“Spike?” she called.
“Be right up pet!” he called to her.
Making her way to the ladder that led to the bottom of his crypt, Buffy called down to him. “Can I come down?”
“No.”
She shrugged and made her way down anyway. She wasn’t one to take orders well, and especially not from Spike. Besides, she felt as though she sort of had license to invade his “personal space”. He had, after all, for months been breaking into her home and stealing stuff long before she found out.
Thinking back to that night she’d discovered his, well, altar to her, Buffy cringed. She liked the idea of someone being enamored with her – what girl didn’t—but that was a bit much. Not that she should have expected anything less from Spike though. He was a passionate guy – vampire—and he didn’t just half ass things. No, if he was going to love someone, then by God, he was going to stalk them. Not at all creepy. What made it creepier? The stalking bothered her more than the actual admittance of love.
“I thought I told you not to come down,” Spike snapped at her from behind a curtain.
“Since when do I listen to you? What are you doing?”
Stepping out from behind the curtain, Spike glared at her while wrapping a towel around his waist.
She gulped and looked away.
“I was taking a shower, luv.”
Curiously, she peered at him from the corner of her eye.
Wow, he’s hot. She shook her head, “No, no, no.” She started for the ladder.
Talking to yourself, luv?”
“I’ll um, wait for you upstairs,” she mumbled.
“I know, I get it.”
She stopped in her tracks, afraid to turn around, but wanting to so badly. “Get what?”
“That you can’t stand to be around me naked,” he said nonchalantly.
She fisted her hands. “And why is that?”
“Because you know you wouldn’t be able to help yourself.”
That did it. Buffy spun around and, mindless of his still near naked state, stalked over to him and poked him in the chest. She was going to ream him good for that one. “Not true.” Good job, Buffy, way to show him!
Spike started to laugh, “Then why are you so mad then, luv? And why are you blushing?”
She sputtered, “N-naked m-men always—“
“Please. You’re not a blushing virgin anymore, Buffy.”
She glared at him and he just grinned down at her, looking proud of himself, looking as if he’d just won some kind of victory. She’d show him. She wasn’t sure how yet, she thought as she made her way back up the ladder with Spike chuckling behind her, but she’d show him somehow.
Spike glanced warily at the Scoobies that were trailing behind them. “Buffy,” he whispered low enough for only her to hear. “Superman didn’t want an entourage.”
Buffy sighed, “I know, but…they’re my friends.”
“Friends, but not always helpers. Not to mention Xander doesn’t know how to keep his trap shut.”
“Ssshhh! They’ll hear you.”
“Already did, thanks Bleach Boy! See if I let you borrow a blanket again when you have nothing to shield you from the big, bright sun.”
Spike rolled his eyes and Buffy shrugged her apology. It was actually amazing to her that Spike was concerned about Superman and his request. It wasn’t like Spike to care much about anyone’s feelings or wishes.
He certainly was a strange vampire.
Just then, Superman descended from the sky. He smiled at Buffy, “Hello.” Looking past Spike and Buffy, he frowned, “You have company.”
“Well, sort of, they’re really just here to help,” Buffy explained. “I mean—“
“Hello Superman, hello Superman!!” Anya nearly shrieked, waving to him frantically.
Buffy felt horrible. It had seemed like a good idea that morning to involve the Scoobs. Extra hands meant figuring this out extra quickly. She had seen that as a good thing. Now she was seeing it as a colossal mistake. She didn’t want to turn around and tell her friends to go, thereby hurting their feelings, but she also hadn’t meant to blatantly insult Superman and his request either.
“Here’s the thing, Supes,” Spike said, stepping forward. “The Scoobies – uh, Buffy’s friends, they’re a right bunch of folks that are essential to helping the Slayer, uh, Buffy. They’ve been quite an asset to her, helping her avert apocalypses and such. The whelp is a bit of a nancy-boy—“
“Hey!” yelled Xander.
“But he’s a help, they all are. You’ve got the two witches, the ex demon and ...yeah, the whelp. And they’re quiet as can be when it comes to keeping secrets, too. More hands, more help. Wish you had extra help at times, ay Supe?”
Buffy blinked. Spike was now defending her friends’ right to be there after he’d just been scolding her for it? “Is the chip misfiring?” she couldn’t help but ask him. Spike gave her a look and turned back to Superman.
Superman sighed, “They’ll keep my presence here secret?”
“Shut tight,” Spike promised.
Superman nodded, “You are something, Miss Summers. Not only a Slayer, but a Slayer with friends.”
Buffy smiled, “See? I’m all with the helping.”
Superman smiled at her. “I should introduce myself.”
Buffy lunged and put her hands on his chest to stop him. “No, no. Don’t do that. The ex-demon? That’s the blond back there. She’s a little,” Buffy twirled her hand by her head, “Cuckoo. Cuckoo for you. Don’t engage.”
“But—“
“Trust us,” Spike jumped in.
“She won’t be here next time, we promise,” Buffy assured Superman.
Superman nodded. “All right then.”
“Yeah, next time we’ll make with the intro’s,” Buffy said. She stared at his chest and spread her fingers across it. She looked up at him. “You’re really warm.”
Superman smiled down at her, “Thank you.”
“All right, Buffy, get your hands off the superhero and let’s get back to work” Spike said, and grabbed her arm, all but yanking her off Superman. “Got work to do, pet.”
“Right. Work.” Buffy murmured and didn’t protest when Spike started to lead them to the warehouse where they decided was the ideal place to check for unusual activity. She didn’t even complain when Spike held onto her the whole way there.