. Well, not wrong, I guess. We just found out she was a regular girl. The rest, my friend, is history.”
Spike said, “I thought there was a problem we were gonna fix. So far, this has just been a history of a boring one-eyed bloke. I know the story gets interesting later because I’m in it, but that’s not what this is about, is it?”
“You really are a prick, you know that?”
“Well …duh! Get on with it, man!”
He took a deep breath and tried to remember that Spike was trying to help. “OK. So Dawn started growing up. It was obvious that she had a crush on me and so, yeah … maybe I took a little more notice of her. Her hair was amazing. Like a TV commercial. On hot days she’d put both hands at the back of her neck and lift her hair away from her neck to cool down, you know? The hair would lift and flow over her hands and just float for a second before it fell. God. It was gorgeous. And … and … the smell that it left in the …” Xander was smiling and looked over at Spike to share the experience and was silenced by the sight of Spike’s twitching jaw.
Xander stood straightening his shoulders and swallowed. He began walking back the way they came. Without a word, Spike fell in step. There was still story to tell, so Xander went on. This time he stuck to the facts. “Dawn grew up. Oh, she caught my attention. She definitely caught my attention, but every time I thought about her, I felt like a pervert. I mean, I wished I was Catholic. At least I would have been able to go to confession, maybe gotten some wicked … what do they call it? … penance? Maybe wear a hair shirt to cleanse impure thoughts.
“So now, she’s all grown up and not off limits anymore. How come I still feel like a pervert?”
Spike was about to answer when he stopped, turning his head as though listening for something. “’D you hear that?”
“What? I didn’t hear anyth …” Before he could finish, there was an explosion, the concussive force of which threw the both of them into the air. Xander lay stunned against a tree and Spike landed across a bench. Shaking your head to clear it always looks like the right thing to do, but it feels like shit, thought Xander as he made his way to Spike. Christ, he’s bent in half. It looks like his back is broken.
“Spike, can you hear me?”
Spike’s eyes fluttered open. He struggled to speak. Spike whispered, “Dawn”.
~~~
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thank you to all of you who have stuck with me through delays and outcrops of real life. You really are the best!